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Web 2.0 Democracy
2008-02-28 01:55:00
Social-media sites like Wikipedia and Digg are celebrated as shining examples of Web democracy, places built by millions of Web users who all act as writers, editors, and voters. In reality, a small number of people are running the show. According to researchers in Palo Alto, 1 percent of Wikipedia users are responsible for about half of the site's edits. The site also deploys bots—supervised by a special caste of devoted users—that help standardize format, prevent vandalism, and root out folks who flood the site with obscenities. This is not the wisdom of the crowd. This is the wisdom of the chaperones.The same undemocratic underpinnings of Web 2.0 are on display at Digg.com. Digg is a social-bookmarking hub where people submit stories and rate others' submissions; the most popular links gravitate to the site's front page. The site's founders have never hidden that they use a "secret sauce"—a confidential algorithm that's tweaked regularly—to determine which submission...
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Nortel is going down
2008-02-28 01:31:00
NEW YORK (AP) -- Nortel Networks Corp. said Wednesday it will cut 2,100 jobs - about 6% of its work force - as it reported its fourth-quarter losses had widened, sending its shares tumbling.The Canadian telecommunications equipment maker reported a loss of $844 million, or $1.70 per share, compared with a loss of $80 million, or 19 cents per share, a year earlier.Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had predicted earnings of 57 cents per share, though such estimates typically exclude one-time charges, like those recorded by Nortel as it restructures.The company took $38 million in charges associated with its restructuring programs, compared with $29 million, a year earlier. It recorded a $1.06 billion charge related to changes in its Canadian tax profile.Nortel said it plans to cut about 2,100 jobs globally and will shift about 1,000 additional jobs to lower-cost countries in Asia and Europe. The company has just over 30,000 employees now, down from almost 100,000 before the tech bu...

European Union fined Microsoft
2008-02-28 01:21:00
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union fined Microsoft Corp. a record $1.3 billion on Wednesday for charging rivals too much for software information.EU regulators said the company charged "unreasonable prices" until last October to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows desktop operating system.The fine is the largest ever for a single company and the first time the EU has penalized a business for failing to obey an antitrust order.Reed more here

Laser defence
2008-02-28 00:52:00
Lasers are used commonly in our computers but some powerfull lasers can be used to protect against rockets and other threats.Northrop Grumman has developed the Skyguard laser-based air defense system for U.S. government agencies and allies that require near-term defense against short-range ballistic missiles, short- and long-range rockets, artillery shells, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.This is an interesting film about the use of laser beams agains a terrorist:If you are interested you can watch this documentary:
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Countersniping gadgets
2008-02-28 00:19:00
C-Sniper is a counter weapon for the detection and neutralization of enemy snipers before they can engage with US Forces.The enemy snipers may be operating both with, and without telescopic sights, and other optical systems in high cluttered urban environments. The C-Sniper system will operate day and night from a moving military vehicle and provide the operator with sufficient information to make a timely engagement decision. Once the decision is made, the C-Sniper will provide data and control to point and track the on-board weapon (provided in DARPA's Crosshairs system) on the selected target. The final decision to fire the weapon will be left to the operator as required per the rules of engagement. During operation, the C-Sniper must be eye safe for personnel on the vehicle and near the vehicle.The main objectives for the C-sniper program are:Detect enemy snipers carrying weapons before they fire a shot. Key objective is to determine where the shot may come from rather than whe...
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DARPA's unmanned truck
2008-02-28 00:07:00
Crusher will be used by the Army and is built by Mellon University Robotics Engineering Center.Crusher is expected to influence future unmanned ground vehicles for the Future Combat System, the Army's modernization program. Among other goals, it's supposed to demonstrate autonomous navigation (thus building on similar DARPA goals for the Grand Challenge).I don't like to see one of there robots on streets.
