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Submission + - Guy Trademarks Town Welcome; Sends Invoices (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In yet another example of intellectual property run amok, a guy in the small town of Parry Sound, Ontario has trademarked the phrase "Welcome to Parry Sound," and has been sending $1,000 invoices to anyone using the phrase. He was even able to get Facebook to shut down a group called "Welcome to Parry Sound," by claiming trademark infringement.
Technology

Submission + - Viruses Tapped to Create Spray-On Batteries (discovery.com)

Submitted by disco_tracy
disco_tracy writes: Two different viruses have been used to create the cathode and anode for a lithium-ion battery. If research pans out, the parts could be grown in and harvested from tobacco plants and then woven into or sprayed onto clothing to power a wide range of electronic devices.
Games

Submission + - Boy spends 15-hours a day playing Xbox 360 (examiner.com)

Submitted by AndrewGOO9
AndrewGOO9 writes: Teenager Zach Richardson, a 17-year-old UK native has a slight addiction to video games that rings to the tune of fifteen hours per day. Unemployed, he sits in front of his television for a little over half a day, everyday, playing Call of Duty or FIFA to his hearts content. While he acknowledges he has a problem, he doesn't seem all that compelled to resolve it. Either way, I'm a bit jealous of anyone who has that kind of time to throw away sitting in front of a television, but at the same time gracefully thankful to have a life that requires me to go outside on a daily basis.
Privacy

Submission + - How to Get Owned on Facebook (threatpost.com)

Submitted by Trailrunner7
Trailrunner7 writes: The growing popularity of location-based services in the social networking world is a serious security and privacy risk that must be taken seriously. Now, Facebook and other social networks are making it even easier for criminals to track you, gather data on you and generally make your life miserable, with new "features." But now this location-based feature has been introduced by default on Facebook, the world’s most widely used social network platform, exposing hundreds of millions users to all kinds of privacy invasion ramifications.

If we consider that it is estimated that more than a quarter of Facebook users access the site via mobile devices, these users are ideal candidates for such location-based services. Obviously, there are a number of benefits from using this type of service while interacting with your friends; however the security implications are substantial in that other people might be able to track your movements as well.

Submission + - RIAA President Says Copyright Law "Isn't Working" (cnet.com)

Submitted by Kilrah_il
Kilrah_il writes: Apperantly not satisfied with the current scope of the DMCA, RIAA President Cary Sherman wants to broaden the scope of the law to have content providers such as YouTube and Rapidshare liable for illegal content found on their sites. "The RIAA would strongly prefer informal agreements inked with intermediaries... We're working on [discussions with broadband providers], and we'd like to extend that kind of relationship--not just to ISPs, but [also to] search engines, payment processors, advertisers...[But], if legislation is an appropriate way to facilitate that kind of cooperation, fine."
Notice the update at the end of the article pointing out that Sherman is seeking for voluntary agreements with said partners and not to enact broader laws without their cooperation.
Crime

Girls Bugged Teachers' Staff Room 227

Posted by samzenpus from the making-the-grade dept.
A pair of enterprising Swedish schoolgirls ended up in court after they were caught bugging their teachers break room. The duo hoped they would hear discussions about upcoming tests and school work, allowing them to get better grades. It worked until one of them decided to brag about it on Facebook, and the authorities were called in. The girls were charged with trespassing and fined 2,000 kronor ($270) each in Stockholm District Court.
IT

Submission + - Searching for Backdoors from Rogue IT Staff (serverfault.com)

Submitted by WHiTe VaMPiRe
WHiTe VaMPiRe writes: When IT staff are terminated under duress, there is often justification for a complete infrastructure audit to reduce future risk to a company. sysadmin1138 recently answered a question on Server Fault that provides a through exploration of the steps necessary to maintain security. Read more at How do you search for back doors from previous IT?
Space

Submission + - Astronomers spot largest group of exoplanets (networkworld.com)

Submitted by coondoggie
coondoggie writes: Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory say they have spotted a solar system similar to ours containing seven planets as compared to our eight. The researchers also found evidence that the distances of the planets or exoplanets from their star follow a regular pattern similar to our solar system. The international team of astronomers made the discovery using used the HARPS spectrograph which is attached to ESO's 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile, during a six-year-long study of the Sun-like star labeled HD 10180, located 127 light-years away in the southern constellation of Hydrus.

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