Sexual side effects, Viagra » Hitech http://QACTION.INFO Medications and prescription drug information Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:05:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 en Nokia Siemens adopts ‘green’ policy to cut costs (InfoWorld) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/nokia-siemens-adopts-green-policy-to-cut-costs-infoworld/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/nokia-siemens-adopts-green-policy-to-cut-costs-infoworld/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:03:35 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/nokia-siemens-adopts-green-policy-to-cut-costs-infoworld/ The package includes software that can reduce the energy used by base stations by setting some components to enter a power-saving mode at night, a time when network traffic dramatically decreases. Another feature changes the minimum temperature requirement for a base station. While base stations are typically stored indoors where the air is cooled to around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) Nokia Siemens found that increasing the temperature to closer to 40 degrees Celsius can reduce energy consumption at the site by as much as 30 percent. Nokia Siemens' energy-efficient package also includes network-planning tools that can allow operators to use fewer base stations, which would also save on energy costs. The company plans to reduce the energy consumption of its base stations from 800 watts for GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications) today to 650W and from 500W for WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) to 300W by 2010. The base-station energy-savings initiative is the first of others to come from the company, which said that it is committed to improving the environmental impact of telecommunications infrastructure. The move is better for the environment but also saves money for operators, Nokia Siemens said. In addition, lower energy use can make telecommunication infrastructure more attractive in emerging markets without an extensive electric grid. Nokia Siemens isn't alone in targeting these regions. For example, Motorola earlier this year said it would test sun and wind-powered base stations in Namibia. Siemens, before its merger with Nokia, supplied solar-powered base stations in Malawi.

]]> San Francisco - Nokia Siemens announced an energy-efficient mobile network equipment package, the first announcement of more to come that show a commitment to improving the energy consumption of its network gear, the company said. The package includes software that can reduce the energy used by base stations by setting some components to enter a power-saving mode at night, a time when network traffic dramatically decreases. (Read content ‘Nokia Siemens adopts ‘green’ policy to cut costs (InfoWorld)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/nokia-siemens-adopts-green-policy-to-cut-costs-infoworld/feed/ Firefox 3.0 beta release adds security, search (InfoWorld) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/firefox-30-beta-release-adds-security-search-infoworld/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/firefox-30-beta-release-adds-security-search-infoworld/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:48:04 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/firefox-30-beta-release-adds-security-search-infoworld/ ADVERTISEMENT
Close to 75,000 developers have been testing early "alpha" versions of Firefox 3.0 code for several months now, but this first beta release of the code, unveiled Tuesday, should open up the software to a much larger group of testers, said Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla's vice president of engineering. "The move from alpha to beta typically means that we've hit a point of quality where we believe the browser is usable as a daily browser," he said. "For us, it's a step up in terms of getting closer toward the final release." Schroepfer expects a second beta to follow by year's end, followed by a final beta 3 update in early 2008. By the time the finished product is unveiled, sometime in 2008, the team hopes to have close to half a million users testing its software. One of the big changes with Firefox 3.0 is an overhaul of the way the browser bookmarks and keeps track of browsing history. With , browsing history will now be stored in a database, meaning that it will be much easier for Firefox users to search for sites they've visited. "Because of the new Places infrastructure, we're able to store a much larger component of your history," Schroepfer said. And the browser will now be able to search what is being typed into the address bar to see if it's relevant to previous Web visits. For example, someone who had recently visited a Web page entitled "Review of 2008 Toyota Prius," could type "Prius" into the address bar and would be directed to the review page. Security has also taken a front seat with Firefox 3.0. The browser is now integrated with Google's database of known malicious Web sites and will warn users before they visit sites that are considered to be dangerous. And Firefox's download manager is now better integrated with anti-virus software, making it easier to spot malicious files before they are placed on the desktop. The browser will no longer allow add-ons to be downloaded from insecure sites, mending a practice that could have serious security ramifications, . Much of the hardest work has been under the hood, however. Firefox sports a new HTML rendering engine, called Gecko 1.9, that will make it , where developers are trying to find new ways of running software whether the PC is connected to the Internet or not. "You won't see those as a user right away," Schroepfer said. "But you'll see Web applications do more interesting things and run more quickly in Firefox over time."

