General Electric has unveiled its new 40-watt LED bulb that will last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, which are being phased out in the United States.

The bulb, part of GE’s Energy Smart line, will last more than 25,000 hours, compared to the typical 1,000-hour lifespan of incandescent bulbs. When used for three hours a day (the average used by Energy Star for comparing bulb performance), the GE 40-watt LED would last close to 23 years. At four hours per day, the average GE uses, it would last 17 years.

The bulb consumes 9 watts of energy, produces the same amount of light as a 40-watt incandescent bulb, and was designed to direct light downward and to the sides, instead of just in one direction as some LED bulbs do.

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The Federal Communications Commission does not have the legal authority to slap Net neutrality regulations on Internet providers, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A three-judge panel in Washington, D.C. unanimously tossed out the FCC’s August 2008 cease and desist order against Comcast, which had taken measures to slow BitTorrent transfers before voluntarily ending them earlier that year.

Because the FCC “has failed to tie its assertion” of regulatory authority to an actual law enacted by Congress, the agency does not have the power to regulate an Internet provider’s network management practices, wrote Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Tuesday’s decision could doom one of the signature initiatives of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, a Democrat. Last October, Genachowski announced plans to begin drafting a formal set of Net neutrality rules–even though Congress has not given the agency permission to do so. That push is opposed by Verizon and other broadband providers.

Read more – CNET

Leaving neutrality out of the pictures allows someone else to come along and offer net neutral services for free or at a discounted rate.

I much prefer the free market to dictate this, because the alternative is under force of the law, which I am totally against.

If the government can do it to Comcast, it means they can do it to me. I much rather have to deal with an arrogant company like Comcast than the government.

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If watching the Final Four on your CBS station isn’t enough to quench your college hoops craving this weekend, you may want to check movie theaters where you could catch them in 3D.

CBS will be featuring the three remaining NCAA men’s basketball games in dozens of theaters nationwide in 3D format on Saturday and Monday.

Ticket prices in New York start at $25.

USA Today

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While the overall good of this ‘micro-chip’ may say it’s a benefit medical wise…that doctors know their patients are taking their prescribed drugs, it concerns me that microchips will transmit that information to the doctors!

Developed by the University of Florida, here is their mission statement:

Seeking a way to confirm that patients have taken their medication, University of Florida engineering researchers have added a tiny microchip and digestible antenna to a standard pill capsule. The prototype is intended to pave the way for mass-produced pills that, when ingested, automatically alert doctors, loved ones or scientists working with patients in clinical drug trials.

“It is a way to monitor whether your patient is taking their medication in a timely manner,” said Rizwan Bashirullah, UF assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering.

Such a pill is needed because many patients forget, refuse or bungle the job of taking their medication. This causes or exacerbates medical problems, spurs hospitalizations or expensive medical procedures and undercuts clinical trials of new drugs.

Source – University of Florida

What are your thoughts?

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple may be working on an iPhone designed for Verizon Wireless.

Currently AT&T is the only U.S. phone company that carries the iPhone.

Citing unnamed sources, The Journal said Monday that Apple is planning to debut a new iPhone this summer, and on top of that appears to be working on a model for Verizon. The report says the Verizon model would be available this summer.

MSNBC

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