Buried beneath a coal mine in Mongolia, scientists have discovered a ‘Pompeii-like’ forest, 300 million years old, buried by volcanic ash.

Because volcanic ash covered a large expanse of forest over the course of only a few days, plants were preserved as they fell, in many cases in the exact locations where they grew.

“It’s marvelously preserved,” says University of Pennsylvania paleobotanist Hermann Pfefferkorn.

“We can stand there and find a branch with the leaves attached, and then we find the next branch and the next branch and the next branch. And then we find the stump from the same tree. That’s really exciting.”
The researchers also found some smaller trees with leaves, branches, trunk and cones intact, preserved in their entirety.

Because local coal mining has uncovered large tracts of rock, the researchers were able to examine a total of 1,000 square meters of the ash layer, spread between three different sites nearby.

The team has dated the ash layer to around 298 million years ago, the beginning of the Permian period.

Back then, the Earth’s continental plates were still moving toward each other to form the supercontinent Pangea, and the climate was comparable to today’s.

In each of the three study sites, Pfefferkorn and collaborators counted and mapped the fossilized plants they encountered. In all, they identified six groups of trees, some up to 80 feet high, with tree ferns forming a lower canopy.

The researchers also found nearly complete specimens of a group of trees called Noeggerathiales – extinct spore-bearing trees, relatives of ferns. While these have previously been found at sites in North America and Europe, they appear to be much more common in these Asian sites.

“This is the first such forest reconstruction in Asia for any time interval, it’s the first of a peat forest for this time interval and it’s the first with Noeggerathiales as a dominant group,” says Pfefferkorn. “It’s a time capsule.”

Microsoft and Apple should hate one another right now. I mean, really hate each other. After decades of domination, Microsoft has watched their rival move from death’s door to become the most valuable company in the world — over $200 billion more valuable than Microsoft itself. And it was Microsoft who helped get Apple there, remember, with a timely cash infusion in 1997.

Steve Ballmer laughed off the iPhone, which eventually helped kill off Windows Mobile — and it’s now bigger than all of Microsoft’s businesses combined. And the company shrugged off the iPad, even as it established a category, tablets, which Microsoft itself had been trying to establish for years.

Now Apple’s iOS ecosystem threatens the very fabric of Microsoft. Given the rise of the iPhone and iPad, and the halo-effect they’re having on the Mac, products like Windows and Office don’t hold the same importance that they once did in the computing world. And their shine is ever-diminishing. People are realizing that they just don’t need them anymore. Apple’s rise is slowly killing the Microsoft we’ve all known for years.

And yet, Microsoft rarely bashes Apple publicly anymore. In fact, they often take their side on arguments or come to their defense on issues. Again, these were once bitter rivals. And these times should be the battleground for their bloodiest battles yet. Instead, it’s all holding hands, s’mores, and Kumbaya.

Why? Because Microsoft has an enemy they hate much worse than Apple. And Apple has the same enemy. Google.

This is nothing new, but the animosity continues to build between the parties. Look at the news today, for example. Following last week’s headlines that Google was bypassing privacy settings in Apple’s mobile Safari browser, Microsoft today says that Google is doing the same thing to their own IE browser. Meanwhile, Google says that Microsoft is full of shit, while Apple is probably off in the corner smiling.

It wasn’t long ago that Apple and Google were aligned against Microsoft. Remember, then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple’s board and the two sides worked closely on projects like the original iPhone. Then Android came along and destroyed that relationship. While Google probably didn’t consider it at the time, this set the stage for Microsoft and Apple to align on things like the Nortel patents.

Microsoft should probably be going all-in to combat the rise of iOS, but instead they seem far more concerned with spending obscene amounts of money to bolster Bing as a Google competitor. And they seem to truly enjoy undermining Android by way of licensing agreements with key OEM partners.

Meanwhile, Apple seems downright bored if you ask them about Microsoft as a competitor. But ask about Google (Android in particular) and the knives come out.

