25258182
submission
olsmeister writes:
Google removed their new GMail app from the App Store due to a programming error that caused an error message related to the aps-environment entitlement string when the app was started and also caused the notifications not to function correctly. They are working to get the app fixed and are going to have the new one ready soon.
23221902
submission
olsmeister writes:
In a follow up to a report that was mentioned on Slashdot a week ago, the NOAA has determined that the orange 'goo' that washed up on the beaches on the remote Alaska village of Kivalina was not eggs of crustaceans, but rather spores from a fungus that creates rust on plants. It is not known whether the fungus is harmful to humans or not.
22197002
submission
olsmeister writes:
With cutting the Federal budget high on the list of priorities for most politicians, the James Webb Space Telescope has come into the crosshairs. The telescope is slated to be the successor to the very successful Hubble and will orbit the sun well away from the Earth at the L2 Lagrange point. With the telescope well over budget and behind schedule, it is being singled out as a prime example of government waste and ineptness. If you have an opinion on this, you should contact your representative and let them know your feelings on this program.
21661044
submission
olsmeister writes:
A Bitcoin user allegedly has had $500,000 worth of Bitcoins stolen from him. A hacker supposedly gained access to the user's home computer and managed to get the user's wallet.dat file, which contained the cryptographic keys that allowed him to drain the user's balance.
21050812
submission
olsmeister writes:
Google is being sued for not paying overtime to an employee at its Council Bluffs, IA data center. This particular employee claims that she was non-exempt under the and should have been paid overtime for working 50-60 hours per week.
20751836
submission
olsmeister writes:
Several weeks after having the Playstation Network hacked, and apologizing to users for the breach, Sony is offering $1 million dollars in identity theft protection for users who sign up before June 18th. The protection is being offered through Debix and is called AllClear ID Plus. This appears to be some kind of custom plan especially for Sony, as their normal offerings are called AllClear ID Free and AllClear ID Pro.
20340100
submission
olsmeister writes:
In the seven years Cassini has spent orbiting Saturn, the spacecraft has sent back mountains of data that has changed our view of the ringed planet and its moons. Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has been a particular focus of attention because of its dense, complex atmosphere, its weather and its lakes and oceans.
Now it looks as if Titan is even stranger still. The evidence comes from careful observations of Titan's orbit and rotation. This indicates that Titan has an orbit similar to our Moon's: it always presents the same face towards Saturn and its axis of rotation tilts by about 0.3 degrees.
Together, these data allow astronomers to work out Titan's moment of inertia and this throws up something interesting. The numbers indicate that Titan's moment of inertia can only be explained if it is a solid body that is denser near the surface than it is at its centre.
20093212
submission
olsmeister writes:
In its December ruling, the FCC voted to prohibit broadband service providers from selectively blocking or slowing Web content and applications. As expected, the ruling unleashed protests from an array of big service providers.
Verizon appealed the FCC ruling on Jan. 20.
"We are deeply concerned by the FCC's assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband networks and the Internet itself," said Michael Glover, Verizon's senior vice president and deputy general counsel, in a statement accompanying the challenge.
19806542
submission
olsmeister writes:
Several of RSA's servers were hacked into, resulting in the loss of data related to its SecurID products used for two-factor authentication. The Executive Chairman of RSA, Art Coviello, insists that the lost information will not enable a direct attack, but others say that there is a possibility that new tokens may need to be issued.
19761996
submission
olsmeister writes:
Netflix may be known for offering some of our favorite TV and movie streams, but the company is about to step up its game and begin offering original content. Netflix has allegedly outbid a number of major cable networks for a new drama series produced by and starring Kevin Spacey called House of Cards, and may be about to close a deal at more than $100 million, according to a report on Deadline.com.
19724736
submission
olsmeister writes:
A U.S.-led research team claims they have discovered the remains of what might be the mythical city in a swamp in southern Spain, according to Reuters. They theorize a massive tsunami sent the city to its watery grave thousands of years ago.
The site is 60 miles inland in an area of mud flats. The distance from the coast could be evidence of the tremendous destruction tsunamis can bring.
"This is the power of tsunamis," head research Richard Freund told Reuters. "It is just so hard to understand that it can wipe out 60 miles inland, and that's pretty much what we're talking about."
The team used ground-penetrating satellite images to discover the ruins buried in the swampy earth. The marshland, known as Dona Ana Park, is where the team believes they have pinpointed the ancient city.
19589162
submission
olsmeister writes:
Dr. Richard Hoover of the NASA Marshall Splace Flight Center claims to have discovered fossilized life inside of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Many, however, dispute the idea, claiming that the meteorites in question have been on earth for too long and have been contaminated by terrestrial microbes. Dr. Hoover may be a bit biased, however, having just co-authored a book on the subject.
19467690
submission
olsmeister writes:
A Massachusetts based company has developed a form of cyanobacteria that can take water, sunlight, and CO2, and turn it into diesel fuel. Not only that, but they claim they can do it efficiently and at $30 per barrel. They say they can be operating commercially in 2 years.
19349174
submission
olsmeister writes:
About a year from now, the Smithsonian will have an exhibit called The Art of Video Games to explore the 40 year evolution of video games as an artistic medium. Between now and April 7th, they are allowing the public to vote on games that they feel are innovative or visually spectacular. Results will be announced in May.
19347220
submission
olsmeister writes:
Amazon today announced that it will allow streaming of movies and TV shows to Prime customers at no additional charge, in a move aimed squarely at competing with Netflix. Amazon's selection doesn't seem to stack up that well yet, but it has a cheaper yearly price and free shipping on purchases to boot. Let the competition begin.