]]> San Francisco - Mozilla has released a beta version of , moving its next-generation browser one step closer to general release. ADVERTISEMENT
Close to 75,000 developers have been testing early "alpha" versions of Firefox 3.0 code for several months now, but this first beta release of the code, unveiled Tuesday, should open up the software to a much larger group of testers, said Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla's vice president of engineering. (Read content ‘Firefox 3.0 beta release adds security, search (InfoWorld)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/firefox-30-beta-release-adds-security-search-infoworld/feed/ MTV’s new music game set to rock music industry (Reuters) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/mtvs-new-music-game-set-to-rock-music-industry-reuters/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/mtvs-new-music-game-set-to-rock-music-industry-reuters/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:51:19 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/mtvs-new-music-game-set-to-rock-music-industry-reuters/ ADVERTISEMENT
More a rock band simulator than a game, the title takes on the hit "Guitar Hero" series that has sold millions and become a cash cow for publisher Activision Inc (ATVI.O). Many retailers opened their doors at midnight so gamers could plunk down $170 for a "Rock Band" bundle that includes the game software and controllers shaped like a guitar, drum set and microphone. "Rock Band" is the headline act in Viacom (VIAb.N) unit MTV's plan to spend more than $500 million on games over the next two years as it expands beyond its traditional TV base. "Rock Band" is the crowning achievement of Harmonix, a Boston-based game studio started by MIT students seeking to make the experience of playing music accessible to the masses. A partnership with accessory maker Red Octane resulted in the hit formula of "Guitar Hero," but the teams parted ways as Activision bought Red Octane while MTV picked up Harmonix. "For the first time ever we had the resources to really go for it," Harmonix head Alex Rigopulos told Reuters. "For us it's a dream game. It's really sort of everything we've ever dreamed of doing." It's a dream many gamers apparently share. The "band in a box" won an average rating of 95 on , which compiles reviews from different gaming sites and publications. In "Rock Band," four people can play together on guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Players hit buttons on the guitar or tap drums in sync with notes on-screen. Players can also sing along, karaoke-style. If notes are hit accurately, the song plays properly and the band earns points. TRANSFORMER Much as MTV's music videos transformed the industry in the early 1980s, industry executives and analysts said, "Rock Band" may change the way people enjoy music. New songs will be available for download every week, with players able to tailor their game to their favorite genres or bands. Just as musicians tested the novelty of downloads a few years ago by releasing songs online at the same time as on CD, MTV is working with labels to release playable versions of new tunes alongside their debuts in established formats. "In 10 years people are going to look at idly listening to music the same way as we look at watching a TV show in black and white," said Geoff Keighley, co-chair of the Game Critics Awards that named "Rock Band" the best game of the industry's annual trade show in July. Game downloads are attractive to game makers and the music business because they are priced at about $2 -- double the cost of a song from an online store. "I don't really expect it to be a huge source of income for the industry but it is a positive story when they need one," said Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with market research firm IDC. Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said new songs for "Guitar Hero" will boost profit margins. Activision has sold more than half a million "Guitar Hero" song packs. That's only $3 million in revenue, but it's a highly profitable drop at a time when the overall music bucket is shrinking. MTV, for its part, aspires to build an iTunes for games. "We've moved from initial rounds of discussions with the labels to talking about how we can harness this platform to break new artists and to introduce new music from established artists," Paul DeGooyer, vice president of MTV Games, said in an interview. DRIVERS NEEDED The music business badly needs growth drivers. Downloads are expected to more than double over the next five years to $3.4 billion -- more than a third of all music revenue -- but that's partly because the industry is contracting, according to a report released Tuesday by JupiterResearch. For all its grand plans, "Rock Band" is still playing the role of an upstart new act that must meet several challenges. This year, the game is only available in $170 bundles that are nearly twice as expensive as "Guitar Hero." Individual instruments won't be offered until next year. There is also the issue of availability. MTV said it would ship more than a million units this year, but "Guitar Hero 3" sold 1.4 million units in its first six days on the market and is enjoying wider brand recognition. Moreover, "Rock Band" is only available now for Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Xbox 360 and Sony's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 consoles but there is no release date yet for Nintendo's (7974.OS) Wii, which has been the best-selling game console in 2007. Other game makers aren't expected to sit still, either. Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS.O), which is distributing "Rock Band" under a three-year deal, may jump in with its own music game at some point. While EA books the revenue from each "Rock Band" sale, its share of profits is much lower than if it was publishing its own game. Asked whether EA was working on its own game, EA Partners general manager David DeMartini praised Harmonix before telling Reuters: "That's not to say that we wouldn't at some point be involved in the genre, as this is a huge genre that hasn't reached full potential. We wouldn't rule anything out." (Reporting by Scott Hillis; Editing by Gary Hill)

