Oracle reports $8.6 billion in total revenue for the quarter, up 47 percent from a year ago; profits were up 28 percent. – Less than a year after acquiring money-losing Sun Microsystems in an edgy $7.4 billion deal, Oracle appears to have shrugged off any doubts that it has indeed become the highly profitable, complete IT systems juggernaut it set out to be.
The Redwood City, Calif.-based enterprise hardware and so…
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 3, 2010 – Intel Corporation today announced that Paul Otellini, Intel’s president and chief executive officer, will present at Barclays Capital 2010 Global Technology Conference in San Francisco. Otellini will keynote at 7:40 a.m. PST on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
A live webcast and replay of the presentation will be available on Intel’s Investor Relations website at www.intc.com.
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Intel remains synonymous in many peoples’ minds with terms such as "microprocessor" and "innovation." Its constant barrage of television ads, often capped with that distinctive "dum-da-DUM" jingle, has made it one of the few technology companies that your average American can actually name. Over its several decades of existence, Intel has developed the computational architecture underlying everything from arcade games and industrial electronics to the PC sitting on your desk. Although many people know the terms "Pentium" and "Intel Inside," they may not realize that the company’s innovations extend beyond powering laptops and desktops. In recent years, Intel’s researchers have focused on everything from the ultra-wired home and more efficient cloud computing to robot butlers. The tablet PC and mobile markets are also firmly in the company’s sights, as it seeks to leverage recent trends in those areas. The following slides detail 25 things about Intel’s history and current workings: from the historic to the totally obscure. – …
An IT gadget Christmas came a bit early to San Francisco when on Nov. 12 the "Gdgt" folks showed off the new wares of 40 mobile device makers at the Galleria. Big-name companies, including Hewlett-Packard, LG, Kodak, AT&T, HTC, Samsung, Belkin and Lexmark, were on hand to preview what they will be retailing in stores and online this fall and winter. Microsoft made a big push for its new Windows 7 phones; there were new laptops, phones, smartphones, gaming machines, printers, headsets, speakers& even some interesting new power-conscious power strips from Belkin that can turn off all that residual "simply connected" power in a home entertainment center. Look for these items in TV commercials and magazine/newspaper ads for the next couple of months. – …
British Foreign Secretary William Hague is not bringing any threats or an ultimatum to Belgrade, according to a report in daily Blic. The Belgrade newspaper writes today that he was invited by President Boris Tadić, “whose cabinet has been lobbying for this visit for over a month in order to smooth over relations with Britain”.
A look at online fax service and how it’s used in business today and in the future.
The millions and even billions of transistors you need in the products you’ll use more than a decade from now are already being researched and planned for inside the walls of Intel. Using its unique Research-Development-Manufacturing approach, Intel is able to develop the latest transistors and know they will be production-ready and on time to our customers. See “Transistors: Past, Present, Future, and Future-er” blog for more about the plenary talk Intel gave this week at the 2010 Device Research Conference.
Major announcements by Hewlett-Packard, General Electric and Verizon provide more evidence that cloud computing options for businesses are expanding rapidly. Such announcements are raising the confidence of businesses of all sizes that cloud computing systems are now big enough and efficient enough to reliably safeguard their IT systems even at a lower cost than they can do it themselves. – When Hewlett-Packard launched its Software
Universe event June 15 with a presentation on cloud computing, it was just
the start of a day about clouds. HP kicked things off with its announcement at
a massive event held at the Gaylord National conference center at Washington’s
National Harbor,
an…
E3 Holdings has clarified to say none of the directors reprimanded by SGX on June 10 are with the company.
The company also says that on Sept 22, 2008, the audit committee had commissioned a special audit by Deloitte & Touche Financial Advisory Services.
The draft report was submitted to the SGX on Dec 23, 2009 and finalised signed report was delivered to the SGX on Jan 29.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs will give the June 7 keynote address at the companys developer conference, scheduled to run June 7-11 at San Franciscos Moscone West. While details will likely be kept under wraps before the actual speech, rumors suggest that Jobs could use the platform to announce the next-generation iPhone, dubbed "iPhone 4G" by the media, and outline a release strategy. Apple has not confirmed such a device to be in the works, but a pair of leaked prototype smartphones suggests that the company is indeed gearing up for a refresh of the iPhone line. – Apple CEO Steve Jobs will give the June 7 keynote address at
the companys 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where he could
potentially announce the upcoming next-generation iPhone. The WWDC, which runs
from June 7 to June 11 at San Franciscos Moscone West, provides technical
sessions …
Congress reconsiders America’s official position on the Armenian genocide
TWO questions faced an American congressional panel on Thursday March 5th as it considered the mass killings of Armenians during and after the first world war by forces of the Ottoman Empire. First, was it genocide? The historical debate is as hot, and unsettled, as ever. Armenians continue to insist that it was the first genocide of the twentieth century, while Turks call the killings merely part of the chaos of the break-up of empire.
