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iPhone notepodSpotted on SwissMiss, iPhone notepods. Available at Notepod.Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 4:18 am 0870 - an iPhone app that can actually save you moneyThe 0870 app for UK users makes it cheaper for iPhone users to dial premium numbers such 0870, 0845 and 0800. TechDigest.tv reports. How it works is that the app searches a database for the 08 number...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 4:11 am Innovative use of SMS in Marketing a DeodorantThis is certainly an innovative use of SMS as a a marketing teaser, only mildly related to the product. Spotted about on Gizmodo: To launch a new deodorant in Uruguay, the Lowe Ginkgo agency in Montevideo...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 4:01 am Cooking May Have Made Us HumanSpaceGhost writes "Anthropologist Richard Wrangham, author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human believes that the discovery of cooked food led to evolutionary changes resulting in a smaller and different digestive system based on a higher-quality diet, mainly relying on cooked meat. In an interview on NPR's Science Friday (text and audio), Professor Wrangham explores concepts such as the digestive costs of food, the benefits (or lack thereof) of raw diets, and a distinct preference in Great Apes for cooked food over raw."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 27 Sep 2009 | 3:53 am Climate heating up at EU global warming talksEurope, which hopes to be a model for the world at UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December, is squabbling internally over who cuts what and who pays for it. On paper the EU commitmentSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 3:10 am Human Body Holodecks - CAVEman 3-D Virtual Patient at University of Calgary (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Scientists at the University of Calgary have created a high definition 3-D virtual patient to assist doctors with medical visualization and diagnosis. 'Caveman' is a virtual-reality...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 3:09 am China says cutting energy use, but behind targetChina said Sunday it expects to cut energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by five percent this year but meeting a pledge to cut consumption by 20 percent by 2010 would be...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 3:02 am The Tiger Factor? Not What It Once WasI'd wager the following is not the case now, but it would be interesting to see by how much the Tiger intimidation factor has fallen from peak.On average, players who were paired with [Tiger] Woods during...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 2:51 am Palau appeals for new shark haven to be respectedThe tiny Pacific republic of Palau, which has declared itself the world's first shark sanctuary, has urged international respect for the decision to compensate for its lack of enforcement...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 1:34 am A one man campaign against distracted drivingJeff Larson of Safe Roads Alliance campaigning against distracted driving by offering drivers $1 to hang up phones. [via The Boston Globe]Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 27 Sep 2009 | 1:25 am ICE Satellite Maps Profound Polar Thinningxp65 writes "Researchers have used NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite to compose the most comprehensive picture of changing glaciers along the coast of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. The new elevation maps show that all latitudes of the Greenland ice sheet are affected by dynamic thinning — the loss of ice due to accelerated ice flow to the ocean. The maps also show surprising, extensive thinning in Antarctica, affecting the ice sheet far inland. The study, led by Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, England, was published September 24 in Nature."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:55 pm Australia embarks on great broadband adventure (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:10 pm Console Makers Worry Over Apple's Growing CompetitionThe NY Times is running a story about the effect Apple is having on the console gaming market, making Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo worry that consumers will be satisfied playing games on devices that aren't necessarily focused on gaming. Quoting: "The concerns highlight an accelerating shift away from hard-core games, which have traditionally driven console sales, to more casual ones played on cellphones. Of the 758 new game titles shown at the Tokyo Game Show, 168 were for cellphone platforms — more than twice as many as in the previous year. ... Apple's assault could even eat into sales of home consoles like Nintendo's Wii, Sony's PlayStation 3 or Microsoft's XBox, as game-playing quickly becomes centered on cellphones. Many in the industry say that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft need to explore more radical changes to their businesses, including an emphasis on software rather than hardware and a better way for users to download games. 'As a platform, the cellphone has the biggest potential, because everybody owns one,' said Kazumi Kitaue, chief executive at another game maker, Konami Digital Entertainment. A family with three children might buy just one Wii or PlayStation to share, but those children will probably have cellphones of their own and download and play games, Mr. Kitaue said."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:57 pm Bharti-MTN talks could go into overtime: analysts (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:50 pm Notional future They Might Be Giants albums about War on Terror, labor historyThey Might Be Giants did a wonderful appearance on NPR's Science Friday to promote their album Here Comes Science, and finished off with two possible future albums, both of which have my vote: * There...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:33 pm Notional future They Might Be Giants albums about War on Terror, labor history They Might Be Giants did a wonderful appearance on NPR's Science Friday to promote their album Here Comes Science, and finished off with two possible future albums, both of which have my vote: * There Goes Your Liberties (a history of civil liberties and the War on Terror) * Here Comes the Syndicalists (a history of the labor movement in America) I have a feeling they were kidding, but guys, if you're listening, those are great ideas! They Might Be Giants: Here Comes Science (broadcast Friday, September 25th, 2009)
Here Comes Science CD/DVD WITN?: In sort-of defence of Britain’s ridiculous libel laws
