Mars Rover Curiosity Has First Big Malfunction

One of rover's two onboard computers became corrupted, delaying scientific operations for at least a week.

The Mars rover Curiosity experienced its first significant malfunction on Wednesday, when one of its two onboard computers became corrupted and failed to turn off and enter "sleep mode" as planned.

The Curiosity team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent up commands to switch all operations from the corrupted A computer to the twin B computer early Thursday morning, according to a Thursday NASA statement.

Most spacecraft have a backup computer to step in if the primary computer fails. (Related: Meet One of Curiosity's Earthbound Twins.)

Richard Cook, project manager for the Curiosity project, said the problem was the most serious experienced by the rover so far in its nearly seven months on the red planet.

Cook said the team was most concerned Wednesday night, before they got a handle on the nature of the problem. But once they began to understand better, it became clear that switching to the other computer was necessary and unlikely to have long-term consequences.

He said he hoped Curiosity would resume science work in about a week. (Related: Manned Mars Mission Announced by Dennis Tito Group.)

On other space missions, Cook said, similar problems were caused by high-energy solar and cosmic ray strikes. He said that's probably what happened this time.


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Cyber Monday Laptop Deals, the Best Laptop Deals All Year?

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 28, 2010

In case of missing the boat on Black Friday, there's still Cyber Monday for laptop shoppers who've procrastinated through the weekend. Now, there even better laptop deals online because retailers are more desperate to offload excess inventory. Deals experts have actually seen this happen across many retailers including Apple's Macbooks, the prices are now lower than it was yesterday (Black Friday) or the whole year.

For example, Apple MacBook 13.3-Inch Laptop with model number MC516LL/A was $939.94 on Amazon but it has been lowered to $912.49 as of today, the day after Black Friday. That's additional $27.45 savings for consumers who've missed the Black Friday boat. This is the number one reason why shoppers actually should wait until Cyber Monday for the best deals on laptops.

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Small Business Saturday Entices Locals to Shop Mom and Pop

Small business owners are hoping shoppers will take a day off from the big box retailers–and the crowds.

To counter the corporate world's Black Friday, public and private organizations are joining American Express OPEN—the company's small business unit—in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving Small Business Saturday.

The first-time event encourages shoppers to include small, independently-owned businesses when they make their shopping rounds the day after Black Friday.

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Axiom IPO Excludes Retail Investors

DUBAI—In a move aimed at avoiding the sluggish retail demand that has blighted recent initial public offerings in the Gulf region, Axiom Telecom said Sunday that its 35% share sale, the first in the United Arab Emirates in more than two years, would be pitched solely at institutional investors.

The Dubai-based mobile-phone distributor set the price range for its IPO at between $0.80 and $1.15 a share, valuing the company at up to $1.09 billion. The share sale will run from Sunday until around Dec. 3, it said in an emailed statement.


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Facebook to assimilate MySpace

It's been an interesting week for the Facebook Borg, what with the end of email as we know it, playing footsie with Microsoft to send Google a Bronx cheer, and now the demise of MySpace. '

Last week, in a heated public rendition of the pot calling the kettle black, Google and Facebook traded barbs in an ongoing data-sharing dispute. Facebook won the round, scarfing up Google contact data with impunity. Google had no choice but to stand by as its data got sucked into Facebook, wailing as the data faded away, "Are you super sure you want to import your contact information for your friends into a service that won't let you get it out?"

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Google raise: Employees to get 10 pc salary hike

California, Nov 13: The computer giant Google
Inc has announced a 10 percent salary hike for its 23,000 employees on Friday, Nov 12.

All Google
employees will get a 10 percentage or more salary increase and a $1,000 cash Christmas bonus. Also the California based Google will pay the taxes for the cash bonus and give each employee an additional raise equivalent to their target bonus for the year.

Eric Schmidt, the CEO for Google, released a memo internally to confirm the good news.

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Europe could run out of new internet addressed in 2011: Google vice president

Europe will run out of capacity for new internet addresses by early next year, potentially cutting the U.K. off from the rest of the world online, one of the founding fathers of the communications network warned today.

Vint Cerf, vice-president of Google and the man dubbed “the godfather of the net”, said the shortage of internet address space represented a “serious boundary” to the growth of the medium.

Mr. Cerf added that the problem is one of the “biggest set of changes in the history of the internet”.

Online access across Europe will remain fixed at its current rate unless internet service providers (ISPs) move quickly to implement new internet protocol (IP) space, the leading computer scientist warned.

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iOS 4.2: The iPad Update and Businesses

If you have been disappointed with the iPad’s functionality in terms of business, you may be happy to hear that iOS 4.2 should improve things, if you check out this recent PCWorld article you can see some of the many ways iOS 4.2 does just this.

