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Submission + - Paypal Ruins Christmas for Regretsy (regretsy.com)

Submitted by pdragon04
pdragon04 writes: We've all been seeing the occasional story lately for PayPal screwing people over by freezing their accounts. This one takes it to a whole new level. Apparently according to Paypal you can donate to help a sick cat. But poor people? Screw them.

Submission + - Researchers Discover Serious Flaw in Android's App (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre Bezukhov writes: Researchers led by North Carolina State associate professor Xuxian Jiang have discovered a serious flaw in the Android OS's approach to app security.

They found that some pre-loaded apps and features from Android device manufacturers could be exploited by hackers.

Jiang's study characterize the vulnerability as a "classic confused deputy attack," in which one app (virus) tricks another (legitimate) app or feature into leaking information or capabilities it has permission to access.

The breach of some of these permissions could allow hackers to "wipe out the user data on the phones, send out SMS messages (e.g., to premium numbers), record user conversation, or obtain user geo-locations," the study stated.

Submission + - Watch The Darkest Hour Online (blogspot.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Darkest Hour is an upcoming 3D science-fiction film directed by Chris Gorak and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. The American-based production depicts an alien invasion in Russia
Microsoft

Submission + - LoveFilm Switches to Silverlight only (lovefilm.com)

Submitted by FyRE666
FyRE666 writes: I've just received an email telling me my LoveFilm streaming service is switching to Silverlight only in the next few weeks. (LoveFilm is the Equivalent of Netflix in the US.) This means no more streaming on Linux, or any device that is not compatible with Silverlight. LoveFilm claims they require the extra security that Silverlight offers, over the current Flash system that works everywhere, oh, and that the movie studios demanded it. It'll be interesting to see how popular this change is, especially since Silverlight is even less stable than Flash on my PCs, and uses more CPU. So it's goodbye to LoveFilm from me!
Robotics

Submission + - Romotive Turns Your Smartphone Into A Robot (singularityhub.com)

Submitted by
kkleiner
kkleiner writes: "How awesome is Romo the Smartphone Robot? Without knowing anything about it, you simply have to look at the robot’s Kickstarter page. The pledge goal was $32,000. The robot has raised $114,796.
I’d say these guys are on to something. They’ve built a robotics platform that uses a smartphone for a brain to control a mobile, two-track base. Just attach your smartphone to the base, plug a cord into the earphone jack, download the apps, and using another smartphone, iPad, or computer to control it – you’ve got a robot!"
Microsoft

Submission + - Is Microsoft Office coming to Apple's iPad? (latimes.com)

Submitted by PolygamousRanchKid
PolygamousRanchKid writes: According to some unnamed sources of the Daily writer Matt Hickey, Microsoft is prepping iPad-versions of its Office suite of software. "With the iPad making up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide using Office, that could mean big bucks for the tech giant based in Redmond, Wash.," Hickey wrote in his report. "In addition to an iPad-ready version, a new edition of Office is expected for OS X Lion sometime next year." Currently, Apple has a few Office-like productivity apps of its own, with its iWork suite (Pages, Numbers and Keynote) on the Mac, iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad. If Microsoft were to challenge iWork on the iPad (and maybe even iPhone) with Office, apps for Word, Excel and PowerPoint could go head-to-head with Apple's own productivity apps.
Youtube

Submission + - My Videos On The Internet (youtube.com)

Submitted by
melkitcedek
melkitcedek writes: "YouTube is trying a new formula in order to attract potential new payable videos. To do so, there is a new process called; MONETISE YOUR VIVDEOS. This is new but the catch is; IF YOU APPLY YOUR VIDEOS TO MONETISE AND THE VIDEO IS REJECTED FOR SUCH, YOU MAY LOOSE YOUR VIDEO IN THE PROCESS FOR COPYRIGHT REASON.

IN MY VIEW, IT IS HYPOCRITE AND LOW FOR YouTube to make a buck out of people's videos and cleaning their systems in the process.

Also, YouTube is doing what I call; THE PRE CHRISTMAS cleanup time by copyright and deleting videos that otherwise were accepted by them and making money with advertising and accusing users to infringe copyrights. Even with videos that has been accumulating over a million viewers. That is really not fare for people and their is nothing people can do about it."