I mention all of this for two reasons. First, I hope it will make you understand why my column this week reads like it’s been written by a man distracted by the fear of at any minute being beaned by a baseball, and second so you’ll appreciate all of the efforts I’m making to Love America. You see, over the past weeks I’ve realised how sensitive you former colonials are to foreigners opining on any aspect of your country, particularly if we compare it to our own. Almost two weeks after Techcrunch 50, I’m still getting hate mail over my post suggesting that your flag be moved two feet from the stage to the main floor. Much of the abuse glosses over the issue at hand and focusses instead on the indisputable fact that I am a freedom-hating socialist who would gladly see the American flag used to mop up the blood of terrorist martyrs. (Weirdly this is an accusation that I’ve heard far more frequently since joining TechCrunch than when I worked at the Manchester Socialist Guardian of Kabul.) So again, then, let me clarify that I love America. If there were a baseball game between the Terrorists and America, I would be as crestfallen as the next man were the Terrorists to win. Ok? Are we cool, America? Good. Now hopefully I can safely and rationally talk about the differences between the British and American systems of libel law. In particular the fact that, whatever Michael Arrington might say, Yours might not be better than Ours. More than enough has been written about Techcrunch’s – and Arrington’s – run in with UK defamation law, but I’ll sum it up in a nut for newbies. Back in July a former TechCrunch UK editor called Sam Sethi sued TechCrunch, and Arrington, over a Crunchnotes post titled ‘The Fact And Fiction Of Sam Sethi‘. In the post, Arrington recounted the sorry tale of Sam’s departure from TechCrunch and subsequent founding of a rival blog network called BlogNation. It’s a story of lies, money, spectacular mismanagement and ultimately abysmal failure – a story eerily close to my own, but without the scorned women and prison cells. But whereas my story ended with pseudo redemption, and an – ahem – bestselling book, Sam’s ended with denial, rage and him bringing a ridiculous libel suit – brought in the English courts – against TechCrunch. Advised by lawyers that it would cost upwards of half a million pounds ($750,000) to defend the case in the UK, Arrington and Techcrunch declined to participate, leading – ridiculously – to a default judgment in Sethi’s favour. You can understand then, why, Michael might have issue with the libel system in the country of my birth. And it gets worse: shortly after the judgment, documents came to light which showed that Sethi should never have been running BlogNation in the first place. Following the collapse of a previous business, he had been barred from being a director in England and Wales but due to an administrative fuck-up, this ban hadn’t been entered onto the statutory database. The situation has now been remedied and yet, despite the ban and the fact that Sam has apologised to Arrington and admitted fault, the judgment stands, effectively preventing Michael from visiting the UK. And yet, and yet… Reading Arrington’s post on the subject – entitled ‘UK Libel Law Is Out Of Control. We Know From Experience‘ – I can’t quite bring myself to entirely agree with him. Not about the Sethi stuff – Sam lied repeatedly to me and everyone else about being struck off as a director, and so deserves every bad word Michael says about him – but rather with the wider argument that libel law in the UK is in complete disarray because it allowed a UK litigant to sue an American citizen and website over something published online from the US. Libel tourism gone mad! Wither freedom of speech?! Hmmmm. Like most legal issues, it’s actually a bit more complicated than that. Sethi is a British citizen who was – in his deluded mind at least – libeled by a website published in the US, but available to read – obviously – in the UK. For that reason there is, prima facie, absolutely nothing wrong with his bringing his ridiculous and pointless action in the UK courts. After all, thanks to the Internet, he was defamed (in his mind), on British soil where he has a (I’m trying here to channel my laughter through my keyboard as I write these words) reputation to defend. Libel tourism – where a foreign litigant can sue a foreign publication on British soil because one copy of the publications was sold there – is evil, but that’s not what’s happened here. This is an unpopular point of view, even amongst my own countrymen, but I actually quite like the harshness of British libel law. For a start it puts the burden of proof on the person making the libelous statement. If you accuse me of being a bad guy then it’s up to you to prove it’s true. If you can’t, you lose. And the penalties for losing are harsh: really harsh, which is how it probably should be. Unlike me, most Brits care about their reputation and standing in the community, and it’s hard to put a value on its loss. Really, when it comes to freedom of speech, it’s America that has the more ridiculous system. Thanks to the First Amendment and a presumption in the US that public figures are fair game, I am free to make up almost any bullshit I like about an American in the public eye without him being able to sue. “Michael Arrington fucks swans!” See, there you go. It’s actually kinda fun! And thanks to the Internet, Arrington’s fictitious swan-molesting ways will soon be known to the world. Hell, if TechCrunch is a credible source, they might even make it to Wikipedia. God Bless America. Really the Sethi vs Techcrunch case has nothing to do with freedom of speech and everything to do with how ridiculously cheap and easy it is for a delusional litigant to bring a nuisance lawsuit in the UK against a journalist who is telling the truth. A journalist who then has to spend a small fortune defending the action. If the defendant is from outside the UK then their only real choice in these circumstances is to decline to participate, leading to a criminally unfair judgment against them. If they’re from the UK, their best hope is to settle and hope to keep their house. Either way, the delusional litigant wins, and the truth loses. Again, though, we’d struggle to look to America and find a better system. It was you people, after all, who gave the world the idea of no-win-no-fee lawyers: bloodsucking ambulance chasers who will gladly help me sue McDonalds for making their coffee with boiling water, rendering it unsafe for me to pour over my baby’s head. In most cases outside of libel, defending a nuisance lawsuit in the US is just as expensive, and just as pointless as it is in the UK. If our system is a mess then so is yours. Also, it’s all too easy for Americans to criticise our system without suggesting a better one. It’s like those people who stand on street corners yelling “stop the war” or “free healthcare for all” or “swans don’t put out” without demonstrating how they would solve the problem if they were in charge. Those who suggest that Britain would be better off with a US First Amendment style system are just plain wrong. Particularly in the Internet age, lies can get halfway around the world before the truth has found a decent WiFi connection. For that reason we need a system whereby liars are scared shitless from posting untruths in the UK, lest they find themselves in front of a bewigged judge capable of handing down an almost unlimited fine. It’s the only language these people understand. So what is the solution to improving the UK libel system? As always, I have the answers… First, we needs an immediate ban on no win no fee lawyers in all but means-tested personal injury claims. If a litigant really thinks they have a claim against a publication – foreign or domestic – then they need to put their money where their reputations is. If they can’t do that then you might ask what value they put on their reputation in the first place. Second, it’s ridiculous that litigants can sue individual journalists when their work appears in professionally edited publications. In Arrington’s post, he referred to the case of Simon Singh, a British journalist who was sued personally by the British Chiropractic Association for an article he wrote in the Guardian. The BCA chose to sue Singh personally rather than the Guardian, thus exposing the reporter to personal ruin no matter whether he successfully defends the action or not. Only a mentally retarded chimp would think that’s fair. Third, libel tourism could be wiped out at a stroke if there was a requirement for litigants bringing action under English law to actually be British citizens. This wouldn’t have helped in Sethi vs Arrington, but it would certainly deal with the vast majority of outrageous abuses of jurisdiction. But by far the most important change that needs to be made to English libel law is to scrap the so-called ‘multiple publication rule‘. This is the decision, made by the English courts in 1849, that every time a publisher makes a new copy of a libelous article, they are considered to have republished – and repeated – the libel. Which is important because English law imposes a statutory limitation of one year after publication for someone to bring a defamation action. With the advent of the Internet, the multiple publication rule has caused havoc. In the eyes of the law, every time a user accesses a copy of an article published online, the act of the publisher’s web server delivering it is considered to be a republication. In other words, as long as something remains in an online archive, it is constantly being republished and there is no time restriction on someone suing over it. This is how Sethi was able to dither for well over a year after Arrington’s ‘Fact and Fiction’ post was first published before taking action, and it’s why the UK remains such an attractive place to bring a libel suit. Without the multiple publication rule, his suit against TechCrunch would have come too late, and been thrown out before it even started. The good news is that the English justice system is already – forgive the pun – on the case. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice began a consultation over scrapping the multiple publication rule. In its place they are considering a single publication rule – where the clock begins ticking when the libel is first published, and stops either one or three years (they haven’t decide yet) later. After that, publishers who keep articles archived electronically would have what’s called a ‘qualified privilege’ defence where they couldn’t be sued for leaving what they believe to be accurate statements online after that time. If the consultation results in a change of law then it won’t solve the problem entirely – the UK still needs to get rid of no-win, no-fee lawyers and to clamp down on no-British litigants and the suing of individual journalists – but it would be a major leap forward. One which would have stopped Sethi in its tracks and move the British libel system closer to being The Best In The World. And this, America, is where you come in. If like Arrington, you think the English system is screwed, I urge you to get involved in repairing it. The Ministry of Justice has published a list of questions that it wants your answers on here. Go answer them; pretend you’re British if you have to. I’ve already sent in my answers and I’m going to do my best to convince Arrington to do the same when he gets back from vacation in Hawaii. Or at least he claims he’s on vacation. Do they have swans in Hawaii? Just saying. Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0 TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: Gizmodo | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:10 pm Fisking Scientific American on OilMy friend Gregor Macdonald has up a nice and intemperate comment debunking the recent Scientific American article on technology and oil supplies:I have now read the Scientific American article. It is perhaps...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:08 pm UK Musicians Back Watered-Down "Three-Strikes" RuleA brace of anonymous readers sent along coverage of UK musicians who have turned around to support three strikes, or a milder variant of it. What they suggest is more like "three strikes and you're hobbled" — after a third offense a downloader would be not disconnected, but rate-limited. The artists involved include Lily Allen, George Michael, and Sandie Shaw. The Guardian has more details. The final quote from the music industry, striking out at UK ISPs, is priceless: "BT is clinging on to an old business model which is supported by illegal downloading. That's not only unfair to artists and creators, but penalizes BT's many customers who use the Internet legally."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 7:53 pm Update: Cash4Gold drops Consumerist from lawsuit
Cash4Gold, a company that offers money for gold jewelry and coins you send them, has dropped the website Consumerist as a defendant in a lawsuit against ex-employees. More here. (thanks, Ben Popken)
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 26 Sep 2009 | 6:49 pm Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie BurqiniAman Ali, a BoingBoing guest blogger, is the co-author of 30 Mosques, a Ramadan adventure taking him to a different mosque in New York City every day for a month.
When I first heard of this product a few years ago, I'll admit it made me laugh, even with me being a Muslim. It's a swimsuit called the Burqini that's designed for Muslim women.
Men and women in Islam are both asked to dress modestly but many of the swimsuits designed for women today are too revealing to allow them to do that. As you can see, the Burqini doesn't show any skin but it's not too loose to the point where it's difficult to swim.
No woman should be denied the freedom to have a fun filled day at the pool or beach, which is why this company designed the Burqini. The more I thought about the product, the more I began to realize how awesome it is. It's another way Muslims have been able to adapt to local cultures and customs without compromising their beliefs, an issue many religions face today.
The Burqini has gotten a lot of backlash from governments in Europe. But I don't think any government has a right to tell people how to dress. How come a woman is not allowed to wear a burqini to a pool, but there's no law saying she can't wear a giant panda suit? If she wants to wear either of those outfits, hey go right ahead.
Burqini's official siteSource: Boing Boing | 26 Sep 2009 | 6:10 pm The American Burqini, and modesty throughout the ages.
BB guestblogger Aman Ali's post about a modest bathing suit designed by Muslim women for Muslim women has sparked debate. At the time of this post, I'm also seeing that an anonymous Muslim woman has voiced her thoughts in the thread, and I encourage you to go read. She ends: "I own a burqini and LOVE IT." Still, some non-Muslim commenters in the related thread take the position that "modest swimsuits" such as the burqini are a form of Muslim oppression against women. I think that's a silly, narrow, and factually inaccurate position. I thought it might be helpful to point out a few related Western apparel websites:
* Stitchin' Times Women's Swimsuits ...and, I want to point out this series of posts about Victorian Bathing Machines, contraptions that allowed 18th century folks in England to bathe in the sea while adhering to the cultural norms of the era. Above, one proponent of modest sea-bathing in that era. My point, such as it is: why must our first reaction to stuff like a Boing Boing post about burqinis be to judge or condemn? You may or may not choose to wear one, but the world doesn't revolve around you. I believe it is more fruitful to try and learn about and appreciate cultural differences than to get all flustered about whether or not you approve. The commenter who loves her burqini (or any one of the smiling American customers on this "modesty swimsuit" website) does not care what you think about her garments or her beliefs. Nor should she.
Let all forms of happy mutancy prevail. (Thanks, Clayton Cubitt) New Motorcycle World Speed Record, 367.382 mphAn anonymous reader, apparently a member of the BUB racing team, wrote to let us know that on Thursday, their crew set the new ultimate motorcycle world speed record at 367.382 mph with the BUB Seven Streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The Seven is powered by a 3 Liter, turbocharged, 16-valve V4 engine that produces a claimed 500 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque at 8500 rpm. The pilot, Chris Carr, hit 380 mph during the run.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 5:48 pm Hello, And Welcome To Moviefone. Now Leave And Try ShowtimeFu.
