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Bicycle Parts Vending Machines - Trek Stop Tune Ups(TrendHunter.com) Never mind the wear and tear, often bicycles are the target of vandals, especially if cyclists ride to catch alternative transportation. Trek Bicycle wants to make it easier to get...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 5:20 pm Pretty iPhone Cases!Pretty iPhone cases! from one-more-thing.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:41 pm Sony Determined To Not Cut The PS3 Price, Even If Xbox 360 Goes $299 - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:38 pm Estee Lauder offer free Gift Time SMS Text alert serviceEstee Lauder has announced the introduction of a new free Gift Time SMS Text Reminder service which allows UK customers to sign up online to receive text messages to alert them that Gift Time (Estee Lauder's...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:30 pm Another Wearable Cell Phone ConceptSpotted on Ubergizmo, a cell phone concept to wear on the back of your hand. By designer Massimo Marrazzo.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:22 pm Telephone tree sends wrong signals, say villagersWhen Barry Robinson saved three traditional red phone boxes from the scrapheap, neighbours applauded his stance on preserving British heritage. When he decided to mount them 20ft in the air on a girder...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:14 pm Homer Simpson and the Kimya BotnetAn anonymous reader writes "As all hardcore Simpsons fans know, Chunkylover53@aol.com was revealed to be Homer Simpsons' email address in one particular episode, registered by one of the shows writers, who would reply to fans as Homer himself. After a flood of messages, 'Homer' signed off — seemingly forever. Well in the last few days, security company Facetime Communications reports that anyone who had Homer on their AIM buddy list would have noticed his sudden reappearance. Unfortunately for all, he appears to have been hacked and pushing malware links which deposit those unlucky enough to run the file into a Turkish Botnet. The message claims the file is a 'web exclusive' episode of the TV show — an interesting way of targeting a specific group of fans who would assume Homers return would only coincide with something special like (say) a TV episode just for them. What I want to know is, is Homer smart enough to run an AV scan?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:14 pm Small Cell Phone ConceptSpotted on Just Another Mobile Phone Blog, a small cell phone concept where the screen is neatly hidden and flips out when it is needed. It measures only 8x2.6x15 mm.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:09 pm Echo Travel - Bye, Bay BabyBy Kathryn Fox Forget foreign travel, Kathryn Fox finds a self-catering holiday in the Lakes the ideal getaway for a family with a toddler in tow IT IS five years sincemy last holiday ? and I now have the addition of a boisterous two-year-old son, Finn, and enough luggage to sink a small ship.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Lawns Still Look Green; City Officials Look Happy: Water Usage Thursday Was Down, City SaysBy Annie Calovich, The Wichita Eagle, Kan. Jul. 12--After three days of a weeklong restriction on lawn watering in Wichita and six surrounding communities, Wichita officials say people are cooperating and no lawns are dying.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Trip to Hartford Inspires County Riverfront EffortBy Michael P. Buffer, The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Jul. 12--HARTFORD, Conn.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm New Hope Against Blazes: RESIDENTS BUYING UP PRODUCTS IN EFFORT TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES FROM FLAMESBy Shelby Martin, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jul. 12--As California wildfires rage on and firefighting resources wear thin, some homeowners are taking matters into their own hands -- gelling, spraying, and wrapping their homes with commercial fire retardants.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm The PledgesBy Jenny Haworth LET'S Go Green Together was launched with 10 pledges which The Scotsman urged people to sign up to in order to help the environment.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm UHF Development Seeks Marina PermitBy Nikie Mayo, Sun Journal, New Bern, N.C. Jul. 12--New Bern company UHF Development LLC is seeking a state permit to build a neighborhood marina for its River Station project downtown.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Penobscots to Crack Down on Land UseBy Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News, Maine Jul. 12--The Penobscot Nation plans to more aggressively enforce the requirement that people receive permits before conducting research or any other work on tribal lands, a representative said Friday.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Solar Farms' Impact to Be ExplainedBy TOM BEAL The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which recently lifted its moratorium on applications for large solar projects in the Southwest, will host a hearing Tuesday in Tucson on the environmental impacts of solar farms on public lands.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm 'Is Hong Kong Any Fun for Children?'FAMILY TRAVEL Q We are flying to New Zealand in September and will be breaking the journey in Hong Kong. Although my husband and I have both visited, our four-year-old daughter has not.