But the second question on the minds of congressmen in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives was more urgent. What is more important, fidelity to history or concern for the present? The vote took place as warming relations between Turkey and Armenia have cooled again and those between Turkey and America are under increasing strain over Iran, Israel and other affairs in the region. Turkish diplomats and politicians gave warning before the vote that the consequences would be felt across the range of issues of shared concern to the two countries. In the end the panel narrowly decided against pragmatism and chose to set straight the historical records. A resolution recognising the killings as genocide was sent to the House by a vote of 23 to 22. …
Strategies are of little value if they are not implemented effectively. The key is to explicitly show each follower what they need to do, when and with whom. The level of training and discipline required to implement the action is unrealistic and unachievable in real life. The key is to let the software execute the management processes in the background and present relevant information from each persons perspective. This keeps leaders informed, frees followers to do productive work, and gets strategies implemented in record time.
At Black Hat DC, security researchers present a way to hack the connection between Web applications and the database, a method they call connection string parameter pollution.
– Two security researchers unveiled a new attack at Black Hat DC that
targets the connection between Web applications and databases.
Independent researcher Jose Palazon and Chema Alonso of security vendor
Informatica64 presented their finding, which they called a CSPP (connection string
paramete…
Country singer Carrie Underwood says her best Christmas present was her fiance.
The ”American Idol” winner, who got engaged to Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher shortly before Christmas Day, says that the engagement was the best festive surprise she has ever had, reports Contactmusic.
Writing on her fan club website, Carrie said: “I think you all [...]
The Senate votes to bring affordable health care for Americans a huge step closer
IT WAS, critics and admirers agreed, the most consequential vote in the Senate for more than 40 years; since, in fact, the bill that created America’s state-run health scheme for the elderly back in 1965. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Barack Obama’s promise to deliver affordable health care to every American moved a giant leap closer to fulfillment as the chamber voted, on strictly party lines, in favour of a bill that has already been the best part of a year in the making.
The previous Democratic president, Bill Clinton, failed at the same task, and that failure marked the remaining seven years of his presidency. Universal health care has been the most cherished goal of Democratic politicians for close to a century; and now, the shameful fact that a country as rich and powerful as America leaves tens of millions of its citizens with only the most basic health care is on its way to being expunged. The bill still has tricky obstacles to negotiate before it ends up on the president’s desk. But Mr Obama can reflect, as 2009 comes to an end, that his place in the pantheon of American reformers looks secure. …
Christmas is just over a week away, and no matter how organized you are, I bet there are a few people on your list that you just can’t figure out a gift for. In the spirit of giving, then, I offer these suggestion – each of which is, as of 12/16, available to ship in time for Christmas. (All prices are in US dollars.)
 KindleIt’s no secret that we’re fond of the Kindle ‘round the Lifehack halls. A single device that can carry a library of books, magazines, newspapers, and blog content? What’s not to love – and what could be more Lifehack-y? This year, the Kindle got improved battery life, PC and iPhone companion apps (with a Mac app on its way), native PDF support, and a big brother in the form of the Kindle DX. If you really love someone, you’ll get them a Kindle! (You reading this, dad?) ($259; $489 for the DX) |
 Flip MinoHDShoot incredible-looking high-def video with this camera that’s so tiny you’ll never have a reason not to carry it along with you. With 8GB of built-in memory, you can shoot up to 2 hours of video; downloading to your PC is as easy as plugging in the flip-out USB jack. ($229 list; on sale for $199 at Amazon right now) |
 Lilliput Mini USB MonitorThis 7†monitor is so cool I can’t even stand it. Powered entirely by USB, the monitor sits next to your main monitor to hold… well, whatever you want. Photoshop tools, Windows gadgets (or widgets, or whatever they’re called these days), your todo list, notes, your media player controls – I’m sure your loved ones can think of something to do with the extra real estate. Works with Windows PCs or Intel Macs. ($79.99) |
 D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage RouterYou know what’s ugly? A wireless router, that’s what. Who wants that thing sitting on their bookshelf or entertainment center? Well, this router solves that problem with a built-in 3.2†digital picture frame, showing off your favorite photos as it serves up your web pages and print jobs. Oh, by the way – you can also add a 2.5†hard drive, making it into a network-attached storage drive that can backup files from all the computers on your network, or act as a media server sending music and video to any PC, Xbox, PS3, or other plug-n-play device on your network. You’re forgiven if by now you’ve forgotten that it’s still a router. ($249.99 list; $214.17 at Amazon) |
