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Gamer's Bill of RightsEdge Magazine's Brad Wardell has a great, provocative 10-point Gamer's Bill of Rights that runs the gamut from DRM to quality assurance:1 Gamers shall have the right to return games that don't work with their computers for a full refund.The Gamer's Bill of Rights (via /.) Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:39 am William Gibson's playlistFrom William Gibson, a playlist of ten musical tracks to get you in a Spook Country mood (sez Bill, "I have always regarded music with lyrics as a species of fiction.")1) Country Blues, Dock Boggs. On finally learning to hear this music, you literally become some different, more primal manner of flesh. There is simply nothing else like it. It is an Ur-thing, sere and terrible, yet capable of profound and paradoxical rescue in the very darkest hour. Dock Boggs lived in Wise County, Virginia, not far from where I grew up. I am haunted by the possibility that someone could have listened to this recording in Paris, in 1927, the year it was released.Living With Music: A Playlist by William Gibson (via Beyond the Beyond) Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:37 am Simple way to keep your download folder tidyFrom Danny O'Brien, a nice hack for keeping your download folder tidy -- a script that deletes everything that's more than a week old. I'd like one of these to run on my ~/.Trash folder, too.I've had bad experience with handing "delete file" powers to an automatic script before, so I'll disclaim any warranty ("TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW" as the GPL shouts), but it's pretty straightforward, and works for me: I have it in a cronjob. The tmp folder it cleans up is my default save folder on Firefox, and where I generally download everything. If I want to save anything longer than a week, I find it a place in the rest of my filing system. It's sort of like having a cleaner come around every week: occasionally you go "Garr! Where's that coffee-stained, have torn copy of last month's New Yorker! I was going to eventually get around to reading that!", but mostly your cruft just silently disappears without you noticing a thing.the most useful simple script i have Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:35 am 1736 thieves' cant dictionaryHere's a scanned and indexed copy of a 1736 guide to thieves' cant, for those times when you want to play stern thief-taker and naughty pickpocket.AUTEM-CACKLETUBCanting Dictionary (Thanks, Gabe!) Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:33 am Singularity Summit: Oct 25, San Jose CATyler sez,The Singularity Summit 2008 (Thanks, Tyler!) Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:29 am Moon-cake USB sticks Happy Mid-Autumn Festival -- celebrate in nerd style with one of these moon-cake-shaped USB sticks -- 4GB for $28. USB Mooncake Flash Drive (via Neatorama) Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:25 am Wireless LANs Face Huge Scaling ChallengesBobB writes with this excerpt from NetworkWorld: "Early WLANs focused on growing the number of access points to cover a given area. But today, many wireless administrators are focusing more attention on scaling capacity to address a surge in end users and the multimedia content they consume (this is particularly being seen at universities). Supporting this involves everything from rethinking DNS infrastructure to developing a deeper understanding of what access points can handle. And 802.11n is no silver bullet, warn those building big wireless networks. 'These scaling issues are becoming more and more apparent where lots of folks show up and you need to make things happen,' says the former IT director for a big Ivy League campus."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:13 am Comcast to Place a Cap on Internet Downloads - New York Times
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:08 am Mobile Phones Speculation Focuses on iPhone Tethering Approval - CIO Today
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:47 am Film Noir Parodies - Disney Princesses as Sin City Characters (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Fans of the successful 2005 cult film noir Sin City will love the artwork of graphic artist, Curt Rapala. He was particularly drawn to the distinctive black and white imagery of the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:40 am Cars With Tanning Benches - VW Caddy Topos Sail Concept(TrendHunter.com) At the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon show in Germany, Volkswagen showed off their new concept car, the VW Topos Caddy Sail Design. It is a car with wooden top, designed for people to lounge...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:20 am Anatomical Lightboxes - Chris Elsasser Designs With Heart (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Chris Elsasser says he creates indoor anatomical art with lightboxes using his own designs or actual x-rays. They come in mini, standard or specialty versions. It is a new type...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Amniotic fluid infections linked to premature birthsResearchers find a greater number and variety of bacteria and fungi in a notable portion of women with pre-term deliveries. The more severe the infection, the earlier they were likely to give birth. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Arctic sea ice reaches its 2nd-lowest level in nearly 30 yearsThe National Snow and Ice Data Center says the ice now covers about 2.03 million square miles and could drop under last September's record low of 1.65 million square miles. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Napster faces proxy fight with 3 investorsThe shareholders, seeking board seats, want the digital music service to turn around its stock slump or pursue a sale. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Dr. Hugh R. Butt, 98; explored clotting and anti-clotting techniques at Mayo ClinicDr. Hugh R. Butt, the Mayo Clinic physician who discovered the role of vitamin K in clotting and developed anti-clotting techniques that paved the way for open-heart surgery and transplants, died Aug...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am International Rectifier rejects takeover bid by Vishay IntertechnologyThe semiconductor maker says it is worth more than $1.6 billion and it can do better on its own. International...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am T Bone Burnett may have Neil Young and Bob Dylan singing a new tuneThe singers are among the artists critical of digital sound. But Burnett has been developing Code, a high-fidelity audio system that he says will improve sound quality. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Science BriefingAncient gold wreath found in Greece / Pre-Inca mummy pulled from tomb in Peru / Uric acid linked to hypertension / New Yorkers contracting HIV at three times the U.S. rate / Vaccine helps fight off fa...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am New Boeing transport plane could keep Long Beach plant openThe company has proposed a modified C-17, and there are signs of interest from the Pentagon. Southern California's...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Fans flock to Disney's Club Penguin TimesThe virtual world's gazette aims to build community and foster literacy. The newspaper industry is constantly...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Dr. Robert F. Maronde, 88; USC professor helped create artificial kidney and computerized prescription drug systemDr. Robert F. Maronde, a professor emeritus at the USC School of Medicine whose accomplishments included co-creating an artificial kidney in the late 1940s and developing an early computerized prescription...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Naughty Carpentry - The 4Legs Chair (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) After Rotterdam-based Dutch designer Mario Philippona created his three-legged sexy table, he got many requests for an accompanying chair. That inspired him to create a his 4Legs Chair...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:40 am Hot Vice Presidents - Blogosphere Becomes Obsessed With Sarah Palin Photos (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Sarah Palin Photos? YES! There have already been articles about the Sarah Palin bio and the idea shed be the first female vice president People are obsessing about the fact that she...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:33 am Accenting With Aubergine - Purple Fall Accessories (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Direct from the streets of Paris to Trend Hunter readers: Purple is THE color. Not a bunch please, just a hint. A suggestion, a taste, a smidgen as Polly Vous Francais suggests. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:20 am Any Suggestions For a Meaningful Geeky Wedding Band?mbutala writes "I am getting close to popping the question, and I've been racking my brain for an idea for a cool and unique wedding band. I've been thinking of contacting a company that can (possibly) fabricate a ring from pure Iridium (Ir) or a nearly pure alloy. It is the most corrosion-resistant metal known — it cannot be dissolved in aqua regia like gold or platinum. Iridium is extremely rare on Earth, and the high concentration of it at the K-T boundary in the Earth's crust is what suggests a meteor took out the dinosaurs. I am positive that the symbolism of the permanence of Iridium, the reminder that we are star-stuff, and the fact that the ring would be one-of-a-kind would really strike a chord with my girlfriend. It's a really geeky idea, so I thought I would run it past you all — what do you think? Any other ideas?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:09 am Eco Solar Cars - The Brisa Three Wheeler (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Brisa is the Spanish word for breeze. I would call this Brisa Fresco: Cool Breeze! This little car is solar powered and has just an exquisite design. It seems that three wheels...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:00 am Cellphones As Cash - Our Next Virtual Wallets (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) According to a 2004 ABC news article, cell phones were long ago predicted to become our virtual wallets. Now, in 2008, it seems that this prediction may actually occur. Can you imagine...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:40 am Crocodile Coats - The Herms $150,000 Peacoat(TrendHunter.com) PETA supporters and animal lovers, close your eyes--the new custom $150,000 crocodile Herms peacoat might induce a heart attack. This awe-inspiring (in all iterations of the word awe)...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:20 am Stricken Angler Rescued on RiverBy LAURA McVICKER A fisherman wading in the Washougal River Thursday morning suffered a heart attack and nearly drowned but managed to swim to a sandbar. A crew of firefighters rescued him. A boat from the Georgia-Pacific Corp.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Legislature Opposes Rule Change to Ban Open BurningBy Kathy Kellogg The Cattaraugus County Legislature voted, 18-2, Wednesday to oppose the state Department of Environmental Conservation's proposed rule change to ban open burning across the state.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Council May Miss Deadline for Park Issue ReferendumBy Steve Hoffman FARMER CITY - An advisory vote on Farmer City using eminent domain to take ownership of South Park appears dead - at least for the remainder of the year.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Salmon Runs Forecast to Be StrongerBy ERIK ROBINSON Ocean conditions are shaping up for a big salmon return to the Columbia River and its tributaries beginning next year, according to federal scientists.