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Hampton Ready to Go, but Permits May Delay Plan for Factory Point: Bids Will Soon Be Opened, but Approval for the Work Won't Come "Any Time Soon."By Matthew Sturdevant, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Jul. 12--HAMPTON -- -- Factory Point could look much different next summer if city officials proceed as they hope to by dredging two boat channels and shoring up the Factory Point peninsula with sand and three breakwaters.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Detroit Free Press Mike Wendland Column: Crush of Traffic Stymies Apple iPhone 3G DebutBy Mike Wendland, Detroit Free Press Jul. 12--It was an iPocalypse. What should have been a spectacular day for Apple had a pretty shaky start Friday.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Apple iPhone Launch DelayedHome News IN BRIEF *The high-profile launch of Apple's iPhone 3G was spoilt yesterday when computer problems prevented customers buying the gadget. Customers at Apple's store in central London were still waiting to buy an iPhone at 10am - two hours after the launch.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm 'Worth the Wait': IPHONE 3G : APPLE FAITHFUL QUEUE HOURS TO GET HANDS ON FASTER, CHEAPER DEVICEBy John Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jul. 12--Lines for what the faithful call the "Jesus phone" started forming early Friday outside Apple Stores from Silicon Valley to Hong Kong, with hardy souls bringing sleeping bags, laptops and a desire to bond with fellow iPhone acolytes.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Declare Freedom From Electronic TethersWHAT DO YOU THINK? Let us know what you think about our idea of declaring a day of electronic messages.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm BRIEF: The iPhone 3GBy San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jul. 12--THE IPHONE 3G -- Here's a look at its new features 1. High-speed data connection 2. Global positioning system antenna 3. Microsoft Exchange (corporate e-mail) server link 4.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Website of The Week: Making Headlines Www.Marie-Antoinette.OrgBy LEE RANDALL Bonjour! In honour of Bastille Day, allow us to draw your attention to a site devoted to the Austrian princess who definitely did not say let them eat cake, but lost her head anyway.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Russian Interior Minister Wants to Restrict InternetText of report by Gazprom-owned, editorially independent Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy on 11 July [Presenter] The Russian Interior Ministry wants to define the Internet as a mass media outlet.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Dad's Website a Family FriendA YOUNG father has launched his own website for children's activities, after getting frustrated at not being able to find anything to do with his son one afternoon.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Corrections: Setting It StraightBy The Fresno Bee, Calif. Jul. 12--A front-page story on Friday about the recent heat wave incorrectly referred to Kaiser Permanente spokesman Rob Veneski as Rob Saroyan. The phone number for the pro shop at Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club is (559) 591-2254.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Music Lovers Gather to Hear Country TunesBy DEAN KNUTH It might have been just a little warm outside, but that didn't bother music lovers Saturday at La Encantada.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Pioneering heart surgeon DeBakey dies at age 99HOUSTON (Reuters) - Surgeon Michael DeBakey, whose ground-breaking heart transplants and coronary bypass operations made him one of the giants of 20th century medicine, has died at age 99.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:30 pm Live Report! 3G iPhone Activation Process Takes Forever - InformationWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:21 pm FCC Chief Clarifies His Statement On Comcastnetizenz writes "At a press conference yesterday, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has clarified his earlier statements on Comcast. According to the CircleID post by Richard Bennett, he 'will not seek a fine against Comcast. Rather, he will simply impose some reporting requirements on them and order them to do what they've already started to do, phase out the current traffic management system in favor of an application-agnostic one. This is second story in a row where the AP have got the facts backwards. Hence, both sides may now officially claim victory.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:20 pm Mariah Carey single at center of online contest (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:09 pm iPhone 3G launch draws crowds in San Francisco (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - iPhone fans camped out for as long as 3 days with tents, chairs, and pillows. Joe Brown opted for a portable hammock.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:00 pm Weekly Wrapup, 7-11 July 2008It's time to review the week that was on ReadWriteWeb. It was a very busy week on the product side, and not surprisingly it was dominated by the release of Apple's 3G iPhone and the accompanying App Store...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:00 pm "Probable Cause" Hearing Against MediaSentryNewYorkCountryLawyer writes "RIAA sidekick MediaSentry's 'illegal investigation' problem, which surfaced the other day when it got caught in a lie in Michigan (or got caught telling the truth after having told 2 years worth of lies in Brooklyn), has taken another turn for the worse. We learned today from court papers filed in North Carolina, in one of the cases targeting NC State students in Raleigh, that the North Carolina Private Protective Services Board has scheduled a Grievance Committee hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to investigate an alleged violation of the law by SafeNet (formerly known as MediaSentry). Fortunately for MediaSentry, they won't have to testify under oath, according to the notice (PDF)."