The Rosser’s sac spider, which had not been seen for 10 years, has been discovered at Chippenham Fen in Cambridgeshire.

It makes its home in wetland areas and had been found only once before, at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk.

Fears were growing that the spider had died out due to loss of habitat.

The light brown spider was first discovered in the 1950s, but the draining of the fens and changing farming practices since the World War II had put it under threat.

Spider enthusiast Ian Dawson spotted a Rosser’s sac spider in September at the Cambridgeshire site, and a further search in October revealed 10 spiders.

He said: “I was extremely surprised to find the first one and then when we went back a month later it was great to find more of them.

“If we’ve managed to find 10 of them, I think there must be quite a sizeable population of Rosser’s at that particular site.”

The first photographs of live Rosser’s sac spiders were taken by Peter Harvey, who took part in the second survey.

‘Still creeping around’
 
Matt Shardlow, chief executive of insect conservation charity Buglife said: “This spider is globally endangered.

“It’s fantastic that it’s still creeping around in the British countryside and we’re ecstatic that people can now see what it looks like for the first time in history.

“If we want future generations to be able to see the live animal, we will need to take great care of the tiny remaining fragments of wild wetlands in this country and reinstate large areas of lost fen.”

Mike Taylor, of Natural England, which manages the Chippenham Fen reserve, said: “Rosser’s sac spiders spend their days hidden in tubular silken retreats, often in a folded leaf, a bit like a sleeping bag.

“It’s a member of the clubionid family of spiders who like to hunt their prey rather than catch them in a web.

“We were delighted that they have been spotted recently.”

Source: BBC News

Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute say their newest autonomous underwater vehicle, called Tethys, introduces a new class of AUV that will take their oceanic research to a whole new level.

The two types of AUVs that researchers have relied on in the past both had their drawbacks. Propeller-driven vehicles could travel at a relatively quick pace and carry big payloads but could only be out at sea for a few days. Another type, called gliders, could endure weeks-long expeditions but were seriously lacking in the speed category. Traditional gliders top out at about 0.5 mph, according to the team’s statement.

Engineers at the institute said this week they’ve married the best traits of both those AUVs to create a new long-range underwater robot that can travel four times as fast as most traditional gliders, hover in place for weeks at a time, and carry a significant amount of scientific instruments. After four years of development, Tethys underwent real-world testing in Monterey Bay last month, successfully completing a four-day expedition with battery life to spare.

“In designing this AUV, we were actually trying to make a fundamental change in how we do oceanography,” said MBARI Chief Technologist Jim Bellingham, who led Tethys’ development and explained in a statement how the bot has already been used to track algal blooms.

“Tethys can travel to a spot in the ocean and ‘park’ there until something interesting happens,” he said. “Once a bloom occurs, Tethys can move fast enough to follow the bloom and watch it evolve, the way a biologist on land might follow and study a herd of deer.”

Tethys even has some decision-making skills of its own, giving it the ability to direct itself in response to the data it collects. That means the robot can carry on with a continuous expedition 24 hours a day without its human operators dictating its every move. So where traditional AUVs would collect data, send it back to oceanographers, and wait to receive its next set of orders–a process that took up copious valuable time–Tethys can actively follow a bloom as it drifts in the ocean currents.

For now, Tethys is designed specifically to monitor algae, but Bellingham says the hope is to eventually develop other AUVs capable of studying organisms higher up in the food chain.

Source: CnetNews

We’ve quizzed developers, industry experts and readers on their favorite video games of the past decade. The rules for developers and experts are simple: What were your 5 favorite games of the 2000s? Starting today, we’ll reveal some of their answers.

We’ll update this page with fresh entries throughout the next few days. To kick things off, Game Hunters shares their 5 favorites of the decade:

Mike Snider’s list

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) kicked the sandbox genre up to another level and set the stage for its successors with an eclectic soundtrack and impressive Hollywood voice cast.

Halo 2 (2004) built upon the success of Halo: Combat Evolved and proved that a video game franchise could build a following akin to that of films.

Wii Sports (2006). A simple collection of games that propelled the Wii into a phenomenon. Got new players into the game and increased the social nature of the experience.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) transformed the first-person shooter into a full-fledged blockbuster experience. And its multiplayer mode kept on giving.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007). If pressed, I’d pick Rock Band because it bought drums and vocals onto the stage. But I give Activision props for keeping the pressure on with Guitar Hero III’s gameplay improvements and addition of master tracks.

Brett Molina’s list

Grand Theft Auto III (2001). Vice City and San Andreas had more personality, but that first taste of gaming freedom in Liberty City was most memorable.

