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Chipped Passport Cloned In MinutesDeath Metal Maniac writes "New microchip passports designed to be foolproof against identity theft failed the test when a researcher was able to manipulate one in minutes. The cloned passports were accepted as genuine by the computer software recommended for use at international airports. According to the article: 'A computer researcher cloned the chips on two British passports and implanted digital images of Osama bin Laden and a suicide bomber. The altered chips were then passed as genuine by passport reader software used by the UN agency that sets standards for e-passports.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Google launches free music search service in China (AP)AP - Google Inc. said Wednesday that it has launched a music search service in China that allows users to access music legally online in a forum backed by some record labels and supported by advertising revenue.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:31 am Google Offers Free Legal Music in China - Techtree.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:23 am A look at risk-reward: Apple may nuke apps on your iPhone remotely - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:13 am ROTOZIP(R) Duracut(TM) Bit Helps Phoenix Lander Collect Valuable ... - FOXBusiness
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:05 am STMicroelectronics, STATS ChipPAC and Infineon to Set New Milestone in Establishing Wafer-Level-Packaging Industry StandardGENEVA, SINGAPORE and NEUBIBERG, Germany, Aug.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Clean-Vehicle Credits to Continue, Board SaysBy Judy Fahys, The Salt Lake Tribune Aug. 7--Utah's increasingly popular clean-fuel tax credit has been updated with a few protections to ensure the state isn't granting it for vehicles that don't qualify. The Utah Air Quality Board unanimously approved the revisions Wednesday.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am California Forestry Officials Reject Rules to Protect SalmonBy Matt Weiser, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Aug. 7--California forestry officials Wednesday rejected an emergency petition to protect coho salmon in coastal streams, even though federal fisheries regulators said it would help the imperiled fish.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am EDITORIAL: Townships Forever?: Legislature Should Honor Residents' WishesBy The Salt Lake Tribune Aug. 7--The people of the townships have spoken, emphatically. And the Legislature, when it decides the fate of the quasi-incorporated areas next winter, should listen.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Board Holds Off on Calling Santa Cruz 'Navigable': Some Voice Fear State Could Take County LandsBy Erica Meltzer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Aug. 7--Some Pima County supervisors are having second thoughts about whether declaring the Santa Cruz River a "navigable waterway" is the best way to protect it.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Rescue Ready: Slawter Twins Spend Sixth Summer on Watch at Hanging Rock ParkBy Elizabeth DeOrnellas, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. Aug. 7--When the thunderstorms roll out, the snakes swim in. That's just one of the many lessons that lifeguards Jenna and Kara Slawter have learned in their six summers patrolling the lake at Hanging Rock State Park.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Tallapoosa River Cleanup Scheduled for SaturdayBy Mike Faulk, The Anniston Star, Ala. Aug. 7--A Renew Our Rivers celebration and cleanup project is scheduled for noon Saturday near Heflin on the Tallapoosa River.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Foes Back Anti-Sprawl MeasureBy Aurelio Rojas, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Aug. 7--An unlikely coalition of environmentalists, builders and local governments announced agreement Wednesday on landmark legislation that would pull state transportation money from projects that contribute to sprawl.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Perfect Conditions for Bass: Man-Made Hyco Lake Has Lots of Boat Traffic but Not Many FishermenBy Mike Zlotnicki, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Aug. 7--LEASBURG -- Ask the average Piedmont bass fisherman to name a favorite lake and the names will probably sound familiar: Kerr or Gaston to the north; Falls, Jordan or Harris in the Triangle; perhaps High Rock to the west.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Cottonwood Heights Panel to Recommend Zoning ChangeBy Maria Villasenor, The Salt Lake Tribune Aug. 7--COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS -- The Planning Commission, faced with the choice between a used-car lot and a hotel, decided the lodge would be a better option.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash., Weekend Getaway Column: Weekend GetawayBy The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. Aug. 7--WHAT: Anderson Lake State Park, a remote day-use park, opened for the season in late April. The lake is surrounded by 410 acres of woods and wetlands. WHEN: The park is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. from April 20 to Oct. 1.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am New Laptops Keep County Teachers ConnectedBy Liz Mitchell, The Island Packet, Hilton Head Island, S.C. Aug. 7--As teachers return to their classrooms this month to face a new batch of students, they'll also be presented with new laptop computers to keep them plugged in at school and at home.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Cisco Beats Wall Street Predictions By a PennyBy Laurie J. Flynn Cisco Systems posted strong earnings, pleasing investors who had feared that its sales would take a hit in the slowing economy.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Anti-War Group Brings MessageBy Drew Brooks, The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. Aug. 7--Jason Hurd started speaking out against the Army's involvement in Iraq after he returned from that country in 2005.