EFF Warns That Email Privacy Is In Jeopardy

MojoKid writes with this excerpt from HotHardware: "According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a dangerous legal precedent has just been set that can potentially unravel existing federal privacy protections for e-mail and Internet usage. The alert from the EFF is not just to sound a general warning, but it also takes the form of an Amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief, filed with the federal 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, asking for the court's legal finding to be overturned... The findings of this case could become the foundation of a legal precedent upon which other similar cases can subsequently be based. If that were to be the case, then the unauthorized retrieving of e-mails from an e-mail server would not be considered a violation of the federal Wiretap Act, which will then open the door for government-sponsored snooping."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:15 pm

T-Mobile's Big Idea: An iPhone-Like App Store For Every Phone - Silicon Alley Insider

T-Mobile's Big Idea: An iPhone-Like App Store For Every Phone Silicon Alley Insider - 41 minutes ago Like all wireless carriers, T-Mobile needs its subscribers to start doing more with their phones than just making phone calls and sending text messages. Apple's iPhone Takes a Toll TechNewsWorld T-Mobile USA seen cloning iPhone's App Store Apple Insider CNET News - Mobile Burn - Mac Rumors - Washington Post all 13 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:02 pm

EA, Paramount Reveal First Details On The Godfather II - eFluxMedia

CNET News

EA, Paramount Reveal First Details On The Godfather II eFluxMedia - 1 hour ago By Dee Chisamera This week we got the first details of the upcoming The Godfather II video game, after an official announcement by EA and Paramount re-confirmed something we already knew: the sequel of the 2007 hit Godfather in on the way. Godfather II roughs up retailers in February GameSpot EA, Paramount announce 'Godfather II' video game CNET News Wired News - Gamasutra - Inquirer - Game Guru all 50 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 11:31 am

Logitech Harmony Remote Software 7.5 released for OS X

A quick update for all you Logitech Harmony users out there on OS X, as the company has released a new version of their software for the Mac platform. The download weighs in at 29 MB, and is officially...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 10:44 am

Did You Really Not Know DNS Problems Are Bad? - InformationWeek

Did You Really Not Know DNS Problems Are Bad? InformationWeek - 2 hours ago Up until Matasano mistakenly let the cat out of the bag about the DNS forgery attack that Dan Kaminsky found, lots of experts were downplaying the problem as old and known. Patch for Web Security Hole Has Leaks of Its Own New York Times Vegas hacker conference attracts pranksters San Francisco Chronicle Product Reviews - BetaNews - InfoWorld - Ars Technica all 422 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 10:16 am

iPhone: Trouble in the App Store - CNNMoney.com

Times Online

iPhone: Trouble in the App Store CNNMoney.com - 3 hours ago It’s been a confusing week for both sellers and buyers at the App Store - the venue for third party software that is the best thing to happen to the iPhone (except maybe the price cuts) since it arrived more than a year ago. 10+ Reasons Why You Should Hate the iPhone Techtree.com Big Brother Jobs Might Be Able To Disable Your iPhone Apps Remotely DailyTech InformationWeek - CNET News - Gizmodo - TG Daily all 318 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 9:41 am

Moneydance 2008r2 finance software released (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - The Infinite Kind has announced the release of Moneydance 2008r2, an update to their personal finance management software for Mac OS X. It costs $39.99, and the update is free for registered users.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2008 | 9:30 am

Lucas Researching Concept For New Indiana Jones Film

Cycon writes "According to George Lucas, 'The franchise really depends on me coming up with a good idea. And that series is very research-intensive. So we're doing research now to see if we can't come up with another object for him to chase ... hopefully we'll come up with something.' Lucas 'scoffed at the possibility of passing the famed fedora from Ford to Shia LaBeouf,' instead stating, 'if [Harrison Ford] wasn't in it, you'd have to call it "Mutt Williams and the search for Elvis."'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2008 | 9:09 am

UCSC, city make peace - San Jose Mercury News

KCBS

UCSC, city make peace San Jose Mercury News - 4 hours ago By Genevieve Bookwalter The University of California-Santa Cruz can continue its plans to grow the campus by 4500 students as part of an agreement reached with the city, county and neighbors who had sued the university over its anticipated growth. FBI Still Searching For Suspects In Santa Cruz Firebombing Attacks eFluxMedia US animal-rights extremists firebomb scientists' home, car Ars Technica CBS 5 - abc7news.com - Los Angeles Times - San Jose Mercury News all 715 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:34 am

Functional Analysis of a Predicted Flavonol Synthase Gene Family in Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

By Owens, Daniel K Alerding, Anne B; Crosby, Kevin C; Bandara, Aloka B; Westwood, James H; Winkel, Brenda S J The genome of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) contains five sequences with high similarity to FLAVONOL SYNTHASE1 (AtFLS1), a previously characterized flavonol synthase gene that plays a central role in flavonoid metabolism.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Lights, Camera, Earthquake?

By Coffin, Bill Just 30 minutes before the earthquake that killed tens of thousands in the Chinese province of Sichuan in May, local video footage captured on a cell phone revealed rainbow lights in the clouds.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Inactive Methyl Indole-3-Acetic Acid Ester Can Be Hydrolyzed and Activated By Several Esterases Belonging to the AtMES Esterase Family of Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

By Yang, Yue Xu, Richard; Ma, Choong-je; Vlot, A Corina; Klessig, Daniel F; Pichersky, Eran The plant hormone auxin (indole-3-acetic acid [IAA]) is found both free and conjugated to a variety of carbohydrates, amino acids, and peptides.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Nutritionally Improved Agricultural Crops

By Newell-McGloughlin, Martina Agricultural innovation has always involved new, science-based products and processes that have contributed reliable methods for increasing productivity and sustainability.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Engineering a Catabolic Pathway in Plants for the Degradation of 1,2- Dichloroethane1[OA]

By Mena-Benitez, Gilda L Gandia-Herrero, Fernando; Graham, Stuart; Larson, Tony R; McQueen-Mason, Simon J; French, Christopher E; Rylott, Elizabeth L; Bruce, Neil C Plants are increasingly being employed to clean up environmental pollutants such as heavy metals; however, a major limitation of phytoremediation is the inability of plants to mineralize most organic pollutants.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

An External [Delta]-Carbonic Anhydrase in a Free-Living Marine Dinoflagellate May Circumvent Diffusion-Limited Carbon Acquisition1[W]

By Lapointe, Mathieu MacKenzie, Tyler D B; Morse, David The oceans globally constitute an important sink for carbon dioxide (CO2) due to phytoplankton photosynthesis. However, the marine environment imposes serious restraints to carbon fixation.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Around the Industry

By Anonymous ILMA renews alliance with OSHA The Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA) announced it has renewed its alliance with OSHA for a second time, continuing a partnership between the two organizations to help protect manufacturing industry workers from industrial hazards.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

One Solution to Water Supply Problems Lies Hidden in the Rocks

By Anonymous WATER ENGINEERING THE SECURITY AND QUALITY of the water supply is a major issue facing every South African community. From tiny dorps to big cities, the demands for potable and industrial or agricultural usage water are ever increasing.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Towards Sustainable Development: Achieve Development Potential, Support Key Ecosystems and Provide Poverty Relief

