|
|
|
|
Chrome shines compared to Safari, IE, and Firefox in a hacking testSection: Computers, Networking, Security, Web, Downloads, Web Apps, Web Browsers  Wednesday was day one of the CanSecWest Pwn2Own hacking contest, and the results are in. Using fully patched copies of Safari, IE8, and Firefox, hackers broke them all. They each failed to what is called hacker “Nils.“ The Pwn2Own contest challenges experts in security to find and exploit vulnerabilities in browsers. And it apparently didn’t take them very long. They broke Safari in just seconds, and both IE8 and Firefox in a few hours. Chrome, however, remained intact. Chrome isn’t perfectThis doesn’t mean Chrome is flawless however. Previous Pwn2Own winner Charlie Miller says that he did, in fact, find a bug in Chrome, but he isn’t able to exploit it due to the browser’s system security measures and sandboxing feature working together, which poses a steep challenge. How the contest worksThe contest has different tests run, using both Windows PCs and Macs. Day One has the “hackers” attacking default installations, with no additional plugins. Day Two has a little added. Now they are looking at Java, QuickTime, and .Net to make the “attack surface” greater. Day Three sees more popular apps, like Adobe Reader, added to the mix. To succeed at these tests, there must be code execution within context of the application. Microsoft must be pleasedI’m sure Microsoft was thrilled with this announcement, given it occurred just as they were publicly releasing IE8 on the web. IE8 is the latest browser-child of Microsoft, and it is purported to include several corporate features. These features include tools that let the user “customize and control the software via centralized policies.“ It’s also supposed to include new privacy and security settings. (Better take another look at those security settings Microsoft folks!) The winner of the Pwn3Own contest won a cash prize as well as the Sony Vaio which was used in the contest. via: yahootech Full Story » | Written by Jodie Andrefski for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 22 Mar 2009 | 6:17 pm New Bill Could Shift Federal Cybersecurity Work From DHS To White HouseCNet reports on legislation currently being drafted that would transfer federal cybersecurity responsibilities away from the Department of Homeland Security. Instead, they would fall under the authority of the Executive Office of the President, creating an Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor. A tech commission recommended relieving the DHS of cybersecurity responsibilities late last year, saying it simply wasn't prepared to deal with organized online threats. More recently, the director of the DHS's National Cybersecurity Center resigned, citing interference from the NSA. The new legislation would "put the White House National Cybersecurity Advisor in charge of coordinating cyber efforts within the intelligence community and within civilian agencies, as well as coordinating the public sector's cooperation with the private sector. The adviser would have the authority to disconnect from the Internet any federal infrastructure networks — or other networks deemed to be 'critical' — if found to be at risk of a cyberattack. The private sector will certainly speak out if this provision is included in the final draft of the bill, a representative of the technology industry who spoke on condition of anonymity said."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 22 Mar 2009 | 1:32 pm Smart Grid Computers Susceptible To Worm Attacknarramissic writes "Researchers with security consultancy IOActive have created a worm that could quickly spread among Smart Grid devices, small computers connected to the power grid that give customers and power companies better control over the electricity they use. '[The worm] spread from one meter to another and then it changed the text in the LCD screen to say "pwned,"' said Travis Goodspeed, an independent security consultant who worked with the IOActive team. In the hands of a malicious hacker, this code could be used to cut power to Smart Grid devices that use a feature called 'remote disconnect,' which allows power companies to cut a customer's power via the network. The robustness of US power networks has been a hot-button issue after a technical glitch in 2003 caused a cascading power failure in the eastern United States and Canada that affected 55 million people."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 22 Mar 2009 | 12:19 pm China Mobile StatsSome mobile stats from China Mobile via FierceMobile Content: -- China Mobile subscribers sent 607.1 billion text messages in 2008, up more than 100 billion over the operator's 2007 SMS totals. --...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:25 am Tracking Cultural Insecurity - Survey of Plastic Surgeons Reveals Top 10 Procedures for 2008 (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) 894 plastic surgeons were surveyed on the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries--the narcissistic kind--on patients in 2008. Our narcissism has led to ten primary procedures, both...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:19 am Users criticise Facebook update - BBC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:10 am Should An iPhone App Developer Charge Or Run Ads? (Galaxy Impact Case Study)This is a guest post written by Bo Wang from iPhone app developer house Team iBokan, part of Bokan Technologies, about the lessons learned while conducting a pricing experiment on brick game Galaxy Impact, the company’s first iPhone application. For a different take on paid versus ad-supported iPhone apps, read our previous post on the subject. Galaxy Impact, a classic brick-break game and the first iPhone app created by Team iBokan, went on sale in iTunes App Store on Oct 27, 2008, free of charge. It had about 220,000 downloads in its first two weeks and was ranked as No 10 in “Top Free Apps” in the Game category and No 20 in “Top Free Apps” overall, before we started charging a $.99 fee for purchases on Nov 9th 2008. Here are the details: Galaxy Impact downloads before start charging $.99
The downloads for Galaxy Impact in its first two weeks, broken down: * 10/27: 1,377 (the first day on sale) So the free downloads vs for-fee downloads is about 400:1. That means for 220,000 downloads, our revenue amounted to $550. It’s obvious that there was no way we could make money out of this with a $.99 list price. Another lesson learned: before the price change (from free to $.99), average downloads per day was above 10,000 but after price changed back to free, the average rebounced to about 1,000 per day, which continued for a long time. If we had not experimented with charging for the app, the total number of downloads would have been much higher. Next, we decided to try advertising and updated Galaxy Impact with ads from Admob along with other new features. There was a huge spike of update downloads with a 30,647 peak of November 22, two days after the update release. Galaxy Impact Downloads after Update
