2008 June:   Computing
Anchor:   Base Index
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Other areas:    Business  climate  education  health  international  Internet  science  social  technology  Others
Topics:    Companies  data storage  embedded  history  machinery  modelling  operating systems  patents  prediction  projects  robots  security  simulation  skills  software  speech  systems  translation  video gaming
Companies(see also in Internet) last  down  top   back  on

Microsoft after Gates: After Bill, Economist, 2008 June 28 (Microsoft knows what it wants to do when Bill Gates leaves—but the road ahead will not be easy)
Apple: Follow the leader, Economist, 2008 June 14 (Apple ditches its unusual business model to boost handset sales)
Microsoft's standards bid stalled, BBC, 2008 June 10 (four nations appeal against a decision to ratify Microsoft's document format as an open standard)
Microprocessors: Battlechips, Economist, 2008 June 7 (as once-distinct markets start to overlap, chipmakers come to blows)
Intel fined by S Korean regulator, BBC, 2008 June 5 (Intel is fined 26bn won by South Korea's competition regulator after being accused of anti-competitive behaviour)
Embedded Computers and Robots up  down  top   back  on

Charles Purcell, Android apocalypse, The Age, 2008 June 30 (do robots dream of global domination?; Purcell looks at a bleak future under machines)
James Bloom, Robots ready to support soldiers on the battlefield, Guardian, 2008 June 26 (intelligent armed vehicles that use GPS, laser and heat-recognition technology are close to being deployed in hotspots)
Robots: Nothing to lose but their chains, Economist, 2008 June 21 (robots are getting cleverer and more dexterous; their time has almost come)
Robot surgery: Tiny, careful cuts, Economist, 2008 June 21 (keyhole surgery is cut out for robots)
AFP, New dancing robot is wired for sound, The Age, 2008 June 20 (for people looking for a dance partner that doesn't step on toes, toymakers Sega and Hasbro unveiled a new two-wheeled dancing robot with stereo sound)
AFP, Japan companies unite to bring robots to homes, The Age, 2008 June 19 (the companies—Tmsuk, ZMP, VStone, Business Design Laboratory Co—said they were forming a loose federation to exchange technology with one another and market their products together overseas)
Denis Campbell, Robot takes the pain and guesswork out of knee and hip replacements, Observer, 2008 June 15 (treatment revolution for 160,000 patients developed in Britain)
History and Predictions up  down  top   back  on

Bobbie Johnson, Baby that gave birth to a hi-tech revolution, Guardian, 2008 June 21 (engineers celebrate the 60th birthday of the world's first digital computer)
Jonathan Fildes, One tonne 'Baby' marks its birth, BBC, 2008 June 20 (computer experts and historians celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the birth of the first modern computer, known as Baby)
Jonathan Fildes, 'Oldest' computer music unveiled, BBC, 2008 June 17 (a scratchy recording of Baa Baa Black Sheep is thought to be the oldest known recording of computer generated music)
Open-source hardware: Revealing the underlying technical details of electronic gadgets, Economist, 2008 June 7 (can have many benefits, for both users and manufacturers; part of a Technology Quarterly)
Machinery and Data Storage(see also in Technology) up  down  top   back  on

Bobbie Johnson, The brains behind the operation, Guardian, 2008 June 30 (how do you top the invention of the world wide web?; Johnson introduces Cern's plan for the next leap forward in computer technology: the grid)
Charles Arthur, Just how fast do you need your computer to be?, Guardian, 2008 June 26 (for most people, we've already reached the point where you don't need any extra processing power)
Chee Chee Leung, $100m supercomputer will boost life science research, The Age, 2008 June 19 (Supercomputer capable of processing 400 trillion pieces of information a second to help scientists accelerate their research into diseases will be built in Melbourne)
Andrew Brown, Can low-cost 'laptots' stand up to their more pricey competitors?, Guardian, 2008 June 12 (so if all you use a laptop for is reading and writing, what is the point of the extra money?; surely all you need is a keyboard, a screen, wireless and a couple of USB ports?)
Jonathan Fildes, Supercomputer sets petaflop pace, BBC, 2008 June 9 (a supercomputer built with components designed for the Sony PlayStation 3 sets a new computing milestone)
Open-source hardware: Revealing the underlying technical details of electronic gadgets, Economist, 2008 June 7 (can have many benefits, for both users and manufacturers; part of a Technology Quarterly)
The rise of the low-cost laptop: The ambitious "$100 laptop" programme, Economist, 2008 June 7 (having a few problems, but it may have catalysed a whole new market; part of a Technology Quarterly)
AP, IBM developing miniature pipes for chip cooling, The Age, 2008 June 6 (since a computer microprocessor is veined with electric circuitry, it might seem like a bad place to put water; but IBM researchers believe that sloshing water through hair-thin pipes inside chips will solve a vexing problem facing next-generation computers)
MCT, Kindle sparks interest despite early skepticism, The Age, 2008 June 6 (here's one reason why you may want to take the hardcover of David Sedaris' new book to the beach instead of the digital version for Amazon's Kindle: sand between the pages won't ruin a good story)
AFP, It's raining cheap laptops, The Age, 2008 June 5 (two major Taiwanese computer sellers have launched low-priced mini laptops, both forecasting the shipment of millions of units this year)
Nvidia debuts chips for tiny PCs, BBC, 2008 June 2 (the graphics chip maker joins the growing band of hardware firms producing low-cost laptops)
Graeme Philipson, Ballad of the thin client, The Age, 2008 June 2 (computing's second-class citizens may be about to have their day in the sun)
Katie Allen, Going the way of VHS: DVD industry braces itself for march of the download, Guardian, 2008 June 2 (Blu-ray's rise will only delay the eventual demise of digital discs for home viewing)
Operating Systems(see also Software) up  down  top   back  on