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Gartner: 10 trends of IT industry
2008-02-27 20:20:00
Gartner 's predictions for IT Organisations 2008:1. Mac will double its market shareBy 2011, Apple will double its U.S. and Western Europe unit market share in computers. Apple's gains in computer market share reflect as much on the failures of the rest of the industry as on Apple's success. Apple is challenging its competitors with software integration that provides ease of use and flexibility; continuous and more frequent innovation in hardware and software; and an ecosystem that focuses on interoperability across multiple devices (such as iPod and iMac cross-selling).2. Half of business travelers won't take their laptopsBy 2012, 50 per cent of traveling workers will leave their notebooks at home in favour of other devices. Even though notebooks continue to shrink in size and weight, traveling workers lament the weight and inconvenience of carrying them on their trips. Vendors are developing solutions to address these concerns: new classes of Internet-centric pocketable device...
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Google helps to build submarine cable
2008-02-27 19:56:00
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Web search company Google Inc has agreed to build an undersea cable with five telecoms operators that will link the United States to Japan, and provide the capacity to sustain a surge in Internet traffic between the continents.Google and the five telecoms companies said in joint statement that the 10,000 km (6,200 mile) undersea fiber optic cable, connecting the United States to Japan, will cost $300 million.Google's partners in the consortium, dubbed Unity, comprises Bharti Airtel, Global Transit, KDDI Corp, Pacnet, and Singapore Telecommunications.The cable will provide much-needed capacity to sustain unprecedented growth in data and Internet traffic between Asia and the United States. The consortium said it has picked NEC Corporation and Tyco Telecommunications to construct and install the system, which is expected to be ready for service in the first quarter of 2010.It seems that Google forgot his plans for wireless spectrum.See more here
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cDc's Goolag googles for vulnerabilities
2008-02-27 19:04:00
LUBBOCK, TX, February 20th - CULT OF THE DEAD COW (cDc), a hacker group,announced the release of Goolag Scanner, a web auditing tool. Goolag Scanner enables everyone to audit his or her own web site via Google. The scanner technology is based on "Google hacking," a form of vulnerability research developed by Johnny I Hack Stuff.Goolag is open source and comes as a standalone application with GUI. You can read the specifications here"It's no big secret that the Web is the platform," said cDc spokesmodel Oxblood Ruffin. "And this platform pretty much sucks from a security perspective. Goolag Scanner provides one more tool for web site owners to patch up their online properties. We've seen some pretty scary holes through random tests with the scanner in North America, Europe, and the Middle East.If I were a government, a large corporation, or anyone with a large web site, I'd be downloading this beast and aiming it at my site yesterday. The vulnerabilities are that serious."More...
More About: Vulnerabilities , Googles

MacBook Air is not fast
2008-02-26 23:33:00
First benchmarks showed that MacBook Air is the slowest Apple machine on the block. Primate Labs recently benchmarked the miniature laptop, and found that performance was around 80- to 85-percent of that of a 2GHz MacBook. While the Air pulled ahead slightly in memory and stream performance, it was lacking in other areas.See more info here:Primate LabsCrunchGearGizmodoMacWorldEndGadget
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ThinkPad X300 challenges MacBook Air
2008-02-26 22:31:00
The new ThinkPad X300 is one of the thinnest, lightest full-function notebook in its class.The X300 starts at only 1.33 kg – just 1.42 kg including the integrated DVD burner.Easy portability with convenience, too. X300 comes with 3 USB ports plus external display, headphone/line-out and microphone/line-in.X300 uses a lightweight LED backlit display that’s easy on the eyes; the integrated camera option is an X Series first.Legendary ThinkPad design on the X300 includes the full-size keyboard, TrackPoint and UltraNav pointing device.Dual speakers give X300 rich, stereo sound not typical in most ultraportables.The ThinkPad X300 is a 13.3" screen ultra thin-and-light notebook designed for the traveling business type of person -- the executive road warrior if you will. But let's be honest, suit or no suit, with the type of technology and cool engineering crammed into the X300 everyone's going to be a little bit curious about this notebook, and envious of anybody that has one. Weigh...