As you can see, the huge traffic for the update does not increase the number of new downloads, even if the app remains free of charge. To this day (Mar 18th), there are about 500,000 downloads in total and about 160,000 updates (one third of new downloads). Note, only updates have ads. So how was Galaxy Impact doing with advertising powered by Admob? Let’s take a peek at the first month of the year. Ad revenue from Admob for Galaxy Impact (Jan 2009)
The highest daily ad revenue was $16.37 (on 17 January) and right now it’s about $2.50 per day. Here’s our monthly ad revenue, broken down: * Nov 2008: $70.81 (11/20 - 11/30) With no update or marketing, the current rate of free downloads for Galaxy Impact is about 120 per day. If we apply for-fee ratio, this transfers to about 0.3 daily downloads at a $.99 price, which leads to revenue of $.21 for us, or about 8.4% of what we are making right now on a daily basis ($2.50). Conclusion In the case of Galaxy Impact, we have done absolutely no marketing and did 2 updates with new features. 1. Free downloads vs for fee downloads ($.99) is 400:1 Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors Source: TechCrunch | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:08 am Should An iPhone App Developer Charge Or Run Ads? (Galaxy Impact Case Study)This is a guest post written by Bo Wang from iPhone app developer house Team iBokan, part of Bokan Technologies, about the lessons learned while conducting a pricing experiment on brick game Galaxy Impact,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:08 am China still welcomes foreign investment -ministerBEIJING, March 22 (Reuters) - China's commerce minister said on Sunday that the country was still open to foreign investment after the government rejected Coca-Cola's $2.4 billion bid to buy top Chinese...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:07 am Get Hi-Tech -- Hire a PR Firm That Specializes in Technology Thinking for Better Results and Increased ROIPALM BEACH, Fla., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Need a new look? Want to see increased ROI on your marketing dollars? Hire a PR firm that specializes in hi tech thinking and...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 11:00 am Sweet Drum Sets - Outrageous Drum Setups to Rival Those of Any Rockstar (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Here is a collection of some pretty crazy drum sets (as if drums are not annoying enough already, but I wont bang on about that). Many have been part of some kind of PR fun, but that...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 10:59 am More lawmakers using Web tool Twitter to communicate - The Newark Advocate
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 22 Mar 2009 | 10:58 am Last Chance To Suggest SL's Most Stylish Hangouts!Iris and I are still taking reader tips in our search for Second Life's most stylish hangout, but we'll close the suggestion box end of next Sunday, March 29. At left is one recommended by Doubledown Tandino,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 10:49 am Viral Hip-Hop Parodies - The Lonely Island Teams Up With T-Pain for Im On a Boat(VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) The comedic stylings of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone have appeared to uncover the new age of music. T-Pains original (maybe) but recognizable (of course) addition...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 10:39 am Vintage Ray-Ban Revivals - Iconic 'Clubmaster' Sunglasses to Be Re-Released (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The 1950s have weaseled their way into fashion once more. Ray-Ban is known for their classic take on sunglasses and timeless styles. Nearly every celebrity and fashion lover has embraced...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 10:19 am BT Shows First Fiber-Optic Broadband Rollout PlansMJackson writes "BT has revealed new details about the roll-out of its £1.5bn programme to deploy super fast fibre optic broadband to as many as 10 million UK homes (40%) by 2012. Scotland will become one of the first places to benefit from next-generation broadband services, with more than 34,000 homes and businesses in Edinburgh and Glasgow receiving speeds of up to 40Mbps and potentially 60Mbps from early next year (2010). Overall, BT Openreach, which is responsible for ensuring that all rival operators have equality of access to BT's local network, aims to deploy Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) based next generation broadband services next summer (2010) to 500,000 homes and businesses in the UK."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 22 Mar 2009 | 9:21 am Astronauts get Sunday morning off after busy weekThe astronauts aboard the orbiting station-shuttle complex are finally getting a break. NASA is giving the 10 space travelers Sunday morning off. The astronauts wrapped up the second...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 8:07 am NWN in Japanese:24...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 7:59 am India's Essar group may go private, delays refinery expansionMUMBAI, March 22 (Reuters) - Indian energy-to-steel conglomerate Essar Group is planning to become totally private, and none of its group companies will be listed, two newspapers said on Sunday, quoting...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 7:33 am Astronauts get Sunday morning off after busy week - The Associated Press
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 22 Mar 2009 | 7:20 am Is This Obama's Katrina Moment?The following letter to the NYT sparks an interesting column from Frank Rich. First, the letter: President Obama may not realize it yet, but his Katrina moment has arrived. This is a defining moment...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 6:34 am Finding Twin Earths Is Harder Than We ThoughtMatt_dk writes "Does a twin Earth exist somewhere in our galaxy? Astronomers are getting closer and closer to finding an Earth-sized planet in an Earth-like orbit. NASA's Kepler spacecraft just launched to find such worlds. Once the search succeeds, the next questions driving research will be: Is that planet habitable? Does it have an Earth-like atmosphere? Answering those questions will not be easy. 'We'll have to be really lucky to decipher an Earth-like planet's atmosphere during a transit event so that we can tell it is Earth-like,' said Kaltenegger. 'We will need to add up many transits to do so — hundreds of them, even for stars as close as 20 light-years away.'" The abstract of their paper offers a link to the complete paper as a 17-page PDF; here is a short description from 2007 of the same researchers' work, outlining the type of spectral signature that an Earth-like atmosphere would be expected to show.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 22 Mar 2009 | 5:30 am Prince Charles blue over green crusadePrince Charles, the heir to the British throne, admitted in an interview published Sunday that he found it "depressing" that his frequent warnings over climate change had not been heeded.