Sci-Tech Today

Microsoft Exec Chosen To Run Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:59:08 -0500

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said Monday that Microsoft Corp. executive Jeff Raikes will take over in September as chief executive of the world's largest charitable foundation.

The foundation has been looking for a new leader since chief executive Patty Stonesifer announced in February that she would step down.

Raikes has been president in Microsoft's business software division, responsible for such things as the Office software suite, Microsoft's server software and applications that help businesses track customers and business processes.

In the past decade, the Gates Foundation has given away more than $16 billion, mostly in global health, global development and U.S. education.

Raikes will be the foundation's second leader since its inception in 1997. He has much in common with Stonesifer, another former Microsoft executive and friend of Bill and Melinda Gates, the co-chairs of their family foundation, which now has more than 500 employees and an endowment of $37.3 billion (EU24.17 billion).

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining the Gates Foundation," Raikes said Monday. "This is truly a dream job."

Melinda Gates said that when their friend Raikes expressed interest in the job, his selection was far from a done deal, however.

Raikes, 49, who announced in January he was retiring from Microsoft in September, said he thought before Stonesifer's announcement that he would like to play a role in the foundation's future but was unsure what he would like to do.

He went through the same screening process as the more than 150 other candidates. As a finalist, he was interviewed by top executives of the foundation and needed the blessing of the foundation's third-biggest donor, Warren Buffett, head of Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Melinda Gates said she and her husband each interviewed "quite a few" candidates, but they kept coming back to the same idea.

"We really wanted to find someone to build the...

Report: Death Toll in China Quake Exceeds 12,000

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:42:16 -0500

The toll of the dead and missing soared as rescue workers dug through flattened schools and homes on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to find survivors of China's worst earthquake in three decades.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll exceeded 12,000 in Sichuan province alone, and 18,645 were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang, near the epicenter of Monday's massive, 7.9-magnitude quake.

The Sichuan Daily newspaper reported on its Web site that more than 26,000 people were injured in Mianyang.

The numbers of casualties was expected to rise due to the remoteness of the areas affected by the quake and difficulty in finding buried victims.

There was little prospect that many survivors would be found under the rubble. Only 58 people were extricated from demolished buildings across the quake area so far, China Seismological Bureau spokesman Zhang Hongwei told Xinhua. In one county, 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed.

Rain was impeding efforts and a group of paratroopers called off a rescue mission to the epicenter due to heavy storms, Xinhua reported.

More than two dozen British and American tourists who were thought to be panda-watching in the area also remained missing.

Officials urged the public not to abandon hope.

"Survivors can hold on for some time. Now it's not time to give up," Wang Zhenyao, disaster relief division director at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told reporters in Beijing.

Premier Wen Jiabao, who rushed to the area to oversee rescue efforts, said a push was on to clear roads and restore electricity as soon as possible. His visit to the disaster scene was prominently featured on state TV, a gesture meant to reassure people that the ruling party was doing all it could.

"We will save the people," Wen said through a bullhorn to survivors as he toured the disaster scene, in...

Apple Says iPhone Sold Out Online, as 3G Speculation Grows

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:21:15 -0500

Apple Inc. said Monday its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device's next generation featuring faster Internet surfing speeds.

The Cupertino-based company confirmed that the iPhone is out of stock online, but added that brick-and-mortar stores run by Apple and iPhone carriers including AT&T Inc. might still have units available.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on reasons for the shortage and on Apple's plans for an update to the device, which is widely expected to be unveiled in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The paucity of iPhones for sale in some markets comes as Apple is hustling to meet its goal of selling 10 million of the hybrid iPod-cell phone-Internet surfing gadgets by the end of 2008. So far, Apple has sold 5.4 million iPhones, according to the latest data as of the end of March.

One way Apple's expanding the iPhone's reach is by inking deals with wireless carriers around the world, even breaking with its pattern of requiring exclusivity to sell in a certain country.

