Worlds First Webpage Reborn, 20 Years of WWW

On 30 April 1993 a statement was published that would change the lives of all future generations, in almost evey corner of the globe.  An offer to make a new technology freely available, a technology that today  runs everything from Electricity Grids to Facebook.

The worlds first web server, web page and all it’s code was given to the world in the hope that sharing might eccelerate our learning, www has accomplished that and a bunch more.

20 years later: 30 April 2013, and the world’s first web page is being dragged out of cyber-mothballs and upgraded for today’s internet browsers as part of a project to celebrate 20 years of the world wide  web. The team behind the project – CERN – the European Organization for Nuclear Research is also considering creating an emulator that could run the original web browser :: Read the full article »»»»

Great Firewall of China BOOTS Web Users

Chinese internet users who are skilled at evading the country’s online blocks have suddenly found they are again being denied access to some websites. In China, if you want access to forbidden websites including Facebook or Twitter, one of the easiest ways is to use a virtual private network (VPN).

However, in recent days VPNs across China have been either inaccessible or swiftly shut down. Service providers have blamed the outage on an update to the so-called Great Firewall, which the Chinese government uses to control internet access.

They say the upgraded firewall appears to have the ability to discover and block attempts to circumvent online censorship. The block has also hurt some international businesses that use the networks for secure communications. The firewall has been built up since the internet began to develop in China. It uses a range of technologies to block access to particular sites from Chinese computers :: Read the full article »»»»

Australian Government Joins US Energy Department in $83m Solar Research Project

The Australian Federal Government has announced an $83 million solar research program in partnership with the United States. The eight-year project will bring together six Australian universities, the CSIRO and the US department of energy.

Its aim is to create new technology that will reduce the cost of solar power. Australia’s Energy Minister Martin Ferguson says it is the biggest solar energy research investment in Australia’s history :: Read the full article »»»»

China Plans on Expanding Market Gardens, Mars and the Moon!?

Our most favourite behemoth – China – and the worlds second largest economy, are planning on expanding rural production much farther than their earthly borders. The worlds most populous nation is preparing to grow fresh vegetables on Mars and the Moon after researchers completed a preliminary test in Beijing.

Chinese state media has reported that researchers are currently testing their wild theory here on earth, four kinds of vegetables were grown in an Ecological Life Support System, a 300 cubic metre cabin which will allow astronauts to develop their own stocks of air, water and food while on space missions.

The system, which relies on plants and algae, is “expected to be used in extra-terrestrial bases on the Moon or Mars”, Xinhua news agency. Participants in the experiment could “harvest fresh vegetables for meals”, Xinhua quoted Deng Yibing, a researcher at Beijing’s Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Centre, as saying :: Read the full article »»»»

Apparently, It’s all in the wrist

According to Digital Life’s Nick Bilton at least, mobile phones have already muscled onto watches’ turf as a time-telling tool. Now, some of the biggest technology companies are eyeing your wrist too. Companies such as Apple, Nike and Sony, along with dozens of start-ups, hope to strap a device on your wrist.

It is quite a disruption for the wristwatch, which has not actually been around all that long. Though said to have been invented in 1868 by the Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe, it didn’t really catch on until after World War I. Before that, people carried watches in their pockets or on chains.

The new wrist devices won’t replace smartphones, but rather connect to them. Most will continue the basic task of telling the time, while eliminating the need to dig a smartphone out of your pocket or purse. But they will provide far more information than the most advanced G-Shock watch available today, or the most expensive chronometer :: Read the full article »»»»