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Unknown Insect Discovery on eBay - Dr Richard Harrington's Discovery(TrendHunter.com) Who would have thought that an insect, previously unknown to science could be discovered on eBay, an online auction site? A scientist, Dr Richard Harrington purchased an amber...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 3:47 pm Election Holidays (UPDATE) - Anwar Ibrahim and The Permatang Pauh Public Holiday Drama(TrendHunter.com) Today I am enjoying a day off thanks to the Permatang Pauh by-election. The day was mysteriously and suddenly declared a public holiday in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Allegdly,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 3:43 pm Undying Superstition - Farmer's Almanac Predict Cold Weather, People Still Care (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Do people still read the Farmers Almanac? Apparently so. The 2009 Farmers Almanac was just released, and the results have buzzed their way to the top of search...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 3:36 pm Monkeys Reward Friends, FamilyCapuchin monkeys show they almost always opt to share with friends and family.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:55 pm California's Wireless Road Tolls Easily HackableAn anonymous reader writes "Nate Lawson, a researcher at RootLabs, has found a way to clone the wireless transponders used by the Bay Area FasTrak road toll system. This means you can copy the ID of another driver onto your own device and, as a result, travel for free while others foot the bill. Lawson also raises the interesting of using the FasTrak system to create false alibis, by overwriting one's own ID onto another driver's device before committing a crime. Luckily, Lawson wasn't sued before he could reveal his research, unlike those pesky MIT students."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:54 pm Review: A $130 phone headset helpfully talks back (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:51 pm Under The Sea, Google Expands Even MoreGoogle is working with a consortium of carriers to become part of an intra-Asian submarine cable system, tentatively called the Southeast Asian Japan Cable (SJC). The cable would be Google’s second...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:48 pm Wired: Apple Is Not To Be Blamed For The iPhone’s Connection Problems - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:43 pm Citrix tries to woo crowds with XenApp 5 - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:40 pm Tropical Storm Could Delay Shuttle Launch - ABC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:35 pm Facebook Blocks Scrabulous Worldwide - InformationWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:34 pm Canon Launches Budget Portable Photo Printers - PC Magazine
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:31 pm Nvidia CEO Huang Outlines Smartphone Strategy In Battling Intel - InformationWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:21 pm U.N. Climate Talks Support ForestsU.N. delegates said progress is pulling ahead on ways to slow deforestation in developing countries, during climate talks in Ghana. "It's moving pretty well now," said Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:20 pm Kindle fails to set light to unsold e-book pile - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:17 pm Canon makes EOS 50D official - Slippery Brick
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:11 pm Happy Birthday Animoto. You Guys Make Me HappyNew York based Animoto, which turns one year old today, is one of those startups that has success written all over it. And I bet it’s a fun place to work too. We are unabashed fans of this do-one-thing-very-right...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:10 pm Study Finds Generous MonkeysResearchers found monkeys are more generous with friends compared to strangers, and demonstrated advanced prosocial tendencies, according to a new study. Scientists gathered data on capuchin monkeys at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:10 pm Messaging & Collaboration Metacafe Flavors Video Search With ... - eWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:04 pm Jumptap Raises $26 Million Series D To Take On Google In Mobile Search; Strengthens Ties to AT&TMobile search and advertising startup Jumptap has raised more than $26 million in a series D round led by AllianceBernstein. Existing investors General Catalyst Partners, Summerhill Venture Partners,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:01 pm Canon shoots for success with new EOS and PowerShot offerings - The Tech Herald
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:01 pm Fuel-Cell Car Racing Series Aims To Spur Green MotoringAnonymous Cow writes "The world's first international fuel-cell powered motor racing series kicked off in Rotterdam over the weekend. The organisers hope that 'Formula Zero,' like Forumula 1, can become a forum for competing technology as much as anything else, helping green consumer cars to become better."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:01 pm XIHA Life: A Social Network For MultilinguistsXIHA Life, a site that calls itself “the world’s first truly multilingual social network”, has launched in the United States. The site is geared towards multilingual users who feel constrained...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm Remington ShortcutThe Remington Shortcut is a clipper designed for self-administered haircuts. A curved clipper head makes it almost impossible to over-cut small or large regions, and the clipper's unconventional...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm Cows Use Inner Compass to Point North-SouthCows seems to have an inner compass that orients them north-south.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:55 pm Panasonic Announces New Plasma TVs With 1TB DVRsBy Andrew Liszewski While you wouldn’t know it by looking at them, these new Viera plasma TVs from Panasonic’s PZR900 line sport a laundry list of cool features including a built-in 1 terabyte...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:31 pm Neanderthals: not stupid, just differentScientists challenge theory that homo sapiens were more intelligentSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:30 pm HP finishes $13.9 billion EDS purchaseHewlett-Packard Co. said Tuesday that it finished its $13.9 billion acquisition of technology services company Electronic Data Systems Corp.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:27 pm FTD fiscal 4th-quarter profit rises 17 percentFTD Group Inc., a florist network and Web site operator being acquired by United Online Inc., late Monday reported a 17 percent increase in profits for its fiscal fourth quarter, boosted in part by its...