U.S. scientists claim world's most accurate clock

Researchers build the most accurate clock in the world. This atomic clock varies from less than one second in 13.8 billion years, the estimated age of the Universe. American physicists announced Thursday the world's most accurate atomic clock experimental able to vary from less than one second in 13.8 billion years. This clock works with ytterbium atoms, a rare earth element and lasers to a regular beat of ten times higher than the best existing atomic clocks. Compared to a quartz watch, the new clock is ten billion times more accurate. This breakthrough in physics has important potential implications not only for the precision in the measurement of universal time but also GPS and a set of sensors of different forces such as gravity, magnetic field and temperature etc. Andrew Ludlow, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and one of the main co-authors of this work appeared in the journal Science. "This is an important step in the development of atomic clocks for the next generation currently under development in the world," he says. Like all clocks, atomic clocks keep time measurement based on the duration of a second corresponding to a physical phenomenon that occurs often. While mechanical clocks use the motion of a pendulum to keep time, atomic clocks are based on the ever-constant frequency of light needed to excite an atom of cesium, the current international reference. The last born of atomic clocks based on some 10,000 ytterbium atoms cooled slightly above absolute zero. These atoms are trapped in wells formed optical laser beam. Another laser "bat" 518.000 billion times per second creating a transition between two energy levels in the atoms that provides vibration even greater regularity than a cesium atom and could lead to a new international definition the second time and therefore universal.

Discovered problems in Linux kernel connections to USB devices

Because of a faulty coordination between the hardware and the USB stack in the energy management of the Linux kernel connections to USB devices are frequently interrupted. So far, the kernel developers have looked to blame the device manufacturers. The kernel hacker Sarah Sharp has discovered a serious bug in the Linux kernel. Thus, a faulty coordination between USB stack and equipment when leaving the sleep mode is responsible for the connection to USB devices are abruptly cut off when auto-suspend is enabled. A patch is in the works. The problem of indiscriminate terminations of connections to USB devices is there and other kernel hackers known for years, writes Sharp. However, they have "cheap, crappy and broken" to blame searched devices, so the manufacturers. The blacklists created for this purpose by the kernel developers have become too big someday. The white lists created later by the individual distributions were insufficiently maintained, and ultimately costly. Now, according to Sharp; it is turned out , that the devices were not always responsible for the disruption. According to USB specifications of roothub must send at least 20 milliseconds, the signal to wake up a device (TDRSMDN). Then the status of a device is placed in the hub to Active. Have access to the Linux kernel and software on a device that has yet to be made a break of 10 milliseconds (TRSMRCY). The TRSMRCY value is defined by the USB 2.0 specification, however, neither a read nor a maximum, but a minimum value. Although the xHCI driver of the Linux kernel, the kernel activates immediately hub daemon (khubd), is the changing status of a device, but only after 20 ms free (TDRSMDN). This means that a device can be longer in a Resume mode than that specified in TRSMRCY time. The software then attempts to 10 milliseconds to access the device, although it is still in sleep mode, which in turn can cause the USB device is disconnected or, for example, writes cannot be done. The error relates to devices that connect to the xHCI hub. Such problems with the EHCI hub and the USB stack of the Linux kernel does not exist. After Sharp's first analyzes some USB devices have a TRSMRCY-time of up to 17 milliseconds. 8 percent of the tested devices TRSMRCY-values are about 10 milliseconds. A first patch Sharp has already submitted. But it was still not a "real fix". Immediately they work on a better patch. But you see "light at the end of the tunnel" and that the problems would be resolved with the USB power management in the Linux kernel soon. If everything goes according to plan, the repairs should already be included in the next kernel version 3.11, which should appear early September 2013.

New Nano technology sensors that convert pressure of your fingers into light

Researchers have developed nano-sensors that can convert mechanical pressure (such as pressing a touch screen) into light. This will be used to transmit information faster and with better definition. This new invention is the result of a research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Scientists have developed a device to convert the pressure of a finger or a stylus on a touch screen. These lights can then be used to gather information and much greater detail than before. The light produced is immediately captured and analyzed by optical fibers placed in another layer of the device, which then allows to have a resolution of 6300 DPI. Zhong Lin Wang, a professor at Georgia Tech says: "You can write with a stylus and the sensors detect visually what you write in high resolution and with great rapidity. This is a new way of imagining a force that can use different means of detection and can avoid many problems that exist in current pressure sensors. " This technology uses a special faculty of certain objects and materials which also has in the human body, i.e. piezoelectricity. It is the faculty that allows these objects become electrically polarized under the action of mechanical pressure, as the action of a finger on a metal surface. In this case, the piezoelectricity sensor allows components to produce light. Researchers at Georgia Tech expect marketing their new invention by 5-7 years. This could lead to new advances in the field of touch screens, offer new opportunities for users.

Lenovo Windows 8 PCs will get Classic Start Menu Again

Lenovo will continue all Windows 8 PCs with pre-installed a classic start menu again. So that Lenovo will provide its customers with the current Windows service. In addition, the Pokki app store will be preloaded on Lenovo computers. Lenovo has decided to cooperate with Sweet Labs and will deliver Windows 8 PCs preinstalled with the Pokki menu. Purchasers of a Lenovo computer are thus directly obtains a classic start menu with a visible start button, without having to install another tool. With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has omitted the classic Windows Start menu. By default the Windows startup screen that attaches itself to full screen on the desktop. In addition, the Windows 8 desktop start button no longer displays. At least that Microsoft wants to make Windows 8.1 back.

Prior to the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft defended the waiver of the start button, but recently admitted indirectly that was a mistake. Recently Asus Chairman Jonney Shih has criticized that Microsoft has made a lot of mistakes with Windows 8. Thus, some of the most popular applications for Windows 8 are those with which the Windows Classic Start menu is activated again. The Pokki menu is available for free for both Windows 8 and Windows 7 and XP. All systems can thus open web apps that the user can refer to the Pokki app store, which is part of the Pokki menu. In it web apps from Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and YouTube bring to the Windows desktop. But games are offered as separate web apps, and now the selection of web apps is quite extensive. Windows 8 systems, again get a start button together with start menu, the tool is ideally pinned on systems running Windows XP and 7 as the first application on the taskbar. Thus Pokki menu is available next to the Windows Start menu.

Canonical plans for Ubuntu Smartphone in early 2014

After the crowd funding campaign for the Ubuntu Edge has failed, Canonical is still plans for Ubuntu Smartphone. And it may expect the release in the first quarter of 2014 to appear a device. Canonical boss Jane Silver has announced an Ubuntu Smartphone for 2014. Despite the failed Campaign for the Ubuntu Edge, Canonical will offer its own Smartphone. The Ubuntu Smartphone mission was in full swing: The Edge campaign has shown that the interest is there. In an interview Silver explained that the proposed Ubuntu Smartphone but do not like the Edge and will have the opportunity to be used on a monitor as a full-fledged Ubuntu PC. The Edge should work with both Ubuntu and Phone with Android, and connected to a monitor, switch to a full desktop version of Ubuntu.

 The planned new Smartphone is "not just a phone,  a device that is connected to the monitor," Silver said, stressing at the same time that the combination of mobile and fixed system is the future. More information about features of the proposed Smartphones was not made by Silver. Ubuntu had tried to finance his first Smartphone on the crowd funding platform Indiegogo. Against the targeted 32 million U.S. dollars only 12.8 million was collected and ultimately too little gathered the funding target was clearly missed. Therefore, the edge is not in production, all the supporters get their money back. Apparently, Canonical has until recently been working to implement the project. According to Silver, the company, to find partners for the funding sought.