Google's Omnibox could be Pandora's box
The auto-suggest feature of Google's new Chrome browser does more than help users get where they are going. It will also give Google a wealth of information on what people are doing on the Internet besides searching, reports CNet.
Provided that users leave Chrome's auto-suggest feature on and have Google as their default search provider, Google will have access to any keystrokes that are typed into the browser's Omnibox, even before a user hits enter.
What's more, Google has every intention of retaining some of that data even after it provides the promised suggestions. A Google representative told CNET News that the company plans to store about 2% of that data as well as the corresponding Internet Protocol addresses.
Grid computer recreates ancient Greek lute
Researchers have discovered what sound the epigonion - played by the ancient Greeks - makes, through the power of grid computing, says The Register.
To recreate the sound, a model of the instrument was built up from pictures and archaeological evidence, and this data was fed into Astra - Ancient instruments Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application - which creates the sound.
Modelling the sound requires a massive amount of computing power - about four hours of processing, using both Gilda and Eumedgrid grid computing infrastructures, is needed to produce 30 seconds of music.
Broadband to 'skip a generation'
According to an Ofcom advisory group, communities bypassed by broadband should be the first to get even faster services, says The BBC.
The regulator's consumer panel said excluded areas of the UK should "leapfrog" to next-generation access.
Consumer panel chairman Anna Bradley admitted the areas concerned were likely to be the least cost-effective places for such services. But, she said, the step was vital to prevent Britain's digital divide deepening.
T-Mobile to power Heathrow WiFi
T-Mobile's WiFi hotspots will be available at Heathrow's Terminal 5, giving passengers fast and reliable connections to the Internet while in the building, reports Computing.co.uk.
The firm will work in partnership with BAA to power the hotspot, which T-Mobile said is the size of 50 football pitches.
To aid rapid and easy connection, users will not need to use a USB dongle, but will have to be on a mobile contract that offers wireless connectivity. Alternatively, users can sign up to the service as and when they need.
Share