Google quits plans to make cheap renewable energy

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc has abandoned an ambitious project to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, the latest target of Chief Executive Larry Page's moves to focus the Internet giant on fewer efforts.
Google said on Tuesday that it was pulling the plug on seven projects, including Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal as well as a Wikipedia-like online encyclopedia service known as Knol.
The plans, which Google announced on its corporate blog, represent the third so-called "spring cleaning" announcement that Google has made since Google co-founder Page took the reins in April.
The changes come as Google is facing stiff competition in mobile computing and social networking from Apple Inc and Facebook, and as some investors have groused about rising spending at the world's No.1 Internet search company.
"To recap, we're in the process of shutting down a number of products which haven't had the impact we'd hoped for, integrating others as features into our broader product efforts, and ending several which have shown us a different path forward," wrote Google Senior Vice President of Operations Urs Holzle in the blog post.
Google said that it believed other institutions were better positioned to take its renewable energy efforts "to the next level."
Google began making investments and doing research into technology to drive down the price of renewable energy in 2007, with a particular focus on solar power technology.
In 2009, the company's so-called Green Energy Czar, Bill Weihl, told Reuters that he expected to demonstrate within a few years working technology that could produce renewable energy at a cheaper price than coal.
"It is even odds, more or less," Weihl said at the time. "In three years, we could have multiple megawatts of plants out there."
A Google spokesman said that Weihl had left Google earlier this month.
Google noted in its blog post that it would continue efforts to generate "cleaner, more efficient energy," including procuring renewable energy for its data centers.
Among the other projects included in Tuesday's "spring cleaning" were Google Knol, Google Search Timeline, Google Gear, Google Friend Connect, Google Bookmarks Lists and Google Wave, an ill-fated social networking and communication service that Google had previously said it would cease developing.
Google said that in December its email and calendar applications will no longer work with Gears technology, which allows Google's software to work when not connected to the Internet. Google said it is working to create offline capabilities into HTML5 technology instead.
Google Friend Connect, which allows website publishers to add social features to their sites, will be retired in March for all non-Blogger websites, Google said. It suggested that websites use its Google+ social network instead.
Earlier this year, Google said it would "wind down" Google Labs, a website that offered public access to experimental Google products, as well as terminating products that let consumers monitor their home energy consumption and keep track of their personal health records.
Shares of Google, which finished Tuesday's regular trading session down 94 cents, were up 86 cents at $580.86 in after hours trading.

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Review: 'Modern Warfare 3'

-- "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" continues the franchise's tradition of high action, detailed fighting and a highly competitive multiplayer mode while still trying to let players play the way they want.
The latest in the wildly successful series hits all the right notes in both its cinematic single-player campaign and its intense multiplayer mode. They also bring back the "Special Ops" mode from "Modern Warfare 2," combining the best of both.
The single-player campaign, while short, takes you hopping around the globe to major cities in the world's most powerful countries. Instead of battling in traditional hotspots (i.e., locales like Afghanistan), the story puts the player in Manhattan, London and Berlin to name a few.
Each city is richly detailed and the combat, against opponents run by a smart artificial-intelligence program, is intense. The pacing from city to city varies based on mission and storyline presented in each location. One city will be frantic while another city might be a bit slower. But all are engaging.
There are some unexpected, and tragic, moments played out in the single-player campaign's story. But they combine to bring the "Modern Warfare" story to a satisfying end. I wish it would have lasted longer, but the plot flowed nicely.
The "Special Ops" mode takes the intense AI from the single-player game and adds elements that are usually found in multiplayer action. Creative strategist Robert Bolling said the development team wanted to give people who normally only tackle the single-player campaign the opportunity to experience some of the rewards only found during online multiplayer play.
"We noticed there were a lot of experiences that you were missing out on if you only played single player or, vice versa, you only played multiplayer," Bolling said. "We wanted to find a platform that allowed the type of player from each of those to have those shared experiences rather than missing out because it wasn't their style of play."
Sixteen missions tie in to the campaign. Along the way, players earn credit for achievements like kill streaks and customizing weapons. There's a progressive ranking system that lets even the most "lone wolf" player climb up the leaderboard. The Survival mode is particularly grueling, with wave after wave of opponents coming after you.
The core of the multiplayer action stays pretty true to the franchise's roots. Huge battles, lots of action and an experience-point system keep players involved and interested.
Most of the modes remain the same with one new additional mode. Collecting tags from dead bodies adds a cool twist to straightforward killing of an opponent and actually promotes teamwork, something that's lacking from time to time in multiplayer action. There are 16 new maps to set the scene of your victories.
Bolling said there are 30 million players who have played "Call of Duty" online and a new Elite program will help provide stats, tips and bring together the franchise community without dividing them among consoles.
He also tweeted on Day One that the game's makers have already had to ban gamers from leaderboards -- and from playing altogether -- for trying to play unfairly or artificially boost their rankings.
While the multiplayer mode hasn't changed much, it never really needed to. The "Modern Warfare" franchise has a great track record of addictive online play that remains enjoyable and exciting.
Fast and furious multiplayer action, a cinematic single-player campaign and a Special Ops mode offering the experience of both takes "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" to the top of the class. At least until the next one comes out.
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" is available now for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is rated M for mature due to blood and gore, drug references, intense violence and strong language. This review was done using the Xbox 360 version.

