Where Have All the Pinball Wizards Gone?
If pinball is going to come back, to regain rock-opera level cultural primacy rather than more pizza-parlor corner dust, it probably starts with scenes such as this. In the foreground there is a father, petroleum engineer Mark Henderson. “My son’s Joshua,” he says. “He is 11 years old. He’s a pinball wizard out of Plainfield, Ill.” In the background there is Josh, a tall, bespectacled boy, leaning into a pinball game with a NASCAR theme. His look is intent, his chest touching the table’s end, his eyes over the top of the flippers.
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iPods, Chicken Wire and the Future of Memory
Many consumers take it for granted that the next generation of iPod, cell phone or flash drive will contain ever more memory to store music, photos and videos. That’s because scientists and engineers have continually devised ways to shrink the components on flash memory chips to cram more data into small devices. But eventually — within a couple of years, perhaps, and almost certainly within a decade — flash memory will run into fundamental limits on how small its circuitry can be built. That has led a number of research groups and companies to begin searching for alternatives.
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2008: The Year of the Hulu
In the Wild West that is online video, Hulu.com has proven to be a trailblazing answer to how professional content can thrive on the Web. It’s this year’s pick for Web site of the year. “This is period of great experimentation in regard to media, in regard to online video,” said Hulu chief executive officer Jason Kilar in a recent interview. “You’ve seen a lot, you’re probably going to see even more in terms of various business models, various interface designs. I personally love to operate in moments of time like that.”
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Rethinking Zero iPod Tolerance in the Classroom
When the 11:45 a.m. bell signals lunch at Whitefish Bay High School, students burst through doors like executives out of a meeting, their phones and personal electronics shimmering into view. Sleek iPods appear and ear buds pop into place as students share songs or listen to podcasts or books over the lunch hour. With personal electronics and ever-popular iPods reaching critical mass among teenagers, some high schools have begun modifying their prohibitive policies.
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Pacemaker: A Pocket Music Mixer and Masher
One day, when I go on to the “Great Reward,” my hope is that my epitaph will include something about how much I love music. I’m a music fan, but not a stodgy one who will only listen to my tunes on the finest of equipment. Rather, I’ve always wanted to create my own music. A permissive childhood left me with a smattering of music lessons on various instruments and a well-developed singing voice, but without the deep knowledge needed to compose my own songs. As a result, every time I hear about a new device or bit of technology that can help me create music, I’m there.
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No let up for IT bosses over the holidays
The end-of-year holidays might be a time of peace on Earth, but CIOs are unlikely to be so relaxed this festive season, with many saying they’ll still be on call over the holidays. Christmas may be a time of peace on earth but CIOs are unlikely to be so…
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Huawei denies ‘ludicrous’ espionage claims
Chinese networking vendor Huawei has slammed as “ludicrous and inaccurate” claims that it had links to the Chinese military and government that could cause security problems for the National Broadband Network. Chinese networking vendor Huawei has slammed as “ludicrous and inaccurate” claims that it had links to the Chinese…
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Survey: Keyboards, DRM to become scarce in 2012
Survey of more than 1,000 Internet activists, journalists, and technologists about tech life in 2020 finds expectations of haptic and voice interfaces. This was originally published in CNET News. Step aside, keyboards, laptops, and 9-to-5 jobs. A survey of more than 1,000 Internet activists, journalists, and…
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The case for Business Transaction Management in troubled times
Despite the bad times, businesses still require their IT to help them stay ahead of the competition by offering customers attractive and innovative products with the service levels they have come to expect says OpTier’s Motti Tal. Commentary–The current turmoil in the economy and the…
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RadioShack to sell Acer netbook for $99 - with 2-year contract
RadioShack will put an Acer Aspire One 3G Netbook on sale Sunday for $99. But there’s a catch. You also have to buy a two-year AT&T DataConnect contract. RadioShack will put an Acer Aspire One 3G Netbook on sale Sunday for $99. But there’s a catch. You also have…
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