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The MC-27J Spartan: The Baddest Gunship the USAF Will Never Fly

Posted on July 26, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

After a decade of deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq, the wings are literally falling off the USAFs aging fleet of AC-130s. The Air Force thought about upgrading them to the new MC-27J Spartan multi-purpose gunship—but budget cuts nixed that idea. The Airmen will miss out on quite a machine.The Spartan is a 60-troop multipurpose cargo plane, developed by Italys Alenia Aermacchi over the last year, and very similar in design to the C-27A currently in service. It is primarily a tactical cargo plane, popular among the special forces for its ability to take off on short runways, fast transfer speed, and 3,200 NMI range. But the MC-27J also features a RO/RO roll on/roll off, pallet-based option system that allows it to be employed on a variety of missions.Like choosing the the Luxury versus Sport package on a 5-series BMW, the Spartan can be modified to suit a particular mission type. Unlike the 5-Series, however, the RO/RO system allows the Spartan to change between various option packages—command and control; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ISR; communications broadcast; gunship—all at the drop of a hat. This allows military forces to rapidly respond to threats, easily switching from anti-terrorism operations to civilian evacuations within a four-hour window. Whats more, the palletized system, which easily installs from the rear cargo bay, increases each planes operational flexibility and significantly decreases procurement and maintenance costs for the fleet as a whole.

via The MC-27J Spartan: The Baddest Gunship the USAF Will Never Fly.

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You Never Have to Email Photos Again Because This App Magically Shares iPhone Pictures with Your Friends

Posted on July 26, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Flock, a new iPhone app from the people behind Bump, solves the first world problem of having to send photos to your friends through e-mail by creating shared photo albums with your friends with pictures that have similar metadata. It works like magic.

You know the situation, you’re out with a bunch of friends and everyone’s snapping photos with their iPhones and everyone wants each others pictures. What do you do? Ask them to e-mail it to you? Hope they remember? Be surprised on Facebook later? With Flock, you don’t have to do anything, and you’ll still get the pictures.

The way Flock works is you take photos with any iPhone camera app and then Flock sees who you’re Facebook friends with and finds anyone with the same camera metadata (location, time) to automagically create a shared album with pictures you’ve all taken (you get an option to pick which pictures you share, of course). Your pictures, your friend’s pictures, your other friend’s pictures from that night out are all popped into one album without e-mailing or MMSing or doing any work. Flock just gently reminds you to share pictures.

via You Never Have to Email Photos Again Because This App Magically Shares iPhone Pictures with Your Friends.

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Sprint’s iPhone gamble isn’t paying off as 2012 Q2 figures reveal $629 million operating loss — Engadget

Posted on July 26, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Sprint’s second quarter figures have arrived, showing that the company’s billion-dollar gamble on the iPhone isn’t working right now. While it sold 1.5 million Apple-branded handsets in the three month period (40 percent to new and postpaid customers), it recorded an operating loss of $629 million and a colossal net loss of $1.4 billion — compared to an operating loss of $255 million and a net loss of $863 million in the first quarter. Operating revenues of $8.8 billion improved on those in the first quarter by a single percent — mostly due to higher service fees from its wireless offerings. It’s also grown its cash reserves, up from $128 million last quarter to $267 million today, and can point to 442,000 postpaid and 141,000 new prepaid subscribers pushing the company’s customer base up to 56 million nationwide — mentioning that 60 percent of former Nextel users chose to remain with Sprint during the enforced change.

The figures reveal that Sprint’s eating around $782 million due to the shutdown of the Nextel platform and a further $184 million to end leases on antenna sites for the moribund network. It’s also having to take a hit of $204 million due to its investment into infrastructure partner Clearwire. It’s affirmed its $1 billion lending facility, contingent upon purchasing gear from Ericsson to help build its LTE network, which it aims to have installed in 12,000 sites by the end of the year. Of course, that purchase was prompted by the collapse of Philip Falcone’s doomed LightSquared project, which caused the Now Network to lose $66 million in cash and its childhood innocence when it comes to trusting other people.

via Sprint’s iPhone gamble isn’t paying off as 2012 Q2 figures reveal $629 million operating loss — Engadget.

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iPhone 5 release date rumor: September 21st

Posted on July 26, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

The “iPhone 5″ rumor mill has, for the time being, settled on a date when Apple’s (AAPL) highly-anticipated smartphone will be released: September 21st. Both PhoneArena and App4Phone, neither of which has a proven track record with pre-release iPhone rumors, both cite unnamed sources who say that Apple will launch its latest iPhone on the third Friday in September. Although there’s no way of knowing whether these sources are accurate, a September 21st release would make sense since it would come shortly before Apple’s fourth fiscal quarter ends and would thus make an excellent time to mark the start of the “fall transition” to new products that Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about during his company’s earnings report earlier this week.

Read [App4Phone] Read [PhoneArena]

via iPhone 5 release date rumor: September 21st.

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Vint Cerf interview: Internet history revision criticism

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial from Gordon Crovitz asserting that the U.S. government played no significant role in the creation of the Internet, saying instead that the government actually hindered the Internet’s development as a world-changing technological force. But now CNET has scored an interview with Vint Cerf, the legendary computer scientist who knows something about the creation of the Internet since he, you know, basically created it (or more accurately, the TCP/IP networking protocols that serve as the Internet’s foundation) with Robert Kahn in the 1970s. Unsurprisingly, Cerf thinks that Crovitz is utterly full of it in his assertions on Internet history.

In his CNET interview, Cerf forthrightly states that the “United States government via [Advanced Research Projects Agency] started the project” that would eventually lead to the creation of TCP/IP. Cerf also takes Crovitz to task for giving Xerox full credit for creating the Internet since Xerox actually created Ethernet, which is an important data link layer protocol that also happens to be an entirely different thing from the Internet.

