Daily Archive for September 14th, 2007

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GOOGLE SPACE CONTEST

Published on September 14, 2007 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google Inc. is bankrolling a $30 million contest that could significantly boost the commercial space industry and spur the first non-governmental flight to the moon. Call it Moon 2.0. The bulk of the prize will go to the first private company that can land a robotic rover on the moon and beam back a gigabyte of images and video to Earth, the Internet search leader said Thursday. Google partnered with the X Prize Foundation for the moon challenge, which is open to companies around the world. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit prize institute is best known for hosting the Ansari X Prize contest, which led to the first manned private spaceflight in 2004.

The Google Lunar X Prize joins another prize already dangling in front of potential competitors: $50 million that hotel magnate Robert Bigelow is offering the first private American team to rocket a manned craft into orbit by 2010. The race to the moon won’t be easy or cheap. But whoever fills the requirements in the Google contest by the end of 2012 gets $20 million. The winning spacecraft must be tough enough to survive a landing and be equipped with high-definition video and still cameras. And it must be smart enough to trek at least 1,312 feet on the moon and send self-portraits, panoramic views and near-real-time videos back to Earth that will be streamed on Google’s Web site.

iPod touch gets its first review

Published on September 14, 2007 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the first review (or at least the first we’ve seen) of the iPod touch, Apple’s new iPhone-aping, widescreen media player / WiFi device. If you can’t wait until the end of September (the touch is shipping by the 28th, if you believe the Apple Store), you can sink your teeth into one lucky critic’s view of the new device. According to PC Magazine, the iPod touch is a, “Thing of beauty,” which shouldn’t surprise anyone, considering the praise for its design-doppelganger, the iPhone. The review notes that all of the media player and internet controls are the same as the aforementioned device (Cover Flow, lists, zooming, etc.), though the touch allows you to “double-click” the button on the front of the device to bring up a music control-panel, no matter what application you’re in. It’s not all sweet-loving however — PC Mag isn’t too psyched on the Starbucks feature, which apparently can’t be turned off, and says that the earbuds are absolutely awful (no real surprise there), though the complaints are minor compared with the praise lavished on the player. Don’t take our word for it, though, hit the link and read the whole thing for yourself

Kodi to play?

Published on September 14, 2007 in au football. 0 Comments

Looking for more playmakers on an offense that currently ranks last in the SEC, will Auburn turn to true freshman quarterback Kodi Burns to provide a spark? According to AU head coach Tommy Tuberville, if Burns is going to play this year, he needs to earn a spot soon. The AU staff has said on several occasions Burns will have to be the No. 2 QB to avoid a redshirt and play this fall.

AuburnSports.com
Burns threw for 1,903 yards and 23 TD’s as a senior.

“A couple more games go by, Kodi will be looking at redshirting for sure,” Tuberville said Sunday. Whether the strong-armed Burns actually steps onto the field this Saturday or at any point this fall, remains a mystery. But senior defensive end Quentin Groves sees plenty of potential in Burns, if AU chooses to use him. “Everybody knows he has a cannon. The scrimmage we had, when he stopped and threw an 80-yard bomb, that’s kind of hard to do,” said Groves. “You can load up the box if you want to, but if you have eight in the box and three out on an island, he might burn you deep.” Junior wide receiver Robert Dunn is all for giving Burns an opportunity. “If the coaches feel they trust him enough to play him, I feel the same way,” said Dunn. “If the coaches feel like he’s ready, I don’t see what’s wrong with giving him an opportunity. “I feel like everybody deserves a fair opportunity to get their share of playing time. If he’s ready, if he can get in and keep things rolling, then I say: Why not?” But don’t confuse Groves and Dunn’s excitement over Burns with a lack of confidence in starting quarterback Brandon Cox. In fact, it’s just the opposite. “You’ve got to realize, Kodi’s a true freshman,” said Groves. “You can’t take a fifth-year senior and replace him with a true freshman. It’s just not going to work. “Kodi’s never been in a real game. Brandon’s been battle-tested plenty of times. He led us to a victory over Florida, did all that. You can’t make up for experience with athletic ability.” Dunn says he’s firmly behind Cox as AU’s starting quarterback.
“I’m behind him 100 percent,” said Dunn. “He’s the quarterback. He’s the man here. If anybody dislikes him, they dislike me. I feel like he’s the leader of the offense.”
Tuberville made it clear during Tuesday’s weekly press conference that Cox will remain AU’s starter. “I know Brandon Cox has taken a lot of heat,” said Tuberville. “Brandon Cox is our quarterback. He will be our quarterback. He’s a good football player. I think that Brandon’s kind of taken more on his shoulders the last couple of weeks than he should have. He’s just tried to force the issue.”With Cox firmly entrenched as the starter, does Burns have a part to play in this year’s offense or will he have to wait until next year?
“Y’all will just have to wait until Saturday to see,” said Dunn.