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Sites that help you lodge complaintsIf you've been wronged or you're just not happy with the way you were treated, there are some sites on the Web that will help you get your voice heard. Google App Engine misfiresA morning outage in Google App Engine--a hosting service for Web application developers--was resolved around noon Pacific Thursday. iPhone heat issue much ado about nothingSome reports on Friday claim that Apple admitted in a tech note to having heat issues with the iPhone 3GS, but that's just not true. Report: Guilty verdict overturned in MySpace suicide caseLori Drew allegedly used a fake MySpace profile to harass a teenager to the point of suicide, but judge says prosecutors can't use the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act against her. Net neutrality gets a boost from the fedsThe Obama administration includes the FCC's Net neutrality principles as conditions for some of the funds it will allocate as part of the economic stimulus package. DOJ opens formal investigation into Google Books settlementGovernment investigators will probe whether or not Google's agreement with publishers over the digital rights to index books violates antitrust laws. Fisker's good KarmaAt a dinner speech recently, Henrik Fisker laid out his plans for Fisker Automotive and its first car, the plug-in hybrid Karma. Apple fixing iPhone SMS security holeVulnerability in the way iPhones handle text messages could be used to track the location of the phone, turn on the microphone, or turn phone into botnet zombie. TracFone offers $45 unlimited planTracFone's new StraightTalk service delivers 30MB of data plus unlimited calling and messaging for $45 per month. AT&T breaks sales records with iPhone 3GS launchCarrier sells more phones the first day the iPhone 3GS went on sale than it ever has, even on the two previous iPhone launch days, according to an internal memo. Hard disk or solid-state? Think againAlthough solid-state drives are in vogue, market forces and technical issues are making them a little less appealing than before. CNET News Daily Podcast: On building ethical military robotsRobotics engineer Ronald Arkin talks about giving robots a built-in "guilt system" that could make them better at avoiding civilian casualties; Jammie Thomas-Rasset plans to appeal RIAA case; and Waledac spam set to explode over July 4th weekend. Microsoft: Bing needs to improve when news breaksFor several minutes following reports that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital last week, Microsoft's Bing search engine buried news results for searches on his name. Lunar mapping satellite snaps first test imagesNASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped its first test images, showing the moon's starkly cratered terrain in preparation for the start of mapping operations. Legalized drugs, now open source. Those crazy Dutch!The Dutch central government reports on its adoption of open-source software, finding significant benefits in its significant movement to open source. Google finally sued by makers of Finally FastAnother lawsuit is pending over advertisers that bid on keywords involving trademarks they don't own, while also alleging Google has unfairly manipulated search results. Windows 7 may get a 'Family Pack'Enthusiasts have spotted wording in a leaked test build of the operating system that suggests Microsoft may offer a three-PC deal with the new Windows. Waledac worm targeting July 4 spam offensiveResearcher warns people to be cautious about clicking on links related to Independence Day videos in e-mails over the holiday. Trying to turn the page on a KindleCNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman, trying out the Kindle DX for the first time, discovers that reading a book will never be the same. British Airways won't retrofit for mobile communicationsAirline is planning to launch a mobile e-mail, Web browsing, and texting service on two new Airbus A318 planes this fall. But retrofitting old planes is too costly, CEO says. Photos: NASA's science, tech showcaseA look at the high-tech research and development going on inside the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. |
Hackintosh maker rises from the dead'When life gives you apples, make applesauce'Psystar, the Florida-based Hackintosher that's been giving Apple fits for over a year, refuses to die.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud DoJ confirms Googlebooks antitrust probeOrphan monopolyThe US Justice Department has confirmed its antitrust probe into Google's $125m book-scanning settlement with American authors and publishers, indicating that the ongoing investigation is an important one.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud Gamer embezzles virtual cash to settle real debtsEve Online banker does a runnerAs if high-profile investment scandals and the economic downturn weren't bad enough here on Earth, now folks have to deal with it outside our galaxy. Virtually, at least.