Archive for August 5th, 2009
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
The Costa Rican Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed the death of three patients due to A/H1N1 influenza, adding the country’s total to 25.
The authorities also said the country now has 755 confirmed cases, 37 more than last week. A total of 922 possible cases remain unconfirmed.
Most of the patients who died of A/H1N1 flu were under 30, accounting for 61 percent of the death toll.
Among the country’s all seven provinces, six have reported death cases except Guanacaste.
The health authorities expected this first wave of A/H1N1 flu to start weakening in two weeks
Posted in Costa Rica News | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
A new frog species discovered in the Talamanca mountains of southern Costa Rica sports a range of colors depending on its gender and age.Females are generally black with white belly splotches, such as the one pictured above. The males, meanwhile, have black, white, and brown markings peppering an orange-red base.
Young frogs of either sex are mostly brown with some beige and black blotches on their undersides.
This type of color divergence is “amazing” in the Diasporus genus of frog, the discoverers write in the May edition of the journal Zootaxa.
In fact, to “see such striking color differences between male and female frogs [in any genus] is really rare,” said Valerie C. Clark, a Ph.D. student at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, who was not involved in the research.
In general, red-and-black coloration in frogs is a red flag to predators that what they’re about to eat is toxic, added Clark, a frog biologist who has received funding from National Geographic’s Committee for Research and Exploration. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News.)
But the chemistry of the new frog species—part of the dink frog group, so named for their bell-like calls—hasn’t yet been studied, Clark said.
The newfound amphibian was “remarkably abundant” in the high-altitude rain forest where it was found. Even so, its limited habitat of fewer than 1.2 square miles (3 square kilometers) makes the frogs’ survival tenuous, the study authors say.
“This study demonstrates that there is a great chance to discover new species if one takes the risk to explore remote areas,” Clark added, “even within well-explored countries like the U.S.A. and Costa Rica.”
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
When Skype voice over-the-internet system was offered in Costa Rica, it was a welcome alternative to ICE’s monopoly on phone services. For a flat rate, Costa Ricans could call just about anywhere for a fraction of the cost … now that may change due to a legal spat over a licensing agreement.
Online retailer eBay bought Skype in 2005 for about US$2.6 billion. HOWEVER, that deal didn’t include the peer-to-peer (P2P) networking technology (non-geekism definition: peer to peer networking sites, like Limewire has been under fired for copyright violations, letting users download music) on which it runs. That technology is owned by a company called Joltid and licensed to Skype.
San Jose, California-based eBay is asking the English High Court of Justice in London, to find that Joltid’s efforts to terminate the agreement are invalid and that Skype is not in breach of the licensing agreement. And Joltid is attempting to terminate the agreement based on allegations that Skype has breached its terms. Skype said that it strongly refutes those allegations and is confident of its legal position. Skype currently uses Global Index technology from Joltid to make its P2P connections on the back-end and, without this technology; Skype would just become a shell without the software engine to drive it.
Joltid is a company owned by one of the Skype’s founders Niklas Zennstrom, which has licensed the [Global Index] technology to Skype. When Zennstrom sold Skype to eBay he retained the licensing rights to the Global Index technology through his company Joltid. (more…)
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
President Oscar Arias cut the ribbon Tuesday at the inauguration of the new offices of Oracle, one of the world’s largest business software companies.
The ceremony took place at the new 3,000-square meter office complex in Santa Ana, located in the Forum II free-trade zone. Oracle has invested over $100 million in its Costa Rica expansion.
“We are thankful Oracle has chosen to expand their operations in Costa Rica,” Arias said at the ceremony. “It gives us one more sign that our efforts and sacrifices are continuing in the right direction, in the direction of development and modernity.”
Arias indicated that further economic stimulation, such as the investment of Oracle, will help alleviate the effects of the economic crisis. Oracle, which is based in California, will employ 230 people at the new location. Oracle’s other Costa Rican offices are located in downtown San José.
Eric Brenner, the vice president of industries for Oracle in Latin America, explained that the reason for the expansion is the ease of doing business in Costa Rica. Brenner said the cooperative demeanor of the people and the country’s established social and legal systems encouraged Oracle to commit to the expansion.
“Costa Rica has provided us with the conditions to offer a world class service,” said Brenner.
Oracle currently provides software for several Costa Rican organizations, including the University of Costa Rica, the National Biodiversity Institute, the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute, as well as many others.
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