Google Public DNS

Google Public DNS is a free, global Domain Name System (DNS) resolution service, that you can use as an alternative to your current DNS provider. The DNS protocol is an important part of the web's infrastructure, serving as the Internet's phone book: every time you visit a website, your computer performs a DNS lookup. Complex pages often require multiple DNS lookups before they start loading, so your computer may be performing hundreds of lookups a day. http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/

Google Phone Could Mean Free Mobile Phone Service

Images of the new Google phone surfaced this week after months of rumors. It appears the phone is manufactured under the Google brand, will use an even newer version of Android than that of the Droid−the only Android phone running 2.0, and most important, may use VoiP service, which uses a wireless connection to the Internet for calls rather than a cellular network. This could mean lower cell phone bills, and for some, no bill at all. more here

Top 15 Black Friday tech deals

Every year, the Black Friday online circulars hit the Web, and lots of sites round up every Black Friday tech deal under the sun. If you want to see massively long lists with loads of models names that make no sense to you, go over to our friends at ZDNet or Gizmodo. They've done an excellent job compiling everything.

However, if you're trying to sort the real deals from all the crap that's being advertised to lure you into the stores, I've done my best to surface some of the more attractive options out there. The truth is a lot of the so-called deals are already available online from stores like Amazon and others--but a few items do stand out.Read more HERE

"Cash for Clunkers" GPS trade-in program

Competition is fierce this holiday season in the portable navigation device (PND) market, as evidenced by the top brands aggressively pricing their products. (See “Countdown to Black Friday: Best GPS deals.”) Beyond door-buster deals, TomTom is taking a new twist on gaining market share; it is offering to purchase an older unit from customers who buy a new one through tomtom.com. Think of it as a version of cash for clunkers. (This cash for gadgets campaign shouldn't be confused with the "cash for appliances" initiative.)

Once they place an order for a new TomTom, users can then use an estimator to determine the trade in value of their old unit, send it in, and in 7-14 days they will receive a rebate check. The TomTom iPhone app is not eligible for this program. read more HERE

Jim Palmer Sold

MISSOULA – A Missoula-based trucking company that had filed for bankruptcy protection has been sold to two Chicago businessmen.

Jim Palmer said the sale of his company, Jim Palmer Trucking, was finalized last week. The company's 280 employees were notified of the sale on Friday and the new owners were at work at the Missoula headquarters on Monday.

Palmer says the new owners currently operate a small flatbed truck service in Chicago and are partners in other businesses.

One of the new owners, Milan Kangrga says he doesn't expect any significant changes. He says all the employees will keep their jobs, Palmer will be kept on as a consultant and Lonnie Wallace will stay on as company president.

The new owners say they plan to expand the company's reach to the East Coast.  source

Magellan is the latest GPS vendor to release the iPhone app

And the latest GPS device maker to release its own iPhone app is Magellan. They’ve announced Magellan RoadMate turn-by-turn navigation application, alongside a “new innovative vehicle mounting cradle for the iPhone and iPod touch devices” that will be available later in December. read more here

Program to help truckers attracts drug smugglers

LAREDO — A U.S. program that offers trusted trucking companies speedy passage across American borders has begun attracting just the sort of customers who place a premium on avoiding inspections: Mexican drug smugglers.

Most trucks enrolled in the program pause at the border for just 20 seconds before entering the United States. And nine out of 10 of them do so without anyone looking at their cargo.

But among the small fraction of trucks that are inspected, authorities have found multiple loads of contraband, including nearly 13 tons of marijuana seized in a three-week period last spring.

Some experts now question whether the program makes sense in an environment where drug traffickers are willing to do almost anything to smuggle their shipments into the U.S. read more here

New Bios attack renders anti-virus useless

A new form of attack that installs a rootkit directly onto a computer's Bios system would render anti-virus software useless, researchers have warned. Alfredo Ortego and Anibal Sacco of Core Security Technologies explained that the attack is possible against almost all types of common Bios systems in use today. The researchers devised a 100-line Python script that could be flashed onto the Bios to install a rootkit. Because the Bios software activates before any other program on a computer when it starts up, normal anti-virus software would be unable to detect it. read more

Overall Traffic Fatalities Reach Record Low

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that the number of overall traffic fatalities reported in 2008 hit their lowest level since 1961 and that fatalities in the first three months of 2009 continue to decrease. The fatality rate, which accounts for variables like fewer miles traveled, also reached the lowest level ever recorded.

The fatality data for 2008 placed the highway death count at 37,261, a drop of 9.7 percent from 2007. The fatality rate for 2008 was 1.27 persons per 100 million VMT, about 7 percent below the rate of 1.36 recorded for 2007.

Substantial declines occurred in virtually every major category, led by declines in passenger car occupant fatalities which dropped for the sixth year in a row, reaching the lowest level since DOT began keeping records. Light truck occupant fatalities fell for the third straight year. Alcohol-impaired fatalities also declined by more than 9 percent over 2007.