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 4:00 am SNAPSHOT - Financial Crisis - 0350 GMT- Global economy set to shrink by 1 pct to 2 pct this year, World Bank chief Zoellick says, unprecedented since 1930sSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 3:56 am Pink elephant photographed in BotswanaA wildlife photographer got footage of a pink elephant calf with a herd of about 80 elephants in Botswana. Experts told the British Broadcasting Corp.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Mar 2009 | 3:52 am Did the Netbook Improve Windows 7's Performance?Arnie87 writes "One Microsoft Way has an interesting article suggesting that the reason Microsoft is focusing so much on speed with Windows 7 is the whopping sales of netbooks. The article concludes by saying: 'If you plan on adopting Windows 7, you have the netbook to be thankful for, because Vista's successor would be a very different beast if Microsoft had less motivation to pursue performance.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 22 Mar 2009 | 3:07 am Spacewalkers accidentally install pin upside downSpacewalking astronauts accidentally inserted a pin upside down and jammed an equipment storage platform at the international space station on Saturday, prompting NASA to assemble a specialSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 2:28 am Astronauts spend 6 hours outside ISSTwo U.S. astronauts spent more than six hours Saturday performing a series of chores outside the International Space Station. The space walk by Steven Swanson and Joseph Acaba ended with difficulties maneuvering a cargo platform, CBS News reported.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Mar 2009 | 2:08 am UPDATE 1-Unwinding toxic firms tops Obama financial reforms* Basic principles for Obama at April G20 summit in London (Adds Obama administration official comment, background)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Mar 2009 | 1:42 am The future of the Internet and online videoSection: Video, Communications, Email / IM, Computers, Netbooks, Wireless, Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Online Music/Video, Google, Features, Originals, Columns, WTFH  One of the greatest inventions in recent times has been the Internet. It has evolved from something barely being in use, to something that we can’t live without. We are constantly connected to the net from our phones to our netbooks and we are constantly using the Internet at all times for things much more than email. Whether or not Internet has taken over our lives is left for another day. One aspect of the Internet that has become increasingly popular is online video streaming. Why Internet video is so popular and its practical usesSeveral years ago, video streaming was very limited due to the slow dial-up connections and the occasional cable most people were running. Nowadays, broadband Internet access is very common and many people have even incredibly fast connections to the Internet with Verizon FiOS or Comcast High Speed Internet - just to name a few. Now, with these fast Internet connections, people can watch videos from services like YouTube, Hulu, Vimeo, and Metacafe with ease. If we were still running dial-up, I would not be writing this post about online video right now. Aside from streaming TV shows, movies, and homemade videos, people create videos for advertisements that either run in ads or on their main page to get the point across of a product or service they have. Again, this is only possible because Internet speeds have become so fast, we hardly even notice video ads anymore. Streaming TV shows and Movies via HuluIf you have a nice sized monitor and don’t feel like torrenting movies or TV shows, I’m sure you know about Hulu and other services that provide free to watch TV shows and movies with limited and short advertisements. While there are many services out there, I want to focus solely on Hulu because I feel they are in the best shape in terms of management, and have the most potential to transform into an even better service than what it currently is. As long as Hulu plays their cards well, they will be around for a while and they will prosper and become a video giant. Hulu is always looking to add new content, so as long as they keep on adding more and more videos and TV shows, their users will be happy and Hulu will be successful.
Entertaining videos via YouTubeSwitching gears now, let’s see what the future of YouTube is like and whether it will still be around in 5 plus years. There are many reasons it has been highly successful so far, but let’s see what helped shape YouTube into what it is today. Back when YouTube was first started, it had received a lot of praise and seemed destined for success. Google, a powerful company, decided to buy the rights to YouTube and this gave YouTube wider recognition and helped propel it into what it is today. Good for all agesAnother main reason YouTube has been highly successful is due to the way the system scans videos to make sure they are all appropriate. If YouTube contained pornography on it, I can guarantee you it would not be as popular as it is today. Children to grandma can all use YouTube for laughs, for a music video, or even how-to tutorials. Anyway, YouTube will remain a popular video service for years to come as long as they play their cards well. One thing that could potentially turn off users is if Google decides to overload all videos with ads and such, which hopefully they won’t do. One problem that many of my friends have is that YouTube deletes their account whenever they create videos with copyright material. They have no intention of using copyright material, but it just happens and then their personal account with all their friends is permanently deleted. Other than that, most people don’t really have any complaints with YouTube. Personally, I don’t use YouTube that much when compared with other people. My experience with video editing is pretty limited and I don’t need a YouTube account to socialize with friends and people I meet online. However, for the person that loves creating videos and being active with how people respond to their creations, YouTube is the perfect place to upload videos as well as socialize with other users.
VimeoAnother popular video sharing service is Vimeo. While not as popular as YouTube, it is still a nice service where you can upload your personal videos to share with others. Vimeo is great for people who like to share their home videos with family members and close friends because you can actually restrict who views your videos. In addition, they allow HD video uploading and give their users 500MB of memory each week to use for their videos. I doubt it will become as popular as YouTube, which is a household name in itself, but as long as it stays true to itself, they have a pretty bright future. Different types of popular video formats
Adobe FlashNearly all types of online videos are encoded in Adobe Flash. There is no set rule which states what video formats are acceptable and what are not, but the most popular format is Flash. It doesn’t kill your memory and it is fast to run, which makes it perfect nearly all users. If you want higher quality video, then Flash might not be the way to go. But if you are not running the latest version of Flash, a lot of videos may not be able to play.
