First Russian MIPS-Compatible Microprocessor

Recently I was involved into the practical part of microprocessor's course, included into our department's masters program, where I served as TA. Well, in fact, not just TA, but the entire 2x2 hour course was developed and teached by me and my friend.

The primary goal of this classes was to make students familar with our national processor boards, produced by NIISI (research institute of systems development). Theses boards include our first MIPS R3000-compatible KOMDIV32 microprocessor with technological sizes of 35 microns, "PRIME" boot monitor and various peripheral devices like speaker, uarts, light diods and so on. The processor runs at 90 MHz clock.

The board still very buggy and has a lot of features hardcoded and/or hardwired, but pretty usable. Especially interesting looks PRIME boot monitor, that can handle almost all development task, including but not limited to downloading executables via FTP/TFTP/NFS or Z-Modem, dumping/writing memory and working with FLASH memory. The board has two modes of operation - depending on switch setting it can either go to PRIME on boot, or start executing the code located at the start of flash memory. This feature has shown itself to be very handy in development.

The development kit was also accomplished by the proprietary OS2000 real-time operating system, which seems to be an evil mix of FreeBSD 4.x and VxWorks source code. E.g. their second stage boot loader fully resembles VxWorks loader, though with a lot of parsing bugs. Similary, the kernel object archives contains files like ipfw.ko with full debug info and CVS id's, although it seems to not use it:-) The operating system claims to be POSIX-compatible, though I had no enough time to check it fully. The course was featuring work with some multiprogramming APIs like POSIX threads and message passing, but unfortunately very few studens were able to understand this fully due to lack of C programming experience in past.

We were using FreeBSD as a host enviropment instead of NIISI-recommended Red Hat Linux. All the SDK software was ported to FreeBSD with a little effort (thanks to SDK developers - the didn't used bash/gawk/etc feature much). However, we used their proprietary GCC-based compiler (GPL violation?) under Linux emulation to compile target source code. Probably, gcc's mips target can do that too, but I didn't tried that.

One funny bug we were experiencing - the BSP we got with board was not fully compatible with it, thus it was producing a continuous high-frequency beep after startup. This way we could always say when yet one student managed to get his board running OS2000:-) Although a little room with 8 beeping boards looked slightly crazy...

A good project will be to try to run FreeBSD/mips on these boards and use it as a basis of course, but the lack of documentation and OS source code makes this nearly impossible. Hopefully, they'll understand soon that distributing a research OS without the source code in 21th century is a no-way.

Toyota Builds Violin-Playing Robot, Taking Jobs Away From Violin-Playing Humans

With seventeen articulation points in each arm and an uncanny ability to play Pomp and Circumstance, technology has finally produced a robot to replace the Asian child.

Toyota hopes to use these guys to help people by the next decade.

“We began to use industrial robots in our factories in the 1980s that have been perfected over time to be capable of working on several car models or carrying out different tasks,” said Toyota Motor Corp. chief executive Katsuaki Watanabe.

“Now we want to accelerate the development of robots that make a contribution to society, drawing on our knowledge and innovation in the field of automobiles,” he told a press conference.

The new robots come three years after Toyota unveiled a trumpet-playing robot — its first humanoid machine — in a bid to catch up with robot technology frontrunners such as Honda Motor Co. and Sony Corp.

Makers of robots see big potential for their use in Japan, where the number of elderly people is rapidly growing, causing labour shortages in a country that strictly controls immigration.

Source: AFP.

iPhone & iPod Sync to Office 2008

hot myspace layouts

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac will let users export PowerPoint presentations to iPhones and video-equipped iPods. Then you can use the built-in photos or slide-show program on your iPod or iPhone to show your presentation.

Apple's own Keynote presentation maker can also export its slide shows to iTunes. From there, Keynote presentations can be synced to iPods or iPhones.

Microsoft will release Office 2008 for Mac on 15th January 2008 in the US.

JB Classics SDM
Footwear companies are always looking for new inspiration to give their shoes an edge over the rest of the competitors, so, JB Classics SDM uses the medieval era as its inspiration and uses a basket-woven and leather as the upper of sneaker. Continuing with the medieval theme, a mace logo, herringbone heel and black and red lace locks complete the shoe and also includes extra laces, certificate of ownership and a JB Cinch box bag. On this note, If you want to buy cheap sneakers in Romania you should do it online on Incaltaminte and if you want more detailed information we recommend Adidasi Haine .