]]> SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - MTV's "Rock Band" video game took the stage on Tuesday, a new entrant in the fast-growing genre of musical games that could boost the fortunes of the flagging music industry. ADVERTISEMENT
More a rock band simulator than a game, the title takes on the hit "Guitar Hero" series that has sold millions and become a cash cow for publisher Activision Inc (ATVI.O). (Read content ‘MTV’s new music game set to rock music industry (Reuters)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/mtvs-new-music-game-set-to-rock-music-industry-reuters/feed/ Balancing industrial enterprise with financial speculation (FT.com) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/balancing-industrial-enterprise-with-financial-speculation-ftcom/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/balancing-industrial-enterprise-with-financial-speculation-ftcom/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:00:00 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/balancing-industrial-enterprise-with-financial-speculation-ftcom/ ADVERTISEMENT
Porsche this month revealed it had made EU3.6bn from share options in the year to July, compared with about EU1bn from sales of its cars. The news provoked comments from some analysts that the German luxury marque was acting more like a hedge fund than a carmaker. Yet many managers regard derivatives as essential tools to manage the risks of volatility in exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices. When is it acceptable for manufacturers to place big bets on the market? Should investors be pleased or dismayed when an industrial enterprise makes money from financial speculation? THE ADVICE: THE ACADEMICJames Dow There are two general rules here. First, companies shouldn't use derivatives to speculate unless they specialise in this kind of trading. Shareholders of non-financial companies are, rightly, unsympathetic to this kind of activity. Second, derivatives are useful for hedging - taking positions that reduce overall risk because they are negatively correlated with risks elsewhere in the business - but there is a fine line between hedging and speculation. Unless risk management policy is fixed in advance, discretion on when and how much to hedge can turn hedging into speculation. So the market will be hostile to large hedging trades that are announced after the fact. Porsche's VW options can be justified by the cute argument that it protected itself against the rise in VW shares following the announcement of its possible takeover bid. But it is not clear the market favours the takeover anyway and Porsche has reportedly hinted that the price may now be too high. Since Porsche has great appeal for shareholders as a carmaker, why has it put itself in a position where its spokesman likens the company to a hedge fund that also makes cars? The writer is a professor of finance at London Business School THE CONSULTANTAlan Middleton Porsche should be praised for pursuing its core business, as it appears to be doing. It is following a sound business rationale that has secured a big financial upside. Porsche essentially means the "Porsche-Piech" family. Historically, the family has been entwined with Volkswagen: Ferdinand Porsche was Volkswagen's founder and designed the first Beetle. Until recently, the family protected its interests at the VW board with a minority shareholding and with Ferdinand Piech, the founder's grandson, as the head of VW's supervisory board. However, since the European Court of Justice ruled last month that Germany's "VW law" had illegally shielded Volkswagen from takeover, that approach was put at risk. So Porsche needed to act to secure two interests. First, sharing product platforms and technology with VW-Audi (Porsche cannot easily afford to develop these areas alone). Second, safeguarding the wholesale business of Porsche Austria, which generates around half the family's income. If one assumes that Porsche was acting to secure its core business - and that its decision was based on publicly available information - then the profit was simply a fortuitous windfall. The writer is CEO of PA Consulting Group THE ACCOUNTANTNigel Ruddock Porsche is not the only company to use sophisticated financial arrangements, but such arrangements require very careful consideration from both individual and institutional investors. The complexity and volatility of the global car industry offers ample justification for spreading risk and increasing shareholder value. However, with options trading on its stake in VW netting more than three times the profits derived from its core business, in many ways Porsche has acted more hedge fund than carmaker. The level of sophistication required to make investment choices in such companies is therefore much greater than it is when a business is focused solely on its core competencies. Primarily, shareholders must examine the risk profile of a company's hedging choices as closely as its business fundamentals and the track record of the management team controlling those options. If this trend continues it may become an increasing barrier for individual investors in particular, who often do not have access to data of a quality needed to make well-founded investment decisions. The writer is head of automotive services at Grant Thornton UK THE PRDave Senay Why shouldn't Porsche use every advantage to maintain its financial strength? Investment strategy can help turbo-charge results and fuel R&D, design, production quality and marketing. A failed strategy can hobble the very same things. But does the use of derivatives help or hurt the brand itself? Done well, it helps. Porsche customers want a smart, successful and well-funded company that can create the next generation of terrific cars. Affluent, discerning customers are often very committed to the brand. Many are financial professionals or executives themselves, so they appreciate smart financial management. But they also have plenty of brand choices, so it is essential that Porsche stays true to its enduring brand attributes in every way. The writer is president and chief executive of Fleishman-Hillard