By van der Berg, Erik Shand, Mike; Shippey, Karen; Sparks, Anton; Kamish, Wageed CLANWILLIAM DAM, a mass gravity structure with thirteen crest gates, is located on the Olifants River in the Western Cape near the town of Clanwilliam and the Cederberg mountains.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Outeniqua Coast Water Situation Study

By Dudenski, Christo Grange, Aldu Le; Thompson, Isa IN MAY 2005 THE DEPARTMENT of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), Directorate: National Water Resource Planning commissioned the Outeniqua Coast Water Situation Study (OCWSS), which was completed in December 2007.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Laying Down the Law

By Mokhiber, Russell FOR EIGHT DAYS, IBM could not get a contract with the United States government. On March 27, 2008, Robert Meunier, the debarring official at the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), suspended IBM. The issuance of an $84 million contract to IBM was imminent.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Tax Break ; Shopping Gets a Little Cheaper This Weekend

In Georgia When: Today through midnight Sunday TAX-EXEMPT: * Articles of clothing with a sales price of $100 or less. There is no limit. School, sport and employee uniforms; formal wear; and baby clothes are included.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

No Escape: Marketing to Kids in the Digital Age

By Chester, Jeff Montgomery, Kathryn WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF MEDIA in children's lives, marketing now extends far beyond the confines of television and even the Internet, into an expanding and ubiquitous digital media culture.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Rants & Raves

Comments from our readers: \ IF EITHER BARACK Obama or John McCain is the answer, it must be a really stupid question. \ LAW ENFORCEMENT Center: If you can't afford a new flag, then take the old tattered and torn one down. Respect the flag please.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Takedown Artist

By Coffin, Bill In the wake of the unsuccessful Yahoo/Microsoft merger, Yahoo shareholders are venting their anger against an executive leadership they feel has failed them. Foremost among them is corporate raider Carl Icahn. This is going to be ugly.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

How Things Work: The FTC's Revolving Door

By Weissman, Robert DEBORAH PLATT MAJORAS, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, the leading U.S. consumer protection agency), from 2004 to 2008, stepped down from her job at the end of April.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Telecom Deal Helps Banks Clear LBO Loan Backlog

By Platt, Gordon The agreement announced last month by Verizon Wireless to buy rural cell phone service provider Alltel for $5.9 billion in cash and $22.2 billion in debt did more than create the biggest mobile- phone company in the United States.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Pravda, Sutor, and IBM Linux - ZDNet

DailyTech

Pravda, Sutor, and IBM Linux ZDNet - 5 hours ago On May 7th, 1960, Khrushchev used the Soviet Union’s primary party news organ, named “Pravda” or “truth” in celebration of Lenin’s ideals on the situational use of language, to announce that an American U-2 had been shot down by Soviet missile crews ... Lenovo Confirms It's Looking At IBM's 'Microsoft-Free' Client InformationWeek IBM pushes "Microsoft-free" desktops eWeek PC World - CRN - Computerworld - BetaNews all 279 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:19 am

How To Demo Your Startup

Jason Calacanis’ most recent post to his email mailing list is particularly relevant to our audience. He’s spoken with 200 companies in ten minute increments as they give their pitch to be...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:04 am

Tech geeks' creations turn up on the runway instead of information highway

The clothing industry presents challenges they've never faced. Still, 'It's the perfect marriage of my love of interactive design and my love of fashion and design,' one entrepreneur says. ...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Neanderthals, modern humans share ancestor, scientists say

Researchers find a DNA link between the two species. Neanderthals and modern humans shared an ancestor that lived...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Dogs yawn when humans do, a sign of canine empathy, study finds

'Dogs are not only reading and responding but may be sharing feelings with humans,' one researcher says. If you're...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Antiques online: Tips for buyers

THE INTERNET has made it easier to find antiques, compare prices and talk with sellers worldwide, but antiquing online has drawbacks. Some shoppers underestimate shipping and insurance fees, which can...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Yahoo to let users opt out of targeted ads

Privacy advocates say the move doesn't go far enough. Websites fear it goes too far. Yahoo Inc. said Friday that...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Human yawn contagious to dogs -- a sign of canine empathy, study finds

In a sign they may indeed be best friends, a study finding that dogs tend to yawn after watching a human do it could indicate an ability to share feelings, researchers say. ...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Can dogs catch yawns? Yip!

Dogs yawn when humans do, a sign of canine empathy, researchers find. If you're yawning right now, chances are...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Antique shops moving online

Brick-and-mortar stores are closing as dealers -- and collectors -- migrate to the Internet and auction houses. ...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Estrogen may ease schizophrenia symptoms

Schizophrenic women given an estrogen patch suffered fewer psychotic symptoms in a study. Estrogen may ease psychosis
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am

Motion Activated Shower Curtains - Bloody "Psycho" Curtain

(TrendHunter.com) Janet Leigh, the actress who portrayed the stabbing victim in Alfred Hitchcock's classic film "Psycho" was so terrified after viewing the shower scene that she completely stopped taking...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:40 am

Working Medeco high-security keys can be whittled out of plastic

Researchers at DefCon in Vegas have demonstrated that they can make "high security" Medeco key-blanks out of the plastic used in credit-cards, and then whittle them into working keys by referring to low-resolution photos of original keys.

"Basically, we've destroyed Medeco's key control, because we can make (plastic keys) for any of their M3 locks and a lot of their Biaxial locks, which is their last generation of locks," says Tobias, who authored the book Open in Thirty Seconds, with Bluzmanis.

The researchers demonstrated the technique using a Medeco mortise cylinder that Threat Level purchased in California before leaving for Las Vegas. After buying the lock, Threat Level scanned the key and e-mailed the image to the researchers, who then created several plastic keys. When Threat Level arrived in Las Vegas with the lock, it took about six seconds to open the lock using a plastic key.

"It's keys by e-mail," says Tobias. "It's key-mail."...

The Medeco M3 key does have an extra feature to secure the lock -- a step protrusion on the side of the key that's designed to move a slider inside the lock. But last year at DefCon, Tobias and his colleagues showed how they could simply insert the end of a bent paper clip into a Medeco high-security lock to push back the slider, rendering the slider ineffective as a security layer. Once that is done, they're then able to insert the plastic key in this new attack, to lift and rotate the pins.

Researchers Crack Medeco High-Security Locks With Plastic Keys

(Image: Dave Bullock (eecue)/Wired.com)

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:23 am

Working Medeco high-security keys can be whittled out of plastic

Researchers at DefCon in Vegas have demonstrated that they can make "high security" Medeco key-blanks out of the plastic used in credit-cards, and then whittle them into working keys by referring to low-resolution...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:23 am

Intelligent Future Homes - The Jung Smart House (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) The Jung Smart House could be a good indicator of what housing may look like in the future. Everything in this German engineered home is regulated by KNX sensors which control shade...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:20 am

Pacemakers can be remotely pwned

Kevin Fu (associate prof at the UMass Amherst/director of the Medical Device Security Center) gave a Black Hat presentation in Vegas yesterday in which he demonstrated a way of remotely disabling a pacemaker,...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:18 am

Pacemakers can be remotely pwned

Kevin Fu (associate prof at the UMass Amherst/director of the Medical Device Security Center) gave a Black Hat presentation in Vegas yesterday in which he demonstrated a way of remotely disabling a pacemaker, using open radio technology. It sounds like other implantable devices, like those used for auto-administering drugs, would also be vulnerable to the attack. The attack relies on the fact that the control protocol for these devices does not use any cryptographic security -- that sounds like it'd be easy enough to fix for future models. Not sure how you'd field-patch the 2.6 million devices that have already been... installed to date, though.

