standards

The World Wide Web Consortium has begun its effort to speed its processes for standardizing Web technology.

Those wishing a less cumbersome way to evaluate and create new standards now can use what the W3C calls Community Groups, an idea that's been under development for months. The W3C also announced the formation of eight such groups, including ones focusing on the Web payments, Web education, and semantic news.

"Innovation and standardization build on each other," said W3C Chief Executive Jeff Jaffe in a statement. "As the pace of innovation accelerates and more industries embrace W3C's … Read more

The Obama administration today announced higher efficiency standards that will bring fuel-saving techniques to more medium and heavy-duty trucks.

The White House this morning introduced the set of rules saying they will save $50 billion in fuel costs from 2014 to 2018. The efficiency measures will reduce oil imports during that period by 530 million barrels and cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 270 million tons, according to the White House.

There will be two sets of standards, with one requiring engine manufacturers to increase efficiency and another geared at the fuel economy of trucks in different categories, such as … Read more

Happy Wi-Fi day, nerds! Today's date comes around only once, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) just announced a new 802.22TM standard of data network technology that enables high-speed data transfers at 22 megabits per second (Mbps) at a range of up to 60 miles. What we're saying is, there's not much time to celebrate!

Take our poll and let us know how you plan to spend the first and only 8.02.11.… Read more

The stringent fuel economy standards announced today will make existing auto technologies, such as start-stop hybrids, commonplace and push the industry to cut the cost of electric vehicles.

President Obama today unveiled new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards which will require automakers to achieve an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The national agreement, which builds on a landmark compromise deal from 2009, will reduce oil imports, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and save consumers on average $8,000 per vehicle by 2025, the White House said in a statement.

The new standards are considered aggressive--the average … Read more

Oracle released its first full version of Java yesterday, but developers have reported bugs that can crash virtual machines, corrupt data, and cause errors in applications.

Java Standard Edition 7 (SE7) is the first milestone since Oracle bought Java's creator, Sun, which at the time prompted fears from some community members about the future of Java.

The release includes improved support for dynamic languages, multicore-compatible APIs, and additional networking and security features. Oracle said in a statement it is the culmination of "industry-wide development involving open review, weekly builds and extensive collaboration between Oracle engineers and members of … Read more

The White House and automakers are expected to announce an agreement tomorrow to raise the fuel economy for vehicles, paving the way for a steady increase in mileage ratings.

According to published reports, a compromise has been largely worked out between the White House and automakers to set efficiency standards from 2017 to 2025. The agreement would require mileage to average 54.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks by 2025, according to a Washington Post report.

It's a significant step up from the 2016 level where cars and light trucks must average 31.4 miles … Read more

China Yuchai on Monday announced China's first diesel engine, compliant with Euro VI emission standards--the most stringent emission standard in the world.

The YC6L-60 engine was announced at a press conference in Yulin City, Guangxi Province. It is the product of a four-year, joint effort between Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co. and researchers from Tianjin University's National Key Laboratory of engine combustion.

The new engine offers low-temperature combustion technology, which reduces the fuel injection pressure requirements and improves the life span of the fuel injection system and other core parts of the engine. It also uses medium-intensity cooled exhaust … Read more

You can forgive gold investors for feeling a little smug.

While stock market fans are bemoaning a lost decade--the S&P 500 index remains below where it was in 2000--gold prices have quintupled since then.

Fortunately for British gold bugs, it's now easier than ever to purchase the world's most enduring currency: the country's first gold vending machine opened today in a shopping center in London. It accepts cash and credit cards.

The company, Gold to Go, already operates ATMs in Germany, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and (of course) the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas.

With the federal government running up something like $212,500 in debt per household, a total that's growing by around $1,148 per month, the logical course is for an Uncle Sam untethered to the gold standard to pay off his debts by running the printing presses. If that happens, it's a fair bet the price of gold denominated in dollars will go only up. Time to stop by your nearest ATM? … Read more

SPDY, a would-be standard with which Google hopes to speed up the Web, has taken a baby step outside its founding company's walls.

Strangeloop Networks, a Vancouver company that sells technology and services for hosting content on the Web, now includes SPDY in its products, the company announced yesterday.

SPDY is basically a new and improved HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), the standard that Web browsers and Web servers use to communicate. To develop and test such a technology, a company needs to control both ends of a communication channel, and that's just what Google has done. Google's … Read more