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:18 pm HP closes $13.9 billion purchase of EDS (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:17 pm Terror Watchlist "Crippled By Technical Flaws"I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The database used by the government to generate lists like the No-Fly List is 'crippled by technical flaws,' according to the chairman of a House technology oversight subcommittee. And the upgrade may be worse than the original. Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) says that 'if actually deployed, [the upgrade] will leave our country more vulnerable than the existing yet flawed system in operation today.' It seems that the current database doesn't have any easy way to do plain-text matching, forcing users to enter SQL queries. That might not sound so bad until you learn that the database contains 463 poorly indexed tables. How long until there's a terrorist named Robert'); DROP DATABASE; —?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:08 pm Nokia unveils 2 new multimedia phones (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:05 pm Virtual Game GoodiesA study found half a million people make money in poor countries by selling virtual goods to players in online games.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:05 pm Verizon Wireless To Host PDA and Smartphone Workshops at Morris County Communications Stores"20 Things a PDA Can Do For You" Teaches Customers Productive New Wireless Applications; Workshops Offered in Totowa, East Hanover, Succasunna and Rockaway MORRISTOWN,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Salesforce.com Announces Dreamforce 2008, the Software-as-a-Service Event of the YearSpecial Guests Malcolm Gladwell, Dr. Larry Brilliant, Neil Young and Michael Dell will join salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff to speak at 6th annual salesforce.com user and developer...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm CustomInk.com Monitors Business Vital Signs With CoremetricsCoremetrics Helps Ensure an Optimal Customer Experience for Leading Customized Product Site SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ --Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Exchange Mobile evaluates new products lineWEST PALM BEACH, FL, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Arshad Shah, President and CEO of Exchange Mobile Telecommunications Corp., announces that Exchange Mobile has resumed its...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm CyberSource Names Greg Pappas VP Human ResourcesMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CyberSource Corporation (Nasdaq: CYBS), a leading provider of electronic payment and risk management solutions,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Highwinds Empowers Rich Media Design FirmsUnique Channel Program Enables Creative Agencies to Resell Highwinds' CDN Technologies and Services to their Content Provider Customers WINTER PARK, Fla., Aug. 26...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Performance Technologies Delivers Core Signalling Solution With Network Upgrade to FINTELAggressive Three Week Deployment Schedule Brings Advanced, International Signalling Capabilities to Fiji ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PerformanceSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Verizon Wireless To Host PDA and Smartphone Workshops at Manhattan Communications Stores"20 Things a PDA Can Do For You" Teaches Customers Productive New Wireless Applications; Workshops Offered September 3, 10, 17, 22 and 24 NEW YORK, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Memory-Of.com Announces 'Angel Food' a Memorial CookbookNEW YORK, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Memory-Of.com, the world's premiere online center for healing, announced today the upcoming release of Angel Food: ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm Socialtext Appliance Selected as 2008 KMWorld Trend-Setting ProductPALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Socialtext, the leading provider of enterprise wiki and social software solutions, today announced its Socialtext Appliance wasSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:00 pm A Natural Cattle CompassNo bull, scientists say they have discovered cows have a sense of direction. Researchers studied satellite photos of thousands of cows around the world, and they seem to have a built-in compass that leads to north and south.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:40 am Internet socializing keeps time with the music scene (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:37 am North Korea claims to have invented anti-hunger noodlesA North Korean propaganda release claims that the hunger-stricken country has developed a "hunger-delaying" soy-protein noodle that doesn't induce the same carb-based hunger pangs that starch-based noodles...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:35 am North Korea claims to have invented anti-hunger noodlesA North Korean propaganda release claims that the hunger-stricken country has developed a "hunger-delaying" soy-protein noodle that doesn't induce the same carb-based hunger pangs that starch-based noodles cause:According to the newspaper, which is seen as closely linked to the Pyongyang leadership, the new noodles have twice as much protein and fives times as much fat as ordinary noodles.N Korea 'develops special noodle' (Thanks, Marilyn!) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:35 am Incense smoke may increase cancer riskA study suggests that burning joss sticks raises the risk of certain mouth, throat and lung cancersSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:08 am National Foods to Acquire Dairy Farmers for A$910 MillionNational Foods has announced that it will acquire all of the shares in Australian Co-operative Foods, which trades as Dairy Farmers, for a cash consideration of A$5.65 per share. This equates to an enterprise value of A$910 million for the cooperative.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Almarai Signs Deal to Acquire 75% of Jordanian Food and Beverage FirmIn line with its expansion plan, dairy company Almarai has signed an initial deal to buy 75% of Taibah's Investment and Advanced Food Company, a Jordan-based dairy and juice manufacturer, according to Reuters.