June
18


In honor of today’s Firefox 3 release, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer team gave a cake to Mozilla. The tasty treat, which prominently displays IE’s blue “e” icon, just arrived here at Mozilla headquarters in Mountain View.

The cake congratulates Mozilla on shipping Firefox 3 and expresses love from the IE team. Microsoft’s IE developers also sent a cake to Mozilla in 2006 following the release of Firefox 2, so this is clearly becoming a tradition.

Portal jokes aside, the cake is a very friendly gesture of goodwill. As we have noted recently, the Internet Explorer team could learn a lot from Mozilla. Closer cooperation between Microsoft and Mozilla on standards and web innovation would be a big win for everyone. But until Microsoft gets its act straightened out, Mozilla will be eating Internet Explorer’s marketshare in addition to cake.

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June
17

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Space shuttle Discovery leaps from the billows of smoke below into a clear blue sky on its STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. Launch was on time at 5:02 p.m. EDT. Discovery is making its 35th flight.

The STS-124 mission is the 26th in the assembly of the space station. It is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. The shuttle crew will install Kibo’s large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system, or RMS. The 14-day flight includes three spacewalks.

Image Credit: NASA/Fletch Hildreth

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June
17

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What did the first quasars look like? The nearest quasars are now known to be supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. Gas and dust that falls toward a quasar glows brightly, sometimes outglowing the entire home galaxy. The quasars that formed in the first billion years of the universe are more mysterious, though, with even the nature of the surrounding gas still unknown.

Above, an artist’s impression shows a primordial quasar as it might have been, surrounded by sheets of gas, dust, stars and early star clusters. Exacting observations of three distant quasars now indicate emission of very specific colors of the element iron. These Hubble Space Telescope observations, which bolster recent results from the WMAP mission, indicate that a whole complete cycle of stars was born, created this iron, and died within the first few hundred million years of the universe.

Image credit: NASA/ESA/ESO/Wolfram Freudling et al. (STECF)

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June
5


When the temperature starts to rise there’s nowhere better to chill out than by the pool, but not all pools are equal: some swimming pools are destinations in and of themselves. From amazing infinity pools at resorts in exotic locations to visually compelling pools with awesome waterfalls and special effects built in, these are designed to make you feel cool both in and out of the water. Here’s a look at 15 of the most luxurious swimming pools you’ll find anywhere in the world.

Perivolas Hotel, Santorini

Perivolas Hotel: It is difficult to tell where the pool ends and the waters of the Aegean Sea begin since the infinity pool at this Santorini hotel appear to stretch all the way to the horizon. The accommodation here are designed to rejuvenate you completely, aided by what is widely considered to be one of the best hotel pools in the world. What an idyllic place to spend a holiday!

Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, Oman

Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay: If you’ve never considered taking a trip to Oman then you probably didn’t know that you could stay a place as luxurious as this! Since it has only been open since in 2008, you could be among the first visitors to take advantage of the opportunity. There are seventy nine different pool villas so you can really retreat into relaxation in a private area all your own. Yes, you read that correctly. Seventy nine pools.

Joule Hotel, Dallas

Joule Hotel: There have been rumours about this amazing hotel swimming pool for several years (originally under the name Elan Hotel) but the place hasn’t actually opened to the public yet. It is due to open this year and crowds are sure to flock to it for the chance to check out the amazing opportunity to swim in the pool, which is located ten stories up and literally hangs off of the edge of the building. The end of it is made from glass so you can essentially swim off the side of the hotel to get a view of Dallas.

Banyan Tree Hotel, Seychelles

Banyan Tree Hotel: Another astounding infinity pool that stretches its way right to the beach is the one located at this hotel in the stunning island nation of Seychelles. It’s not often that you’re going to get to relax in the wonderful waters of a beautiful pool that overlooks the Indian Ocean just steps away so don’t neglect to take advantage of this opportunity if it ever comes along.

Four Seasons Resort Bali, Jimbaran Bay

Four Seasons Resort Bali: To get to the awe-inspiring infinity pool on the top floor of this resort hotel, you’re going to need to cross a wooden bridge. From the pool, you’ll be able to absorb the beauty of the surrounding Balinese jungle and over the beautiful Jimbaran Bay area.

One&Only Reethi Rah Resort, Maldives

One&Only Reethi Rah Resort: The Maldive Islands are a stunning destination which is perfect for relaxation because of the fact that the beautiful beaches offer plenty of activity on the water. However, you don’t have to leave the luxury of your resort to have a terrific water experience since this place has an amazing infinity pool that can caress your body into relaxation. The massive pool is shaded by tropical trees and leads right out into the ocean so you can go adventuring or just lounge around and relax. A poolside bar adds to the fun.