That’s what a new site, ShowtimeFu offers. And it’s so much better than Moviefone You simply visit the site, put in your city (or it may remember it if you’ve been there before), and you get a full listing of every movie playing around you, at what time, and at what theater. On the left side navigation, you can deselect certain movies, as well as rule out theaters. You can also deselect certain ratings, and filter the time. In the main column, you simply have a list of the movies and the showtimes. If you click on one you’re interested in, it loads a new page in this main column which contains a description of the movie (along with links to its IMDb and Rotten Tomato pages), a map of where the theater showing it is, and the play times (including a beginning and end time). Unfortunately, one thing you cannot do is purchase tickets from the site. But it seems like that would be an easy enough feature to add. And to be honest, I never buy tickets over the web anyway, I just want the showtimes then head to the theater to get the actual tickets. So this option is perfect for me. I long ago gave up on Moviefone. Fandango is slightly better in terms of easy access to movie times, but it’s even more cluttered. Recently, to find movie times, I’ve been using Google Search with queries like “movies ZIP CODE”. But that leave a bit to be desired if I do actually want to know a little more about the movie. ShowtimeFu is a simple site, that won’t lead to any Seinfeld spoofs (that would be hard considering the show has been off the air for a decade), but it works — at least when I’m at my computer, otherwise there are plenty of good iPhone apps for finding movie times.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: Gizmodo | 26 Sep 2009 | 4:00 pm Bank Goofs, and Judge Orders Gmail Account NukedAn anonymous reader writes "The Rocky Mountain Bank, based in Wyoming, accidentally sent confidential financial information to the wrong Gmail account. When Google refused to identify the innocent account owner's information, citing its privacy policy, the bank filed in Federal court to have the account deactivated and the user's information revealed. District Judge James Ware granted the bank's request, with the result that the user has had his email access cut off without any wrongdoing or knowledge of why." The Reg's earlier story says, "Rocky Mountain Bank had asked to court to keep its suit under seal, hoping to avoid panic among its customers and a 'surge of inquiry.' But obviously, this wasn't successful."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 26 Sep 2009 | 2:50 pm G20 Protesters Blasted By "Sound Cannon"aaandre sends word of the use of a "sound cannon" on G20 protesters in Pittsburgh. Only a few hundred protesters took to the streets. The NY Times notes: "City officials said they believed it was the first time the sound cannon had been used publicly." The device projects a narrow beam of extremely annoying sound, at levels that can reach 151 decibels, over a distance of a mile or more. The Guardian notes, "It is feared the sounds emitted are loud enough to damage eardrums and even cause fatal aneurysms." Officials of the company that manufactures the sound cannon say that ear damage is only possible if someone manages to stand directly in front of the device for an extended period.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 2:40 pm Jabra, you got me good with the Stone headset teaser pack
So I got home a few minutes ago, grabbed the mail and sat down to watch Michigan sneak a win over Indiana. I noticed a small, black package in the mail, but I didn’t care about it until I was sure that Michigan was going to hold off Indiana. After all, I thought, it was probably just another flash drive with some random press release on it. After Michigan intercepted the ball – and the call was upheld – I opened it up only to find a small satchel and a card that clearly showed the Jabra Stone teaser image. Oh man, we’ve already seen what it’s supposed to look like but I didn’t think the Stone was suppose to come out for another couple of weeks, I thought. So I quickly opened the black pouch and was instantly disappointed. You suck, Jabra. The black pouch held a stone. It wasn’t the headset at all. It was an eff’n rock with a website address engraved on it. Clever? Yes, but it’s also mean to do that to a gadget blogger. Jabra has always been good to us here and I thought perhaps they sent us the headset for an early look. But nope, what they sent us could have been a lump of cool. Ah well, it’s not like Jabra is developing a vaccine for AIDs, the Stone is just another Bluetooth headset and the world already has enough options in that department.
Source: Gizmodo | 26 Sep 2009 | 2:30 pm Super Mario Bros 3 USB HDD: awesome, or waste of a perfectly good NES cartridge?
But! On the other hand, this is a Super Mario Bros 3 cartridge. It’d be like desecrating the temple of my youth. I could have dragged out my old NES and played SMB3 all day. Of course, I’ve already got two copies of the game, but still — what if they break? Or are stolen and turned into hard drives? It’s available from French Etsy seller LilyPixelArtshop for $120, and… wait, is that a gold Zelda cartridge? Sacrilege! [via Geeksugar]
Source: Gizmodo | 26 Sep 2009 | 1:45 pm A New Explanation For the Plight of Winter BabiesAnt passes along a Wall Street Journal report on research that turned up a new explanation for the lifelong challenges experienced by winter babies. "Children born in the winter months already have a few strikes against them. Study after study has shown that they test poorly, don't get as far in school, earn less, are less healthy, and don't live as long as children born at other times of year. Researchers have spent years documenting the effect and trying to understand it... A key assumption of much of that research is that the backgrounds of children born in the winter are the same as the backgrounds of children born at other times of the year. ... [Economist] Mr. Hungerman was doing research on sibling behavior when he noticed that children in the same families tend to be born at the same time of year. Meanwhile, Ms. Buckles was examining the economic factors that lead to multiple births, and coming across what looked like a relationship between mothers' education levels and when children were born." Here's a chart in which the effect — small but significant — jumps out unmistakeably.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 1:34 pm Weekend Update 09.26.09- The Cougar Hunter Edition [Digital Daily]