BlackBerry 8830
The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition it is not just a phone, it gives you email, organizer, web browsing and instant messaging, and it goes a step further, providing GPS*, BlackBerry® Maps, a media player for your videoclips and mp3's, and expandable memory to ensure you’ve got the room you need for your media files.The RIM BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone is the first global CDMA/GSM BlackBerry. The BlackBerry 8830 has an ARM 9 processor running at 225 MHz, while the BlackBerry 8800 features the Intel XScale 312 MHz processor. The built-in QWERTY keyboard on the BlackBerry 8830 should look familiar to BlackBerry veterans. More about this concept on Telefoane GSM. We hope to see this phone by the end of this year but who knows.. If you are in Romania we recommend Telefoane LG and Telefoane Sony Ericsson .

Top 10 List on Ten Things to Know About iPods

hot myspace layouts

10. Once you start using one, you’re stuck for life.

9. Apple charges extra fees for items that once used to come along with products (chargers, cords that hook up the iPod to the TV, etc.)

8. Theft of the iPod is becoming common crime.

7. It’s possible that as soon as an iPod is purchased, a new model is set for release the next day.

6. A person’s hearing may be damaged by constant/excessive use of the insert earphones that comes along with the iPod.

5. The battery’s capacity decreases by approximately 20% after charging it about 400 times.

4. Once 15,000 songs are on an individual’s iPod, Apple will not permit the user to transfer them to another computer or any other device, otherwise it will be considered copyright infringement.

3. It is very fragile - dropping it just once can cause damage to the product and it cracks easily.

2. Apple charges users for technical support.

1. This format is completely incompatible with any other digital music technology.

source: worldstart.com


JB Classics SDM
Sneaker companies are always looking for new ideas and inspiration to give their shoes an edge over the competitors. JB Classics SDM uses the medieval era as its source of inspiration and uses a basket-woven and leather as the upper of shoe. Continuing with the medieval theme, a mace logo, herringbone heel and black and red lace locks complete the shoe and also includes extra laces, certificate of ownership and a JB Cinch box bag. If you want to buy online sneakers in Romania you should do it on Adidasi Online and if you want more detailed information we recommend Haine .


Modu - lightest mobile phone
The Guinness World Record for the world’s lightest mobile phone has been awarded to Modu for its tiny mobile phone. Modu is a compact cellphone with 1GB of internal memory, although the main device itself only has rudimentary controls: a joystick, a handful of buttons and a small display. It weighs just 40.1 g. Impressive uh ? More about this concept on Articole Telefoane. On this note, if you are in Romania we recommend Telefoane Sony Ericsson and Telefoane si Gps .

Using iPhone in cold 'risks RSI'

The iPhone: unsual finger movements?

Buying an iPhone may not just cause serious injury to your wallet.

The £270 device could also leave users with repetitive strain injury, it is claimed.

Flicking through menus, text messages and photos risks cutting the blood supply to finger muscles – especially in cold weather, experts warned.

And overuse of the Apple gadget could even damage the whole arm.

Despite its hefty price-tag, the iPhone sold 1.4million units in its first 90 days and was released in Britain last month. Its combination of phone, music player, Web browser and camera have made it the must-have gadget this Christmas.

NVIDIA rolls out GeForce 8800M GTX / GTS notebook GPUs

It looks like Alienware’s decision to announce its latest laptops today was hardly an arbitrary one, as it just so happens that NVIDIA has also chosen the date to get official with its new GeForce 8800 GTX and GTS laptop GPUs, which the Alienware systems are based on. Described as the “World’s Fastest Notebook GPU,” the 8800M GTX and GTS are each largely identical, with the notable exception of 96 stream processors in the GTX model, as opposed to 64 in the GTS. Otherwise, you can expect full DirectX 10 support from each, along with NVIDIA’s PureVideo HD engine for your HD decoding needs, up to 512MB of dedicated memory, and NVIDIA’s trademark “PowerMizer technology,” which promises to “intelligently” balance battery life and performance. According to NVIDIA, in addition to Alienware, you can also expect Eurocom, Gateway, and Sager to offer laptops equipped with the GPUs in North America before too long, with a handful of other companies also set to trot out systems in other parts of the world.
[Source]

Catching Power Out of Mid-Air

The times have certainly given way to digital but radio waves are re-defining their value. The Tate Ambient Power Module, patented by Joseph Tate of California, converts radio-wave energy (manmade and natural) into energy that can be used by small appliances such as smoke detectors and clock radios.

