25 Years Later, First Registered Domain Name Changes Hands

Did you know the first .com domain name that was ever registered was Symbolics.com, on the 15th of March 1985 by the now defunct Massachusetts-based computer manufacturer Symbolics?

While the first that was created in January of that same year was Nordu.net (used to serve as the identifier of the first root server, nic.nordu.net), symbolics.com was the first domain name to actually be registered through the appropriate DNS process a few months later. This was of course long before there was a WWW, but you already had ‘the Internet’. In fact, the first TCP/IP-based wide-area network had already been operational for two years when nordu.net was created, right around the time the United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) commissioned the construction of the legendary NSFNET, a university 56 kilobit/second network backbone. Only six companies thought it’d be a good idea to reserve the domain name on the root servers in 1985 (the others were bbn.com, think.com, mcc.com, dec.com and northrop.com). But Symbolics was first to make the move.

View Original Article

Apple Finally Signs Deal With China Unicom, Brings The iPhone To China In October

Major Chinese news portal 163.com is reporting [Google machine translation] that Apple has finally signed a deal with China Unicom to bring the iPhone 3G to mainland China in October. This is huge news for Apple, which is now to enter a market with around 700 million mobile phone users, the biggest in the world (US: around 270 million).

View Original Article

Pokhran II not fully successful: Indian scientist

NEW DELHI: The 1998 Pokhran II nuclear tests might have been far from the success they have been claimed to be. The yield of the thermonuclear explosions was actually much below expectations and the tests were perhaps more a fizzle rather than a big bang.

The controversy over the yield of the tests, previously questioned by foreign agencies, has been given a fresh lease of life with K Santhanam, senior scientist and DRDO representative at Pokhran II, admitting for the first time that the only thermonuclear device tested was a "fizzle". In nuclear parlance, a test is described as a fizzle when it fails to meet the desired yield.

Santhanam, who was director for 1998 test site preparations, said that the yield for the thermonuclear test, or hydrogen bomb in popular usage, was much lower than what was claimed. Santhanam, who was DRDO's chief advisor, could well have opened up the debate on whether or not India should sign CTBT as claims that India has all the data required and can manage with simulations is bound to be called into question.

"Based upon the seismic measurements and expert opinion from world over, it is clear that the yield in the thermonuclear device test was much lower than what was claimed. I think it is well documented and that is why I assert that India should not rush into signing the CTBT,'' said Santhanam.

He emphasized the need for India to conduct more tests to improve its nuclear weapon programme.

The test was said to have yielded 45 kilotons (KT) but was challenged by western experts who said it was not more than 20 KT.

The exact yield of the thermonuclear explosion is important as during the heated debate on the India.

Source: Geo.tv

Better Contact Management For Gmail

Gmail made a tweak last night that brings better contact management to the service. When you click the “To:” or “CC:” links in front of each address field, a box pops up with your contact list. (See example at right). It is a simple change, but it saves you from having to go to another page to find a contact.

Most of the time, Gmail users probably won’t use this feature because Gmail already gives you a list of auto-complete suggestions as you begin typing in a name into the “To:” field. These are based on people you’ve communicated with recently, and usually does the trick. But if you haven’t emailed someone for a long time, their name doesn’t pop up. It also doesn’t help if you can’t remember their name.

Anything that reduces the amount of steps it takes to complete an email is a plus in my book. However, this feature is a bit hidden. You have to click on the “To” or “CC” links to expose it, something many people might only do by mistake the first time (which is why I’m telling you).

The contact chooser also works for groups.

View Original Article

Top 10 iPhone Apps for Students

Ah, the smell of erasers and chalk dust is in the air, which can mean only one thing: it’s back to school time in many parts of the world. While I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was happy my school days are behind me, I am a bit jealous that students heading back to school now have a plethora of great web and mobile applications to help them tackle the tasks involved with obtaining an education. I would have killed for some of the great applications available to students today — almost all of which are cooler (and more useful) than the Tetris app I used to play on my graphing calculator.

In this list we’ve assembled ten of the must-have iPhone applications for students heading back to school. These apps will help you stay organized, take notes, and study better. What other iPhone applications are helpful to you at school? Please add your favorites in the comments.

