Journalism majors may need to buy iPhones for class

At the University of Missouri, Columbia, journalism students will be required to purchase an iPhone or an iPod touch for the fall semester.

However, the requirement will not be enforced, according to Brian Brooks, associate dean of the journalism school.

According to the Columbia Missourian, a community newspaper published by the journalism school, by putting the popular device on the requirement list, students on financial aid can add the iPhone in their financial need estimate. However, students will be allowed to use notebooks to review their lectures if they decide not to buy an iPhone or an iPod touch.

One student created a Facebook group to protest the requirement.

Hey mom and dad, I need to buy an iPhone for class. ;-P

[Columbia Missourian via Macworld]

Kindle DX unveiled to public

Looks like Amazon is preparing for a post-paper revolution with the release of the Kindle DX last week.

With a 9.7-inch black and white e-ink screen, 3.3 GB of memory and a price of $489, Jeff Bezo, Amazon CEO, hopes to position his company as a major player in the nascent ebook industry.

Besides selling novels, Amazon also made deals with several newspapers and textbook publishers to sell their products through the Kindle Store.

The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post will offer the Kindle DX at a reduced price to readers who live in areas where home-delivery is not available.

Textbook publishers Cengage Learning, Pearson, and Wiley will begin offering textbooks beginning this summer.

Kindle DX will compliment the smaller Kindle, which retails for $359 with a smaller 6-inch screen.

Yes, my etextbook cost only $25! Oops, I forgot to charge it last night. :-T

 [From Amazon]

Jeopardy! hosting computer contestant from IBM

After conquering the chess world with Deep Blue, IBM is taking the next step as Watson will be competing with human contestants on the television show Jeopardy!

IBM has been working on Watson for two years. It is a super computer with massively parallel analytical capabilities designed to handle semantics, the meaning of words. The computer will use statistical methods to determine the validity of its calculations. It will not be connected to the Internet or outside databases.

Jeopardy! is the long-running quiz game show covering a wide range of topics contestants need to quickly and accurately respond to.

Deep Blue was an IBM supercomputer designed to calculate over 200 million chess moves per second. It defeated World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.

“The essence of making decisions is recognizing patterns in vast amounts of data, sorting through choices and options, and responding quickly and accurately,” said Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Watson is a compelling example of how the planet – companies, industries, cities – is becoming smarter,” Palmisano said. “With advanced computing power and deep analytics, we can infuse business and societal systems with intelligence.”

First chess, then Jeopardy! Next, Survivor. o_O

[From IBM]

Goats munch on Google’s lawn

Earlier this spring, over 200 goats grazed the fields at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View.

Google decided to take an environmentally friendly approach to clear weeds and brush to reduced the risk of fires.

They rented the herd from California Grazing, which sent the goats for a week, eating the grass and fertilizing it.

How cute while reducing Google’s carbon footprint. ^_^

[From Google]