Halo: Combat Evolved (2001). Campaign is arguably the best of the series. Hard to top that intense escape sequence at the end.

God of War (2005). The opening brawl with the Hydra sets the table for an epic, exhilarating “hack and slash” adventure.

Shadow of the Colossus (2005). This imaginative action game featured an emotionally engaging plot and challenging boss encounters featuring the seemingly peaceful colossi.

Portal (2007). It’s amazing how much narrative Valve was able to cram inside this tight campaign with such little dialogue. A fantastic example of immersive storytelling.

Source: USA Today

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to drive a number of electric vehicles at the Business of Plugging In auto industry conference in Detroit. I can report what many car reviewers will tell you: these are real cars. You really can forget that old notion of rickety golf carts.

Step into a Nissan Leaf or a Chevy Volt and you’ll feel at home, even with the new “fuel gauges” you’ll see. Although I only had short drives with the Leaf, Volt, and other electric cars, I found them comfortable and enjoyable to drive.

As these plug-ins get more attention in the media, it seems there are more attempts to deflate the hype around electric cars. J.D. Powers and Associates, for example, last week issued a press release on electric and hybrid vehicles that had a negative tone.

Demand for electrified vehicles will remain low, J.D. Powers said, unless oil prices spike, there’s a breakthrough in battery cost, or a coordinated government policy, as China is doing. The auto review and research company predicts that sales of electric vehicles will be just 7.3 percent of all passenger vehicle sales around the world in 2020, up from 2.2 percent now.

It’s worth noting that projections for hybrid and electric car sales vary widely, which is a sign that it’s really hard to tell what will happen because so many factors are at play. Auto industry people will tell you electrification of transportation is happening; it’s mostly just a question of how quickly and in what form.

Hybrids have been available for years, obviously. Whether you should consider making the jump to a battery electric or a “range-extended electric vehicle” like the Volt really comes down to whether you have the luxury of being an early technology adopter.

If you can afford an electric vehicle in these early years, you’ll probably enjoy driving one given the positive reviews that the Leaf and Volt have gotten so far. And I would think people would be happy using less or no oil which, after all, is one of the primary reasons for the shift to electrification.

If electrically driven cars are too far out of your price range, then consider more-affordable hybrids and other fuel-efficient gasoline cars. As someone who bought a Toyota Prius over a year ago, I can say I like getting good mileage, with my miles per gallon ranging from low 40s in winter to high 40s in warmer months. Increasingly, I also appreciate that it’s a recognizably “green” car, even though that really wasn’t my main motivation when shopping. And let’s face it, most of the first electric-car drivers are making a statement by going electric in these early years.

Costs to consider
Whether you want to make a statement or not, you’ll have more choices as more hybrids and battery electrics come to market in the next couple of years. There’s the gas-electric Chevy Volt, the electric Nissan Leaf, the electric Ford Focus, the Smart Electric Drive, the plug-in Toyota Prius, the Mitsibushi iMiev, and many others.

In terms of cost, the Volt is priced at $41,000 and the Leaf will cost just under $33,000 with both available to lease for $350 a month. A federal tax credit of $7,500 is available, and state incentives can bring the purchase costs down further.

As a rule, it will be significantly cheaper per mile to own an electrically driven car. But there are some big question marks related to cost and convenience.

Although it’s typically not required, automakers are recommending that plug-in drivers have a faster, 220-volt charger. Battery sizes vary, but the faster charger will generally allow you to fully charge a car overnight or, in the case of the Volt, in three or four hours.

The cost of installing a car charger can be significant–potentially a couple thousand dollars–and permitting can take as long as several weeks in some places because this is so new.

Another wild card is resale value. Automakers are offering warranties but we know that batteries degrade over time–on the order of 20 percent to 30 percent over eight to 10 years, according industry executives.

Then there’s the issue of infrastructure. Most drivers are expected to mostly charge at home, but many regions are launching public charging stations next year to make longer trips a possibility.

With these unknowns, it’s worth keeping an eye on the experience of early EV buyers–whether they be consumers or fleet owners–to get a feel for the pros and cons and how they feel about the purchase price a few years from now.

Behind the wheel
When you get inside a Leaf or Volt, you’ll notice some differences done in the name of electrification. Instead of checking the gas tank, you’ll find some sort of battery charge meter, which will tell you how full your battery is and roughly how many miles you have left on the charge.