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Man, Boys Arrested in BurglaryBy Greeley Tribune, Colo. Aug. 7--Staff reports Two 15-year-old boys and a 21-year-old man were arrested on the University of Northern Colorado campus late Tuesday after they tripped a burglar alarm in Michener Library.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am HP Introduces Breakthrough Colour Display TechnologyHP Middle East today introduced the HP DreamColour LP2480zx display, a breakthrough in colour display technology that is expected to disrupt the economics of colour management by enabling companies to deploy a colour-critical display on every desk to eliminate colour checks, redesigns and wasted prototypes.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Saving Power Fashionably GADGETS OF THE WEEK / Products on the Cutting EdgeBy John Biggs Those of us who pay lip service to green living can now be more genuinely PC - with the Dell Studio Hybrid PC, a fashionably curvy computer with special power-saving features.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Winston-Salem Journal, N.C., Tim Clodfelter Column: Tech Bytes: PBS Series for Children Web-BoundBy Tim Clodfelter, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. Aug. 7--On Monday, kids and parents can learn how to get to Sesame Street on their computers.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Cisco Posts Strong Quarter and YearNetworking technology and services provider Cisco Systems has reported a 4% increase in net income to $2 billion for the fourth quarter 2008, on revenue up 10% at $10.4 billion. For the year, it reported a 10% rise in net income to $8.1 billion, on revenue up 13% to $39.5 billion.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Google Upgrades Enterprise Search ApplianceGoogle has released a new version of its search appliance for businesses with enhanced end-user features such as personalized alerts and results ranking.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 7 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Major Internet security flaw also affects e-mail (AP)AP - A newly discovered flaw in the Internet's core infrastructure not only permits hackers to force people to visit Web sites they didn't want to, it also allows them to intercept e-mail messages, the researcher who discovered the bug said Wednesday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:46 am Mozilla dishes up teasers for concept browser - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:39 am Guy Buys $999 I'm Rich App, Discovers He's Just Dumb - Gizmodo
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:23 am Microsoft Serves Up SQL 2008 - InternetNews.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:06 am PTO Rains on Dell's 'Cloud ... - InternetNews.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:06 am Product review: Parallels Server for Mac underwhelms (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - No 1U, two-socket rack server bests Apple's Xserve in its price range. No two-socket Intel desktop can touch the MacBook Pro for its combination of durability, efficiency, expandability, and quiet operation.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 7 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am Apple Likely to Refresh iPod, MacBook Next Month - Techtree.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 9:59 am SWAT team raids mayor, shoots family dog because someone mailed them potDanny sez,Another Police Raid; More Dead Dogs (Thanks, Danny!) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 9:59 am Required Reading: Larry Summers on Building a RecoveryLarry Summers' FT column on building a U.S. financial recovery is must reading. It is lucid, crisply argued and practically-minded in its attempt to come up with a plan to get U.S. policy ahead of the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 9:43 am MO-Call Supports 1,000+ Different Mobile DevicesLONDON, August 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual International Mobile Network Operator, Morodo Ltd, continues to expand the device footprint of its popular MO-Call low-cost...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 9:01 am mobiclear Says It Could Avoid Illegal Use of 100 Million Credit CardsMANILA, Philippines and LAGUNA HILLS, Calif., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- mobiclear, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MOBI), (Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 9:00 am How Much Will Your Startup Be Worth In Three Years? Go Find Out Later TodaySee our review of the YouNoodle startup valuation predictor from a couple of days ago (as well as our skeptical post from earlier this year). The company says they will be launching later this morning...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:38 am Been Ticketed For Driving While Using Your Cellphone? Get A Free Headset.By Jonathan Kimak I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind this. Headsets.com has announced that it will give out free Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth headsets to people that have been ticketed...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:38 am Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems Strengthens Relationship With AVEVAHAMBURG, Germany, August 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AVEVA (LSE:AVV), the leading supplier of engineering IT systems for the plant and marine industries today announced...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:30 am Interview with the Chicago TribuneLast spring I sat down for an interview with Steve Johnson at the Chicago Tribune to talk about Little Brother, copyright, civil liberties, blogging and pretty much everything else. We covered some different territory to the usual interview and it turned out well (I think!).There’s this broad consensus that the Virginia Tech murders had something to do with violent video games. When you actually read the coroner's inquest report, video games are mentioned twice. The first is his mother saying he never wanted to play those video games. The second is his roommate saying, "We always thought he was weird because he never wanted to play video games." Yet it’s still a truism that violent video games must be responsible for Virginia Tech.Link Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:14 am Interview with the Chicago TribuneLast spring I sat down for an interview with Steve Johnson at the Chicago Tribune to talk about Little Brother, copyright, civil liberties, blogging and pretty much everything else. We covered some different...