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud Debian rejects open-source .NET threat claimMinority installDebian, the foundation of Ubuntu, has rejected claims that it's potentially holding Linux's future hostage to Microsoft by including an open-source implementation of .NET in its code.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications Conviction overturned in MySpace suicide caseGood news for net usersA federal judge on Thursday tentatively overturned convictions against a mother accused of using MySpace to bully a 13-year-old girl who went on to hang herself to death.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications AT&T's iPhone 'iLaunch' sets record'Best-ever sales day'An internal AT&T memo leaked to MacDailyNews crows that "iLaunch day 2009" - yes, you read that correctly, "iLaunch" - set multiple Big Phone sales records.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Google code cloud in six-hour blinkageApp Engine stallsGoogle App Engine - the development and hosting cloud that serves up third-party apps and websites - was on the fritz for a good six hours this morning.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? iPhone crashing bug could lead to serious exploitMore fun with SMSUpdated This story was updated to correct factual errors contained in an IDG News article that first reported the vulnerability.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Iran ends text message blackoutThree weeks after election dayIran's ban on SMS texting has been lifted for the first time since the country's disputed presidential election, according to reports.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing PC giants ship Chinese censorware anywayThe porn filter that keeps you from typingThough the Chinese government has delayed plans to require the shipment of the highly-controversial Green Dam filtering app with all new PCs, several big-name PC manufacturers are shipping the thing anyway.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Web 2.0 not liable for real-world assaults, says courtDecency Act deflects MySpace suitsSocial networking sites like MySpace are not liable if underage users are sexually assaulted by people they meet on the website, a California appeals court has ruled.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Apple patents karaoke lessonsMaSfPRTFfK?!The US Patent and Trademark office today released a flurry of 22 Apple patent applications, the most earth-shaking of which may rid the world of one of nightlife's most maddening menaces: off-key karaoke singers.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Dell cracks open EMEA PC servicesStretches to non-Dell iron plus serversLooking for leverage and a few extra euros and pounds in EMEA, Dell has rolled out a set of modular services to help companies manage their PCs and - eventually - their servers.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Speculation mounts over AVG plans for OS X client'Mac users have no antibodies'AVG bosses aren't saying much, but there's new evidence the anti-virus maker is seriously considering building an application for the Mac.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Microsoft distances self from IE 8 puke adsWindows 7 family pack grounded?Apparently, puking about porn was too much for Microsoft's delicate sensibilities on Internet Explorer 8.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Grand Theft Auto IV coming to the iPhone?Video teases gamersThe appearance of mysterious video has got the gaming world convinced that Grand Theft Auto IV is coming to... the iPhone.⦠UK DVD sales plunge......and still massively outsell 'booming' Blu-rayBritons may be turning away from the DVD, but Blu-Ray Disc isn't replacing the decade-old format in consumers' affections.⦠Boomerang attack against AES better than blind chancePesky algorithm not invulnerableCryptographic researchers have uncovered a chink in the armour of the widely used AES algorithm.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work US employers cut 467,000 jobs in JuneBack into the woods, not seeing it for treesThe US Department of Labor wanted to give out a little good news about the economy ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend in the States, but unfortunately that was not possible. The rate of job losses accelerated in the US in June, with 467,000 employees let go across all companies and industries excepting farming.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Mrs Slocombe's pussy vanishes from TwitterNaughty memorial hashtag kiboshedEven in death, Mrs Slocombeâs pussy continues to excite controversy.