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Tire Companies to Lose Tire WeightsTire manufacturers and retailers have agreed to phase-out the use of lead wheel weights, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Friday.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am HP Takes 'Green' to ExtremesBy COURTNEY SHERWOOD Denise Barger, who helps oversee Hewlett-Packard Vancouver's employee garden, works inside her 20-foot-by-20-foot plot. A covered bike rack is part of Hewlett-Packard's effort to get employees to drive less.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Cheektowaga Man Gets Jail for Molesting Disabled BoyBy Matt Gryta State Supreme Court Justice John L. Michalski sentenced a Cheektowaga man Thursday to five years in prison for repeatedly molesting a disabled 12-year-old boy.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am School Pilots Reading Strategy Computers, Software to Aid Young ReadersBy Corrinne Hess chess@@dailyherald.com There are 108 reasons for reading skills to improve at W.C. Petty Elementary School in Antioch.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Internet Allows Public to Show Support for VP Candidates in Record TimeThe Internet and user-generated gear is allowing political enthusiasts to instantly sport their support.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Business Without Borders Elgin Graphics Firm Grows By Outsourcing Newspaper ContractsBy Michael Sean Comerford Daily Herald Business Writer mcomerford@@dailyherald.com Affinity Express recently landed the advertising design account for all 95 Chicago area publications of the Sun Times Media Group, which includes the Chicago Sun-Times.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Fitness-Focused Charities - One World Running (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Running is one of the most basic athletic activities to take up: it doesnt require expensive equipment like hockey, baseball or tennis, but the price of a good pair of running shoes...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am Google Earth to license new satellite imagery - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:24 am Report: ISS Changes Orbit To Avoid Russian Debris - Aero-News Network
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:08 am Hans Reiser Gets Sentence of 15-To-Lifemallumax writes "Hans Reiser was today handed a prison sentence of 15-to-life for murdering his wife. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty and led police to his wife's body. His jury trial concluded in April with Reiser's first-degree murder conviction. That carries a 25-to-life term, but the authorities, in a backroom deal, later offered him 15-to-life if he produced his wife's body and waived any rights to appeal his conviction." Several other readers contributed coverage at SFGate.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:05 am The Envirosight Supervision 250 Crawls Through Sewer Pipes So No Human Has ToWhat it is: Envirosight SuperVision 250 What it's used for: Revealing damage deep inside city pipes You go, you flush: out of sight, out of mind. Not for city maintenance crews. With 850 billion gallons of sewer and storm water leaking into watersheds around the country every year, the Environmental Protection Agency is cracking down on cracked pipes. And the SuperVision 250 is riding that great, stinky wave of demand. Placed in pipes 10 to 72 inches in diameter, this little guy will track down splits, debris, corrosion, and breaks. Operators can watch the video feed from the 10X optical-zoom autofocus camera and use a joystick to pan and tilt. A ring of high-intensity, shadowless LEDs illuminates the scene; dual lasers help size up defects. A sapphire window shields the camera lens, while hardened stainless steel parts protect the crawler from the harsh sewer environment. And thanks to an ultrathin, Kevlar-reinforced tether (sorry, no wireless), the bot can crawl up to 1,640 feet through even heavily obstructed pipes. Just make sure to hose it off when it comes back. 
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am The Envirosight Supervision 250 Crawls Through Sewer Pipes So No Human Has ToWhat it is: Envirosight SuperVision 250 What it's used for: Revealing damage deep inside city pipes You go, you flush: out of sight, out of mind. Not for city maintenance crews. With 850 billion gallons of sewer and storm water leaking into watersheds around the country every year, the Environmental Protection Agency is cracking down on cracked pipes. And the SuperVision 250 is riding that great, stinky wave of demand. Placed in pipes 10 to 72 inches in diameter, this little guy will track down splits, debris, corrosion, and breaks. Operators can watch the video feed from the 10X optical-zoom autofocus camera and use a joystick to pan and tilt. A ring of high-intensity, shadowless LEDs illuminates the scene; dual lasers help size up defects. A sapphire window shields the camera lens, while hardened stainless steel parts protect the crawler from the harsh sewer environment. And thanks to an ultrathin, Kevlar-reinforced tether (sorry, no wireless), the bot can crawl up to 1,640 feet through even heavily obstructed pipes. Just make sure to hose it off when it comes back. Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am 120-Hz Hi-Def TVs Bring Onscreen Action to LifeLast year's TV buzz was 1080p. This year's is all about 120 Hz. That refers to the number of images a set displays each second to make your picture move; 120 is twice the norm, netting the smoothest pans since Teflon.
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Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am 120-Hz Hi-Def TVs Bring Onscreen Action to LifeLast year's TV buzz was 1080p. This year's is all about 120 Hz. That refers to the number of images a set displays each second to make your picture move; 120 is twice the norm, netting the smoothest pans since Teflon.
