Be afraid, be very afraid - Sony has asked West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin to write a movie about how internet superphenomenon Facebook was spawned, and by way of research he's waded straight in with a group page down at the social networking website.

Sorkin admits the page was actually created by his researcher "because my grandmother has more Internet savvy than I do and she's been dead for 33 years", and further confesses: "I honestly don't know how this works."

While he's getting his head round how the thing functions, the writer is inviting netizens to submit any Facebook stories they may have - presumably in the hope that someone can recount how the site prevented an unholy alliance of al-Qaeda assassins and Colombian drug barons from detonating a nuclear weapon at the Democratic Party convention.

CPU-Z is a diagnostic tool that provides information on your CPU, including: processor name and vendor, core stepping and process, processor package, internal and external clocks, clock multiplier, partial overclock detection, processor features, supported instructions sets, L1 and L2 cache information, location, size, speed, and technology.

CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system.

CPU

* Name and number.
* Core stepping and process.
* Package.
* Core voltage.
* Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.
* Supported instructions sets.
* Cache information.
 

Mainboard

* Vendor, model and revision.
* BIOS model and date.
* Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.
* Graphic interface.

Memory

* Frequency and timings.
* Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

System

* Windows and DirectX version.

News and corrections

• Intel Core i7 processor.
• Intel Core 2 Duo S Mobile processors.
• NVIDIA MCP79/7A chipset.
• AMD 790GX / SB750 chipset.

Download - Click here.

Western Digital today announced the extension of its enterprise offering through the introduction of two new models in its RE3 drive family.

Intended for server and storage application environments, WD's RE3 750 GB and 1 TB high-capacity enterprise SATA hard drives combine 32 MB cache, enhanced vibration and shock tolerance, and deploy new electronics to increase performance by approximately 20% and by as much as 60% in high-vibration environments. WD RE3 enterprise hard drives also include improved reliability features that help protect the drive and the data stored on it, and run cooler and quieter than previous generation enterprise drives.

WD RE3 drives feature 1.2 million hours mean time between failures (MTBF), native command queuing (NCQ), time limited error recovery (TLER), and an extensive and enhanced testing process to ensure long-term reliability for demanding enterprise applications.

WD RE3 features:

• StableTrac - The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations.
• Dual processor - Twice the processing power that results in a 20 percent performance improvement over the previous generation.
• RAFF technology - Resulting in up to 60 percent performance improvement over previous generation drives, WD's fourth-generation RAFF technology includes sophisticated electronics to monitor the drive and correct both linear and rotational vibration simultaneously in real time for maximum performance in high vibration environments.
• IntelliSeek technology - Calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise, and vibration in active seek modes without degrading performance.
• Multi-axis shock sensor - An additional third sensor has been added to RE3 models to detect automatically the subtlest shock events and to compensate to protect the data.
• RAID-specific, Time-Limited Error Recovery (TLER) - Prevents drive fallout caused by the extended hard drive error-recovery processes common to desktop drives.
• Third-generation dynamic fly height - With this next generation dynamic fly height technology, each read-write head's fly height is adjusted in real time for optimum reliability.
• Thermal extended burn-in test - Extended burn-in testing with thermal cycling added to ensure only the most robust drives are produced as RAID Edition.
• NoTouch ramp load technology - The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit.

WD RE3 1 TB (model WD1002FBYS) and the 750 GB (model WD57502ABYS) hard drives are available now through select distributors and resellers. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD RE3 1 TB is $249 USD and the 750 GB is $199 USD. WD RE3 drives are covered by a five-year limited warranty.

Bring em on I say.

In this last segment of our NVISION coverage we look at Stereo 3D gaming, Automotive and the exhibitors grounds to check some cool hardware from Palit, eVGA, ECS and others

• NVISION 08 Day 2 - Let's see some hardware

The virtual worlds in computer games provide a realistic backdrop to the action. But step too close and the effect is lost

The extra transfer speed is also useful for offloading a large number of shots from a camera to a computer, SanDisk says. The transfer speed should also assist with recording HD video, which is possible through cameras like the D90 as well as through more recent HD camcorders that use SDHC as their preferred format.