1. BigWords (FREE)

BigWords is a very handy iPhone application that lets users search the BigWords.com textbook price comparison search engine while on-the-go. That’s helpful for checking out whether you can get a better deal online while shopping for books at your college’s campus bookstore. Other textbook apps to check out are CourseSmart’s eTextbooks (Free), which lets users access over 7,000 digitized textbooks from the iPhone, and the Stanza (Free) eBook reader from Amazon-owned Lexcycle, on which users can access over 50,000 free books (including many classics taught in high schools and colleges).

2. iStudiez Pro ($2.99)

iStudiez Pro is a beautiful, if oddly spelled, application that keeps track of your entire class schedule and assignments. From detailed, color-coded class schedules (the color coding makes the whole thing very easy to scan) to the ability to attach assignments to each course that shows up on the calendar and when they’re due, iStudiez Pro is a must-have companion to busy students. Also check out My Schedule ($0.99), a slightly cheaper but less feature-filled alternative that allows students to make iCal-style, color-coded class schedules and attach notes to each class.

3. Evernote (Free)

If you plan at all on using your iPhone for taking notes in class, you’ll want to utilize Evernote. The free application supports text, photo, and voice notes, and syncs to an online account, as well as Mac and PC versions of the app so you can have access to your notes anywhere. Evernote has some really nifty features, such as Twitter integration, geo-location, and the ability to search text within photos.

4. SimpleMind (Free / $6.99)

SimpleMind is a very easy-to-use mind mapping tool for the iPhone. The free version lets you create and export Mind Maps in the SimpleMind format, and the pay version lets you export your mind maps in OMPL, Freemind, PDF, and PNG formats. Start with the free version to get the hang of it and make sure the app is for you, then upgrade or try iThoughts ($7.99) or iBlueSky ($9.99).

---

5. Cram ($6.99)

Got a big test coming up? You’ll want to check out Cram. Cram is a study tool on which users can create flash cards and multiple choice tests (with automatically randomized answers). These study aids can be shared with friends and synced to the offline Mac OS version. Also check out StudyBlue (Free), which links to a StudyBlue.com account to let users study visual flash cards and review uploaded documents (Word, PDF, PowerPoint, images, etc.).

6. Wikipedia (Free)

The free Wikipedia application launched just last month, and provides on-the-go, mobile optimized access to Wikipedia articles. Though Wikipedia should probably not be used as a primary source in any academic paper, it is a great starting point for deeper research, and the Wikipedia iPhone app lets you search the encyclopedia whenever an idea strikes you. Also check out Wikipanion (Free / $4.99), which in many ways is cleaner and more fully developed than the official app.

---

7. Dictionary.com (Free)

Dictionary.com is an invaluable application for students to keep in their iPhone backpack. The app provides full mobile access to both Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, which makes it insanely useful both while reading difficult texts and writing papers.

---

8. myHomework (Free)

The free myHomework app is a visually stunning iPhone application that helps students stay organized by creating a calendar of assignments and when they’re due. Assignments are color coded, so you’ll know when due dates are coming and when they’re late. The app doesn’t do much more than that, but it is helpful for keeping overloaded students on top of their work. Also check out MyClasses ($1.99), which keeps track of assignments and grades, iHomework ($0.99), a to-do list aimed at students, and Assignments ($1.99).

9. PI83 Graphing Calculator ($0.99)

For those in need of a graphing calculator for school, a better deal can’t be found. The PI83 Graphing Calculator application faithfully recreates the feature-set of the Texas Instruments TI83 graphing calculator on the iPhone, and for 99 cents, it does so for a lot less dough. There are some bugs that need to be worked out, but it is still one of the best graphic calculator applications in the App Store.

10. Facebook (Free)

After all the hard work, you need to unwind a little as well. And what better way than with Facebook’s iPhone application? If you’re in school, there’s about a 99.99% chance you’re on Facebook already, and their iPhone application is one of the most popular of all time on that platform. It lets you connect to the social network’s best features while on-the-go and a new version should be arriving any day now.

View Original Article