On Monday, four mobile providers in the Asia-Pacific region announced partnerships with Apple to bring the iPhone to their regions later this year.

SingTel will sell the gadget in Singapore, Bharti Airtel Ltd. in India, Globe Telecom Inc. in the Philippines and Optus in Australia, the companies said in a brief joint statement, without giving details.

SingTel owns Optus and holds a 30.5 percent stake in Bharti and 44.5 percent in Globe.

SingTel has about 2.3 million mobile subscribers in Singapore and around 7 million in Australia, according to data as of Dec. 31, 2007. Bharti currently has about 64 million subscribers, while Globe reported a 21.3 million mobile subscriber base for the quarter ended March...

MIT Glimpses Future of Google's Cell Phone Operating System

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:18:50 -0500

What do you want your cell phone to be able to do?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Hal Abelson put that question to about 20 computer science students this semester when he gave them one assignment: Design a software program for cell phones that use Google Inc.'s upcoming Android mobile operating system.

In the process, they revealed the power of an open system like Android to shake up the mobile phone industry, where wireless companies are being pressured to loosen the control they have maintained over what devices do. If the brainstorms of these MIT students are an indication, phones will soon challenge the Internet as a source of innovation.

For these students at least, cell phones should be all about location, location, location. Most of the projects produced by the seven teams of students involved programs that let phones track people's physical place -- or that of their friends -- to help them do things and meet up.

One project named GeoLife gives users a way to set to-do lists and get reminders on their phones. Walk by the market, and the device might buzz with a message that you're supposed to pick up milk. Another effort, named Flare, was designed to help small businesses like pizza shops cheaply track their drivers.

Then there was Locale, which lets users configure their phones to automatically adjust their settings when the devices detect themselves in certain zones. So you might set your phone to automatically go into vibrate mode in the office and silent mode at the movie theater, and ring everywhere else.

The class had about three months to build software for an Android phone. The idea had to have a solid business case, a probable way of making money.

Some of that required conjecture, because there are no Android phones yet. A group called the Open...

Data from Columbia Disk Drive Survived the Shuttle Accident

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:04:36 -0500

Jon Edwards often manages what appears impossible. He has recovered precious data from computers wrecked in floods and fires and dumped in lakes. Now Edwards may have set a new standard: He found information on a melted disk drive that fell from the sky when space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003.

"When we got it, it was two hunks of metal stuck together. We couldn't even tell it was a hard drive. It was burned and the edges were melted," said Edwards, an engineer at Kroll Ontrack Inc., outside Minneapolis. "It looked pretty bad at first glance, but we always give it a shot."

During Columbia's fateful mission, the drive had been used to store data from a scientific experiment on the properties of liquid xenon.

Most of the information was radioed to Earth during Columbia's voyage. Edwards was able to recover the remainder, allowing researchers to publish the experiment in the April issue of a science journal, Physical Review E.

That led Kroll Ontrack to share details of its salvage effort.

Columbia broke apart during re-entry into the atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003, killing its seven astronauts. The shuttle had been damaged at launch by foam insulation that fell off an external fuel tank.

Like other Columbia debris, the mangled disk drive turned up in Texas. It was six months after the disaster when a NASA contractor sent the drive to Kroll Ontrack, which specializes in data recovery.

Edwards had reason for pessimism. Not only were the drive's metal and plastic elements scorched, but the seal on the side that keeps out dirt and dust also had melted. That made the drive vulnerable to particles that can scratch the tiny materials embedded inside, destroying their ability to retain data in endless 0s or 1s, depending on their magnetic charge.

However, at the core of the drive, the...

eBay's PayPal-Only Rule Comes Under Fire Down Under

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:05:10 -0500

EBay Inc. is exploring whether to require customers to use its online payment service PayPal, a move that has angered users and prompted antitrust scrutiny in Australia, where a PayPal-only rule takes effect next month.

It's unclear whether eBay will institute a similar policy in the United States and other countries. However, the online auction company often tries big changes in smaller markets before expanding them worldwide, and says it is open to that in this case.

