Invisible QR codes developed to combat counterfeit money and goods

Researchers have created invisible Quick Response (QR) codes that could help fight a growing battle with counterfeit money and goods.

The University of South Dakota and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology found that the codes, which have become popular as a means to download apps or access product information, could be utilised to help fight counterfeiters, with the complexity of the codes making them difficult to fake.They can be printed on paper, glass and a wide range of other materials in a mixture of nanoparticles and blue and green fluorescent ink, which makes it invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen under an infrared light.QR codes are becoming the standard in the industry, thanks to the fact that they can hold up to 100 times more information than normal barcodes. They have particularly become synonymous with smartphones, where they are widely used, but they could be as much a tool of security as marketing.The technique could be extended to be even more secure, with the potential for a microscopic message or symbol to be hidden in the QR code, potentially in different colours, which means even the infrared light wont show it without the use of a microscope.One setback to the idea is the fact that the initial process takes around 90 minutes, which is a long time to design and print a single code. However, once the original code is made it can be mass printed in just 15 minutes.Source: BBC

Finally Intel brings TRIM to SSDs in RAID arrays

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(PhysOrg.com) -- Intel will add TRIM support for RAID0 in its upcoming drivers in Q2 next year. The TRIM feature will be enabled for RAID0 setups in Intel’s upcoming RST (Rapid Storage Technology) 11.5 driver. For technologists working with SSDs, file under Great News. User forums for SSD users have had their share of polite questions and weary answers: "So is TRIM supported in RAID now?"

Answers have been well meaning but confusing: "Yes but" or "It Depends" or Nope. Users in the past had spread word that RST drivers supported TRIM on RAID but then there were clarifications that this was only if the user went for "AHCI" mode. All that blur and disappointing answers took another turn this month with a discovery by StorageReview of a certain note #2 on TRIM support across multiple RAID levels.

Intel RST 11.5 is expected to arrive in Q2 of next year with support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems. Intel's RST 11.5 release date has not been confirmed but observers assume the release will be in step with the launch of Windows 8 in Q2 2012.

Intel Officially Cut Desktop CPU Prices

Editorial 7 Reasons to NOT stick with Windows XP

You have probably seen an article posted by Gizmodo listing 7 reasons to stick with Windows XP.

Well, there are certainly some reasons for sticking with Windows XP and the one that really makes sense is if your current system is too old to support Windows 7. You may not meet the minimum system requirements or your system may have an odd ball piece of hardware that is not supported.

However, if your system can passes the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor I suggest you bite the bullet and do the upgrade.

If you still have your doubts because the 7 points highlighted by Gizmodoare reason enough,here's my take on Gizmodo's points. You can find the Gizmodo article here.

GIZMODO>> 1. Updating will be a huge pain

No pain no gain...you can make the excuse that you'll have to backup your data, format your hard disk drive, and start from scratch. However, even if you do wait you still have togo throughthe process of backing up your data. If you are not already backing up your data or maintaining it on a different hard disk drive than your operating system (XP) drive you need to rethink your security, backup, and business continuity strategy.

GIZMODO>> 2. Software Investment

You are going to have to reinstall all the applications and what happens if you have lost your CD-Keys? Well, that question again is no different doing it now or later. Later, will be even more of a problem because as we all know, the longer we put something aside the more likely it is we are going to forget. Don't procrastinate. As for compatibility, there is the new XP Mode but you will need to look at Windows 7 Ultimate toget this feature. If you are concerned with application compatibility, my personal experience has found Windows 7 Compatibility mode (not the virtual xp mode) works a lot better than Vista's.

GIZMODO>> 3. Most of what you use your computer for doesn't need an upgrade

What if how you are using Windows XP now is actually wasting your time and effort in front of the computer? Wouldn't it be nice to be more productive just by switching to Windows 7?

GIZMODO>> 4. It's expensive

Is it that expensive? Surely by not having upgraded to Vista before you would have saved up the little amount of cash required to purchase Windows 7 Home Premium or even Professional. Buying now during the launch period is a good idea because you get to enjoy the spoils of freebies or other goodies that are thrown in for good measure. Maybe you'll even get the chance to enter some lucky draw contest worth thousands. If you are strapped for cash you can also consider OEM versus Retail Boxed editions.

GIZMODO>> 5. You can wait for SP1

You may be waiting a long time for Service Pack 1 (SP1). While you wait, the whole world will pass you by and be ahead of you whilst you continue to use the outdated Windows XP. When it is time to look for a job or move to a new prospective job and they say you must have Windows 7 experience you will lose out.

GIZMODO>> 6. Microsoft will keep support XP for a while

Microsoft only provides limited support for XP. Face it, with Windows 7 being the new star kid on the block, XP will get very little attention. Attention that could mean the difference between getting a security patch on time to prevent some malware or hacker from getting into your system and causing serious harm or loss (monetary or personal identity / information).

GIZMODO>> 7. You'll buy a new computer eventually

If you thought the software was too expensive (Point 4) then I cannot imagine what you think of buying a whole new computer system. If you buy a new system, and it is a Netbook that includes XP, why wait. Make sure you exercise your privilege to a Windows 7 upgrade, even if it is only for Windows 7 Basic edition. Your Netbook isn't going to suffer degraded operational use. In fact, you may be more productive given some of the new Windows 7 new features. Microsoft has also taken the necessary steps to help new computer buyers with transferring files from an XP system to a new Windows 7 setup. Check out the Microsoft Easy Transfer utility.

Happy Windows 7 computing.

“pontypool” changes everything

Zombie flicks. You either love ‘em or you don’t. I certainly love ‘em, and so do plenty of other folks, if the recent box-office success of movies like “Zombieland” and the “Resident Evil” series are any indication. But the best and most groundbreaking of the bunch in recent years has flown somewhat under the radar.

2008′s “Pontypool,” from visionary Canadian director Bruce McDonald (best known for his distinctly north-of-the-border-flavored road movies “Roadkill,” “Highway 61″ and “Hard Core Logo”) is a distinctively atmospheric, oftentimes downright scary entry into the zombie canon that has the potential to redefine the entire genre in the same way that George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” did back in 1968 and Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” did over 30 years later. But first, enough people have to see it, because great art that exists in a vacuum is still great art, to be sure, but if it enters into the public consciousness, by word of mouth or other means,? even if we’re just talking about on the level of horror and more specifically zombie genre fans, then it has the power to be transformational. And if there’s one thing “Pontypool” does — and does very well — it’s to take the zombie movie in a bold new direction by opening up some seriously new and (therefore naturally) previously-unexplored territory for a genre that many folks feel has become a bit shopworn in recent years.