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Mulching Mowers for 'Green' LawnsGARDENERS in Nuneaton and Bedworth are being encouraged to replace aging mowers with mulching mowers. Unlike conventional mowers, which collect grass clippings, the new style mulching lawn mowers operate a system which recycles the clippings as it mows.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am American States Water Company Announces Approval By CPUC of Conservation Rate Design and Revenue Adjustment MechanismAmerican States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) announced that on August 21, 2008 the California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") issued a final decision which approved a settlement agreement between AWR's Golden State Water Company unit and the CPUC's Division of Ratepayer Advocates ("DRA") regarding conservation rate design, the implementation of a Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism ("WRAM") to decouple sales from revenues, and the establishment of a modified cost balancing account that allows recovery of supply costs for changes in water supply mix.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Screeching Noise in Yard is Just Sound of Male CicadasBy Linn Mills Here are some problems that are on gardeners' minds. Noisy yard: The screeching noise you hear this time of year comes from male cicadas sending out mating calls.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Fort Churchill Now Peaceful but Has Seen Share of Strife in PastBy Margo Bartlett Pesek Stripped of roofs, windows and doors, stark adobe ruins remain of buildings that once comprised Nevada's first military installation. Strife between native Paiutes and white settlers in 1860 resulted in the establishment of Fort Churchill east of Carson City.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am CyberDefender New Customer Acquisitions Increase By Over 800% and Monthly Gross Revenues Increase By Over 1,100% From Month of January Compared to June 2008Security software developer CyberDefender Corporation (OTCBB: CYDE) announced today that it posted an approximate 800% increase in new customer acquisitions for the month of June 2008 as compared to January 2008 as sales increased from approximately 900 new customers in January 2008 to approximately 7,250 new customers in June 2008.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Kbb.Com Launches Web Site Optimized for iPhone and iPhone 3GIRVINE, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book's http://www.kbb.com/, the leading provider of new car and used car information, today announces the launch of its Web site optimized for iPhone users.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Argela Removes Physical Boundaries of Telecom With Its Convergence SolutionsArgela, one of the leading next-generation telecom solution providers, is offering operators its patented technology innovation Convergence Gateway for a variety of convergence solutions.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Sometrics Appoints Jennifer Bartlett, Michael Maher As Business Development ManagersSometrics (http://www.sometrics) today announced the appointment of Jennifer Bartlett and Michael (Mickey) Maher as business development managers.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Japanese Financial Services Minister to Visit US 27-30 AugustText of report in English by Japan's largest news agency Kyodo Tokyo, Aug.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am McCain Foods USA Launches Politically Inspired National Marketing CampaignCHICAGO, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- McCain Foods USA, Inc., the U.S. division of McCain Foods Limited, the world's largest producer of French fries and potato products, today announced the launch of a national integrated marketing campaign via Schafer | Condon | Carter (SCC).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am D-Link Canada Offers Green Wi-Fi Home Networking Routers Now With Significant Power SavingsOAKVILLE, ON--(Marketwire - August 26, 2008) - D-Link Canada is now shipping Green home network Wi-Fi routers capable of reducing the user's power consumption.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Lights! Camera! Action! - Nokia N96 Brings Movies and More to North AmericaWHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Nokia today announced that the highly anticipated Nokia N96, unveiled earlier this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, will be made available for high-speed 3G HSDPA networks widely used in the Americas during the fourth quarter of 2008.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am New Report Provides an Insight into the Key Factors That Are Driving the Original Equipment (OE) Telematics and Navigation Markets in ChinaResearch and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7b2303/opening_up_the_tel) has announced the addition of the "Opening Up the Telematics and Navigation Markets for Success in China" report to their offering.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Borders of Computing: The gear (CNET)CNET - While pen and paper is still the most important gear for any reporting effort, I did use a bunch of other technology in making this series possible.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Kimya Dawson's "Alphabutt" -- weird, jangly, hilarious awesome music for kids Anti-folk icon Kimya Dawson's latest album is Alphabutt, a collection of hilarious, catchy, scatological kids' music that's sure to delight parents who are weary of treacly children's songs. If your kids are going to sing a song over an over again, isn't it better if the song goes, "A is for Apple, B is for Butt, C is for Cat-butt, D is for Doo-Doo, E is for Elephant-butt, F is for Fart, G is for Gorilla-fart, H is for Hairy Gorilla-fart"? Like millions of others, I discovered Dawson's music through the film Juno -- a pretty good movie with a totally killer soundtrack, and Dawson's contributions to it are the standouts. I've since bought all her music and now I find myself singing her catchy, funny, rude tunes all the time. I've been listening to Alphabutt around the clock for weeks now, and singing the songs to my daughter, who enjoys their off-kilter, jangly humor even though she's too small to get the words yet.
Though this is kids' music, it's pure Dawson -- weird and irreverent and jangly, with charming guest vocals from her two-year-old daughter Panda Bear and many guest singers. The tracks range from sweet and weird to funny and weird, and they're shot through with compassion, wit and talent. From songs about pregnancy neurosis ("Smoothie") to toilet training ("Pee-Pee in the Potty") to surviving the pressure to conform ("Keep on Writing") to pure delightful nonsense ("Seven Hungry Tigers"), this album is an absolute knockout.