Intercontinental Hotel, Hong Kong

Intercontinental Hotel: The ideal way to enjoy the pool at this hotel is to book yourself a stay in The Presidential Suite which is 7,000 square feet in size and includes a 2,500 square foot terrace where the private pool is located. However, there are multiple pools to choose from at this hotel and all of them are amazing. There’s a basic-but-beautiful outdoor pool inspired by the art of feng shui but what most people want to check out is the trio of infinity pools that are each heated to different temperatures to suit different people at different times.

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas

Wynn Hotel: There are several different pools to choose from at The Wynn and all of them are luxurious as you would expect from one of the best hotels in Las Vegas. But the best is the one that’s only designed for high-rollers. These people spend a lot of money in the poolside casino while topless women swim around to provide Vegas-style entertainment.

Crown Macau, Taipa Island

Crown Macau: Hotel ratings technically only go up to five star but there are a handful of resorts that call themselves six star hot spots because they know that what they have to offer is better than the best out there. This is one of those places and the pool is one of the many things that adds to its luxury.

Gallery Hotel, Singapore

Gallery Hotel: This uber-hip design hotel has a lot of cool features but the one to really enjoy is the spectacular pool that overhangs the hotel. Three of the walls of this pool are glass so it gives you a really unique view of the city and the Singapore River below while you swim.

Hotel Habita, Mexico City

Hotel Habita: What better way to get a view of the largest city in the world than from the relaxing position of your boutique hotel’s rooftop pool? The pool’s also got some really cool design features that make it a pleasure to lounge in even without the stunning view

La Casa Que Canta, Mexico

La Casa Que Canta: This hotel has one of the world’s coolest infinity pools, featuring rounded ledges so you can sit right at the edge of the edgeless pool and look out over the Pacific Ocean. This isn’t the only pool that you’ll find at the hotel, though. Some of the suites have their own private pools and there is a free form saltwater pool with a jacuzzi attached to it that can add additional relaxation to your already delightful stay.

The Crater at Homestead Resort, Utah

The Crater at Homestead Resort: Utah is in the middle of the United States, nowhere near an ocean but you can enjoy all sorts of ocean-type activities (scuba diving, for example) in the underground pool at Homestead Resort. It’s a natural attraction formed from a limestone wall that’s filled with geothermal water. It’s healing, relaxing and totally amazing to experience.

Gran Hotel Central, Barcelona: Many of the world’s infinity pools lead straight out into the ocean. This one is a totally urban infinity pool located on the rooftop of a hotel in the center of Barcelona. You’ll feel like you’re absolutely on top of the world at this place!

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort, French Polynesia

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort: The only thing that can enhance the beauty of an already-idyllic location is a resort that has a truly beautiful pool that compliments and pays homage to the surrounding environment. If this part of the world could have gotten any better, it did so when the pools of this resort became an additional part of its landscape.

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June
3


The BCM4323 is the world’s first single-chip 802.11n solution for universal serial bus (USB) adapters. The newest member of Broadcom’s Intensi-fi wireless LAN (WLAN) family enables very small and cost-effective USB adapters that consumers can use to connect PCs, TVs, set-top boxes, personal video recorders, and other devices to a Wi-Fi™ network. As a result of this unprecedented integration, the new Intensi-fi solution enables smaller, more cost-effective USB adapters that can be used to add high-performance wireless connectivity to devices without built-in Wi-Fi.

The BCM4323 offers best-in-class 802.11n performance to provide a superior multimedia experience for video, voice, and other bandwidth-intensive applications. The BCM4323 single-chip 802.11n solution for USB adapters is now shipping in production volumes. Pricing is available upon request.

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June
3


Seagate today introduced the Savvio 10K.3 hard drive – the world’s highest-capacity, small form factor 2.5-inch enterprise hard drive. This latest generation of 2.5-inch drive from Seagate offers 70% lower power and greater than 60% performance density over traditional 3.5-inch drives. Seagate’s Savvio 10K.3 drive is the industry’s first 2.5-inch self-encrypting enterprise drive with government-grade Full Disk Encryption (FDE) data protection. The Seagate Savvio 10K.3 drive leads the industry with 300GB of capacity, reliability of 1.6 million hours MTBF, and an advanced SAS 2.0 (6 Gb/sec data rate) interface.