If you are using your iPad for business use you may have more apps installed than the average user, this may make your tablet quite cluttered and unorganized, however once iOS 4.2 is installed you will be able to tidy things up by putting shortcuts in folders.

Business users will be extremely interested in being as productive as possible, at the moment the iPad has a huge bottleneck in its one app at a time setup, however the iOS update will bring multitasking, which means you will be able to create documents, whilst checking your email and browsing the web.

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Which women are searched most often on Google?

COED Magazine has compiled a list based on Google search results that is flying around the Internet, sporting some surprises -- Justin Bieber comes in at No. 7 -- and some givens -- Lady Gaga tops the list at No. 1.

Here are the top 10:

1. Lady Gaga

2. Kesha

3. Madonna

4. Beyonce

5. Rihanna

6. Britney Spears

7. Justin Bieber

8. Miley Cyrus

9. Paris Hilton

10. Avril Lavigne

Washington's famous women made a showing as well: former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is No. 18, first lady Michelle Obama No. 21 and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton No. 32.

Poor Justin Bieber. This is the second time in a week that the teen heartthrob and perpetual trending topic on Twitter has sent the Internet into a tizzy. He has also been accused of not knowing the meaning of the word "German."

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Gold surges to Rs 19,850 per ten gram

Gold prices on the eve of Diwali rose by Rs 110 to Rs 19,850 per ten gram in the bullion market here on fresh buying by retailers and jewellers amid a firming trend in global markets.

Silver, however, held steady in restricted trade and traded at Rs 37,600 per kg.

Trading sentiment turned better as retail customers entered the market to make token purchases for the Diwali festival on Friday and jewellers buying to meet the ensuing marriage season demand.

The Diwali is considered to be an auspicious day in Hindu mythology to make new purchases particularly in gold and other household articles.

The prices further bolstered on reports the gold rising in global markets, which normally set prices on the domestic front, as the dollar fell to near nine-month low after the US Fed said it will purchase more government debt.

From : www.indianexpress.com

Winning artists join Ukraine's Friends of EURO

The 20 winners of a nationwide drawing competition in Ukraine have become that country's newest and youngest members of the Friends of UEFA EURO 2012 campaign.

The exclusive group of Friends of UEFA EURO 2012 in Ukraine gained 20 new members as the winners of a drawing competition for young people were presented at the local organising committee (LOC) headquarters in Kyiv today.

The 20 prize winners joined the small number of Ukrainian celebrities already confirmed as Friends of UEFA EURO 2012 at a special ceremony in the capital. The youngsters had been invited to enter a drawing contest, between 15 September and 15 October, on the theme of their country staging UEFA EURO 2012 and what it means to them.

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Will the PSP phone meet expectations?

One complaint about the current smartphones on the market is that they don’t offer any real gaming performance like some of the handheld devices. And why should they… they’re phones, right? Well, Sony is offering a solution with their PSP phone, but I’m not yet convinced this is what we as consumers need, but it might be something we want. But will this phone meet our expectations of both a phone and a gaming device?

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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Putin.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин, IPA: [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ˈputʲɪn] ( listen); born 7 October 1952) served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move, and then Putin won the 2000 presidential election. In 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008.

Due to constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive Presidential term. After the victory of his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, in the 2008 presidential elections, he was then nominated by the latter to be Russia's Prime Minister; Putin took the post on 8 May 2008.

Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law. During his eight years in office, due to strong macroeconomic management, important fiscal policy reforms, and a confluence of high oil prices, surging capital inflows, and access to low-cost external financing, Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP (sixfold in nominal), poverty cut more than half, and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640, or by 150% in real rates. Analysts have described Putin's economic reforms as impressive.

During his presidency, Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. At the same time, his conduct in office has been questioned by domestic political opposition, foreign governments, and human rights organizations for leading the Second Chechen War, for his record on internal human rights and freedoms, and for his alleged bullying of the former Soviet Republics.

A new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy—such as Roman Abramovich, Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Prokhorov, or Yuriy Kovalchuk, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin—emerged according to media reports. Along with Putin's connections to the business world, he has been criticized since the beginning of his first term as developing a cult of personality.

From Wikipedia

President Obama on The Daily Show

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama apparently thinks politics is no laughing matter, even when he's staring down a comedian. Obama barely cracked any jokes during an appearance Wednesday on "The Daily Show" despite host Jon Stewart's attempts to draw out the president's humorous side with a few of his own snarky wisecracks.