Alphabutt
Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:51 am Cape, goggles and XKCD Last weekend, I was one of the guests of honor at 3PiCon in Springfield, MA, along with Randall "XKCD" Munroe, who once infamously depicted me as blogging from a hot-air balloon in cape and goggles. This has become a motif for me, so that wherever I go, people give me capes and/or goggles. I brought along a set and wore them to our final panel together on Sunday, and Dan Noe, the Pi-Con photographer, got some nice shots of the event. 3Pi-Con (Thanks, Dan!) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:41 am Architects HOK win bid to design secure laboratoryPlans to build a controversial 500m high security medical research laboratory in the heart of London are now in full swing after the architects HOK won the bid to design itSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:33 am Video of attendees at AT&T's "thank you for letting us spy on America" party at DNCGlenn Greenwald and friends crashed AT&T's lavish do at the DNC in Denver to see who got invited to the secretive party thrown to thank Democratic operators for getting AT&T off the hook on the charges it faced of abetting the Bush administration with its illegal warrantless bulk-surveillance program. None of the attendees would speak to them, but they're on video, so maybe we can identify them and figure out who AT&T owns in the Democratic party. Armed with full-scale Convention press credentials issued by the DNC, I went -- along with Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher, John Amato, Stoller and others -- in order to cover the event, interview the attendees, and videotape the festivities. There was a wall of private security deployed around the building, and after asking where the press entrance was, we were told by the security officials, after they consulted with event organizers, that the press was barred from the event, and that only those with invitations could enter -- notwithstanding the fact that what was taking place in side was a meeting between one of the nation's largest corporations and the numerous members of the most influential elected faction in Congress. As a result, we stood in front of the entrance and began videotaping and trying to interview the parade of Blue Dog Representatives, AT&T executives, assorted lobbyists and delegates who pulled up in rented limousines, chauffeured cars, and SUVs in order to find out who was attending and why AT&T would be throwing such a lavish party for the Blue Dog members of Congress.AT&T thanks the Blue Dog Democrats with a lavish party (via David Isenberg) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:27 am Scrabulous removed from FacebookFacebook users in the UK have finally lost access to Scrabulous, the unofficial version of the Scrabble word game, after a formal complaint by the rights holder Mattel.Scrabulous has built a user base...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:24 am Printcrime in Hiligaynon and RomanianThe fan-translations of my short-short story Printcrime keep on rolling in: today there's one in Hiligaynon (an Austronesian language spoken in Western Visayas in the Philippines) and another in Romanian, contributed, respectively, by Lorna Belviz-Pajo and Alex Brie. It's just so wicked-cool to see your work take on a life of its own -- I didn't even know that Hiligaynon existed until a few minutes ago! Krimen nga pang-imprenta (Hiligaynon), Crima Printării (Romanian)Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:22 am Photos from abandoned 1901 hydroelectric power plant Jay Lake sez, "Yesterday I visited an abandoned 1901 hydroelectric plant down in the bottom of a canyon in the Oregon highlands east of Mount Hood. The photo series might be of interest to Boing Boing readers, especially those interested in lost technology, abandoned places, anacrotech and Big Engineering." White River Falls Power Plant (Thanks, Jay!) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:16 am JavaScript 2's new direction (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - Standardization efforts for the next version of JavaScript have taken a sharp turn this month, with some key changes in the Web scripting technology's direction. JavaScript creator Brendan Eich, CTO of Mozilla, has helped forge a consensus on how to proceed with the direction for JavaScript's improvements. "JavaScript was sitting still. It was stagnant," he says.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am TSA declares war on large breastsA large-breasted woman flying from Oakland to Boston was accosted by the TSA when the underwire in her bra set off the magnetometer. She was given a choice: allow her breasts to be fondled or give up on flying. Instead, she raised a stink:Kates asked to see a supervisor and then the supervisor's supervisor. He told her that underwire bras were the leading item that set off the metal detectors, Kates said.Arbitrary, no-exceptions "security" rules unduly punish innocents -- people with surgical pins in their bodies are now subject to discriminatory treatment when they fly, as are those whose names are similar to aliases used by suspected terrorists, and they're now joined by women with large breasts. Free societies shouldn't punish the innocent to get at the guilty. Delayed by her bra, air passenger is indignant (Thanks, Kevin!) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 10:00 am Han Solo in Cake-onite Confectionary Delights of Dallas offers this delightful Han Solo Frozen in Cake-onite cake -- tragic and delicious! Han Solo frozen in Carbonite (Thanks, Catherine!) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 9:53 am Science Weekly: Flying saucers and Prince CharlesWe missed it so much last week, we're devoting this show's entire format to the NewsjamSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 9:29 am Software Quality In a Non-Software Company?Nicros writes "I work for a publicly traded biotech company that happens to write software that is, in fact, kind of critical for the business — without it no data would ever be read from our instruments, and no analyses would be performed on that data. The problem is that as a 'biotech' company, we are not taking software quality seriously. We have no senior management with any history of commercial software development — our C level has really no clue whatsoever what software really is, much less what is going on in software development. All of our quality processes are related to manufacturing our system (not software), so we are constantly forced into ad-hoc development since there is no real process for our development. Repeated requests to hire someone with some real commercial software development experience have gone unanswered. I have been to the CEO directly one-on-one and although he agreed this was an issue, thanked me, and said he would look into it, that was the end of it. He has bigger things to worry about. So the question: Is this just a fact of life and I need to deal the best I can? What else can I do to get some attention on software quality in the company?