"We are going to take learnings from it and apply them accordingly," said eBay spokesman Usher Lieberman.

EBay says it wants to reduce disputes and restore trust in its marketplace with the PayPal-only plan. Because eBay and PayPal can share information on each transaction, eBay says use of PayPal allows it to stop fraud more efficiently than outside payment services. Pressing that safety argument in a heated discussion with Australian users, an eBay executive compared the new rule to banning the sale of heroin on street corners.

But critics lament that PayPal is costlier than other payment options, and they suspect eBay is just interested in increasing PayPal's revenue. Australian banks say the plan will eliminate competition for the sake of exaggerated benefits.

"Competition will be restricted, innovation and development will be constrained, new entry will be discouraged and PayPal will be able to increase fees and charges to eBay users," the Australian Bankers Association said in a filing with regulators Thursday.

Because eBay sellers are commonly independent merchants who don't accept credit cards, PayPal acts as a go-between. Buyers use their credit cards and bank account information to make payments, and PayPal relays the funds to sellers' PayPal accounts, charging them 30 cents plus a commission -- up to 4.4 percent in Australia. The second-most common method of payment on eBay Australia, bank transfers, cost 20 cents each.

Australia's...

Next Generation of Business Software Could Be More Fun

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:07:23 -0500

Once upon a time, people bonded with their co-workers on office softball teams and traded gossip at the watercooler.

OK, so those days aren't gone yet. But as big companies parcel Information Age work to people in widely dispersed locations, it's getting harder for colleagues to develop the camaraderie that comes from being in the same place. Beyond making work less fun, feeling disconnected from comrades might be a drag on productivity.

Now technology researchers are trying to replicate old-fashioned office interactions by transforming everyday business software for the new era of work. The historically dry-as-sawdust products are borrowing elements from video games and social-networking Web sites.

You can tell just from looking at the Beehive program under development at IBM Corp. that something is different. Beehive's color scheme is bright yellow, not IBM's standard blue. The cheerfulness reflects the fact that Beehive is meant to encourage far-flung co-workers to like each other more.

Beehive is an online portal for employees to describe their expertise, so valuable knowledge doesn't get lost inside the bureaucracy. Those kinds of tools are common, but Beehive adds an unusual dose of Facebook or MySpace. The 27,000 IBMers using Beehive can post pictures, video and one-sentence updates about themselves. They can share lists of "things I can't live without."

Such personal touches often are missing when people work at a distance from one another, says Joan Morris DiMicco, an IBM researcher developing Beehive. Co-workers in different locales can't wander into each other's offices and see family pictures on the desk. They don't shop at the same places or have children in the same schools.

These tidbits, DiMicco believes, help people understand each other better. And the usual communication tools like e-mail, instant messaging, phones and even videoconferencing do only so much to fill the gap.

This problem isn't confined to IBM, whose...

Medical Helicopter Crash in Wis. Kills Doctor, Nurse, Pilot

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:08:14 -0500

A medical helicopter dropped off a patient and then crashed shortly after it took off on its return flight to Madison, killing the surgeon, nurse and pilot on board, officials said Sunday.

The University of Wisconsin Hospital Med Flight crew went down about three miles from the La Crosse airport, from which they departed late Saturday, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said in a statement.

The wreckage was found early Sunday, and preliminary reports indicate the helicopter may have struck a hill or some trees, said Margaret Van Bree, the hospital's chief operating officer.

Killed were surgeon Darren Bean; nurse Mark Coyne, 53; and pilot Steve Lipperer, 39, she said. All three lived in Madison. Bean's age was not immediately available.

There were no concerns about the weather before the crew took off about 10:30 p.m.

"No further communication was received from the crew," Van Bree said.

The pilot was flying visually, not using instruments, at the time of the crash, said Med Flight director Mark Hanson. He did not know why.

