Tech News

Climate researchers are producing some of the fastest growing datasets in science. Five years ago, the amount of information generated for the Nobel Prize-winning United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report was 35 terabytes —- equivalent to the amount of text in 35 million books, occupying a bookshelf 248 miles (399 km) long. By 2014, when the next IPCC report is published, experts predict that 2 petabytes of data will have been generated for it—that's a 580 percent increase in data production. Because thousands of researchers around the world contribute to the generation and analysis of new data, a reliable, high-speed network is needed to transport the torrent of information. Fortunately, the Department of Energy's (DOE) ESnet (Energy Sciences Network) has laid the foundation for such a network -- not just for climate research, but for all data-intensive science.

A team of scientists has built a quantum computer in a diamond, the first of its kind to include protection against "decoherence" -- noise that prevents the computer from functioning properly.

Quest Software could give Dell the software boost it needs to diversify away from PCs.

Microsoft has come a long way in its acceptance of open source. And its motto doesn't seem to be (this time) to embrace and extinguish.

Satellite broadcaster clashes with US TV networks over a set-top box that strips ads out of recorded programmes

Scotland Yard has equipped its officers with mobile fingerprint scanners to identify suspects while on the streets.

Code generation, like drinking alcohol, is good in moderation. - Alex Lowe

If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into committees. That'll do them in. - Author Unknown