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The four generations of wireless LAN networking
2008-02-26 12:29:00
1st generation: early consumer Wi-Fi equipment, with minimal amounts of security2nd generation: first release of enterprise-oriented wireless products. Access points still stand alone, but security was improved.3rd generation: most current enterprise wireless products. Central controllers help regulate AP connections, much improved security, but deployment issues remain: proper layout and channel spacing needed for maximum benefit.4th generation: All access points share a channel, with a central controller determining which access points communicate with various devices. Denser implementations become possible without risk of co-channel interference.Fourth-generation APs, currently developed by Meru and Extricom, use a smart, centralized controller to create a large, virtual wireless cell that spans several APs, making the handoff between cells transparent to endpoint devices such as laptops and, ideally, reducing dropped connections as a user moves around a wireless LAN. As far as t...
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nCircle Connect 2008: Interaction. Insight. Innovation
2008-02-26 11:50:00
This event will help you Connect with the nCircle community to: Interact with nCircle customers, employees and partners Gain insight into security and compliance trends and best practices Learn about innovative implementations to maximize security and complianceAttend nCircle Connect 2008 March 19-20 in San Francisco and you will be ready to address any security and compliance challenges using the industry’s most advanced technology with a fresh approach reinforced by experience and a new understanding.Those expected to attend include C-level, Director-level as well as mid-managers in addition to front line IT staff, plus internal auditors and policy-makers. You’ll find colleagues from just about every industry, including financial services, healthcare, retail, technology, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals among others. This is your best chance to “Connect” with some of the most influential professionals in their organizations as well as in the information securi...
More About: Innovation , Insight , Interaction

Telekinesis: Free iPhone Remote
2008-02-26 09:12:00
Telekinesis is an open-source application from Google, that will allow you to do just this. Install the software on your Mac, connect to it with your iPhone, and perform some or all of these functions:Stream music and videos from your computer Screen capture with mouse click and basic typing support Simple iTunes Remote control Browse your files Run applescript remotely iSight image capture Basic Spotlight search Easily create and add more applicationsHow to use it:Run iPhone Remote (Requires OS X 10.4)Choose a web login/passwordOpen to https://:5010 from your iPhone. If you want to access your computer from outside of your local network, you may need to configure your router or firewall to support it.You can find more hereTo control your computer with your iPod touch there is also UltraVNA.You can find it here: UVNCWatch these videos first:
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Click Fraud Rate Climbs to 16.6 Percent for Fourth Quarter 2007
2008-02-25 20:28:00
Click Forensics, a company that certainly benefits from press about high click fraud, has come out with another scary statement: Click Fraud accounts for more than 28% of clicks on content networks, which I assume means AdSense and similar types of syndicated networks. The overall rate of fraud is more than 16%, the company claims.Some of key findings from the report include:The overall industry average click fraud rate rose to 16.6 percent for Q4 2007. That's up from the 14.2 percent click fraud rate for the same quarter in 2006 and 16.2 percent for Q3 2007.The average click fraud rate of PPC advertisements appearing on search engine content networks, including Google AdSense and the Yahoo Publisher Network, was 28.3 percent in Q4 2007. That’s up from the 19.2 percent average click fraud rate for the same quarter in 2006 and 28.1 percent for Q3 2007.The 2007 industry average click fraud rate grew by 15 percent over the industry average click fraud rate for 2006.Q4 2007 click fra...
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Kevin Johnson says that Yahoo will accept Microsoft's offer
2008-02-25 20:20:00
Kevin Johnson , president of Microsoft Platforms & Services Division, issued an email to Microsoft employees. The letter has a tone of confidence that assumes a deal with Yahoo will ultimately take place. See the text here:I want to provide all employees in the Platforms & Services Division with an update on our February 1 proposal to combine with Yahoo! , and answer a few common questions that have been asked. As we’ve discussed, the online advertising industry is growing rapidly and is expected to be an $80B industry by 2010. We believe our proposal is a compelling one and that the combination of Yahoo! and Microsoft creates a more credible alternative to an increasingly dominant player in the advertising industry. We are committed to building great services for consumers while delivering great value to advertisers and publishers. We have been very thoughtful about this combination, and are excited about what our two companies can do together to collectively target growth...
