Physicists calculate the end of Moore's Law, clearly don't believe in Moore's Law

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/20/physicists-calculate-the-end-of-moores-law-clearly-dont-belie/

If you're looking for pundits with an end date for Moore's Law, you don't have to look far. You also don't have to look far to find a gaggle of loonies who just knew the world was ending in Y2K, so make of that what you will. The latest duo looking to call the demise of the processor mantra that has held true for two score comes from Boston University, with physicists Lev Levitin and Tommaso Toffoli asserting that a quantum limit would be achieved in around 75 to 80 years. Scott Aaronson, an attention-getter at MIT, expects that very same limit to be hit in just 20 years. Of course, there's plenty of technobabble to explain the what's and how's behind all this, but considering that the brainiacs of the world can't even agree with Gordon Moore's own doomsday date, we're choosing to plug our ears and keep on believin' for now. Bonus video after the break.

[Via Slashdot]

Continue reading Physicists calculate the end of Moore's Law, clearly don't believe in Moore's Law

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Science

Physicists calculate the end of Moore's Law, clearly don't believe in Moore's Law originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix, Best Buy deal brings Watch Instantly streaming to even cheaper Blu-ray players

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/20/netflix-best-buy-deal-brings-watch-instantly-streaming-to-even/

Though they've been floating around retail channels for a few weeks, Best Buy and Netflix have finally made official a partnership bringing streaming to the latest Insignia Blu-ray players. The NS-BRDVD3 runs $179, while the NS-WBRDVD edition tosses in WiFi for $20 more, while they won't stream out of the box, a firmware update just made available should add all the . These two keep the (we'll be nice and call it plain) styling of earlier models, and likely live up to the family reputation of "basic Blu-ray playback at a bargain" reported on the second generation of players. Of course, the BD-P1600 offers more features and a nicer reputation at about the same price, but Reward Zone members may want to think twice, with AVS Forum posters mentioning the NS-BRDVD3 can be had for just $99.99 through the 24th. Decisions, decisions.

Read - Best Buy and Netflix Announce Partnership to Instantly Stream Movies Over the Internet Via Latest Models of Insignia Blu-ray Disc Players
Read - Save $50 On Select INSIGNIA(R) Connected Blu-ray Disc[TM] Players with Netflix [Via AVS Forum]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Netflix, Best Buy deal brings Watch Instantly streaming to even cheaper Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Make Your Own Shake Shack Burgers [Recipes]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/xn46jT23X7Y/make-your-own-shake-shack-burgers

The cheeseburgers from New York City's Shake Shack are so beloved by burger aficionados that even 12-hour Manhattan visits demand a wait in the Shack's imposing line. One burger lover researched and reverse-engineered the burger's basics for making at home.

Photo by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.

Serious Eats guest writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is an obvious fan of the Shack's signature creation. He took the time to actually examine his burger before devouring it, then ask foodie friends and even a Shake Shack manager about the components he was unsure of. He demonstrates the "smash and scrape technique" in a stove-stop skillet, and gets scientific about what kind of beef mixture goes into a Shack patty:

According to Adam's sources, the meat is a 50:25:25 blend of sirloin, chuck, and brisket. On the other hand, according to Ozersky, the mixture is actually mostly brisket, with chuck and short rib mixed in.

I did a side-by-side comparison of the two purported blends next to a Shack Burger, and found that Adam's mix is closer in flavor, offering the right level of tenderness from the sirloin, rich beef flavor from the chuck, and slight sour/metallic notes from the brisket.

If the higher potential for E. Coli contamination and single-source quality concerns aren't enough for you to take up grinding your own meat for hamburgers, this opportunity might just! tip the scales.

Visit Serious Eats for the full debriefing on ingredients, bun sources, griddle instructions, and sauce recipe, and share your own Shack remembrances—or competitors for burgers worthy of imitation (In-N-Out, anyone?)—in the comments.

The Burger Lab: The Fake Shack [Serious Eats]

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Firefox Now Auto-Blocks Microsoft .NET Extensions [Security]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/O3z7LdiXQ3Q/firefox-now-auto+blocks-microsoft-net-extensions

Firefox users on Windows probably have the .NET Framework Assistant extension installed, even if they didn't try to install it. Now Mozilla is was blocking it for security reasons, but has let it back in (Update below).

Microsoft discovered a vulnerability in Internet Explorer and .NET-connected browsers that allowed a site with malicious code to, well, "own" your browser and install some other terrible stuff.

Microsoft issued a high-priority security patch for Windows systems and through Internet Explorer's update mechanism, but for Firefox users who haven't applied the patch, Mozilla has added the Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant and Windows Presentation Foundation extensions to its blocklist, noting that users should see the extensions disabled upon their next log-in.

Update: Mozilla security chief Mike Shaver writes in a blog post that Mozilla has removed .NET Framework Assistant from its blocklist, as the extension was determined not to be a vulnerability to the "browse once and own" code exploit. Shaver writes that a more thorough explanation, and tips on how to prevent and customize auto-blocking, will follow.

If you still see those extensions enabled on your Windows system, Mozilla's security chief has written about the special means of removing them, as they often can't be disabled by default. Better still, if you see extensions in your Firefox Add-Ons menu that you can't quite remember installing, or question what purpose they serve, take this as a lesson in why uninstalling them might be a good idea.

.NET Framework Assistant Blocked to Disarm Security Vulnerability [Mozilla Security Blog via Yahoo News]

LastPass Adds Auto-Fill Password Management to Google Chrome [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/TLd1pd_3vT0/lastpass-adds-auto+fill-password-management-to-google-chrome

Google Chrome (on Windows): Password saving and management webapp LastPass offers a single space to drop your web site passwords and quickly use them on any browser—now including Chrome, through an extension available to development channel users.

LastPass works on Chrome similarly to how it does on Firefox and Internet Explorer, and it's a bit more convenient and functional than its bookmarklet form filler. The concept remains the same: you only have to remember your LastPass login, and LastPass remembers all your other passwords and, if you want, credit card and form data, too. Before you ask, here's how LastPass justifies its safety and encryption.

The extension and its features worked as promised on a development channel version of Google Chrome on Windows. Testing it out on a daily build of extension-supporting Chromium on Ubuntu, however, led to consistent crashes, and I'd expect the same out of Mac OS X builds, at least until those platforms mature or LastPass gets around to addressing them.

LastPass' Chrome extension is a free download, works wherever Chrome does, and requires a LastPass account to use.

LastPass - Downloads [via MakeUseOf]

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