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Satanic blob beast menaces North CarolinaSewercam vid captures pulsating subterranean horrorThose of who who've just eaten or are generally of a nervous disposition are advised to look away now, because here is some sewercam footage captured under Raleigh, North Carolina, and which has been horrifying interweb citizens for the last couple of days:⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud Trading Standards calls for online knife sale banConscience pricked by underage web blade spreeTrading Standards is making a call for Government to block any sites attempting to sell underage products in the UK, after sending a bunch of kids out to pick up some sharps with not unpredictable results.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications VirtenSys virtualises RAID controllersStorage controllers and disk drivesVirtenSys has enabled the sharing of LSI MegaRAID host bus adapters between servers connected to its IOV switch.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Marie Curie voted top female boffinScientifically radiant, New Scientist poll showsMarie Curie has topped a poll to name the most notable female scientist of all time, beating Brit biophysicist Rosalind Franklin into second spot.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? CPW and Vodafone finally make upOperator discovers who's wearing the trousersCustomers wanting a Vodafone contract will be able to get one at Carphone Warehouse from 7 July, signalling the end of a two-an-a-half-year experiment to see how much power network operators actually had.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Seagate's SSD may be a bit lateSoC problem makes for schedule jamAn investment bank briefing note says that Seagate has suffered a setback in its solid state drive (SSD) development project and may not ship product for testing until 2010, having previously said it will announce its enterprise SSD this year.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Spam levels bounce back after botnet takedownEven botnets have backup nowSpam levels are returning to normal following the recent takedown of crime-friendly ISP 3FN, which temporarily interrupted the operation of a significant spam spewing botnet.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud Bing slips into bed with TwitterLittle one says 'roll over'Microsoft has added Twitter messages to some search results in a desperate attempt to snatch some market share from Google following the launch of Bing last month.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications Germans and Swiss snub DABStill too costly, reckon broadcastersThe commercial radio industries in Germany and Switzerland have both rejected proposals that they should invest in developing the DAB digital radio system in their countries to replace existing FM/AM transmissions.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud 'First-ever' flight of robotic ornithopter announcedPrototype 'nano' bugging-bug drone gets another $2mVid Famous crazycraft company Aerovironment has won a $2.1m contract to further develop its robotic "Nano Air Vehicle" (NAV), which flies and hovers using flapping wings like a hummingbird. The company has also released a video of the innovative craft in test flights.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Toshiba NB200The right way to design a netbookReview What is it with Toshiba's designers? Their first netbook, the NB100, was a boxy, angular affair that looked like it had appeared out of a rip in time from 1995. Undoubtedly stung by such criticism, Toshiba's design team have gifted the company's follow up, the NB200, with a much sexier design... only to go and spoil it with a naff colour scheme.⦠Ofcom exempts wall-piercing techUltra Wide Band also to be allowed in carsOfcom has published new proposals for the use of Ultra Wideband equipment, updating the measures which were rushed through to prevent the flood of grey imports from the USA.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Gmail turns into label junkieWhat folder are you wearing this season?Google has rejigged the labelling toolkit in Gmail to make it more accessible and interactive for users.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Porsche bites back at e-car proponentsStill several tech hurdles to overcome, says execLeccy Tech Porsche has criticised e-car makers for dangling what it claims are unrealistic visions and vaporware in front of the car-buying public.⦠Apple nixing Nvidia from 'Nehalem' Macs?Tough bargaining or faulty-GPU fallout suspectedApple won't be using Nvidia chippery in future machines, it has been claimed.⦠Facebook promises privacy settings to suit 'everyone'And kills off regional groupsSocial network Facebook is road testing new privacy settings to replace the various privacy limits currently required for different applications and content.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing ESA lifts world's largest telecoms satelliteTerreStar 1 heads for orbitThe "heaviest and most powerful telecommunications satellite ever launched" was yesterday carried aloft atop an Ariane 5 ECA lifter from the European Space Agency's Korou spaceport in French Guiana.