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 12:18 pm Say it aint so, Mike!Kara Swisher says that Techcrunch and AOL are in acquisition talks. Oh, no. AOL is where things go to die.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 10:48 am SMS Scores A Goal4AfricaA celebrity football match in Germany that will be broadcast on TV around the world will benefit Nelson Mandelas "46664" Foundation using SMS shortcodes in 16 countries. 160characters.org reports. "Under...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 10:44 am Baseball Team Tests Texting For Charity ProgramWashington Nationals fans soon will be able to text in charity donations during a game, thanks to a partnership between the team, MLB.com, and the Mobile Giving Foundation. During the July 13 game against...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 10:21 am Reef relief: A plan to save our ecosystem - Orlando Sentinel
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 9:43 am KDE Responds To Misconceptions About KDE 4Jiilik Oiolosse writes "PJ at Groklaw speaks with a member of the KDE team about some of the common myths circulating about KDE 4. 'There has been a bit of a dustup about KDE 4.0. A lot of opinions have been expressed, but I thought you might like to hear from KDE. So I wrote to them and asked if they'd be willing to explain their choices and answer the main complaints. They graciously agreed.' Among the topics discussed are: 'Releasing KDE 4.0 was a mistake,' 'I cannot put files on my desktop,' and 'KDE should just have ported KDE 3.5 to Qt 4 and not add all that other experimental stuff right away.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 9:11 am FCC Chief Would Bar Comcast From Imposing Web Restrictions - New York Times
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 8:21 am Yellow submarine: Unmanned sub studies oceanFar out in the Atlantic, a little yellow submarine is trying to slip from current to current, gliding across the ocean beneath the waves. The unmanned sub is nearing the halfway mark in...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:47 am Little yellow submarine studies oceanFar out in the Atlantic, a little yellow submarine is trying to slip from current to current, gliding across the ocean beneath the waves. The unmanned sub is nearing the halfway mark in...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:22 am "Madden Football" marks 20 years with new offerings (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:03 am Flatfish fossils fill evolutionary gap - Los Angeles Times
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Flatfish fossils fill evolutionary gapSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to stop Comcast file-sharing limitsSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Rise and fall of the Googled swastikaSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Glitches delay sales of the Apple iPhone 3GSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am iPhone lanuches in Japan - DailyTech
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 6:17 am Superconducting Power Grid Launches In New YorkEmagGeek writes "IEEE is running a story about a new superconducting power grid that was energized in April in New York State. The lines operate at 138kV and are cooled to 65-75K to maintain superconductivity. These lines are run underground and can carry 150 times more electricity than copper lines of the same cross section. The project is funded with taxpayer dollars through the Department of Energy." A related story at MarketWatch indicates that this is part of a large-scale effort to upgrade aging infrastructure.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 6:06 am Software problems bug Apple's launch of new iPhone (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jul 2008 | 5:30 am States Probe Advertising Deal Between Google and Yahoo - Washington Post
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 5:29 am Apple iPhone 3G - PC Magazine
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 5:01 am Newly Discovered Young Galaxy Creates 4,000 Stars Per YearAstronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found a galaxy producing an average of up to 4,000 stars per year. They contrast this with the Milky Way, which only produces an average of 10 each year. Nicknamed "Baby Boom," it is a young starburst galaxy, and its stellar birth rate conflicts with a commonly accepted model for the growth of a galaxy. Quoting: "'The question now is whether the majority of the very most massive galaxies form very early in the universe like the Baby Boom galaxy, or whether this is an exceptional case. Answering this question will help us determine to what degree the Hierarchical Model of galaxy formation still holds true,' [said Peter Capak of NASA's Spitzer Science Center] 'The incredible star-formation activity we have observed suggests that we may be witnessing, for the first time, the formation of one of the most massive elliptical galaxies in the universe,' said co-author Nick Scoville of Caltech, the principal investigator of the Cosmic Evolution Survey,Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 4:02 am Tap Into the 12-Million-Teraflop Handheld MegacomputerA single worldwide computer -- think of it. We are even now collectively assembling this megacomputer from our billions of net-connected devices. Its software is our collective online behavior. Forget Web 3.0: The One Machine is the next stage of tech evolution.