AP, Microsoft halts sales of XP, The Age, 2008 June 30 (Microsoft is scheduled to stop selling its Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer makers on Monday, despite protests from a slice of PC users who don't want to be forced into using XP's successor, Vista)
Microsoft grants XP new lifeline, BBC, 2008 June 4 (Microsoft has extended the life of Windows XP again - this time on low cost desktop machines)
Projects and Systems(see also in Business) up  down  top   back  on

Charles Arthur, Has London's Oyster travelcard system been cracked?, Guardian, 2008 June 26 (researchers have managed to clone cards and take free rides on on the Underground network)
Matthew Taylor and David Hencke, 'Muddle-through' system blamed for loss of 25m benefit records, Guardian, 2008 June 26 (loss of personal information was 'avoidable' and caused by an 'inadequate system', says reports; inquiries criticise lack of data security at all levels)
Melissa Fyfe, State pumps $40 million into white elephant, The Age, 2008 June 22 (the Brumby Government spends $40 million and six years developing an online property settlement system that has processed only one transaction in seven months)
Clay Lucas, Myki has some way to travel, The Age, 2008 June 20 (Myki ticketing system failed 10% of tests it was put through in a three-week trial on buses in Geelong)
Simon Bowers, Leaked report for NHS reveals full extent of Lorenzo slippage, Guardian, 2008 June 19 (the NHS's £12.7bn software package is struggling to get out of its technical design phase)
Wayne Fitzsimmons, It's up to IT to take back lost ground on new ventures, The Age, 2008 June 18 (we can't run without IT, but IT needs support if it is to help the country run)
Jamie Doward, NHS computer system is in chaos, warn MPs, Observer, 2008 June 15 (only 34 out of 169 hospitals have received patient care record systems and of these 21 are of an older, now outdated system)
Melissa Fyfe, Troubled myki gets a new chief, The Age, 2008 June 15 (the troubled myki project has got a new chief who is promising more transparency and, he would hope, less fiasco)
David Rood, New justice software expensive and late, The Age, 2008 June 12 (new criminal justice software system at least $30 million over budget and running more than five years late, in the latest IT embarrassment for the Brumby Government)
Lia Timson, Tellers 'screwed' as IT glitch brings Westpac to its knees, The Age, 2008 June 6 (software glitch threw Westpac into disarray this week, blocking branch access to customer records and retail banking services)
Simon Bowers, Fresh trouble for NHS IT system, Guardian, 2008 June 5 (the loss of Fujitsu puts growing pressure on the NHS computerisation scheme, which is still waiting for the much-delayed release of essential software)
Stephen Moss and Aidan Jones, The question: Is Terminal 5 working yet?, Guardian, 2008 June 2 ('it's been working reasonably well recently,' says a spokesman at BAA. Not a ringing endorsement, and he's not willing to say much more)
Security(see also in Internet and Technology) up  down  top   back  on

Matthew Taylor and David Hencke, 'Muddle-through' system blamed for loss of 25m benefit records, Guardian, 2008 June 26 (loss of personal information was 'avoidable' and caused by an 'inadequate system', says reports; inquiries criticise lack of data security at all levels)
AFP et al., A quarter of US PCs infected with malware: OECD, The Age, 2008 June 2 (an OECD study into online crime says that increased activity by cyber criminals has left an estimated one-in-four US computers infected with malware)
Simulation and Modelling(see also Video Gaming) up  down  top   back  on

Nick Miller, Surgery simulator 'feels' more real, The Age, 2008 June 30 (a world-first surgery simulator, invented by the University of Melbourne and CSIRO, gives students unprecedentedly realistic practice at operations)
From blueprint to database: Architectural modelling, Economist, 2008 June 7 (aircraft and cars are designed using elaborate digital models; now the same idea is being applied to buildings; part of a Technology Quarterly)
Skills(see also Video gaming and in Education) up  down  top   back  on

AP, School wants students to play video games in class, The Age, 2008 June 27 (the Nintendo DS portable video game console is now being used as a key teaching tool)
Reuters, Wii Fit finding its way into rehab, The Age, 2008 June 13 (injured athletes may find themselves playing Nintendo's Wii Fit as part of their rehabilitation)
Software(see also Operating Systems) up  down  top   back  on

Free medical tool tackles disease, BBC, 2008 June 24 (a free and simple piece of software is helping manage the spread of disease in developing countries)
Technology and climate change: Computing sustainability, Economist, 2008 June 21 (how computers can help to cut carbon emissions)
Microsoft's standards bid stalled, BBC, 2008 June 10 (four nations appeal against a decision to ratify Microsoft's document format as an open standard)
Speech Processing and Translation(see also in Social) up  down  top   back  on

Cynthia Karena, Sight and sound, The Age, 2008 June 16 (speech software is helping the vision-impaired navigate documents in much the same way a sighted person would)
Fran Molloy, Keys to change, The Age, 2008 June 5 (the humble keyboard is facing competition from touch and voice-recognition technology)
Video Gaming(see also Simulation and Skills, and in Social) up   first    top   back  on

Video games: Asian invasion, Economist, 2008 June 28 (a new business model: give away the game and charge avid players for extras)
Youths 'buy violent games online', BBC, 2008 June 23 (UK youngsters can illegally buy violent video games through online auction sites, a trading standards group says)
Keith Stuart, Games get in the fast lane, Guardian, 2008 June 5 (videogame culture is now entering an era of hyper-acceleration, for which the Nintendo Wii is partially responsible)