The aircraft was a new American Eurocopter EC13 leased from Denver-based Air Methods beginning in August, Hanson said.

There were no reported mechanical problems with this particular aircraft or its model, said Mike Allen, senior vice president of hospital-based medical services for Air Methods.

The university system has grounded its other Med Flight helicopter, also leased from Air Methods, pending the investigation into the crash, Hanson said. If air service is needed while the helicopters are grounded other helicopters being used by other hospitals may be used, he said.

The university hospital system has had an air flight program since 1985. This was the first crash. On average there are about three or four flights a day, Hanson said. The average distance flown to pick up a patient is about 55 miles, he said.

Bean became a...

GodTube Lets You Rap About the Lord, but No Mocking

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:10:10 -0500

GodTube.com, a YouTube knockoff for the evangelical set, seems to be one step closer to building a kingdom on earth.

Last week the site, which shows Christian videos and features a flip-through Bible and prayer blogs, received a $30 million investment from GLG Partners, a big London hedge fund. The investment valued GodTube at nearly $150 million, according to PaidContent.org.

GodTube offers sermons, theological debates, Christian rap videos and low-budget skits like "See man watching porn get caught by Jesus," which plays out exactly as the title suggests. The investment will help sustain the on-screen Bible and a prayer wall where devout Web surfers can petition God to bless the afflicted or warm the heart of an intransigent girlfriend.

When it was introduced in August, GodTube became the fastest-growing Web site as rated by comScore.com, attracting 1.7 million unique visitors for the month. The traffic remains about the same today. "People thirst for more than just a once-a-week relationship with the Lord and Savior," said Jason Illian, GodTube's chief strategy officer. "They desire something that they can live out 24/7."

Unlike its secular cousin, YouTube, all content must gain approval from the site's headquarters in Plano, Texas. Vulgar or overtly sexual material is not allowed. Neither are videos promoting other religions -- for that, there are JewTube.com and IslamicTube.net. (The domain name SatanTube.com is still for sale.)

Mocking Christianity is definitely not allowed. James O'Malley, a 20-year-old from Leicestershire, England, posted a series of videos last year that jeered at evangelical theology. During a videotaped walking tour of the London Natural History Museum, he referred to a Plesiosaur fossil as a "liar-saur" and noted that volcanoes tended to erupt in non-Christian countries.

"The first couple of videos, where I spoke about biblical infallibility and homosexuality, remained on GodTube and were treated like any other...

Can Social-Networking Sites Turn Tons of Fans into Cash?

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:11:11 -0500

It is the burning question in tech circles, and Mike Murphy answers it before it is completed.

"I hear it every time I'm on a (tech) panel," Murphy, Facebook's vice president of media sales, says with a wry smile.

He's referring to the inevitable question on when Facebook and other social-networking sites will turn their steep market valuations into mounds of currency. (Invariably, Murphy answers that Facebook has a long list of major advertisers.)

Facebook, MySpace and other social-networking sites have been the rage of the tech industry for more than a year. Following investments by Microsoft and News Corp., the companies are valued in the billions of dollars and are considered blueprints for how to build a Web site. Yet a deeper question lingers: How are they going to consistently produce profits to match their soaring valuations?

It is a parlor game that has Silicon Valley buzzing. With online ad spending booming into a nearly $50 billion market this year, there is plenty of money to be had. Big-name advertisers are drooling over millions of young, affluent consumers who are spending more time on their online profiles than in front of TV and movie screens. They are particularly smitten with the prospect of tailoring ads to people's specific interests.

But Google commands a sizable chunk of the market -- especially in the USA -- leaving dozens of social-networking sites to scramble for a piece of the advertising pie. Plus, there is the ticklish task of sites and advertisers pitching products without trampling the privacy of consumers.

Short of striking it rich with online ads or creating a new revenue stream, how can so many sites leverage their vast audiences? In many respects, it is the same query that dogged portal companies in the mid-1990s and search engines in the early '90s. Some were sold. Some...