Canonical kicks Kubuntu to the kerb
Axed KDE-based Linux distro was biz non-starter

Ubuntu shop Canonical has withdrawn support from development of the KDE-based Kubuntu Linux desktop after seven years for commercial reasons.?

Open... and Shut As the IT world scrambles pell mell into the cloud, veteran vendors like Oracle are having to figure out how to make money in an IT market that is increasingly turning its back on traditional software licensing. While Oracle has faced down challenges to its core database business before from open source, the cloud presents an even thornier problem. If the world wants NoSQL and its ilk, will Oracle be forced to capitulate??

TRENDnet has acknowledged a flaw that meant that live feeds from its home security cameras were accessible online without needing a password.?

Google's reactive policy over content on the Android Marketplace saw dozens of applications popping up overnight with names close enough to the real thing to reel in a mark or two.?

Analysis What are we to make of the claims from moles within Canada's two key telcos that both companies have Apple HD TVs in their labs??

Mozilla coders are arguing among themselves about the open-source outfit's Metrics Data Ping project, which was designed to monitor Firefox usage metrics. Several coders in the Mozilla camp have expressed concern about how some developers are proposing the project should collect data from users of the browser.?

The channel body count in 2011 reached a high not seen since the dotcom bubble burst, stats from credit reference agency Graydon UK reveal.?

Sketch It's 2020, and a schoolgirl is doing her homework.?

Acer has sued former president and CEO Gianfranco Lanci amid claims that he breached a non-compete clause by joining rival Lenovo.?

Oracle has filed for a retrial in its SAP spat over illegal file downloading, moaning that the reduced damages awarded just aren't enough.?

Wait -- Atlantis Doesn't Exist After All (Again)?
Updated seafloor imaging on Google Earth cleans up the artifacts that had people worked up about finding the lost continent.

iPad takes wing at chicken restaurant
Pass the buffalo wings and the iPad.


by Matt Hamblen
7 Feb 2012 at 9:25am

Review: Pioneer's AirPlay system is feature-rich but fares poorly
Pioneer's X-SMC4-K supports Bluetooth, AirPlay, iPhone and iPod docking, Internet radio, FM radio, and more. But it's clunky to use and exhibits numerous flaws.


by Lex Friedman
7 Feb 2012 at 8:00am

(Insider) The Macalope Daily: Still not getting Apple
It's hard to believe that, after all this time, people still don't get Apple and how it operates. Must be something in the water.

(This story is viewable exclusively by Macworld Insider members.)


by The Macalope
7 Feb 2012 at 7:30am

The iPad at work, Day 2: testing the limits
On the first day of his iPad experiment, Dan Moren took it easy on the tablet. On day two, he was ready to really test the iPad's limits as a work machine.


by Dan Moren
7 Feb 2012 at 7:20am

Opinion: OnLive is a train wreck
The OnLive Desktop service shows just how wrong desktop virtualization can be.


by Galen Gruman
7 Feb 2012 at 7:15am

Canon joins the Wi-Fi and 20X-zoom fray with new PowerShot cameras
The 20X-optical-zoom PowerShot SX260 HS, ruggedized PowerShot D20, and two new Wi-Fi-enabled compact cameras headline the latest round of Canon point-and-shoot announcements.


by Tim Moynihan
7 Feb 2012 at 7:00am

Nikon D800 full-frame DSLR packs 36 megapixels
With a 36-megapixel full-frame sensor, the $3000 Nikon D800 is built for huge prints, aggressive cropping, fashion shoots, and fat wallets.


by Tim Moynihan
7 Feb 2012 at 6:30am

iOS Review: Mad Chef serves up casual gaming fun
The gameplay in this frenetic food-assembly game is every bit as sharp as the knives tossed by the titular chef.


by Philip Michaels
7 Feb 2012 at 5:45am

Appeals court denies Google bid to keep email out of Oracle trial
Google has failed in its latest attempt to keep a potentially damaging email out of the lawsuit Oracle filed against it over alleged Java intellectual-property violations in the Android mobile OS.


by Chris Kanaracus
7 Feb 2012 at 5:00am

Make apps appear correctly in Mission Control
Sometimes, when you tell an app to appear in specific workspace, it doesn't. Ditto for when you want an app to appear in every workspace. If that's happening to you, here's a workaround.