A computer acts as a control mechanism for programming the pacemaker so that it can be set to deal with a patient’s particular defribrillation needs. Pacemakers administer small shocks to the heart to restore a regular heartbeat. The devices have the ability to induce a fatal shock to a heart.

Fu and Halperin said they used a cheap $1,000 system to mimic the control mechanism. It included a software radio, GNU radio software, and other electronics. They could use that to eavesdrop on private data such as the identity of the patient, the doctor, the diagnosis, and the pacemaker instructions. They figured out how to control the pacemaker with their device.

“You can induce the test mode, drain the device battery, and turn off therapies,” Halperin said.

Translation: you can kill the patient.

Defcon: Excuse me while I turn off your pacemaker (Thanks, Kiltak!)

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:18 am

Flying wing casemod

These Swiss casemodding overclockers have a sweet gallery of a case that looks like an old flying wing aircraft. Looks like it'd get good airflow, too. Gernsback Continuum Casemod (Thanks, James!)

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:11 am

Flying wing casemod

These Swiss casemodding overclockers have a sweet gallery of a case that looks like an old flying wing aircraft. Looks like it'd get good airflow, too. Gernsback Continuum Casemod (Thanks, James!)...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:11 am

Portland's MetroFi Nodes Still Hanging on

The Oregonian notes that the city may still pick up tab for removing MetroFi's base station: Although MetroFi posted a $30,000 bond against removal of its antennas, the cost could be $90,000 if the company...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:08 am

Creative things to do with junkmail

ProQuo's Top 10 Creative Responses To Junk Mail has lots of good ideas for meatspace spam (making venetian blinds is a particularly good one). My favorite junkmail hack is to just write DECEASED on the...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:06 am

Creative things to do with junkmail

ProQuo's Top 10 Creative Responses To Junk Mail has lots of good ideas for meatspace spam (making venetian blinds is a particularly good one). My favorite junkmail hack is to just write DECEASED on the envelope and put it back in the mail. Top 10 Creative Responses To Junk Mail (via Craft)

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:06 am

Simulation Predicts Clumps of Dark Matter Within Galaxies

A team of researchers has simulated the gravitational interaction of dark matter particles over the course of a hypothetical 13.7 billion years. They found that the particles tended to form clumps large enough to assist in the formation of galaxies. The results contradicted observations from previous, smaller studies, but they lent support to an unrelated simulation of how the Milky Way formed. UCSC's press release is also available. Quoting ScienceNews: "The clumps of dark matter in the simulation have densities that are remarkably similar to densities that a University of California, Irvine research group found when simulating the formation of the Milky Way and its satellite dwarf galaxies, says James Bullock, the astrophysicist who leads the UC-Irvine group and was not involved in the new study. 'This is a remarkable success of the particular model simulated and adds strong support to the idea that the dark matter is made up of particles that are "cold." There are a number of planned experiments aimed at detecting the dark matter that are betting on it being cold, so this is generally good news for the community,' Bullock says. And, [study co-author Piero Madau] notes, larger simulations that might help constrain the nature of dark matter even more are already in the works."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:03 am

Dark Knight Sequel Rumors - Johnny Depp as The Riddler? (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) After making $314 million in just 10 days, it is destined that there be a sequel to the Dark Night. Apparently, the radar is pointing to both Johnny Depp and Philip Semour Hoffman...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 6:00 am

Around L.A.

City settles two suits on overtime pay The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a $7.75 million settlement to end two lawsuits with more than 400 firefighter-paramedics who said they were owed overtime.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am

Search Engine Inspection

I often trump Google as being my search engine of choice and one of the main reasons behind this is due to the relevancy of the results that it returns.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am

State of Maine Launches Enhanced Official Web Site at Http:// Www.Maine.Gov

New Site Improves Usability with Updated Design Predictive Search, Alerts, and Ability to Add State Contacts to Computer Address Books InforME/Maine.gov Kelly Hokkanen, 207-621-2600 General Manager kelly@informe.org Logo: http://www.Maine.gov Governor John E.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am

Gallery: Gadgets Boost Olympic Performance -- Legally

: Photo: Associated Press/Kathy Willens

Technology has helped push the boundaries of athletic achievement since the first time a caveman selected a lightweight birch branch for his spear instead of the usual heavy oaken staff. This year's Olympic Games will be no different, with swimmers, cyclists and even gymnasts making the most of tech -- and legal -- performance enhancements.

While many of the items on this list will be limited to Olympic athletes only, many others will be available for purchase by anyone, even if you don't have the cutting-edge training of Dara Torres. Just as NASA's space program led to Tang and other wonders, the innovations created for these Olympics may eventually end up somewhere in your house.

Left: Humans are too flawed for perfect swimming (not even Michael Phelps could beat a Great White in a sprint), but Speedo's LZR suit is the closest we'll get to swimming like the fishes.

Designed in conjunction with NASA scientists, the suit uses ultrasonically bonded seams (instead of stitches), low-drag panels and a mix of polyurethane layers to create the fastest suit ever, reaching previously unattainable levels of buoyancy and slipperiness.

But according to the top U.S. swimmers, the key lies in the groin. It has a rigid, girdle-style structure that positions the swimmer's body in an optimal position. That means no more hip/leg misalignments and less lower-body fatigue. It's estimated to give its wearers a two to five percent advantage, more than enough to make the difference between a bronze medal and a gold one.

Rival suit companies protested the LZR's innovations, but they couldn't come up with an adequate replacement. Even Nike is allowing its sponsored swimmers to wear it in Beijing.

: Photo: Lee Vaccaro

Jennie Longo is the French equivalent of Lance Armstrong -- and at 49 years old, she is still smoking the competition. Now she has two new aces in the hole: the ultra-light 8-spoke wheel (the previous lowest number of spokes was 10) and a disc wheel called the Disc Cranked Arrow.

Designed by Paul Lew Racing for ultimate flight, the 8-spoke wheel is not the most durable of wheels. It’s only designed to last the length of the course, just like Michael Johnson’s famous Nikes in the 1996 Games.

The Disc Cranked Arrow features a rim with carbon/boron fairing, and it is the world's most aerodynamic bicycle wheel, as well as the lightest, at 730 grams.

: Photo: Respro

Smog levels are rising in Beijing, but athletes won’t let that stand in their way. Many are planning on using air-filtering masks throughout their stay, and some are expected to use them in the events themselves.

One of the masks we'll see is the Respro Sportsta, which allows high volumes of clean air to move through the openings, and includes HEPA-type filtration (like that found in your vacuum cleaner) to strip out Beijing air's high levels of particulates, including exhaust emissions. It also comes with Powa valves (for improved airflow).