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications China not demolishing Green DamCensorware not going anywhere after allChina's controversial mandatory censorware has only been delayed rather than abandoned, according to state media.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Air NZ rolls out naked safety vidBare air derrieresAir New Zealand has rolled out a radical solution to the problem of self-loading cargo paying no attention whatsoever to its pre-flight safety briefings: Staff sporting nothing more than body paint and strategically-placed lifejackets...⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Apple grapples with wave of filthUnderage smut on the iPhone? Surely notApple has again been caught out by an app that delivers content from outside Cupertino's control - this time it's naked pics of girls puportedly as young as 15 using a social networking application.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Petrol station robbers cuffed after running out of petrolPennsylvania pair in major criminal failA couple of Pennsylvania master criminals who robbed a petrol station were cuffed after their getaway vehicle ran out of petrol a mile from the scene of the crime.⦠Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing Prof: People reject news which conflicts with beliefsUtter rubbish, according to open-minded observersIt's well known that people have a tendency to seek out information which confirms what they already believe. Beancurd-scoffing hippies read the Guardian; mindless bigoted reactionaries read the Daily Mail; people who feel that the IT industry would benefit from the involvement of Paris Hilton in some way read the Reg.⦠Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work Software firm goes after Google for internet invisibility cloakThe more you ignore me, the closer I getA software company has sued Google not only for trade mark infringement in Google's AdWords advertising system but for making its website invisible to the Google search engine.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications Users claim iPhone 3.0 GPS mis-map mishaps'Hi, luv. I'm under the sea, apparently.'iPhone owners have begun filling forums with grumbles that Appleâs latest firmware causes Google Maps to become more than a little inaccurate.⦠Russian's Bulgarian airbags burst mid-flightAirborne storm in an F-cupA Russian woman sporting a fine set of F-cup chesticles required urgent medical treatment when the Bulgarian airbags responsible for her enhanced assets burst during a flight to Los Angeles.⦠The power of collaboration within unified communications File data to balloon sixfold by 2012Petabyte pandemoniumThe Enterprise Strategy Group is forcasting a sixfold growth in file archive capacity, from a little over 10,000PB in 2008 to 62,000PB in 2012.⦠Astronomers sniff intermediate mass black holeX-rays point to 500 solar mass 'middleweight'Astronomers from the University of Leicester and the CESR astrophysics lab in Toulouse reckon they've spotted an intermediate mass black hole - one of an elusive group of beasts weighing in between single star black holes and their supermassive cousins.⦠What is your recession sales strategy? Bidding war breaks out for T-Mobile UKTelefonica joins VodafoneAssorted mobile operators are lining up to bid for T-Mobile's UK business - or at least have a good look at its books.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud Ofcom decides on white-space parametersLocation, location, location and a bit of sensingUK regulator Ofcom has been considering what restrictions to place on white-space-exploiting cognitive radios, and has concluded that a location-based database is the only way to be sure.⦠Offloading malware protection to the cloud Iomega eGo 320GB pocket external hard drivePocket-flat backup bargain?Review Iomega has re-invented its eGo portable hard drives, opting for a 'value-added' theme: when you purchase the 'PS' (Protection Suite) edition of an eGo, you get a bundle of backup and data security software included, plus slimmer, ruggedised hardware and the promise of a three-year warranty.⦠|
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Tour de Tweet: Follow Lance and the Boys OnlineThe Tour de France begins Saturday, July 4, in Monaco. Here's how to follow the three-week bike race using streaming audio and video, Twitter, Google Earth and other online tools.
Penguin Parents Won't Chip In to Help Handicapped SpousePenguins, famous for the lengths they go to to protect their eggs and rear their young, may not be the most supportive couples around. When one member of a penguin couple is handicapped, the other doesn't step in to pick up the slack.
Solar Racing Champs Roll Out New CarDelft University is back, ready to take a fifth consecutive title with Nuna 5.
Judge Overrules Jury, Acquits Lori Drew in MySpace Cyberbullying CaseFederal judge throws out Lori Drew's three misdemeanor convictions.
Lunar Probe Sends First High-Res ImagesNASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has begun producing high-resolution and wide-angle images of the moon's surface.