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:14 am IBM To Linux Desktop Developers: 'Stop Copying Windows' - InformationWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Announces Monthly Net RevenuesTAIPEI, Taiwan, Aug. 7 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (NYSE: ASX; TAIEX: 2311; "ASE" or the "Company"),...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Indonesia warns over forest fires on BorneoThe number of forest fires on Indonesian Borneo has soared over the past two days due to land clearing, raising concerns it could lead to haze over Malaysia and Singapore, an official said...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:57 am Nintendo DS to become personal beauty consultant (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:51 am Retro-futuristic poster makes fun of futurism David from Wondermark sez, "I thought you guys would appreciate this retro-futuristic poster I designed! It was painted by Carly Monardo, whom you might know from her work on the webcomic Dr. McNinja -- she dug into old Popular Science covers to really get the proper retro feel. " Futurism Print [preorder] (Thanks, David!) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:23 am Retro-futuristic poster makes fun of futurismDavid from Wondermark sez, "I thought you guys would appreciate this retro-futuristic poster I designed! It was painted by Carly Monardo, whom you might know from her work on the webcomic Dr. McNinja...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:23 am Cthulhu fonts The HP Lovecraft Historical Society has an amazing and extensive collection of Lovecraft-inspired fonts for use in your Cthulhoid cosplay, larp and role-playing adventures. HPLHS Prop Fonts (via Beyond the Beyond) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:21 am Cthulhu fontsThe HP Lovecraft Historical Society has an amazing and extensive collection of Lovecraft-inspired fonts for use in your Cthulhoid cosplay, larp and role-playing adventures. HPLHS Prop Fonts (via Beyond...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:21 am Virus that infects larger viriiA tinsy little virus called "Sputnik" with only 21 genes preys on larger, more developed viruses, infecting them and hijacking their resources to reproduce and spread:'Virophage' suggests viruses are alive (via /.) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:18 am Virus that infects larger viriiA tinsy little virus called "Sputnik" with only 21 genes preys on larger, more developed viruses, infecting them and hijacking their resources to reproduce and spread: With just 21 genes, Sputnik is...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:18 am Elaborate penthouse roof-gardens of NYCJwilly's "Rich People Rooftops NYC" Flickr set collects images of posh, elaborate rooftop gardens over the penthouses of New York. Rich People Rooftops NYC (via Kottke) ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:13 am Elaborate penthouse roof-gardens of NYC Jwilly's "Rich People Rooftops NYC" Flickr set collects images of posh, elaborate rooftop gardens over the penthouses of New York. Rich People Rooftops NYC (via Kottke) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:13 am Hacking Ring Nabbed By US AuthoritiesSlatterz writes "The members of a hacking ring responsible for stealing more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from retail organizations in the US have been caught and charged. The case before the US Department of Justice is believed to be the largest hacking and identity theft case ever prosecuted. The criminals allegedly obtained bank details by hacking into the retailers' computer networks and then installing 'sniffer' programs to capture card numbers and password details as the customers moved through the retailers' credit and debit processing networks."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:13 am Tata Interactive Systems Wins APEX AwardMUMBAI, India, August 7 /PRNewswire/ -- - Global e-learning Provider, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) Wins an APEX Award for its Web-based Training Program on...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:11 am Knitting all of Mario level one into a giant scarfThe Mario Scarf Blog document's Cassie's "extreme-geek knitting" project: to knit a long strip of cloth that depicts the entire first level of Super Mario Brothers. This is the utter apotheosis of geek...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:07 am Knitting all of Mario level one into a giant scarf The Mario Scarf Blog document's Cassie's "extreme-geek knitting" project: to knit a long strip of cloth that depicts the entire first level of Super Mario Brothers. This is the utter apotheosis of geek crossover passtimes. The Mario Scarf (via Craft) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:07 am Stasi-themed bar in BerlinMarilyn sez, "Relive the good old days of East German secret police at Zur Firma, a new bar in Berlin equipped with an interrogation table, fake security cameras, and prison cells. You can buy a beer and...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:04 am Stasi-themed bar in BerlinMarilyn sez, "Relive the good old days of East German secret police at Zur Firma, a new bar in Berlin equipped with an interrogation table, fake security cameras, and prison cells. You can buy a beer and apply for an ID card at the theme bar."Paranoia Travel: Get Spied on at This Scary German Bar (Thanks, Marilyn!) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:04 am Animatronic waterboarding exhibit at Coney IslandArtist Steve Powers has created a Guantanamo Bay waterboarding exhibition at Coney Island -- for a buck, you can watch an animatronic torture reenactment. This is the most intriguing use of animatronics I've heard of since I got to see the animatronic reenactment of the castration of the eunuch admiral Zhèng Hé at the 1421 exhibit in Singapore.Link (Thanks to Mark and everyone else who suggested this!)
