Roy Mark

NASA will begin a long-shot attempt Nov. 16 to free the Mars rover Spirit from the “Martian sand trap” it has been mired in since April 23. “Researchers expect the extraction process to be long and the outcome uncertain,” NASA said in a news release Nov. 12.“This is going to be a lengthy process, and […]

More than 90 percent of health care companies are not ready to comply with the privacy and security provision of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, according to a survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Crowe Horwath.A part of the Recovery Act passed earlier this year by Congress, […]

Sen. Amy Klobuchar fired off a letter Nov. 9 to Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell C. McAdam, denouncing the nation’s largest cell phone service provider’s recent decision to increase early termination fees for new smartphone customers. Klobuchar also wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski seeking an FCC review of Verizon Wireless’ decision.Verizon […]

The two federal agencies charged with distributing the $7.2 billion for broadband rollouts authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are streamlining the process by awarding the remaining funding in just one more round, instead of the original two rounds. The program is intended to expand broadband access and adoption in America, while creating […]

It’s a great story line: Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is streaking toward an apocalyptic collision with Earth, a fiery doomsday linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012. Scientists, for their own dark reasons, refuse to confirm the end […]

Clearwire made it official Nov. 10, confirming partner Sprint Nextel has invested another $1 billion in the WiMax provider. In addition, fellow partners Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Eagle River Holdings and Bright House Networks are making additional investments totaling $500 million. In exchange for newly issued shares priced at $7.33 per share, the new […]

Sprint Nextel plans to invest another $1 billion into Clearwire’s WiMax 4G technology with Comcast, Intel, Time Warner and Bright House Networks contributing another combined $500 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Clearwire and Sprint Nextel are the only two U.S. carriers betting on WiMax to deliver 4G wireless broadband. Verizon Wireless and AT&T, […]

The Supreme Court heard arguments Nov. 9 in a case the technology industry is closely watching to clarify the patentability of business methods. The case-Bilski and Warsaw v. Kappos-specifically involves a method of hedging the risk associated with commodities, but it has implications that reach deep into the software industry.The Patent and Trademark Office refused […]

Top 10 Bogus Software Patents That Need to Get Busted by Roy Mark Acacia Technologies, Patent Number: 5,132,992 EFF says: “Laughably broad patent would cover everything from online distribution of home movies to scanned documents and MP3s. Threatening dozens of small companies, including many home-grown adult Websites. Infringement campaign threatens to chill freedom of expression […]

The crew of the International Space Station is gearing up for a busy November. On Nov. 12, the MRM2 (Russian Mini-Research Module 2) is scheduled to dock at the space station, and four days later, the space shuttle Atlantis launches for NASA’s final 2009 mission to the ISS.The MRM2 will launch Nov. 10 from the […]

Civilian libertarians, Internet privacy watchdog groups and libraries are irate over the secret negotiations in Seoul, South Korea, involving ACTA (International Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement). The negotiations, they claim, heavily favor Hollywood interests pushing tougher international copyright laws and, moreover, the entire process has been shrouded in secrecy.The latest round of the treaty talks concluded Nov. […]

NASA informed the crew of the International Space Station Nov. 6 that the spacecraft could be menaced by a piece of Russian Cosmos space debris. The time of closest approach is 10:48 p.m. EST.NASA said the timing of available tracking data has made it too late to do a maneuver, but better tracking data will […]