russia

In an attempt to reduce its dependence on foreign software, Russia is planning to install its own version of Linux on school children's desktops across the country, according to CNews. Fantastic, right? Well, all that glitters is not gold.

Leonid Reiman, RF acting Minister of Communication states Russian OS and application program package development is of vital importance,...[with] [t]he main aim of the given work [being] to reduce dependence on foreign commercial software and provide education institutions with the possibility to choose whether to pay for commercial items or to use the software, provided by the government....… Read more

Should Allofmp3.com reappear, as the controversial online music store has promised, it likely will doom its country's chances of joining the World Trade Organization this year.

"We remain committed to helping Russia make it into the WTO," said Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative, the group that negotiates International trade agreements on behalf of the nation. "In order to make that happen though, they have to honor the commitments that they've made especially in the area of intellectual property rights."

If that wasn't clear enough, Spicer was more … Read more

When it comes to hardware with a flair for the dramatic, there's little to compare with military aircraft. After all, just imagine Tom Cruise's career without Top Gun.

The place to be this week for aerospace shoppers is an airfield just outside Moscow, for the MAKS 2007 International Aviation & Space Salon. There awaits a cornucopia of flying weaponry, much of it Russian-made, from MiGs to helicopters to a mock-up of a work-in-progress unmanned stealth craft, the Skat. If you can get there by this weekend, you might still have a chance to admire the craftsmanship, mingle with … Read more

Now this could be a great reality show. It's like a combination of American Idol and Top Gear.

Porsche announced that it's holding open calls for 100 jobs Friday at its training center in Zuffenhausen, Germany.

Women, especially, are being encouraged to apply. The company would like to increase the number of women working in its industrial departments, which currently stands at only 10 percent, according to Dieter Esser, Porsche's head of vocational training.

"Every day we witness that the women are in every way the equals of their male colleagues and are just as enthused … Read more

In an interview posted on SecurityFocus, a person identifying himself as "DCT" denied that there is a cybergang responsible for creating the MPack tool, a package of malicious software responsible for the latest wave of PC compromises.

"We are just a group of people working together, but doing some illegal business," he said. He also denied any contact with real-world Russian criminals. He said the "Dream Coders Team" (DCT) consists of three people, plus a few other freelancers. The developers are all Russian, while the others are from various countries. He said $ash, an … Read more

Those friendly Russians want to bring more energy directly to your doorstep if you live in North America. That means digging the world's longest tunnel. The proposed project would dig a tunnel over 60 miles long beneath the Bering Sea, surfacing at two islands en route.

Next week a coalition of Russian businesses will present this plan to Canada and the U.S. If it moves ahead, the tunnel would be twice as long as the one now connecting Britain and France.

The tunnel would connect major highways and pipelines yet to be constructed. The hope is to deliver … Read more

It's not often that a headset gets released before the phone it was made for, but that could end up being the case for Russia's Mago. Its Bluetooth headset has just been announced, according to Sybarites, though its luxury smart phone is several months past its initial release schedule.

The handset, by Russian designer Evgueni Maslov, is part of a wave of high-end telephony hardware to come from the former Soviet Union along with the likes of the Gresso phone. The Mago headset is reportedly made of specially treated titanium to match its phone and features noice-canceling technology … Read more

Stretch limos are for wimps. If you really want to make a statement, check out the "world's longest motorcycle," which Red Ferret says measures a full 31 feet and 4 inches.

The bike was created by a Russian inventor named Oleg Rogov who reportedly died this summer in an accident. According to the blog English Russia, he was inspired to build it "probably after he got too much beer inside."

Some of the world's most inspired designs are coming from post-Cold War Russia, and this stunning new phone is no exception. The handset, which Gizmodo reports is made of gold and African Blackwood, is a reminder that the Russians never lost their historical sense of czarist luxury.

Little is known about the mobile phone's manufacturer (Gresso), its price or its functionality, other than claims that it is "well equipped technically," according to Gizmodo, and that no two handsets are exactly the same. But with a phone this gorgeous, we frankly don't care. And apparently others … Read more