Kara was half James Bond, half Indiana Jones in the cities and jungles of Boom town this week. She jet setted, jet lagged and still managed to report on a genuine cougar fight. Boomtown waved goodbye to merry old England and racked up some more frequent fliers miles early in the week heading back to the techie embrace of Silicon Valley. Before her tray table was locked though, Kara made a quick stop at music darling-of-the-moment Spotify. Daniel Ek, founder and CEO hopes to bring its pay per month music service to millions of American mobile devices, to add to their hefty presence in the UK and Europe. As D-Force One touched down at AllThingsD headqurters, one of the valley’s original major players shook things up with a $100 million branding move. Yahoo, possibly now spelled Y!hoo, changed their brand in support of an overall shakeup of their services. Kara harkened back to the D conference and wondered if rebranding the company Y!#@&$oo might have been more appropriate, considering CEO Carol Bartz preference for “salty” language. And not to be left out of a worthy chuckle, Boomtown brought readers the inside scoop on the cougar that came to town. Yes, a cougar, or mountain lion, if you’re from Calif., was seem roaming the hills above Microsoft’s Redmond Wash. Campus this week. The company circulated a fairly priceless memo that included tips on how to successfully fight a cougar. Any such advice against snow leopards, however, was omitted. As Kara was jet lagging, John was running full-tilt over at Digital Daily. On Monday, the FCC released a new proposal to institutionalize net-neutrality. The proposal would ban ISPs and data deliverers from prohibiting or throttling content to promote their own services. John pointed out it wasn’t too surprising that AT&T… and Republicans, weren’t too happy with the move. While politicians exercised their series of tubes, Microsoft was busy shadow-tablet boxing. John filed a report about the first Microsoft device designed exclusively to compete with a product Apple doesn’t make. The “Courier”, as the two-page “tablet-book” is called, features some decidedly un Apple-like interfaces, unless of course you look a little farther back to the days of the Newton. To finish out the week, Digital Daily took the AllThingsD time machine back to 2003, where Apple was rolling out its revolutionary MMS service. Sometime Friday, iPhone users were suddenly able to share pictures with friends over the air. Unless they already use Flickr, facebook, or about a zillion other apps that basically do the same thing. Media Memo explored its inner, or maybe outer, geek this week beginning with the Gizmodo annual gallery show. The charity event featured musical Tesla coils, Star Trek props and a “Microsoft Surface” like computer with a mud-based (not joking) user interface. Peter continued the browsing theme, reporting that Yahoo and Google were both back in the market for acquisitions. Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he had his checkbook open again, now that “the worst is behind us.” Even if Yahoo and Google are in a buying mood, one particular VC firm isn’t feeling so flush. New York’s Union Square Ventures opted out of the latest round fund-raising sought by Twitter. Peter hazarded a guess that the now famous $1 billion valuation may have had something to do with it. Across town at the Mossberg Solution, Katie gave readers a complete rundown on the Microsoft Zune HD. The iPod-hunting media player is now in its fourth generation. The player got high marks in the style and widgets categories, but still needs a solution to the confusing “points system” purchase interface. The problem with Zune isn’t the player, it seems, but the stuff Zune isn’t connected too. It’s going to be another week of electro-awesomeness here at AllThingsD. Until then, always remember that you should never turn your back on a cougar. The safest way to escape is to buy it a pomegranate martini and squeeze out the window of the mens’ bathroom. Source: All Things Digital | 26 Sep 2009 | 1:20 pm Nearly 70 percent of Argentine forests lost in a centuryArgentina has lost nearly 70 percent of its forests in a century, the Environmental Secretariat said at a UN conference on desertification. Forests that spread across 100 million...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 1:09 pm The First Geek Wedding At a LinuxFestAt the Ohio LinuxFest yesterday, two Linux geeks were married — or had their projects merged into a single trunk, as the officiant, Lord Drachenblut, put it. The wedding of Randy Noseworthy (proprietor of the Juiced Penguin) and Janet Edmonson was announced last week and was live-tweeted by at least one attendee — here's his photo of the happy couple. There's also a video of the ceremony, at which Jon "Maddog" Hall offered a blessing via pre-recorded audio. Update: 09/26 20:03 GMT by KD : In the comments, anyaristow notes that this wasn't the first such wedding; Rob Landly and Fade were married at Penguicon in 2007, with Steve Jackson officiating and Eric Raymond as best man.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 12:32 pm BOOM! Top Apple news for the week of 9-20-2009Section:  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 | 26 Sep 2009 | 12:12 pm Week in Apple: iPhone 3.1 battery life, more iMac rumors, iTunes fix - Ars Technica
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 26 Sep 2009 | 12:10 pm Who’s ‘right’ in the Net Neutrality debate?
This past week saw the resurrection of Net Neutrality as a divisive issue. Some folks (people like Google, and, well, us) are in favor of Net Neutrality, while other folks (primarily the ISPs) are against it. Not long after the FCC announced its intentions, six Republican senators, three of which who received quite a lot of money from AT&T, proposed an amendment to a bill to stop the FCC in its tracks. The senators later rescinded their amendment, saying that they were now open to a “dialogue” with the FCC. Which brings up to today’s point: are there any angels in this debate? The Wall Street Journal recently, I guess, came to the defense of the ISPs: why should Google and whoever else be allowed to profit off the Internet Service Providers’ networks? Why should, say, Time Warner, subsidize Google’s online applications with its broadband network when it (Time Warner) doesn’t stand to make any money? That’s how the Wall Street Journal characterizes it, at least. The WSJ says that people like Google (I keep bringing up Google because it stands to benefit the most from an open Internet) want to maintain the status quo: it doesn’t want to have to pay Time Warner (or whoever) hand over fist just to keep it from shutting off access to Google Maps. The WSJ also brings up how one of Google’s top lobbyists, Andrew McLaughlin, recently got a job in the Obama Administration as deputy head of telecom policy. The scary implication, of course, is that now Google will get whatever the hell it wants because one of its former guys is now in a proper policy-making position. If only things were that easy. So, basically, I’ve just said nothing other than that this Net Neutrality business can get really complicated if you want to devote the time to it. I stand to benefit more from a Net Neutral world, so I’m in favor of that, which is only logical. You’re free to disagree, of course. In fact, I encourage it! More opinions expressed = a better chance of coming to a well-informed conclusion.