Oh, don’t get me wrong — in many respects, McDonald’s film is very much a traditional? low-budget walking-corpse story. The principal cast of characters is very small. The action, such as there is, take place in an enclosed location with our protagonists under siege from the spreading undead infection that surrounds them (essentially Romero’s stock-in-trade scenario for his first three “Dead” films). And (again like Romero) the zombie plague, and the reaction of the surviving humans to it, serve, at their core,? as? stand-ins? for the filmmaker to cast light on certain contemporary sociopolitical issues.

So what, then, can truly be said to be so new about “Pontypool”?

That’s where reviewing this film gets tricky. Because you can’t give away what’s new and different and altogether revitalizing (how’s that for an ironic choice of words when talking about a walking-dead movie?) about this film without giving away some major plot points and therefore trashing the element of surprise for any potential viewers that might be out there. Suffice to say that I’ll offer just a couple of clues : in one scene a copy of Neal Stephenson’s cult classic science fiction novel “Snow Crash” can be seen lying on a desk, and it’s no accident that I chose to open this review by saying that I hope strong word-of-mouth buzz among horror fans will get this film wider attention. And I’ll say no more than that.

Writer? Tony Burgess, who adapted the screenplay from his own novel “Pontypool Changes Everything,” has really hit on a novel approach for how the zombification virus is spread here that utterly redefines both how one can become a zombie, and what it means to even be one. Yes, of course, it’s still transmitted from one carrier to the next, but that’s where any similarity to the living dead of old ends.? Because with “Pontypool,” all notions of how it’s spread, and for that matter why (the implications — and that’s all they are, implications — of who might be ultimately responsible for the origins of this particular plague are truly chilling) are completely blown out the window.

Radio shock-jock Grant Mazzy (veteran Canadian actor Stephen McHattie, best known to American and international audiences as Hollis Mason, the first Night Owl, in “Watchmen”) has gotten himself sacked from his (unspecified) major-market gig over a Don Imus-type brouhaha (again, the specifics are unspecified) and has found work in the only place he can, as the morning show host for an AM station that broadcasts out of a church in the small town of Pontypool, Ontario ( I looked it up and it’s a real place). How much of a comedown is this for our guy Grant? Well, the “eye in the sky” traffic commute reporter in Pontypool phones in his reports from his car that’s parked on top of the biggest hill in town and plays helicopter sound effects in the background, and the biggest local news story is an old woman’s missing cat (the name of which will have significance later).

With Grant in the studio are his producer, Sydney Briar (McHattie’s real-life wife, actress Lisa Houle), and his technician, a recently-returned Afghan war vet? named? Laurel-Ann Drummond (Georgina Reilly). That’s about it for the main cast of characters, apart from the town doctor who plays a part later.

What begins as a day not unlike any other quickly turns strange, however, when Grant begins to get phoned-in reports about a mob of crazed people converging on said town doctor’s office. Then more reports start to come in about large groups of people acting strangely and attacking random folks in the city, in the woods, and on the highways. Some of the reports, such as one about a car carrying a family being literally buried under a herd — that term is used specifically — of people are so bizarre (and so much more effective when heard and not seen —? showing anything like that on this film’s budget would have resulted in yet another cheap CGI spectacle, and we’ve had more than enough of those in more than enough other movies) that Grant and his cohorts don’t know whether or not they’re being played for fools in some sort of massive, town-wide hoax. When an in-studio guest starts behaving strangely, though, they know something’s up.

Soon the BBC is calling. More and more truly unbelievable reports are coming in. And it’s soon quite obvious that this cold and snowy late-winter morning has brought something entirely new and dreadful to the sleepy hamlet of Pontypool. When one of their own, Laurel-Ann, begins to transform, all pretense (or hope) that it might be some sick and elaborate joke is gone.

When the full-scale zombie siege of the studio finally begins in earnest, our protagonists are still trying to figure out, on the fly, how it can possibly be stopped, so flabbergasted ( and, for that matter, only partially informed)? are they as to the nature of the infection and it’s mode of transmission.? It’s pretty damn tough to figure out how to stop something if you barely understand how it works and find it hard to believe what little you do know.

Throughout the film, the claustrophobic studio setting and incredibly small cast of characters really works in terms of presenting the us-vs.-them, inside world-vs.-outside world, “bunker mentality” sense of atmospherics so essential to this story’s success. Sure, it’s indicative of a very tight budget, but it’s also indicative of how said tight budget can really be harnessed to the story’s advantage. Less is indeed more.

And speaking of less and more, now would be the time to point out that gorehounds are sure to be disappointed here. The level of blood and guts on display is pretty damn low, but that only makes it all the more shocking and disturbing when the violence really does start to hit home. Have no fear, though — even though the gross FX quotient here is pretty low,what few there? are really are? quite effectively staged and presented. That being said, though, the majority of the horror is “Pontypool” is psychological, and in the best horror tradition, what’s not shown is much scarier than what is, allowing the viewer to imagine in his or her own mind the unfolding terror taking place outside the studio walls — and threatening, of course, to get in.

A major hit at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, “Pontypool” nonetheless received scant theatrical distribution. It played some in Canada and on a small handful of? art-house screens in major US markets and got some play at various horror conventions and independent film festivals, but that was about it.

Now, the good folks at IFC (Independent Film Channel), which handled the distribution rights, have hit us with a one-two “Pontypool” punch : it’s just been released on DVD, and is also playing on IFC On Demand on cable TV. The DVD looks and sounds great, with crisp, clear 16:9 letterboxed picture (as if it wouldn’t, it’s essentially a brand new film) and top-notch 5.1 Surround sound mix. A commentary track featuring McDonald and Burgess is included (the good news from it — they’re planning two sequels!), there’s a selection of independent Canadian short films, the theatrical trailer is thrown in, and best of all there’s also the full-length original CBC radio drama (presented along with corresponding? stills from the film to make it easier to follow the audio action) that McDonald and Burgess developed before the full movie project was green-lighted.

“Pontypool” isn’t just the best zombie film of the year (and I say this as someone who absolutely loved “Zombieland,” although it’s technically true that this was a 2008 production and that was 2009), it’s the best zombie film in many years. Entertainment Weekly has already declared it one of the 25 best of all time in the genre. And while I’m usually not one to agree with any statement found in any gossipy Hollywood rag, much less one that features a regular column by Diablo Cody, in this case they’re absolutely right. Hell, I’d go so far as to say it’s top 10 material.

So see it already.