Maybe this all just means that Google is doing something right. They have all the biggest technology companies in the world pointing guns right at them. You don’t get to the top without pissing off people along the way. But the way Google has managed to unify all of these main rivals against them should at the very least give them pause. Microsoft and Apple are the two biggest examples. But Facebook and Twitter are finding common ground against Google as well thanks to the search giant’s foray into the social realm.

All of this makes for a fascinating situation in the tech world. On one side there’s Google. On the other side there’s basically everyone else, with new members seemingly joining on a daily basis. And this side is filled with rivals that under any other circumstance would hate each other. But here they’re allied. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Based on age alone, it would not be news that younger consumers are much more likely to own a smartphone than older consumers. But when you throw income into the equation, it becomes a completely different story.
To start off, overall smartphone penetration stood around 48 percent domestically by the end of January, according to a new report from Nielsen Wire.
The age group with the highest levels of smartphone ownership was the 24- to 34-year-old demographic with 66 percent of respondents acknowledging that they own a smartphone. In fact, 8 out of 10 people in this group got them in the last three months.
However, when income was taken into account, consumers between the ages of 55 and 64 with salaries of more than $100,000 per year made up the difference and were almost as likely as those in the 35- to 44-year age group making only $35,000 to $75,000 annually.
Smartphones aren’t really cheap commodities. On average, they cost $199 with the requirement of a two-year service agreement, data plans, and more. That can add up to several hundreds of dollars extra within a few months.
If you don’t want to deal with all of that, then you have to fork over around $599 or $699 for an unsubsidized device–and then you still have to pay for some kind of service plan (pay-as-you-go, etc.) afterwards.
Thus, a smartphone is an investment at any age, any income.
But the takeaway point here (especially important to anyone trying to sell these devices, ranging from marketing departments to the developers) would be that younger generations care more about the technology and are more likely to pay a high price regardless of the income, while older generations will probably only pay for these advanced devices if they have the extra income to do so.
For reference, the Nielsen report is based upon the responses of more than 20,000 mobile consumers in the United States who were surveyed in January.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57381467-94/age-income-dial-up-smartphone-ownership-rates/#ixzz1n118FpgN

Your smartphone is simultaneously your best friend and your worst enemy. It can help you find the nearest Starbucks for a caffeine fix, reach out to loved ones in times of need, or get the score of that vital play-off game. If it falls into the wrong hands, heck, even if it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, a smartphone can expose your contacts, location history, banking data, and more. Smartphone privacy was in the news again this week, due to a fresh Google and Apple iPhone privacy flap.
This all means smartphone owners need to be vigilant in order to protect themselves. Here are some essential tips to help keep your vital data under control.
1. Lock Your Phone
This may seem a simple and obvious step to take, but many people are too lazy to do it. Set up a screen lock so the phone can’t be accessed or used without a password of some sort. Though four-number pins may foil street hoods, using a real alphanumeric password is much better. Make sure the screen locks automatically after 1 to 5 minutes of non-use.
2. Use ‘Find My iPhone’ Or Similar Services
It only takes a few moments to use today’s smartphone tools to set up a free tracking/wiping service. Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone devices allow users to lock, track, or wipe their phones remotely if lost. Not only does this protect your data, it could help you recover a lost/stolen device. Do it.
3. Don’t Leave Your Smartphone Unattended
Would you leave your social security card on a bar while you traipse off to use the bathroom? I didn’t think so. Don’t leave your phone sitting around in public where it can be grabbed by an opportunist. You may trust your coworkers in the meeting room, or friends you invite to your home, but don’t be too quick to extend trust to people you don’t know. Put it in your coat, pocket, desk (yes, even at the office), briefcase, purse, backpack, wherever. Keep it out of view.
4. Don’t Give Your Phone to Strangers
That ‘tourist’ who needs to make an emergency call home and asks to use your phone? Dicey. It could certainly be someone in legitimate need of help–or not. Rather than give the person your phone, make the call yourself, and put it on speakerphone.
5. Keep Your Smartphone Up-to-Date
You know that system update you’ve been ignoring for a couple of weeks? Install it. Nearly all smartphone system updates include enhancements to device security. Smartphone makers and carriers often ship phones with buggy software that contains loopholes that can be used to circumvent security. When updates are provided by the manufacturer, install them.
6. Manage Location Settings
Most phones come with either GPS or carrier-aided location tracking features. These are meant to enhance the functionality of applications such as Google Maps or Foursquare (after all, maps are kind of useless if you don’t know where you are.) Now, however, there are thousands of apps that want to access your location data, such as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. You can control location settings in these apps individually in most cases. If you want to make your location as secret as possible, turn off all forms of location assessment. This way, apps won’t know where you are.
7. Do App Due Diligence
Speaking of apps, do your homework. If you value your privacy, read the “Permissions” screen when you download and install apps. Many apps will let you know that they are accessing your location, call history, contacts, and other data. Be sure to note if that data is going to be stored by the app, delivered by the app to the app vendor, or sent to third-party companies for other uses. If you’re suspect about the permissions, do some research, look online to see if the app has been reviewed by reputable sources, and so on. Also, if you download an app and stop using it, get rid of it. Don’t leave it on your phone.
8. Don’t Download Apps From Untrusted Sources
Most smartphone manufacturers only want you to download apps from their stores, but there are plenty of ways to circumvent this control. In Android smartphones, for example, you can choose to enable a setting that allows non-Market apps to be installed. If you jailbreak our iPhone, you can install Cydia apps, etc. Don’t do it. Apps that haven’t been approved by an official app store are more likely to be invasive.
9. Watch Those Attachments!
Being able to access email on my phone is vital, especially when I am traveling for work. Be careful, however, about opening the attachments sent to you by people you don’t know. Take the same precautions on your smartphone that you would on your home computer. Same goes for downloads from web sites, social networks, shortened URLs, etc.
10. Encrypt Smartphone Data
Today’s smartphones make it relatively simple to encrypt the contents of the phone. This ensures that even if the phone does fall into the wrong hands and is accessed because the screen lock was bypassed, some level of protection remains. This is especially important for the memory cards of Android smartphones. The phone itself doesn’t have to be stolen in order for you to lose all your documents, photos, songs, and other files.
The smartphone privacy bottom line is the same one your mother taught you when you were growing up: Don’t trust strangers (or strange companies, apps, or networks.)

