Science and Technology

When Google announced the release of "Buzz," the Gmail add-on became popular pretty quickly, ascending to the top of Twitter's trending topics within hours of its release. However, much like the search engine's previous releases of social networking-based applications, Buzz falls short on features and real-world use.

After months of online rumors and fierce anticipation, CEO of Apple Inc. Steve Jobs held up what looked like a giant iPhone in front of a wide-eyed crowd on Jan. 27. As anticipated, the new device is a tablet computer with a short name – the iPad. The unveiling marked a new direction for Apple.

A cross section of the Stony Brook campus community filled the Student Activity Center ballroom Monday afternoon as professors, students and administrators absorbed former Stony Brook University President John Marburger's lecture on global warming.

Governor Paterson announced that the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation designated the Stony Brook University Sensor CAT as a Center for Advanced Technology and will receive funding for the next 10 years.

Brookhaven Laboratories Joanna Fowler has been awarded the National Medal of Science for her research on different diseases effecting the brain, like addiction. She will recieve the award later this week at the White House.

At the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the famed biologist's birth, and on the 150th anniversary of his revolutionary theory, Stephen Stearns of Yale spoke on the ways Darwin's ideas are creeping into medicine – for instance, the use of pig parasites to treat multiple sclerosis.

Wireless routers are not the cause of the connectivity internet issues plaguing Tabler Quad residents for the past few months, according to Richard Reeder, chief information officer of the The Division of Information Technology.

A doctoral student in computer science at Stony Brook University is developing HearSay, a non-visual web browser that uses text commands, voice-browsing and keyboard shortcuts to give the blind and those with visual impairments a chance to navigate cyberspace.

Mac switching to Intel might seem like a move toward technological convergence, and maybe even some level of compatibility between Macs and the rest of the world. Of course, if that were the case, there'd be no reason to buy a Mac, because then it would just be an overpriced PC. In this edition of Bullchip we examine the move and also why I love my PC.

The Senate is set to vote on the Real ID Act. Supporters say the bill makes it harder for immigrants to seek asylum in the US, but opponents argue that it is unconstitutional, invades people's privacy, and creates the risk of identity theft.

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that critics claim amounts to creating a de facto national ID card. The Real ID Act (HR 418), passed on Thursday, February 10, requires that states comply with federal standards for driver’s licenses. Licenses would henceforth contain what the bill calls “a common machine-readable technology,” which could mean a magnetic strip and/or an RFID chip. RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification tags) transmit information about a person’s movements to a central computer.

In a blow to supporters of the developing HD-DVD format, Apple® has officially joined the side of it's main competitor, the Blu-ray consortium.  CEO Steve Jobs promoted the partnership, saying that  “Apple is pleased to join the Blu-ray Disc Association board as part of our efforts to drive consumer adoption of HD." 

Yet another cell phone virus has hit the airwaves, and this one actually stands a chance to spread.