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jul 2008 | 4:00 am Gallery: Einstein's Legacy: Inside the Quest for Gravity Waves : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comPASADENA, California -- Like radio and gamma waves before them, the detection of gravity waves will likely expose a new layer of the universe and change the study of physics as we know it. As Einstein predicted in 1912, gravity waves are emitted by massive bodies in space that don't necessarily leave visual evidence of their existence, such as black holes. Directly observing gravity waves, in a sense, would make these invisible phenomena visible. On the forefront of the discovery of gravity waves is one of the largest projects ever funded by the National Science Foundation, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). The LIGO facilities house extremely long lasers that are sensitive to disturbances down to fractions of the width of a proton -- just sensitive enough to register the relatively weak gravity waves. While the main LIGO data is generated from 2.5-mile-long laser beams in Washington and Louisiana, upgrades to increase the lasers' accuracy and sensitivity are developed on a smaller prototype at Caltech. Tour the LIGO labs at Caltech in this gallery. Left: A pristinely ground and polished mirror hangs like a pendulum over a testing bench. Although transparent to visible light, this mirror reflects nearly 100 percent of the infrared light of the lasers inside the interferometer. An interferometer is the device in which these lasers are contained. It uses the light from infrared laser beams to very accurately measure distance. The longer the laser beams, the more sensitive the interferometer can be. When a significantly strong gravity wave passes through an interferometer, it should change the length of the instrument only slightly due to the ripple in space and time that it causes.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThe view from on top of the Caltech interferometer shows the "L" shape of the device, with each arm containing a laser beam that extends for 40 meters. These stainless steel chambers are emptied to roughly one-billionth of an atmosphere, creating an impressive and necessary vacuum for the beams. This is a similar but smaller prototype of the interferometers in Washington and Louisiana which have arms measuring 2.5 miles each. Having these two similar facilities allows scientists to confirm that a detected anomaly is actually a gravity wave and not cars passing by the labs, waves crashing on distant shores or even the minute inconsistencies in the lasers themselves.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comInside the vacuum chamber, the beam-splitter sits at the intersection of the two arms of the interferometer (the joint of the "L"). This table is composed of an array of mirrors, prisms, filters and other optical devices. From here, the infrared laser beam is sent down each arm of the system. Each laser beam is calibrated to the same, extremely precise resonance. If one beam has met with any interference it can be measured here against the other beam.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThe problem with detecting gravity waves is that the changes they exert over the Earth are extremely small. The powerful waves generated by distant events are relatively weak by the time they reach Earth. For this reason, the instruments used to detect them must be extremely precise and elaborate. At left, the end of one arm of the interferometer contains one of four main mirrors (center right) along with an assortment of smaller mirrors. All these mirrors are used to calibrate and align the laser. The main mirror reflects the laser beam back to the joint of the "L" for measurement.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThe laser (before it splits) originates in the white tube on the right. This tube contains the elaborate and delicate instruments used to correct for as much signal noise as possible. The amount of noise-correcting technology at work in the lab is mind-boggling, with layers and layers of isolation. The beam comes out of a 20-cm quartz tube suspended on a pendulum, which itself is on springs, on a seismic isolation stack, in a vacuum chamber. The chamber is temperature-controlled and insulated with fiberglass. The photons bouncing back and forth inside the suspended cylinder stay resonant at the exact length at which the interferometer operates. Any shift in frequency or deviation in length of the laser beam causes the cavity to fall out of resonance and is detected by the system.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comAn optics bench at the end of one arm of the interferometer is used to monitor the intensity, position and angle of the laser beam.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThis optic bench is used to sense light from various ports at the intersection of the interferometer arms, which is where the gravity waves may some day be detected. To do this, it's covered with LIGO-built detectors.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThe three boxes in the center of this photo are quadrant photodiodes (QPDs), which are used to detect the precise position of the laser beam.
The LIGO prototype interferometer requires an extremely high vacuum of roughly one-billionth of an atmosphere, or about the level of vacuum found in low-Earth orbit. To attain this extreme level of emptiness, a vibration-free, magnetically levitated turbo-pump is employed. Pictured are a vacuum manifold and remote-controlled valves that help power the vacuum.  : Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.comThese expansion bellows allow the length of the interferometer arm to be adjusted to compensate for the temperature expansion of the stainless steel. Without these bellows the high-vacuum chamber would be pulled and dragged across the floor every time the ambient temperature changed.