The Volt and the Leaf, which will be delivered to U.S. drivers over the next weeks and months, have feedback systems to make you aware of how you’re using energy. Expect this in all electric and hybrid cars as they come out in the next couple of years, which is a very important feature, given the limits and variability of range for electric cars

If you floor it, the car will let you know that you’re burning through a lot of juice. When you brake or slow down, it will show you how much your battery is recharging. As a person who drives a Prius, I found these to be easy to understand. Another thing I’ve found–contrary to conventional wisdom–is that I still monitor the Prius feedback system for mileage and how to drive most efficiently, even over a year after buying it.

One feature that benefits the “fun to drive” factor of electrically driven cars is the full torque you get at all speeds. That makes the acceleration smooth and constant and typically pretty zippy.

On my brief spin, handling on the Leaf was responsive and crisp. The Volt felt heavier in front than the Leaf when I took tight turns on a track and I almost felt as if it were gliding on the straight stretches. If anything, my short drives left me wanting more time behind the wheel.

So the biggest adjustment to electric cars won’t be when you’re behind the wheel. It’ll be when you’re fueling up.

Source: Cnet News

General Motors today plans to bring the Chevy Volt to IBM’s Raleigh, N.C., offices to show off the electric car and celebrate its partnership with IBM’s software business in making the Volt.

With the Volt, GM aimed to not only break new ground in electric powertrains but it also decided to make a demonstrably high-tech car, complete with an Internet connection and smartphone-inspired in-car controls. To make that happen, software engineers took on one of the most sophisticated projects at GM, said Micky Bly, executive director of electrical systems, hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries at GM.

“We haven’t done a vehicle this complex in the history of GM,” Bly said on Friday. “The software–the control side–is what ties together (the mechanical components)…It’s really the heart and soul of how the car performs.”

The Volt, which GM has started manufacturing this fall, has a battery, motor to move the car, and gas engine to charge a generator. Making those mechanical components click are tens of millions of lines of code running on multiple controllers and processors embedded in the sedan.

The software coordinates the flow of energy and provides drivers feedback on how much charge is available, mileage, and when to charge–all critical to making drivers comfortable with electric-vehicle technology. Drivers can, for example, view charge status and schedule battery charging from a smartphone, thanks to a cellular network connection in the car.

The software also monitors the status of the individual 288 battery cells and modules as well as control the active cooling and heating system for the battery. This was important to ensuring the best energy efficiency and reliability, Bly said.

But the software engineering challenge was as much on the outside of the car as the inside, Bly said. The project was operating on a tight–and very public–deadline of 29 months and engineers needed an automated system, rather than just spreadsheets, for managing project requirements, software models, and changes.

Writing code is not really the challenge any more; it’s managing the thousands of moving pieces in a project and using that material, such as requirements, code, and models, for future projects, Bly said.

“We’re now at the point where software control strategies and controls are the gating factor of the vehicles we make. In the old days, it was sheet metal and other materials,” he said. “We’ve really transformed the DNA of a vehicle.”

GM used software from IBM’s Rational division which is designed for managing complex software development projects in manufacturing industries, such as automotive and aerospace. Those tools, along with others, allowed GM to model and simulate potential changes quickly, Bly said.

IBM bought Telelogic in 2007 to boost its presence in these types of industries which increasingly need to focus on the software in their goods, said Meg Selfe, vice president of complex embedded systems at IBM Rational.

“Bringing all this new innovation is a big feat. What was transformational was how they handled the complexity,” she said.

Source: CNET News

Despite a corporate restructuring, criticism that it’s failing to innovate in certain sectors, the departure of Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie and analysts downgrading its stock, Microsoft (MSFT) trumpeted a record first quarter yesterday. Overall revenue rose 25% to $16.2 billion and net income rose 51% to $5.4 billion compared to the same period last year. One the biggest movers? The Xbox 360. (The other big mover– its stock. Nearly flat for a decade, MSFT is up about 6% so far today.)

The Xbox 360 platform, which includes hardware, games, its Xbox LIVE online community, and accessories, are all considered part of the company’s Entertainment and Devices Division [EDD], which posted sales of $1.8 billion between July and September compared with $1.4 billion the same time last year. Microsoft credited that overall 27% division increase in large part to the console’s growing success.

Console sales spiked 38%, selling 2.8 million units and outselling the Nintendo Wii and Sony’s Playstation 3 in the U.S. for each of the last four months. In mid-June, the company introduced the redesigned Xbox 360 “S” console that is 17% smaller, houses significantly quieter, cooler and more power-efficient hardware, and offers built-in WiFi. The unexpected uptick comes at a time when Nintendo’s own financials have stumbled — the company, which dominated this console generation’s console sales until recently, reported a $24.7 million loss during the first half of the year, marking the first time in seven years that the gaming giant did not turn a profit.

