Windows 7 OEM Prices Unveiled

Users can use the OEM edition to get a big discount on Windows 7

Things were looking good when Microsoft announced its default Windows 7 pricing, which was lower than the prices of the previous Windows edition, Vista.  With that announcement came news of a pre-order program which sold Home Premium upgrade licenses for only $49.99, less than normal price of $119.99 (a pre-order of Windows 7 Professional, upgrade, similar dropped the price from $199.99 to $99.99).  For some of those eager to get their hands on Windows 7 the news got even better when Microsoft announced it would be offering a single Home Premium or Professional license to college students for $29.99, nearly the same price as Apple's Snow Leopard OS.

Now OEM prices have been unveiled by online retailer Newegg.com.  Newegg says it will be offering Windows 7 Home Premium for $99.99, less than the suggested full (not upgrade) Home Premium license price of $199.99, and less than even the $119.99 suggested upgrade license price.  OEM Professional and Ultimate licenses will be priced at $134.99 and $174.99, respectively.
Typically, Microsoft has offered OEM licenses as a means for computer builders to upgrade to the latest version of Windows.  With the advent of online retailers, though, its been increasingly easy for everyday users to purchase OEM licenses -- and there's nothing technically preventing them from doing so.

Those looking to take the OEM route for a cheap upgrade must consider a handful of downsides.  First, the install will wipe out any data on your hard drive, unlike the Upgrade edition, so its important you back your data up beforehand.  Also, you are not permitted to transfer the license from one machine to another.  Microsoft also offers no support for its OEM licenses, so be prepared to be scouring online resources if you have problems.

In comparison to Windows Vista OEM, Windows 7's OEM prices are ever-so-slightly cheaper, with Home Premium being identical to Vista, and the Professional and Ultimate editions coming in at $5 cheaper than their Vista counterparts.
Newegg says that it is currently taking pre-orders on the OS.  The pre-order program will run until October 20.  Two days later, on October 22, Windows 7 will be officially released and start shipping.

For those looking to upgrade their computers, the student discount program remains the cheapest option.  The expired pre-order program was the second cheapest option, and now a third option -- an OEM edition -- provides a slightly more expensive alternative to those who missed the pre-order and can't get a student discount.

DailyTech - Windows 7 OEM Prices Unveiled

Microsoft Security Essentials Now Available

Microsoft releases its free antivirus suite

Microsoft first released a public beta of its Security Essentials antivirus suite back in June and it was met with mostly positive reviews. The public beta was only open for the first 75,000 downloaders and that limit was reached rather quickly.

Today, however, Microsoft has released the final version of Security Essentials and anyone running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 can download it for free. Microsoft Security Essentials offers basic antivirus, spyware, and malware protection -- it also offers real-time protection and regularly updated malware signature files via Microsoft's Dynamic Signature Service.

Since Microsoft Security Essentials provides the bare minimum protections for a Windows-based machine, other niceties such as a firewall and multi-PC management are not available. This should appease Microsoft's competitors in the anti-malware software segment.

Those who wish to try out the software can download it directly from the Microsoft Security Essentials website. The download requires that your PC pass Windows Genuine Advantage checks, so only legit Windows users will have access to the software.

DailyTech - Microsoft Security Essentials Now Available

Newegg Files $175M IPO

Newegg finally goes public, with financial analysts expecting big things

Online retailer Newegg today announced plans to go public, filing for a $175 million IPO, according to an SEC filing.

Newegg is best known as a technology e-tailer, but has expanded of late to include other consumer electronics.  Since launching in 2001, the company has been profitable every year, with $2.1 billion in sales in 2008.  In 2007, the company saw $1.9 billion in sales, with the number expected to increase as Newegg expands its business.

The company has seen dramatic success after making changes to support small- and medium-sized businesses in the United States.  Newegg also has its sights outside the United States, with China expected to be an important step in the company's continued expansion.  Furthermore, Canada also is expected to be a big market for Newegg, with many Canadians long requesting to be able to make purchases from the site.

The company does have to deal with several issues in the immediate future, including a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Soverain Software, according to the IPO registration filing.  If Soverain is successful in getting an injunction against Newegg, the company may be forced to "stop or alter certain of our business activities."

In the future, Circuit City -- although its physical stores went bankrupt, a liquidator purchased the company's online business and keeps it running -- will lead the charge of online businesses that aim to derail Newegg.

The IPO will be handled by Citi, JP Morgan, and the Bank of America, with Newegg's largest shareholder, Insight Venture Partners, also completing another IPO earlier in the year.

DailyTech - Newegg Files $175M IPO

Nintendo Drops Wii Price to $200

Nintendo will lower the price of its Wii game system in the U.S. and Japan, the company said Thursday on the eve of the Tokyo Game Show.

On September 27, the price of Wii will drop by $50 to $200 in the U.S., Nintendo of America said. A separate announcement by Nintendo’s Japanese parent company said that the price of Wii would drop in Japan to 20,000 yen (about $210) on October 1.

Nintendo also said that New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be available in the U.S. on November 15.

The timing of Nintendo’s announcement was suspicious, to say the least: The news went out in the middle of Sony chairman Kaz Hirai’s keynote speech at Tokyo Game Show.

Nintendo Drops Wii Price to $200 | GameLife | Wired.com

FeedDemon 3.0 desktop newsreader with Google Reader sync

Popular Windows RSS reader FeedDemon has hit version 3.0, and the latest version includes a number of new and tweaked features. This summer the team behind the RSS reader announced they would be shutting down the NewsGator web-based RSS reader. Instead, FeedDemon now synchronizes with Google Reader. That means you can read through your subscriptions in either Google Reader or FeedDemon and your read, unread, and starred items will be reflected in both RSS readers.

FeedDemon 3.0 also has a new user interface with a subscription home page with popular articles and videos from your feeds, tagging and tag clouds on the subscriptions home page, and enhanced Twitter support for sharing links through Twitter and reading RSS feeds of Twitter users you follow.

Another cool feature is the ability to subscribe to feeds for search terms. Just select the New Subscription option under the File menu and enter a keyword or search term. The next window will ask you to choose from a list of sites to search including Google News, Google Blog Search, Flickr, Techmeme or Twitter. Or you can find existing feeds that match your search terms.

FeedDemon is available as a free ad-supported download. As you can see in the screenshot, the ads are relatively unobtrusive and hang out in the bottom left corner. You can also buy a license for FeedDemon for $10 to make the ads go away.

FeedDemon 3.0 desktop newsreader with Google Reader sync

Razer refreshed DeathAdder gaming mouse is more accurate, still hates southpaws

Zanily enough, nearly three full years have passed since Razer first introduced what would eventually become one of its best-selling gaming mice, so it goes without saying that the aging DeathAdder was due for an update. For those looking for a clean cut, straight-up gaming mouse to use between the hours of 10PM and 5:30AM, this revamped critter might just fit the bill. The biggest change is the inclusion of a 3.5G 3500dpi infrared sensor and a tangle-free braided cable, and fans of the existing design will greatly appreciate the fact that it's essentially the same (externally, of course). It's still not ambidextrous in nature (sorry, lefties), but you will find on-the-fly sensitivity adjustments, five independently programmable buttons and all the blue glow your retinas can handle. It should be available to order momentarily for $59.99 (US) / €59.99 (Europe).

