Owner: The Activated Complex URL:http://activatedcomplex.com/ Join Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 08:06:48 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The Activated Complex provides the latest news in the fields of science and technology along with insightful product reviews and commentaries. Our bloggers are knowledgeable and experienced in their fields, making The Activated Complex the ultimate scienc Site statistics:Click here
Winners: Can You Crack the Code? 2006-09-11 03:26:08 The following talented individuals are the first five people to crack last week's code:
1. Steph @ 10:50 on 9.05.2006 (EDT)
2. Ender @ 18:07 on 9.05.2006 (EDT)
3. Peter @ 12:22 on 9.07.2006 (EDT)
4. Ian @ 21:36 on 9.07.2006 (EDT)
5. Omni @ 22:01 on 9.07.2006 (EDT)
The correct solution was:
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE SOFTWARE TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER FROM VIRUSES, WHICH CAN CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR FILES.
The original code was:
BV BS BNJXPVTFV VX LSU SXIVZTPU VX JPXVUEV DXLP EXNJLVUP IPXN ABPLSUS, ZKBEK ETF ETLSU DXL VX WXSU DXLP IBWUS.
This code is a substitution cipher.
A new code has now been posted. The first five people to solve it will be posted in the Hall of Fame. Read more:Winners
Winners: Can You Crack the Code? 2006-09-04 17:43:30 The following talented individuals are the first four people to crack last week’s code:
1. Eric @ 00:51 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
2. Steph @ 07:24 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
3. Jon @ 11:02 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
4. Ender @ 14:22 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
The correct solution was:
THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG
The original code was:
TCNMEA HKFPRZ EBOETY QRXDHD UOJOEO IWUVLG
This code was a columnar transposition cipher. To solve it, you need to arrange each block of text, one on top of the other, like so:
TCNMEA
HKFPRZ
EBOETY
QRXDHD
UOJOEO
IWUVLG
When you read down each column that is created, you get the final message, minus the spaces.
A new code has now been posted. The first five people to solve it will be posted in the Hall of Fame.
Read more:Winners
Olympus WS-320M Digital Voice Recorder Review 2006-09-04 05:00:18
For those in search of a great digital voice recorder, the task can be very daunting, considering the wide array of features available and the many brands and models to peruse. One recorder that truly deserves to be considered is the Olympus
WS-320M; it has all the bells and whistles and then some, all at a fairly reasonable (albeit not cheap) price.
The Good
The WS-320M has a huge array of features; the highlights are as follows:
4 recording modes (long play, standard, high quality and stereo high quality)
Up to 277 hours of recording time in LP mode
An excellent built-in stereo microphone
Backlit LCD
The ability to be used as an MP3 or WMA player with “SRS WOW” effect.
These are just a few of the WS-320M’s many great features. To see them all, visit the Olympus website.
After testing the recorder in various settings for a few days, I’ve found that it provides excellent sound quality without using an external microphone. In conference mode, the stereo omni-d Read more:Digital
, Voice
, Recorder
Should I add a forum to The Activated Complex? 2006-08-30 03:43:58
I’ve created a poll in the sidebar to the left, as I was wondering how many people would like to have a forum added to this blog in order to discuss various topics in science and technology as well as to have general conversations. If enough people want the forum, I’ll add it; otherwise, I’ll leave this blog the way it is.
UPDATE: I have removed the poll and am now considering the results.
Read more:Complex
How to Fix Palm's Built-In Wi-Fi Module 2006-08-28 20:20:55
I recently performed a hard reset on my Palm Tungsten C and was very upset to find that my device no longer recognised its own built-in WiFi module. Every time I tried using the WiFi, the Palm would simply hang or give me the error “The card in the SDIO slot is not a PalmOne supported WiFi card”. Of course, the Tungsten C’s built-in WiFi module has nothing to do with SDIO (the SD card slot). I was almost ready to resign to sending my palm in for warranty service and settle with a used replacement bearing different defects. However, I tried one last thing which completely eliminated the problem; I installed the NetChaser WiFi sniffing software available at http://www.bitsnbolts.com/netchaser.php (the trial version is good enough).
The steps I carried out are as follows:
-Run NetChaser from an SD card
-Start a WiFi scan
-You should begin detecting networks if any are in range and broadcasting their SSIDs
-Your WiFi module should now be properly functioning, so you can Read more:Built
, Module
Review: Logitech V450 Laser Cordless Mouse for Notebooks - Part 1 2006-08-26 20:34:09
(click to enlarge)
I recently received a Logitech
V450 LaserCordlessMouse
for Notebooks
, and was highly impressed with its design and functionality. Most notebook mice are miniscule and flimsy, making them very uncomfortable to use for any extended period of time. However, the V450 is at the top of its class; it is constructed from a sturdy plastic, features rubberized side grips, is perfectly weighted, and has the clean, smooth click that only the best mice can deliver. However, the most surprising feature of the V450 is its advertised 1 year of battery life on a pair of standard AAs, all while using Logitech’s new laser-tracking system.