]]> THE PROBLEM: ADVERTISEMENT
Porsche this month revealed it had made EU3.6bn from share options in the year to July, compared with about EU1bn from sales of its cars. The news provoked comments from some analysts that the German luxury marque was acting more like a hedge fund than a carmaker. (Read content ‘Balancing industrial enterprise with financial speculation (FT.com)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/balancing-industrial-enterprise-with-financial-speculation-ftcom/feed/ Free software group files copyright lawsuits (InfoWorld) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/free-software-group-files-copyright-lawsuits-infoworld/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/free-software-group-files-copyright-lawsuits-infoworld/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:21:15 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/free-software-group-files-copyright-lawsuits-infoworld/ ADVERTISEMENT
The SFLC filed lawsuits Monday on behalf of the developers of BusyBox against High-Gain Antennas of Parker, Colo., and Xterasys of City of Industry, Calif. The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, allege that the companies are distributing BusyBox illegally, without meeting the GPL requirement of providing access to the source code of their implementation. BusyBox, available since November 1999, is a lightweight set of standard Unix utilities commonly used in embedded systems licensed under GPL version 2. The two companies are distributing "BusyBox, or a modified version of BusyBox that is substantially similar to BusyBox," the lawsuits allege. The lawsuits ask the court to give the BusyBox developers the profits from that software, plus other damages. But Richard Bruckner, CEO of High-Gain Antennas, said the SFLC is mistaken about the GPL violation. The company, which makes wireless broadband antennas and related products, uses firmware from a company called Edimax, not BusyBox, and makes the source code available, at the request of customers, he said. Bruckner said he tried to explain the situation in a conference call with SFLC officials, but they hung up on him. During that first conversation SFLC was "already asking for money," he said. "What they need to do is get their act together and read the source code." If the SFLC doesn't end its threats, High-Gain Antennas may file a countersuit, Bruckner added. But Dan Ravicher, SFLC's legal director, said the organization has tried to work with both companies and has not gotten adequate responses. The two sides may still be able to settle the lawsuits out of court, he said. "There is a hope, but since neither defendant wanted to resolve the matter privately previously, we'll have to see if they want to do so now," he said. "In the end, we can hope to settle all we want, but if the defendants don't want to do so, we can't force them to. All we can do is ask the court to force the defendants to comply with the law." Ravicher also said he's confident in the lawsuits. "The evidence we collected during our investigation was sufficient for us to form a basis for our belief that they are distributing BusyBox and are not doing so in compliance with the GPL," he said. If either case filed is heard before a judge, it would be the first time that a GPL infringement lawsuit has gone to trial in the United States. Officials from Xterasys weren't available to comment on the lawsuit against their company. These are the second and third lawsuits the SFLC has filed on behalf of BusyBox developers Erik Andersen and Rob Landley. The first lawsuit, against Monsoon Multimedia, was settled out of court Oct. 30, with Monsoon agreeing to fix the violation and pay Andersen and Landley an undisclosed sum. "We let companies do what they like with BusyBox on their hardware, and what we asked in return was that they let us reproduce what they've done with BusyBox on our hardware," Landley said in a statement. "That's the deal embodied in the GPL." The SFLC assists nonprofit open source and free software projects. Its chairman is Eben Moglen, longtime general counsel to the Free Software Foundation.