From left: Alan Weinstein, Steve Vass and Rob Ward next to the LIGO interferometer. Weinstein is a professor of physics and applies his understanding of high-energy physics to studying the nature of dark energy and detecting gravitational waves. Vass has managed the LIGO prototype lab for over 20 years. Ward is a graduate student and one of the co-authors of a recent Nature article entitled “A quantum-enhanced prototype gravitational-wave detector.” The paper focuses on reducing the quantum-noise in the LIGO interferometer.  : Image: NASAThough the direct detection of gravity has yet to be accomplished, last month information generated by LIGO helped diagnose the cause of the Crab Nebula's rapid energy loss.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jul 2008 | 4:00 am MobileMe still sputtering - CNET News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 2:31 am Usenet Blocking IntensifiesI Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The war against the alt.* hierarchy of Usenet continues as NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has convinced two more ISPs to drop access to part of Usenet. They've also set up the website NY Stop Child Porn, and convinced California to join them in the fight. In some sense, this is rather like bulldozing the slums to fight crime; sure, it might get rid of a lot of undesirables, but it also affects many innocent people, and everyone will now start migrating elsewhere in droves. The article notes, 'Cuomo's new web site signifies that he's clearly not done yet. It includes contact information for 20 ISPs that presumably operate in New York, and text of a letter to send to them to urge that they sign on to the campaign.' And you thought the Eternal September was bad..."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:59 am "Madden Football" marks 20 yearsNEW YORK (Billboard) - With the "John Madden Football" videogame franchise nearing its 20th anniversary, publisher Electronic Arts is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the occasion.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:54 am Apple iPhone 3G Dies Hard (PC World)PC World - Apple's new multimedia handset is the Timex of phones. Here's a blow-by-blow account of how it took PC World's mauling and kept on calling (until we literally drove it into the ground).Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:05 am Inside the Motion Picture Industry's Cuddliest Anti-Piracy Operation: DVD-Sniffing Canine UnitJohn Malcolm, the director of anti-piracy for the Motion Picture Association of America was thinking "outside the box" when he envisioned a PR-friendly way to combat movie piracy. How about training dogs to sniff DVDs? Those dogs have recovered millions of counterfeited DVDs and have led to the arrest of dozens of alleged pirates.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jul 2008 | 1:00 am New York pressures more ISPs into child pornography crackdown - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jul 2008 | 12:31 am IBM Slims Down the Web for Your Phone (PC World)PC World - Researchers at IBM's Almaden labs have developed software that lets you created slimmed-down versions of Web sites for mobile...Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jul 2008 | 12:20 am How to Install and Customize a WordPress BlogThe simple open-source publishing engine WordPress is flexible, powerful and remarkably easy to set up and customize. Webmonkey shows you how to get a basic WordPress blog up and running, then offers advice for tricking it out to your heart's content.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am How To Show Code Samples?Todd writes "I've been looking around at 'help wanted' advertisements for programming jobs, and almost all of them demand that you not only have professional experience, but also that you show samples of your work. This got me wondering; with the work product, trade secret, and non-disclosure laws/agreements, how exactly can you show work that you've done in a professional capacity to a prospective employer without violating the privacy of the company for which the code was written? For instance, I can't say I've written many BASH scripts (at least, not large ones) for myself personally, but the assortment of such scripts written for my current job is wide and varied indeed. I can't very well just deliver these scripts, or even small portions thereof, to third parties to help demonstrate my scripting prowess. With that in mind, what am I supposed to show them?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:56 pm Fmr HP exec pleads guilty in trade secrets case (AP)AP - An executive who worked at IBM Corp. for nearly a decade pleaded guilty Friday to stealing trade secrets about the company's pricing and trying to pass them off to his superiors at rival Hewlett-Packard Co. when he took a job there.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:55 pm Are musicians owed royalties for performance of their music in torture chambers?Canadian copyfighter Howard Knopf has suggested (presumably with tongue firmly planted in cheek) that recording artists whose music is played by torturers in Gitmo are owed performance royalties:Leaving aside the legal niceties about whose law if any applies in that dreadful place, one can only wonder if ASCAP might not want a piece of the action. After all, it went after the Girl Guides not so long ago. And if it could try to make a buck off Girl Guides, who are nice people, why not alleged terrorists? Why should terrorists enjoy free music?Link (Thanks, Howard!) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:46 pm First Look: iPhone 3G Fires on (Almost) Every CylinderWired.com's Gadget Lab takes a first look at the iPhone 3G. The verdict? This is a solid, if not groundbreaking upgrade, making the iPhone seriously competitive with other smartphones. But you may not need to buy one to get its most powerful benefits.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:30 pm First Look: iPhone 3G Fires on (Almost) Every CylinderWired.com's Gadget Lab takes a first look at the iPhone 3G. The verdict? This is a solid, if not groundbreaking upgrade, making the iPhone seriously competitive with other smartphones. But you may not need to buy one to get its most powerful benefits.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:30 pm Neil Gaiman: giving away ebooks sold my print booksNeil Gaiman and his publisher have published the results of their free online release of his novel American Gods earlier this year -- the conclusion? Giving away ebooks for free sold books:Link (Thanks, Neil!)