Microsoft SilverlightAnother popular online video format is Microsoft’s Silverlight. Basically this is Microsoft’s challenger to Adobe’s Flash. While Silverlight works on nearly all popular browsers and works on Windows as well as Mac OS, I doubt it will be used more than Flash. However, one big video streaming site that uses Silverlight is Netflix. Even though Silverlight is not as popular as Flash, it may be a good idea to keep your computer updated on Silverlight just in case you come across a video that is formatted using Silverlight. In fact, version 3.0 was just released a few days ago on March 18. H.264: Apple’s favorite formatA high quality video format mainly used by Apple in terms of online video is H.264. A year or so ago, Apple had updated their Apple TV in which it contained a special YouTube channel. The problem was that Apple refuses to use Flash, because they believe people should be using the higher quality H.264. Anyway, YouTube decided to also encode their videos in H.264 to keep Apple happy and to allow all YouTube videos to be shown on Apple TV and the iPhone. Since Apple likes H.264, this format will stay around for years to come. The bottom lineServices such as Hulu and YouTube, and video formats such as Flash are number one among many people. It is hard for challengers to take over the number one spot because people generally do not like to change. Hulu and YouTube are in positions of great power and I do not imagine anything bad happening to their services as long as they don’t make any stupid decisions. I could be wrong, but the direction of online video streaming looks very positive as the Internet further develops. If you disagree with something I said, feel free to let me know in the comments. Source: Gizmodo | 22 Mar 2009 | 1:00 am Weekend Update, 3.21.09–March Madness Edition [Digital Daily]
BoomTown posted from various spots in Europe this week, yet managed to follow the geek-tastic goodness of Silicon Valley’s own contender, Apple (AAPL) Co-founder Steve Wozniak, who competed while injured this week on Dancing With the Stars–and escaped elimination via the love of viewers in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. Another founder made the headlines this week–BoomTown noted that Steve Case appeared at a huge pep rally at AOL (TWX). Case and former AOL exec Ted Leonsis gave their support (and a lucky green tie) to new CEO Tim Armstrong. Elsewhere, Pure Digital, the maker of BoomTown’s favorite gadget–the ever-present Flip digital video camera–sold itself to Cisco (CSCO) for $590 million in stock, and BoomTown urged Silicon Valley to remember it’s not immune to the recession, to put its nose to the grindstone, and to avoid party-hearty inanity. Guess no one’s taking heed of the warning, though: MediaMemo reports that no one’s getting anything done at work–CBS (CBS) says its March Madness Web Traffic is up 57 percent compared to last year. On top of that, Television viewership rose various percentages throughout the week. MM wasn’t watching much basketball this week, though–there was plenty to blog about: The New York Times (NYT) cracked down on unauthorized use of its photos, Discovery Communications (DISCA) announced a patent infringement suit against Amazon and its Kindle Reader, Palm (PALM) delivered dismal third quarter results–putting even greater pressure on the success of the Pre, and Q&A with BusinessWeek editor Stephen Adler, Steve Ballmer said he’s open to a phone call from Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Carol Bartz whenever she’s ready to talk. Oh, and in case you were wondering what happened at SXSW, MediaMemo got a Google (GOOG) guy to explain it. Digital Daily’s March Madness started with a liveblog of Apple’s St. Patrick’s Day press event to unveil version 3.0 of its iPhone OS, a chronicle of the myriad features displayed onstage and a live photoblog to back it up. DD noted that sales of the iPod Touch and iPhone have outstripped RIM’s (RIMM) combined BlackBerry sales by a factor of…well, by a LOT. Kind of supports the data that says mobile Web use doubled over the last year. Which is good, because Mac sales were no good in February. In Personal Technology, Walt Mossberg reviewed the latest release of Microsoft IE8, (MSFT) its most comprehensive release in many years. His verdict? Mixed, of course. In Mossberg’s Mailbox, Walt talked to readers about the many models of BlackBerry phones and how they differ from one another, the new iPod Shuffle and its earphone compatibility, and upgrading Vista to Windows 7. In the Mossberg Solution, Katie Boehret reviewed the Ee Top, Asus’s first foray into the all-in-one PC market. More next week. Go Woz! Source: All Things Digital | 22 Mar 2009 | 12:10 am Meaning of radio station call lettersOver at Orange Crate Art, Michael Leddy linked to a fun page of "Call Letter Origins" revealing the meaning behind the letters of many radio stations. Here are a few:CILQCall Letter Origins Source: Boing Boing | 22 Mar 2009 | 12:06 am Dell's Smartphone Rejected — Too DullMBCook writes "AppleInsider has an article discussing Dell's attempt to enter the smartphone market, as well as the news that the phone was rejected by carriers as too dull. The article doesn't pull punches: 'Dell's failure to successfully step from the commodity PC business into the mobile handset market should come as no surprise, as smartphones requires expertise in software platform development, consumer design savvy, and portable device engineering, all things Dell has never demonstrated any proficiency in.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 21 Mar 2009 | 11:59 pm BOOM! Top Apple news for the week of 3-15-2009Section:  We may not cover Apple 24x7… but we know someone who does! Here’s a few of this week’s hottest from Appletell to get you started…
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Mar 2009 | 11:42 pm Apple's 3G iPod shuffle reviewed: a step too far? - Apple Insider
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 21 Mar 2009 | 11:11 pm Chat With CrunchGear at 35K Feet [Update 2]
Come chat with me on Ustream on my Virgin America flight and watch people walk by! I'll be turning on my camera every hour or so and I'll be chatting live from 35,000 feet.
I'll also be IMing with Virgin America's IFE engineer James Weatherson around 6PM PT today and I'll post a transcript. He's in charge of the Red entertainment system on-board all VA flights and we'll find out what we can expect to see from the in-flight entertainment system this year.
If you have any questions you'd like me to ask him, feel free to leave a comment.
Update: We're streaming live for the rest of the flight. Come join the conversation.
Update 2: James wasn't able to join us, so we're going off the air. We'll update if he manages to get online. Otherwise, we'll have an in-person interview later this week.