Less than a week before the critical Nov. 2 congressional elections, Obama said he hopes Democratic lawmakers who made tough votes will be rewarded with another term in office. He promised more accomplishments in the two years left on his own term in the Oval Office and urged people to vote - early if they can.

Text from: www.huffingtonpost.com

2.8 million viewers tuned in Wednesday night to watch The Daily Show Interview with President Barack Obama and Comedy Central host of the show, Jon Stewart.

The rating is reported to be the third highest viewed episode, with his first appearance in October 2008 as a candidate as highest and the appearance of his wife Michelle Obama’s as second highest. Topics discussed included health care reform, patient’s bill of rights and cutting the deficit, as well as others.

Tag VDO from: http://sickhop.com/tag/obama-daily-show-2010/

It Gets Better

Recently, several young people have taken their own lives after being bullied for being gay – or perceived as being gay – by their peers. Their deaths are shocking and heartbreaking tragedies. No one should have to endure relentless harassment or tormenting. No one should ever feel so alone or desperate that they feel they have nowhere to turn. We each share a responsibility to protect our young people. And we also have an obligation to set an example of respect and kindness, regardless of our differences.

This is personal to me. When I was a young adult, I faced the jokes and taunting that too many of our youth face today, and I considered suicide as a way out. But I was fortunate. One of my co-workers recognized that I was hurting, and I soon confided in her. She cared enough to push me to seek help. She saved my life. I will always be grateful for her compassion and support – the same compassion and support that so many kids need today.

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Is e-business for small business?

Did you know that e-business is about more than selling your product or service online? E-business can also help your company connect with your customers, collaborate with your business partners, and lower your costs. If you're considering implementing e-business solutions, it's important to understand the possible risks. However, there are ways that you can reduce the risks and take advantage of the benefits of e-business.

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Graphics chips break supercomputing speed barrier

Nvidia claims its graphics chips are the driving force behind a Chinese supercomputer called Tianhe-1A that has claimed the world's speed record for number crunching.

The fully-operational computer is based at China's National Supercomputer Center (NSC) in Tianjin and knocked the US's Cray XT5 Jaguar from the top of the flops with a new performance record of 2.507 petaflops on Linpack benchmarks.

The scientific research that is now possible with a system of this scale is almost without limits

Read more: Graphics chips break supercomputing speed

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Aung San Suu Kyi 'could be freed next month'

Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, could be released from house arrest next month, Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday.

Asked if his Myanmar counterpart, Nyan Win, had given any indication of when Suu Kyi would be freed during a regional summit in Hanoi, Natalegawa said: "Once the prison term of her sentence expires, and she has served her sentence, and that notion was not disputed.

"It was our understanding that she would have served her sentence in November," he told reporters.

Text from: www.dnaindia.com

Indonesian volcano erupts

Volcano

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust (called "non-hotspot intraplate volcanism"), such as in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and the Rio Grande Rift in North America.

Indonesian volcano erupts, injuring up to 20 people
Thousands of residents on the slopes have been evacuated

Indonesia's most volatile volcano, Mount Merapi, erupted Tuesday, spewing out hot ash that injured several people. An AP reporter witnessed up to 20 people being taken away for treatment of their injuries. Subandriyo, chief vulcanologist in the area, said Merapi started to erupt just before dusk Tuesday. It had rumbled and groaned for hours. Scientists have warned that pressure building beneath Merapi's lava dome could trigger one of the most powerful blasts in years. Thousands of residents on the slopes have been evacuated. However most who fled were the elderly and children, while adults stayed to tend to homes and farms on the mountain's fertile slopes. In a 1994 eruption after the volcano's lava dome collapsed, 70 people were killed. The volcano killed 1,300 people in 1930.

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Why is WikiLeaks important ?

WikiLeaks is a not-for-profit media organisation. Their goal is to bring important news and information to the public.

Wikeleaks website (www.wikileaks.org) describes their purpose and intentions :


1. Introduction to WikiLeaks
"Could become as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act." - Time Magazine
1.1 About WikiLeaks

We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists (our electronic drop box). One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth. We are a young organisation that has grown very quickly, relying on a network of dedicated volunteers around the globe. Since 2007, when the organisation was officially launched, WikiLeaks has worked to report on and publish important information. We also develop and adapt technologies to support these activities.

I wont copy the entire site, of course - here are the main subjects they continue..


1.2 How WikiLeaks works
1.3 Why the media (and particularly Wiki leaks) is important
1.4 How WikiLeaks verifies its news stories
1.5 The people behind WikiLeaks
1.6 Anonymity for sources

2. WikiLeaks' journalism record
3. Short essays on how a more inquiring media can make a difference in the world

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