Source: CrunchGear | 26 Sep 2009 | 12:00 pm Your Guide to Music on the Web, Part II
Last month, I published Part 1 of my Guide To Music On The Web, which covered music recommendation sites, Web radio, independent music sites, playlists, and music visualizations. Today, in Part II we’ll take a tour of music search engines, Web players, ways to share music on Twitter, and music mixing apps. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments and insights on my previous post and of course, took them under consideration while creating this second part. Please bear in mind that I can’t list ALL the music applications out there. I really tried to find the best and the most used applications that will probably still be here to serve you tomorrow too. So readers’ main concern was the companies’ business model. You are right. A few of the services might make an exit, and most of them are probably not going to have one, and some are just for fun. I think music services can make money by being innovative enough to get it. Anyway, I don’t want to get into the business model stuff too much, but I will tell you this: The Internet is too competitive, you may be succeed by just being simple, but you may also need to be sophisticated. The era where creating an application first, then two years later thinking how to make money from it, is bygone now, and companies will need to think how to make money sooner than later if they aim for it – This is where innovation comes in and usually wins. Music Search Engine:
Worth mentioning: Wearehunted, which is a playable chart of the most popular songs on the Web.. Web Players:
Post Music on Twitter:
Worth mentioning: Listento.fm, and Twones. Mix & Share:
Conclusion: For now, I suggest you try the services above and enjoy them as long as they last. For some reason, music services don’t stay around very long but I guess that’s the way they roll. Since I can’t list them all, please feel free to add services that I’ve missed in your comments and make them handy for everyone.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: TechCrunch | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:48 am UPDATE 1-Crawford says Time Warner will sell magazine unit(Adds Time Warner declines to comment, adds details of Capital Group's stake in Time Warner)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:43 am UPDATE 1-Crawford says Time Warner will sell magazine unit(Adds Time Warner declines to comment, adds details of Capital Group's stake in Time Warner)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:43 am Wine.com Uncorks Its API
Wine.com, a popular wine retailer with a fantastic domain name, is releasing its API for third-party developers to create and enhance wine applications connecting to the site’s e-commerce and wine database platform. Wine.com’s database has detailed information on over 40,000 wines, including labels, wine maker notes, professional ratings, customer reviews, geographical information, flavor profiles and more. The API will offer access to Wine.com’s “Wine Basics” content, which includes information about the world’s major wine growing regions and grape varietals. The online wine industry is steadily growing with wine-related startups raising significant amounts of funding. Online wine store and community Vinfolio got a $4.5 million infusion recently and social wine review site and retailer Snooth raised $1 million earlier this year. And the newly re-launched Corkd has added a social stream and a new business model. While many of these more established sites (and competitors) may not present opportunities for the integration of Wine.com’s API, the site may find interest from smaller blogs, or sites that want to create wine applications that connect with the wine retailer’s database and e-commerce platform. Photo credit: Flickr/Warrenski Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: TechCrunch | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:37 am Apple lays out carbon footprint data (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Apple has been pretty forthcoming about its environmental policies in recent years, but given the company's high profile, groups such as Greenpeace have continually pushed for even more transparency. This week, Apple overhauled the environmental section of its website with more data about its efforts, most prominently featuring an extensive breakdown of the companyâs annual corporate carbon emissions.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:24 am Theora 1.1 (Thusnelda) Is ReleasedSD-Arcadia writes to tell us that Theora 1.1 has officially been released. It features improved encoding, providing better video quality for a given file size, a faster decoder, bitrate controls to help with streaming, and two-pass encoding. "The new rate control module hits its target much more accurately and obeys strict buffer constraints, including dropping frames if necessary. The latter is needed to enable live streaming without disconnecting users or pausing to buffer during sudden motion. Obeying these constraints can yield substantially worse quality than the 1.0 encoder, whose rate control did not obey any such constraints, and often landed only in the vague neighborhood of the desired rate target. The new --soft-target option can relax a few of these constraints, but the new two-pass rate control mode gives quality approaching full 'constant quality' mode with a predictable output size. This should be the preferred encoding method when not doing live streaming. Two-pass may also be used with finite buffer constraints, for non-live streaming." A detailed writeup on the new release has been posted at Mozilla.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:23 am Public Service Announcement: The Zune HD is nigh unreadable in direct sunlight. Just sayin’.
Sometime in the past two weeks I decided, with some thought being put into is, to buy a Zune HD. Why, I don’t know; I thought it looked neat, and I was thoroughly unimpressed with the new iPods Apple showed off at that Rock and Roll event. For the most part the Zune HD is, indeed, neat. Its user interface is miles ahead of the iPod’s, and, with a little forethought, can be used rather effectively with a dual-booting Mac. There’s just one small thing: you absolutely cannot read the display in direct sunlight. Don’t try to because you can’t. Photos probably can’t do this justice, but I can assure you that the Zune HD is fully turned out right here, showing a really colorful photo from the built-in photo library. This isn’t really a problem for me, since, again, I bought the Zune HD to listen to music, and not watch video or look at photos. I’m also not too often shuffling around the device trying to find a new song to play, since it’s either always playing a long playlist, or an album, or a podcast. Now, why is that? Is it because Microsoft went with an OLED screen, versus the iPhone’s plain ol’ backlit LCD? Maybe, probably. I’m not a scientist. But in essence, not being able to read the screen in direct sunlight isn’t huge deal for me, but I know it’ll strike a chord with some of you. Of course, indoors, this isn’t a problem at all (rubbish camera alert!):
Even given all of that, I’d still prefer a Zune HD to a boring ol’ iPod. That is all.
Source: CrunchGear | 26 Sep 2009 | 11:00 am Free Apps roundup for September 25th, 2009FROM APPLETELL - It seems this might be gift card week on the App Store. Lots of fun stuff for everyone, though, so take a look. I hope you find something you like. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:36 am Microsoft's new Windows 7 ads try to be cool - CNET News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:30 am The Macalope Weekly: Videodrome (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Itâs a double dose of Microsoft-related video links this week, so small children, pregnant women, and those prone to seizures may want to read something nice by Chris Breen instead (although his hair has been known to cause women to swoon, so be careful!). And if you just send AT&T some more money, theyâll give you something that will fix all your AT&T woes! Itâs the same deal any crack dealer gives!Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:11 am The coming tablet wars
Come back with me to 2001. A young man got up on stage one afternoon in November to announce something new and amazing: an operating system dedicated to tablet computing. That young man was Microsoft’s Bill Gates and that operating system was Windows XP Tablet PC edition. Chances are that is the first and last time you saw a working tablet computer. Laptops, then, were monsters. They were heavy – 10 pounds or more – had small, bad batteries, and WiFi was just a dream for most people. It seemed, in those dark years, that laptop manufacturers could shave off pounds and complexity by removing the keyboard and offer a pen-based OS. After all, this was a post-PalmOS era when handwriting recognition was an input option we all knew and understood. The thinking was this: if you can streamline appellations – data entry applications being the target here – you could sell smaller, more expensive computers to medical and business clients. It didn’t work and Windows Tablet PC has been little more than a clever solution to a nonexistent problem. So what’s with all the tablet talk lately? We have entered an era of the thin and light computer and, rather than worrying about power we’ve become obsessed with the concept of thinness. This is why Apple, in their wisdom, created the MacBook Air and the iPod Touch. This is the same reason we are all salivating over the thought of tablets thinner than an issue of BusinessWeek and this is why laptop manufacturers – and Michael Arrington – are rushing to make them.