Gallery: Razer refreshed DeathAdder gaming mouse is more accurate, still hates southpaws

RAZER REVAMPS DEATHADDER GAMING MOUSE WITH WORLD'S MOST PRECISE INFRARED TRACKING SENSOR
Major upgrades under the hood for one of Razer's best-selling gaming mice

Carlsbad, Calif. – September 24, 2009 – Razer™, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, is pleased to announce the long awaited update to the Razer DeathAdder™. Newly upgraded with a state-of-the-art 3.5G 3500dpi infrared sensor and tangle-free braided cable, the Razer DeathAdder maintains its legendary right-handed ergonomic form factor and rock solid build quality that made it famous. With these new upgrades, the Razer DeathAdder has been equipped with the world's most precise infrared sensor to date – trumping the competition yet again.

"The DeathAdder is undoubtedly one of Razer's best selling gaming mice," says Robert "Razerguy" Krakoff, President of Razer. "To date, the Razer DeathAdder has served the gaming community for a good 3 years and with all the advances in sensor technology, we put our sensor scientists and engineers to task to imbue it with the most precise infrared sensor in the world – but at the same time maintain the specially designed form factor that gamers have come to know and love."
About the Razer DeathAdder™

The new Razer DeathAdder is an upgraded replacement for the original and is now equipped with the ultra-precise 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor and tangle-free braided fiber cable. The Razer DeathAdder utilizes a right-handed ergonomic design to provide optimum comfort for intensive and extended game play. Its 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor provides gamers with 4x more precision than a standard 800 dpi mouse. The 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ response time of 1ms delivers instantaneous execution, giving gamers the competitive edge over opponents with faster communication between the Razer DeathAdder and the computer.

The Razer DeathAdder maintains all of its competitive features, including its five independently programming Hyperesponse™ buttons, On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment, Always-On™ mode and Zero-acoustic Ultraslick Teflon™ feet. All of these lead to a superior, elevated gaming experience.

Razer DeathAdder™
COST: US: $59.99, Europe: €59.99

AVAILABILITY:
Razerzone.com – 24 September
In Stores – Late September

Features
· Ergonomic right-handed design
* 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor
· 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response

Technical Specifications
o 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor
o Ergonomic right-handed design
o 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response
o Five independently programmable Hyperesponse™ buttons
o On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment
o Always-On™ mode
o Ultra-Large non-slip buttons
o 16-bit ultra-wide data path
o 60–120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration
o Zero-Acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon® feet
o Gold-Plated USB connector
o Seven-Foot, lightweight, braided fiber cable
o Approx. size in mm: 128(L) x 70(W) x 42.5(H)

Razer refreshed DeathAdder gaming mouse is more accurate, still hates southpaws

It's Official: Water Found on the Moon

Since man first touched the moon and brought pieces of it back to Earth, scientists have thought that the lunar surface was bone dry. But new observations from three different spacecraft have put this notion to rest with what has been called "unambiguous evidence" of water across the surface of the moon.

The new findings, detailed in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, come in the wake of further evidence of

lunar polar water ice by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and just weeks before the planned lunar impact of NASA's LCROSS satellite, which will hit one of the permanently shadowed craters at the moon's south pole in hope of churning up evidence of water ice deposits in the debris field.

The moon remains drier than any desert on Earth, but the water is said to exist on the moon in very small quantities. Finding water on the moon would be a boon to possible future lunar bases, acting as a potential source of drinking water and fuel.

Apollo turns up dry

When Apollo astronauts returned from the moon 40 years ago, they brought back several samples of lunar rocks.

The moon rocks were analyzed for signs of water bound to minerals present in the rocks; while trace amounts of water were detected, these were assumed to be contamination from Earth, because the containers the rocks came back in had leaked.

"The isotopes of oxygen that exist on the moon are the same as those that exist on Earth, so it was difficult if not impossible to tell the difference between water from the moon and water from Earth," said Larry Taylor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who is a member of one of the NASA-built instrument teams for India's Chandrayaan-1 satellite and has studied the moon since the Apollo missions.

While scientists continued to suspect that water ice deposits could be found in the coldest spots of south pole craters that never saw sunlight, the consensus became that the rest of the moon was bone dry.

But new observations of the lunar surface made with Chandrayaan-1, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, and NASA's Deep Impact probe, are calling that consensus into question, with multiple detections of the spectral signal of either water or the hydroxyl group (an oxygen and hydrogen chemically bonded).

Three spacecraft

Chandrayaan-1, India's first-ever moon probe, was aimed at mapping the lunar surface and determining its mineral composition (the orbiter's mission ended 14 months prematurely in August after an abrupt malfunction). While the probe was still active, its NASA-built Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) detected wavelengths of light reflected off the surface that indicated the chemical bond between hydrogen and oxygen — the telltale sign of either water or hydroxyl.

Because M3 can only penetrate the top few millimeters of lunar regolith, the newly observed water seems to be at or near the lunar surface. M3's observations also showed that the water signal got stronger toward the polar regions.

Cassini, which passed by the moon in 1999 on its way to Saturn, provides confirmation of this signal with its own slightly stronger detection of the water/hydroxyl signal. The water would have to be absorbed or trapped in the glass and minerals at the lunar surface, wrote Roger Clark of the U.S. Geological Survey in the study detailing Cassini's findings.

The Cassini data shows a global distribution of the water signal, though it also appears stronger near the poles (and low in the lunar maria).

Finally, the Deep Impact spacecraft, as part of its extended EPOXI mission and at the request of the M3 team, made infrared detections of water and hydroxyl as part of a calibration exercise during several close approaches of the Earth-Moon system en route to its planned flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2 in November 2010.

Deep Impact detected the signal at all latitudes above 10 degrees N, though once again, the poles showed the strongest signals. With its multiple passes, Deep Impact was able to observe the same regions at different times of the lunar day. At noon, when the sun's rays were strongest, the water feature was lowest, while in the morning, the feature was stronger.

"The Deep Impact observations of the Moon not only unequivocally confirm the presence of [water/hydroxyl] on the lunar surface, but also reveal that the entire lunar surface is hydrated during at least some portion of the lunar day," the authors wrote in their study.

The findings of all three spacecraft "provide unambiguous evidence for the presence of hydroxyl or water," said Paul Lacey of the University of Hawaii in an opinion essay accompanying the three studies. Lacey was not involved in any of the missions.

The new data "prompt a critical reexamination of the notion that the moon is dry. It is not," Lacey wrote.

Where the water comes from

Combined, the findings show that not only is the moon hydrated, the process that makes it so is a dynamic one that is driven by the daily changes in solar radiation hitting any given spot on the surface.

The sun might also have something to do with how the water got there.

There are potentially two types of water on the moon: that brought from outside sources, such as water-bearing comets striking the surface, or that that originates on the moon.

This second, endogenic, source is thought to possibly come from the interaction of the solar wind with moon rocks and soils.

The rocks and regolith that make up the lunar surface are about 45 percent oxygen (combined with other elements as mostly silicate minerals). The solar wind — the constant stream of charged particles emitted by the sun — are mostly protons, or positively charged hydrogen atoms.

If the charged hydrogens, which are traveling at one-third the speed of light, hit the lunar surface with enough force, they break apart oxygen bonds in soil materials, Taylor, the M3 team member suspects. Where free oxygen and hydrogen exist, there is a high chance that trace amounts of water will form.

The various study researchers also suggest that the daily dehydration and rehydration of the trace water across the surface could lead to the migration of hydroxyl and hydrogen towards the poles where it can accumulate in the cold traps of the permanently shadowed regions.