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Carbon Nanotube Radio Created
2008-02-16 11:02:00
Northrop Grumman and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created the first fully-functional all-carbon nanotube transistor radio, which will affect power requirements for military sensor systems.Researchers say this is the first time carbon nanotubes have demonstrated the ability to be used as high-speed transistors, while consuming only one-thousandth the power required by current transistor technology.Northrop senior consulting engineer Dr John Przybysz says the implications for battery operated radio frequency electronics is "dramatic"."Carbon nanotube technology changes the way we look at power requirements for military sensor systems because they perform equally with other microwave transistors but use a lot less power than current semiconductor devices," he says."Instead of a battery lasting two days, the same battery providing power to sensor systems built with carbon nanotube transistors may last up to two weeks."The radios were based on a heterodyne receiver...
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Nokia in Romania
2008-02-12 15:13:00
The good thingsAfter testing the production line on 15 January, the 11th Nokia factory from Jucu started the production. Nokia invested 60 million euros at Jucu and with all his partners the total investment is about 200 million euros.The Tetarom III Park has 154 hectares and Nokia and its suppliers use 90 hectares for Nokia Village.Company officials said the Jucu factory now employs 350 people. The factory will have 3500 workers, but the authorities appreciate that will be necessary above 15000 people for all the companies.Romania ns working at Nokia will receive a salary package between 200 and 300 euro, as compared to a starting salary of about 1500 euro in Western countries.Workers in the factory are contractually obliged not to reveal information about work at the company. However, conditions are very good since officials plan to built football and basketball fields for worker's free time.Staff will begin by working one single shift, but switch to two from March. In fact, the s...

Gmail on DoCoMo’s i-mode handsets
2008-02-12 13:31:00
J-Com and NTT DoCoMo launched a new service that allows DoCoMo’s i-mode users to receive push emails from their Gmail accounts. Every time a new email arrives to Gmail server, J-Com’s service pushes it to recipient’s mobile phone Blackberry-style with a notification sound. Besides viewing the emails, mobile user can actually write responses as well. J-Com also will leave a copy of received and sent email on Gmail server ensuring a synchronized experience between PC and mobile phone. A similar push email service from J-Com is also available for users who have Mac email accounts. While the J-Com’s service is very useful, their billing model seems to be draconian for users. Based on an agreement between J-Com and DoCoMo, the mobile operator will collect a yearly fee of JPY4,800 ($45) and will bill for the incurred data traffic as you go, meaning users can’t apply their flat data plans to enjoy the service.For more info look here: J-Com
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NTT DoCoMo joined Google in Mobile Internet Services
2008-02-12 13:03:00
NTT DoCoMo, the world's largest wireless internet provider, and Google formed a partenership that includes providing search services, search-related advertisement and potential applications to i-mode users.The two companies will also collaborate to enhance the user-friendliness of i-mode services by making various Google services easier to access through i-mode mobile phones. The default pre-loading of Google Maps application into upcoming DoCoMo i-mode handsets is one of the initial initiatives being discussed.Through the partnership with Google, i-mode users will be served Google search results for mobile and PC web sites via the i-mode portal search-box. Launch of the expanded search services is scheduled in spring 2008. The new search-box will be placed on the top-page of the i-mode portal, increasing the immediate accessibility and convenience of searches on i-mode.Simultaneously with the launch of the new search services in spring 2008, key-word based advertisements using Go...