(Image: Michael Nagle for The New York Times) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Beijing Olympics visitors to come under widespread surveillanceThe government has installed about 300,000 cameras in Beijing and set up a network to spy on its citizens and foreigners. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am FBI says evidence points uniquely to Bruce Ivins in anthrax caseThe deceased government researcher was the only scientist who had regular access to the unique anthrax spores linked to deadly mailings in 2001, according to FBI documents released today. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Sprint, Qwest sales drop as subscribers switch to rivalsThe telephone companies are losing customers to Verizon Wireless and AT & T. Sprint Nextel Corp. and Qwest...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Internet security experts racing to patch holeA flaw in the domain name system allows hackers to steer traffic and steal information. A gaping hole in the foundation...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Google offers free music legally in ChinaGoogle's Music Onebox challenges Baidu.com, China's top search engine. In China, Baidu is the powerhouse, the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Calorie counts could be added to menus at some chain restaurants in L.A. CountySupervisor Zev Yaroslavsky wants the eateries to provide a caloric breakdown for all their offerings to help diners 'make the right dietary choices.' ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Sueddeutsche Zeitung Selects Level 3's Content Delivery Network to Support Rapid Online GrowthLevel 3 to Deliver Caching and Download Services to One of Germany's Leading National Newspaper Portals LONDON, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Level 3...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Zombie rhymesOver in Scalzi's blog, the commenters are having fun making up zombie rhymes:Toward a Canonical List of Zombie Rhymes (Thanks, Marilyn!)
(Image: San Francisco Zombie Flash Mob, a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike photo from Ioerror's Flickr stream) Source: Boing Boing | 7 Aug 2008 | 6:53 am Momentum Building for Magic Software: Record Revenues of $16 Million and Net Income of $1.7 Million for Q2 2008Recent Changes Lead to Record Results; Company Positioned With New Technologies to Regain Dominance OR YEHUDA, Israel, August 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Magic SoftwareSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 6:45 am "Harold & Kumar" lights up DVD sales chartLOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" squeaked past "Stargate: Continuum" to top the DVD sales chart in its first week in stores, while "21" wasSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 6:41 am "Scorpion 2" latest direct-to-video prequelLOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "The Scorpion King" will rise again later this month, more than six years after the "Mummy" spin-off first hit theaters.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 6:39 am 3 Southern California hospitals accused of fraudFacilities in Los Angeles and Tustin allegedly churned thousands of indigents through their sites and billed Medicare and Medi-Cal for costly and unjustified medical procedures. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 5:29 am Kaminsky Details DNS Flaw at Black Hat Talk - Washington Post
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 7 Aug 2008 | 4:47 am Hackers target Google GadgetsOne of the biggest problems with the so-called Web 2.0 movement has been its encouragement of oversharing -- which often means underestimating security risks. Adding doodads of varying quality to a home...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 4:15 am Hackers target Google Gadgets (AP)AP - One of the biggest problems with the so-called Web 2.0 movement has been its encouragement of oversharing which often means underestimating security risks. Adding doodads of varying quality to a home page can add a lot of pizazz, but can also be fraught with danger, since they can open a door for hackers.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 7 Aug 2008 | 4:07 am Google Earth Used To Predict Electrical Problemscoondoggie writes "What do you get when you combine images from Google Earth and the brainpower from researchers at Oak Ridge National Labs? Well in this case you get a tool that enables real-time status of the national electric grid that federal state and local agencies can use to coordinate and respond to major problems such as wide-area power outages, natural disasters and other catastrophic events. The Visualizing Energy Resources Dynamically on Earth (VERDE) system, announced this week, mashes together images and stats of everything from real-time status of the electric grid and weather information to power grid behavior modeling and simulation."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 7 Aug 2008 | 4:05 am Aug. 7, 1944: Harvard, IBM Dedicate Mark I Computer1944: Harvard and IBM dedicate the Mark I computer. Also known as the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, or ASCC, the pioneering computer was notable for producing reliable results and its ability to run 24/7. Harvard electrical engineer Howard Aiken first dreamt up a large-scale calculator in 1937. He knew he needed a corporate partner and first courted Monroe Calculator Company, which turned him down. Aiken went back to the drawing board and came up with a proposal that convinced IBM, whose big product at the time was a punch-card processor. A big plus in the proposal was that it used so many existing IBM components in a new way. Clair Lake, Frank Hamilton and Benjamin Durfee finished the Harvard computer at Endicott, New York, in January 1943. They demonstrated it to the Harvard faculty members in December, and then took it apart, packed it up and shipped it off to Cambridge, where it was rebuilt in the basement of the physics lab. The Mark I was a monster: 55 feet long and 8 feet high. It weighed five tons and contained 760,000 components, including 3,000 rotating counter wheels and 1,400 rotary-dial switches, along with an assortment of shafts, clutches and electromagnetic relays, all linked together with 500 miles of wire. Its clickety-clack sounded like a "roomful of ladies knitting." You fed instructions in on paper tape, and loaded the data on punch cards. It could only perform