How We Rate
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Katrina, three years on: Clayton Cubitt Photographer Clayton Cubitt updated his "Operation Eden" blog today to mark the third year since Hurricane Katrina. He grew up in and around New Orleans. That's his mom on the far left. Here was his first post on that blog. She lost their (very modest) family home in the storm, as did many thousands of other moms, many thousands of other families. Clayton's mother is doing okay, but in spite of -- not thanks to -- the systems we're supposed to rely on in America, the systems created to help the helpless in greatest time of need. New Orleans -- and all the other poor communities nearby, all hard hit by Katrina -- never mended. Snip from Clayton's post today: She recently received a creepy pre-recorded phone warning from Governor Haley Barbour telling her to evacuate in the path of Gustav, as if she wasn't planning on it already.Three Years On (Operation Eden) Source: Boing Boing | 30 Aug 2008 | 3:51 am Phone companies prepare backup plans for Gustav (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Aug 2008 | 3:26 am Fla. Wildlife Seeks High Ground After FayThe flooding that followed Tropical Storm Fay in Florida has driven animals from their homes, forcing humans to cope with alligators, snakes and fire ants. Jerry Flynn, who traps nuisance alligators, said he is getting twice the normal number of calls.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am EPA Completes River CleanupState, local and federal officials gathered in Ohio this week to celebrate the cleanup of PCBs, uranium, radium and thorium from the Ashtabula River.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am Committee Agrees to Help ScoutBy Jesse B. Gill REDLANDS - The Street Tree Committee agreed to help a Redlands High School student with his Eagle Scout project. Eddie Gao, 16, approached the committee for trees to beautify the RHS parking lot.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am San Pedro Ponds Go DryBy Donna Littlejohn With its rolling hills and duck-filled ponds, Averill Park in San Pedro has provided a tranquil setting for dog walkers, picnickers and wedding-goers through the years.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am Torrance Will Clean Wilson Park PondBy Nick Green By Nick Green Staff Writer Farewell frogs and fish. Ta-ta turtles. And the ducks are done. The city of Torrance fenced off the popular pond at Charles H.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am Police Search Calif. Home for RemainsOfficials say they are searching for human remains in an upscale Southern California town as part of an international investigation.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am GPS Guides Police Toward Convictions -- Suspects Nailed By Data on Their DevicesBy Mitch Stacy Like millions of motorists, Eric Hanson used a GPS unit in his Chevrolet TrailBlazer to get around. He probably didn't expect that prosecutors would eventually use it too - to help convict him of killing four family members.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Aug 2008 | 2:00 am The Gamer's Bill of RightsEdge Magazine is running a piece by Brad Wardell, CEO of game developer Stardock, in which he presents a "Gamer's Bill of Rights." Stardock teamed up with Gas Powered Games to develop a list of ideals they think all game publishers should follow. Some are rather basic operational guidelines (not requiring a disc to play, minimum requirements that make sense), and some are aimed at repairing the damaged relationship between game companies and customers ("Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers"). Wishful thinking or not, it will be interesting to see if they manage to get other publishers to sign on.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 30 Aug 2008 | 1:59 am The PTR Group, Inc. Listed on the Inc. 5,000 for 2008Company makes second consecutive appearance on list of fastest growing private companies HERNDON, Va., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Inc. Magazine has ranked The...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 1:53 am Take Your Web Apps OfflineEver want to run Google Docs or Zoho from your desktop? Unfortunately for travelers, web apps by nature are shackled to its internet connections. Now, you can cut the ethernet cable and free web apps from the web using Fluid and Google Gears.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Aug 2008 | 1:00 am New video game depicts Venezuela mercenary attack (Reuters)Reuters - A video game depicting mercenaries storming Venezuela, which has been criticized in the oil-rich South American country as a blueprint for an invasion, will be released by a U.S. company this weekend.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Aug 2008 | 12:28 am New video game depicts Venezuela mercenary attackCARACAS (Reuters) - A video game depicting mercenaries storming Venezuela, which has been criticized in the oil-rich South American country as a blueprint for an invasion, will be released...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Aug 2008 | 12:27 am Audio slideshow: Video game orchestra (CNET)CNET - With video game software now a $10 billion industry, video games are becoming central to entertainment culture, not to mention television and movies.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Aug 2008 | 12:19 am Intel acquires Linux mobile developers for Atom (CNET)CNET - Intel Corp. has acquired Opened Hand, a London-based company which specializes in mobile Linux development and services.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Aug 2008 | 12:11 am Chronicling the Failures of DRMBarence takes us to PCPro for a look at the failures of DRM and a discussion of its impending death. Quoting: "Luckily, DRM is dying, at least in the download sphere. Napster's Dan Nash believes that DRM-free is 'the general way things are going.' In his opinion, record companies 'have no choice but to adapt;' those that 'stick to DRM on a pay-per-download basis will not remain competitive.' In the US, Napster has joined Amazon in selling DRM-free content in MP3 format from all the major labels. ... Going DRM-free makes sense not just for consumers, but for the industry. Deutche Telekom says three out of four technical support calls its Musicload service had to deal with were the result of DRM. And when it offered a DRM-free option to artists they saw a 40% increase in sales."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 29 Aug 2008 | 11:57 pm Phone companies prepare backup plans as hurricane Gustav bears downtest for the country's wireless carriers, which faced criticism and a regulatory push after Hurricane Katrina took out networks. Sprint Nextel Corp. spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge-Walsh...