Oh, and spread the word — it’s the only thematically appropriate response. That’s as close to a hint as I dare to get.

halloween horrors 2012 “maniac”

Sadistic. Misogynistic. Lurid. Visceral. Exploitative. Shameless. Hateful. Sleazy. These are some of the more?polite terms that have been used when describing director William Lustig’s 1980 slasher classic?Maniac. More unhinged reactions at the time of its release essentially stated that it marked the end of good taste and civility, if not western civilization itself — and while all that might be a little bit much, the truth is that?most of the critics, the ones who called it “lurid,” “sleazy,” “hateful,” “misogynistic” and the like were absolutely?right — what they failed to realize, if course, is that those very — uhhhmmm — “qualities” are what make this flick so fucking?good.

Granted, our definition of “good” here at TFG doesn’t exactly match what the dictionary has to say, but the fact is that?Maniac is one of those movies that you just plain never forget once you’ve seen it. Most of that is down to the tour-de-force performance of the late, great Joe Spinell as Frank Zito, the titular “maniac” himself, a man haunted by memories of childhood abuse at the hands of his mother who is taking out a twisted form of permanent vengeance on the entire female population of New York City. Spinell doesn’t even seem like he’s acting in this movie, and the low-grade production values employed by Lustig give this shot-on-16mm slice of pure, unadulterated celluloid hatred an even more immediate, quasi-documentary look that conspires to communicate Spinell’s unhinged portrayal even more directly. Sure, most of that raw, immediate quality is foisted upon this film due to budgetary constraints, but like all the best exploitation efforts, this flick’s ultra-low budget is actually its best friend, and a more polished, professional production would have positively ruined things.

Which isn’t to say that it looks?cheap — Tom Savini’s effects, especially the infamous “shotgun-blast-to-the-head” scene, are particularly effective. A lot of — dare I say it —?love obviously went into making this flick look as authentic as possible. ?And if we were looking for one word to describe?Maniac in a nutshell, that would probably be it : even aspects of the film that are less than?realistic — I can’t see the glamorous Caroline Munro falling for Frank under any circumstances, and of course the infamous ending cuts loose from the moorings of reality entirely — still feel absolutely fucking?authentic.

I can’t imagine that there are too many readers of this blog who haven’t seen?Maniac before, or who don’t own it on DVD and/or Blu-Ray (and I sincerely hope that if you do, you’ve got the Blue Underground two-disc 25th anniversary edition, loaded as it is with positively awesome extras), but if you haven’t watched in awhile, this is a great time of year to revisit it : and if by some strange and slim chance you?haven’t seen it, now would be the time to do so before the Elijah Wood remake hits our screens in December.

In a world full of super-powered slashers like Michael, Jason, and Freddy,?Maniac stands out in that Lustig and company really seem to?mean it. They’re just plain not fucking around;?Maniac is all about bringing the horror home, and not just erasing, but?obliterating? the “comfortable distance,” if you will, that usually exists between the audience and the fictional killer whose twisted exploits we’re privy to. This is the?real thing, folks, and leaves you feeling psychically unclean merely for having seen it.

Who could ask for anything more?

AMD ATI vs NVIDIA Mobile Graphics Line-Up

We have revealed earlier about Nvidia'supcoming line-up for mobile graphics and now we check out how theircompetitor, AMD/ATI line-up for their mobile graphics. AMD plans to have dualgraphics mobile solutions for their top end line; the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2and 3850 X2. It seems Nvidia's top solution is a single GeForce 9800M GTX here.However, notebook maker Dell has offered dual graphics solution before with thedual GeForce 8800M GTX (G92) card equipped with 1GB memories so we wouldn't besurprised if there is a similar solution for the GeForce 9800M series offered bynotebook makers themselves.

AMD's naming scheme for Dual Radeon Graphics is confusing

AMD has come up with some rather imaginative names for when it combines one of its new APUs with a discrete Radeon graphics card and the company has moved away from the familiar CrossFire branding and simply gone for Dual Radeon Graphics. However, things get interesting when you start looking at the specifics, as depending on which APU is teamed up with which discrete GPU, the names change.

Back at Computex AMD unveiled its new logos and branding for the APUs that were announced earlier today and it looked complicated and unclear at best back then, but thanks to a slide posted over at Anandtech today, things have gotten a lot more complicated. Some additional details on how it all works have also come to light and we have a feeling that this is not only going to be a headache for consumers, but also for the notebook makers and AMD itself.

Lets try to keep things as simple as possible, so were going to do this bullet point style.

We have three new A-series APUs, the A4, the A6 and the A8. All three have different graphics cores with the A4 sporting a Radeon HD 6480G, the A6 a Radeon HD 6520G and the A8 a Radeon HD 6620G.Each of the APUs can be combined with a discrete graphics option for better graphics performance and it works more or less like AMDs old Hybrid CrossFire, although its now called Dual Radeon Graphics.The good news is that Dual Radeon Graphics is asymmetrical, so a faster GPU can be used with a slower discrete option, something that wasnt possible with Hybrid CrossFire, which makes this a lot more interesting and usable.One thing that isnt very clear and which Anandtech seems to have forgotten to mention is the fact that you need to run dual-channel memory for Dual Radeon Graphics to work. Considering how many notebooks out there that are shipping with a single stick of memory, this is a pretty big deal, but more on that later.If you take a look at the slide below youll notice that the various APUs combine differently with the same discrete GPU and as such create various odd combinations based on, well, some kind of logic, we hope.AMDs Eyefinity technology is not supported by the graphics in the APU, nor in Dual Radeon Graphics mode. Hopefully this is something AMD will be fixing in the future though.

If the slide above hasnt gotten your head spinning, then youve done better than we did the first time we looked at it. The peculiar thing is the two topmost options, as here the A6 and A8 APUs end up with the same naming scheme for the Dual Radeon Graphics which adds further confusion as to how it all works. Its possible that the Radeon HD 6750M and 6770M are fast enough to take precedence here while the other discrete cards are not, but that doesnt quite make sense either.

The dual core A4 APU also get crippled here as it only works with the Radeon HD 6400M series of discrete GPUs which means that theres no real performance option in place here, at least not as long as the integrated graphics is still being used. We can sort of see what AMD has done here, but then why bother at all with a Dual Radeon Graphics option?

Back to point 4 above, the part about dual-channel memory. Apparently AMD is expecting the notebook manufacturers to put a different sticker on notebooks with only a single stick of RAM in them, as the integrated graphics in the APU will be disabled in these machines if theres also a discrete card in them and as such theyll not pass some kind of sticker certification from AMD. However, we have a feeling that this wont be followed to the letter, especially considering how easy and affordable it is to add a second stick of RAM to a notebook.

The reason behind this is simple, there isnt enough memory bandwidth for the integrated graphics in the APU to keep up with the discrete card in single channel mode and this is also one of the reasons that AMD is pushing for DDR3 1600MHz RAM for Llano based notebooks (and 1866MHz for desktops), as itll help boost the performance of the integrated graphics.