See also: Free download of Neil Gaiman's American Gods Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:12 pm Business HighlightsIndyMac Bank succumbed to the pressures of tighter credit, tumbling home prices and rising foreclosures on Friday when banking regulators seized the mortgage lender's assets.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:09 pm Alcon ends macular degeneration drug programLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Alcon Inc said on Friday that it has ended development of anecortave acetate as a treatment for lowering the risk of a sight-threatening eye disease known as...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:06 pm Ben Goldacre: Testing the plausibility effectBen Goldacre: Week in, week out, we see apparently scientific claims being made as if they were based on evidence, when in reality they are based on nothing more than authority, often from one manSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:04 pm Games preview: Command & Conquer: Kane's Wrath, Xbox 360Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm Games preview: Unreal Tournament III, Xbox 360Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm David Stubbs: Are we missing the many hidden meanings that are slipping through the net?Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm Apple customers stew as glitches hit launch of updated iPhoneOver recent years, it has become a staple image of the technology industry: hundreds of gadget fans queueing all night to get their hands on the latest trendy gizmo from Apple. But eager devotees across...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:01 pm Court Refuses To Rule On ECPA Warrantless E-mail Searchesutkalum writes "After Steven Warshak's indictment and conviction on charges of mail and wire fraud, money laundering and other federal charges, he learned that key evidence in the case was obtained by the government under a 1986 law permitting no-warrant searches of email communications stored for longer than 180 days. He also learned that, despite the Electronic Communication Privacy Act's requirement that such searches be disclosed to the suspect no more than 90 days after they were commenced, the Government simply couldn't be bothered to comply. Now, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has refused (9-5) to hear Warshak's constitutional challenge to the Act (PDF), claiming that the question raised is 'not yet ripe' for adjudication. It's worth noting that the court also vacated an earlier injunction against using that act to read the e-mail of other people in Warshak's district. Read on for an excerpt from the ruling.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:58 pm iPhone 2.0 Brings Enterprise Features (PC World)PC World - The latest iPhone operating system update makes the device usable in enterprises by adding better networked security options and global configuration profiles.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:54 pm Video: Hands-On With the iPhone 3GThe iPhone 3G is a worthy upgrade to Apple's groundbreaking smartphone. But is it worth $200 and a two-year contract? In the debut episode of the Gadget Lab videoblog, Wired editors Dylan Tweney and Joe Brown debate the atest features -- and the value -- of the summer's hottest handset.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:45 pm Video: Hands-On With the iPhone 3GThe iPhone 3G is a worthy upgrade to Apple's groundbreaking smartphone. But is it worth $200 and a two-year contract? In the debut episode of the Gadget Lab videoblog, Wired editors Dylan Tweney and Joe Brown debate the atest features -- and the value -- of the summer's hottest handset.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:45 pm Challenges Facing U.S. RFID Companies in Global Marketplace to be Highlighted on Capitol Hill on ThursdayWASHINGTON, July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following media advisory is being released by IEEE-USA: WHAT: A congressional briefing, "Making Dollars andSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:22 pm Microsoft Software Update Service More Reliable Than Apple, Ubuntu (TechWeb)TechWeb - InformationWeek - Web monitoring firm Pingdom says Windows Update was up 100% of the time in the second quarter, Apple's Software Update was up 99.9% of the time, and Ubuntu was up 98.64% of the time.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:19 pm FCC chief hopes Comcast sanction serves as warning (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:14 pm FCC chief hopes Comcast sanction serves as warningA recommendation to punish Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic should serve as a warning to other service providers, the nation's top telecommunications regulator said...