]]> San Francisco - The Software Freedom Law Center, an organization focused on protecting open source and free software, has filed copyright lawsuits against two U.S. companies, alleging that they are redistributing software in violation of the GNU GPL (General Public License). ADVERTISEMENT
The SFLC filed lawsuits Monday on behalf of the developers of BusyBox against High-Gain Antennas of Parker, Colo., and Xterasys of City of Industry, Calif. (Read content ‘Free software group files copyright lawsuits (InfoWorld)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/free-software-group-files-copyright-lawsuits-infoworld/feed/ FCC awards spectrum to public safety group (InfoWorld) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/fcc-awards-spectrum-to-public-safety-group-infoworld/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/fcc-awards-spectrum-to-public-safety-group-infoworld/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:55:46 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/fcc-awards-spectrum-to-public-safety-group-infoworld/ ADVERTISEMENT
The FCC awarded the license for the spectrum in the 700MHz band to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. (PSST), a nonprofit organization with representatives from several public safety groups, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Sheriffs' Association, on Monday. The 10MHz awarded to PSST will be combined with an adjacent 10MHz of spectrum that will be auctioned in early 2008 with the winning bidder required to create a nationwide wireless network for both public safety agencies and commercial use. The FCC award to PSST was expected. PSST was the only applicant for the nationwide license. PSST will negotiate a network-sharing agreement with the winning bidder on the adjacent 10MHz of spectrum and it will administer usage fees for the nationwide network. The organization will also review requests for early build-outs, and it will manage public safety access to the commercial portion of the spectrum during emergencies, according to the FCC. PSST members are grateful to the FCC for "recognizing the significant amount of work and progress achieved by the PSST to fulfill the FCC’s guidelines for creating a nationwide network for public safety,” said Harlin McEwen, PSST's chairman, in a statement. “Holding the spectrum license is a responsibility the PSST takes very seriously as we embark upon building an unprecedented interoperable communications system for public safety.” The PSST spectrum is part of a chunk of spectrum being abandoned by U.S. television stations after the U.S. Congress in late 2005 required them to move to all-digital broadcasts by early 2009. The FCC will auction 62MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band starting on Jan. 24. Several lawmakers and groups pushed for part of the spectrum to be used for an emergency communications network. During the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. and in more recent disasters, emergency response agencies found they couldn't talk to each other because they were using a variety of equipment on different spectrum bands. The auction of 700MHz band of spectrum is expected to raise more than $10 billion. Several companies are eyeing the spectrum to use for long-range wireless broadband networks. The spectrum is particularly valuable because signals can travel three to four times farther than wireless signals on higher spectrum bands.

]]> San Francisco - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has awarded the license for 10MHz of valuable wireless spectrum to a public safety organization in anticipation of the spectrum being used to build out a nationwide emergency communications network. ADVERTISEMENT
The FCC awarded the license for the spectrum in the 700MHz band to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. (Read content ‘FCC awards spectrum to public safety group (InfoWorld)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/fcc-awards-spectrum-to-public-safety-group-infoworld/feed/ Dell wants to be more than a hardware vendor (InfoWorld) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/dell-wants-to-be-more-than-a-hardware-vendor-infoworld/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/dell-wants-to-be-more-than-a-hardware-vendor-infoworld/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:09:09 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/dell-wants-to-be-more-than-a-hardware-vendor-infoworld/ There is no doubt that Dell recognized at least a year or two ago that just selling hardware products wasn't going to be good enough. "They need to have a more comprehensive solution to answer a client's service needs," said Ian Brown, a senior analyst in the IT Services Practice at Ovum. Brown says and SilverBack Technologies, a remote server management company, will give Dell a new opportunity to "grow their share of the wallet." But it goes deeper than that. Ever since Hewlett Packard surpassed Dell as the largest seller of computing hardware, it seems Dell got the message that the only way to expand was to recognize the existence of a far more complex computing environment and that its customers need more than just commodity hardware from its vendors. Fact is, today's users have much greater access than in the past to a wide range of applications due mainly to the fact that many more business processes have been turned into applications that employees need to access, said Brown. "Organizations are now opening up to a much wider world. With online access to a Web layer, the complexity of what IT has to provide from the data center to the desktop has changed," says Brown. HP has always been an enterprise company that dealt with services and manageability of all aspects of systems. Dell, on the other hand, was aware of that but kept its focus on products, never going much beyond selling an extended warranty. The truth is, says Brown, that Dell realizes it has to be more than a "box shifter." Dell needs to add on software management systems to go with the servers they sell. However, as it starts to take on more services and act more like a service provider, will Dell be able to take just half a step? Can it offer remote management, even if it encompasses desktops and servers without also offering the middleware every enterprise now requires to connect to back-end systems and deal with migration issues around legacy systems the way HP, IBM, and Sun have traditionally done? Brown says it is unlikely that Dell will ever offer the kinds of services of those companies offer, but it will try to make customers see that the glass is half full by playing up the fact that it doesn't have to sell a customer legacy equipment and that it has no vested interest in getting a customer to spend on high-end systems. Brown believes there is a place for Dell in the middle as accompany that says it can supply the best value infrastructure available and the software to manage that infrastructure. Time will tell or maybe Brown is reading the cards incorrectly. Maybe the acquisition of Everdream and SilverBack is only the beginning. Dell is certainly not a cash poor company, and next year, Michael Dell may surprise a lot of doubters in the industry by making a play for a major system integrator, either here or offshore.