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Mar 2009 | 10:54 pm US Nuclear Sub Crashes Into US Navy Amphibious VesselKugrian writes "Showing that it's not just the British and the French who have trouble seeing each other on the high seas, a US Nuclear submarine yesterday crashed into a US Navy heavy cruiser. The USS Hartford, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, was submerged as it crashed into the USS New Orleans in the strait of Hormuz, resulting in the spillage of 95,000 litres of diesel fuel. Both vessels were heading in the same direction when the collision occurred in the narrow strait and were subsequently heading to port for repairs. A spokesman for the 5th Fleet said that the USS Hartford suffered no damage to its nuclear propulsion system." According to the USS New Orleans' Wikipedia page, it's actually an amphibious transport dock.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 10:45 pm Scribble for iPhone - Macworld
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:56 pm E-Voting's Continuing ScandalsDan Gillmor is a BoingBoing guest-blogger. Brad Friedman at the Brad Blog has been keeping up on the latest too-real news about the nation's voting machines and the people who sell, buy and operate them. Two recent postings send the outrage meter way into the red. First is California's continuing effort to clean up the mess it's made over the last few years. It's going to be harder than anyone imagined. As we learn in this post:
Then there's the incredible charges in Kentucky, where officials are said to have literally changed votes after the fact:
It all makes you wonder if we're ever going to have voting we can trust. Source: Boing Boing | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:55 pm Live from 35k feet! [Update 2]
Come chat with me on Ustream on my Virgin America flight and watch people walk by! I’ll be turning on my camera every hour or so and I’ll be chatting live from 35,000 feet. I’ll also be IMing with Virgin America’s IFE engineer James Weatherson around 6PM PT today and I’ll post a transcript. He’s in charge of the Red entertainment system on-board all VA flights and we’ll find out what we can expect to see from the in-flight entertainment system this year. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask him, feel free to leave a comment. Update: If you feel like chatting on AIM then hit me up at crunchtips, kids. Update 2: James wasn’t able to join us, so we’re going off the air. We’ll update if he manages to get online. Otherwise, we’ll have an in-person interview later this week. Source: CrunchGear | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:53 pm Online Apps Help You Get The Most Out Of March MadnessMarch Madness is in full swing as the nation’s best college hoops teams face off in this year’s NCAA Basketball tournament, and there is no shortage of online applications looking to help you keep tabs on your favorite teams.  CBS has built an iPhone application that allows users to stream live video of any NCAA basketball game, provided they are on a Wi-Fi network (you can only listen to an audio feed if you are on 3G or Edge). The requirement for Wi-Fi obviously isn’t ideal and you’ll still have to watch commercials, but for $5 the application is certainly worth it if you’re an avid basketball fan. If you’re on a PC, you can also stream games free of charge from the official NCAA site.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware. Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:50 pm The Coming Censorship WarsKentuckyFC writes "Many countries censor internet traffic using techniques such as blocking IP addresses, filtering traffic with certain URLs in the data packets and prefix hijacking. Others allow wiretapping of international traffic with few if any legal safeguards. There are growing fears that these practices could trigger a major international incident should international traffic routed through these countries fall victim, whether deliberately or by accident (witness the prefix hijacking of YouTube in Pakistan last year). So how to avoid these places? A group of computer scientists investigating this problem say it turns out to be surprisingly difficult to determine which countries traffic might pass through. But their initial assessment indicates that the countries with the most pervasive censorship policies — China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia — pose a minimal threat because so little international traffic passes their way. The researchers instead point the finger at western countries that have active censorship policies and carry large amounts of international traffic. They highlight the roles of the two biggest carriers: Great Britain, which actively censors internet traffic, and the US, which allows warrantless wiretapping of international traffic (abstract)."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:42 pm Concerns Over Obama Administration’s Climate PolicyMany U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:30 pm Holdren Named Science And Technology Policy AdviserThursday, the Senate confirmed an expert on global climate change as President Barack Obama's top adviser on science and technology policy.John Holdren is now the president's science adviser as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He has advocated sharp government actions on climate change policies and is a former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation's largest science organization.Holdren celebrated Thursday evening with staff at his new office, declining any comments except, "I'm very happy to have been confirmed."A Harvard physicist who went from battling the spread of nuclear weapons to tackling the threat of global warming, Holdren will now manage about 40 Ph.D-level experts who help shape and communicate science and technology policy.Holdren said, in a statement issued Friday, that he was gratified that the recently approved economic stimulus package recognized the importance of supporting innovation in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, renewable energy and the development of more efficient vehicles and buildings. He also said that a portion of the recovery package was designed for high-risk, high-reward research - "the kind that, when successful, proves truly transformative."Obama gave Holdren the task of fleshing out new procedures to guarantee scientific integrity in policy making process, even before Thursday's unanimous confirmation vote. These procedures are due to be drawn up within two months.In Friday's statement, Holdren said that scientific integrity and the melding of science with public policy would be a major theme during his work at the White House. "The relevant facts from science and engineering are never the only inputs to policy decisions, but they are often essential," he said.Jane Lubchenco, former Oregon State University marine biologist, was also confirmed by the Senate as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees ocean and atmospheric research and the National Weather Service.Lubchenco is the first woman to head the NOAA. A member of the Pew Oceans Commission, Lubchenco has recommended steps to overcome crippling damage to the world’s oceans from overfishing and pollution and had expressed optimism for change after George W.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:23 pm Note to stock spammers: Don’t spam the SEC!Section: Communications, Email / IM, Computers, Security
They might have actually gotten away with it had their spam not found its way into the inbox of a man who happened to be a lawyer for the SEC. The Useltons flooded this lawyer with their spam. Things went downhill from there. The SEC contacted the FBI and authorities in several states including Texas. In another example of their lack of brightness, the SEC was able to easily match the spam with the pair’s brokerage accounts. Can you say busted? The end result was a lawsuit against the Useltons, disciplinary action against 3 brokerages and suspension of trading privileges for four penny stock companies.
The moral of the story? If you’re determined to be a spammer, don’t spam the people running the system you’re trying to game! Read [InformationWeek] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Mar 2009 | 9:04 pm Contest: Free Little People Playsets for Poppets
Happy Birthday, Little People! Today is the 50th birthday of Fisher-Price’s Little People and we’re giving away five free wee people to five lucky commenters. Read on to learn how you and your loved ones can enjoy free Little People. We’ll run the contest until Monday at noon.