Google offers support to Android firms in lawsuits

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Google Inc will continue to offer support to firms using its Android system that are involved in legal disputes, its executive chairman Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday, as the Internet giant looks to cement alliances in the face of toughening competition.
Schmidt, wrapping up a three-city Asian tour in Taipei, also threw an olive branch to China, with whom Google fell out over hacking and censorship disputes, saying the company "wanted to serve China's citizens within the limits the government allowed."
"We tell our partners, including the ones here in Taiwan, we will support them. For example we have been supporting HTC in its dispute with Apple because we think that the Apple thing is not correct," Schmidt told reporters during his first visit to Taipei.
The support takes the form of information sharing, industry expertise and access to Google's patents for licensing and legal purposes, Schmidt said.
Samsung Electronics Co, the world's biggest maker of mobile devices using Android, and Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp, are both involved in patent disputes with Apple Inc. Some analysts see the disputes as Apple's way of attacking the Android system.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was quoted as saying in his authorized biography that he wanted to "destroy" Android, which has become the most popular smartphone platform.
Schmidt's visit also comes as Asian Android vendors are preparing to release their latest models based on Microsoft's Windows platform, seeking to diversify and reduce the risk of being depending too heavily on Google.
"Android hardware companies and supply chain are mostly from Taiwan. The main purpose of Schmidt's trip for this time should be to gain more support and closer collaboration with the Taiwanese here," said Concord Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo.
"Taiwanese vendors have been users of Windows operating system in the past, especially the handset vendors, so Google has to come here to get more support for its applications in the tablets and, possibly, personal computers in the future," Kuo said.
An executive of one Taiwanese company who met Schmidt on Wednesday said he raised concerns over the patent disputes surrounding Android and Schmidt acknowledged the issue .
The executive did not want to be identified because the meeting was confidential.
The previous day, Schmidt, in his second visit to Korea, met executives from handset manufacturers Samsung and LG Electronics, in a move widely seen as reassuring his alliances with handset manufacturers.
Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings, announced in August, raised concerns it may become a key rival of Android licensees.
Schmidt also visited Beijing during his trip. Google closed its Chinese Google.cn service last year after a high-profile fallout with Beijing over censorship and began re-directing all traffic to its Hong Kong server.
In June this year, Google said a hacking attack on its Gmail email service may have come from China, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing.
Google is still "having a growing and profitable business in China" with its display and search services, Schmidt said.

Warcraft 1.26a Patch

Warcraft 1.26a Patch has just available! It seems the hex fix in the 1.25b patch is causing a bug which can give your hero to have max speed. Here is the full Warcraft Patch 1.26a changelogs:

Warcraft Patch 1.26 Changelogs 
- Hex will no longer provide a speed boost to a Hero if cast at the end of Metamorphosis or Chemical Rage effects.
- Reverted the 1.25b fix, "Hex will no longer extend the duration of Metamorphosis."
- Fixed an issue where some Mac patches could lead to disconnections during Battle.net games.

The new version number for Warcraft 3 The Frozen Throne 1.26a is 1.26.0.6401

How to update into Patch 1.26a Warcraft 
Choose one of the following method
1. Connect to the Battle.net and your patch will automatically upgraded. You must log off and login again to ensure the patch updated properly.
2. Download the Warcraft 1.26a standalone patch from Blizzard server and run the updater.
3. Use the Warcraft Version Switcher 1.26a.

Well, it's kinda funny to think that a company as big as Blizzard try to fix a bug and ended up creating another one. Anyway, enjoy the Warcraft Patch 1.26a!

DOTA AI VERSION DOWNLOAD | DOTA v.6.72f AI 1.1 (UPDATED)

Here is the updated Dota v6.72f AI 1.1 map with fixes to the most visible and confirmed bugs the community reported.

Bugfix list: HERE

LINKS: Dota AI v6.72f AI 1.1 English

MIRROR: Dota AI v6.72f AI 1.1 English

Twitter starts pushing out real-time activity streams

Very similar to the Facebook News Ticker, Twitter is rolling out real-time activity streams for selected accounts as of today. Designed to help users discover new accounts to follow, the activity feed shows who your friends have started following recently as well as retweets, the creation of new lists and tweets marked as favorite. When a user follows one or two new people at a time, the followed account appears in the activity stream with a follow button. In addition, any verified account, such as celebrity accounts, will include the blue and white check badge to denote verification. If the user follows three or more people in a day, the avatars of the new accounts will appear in the stream.
This method of interaction ideally identifies the most active within the Twitter community as well as the most worthwhile users to follow. Twitter has also applied this design to how a user keeps up with replies, retweets and follows. By clicking the @username link next to the activity feed, users can see the people that most recently followed the account in addition to locating responses to tweets more quickly. All of these are in chronological order starting with the most recent entries at the top. While popular accounts with large quantities of retweets can easily become overwhelmed with the new design of the feed, there’s a check box to isolate replies on the list and allow for organization when responding to other Twitter users.
Twitter also recently started testing a top news function that rolls out a curated method of content promotion. The design of the top news feature is also being applied to promoting new accounts and will be used to promote popular members of the Twitter community. Selections may end up being curated by internal Twitter employees.
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
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High court troubled by warrantless GPS tracking