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 11:51 pm Vitesse Reports Fiscal 2007 and 2006 Year End ResultsVitesse Semiconductor Corporation (Pink Sheets:VTSS), a leading provider of advanced IC solutions for Carrier and Enterprise networks, today reported results for its fiscal years ended September 30, 2007 and 2006.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Aug 2008 | 11:00 pm A Few Tricks to Protect Your Valuable Data on a Computer ; AGENDAAn innocent shopper recently got quite the surprise when he bought a secondhand computer from online auction site eBay. Logging on to the computer, he found at least a million details for bank customers from around the country.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Aug 2008 | 11:00 pm World Tonight: Caught in WebPOLICE have made an arrest over the sale on eBay of a computer said to contain the personal details of thousands of council tax payers.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Aug 2008 | 11:00 pm Creators of rejected App Store comic book appeal for rating system - BetaNews
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 29 Aug 2008 | 10:59 pm Preparing Computer and Cellular Networks For a HurricaneCWmike writes "As Hurricane Gustav approaches the US Gulf Coast, IT lessons learned from the devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that smashed New Orleans and other areas in 2005 are on the minds of many worried IT managers. David Avgikos, president of Digimation Inc., a 3-D digital animation software company in St. Rose, Louisiana, said, 'We don't have to be told twice.' Meanwhile, the nation's major cellular network providers say that they too are prepared, having learned from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Still, they offer some helpful tips for dealing with what is expected to be a category-three hurricane when it hits: use text vs. calling on your cell phone, and if you use a cordless for your landline, ditch it for a corded model so that it will still work if there are power outages."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 29 Aug 2008 | 10:58 pm Bell and Telus on sidelines with some high-performing phones due to networksMONTREAL - A possible move by Bell (TSX:BCE) and Telus (TSX:T) to upgrade their networks could allow them to run trendy new smartphones like the iPhone or the BlackBerry Bold, which are...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 10:51 pm Soft economy speeds newspaper decline, job cuts (AP)AP - The newspaper industry's downward spiral is accelerating as the weak U.S. economy depresses already-tumbling advertising revenue and forces more rounds of job cuts and other trims.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Aug 2008 | 10:19 pm Soft economy speeds newspaper decline, job cutsThe newspaper industry's downward spiral is accelerating as the weak U.S. economy depresses already-tumbling advertising revenue and forces more rounds of job cuts and other trims. The...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 10:19 pm MIT Working On Network Vulnerability AnalysisAn anonymous reader writes "Researchers at MIT have created a method for analyzing networks to detect exploitable vulnerabilities using attack graph analysis which can be done in near real time. The new Lincoln Labs tool will allow admins of large networks to detect their most vulnerable areas and also model zero day attacks. 'NetSPA (for Network Security Planning Architecture) uses information about networks and the individual machines and programs running on them to create a graph that shows how hackers could infiltrate them. System administrators can examine visualizations of the graph themselves to decide what action to take, but NetSPA also analyzes the graph and offers recommendations about how to quickly fix the most important weaknesses. NetSPA relies on vulnerability scanners to identify known weaknesses in network-accessible programs that might allow an unauthorized person access to a machine. But simply being aware of vulnerabilities is not sufficient; NetSPA also has to analyze complex firewall and router rules to determine which vulnerabilities can actually be reached and exploited by attackers and how attackers can spread through a network by jumping from one vulnerable host to another.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 29 Aug 2008 | 10:05 pm St. Paul/East Metro Area Community Guides to Be Distributed to Republican Convention AttendeesELGIN, Ill., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The 6,000+ delegates and attendees to the Republican National Convention next week will easily find their way around the Twin Cities...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:58 pm Visions of Mars - MSNBC
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:54 pm Jared Joslin art exhibit We've featured the exquisite work of Jessica Joslin on Boing Boing a few times. It turns out her husband, Jared Joslin, is a terrific artist, too. He has a show currently running in Los Angeles. Solo Exhibition of paintings by Jared Joslin.Jared Joslin -- Shadow of the Silver Moon Source: Boing Boing | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:35 pm Morph's Outpost 15th anniversary
In the early 1990s cyberculture, Morph's Outpost on the Digital Frontier was a hip multimedia technical magazine inspired in design (and consciousness) by 60s underground newspapers. This month is the 15th anniversary of the first issue. To celebrate, co-founders Jody Radzik (Art Director), Doug Millison (Editor), and Dave Pola (Ad Developer), have made the magazine's signature comic strip, Morph's Outpost On The Digital Frontier, by Fred "Sundance" Gromadski, available online. Millison has also launched an online Morph's retrospective. Dig that logo treatment by Kai "Power Tools" Krause!Morph's Outpost comic, Morph's Outpost site (Thanks, Jody Radzik!) Source: Boing Boing | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:33 pm The history of yellow peril science fiction This week on MangoBot—my biweekly column about Asian futurism on io9—I wrote about the yellow peril and the portrayal of Asians in science fiction:
Back in the 1920s and 30s, when Asian immigration to the US and Europe was picking up steam, prominent science fiction writers like Philip Nowlan and H.P. Lovecraft created speculative scenarios starring massive hordes of horrible, slanty-eyed, intelligent Asians who were either taking over or destroying the world. Continue reading... ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.)