Microsoft also pointed to Halo: Reach for robust sales. The first-person shooter experienced the biggest game launch ever, racking up $200 million in global sales on day one and banking $350 million in revenue for the company to date.

The success, particularly in EDD, is a good sign for the company that has arguably struggled to keep up with current trends like mobile and tablets. In May, division president Robbie Bach announced his retirement, effective this fall. Former division Chief Experience Officer and Chief Technology Officer J Allard, the guy behind the Xbox, Zune and the aborted Courier tablet, also announced his fall departure as well. Given the timing, it’s fair to say the success of EDD is due at least in some part to the direction and actions set in motion set by Bach. (Senior VP Don Mattrick of Interactive Entertainment and Senior VP Andy Lees of Mobile Communications began reporting directly to CEO Steve Ballmer as of July.)

Other bright spots for the company were attributed to the launch of Windows 7, which the company has said is the fastest selling operating system in history with more than 240 million licenses sold since its July launch and enterprise interest in the latest edition of Microsoft Office. The company did not disclose sales figures for Office.

Said Microsoft CFO Peter Klein in a statement: “Our ability to grow revenue while continuing to control costs allowed us to deliver another quarter of year-over-year margin expansion.”  The Xbox’s impressive staying power also shows that the company is not giving up on reaching into consumers’ homes, not just their offices and server rooms.

Source:  CNNTech

In addition to Hot Zone, EA will also release Clean Sweep on Nov 2 via Xbox LIVE, PSN and PC for free*. Clean Sweep is an elimination mode where players will rely on their own skill and teammates’ expertise to prove victorious. This free mode will also feature two all-new maps (Bagram Hangar and Khyber Caves) as well as redesigned versions of the popular Diwagal Camp and Kabul City Ruins maps.

Developed by DICE, Medal of Honor multiplayer delivers world-class First Person Shooter action and dedicated server support with all of the same authentic settings, weapons and realistic action depicted in the single-player game. For the first time in its 11-year history, Medal of Honor leaves the WWII theatre and enters the modern setting of war-torn Afghanistan. The game is told through the lens of a small band of fictional characters. Medal of Honor introduces players to the Tier 1 Operator, an elite warrior and relatively unknown instrument of the U.S. Military that operates under the National Command Authority to take on missions no one else can handle.

Medal of Honor is available now in North America and in Europe for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and PC. Medal of Honor is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Medal of Honor, follow the game on Twitter at: medalofhonor or on the Medal of Honor Facebook Page.

Source: EA Games

Developed by researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) and Carnegie Mellon University, the robot—named “Hala”—speaks both Arabic and English, and can tailor conversation to a person’s cultural background.

At Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Qatar, an existing version of the roboceptionist already greets visitors in the two languages. But because the machine is not sensitive to cultural cues, miscommunications often occur. For example, a user might request a meeting “week after week,” which in English means “every week,” but in some Arabic dialects means, “every other week.” Sandiway Fong, a UA associate professor of linguistics and computer science, is now joining the team to fix cultural glitches like these.

“They invited me to join the team because they saw opportunities to generalize and improve the limited language capabilities of Hala,” Fong said in a statement. “They needed Hala to be more flexible in dealing with language input from users. And that is where the University of Arizona comes in. We will provide both the language-specific and inter-language-related cultural capabilities so that this robot can be not just bilingual, but bicultural.

“You may speak Arabic, but you may choose to converse with the robot in English,” said Fong. “You may be conversing with the sensibility and the cultural background and the idioms from the Arabic world. This robot needs to understand both.”

“Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” arrived in stores September 28, hip-hop karaoke game “Def Jam Rapstar” came out October 5, and “DJ Hero 2″ and “PowerGig: Rise of the SixString” were released October 19. Coming up are two other key titles, “Rock Band 3″ (October 26) and “Dance Central” (November 4).

The fourth quarter typically accounts for about 45% of annual videogame sales, according to the Entertainment Software Assn. But sales data ahead of the final three months of 2010 do not bode well for a cheery holiday season. Overall videogame sales totaled $614 million in September, down 6% from the same period last year, while sales through the first nine months of the year totaled $4.9 billion, down 8% from a year earlier, according to NPD Group.