by Dan Miller
7 Feb 2012 at 3:00am

ScienceDaily

An electronic green thumb
If sensors are supposed to communicate with each other to compare the measured data and to secure them, then, in the future, a network of distributed sensor nodes will aid in that: the network ensures problem-free communication between the sensors. For example, they can be used to reliably monitor the watering of plants.
7 Feb 2012 at 7:01am

The dark path to antisocial personality disorder
With no lab tests to guide the clinician, psychiatric diagnostics is challenging and controversial. Antisocial personality disorder is defined as "a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood," according to a standard definition. But, until now, no one has studied the dimensional structure associated with the DSM antisocial personality disorder criteria.
7 Feb 2012 at 7:00am

Why the middle finger has such a slow connection
Each part of the body has its own nerve cell area in the brain -- we therefore have a map of our bodies in our heads. The functional significance of these maps is largely unclear. What effects they can have is now shown by neuroscientists through reaction time measurements combined with learning experiments and "computational modeling." They have been able to demonstrate that inhibitory influences of neighboring "finger nerve cells" affect the reaction time of a finger.
7 Feb 2012 at 7:00am

Gene mutation discovery sparks hope for effective endometriosis screening
Researchers have, for the first time, described the genetic basis of endometriosis, a condition affecting millions of women that is marked by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. The researchers' discovery of a new gene mutation provides hope for new screening methods.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:43pm

Researchers uncover a mechanism to explain dune field patterns
In a study of the harsh but beautiful White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, researchers have uncovered a unifying mechanism to explain dune patterns. The new work represents a contribution to basic science, but the findings may also hold implications for identifying when dune landscapes like those in Nebraska's Sand Hills may reach a "tipping point" under climate change, going from valuable grazing land to barren desert.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:43pm

Why common tree is toxic to snowshoe hares
Biologists have uncovered why the chemical defenses in birch, a common type of tree found in North America, are toxic to snowshoe hares.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:42pm

Metabolic 'breathalyzer' reveals early signs of disease
The future of disease diagnosis may lie in a ?breathalyzer?-like technology currently under development.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:42pm

Big jolt to California economy with new tax on cigarettes
A new analysis has found that a state ballot initiative to increase the cigarette tax would create about 12,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion in new economic activity in California.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:42pm

Three 'targeted' cancer drugs raise risk of fatal side effects
Treatment with three "targeted" cancer drugs has been linked to a slightly elevated chance of fatal side effects, according to a new analysis. These risks remain low, but they should be factored in when developing patients? treatment plans.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:42pm

School closures slowed spread of 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic
Using high-quality data about the incidence of influenza infections in Alberta during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the researchers show that when schools closed for the summer, the transmission of infection from person to person was sharply reduced.
6 Feb 2012 at 2:42pm

Live Science

Seal Mummies Reveal Surprising Rapid Antarctic Changes
Microbes in the cold desert are quicker to evolve than once thought.

7 Feb 2012 at 8:05am

Urban Schools Offer Healthier Snacks than Suburban Schools
When it comes to food and snack selections, students at suburban schools and private schools have more unhealthy options than urban schools and public schools, according to a new study.

7 Feb 2012 at 7:04am

The Way to a Woman's Heart: Electronics
Do women crave consumer electronics as much as men do?

7 Feb 2012 at 6:45am

Lyme Disease High-Risk Areas Revealed in New Map
A new map shows areas where humans have the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease in the Eastern U.S.

7 Feb 2012 at 6:47am

Down to $6 Per Hour, Gender Pay Gap Shrinks Faster Than Expected
How much has the gap closed in recent years?

7 Feb 2012 at 6:37am

Strange Life Found in Underwater Caves
Studying these extreme microbes could shed light on evolution of life on Earth and other planets.

7 Feb 2012 at 6:29am

Just Another Face: Brain Breakdown Hinders Recognition
Weak brain connections make recognizing faces difficult for some

7 Feb 2012 at 5:44am

New Alzheimer's Criteria Would Change Diagnosis for Millions
Under proposed new criteria for the diagnosis of cognitive problems, almost everyone with a mild form of Alzheimer's disease would be downgraded to not having the condition.

6 Feb 2012 at 1:34pm

Sex Education Less Effective in Conservative States
Religiosity may be undermining sex education in some states.

6 Feb 2012 at 1:02pm

New 'Doomsday Preppers' Show Highlights Extreme Survivalists
"Doomsday Preppers," a new show on the National Geographic Channel, profiles people who fear the coming apocalypse. Scholars say this phenomenon is on the rise.

6 Feb 2012 at 12:37pm