And finally, Cerf responds to Crovitz’ claim that the creation of the Internet was purely a triumph of the private sector by saying that he “would happily fertilize my tomatoes with Crovitz’ assertion.” He concludes by slamming Corvitz for his attempts to “distort history for political purposes” and says he hopes that “people who want to know the real story will discount this kind of revisionist interpretation.”

via Vint Cerf interview: Internet history revision criticism.

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US launches first commercial tidal power project this summer, Maine to reap moons gravitational benefits — Engadget

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Solar may be the green energy source thats been hogging the headlines lately, but there are other fossil-fuel free ways that can help meet societys electrical needs. One of these is tidal power, and the US is set to start harnessing the oceans electricity-generating potential this summer with the TidGen Cobscook Bay project — the first such commercial project in the States. Located just off the coast of Eastport, Maine, turbines will be placed in 50-100 feet deep water to take advantage of the 100 billion tons of water that flow in and out of Cobscook Bay each day. When the project goes live, itll feed into the public power grid and generate enough juice to power between 75 and 100 homes, and the plan is to eventually install enough turbines to generate 3MW of power — which should cover the needs of over 1,000 homes and businesses. Theres more info, plus plenty of political self-congratulation in the source below.

via US launches first commercial tidal power project this summer, Maine to reap moons gravitational benefits — Engadget.

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Some People Think Mountain Lion Is Steve Jobs—Wait, WHAT?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

The current rumor now ramping through the internet is so dumb, so painfully stupid that Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave: apparently, tons of irreversible imbeciles in Facebook and Twitter are saying that Apple’s Mountain Lion image is based on the Jobs’ biography cover picture, as an homage to Apple’s former leader.

Yes, folks, actual humans are saying that Apple created or modified a mountain lion photo to make it “look” like Steve Jobs in forums and social networks. It’s not a joke.

Forget about the fact that, unless you are deluded fanboy conspiracy theorist in serious need of mental help, the mountain lion is just an animal and it doesn’t look like Steve Jobs at all. This is so impossibly idiotic as seeing images of Jesus Christ in Cheetos. So deeply dumb that it’s not letting me think straight except to say this: please fanbozos, stop embarrassing everyone with your imbecility.

It’s not funny anymore.

via Some People Think Mountain Lion Is Steve Jobs—Wait, WHAT?.

Posted in Apple, Hacking, Humor, Interesting, Rumor | Leave a comment

Is There Anyone Stupid Enough to Believe That This Cable Has Anti-Virus Protection?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

This “Xbox 360 Elite HDMI cable” should be just like any other HDMI cable in the planet, right? Wrong! According to the box, it’s a “100% Mylar” double shield 1.3c grade cable with anti-virus protection to reduce virus noises and to obtain perfect image transmission.”

Now, forget about the fact that this company should get sued into hell for fantasy claims that make no sense whatsoever. That’s obvious. What I really—REALLY—want to know is if there is any people in the world so stupidly stupid as to believe that a virus may attack your video cables and cause noise.

These crooks probably went to the Monster Cable marketing school. [Thanks Jorge!]

via Is There Anyone Stupid Enough to Believe That This Cable Has Anti-Virus Protection?.

Posted in HowTo, Humor, Interesting, Know your Rights, News, Opinion, tips | Leave a comment

Buckyballs Magnets Have Been Banned by the Feds

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has just banned the sale of Buckyballs, those magic magnets that can be shaped any which way, because the balls are a serious health hazard for children. It’s the first stop-sale order by the CPSC in 11 years.

Retailers like Amazon, Urban Outfitters and Brookstone have already agreed to stop selling Buckyballs (and similar products) and the CSPC has ordered distributor Maxfield and Oberton Holdings of New York to halt sales and issue refunds for the rare earth magnets. The CSPC said that Buckyballs are a “substantial product hazard” and are concerned by the injuries it causes to kids who swallow them:

“Notwithstanding the labeling, warnings and efforts taken by (Maxfield and Oberton), ingestion incidents continued to rise because warnings are ineffective”

When swallowed, the CSPC says that Buckyballs have the potential to pinch and trap intestines and require surgery to remove. Yikes! The CSPC had issued a health warning regarding Buckyballs last year but have decided today to move forward in shutting it down. Predictably, Buckyballs won’t go down without a fight, Craig Zucker, CEO of Buckyballs, said that it’ll “vigorously fight this action taken by President Obama’s handpicked agency.”

Them fighting words. In any case, if you see some Buckyballs lying around, snatch ’em up before they’re gone. [USA Today, Reuters]

via Buckyballs Magnets Have Been Banned by the Feds.

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Microsoft Research: Bringing Sexy Back

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Sometimes I think I know how Microsoft feels. It’s the older, more well-established guy living and working amongst a bunch of scruffy, young startup types who have big ideas, take huge risks and are the embodiment of cool.When I asked people on Twitter to describe Microsoft and four other tech companies Google, Apple, Facebook and Twitter with just one word, Apple and Twitter were lavished with terms like Innovative, Sexy, Informative, Superior, Fun and even Innocent. Microsoft didn’t fare as well. Old was a common theme, as was Stodgy, Boring, and even Dying.Some of this is fair. Microsoft has been around since the ’70s while Facebook and Twitter launched after the start of the new millennium, so it is old by current startup standards Instagram and Pinterest are just a couple of years old. Perhaps Microsoft did rest for too long on its dominant OS market share Microsofties are only too willing to admit past mistakes. Apple, though, is just as old as Microsoft, and has been through its share of trouble it barely survived the 1990s. Yet, it’s seen as Ground Breaking and Chic.I get it — maybe Microsoft is not cool, but I’m not so sure it’s stodgy, and it’s definitely not dying.