Undoubtedly, though, the best thing about it is that it will make everyone look like Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat. Fight!

: Photo: Hypoxico

Hypoxic tents like Altitude Training's CAT-150 push low-oxygen (hypoxic) air into the tent while an athlete rests, displacing more oxygen-rich air as well as the CO2 he or she exhales. In so doing, it stimulates the athlete's body to increase red blood cell production and pump up the delivery of oxygen to muscles.

Some have compared the feeling of running after a hypoxic session to being unleashed physically, like a controlled human helium balloon. Although they’ve been used in previous Olympics, the poor air quality of the city will likely inspire many more athletes to use these tents.

Some consider hypoxic tents to be a form of doping, primarily because not every athlete has access to them. But until the IOC disallows them -- an unlikely eventuality -- we'll continue to see athletes legally improve their blood cell counts by spending time inside tents like this one. During these Olympics, expect top cyclists David Zabriske, Mike Friedman and Kashi Leuchs to use the CAT-150 between their races.

: Photo: Nike

Nike's MaxSight contact lenses filter out reflections caused by the sun and enhance contrast -- details appear a bit clearer and colors pop more. Their red tint relaxes the eyes and lets them focus for longer periods of time.

The British women's field hockey team is expected to wear the lenses in order to see the field better. Because this tint is especially made for fast-moving sports with variable light conditions, the field hockey players will also pick up the rotation of a ball with greater accuracy.

Also, the intimidating look that a pair of demonic pupils has on the opposition is hard to overlook.

Sadly for non-Olympians, the manufacturers recently discontinued these lenses.

: Photo: Edis Jurcys

It's gotta be the shoes. Or at least that’s what Nike and Adidas want you to believe. Still, the tech used in these kicks is serious business.

Nike’s 3.19-ounce Flywire Zoom Victory Spikes use a lightweight thread called Vectran, a substance used in the balloons that helped the Lunar Rover land safely. This thread, which is tougher than Kevlar, allowed the designers to design the whole shoe without the extra padding normally needed to keep it from breaking down in a run. Since the tough Vectran ensured reliable durability all by itself, Nike removed materials that were used previously to prevent ruptures, like the inner sock liner, enabling them to make the shoe lighter.

The Flywire also sports a hole in the heel, which grips the runner's heel tightly, preventing movement.

The Adidas Lone Stars are also as light as a breeze, but with a twist: They're "bent" at an angle to take care of the long-sprint curves of the 400-meter event. The shoes, designed with input from runner Jeremy Wariner, are the first to be made with asymmetrical carbon nanotube plates and progressive-compression spikes. They're asymmetrical because in a sprint around a circular track, the left foot is used more to stabilize the body, and the right is used more for propulsion.

The carbon nanotube construction is key because it allowed Adidas to create a single-piece shoe, getting rid of the regular three-piece seams and leading to a lighter weight -- 50 percent lighter than any other shoe.

: Photo: Nike

These are not bulletproof vests, but if you're an athlete looking for the smallest edge, they might save your life.

As an athlete warms up to loosen the muscles, his or her core temperature also goes up. This leads to the possible danger of overheating, especially given the high temperatures expected in Beijing in August.

The answer: Lightweight vests that help keep athletes cool. They are so effective that doctors have used them for long surgery sessions, and U.S. marathoner Deena Kastor credits Nike's vest with keeping her cool in the '04 Games and helping her land a medal. Its principle is simple: Fill with water, freeze, then put it on. The new Precool vest not only improves on the 2004 model by covering a larger surface area, it also has a flexible aluminum coating that deflects the sun's rays.

The Game Ready Active Cooling Vest works a little differently, but cools down the body just the same. After it's filled with water, a cooling unit is connected into the vest, which regulates the pressure level, temperature and treatment time settings of the vest. It combines this cold water circulation with low-level compression for a specific temperature fit.

: Photo: Mizuno

Bat innovations are nothing new, but it seems that they're always on the verge of causing a controversy. Maple bats were the recent rage in the Major Leagues, but their thin handles caused them to break easily and fly dangerously into the stands. The Mizuno softball bat is not causing a controversy yet, but it has reached a new standard of lightness that's destined to hurt the opposition.

The Black Onyx carbon fiber RB500 has a larger-than-usual sweet spot that dominates the barrel (very nice), but it's the redesigned coiled end cap that makes it special. It allows for a lighter weight without sacrificing control and balance, helping a batter swing harder and make better last minute wrist-snapping adjustments on the ball.

Since this is expected to be the last year of softball competition in the Olympics, expect players using this bat to make an explosive statement on the field to try and bring their sport back by 2016.

: Photo: Nike

Dainty, yet aggressive. Minimalist, but full of technological innovations. The Nike Pidima gymnastic shoes are a contradiction in many ways, but by the end of the games, everyone will agree that that they're the next step in high-performance technology.

Why are we so high on this shoe? First consider the size. It's the smallest and lightest shoe ever at 0.35 ounces. When an athlete is sprinting into the horse (on the front part of the foot, Kerri Strug-style) that lightness will allow for better traction, faster speed and bigger jumps.

Then look at the thin aesthetic appearance and the grippy sole. The rubber is the color of flesh, so it won't stand out. That's more than a mere style point, because scoring in gymnastics is based on the way the foot is positioned relative to the body. Call attention to your foot, and you run the risk of the judges taking points away.

Also, the casing of the sole helps with pliability between the first and second metatarsals (where the foot impacts the floor), making it more comfortable than ever.

Finally, the spike patterns on the sole are multidirectional so that an athlete can switch the positions of the leg quickly while maintaining ground contact.

: Photo: Newgy

The Robo-Pong 2040 will play at any skill level you desire. It will play at any time you feel the need for a game. And while it cannot qualify for the Olympics, at least until organizers permit robotic contestants, it can be a valuable training partner.

This training robot is used by some of the top players to improve their games and technique, but it's also helpful for up-and-coming players. A few Chinese table tennis pros have been known to use the 2040 when they can't get to the famous Sun Park in Beijing.

Trainers can adjust the difficulty level and the speed of the ball, as well the amount of oscillation and spin that the robot puts on the ball. It even has a remote control so coaches can torture their players from afar.

: Photo: Mikasa

The Mikasa's designers abandoned the standard 18-panel volleyball design in favor of eight panels arranged in a petal-like formation. When combined with the new double-layered construction (of polyurethane foam and a woven inner layer made of soft micro-fiber), this new design will give players improved control by limiting the amount of sweat that seeps into the ball from their palms. That's gross, yes, but useful.

The embossing process is also supposed to lower the amount of air disturbance around the ball for a more aerodynamic trajectory. This should lead to the hardest balls ever hit this summer, though the sound may be disappointing: A few players who tested the ball complained that the Mikasa doesn't have the same satisfying pop as a traditional volleyball.

: Photo: Courtesy Inition

In order to make perfect strokes during training, the U.S. crew team members watch their progress on a VR-style goggle set that receives a live feed of their movements as they row. With this feed, they are able to see instantly if their torsos are misaligned. By evaluating themselves in real time, the rowers learn to perfect their form. Once the race starts, however, they'll ditch the glasses.