SPACE.com -- It's Official: Water Found on the Moon

Official Google Blog: Picasa 3.5, now with name tags and more

Today, I'm happy to announce that we're releasing Picasa 3.5, a new version of our free photo editing software. This version gives you the ability to add name tags to your photos, using the same facial recognition technology that powers name tags on Picasa Web Albums. Name tags are designed to help you organize your photos by what matters most: the people in them. Picasa identifies similar faces and puts these into an "Unnamed People" album. From there, you can easily add a name tag by clicking "Add a name" and typing the person's name. After you've added name tags to some photos, you can use your tags to do creative things, like quickly find all the photos with the same two people in them, make a face collage with just one click or upload and share people albums with friends.

In addition to name tags, Picasa 3.5 has integrated Google Maps, so you can easily geotag your photos or view the locations of already-tagged photos on a map. And using our totally redesigned import process, you can now import photos from your camera and upload the photos to Picasa Web Albums in one easy step.

Picasa 3.5 is available for both PC and Mac, in English for now. You can download and try it today at picasa.google.com.

Official Google Blog: Picasa 3.5, now with name tags and more

Experimental Missile Defense Satellites to Launch Wednesday

Awaiting blastoff from Cape Canaveral early Wednesday is a Delta 2 rocket topped with two experimental missile-tracking satellites built to test advanced technologies for the nation's defense against enemy attacks.

The two-stage rocket is aiming for a 730-nautical-mile circular orbit inclined 58 degrees to the either side of the equator where it will deploy a pair of demonstration satellites for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System, a $1.5 billion project known as STSS Demo.

The satellites will be used by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to test the "birth to death" tracking of missiles from launch to re-entry. NASA is lending its expertise to the oversee the Delta rocket flight and getting the satellites into space on behalf of the MDA.

Liftoff from pad 17B is targeted for 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) at the opening of an hour-long window. Officials gave approval to proceed with the countdown at their Launch Readiness Review held Monday following several days of delays.

Ground crews loaded the Delta 2 rocket's second stage with a storable hydrazine propellant mixture and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer on Sunday. The fuels will power the stage's main engine during the two firings needed to place the satellites into the planned orbit around the planet.

The pad gantry should be retracted to reveal the 12-story rocket just before midnight Tuesday. The overnight hours will be spent finishing preps ahead of starting the Terminal Countdown at 5:20 a.m. EDT launch morning.

The main question mark going into the launch attempt is the weather. Air Force meteorologists say there's a 50-50 chance clouds and coastal rain showers will interfere with the schedule.

"A tropical wave bearing the remnants of Hurricane Fred is currently over the Bahamas. The timing of this feature over the peninsula is the key forecast issue. Unfortunately, the wave has slowed its westward motion and is now forecast over our area Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon, increasing rain probability during the launch window," forecasters say.

"The main weather concern on launch day will be cumulus clouds and precipitation associated with this system.

"In the event of a launch delay, we will see gradually improving conditions as the tropical wave continues to move westward, away from the launch area."

The odds of acceptable weather on Thursday and Friday increase to 60 and 70 percent, respectively.

The STSS Demo mission has been in the works for years. Northrop Grumman built the spacecraft and was responsible for overall satellite integration, plus the ground control system. The satellites' sensors were made by Raytheon.

"The STSS Demo program represents an investment of approximately $1.5 billion in cutting edge technologies, spacecraft assembly and test, and spacecraft operations center capability," the MDA told Spaceflight Now.

The two craft, weighing nearly 5,000 pounds at launch and each having pairs of power-generating solar wings, are equipped with infrared and visible sensors to spot missile launches, track the vehicles through space and observe the entry back into the atmosphere. By working together from separate vantage points in low-Earth orbit, their imagery will combine to provide 3-D tracking of objects.

"The STSS satellites will demonstrate the unique value of a space-based sensor for the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Space-based systems have inherently long range, are not limited by geographic constraints, and collect infrared tracking and discrimination data that complements conventional ground and sea-based radars."

The U.S. government has long considered fielding constellations of missile-tracking satellites like STSS. Whether such a system is constructed could hinge on how these two demonstration craft perform.

For decades, the Defense Support Program spacecraft have flown in geosynchronous orbits to warn of enemy missile launches. Those satellites use infrared telescopes to spot the superhot plumes of boosters during initial ascent. But STSS is designed to identify and follow missiles throughout all phases of flight.

"STSS will demonstrate the key functions of a space-based sensor, passing missile tracking data to missile defense interceptors with the accuracy and timeliness necessary to enable them to successfully intercept missile targets," says Northrop Grumman.

"STSS is the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's only space-based midcourse tracking system. Using onboard sensors capable of detecting infrared and visible light, STSS will become part of land-, sea-, air- and space-based Ballistic Missile Defense System sensors."

The MDA has no funding or firm plans for developing any satellites beyond the two demonstration craft launching Wednesday. The real-life results from space using MDA's own missile test-launches, including two specifically configured for STSS viewing, could give the political boost needed for Congress to fund a future operational program.

"The greatest hedge against missile defense threats of all ranges remains a highly available early missile tracking capability from space. Decisions on any follow-on programs will be made based on the performance of the STSS satellites," MDA told Spaceflight Now.

The STSS Demo mission is expected to last two to four years.

These two craft follow a quasi-classified research and development testbed satellite launched in May aboard a Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Valued at $400 million, that mission is known as the Advanced Technology Risk Reduction, or

STSS-ATRR.

An earlier research craft called the Near Field Infrared Experiment, or NFIRE, was launched for the MDA in 2007 aboard a Minotaur rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. It tested sensor technology to provide high resolution imagery of missiles and their plumes.

The Missile Defense Space Experimentation Center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs is the control site for the four satellites under the MDA umbrella.

"Collections by all four satellites provide a unique opportunity to validate technology and sensor performance from different platforms," the MDA says.

Watch this page for complete live coverage of Wednesday morning's countdown and launch, including play-by-play updates and streaming video.

SPACE.com -- Experimental Missile Defense Satellites to Launch Wednesday

Seagate Ships First 6 Gbps SATA Drive to Channel

Not many motherboards support new standard yet

Seagate is launching today the latest in the  Barracuda family of 7200 RPM hard disk drives. The Barracuda XT is the first drive to market that supports SATA interface speeds of up to 6Gbps.

The 2TB monster features a large 64 MB cache, which is the largest seen on a regular HDD. However, several SSDs already use 128MB caches, and at least one controller design in the works is capable of accessing up to 256MB of cache. It is these large and fast caches that are driving SATA standards forward.

The latest version of Seagate's SeaTools software allows for short-stroking, in which data is stored only on the other tracks of the drive, allowing greater access speed at a reduction in capacity. The company claims that a short-stroked Barracuda XT using 1TB of storage will be able to compete with a 10k RPM Velociraptor drive from competitor Western Digital.

The company is targeting high performance and gaming PCs, low cost servers for SMBs, and external storage applications using eSATA for the new drive. Seagate expects almost 20% of all HDDs sold in 2010 will have a capacity of  1TB or greater.

The new drive (model ST32000641AS) comes with a 5-year warranty at a MSRP of $299. It should be available at retail by the end of this week.

Despite all the enthusiasm from Seagate, it will be SSDs that see the greatest performance jump with the move to the next generation for the SATA interface. Several SSDs are already hitting the limits of SATA II when reading from their cache.

