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How Ordinary Ancient Maya Lived

The everyday life of ancient Mayans has been a subject of speculation for many generations, mostly because there are very little records of this aspect of the old society. Most depictions that have endured up to this day are of official matters, and do not represent the actions and behaviors of the common folk. A new series of recently discovered murals now provide archaeologists and historians with a wealth of information on the life of an average Mayan citizen, LiveScience reports. The murals, which are described in detail in the November 9 issue of the respected journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), were found at the famous Maya site near Calakmul, Mexico, a short distance away from the border with Guatemala. The investigators were digging up a pyramid mound structure when they came across the beautifully preserved structures. University of Pennsylvania Museum scientist Simon Martin, who studied the hieroglyphs and symbols on the murals, says that the discovery was a complete shock, except of the good kind. The expert adds that, in over a century of studying the Maya, no researcher has ever come by this type of discovery before. Like those of all other ancient civilizations, most records that remained from the Maya are of the ruling classes, the priests, military and artisans, and not of the...

iPhone Dev Team Posts Ultrasn0w Update for 3.1.x IPSWs

By releasing PwnageTool 3.1.4 last month, the infamous iPhone Dev Team provided jailbreak support for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, out of the box. However, at the time, those relying on ultrasn0w to unlock their phones for use with an unsupported carrier would lose their ability to unlock employing the tool, should they perform the 3.1.2 firmware update with a stock IPSW download via iTunes.“If you are using a iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G(S) with ultrasn0w and rely on ultrasn0w to obtain cellular service then you should only update your device with an .ipsw that is made with the new PwnageTool,” the Dev Team stressed last month. “There are no second chances with this. You need to remember that PwnageTool will provide an upgrade path to newer versions of the iPhone software in the future,” the hackers’ blog update said.Now, the team of internationally-known iPhone OS hackers have released “an ultrasn0w update that fixes an issue for those running firmware 3.1.x with the 04.26 baseband,” according to their latest blog post. “That specific combination resulted in a missing carrier name in the upper left-hand corner of your home screen,” the team adds. “Today’s ultrasn0w update from 0.91 to 0.92 fixes that problem (which was an important iss...

The Link Between Overeating and Drug Abuse

A new scientific study would appear to suggest that over-eaters are not necessarily pushed into eating more by their stomachs, but by their brains. The investigation, which was conducted on unsuspecting rats, proved that the brain chemistry of over-eaters and drug addicts was very similar, which sheds new light on the problem. Drug addicts, alcoholics and smokers all have the same type of brain chemistry, which prevents them from quitting their habits, except with great difficulty. The new research on rodents proves that the same type of difficulties also appears in the case of plain food, when it comes to something you like, LiveScience reports. “For people who are eating way beyond their need and storing excess fat, there's a debate as to whether you want to call that a disorder of the brain,” the Director of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Center for Studies in Addiction, Charles O'Brien, says. He is also a member of the team that is editing the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, which will classify a large number of conditions according to new studies. Psychiatrists use the DSM for guidelines in diagnosing their patients, and conditions such as anorexia and bulimia are already included. The new research also gives further support to the ide...

Google Gets Ready to Upgrade Its Search Engine with Caffeine

Google is finally getting ready to take the big step and introduce the new Caffeine search back end to a wider audience with the goal of completely replacing the current architecture it uses. Revealed back in August, the project has been in testing in a dedicated sandbox since then, but the page is now replaced with the announcement that Caffeine is getting ready for the prime time. “We appreciate all the feedback from people who searched on our Caffeine sandbox,” the page reads. “Based on the success we've seen, we believe Caffeine is ready for a larger audience. Soon we will activate Caffeine more widely, beginning with one data center. This sandbox is no longer necessary and has been retired, but we appreciate the testing and positive input that webmasters and publishers have given.” Caffeine is a complete overhaul of Google's search infrastructure and has been a big project for the company. The changes are internal, the new technology scales better and is faster, but they also affect the way Google ranks the search results. For the users, the effects will be subtle but far-reaching and webmasters should be prepared for the new search engine as it goes live, which is now likely to be very soon. Google hasn't made any other type of announcement, but...