Originally the invention of an Australian crew team, the instantaneous video analysis system is also used to build statistical databases. The next versions will wirelessly transmit rowers' previous performances straight into their sightlines, enabling them to virtually travel into the past and race against themselves.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am

Gallery: Gadgets Boost Olympic Performance -- Legally

: Photo: Associated Press/Kathy Willens

Technology has helped push the boundaries of athletic achievement since the first time a caveman selected a lightweight birch branch for his spear instead of the usual heavy oaken staff. This year's Olympic Games will be no different, with swimmers, cyclists and even gymnasts making the most of tech -- and legal -- performance enhancements.

While many of the items on this list will be limited to Olympic athletes only, many others will be available for purchase by anyone, even if you don't have the cutting-edge training of Dara Torres. Just as NASA's space program led to Tang and other wonders, the innovations created for these Olympics may eventually end up somewhere in your house.

Left: Humans are too flawed for perfect swimming (not even Michael Phelps could beat a Great White in a sprint), but Speedo's LZR suit is the closest we'll get to swimming like the fishes.

Designed in conjunction with NASA scientists, the suit uses ultrasonically bonded seams (instead of stitches), low-drag panels and a mix of polyurethane layers to create the fastest suit ever, reaching previously unattainable levels of buoyancy and slipperiness.

But according to the top U.S. swimmers, the key lies in the groin. It has a rigid, girdle-style structure that positions the swimmer's body in an optimal position. That means no more hip/leg misalignments and less lower-body fatigue. It's estimated to give its wearers a two to five percent advantage, more than enough to make the difference between a bronze medal and a gold one.

Rival suit companies protested the LZR's innovations, but they couldn't come up with an adequate replacement. Even Nike is allowing its sponsored swimmers to wear it in Beijing.

: Photo: Lee Vaccaro

Jennie Longo is the French equivalent of Lance Armstrong -- and at 49 years old, she is still smoking the competition. Now she has two new aces in the hole: the ultra-light 8-spoke wheel (the previous lowest number of spokes was 10) and a disc wheel called the Disc Cranked Arrow.

Designed by Paul Lew Racing for ultimate flight, the 8-spoke wheel is not the most durable of wheels. It’s only designed to last the length of the course, just like Michael Johnson’s famous Nikes in the 1996 Games.

The Disc Cranked Arrow features a rim with carbon/boron fairing, and it is the world's most aerodynamic bicycle wheel, as well as the lightest, at 730 grams.

: Photo: Respro

Smog levels are rising in Beijing, but athletes won’t let that stand in their way. Many are planning on using air-filtering masks throughout their stay, and some are expected to use them in the events themselves.

One of the masks we'll see is the Respro Sportsta, which allows high volumes of clean air to move through the openings, and includes HEPA-type filtration (like that found in your vacuum cleaner) to strip out Beijing air's high levels of particulates, including exhaust emissions. It also comes with Powa valves (for improved airflow).

Undoubtedly, though, the best thing about it is that it will make everyone look like Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat. Fight!

: Photo: Hypoxico

Hypoxic tents like Altitude Training's CAT-150 push low-oxygen (hypoxic) air into the tent while an athlete rests, displacing more oxygen-rich air as well as the CO2 he or she exhales. In so doing, it stimulates the athlete's body to increase red blood cell production and pump up the delivery of oxygen to muscles.

Some have compared the feeling of running after a hypoxic session to being unleashed physically, like a controlled human helium balloon. Although they’ve been used in previous Olympics, the poor air quality of the city will likely inspire many more athletes to use these tents.

Some consider hypoxic tents to be a form of doping, primarily because not every athlete has access to them. But until the IOC disallows them -- an unlikely eventuality -- we'll continue to see athletes legally improve their blood cell counts by spending time inside tents like this one. During these Olympics, expect top cyclists David Zabriske, Mike Friedman and Kashi Leuchs to use the CAT-150 between their races.

: Photo: Nike

Nike's MaxSight contact lenses filter out reflections caused by the sun and enhance contrast -- details appear a bit clearer and colors pop more. Their red tint relaxes the eyes and lets them focus for longer periods of time.

The British women's field hockey team is expected to wear the lenses in order to see the field better. Because this tint is especially made for fast-moving sports with variable light conditions, the field hockey players will also pick up the rotation of a ball with greater accuracy.

Also, the intimidating look that a pair of demonic pupils has on the opposition is hard to overlook.

Sadly for non-Olympians, the manufacturers recently discontinued these lenses.

: Photo: Edis Jurcys

It's gotta be the shoes. Or at least that’s what Nike and Adidas want you to believe. Still, the tech used in these kicks is serious business.

Nike’s 3.19-ounce Flywire Zoom Victory Spikes use a lightweight thread called Vectran, a substance used in the balloons that helped the Lunar Rover land safely. This thread, which is tougher than Kevlar, allowed the designers to design the whole shoe without the extra padding normally needed to keep it from breaking down in a run. Since the tough Vectran ensured reliable durability all by itself, Nike removed materials that were used previously to prevent ruptures, like the inner sock liner, enabling them to make the shoe lighter.

The Flywire also sports a hole in the heel, which grips the runner's heel tightly, preventing movement.

The Adidas Lone Stars are also as light as a breeze, but with a twist: They're "bent" at an angle to take care of the long-sprint curves of the 400-meter event. The shoes, designed with input from runner Jeremy Wariner, are the first to be made with asymmetrical carbon nanotube plates and progressive-compression spikes. They're asymmetrical because in a sprint around a circular track, the left foot is used more to stabilize the body, and the right is used more for propulsion.

The carbon nanotube construction is key because it allowed Adidas to create a single-piece shoe, getting rid of the regular three-piece seams and leading to a lighter weight -- 50 percent lighter than any other shoe.

: Photo: Nike

These are not bulletproof vests, but if you're an athlete looking for the smallest edge, they might save your life.

As an athlete warms up to loosen the muscles, his or her core temperature also goes up. This leads to the possible danger of overheating, especially given the high temperatures expected in Beijing in August.

The answer: Lightweight vests that help keep athletes cool. They are so effective that doctors have used them for long surgery sessions, and U.S. marathoner Deena Kastor credits Nike's vest with keeping her cool in the '04 Games and helping her land a medal. Its principle is simple: Fill with water, freeze, then put it on. The new Precool vest not only improves on the 2004 model by covering a larger surface area, it also has a flexible aluminum coating that deflects the sun's rays.

The Game Ready Active Cooling Vest works a little differently, but cools down the body just the same. After it's filled with water, a cooling unit is connected into the vest, which regulates the pressure level, temperature and treatment time settings of the vest. It combines this cold water circulation with low-level compression for a specific temperature fit.

: Photo: Mizuno

Bat innovations are nothing new, but it seems that they're always on the verge of causing a controversy. Maple bats were the recent rage in the Major Leagues, but their thin handles caused them to break easily and fly dangerously into the stands. The Mizuno softball bat is not causing a controversy yet, but it has reached a new standard of lightness that's destined to hurt the opposition.