Adoption of the new SATA standard is currently slow, as the ASUS P7P55D is the only motherboard that is natively capable of support 6Gbps. Older motherboards are capable of such speeds only through the use of a PCIe adapter card.

The problem is that motherboard manufacturers are waiting for a new I/O Controller Hub (ICH) from Intel. Commonly known as a southbridge, the new ICH is expected to support new technologies such as SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps. AMD is also working on a new southbridge to support these technologies.

DailyTech - Seagate Ships First 6 Gbps SATA Drive to Channel

Notepad++ 5.5.0

Notepad++ is a free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment. Notepad++ supports the following languages: C, C++ , Java , C#, XML, HTML, PHP, javascript , RC resource file, makefile, ASCII art file, doxygen, ini file, batch file, ASP , VB/VBS source files , SQL , Objective-C , CSS, Pascal, Perl, Python and Lua.

What's new:

• Update : upgrade Scintilla from v1.78 to v2.01.
• New icon : change from old icon to a cool chamelon icon.
• New feature : virtual space for column mode.
• New feature : multi-editing / selection.
• New feature : tab settings for per language.
• New feature : selected lines moving up/down capacity.
• New feature : incremental Search shows pink background when text not found (like Firefox).
• New feature : rational number is recognized in User Defined Language System.
• New feature : escape character capacity for the delimiter in User Defined Language System.
• Bug fixed : tool bar tip crash issue.
• Bug fixed : column editor inserting octal number broken issue.
• Changed behaviour : "-nosession" parameter's not only none of session is loaded, but also none of session is saved.
• Bug fixed : docking feature crash issue.
• New feature : the ability to not launch Auto-updater during a period (15 days by default).
• New feature : import plugins feature (load on the fly).
• New feature : import theme (stylers.xml) feature.
• Bug fixed : a crash issue while launch Fin in file (regression since v5.4.5).
• Bug fixed : a crash issue while deleting the last line.
• Bug fixed : a bug of plugin message NPPM_GETPLUGINSCONFIGDIR (regression since v5.4.5).
• New feature : new plugin notification NPPN_DOCORDERCHANGED to notify plugins that document order is changed.
• Bug fixed : tool bar chevron disappeared bug (regression since previous versions).
• Bug fixed : a crash bug due to instability of FTP_synchronize plugin (enhance Docking feature).
• Bug fixed : getting fonts problem under Chines/Korean/Japanese environment.
• Bug fixed : wrong File encoding auto-detection problem : binary file is detected as UTF-16 big-endacity.

News source: Official website
Download: Notepad++ 5.5.0

Notepad++ 5.5.0

Call of Duty: World at War Patch 1.6 Now Available

Treyarch has released the 1.6 patch for Call of Duty: World at War, bringing another bunch of fixes and maps to the multiplayer side of the shooter.

Headlining the free update are three new multiplayer maps: Battery, Breach and Revolution. Fans of the previous Nazi zombie maps will also be pleased to find a new undead encounter in Der Riese, set in a "secret Nazi research facility." Teleporters and the weapon-upgrading "Pack A Punch" machine are involved.

 

Grab the patch/pack combo now on FileShack. The German build is the same, only sans Nazi zombies. Also, modders should pick up the 1.4 update to the World at War mod tools.

And for a complete list of the patch content, click through:

• 3 new Multiplayer maps: Battery (mp_drum), Breach (mp_bgate), Revolution (mp_vodka)!
• New Nazi Zombie map: Der Riese (nazi_zombie_factory), an all-new Zombie map set in a secret Nazi research facility featuring the Pack A Punch Machine, Teleporters, and many more undead hordes!
• Exploits pertaining to Demo playback.
• Favorites list now ignores filter settings.
• Fixed S&D round counting error when roundlimit is reached.
• New feature: in-game Add to Favorites.
• Friends list: green online indicator.
• Starting the game in Safe Mode will no longer toggle the "Soften Smoke Edges" graphic option.
• Fixed various crashes.
• Mods: Client will no longer join a modded Co-op server via Game Invite unless they have that mod loaded.
• Mods: Client running a mod will be asked to unload the mod if they attempt to join an unmodded server.
• Mods: All singleplayer levels can now be run with a mod loaded.

Call of Duty: World at War Patch 1.6 Now Available - Shacknews

Microsoft Offers Students Windows 7 Pro at Snow Leopard Prices Until January 2010

Its a good time to be a student, thanks in part to a sweet Windows 7 discount from Microsoft

Windows 7 is getting closer to its October 22 launch date.  With improved security, better compatibility, and a slick new look, the OS should please owners of both powerful and underpowered machines alike.  Microsoft has already offered hot pre-order deals, but now it has announced its sweetest deal of them all.

Students with a valid student email address are eligible to get a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional, 32-bit or 64-bit (your choice, presumably some might pick the lighter Home Premium for netbooks) for a mere $30.  And with one announcement, Microsoft has essentially matched Apple's OS price point for one of its most pivotal demographics -- students.

Apple beat Windows 7 to the market and has been loudly trumpeting that its Snow Leopard -- priced at $29 per license -- beats Windows 7 in prices.  However, students in the U.S., U.K, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Korea and Mexico will now have their pick between the two competitors at virtually identical prices.

With Snow Leopard, students will get several key improvements (virtually all of Apple's core software was fine-tuned and sped up), but the release falls somewhere between a full Windows OS release and a Windows Service Pack.  For an equivalent price they can get Windows 7, a full OS release packing many features that have drawn rave reviews from early adopters.  The deal is sweet for users of traditional PC hardware and Macs alike, as even Mac users can take advantage of it to equip their Boot Camp Macs with Windows 7 for gaming and Windows-favored activities.

The deal is found on the win741.com site, a recently launched site from Microsoft, which calls the offer "too sweet to pass up."  The site proclaims, "For a limited time, eligible college students can get the sweetest deal on Windows 7 - for only $29.99 USD.  That's less than most of your textbooks! Hurry -- offer ends January 3, 2010 and 12 a.m. CST."

One major appeal of the deal is that with Windows 7 and a netbook, students get about the most portable and affordable bundle possible for a fully functional computer.

The move seems a smart one, given that Apple does have Microsoft beat on standard prices, with a copy of Home Premium (upgrade) retailing for $120 and $200 for a Professional upgrade (versus $29 for Snow Leopard).  With the price bar set nearly four times as high as Apple's, the pressure is on Microsoft to deliver a dynamite product -- which indications show it will.

Still, Snow Leopard's aggressive pricing has caused it to double the initial sales of its predecessor, Leopard, and quadruple the sales of Tiger.  Apple has also been much more aggressive in targeting school children, with programs such as "Field Trip to the Apple Store" in the U.S. and Canada.  Many schools continue to use Mac computers primarily.  All of this bodes well for Apple's long term success.  However, Microsoft is at last making a legitimate bid to seize this important demographic from Apple.

DailyTech - Microsoft Offers Students Windows 7 Pro at Snow Leopard Prices Until January 2010

New Satellite Launches to Boost DISH Network

A Canadian commercial communications satellite was shot into space from the famed Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday to serve customers across the United States who subscribe to the DISH Network.

The

Nimiq 5 spacecraft launched at 1919 GMT (3:19 p.m. EDT) atop Russia's heavy-lift Proton rocket, beginning a steep climb aboard the four-stage booster.