We Drive BMW's Electric Mini ESticking a battery and a motor in the Mini makes it a sweet little EV we could live with if it weren't for the stratospheric price tag.
Why You Can't Keep Your Foot Out of Your MouthWhen your brain is overloaded, it will often get stuck on exactly the thing you are trying to avoid thinking about, leading you to blurt out things you never meant to share.
Bomb-Detection CEO Named New Darpa BossRegina Dugan is the new top gun of the Pentagon research arm.
Video: Pentagon's Robo-Hummingbird Flies Like the Real ThingA tiny drone looks and flies like a hummingbird, flapping its little robotic wings to stay in the air. It could inspire other bio-imitative mini spies.
$4 Billion in Broadband Stimulus Grants Tied to Strict Net Neutrality RulesTwo federal agencies are now ready to hand out $4 billion in grants and loans to help bring broadband to the people and stimulate the economy, but applicants have to promise to play fairly with whatever devices, applications and services users want to use.
Astrophysicists Discover New Class of Black HoleOnly two sizes of black holes have ever been spotted: small and super-massive. Scientists have long speculated that an intermediate version must exist, but theyâve never been able to find one. Until now.
Video: Roast Weenies With Infrared Grill, Wireless Meat ThermometerTo celebrate Independence Day, Wired.com editors Danny Dumas and Steven Leckhart roast dogs with 14,000 Btu of infrared heating power. They review the an infrared portable grill and a wireless meat thermometer.
July 2, 1982: Up, Up and Away in 42 BalloonsIf bad eyesight ends your dreams of becoming an Air Force pilot, well, there are other ways to fly....
Hot Gear for a Cool SummerWant to make your summer really sizzle? Make sure you've got the right gear first. Wired highlights the best tech for fishing, golfing, beach reading and uh, whittling. Why? Because warm weather comes but once a year.
Featherweight Olympus Is a Fine Entry-Level DSLRThe Olympus E-620 is an inexpensive digital single-lens reflex camera that won't weigh your shoulder down, is easy to use and takes fine pictures in a wide variety of conditions. And it's
Explosions in the Sky: Take Better Fireworks PhotosWhen those great balls of fire appear in the sky above you this Independence Day, grab some impressive shots — no matter what kind of camera you own. Follow this advice from Wiredâs How-to Wiki.
Pirate Bay 2.0: Pay Pirates to Become ConsumersThe Swedish gaming executive whoâs gambling nearly $8 million buying The Pirate Bay is convinced he can turn the 20 million users of the worldâs most notorious file sharing site into well-behaved consumers â even amid a deluge of account-deletion requests.
Grow, Canada: Sustainable Biofuel From the Great White NorthWe fill up at what's called the first gas station to sell gas blended with cellulosic ethanol.
Congress Probes Defunct Airport Security Fast-Lane CompanyLawmakers want to know what's going to happen to traveler data after the best known airline fast-lane company shut down last week, while holding onto sensitive data of 165,000 fliers.
Wired Playlist: Soulful Post-Bop From Herbie Hancock, DJ FoodGive your ears a blast of cool summertime music. Other featured acts in this week's podcast include Indian Jewelry, Iggy Pop and Cursive.
Insider Trading Suspected in Pirate Bay SaleSecurities regulators are investigating potential insider trading of Global Gaming Factory before it announced plans to purchase The Pirate Bay for $7.7 million. Yo ho ho.
Bing Snags Small Gain From GoogleBing grabs a percentage point in the search wars, stealing a sliver of the search market from Google. Is it the beginning of a long march or just the product of an ad campaign?
Michael Jackson First to Hit 1 Million Downloads in Single WeekThe king is dead, long live the king: Michael Jackson becomes the first artist to sell over a million downloads in a single week. It's a reminder of his dominance in the '80s, a heyday the music industry isn't likely to see again.