]]> San Francisco - The news last week that , a SaaS (Software as a Service) vendor for remote management of desktops, was further evidence of a once phenomenally successful high-tech company trying to change its product offerings to satisfy the new and more complex requirements of its enterprise customers and to return to its former glory. (Read content ‘Dell wants to be more than a hardware vendor (InfoWorld)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/dell-wants-to-be-more-than-a-hardware-vendor-infoworld/feed/ Astronauts Wire Up New Space Station Room http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/astronauts-wire-up-new-space-station-room/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/astronauts-wire-up-new-space-station-room/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:39:03 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/astronauts-wire-up-new-space-station-room/
Commander Peggy Whitson and Daniel Tani spent hours hooking up power and heater cables and fluid lines between the space station and the Harmony compartment that was delivered by the shuttle last month. It was tedious, hand-intensive work.

"Yay! Got it," Whitson exclaimed after making a particularly difficult connection. "Those were hard."

Not long afterward, Tani commented on how strong Whitson looked.

"She's the king of the world," Tani shouted. "Queen," replied the space station's first female skipper, sparking laughter between the two.

The fluid lines - for carrying ammonia, a coolant - were in an 18-foot, 300-pound tray. The spacewalkers removed the tray from its storage location on the space station, then lugged it over to Harmony and bolted it down. It was awkward to carry, and the spacewalkers took turns, careful not to bang anything.

While venting some of the hookups, frozen ammonia crystals floated out and bounced off Whitson. She checked her suit with a contamination detector to make sure none of the toxic substance got inside.

Later, harmless nitrogen gas vented out of a valve. "Oooooh," Whitson said, laughing. "Something coming out of my hand."

NASA cannot launch another space shuttle until the school bus-size Harmony is all hooked up, inside and out. Atlantis is supposed to blast off Dec. 6 with a European laboratory that will dock to Harmony. One of Harmony's other parking spaces is reserved for a Japanese lab.

As the spacewalkers struggled with stiff connectors more than 200 miles up, Atlantis' seven astronauts climbed aboard their ship for a practice launch countdown.

The space station's three residents have been working almost nonstop since Discovery's departure on Nov. 5, and just last week moved Harmony to its permanent location. This was their second spacewalk; a third and final outing is set for Saturday to attach another fluid tray to Harmony.

They've already volunteered to work on Thanksgiving.

"They are just a hard-charging, get-it-done crew," said Kenny Todd, a space station manager. "We'll have to make sure they understand that it's Thanksgiving, and take some time and take a breath."

As the seven-hour spacewalk wrapped up, Tani thanked flight controllers for their help and wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. "You have a lot of smiling faces down here," Mission Control replied.

NASA is still trying to figure out how to fix a jammed joint that is needed to turn one of the space station's two sets of huge solar wings. Even though Discovery's crew returned samples of steel shavings clogging the joint, engineers were unable to ascertain which parts are grinding against each other.

The joint will probably need to be cleaned and fixed, a formidable task requiring as many as four spacewalks, before Japan's lab can fly next year. Astronauts on the next shuttle flight may squeeze in a joint inspection.

Early in the spacewalk, Tani reported some minor abrasion on the outermost layer of his right glove. He said it occurred while he was working with fluid line hookups. "Maybe not the big smoking gun we're hoping for, but something," he said.

Spacewalking astronauts have ripped their gloves three times over the past year on sharp station edges. NASA is hunting for those jagged areas.

Among those watching the morning spacewalk from Mission Control was Tani's wife, Jane. She got a big "Hi sweetie" from orbit.
]]> Two spacewalking astronauts wired up the international space station’s newest room Tuesday and, to NASA’s delight, kept the next shuttle visit on track for early December.