operations in the precise linear order it received instructions. The tape could not run backward. The Mark I could handle 23-decimal-place numbers and perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It was also programmed with subroutines for logarithms and trigonometry. It was slow, taking three to five seconds to do a multiplication. It gave you results through two outputs: teletypewriter and punch card. Mathematician Grace Hopper of the U.S. Naval Reserve joined Aiken's team at Harvard and was instrumental in keeping the Mark I running. She repaired it one day by removing a moth that had fouled the Mark I's electromechanical innards, becoming the first person to debug a computer. She then coined the term computer bug. When the time neared to dedicate the Mark I, in August 1944, the Harvard News Office put out a press release giving all the credit for the machine to Aiken. IBM chief Thomas J. Watson was himself so put out that his firm's work was not being acknowledged that he threatened to return to New York, boycotting the dedication and luncheon festivities. Cooler heads prevailed, and Watson stayed for the hoopla, but Aiken and Watson never got over their turf tiff. Years later, when Thomas J. Watson Jr. made a peace offering of a consultant gig at IBM, Aiken refused to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Hopper and Aiken (also USNR) used the Mark I to help the Navy produce tables for aiming artillery shells and bombs in the closing year of World War II. The electromagnetic machine remained in use until 1959, by which time it was left in the dust by true electronic computers using first vacuum tubes, then transistors, then chips. And for all of the Mark I's advances, German engineer Konrad Zuse's Z3 model from 1941 may have preceded it as the world's first fully functional, programmable computer. Aiken went on to build the Mark II in 1947, the same year he founded the Harvard Computation Laboratory and predicted, "Only six electronic digital computers would be required to satisfy the computing needs of the entire United States." Source: Various 
Source: Wired Top Stories | 7 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Viruses Infected By VirusesSpaceAdmiral writes "Scientists have discovered a virus that can infect another virus. The fact that viruses can essentially get sick may change the debate over whether they are alive or not. Check out Nature for a slightly more technical article about the 'virophage.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 7 Aug 2008 | 2:09 am DNA tests for Tutankhamun daughtersEgyptian scientists are to carry out DNA tests on two mummified foetuses found in the tomb of TutankhamunSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 1:36 am Gallery: Rise of the Open Source at LinuxWorld : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comSAN FRANCISCO -- LinuxWorld is the E3 for many open source visionaries, tinkerers and zealots who rally around the communal ethos of open software. This year's conference is especially charged. As more open source projects like Firefox go mainstream, it's an exciting time for the GNU gurus to show the rest of the world the light. The conference boasts various keynote speakers such as, Kevin Clark, director of IT operations at Lucasfilm, Ltd., and also featured an exhibition hall packed with booths spreading the good word of the latest open source edicts. Left: A skull-pture composed of various dead electronics greets visitors outside the Moscone North Convention hall. The skull interacts with passersby, eliciting a creepy electronic voice. The skull was presented by the Alameda County Computer Resource Center which aims to refurbish 1,000 salvaged computers in three days with open source software and donate them to local schools.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comFusion-io demonstrates its silicon-based storage drive. While CPU processors have advanced continuously since 1987, disc drives have always had a hard time keeping up, says Rick White, co-founder and chief marketing director. “We’ll be able to replace racks and racks of disc drives with just one flash,” says White. “Computers will finally be completely silicon and use a lot less power, too.” The new flash drives also promise to be environmentally friendly since companies that shift from spinning discs to the new drives would lower their carbon emissions considerably. According to White, a traditional 720-rpm disc drive uses over 300,000 kwh a year whereas the new drive uses less than 100 kwh yearly.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comExpo attendees passing by the Fusion-io booth could sign a waiver to ride the bull, er, spinning hard drive.
“We’re putting the show back in trade show,” says Rick White co-founder and chief marketing director of Fusion-io. “Don’t feel bad," jeers White to the drive’s latest defeated passenger, "either way you’re eventually going to have to let go of that spinning drive anyway."  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comShelly Milam, dressed as Tux the Linux penguin, and Ariana Parasco, dressed as The Gnu, dance their way around the expo showroom polling attendees on their favorite tech mascot. “We are doing a stunt to promote Groundwork Open Source,” says Milam. “We’re looking for the next open source idol.” Those who participate have four competitors to choose from; Tux, Beastie, The Gnu and The Firefox. “So far I think Tux is winning,” says Milam.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comHere, one unlucky machine blasted with sand and saltwater gets a second chance at life. DriverSavers Data Recovery displays various machines claimed before their time through unfortunate circumstance, and discusses how their company recovered the valuable data stored on the damaged disc. "With more people than ever recording their lives digitally, that data has become exponentially more valuable," says Jacqueline Cunningham, a strategic alliances specialist for the company. “We save data, we save reputations and we’ve even saved marriages,” says Cunningham. “It’s always either personal or financial but either way it’s very important.”  