Theres a lot more to the new platform and a few things arent quite making sense, but were not going to go into that here and now. We have a feeling that AMDs new naming scheme is going to cause plenty confusion on its own, not taking into account all the different configuration options available. Well most likely only see one or two discrete options per notebook SKU from AMDs partners, but this is also limiting the purchasing options and might lead to certain notebook manufacturers ending up more favourable than others.

Source: Anandtech

ASUS EN6800U Dual amp; EN6600GT Dual Cards

EN6800Ultra Dual

EN6600GT Dual

ASUS BR-HD3 Wireless High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) kit

Utilizing embedded Analog Devices HDMI ICs and audio processors, the ASUS BR-HD3 Wireless High Definition Multimedia Interface claimsenhanced audio reproduction and optimized visual images for a stunning home entertainment experience.The BR-HD3dramatically simplifies the connection between home audio and video electronic components by incorporating revolutionary innovations in video compression and distribution. It easily compresses high definition video in JPEG2000 format and distributes video streams with 802.11n technology.

The ASUSalso features non-line-of-sight wireless operation, thus audio visual devices can stream bandwidth-intensive data through walls and across multiple rooms. Transmission quality is comparable to wired solutions with HDMI interfaces. Users can hence easily stream their PC multimedia content to the living room TV, projector or home theater sets. To protect content from unauthorized access, High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) compliance is also supported on the BR-HD3 to prevent content viewing on unauthenticated devices.

The BR-HD3 can transmit High-Definition content from a Blu-ray player in a separate room to the HDTV positioned in your living room, or even to another display in the kitchen. This solution eliminates messy AV cable connections to your flat panel TV.

Features:
•ASUS BR-HD3 is based on dramatic innovations in video compression using the JPEG2000 standard and distribute HD video streams using 802.11n technology.
–Pair device, including sender and receiver
–Up to 1080p@24/30, 1080i@60 picture quality

•Long Range – 802.11n @ 5GHz, Line of sight: 30m
•True Cinema Quality – JPEG2000 (ADI chipset that’s of the same as cinema) It also features transmission video quality equal to that or wired solutions
•Real time streaming – Low latency, best for heavy gamer and with no lag

ATi Power Express Technology Info

ATi has some cool innovations on the mobile front that might pose some challenges to NVIDIA. We heard that ATi is going to implement Power Express Technology into their future Catalyst drivers or thru a separate software that enables hot switching between IGP and discrete graphics. This will allow the notebooks featuring ATi discrete graphics onboard to switch over to IGP instantly when battery mode is on or when not running 3D applications to conserve precious battery power. Right now, Intel Napa platform and NVIDIA C51 chipsets have the ability to shutdown PCI Express lanes to conserve power so ATi's Power Express Technology is really a step in front. By shutting down the discrete graphics on a notebook featuring mobility X700, it will reduce the power consumption by a third.

Cornell robot sets a record for distance walking

We're not sure what brand of batteries it was using, but the Cornell Ranger robot just kept going and going April 3 when it set an unofficial world record by walking nonstop for 45 laps -- a little over 9 kilometers or 5.6 miles -- around the Barton Hall running track.

Developed by a team of students working with Andy Ruina, Cornell professor of theoretical and applied mechanics, the robot walked (and walked) until it finally stopped and fell backward, perhaps because its battery ran down. "We need to do some careful analysis to find out for sure," said Greg Stiesberg, a graduate student on the team.

An earlier version of the same robot had already set a record by free-walking a bit over 1 kilometer, about .62 miles. (Another robot has walked 2.5 kilometers [1.55 miles] on a treadmill, Ruina noted. A six-legged robot has walked a bit more than 2 kilometers, and there's some debate over whether or not that counts.)

There are no rules for such records, Ruina admits, and the Guinness people were not involved. "There's a lot of rigmarole with that," he explained. The event, he said, was to show off the machine's energy efficiency. Unlike other walking robots that use motors to control every movement, the Ranger emulates human walking, using gravity to help swing its legs forward.

Standing still, the robot looks a bit like a tall sawhorse; walking, it suggests a human on crutches, alternately swinging forward two outside legs and then two inside ones. There are no knees, but at the ends of the legs are feet that can be tipped up and down, so that the robot pushes off with its toes, then tilts its feet upward to land on the heels as it brings its legs forward.

The goal of the research, Ruina said, is not only to advance robotics but also to learn more about the mechanics of walking. The information could be applied to rehabilitation and prosthetics for humans and even to improving athletic performance.

Ruina's lab has built several walking robots of various designs. A model with flexible knees, designed to closely imitate human walking, consumed energy per unit weight and distance comparable to a human walker. In contrast, Ruina estimates that the well-known Honda Asimo uses at least 10 times as much energy as a human when walking.

Ironically, Ruina was not present to witness the record-breaking event. By phone, from a conference on locomotion in Columbus, Ohio, he commented, "We've just moved into this world of electromechanical devices, and to make something this robust is a big achievement. We've learned tons about what it takes to make walking work."

Source: Cornell University

grindhouse classics “god told me to”

Larry Cohen films have a vibe all their own. Even his more “standard” horror fare like “It’s Alive,” or his blaxploitation ventures like “Black Caesar” have that certain off-kilter aspect of — well, Cohen-ness, for lack of a better term, to them. A signature element of personality that manifests itself in some sort of major quirk, or series of quirks, throughout. Today Cohen is pretty much confined to screenwriting, churning out rather standard-issue “thriller” screenplays for flicks like “Captivity” and “Phone Booth,” but back when he was given more free reign, he definitely came up with some movies that were straight out of bizarro world, the most notable of which were probably “Bone,” “Q : The Winged Serpent,” and my personal favorite, 1976′s “God Told Me To.”

This movie takes so many unexpected and almost completely incongruous twists and turns that you just have to sit back, go with the flow, and enjoy the ride. If you’re not willing to completely suspend all disbelief and just trust that Cohen is going to get us to a satisfactory conclusion by the end, no matter how bizarre what’s going on may seem at the time, then you’re going to feel hopelessly frustrated and probably throw in the towel somewhere around the halfway point of the proceedings. But if you are, indeed, able to hold out hope for a satisfying and dare I even say sensible conclusion, even in the face of staggering absurdity, then you’re in for a heck of a good time.