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 9:23 am Japanese study says loss of fat in whales may be result of climate changeData from Japan's widely condemned scientific whaling programme suggests a loss of fat over the past 20 years may be due to climate change, but some claim the research is unethicalSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 8:52 am Facebook Cuts Off Scrabulous After Legal ComplaintFacebook pulled scrabulous from its sites throughout most of the world over the weekend. It was already banished from the United States and Canada. Scrabulous remains available in India, where its developers live and where Mattel has filed a lawsuit claiming violations of intellectual property.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 26 Aug 2008 | 8:02 am Infosys buys UK's Axon for 407mInfosys Technologies launched the biggest overseas acquisition by an Indian information technology outsourcing company on Monday with a 407.1m cash deal for UK-based consultancy Axon GroupSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 8:01 am Product RoundupBy Anonymous NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS Kids in The Garden Wacky, wild and full of wonder, Kids in the Garden, is a colorful new 15-part DVD series for young gardeners that will inspire kids to get their hands dirty.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Broadcom to acquire Advanced Micro Devices' digital TV businessThe $193-million deal would position the Irvine chip maker to take advantage of an expected increase in demand in coming years. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am IE8 Will Contain an Accidental Ad BlockerJagsLive sends in a Washington Post blog post reflecting on one privacy-enhancing feature of the upcoming Internet Explorer 8, the so-called "InPrivate Blocking" that has privacy advocates quietly cheering, and advertisers seriously worrying. Here is Microsoft's description of the feature. From the Post: "The advertising industry is bracing for trouble from the next version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, details of which were announced today, because it will offer a feature that blocks some ads and other content from third-parties that shows up on Web pages. A Microsoft spokesman said that the feature, to be known as 'InPrivate Blocking,' was never designed to be an ad blocker, though 'there may be ads that get blocked.' Instead, it was designed to stop tracking 'pixels' or pieces of code that could allow third-party sites to track users as they move around the Web."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 6:39 am Apple ready to rumble on September 9? (CNET)CNET - Several blogs (see Techmeme) are reporting that Apple will roll out new products on September 9. As previously rumored, starting with missive from Digg's Kevin Rose, Apple may be revamping the iPod Nano and tweaking the iPod Touch with new software, as well delivering iTunes 8.0 with a recommendation engine and selective price cuts.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Aug 2008 | 4:42 am Pot nursery at mallFeds busted a hydroponic marijuana garden in Miami's Mall of the Americas. Nobody has been arrested yet. There were 200 plants in the nursery. From the Associated Press:The grow operation was found deep in a storeroom at the mall. Authorities say the growers used the mall's electricity to power their equipment, adding the flimsy wiring could have caused a fire.Marijuana garden at mall (Miami Herald) Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 4:30 am Aug. 26, 1883: Krakatau Erupts, Changes World ... Again1883: Krakatau volcano in the Dutch East Indies roars to life with a volley of ever-increasing explosions. It will culminate the next morning with the loudest explosion in human history. Krakatau (aka Krakatoa) had been rumbling and sending up puffs of ash since May 1883. The eruption turned deadly on the afternoon of Aug. 26, with the first explosion coming at 1 p.m. A column of black ash soon rose 17 miles into the sky above the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Earth around and under the volcano continued to move, sending a tsunami out around 5 p.m. Others would follow. Explosions continued at night, and lightning jumped between the ash column and the island. St. Elmo's Fire played on a ship's yardarms and rigging 25 miles away, ash fell on its deck and explosions deafened its crew. Just after 10 a.m. on the morning of the Aug. 27 came the final, cataclysmic explosion with 26 times the power of the biggest H-bomb test. As Krakatau's underground magma chamber emptied, the sea rushed in, at first sucking ships toward it in an inbound current. Then the 2,600-foot-high volcanic cone collapsed into the center, leaving little of the island above water and sending out a truly colossal tsunami. Hundred-foot tidal waves (up to 130 feet in some places) scoured nearby coasts, obliterating hundreds of villages and taking more than 36,000 lives. Much reduced, the sea wave swept past the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic Ocean and even caused a measurable ripple in the English Channel. The noise was heard at Alice Springs in the middle of Australia. Four hours after the massive explosion, 3,000 miles away on the island of Rodrigues in the western Indian Ocean, it was recorded as the "roar of heavy guns." The sound was audible over 1/13 the surface of the globe, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The shockwave registered on a barometer in London. The final eruption also threw pumice an estimated 34 to 50 miles into the sky. Dust fell more than 3,000 miles away 10 days later. Islands of pumice floated on the oceans for months. Sulfur in the ash reacted with atmospheric ozone to scatter sunlight, causing vivid red sunsets around the world. Global temperatures dropped, and climate disruptions lasted five years. The Dutch government and Britain's Royal Society both launched investigations into the natural history of the eruption and its effects. These helped lay the foundations of modern volcanology. Krakatau also exploded violently in 1115, opening the Sunda Strait and eradicating the isthmus that once connected the huge islands of Java and Sumatra. A half-century after its 1883 explosion, Anak Krakatau, or "child of Krakatau," emerged from the sea and now grows 20 feet a year. Its work in shaping our planet may not be over. Source: Volcano (Time-Life Books); others
Source: Wired Top Stories | 26 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am O. J. Simpson and Wired's Photoshop ExperimentWould society have reacted differently to the O. J. Simpson trial had he been white? That was the question John Plunkett, Wired's founding creative codirector, wanted to raise with the September 1995 cover — a photo altered to make Simpson appear Caucasian. "At the time," Plunkett recalls, "Photoshopped imagery still had the capacity to surprise in a way that's difficult to imagine today." The picture was widely mistaken for a critique of the infamous Time cover that darkened Simpson's face, but that wasn't Wireds intent. Rather, we hoped to make readers examine their assumptions about race. To the staff's chagrin, the manipulated image caused little stir: "It struck us that technology had rendered that debate moot," Plunkett says. "All images are manufactured to one degree or another."