The liftoff came just three hours after a Soyuz rocket departed Baikonur carrying a Russian weather satellite.

Six main engines of the Proton ignited to blast the 19-story rocket away from the desert steppes of Kazakhstan. After first stage separation two minutes into flight, four engines aboard the second stage fired for three-and-a-half minutes. The Proton's third stage then came to life for its four-minute job, during which time the protective payload fairing shielding Nimiq 5 was let go after reaching the upper atmosphere.

The Proton booster's three core stages delivered the upper stage and the payload into an initial suborbital trajectory by T+plus 10 minutes. That set the stage for the Breeze M upper stage to conduct five burns over nine hours that methodically propelled 10,460-pound payload craft into the desired orbit for deployment, which was targeted to have a low point around 2,897 miles, high point of 22,236 miles and inclination of 13 degrees to the equator.

The satellite's onboard engine system will complete the task of circularizing the orbit to an altitude of 22,300 miles along the equator, and controllers will guide the craft into an orbital slot at 72.7 degrees West longitude.

Nimiq 5 is a large, state-of-the-art satellite built by Space Systems/Loral for operator Telesat of Ottawa, Canada. The craft is equipped with 32 Ku-band transponders to beam direct-to-home programming and high definition TV across North America.

"We announced earlier today that EchoStar is taking all of the capacity on Nimiq 5," said Dan Goldberg, president and CEO of Telesat. "We want to thank EchoStar and their affiliate, DISH, for putting their trust once again in Telesat. They're already one of our biggest customers and we're looking forward to expanding our relationship with them on Nimiq 5."

DISH Network relies upon a constellation of orbiting satellites to satisfy the demands of its 13.6 million customers.

Nimiq 5 is expected to enter service next month. It has a 15-year design life.

"The successful ILS Proton launch of Nimiq 5 will assure reliable access to advanced digital programming for North American subscribers and also assures the continued expansion of our business," Goldberg said.

"We appreciate the professionalism and dependability ILS and Khrunichev provided with another flawless ILS Proton launch. My sincere thanks to the entire team of ILS, Khrunichev, Space Systems/Loral and Telesat for their steadfast dedication throughout the mission and for a job well done."

Thursday's launch was the seventh this year for the Proton rocket and the fifth commercial flight for International Launch Services. Two more government missions are planned, including next Friday's launch carrying three GLONASS navigation satellites.

The next ILS launch is targeted for mid-November carrying the W7 communications spacecraft for European operator Eutelsat. The satellite recently switched rides after Sea Launch, its original choice to deploy the craft, filed bankruptcy and couldn't perform the launch as scheduled.

"ILS is uniquely suited to meet demanding customer requirements and we are committed to providing real business value to our customers," ILS President Frank McKenna said in the contract announcement earlier this month. "Meeting Eutelsat's critical schedule requirements with our leading edge integration and robust production capability allowed us to schedule the W7 launch within a timeframe that is simply unmatched in the industry."

SPACE.com -- New Satellite Launches to Boost DISH Network

Google Developing Own Solar Thermal Technology

If you don't like how something's done, do it yourself.  Google is taking that idea to heart when it comes to solar thermal technology.  The company has been disappointed with the progress in this sector, so it's developing its own mirror technology that will supposedly make solar energy cheaper by at least half.

Google is experimenting with different materials for making the mirrors, trying to find an efficient and cheaper solution.  The company wants to cut the cost solar thermal installations by half, but hopefully by 66 - 75 percent.  Currently, a 250-MW solar thermal installation produces energy at a rate of about 12 - 14 cents/kWh.  The company would like to develop a product that would lower that cost to 5 cents or less per kWh.

The company is planning on having a prototype ready for internal presentation within the next couple of months.  Then they will perform aggressive testing to make sure the technology can withstand decades of wear.

Google is also working to develop a gas turbine that would run on solar power instead of natural gas that could lower electricity costs even further.

Google Developing Own Solar Thermal Technology

First Rocky World Confirmed Around Another Star

One of the smallest exoplanets yet discovered has just been confirmed as a rocky world, scientists announced.

The planet, called CoRoT-7b, is the first planet

beyond our solar system with a proven density similar to Earth's, astronomers say. Most known exoplanets are large gas giants like Jupiter.

"We have indications that other exoplanets could be rocky, but it's the first time that the density of such a planet has been measured," said study team member Claire Moutou of the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille in France. "We are really sure it's rocky."

Though its terrestrial surface renders CoRoT-7b more similar to Earth than many other exoplanets are, it's still a far cry from a familiar setting. The planet orbits extremely close to its star – about 1.6 million miles (2.5 million km), or 23 times closer than Mercury is to the sun. At this range, the planet's surface temperatures are scorching, with highs above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius) on the star-facing side.

CoRoT-7b's close proximity to its star means that the planet is likely to be tidally locked, with one side always facing its sun and the other side always in darkness.

"Probably the day side is very hot and is pure lava, boiling, and the other side probably is very cold, and it could be rocky with some mountains," Moutou told SPACE.com. "It's not possible that there is liquid water."

Crowded universe

CoRoT-7b was discovered in February 2009 by the CoRoT space telescope, a European collaboration. The tiny planet was discovered orbiting a star slightly smaller and cooler than our sun, about 500 light-years away. As the planet passed in front of its star, it eclipsed a small portion of the star's light, causing a dip in brightness.

This dip was enough to tell that a planet existed, and to estimate the planet's distance from its host star and its radius, which is about 80 percent larger than Earth's. But to learn its density, which would reveal whether it is a rocky or gas planet, requires a precise measurement of the parent star's velocity, which is slightly warped by the planet's small mass.

To make this measurement astronomers used the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. The new data revealed that CoRoT-7b has a mass about five times that of Earth, making it one of the lightest exoplanets yet found.

With the planet's mass and radius, the researchers calculated its density (about 4.7 grams per cubic centimeter), which placed it in firm rocky territory.

"This is the first proof of the detection of a rocky planet," planet-formation theorist Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington told SPACE.com.

"It shows that rocky planets really are commonplace," said Boss, who was not involved in the new research. "The estimates are that about 30 percent of sun-like stars have these hot and warm super-Earths, and now that we know the density of one of them, it is easy to make the claim that most of the rest of them are probably rocky too. The evidence is becoming overwhelming that we live in a crowded universe."

Looking for life

Finding a rocky planet with an Earth-like density takes us one step closer to discovering another planet similar to our own. A twin-Earth beyond the solar system could offer the best chance of finding life elsewhere in the universe, scientists say.

Although CoRoT-7b's lack of liquid water means it's unlikely to host life, the planet's discovery is still a promising sign. CoRoT and NASA's Kepler space observatory are both up there as you read this, seeking such a discovery.

"We are searching for any kind of exoplanets," Moutou said. "We're trying not to be biased by our own system, but of course we would be very interested to find a planet where life could develop. This one is not habitable, but some future planets of this kind could allow life to develop. This is our long-time goal, to find an analog to Earth."