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comGloria Galicia, left, and Perla Ibarra, middle, aren't your typical booth babes -- both of the savvy beauties run personal blogs that cover both the operating system BSD and their personal lives. “I work for one of the sponsors of BSD,” says Galicia. “I’ve never been to a trade show before and wanted to check it out and support BSD.” Both women are onsite to answer questions about the latest version of the OS, PC-BSD 7, Fibonacci edition. “This operating system has been under steady development since the ‘70s, and we’re a viable alternative to Linux,” says Matt Olander, who manned the BSD booth. “Yahoo’s entire network is run on PC-BSD.”  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comPossibly the only booth containing natural materials in the entire exhibition hall, Larry Frazier’s display of his hand-carved mobius strips draws a crowd. “A mobius is a three-dimensional shape with only one edge and one surface,” says Marian Frazier, who manned the booth with her husband. The beautiful sculptures fashioned from blocks of wood, both exotic and domestic, bronze and alabaster befuddle onlookers as they run their fingers along an edge only to end up back where they started. “People’s eyes sparkle when they walk up,” says Larry. “They’ve been very enthusiastic.”  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comRackable Systems' modular data center is housed in a 40' x 8' container. The system's unique design allows the operator to get it up and running in just a couple of hours whereas a traditional data center can take a couple of years to build. “To run it we just need power, networking and water,” says Jason Coari, Rackable Systems' senior marketing manager. “We’ve taken the fans out of the individual servers and replaced them with central fan bases." The larger fans not only keep the servers cooler and are less prone to break down but they’re also more energy efficient, reducing energy costs up to 80 percent. The units’ modular status and energy efficiency also makes it a likely candidate to be deployed in disaster recovery zones.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comA lost businessman is lulled to sleep by a barrage of geekery, jargon and woefully optimistic philosophies about open software's transformative potential. Source: Wired: Gadgets | 7 Aug 2008 | 1:00 am How to Watch the Olympics OnlineDig a hole to China for the 2008 Olympic summer games? Try a tunnel ... through its great internet firewall. Despite the tight internet security inside the communist country, we found some online sources where you can get the latest summer sports highlights. Now you don't have to set the alarm to 3 a.m. to enjoy your pentathlon or archery events.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 7 Aug 2008 | 1:00 am Gallery: Rise of the Open Source at LinuxWorld: Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comSAN FRANCISCO -- LinuxWorld is the E3 for many open source visionaries, tinkerers and zealots who rally around the communal ethos of open software. This year's conference is especially charged. As more open source projects like Firefox go mainstream, it's an exciting time for the GNU gurus to show the rest of the world the light. The conference boasts various keynote speakers such as, Kevin Clark, director of IT operations at Lucasfilm, Ltd., and also featured an exhibition hall packed with booths spreading the good word of the latest open source edicts. Left: A skull-pture composed of various dead electronics greets visitors outside the Moscone North Convention hall. The skull interacts with passersby, eliciting a creepy electronic voice. The skull was presented by the Alameda County Computer Resource Center which aims to refurbish 1,000 salvaged computers in three days with open source software and donate them to local schools. : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comFusion-io demonstrates its silicon-based storage drive. While CPU processors have advanced continuously since 1987, disc drives have always had a hard time keeping up, says Rick White, co-founder and chief marketing director. “We’ll be able to replace racks and racks of disc drives with just one flash,” says White. “Computers will finally be completely silicon and use a lot less power, too.” The new flash drives also promise to be environmentally friendly since companies that shift from spinning discs to the new drives would lower their carbon emissions considerably. According to White, a traditional 720-rpm disc drive uses over 300,000 kwh a year whereas the new drive uses less than 100 kwh yearly. : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comExpo attendees passing by the Fusion-io booth could sign a waiver to ride the bull, er, spinning hard drive.
“We’re putting the show back in trade show,” says Rick White co-founder and chief marketing director of Fusion-io. “Don’t feel bad," jeers White to the drive’s latest defeated passenger, "either way you’re eventually going to have to let go of that spinning drive anyway." : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comShelly Milam, dressed as Tux the Linux penguin, and Ariana Parasco, dressed as The Gnu, dance their way around the expo showroom polling attendees on their favorite tech mascot. “We are doing a stunt to promote Groundwork Open Source,” says Milam. “We’re looking for the next open source idol.” Those who participate have four competitors to choose from; Tux, Beastie, The Gnu and The Firefox. “So far I think Tux is winning,” says Milam. : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comHere, one unlucky machine blasted with sand and saltwater gets a second chance at life. DriverSavers Data Recovery displays various machines claimed before their time through unfortunate circumstance, and discusses how their company recovered the valuable data stored on the damaged disc. "With more people than ever recording their lives digitally, that data has become exponentially more valuable," says Jacqueline Cunningham, a strategic alliances specialist for the company. “We save data, we save reputations and we’ve even saved marriages,” says Cunningham. “It’s always either personal or financial but either way it’s very important.” : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comGloria Galicia, left, and Perla Ibarra, middle, aren't your typical booth babes -- both of the savvy beauties run personal blogs that cover both the operating system BSD and their personal lives. “I work for one of the sponsors of BSD,” says Galicia. “I’ve never been to a trade show before and wanted to check it out and support BSD.” Both women are onsite to answer questions about the latest version of the OS, PC-BSD 7, Fibonacci edition. “This operating system has been under steady