Source: Wired Top Stories | 26 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Extreme X-Rays: Photographer Nick Veasey Takes You Inside ... Everything
Veasey is one of the few people who know how hard it is to get a crisp x-ray of a light bulb. For starters, the object has very little mass to absorb the radiation. And because the edges of the bulb curve away from the film, the x-rays get scattered about, causing distortion. So Veasey shot this bulb in a series of 10-second bursts. The succession of blasts builds up the energy necessary to capture the fine details, while their short duration keeps background radiation from clouding the picture.
Not many photographers need a linear accelerator. But Nick Veasey isn't your average shutterbug. Instead of tweaking f-stops and light boxes, he fine-tunes the speed and frequency of energy pulses emitted by a Russian-made tabletop particle turbocharger. That's because Veasey doesn't work with traditional cameras and film — he works with x-rays. The 46-year-old Englishman estimates that over the past decade or so he's x-rayed more than 4,000 objects: flowers, football players, alarm clocks, tractors, even a 777. "I'm interested in how things work, and x-rays show what's happening under the surface," he says. "Plus, they look cool." To get his pictures, Veasey uses industrial x-ray machines typically employed in art restoration (to examine oil paintings), electronics manufacturing (to inspect circuit boards), and the military (to check tanks for stress fractures). Working with high doses of radiation isn't always easy. To minimize a patient's radiation exposure, medical x-ray techs grab their blurry stills in a fraction of a second; Veasey needs to bombard his subjects with ionizing radiation for as long as 12 minutes to get crisp shots. So to capture human forms, Veasey works with either skeletons in rubber suits (normally used to train radiologists) or cadavers that have been donated to science. When a corpse becomes available, he has at most eight hours to pose and shoot before rigor mortis sets in. Veasey's images have brought him fine-art commissions, big-name commercial clients, and a long list of professional honors. Now he also has a book-length collection called X-ray coming out in October. But Veasey says he's just getting started. He is currently building his own $200,000 studio with 35-inch-thick, lead-lined concrete walls. In there, he'll be able to see through anything. To assemble this office building scene, which includes everything from a potted plant to steel elevator cogs, Veasey employed all three of his x-ray machines. Each item was captured individually (he used only one skeleton "model," which he set in different poses) and then composited onto a master image. It took 200 x-rays to create the entire scene, including 26 shots just to depict the skeletons shaking hands.
The largest x-ray film is only 14 inches wide, so to capture items bigger than that — like this pair of DJ decks measuring 4 feet across — Veasey stitches together several shots in Photoshop. That's also where he adds color to the black-and-white images for "technical grace." The challenge with electronics, Veasey says, is the way the chaotic interiors complicate the image.
Veasey borrowed a cargo x-ray scanner normally used to search trucks crossing into the US from Mexico to create this image. Once he scanned the vehicle, Veasey used Photoshop to populate it with skeletons and objects he shot separately (yes, he x-rayed a fedora). A hospital in White Plains, New York, commissioned the piece to celebrate the opening of its new orthopedic facility. The medical center's PR team had a promotional bus wrapped in the image drive around White Plains for nearly two months.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 26 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am LHC Fully Documented OnlinePhysicser writes "Want to read every single technical detail of the design and construction of the Large Hadron Collider and its six detectors? The whole shebang — seven reports totaling 1600 pages, 115 MB, with contributions from 8000 scientists and engineers — has been published electronically by the Journal of Instrumentation, free to read without a subscription."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 3:51 am Websites Still Failing Basic Privacy PracticesDigitAl56K writes "Large companies still can't seem to get the basics of privacy and security on the Web pulled together. Today I went to enter a competition from Duracell to win a Nintendo Wii by filling out an online form. It requires entering your full name, address, and date of birth, and then proceeds to submit it via an unencrypted HTTP POST. The ultimate irony is the message at the bottom of the page that reads: 'Trust is a cornerstone of our corporate mission, and the success of our business depends on it. P&G is committed to maintaining your trust by protecting personal information we collect.' Which websites have you found to be lacking in their basic privacy practices?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:58 am Today at Boing Boing Gadgets Today at Boing Boing Gadgets, we saw a splendid test card sweater, heard a Telephone Concerto, read about the summer's best smartphones, and Uuurwowrorwrwrirgigi barubububrbooobrrrrrrrr.
John looked toward the expected iPod revamp coming this fall, found a surprisingly pleasant solar laptop bag, and discovered a gadget that reminded him of his 26-volume opus juvenilia,
The Adventures of Fart Man. More edifying is his current tale of life aboard the miniature remote control Star Trek Enterprise.