 Logitech V550 Cordless Laser Mouse for NotebooksI’ve been using one of these for about 6 months now, and I’m absolutely in love with it. It’s on the large side for a notebook mouse (which is good, since I’m on the large side for a person) but still quite a bit smaller than a typical desktop mouse. The USB dongle is literally a USB plug and about 1/4†of electronics, so it doesn’t stick out of the side of my notebook and get in my way. The scroll wheel is a hefty metal job which you can press down on (hard) to release a clutch that lets it roll freely – so you can shoot up and down long documents with the flick of a finger. The scroll wheel also tilts left and right (which I have set to go “back†and “forwardâ€, which is AWESOME for web surfing) and a little button behind the scroll wheel can be set to your choice of about a dozen different functions. Some kind of secret Santa’s elves technology allows it to go for a year on a single change of batteries, which ain’t half bad! ($39.95) |
 OGIO Hip Hop Messenger BagI’ve been lusting over this bag at my local Best Buy for a while (‘cause I’m fly like that!) but can’t convince myself I need yet another shoulder bag. (Yet. I’m weak, I’ll cave eventually). Made to hold a 15†laptop (and I just happen to have a 15†laptop…) this messenger-style bag has about a million pockets and sleeves to hold just abut everything – pens and pencils, airplane tickets, your media player, a water bottle, a kazoo (what, you don’t carry one?), a Yeti, tractor tires – everything! (OK, maybe not quite all of that; still, it’s impressive.) Available in a bunch of colors (there are several listings, you might have to click around to find the one that has the perfect color for your geek sweetie). ($45.99) |
 PowermatThe dream is here – wireless charging! Just set an iPhone, Blackberry, or other device on the Powermat and it charges wirelessly, using the power of children’s dreams (I assume – I’m a little fuzzy on the science). Of course, you also need receivers for each device, so here’s the deal: get this for your spouse with a receiver for their phone, and you know, just happen to order an extra one that fits your phone, and it’s like a double-Christmas just for you! ($99.99, plus $30/receiver) |
 Swiss+Tech Utili-KeyThe perfect stocking stuffer, this key-shaped (and key-sized) multi-tool opens to expose a Phillips-head and flat-head screwdriver, a super-tiny glasses screwdriver, a bottle opener, and plain and serrated cutting surfaces. Naturally, it slides onto your key-ring so you have everything you need, any time you need it. I bought a stack of them for all my family members who scoff at the idea of carrying a Swiss army knife. ($7.95) |
 Crush It, by Gary VaynerchukGary Vaynerchuk of WineLibraryTV shares the secrets of his success in this slim, accessible volume. In two words: CRUSH IT! Find your passion and just go for it, all out, no excuses. Of course there’s a little more to it than that, or it would just be an inspirational poster. Perfect for anyone in your life facing the consequences of the economic downturn, or just looking for a little more meaning in their lives than pushing papers for the next 30 years. ($19.99 list; $11.69 at Amazon) |
 Men’s Underwear Repair KitWhat could be more productive than getting every last bit of use out of your underwear? The Men’s Underwear Repair Kit contains iron-on patches, replacement elastic, safety pins, white-out, and 32 pages of instructions – everything you need to get years and years of wear out of your tighty-whities. ($10.95) |
Got any special gift ideas of your own? Share them with us last-minute shoppers in the comments!
Dustin M. Wax is a freelance writer and project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He can be reached though his freelancing site at DustinWax.com</a., where his various projects can be viewed. When he's not writing, he teaches anthropology and gender studies in Las Vegas, NV. He is the author of Don’t Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.
Follow him on Twitter: @dwax.
Wild rumours are circulating of the discovery of one of physics’s great unknowns: dark matter
AS The Economist went to press this week, physicists were aflutter about an expected announcement from one of the world’s most important experiments searching for dark matter—the as-yet-undetected material that, if models of the universe are correct, is about six times as abundant as the familiar, visible stuff. Physicists working on the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS), a large collaboration whose experimental apparatus is located in Minnesota, will be making presentations on December 17th at Fermilab and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in America, and on December 18th at CERN, the European particle-physics laboratory near Geneva. The speculation is that they will announce the detection of the hitherto unknown particles that make up dark matter. The researchers plan to post their results to the arXiv, an online repository of physics papers, on December 17th, with submissions to a peer-reviewed journal following shortly thereafter.
Around a quarter of the universe is thought to be made up of dark matter, which, as the name suggests, neither gives off nor reflects light. (The balance, once the small amount of visible matter is subtracted, is made of even more mysterious stuff known as “dark energy”.) However, dark matter does make itself known through its gravity. This, indeed, is why astronomers believe it must be there. Some galaxies rotate so fast that they should be throwing off their outermost stars. Only the gravitational pull of these galaxies’ unseen halos of dark matter holds those stars in. Observations of the bending of light around clusters of galaxies, as well as the way that galactic structures formed in the early universe, also suggest that there is much more to reality than meets the eye. …
Iran said it would hand over a package of proposals to world powers on Wednesday. It comes as the Islamic Republic faced renewed Western pressure to swiftly engage in “meaningful” talks on its disputed nuclear program.
The conditions are not present for Serbs to take part in the local elections in Kosovo this fall, stated Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović. Bogdanović also sent a message that the government cannot ask them to pay their electricity bills either, until the problem concerning power supply to their areas has been solved.