More About: Internet , Mobile , Services , Mobile Internet

ETech 2008 March 3-6, San Diego, California
2008-02-11 11:08:00
Take a wide-eyed look at the brand new tech that's tweaking how we are seen as individuals, how we choose to channel and divert our energy and attention, and what influences our perspective on the world around us:Body Hacking. Genomics Hacking. Brain Hacking. Sex Hacking. Food Hacking. iPhone Hacking. DIY Aerial Drones. DIY Talking Things. DIY Spectrum. DIY Apocalypse Survival. Emerging Tech of India, Cuba, and Africa. International Political Dissidents. Visualize Data and Crowds. Ambient Data Streaming. Good Policy. Energy Policy. Defense Policy. Genetic Policy. Corruption. Alternate Reality Games. Emotions of Games. Sensor Games. See more here
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Future of the wireless market
2008-02-11 01:17:00
By the end of 2005, there were over 1.7 billion subscribers worldwide depending on mobile wireless telephones. Affordable, reliable, and ubiquitous wireless service has profoundly altered the way people access the global communications network. To date, mobile wireless growth has been driven largely by voice traffic. The wireless revolution, however, is now colliding head on with the other great telecommunications phenomenon of recent years?the Internet. The convergence of these two forces in the third generation (3G) of wireless technology represents an enormous new market opportunity.On a worldwide basis, wireless services are growing much faster than wireline services. INSIGHT?s research suggests that wireless revenues will grow from 46.3 percent of all telecommunications services revenues in 2005 to 55.6 percent in 2010?a virtual flip within the five-year period?approaching a trillion dollar market by the close of the forecast period.Consumers will access 3G wireless data servic...
More About: Wireless , Market , Future , Insight

Pentagon could award big radio contract this month
2008-02-11 00:40:00
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will soon choose either Boeing Co or Lockheed Martin Corp to design a next-generation radio system for aircraft, ships and ground stations, a deal potentially worth billions of dollars to the winning bidder. Award of the Joint Tactical Radio System contract could come as soon as the end of February, according to Leo Conboy, program manager for Boeing's team. The Pentagon has promised a decision by the end of the first quarter. Defense analysts say the contract for system design and development of the Airborne Maritime and Fixed Station (AMF) segment of the program will total $800 million to $1.2 billion. A later production contract could translate into business deals valued at $10 billion or more over the long term, they say. The tactical radio system is a family of advanced software-based communications that will replace current radio equipment throughout the U.S. military. It will provide secure Internet-like capabilities and ...
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Sony Ericsson will make Windows Mobile phones
2008-02-11 00:20:00
Sony Ericsson and Microsoft will cooperate in making smartphones, with the first Sony Ericsson handset based on the Windows Mobile operating system on sale by the end of the year. The world's fourth-biggest cell-phone maker also unveiled six other new models on Sunday, including two additional touch-screen phones, a Walkman music phone with 8 gigabytes of memory and a dust-resistant camera phone.The Microsoft deal means all the world's top handset makers apart from Nokia will now have Windows Mobile versions. The Sony Ericsson model, named the "X1," will be a slider phone with a typewriter-style qwerty keyboard and touch screen. The marketing manager of Microsoft's mobile business, Scott Horn, told Reuters he was confident of reaching the company's goal of selling at least 20 million smartphones with partners by the end of Microsoft's fiscal year at the end of June.Read the article here: Reuters
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Mobile Fair-Wireless fair set to stage mobile Web battle
2008-02-11 00:17:00
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Cell phone makers, telecoms carriers and Internet groups are squaring up for a fight for dominance of the mobile Internet, finally ready for market after years of promises and hundreds of billions in investments. Wireless broadband is coming of age, making rivals of companies such as Nokia Oyj, Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc, who previously could afford to coexist relatively peacefully. Mobile networks are now capable of delivering the Internet as smoothly to a mobile phone as to a PC, with the clunky handsets, stuttering downloads and network jams of the recent past almost forgotten in many developed markets. And the scramble to capitalize on that opportunity will loom over all other business at next week's Mobile World Congress. "Web, Web, Web -- if you ain't walking onto the stand hand in hand with a Web guy you ain't no one," said Ben Wood, chief analyst at UK-based telecoms and IT research firm CCS Insight. The ou...