Major OEM evaluations of the Savvio 10K.3 drive have begun. General product availability is planned for the second half of calendar year 2008.

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June
3


Asus has today unveiled the Asus DRW-20B1L/B1LT internal DVD rewriter with LightScribe direct disc labeling technology. This DVD rewriter provides a high speed of 20X DVD±R write, 12X DVD±R (DL) and 12XDVD-RAM reading capabilities. In addition, users can expect to enjoy five times faster data transfer rates than the current DMA33 standards with the SATA interface. It also features Optimal Tuning Strategy – a technology that automatically adjusts burning for optimum disc backups; and the E-Green Engine for great energy savings.

Asus DRW-20B1L/B1LT internal DVD rewriter measures 41.3 x 146.0 x 170.0 mm and weighs 610 g.
The Asus DRW-20B1L/B1LT also adopts several innovative technologies found only in Asus optical drives.

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June
3


Catering to users who require a compact and powerful home entertainment center, Asus has unveiled the new Asus Mini PC Nova Lite PX24. At only 2L in size, this world’s smallest mini PC is equipped with a built-in independent graphics card to seamlessly combine high quality audio/visual experiences with a tiny footprint. It is also equipped with built-in Hi-Fi speakers for superb audio enjoyment, and provides great energy-savings and ultra quiet operations – allowing users to enjoy exciting entertainment with the utmost convenience of placing the Nova Lite PX24 anywhere at home.

With both vertical and horizontal placement options, the light and slim Asus Nova Lite PX24 fits into any space easily. It also sports a popular and stylish appearance that showcases a touch button interface – making it easy to place in the study, bedroom, or living room; integrating with interior furnishings and improving indoor aesthetics with ease.

Taipei, Taiwan, June 2, 2008 – Catering to users who require a compact and powerful home entertainment center, ASUS, producer of top-notch desktop PCs, has unveiled the new ASUS Mini PC Nova Lite PX24. At only 2L in size, this world´s smallest mini PC is equipped with a built-in independent graphics card to seamlessly combine high quality audio/visual experiences with a tiny footprint. It is also equipped with built-in Hi-Fi speakers for superb audio enjoyment, and provides great energy-savings and ultra quiet operations – allowing users to enjoy exciting entertainment with the utmost convenience of placing the Nova Lite PX24 anywhere at home.

The World´s Smallest High Definition PC
Even though the Nova Lite PX24 Mini PC is only 2L in size, it is able to support superior high-definition images of 1080i/1080p output. To create crisp, brilliant, color-true images, the Nova Lite PX24 is equipped with a built-in HDMI/DVI interface to meet user requirements for high-quality images, while the built-in independent graphic card allows smooth gameplay that rivals performances of high-end gaming machine. What´s more, the Nova Lite PX24 utilizes the Intel CPU that co-works with the ATI RV620 display card to not only allow easily handling of digital media files for multitasking requirements, but also to offer excellent audio-visual performances for PC Games.

Amazingly Quiet and High Performance
Adopting the exclusive ASUS Tranquiller technology that integrates an optimized system air flow design, high-quality solid capacitors, the quietest levitation fans and a unique heat dissipation module, the Nova Lite PX24 provides users with ultra quiet 26db operating levels. In addition to the super silent design, the Nova Lite PX24 utilizes an intelligent power-saving technology that adjusts the required operating power levels according to different operating conditions – reducing power consumption to one-fourth of traditional desktop PCs, and helps to protect the environment and lower electrical bills.

Light, Slim, Portable, and Fits into Any Environment with Ease
With both vertical and horizontal placement options, the light and slim Nova Lite PX24 fits into any space easily. It also sports a popular and stylish appearance that showcases a touch button interface – making it easy to place in the study, bedroom, or living room; integrating with interior furnishings and improving indoor aesthetics with ease.

Built-in Hi-Fi Speakers for High Quality Audio Enjoyment
Equipped with embedded Hi-Fi speakers, the Nova Lite PX24 provides high quality music or communications without extra speakers; while the SPDIF digital sound source optical fiber output interface and exclusive Dolby digital Life/DTS Connect function provides a simple upgrade to users´ audio and media enjoyment.

Latest Operating System for Full Entertainment
The Nova Lite PX24 also utilizes the latest Microsoft Vista Home Premium operation system – with the Media Center designed specifically for entertainment functions. You can browse photographs, broadcast music and images with ease – allowing you to easily relax and enjoy the best multimedia experiences.

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