Drop a comment below describing your fondest childhood toy memory. Was it a paper box? A toy gatling gun? A giant panda your dad poached from China? I specifically recall getting my Laser Tag gear - actually I think it was a Phazer set, a knock-off. Sadly, I only had one set so I could only play with myself. Interestingly enough that’s basically my life story right there. I’ll pick 5 commenters at random when I stop crying. Source: CrunchGear | 21 Mar 2009 | 8:45 pm Hot gaming news for the week of 3-15-2009Section:  No need to scour the interwebs for hot gaming news, Gamertell‘s already done that for you! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories…
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Mar 2009 | 8:42 pm For Palm, Some Tough Acts to Follow - New York Times
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 21 Mar 2009 | 8:40 pm No Business Case For IPv6, Survey Findsalphadogg writes "Business incentives are completely lacking today for upgrading to IPv6, the next generation Internet protocol, according to a survey of network operators conducted by the Internet Society (ISOC). In a new report, ISOC says that ISPs, enterprises and network equipment vendors report that there are 'no concrete business drivers for IPv6.' However, survey respondents said customer demand for IPv6 is on the rise and that they are planning or deploying IPv6 because they feel it is the next major development in the evolution of the Internet."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 21 Mar 2009 | 8:37 pm Advocacy group claims deep packet inspection puts free, open Internet in danger
We’ve spoken about deep packet inspection before, noting that authorities are using it to tackle crimes like the proliferation of online child pornography. It’s convenient for the deep packet folks to hitch their wagon to such an issue, since no one is going to come out against it when it’s being used to combat that type of content. (No one wants to be seen as being “soft” on that type of stuff.) But what happens when your ISP starts using deep packet inspection to goad you into using their preferred services? An advocacy group fears for the Internet’s integrity were that to happen. In a report entitled “Deep Packet Inspection Puts Open Internet at Risk,” [PDF link here] Free Press says that if ISPs use deep packet inspection wily nilly, the free and open Internet, the kind we know and use every dya, could be at risk. (Remember: deep packet inspection is when your ISP, or other entity, analyzes and inspects every single packet of data you send, thereby determining not only what protocols you’re using (FTP, BitTorrent, etc.) but what content you’re consuming. It’d be as if the ISP were looking over your shoulder every time you log onto the Internet.) The privacy concerns are obvious, sure, but what about the very nature of the Internet? For example, let’s say I own an ISP. We have a deal with Company A, which provides a service using some protocol. Then we turn to you, our customers, and say, “Look, we’ll give you unlimited bandwidth when it comes to using Company A’s services, but if you choose to use Company B’s, then we’ll charge you $1 per megabyte of data you transfer.” In this scenario, we’re basically encouraging you, our subscribers, to go with Company A, with whom we have a deal, at the expense of Company B. Thus, the breakdown of the Internet as we know it. You’ll recall that Comcast was constantly screwing with BitTorrent traffic last year, eventually leading to FCC intervention. You wonder, then, why Coxis prepared to throttle P2P and other non-time sensitive traffic, especially when you consider how the new FCC chairman is a proponent of net neutrality (even is he hasn’t been dwelling on it of late). Some questions to ponder this weekend, friends. via Ars Technica Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 8:10 pm Predator X found in arctic iceNorwegian scientists say they've found Predator X, a Jurassic era pliosaur that likely terrorized the seas 147 million years ago. The 50-foot, 45-ton flippered dinosaur was found buried on an arctic island last summer and announced by its discoverers Monday, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported this week.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 8:00 pm Major Rogue Anti-Virus Program Shut Downkrebsatwpost writes "TrafficConverter.biz, one of the more notorious pay-per-install affiliate programs, was dismantled this week after media attention caused Visa and Mastercard to shut down the group's payment operations. The action comes just a few days after a report by The Washington Post that showed some affiliates were making more than $100,000 USD a week installing rogue anti-virus software. The credit card industry may have been spurred by the fact that the first version of the Conficker worm told infected systems to download a file from TrafficConverter, although the story posits that this could have been an attempted Joe Job rather than a blatant attempt to drum up more installs."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 7:15 pm Awesome die-cast toy Delorean for your little time traveller
Sure, $50 seems a lot to pay for a toy car, but think about it. This high-quality piece will last forever, and even if your kid outgrows it, it comes with a display stand so you can put it in the office. I don’t see a downside to this purchase. Source: CrunchGear | 21 Mar 2009 | 6:45 pm Practice safe surfing: Don’t get hijacked on TwitterSection: Computers, Networking, Security, Software / Applications, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Web Browsers, Websites  Oh, is Twitter making the news as of late. And the latest is really not for a positive reason. If you, like many, are a Twitter user, you better be careful since it was just found out that they are vulnerable to a major cross-site scripting (XSS) hack vulnerability which could let someone in the hijack someone’s account. When the hacker does this, they could also use other exploit code to have a have a hey-day on the users computer. Click a link, get pwnedSecure Science researchers Lance James and Eric Wastl posted evidence of this proof-of-concept exploit code. Although they did notify Twitter, they say they have yet to receive a response back. On the page offering proof-of-concept, there is a link where Twitter users can choose whether they want to be exploited or not. (I can see everyone yelling “pick me! pick me!“) If you do happen to click the decide exploitation is your thing, and click the button, you will then kick start the exploit. A posted message will show up saying “I just got owned!“ on the Twitter XSSExploits account. Wastl says that “The vulnerability is still active. Basically, we produce a link and if a Twitter user clicks on it, it allows us to hijack their accounts.