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:13 pm Memristor Based RAM Could Be Out By 2009neural.disruption writes "According to the EETimes, HP is announcing that it 'plans to unveil RRAM prototype chips based on memristors with crossbar arrays in 2009.' I don't know if you remember the earlier story about HP Labs proving the existence of the Memristor that had been predicted in 1971 by Leon Chua, and has the nice property of maintaining a memory of the current that passes by it. This could bring us a new type of small non-volatile high-speed RAM at low cost because of the low complexity of the mechanism employed."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:04 pm StratoComm Corporation Launches New Web SiteALBANY, N.Y. and EATONTOWN, N.J., July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- StratoComm Corporation (STCO) has designed and executed a new expanded website. In support of full...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:00 pm Former Hewlett Packard Vice President Pleads Guilty to Theft of IBM Trade SecretsWASHINGTON, July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A former vice president of imaging and printing services at the Hewlett Packard Company (HP) pleaded guilty today to stealing tradeSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 9:45 pm Mattson Technology, Inc. Receives Orders for Multiple Suprema(TM) Photoresist Systems From Leading Asian FoundryFREMONT, Calif., July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- href="http://www.mattson.com">Mattson Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTSN), a leading supplier of advanced process...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 9:36 pm Testicle talcThe aptly-named Bálla Powder is "scented scrotum talc for men." It's $15 via Amazon. From the product description:Bálla Powder for men's balls (Amazon) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 8:57 pm US Air Guitar: San Francisco Regional Championship 2008
BB pal Jess Hemerly attended the US Air Guitar: San Francisco Regional Championship a few weeks ago. As she astutely points out, it's quite a testament to the, er, premise that a show where the performers pretend to play invisible musical instruments sold out a mid-size rock venue. Over at SF Jukebox, Jess posted about the pandemonium. Her piece is accompanied by Jonathan Koshi's terrific photos. Seen above, winner Shred Begley, Jr. From the post: For those unfamiliar with the magic and mystery of air guitar, it is an annual collection of freaks, wannabes, amateur comedians, and rock lovers who "play" air guitar on stage. Sometimes a contestant seems to be completely disconnected from both his body and the music. Other times, a contestant is so good that it's as if a guitar will materialize in his hands any second....US Air Guitar: San Francisco Regional Championships (SF Jukebox) Previously on BB: • Photos from San Francisco Air Guitar Championship 2007 • Air guitar t-shirt Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 8:48 pm More on found feetHere at BB, we've been carefully monitoring the story of the unattached feet that keep turning up on British Columbia shores. Five have washed ashore so far since last August. Last night, police reported on DNA tests revealing that two of the feet once belonged to the same male and one of the feet was from a female. All of the feet found seem to have disconnected from their owners' bodies via natural decomposition. From CNN:The five feet were found in running shoes. Four of the shoes were made between 2003 and 2004, according to police, and the other was made in 1999. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) released photos of the shoes hoping someone can help identify the remains.Feet found at shore (CNN) Previously on BB: • Severed feet washed up in Canada • More severed feet in British Columbia • 5th Foot Found Washed Up In BC • 6th Foot Found Is A Hoax Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 8:29 pm Gorbachov: The Music Video Tom Stern was commissioned to make a video for a Russian heavy metal band called ANJ. It's funny-strange and worth watching. From Stern's description: When I saw the lyrics it seemed to be an earnest tribute to Mikael Gorbachov (that's how the Russians spell it), so I was a bit confounded about what the video concept should be, but then I had a brainstorm to take it way over the top and I think it was just the thing. Suffice to say it's half Russian History allegory as told through an old zombie movie made in the Soviet Union, and half animated Soviet Propaganda posters.Gorbachov: The Music Video (Vimeo, thanks Vann Hall!) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 8:02 pm Video: DEVO on Square Pegs