The Black Onyx carbon fiber RB500 has a larger-than-usual sweet spot that dominates the barrel (very nice), but it's the redesigned coiled end cap that makes it special. It allows for a lighter weight without sacrificing control and balance, helping a batter swing harder and make better last minute wrist-snapping adjustments on the ball.

Since this is expected to be the last year of softball competition in the Olympics, expect players using this bat to make an explosive statement on the field to try and bring their sport back by 2016.

: Photo: Nike

Dainty, yet aggressive. Minimalist, but full of technological innovations. The Nike Pidima gymnastic shoes are a contradiction in many ways, but by the end of the games, everyone will agree that that they're the next step in high-performance technology.

Why are we so high on this shoe? First consider the size. It's the smallest and lightest shoe ever at 0.35 ounces. When an athlete is sprinting into the horse (on the front part of the foot, Kerri Strug-style) that lightness will allow for better traction, faster speed and bigger jumps.

Then look at the thin aesthetic appearance and the grippy sole. The rubber is the color of flesh, so it won't stand out. That's more than a mere style point, because scoring in gymnastics is based on the way the foot is positioned relative to the body. Call attention to your foot, and you run the risk of the judges taking points away.

Also, the casing of the sole helps with pliability between the first and second metatarsals (where the foot impacts the floor), making it more comfortable than ever.

Finally, the spike patterns on the sole are multidirectional so that an athlete can switch the positions of the leg quickly while maintaining ground contact.

: Photo: Newgy

The Robo-Pong 2040 will play at any skill level you desire. It will play at any time you feel the need for a game. And while it cannot qualify for the Olympics, at least until organizers permit robotic contestants, it can be a valuable training partner.

This training robot is used by some of the top players to improve their games and technique, but it's also helpful for up-and-coming players. A few Chinese table tennis pros have been known to use the 2040 when they can't get to the famous Sun Park in Beijing.

Trainers can adjust the difficulty level and the speed of the ball, as well the amount of oscillation and spin that the robot puts on the ball. It even has a remote control so coaches can torture their players from afar.

: Photo: Mikasa

The Mikasa's designers abandoned the standard 18-panel volleyball design in favor of eight panels arranged in a petal-like formation. When combined with the new double-layered construction (of polyurethane foam and a woven inner layer made of soft micro-fiber), this new design will give players improved control by limiting the amount of sweat that seeps into the ball from their palms. That's gross, yes, but useful.

The embossing process is also supposed to lower the amount of air disturbance around the ball for a more aerodynamic trajectory. This should lead to the hardest balls ever hit this summer, though the sound may be disappointing: A few players who tested the ball complained that the Mikasa doesn't have the same satisfying pop as a traditional volleyball.

: Photo: Courtesy Inition

In order to make perfect strokes during training, the U.S. crew team members watch their progress on a VR-style goggle set that receives a live feed of their movements as they row. With this feed, they are able to see instantly if their torsos are misaligned. By evaluating themselves in real time, the rowers learn to perfect their form. Once the race starts, however, they'll ditch the glasses.

Originally the invention of an Australian crew team, the instantaneous video analysis system is also used to build statistical databases. The next versions will wirelessly transmit rowers' previous performances straight into their sightlines, enabling them to virtually travel into the past and race against themselves.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 9 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am

Paid Support Not Critical For Linux Adoption

ruphus13 writes "At the LinuxWorld expo, an analyst for the 451 Group pointed to a growing trend in enterprise — the increase in adoption of community-supported Linux distros. From the article, 'Companies are increasingly choosing free community-driven Linux distributions instead of commercial offerings with conventional support options. Several factors are driving this trend, particularly dissatisfaction with the cost of support services from the major distributors. Companies that use and deploy Linux internally increasingly have enough in-house expertise to handle all of their technical needs and no longer have to rely on Red Hat or Novell.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2008 | 3:59 am

FBI to reporters: we snooped on your phone records.

The FBI disclosed today that it had "improperly obtained" phone records of reporters at the Indonesia bureaus for the New York Times and Washington Post in 2004.

Robert S. Mueller III, director of the F.B.I., disclosed the episode in a phone call to Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, and apologized for it. He also spoke with Leonard Downie Jr., the executive editor of The Washington Post, to apologize. F.B.I. officials said the incident came to light as part of the continuing review by the Justice Department inspector general’s office into the bureau’s improper collection of telephone records through “emergency” records demands issued to phone providers. The records were apparently sought as part of a terrorism investigation, but the F.B.I. did not explain what was being investigated or why the reporters’ phone records were considered relevant.

F.B.I. Says It Obtained Reporters’ Phone Records (NYT)

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 3:02 am

Rackspace IPO: Wall Street does cloud computing (CNET)

CNET - Wall Street gave a nod to cloud computing Friday as San Antonio, Texas-based Rackspace Hosting opened for trading today on the New York Stock Exchange following its initial public offering Thursday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2008 | 2:44 am

Recently at Boing Boing Gadgets

Recently at Boing Boing Gadgets, we saw a powerful point-and-shoot from Nikon, a backlit coaster, a remote controlled robot zombie, and a demented erotic chess set. There was a pretty engraved MacBook Pro, a beautiful retro handset from Sony Ericsson (and a handheld PC design fantasy we based on it), and a cyborg goatee shaving guard. Some hackers got kicked out of a hacking conference for hacking, and Lotus wants to make hybrid cards noisier. John spotted a great handheld SNES, General Electric's television of today from 1978 — "Do you have a seraglio of a thousand slaves to help you lift it out of the store?" — and found a forest nymph to be the light of his life. Rob found a $1,975 set of energy phase-correcting wooden blocks for audiophiles, imagined what Ikea's cell phone might look like, and wondered why everything ever is "stylish and elegant." Then he was struck on the head by a bad-assed 3lb heavyweight tape dispenser. Finally, before you hit the weekend, check our our gallery of 101 Classic Computer Ads.

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 2:35 am

John Kricfalusi's presidential candidate toys

John Kricfalusi alerted me to these hilarious toys he designed depicting the presidential candidates. John Kricfalusi's presidential candidate toys

Source: Boing Boing | 9 Aug 2008 | 2:26 am

Reporters At Black Hat Get Bounced For Hacking

rickb928 and several others have written to inform us that three reporters for the French publication "Global Security Magazine" were booted out of the Black Hat convention for uncovering the login information of other reporters. Quoting the AP: "The separate, wired Internet connections set up for reporters are supposed to be off-limits to hacking and the Wall of Sheep. Even so reporters who didn't take the extra step and log onto the Internet through an additional secure connection like a virtual private network, risked having their data exposed to colleagues sitting just feet away. It didn't appear to be a complicated hack. The network was working properly, but it wasn't set up to shield each journalist's computer from one another."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2008 | 1:56 am

Webcastr.com Breaks John Edwards / Rielle Hunter Videos on the Web

Website airs videos that started the Edwards affair! LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On a story that the mainstream media refused to touch for months,...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:48 am

IFC expands music programming with Pitchfork pact (Reuters)

Reuters - This fall, the Independent Film Channel will be running more music-related programming -- on-air and online -- than at any time in its 14-year history.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:45 am