Note this new focus. Rather than trying to create a business machine, manufacturers understand people want bigger screens on which to consume web and media content. So what can we expect in the next year? Well, first we have the CrunchPad. When all the bugs are worked out, it will be an amazing device – I’ve seen it. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve been intimately involved in the design process, because I wasn’t – that gives me a bit of perspective. Expect the CrunchPad to be a excellent device for blogging – that’s what Mike made it for – and for web apps. Don’t expect much in the way of media. Then there’s the iPad. This will eclipse the industry and for the rest of the year that’s all you’ll hear about. Trust me. Apple could require you to give this device three drops of blood every morning in order to satisfy the demonic hell-beast soul trapped inside it and we would, gladly. The release will be on par with the iPhone release and they’ll sell a million of them.
As for the rest of the devices, expect slow uptake by price conscious consumers and folks who don’t think it’s “cool” to own “name brand” technology and are real “hackers” (read: teenagers and European students). Archos, As for connectivity most of these will have a 3G option – although I doubt the iPad will have 3G built-in. WiFi is an obvious second-best. As for size, tablets, at least with capacitive screens, are weighed down by a huge hunk of metal that shields the electronics from the screen. This hunk of metal – and the glass – prevents us from getting a bigger iPod Touch and is what is keeping the iPad from coming out sooner. Once the world’s (i.e. China’s) scientists solve this problem we’ll get what we want. Until then it’s resistive all the way. So prepare yourselves for the coming tablet wars and sock away a little cash because things are going to get interesting in 2010. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: TechCrunch | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:05 am The coming tablet wars
Come back with me to 2001. A young man got up on stage one afternoon in November to announce something new and amazing: an operating system dedicated to tablet computing. That young man was Microsoft’s Bill Gates and that operating system was Windows XP Tablet PC edition.
Chances are that is the first and last time you saw a working tablet computer. Laptops, then, were monsters. They were heavy – 10 pounds or more – had small, bad batteries, and WiFi was just a dream for most people. It seemed, in those dark years, that laptop manufacturers could shave off pounds and complexity by removing the keyboard and offer a pen-based OS. After all, this was a post-PalmOS era when handwriting recognition was an input option we all knew and understood. The thinking was this: if you can streamline applications – data entry applications being the target here – you could sell smaller, more expensive computers to medical and business clients. It didn’t work and Windows Tablet PC has been little more than a clever solution to a nonexistent problem. So what’s with all the tablet talk lately?
Note this new focus. Rather than trying to create a business machine, manufacturers understand people want bigger screens on which to consume web and media content. So what can we expect in the next year? Well, first we have the CrunchPad. When all the bugs are worked out, it will be an amazing device – I’ve seen it. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve been intimately involved in the design process, because I wasn’t – that gives me a bit of perspective. Expect the CrunchPad to be a excellent device for blogging – that’s what Mike made it for – and for web apps. Then there’s the iPad. This will eclipse the industry and for the rest of the year that’s all you’ll hear about. Trust me. Apple could require you to give this device three drops of blood every morning in order to satisfy the demonic hell-beast soul trapped inside it and we would, gladly. The release will be on par with the iPhone release and they’ll sell a million of them.
As for the rest of the devices, expect slow uptake by price conscious consumers and folks who don’t think it’s “cool” to own “name brand” technology and are real “hackers” (read: teenagers and European students). Archos, As for connectivity most of these will have a 3G option – although I doubt the iPad will have 3G built-in. WiFi is an obvious second-best. As for size, tablets, at least with capacitive screens, are weighed down by a huge hunk of metal that shields the electronics from the screen. This hunk of metal – and the glass – prevents us from getting a bigger iPod Touch and is what is keeping the iPad from coming out sooner. Once the world’s (i.e. China’s) scientists solve this problem we’ll get what we want. Until then it’s resistive all the way. So prepare yourselves for the coming tablet wars and sock away a little cash because things are going to get interesting in 2010.
