Thursday Tech News

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Microsoft says the software, which is offered only as part of a budget system, is aimed chiefly at first-time computer users--those who have never really interacted with Windows. For that reason, the company has poured most of its development resources into things like local language videos that explain PC basics, such as how to print and how to use a mouse.

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Construction of the mirror's mould has just been completed, and the oven is now undergoing a pre-firing before technicians carefully load it with 18,000 kilograms of borosilicate glass made from sand gathered on Florida's Gulf coast. The glass will be heated for about a week, starting around 18 July. When it reaches 1200°C, the glass will flow like honey into the intricate mould as the 90-tonne apparatus slowly spins. Then it will gradually cool down for about 12 weeks, spinning all the while.

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The Versareef will generate four types of wave, named after the places in which they are typically found: Hawaii, Indonesia, California and Australia. The Hawaiian has a steep take-off leading straight into a wall of water, while the Californian is a slower, easier wave, which is better for beginners, says Black.

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Natural ecosystems are currently absorbing up to half of the CO2 that humans put into the atmosphere. Most climate models assume this will continue. But there is growing evidence that from about 2050, soils and forests will stop absorbing CO2 and start releasing it instead.

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The age of planets will fundamentally shift our understanding of the universe, because it is planets which harbor life. If there is life beyond our tiny plot, it will live on a planet. The first decade has provided the existence proof that planets do spin beyond the confines of our solar system. But the real questions are still to come, and will take decades to answer. The evolution of that quest will map the evolution of humanity's relationship with the universe. Over the coming years, we will learn whether planets are ubiquitous, or rare. We will learn what types and sizes of planet are normal, and which unusual. We will learn if there are any truly Earth-like planets out there, and after that, if any will increase to many. And, someday, we will be able to see whether there is life out there.

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"Rightly or wrongly, AMD's move can be seen as a clever move to take advantage of a recent favorable ruling in Japan. However, the timing of the complaint and the company's tone of indignation (perhaps exasperation) give us a sense that AMD's traction in processors that they enjoyed last year is not meeting expectations," Hans Mosesmann, an analyst at investment firm Moors & Cabot, wrote in a research report Tuesday.