More About: Mobile Web , Fair

Google enters wide-open wireless world
2008-02-11 00:12:00
Can you imagine Google running a cell phone company? You may love Google, ignore Google or fear Google. But one thing is certain ? it innovates. And it?s not far-fetched to believe it would do the same in the cell phone business. The wireless industry is atwitter these days with the possibility that Google may actually get a chance to turn the cellular industry on its head. That?s because the 700 megahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum (the nation?s airwaves) is up for sale in an auction being conducted by the Federal Communications Commission. Technically speaking, the FCC doesn?t sell the airwaves, but rather sells licenses to companies in exchange for the right to operate within a particular radio frequency. And the licenses that have attracted the most buzz are in the 700 Mhz slice, referred to by auction-watchers as the C Block. It?s the portion being vacated by analog television signals when TV makes its big switch to digital next year. Part of the rationale for switch...
More About: Wireless , World , Open , Wide

Dell stops selling AMD-powered machines online
2008-02-10 22:21:00
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc said on Friday it had cut from its Web site most consumer computers with chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc and would sell AMD-based PCs mainly in stores and by phone. The news sent shares of AMD down as much as 4.7 percent to $6.28. A Dell spokesman said the shift, which took place over the past week, only affects consumer computers available on its Web site and could change. Shares of AMD rival Intel Corp were up 15 cents at $20.20 and Dell added 14 cents to $19.57. Dell, the second-largest PC maker after Hewlett-Packard Co, is still selling one AMD-based consumer desktop computer on its Web site, and the Web site will continue to offer AMD-based systems to business customers, spokesman David Frink said. "We regularly change the way we merchandise our product portfolio," Frink said. "Currently, this is the mix we've put in place for our consumer systems of all types." Frink said the change affects "a few" Dell la...
More About: Selling , Machines , Online , Stops

Spanish Police Arrested 76 online scam suspects
2008-02-10 22:08:00
MADRID (AFP) - Police in Spain have detained 76 people acrosss the country as part of what they described Sunday as their biggest-ever probe into Internet fraud.The suspects defrauded their victions of over three million euros (four million US dollars), police said in a statement.Part of the suspects allegedly offered big-ticket items like television sets or cars for sale online and then disappeared with the money without ever delivering the goods.Other suspects are believed to have illegally obtained the codes of online bank accounts and then carried out money transfers in their favour.The majority of those who were detained, 47, were Spaniards. Five Ukrainian nationals, five Guineans, four Romanians, two Russians and two Moroccans were among the remaining detained suspects.Police said Internet fraud was rising rapidly due to the weak penalties applied and the little equipment that is needed to carry it out and they urged great caution with online transactions and purchases.Source:...
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Let's Meet a Romanian eBay Scammer
2008-02-09 17:58:00
The past few years have seen an increase in eBay and phishing scams out of Romania. Our resident scambusters have privately been tracking one operation in particular - a group of young Romanian s that have been scamming people around the world for thousands of dollars over the past year.read more | digg storyThis kind of people should be punished very hard. I'm a Romanian and I feel ashame about these bastards that enjoy stealing money without any shame. Our TV news are full with these guys getting caught by the police, after they have scammed and then bought cars and apartements. Today is not so easy to steal online without beeing traced and police has its own departement that put these guys at a cold place. Their sentences are greater 3 years so they have plenty of time to be "phished in the ass" in prison :D.I'll give you an advice: "Never, but never, buy online something from eBay from a Romanian, Chinese or Nigerian. You have 90% chances be scammed."I liked a comment that I fo...
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The real inventor of the router
2008-02-09 17:11:00
I've always wondered who invented the fridge, the router, the switch, the mobile phone and all this stuff that helps us. Yesterday I found an interview with the real inventor of the router. This is his resume:William (Bill) Yeager Where born, year: San Francisco, 1940 Education: Bachelor of arts in...
More About: Real , Router , Inventor