Wall of Sheep: Coming to Your Company? - PC World

ABC News

Wall of Sheep: Coming to Your Company? PC World - 12 hours ago The Wall of Sheep has become a fixture of the Defcon hacker conference: a wall with a long list of details showing who at the conference has sent readable data using insecure wireless connections. Black Hat Reporters Accused of Hacking IT Pubs CRN Wireless Awareness: Don't Be A Sheep Washington Post CNET News - PC Magazine - TG Daily - DailyTech all 191 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:36 am

'Cloud computing' trend heightens privacy risks (AFP)

AFP - A US military computer science professor has warned that a trend to push software into the "clouds" exacerbates privacy risks as people trust information to the Internet.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:27 am

InfoGroup files long-overdue financial reports

Database provider InfoGroup Inc. on Friday filed long-overdue financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, months after receiving a Nasdaq notice threatening delisting over the late papers...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:08 am

Rainfall alert on global warming - Financial Times

USA Today

Rainfall alert on global warming Financial Times - 12 hours ago By Clive Cookson Global warming will exacerbate rainfall extremes - both deluges and droughts - more than most climatologists have predicted, according to a study of satellite data and climate models in the journal Science today. Tropical Warming Tied to Flooding Rains New York Times When it rains, it pours: Climate change to increase rainfall USA Today Scientific American - National Geographic - eFluxMedia - Environment News Service all 68 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:07 am

Tracking Near-Earth Meteors With a 1.1 Petabyte Database

Lucas123 writes "The latest and most ambitious attempt to detect 'near-Earth objects' (NEOs) is the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS. When it's fully operational several years from now, it will have four telescopes, each with a 1.4-gigapixel camera. The system is expected to be able to track virtually all NEOs larger than 300 meters in diameter as well as many smaller ones. Rather than turning to an expensive supercomputer equipped with hundreds or thousands of processors, Pan-STARRS will use a cluster of 50 PC servers connected to 1.1 petabytes of disk storage via fast Infiniband networking gear."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:05 am

Bell overhaul continues with new phone, logo and marketing overhaul

shed its reputation as a glacially slow competitor Friday by introducing an alternative to the iPhone and rebranding its identity ahead of promised improvements to its customer service.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:03 am

InfoGroup files long-overdue financial reports

Database provider InfoGroup Inc. has filed long-overdue financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, months after receiving a Nasdaq notice threatening to delist the...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 9 Aug 2008 | 12:02 am

WIFE'S CELL PHONE MYSTERY MAN UNSETTLES HER HUSBAND (Dear Abby)

Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My wife of 25 years has been talking on the phone with a married man who lives in a city 300 miles away. They chat for more than an hour a week. Our cell phone bills indicate that this has been going on for more than a year.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:58 pm

I Want My iPhone TV - Washington Post

TrustedReviews

I Want My iPhone TV Washington Post - 12 hours ago The dog days of August lend themselves to kicking back and letting the world slide by. Since the advent of the Web 2.0 ecosystem, they? Inside MobileMe: Secrets of the Cloud and Mobile Push Apple Insider Who's Minding the App Store? TechNewsWorld CRN - Ars Technica - InformationWeek - Macworld all 243 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:48 pm

Google's Ad Network, Now With Double the Cookies - Washington Post

Direct Traffic Media

Google's Ad Network, Now With Double the Cookies Washington Post - 12 hours ago As part of the ongoing integration of its DoubleClick acquisition (yesterday it sold off Performics), Google will be placing an additional DoubleClick cookie on the browsers of everyone who visits a site that is part of Google's current AdSense network ... Google gives advertisers finer controls, better ad accountability CNET News Google Tips DoubleClick Integration Plans PC Magazine ZDNet - ClickZ News - Search Engine Roundtable - Search Engine Watch all 19 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:48 pm

Last HOPE Tracking Meta-Data Released

aestetix writes "As previously mentioned on Slashdot, hackers at the last Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) conference deployed an RFID tracking system to follow attendees around the conference. The system also allowed users to enter personal interests related to the convention, and served up both talk recommendations and similar people based on these interests. The first results have been posted, and the tracking data and source code have been released under the GPL." They've also made available some videos with 2-D and 3-D representations of the data.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:16 pm

Tell Congress to rein in DHS travel abuses

The ACLU has set up a form that makes it easy to tell Congress to overhaul the broken terrorist watch list and to require reasonable suspicion for electronic searches at the border.

With no suspicion and no explanation, the U.S. government can seize your laptop, cell phone, or PDA as you enter the United States and download all your private information -- including your personal and business documents, emails, phone calls, and web history. The Department of Homeland Security confirms that this is the official policy.

What happens if you refuse to let the agents download your personal photos? Or if you have encrypted your private information? Then Border Patrol -- which is now an agency of the Department of Homeland Security -- can simply copy your entire hard drive or even take your device and hang on to it indefinitely.

Unfortunately, seizing laptops and cameras at the border isn’t the only travel security measure that infringes on our civil liberties.

Just last month, the U.S. government's "terrorist watch list" surpassed one million names and is growing by over twenty-thousand names per month. The watch list includes the names of prominent people, like Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), plus hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans -- many of them with common names like Robert Johnson and James Robinson. Your name might be on the list, but there's no way to know for sure until you are delayed -- or even detained for hours in a back room. If you discover your name is on the list, it's nearly impossible to get off. It actually took an Act of Congress to get Nelson Mandela off the list. No joke. An Act of Congress.

These abuses have something in common: They make all of us into suspects, with no rule of law and no accountability.

Tell Congress to rein in DHS travel abuses (ACLU)

Source: Boing Boing | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:12 pm

Barbadians slam discovery, naming of tiny snake

A small snake has sparked a big debate in Barbados. Residents of the wealthy Caribbean nation have been heating up blogs and clogging radio airwaves to vent their anger at a U.S. scientist,
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:01 pm

Scientists Create Stem Cells for Genetic Disorders

In a new study reported online in the journal Cell, Harvard scientists say they have created stems cells for 10 genetic disorders using a new technique, which will allow researchers to watch the diseases develop in a lab dish.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:45 pm

Science and Tech Go to the Olympics: Wired.com's Coverage

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are a celebration of human athletic skill -- but they're also a massive display of cutting-edge science and technology. Wired.com covers the geeky side of the Olympics in-depth.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:40 pm

Science and Tech Go to the Olympics: Wired.com's Coverage

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are a celebration of human athletic skill -- but they're also a massive display of cutting-edge science and technology. Wired.com covers the geeky side of the Olympics in-depth.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:40 pm

Yahoo Will Soon Let Visitors Opt Out of Ads

Yahoo will let its Web visitors decline ads targeted to their browsing habits, becoming the latest internet company to break from a common industry practice as Congress steps up scrutiny of customized advertising and consumer privacy.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:30 pm

Airline Cancels All Flights Booked Through Third Party Systems

TechDirt is reporting that one airline is planning on canceling all flights booked through third party systems. This isn't the first time that an airline has fought against the inevitable wave of easier-to-search third party websites, but certainly tops the stupid scale. "We were already confused enough by American Airlines' desire not to be listed on the sites where people search for airfare, and easyJet's plan to sue the sites that send it customers, but Irish-based airline Ryanair is taking this all to a new level. Beyond just being upset about those 3rd party sites (i.e., sites that send it business!), it's planning to cancel the flights for everyone who booked through one of those services."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:29 pm

Aston Martin Unseats the Veyron As World's Fastest Car

The Bugatti Veyron's already lost its claim to being the fastest car on the planet. Now it's no longer the most expensive, either.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:22 pm

Teaser video for Craft, Vol 8

Volume 8 of CRAFT, sister publication to MAKE, is on stands now. Here's the teaser video.