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:31 pm SpectrumDNA, Inc. Taps Seth Levenson to Lead Product MarketingFormer Sales Executive for MySpace.com and AtomFilms/Shockwave.com joins Social Media Studio PARK CITY, Utah, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:30 pm Microsoft: No more Windows Live Mail crashes with IE8 Beta 2 - Computerworld
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:25 pm The State of Scripting LanguagesEsther Schindler writes to tell us that Lynn Greiner has another look at the state of the scripting universe as a follow on to the same topic three years ago. Greiner talks to major players from each of the main scripting languages (PHP, Perl, Tcl, Python, Ruby, and Javascript) to find out the current status and where they are headed in the future. "The biggest change since 2005 has been the growth of richer Web applications that perform more of their computations in the browser using JavaScript. The demand for these applications has forced developers to learn and use JavaScript much more than before. There's also been a lot of interest in Ruby, another dynamic language, spurred by the release and growth of Ruby on Rails. As a result of these changes, many developers are becoming more comfortable with dynamic languages."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:14 pm Hans Reiser SentencedLinux Guru Hans Reiser was sentenced to 15-to-life Friday for murdering Nina Reiser, his wife who was divorcing him. Reiser, the developer of the ReiserFS file system, maintained throughout a six-month-long trial that his wife abandoned their two young children after he confronted her with allegations she bilked his Oakland, California software company Namesys. After his conviction, he brought authorities to her unmarked grave as part of a deal for a reduced sentence.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:01 pm Virtual Recovery Via Virtual Servers - Computerworld
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:54 pm CSI Stick grabs data from cell phones (CNET)CNET - This guest post is from Marc Weber Tobias, an attorney and physical security specialist.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:54 pm Rocket Racing League Flights With Armadillo EngineToren Altair mentions that the Rocket Racing League has video and pictures available from their recent flight tests of new Armadillo Aerospace liquid oxygen-alcohol engines. "Founded in 2005 by two-time Indianapolis 500 winning team partner Granger Whitelaw and X PRIZE Chairman and CEO Peter H. Diamandis, MD, the Rocket Racing League (RRL) is a new entertainment sports league that combines the exhilaration of racing with the power of rocket engines. To be held at venues across the country, the Rocket Racing League will feature multiple races pitting up to 10 Rocket Racers going head to head in a 4-lap, multiple elimination heat format on a 5-mile 'Formula One'-like closed circuit raceway in the sky."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:32 pm Apple Won't Fix iPhone Passcode Hole Until September (NewsFactor)NewsFactor - The latest iPhone embarrassment is a security hole that makes it simple to access stored data on supposedly locked iPhones. Apple said Thursday that a software patch to solve the problem is in the works.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:31 pm Speculation Focuses on iPhone Tethering Approval (NewsFactor)NewsFactor - Having banned from its App Store an application that turned an iPhone 3G into a wireless modem, is Apple ready to enable just such an application itself?Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:30 pm Want IE8 Beta 2? You May Have To Jump Through Hoops (NewsFactor)NewsFactor - Microsoft warned developers preparing to download the new Beta 2 release of Internet Explorer 8 that under certain conditions those who have already installed IE8 Beta 1 cannot revert to older iterations of the browser.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:30 pm Network Stands 'Ready to Serve' as Gulf Coast Braces for Tropical Storm GustavEmergency Teams, Disaster Plans Activated in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida HOUSTON, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Tropical Storm Gustav may be headed forSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:17 pm Urgent Appeal for Online Donations to Help Victims of GustavWASHINGTON, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, which left 69 dead and hundreds homeless in Haiti, a new website called Pan American...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:12 pm No Amazon Kindle 2.0 Under This Year's Xmas Tree - CRN
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:10 pm GSI Group Completes Acquisition of Excel TechnologyBEDFORD, Mass., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GSI Group Inc., (Nasdaq: GSIG) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Excel Technology, Inc....Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:10 pm FAA outage reveals odd computing practices (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:08 pm McCain Picks Gov. Palin As Running MateMany readers have written to tell us about McCain's choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his VP choice. "Palin, 44, a self-described "hockey mom," is a conservative first-term governor of Alaska with strong anti-abortion views, a record of reform and fiscal conservatism and an outsider's perspective on Washington. [...] If elected, Palin would be the first woman US vice president, adding another historic element to a presidential race that has been filled with firsts. Obama, 47, is the first black nominee of a major US political party. The choice of a vice president rarely has a major impact on the presidential race. Palin will meet Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a debate in October."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 29 Aug 2008 | 7:49 pm Apple looks to fix 'minor' iPhone security flaw - BetaNews