Rob heard a sinister chorus of tortured Furbies; discovered a tasteful joypad; praised the internet's mockup culture; and linked to a gallery of communist tech wonders from the fabled east. (Adds commenter Otter: "While we were drawing the Jetsons, they were building the Jetsons.")
There was Cloud, Heathrow Airport's incredible flip dot animated sculpture; a cellphone embedded in the road surface somewhere in Italy; and a robot fight to the finish line. Finally, the unicorn chase—to the death.Source: Boing Boing | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:51 am Gallery: Concept Cars of Past Visit Pebble Beach : PEBBLE BEACH, California -- Nowhere is the old saying "there's nothing new under the sun" more true than in the auto industry, where "innovations" often are updated takes on old ideas. From the wind-cheating aerodynamics that make today's cars more efficient to the navigation systems that fill every dashboard, it's all been done before -- usually in a car that represented some designer's vision of the future. Wired.com takes a walk through the greens at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to bring you a look at some cars of futures past that influenced that new hunk of metal currently sitting in your driveway. Left: 1956 Buick CenturionYou think the backup camera on your Tahoe makes it modern? Think again. This concept car had one when General Motors rolled it out 52 years ago. It also sported a bubble-shaped cockpit inspired by jetfighters and a body made of lightweight fiberglass -- something else your Tahoe could use.  :
The three-wheeled Benz Velo was the first commercially available motorcar when it went on sale in 1886. Eight years later, Karl Benz released his update of the revolutionary design -- four wheels! It was the first standard-configuration car to tear up the road, and it set the standard just about everyone's followed since.  : Constructed out of lightweight aluminum and magnesium -- two materials now common in high-performance cars -- and sporting the first wraparound windshield, the LeSabre was years ahead of its time. Despite the exotic materials and futuristic design, it was practical. Design demigod Harley J. Earl not only oversaw its design, he drove it to work every day.  : Fifty years later and this car is still fully loaded with high-tech gadgetry. Not only does it sport a whopping seven fins, it offers ultrasonic keyless entry and a navigation system. Top it off with a control stick in place of a steering wheel and it's still ahead of its time.  : This concept car was the first and only automobile made entirely of ultra-lightweight -- and ultra-expensive -- titanium. It had a 200-horsepower gas turbine engine and air conditioning, which was a big deal in 1956. Yeah, it's ugly as sin, but so was the Pontiac Aztek.  : This baby's a one-of-a-kind, built to be aerodynamic and fast. Though it had a normal engine when it debuted at the Turin Auto Show in 1955, the current owner followed Ghia's original plan and dropped in a gas turbine when he restored it. Not that the Ghia needs an engine at all -- she looks fast sitting still.  : The first Porsche designed by company founder Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche may be one of the most influential cars in history. Not only did it influence the lines of the original Beetle and 911-series cars, but current iterations -- up to and including the amazing 911 GT3 RS -- can trace their lineage back to the 356.  : Cheetahs were built around the simple idea of stuffing powerful Corvette engines into lightweight cars to produce something faster than the Shelby Cobras. It worked. This particular car hit 215 mph at Daytona Speedway. The state-of-the-art Corvette ZR1 can "only" muster 205.  : This one's all about the engine: a 27-liter Rolls Royce V12 out of a WWII-era British Spitfire airplane. It produces 1,600 horsepower -- almost 500 more than the SSC Ultimate Aero, the world's fastest production car -- and has hit 150 mph in third gear. No one's tried seeing what she'll do in fourth.  : This steam-powered racer, lovingly referred to as "Old Number 16," was the first American car to win an international race, the 1906 Vanderbuilt Cup. Tire failures foiled later attempts and the car was retired to the Henry Ford Museum, where it still resides, unrestored and perfectly operational. No one's brought steam power back, but with the push toward alternative fuels, who knows?  : Perhaps no car is more widely cited as an influence by car designers, and understandably so: The Miura is beautiful. Its cutting-edge design placed the engine behind the driver and in front of the axle, something widely used in racing at the time but almost unheard of in road cars. Just about every exotic supercar on the road today uses the same layout.  : Before he started his own company, Ferdinand Porsche designed cars for other marques, creating rides like this Mercedes drop-top. This particular model is even more special, having been modified by custom coachbuilder Armbruster. Think of it as an old-time SLK 55 that took a trip through Rhys Millen’s shop.  : The Countach epitomized the supercar through much of the 1980s and was idolized by countless teenage boys who hung posters of it on their bedroom walls. Everything about the Countach was over the top, but with its angular lines, gun-slit windows and scissor doors, it looked like a car straight out of the future. You know what? It still does.  : Long before we had any real understanding of aerodynamics, the Albany Coachwork Company was doing its best to build custom streamlined autos. This beaut', based on a 1927 Lancia Lambda body, is one of three attempts at a wind-cheating design. It sports an airspeed indicator, which somehow seems cooler than a speedometer.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 26 Aug 2008 | 1:00 am Pinpoint Users With Fire EagleLet's get locational. Yahoo Fire Eagle lets users administer their location to the various apps around the web. This way, a user can update their location to all of their social apps at once. Want in? Use Webmonkey's tutorial and Fire Eagle's API to get and then set a user's location.