The research team, led by Didier Queloz of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, described the results in a paper to be published in the Oct. 22 issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

SPACE.com -- First Rocky World Confirmed Around Another Star

Call of Duty: WaW PC Patch 1.6 to be released next week

Speaking on the official Call of Duty forums, Josh Olin, Treyarch Community Manager has confirmed that Patch 1.6 and Map Pack 3 for Call of Duty: World at War PC will be released next week. The free update will fix various problems in the game in addition to adding three new multiplayer maps and one new Nazi Zombie map.
The following is a list of what to expect in the patch:

• 3 new Multiplayer maps: Battery (mp_drum), Breach (mp_bgate), Revolution (mp_vodka)
• New Nazi Zombie map: Der Riese (nazi_zombie_factory), an all-new Zombie map set in a secret Nazi research facility featuring the Pack A Punch Machine, Teleporters, and many more undead hordes
• Exploits pertaining to Demo playback
• Favorites list now ignores filter settings
• Fixed S&D round counting error when roundlimit is reached
• New feature: in-game Add to Favorites
• Friends list: green online indicator
• Starting the game in Safe Mode will no longer toggle the "Soften Smoke Edges" graphic option
• Fixed various crashes
• Mods: Client will no longer join a modded Co-op server via Game Invite unless they have that mod loaded
  Mods: Client running a mod will be asked to unload the mod if they attempt to join an unmodded server
• Mods: All singleplayer levels can now be run with a mod loaded
• Additionally, we do expect a concurrent release of the Mod Tools 1.4 package, Linux dedicated 1.6 bins, and the Steam 1.6 day-of-date with this patch. More details on those will be made available once they get cleared through testing.

Call of Duty: WaW PC Patch 1.6 to be released next week

Google Chrome 3 Brings More Speed and Features to the Stable Release

Windows only: Chrome turned one year old just a couple weeks back, and as a belated celebration, the folks at Google have just pushed out a brand new stable release in the form of Google Chrome 3.

Chrome 2 (stable) hit servers back in May, and while the folks at Google are currently on Chrome 4 in the dev channel, those of you who haven't been eager to play on the bleeding edge of Chrome releases have a lot of nice improvements in store for them in Chrome 3, including:

• Speed Improvements: Chrome 3 is faster than any previous stable release on both the V8 and SunSpider benchmarks. (Google's calling it a 150% increase in Javascript performance since their first beta.) In the current Chrome 4 dev release, Chrome continues to outshine other browsers on most speed benchmarks.
• The New Tab Page: Again, this is only new to those of you who've been sticking to stable releases, but the new tab page is more customizable, allowing you to rearrange thumbnails via drag and drop and pin thumbnails you want to keep around permanently.
• Better Omnibox: Firefox has its awesome bar, Chrome has its omnibox. As of the stable Chrome 3 release, the omnibox adds contextual icons to help you see whether autocomplete results are suggest sites, searches, bookmarks, or sites from your history.
• HTML5: Google has been pushing the envelope with what developers can do with HTML5, the new standard set of tools in the next evolution of HTML (the backbone of web pages). In Chrome 3 stable, HTML5 is standard—meaning support for video, audio, and canvas tags that bring a rich web experience to your browser without the need for third-party plug-ins like Flash.
• Themes: We've highlighted a handful of the great new Google Chrome themes already, but now they're available to the stable channel users, as well.

Of course, none of this is all that exciting if you've been using the beta or dev channels for your Chrome updates, but if your workplace, for example, won't let you use anything but stable releases of software, the stable Chrome update is very welcome. Chrome 3 stable is a free download, Windows only.

(Note: Google continues its rather speedy version number jumping here—having dropped three "major" releases in just over a year. It may seem a little silly that it's now on the same version number as Firefox and looks like it'll easily beat Firefox to 4.0, but keep in mind that version numbers are largely arbitrary, so while Google may well hit Chrome 10 in another year or two, it has little bearing on how it compares to other browsers.)

Google Chrome 3 Brings More Speed and Features to the Stable Release - Google Chrome - Lifehacker

Wii Price Cut Rumors Pick Up Steam

Rumors of a price cut to Nintendo's Wii console is gaining credence as a purported advertisement for the mark-down has leaked onto the internet.

The advertisement--spotted by a Kotaku tipster--allegedly comes from Toys R Us, which pegs the new price at $199. The system has retailed for $249 since its launch in 2006.

The advertisement is supposedly due to hit the papers on the week of September 27.

Both Microsoft and Sony cut the price of their high-end consoles to $300 in August.

Wii Price Cut Rumors Pick Up Steam - Shacknews

Zune HD Lanches Today, Brings Zune 4.0 Software

The Zune HD is officially available as of today

Today is the big day for fans of Microsoft's Zune -- the Zune HD is launching and new details about the device, and the software behind the scenes has turned up with the official launch. The new Zune 4.0 software to go along with the Zune HD player is now ready to download.

Older Zunes are getting some new software love too with a 3.2 update. The new software is fully Windows 7 compliant, naturally. It Supports all those nifty 7 features like Jump Lists, previews, and Aero Snap.

Other new features of the software include a Quickplay menu to access your favorite media on the Zune HD player. Smart DJ is rather like the Apple Genius feature and creates music mixes with similar genres from your collection and it will add music from the Zune marketplace for those with a Zune Pass.

A new Mini Player mode is now available that keeps the mini player on top of any PC apps that are running. Microsoft has also introduced download to rent or own movies and TV shows in SD and HD formats. Engadget also reports that the ability to move DRM tracks between Zune users has been removed from the new software.

Perhaps the most interesting new tidbit of info for the new Zune HD player is that Microsoft plans to position the device as a mobile gaming platform. If the popularity of gaming on the iPod touch and iPhone are an indication of the popularity of mobile gaming, this is a very good thing.

The official Microsoft press release states, "Later this year, Zune plans to release free applications such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, in addition to fun 3-D games such as "Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition," "Vans Sk8: Pool Service" and "Audiosurf(TM) Tilt." Games can be added to Zune HD via Zune Marketplace over the Wi-Fi connection or when connected to the Zune PC software."

Microsoft reports that its strategy at this point is to keep some games and apps offered on the Zune HD as free products that are developed in-house or in close collaboration with third parties. Premium 3D games will be items you have to purchase presumably. There will be no SDK to allow devs to build apps for the Zune HD at this point.

The launch of the Zune HD today also marks the retirement of all other Zune devices.

DailyTech - Zune HD Lanches Today, Brings Zune 4.0 Software

World's First Smart Grid City Is Now Operational

Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity project in Boulder CO is the first operational installation of a smart grid for electrical power in the world. This is a city-wide installation, rather than the kind of long-distance distribution system that many people think of when discussing a national smart grid, but both will be necessary components for an upgraded electrical infrastructure.

The SmartGridCity project also included automating three of four distribution substations, four computer-monitored power feeders, and another 23 feeders that are watched for voltage irregularities. Approximately 200 miles of fiber optic cable, 4,600 residential and small business transformers and nearly 16,000 smart meters are now connected to the smart grid system.

The smart grid allows the utility to better monitor and regulate the electrical grid. Using real-time monitoring and data feedback, the utility can more rapidly adjust for equipment failures, power outages, and other electrical problems. Individual consumers whose service is connected through a smart meter will also be able to access their own information and can "design and personalize energy consumption strategies" for themselves. Already this year, since some of the components were installed, four potential transformer failures have been detected, and outages have been able to be prevented by proactively replacing those units before they failed.

World's First Smart Grid City Is Now Operational

Windows 7's XP Mode Cripples Malware, Gives Attackers Headaches

The new version of Windows is stacking up to be the most secure to date

No computer system is completely secure.  Inherent insecurities exist in even the most secure systems, be it in the form of exploitable features in the operating system code or the big organic “insecurity” sitting in front of the machine, typing on the keyboard.  That said, Windows 7 is shaping up to be much more secure than its predecessors.

