IT News HeadLines (HardOCP) 25/07/2010

'Blue Screen of Death' on Oil Rig's Computer
Testifying at a federal hearing on Friday, the chief electronics technician told of numerous instances of a "Blue Screen of Death" on the computer system responsible for monitoring and controlling drilling. The largest oil spill in American history may be due to a simple computer glitch. The machine had been locking up for months, Williams said, producing what he and others on the crew called a "blue screen of death." "It would just turn blue. You'd have no data coming through," Williams said today, according to the New York Times' story. With the computer frozen, the driller would not have access to crucial data about what was going on in the well. Comments
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White iPhone 4? Keep waiting
Black may be beautiful, but white is in demand. Could it be Apple is creating a demand for the white iPhone by announcing that it is unavailable until 'later this year'. MaybeÂ….the Chinese cover story works well also, but the bottom line is no white iPhones anytime soon. According to Chinese newspaper 21st Century Business Herald, the problem stems from a little-known Chinese factory by the name of Lens Technology, which is apparently responsible for transforming fine raw glass into the majority of iPhone glass panels out there (and contrary to previous reports, there's no mention of Corning here). Comments
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Netbook Sales to More Than Double by 2013
The ambiguity concerning the popularity and sales numbers for the netbook continues. A recent study conducted by ABI Research announced that nearly 60 million netbooks are expected to be sold by the end of 2010 and likely to double that number by 2013. Sales of netbooks were expected to taper off as the global economy began to strengthen in late 2009 and more robust PCs with ultralow-voltage processors and falling price points came to market. This, however, has not been the case. "Consumer interest in netbooks shows no sign of waning, and the attraction remains the same: value rather than raw performance," ABI said in a statement. "Netbooks are not replacing laptops or PCs; they are being bought as complementary devices." Comments
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Internet Has Less Than a Year's Worth of IP Addresses Left
The internet is going to face its biggest challenge of its history within the next year if a new internet protocol isn't adopted soon. 94% of the available internet addresses have already been allocated and the remaining 6% is projected to be used up by 2011. Use of these addresses have increased dramatically over the past several years, thanks to the explosion of an array of Internet connected items. It is becoming even more imperative that IPv6 be adopted as fast as possible, but adoption has been slow. Comments
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Onstar Expands Smartphone Control Over 2011 GM Lineup
While this is pretty neat technology, losing your unprotected phone just got a little scarier. The integrated cellular radio allows OnStar to offer services like remote starting, car location and lock/unlock from anywhere that can't be done with Sync or just a short-range key fob. The applications will also provide access to vehicle data like tire pressures and oil levels, and allow owners to call an OnStar adviser or schedule service appointments with a dealer. The applications will be available for Androids and iPhones. Comments
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Facebook Says Ceglia Contract Was Likely 'Forged'
Hey, remember the guy that says he is 84% owner of Facebook? I think he meant to say that he owns the forged portion of Facebook. Facebook said in a statement Friday that a lawsuit from a man who claims he owns 84 percent of the company is based on a contract that was likely "forged." It's an unusually forceful denial coming from a company that prefers not to talk about pending litigation. Comments
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A New Way To Embed YouTube Videos
YouTube has rolled out a new embed code that will come with an Adobe Flash wrapper or in a HTML5 player. The company posted a sample video but, for right now, YouTube says it is giving the developer community a preview before they make the new code standard for the general public. If you use the new embed code style, your viewers will be able to view your embedded video in one of our Flash or HTML5 players, depending on their viewing environment and preferences. Environments that support the HTML5 video player are listed here on our HTML5 settings page. In instances where HTML5 isn't supported (e.g. our HTML5 player can't play videos with ads), we use Flash. Comments
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Meteorite Impact Crater Found with Google Earthý
A meteorite impact crater found using Google Earth? I guess that's kinda cool, maybe not as neat as the crop circles (here) or the Loch Ness Monster (here) but still cool. Comments
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