Meanwhile, music games are plunging this year at a much steeper rate, totaling just $152 million through September 30, down 50% from a year earlier, according to Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter.
Music games racked up U.S. sales of $875 million in 2009, but this year the category will be lucky to break $500 million, Pachter says. He observes, “Everybody who wants a music game has one.”
Against this gloomy backdrop, here’s a look at the prospects for the newest music game titles.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
“ROCK BAND 3″ (MTV GAMES)
MTV Games and developer Harmonix keep the innovations coming in the music game genre. For the third installment of “Rock Band,” they take a big leap with the addition of a 25-key keyboard controller. It opens up both increased revenue through the sale of a new peripheral and an expanded catalog of songs that includes keyboard-heavy tracks from the Doors (“Break On Through”) and Dire Straits (“Walk of Life”).

“DANCE CENTRAL” (MTV GAMES)

The motion-based dance game is considered a “must have” for anyone buying Microsoft’s motion-based Kinect controller for its Xbox 360 console. Microsoft is projecting worldwide Kinect sales of about 3 million units through the end of the year. Analysts like Pachter expect almost anyone buying the Kinect to also pick up a copy of “Dance Central,” one of the most anticipated game titles using the controller.

JURY’S OUT

“DJ HERO 2″ (ACTIVISION)

The first “DJ Hero” generated decent sales but still fell short of expectations, given that it helped expand the music game category into a new music genre. The sequel features tracks by Lady Gaga, Deadmau5, Kanye West and Rihanna and has earned high scores for improving on the original title. But it’s still saddled with a high price tag due to the turntable controllers needed to play the game.

“DEF JAM RAPSTAR” (KONAMI)
A new entrant to the field, this hip-hop karaoke game has the benefit of the Def Jam brand and an innovative social networking element that lets users record their performances and post them to a dedicated website for peer review. An in-game store will be stocked with new downloadable tracks every week. It’s received positive, if not glowing reviews. One common criticism: lyrics that have been heavily edited to achieve a teen rating.

DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH

“GUITAR HERO: WARRIORS OF ROCK” (ACTIVISION)

The franchise that virtually invented the music game genre came close to killing it during the last two years by saturating the market with too many editions and too little variety. While “Warriors of Rock” returns to the series’ roots, critics have slammed its new “Quest” (storyline) mode for being confusing and too limiting.

“POWERGIG: RISE OF THE SIXSTRING” (SEVEN45)

Among the titles adding instructional elements to their game play this year, “PowerGig” goes further than others by featuring an actual six-string guitar. But upstart developer/publisher Seven45 will face challenges stocking the game against titles from larger rivals. It will also have to fight the perception that “PowerGig” is an instructional title rather than just a game, despite featuring music by Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews Band and Kid Rock.

Source: Reuters

Featuring gameplay that is true to the original, NBA JAM will have players spinning with ankle breaking moves to the basket and on the way to high-flying, backboard-smashing dunks. With two distinct game modes—Classic Campaign and Remix Tour—plus online modes, EA SPORTS NBA JAM offers something for everyone.

At launch, gamers will be able to take on all rivals playing Classic 2-on-2 online^ for the first time ever, measuring their success on Friends and Global Leaderboards. In December 2010, the online features for NBA JAM will expand significantly with several major online features being delivered through a free title update for connected gamers. In December, connected fans will be able to team-up locally and online to compete in Remix Games, including classic arcade hoop games like Backboard Smash, Domination Free-for-All, Elimination, and 21. Fans will also be able to make it a Jam Party online by inviting up to 3 friends to play. Plus, gamers will be able to take on the world in Online Progression, levelling up through a series of challengers and secret online JAM Challenges to unlock online exclusive rewards and hidden content in the ultimate quest for global bragging rights.

“We have listened to our NBA JAM fans and appreciate their desire to play this game online, so we are going to deliver the online feature set they expect and deserve,” said Trey Smith, Creative Director of NBA JAM. “Fans will be able to play Classic JAM online right out of the box, and can expect to enjoy features like Team-up, Remix Online, Jam Party, Online Progression, and even more secret players and teams, in December.”

In Classic Campaign, players can take a trip down memory lane, individually or with a friend, as they play all 30 teams in the NBA in a worst to first ladder tournament. In Remix Tour, players will be faced with a new twist on the traditional NBA JAM experience. From boss battles against some of the NBA’s greatest legends, to half-court game modes with distinct challenges and winning conditions, players will be taken through an NBA JAM experience completely unique to the basketball videogame genre while demonstrating classic arcade hoops at its best.

EA SPORTS NBA JAM for Wii is currently the 8th highest rated sports game ever on the Wii*. It is available in stores now. EA SPORTS NBA JAM is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI in Europe. The MSRP on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation3 is $49.99 US. Join the EA SPORTS NBA Jam Facebook group or visit the Official Website for more .

Source: EA Games