You might not hear that widely reported in the press.  Windows 7, like OS X, has been carefully scrutinized whenever a flaw sees the light of day.  Most recently Microsoft caught a flaw in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and the Windows 7 Release Candidate.  The flaw in the Windows' SMB (Server Message Block) 2 had not yet been exploited, but Microsoft warns, "An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. Most attempts to exploit this vulnerability will cause an affected system to stop responding and restart."

A work-around for the flaw has been released, but Microsoft says the flaw is already fixed in the Windows 7 RTM and Windows Server 2008 R2 versions.  It is among the many that Microsoft has caught before it ships Windows 7, thanks to the largest public test of a commercial operating system to date.  This unusual openness has earned the company both praise and scorn, but overall it's indicative of progress when it comes to security.  And some of Microsoft's best security features in Windows 7 are almost unintentional, and haven't been widely publicized.

A new report by PureWire's Paul Royal, published in SC Magazine, a publication geared towards security professionals, indicates that Windows 7 will be the most secure Windows operating system to date.  He concludes that all but the many casual attackers will be frustrated enough to turn to easier routes of attack, such as social engineering schemes.

Windows 7's security is thanks in part to the OS patching routes to inject malicious code into the memory.  In previous Windows OS's, such as Vista, memory protections such as DEP and ASLR offered a degree of safety.  However, there were routes to get around these protections, relatively easily.  With Windows 7 blocking many of these routes and additionally with applications such as IE8, Firefox 3 and their plug-ins (Flash, Acrobat Reader, and QuickTime) at last utilizing these protections, Windows 7 is shaping up to be a very strong fort.

Additionally, Windows 7's XP Mode is likely to cause more headaches for attackers.  XP Mode is implemented using hardware virtualization extensions.  A common hacker tool -- rootkits -- rely on hardware virtualization and a special privilege level called VMX root mode.  With the OS now using hardware virtualization, attempts to gain the privileges necessary to launch the special hardware virtualization support needed by the rootkit tends to crash the OS or provide the user with warnings.  For this reason Blue Pill, one common rootkit, doesn't work well in Windows 7.

Many malware programs will also be crippled by XP-Mode.  This is because in the past Windows security software has used hardware virtualization extensions to detect malware.  It is common practice for malware to be written to not run on machines where hardware-assisted virtualization is detected.  However, as all Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate licenses come with XP Mode, this malware won't run on a large portion of Windows 7 installs.  Modification is possible, but this will be time consuming and frustrating to attackers.

Again, no system is impenetrable, and surely new attacks and tools for cyber criminals will be developed to assault Windows 7.  However, its safe to say that Windows 7 will be the most secure modern Windows OS to date. 

In an effort to capitalize on its newfound vigor and support behind Windows 7, Microsoft has already begun to launch new commercials to that showcase the benefits of the operating system.

DailyTech - Windows 7's XP Mode Cripples Malware, Gives Attackers Headaches

Toys R Us rolls out national game trade-in program, classic games accepted [update]

Toys R Us is rolling out its video game trade-in program nationwide today, allowing customers to sell games from as far back as the (OMG!) Intellivision. Those who use the program will receive gift cards for the value of their trade-in, which can be used for any product at Toys R Us, Babies R Us or online at Toysrus.com.

Exchanging games works by going to the "guest services desk" with the merchandise, it'll be scanned and, if the value is acceptable, the customer will receive a gift card. We're honestly shocked at Toys R Us accepting trade-ins that go all the way back to systems like the Atari 2600. We're following up for some more details and will update as soon as we hear back.

Update: Toys R Us is not getting into the used games resale business, it is merely accepting the used merchandise. A representative for the company tells us the games "are taken by a third party company that refurbishes them for resale." We're still following up to find out what company that would be. We'll update again when we find out.

Toys R Us rolls out national game trade-in program, classic games accepted [update]

Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.5.3 with Security and Stability Fixes

Mozilla pushed Firefox 3.5.3 to servers this afternoon, fixing several security and stability issues. There's nothing terribly exciting in this release, but it's always good to make sure you're using the most stable and secure release, so go to Help -> Check for Updates to upgrade to 3.5.3. If you're really curious, check out the full changelog here.

[Mozilla Firefox 3.5.3 Release Notes]

Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.5.3 with Security and Stability Fixes - Firefox 3.5.3 - Lifehacker

Google Earth 5.1 Released

Google has released a new version of Google Earth - version 5.1 (beta). This version is mostly dedicated to improving performance. They have improved memory utilization, graphics performance, and even bandwidth related enhancements. They also reduced the start-up time by 25% in most cases. For the Windows version they have included the Google Earth plugin as part of the installation so most users will automatically have the plugin ready when they visit a web site requiring the plugin.

Another thing Google doesn't mention in their post today, is that I'm sure they have addressed many other issues since the release of 5.0 back in early February to help more people have a pleasant experience with the application. So, try downloading Google Earth today for a faster and, hopefully, even more reliable experience! But, notice that there is a "beta" attached to this release. Google normally releases a beta version first - then if there are issues with the release they will release a final (non-beta) version fixing as many issues as possible.

Google Earth 5.1 Released | Google Earth Blog

Hubble Telescope is Back: Fantastic New Images Released

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is back in action after its most recent upgrade, with a spectacular array of new images showing off the telescope's new capabilities.

Among the first images – a closely guarded secret until today – is one of

galaxy NGC 6217. The picture was taken with NASA's newly refurbished Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

This is "the day many of us have all been waiting for to celebrate Hubble's new beginning," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Hubble also snapped pictures of a group of five galaxies, a densely packed star cluster, an eerie "pillar of creation," and a "butterfly" nebula.

Scientists also released spectroscopic observations that slice across billions of light-years to probe the cosmic-web structure of the universe and map the distribution of elements that are fundamental to life as we know it.

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., who has provided key support for Hubble and NASA in Congress, unveiled the images at NASA Headquarters. She was given the honorary title "Godmother of Hubble." Mikulski's district includes the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, where Hubble images are processed.

"I fought for the Hubble repair mission because Hubble is the people's telescope," said Mikulski, chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee that funds NASA.

Hubble's new instruments, including the Wide Field Camera 3, a new super-sensitive spectrograph, were installed on the 19-year-old telescope by shuttle astronauts during a 13-day service mission in May. The mission, which was initially cancelled in 2004 due to safety concerns after the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster, also revived two instruments — Hubble's main ACS and a versatile imaging spectrograph — that were never designed to be fixed in space.

The new instruments are more sensitive to light and, therefore, will improve Hubble's observing efficiency significantly. It is able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with prior generations of Hubble instruments.

The WFC3 was actually used to take a picture of Jupiter's new black spot — thought to have been caused by a comet collision — back in July, but the camera wasn't yet fully calibrated then. WFC3 also took new images of the Omega Centauri star cluster in our galaxy, in which the contrast between hot and cool stars can vividly be seen, and the Butterfly Nebula, for which astronomers used the new filters on the camera to see the envelope of gas expanding away from this planetary nebula.

"We couldn't be happier about the way things have gone," Bob O'Connell, chair of the science oversight committee for the Wide Field Camera 3 at the University of Virginia. "We're fully confident the camera is working as it was intended to work."