New York police detective Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco — there’s a name you haven’t heard in awhile) is working one bitch of a case. First, he just happens to be on the scene when a young man named Harold Gorman, perched atop a water tower, kills 15 random pedestrians with a .22-caliber rifle. Nicholas tries to talk him down, but Gorman, after confessing his “motive,” opts to take his own life instead.? Next, an apparently happily married man kills his wife and children completely out of the blue, and calmly offers the same bizarre “motive” that Gorman did, prompting Nichoals to get involved in that case, as well. After that, a beat cop (played by Andy Kaufman — yes, that Andy Kaufman) opens fire on his fellow police officers marching in New York’s famous St. Patrick’s Day parade (an event Cohen would return to in his script for “Maniac Cop”). He also offers the exact same “motive” as te other two recent mass-murderers.

As for what that “motive” is, I’m sure you’ve already guessed — “God told me to” (hence the name, of course, although this flick was also released under the rather dull title of “Demon,” as well).

Nicholas has some qualms about being in charge of this investigation due to his own highly devout, albeit rather secret, Catholicism.? Abandoned as an infant, he was raised by nuns for several years in Catholic orphanage. His personal life is a mess, and even though he’s been seprated from his wife (played by Sandy Dennis) and spends most of his time with his girlfriend (portrayed by Deborah Raffin), his strict religious views preclude any possibility of his getting a divorce, which is probably why he keeps his mistress in the dark about the seriousness with which he practices his faith.

Following the leads in this case is going to cause him to question that faith in ways he never imagined, though — that’s because every single clue leads him toward a man named Bernard Phillips (cult favorite Richard Lynch), who apparently was the product of a virgin birth, possesses miraculous abilities, and seems to have a direct line to the almighty himself. No matter how hard he wants to believe otherwise, Nicholas starts to accept the seemingly impossible — there really is a God living in New York, and he really is ordering his followers to kill. But as astonishing as those revelations are, it’s nothing compared to what our erstwhile hero is about to learn about his own past —

This is the point at which summarizing the plot any further is just going to give too damn much away. Like I mentioned previously, be prepared for some seriously goofy shit that will sorely tempt you to groan and shut the thing off. But stick it out and I promise you won’t be sorry. Everything comes full circle and the ending is absolutely perfect. I don’t believe in God myself, but I do believe in Larry Cohen’s ability to tell a damn solid story, and that faith is certainly rewarded come time for this flick to wrap up.

“God Told Me To” is available on DVD from Blue Underground. The digitally remastered anamorphic? transfer looks sharp and crisp, the sound quality, also remastered, is especially clear and well-done, and what few extras there are really are good, including the trailer (of course), and a fantastic commentary from Chonen, whose recollections of the film are crystal clear and whose anecdotes about production always entertaining and involving. A highly recommended rental or even purchase if you’re any kind of fan of low-budget independent exploitation fare or just mind-fuck films in general, since “Gold Told Me To” will definitely leave you scratching your head at just where the hell this whole thing is headed throughout, but feeling exceptionally satisfied by the time it’s over.

AMD Radeon HD 7990 Debuts as a Very Limited Edition in July

Known under the codename "New Zealand", Radeon HD 7990 represents AMDs highest-end part from the Southern Islands architecture. Consisting out of two Tahiti XT GPUs and 6GB GDDR5 memory (special edition 7990s could reach 12GB), Radeon HD 7990 goes head to head against the GeForce GTX 690.

By default, AMD has the advantage in terms of 50% more video memory (GTX 690 has 4GB), significantly higher memory bandwidth and the new Turbo mode, technology similar to the Turbo mode used on NVIDIA Kepler-based cards with a few major differences.

Our sources are telling us that the boards are starting to be sampled, all in preparation for the product launch in the second half of July. We will release more details as the launch day approaches, as well as the final retail price, which still isn’t decided as we write this story. While we know AMDs press deck, the company has a long tradition of changing the price at the last moment.

At the same time, a lot of AMD partners are running the card in their labs but arent aware of the actual product launch. We will see in just a few weeks time.

Athlon FX-51 2.2Ghz @ 3.05Ghz!

Our good friend Katsumi from Japan has overclocked his Athlon FX-51 (2.2Ghz)to over 3Ghz! He uses ASUS SK8N with the new 1003.003 BIOS that allow you tochange the multiplier. The multiplier is set to 14x up from the default 11x butthe current version of CPUZ cannot detect the actual multiplier as yet.

CPU: Athlon64 FX-51 @2996.33MHz(214x14) Vcore=1.739V(modified), Dryice(withethanol) cooling

Memory: SanMax PC2700-Reg-ECC 512MB x4, Vddr=2.7V(setting)
BIOS setting: MemClock Value=333MHz CL2.0-2-5-2
Vagp=1.7V, AGP=66MHz, Aperture Size=32MB

VGA: GeForceFX5900Ultra(Verto $ BGrH" (B), Vgpu=1.28V
GPU/Memory=450/850MHz, Detonator-44.61

PowerSupply: AOpen FSP400-60GN, Vio=3.561V

OS: WinXP Pro
HDD: HITACHI HDS722512VLAT80

Check out his sitehere

ASUS EAX1650XT(CF)

ASUS Technology Pte Ltd (ASUS) the leading provider of high-performancegraphics solutions is proud to introduce EAX1650XT(CF) graphics card, which ispowered by ATI’s Radeon X1650XT GPU. The card come with GTI Racing, one of thehottest racing games in the market and offers a 26% performance enhancement fromcompeting solutions that settled with the reference design, providing smoothvideo not only for GTI Racing, but other popular games as well.

26% performance hike with 256MB DDR3 memory

The EAX1650XT(CF), with onboard 256MB DDR3 memory, provides a 26% performancehike when compared with cards based on the GeForce7600GT GPU in the samesegment. The graphics card offers industry-leading performance to run videoresource-hungry applications, including the latest game titles.

GTI Racing Overview

The EAX1650XT(CF) is shipped with the new GTI Racing, which uniquely blends arealistic car physics simulation with the pure fun of driving in a very dynamicway. GTI Racing gives you the biggest collection of the officially licensedlegendary European Volkswagen Golf series cars. Racers can choose one of the 15GOLF models, representing all five generations from its original heritagethrough to the current day.

Splendid Video Intelligence Technology

With Splendid Video Intelligence Technology, found exclusively in ASUSsolutions, images processed by ASUS graphics cards are enhanced and fine tunedto deliver the most vibrant visual representations in conditions most favorableto human eyes. Splendid dynamically adjusts color, brightness, sharpness andcontrast to deliver video quality comparable to those on the very best TVs.

The ASUS EAX1650XT(CF) is now available worldwide. For more information onASUS graphics card, please visit the company homepage at sg.asus.com

Specifications Summary

AT amp;T to offer Windows 8 Samsung ATIV Smart PC for $799

The ATIV Smart PC is an Intel Atom (Z2760) powered tablet that is aimed at the business sectors. AT&T is planning to charge $799 for the device, which may come under scrutiny since that’s a hefty premium for a tablet that has relatively ‘average’ specs compared to other Z2760 business tablets. Of course, one has to take into account that the AT&T ATIV Smart PC comes with an integrated mobile broadband radio, and therefore the apparent premium price tag.