development since the ‘70s, and we’re a viable alternative to Linux,” says Matt Olander, who manned the BSD booth. “Yahoo’s entire network is run on PC-BSD.” : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comPossibly the only booth containing natural materials in the entire exhibition hall, Larry Frazier’s display of his hand-carved mobius strips draws a crowd. “A mobius is a three-dimensional shape with only one edge and one surface,” says Marian Frazier, who manned the booth with her husband. The beautiful sculptures fashioned from blocks of wood, both exotic and domestic, bronze and alabaster befuddle onlookers as they run their fingers along an edge only to end up back where they started. “People’s eyes sparkle when they walk up,” says Larry. “They’ve been very enthusiastic.” : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comRackable Systems' modular data center is housed in a 40' x 8' container. The system's unique design allows the operator to get it up and running in just a couple of hours whereas a traditional data center can take a couple of years to build. “To run it we just need power, networking and water,” says Jason Coari, Rackable Systems' senior marketing manager. “We’ve taken the fans out of the individual servers and replaced them with central fan bases." The larger fans not only keep the servers cooler and are less prone to break down but they’re also more energy efficient, reducing energy costs up to 80 percent. The units’ modular status and energy efficiency also makes it a likely candidate to be deployed in disaster recovery zones. : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comA lost businessman is lulled to sleep by a barrage of geekery, jargon and woefully optimistic philosophies about open software's transformative potential.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 7 Aug 2008 | 1:00 am Students Learn To Write Virusessnocrossgjd writes "In a windowless underground computer lab in California, young men are busy cooking up viruses, spam and other plagues of the computer age. Grant Joy runs a program that surreptitiously records every keystroke on his machine, including user names, passwords, and credit-card numbers. Thomas Fynan floods a bulletin board with huge messages from fake users. Yet Joy and Fynan aren't hackers — they're students in a computer-security class at Sonoma State University. Their professor, George Ledin, has showed them how to penetrate even the best antivirus software."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 7 Aug 2008 | 12:37 am Chertoff: I'm Listening to the Internet (Not in a Bad Way)In an exclusive interview with Wired.com, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff explains why cybersecurity finally matters, how airlines botch the terrorist watch list, and why blog comments are driving policy changes at DHS.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 7 Aug 2008 | 12:28 am Black Hat: DNS Flaw Much Worse Than Previously Reported"There are a ton of different paths that lead to doom," says Dan Kaminsky, who finally revealed the full details of a security hole that's rattled the net.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 7 Aug 2008 | 12:24 am Feds narrow case against ex-McAfee lawyerFederal prosecutors have narrowed their stock-option tampering case against McAfee Inc.'s former top lawyer and dropped four of the original seven felony charges against him, according to a new indictment...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 7 Aug 2008 | 12:21 am Nikon Unveils Six New Coolpix Cams (PC Magazine)PC Magazine - Six new camera models in all, highlights include the slim, sexy S60 with a 3.5-inch touch screen, the Wi-Fi-enabled S610c, and the P6000, a powerful yet portable shooter with built-in GPS capability.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 Aug 2008 | 11:50 pm Note to privacy advocates: Good luck (CNET)CNET - There are plenty of legitimate concerns about the privacy intrusions of Google Maps' Street View, but one privacy group went a bit overboard with an attack on the search giant's all-seeing eye.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 Aug 2008 | 11:47 pm Blackboard expects 2Q sales in line with estimates (AP)AP - Educational software company Blackboard Inc. said Wednesday it expects third-quarter results in the range of a loss of 2 cents per share to a profit of 2 cents per share.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 Aug 2008 | 11:30 pm Faux-CNN Spam Blitz Delivers Malicious FlashCWmike writes "More than a thousand hacked Web sites are serving up fake Flash Player software to users duped into clicking on links in mail that's part of a massive spam attack masquerading as CNN.com news notifications, security researchers said today. The bogus messages, which claim to be from the CNN.com news Web site, include links to what are supposedly the day's Top 10 news stories and Top 10 news video clips from the cable network. Clicking on any of those links, however, brings up a dialog that says an incorrect version of Flash Player has been detected and that tells users they needed to update to a fake newer edition, which delivers a Trojan horse — identified by multiple names, including Cbeplay.a — that "phones home" to a malicious server to grab and install additional malware."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 6 Aug 2008 | 11:06 pm 2008 Lunar Lander Challenge Teams Announcedanzha writes "The X Prize Foundation announced on Monday the competing teams for the 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. This year there are ten teams competing for the two prizes. The XPF has a nice matchup utility to compare the different teams' rockets. The one downside to this year though is that the competition will not have an accompanying X Prize Cup. It will be webcast, though. Full disclosure: I am on a team."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 6 Aug 2008 | 10:04 pm Hacker indictment greeted with muted response (AP)AP - Federal authorities are calling it the largest hacking and identity theft case yet. But this week's indictments of 11 people who allegedly plundered millions of payment card numbers might not seriously dent the underworld where such crimes occur.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 Aug 2008 | 10:02 pm iPhone Coders Miffed, Muzzled By Apple's NDARestrictions within Apple's software developer's kit for the iPhone prevent its developers from openly discussing and sharing coding tips for their applications. Some feel these legal roadblocks are stymying software growth of the nascent platform.