Commander Peggy Whitson and Daniel Tani spent hours hooking up power and heater cables and fluid lines between the space station and the Harmony compartment that was delivered by the shuttle last month. (Read content ‘Astronauts Wire Up New Space Station Room’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/21/astronauts-wire-up-new-space-station-room/feed/ Target testing online sales of used electronics (Reuters) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/target-testing-online-sales-of-used-electronics-reuters/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/target-testing-online-sales-of-used-electronics-reuters/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:57:29 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/target-testing-online-sales-of-used-electronics-reuters/
Target said on its Web site customers can purchase "pre-owned" Apple Inc iPods, video games consoles and televisions. While results have been positive, it has not made a decision on whether or not it will continue the business. The discount retailer, on a call with analysts held after it released its quarterly earnings. said it began the test about 30 days ago after seeing that many used electronics returned to its stores in "perfect working order." On its Web site, it says the used items listed for sales were checked, inspected and refurbished by "either a manufacturer-authorized or Target-managed third party." "This means they're essentially good as new," the Web site states. A look at the site on Tuesday showed many used iPods and high-definition flat-panel televisions listed for sale, but there were no used video game consoles available. (Reporting by Nicole Maestri, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

]]> NEW YORK (Reuters) - Target Corp said on Tuesday that is testing sales of used electronics on its Web site. Target said on its Web site customers can purchase "pre-owned" Apple Inc iPods, video games consoles and televisions. While results have been positive, it has not made a decision on whether or not it will continue the business. (Read content ‘Target testing online sales of used electronics (Reuters)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/target-testing-online-sales-of-used-electronics-reuters/feed/ Vodafone Balks at T-Mobile iPhone Deal (NewsFactor) http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/vodafone-balks-at-t-mobile-iphone-deal-newsfactor/ http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/vodafone-balks-at-t-mobile-iphone-deal-newsfactor/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:36:26 +0000 admin http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/vodafone-balks-at-t-mobile-iphone-deal-newsfactor/ ADVERTISEMENT
Vodafone's German unit is behind the action. The company petitioned the court to block sales of the iPhone in Germany until its complaints about an exclusive agreement between Apple and T-Mobile are addressed. "We're not taking any plans to replicate these actions anywhere else, or in the UK," a Vodafone spokesperson was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying. "It's a different regulatory environment. We believe it's more to do with a breach of local German laws." Vodafone vs. T-Mobile The court order does not demand T-Mobile stop selling the iPhones altogether, but does, at least temporarily, prohibit the company from selling them with a two-year contract. The court has mandated that the product be allowed to function on other carriers' networks. Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile Deutschland, could not be reached for comment, but in a published statement early Tuesday, T-Mobile Deutschland said that it reserves the right to claim damages from Vodafone, which operates the second-largest wireless network in Germany. T-Mobile, with 34 million customers, is the largest there. Although no one has been willing to go on the record to discuss what the exclusive arrangements are, said Avi Greengart, a wireless analyst at Current Analysis, Apple has a revenue-sharing arrangement with its iPhone carriers in the U.S. and in Europe. "I've seen lots of financial analysts coming up with numbers that they clearly developed using a calculator, a napkin, a pen -- and a lot of imagination," Greengart quipped, alluding to the speculation surrounding AT&T's five-year exclusive deal with Apple to sell the iPhone. Revenue Sharing Greengart said he figures the world will know sooner or later the extent of the revenue-sharing agreements because Apple is a public company. Apple might not break out the service agreement revenues specifically, he said, but financial analysts can look into the numbers to get a fairly close estimate. "If the service revenues becomes really healthy, Apple will probably want to break that out as well," Greengart said. "Apple still won't tell us, for a lot of good reasons, what specific deals they made with specific carriers. But if it becomes material, they will want to disclose some numbers around what they are generating separately between services and hardware." In the U.S., handset makers need to work with wireless carriers to get broad distribution. But in Europe that's not the case. Phones are typically unlocked. If not for service revenues, Greengart said, it would make much more sense to release the phones as broadly as possible in Europe and Asia. "Apple is going operator by operator in Europe, which means the company is clearly tying a service fee to that," Greengart said. "CEOs of some of the operators have said that publicly; they just won't say how much."

]]> A German court has ordered T-Mobile to change its marketing campaign for Apple's iPhone and has issued a restraining order prohibiting the company from selling the Mac-maker's handset. ADVERTISEMENT
Vodafone's German unit is behind the action. (Read content ‘Vodafone Balks at T-Mobile iPhone Deal (NewsFactor)’…)

]]> http://QACTION.INFO/2007/11/20/vodafone-balks-at-t-mobile-iphone-deal-newsfactor/feed/