Samsung claims that the 9.9mm thin tablet can stay lit for 14.5 hours on a single charge. The 1.5GHz 11.6-inch (1366x768) tablet also comes with 64GB of SSD storage (expandable to 94GB via microSD), and 2GB of RAM.

Keep in mind that AT&T will be offering just the tablet by itself, with no accessories/add-ons such as a keyboard dock (which most Windows 8 users will probably want). Factor in the additional costs of accessories and add-ons and it’s easy to see that this Windows 8 tablet offering from AT&T may not sell that many units.

(Samsungs ATIV Smart PC Pro)

If the $800 tag for a device that doesn’t boast much muscle is a turn off, then perhaps the ATIV Smart PC Pro may be a better alternative if Samsung is still your flavor. The Pro version has a beefier Core i5 3317U clocked at 1.7GHz, 128 GB of SSD storage, 4GB of RAM, and even the screen has a higher resolution—coming in at 1920x1080. All the features on the Pro definitely help it to outshine the standard model, but you won’t get the mobile broadband radio in the Pro, yet. The current going price for the Pro version is $1,199 (Amazon), and although the tag is higher than the AT&T offering, the Pro comes packaged with a keyboard dock.

ASUS to launch the second Jay Chou edition laptop N45J

Last year, ASUS announced the Jay Chou Edition N43SL laptop and very soon we would see the second Taiwanese celebrity-endorsed notebook PC in the market. Unlike the first model with a piano black finish, the new laptop N45J will be white with similar artistic designs printed at the back of the display. The new design is said to be related to his upcoming album. The ASUS N45J will feature a 1600x800 resolution screen, second generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processor, 8GB memory, Nvidia GT555M graphics with choice of either 1GB or 2GB VRAM, SSD or hard disk storage options and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio technology that is found on the N45SF. Specifications would vary depending on country, although it is likely thatthis new laptop will be focused for the Asia market. According to sources, the ASUS N45J Jay Chou edition laptop is scheduled to launch in mid January this month. No details on the pricing yet.

Source: chinese.vr-zone.com

Are you ready for AMD Socket 939

According to the Japanese website, UAC, ASUS A8V /Deluxe/WiFi-Gwill hit retail market no later than 31st May 2004.

ASUS A8V /Deluxe/WiFi-G Specification:
Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 Socket 939
VIA K8T800Pro Chipset
FSB 400/333 ECC/non-ECC DDR Memory(Dual Channel Memry,MAX4GB)
S-ATAx4 with RAID (0,1,0+1,Multiple,JBOD)
AGP 8x+ 5PCI
8-CH AUDIO CODEC + S/P DIF-out
4xUSB2.0
1xIEEE1394
Marvel Gigabit LAN

Effects of CPU frequency on 3DMark06 Scores (9800GTX Single)

OverviewThis experiment is to record the effects of CPU frequency on 3DMark 06 Scores using a single 9800GTX
The conditions will keep the GPU frequencies at stock and 3DMark06 will be benchmarked 3 times for every 200MHz increase in the CPU frequency
The CPU used is a QX9650, overclocked from 3.0 Ghz to 4.6 Ghz

EVGA to Release GPU Testing amp; Benchmarking Tool

HardwareCanuckshas reported that EVGA is rumored to release a new software for stress testing and benchmarking graphic cards. The unnamedutility features an artifacts scanner for checking the stability ofover-clocked video cards and a benchmark tool (similar to FurMark). Nodate has been given for its release but the utility is said to be outsoon and will most likely work on most graphic cards, regardless ofmanufacturer.

News via [Hardwarecanucks]

Effects of CPU frequency on 3DMark06 Scores (GTX 280 Single)

Overview
This experiment is to record the effects of CPU frequency on 3DMark 06 Scores using a single GTX 280

The conditions will keep the GPU frequencies at stock and 3DMark06 will be benchmarked 3 times for every 200MHz increase in the CPU frequency

The CPU used is a QX9650, overclocked from 3.0 Ghz to 4.4 Ghz

Elpida samples 4Gbit Wide IO Mobile RAM

2012 is so far looking like itll be a great year for mobile devices with plenty of quad core ARM implementations arriving, higher resolution screens expected, faster flash storage memory at ever increasing capacities and now, super-fast, low power memory, at least if Elpida has anything to do with it. The company has announced that it has started to ship samples of its new Wide IO Mobile RAM as well as its Mobile DDR3 RAM in 4Gbit capacities.

Lets start with the Mobile DDR3 or LPDDR3 as its also known as (not to be confused with Low Voltage DDR3) which is the next generation of "standard" DRAM to be used in mobile devices and its a simple evolution from LPDDR2. Were looking at a doubling in the data rate from 800MHz to 1600MHz, or from 3.2GB/s to 6.4GB/s if you prefer. LPDDR3 still uses a fairly narrow 32-bit bus and it will be available in sizes of 512, 1024 and 2048MB down the line, although initial sample shipments will be 512MB. LPDDR3 can of course be configured in dual-channel which effectively doubles the bandwidth and this is something wed expect to see in some high-end tablets where PCB space restrictions arent as much of a concern as they are in smartphones.

So what about Wide IO Mobile RAM? Well, as the name suggests it has a much wider bus than regular DRAM, in fact its 512-bit wide, thats 16 times wider than that of LPDDR3 in single channel mode. However, the operating speed is a mere 200MHz, but thanks to the wide interface data transfer speeds still hit 12.8GB/s. Elpida claims that the vastly lower clock speed of Wide IO Mobile RAM allows for up to a 50 percent power saving compared to todays LPDDR2. Just as with its LPDDR3, well see capacities of 512, 1024 and 2048MB, but with initial shipments being limited to 512MB modules.

The interesting thing here will be once clock speeds increase, as even fairly minor increases in the speed of Wide IO Mobile RAM (they really need to come up with a catchier name though) should result in big performance improvements. Hopefully well see a widespread adoption of Wide IO Mobile RAM, but its not clear how easy it is to add support for it for the SoC manufacturers, but its clear that it would require a different memory interface than what is widely used today.

Source: Elpida

Dell Inspiron Zino HD Arrives in Singapore

Dell has introduced the mini-sized Inspiron Zino HD, which is versatile enough to handle tasks from basic computing chores to driving a big-screen, High-Definition video media center. With a choice of colors, the Inspiron Zino HD can be easily personalized to add flare to any room in the home.

The Inspiron Zino HD includes standard HD-capable integrated graphics, HDMI output and built-in networking and is idea forword processing, e-mail, organizing photos and music, and surfing the Internet.