Images taken with the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph were taken in one-tenth of the time of Hubble's older spectrograph, which will allow scientists to view 10 times as many targets or look at targets one-tenth as bright, said James Green, the COS principal investigator at the University of Colorado. Scientists hope to build a catalogue of hundreds or thousands of targets and map the distribution of matter throughout the universe.

Hubble will also be able to continue observations of Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars in the galaxy (and actually a pair of stars), that were suspended by instrument failure in 2004, said David Leckrone, senior project scientist for Hubble at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Eta Carinae has erupted before and is expected to do so again.

Despite a few bumps in the three-month checkout, Hubble's systems and instruments are all up and running now.

NASA's new administrator Charlie Bolden was also on hand to congratulate the scientists and astronauts on Hubble's new lease on life. Bolden was one of the astronauts on the shuttle mission that deployed Hubble in 1990.

"Hubble has a special place in my heart," Bolden said. Through Hubble's past and future observations, "our view of the universe and our place within it will never be the same," he added.

SPACE.com -- Hubble Telescope is Back: Fantastic New Images Released

Steel velcro can support up to 35 tons

Regular velcro helps the slow and undexterous keep their shoes securely on. But steel velcro? Well, that stuff can support up to 35 tons of pressure.

Developed by German engineers, this new version of Velcro is dubbed Metaklett, and it can support 35 tons at temperatures up to 1472 degrees. It's made from "perforated steel strips 0.2 millimetres thick, one kind bristling with springy steel brushes and the other sporting jagged spikes." Sounds like a bit of overkill for sneakers, but I'm sure they've got some more serious uses in mind for this stuff.

Steel velcro can support up to 35 tons | DVICE

Clues Emerge Over Mystery Satellite Soon After Launch

A mysterious spacecraft whose mission is cloaked in secrecy left Cape Canaveral atop the hard-to-miss roar of its Atlas 5 rocket and then revealed a major clue about itself while cruising above a satellite-tracking hobbyist a short time later.

The

19-story booster blasted off at 5:35 p.m. EDT, the first moment of the day's launch opportunity that punctuated a trouble-free countdown.

The rocket's nose cone, adorned with Lockheed Martin's corporate logo, shrouded the payload as it climbed through the atmosphere and out of sight.

The company acknowledged that it had built the communications satellite -- dubbed "PAN" -- under a commercial arrangement with the government. Yet few other details were released, such as what agency was behind the project or what it would do in orbit.

"Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the PAN mission, which includes a commercial-based satellite and launch system solution for the U.S. government," a Lockheed Martin statement released to Spaceflight Now said.

Within 18 minutes, the Centaur upper stage turned off its main engine and settled into an initial parking orbit where it would coast away from the planet for 98 minutes.

A group of respected skywatchers around the world who track satellites with remarkable precision and communicate their findings amongst each other online eagerly awaited Tuesday's launch and a chance to test their pre-flight guesses against reality.

The leading theory suggested PAN was a quick-build satellite that would serve as a communications gap-filler between the aging constellation of Ultra-High Frequency Follow-On (UFO) spacecraft and the sophisticated next-generation Mobile User Objective System that's still being developed.

Some 34 minutes after the Atlas launched from Florida, observer Greg Roberts, a retired astronomer living in Cape Town, South Africa, detected "a strong beacon signal" being emitted from the PAN satellite as it crossed his sky.

"The time, general location of the signal in the sky, and its Doppler shift were consistent with the expected parking orbit," said Ted Molczan, a noted member of the trackers.

For 14 minutes, Roberts heard the passing satellite transmitting a frequency unique to the UFO spacecraft. He had to cut the session short due to bad weather, but the hobbyists immediately knew their speculation was proving well founded.

"We know of no other U.S. satellites in geostationary orbit that use that frequency, so Greg's observation tends to support the UFO-MUOS gap-filler hypothesis," Molczan said.

Roberts, like others in the small international group of hobbyists who find and watch satellites in secret orbits, does his observing using telescopic still and video cameras, and radio receivers.

The east-bound trajectory sent the Atlas into an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit, though the power provided by the rocket coupled with the payload's relatively slim weight, estimated by the observers to be approximately 7,700 pounds, enabled a higher perigee, or low point, than other such launches.

A second firing of the Centaur propelled PAN into its targeted deployment orbit with an apogee of 22,230 miles and a perigee of 4,550 miles. The payload's release an hour and 59 minutes after liftoff successfully completed the ascent.

"The secrecy surrounding PAN may be a clue to the identity of its sponsoring agency. It appears not to belong to the DoD, given that its UFO and MUOS are open programs, as was the U.S. Navy's 'UHF Hosted Payload' gap-filler solution, which it briefly considered in 2008," Molczan said.

"The most likely remaining possibility is that a civilian intelligence agency, perhaps the CIA, decided much earlier, about 2005-06, that it could not risk a coverage gap, and obtained approval to rapidly procure and launch a satellite compatible with the UFO satellites," Molczan added.

An article in a Lockheed Martin newsletter, entitled "A small and persistent team turns a great idea into an important new U.S. program" and published in the spring of 2007, said its Special Programs had started the PAN mission, also known as the P360 project.

"The team's innovative turnkey commercial-based satellite, ground and launch system solution established the foundation for a new government architecture. The team functions across time zones from Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, Calif., to Commercial Space in Newtown, Pa., Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services in San Jose, Calif., Integral Systems in Lanham, Md., as well as Lockheed Martin divisions abroad. United Launch Alliance in Denver, Colo., rounds out the contributors with the Atlas 5 launch vehicle," the article continued.

"Following several years of concept development, market analysis, and finally proposal submittal, the contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin in October 2006. The team has had successful system and preliminary design reviews and is on schedule for launch in 30 months from contract start."

The observers plan to continue monitoring the moves of the satellite in the coming weeks as it maneuvers into a circular geostationary orbit. Its destination could further bolster their guess.

"If it occupies one of the established UFO orbital slots, and transmits on the established UFO UHF-band frequencies, that will fully confirm the present hypothesis. That will take at least several weeks," Molczan said.

A later newsletter from December 2007 quoted the PAN program manager as saying: "Our PAN P360 team just celebrated our first anniversary since contract award. As program manager, I am very proud of the extraordinary effort and excellent team that has been leading this endeavor. We have successfully hit every milestone on a 30-month firm-fixed-price program that will change the future of how government programs will be contracted and run.

"This opportunity is a great challenge to build a government satellite that uses the A2100 spacecraft bus and commercial off-the-shelf components and processes. There are numerous future Lockheed Martin opportunities that hinge on the success of this program."

SPACE.com -- Clues Emerge Over Mystery Satellite Soon After Launch

OnLive Public Beta: It's On

OnLive, the games on demand service that we first told you about this past March, has entered its promised summertime beta phase, letting PC game players test the potentially game-changing system for themselves.

Steve Perlman, OnLive founder and CEO, announced the beta today on the service's official blog. Beta registrants who signed up early should keep an eye peeled for an e-mail, but latecomers interested in testing the streaming games service should still take the opportunity to sign up.

OnLive beta hopefuls should ready some "general information about your ISP, your computer configuration and your location" so that the company can determine your worthiness as a beta tester. You'll also be asked to run a "performance test" to doubly verify your beta usefulness.

Let us know how it goes eh? Curious to see if the public experience is on par with the behind-closed-doors experience.

OnLive Opens the Beta Program [OnLive Blog]

OnLive Public Beta: It's On - Onlive - Kotaku