Dublin zoo photos

The zoo is really one of those places you forget to visit or at least for me it was. I went on Tuesday but hadn’t been in at least 10 years & it really was refreshing to see all the different types of animals & wildlife that I forgot even existed. Of course like everywhere else I visit I brought a long a camera & was so happy with the results that I’m getting an annual pass so I can pop in any time I want for the next year. If anyone wants to see any of the pics they are in their own special set on flickr & I will no doubt be adding more & more after each visit. So pop along to flickr & have a look & even leave a comment or two if you like them, I unlike some of the animals wont bite.

lisa
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacylisa/sets

Nintendo Launches DSi for £144.99

Japanese gaming company Nintendo has released a much needed update to its popular DS console in the form of the DSi, a £149.99 console.

The DSi is an evolution of the DS rather than a complete break from the existing version. The third iteration of the console, which is released more than 5 months after its Japanese debut, introduces a thinner body by one eighth, bigger screens (3.25-inch vs 3-inch).
But it is the addition of two VGA cameras - one on the inside and one on the outside edge - which be of most interest since it converts the device into a fully fledge multimedia platform. Users can use the cameras to take pictures and the onboard image editing software to do a number of simple manipulations on the pictures.

The DSi is also now capable of playing AAC content but surprisingly (and it's a shame) no MP3. They will be able to manipulate audio files through the DSi's own built-in application which has limited abilities and will only be able to record up to 18 ten minutes sound bites.
Finally, customers will be able to buy and download games directly to their portable gaming console via an internet connection (probably through the onboard WiFi). The DSi shop will allow points to be redeemed against content. Each DSi console will also come with 1000 Nintendo points.

The DSi has also adopted a new SD Card slot format which will open the way for the prospects of a new generation of SD-based accessories and peripherals. This is a boon, given the fact that a significant amount of DSi applications are expected available for free and its internal storage will be filled fast. Nintendo's DSi bears the first signs of the company's willingness to be more than a simple.

Conficker stays quiet

The much-hyped Conficker botnet has passed its 1 April update mark without causing any major incidents. Researchers said on Wednesday that, although infected machines did appear to contact an update server, no other activity stemming from the infections has been reported.

"We had several readers contact us over the past 24 hours with some minor impact, but so far no reports of anything newsworthy," said Sans Institute researcher Marcus Sachs in a blog post.
"Many organisations have been proactive about scanning their systems and finding either unpatched or Conficker-infected computers that were subsequently removed for repair."
The day provides a rather anti-climactic conclusion to what some had predicted would be a major computing crisis. When news emerged that machines infected with the Conficker.C worm would be connecting to a control server on 1 April, many speculated on a possible attack.
The speculation gathered steam when large news outlets picked up the story and some pundits predicted that the update could trigger a catastrophic series of attacks.

Those charged with researching and analysing the worm, however, suggested that the update was likely to be a non-event. Experts noted that the criminals who owned and operated the botnet would not want to risk losing the valuable network by triggering a major attack.
"Setting an attack to happen in the future, and leaving the specifics of that attack in plain sight, mostly serves to give everyone a chance to prepare for the attack and defend against it," said 451 Group analyst Paul Roberts in a blog post.

"It's kind of like those hopelessly complex executions in the James Bond films. Why tie the guy to the table then wait 30 minutes for the laser to cut him up? If you want Bond dead, just shoot him in the head and be done with it?"