Salamander Discovery Holds Clues to Human Limb RegenerationSome salamanders can regrow limbs without cells reverting all the way back to embryonic-like stem cells. Instead, the cells take a smaller step back to slightly less mature versions of themselves before growing into the many kinds of mature cells in the limb.
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HTML Tags For Academic Printing?meketrefi writes "It's been quite a while since I got interested in the idea of using html (instead of .doc. or .odf) as a standard for saving documents — including the more official ones like academic papers. The problem is using HTML to create pages with a stable size that would deal with bibliographical references, page breaks, different printers, etc. Does anyone think it is possible to develop a decent tag like 'div,' but called 'page,' specially for this? Something that would make no use of CSS? Maybe something with attributes as follows: {page size="A4" borders="2.5cm,2.5cm,2cm,2cm" page_numbering="bottomleft,startfrom0"} — You get the idea... { /page} I guess you would not be able to tell when the page would be full, so the browser would have to be in charge of breaking the content into multiple pages when needed. Bibliographical references would probably need a special tag as well, positioned inside the tag ..." Is this such a crazy idea? What would you advise? Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft Changing Users' Default Search EngineBabyDuckHat writes "Cnet's Dennis O'Reilly caught 'Windows Search Helper' trying to change his default Firefox search from Google to Bing. This isn't the first time the software company has been caught quietly changing user's preferences to benefit its own products." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
DOJ Confirms Google Antitrust InvestigationAn anonymous reader points to Digital Daily, writing "Looks like the fireworks have begun early in Mountain View. On Thursday afternoon, the Department of Justice officially notified Google that it is investigating its book deal for violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Enthusiasts Convene To Say No To SQL, Hash Out New DB Breedericatcw writes "The inaugural NoSQL meet-up in San Francisco during last month's Yahoo! Apache Hadoop Summit had a whiff of revolution about it, like a latter-day techie version of the American Patriots planning the Boston Tea Party. Like the Patriots, who rebelled against Britain's heavy taxes, NoSQLers came to share how they had overthrown the tyranny of burdensome, expensive relational databases in favor of more efficient and cheaper ways of managing data, reports Computerworld." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
First Fully Programmable Gesture-Recognition Glove, CheapAl writes "The AcceleGlove from AnthroTronix, is the first fully programmable glove that records hand and finger movements. Other gloves — like 5DT's Data Glove, which is used primarily in virtual reality — normally cost $1,000 to $5,000, but the AcceleGlove costs just $499. The AcceleGlove comes with software that lets developers use Java to program it for any application they wish. AnthroTronix initially developed the glove with the US Department of Defense for robotic control but it could also be used in video games, sports training, or physical rehabilitation." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Judge Tentatively Dismisses Case Against Lori DrewAn anonymous reader writes "According to Wired, 'A federal judge on Thursday overturned guilty verdicts against Lori Drew, and issued a directed acquittal on the three misdemeanor charges.'" A similar story in the L.A. Times notes that "The decision by US District Judge George H. Wu will not become final until his written ruling is filed, probably next week." Update: 07/02 21:15 GMT by T : For those not following, Lori Drew's three convictions sprang from charges of online harassment of Megan Meier, a Missouri teenager whose suicide was linked to Drew's actions. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
200-Year-Old Cipher Finally CrackedAttila Dimedici writes "A code expert just cracked a code used by a friend of Thomas Jefferson in a letter written to Jefferson some 200 years ago. This code is fairly easy to crack using a computer, but extremely difficult without one. I think it would have been much harder if the author had not included an indication as to what code algorithm he used in the letter accompanying the coded message." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