By using an infrared laser instead of the standard red LED found in most optical mice, the V450 is able to provide more accurate tracking over a wide variety of surface patterns and textures, except for glass and mirrors. I tested the mouse on a wide variety of optical mouse-killing surfaces, such as gradients, high-contrast lines and glossy
UPDATE: 3 New Planets? or Goodbye, Pluto 2006-08-24 17:15:10
I previously wrote about the IAU’s draft update to the definition of the term “planet” which, if passed, would solidify Pluto
’s long-debated status as a planet and would instroduce three other bodies as planets, Ceres, Charon and 2003 UB313. This draft has not gone through; instead, a different, more restricting definition of “planet” has been passed:
A “planet” is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. (http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0603/index.html)
This new definition completely disqualifies Pluto from “planethood”, as its orbit intersects with that of Neptune, violating part (c) of the definition. However, Pluto does fall under the newly created class of “dwarf planets”; smaller bodies w Read more:Planets
, Goodbye
Winners: Can You Crack the Code? 2006-08-23 19:42:11 The following talented individuals are the first five people to crack last week’s code:
1. Steph @ 21:32 on 8.18.2006 (EDT)
2. Matt @ 04:47 on 8.19.2006 (EDT)
3. Jon @ 12:34 on 8.19.2006 (EDT)
4. Jen @ 08:43 on 8.21.2006 (EDT)
5. Ender @ 08:49 on 8.21.2006 (EDT)
The correct solution was:
IF A TREE FALLS AND NOBODY HEARS IT, DOES IT MAKE A SOUND? SOME PEOPLE SAY YES AND OTHERS SAY NO.
The original code was:
68 77 32 76 32 90 65 85 85 32 77 76 71 71 86 32 76 75 72 32 75 80 73 80 72 83 32 89 85 76 65 86 32 68 90 44 32 72 80 85 86 32 68 90 32 69 76 79 85 32 76 32 86 80 74 75 72 63 32 86 80 69 85 32 78 85 80 78 71 85 32 86 76 83 32 83 85 86 32 76 75 72 32 80 90 89 85 65 86 32 86 76 83 32 75 80 46
This code was written in the decimal equivalents of ASCII characters. Converted to ASCII, the message is:
DM L ZAUU MLGGV LKH KPIPHS YULAV DZ, HPUV DZ ELOU L VPJKH? VPEU NUPNGU VLS SUV LKH PZYUAV VLS KP.
This is a substitution cipher. Once the correct letters are substituted into the ciphe Read more:Winners
UPDATE: Can You Break the Code? 2006-08-18 18:05:22 A week has passed and nobody has solved the code. Following the contest rules, I am now posting a hint:
The numbers are decimal equivalents to ASCII letters. Once the numbers are converted to ASCII text, you will end up with the following:
DM L ZAUU MLGGV LKH KPIPHS YULAV DZ, HPUV DZ ELOU L VPJKH? VPEU NUPNGU VLS SUV LKH PZYUAV VLS KP.
This text is a substitution cipher, and must be further decrypted. This means that each letter of the alphabet in the original message has been replaced with a different letter. In other words, the alphabet has been scrambled. To make this message easier to decrypt, I will decrypt four words for you:
KPIPHS = NOBODY
VPJKH = SOUND
NUPNGU = PEOPLE
PZYUAV = OTHERS
For example, since you know KPIPHS = NOBODY, you can replace all K’s in the cipher with N’s, all P’s with O’s, et cetera.
Once you have substituted all the letters I have provided, you must look at remaining letters and try to figure out which letter would make the most sen Read more:Break
3 New Planets? 2006-08-18 00:48:03
(click to enlarge)
There is a possibility that the number of planets in our solar system will increase from 9 (or 8, depending on your position) to 12 next week. Will these 3 extra planets materialize from an extraordinary cosmic event, causing trillions of particles of space dust to rush together, pulling each other in towards three separate points of increasing gravitational force? Has a nearby supernova caused these planets to be released from their former star’s gravitational pull, only to be sent into orbit around our sun? No. These 3 planets will be created by a force far simpler than we can imagine, yet so powerful that it is virtually impossible for any one of us to escape its grasp. This force is none other than the media.
Next week, the International Astronomical Union will gather to vote on a proposed change in the definition of the term “planet”. The current definition states that a planet is a large accelerated mass, which is not a star or a moon, in or Read more:Planets
Dairy Dilemma: The Hype behind Probiotic Yogurt 2007-04-20 03:06:04
In this day and age, people are more health-conscious than ever before and marketers are reaping the benefits. Everywhere we look, in supermarkets and on TV, we are bombarded with products that claim to offer multitudes of health benefits. The latest crowd to jump on the bandwagon is the dairy industry with their “probiotic” yogurt, which claims to have “live probiotic cultures” that promote a healthy lifestyle. For decades, doctors and nutritionists have been telling us about the many potential benefits of the L. acidophilus and L. bifidus bacteria cultures found in regular yogurt, so what makes this new “probiotic” yogurt so much better? Well, aside from the fancy word, nada. All yogurt, unless it has been pasteurised after the manufacturing process, contains live bacteria cultures; usually one of the two mentioned before. By labeling otherwise ordinary yogurt as “probiotic”, marketers are able to fool consumers into paying more Read more:Dairy
, behind
Get Your Joost Invites! 2007-05-10 03:46:29
I am giving away invitations to Joost
, a new internet TV service. The Joost software allows you to watch streaming television shows for free. The only catch is that you have to watch a commercial every 30 minutes or so. Joost has a huge channel selection thanks to their partnerships with major TV networks such as Viacom and Warner Brothers, with programs such as music videos, sports, racing and even National Geographic documentaries (my favourite).
If you want an invite, just submit a comment to this post. Be sure to fill in the fields with your name and email address so I know where to send the invite. Your email address will not be visible by the public. I’ll try to send the invites out as soon as possible. Have fun!
If you want to read more about Joost, you can visit their website.
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