New Laptops May Boot Instantly, Thanks to Faster Memory

This is what I've been waiting for!

"Apple's newest MacBook Air laptop boots up in mere seconds, thanks to its use of advanced flash memory instead of a standard, slower hard drive. And that memory format, used in so-called solid-state drives, could soon become a standard in PCs, as manufacturers follow Apple's lead and warm to the benefits of flash storage.

Increasingly used in smartphones, the chips used in flash storage are still expensive -- but market leaders Samsung Electronics, Toshiba, SanDisk and Intel are investing billions of dollars in cutting-edge facilities to boost production.

That will help meet growing demand and make solid-state drives, which are made of flash memory chips instead of mechanical parts, more mainstream by 2012 as prices decline, analysts say. Game fans and other tech-savvy consumers are increasingly buying off-the-shelf solid-state drives, or SSDs, because they are quicker, more rugged and less prone to fail.

Intel lowered the prices of some of its solid-state drives on Friday ahead of the Christmas shopping season. Its suggested retail price for an 80 gigabyte drive is now $199, down from around $225." See the rest HERE

Out of This World! Paper Airplane Snaps Amazing Space Photos

Fracking awesome!

"An oversize paper airplane sent up toward the edge of space by a British online tech publication has snapped stunning photos of the final frontier and the Earth far below.

The paper aircraft's Vulture 1 mission took place Oct. 28 as part of the Paper Aircraft Released In Space (PARIS) project conducted by three space enthusiasts with The Register, an online technology publication in the U.K.  

Photos from a camera attached to the plane show the curve of the Earth and the black of space beyond.  [Paper Airplane's Photo of Space]

"The project came about as a response to the Japanese proposal to throw paper planes from the International Space Station," Register writer Lester Haines told SPACE.com in an e-mail. "We thought we could do better, so we did." See the rest HERE

Is this the first step toward a flying car?

Can I get it in red?

"Along with the jetpack, the flying car tops the list of classic science-fiction imaginings that lead legions of fans to ask -- why don't we have this yet?

Now researchers, with some cash from the U.S. military, might be taking a step toward making these hovering vehicles -- seen in such diverse works as "Blade Runner" and "The Jetsons" -- a reality.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is awarding grants to scientists to help develop its Transformer program, which seeks to create a road-worthy vehicle that can take off vertically like a helicopter and fly.

This week, the robotics institute at Carnegie Mellon University was awarded a $988,000 contract to develop a flight system for the Transformer." See the rest HERE

New Facebook privacy tip: 'Super-logoff'

Ok, if you are going to do this... here is a thought, DON'T MAKE A DAMN FACEBOOK TO BEGIN WITH!

"If clamping down the privacy settings on your Facebook page isn't enough to help you sleep at night, take a cue from the youth of America.

Try the "super-logoff."

Performing the trick doesn't take superhuman powers. Instead of just closing a browser window or clicking the "log off" button at the top right of the Facebook homepage, some young, privacy-concerned users are simply deactivating their Facebook accounts each time they leave the site.

Then they reactivate their accounts to log back on.

Why go to all this trouble?" See the rest HERE

Future soldiers may be wearing 'Iron Man' suits

I want one!

"A lunchtime crowd is gathering beside the parking lot at Raytheon Sarcos, the defense contractor, on a recent day in Salt Lake City. White-collar workers from nearby office parks stand with their yogurt cups and sandwiches, watching with quiet awe as a man in a metal suit -- sort of half-man, half-robot -- performs superhuman feats of strength.

This may be the closest these people will get to a real-life "Iron Man," the character from the comic books and hit movies.

Inside a prosthetic shell of metal and hydraulics, Raytheon test engineer Rex Jameson is putting an XOS-2 exoskeleton through its paces." See the rest HERE

Apple computer for sale: only $160K!

"

And you thought the MacBook Air was pricey?

An auctioneer is selling its distant ancestor and one of the world's first personal computers -- the Apple-1 -- for an estimated $161,600 to $242,400.

In 1976, Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the computer out of Jobs' family garage and sold it for $666.66.

The Apple-1 will be auctioned by Christie's in London, England, on November 23, with a simultaneous auction held online.

The Apple-1 that's up for sale is believed to be one of about 200 of those computers that Jobs and Wozniak created in 1976 and 1977. It comes in an original box -- with the return address pointing back to the California garage where Apple Corp. began -- and features the original Apple logo, which showed Isaac Newton getting hit on the head with an Apple." See the rest HERE

4-Year-Old Killed in Home Invasion Stabbed 36 Times

What the hell is wrong with people in this world? Seriously... what piece of shit human being thinks this is acceptable?!?

"Authorities in Oklahoma have arrested a teenager in the brutal slaying of child, who was stabbed 36 times. The killing was committed during a home-invasion robbery, police said.

"In my entire career, I've never seen anything like this," Muskogee police Cpl. Pedro Zardeneta told Kansas City's KMBC. "It's sad."

Officials with the Muskogee Police Department did not return calls for comment from AOL News today. According to online reports, Aaron Laconsello, 18, was arrested Tuesday after police were called to a home in the 700 block of North N Street to investigate a home invasion and assault." See the rest HERE

And here is another article about it...

"

MUSKOGEE, Okla.-- Police have arrested an 18-year-old man, who stabbed to death a 4-year-old child during a home invasion.

Corporal Pedro Zardeneta with the Muskogee Police Department said officers responded to a call from a residence in the 700 block of North N Street around 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday. When officers arrived, they found Dakota Lane stabbed multiple times with scissors. The boy was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead." See the rest HERE

Dick Van Dyke saved by porpoises

"

Dick Van Dyke has told how his life was save by a pod of porpoises, after he was cast adrift at sea while surfing.

The 84-year-old star of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang told US chat show host Craig Ferguson the bizarre story of how he fell asleep on a 10ft surfboard off Virginia Beach on the east coast of America.

When he woke up he found himself stranded far out at sea, and thought he was surrounded by sharks." See the rest HERE

Firesheep, Blacksheep, and Protecting Your Wi-Fi Data

"Despite the convenience, free public Wi-Fi networks like those found in hotels, Starbucks, and McDonald's are also a serious risk when it comes to your data and personal information. A new Firefox plug-in makes it even easier for tech novices to snoop wireless traffic, making it even more crucial than ever that users understand the risks and take precautions when using Wi-fi hotspots.

The Firesheep plug-in was developed by security researchers to highlight how insecure public Wi-Fi networks can be. Mission accomplished. Unfortunately, the tool works quite well, and its public availability now places a relatively powerful snooping tool that requires virtually no hacking skills or exceptional tech knowledge in the hands of anyone." See the rest HERE