HIV/AIDS Vaccine To Begin Phase I Human TrialsAn anonymous reader writes "An HIV/AIDS vaccine developed in Ontario has applied for Phase 1 human trials. Safety and immunogenicity studies of the vaccine, dubbed SAV001-H, have already been completed on animals. Phase 1 human trials will check the safety of the vaccine on HIV positive volunteers. Phase 2 will then test immunogenicity." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Browser Vendors Force W3C To Scrap HTML 5 Codecssnydeq writes "Major browser vendors have been unable to agree on an encoding format they will support in their products, forcing the W3C to drop audio and video codecs from HTML 5, the forthcoming W3C spec that has been viewed as a threat to Flash, Silverlight, and similar technologies. 'After an inordinate amount of discussions on the situation, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that there is no suitable codec that all vendors are willing to implement and ship,' HTML 5 editor Ian Hickson wrote to the whatwg mailing list. Apple, for its part, won't support Ogg Theora in QuickTime, expressing concerns over patents despite the fact that the codec can be used royalty-free. Opera and Mozilla oppose using H.264 due to licensing and distribution issues. Google has similar reservations, despite already using H.264 and Ogg Theora in Chrome. Microsoft has made no commitment to support <video>." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Essentials of RPG Designsimoniker writes "As the latest in his Game Design Essentials series for Gamasutra, writer John Harris examines 10 games from the Western computer RPG (CRPG) tradition and 10 from the Japanese console RPG (JRPG) tradition, to figure out what exactly makes them tick. From the entry on Nethack: 'Gaining experience is supposed to carry the risk of harm and failure. Without that risk, gaining power becomes a foregone conclusion. It has reached the point where the mere act of spending time playing [most RPGs] appears to give players the right to have their characters become more powerful. The obstacles that provide experience become simply an arbitrary wall to scale before more power is granted; this, in a nutshell, is the type of play that has brought us grind, where the journey is simple and boring and the destination is something to be raced to. Nethack and many other roguelikes do feature experience gain, but it doesn't feel like grind. It doesn't because much of the time the player is gaining experience, he is in danger of sudden, catastrophic failure. When you're frequently a heartbeat away from death, it's difficult to become bored.' Harris' Game Design series has previously spanned subjects from mysterious games to open world games, unusual control schemes and difficult games." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Japanese Creating "Super Tuna"motherpusbucket writes "The Telegraph reports that Japanese scientists hope to be breeding a so-called 'Super Tuna' within the next decade or so. They have about 60% of the genome mapped and expect to finish it in the next couple months. The new breed will grow faster, taste good, have resistance to disease and will totally kick your ass if you cross them." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
FDA Considers Banning Acetaminophen-Based Pain KillersGreg George writes "The FDA has determined that Tylenol enhancing pain killers are dangerous enough to potentially be pulled from the market. Drugs including Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Lortab, Maxidone, Norco, Zydone, Tylenol with codeine, Percocet, Endocet, and Darvocet may be permanently banned from the US market, even if the patient has a prescription from a doctor. The problem is the key ingredient — acetaminophen — can easily damage or destroy a patient's liver if more than 2000 mg are used per day. In many cases that means if you take a pain killer and then take two extra strength Tylenol, you may have gone over the maximum dosage per day." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
What Are the Best First Steps For Becoming a Game Designer?todd10k writes "I've recently decided to go back to college. I have a lot of experience with games, having played them for most of my adult life, and have always toyed with the idea of making them one day. I've finally decided to give it my best. What I'd like to know is: what are the best languages to study? What are the minimum diploma or degree requirements that most games companies will accept? Finally, is C++ the way to go? ASP? LUA?" Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Safe Harbor Spells Win For Kaspersky In Malware Case Against Zangosuraj.sun writes to tell us that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of security company Kaspersky in the recent case questioning their classification of Zango software as malware. "The court ruled that Kaspersky Lab, which classified online media company Zango's software as malware and 'protected' users from it accordingly, could not be held liable for any actions it took to manufacture and distribute the technical means to restrict Zango software's access to others, as Kaspersky Lab deemed it 'objectionable material.' Zango sued Kaspersky Lab to force the Company to reclassify Zango's programs as nonthreatening and to prevent Kaspersky Lab's security software from blocking Zango's potentially undesirable programs. In the precedent-setting ruling for the anti-malware industry, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that Kaspersky Lab is a provider of an 'interactive computer service' as defined in the Communications Decency Act of 1996 . Part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 states: 'No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be held liable on account of ... any action taken to enable or make available to information content providers or others the technical means to restrict access to [objectionable] material.