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 Aug 2008 | 10:00 pm No Linux IdeaPad For Lenovo's US Customersnarramissic writes "When Lenovo's new IdeaPad 'S' series netbooks hit stores in October, U.S. buyers will only be given one option: Windows XP on the IdeaPad S10 (making it not so much a series as a single offering). Meanwhile, people in most markets Lenovo serves, including Singapore, China and the U.K., will be offered both of the company's new IdeaPad netbooks (the S10, which has 10.2-inch screen, and the S9, which has an 8.9-inch screen), and the choice of either Microsoft Windows XP or a Linux OS. Before you start feeling too sorry for yourself, consider the price tag: the S10 will sell for £319 (US$629) in the U.K., but in the U.S. the starting price is $399." Liliputing (a cool site for anyone interested in sub-notebook computing) has posted a few bits on the IdeaPad, including some short videos.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 6 Aug 2008 | 9:20 pm Review: 'Pineapple Express' Lightens Summer Superhero OverloadJudd Apatow's R-rated stoner flick reunites Freaks and Geeks alums Seth Rogen and James Franco for a round of dope-smoking, violence and nerdy laughs.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm $12 MIT Computer Based On NES, Not Apple IIericatcw writes "The $12 computer that a bunch of designers and grad students are talking up at an MIT conference this month as a potential, cheaper alternative to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) for Third World students is actually a knockoff of the original Nintendo Entertainment System gaming console released in the mid-1980s, reports Computerworld, and confirmed in a comment by the project's spokesman, Derek Lomas. According to Lomas' account and pictures, the Victor-70 is an 8-bit NES clone that accepts its cartridges and is wholly contained in the keyboard. It is also likely to be an unlicensed clone made in China, according to Lomas, though he notes that may not matter patent-wise in the US, due to the length of time that has passed."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 6 Aug 2008 | 8:33 pm Review: With 10-inch screen, Eee PC grows up (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 Aug 2008 | 8:08 pm Viruses Get Viral Infections, TooIt's not only humans who suffer from the depredations of viruses. Viruses do, too.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 Aug 2008 | 8:04 pm IBM Open Sources Supercomputer Codeeldavojohn writes "IBM has announced at the LinuxWorld conference that they are now hosting all their supercomputing stack software as open source from the University of Illinois. From the article: 'The software will initially support Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 and IBM Power6 processors. IBM is planning to add support for Power 575 supercomputing servers and IBM x86 platforms such as System x 3450 servers, BladeCenter servers and System x iDataPlex servers. The stack includes several distinct software tools that have been tested and integrated by IBM. These include the Extreme Cluster Administration Toolkit (xCAT), originally developed for large clusters based on Intel's commodity x86 architecture but now modified for clusters based on IBM's own Power architecture. xCAT is used in the National Nuclear Security Administration's Roadrunner Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico — a hybrid cluster currently ranked by the official Top 500 list as the world's most powerful supercomputer.' For several years, Linux has been a strong tool for supercomputing."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 6 Aug 2008 | 7:48 pm Fedora Releases Alpha Preview of Next-Gen LinuxWhile it won't be ready for a wide release until September, the first alpha of Fedora 10 Linux has been released. The open source desktop environment offers previews of many tweaks that make it more usable for non-geeks, including better audio support, improved WiFi capability and a graphical interface for a new security management utility, SecTool.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 Aug 2008 | 7:30 pm Could a Little Indecency Save Network TV?Network TV's viewer base is dwindling, thanks to fierce competition both from the internet and cable TV. And while the major broadcast networks must comply with the FCC's rigid decency standards, cable channels have healthy ratings thanks to a large supply of racey content.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 Aug 2008 | 7:11 pm Romanian Bears Making More Trips Into TownAs bears in Romania become less timid, there are deadly consequences.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Aug 2008 | 7:10 pm Eye-Shaped Camera Promises Distortion-Free PicsA new electronic device can take images like those captured by the human eye.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Aug 2008 | 6:20 pm Colossal Squid Ripped, Stitched, Hoisted and MovedNew Zealand researchers move a colossal squid -- and make some discoveries.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Aug 2008 | 2:33 pm Mars Plus Water Plus Web Equals NASA MessNASA struggles to quell rumors about life found on Mars.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Aug 2008 | 1:49 pm Duck-Billed Dinos Outgrew PredatorsHow to avoid getting eaten by T-Rex? A duck-billed dino grew really fast.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Aug 2008 | 1:03 pm
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Cheye Calvo, mayor of DC suburb Berwyn Heights, was raided by a SWAT team after 30lbs of marijuana was delivered to his home. They broke down his door, shot his two black labradors, and interrogated him and his wife as their dogs bled to death.
With just 21 genes, Sputnik is tiny compared with its mama — but insidious. When the giant mamavirus infects an amoeba, it uses its large array of genes to build a ‘viral factory’, a hub where new viral particles are made. Sputnik infects this viral factory and seems to hijack its machinery in order to replicate. The team found that cells co-infected with Sputnik produce fewer and often deformed mamavirus particles, making the virus less infective. This suggests that Sputnik is effectively a viral parasite that sickens its host — seemingly the first such example.
What are zombie rhymes? Well, they’re like this:
