Apple may be attempting to embed a custom, writeable SIM chip in future iPhones according to a report by GigaOm.The SIM module could enable Apple to sell iPhones directly to users with little or no direct carrier involvement.

According to GigaOm's sources from inside some European carriers, Apple is working with SIM card manufacturer Gemalto to create a custom SIM chip that would be embedded in the iPhone itself.Instead of popping physical SIM cards in and out of an iPhone, the SIM can be reconfigured to work on a different carrier by uploading a small file with carrier-specific data to the module's flash memory. These files could be uploaded via a Dock connector or over the air via the App Store or directly from a carrier.The system is said to be particularly useful for the European market, where many carriers compete for customers and users frequently roam outside of their local coverage area. [Read the full article]

A computer called Tianhe-1A, unveiled on Wednesday at a conference in Beijing, China, can run calculations faster than the previous speed leader, a computer at a U.S. lab in Tennessee.The new computer set a performance record by crunching 2.507 petaflops of data at once. The previous leader, a computer called Cray XT5 Jaguar and located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, completed 1.75 petaflop calculations.According to Nvidia, the computer technology company, the world's fastest computer will be operated as an open access system and will be used for large scale scientific computations.Supercomputers, which essentially are many computers strung and networked together, fill entire rooms and even small warehouses. They are often used to processes huge amounts of scientific data. Climate models, for example, are run using the supercomputing power that's found in U.S. national labs. [Read the full article]

It's not shocking to see a woman talking on her cell phone while walking down the street. It is, however, shocking when the woman is an extra in a silent film from 1928.Charlie Chaplin's "The Circus" is getting internet buzz with a clip from the black-and-white comedy spreading at viral speed.The clip -- a DVD extra spotted by filmmaker George Clarke -- appears to show a woman holding a mobile phone to her ear and talking.In the late 1920s, Chaplin was nominated for an Academy Award for acting, writing, directing and producing "The Circus," but he was taken out of the running and presented with a "Special Award" instead.Perhaps the Academy didn't think it was fair to include him in the race -- what with the use of technology from the future and all.(CNN) -- It's not shocking to see a woman talking on her cell phone while walking down the street. It is, however, shocking when the woman is an extra in a silent film from 1928. [Read the full article]