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Secrets of Schizophrenia and Depression "Unlocked"Oracle Goddess writes "According to the US National Institute for Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, scientists have discovered a remarkable similarity between the genetic faults behind both schizophrenia and manic depression in a breakthrough that is expected to open the way to new treatments for two of the most common mental illnesses, affecting millions of people. Previously schizophrenia and depression were assumed to be two separate conditions, but the new research shows for the first time that both have a common genetic basis that leads people to develop one or the other of the two illnesses." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Samsill announces Altego Clear Laptop SleevesSamsill Corporation has announced the Clear Laptop Sleeve, its latest laptop accessory under the Altego brand. The new cases feature a transparent front panel with Air Cushion technology to help protect the laptop from shock, impact and vibration, and a back panel that consists of a water resistant neoprene with Molded EVA Cushion Cell lining, to protect against bumps. Each sleeve consists of inde... Canto announces single-user edition of CumulusCanto has announced Canto Single User, the return of its Canto-branded digital asset management (DAM). Based on Cumulus 8 technologies, the software provides an interface for cataloging and organizing any type of digital file. Canto is designed for both professionals and hobbyistís and enables users to manage files stored on local drives, CDs and DVDs, networked computers and networked attached de... Trend Micro intros Smart Surfing for Mac 1.5 betaTrend Micro has announced the beta release of Smart Surfing for Mac 1.5, a new version of its identity and data protection software for Mac OS X. The new beta is designed to help test the updated software, while enabling the company to make improvements based on feedback given by users. Trend Micro is offering beta participants a chance to win prizes including an 8GB iPod nano or iPod shuffle, whi... PasswordWallet 4.4.7 improves voice-over, auto-typingSelznick Scientific has released Password Wallet 4.4.7, an update to its password-management software for Mac OS X and the iPhone. PasswordWallet can organize passwords into different categories, allowing groupings such as website logins, credit card passwords, credentials and others. The application can export to text, Safari bookmarks, encrypted web pages and text-to-iPod. It works using a maste... Abilene Christian University freshmen get iPhone 3GSAbilene Christian University has expanded its Mobile Learning program to include the new iPhone 3GS. As part of the university's orientation session, all of the incoming freshman have been outfitted with Apple's handsets. Although the students will not fully utilize the devices on campus until the fall, they will have a chance over the summer to familiarize themselves with the technology.... Apple issues heat warning for iPhone 3G and 3GSApple has provided a set of guidelines to help prevent users from overheating their iPhone 3G and 3GS handsets. Although the support page does not directly acknowledge the widespread reports of excessive heat with the new 3GS model, the company suggests the handsets should be operated in temperatures below 95℉ (35℃) and stored in areas that do not exceed 113℉ (45℃).... QuickerTek launches Apple Juicz iPhone, iPod batteryQuickerTek has launched a new external battery, the Apple Juicz, for iPhones, the iPod touch and other iPods. The 2200 mAh polymerized Lithium-ion battery measures 1.75- x 2.5- x .375-inch and connects through the data port and offers roughly three times the battery life of the iPhone internal battery. The Apple Juicz is rated for an additional 30 hours of music, six additional hours of video or t... ExactScan 2 Pro adds OCR, barcode scanning, moreExactCODE GmbH has released ExactScan 2 Pro, adding a professional version of its ExactScan 2 software for scanning or converting documents to PDF files. ExactScan's professional version adds optical character recognition (OCR) and barcode scanning, and can produce searchable PDF files, in addition to standard PDF and Tiff files. The pro ver |
00:00:00 - 3. July 2009