Let’s set so double the killer delete select all.

"At Microsoft’s annual Financial Analyst Meeting on Thursday, Vista product manager Shanen Boettcher set out to show just how easy to use the speech recognition technology built into upcoming Windows Vista software will be. Like, for example, dictating aloud a simple, heartfelt letter to mom, and having one’s voice automatically transcribed into a computer.

The result was a disaster.

Several tries at making the computer understand the simple salutation “Dear Mom” was read by Microsoft software as “Dear Aunt, let’s set so double the killer delete select all.” Attempts to correct or undo or delete the error only deepened the mess."

New Zealand-built Hulme supercar debuts

Engine & Transmission
Position Mid Longitudinal
Configuration BMW M5 V8
Valvetrain DOHC 4 Valves/Cyl
Displacement 4941 / 301.5 cu. In.
Power 550 HP
Torque TBA
Bore 89mm
Stroke 94mm
Comp/Ratio 11 . 1
Redline 7000
HP/Liter TBA
Gear Box Transaxle with LSD
Gear Type 6 Speed Sequential
Final Drive Ratio TBA

Body & Chassis
Drive Wheels RWD with Limited Slip Diff
Curb Weight 1175 Kg. - 2643 lbs
Length 4612 mm - 181.5 inch
Width 1958 mm - 77.08 inch
Height 1095 mm - 43.09 inch
Wheelbase 2830 mm - 111.41 inch
Front Track 1665 mm - 65.55 inch
Rear Track 1605 mm - 63.19 inch
Steering Progressive Power Assisted Steering
Chassis Tubular & Composite Construction
Body Carbon Fibre & Composite Construction
Air Bags Driver's Wheel & Passenger
Front Brakes AP Racing 6 Piston Calipers + Bosch ABS
Front Disc Size AP Racing 362 mm x 32 mm Ventilated
Rear Brakes AP Racing 6 Piston Calipers + Bosch ABS
Rear Disc Size AP Racing 362 mm x 32 mm Ventilated
Front Wheels 8.5 x 19 Inch - Centre lock
Rear Wheels 20 Inch - Centre lock
Front Tires 245/40x19 Pirelli P.Zero Rosso
Rear Tires 315/35 x 20 Pirelli P.Zero Rosso
Front Suspension Double Wishbone & Pushrod. Inboard Coil over Damper & Anti-Roll bar
Rear Suspension Double Wishbone. Coil over Damper & Anti-roll bar

2.5Gb/s Internet For French Homes

"Presence-pc at reports that France Telecom just announced they are offering 2.5 Gb/s Internet connections to select cities in the Paris region. For ... $85(70 Euros) a month you also get free phone and TV. From the article (in French): 'The historical operator opted for a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) FTTH architecture (Fiber To The Home). This technology allows up to 2.5 Gbits/s download and 1.2 Gigabits/s upload.'"

Violent video games numb players to real violence

Interesting article from Arstechnica:

Researchers at Iowa State argue that "the modern entertainment media landscape could accurately be described as an effective systematic violence desensitization tool. Whether modern societies want this to continue is largely a public policy question, not an exclusively scientific one."

257 students were given video games to play for 20 minutes. Half of the games were nonviolent, while the other half were violent though not especially recent (Duke Nukem, Mortal Kombat, Future Cop, and Carmageddon). After playing the games, all students watched a 10 minute video clip of real violence (i.e., not reenactments) that featured prison stabbings, shootings, and more. Researchers measured the students' heart rate and galvanic skin response before, during, and after gameplay. Those who played the violent video games were more pumped up during gameplay than while viewing the video. The opposite was true for the non-violent gamers.

Video: Half Life 2 Rube Goldberg

Record price cuts for AMD

From Tomsdhardware:
"In a six-day period, street prices - what customers are actually paying - for Socket 939-based AMD Athlon 62 X2 processors fell by historic amounts, with Athlon 64 X2 4600+ selling for $254, which is 55.7% below its average selling price just last Tuesday. The 3800+ is currently selling for $141 on average, which is 52% below last Tuesday's price; and the 4200+ is selling for $198 on average, a drop of 44.8%."

Northrop Grumman and Boeing release CEV ad

"A Crew Exploration Vehicle advertisement developed jointly by Northrop Grumman and Boeing began running Monday in Space News and in Aviation Week. The ad is part of a campaign to position the Northrop Grumman-Boeing team as the partnership the United States can count on to create and implement an affordable, productive and sustainable human space exploration program. NASA is currently evaluating the team's Phase II proposal – a decision is expected in late August or early September."

Updated AMD price cuts

AMD buys ATI

From Arstechnica:

"At the beginning of the summer, an industry analyst made headlines by saying that an AMD acquisition of ATI was imminent. As is usually the case with such rumors that do not immediately come to pass, the story simmered down after a couple of weeks. It looks as though the deal may be on after all. Yesterday, the boards of AMD and ATI approved the deal whereby AMD would acquire the Canadian graphics card maker for $5.4 billion.

Not long after the news of the possible acquisition became public, Ars took a look at the technologies and finances involved in a marriage of the CPU and GPU makers. From AMD's perspective, the deal makes sense because it would address a weak spot in the company's lineup: the lack of a complete CPU and chipset solution like Intel has. It would also help AMD in the enthusiast market, as ATI's dual-card Crossfire setup is not supported on the new Intel 965 chipset."