The device is simple in its design and composition. The Ambient Power Module (APM) is nothing more than an electronic circuit connected to an antenna and grounded to the earth. Tate made this come to life by just loosely wrapped wire around a 3-inch plastic tube with a whip antenna. This module will deliver low voltage up to several milliwatts dependent upon the local radio noise levels and antenna specifications.

Once put together this crafty little unit can generate 36 volts/9 watts of power, equivalent to the output of several Duracell batteries. Apparently, this device in close proximity to large quantities of metal (bridges, ships, etc) winds up the output. The interesting added bonus to this creative module is that it might also be helpful in forecasting earthquakes by watching the rising and falling energy levels.

GPS directs driver onto train tracks

VANERSBORG, Sweden, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A Swedish driver who trusted his onboard GPS navigation system more than his eyes wound up driving on railroad tracks in a snow storm.

The driver, following the directions of his GPS navigation, steered his car onto the rail tracks Friday despite the fact no turn in the road existed, The Local reported Sunday.

"It was a Norwegian GPS, but there have been several of these kinds of accidents where drivers have trusted their GPS more than the road," said police spokesman Stefan Gustafsson.

The incident occurred on a curve with nearly 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground, the newspaper said.

Officials halted all rail traffic when the driver alerted authorities he was stuck. It wasn't clear how far he had traveled along the tracks.

Dell shoots across the iMac's bow with XPS One

Dell has moved into the all-in-one PC market pioneered by Apple with the iMac, with Monday’s introduction of the XPS One, a new Intel-based Windows-compatible PC. The system starts at $1,499.

Dell hinted at the new system last week, dropping a preview trailer on its Web site; Michael Dell also alluded to the new system’s pending release during a presentation. But the company formally introduced the new system on its Web site Monday, where it’s available for immediate ordering.

The XPS One comes in four different models, each optimized for different tasks. There’s the Essential One, a general-purpose PC; The Music One; The Performance One, a system with a faster processor and a discrete graphics chip; and The Entertainment One, which builds on the Performance One’s features with a Blu-ray Disc capable of burning BD discs too (an amenity not yet found on any Macs shipping from the factory). Prices for the four systems start at $1,499, $1,748, $1,999 and $2,399 respectively.

source: macworld.com

iPhone to get 3G in May 2008

Apple is asking for 30 per cent of subscriber revenue and can't provide enough iPhones for a Christmas 2007 launch in Spain, according to Spanish technology company SevenClick, which reports that it got the information from a senior manager at Telefonica. It also claims the May 2008 launch will see a 3G version of Apple's super-slate.

The company's technology blog explains that Telefonica Spain would have liked to launch the iPhone this year, along with the UK, Germany and France, but Apple couldn't supply enough handsets. Telefonica would also like to negotiate down the 30 per cent revenue cut before signing up.

It comes as no surprise that Apple is working on a 3G version of its handset, and May 2008 sounds like a reasonable time frame for such a device to be launched - barring technical problems. The real question is how the addition of 3G will impact the price and battery life.

The revelation that Apple is asking for 30 per cent of subscriber revenue is also unsurprising. The percentage varies between countries, and can be dependent on if a customer is switching networks or just upgrading their handset.

May 2008 is a sensible timeline for a 3G iPhone, but by that time the competition will be well established in Spain and elsewhere, so Apple is going to have to pull a few other surprises if it's going to stay ahead.

source: theregister.co.uk

17 Most Bizarre Statues in The World

1.In front of the Ernst & Young building (Los Angeles)

2.Optimus Prime (Southern China)

3.The "Magic tap" (found in "Aqualand" of Cadiz, Spain), which appears to float in the sky with an endless supply of water. Actually, there is a pipe hidden in the stream of water that holds the whole structure.

4.A Mona Lisa made of computer chips (ASUS headquarters)

5.(Prague)

6.Baseball Man

7.(Oslo, Norway)

8.Santa Fe, New Mexico

9.(Potsdam, Germany)

10."Iron Lady", in front of the building Regentes (Netherlands)

11.(Salt Lake City)

12.(Singapore)

13.Keukenhof (Lisse, Holland)

14.In front of the Bukcheon Museum (Seoul, Korea)

15.A contemporary representation of Charles La Trobe in central Melbourne (This temporary installation was removed at the end of June 2006 and has been acquired by La Trobe University).

16.London Ink

17.A life-like statue of a man swimming through the grass on the South Bank of the River Thames is unveiled.