“ Be careful everywhereWith an XSS vulnerability, malicious code can be placed into Web pages, these can include HTML and client-side scripts. Access controls can be bypassed, information stolen, and then you’ve also got the good old phishing going on. James stresses that it is important to keep in mind that these XSS vulnerabilities are not to be taken lightly since they can go beyond just web pages. “A lot of people think XSS is limited to the Web,“ he said. If there’s another vulnerability in the victim’s browser, the Twitter flaw could be used to launch additional malicious code, he explained. Why this is especially applicable to Twitter is since a vast majority of them do rely on third-party Twitter browsing apps. And usually, these applications are subjected to the same securities that major Web browsers are subject to. Spam and TwitterThis isn’t the first security breech Twitter has seen. Just last week, around 750 accounts were hacked and then used to send spam tweets. (Although I have to say it sounds much friendlier being labeling a “tweet” than junk mail at least). In January, 33 celebrity Twitter accounts were hacked. Twitter said that month that it was conducting a full security review. So far, there have been no findings provided. The Washington Post also reported last week that Twitter had fixed spoofing vulnerability that was almost the exact same one reported by a different security researcher way back in 2007. It’s thought that the fact that Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds is also making it more and more attractive for those wanting to use it maliciously. And Wastl feels the just the basic design of Twitter makes the problem even worse. “The structure that Twitter uses makes it the perfect architecture for spreading something virally,“ said Wastl. As with social networks, the feeling that one is among friends on Twitter may lead to insufficient caution. Is Twitter being careless?James feels that Twitter doesn’t do enough to encourage safe security practices, instead, they do precisely the opposite by doing things like using URL redirection and displaying links that promote a false sense of security since that trust really isn’t necessarily deserved. “It breeds bad human behavior to serious security problems,“ said James. So, on Twitter, as on any social networking site, or any site, caution is key. Don’t go clicking on links unless you are darn sure where you are going or that it is safe. Always practice safe surfing. Via: techweb Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 6:30 pm Short film mixes Half-Life, Lost, 28 Days Later
Like Gordon Freeman, the character never speaks, and close observers will notice Black Mesa mentioned in the news feed — to say nothing of the Combine noises. This led some to believe it is a viral from Valve, but on reflection that’s a pretty ridiculous idea. It also uses the music from Lost. Likewise its identifying of various phones suggested it might be something phone-related, but that’s really stretching it. Source: CrunchGear | 21 Mar 2009 | 6:10 pm Twitter Turns Three
The news about Twitter didn’t break until July 2006, when it was (jokingly I later learned) called twttr (and that’s the logo that they first used, above). I love reading our first post on the service, which I described as “a sort of “group send” SMS application. Each person controls their own network of friends.” I gave it a thumbs up for “for innovation and good execution on a simple but viral idea” but questioned why Odeo, a podcasting company, was wasting time on side projects. The comments to that post are pretty entertaining as well. See what my friend Om Malik had to say about them that day as well. Fast forward to today and you have a startup that survived serious scaling issues and is getting serious mainstream attention. Facebook is obsessed with the young company, as are many others. Happy Birthday, Twttr. Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. Source: TechCrunch | 21 Mar 2009 | 6:04 pm GameStop: Recession not having too big of an impact on sales
Here’s a simple question: has the recession negatively affected your gaming? That is, are you buying less games; renting more games in lieu of buying them; selling old titles to scrap up cash for new ones (or other items)? Because if you ask GameStop’s Bob McKenzie, who’s a senior vice president of merchandising, as VentureBeat did, he’d likely say “no.” Sales there haven’t plateaued or dropped off or anything, and plenty of folks are still buying new games (like Resident Evil 5) and pre-ordering things like the Nintendo DSi. It’s shouldn’t be too surprising. Yes, people have less disposable income to throw at frivolous things, but that means they’re home all the time. And if you’re home all the time, what are you supposed to do, pass the time by talking to your family? Or reading? Hardly! So while you may be stuck home more often than you’d care to be, you’re certainly looking to be entertained, whether that’s by watching TV, movies, etc. or by playing Resident Evil 5 with your sibling or spouse (“come on, honey, you can be the girl!”). Entertainment dollars are still being spent, just differently. Now, if it gets to the point that civilization as we know it crumbles around us, and all we’re left with is a Fallout 3-esque wasteland, then, yeah, you’d better be just as proficient with a real bow and arrow as you were with one in Turok. But we’re not there yet. And for the record, no, the recession hasn’t negatively affected my gaming; in the last month I’ve bought Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV, and those are two of the only recently released games I would have bought even if we were all swimming in money. Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 5:00 pm Will Google Chrome supplant Firefox as the power user’s browser of choice?
Will Google Chrome signal the end of Firefox’s “geek” domination? That is, will Chrome one day replace Firefox as the computer savvy user’s browser of choice? Maybe, friends. Maybe. Reasons? Chrome is faster, it’s newer (who doesn’t love a shiny, new toy?) and it’s architecturally better—a YouTube tab crash doesn’t bring down the entire browser. Such is the thesis put forward by author Keir Thomas. Thomas, whose books include Ubunutu Pocket Guide and Reference, seems to think that Firefox has “lost the plot,” and that Mozilla’s focus on whiz-bang features at the expense of core competency have greatly hurt the browser’s reputation. At the same time, Chrome has made headway with the same power users who originally made Firefox popular all those years ago. (Anyone else remember using Firefox when it was called Phoenix? Those were the days, I tell ya!) And if enough of these users go full-Chrome, to paraphrase the movie Tropic Thunder, Firefox would have lost its most ardent supporters. But the extensions! Yes, we know. Many Firefox users cling to the browser because of this or that extension, and if Chrome can’t replicate Extension_Function, then they won’t be switching. Fair enough, sirs, that’s your prerogative, but are there enough of you guys to prevent non-extension users from switching? I, for one, have regularly used a grand total of one extension, and that was Gina Trapani’s Better Gmail. But considering I use Mail.app most of the time, it won’t really be missed. Besides, WebKit is my browser of choice nowadays; I’m extension-free, and loving it. I don’t know, just something to think about. Should Chrome mature into a proper browser, and Firefox continue to flounder (if that’s even the right word to use), we may well be seeing more and more “power users” switch over, who will then tell their less savvy friends, who will then tell their friends, etc. Source: CrunchGear | 21 Mar 2009 | 4:46 pm NYC hospital system announces cutsThe public hospital system in New York City, facing a $316 million budget shortfall, says it will cut 400 jobs and a number of programs. The program cuts include some pharmacies, community clinics and children's mental-health programs, The New York Times reported Friday. Alan D.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 4:31 pm How Advertisers Can Foil the Fast-Forward Button: Ads You Have to Watch [MediaMemo]
Advertisers and programmers are doing their best to fight back. They’re tinkering with ad formats — notice all those movie ads that feature the film’s title and release date running across the top of the ad, designed to combat fast-forwarders? And they’re integrating the ads directly into the shows themselves — it’s impossible to watch Bravo’s “Top Chef”, without understanding that it’s sponsored by Glad and Diet Dr. Pepper, because everyone on the show keeps referring to Glad and Diet Dr. Pepper. But here’s another, more straightforward approach: Create ads with visuals that are so arresting that you have to stop fast-forwarding and watch them. That’s what happened to me with all three of these ads, all of which happen to be produced by the same agency — Omnicom’s 180la (OMC) — for the same client — Sprint’s (S) Boost Mobile brand. Now, the ads aren’t actually going to do anything for me — our household is locked into a different Sprint plan, along with one from AT&T (T), for a long time. But now I’m sharing them with you, so that’s worth something, right? Source: Gizmodo | 21 Mar 2009 | 4:00 pm New Jersey lawsuit targets AT&T, Apple over shoddy iPhone 3G perfomance