Source: CrunchGear | 26 Sep 2009 | 10:00 am China to build, launch satellite for LaosChina will build and launch a communications satellite for Laos, Chinese media reported Saturday, following similar ventures for Nigeria and Venezuela. China would also build a satelliteSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:59 am Mac News Briefs: BoinxTV, Cinematize add Snow Leopard compatibility (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Mac software from Boinx Software and Miraizon joined the ranks of applications adding compatibility with Snow Leopard on Friday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:46 am Ming Dynasty shipwreck to be raisedChinese officials say they will begin an effort to raise a sunken ship that dates from the Ming Dynasty as soon as weather permits. The wreck, which was discovered in 2007 off Guangdong Province, is laden with more than 10,000 pieces of porcelain and sank during the Wanli period of the MingSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:43 am Koenigsegg CEO says still aims for Saab deal in OctoberSTOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Koenigsegg's chief executive said on Saturday the Swedish luxury sports car maker still aimed to finalize a deal to buy Saab Automobile from General Motors by the end of October...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:41 am Crawford says Time Warner will sell magazine unitCHICAGO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc will eventually sell the Time Inc magazine unit and could buy holdings in its core entertainment category, Gordon Crawford, its largest shareholder, said during...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:36 am How Would Einstein Use E-mail?Letter writers of yore had same correspondence patterns as e-mail users todayYou're not as different from Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin after all, at least when it comes to patterns of correspondence.A new Northwestern University study of human behavior has determined that those who wrote letters using pen and paper -- long before electronic mail existed -- did so in a pattern similar to the way people use e-mail today.The study, published Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:25 am AT&T trying to turn FCC Net Neutrality ideas against GoogleSection: Communications, Cellular Providers, Web, Google
Rather than just reiterating the line that it needs to be able to have full control of its arguably broken network, AT&T decided to take a different route: attack Google. AT&T’s response to the proposed rule is that Google will need to be regulated as well, or at least Google Voice will have to be. According to AT&T, Google should be subjected to the same rules it and other phone providers are. The main issue AT&T raised is Google Voice blocks users from calling some rural areas. AT&T says this should be part of the debate because it sees the Net Neutrality rule as also applying to “application, service, and content providers.” This argument really doesn’t seem to make much sense. It comes off as AT&T just trying to do anything it can to take a shot at Google Voice. It doesn’t make sense for Google Voice to be subjected to the same rules as major telecoms since it’s more of just a call forwarding application. Perhaps if current rules were changed Google Voice would fit into a category in which it would have to regulated. As it stands it is a different kind of service that does not make sense regulate, especially not in the current invite-only state it is in. What makes even less sense is why this issue arose from Net Neutrality, aside for the fact that it is from Google; Google Voice doesn’t seem to fit in the proposed rules. Read [Reuters] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 26 Sep 2009 | 9:00 am Discovery of Lunar Water Making Scientific Splash - eWeek
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:57 am Endangered Ugandan gorillas join Facebook, MySpace (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:53 am Computer Security Mimics NatureImage Caption: Computer science professor Errin Fulp works with graduate students Brian Williams (center) and Wes Featherstun (far right), who worked this summer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developing a new type of computer network security software modeled after ants.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:48 am Tokyo Game Show 2009: SCEE confirms there will be no PSPgo UMD conversion methodFROM GAMERTELL - It is official - both Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and America have confirmed there will be no UMD conversion method available for people changing from a PSP to a PSPgo. Also, SCEA has shot down hopes of a US PSPgo Rewards Program. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:24 am Endangered Ugandan gorillas join Facebook, MySpace - The Associated Press
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:11 am Week in gaming: PS3 motion control, Wii guns, new 360 bundle - Ars Technica
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:10 am AT&T Gives iPhone MMS Support - InformationWeek
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 26 Sep 2009 | 8:00 am Hacker stages fake suicide drama on FacebookSection: Computers, Security, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking
Her friends and family were understandably distraught and began posting message after message begging her not to do it. Her cell phone was flooded too but she was in a remote area with no reception. When she finally reached an area with service the phone lit up with voicemails pleading with her to not do anything drastic. Her son eventually got through, just as police were standing outside her home, preparing to kick the door in. It’s not known who hacked into the account or why but Lee believe it was politically motivated. The mother of a Navy Seal killed in Iraq, she founded a non-profit organization, America’s Mighty Warriors, which remembers those killed in action and offers support to their families. She has traveled to military bases around the world and has met with high profile leaders such as President Bush. Lee said she thinks the hacker was trying to discredit her, and was shocked when the local police closed the case saying that under city and state law there was no crime committed.
Arizona, like many states, has no cyber harassment laws on its books. With online harassment and cyber bullying very real problems, one can only hope that will change soon and all states put laws in place to protect and encourage online safety. Read [ABCNews] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 26 Sep 2009 | 7:00 am Tokyo Game Show 2009: Sony announces Room for PSP, to be available Winter 2009FROM GAMERTELL - Sony announced Room for PSP at the Tokyo Game Show. It brings PS Home-style interaction to the handheld with cartoon avatars and customizable rooms… Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 26 Sep 2009 | 5:40 am Swiss Build New Alps RefugeOn Saturday, Switzerland will inaugurate a new futuristic looking mountain refuge in the Alps.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 26 Sep 2009 | 5:25 am Net Neutrality Rules Must Apply To Google: AT&TAT&T Inc. said that any new "net neutrality" rules enacted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must also apply to Internet companies such as Google Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 26 Sep 2009 | 5:15 am Tokyo Game Show: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for PS3 (gameplay video)
Koei Tecmo has a giant at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, and their flagship title surely is Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for PS3. It was playable and looked pretty cool. The same is true for Quantum Theory by the way (another Koei Tecmo action game) whose early version was impressive graphics-wise (but pretty buggy unfortunately). Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for PS3 is scheduled for release in Japan on October 1. Here’s a video I took at the Koei Tecmo booth:
Source: CrunchGear | 26 Sep 2009 | 4:41 am Dead cell-phones: suspense movie cop-outsThis clever video pieces together scenes depicting the already-hoary suspense-film cliche in which a cellular phone's signal (or battery) gives out at just the wrong (right) time so that the characters will have something to be in suspense about. One thing I will always and forever love Iain Banks for is his 2003 novel Dead Air, a gripping, taut suspense novel in which everyone has a cellphone that always works. I was struck when I read it, believing that Banks had just created an entirely new genre: suspense novels in which none of the tension comes from characters not knowing key facts.
No Signal (and other cellular drama)
|
I’m writing this from the ‘club section’ (whatever that is) from San Francisco’s AT&T Park where, if I understand the scoring correctly (I don’t), the Cubs are leading the Giants 4-1. I’ve just eaten my second hot dog and I’m debating whether to buy a baseball cap emblazoned with the words ‘Go Giants’. I also just turned to my British friend 
At one time, 
From your Desktop to the Web, 
The 
Then you have Microsoft’s 
for example, is doing a lot of good work in the tablet space but they’re an also-ran. They are going the Tablet OS route, which is no good. Creative has some devices planned and it’s also clear that ChromeOS could power a nice device – provided 
We have entered an era of the thin and light computer and, rather than worrying about power we’ve become obsessed with the concept of thinness. This is why Apple, in their wisdom, created the MacBook Air and the iPod Touch. This is the same reason we are all salivating over the thought of tablets thinner than an issue of BusinessWeek and this is why laptop manufacturers – 
Earlier this week, Julius Genachowski, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, announced his 
Hackers don’t just break into networks to steal. Sometimes their intent is much more sinister, as an Arizona woman found out. While Debbie Lee was camping 100 miles away from home someone hacked into her Facebook account and began flooding her status updates with suicidal comments such as “I don’t want a funeral or memorial, I want it to be like I never existed. The way I wish it was.” And “My only friend is the handgun in the back of my closet.” 