Source: Boing Boing | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:18 pm

Remotely control surveyor bots over the web

Inertia-Labs makes these cool little surveyor robot kits. The BP Explorer site in Australia built a miniature city and populated it with five surveyor bots you can control over the Web. BP Explorer

Source: Boing Boing | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:09 pm

Phillip Brodt of GCR & Associates, Inc. Provides Insight at AAAE NextGen Conference

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) met in Louisville, Kentucky this week for the inaugural NextGen...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 10:07 pm

S&P upgrades outlook on Affiliated Computer

Standard & Poor's Rating Services upgraded its outlook on Affiliated Computer Services Inc. on Friday after the technology administrator announced it had signed a record amount of new...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:54 pm

Broadcom wins initial ruling in GPS patent dispute

Telecommunications chip maker Broadcom Corp. said Friday that it had won an initial ruling against rival SiRF Technology Holdings for violating six patents covering technology designed for...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:50 pm

Software To Improve AIDS Survival?

Roland Piquepaille writes "There are more than 33 million people living with HIV worldwide. No cure or vaccine has been unveiled this week in Mexico during the International AIDS Conference. Still, European researchers have developed 'a predictive software system for HIV that could help extend the lives of victims of the killer disease.' The scientists working on the EuResist project have combined HIV databases in Italy, Sweden and Germany, creating what is probably the largest database on AIDS and HIV in the world. Armed with information about more than 18,000 patients, 64,000 therapies, and 240,000 viral mode measurements, the researchers have created new mathematical prediction models, which should soon be available to medical researchers and doctors all over the world."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:46 pm

GCI Donates $30 Million Broadband Gift Toward Education

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton and University of Alaska Foundation President Mary Rutherford today...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:45 pm

Long cellphone contracts make it hard for new players to win customers: analysts

MONTREAL - As Canada's mobile phone market gradually opens up to more competition, the three big three players - Rogers (TXM:RCI.B), Telus (TXM:T) and Bell (TXM:BCE) - will try to lock up
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:35 pm

Fall TV Preview: Time Travel, Vampires and Weird Science

Fans of sci-fi and fast thrills will get plenty of eye candy as networks roll out new shows brimming with dinosaurs, bloodsuckers, hackers and hard-boiled cops.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:23 pm

SMTC Corporation Schedules Second Quarter Results

TORONTO, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - SMTC Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTX) (TSX: SMX), a global electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, has scheduled its second quarter...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:12 pm

Facebook Lawsuit: Righteous Anger or Sour Grapes? (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - When the executives of social-networking Web site Facebook sued a German-based business that had launched a copycat site, it was accepted as a good move -- but was Facebook just sour over an offer gone bad?
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:11 pm

O'Reilly On How Copyright Got To Its Current State

Schneed Tweedly writes "William Patry is one of the leading scholars in the world on copyright law. For a long time he maintained a blog, "Patry on Copyright," that discussed new cases as they came out. A few days ago, though, he shut down his blog because 'the Current State of Copyright Law is too depressing.' O'Reilly has a long post up on their news site discussing Patry's retirement from blogging and giving a history of copyright that explains how we got where we are."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Aug 2008 | 9:05 pm

Hackers mull physical attacks on a networked world (AP)

AP - Want to break into the computer network in an ultra-secure building? Ship a hacked iPhone there to a nonexistent employee and hope the device sits in the mailroom, scanning for nearby wireless connections.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Aug 2008 | 8:57 pm

EIC Squared: Olympics, LinuxWorld, and Google cookies (CNET)

CNET - On this week's EIC Squared podcast, ZDNet's Larry Dignan and I talk about the big story of this month--the Olympics.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Aug 2008 | 8:56 pm

Yahoo to let visitors decline more targeted ads (AP)

AP - Yahoo Inc. will let its Web visitors decline ads targeted to their browsing habits, becoming the latest Internet company to break from a common industry practice as Congress steps up scrutiny of customized advertising and consumer privacy.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Aug 2008 | 8:44 pm

How to Get More From Google Reader

Google Reader is a slick web app you can use to aggregate RSS feeds. If you're new to RSS, our guide will plug you in to the ins and outs of feeding your brain with the venerable news reader. By the time we're through with you, you'll be able to slice, dice, read and feed news like a demon.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 8:30 pm

Delicious Django: Integrate Data From Web APIs Into Your Django Site

In lesson five of Webmonkey's Django tutorial, we show you how to pull a list of recent bookmarks from Delicious.com and display it on a blog built with the powerful, open source Django web-publishing framework.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 8:20 pm

Cable companies stole telcos' lunch in 2Q (AP)

AP - Phone companies have been feeling the heat from cable companies for years, as those traditional TV providers have expanded their own phone services and fought hard for broadband Internet subscribers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Aug 2008 | 7:13 pm

Can Blu-ray Save Blockbuster?

Blockbuster is a Blu-ray believer. The ailing movie rental chain says sales of Blu-ray devices are consistently growing -- in the order of 2,000 to 3,000 devices per week.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 6:49 pm

Honda Takes Aim at Prius With New $19K Hybrid

Honda hopes to take down the king with a dirt-cheap Prius-fighter it's unveiling in Paris.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Aug 2008 | 6:20 pm

Intact Mastodon Skeleton Unearthed in Romania

Miners stumble upon the skeleton of a 2.5 million-year-old mastodon in Romania.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 5:48 pm

Bees, Fish Analyzed to Understand Serial Killers

Bee behavior may hold the secret to catching serial killers, say researchers.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 5:48 pm

First Greek Mummy Once Led Privileged Life

The body of a woman mummified in 300 A.D. is the first of its kind from ancient Greece.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 3:30 pm

Cattails Shown to Be Effective CO2-Eaters

A California experiment reveals cattails are effective at removing carbon dioxide.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 2:45 pm

Curl Up With an iPhone E-Book

Stanza, a free application for the iPhone, turns Apple's touchscreen device into a remarkably capable electronic book reader.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Aug 2008 | 1:57 pm

Sea Turtles Dive to Depths for Reconnaissance

A deep sea mystery is solved: sea turtles dive deep to scout out prey.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 1:03 pm

Stem Cell Lines Allow Study of 10 Disorders

New stem cell lines allow scientists to study genetic diseases, in vitro.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 1:03 pm

Blog: Scientists Blast Beijing Air

Scientists criticize the Olympic Committee for being easy on Beijing and its pollution.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Aug 2008 | 12:33 pm

Super Fan Builds $70,000 Replica Batmobile

Bob Dullam is building a working replica of the "Tumbler" -- the Batmobile featured in The Dark Knight -- and it looks surprisingly authentic.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Aug 2008 | 11:09 am