Again, I don’t know how so many of you guys put up with your iPhone “3G,” in quotes because of the constant complaining about the lack of speed. In fact, a lawsuit was just filed in New Jersey that accuses AT&T and Apple of, among other things, Negligent Misrepresentation and Breach of Contract. The lawsuit, filed by one Damone Dickerson, claims that the 3G speeds delivered aren’t what was advertised—that’s provided 3G is even available. (How badly did AT&T screw the pooch at SXSWi this year, fellow attendees?) This isn’t the first lawsuit of its kind, with similar suits being filed in several other states, including New York and California. This isn’t a childish point-and-laugh at AT&T post, but for a phone that’s so beloved by so many of you guys, you’d think that AT&T would be working nonstop to keep you happy. I’m happy to admit that it’s a “cool” phone or whatever, but if it doesn’t work as advertised, why bother? Source: CrunchGear | 21 Mar 2009 | 3:33 pm Team Offers First Look at How Bats LandImage Caption: A Brown University-led team has discovered that bats land differently depending on the roosting site in a first-ever video documentation.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 2:10 pm Moth forces water line to moveA moth with a wingspan of an inch has forced a Scottish water company to change the route of a pipeline. Scottish Water announced the discovery of the speckled yellow moth in a woods in Stirlingshire on Friday, The Scotsman reported.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 1:31 pm Obama Turns To Internet Video In Diplomatic Overture To IranAfter harnessing the power of the Internet during his 2008 presidential campaign, President Barack Obama is once again turning to the Web to launch the first significant diplomatic initiative of his presidency.In a 3min 35sec YouTube video message entitled "A New Year, A New Beginning" directed to the people of Iran, President Obama marked the Iranian New Year, Nowruz. During his presidential campaign, Obama relied on his supporters to forward emails and videos to friends and family. The White House now hopes similar actions will take place among Iranians.So far, the gesture seems to be working, according to Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council."This has been spreading like wildfire on the Internet," he told AFP."It's just amazing the number of emails I've received from people both in the US and in Iran wishing each other a happy new year and then there's a link at the bottom to the president's message," he added.The video was posted on the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov/Nowruz, with captions in Farsi, and on White House YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse.Some 16 hours after its release, the video has registered more than 100,000 views and generated more than 1,000 comments, most of which were positive.Andrew Rasiej, co-founder of the blog TechPresident.com, which examines matters of technology and politics, said the Internet provided Obama with a vehicle to deliver his words unfiltered directly people of Iran."He's using the open platform of the Internet to ensure his message is heard in full and not shortened where it could be taken out of context or manipulated in a way that doesn't meet with his intent," Rasiej told AFP."Because the Internet offers the president a direct conduit to the citizens of a given country he can not only talk to them directly but he knows they will spread his message for him.” "That's what makes it so powerful,” he said."There is some 65-year-old Iranian who remembers the positive relationship between Iran and the United States who will forward this video to his or her friends in Iran.”Suzanne Maloney, author of a book on Iran and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy, told AFP that Obama's use of video "gives a more personalized identification to the message than simply a printed statement or something read from a podium.""It can be an effective medium particularly if the video is disseminated via the Internet because of course Iranians have a reasonable amount of access to the Internet," she added."A lot of sites are blocked but the reality is there are multiple avenues for getting material in and out of the country."Rasiej said the Web had the potential to impact diplomacy the way it had changed politics."The Internet doesn't only represent an opportunity to remake politics in the United States," he said."It has the opportunity to reinvent diplomacy by not only having diplomats talk to each other but by engaging citizens talking to each other, debating common issues and goals.”Obama's video message to Iran "is the first step in 21st century citizen-to-citizen diplomacy led by the first true 21st century president," Rasiej said.The United States has not had any diplomatic ties with Iran since 1980, after Iran's Islamic revolution when U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Mar 2009 | 1:15 pm Concern Over Alleged ‘Internet Blacklist’ In AustraliaA secret Internet “blacklist” published this week on Wikileaks.org includes a list of Web sites the Australian government allegedly wants to block. Some of the blacklisted sites include harmless destinations such as a dentist’s Web site.Although Australia’s government denies the list was the same as a blacklist run by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), a manager at the dentist's office told the Associated Press the ACMA had confirmed her site's inclusion on the list.Wikileaks' publication of the list reignited the controversial issue of whether a government plan to impose an Internet filter for all Australians could inadvertently include innocent businesses.The list in question is provided to developers of Internet filtering software that people can chose to install on their computers.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Mar 2009 | 1:04 pm France’s SNCF 'Very Interested' In US High Speed RailwayA senior executive of France’s national high-speed rail system, SNCF, told reporters that the group would be “very interested” in creating a similar system in the US."We strongly believe that in this country, in some of the corridors, the system should logically be profitable," SNCF International chairman Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said on Thursday.Loubinoux said such a network of rail systems would work best among large cities at distances of 600 to 930 miles.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Mar 2009 | 12:35 pm Analysts Weigh In On Potential IBM Buyout Of SunAn IBM acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Mar 2009 | 12:27 pm
|
Technically, the term refers to the frenzied flow of games and the intensity of the contenders for the NCAA Championship crown. But the NCAA doesn’t have a corner on “March Madness”–those descriptors work well in other instances, too. To wit:
A couple of Texas men forgot that handy tip and it cost them big. Darrrel and Jack Uselton were big time spammers in 2007, running a botnet that sent out millions of penny stock spams and raking in more than $4 million in the process. The SEC calls their particular pump and dump scheme “scalping.“ That is, buying stock for yourself, recommending it others while posing as an expert, and then immediately selling the stock when the price rises as a result of your recommendation. That’s a big no no.
Twitter, that ubiquitous little collection of emotional grunts and other 140 character ramblings, is turning 3 years old today at 1:02 PM California time. Founding CEO 
Web video may pose a real threat to the TV business, one day. But the DVR is threatening it now. More than a third of all US homes now have TiVo-like digital video recorders, and the majority of DVR users fast-forward through ads when they watch TV.