Continuing this trend, the January-March 2009 estimate of 7,689 deaths represents a nine percent decline from a year ago. It was the twelfth consecutive quarterly decline. The fatality rate for the first quarter of 2009 reached 1.12 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Preliminary data collected by the Federal Highway Administration showed that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) during the first three months of 2009 declined by about 11.7 billion miles. more here

New pumps could prevent storm surges from flooding coastal cities

The hammering that Hurricane Katrina gave New Orleans isn’t news anymore. Engineers are building something they say will keep it that way. It’s a pump. A big pump. Listen to the podcast on Engineering Works.

People who live in New Orleans found out the hard way that the city can be a bad place to be when a big hurricane comes. Most of the Big Easy is below sea level and it filled up with floodwaters from the storm surge when the levees broke.

Engineers are installing a big new pump they say should keep the city dry in case another big hurricane blows in. In engineer-talk, they call it the West Closure Complex, or WCC, and they say it’s the biggest pump station ever built. If everything stays on schedule, it should be completed in 2011. read more

Flying J agrees to sell its insurance subsidiary

 Flying J. Inc., trying to raise cash to emerge from bankruptcy, has agreed to sell its insurance subsidiary for an undisclosed price.

The Buckner Co., a Salt Lake City-based insurance brokerage firm, will buy Flying J Insurance Services on Jan. 1.

"We have been looking at ways of building up our business, and they were entertaining the idea of selling their insurance business," Buckner spokeswoman Teresa Elias said Thursday.

Flying J Insurance gathers about $25 million of insurance premiums annually. Buckner collected $134 million in premiums last year.  read more

iPhone Hits the Road

Although gas costs aren’t the price-gouging affair they were last summer, keeping precise track of your mileage always has its advantages. And when it comes to reporting mileage for expense reports or tax deductions, there’s no better way than the Trip Cubby iPhone app.

Trip Cubby is a fully featured, yet cleanly designed, application that allows users to keep track of miles put on their car. source

Class 8 truck orders surged in October

Class 8 orders for all major North American original equipment commercial truck manufacturers totaled 21,792 units last month, a 104% increase over September's numbers.

"For the last three months, Class 8 orders were received at an annualized rate of 172,300, significantly better than early 2009," say representatives from FTR Associates, a trucking industry forecaster.

"All indications are that the October increase is due to the filling up of remaining 2009 production slots for trucks with the older 2007 engine technology and to avoid the new 2010 engines, which due to tighter emission standards will be more expensive and will employ new technology. read more HERE

YouTube Direct Lets Citizens Become Journalists

On Tuesday, YouTube announced a new service that lets news and media outlets request, review and even rebroadcast clips YouTube users shoot and upload to the site. Dubbed YouTube Direct, the new tool is built from YouTube's API. YouTube Direct is an open-source application that makes it possible for media organizations to allow customized versions of YouTube's upload platform on their web sites. read MORE

Google Updates Google Earth App for iPhone

Google today announced version 2.0 of Google Earth for the iPhone and iPod touch, just over a year after releasing the first edition of the application, a piece of software which quickly turned into the second most popular download in Apple's App Store. But the past year has also been a stormy one for both Google and Apple, as their respective wireless partners, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, start to duke things out in court.
read more here

Virus Effect Remover for Windows

Virus Effect Remover is a tool which helps you to remove effects of virus from windows registry and file system. It also detect the registry error caused by virus and enables the Blocked content like task manager , registry editor, folder option etc. **freeware**  More info HERE

Florida 595 Truck Stop coming to Davie next year

After the brakes were put on plans for Grand Plaza of Davie, developers once again have the gears in motion for a trucker's paradise.

This comes almost three years after a proposed truck stop was scrapped in favor of building a multiuse village. The property would have had everything from condominiums and a hotel to office spaces and shops. The 32.5-acre site is just south of Interstate 595 between Florida's Turnpike and State Road 7.

"The town ... wasn't thrilled with the truck stop because of the amount of traffic and type of visitors it might bring into the area," said Martin Steinberg, senior manager for Florida 595 Truck Stop.

Steinberg said a souring economy, combined with the belief that the town couldn't supply the site with enough water and sewer capacity for a project of that size, put a stop to Grand Plaza.

A year and a half later, the Brauser Group, which bought the land from Jolmy Enterprises for more than $17 million, went back to the Town Council with the truck stop concept. The town gave them permission to do it for 15 years to see if it does well and if they prove to be "good neighbors." source

Smart Monstertruck

LOL....Had to post this:)

http://pics.rofl.to/pic/smart-monstertruck

12 percent of internet users have no security software

As National Identity Fraud Prevention Week reaches it mid-point, a report has revealed that 64 per cent of people admit that they throw sensitive documents in the bin without shredding them.

Also, 12 per cent of people said they used the internet without having any security software in place. The research from National Identity Fraud Prevention Week and featured on the Metro website, showed that the threat of identity fraud is real and current, according to spokesman Tyron Hill. read more

TomTom release FREE iPhone navigation update

After a long wait the TomTom iPhone App hit the Apple AppStore and to be honest there was a lot of unhappy users out there. The application was significantly cut down in terms of functionality from what we were expecting.

Well today TomTom have gone a long way to make amends by providing an update: adding Text to Speech, Advanced Lane Guidance, New Maps, Customisable speed camera warnings, new speed cameras, and an in-app iPod player. In a way this is just catching up with some of the Apps that are already out there, but is certainly a very welcome update. Best of all though it is free to all current users. read more