Submission + - Permafrost loss greater threat than deforestation? (bloomberg.com)

Submitted by Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre Bezukhov writes: Emissions from thawing permafrost may contribute more to global warming than deforestation this century, according to a commentary in the journal Nature.

Arctic warming of 7.5 degrees Celsius (13.5 degrees Fahrenheit) this century may unlock the equivalent of 380 billion tons of carbon dioxide as soils thaw, allowing carbon to escape as CO2 and methane, University of Florida and University of Alaska biologists wrote today in Nature. Two degrees of warming would release a third of that, they said.

The Arctic is an important harbinger of climate change because the United Nations calculates it’s warming at almost twice the average rate for the planet. The study adds to pressure on United Nations climate treaty negotiators from more than 190 countries attending two weeks of talks in Durban, South Africa that began Nov. 28.
Apple

Submission + - Board Game Geek launches iOS Board Games State of (boardgamegeek.com)

Submitted by
bcummingsiOS
bcummingsiOS writes: "Hello Readers, Developers, and Board Game Publishers,

In order to provide a clearer picture of the board game app industry and its trends, we conducted a survey of board game app developers for Quarter 3, 2011. The results of this survey can be found in the iOS Board Games State of the Industry Report. It takes a look at the trends and state of the industry. This report is 17 pages in length and paints a good picture of the board game app industry. It contains charts and figures that show a breakdown of the metrics for the industry. Thank you to all developers who responded to our survey, which made this report possible.

You can read the report below or view a PDF here: http://iosbgreports.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/iosbg-state-...

In addition, we have created the iOS Board Games Best Practices Report aimed at developers, board game publishers, and industry professionals. The iOS Board Games Best Practices Report contains nearly 40 pages of additional content, featuring breakdowns, charts, and analyses of the best practices and choices when developing iOS board game apps. This document will be a key in understanding and implementing correct decisions in iOS board game apps.

This initial Best Practices report can be purchased by going here: http://iosbgreports.wordpress.com/

We are excited to have finally completed this massive undertaking and we hope that developers and users will find this information interesting and useful. Also if you are a developer and interested in us taking a closer look at your app in particular and how it compares to the market in general, as well as provide advice for improvement, feel free to contact us at iosboardgames@gmail.com.

Thank you all and I hope you enjoy the report,

Bradley Cummings
iOS Board Games"
Facebook

Submission + - Web App Scans Facebook for Ugly Mugs (itworld.com)

Submitted by
itwbennett
itwbennett writes: "Go ahead and get sloshed at the company holiday party. A German company is working on a web app that, among other privacy/security features, will help you track down any unflattering photos that get posted to Facebook. The software uses facial recognition technology to scan photos in a user's friend circle to see if the user is present."
Science

Submission + - New cell structures make textbook drawings look da (nature.com)

Submitted by ananyo
ananyo writes: It's life Jim but not as we know it! Forget what you learned at school about the structure of the cell. New imaging techniques have exposed weird and wonderful structures that make the textbook drawings of cell structures seem a little dated... There's also a slideshow and audio.

Submission + - Targeted attacks steal credit cards from hospitali (sophos.com)

Submitted by
Em Adespoton
Em Adespoton writes: "SophosLabs, the security research division of Sophos, Inc, has been tracking an increase in targeted attacks against hospitality and educational organizations. Active malware has been discovered that steals credit card data directly from memory for later retrieval by the criminals involved. This activity appears to go back as far as 2009, just like the Stuxnet/Duqu threat."
Robotics

Submission + - Tiny guided bomb for tiny planes (suasnews.com)

Submitted by
garymortimer
garymortimer writes: "Coming soon, one man target, one air dropped bomb. Drones get smaller weapons.

STM Phase II is a new 12-pound, 22-inch long, precision-guided, gravity-dropped bomb specifically designed for employment from manned and unmanned aircraft systems. Has both GPS and semiactive laser guidance"

Submission + - Free Apps to Turn Your iPhone into a Mobile Office (fodors.com) 1

Submitted by
MikeCapone
MikeCapone writes: "For many professionals, tending to business while on vacation is a requirement. But don'(TM)t let that reality derail your trip. These days, you can do everything from scanning and signing documents to sending hands-free texts while driving--"all from your iPhone. We’ve rounded up the best office apps that let you take your show on the road, so you can spend more time sunbathing, and less time searching for the nearest fax machine. Did we mention that they're all free?"

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