Wolfram Brain: Testing
The service Wolfram Alpha started recently. Event has been an awaited for a long time; OIL followed the development and predictions about it.
By definition, Wolfram Alpha is a search engine: it searches for information, based on the user request. Still, it is far from similar to the “classic” search engines, such as Google or Yahoo. [...]
Cyber-Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Chinese
China has recently developed a completely new operating system called Kylin. According to Kevin G. Coleman, a computer security specialist and consultant to the office of the director of national intelligence, its development began in 2001. The support site that accompanied it was closed in 2008. Its development is ongoing, but now in secrecy. Kylin [...]
Random People from the Street
Microsoft recently announced their new series of advertisements “Laptop Hunters.” Their marketing experts chose random people, paid them, and asked them to buy a laptop that would satisfy their needs. The goal of the campaign was to show that the laptops of their competitor, Apple, are too expensive.
The advertisement feud between Microsoft and Apple has [...]
To Digitize and Organize Babylon
In 2005, James Billington, the director of the Library of Congress (the largest assembly of printed materials in the world), proposed to create a digital library where contents would be accessible on the Internet.
Wolfram Brain
Stephen Wolfram, the scientist that developed the popular program of computer algebra Mathematica, will start a service that is supposed to create a revolution in the information search field of the Internet in May. The resource Wolfram Alpha will calculate answers to the questions that are being asked in a human, “natural” language.
In the base [...]
Rehabilitated Cells
The president of the U.S. Barack Obama cancelled the limitations (that were made by George Bush in 2001) on the research of embryonic stem cells. The presidential decree, signed in a ceremonial and solemn environment in the White House, sanctions a great increase in government financial support for research in the area of cell technologies.
Embryonic [...]
Priceless Results
In the conditions that the financial crisis has brought, shortages in jobs have become a popular trend, and those who have maintained their position are being paid less. If the businessmen and bankers are suffering, it is rather logical to think that the scientists hardly survive. Even if the statement that they have gained profit [...]
Macfail - 2009
Philip Schiller, the vice-president in marketing in Apple, presented new products in the Macworld exhibit. Usually, the best novelties of Apple are presented on Macworld. At least, it was like that for about 10 years, when the main presenter was Steve Jobs. This, 2009 year is the last time the company is taking part in [...]
Rubberducks and PlayStations in Science
On Monday, December 22, the American space agency, NASA, published a message that they lost 90 yellow rubber ducks on Greenland. That news became quickly very big hit in the runet (the Russian-speaking part of Internet). Rubber ducks are of course very ridiculous, but even more amusing is the fact that NASA used them for [...]
The Missile Race
The talk about American missile defence systems in Eastern Europe has been a big topic since at least last year. But now it has gone further: all paperwork about the placement of the MIM-104 Patriot, a surface-to-air missile, in Poland and the Czech Republic are done.
This tactical missile defence was placed there, as the White [...]