The 30MB/s Edition is a capacity boost for SanDisk's Extreme SDHC series and bumps the maximum storage up to 16GB, which sells for $180. Versions with 4GB and 8GB of storage will sell for $65 and $110 respectively. All three should be in shops sometime in September.

'The service, which gives Web users a driver's perspective of hundreds of cities around the world, has raised the ire of residents who say the images are an invasion of their privacy. Now residents in California's Humboldt County are complaining that the drivers who are hired to collect the images are disregarding private property signs and driving up private roads.

In an episode reported recently by the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, a Street View driver cruised past two "no trespassing" signs to collect images of a residence that is 1,200 feet from the public road.

"It isn't just a privacy issue; it is a trespassing issue, with their own photos as evidence," resident Betty Webb told the newspaper. "They really went off the track to get to our address."

Webb's experience apparently is not an isolated incident: the newspaper used digital maps provided by the county of Sonoma and found Google had photographed along more than 100 private roads.'

A computer worm that ferrets out passwords managed to stow away on laptops aboard the International Space Station, NASA has confirmed. It is not the first time a NASA computer has become infected.

SpaceReg.com identified the infection as W32.TGammima.AG, a worm that spreads by copying itself to removable media devices. Once in place, it steals passwords to various online games, according to anti-virus software provider Symantec, which first spotted the worm 12 months ago.

"This is not the first time we have had a worm or a virus," a NASA spokesman told Wired News. "It's not a frequent occurrence, but this isn't the first time."

The infected machines were not considered mission critical, meaning they weren't responsible for command and control. The NASA spokesman was unable to say if the infected laptops were connected to mission-critical systems.

The number of personal information leaks reported in the US this year have already exceeded the total amount in all of 2007, San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center said today.

With four months left in 2008, the firm found that 449 US businesses and government agencies have thus far reported lost or stolen customer and employee data

But the agency reckons the actual number is likely higher, due to under-reporting and data loss that affects multiple businesses being reported as a single event. All told, ITRC said its 2008 list represents compromised records of more than 22 million individuals

NVISION 08 Day 2 - We continue where we left off, Buzz Aldrin flies by to talk about a 3D movie, we got Kyle Busch, NASCAR racing sensation; Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systems; Eileen Collins, former NASA space shuttle commander; and Lorne Lanning, film director and founder of Oddworld all on stage.

• http://www.guru3d.com/article/nvision-08-day-2--its-the-buzz/

Man, what an high number of game-traailers lately eh ? Eidos unveiled a new Tomb Raider: Underworld trailer at the Games Convention in Leipzig. The new Tomb Raider game will be released in early November for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

A new powered exoskeleton is enabled the disabled to walk again. Created by a small Israeli startup, the Iron Man-like "ReWalk" suit is already making converts among those who have worn it. Former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof, paralyzed in 1988, wears the suit walking around the streets of Haifa.  "I never dreamed I would walk again", he says.

"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below".

The suit consists of motorized leg supports, a body sensors package, and a battery backpack. It operates via a remote control wristband, which contains various settings: sit, stand, walk, or climb. Once the user selects the appropriate action, they lean forward to activate the body sensors. In the current version crutches must be used to assist with balance; a more advanced model is eventually expected to dispense with this requirement.

Clinical trials are now underway in Israel's Sheba Medica Center.

The suit was invented by Israeli engineer Amit Goffer, who ironically was himself paralyzed in an accident in 1997. "It raises people out of their wheelchair and lets them stand up straight," explains Goffer, "It's not just about health, it's also about dignity." Goffer founded Argo Medical Technologies to develop and market the suit.

Argo's Chief Operating Officer Oren Tamari says that, while other agencies such as the US military are also developing powered exoskeletons, none besides the ReWalk will be operable by disabled people.

The suit is expected to go on sale for around $20,000, about the price of the most sophisticated wheelchairs now available.