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness Unlockables XI (DS)

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness is the fourth game of the series on the DS. Here, players will be able to choose one of two playable characters, Mark or Chelsea, and recover from a shipwreck that has left them stranded on a deserted island. Once populated in the past, the island will now be home to their character and the rest of the survivors. They'll have to bring it back to life by building and managing a farm and convincing people from outside the island to move in their little slice of Heaven. The game is controlled with either the stylus and the touch-screen or with the d-pad and face buttons. The interface is used to equip tools and items, as players will raise livestock such as chickens, sheep, cows, and others. A dog and a horse will become available as unlockables, through achievements. The former can be used to guard and keep their animals safe, while the latter will be able to transport different items and can be used for farm work as well.As the player develops their farm, more people will move on the island. They will set up shops and provide the gamer with additional items. The title's leading character will also be able to marry one of six different bachelors or bachelorettes about half-way through it. Marriage will unlock new items and objectives. The ...

Joss Stone Accused of Glamorizing Drug Use

British singer Joss Stone is currently preparing for the release of a new album and, in what the local media deems a desperate bid for attention and for publicity for the material, she antagonized anti-drug campaigners with a series of statements on weed and heavier drugs. Speaking to Star Magazine, the singer compared smoking a joint with having a drink, only with fewer risks than the former. Stone says smoking weed is something that everybody does, even those who say they don’t and who are obviously lying. She, for one, feels the drug has been getting a bad rap in the media for reasons that she can’t even begin to fathom, and believes alcohol consumption is much more dangerous because it leads to physical violence when in large quantities. Moreover, the singer doesn’t exclude using heavier drugs in the future, as she thinks they’re “fun” too. “I smoke weed, but I don’t think it’s really a drug. It’s more of a herb. I don’t regret saying that at all. […] It’s like having a drink. Weed has been given this evil stamp, but how is it dangerous? It’s going to make you laugh your [expletive] off? You might go to sleep? I think alcohol is much more harmful. People beat the [expletive] out of each other on alcohol. But I don&rsq...

Electronic Arts Fires 1,500 Employees

Electronic Arts has taken some drastic measures to try to mend its financial status. The company has laid off a very large number of its employees from various studios and will continue to do so until March 31. Only just nine months ago did the company do a very similar thing, when 1,100 employees, amounting to 11 percent of its working force, were fired, as EA stated that it was looking to "narrow its product portfolio." The studios that are affected are EA Tiburon, Mythic, Black Box and even Redwood Shores. The Florida-based Tiburon studio is responsible for the Madden NFL series, while EA Black Box has given birth to several Need for Speed titles. Mythic Entertainment was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2006 and it is the one that developed the Warhammer Online, but it also maintains Ultima Online. Even its headquarters got hit, Redwood Shores, which hosts The Sims teams, but also the Visceral Games studio that is responsible for Dead Space and the upcoming Dante's Inferno. The first signs of the lay-offs came from the employees themselves, as, now, former EA employee Eron Garcia has posted on his Twitter account a message disclosing that, "Who just got laid off: a. Me, b. Most of my department, c. HUGE chunks of EA, d. All of the Above." One Katherine Pitta also says that, "Mythic Entertainment...just laid o...

Roccat Debuts New Arvo Gaming Keyboard

The computer gaming industry has grown considerably over the last few months, with new products being launched on the market, having been designed to deliver new features and essentially improve the gaming experience for gaming fans. On that note, ROCCAT Studios, a company that has been drawing attention to itself with the launch of products such as ROCCAT Kone gaming mouse, has recently announced that it will provide enthusiasts with a new product, namely the ROCCAT Arvo. Built to compete with the likes of Logitech's G18, Razer's Lycosa, or Saitek's Cyborg, the new ROCCAT Arvo is essentially a keyboard for gamers. One of its main features is a design that has basically excluded the usual arrow keys found on traditional keyboards and integrated them on the numpad. Just above the numpad, there's a key that allows users to switch between normal and gaming mode, the latter enabling them to utilize the aforementioned, illuminated arrow keys. In addition, the company also included two programmable keys, placed to the left and right of these. The minimal design of the keyboard will enable the user to enjoy a high-end gaming experience without having to w...

