Oldest Stone Spear Tips Found: Came About 200,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

New evidence from a recently-published scientific study indicates that humans started crafting stone-tipped weapons 200,000 years earlier than previously believed.

A team of scientists that included researchers from Arizona State University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Cape Town have uncovered signs of hafting, or the art of attaching a stone tip to a spear, at an archaeological site in South Africa called Kathu Pan 1. Hafting was a significant advancement in human weaponry and hunting since it made spears more lethal and durable.

"There is a reason that modern bow-hunters tip their arrows with razor-sharp edges. These cutting tips are extremely lethal when compared to the effects from a sharpened stick. Early humans learned this fact earlier than previously thought," said co-author of the study Benjamin Schoville, who is affiliated with the Institute of Human Origins, a research center of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.

Hafting was previously attributed to Homo sapiens and Neanderthals around 300,000 years ago, but the new findings indicate that a shared ancestor between the two, Homo heidelbergensis, was practicing the craft 500,000 years ago.

"Rather than being invented twice, or by one group learning from the other, stone-tipped spear technology was in place much earlier," said Schoville. "Although both Neanderthals and humans used stone-tipped spears, this is the first evidence that this technology originated prior to or near the divergence of these two species."

The dating of the recovered spear points was done by Naomi Porat from the Geological Survey of Israel, and Rainer Grün from the Australian National University.

Source : latinospost.com

Microsoft sued because of Surface Memory Capacity

Even before the arrival to the market it was known that a big part of the internal flash memory of Surface is reserved for Windows alone and applications that come preloaded on the device. Thus, a 32-gigabyte version has only about 16 GB of free space for user data. That was reason enough for California Attorney General Andrew Sokolowski to sue Microsoft. In fact, he bought the Surface (RT) with 32 gigabytes of internal memory, but the internal memory got filled very fast with music and documents and then he realized that he actually has only half the space than he thought it should have.

Therefore, he decided to file a lawsuit against Microsoft for false advertising and unfair business practices. His goal is to change the Microsoft method of advertising of their devices, and make the company to return the money they earned by selling these devices. Microsoft justifies by claiming that customers realize that the operating system and preloaded applications are placed on the internal memory and that the whole 32GB of space wont be available. They also announced on the 5th of November exactly how much free space there is on each Surface version (32 gigabyte has a 16 gigabyte and 64 gigabyte has 45 gigabytes).

However, the information is buried on the Microsoft site and is not included in the specifications of those devices. There is also the question of the unit for the amount of data (kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte ...), or if they have taken one kilobyte as 1000 bytes (a typical case for specifying capacity of drives, flash memory, etc.) or 1,024 bytes (a typical case for many operating systems such as Windows). Therefore, when looking in Windows the capacity of internal flash memory, hard disk or SSD, it turns out that you have a lack of memory - and the thing is variously defined units. Now it's just a question of whether customers really understand that the operating system and applications can take up so much of the internal memory.

It is worth mentioning that a similar situation is present with the other devices, like the iPad. However, because the iPad's operating system takes up relatively little space, the difference between the declared and the free space is much lower (14.3 GB free of 16 GB).

Soutce: decryptedtech.com

Breaking Dawn Part 2: The Early Reviews Sound Promising for Twilight Fans

After the Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiere last night, it's now only a matter of days before the final installment of the Twilight saga hits the big screen for all to enjoy, which means one thing—the reviews are in.

Critics have already gotten a sneak peek at what Twi-hards have been waiting over a year to see, and it seems as though devoted fans will be left feeling satisfied, even with the surprise twist at the end.

But before you prepare your goodbyes to Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), take a look at what some reviewers had to say about the highly anticipated flick.

K.Stew and Twilight cast slip into something more comfortable for premiere after party

•"Although the new film builds to a massive confrontation on a wintry field between more than two dozen vampires, backed up by their hirsute werewolf allies, and the more numerous and gifted Volturi, this remains the rare popular series without any great set pieces or even memorable scenes; from the beginning, it all has just sort of chugged along in a stylistically mundane way that has not infrequently slipped over into dullness," The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy said, but also mentioned, "The final installment of the immortal Bella/Edward romance will give its breathlessly awaiting international audience just what it wants."

Baz Bamigboye from the Daily Mail wrote, "I can't deny that I didn't care very much for the four other movies. For the most part they were poorly made and badly acted. Also, all that girl falls in love with a soppy vampire then a second suitor turns up who turns into a werewolf got on my nerves. But somehow the final film has stuff to say about love, friendship and loyalty that works."

Find out Taylor Lautner's late-night guilty pleasure

•"With Bella reborn as a bloodthirsty, butt-kicking vampire mama, this second of two Bill Condon-directed installments clears a low bar to stand easily as the franchise's most eventful and exciting entry. Admittedly, much of the credit should go to a jaw-dropping extended climax that will give fans something to chew on besides the delicate matter of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's offscreen romance -- not that a movie this commercially invincible requires too many talking points,"

Variety's Justin Chang said, and also added, that, "it'll be interesting to monitor reactions beyond author Stephenie Meyer's distaff fanbase, this being perhaps the first Twilight picture that some men in the audience might find themselves actually enjoying."

•"At any rate, having seen the movie twice at this point, I can assure you it's going to be a hit with fellow fans," Amanda Bell from the Examiner wrote. "As many fans have been warned, the big showdown with the Volturi is a touch different than what we read in the book. The biggest question about that is, 'Is it so different that I won't like it and/or recognize it?' The answer is no. Mark my words on this: The theaters will be in a cheering and gasping uproar during these scenes. To say anything else would be a spoiler to the experience of it."

Source

'Car of the Year' uses no gasoline

The auto industry is shifting gears. For first time ever, Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" is an all-electic car.

The Tesla Model S took the top prize.

The magazine started with 11 finalists, including Ford Fusion, Porsche 911, and Hyundai Azera.

In the end, the decision was unanimous.

Motor Trend said the Tesla Model S was one of the most efficient cars, with an electric capacity of 75 miles per gallon.

The luxury car can also go from zero to 60 mph in four seconds. But that's not all.
Thanks to its electric motor, the Model S is quiet. And since there is no internal combustion engine, Tesla's vehicle has more space for passengers and cargo.

But it comes with a hefty price tag. The car retails for $50,000 to $100,000, depending on desired mileage. Basically, the farther you want to go on one charge, the more it will cost you.

And there is one big unknown: How this vehicle will perform in the long run



Source

Google Rolling Out Jelly Bean 4.2

Yesterday Google’s Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 went on sale, of which the former sold out within minutes. But if you’re one of the many who missed out on a Nexus 4, you might not have to wait long for the latest version of Android.

Google has already begun releasing the new software as an over the air update. But unlike iPhone users, who tend to receive software updates in unison, Google's update will be reaching Nexus devices first.

Nexus devices use a stock (aka vanilla) version of Android. Unlike manufacturer ROMs which feature a custom skin, Nexus phones don't require months of additional testing, and more often than not, receive over the air updates as soon as a new Android version becomes available.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Asus Nexus 7 owners should receive an update notification. Unfortunately support for Samsung's Nexus S and the Motorola Xoom tablet will stop at Jelly Bean 4.1.2.

Jelly Bean 4.2 is an update on the existing 4.1 version, adding 360 degree panorama photos (PhotoSphere), gesture typing and an array of tweaks across the operating system. For the full low-down on Jelly Bean improvements, cl ick here.

Other smartphones will eventually inherit the updated software, but by the time manufacturers tweak the software with their custom skin, and carriers perform the customary 16 weeks of testing, it will be some time before the fragmented community catches up.

Source