JAPANESE HARDWARE VENDOR Panasonic has unveiled its Eluga smartphone that is bound for Europe.

The Eluga signifies the firm’s return to the European market after a number of years of focusing on its home market. It said it is “back with a splash” with the Eluga, which it says stands for ‘elegant user-oriented gateway’.

Toshiya Matsumura, GM and head of Mobile Communications for Panasonic Europe said, “Despite the unprecedented increase in the number of smartphone devices appearing over the last few years, we don’t believe anyone has yet managed to truly bridge the gap between style and substance.”

“With the launch of the Eluga, we’re aiming to prove it is possible to deliver style, function, form, and the very best underlying technology, all in a competitively-priced package.”

The Eluga might not have the best name for a smartphone but it comes packed with mouth-watering technology. For starters, it will have a 4.3in organic LED (OLED) qHD touchscreen.

It will be powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP4430 1GHz dual-core processor and have 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and an 8MP rear facing camera. Unfortunately it will ship with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich coming after launch.

Panasonic says the device will have a slim 7.8mm profile and has a few tricks up its sleeve including near field communications (NFC) and digital living network alliance (DLNA) technology. It will also be water and dust proof.

The firm said the Eluga will be available in April but hasn’t announced a price yet.

Barack Obama’s proposed 2013 budget for NASA boosts spending at
the Kennedy Space Center, which bore the brunt of job layoffs at
the end of the space shuttle program last year, the center
director said on Tuesday.

The president’s $17.7 billion budget request for NASA for
the year beginning Oct. 1 includes $2.1 billion for the Florida
spaceport, an increase of $323 million over this year’s budget.

“During these austere times when other centers went down,
for us to go up I think says a lot about the importance of what
we’re doing and where we’re going,” Kennedy Space Center
director and former astronaut Bob Cabana told a National Space
Club Florida Committee meeting in Cape Canaveral on Tuesday.

The center’s proposed budget increase won’t mean more NASA
jobs, however. Cabana told reporters he expects Kennedy Space