[Daily Tech]

NVIDIA issued a new beta driver this morning. It's the full monty and includes the PhysX drivers as well. The driver has precision GeForce Forceware Vista 177.92 and supports GeForce 6-series, 7-series, 8-series, 9-series, and 200-series GPUs, including the newly released GeForce 9800 GTX+, 9800 GT, 9500 GT, and 9400 GT GPUs.

• Adds support for NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory (this driver package installs NVIDIA PhysX System Software v8.08.18).
• Experience GPU PhysX acceleration in several full games and demos today by downloading the GeForce Power Pack.
• Adds support for 2-way NVIDIA SLI technology with GeForce GTX 200-series GPUs on Intel
  

Taipei, Taiwan, August 25, 2008

A new entry level GPU is introduced today. The 9400 GT will be available from a variety of our partners at prices as low as $59. I have to elave to a conference in a couple of minutes so fogive me the blunt copy and paste from NVIDIA marketing:

NVIDIA continues to offer consumers more choice with the addition today of the GeForce 9400 GT. The GeForce 9400 GT delivers unsurpassed value by enabling end users to enjoy gaming, HD video, enhanced visual effects, and smoother Vista performance for retail prices as low as $59.

• In addition, the GeForce 9400 GT further extends CUDA
  

Much like way too many manufacturers these days, Arctic Cooling is following the trend as they have released the Fusion 550R. A PSU that follows the default ATX-Form-Factor and thus will fit into every ATX PC-Case. It fulfils the ATX 2.2 specifications and can offer a continuous power of 500 Watt - enough for every Highend System. Equipped with two 6-pin- and 8-pin PCIe connectors the PSU is ideal for powering a Crossfire- or SLi-setup.

Main features 

• Ultra quiet 80mm PWM fan with low noise impeller
• 550W maximum output power, ATX 2.2
• 82-86% efficiency, 99% PFC
• 80mm ARCTIC F8 Pro fan
• Intelligent fan control (700
  

I think they paid like 900 million for it initially, yet a press release reveals that Broadcom has become the lucky buyer of AMD's digital TV division. In a joint announcement, the two firms say they've entered a definitive agreement that will see Broadcom acquire the division in exchange for a $192.8-million cash sum. If all goes well, the transaction will close some time during the fourth quarter of this year, and 530 former AMD employees across six design centers worldwide will get new jobs at Broadcom (if they agree to the company's invitation, that is).

The acquisition will give Broadcom ownership of AMD's Xilleon integrated processors, NXT receivers, Theater 300 DTV processors, and panel processors. According to the press release, Broadcom will subsequently be able to "offer a complete product line that covers all segments of the [digital TV] market ranging from low-end value and mid-range quality to high-end interactive platforms and panel processors."

Anyone else getting sick of this?

A computer hard disc containing one million sets of bank details was bought on eBay for just

On Monday the 25th August the Electronic Sports World Cup Grand Final have begun here at the NVISION 08 in San Jose, California. Open to all the video games enthusiasts, the NVISION 08 and ESWC Grand Final will host during three days six tournaments gathering 650 international champions from more than 40 countries. All fans are welcomed to follow the show and support their favorite

On the second installment of our articles covering NVISION we'll handle the primary keynote speech from -Jen Hsun Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, some Case Modding sessions and ... Cylon number Six from BattleStar Galactica -- Tricia Helfer.

• Day 1 - Part 2 Keynote Speech, Case Modding, Tricia Helfer

We have now reached the point where there is so much information and photo's to show you on the NVISION 08 event that I have to revert back to actual articles. As all the photo's on our frontpage would kill off the website.

Here's our first installment of the NVISION in San Jose, which started today. We'll have a look a GeForce LAN, ESWC and NVScene.

Enjoy :)

• NVISION Day part 1 - the Fun Begins

In what some are calling the biggest information heist in recent history, identity thieves managed to acquire a treasure chest of personal information on more than 8 million of hotel chain Best Western