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 29 Aug 2008 | 7:41 pm Death, Taxes and Bandwidth CapsAre the days of all-you-can-eat broadband over? Comcast joins a growing number of ISPs that are introducing usage caps in order to crack down on so-called bandwidth hogs. Caps may help service providers manage traffic, but they won't do much to enhance innovation or broadband adoption, charge critics.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 7:32 pm Snail Car Is Born When Math, Dreams CollideCalifornia artists create The Golden Mean, a rolling tribute to an aesthetically pleasing ratio, and take the piece on the road to Burning Man.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 7:09 pm New BBEdit Packed With Power Tools for Writers, ProgrammersOne of the most-beloved software apps among programmers, writers and Mac geeks, the "Bare Bones" text editor BBEdit receives a substantial upgrade. New features include a management utility for keeping track of multifile projects, an auto-completion engine for writing code and integration with Apple's MobileMe backup service.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 7:00 pm Flexy Motorola Phone Bends in Half, Breaks Our HeartsThe innovative Motorola Z10 is out and it's giving us the bends. The new slider actually features a hinged midsection which bends at an angle when you answer the phone. Aside form this unique feature though everything else about this handset is a bit hard to deal with. The OS is confusing and obtuse while the 3MP camera is woefully inadequate for the video recording capabilities the phone is designed to perform.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Aug 2008 | 6:53 pm Flexy Motorola Phone Bends in Half, Breaks Our HeartsThe innovative Motorola Z10 is out and it's giving us the bends. The new slider actually features a hinged midsection which bends at an angle when you answer the phone. Aside form this unique feature though everything else about this handset is a bit hard to deal with. The OS is confusing and obtuse while the 3MP camera is woefully inadequate for the video recording capabilities the phone is designed to perform.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 6:53 pm AutoAdmit Defendant Asks Court to Free Him From Byzantine LawsuitAn obnoxious commenter being sued for sexual harrasment by two Jane Doe Yale law students wants to be freed, saying that his comments were just crude. He claims the women's lawyers are intentionally dragging out the suit and won't even serve him with papers.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 6:44 pm Tech Making Traditional VCs ObsoleteBob Rice has had many careers. He was an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, a partner at law firm Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, C.E.O. of a tech startup, and now runs merchant bank Tangent Capital, which he founded in 2005. In his spare time, Rice managed to write Three Moves Ahead: What Chess Can Teach You About Business, one of the more interesting business reads to come down the pike this year, in which he uses the tried-and-true strategies of chess for insight into running a business. Today, he's squeezing in some blogging. One day. One place: Portfolio.com. Ah, those Sand Hill Road visionaries, the venture capital guys who finance the future and dictate the trends. It must be fun out there, getting the first glimpses of tomorrow. But suddenly there's a wonderful irony at work: That very future is destroying their industry. Newspapers are rife with stories about the decline of big V.C. investments, pointing to the trend as a sign of a more conservative investment environment. But I don't think that's really the issue. Instead, something much more profound is going on: The basic V.C. model is broken. And new technology is driving a much more efficient system for capital allocation to startups. In fact, technology is largely at fault both for what's wrong with the V.C. world and for what's replacing it. The problem with the industry is this--it's just too cheap to start new companies these days. Virtual offices allow talent to gather from around the country to work on a new idea without having to quit full-time jobs too early. Servers, computers, and bandwidth are essentially free, and a robust telecommunications platform can be rented for a few tens of dollars a month. Software development can be outsourced without taking on big fixed costs. There are countless programs to manage customer relations, mine contacts, handle the books, and plan and monitor projects. And of course, the internet has reduced the costs of finding customers and testing new concepts to nearly nothing. Okay, so what? Well, the classic V.C.'s simply have too much money under management, and too expensive a talent pool, to waste time looking at investing anything less than $10 million in a project. Meantime, no entrepreneur wants to give up equity by taking in more money than he absolutely needs. So, when it only costs a few million to get a serious new company off the ground, how can the V.C.'s really play? They have to find places to make gigantic gambles, usually overpaying because the other big V.C.'s are also trying to invest in the few really big-dollar opportunities out there. It has become a system doomed to failure. The flip side of the story is the rise of angel investor groups. These investment consortiums have always been ideally positioned to provide $500,000 to $5 million equity injections; but until recently, that wasn't enough to get a serious effort off the ground. More fundamentally, however, they have historically not been terribly investor-friendly, largely because the individual members have other occupations. The individual members didn't work in the same place or even at the same times, so angels were terribly inefficient at evaluating transactions, sharing information, and negotiating and documenting deals. Those days are over, thanks to software developed by David Rose, founder of the New York Angels (yes, I belong). Angelsoft is a wonderful collaboration platform that manages deal flow, helps match talent and expertise to projects, provides easy-to-use data rooms for potential investors, and generally drives the investment process. It combines project management and social networking in a way that, for the first time, makes the angel process efficient for both the company seeking capital and the potential investors. The big news now is that, in a period of just a couple of years, over 400 angel groups around the globe have standardized on the platform. That means, of course, that they will also be able to share deals between themselves, vastly expanding the capital and expertise available for any given project. And entrepreneurs can now create one submission to get access, literally, to a world of sophisticated, organized investors. It sounds like a revolution to me. Check it out at the group's website. And so, once again, technology is driving a paradigm shift. But this time, it's France in 1789: The progenitors of change are becoming the victims.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Aug 2008 | 5:40 pm Top 5 Gadgets That Could Get You ArrestedOK, we'll admit it. Some of us are drawn to dangerous gear like bears to a picnic basket. There's just something devilishly appealing about mixing a few of our favorite things (tech toys) with one of our least (a ride in the back of a squad car). Although we'd never condone breaking the law with these five gadgets, we can't deny our morbid fascination with them. Just remember: If misused, these gizmos could get you slapped with a set of handcuffs along with a criminal record. 