The economical Inspiron Zino HD, with optional additional memory, hard drive storage, combo Blu-ray disc player andwireless remote control can be configured into a powerful home media center computer. In that capacity the Inspiron Zino HD displays high-definition content from the Internet, and stores and delivers music, video and photos very well.

The Inspiron Zino HD is also ideal as an additional household PC that can fit in tight spaces and make home networking a cinch. It measures about 7.75 inches square and 3.5 inches tall.

Features
- Ultra-small form factor designed to fit almost anywhere
- Easy personalization with 10 color choices for Inspiron Zino HD
- Choice of AMD processors or dual core Athlon Neo X2 6850e
- Up to 8GB dual channel DDR 2 memory
- Up to 1TB internal hard disk storage
- Combo DVD/CD RW drive with optional Blu-ray Disc combo
- Integrated 10/100/1000 networking with wireless option
- Optional wireless keyboard and mouse
- Built in 2.1 high-definition audio and 4-in-1 media card reader
- Integrated ATI graphics adapter with standard HDMI and VGA video connections, and optional 512MB discrete graphics adapter
- Four USB ports (2 front/2 rear); two eSATA ports (rear)
- Energy-Star 5.0 compliant

A basic Inspiron Zino without High-Definition capability is now available in Singapore at S$449 while The Inspiron Zino HD is selling at S$649. You can order yours directly from Dell at http://www.dell.com.sg/ with a choice of operating systems from Windows Vista Home Basic through Windows 7 Professional.

Dell Singapore Introduces Three New LED Printers For SMBs And Home Offices

Speak of the name 'Dell' and most people should have little to no problem conjuring up a mental image of the renowned techcompany whohas a wide variety of computer systems and peripherals like notebooks, desktop PCs and even monitors. But add in printers to the mix and chances are you may get more than just a few raised eyebrows from the average Joe.

Unfortunately, this is a situation whereby Dell has been facing for some time already, and Isaac Levin, Dell's General Manager of Software and Peripherals Asia-Pacific Japan Small and Medium Businesses, was keen to rectify the issue.

"A lot of people in the Asia Pacific/Japan region do not know that Dell does printers," he said. “The truth is that Dell has been in the printer business for seven years, and going on to eight. We launched our first printer lineup in 2003: at that time, we focused mainly on the US market and in some of the markets in the APJ (Asia Pacific and Japan) region"

Levin also spoke about Dell's achievements in the printing field, such as how the company released the world's fastest colour printer in 2008 which was capable of producing printouts at a rate of 47ppm.

"You'd think that other competitors like HP offer the best printers with the leading technology. But that is not the case; it is Dell who has it. And it wasus who produced the world's fastest printer," he said.

Also present at the launch was Isabel Zhou, Dell's Regional Director for Imaging, Displays and Peripherals Product Marketing, who explained some of the technical aspects of the new LED printers being launched today.

"Because of LED technology, we are able to reduce the size of our printers, thus resulting in size efficiency," she said. "Our laser-class colour A4 LED printers are 10% smaller than the world's smallest laser printers, and almost 40% smaller than competing LED printers in the market today. That is the kind of space that we can give back to consumers due to the presence of lesser moving parts in an LED printer."

She also spoke about how the company's new colour LED printers, can help to reduce operational costs by specially designing the drum and fuser unit to last for the entirety of the printer's life.

"You don't have to change anything else in the printer except for the toner," she explained. "The drum and fuser unit is designed to last for the printer's lifetime, and there are no waste toner compartments or belts to replace. This makes our printers cheaper and easier to maintain."

Last but not least, she highlighted how Dell's Clear View LED technology allows its printers to consume up to 8% less energy than conventional LED printers marketed by the competition. This was also elaborated upon by Baskar Parthasarathy (pictured below), Regional Director for Product Development Imaging.



When you think about printers, the first thing that usually comes to mind is print quality. That is the primary function of a printer," he said. "Unlike conventional LED technology, we actually went and changed the technology for our printers. We improved and refined it to a point where it is close to, or in some cases, surpasses that of laser quality."

Coming up next: technical specifications of the new LED printers

Eurocom officially unleashes the Panther 4.0 notebook

Eurocom has just formally introduced its latest mobile powerhouse, the Panther 4.0 which is based on Intels X79 / Sandy Bridge-E platform with the option of a Core i7 3960X Processor Extreme ticking things over at rapid pace.

This 17.3-inch sized (1920 x 1080) notebook gives a multitude of GPU options with both GeForce SLI and AMD Radeon CrossFireX support via Modular MXM 3.0b connectivity. NVIDIA GPU options include the GTX 675M, 670M, 660M, GTX 580M and GTX 560M as well as Quadro 5010M, 4000M or 3000M GPUs. On the AMD side, theres the option of Radeon HD 6990M or HD 6970M GPUs.

Heres the full rundown on the specs side of things for Eurocoms Panther 4.0 :-

• CORE LOGIC: Intel X79 Express Chipset
• BIOS: Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI); AMI
• PROCESSOR: up to Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme(3.30GHz, 15MB L3 cache)
• MEMORY: up to 32GB; DDR3-1333/1600/1866; four physical memory sockets
• EXPANSION: Built-in ExpressCard 34/54 slot
• STORAGE: up to 4TB of storage with four physical SSD, Hybrid or HDD, RAID 0/1/5/10 support;
• I/O PORTS:
• 3x USB 3.0
• 2x USB 2.0
• eSATA
• Firewire-400 (TI XIO2221ZAY)
• Display Port v1.2
• DVI-I (SL)
• HDMI 1.4a out w/HDCP
• Headphone
• Microphone
• S/PDIF out
• Line-in
• RJ-45 / LAN

• COMMUNICATION: built-in 10/100/1000Mb Base-TX Ethernet LAN (Intel 82579V); WLAN (optional); Bluetooth v2.1+EDR (optional); 2M Video Webcam (built-in)
• SECURITY: TPM 1.2; Fingerprint, Kensington Lock
• KEYBOARD: Illuminated full-size with separate numeric keypad; with three customizable lighting areas and seven optional colours; W/A/S/D gaming key; built-in touchpad with multi-gesture and scrolling functions; 6 touch sensor instant buttons: Volume Up/Down, Mute, WLAN, BT, Webcam
• WEIGHT/DIMENSIONS: 5.5kg (12.1lbs); 419(W)x286(D)x57.9-62.1(H)mm (16.76x11.44x2.31-2.48inch)

Quite the serious piece of kit indeed. The below video also lets you get a good glimpse underneath the covers.

For further details including the full list of optional extras on this US $3,499 base priced 5.5Kg chunk of mobile PC, head over to the official product page here.