For the GetBack music blog, Gil Kaufman posted "5 Reasons Why... Devo Are The Coolest Nerd Band Ever." How many people remember their appearance on the short-lived Square Pegs, the 1982-1983 high school sitcom starring Sarah Jessica Parker? The band performed at Muffy Tepperman's Bat Mitzvah party.5 Reasons Why... Devo Are The Coolest Nerd Band Ever (Yahoo!) Previously on BB: • Devo sues McDonalds • Video: DEVO and Jermaine Jackson • Video of DEVO on SNL in 1978 Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:52 pm 22 iPhone Apps for Science GeeksWe highlight 22 iPhone apps for the fancy phone-toting science lover.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:44 pm 22 iPhone Apps for Science GeeksWe highlight 22 iPhone apps for the fancy phone-toting science lover.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:44 pm Review: 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' Pops in 3-DBrendan Fraser stars as a scientist on a classic subterranean adventure in this family-friendly romp.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:30 pm Ameritrade Hack Settlement: $2 Per Victim, $1.8 Million for LawyersA proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit representing as many as 6.3 million TD Ameritrade customers whose data was stolen by hackers last year equals about $2 in compensation for each victim and $1.8 million in fees to the lawyers representing them. The settlement, which requires the Nebraska brokerage house to increase data security, does not publicly state whether lax security controls allowed last year's data breach.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:55 pm Gadget Lab Video Productions Presents: The iPhone 3G ReleaseThe iPhone 3G was released today. So Wired.com unleashed its crack video team to document the event at the downtown San Francisco Apple Store. Take a ride with Wired.com Senior Editor Dylan Tweney as he interviews the good, the bad and the slightly wacky patrons in line to buy the iPhone 3G on opening day.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:43 pm Gadget Lab Video Productions Presents: The iPhone 3G ReleaseThe iPhone 3G was released today. So Wired.com unleashed its crack video team to document the event at the downtown San Francisco Apple Store. Take a ride with Wired.com Senior Editor Dylan Tweney as he interviews the good, the bad and the slightly wacky patrons in line to buy the iPhone 3G on opening day.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:43 pm Cornstarch, water and bass video proves conclusive awesomeness of physicsIf you ever doubted, even for a second, that non-Newtonian goo (e.g., cornstarch and water) is from a totally different (and infinitely preferable) universe, behold! Cornstarch paste + subwoofer == proof positive. Link (via Neatorama) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:35 pm Quintessential TSA stupidity: taking airline cutlery away from a pilotSalon's Patrick Smith, author of the excellent Ask the Pilot column relates the incredibly frustrating -- and quintessential -- story of the day a surly TSA screener confiscated the airline-issue, safe-certified knife from his luggage (part of his hotel stayover emergency kit):"No, this is no good. You can't take this."Link (via Schneier!) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:13 pm Smaller Families Face Higher Extinction RiskFamilies tend to shrink as conditions become safer, but they face extinction risk.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:11 pm HOWTO trick McDonald's into serving you "breakfast" at lunchtime and vice-versaCasimir sez, This is a video that illustrates a very simple food hack that anyone can do at McDonalds. Essentially, McDonalds employs the same oppressive menu rules as most fast food establishments and delis. You can't have breakfast food after 11am. And you can't have lunch food before that.Fascinating in concept, but I don't know that I agree with calling any of this stuff "food" or a "meal." Link (Thanks, Casimir!) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 4:51 pm Astronauts Handle Explosives During SpacewalkAstronauts delicately remove an explosive bolt during a daring spacewalk.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Jul 2008 | 3:53 pm Whales, Dolphins Inspire Wind Turbine TechEngineers translate the efficiency of whale fins into manmade innovations.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Jul 2008 | 3:18 pm Dino's Life and Death Revealed at British SiteA dinosaur fossil site in England reveals life before and after the dino arrived.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Same Time, Next Year: Queues Everywhere for the IPhone 3GIt doesn't have the revolutionary cachet that the first gen model had just a bit more than a year ago but eager buyers of the iPhone 3G -- many current and former owners of last year's model -- are lining up to get one all over the world. Why? Everyone has a theory, it seems, including this one from a grad student in Atlanta: "Chicks dig the iPhone."Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:36 pm
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Comment by Alex M. Schreiber, PhD, Assistant Professor
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com
: Photo: Dave Bullock/Wired.com
The Indies [ie. independent booksellers -- Neil] are the only sales channel where we have confidence that incremental sales were driven by this promotion. In the Bookscan data reported for Independents we see a marked increase in weekly sales across all of Neil’s books, not just American Gods during the time of the contest and promotion. Following the promotion, sales returned to pre-promotion levels.
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