A vicious double-whammy of sharpened steel and freezing gas menaces watermelons everywhere. Image: Courtesy of WASP Knife
Designed to quickly dispatch marauding undersea predators, this 5.25-inch hunting/tactical blade conceals a catastrophic one-two punch. After you shank say, a Great White Shark, a flick of a button injects the beast with an 800-psi blast of compressed air. This basketball-sized sphere of freezing gas decimates the interior of whatever it's injected into; whatever's left simply floats to the surface. It works great on watermelons, too. Why It'd Get You Arrested: Stabbing random objects on dry land (and then making them explode) is the fast track to a vandalism charge. Turning the WASP Knife on an innocent creature for non-defense purposes, though? Depending on the state, you're looking at aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, animal cruelty or even the rarely used "mayhem" charge. 2. Sonar II Burner 
The Sonar II can burn through garbage bags and retinas with equal aplomb. Image: Courtesy of Wicked Lasers
Look, everyone wants a lightsaber. But we can't have them because: A) midi-chlorians don't exist and, B) law enforcement agencies are already less-than-enthused over high-power handheld lasers. Consider for a moment, Wicked Lasers' Sonar II Burner. Essentially a more powerful version of the lasers found in Blu-ray players, this six-inch tool doesn't have to compensate for anything; it can light matches, burn holes through paper and melt plastic. Why It'd Get You Arrested: Where to begin? At 60mW, the Sonar II is totally capable of starting fires (arson), burning retinas (assault) and disorienting airline pilots (Gitmo). 3. EMT Paintball Sentry Turret 
Fires 30 rounds per second. Fully automated. Illegal in virtually all forms of competitive paintball. Image: Courtesy of Evolution Model Technology
May the Flying Spaghetti Monster's noodley appendage help the poor schmoe who ends up in the cross hairs of the Sentry Turret. This remote-controlled, tripod-mounted paintball cannon unleashes oil-based vengeance at 30 rounds per second on full-auto. And all you paint-balling pros take note: The EMT is not some glorified sloppy-shot Brass Eagle. Integrated-vibration dampeners plus rotation/tilt mechanisms make rounds fired from this gadget highly accurate. Why It'd Get You Arrested: With the amount of paint the Sentry is capable of unloading, you'd definitely be facing accusations of assault, disturbing the peace and any other charges your welt-covered victims care to press. 4. Fiber Laser Marking System 
It may not look menacing, but this portable laser can sear images into rock, glass and metal. Image: Courtesy of Laser Photonics
If you're going to deface public property, you might as well get an assist from technology. Laser Photonic's unintentional contribution to this practice is the "Handheld Fiber Laser Marking System." This portable, high-power laser was originally designed for etching graphics into industrial surfaces like metal, glass and stone. Sure, it lacks the DIY charm of spray paint. But it makes up for this by running off a car battery, and being able to etch almost any graphic you can load on a multimedia card. Why It'd Get You Arrested: Tagging public property with such creativity and zeal is likely to bump up the charge. A number of states reserve the right to boost vandalism charges to the felonious level if the damage exceeds $400, is especially malicious or is performed by a repeat offender. 5. Lil' Buttie LB110 
Don’t let the name fool you; this gadget is not your friend … if you get caught illegally tapping a phone line with it. Image: Courtesy of Test-Um
You don't have to work for the NSA to listen to other people's phone calls. A nifty lineman's handset like the Lil' Buttie LB110 is enough to do the trick. This cheap, easy-to-find gadget is the cornerstone of tapping a phone line. All it really takes is hooking the handset's alligator clamps to a set of exposed telephone wires and syncing up the handset. Once you're on the line, you can snoop on conversations, record them or even dial out at your leisure. Why It'd Get You Arrested: Despite what you may think, owning a "butt set" isn't illegal. Don't be fooled though -- unless you're using it for running diagnostics on your own phone line, someone's bound to drop the hammer. Getting caught using (or even installing) an unauthorized line is the express lane to a felonious wiretapping charge, and/or a lifetime of government scrutiny. Trust us on this one. Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Aug 2008 | 5:30 pm Nemo Sniffs His Way HomeYoung orange clownfish find their anemone homes with a keen sense of smell.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Aug 2008 | 3:46 pm Baby Bugs Bully Parents for Food, ProtectionBaby bugs come up with creative, aggressive ways to get their parent's attention.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Aug 2008 | 3:08 pm America Running Low on Innovation, Ex-Cisco CTO SaysThe U.S. needs to find new ways of funding basic science research in academia and corporate America, says former Cisco CTO Judy Estrin, author of the book Closing the Innovation Gap.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Aug 2008 | 2:52 pm Lesson Learned? Gulf Coast Girds for GustavHow prepared for Gustav is the U.S. Gulf Coast, three years post-Katrina?Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm Fertilizer Technique Boosts Crop Yields in AfricaA technique of using fertilizer in small doses is shown to double wheat crop yields.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm
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Singularity Summit 2008: Opportunity, Risk, Leadership takes place October 25 at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose, CA, the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence announced today. Now in its third year, the Singularity Summit gathers the smartest people around to explore one of the biggest ideas of our time: the Singularity.
Samsung LN52A750
Sony Bravia KDL-46W4100
Sharp Aquos LC-65SE94U
LG Scarlet 47LG60
