Carlo Orlando

Sean "Puff Daddy/P. Diddy" Combs is looking for a new assistant, but don't bother sending him a typed resume. The rap mogul is only accepting video applications uploaded directly onto YouTube. Mr. Combs, now known simply as "Diddy", posted a "help ... wanted" ad on the popular video website hoping to entice the younger generation to help him find a suitable replacement for his long-time personal assistant. (Source: nytimes.com ) In the past, the job has entailed such laborious tasks as holding Diddy's umbrella for him in the rain and chaperoning his very own hip-hop group "Da Band". Outside of ... (view more)

While she might be considered a late bloomer in technological terms, 75-year-old Sigbritt Lothberg now surfs the Internet at a blistering speed. Lothberg is the owner of a 40 gigabits-per-second, fiber-optic connection on her home computer in her ... native Karlstad City, Sweden. It is believed to be the fastest residential uplink in the world, according to Karlstad City officials. In less than two seconds, Lothberg can download a full-length movie from the comfort of her own home. Her neighbors, like the majority of those who surf the Internet, are likely to be using a connection speed that is ... (view more)

Researchers in Edmonton, Alberta have launched a simple computer program that claims to have "solved" the game of checkers. Apparently "Chinook", the checker-playing computer program, cannot lose in a game that has been played by young and old for ... hundreds of years. Tests have shown the very best a player can do while playing against the computer is a draw. While Chinook is unlikely to start a technological revolution, the steps that were taken to overcome such an improbable obstacle is most interesting. In the past, game-playing programs had used a common sense approach in making all ... (view more)

Microsoft became the most widely-used search engine last month, rising from their third spot in May and surpassing both Google and Yahoo (the long-standing most and second-most used search engines respectively). What was Microsoft's recipe for ... success? Playing a deceptive game of chicken! Microsoft's shares climbed to 13.2% in June, an increase of 3% compared to May's figures. Microsoft's recent success came at the expense of rival search engine providers Google and Yahoo. The shares of both companies fell 1% that same month. (Source: usatoday.com ) To induce the influx of users, Microsoft ... (view more)

Intel has finally agreed to join the One Laptop Per Child campaign, after months of publicly stating that they had no intentions of ever doing so. One Laptop Per Child is a non-profit, internationally-recognized program that aims to supply the ... developing countries of the world with inexpensive laptop computers. Ironically, before Intel had joined One Laptop Per Child, the campaign had been referred to by many as a plausible Intel rival, since most of the processors used in the inexpensive computers were supplied by industry opponent Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). (Source: itweek.co.uk ) In a ... (view more)

Technology has allowed us to save time and energy, but can it save an endangered species? In Deerfield River, Massachusetts, computer engineers looking to test new wireless communication networks have teamed up with biologists looking to track local ... area snapping turtles. It's a species that has many people worried that their extinction is inevitable due to the rapid expansion of nearby land development. The project to save said turtles is school-related, and is whole-heartedly endorsed by the University of Massachusetts. Using a combination of orthodontic cement and duct tape, students ... (view more)

After eight years of trying, Research in Motion has finally been given clearance to sell its BlackBerry wireless handheld device in China. Research in Motion's co-chief executive, James L. Balsillie, formally announced the Blackberry expansion into ... China during a recent conference call with analysts. It was during this conference call that Balsillie expressed the company's long-standing desire to appease those customers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou who have waited years to own their first BlackBerry. (Source: nytimes.com ) The expansion into China could not have come at a better time ... (view more)

When consumers think of portable media devices made by a company whose name starts with 'A', "Archos" might not come to mind. Despite manufacturing some of the first MP3 players available to the public, their products continue to be overshadowed by ... the increasingly popular iPod. Archos is only now realizing that to stay afloat of the market they helped to pioneer, they must come up with products that can match any device produced by Apple. Archos may have found the answer to their prayers in the 605 WiFi media player. The Archos 605 WiFi is a medium capacity touch screen multimedia player ... (view more)