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 26 Aug 2008 | 12:30 am Making Statements With Video GamesYou may have heard about the recent controversy at the Leipzig Games Conference over a modification of Space Invaders in which the invaders are slowly demolishing the World Trade Center. The creator intended it as an artistic expression, but has since removed the game, saying, "it was never created to merely provoke controversy for controversy's sake." Kotaku took this occasion to ask whether "statements" can and should be made via video games, and how it affects the ongoing question of whether video games should be considered art. "The entire issue begs comparisons to Danny Ledonne's Super Colombine Massacre RPG!, an unsettling and involved title that tasks players on the most basic level with acting out the 1999 Littleton, Colorado school shooting in the role of killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Ledonne told the Washington Post that his intention with the title was never to glorify the tragedy, but to 'confront their actions and the consequences those actions had.' Like Stanley's Invaders!, Ledonne and his title stopped short of providing a direct interpretation - neither artist has been especially specific about 'what it means,' or in instructing players on how they should interpret their work or what 'message' should be taken away."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 25 Aug 2008 | 11:59 pm EA, Take-Two in confidential talks (CNET)CNET - Rival game makers Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive Software signed a confidentiality agreement after agreeing to hold private talks about a potential transaction, EA announced Monday in a regulatory filing.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Aug 2008 | 11:35 pm Linux Not Supported For Democratic Convention Videobucketoftruth writes "If you browse to the Democratic Convention website and attempt to check out any of their upcoming streams, you bump into the following limitation: 'We're sorry, but the Democratic Convention video web site isn't compatible with your operating system and/or browser. Please try again on a computer with the following Compatible operating systems: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or a Mac with Tiger (OS 10.4) or Leopard (OS 10.5). Compatible browsers: Internet Explorer (version 6 or later), Firefox (version 2), or, if you are on a Mac, Safari (version 3.1) also works.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 25 Aug 2008 | 11:11 pm David Wain Moves From 'Wainy Days' to 'Role Models'The director who got his start on The State wraps up his funny web series to focus on a big-screen comedy and an Adult Swim show about a psychedelic superjail.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Aug 2008 | 10:23 pm Has Google Lost Its Mojo?CWmike writes "Google looks as if it's on top of the world right now, holding an ever-increasing lion's share of the search market. So why do I think it's lost its mojo? Let's start with the way it treats its employees, writes Preston Gralla. Another example: Google employees, such as Sergey Solyanik, have started deserting the company. And its share price is down double that of the Dow or Nasdaq since November 2007. Even if Google has lost its mojo, why should you care? It won't make your searches any less effective, will it? Nope. But Google has its eyes on bigger things than search, notably your IT department. It's looking to displace Microsoft with hosted services like Google Apps, Gmail and Google Docs. Solyanik warns that Google's engineers care more about the 'coolness' of a service than about the service's effectiveness." Of course Google employees version of being mistreated is often laughable, and quite a shock when they look for their massage therapist at wherever they end up next.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 25 Aug 2008 | 10:19 pm How to Survive a Power BlackoutA massive power failure can turn that record hot summer into a major bummer. When the lights do go out, you'll want to be prepared to live without electricity for anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Here are some suggestions to stay fueled, informed and entertained during the next blackout.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Aug 2008 | 10:00 pm Review: 'Too Human' More Potential Than PayoffThis new Xbox 360 title leaves a bit to be desired, but only because it makes the user want more along the way.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Aug 2008 | 9:59 pm Electronic Arts, Take-Two in confidential talks (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Aug 2008 | 9:24 pm Bolt's Record Tests Theories of Human SpeedAs astonishing as Usain Bolt's record-breaking 100-meter sprint was, his time of 9.69 seconds is nowhere near what biostatisticians predict is the natural limit for the human body. But because he broke the mathematical model that had fit 100-meter record data for almost a century, Bolt's incredible performance could reset how fast researchers believe humans ultimately can run.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Aug 2008 | 9:10 pm Mars' Architect-in-Chief? Water, Says StudyIt's no coincidence that gullies on Mars resemble those in Antarctica, say scientists.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm Facebook cuts off Scrabulous after legal complaint (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Aug 2008 | 8:02 pm Distant Galaxy Cluster Confirms Dark EnergyA European X-ray telescope spots a massive cluster of galaxies in deep space.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Aug 2008 | 7:41 pm Verizon Targets Blitz Cellphone at Texting TeensVerizon has launched a new phone called Blitz for text heavy users, just in time for the start of a new school year.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 25 Aug 2008 | 5:34 pm Wind Turbines Kill Bats Without ImpactWind turbines kill bats without striking them by causing a sudden drop in air pressure.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Aug 2008 | 4:00 pm The Human Tongue as Computer Control PadA new system could transform a disabled person's mouth into a virtual computer.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Aug 2008 | 3:00 pm Virus-Based Batteries: Tiny, Flexible, Cheap?Viruses stamped onto silicon platforms could lead to a new wave of efficient batteries.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Aug 2008 | 2:11 pm Arctic Tundra Holds Global Warming Time BombEstimates show the Arctic tundra holds tons of carbon that will be released with warming.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Aug 2008 | 1:40 pm
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