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court invoked visions of an all-seeing Big Brother and satellites watching us from above. Then things got personal Tuesday when the justices were told police could slap GPS devices on their cars and track their movements, without asking a judge for advance approval.
The occasion for all the talk about intrusive police actions was a hearing in a case about whether the police must get a search warrant before using GPS technology to track criminal suspects. The outcome could have implications for other high-tech surveillance methods as well.
The justices expressed deep reservations about warrantless GPS tracking. But there also was no clear view about how or whether to regulate police use of the devices.
The justices were taken aback when the lawyer representing the government said police officers could install GPS devices on the justices' cars and track their movements without a warrant. To get a warrant, investigators need to convince a judge that there is reason to believe a suspect is involved in criminal activity.
"So your answer is yes, you could tomorrow decide that you put a GPS device on every one of our cars, follow us for a month; no problem under the Constitution?" Chief Justice John Roberts said.
Not only that, government lawyer Michael Dreeben replied, but FBI agents wouldn't need a warrant either if they wanted to rummage through the justices' trash, use a low-tech beeper to track them or tail them around-the-clock with a team of agents. Dreeben said the court has previously ruled that people have no reasonable expectation of privacy in those circumstances.
Justice Samuel Alito captured the essence of the court's concern when he said, "With computers around, it's now so simple to amass an enormous amount of information. How do we deal with this? Just say nothing has changed?"
Justice Stephen Breyer alluded to George Orwell's novel "1984" when he said surveillance in the past depended on human beings and their sometimes flawed memories. But computers don't have that problem, he said.
"The question that I think people are driving at, at least as I understand it and certainly share the concern, is that if you win this case then there is nothing to prevent the police or the government from monitoring 24 hours a day the public movement of every citizen of the United States," Breyer said.
Roberts drew a comparison with artwork to explain his perception of the power of GPS surveillance. "You're talking about the difference between seeing a little tile and a mosaic," Roberts said.
But Dreeben said it would be better for lawmakers rather than judges to set limits. Dreeben said the concerns expressed Tuesday were similar to those in the earlier high court case. Thirty years ago, Dreeben said, "Beeper technology seemed extraordinarily advanced."
The court shouldn't make special rules for GPS devices just because they allow the police to be more efficient in capturing and analyzing data, Dreeben said.
GPS devices are especially useful in early stages of an investigation, when they can eliminate the use of time-consuming stakeouts as officers seek to gather evidence, he said.
The issue arose after the federal appeals court in Washington threw out the drug conspiracy conviction of nightclub owner Antoine Jones. FBI agents and local police did not have a valid search warrant when they installed a GPS device on Jones' car and collected travel information for a month.
The GPS device helped authorities link Jones to a suburban house used to stash money and drugs. He was sentenced to life in prison before the appeals court overturned the conviction. The appellate judges said the authorities should have had a warrant and pointed to the length of the surveillance as a factor in their decision.
For all the unease the justices voiced in questions to Dreeben, they seemed equally torn in questions to Stephen Leckar, Jones' lawyer, about how to impose limits on the police.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked whether the use of video surveillance cameras is so different from getting information from a GPS device on a car. In London, Justice Elena Kagan noted, cameras are everywhere.
"It's pretty scary," Leckar said.
Justice Antonin Scalia responded with evident sarcasm. "Well, it must be unconstitutional if it's scary," Scalia said.
More gently, Breyer pointed out that English authorities have used video footage to prevent terrorist attacks.
The point of the questioning was to get Leckar to offer a principled way to draw a line that would still allow police to do their jobs without compromising people's rights.
Leckar said perhaps police could use the GPS device to follow someone for one day or one trip, without first getting a warrant. But that didn't appear to satisfy much of the court, either.
An unusual array of interest groups backs Jones, including the Gun Owners of America, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the American Civil Liberties Union and an association of truck drivers. The groups say GPS technology is much more powerful than the beeper technology police once employed in surveillance.
Other appeals courts have ruled that search warrants aren't necessary for GPS tracking.
The justices are considering two related issues, whether a warrant is needed before installing the device or using the GPS technology to track a vehicle. They could determine that the installation requires a warrant, leaving the knottier issues relating to tracking to another day.
A decision should come by spring.