Dell ships the Inspiron M101z ultrathin laptop with long battery life

Sub-four pound laptop packs premium style and performance in an ultra-portable PC

SINGAPORE, Aug. 17 2010 – Dell today announced the latest in compact computing - the ultra-portable and ultra-stylish Inspiron M101z laptop. The perfect combination of size, weight, performance and contemporary lux looks, the Inspiron M101z is the ideal on-the-go, easy-to-use laptop PC for today’s mobile population.

Whether a student running between classes, a mom trying to keep the kids entertained, carrying this ultrathin sub-4-pound laptop that fits easily in a handbag or backpack helps lighten the load. Despite its diminutive size, the Inspiron M101z laptop packs performance punch, nimbly stepping through everyday tasks quickly and delivering impressive stutter-free playback of streaming movies and HD videos.

Blending brains and beauty, the Inspiron M101z laptop is built around a clever hinge-forward design that moves the display closer and keeps the body rigid for improved strength and durability. It features a full-width keyboard that simplifies typing and navigation, while the attractive finishes and smooth curves make it stand out in a crowd. And with a choice of four vibrant colors, people also have the ability to add personal style to their PC.

Powered by AMD Athlon™ II Neo Mobile processors and integrated ATi graphics, the M101z laptop leaves comparably-sized netbooks in the dust, while achieving up to 6.5 hours of operation with its standard 6-cell rechargeable battery.

The Inspiron M101z is available today from www.dell.com.sg and prices begin at S$699 with a one-year limited warranty standard. The Inspiron M101z comes with Syncables Desktop® software that makes it easy to synch photos, music, video and data with a primary computer for quick, on-the-go access. Another helpful application pre-installed includes Skype.

Highlights:

· Speedy AMD Athlon™ II Neo single and dual core mobile processor options with integrated ATi graphics
· Dazzling 11.6-inch TrueLife™ HD glossy WLED display (1366x768)
· Full-width ergonomic keyboard with raised individual keypads
· Up to 4GB of fast DDR3 memory at 800MHz
· Up to 320GB SATA hard drive that can store 142 hours of DVD-quality video, 38 hours of HD video or up to 80,000 MP3 songs
· Built-in 1.3 megapixel Webcam, SRS Premium Sound with two 1.5W speakers, three USB 2.0 connections, one with USB PowerShare, HDMI port, VGA port and 7-in-1 media card reader
·Integrated 10/100 Ethernet, Wi-Fi (b/g/n) with Bluetooth 3.0 wireless standard
·Selection of colors and finishes including Clear Black, Peacock Blue and Tomato Red with Jax pattern, and Promise Pink with DigiPais pattern and matching design on palmrest
·Standard 6-cell battery with 9-cell battery option available later this fall
·Choice of operating systems, up to Windows® 7 Home Premium
·Clean user interface with Dell Dock and pre-installed applications including Syncables Desktop, Skype and Microsoft Office 2010 Starter.
· Available external DVD/RW drive and portable USB speakers options

Dell Blamed For Severe Shortage Of Athlon X2 CPUs

System builders are irked about a severe shortage of AMD Athlon 64 X2 processors and blame the chip maker's partnership with Dell."It's a fiasco. There's no product in the channel. It's all going to Dell," said Glen Coffield, president of CheapGuys, a system builder in Orlando, Fla. "AMD is divorcing the channel." Coffield said AMD is hurting its loyal system builders, who feel they have been used and dumped now that the chip maker has a partnership with Dell and other top-tier OEMs. Another large system builder that has a relationship with AMD agreed that the situation is dire for channel partners. He said the supply problem started at the end of June and is hurting his business.

Dell Reveals Della, Shopping Experience Targeted At Ladies

In a recent change to Dell's US website is Della, a website targeted at ladies for a unique online shopping experience.

Well, the onesection that caught our eyes - Seven Unexpected Ways a Netbook Can Change Your Life: Use your mini to track calories, carbs and protein with ease, watch online fitness videos, map your running routes and more.

Now ladies, did the fashion look of the site catch your attention already ?

Engineered microbes pave way for 50 TB DVDs

A Harvard scientist has developed a modified protein that he says could allow DVDs to store up to 50 Terabytes of data. The protein, normally found in the membrane of salt marsh bacteria, is converted to intermediate molecules when it enters into contact with sunlight. The intermediate state only lasts hours or days before returning to a ground state, but Harvard Medical School Professor V. Renugopalakrishnan and his colleagues altered the host bacteria's DNA to enable the intermediate states to last for "more than several years."

Coating DVDs with the modified protein and assigning its respective intermediate and ground states to ones zeros could allow for significantly higher storage densities than current optical media. Indeed, the proteins are "only a few nanometers across," whereas pits in Blu-ray media can only be as small as 150 nanometers, according to a Memorex whitepaper (PDF). Renugopalakrishnan says protein-based DVDs could therefore store at least 20 times more data than Blu-ray media (up to 1 TB), adding that they could eventually go up to 50 TB. Thanks to Reg Hardware for the tip.

CyberLink throws in some AMD Trinity APU support for its major programs

One of AMDs weakest points when it comes to adding custom features to its hardware compared to Intel has always been to get the software vendors to implement support for its hardware solutions. It looks like AMD has at least managed to make some progress in this regard, as CyberLink has announced support for AMDs upcoming Trinity APUs across the board of its top selling programs.

Most interesting in our opinion is support in PowerDirector 10 and MediaEspresso 6.5, as this should see the time it takes to encode video vastly reduced. In fact, CyberLink is quoting a 3.6 times performance improvement in the time it takes to produce a video in PowerDirector 10 using an AMD A10-4600M APU using hardware acceleration rather than doing it all in software mode.

PowerDirector 10 has had supported added for AMDs Video Codec Engine (VCE) and this goes for MediaEspresso 6.5 as well, which is what helps speed up the encoding and transcoding of video by leveraging the power of the integrated GPU. Judging by the fairly mediocre CPU performance of Trinity, it looks like this is a much needed feature for AMD if the company wants to compete on equal terms with Intel when it comes to consumer perception of how long time it takes to do certain tasks.

PowerDVD 12 and MediaShow 6 have also been updated to take advantage of VCE for transcoding on the fly when needed, although its not clear as to which formats are supported. AMD shouldnt really have any issues with any kind of media playback, as this has never really been a weak point for the company, although of course 3D playback is supported for those that care about it.

If you already own any of the above mentioned software, CyberLink will enable support for the Trinity APUs via a software update which is already available from its website. In the case of PowerDirector, CyberLink has also added support for Intels recently launched Ivy Bridge processors and video encoding in H.264 which works better with Apples "new" iPad.