Apple Issues Wireless Keyboard Update 2.0 for Mac OS X

Alongside Mac OS X 10.6.2 and Security Update 2009-006, Wireless Keyboard Update 2.0 can also be spotted over at Apple’s Downloads section. The free update is said to allow users of an Apple 2009 Wireless Keyboard to take advantage of its special features. While Mac OS X 10.5.8 is required before installing this update on a Leopard-running machine, Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard users get support in the 10.6.2 incremental update released yesterday. “Install this software to use the function key one-touch controls of your Mac with your aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard,” Support article HT3932 reveals. The document also includes an in-depth look at the process of downloading and installing the update, complete with step-by-step instructions.According to Apple, the user is required to manually download the 10.95MB “AlKybdSoftwareUpdate.dmg” file. Next up (if the disk image hasn’t been mounted automatically by Safari), the user must double-click the DMG file to mount it to their desktop. The instructions then continue as such, according to the aforementioned tech-note.- In the mounted disk image, double-click the AlKybdSoftwareUpdate.pkg file to start the firmware update process.- A welcome screen appears. Click Continue. If you receive the message "...

Uncharted 2 Will Shine, DJ Hero Will Disappoint

The NPD numbers for hardware and software sales on the North American market are expected to arrive soon and it seems that after the rosy patch that September was, the videogames industry is set to return to its blue period, with falling sales, less revenue brought in through console sales and falling profits made from the most recent releases.Doug Creutz, who is watching the industry for the Cowen Group, is saying that a 9% fall in software sales is to be expected, especially because last year, successful titles like Fallout 3 and Fable 2 were launched, making the comparison a tough one for 2009.The biggest drop will be in the numbers for the PC platform, which will fall by more than a quarter and will probably prompt more commentary on the issue of “PC gaming is dead.” It's worth taking into account that the NPD Group does not take into consideration sales from digital distribution and those generated by social-oriented online games, which are exclusive to the PC at the moment.The big winners of October will probably be Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony exclusively for the PlayStation 3, and Borderlands, the so-called role playing shooter developed by Gearbox and published by Take Two. Uncharted 2 is expected to be the best selling game of O...

Japón promete una ayuda a Afganistán de 5.000 millones de dólares

AFP - TOKIO (AFP) - El Gobierno de Japón prometió este martes a Afganistán una ayuda de 5.000 millones de dólares (unos 3.344 millones de euros) en los próximos cinco años, informó el Ministerio de Exteriores nipón en un comunicado.

Un nuevo incidente naval entre las dos Coreas hace aumentar la tensión

AFP - SEUL (AFP) - Un enfrentamiento naval se produjo este martes entre las dos Coreas en la sensible frontera del mar Amarillo, en un nuevo incidente que agrava la tensión poco antes de la visita a Seúl del presidente estadounidense, Barack Obama.

Obama y Netanyahu se reúnen para salvar proceso paz

Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - El presidente Barack Obama sostuvo el lunes conversaciones en Washington con el primer ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, dándole a su visita un inusual bajo perfil mientras los esfuerzos por reanudar el proceso de paz con los palestinos continúan estancados.

Obama analiza con Netanyahu la manera de retomar las negociaciones de paz

Agencia EFE -

Washington, 9 nov (EFE).- El presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, y el primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, analizaron hoy en su reunión bilateral la manera de retomar las estancadas negociaciones de paz en Oriente Medio, informó la Casa Blanca.

Alemania celebra la revolución pacífica que condujo al fin de la división europea

Agencia EFE -

Berlín, 10 nov (EFE).- Las celebraciones conmemorativas del 20 aniversario de la caída del Muro de Berlín culminaron anoche ante la Puerta de Brandeburgo, donde los oradores recordaron que los protagonistas de la revolución pacífica no sólo acabaron con la división alemana, sino también con la de Europa y el mundo.