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NASA

Submission + - Voyager Makes an Interstellar Discovery (nasa.gov)

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: The solar system is passing through an interstellar cloud that physics says should not exist. In the Dec. 24th issue of Nature, a team of scientists reveal how NASA's Voyager spacecraft have solved the mystery.
Privacy

Submission + - Netflix sued for privacy invasion (wired.com) 1

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: An in-the-closet lesbian mother is suing Netflix for privacy invasion, alleging the movie rental company made it possible for her to be outed when it disclosed insufficiently anonymous information about nearly half-a-million customers as part of its $1 million contest to improve its recommendation system. For instance, if a data set reveals a person’s ZIP code, birthdate and gender, there’s an 87 percent chance that the person can be uniquely identified.

Submission + - Not Just Drones; Military Aircraft Susceptible Too (wired.com) 2

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: Tapping into drones’ video feeds was just the start. The U.S. military’s primary system for bringing overhead surveillance down to soldiers and Marines on the ground is also vulnerable to electronic interception, multiple military sources tell Danger Room. That means militants have the ability to see through the eyes of all kinds of combat aircraft — from traditional fighters and bombers to unmanned spy planes. The problem is in the process of being addressed. But for now, an enormous security breach is even larger than previously thought.

Submission + - Google says ad blockers will save online ads (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: Google — the world's largest online ad broker — sees no reason to worry about the addition of ad-blocking extensions to its Chrome browser. Online advertisers will ensure their ads aren't too annoying, the company says, and netizens will ultimately realize that online advertising is a good thing.

Submission + - A Deluge of Data Shapes a New Era in Computing (nytimes.com)

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: Dr. Gray called the shift a “fourth paradigm.” The first three paradigms were experimental, theoretical and, more recently, computational science. He explained this paradigm as an evolving era in which an “exaflood” of observational data was threatening to overwhelm scientists. The only way to cope with it, he argued, was a new generation of scientific computing tools to manage, visualize and analyze the data flood.
Privacy

Submission + - Bank's antifraud tactics stun security expert (networkworld.com)

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: Checking out of a Hilton hotel in London, security expert Roger Thompson was told his Visa card had been declined due to suspicions it was stolen, a situation that only got more disconcerting when he learned the bank that issued the card had more personal information on him and his family members than he ever imagined.

Submission + - DIY book scanner (wired.com)

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: Daniel Reetz did not want to lug around heavy textbooks, so he built a book scanner to create digital copies.

Submission + - MySpace/Imeem Deal Leaves Artists Unpaid (wired.com)

Submitted by azoblue
azoblue writes: Independent artists who sold their music through imeem’s Snocap music storefronts on MySpace and other sites won’t be paid what’s owed even after MySpace Music’s acquisition of imeem.

Submission + - AT&T Cellular Network Fails in San Francisco a 4

Submitted by datapharmer
datapharmer writes: Reports are coming in that the AT&T cellular network in San Francisco has failed. Users are reporting that both data and voice are non-responsive as they scramble for landlines. It is unclear at this time what has caused the outage.

Submission + - Federal Court says "Tweeting" Ban Constitutional (archive.org)

Submitted by ziani
ziani writes: A federal court in Columbus, OH has upheld a ban against "tweeting" from the courtroom during criminal trials. The decision appears to be the first time "tweeting" has been referred to in a court decision in a non-avain sense.
Google

Personalized Search From Google Now Opt-Out 206

Posted by Soulskill from the escort-on-the-road-to-enlightenment dept.
An anonymous reader writes "CNet reports that 'Google now intends to deliver customized search results even to those searching its site without having signed into a Google account.' This may be what finally drives me to seriously experiment with cookie-free browsing. I consider non-personalized search results to be of value. They quasi-subconsciously give me a better perspective of the full range of information and ideas on the net. That, and I'm also a bit paranoid about a coming world with push-button infrastructure for personalized mis/disinformation."
Games

Games Workshop Goes After Fan Site 174

Posted by Soulskill from the don't-anger-your-base dept.
mark.leaman writes "BoingBoing has a recent post regarding Games Workshop's aggressive posturing against fan sites featuring derivative work of their game products. 'Game publisher and miniature manufacturer Games Workshop just sent a cease and desist letter to boardgamegeek.com, telling them to remove all fan-made players' aids. This includes scenarios, rules summaries, inventory manifests, scans to help replace worn pieces — many of these created for long out of print, well-loved games...' As a lifelong hobby gamer of table, board, card and miniature games, I view this as pure heresy. It made me reject the idea of buying any Games Workshop (read Warhammer) products for my son this Christmas. Their fate was sealed, in terms of my wallet, after I Googled their shenanigans. In 2007 they forbid Warhammer fan films, this year they shut down Vassal Modules, and a while back they went after retailers as well. What ever happened to fair use?"
Games

Dev Discusses Upcoming Spy-MMO, The Agency 75

Posted by Soulskill from the i-could-tell-you-but-then-i'd-have-to-gank-you dept.
Kheldon writes "The MMO Gamer recently sat down with Lorien Gremore, lead producer on SOE's upcoming spy-shooter MMO, The Agency. They discussed various aspects of its development, such as the 'stickiness' of session-based games, striking a balance between FPS and MMO players, and whether or not The Agency even falls under the definition of a traditional MMO at all. 'You might be in Prague, and experiencing play with a lot of different other players; you might have come in at your field office and gone out into the city, encountering many other players doing missions that you are also doing,' Gremore said. She added that the game's areas are large enough to have 'lots of different people in them, collecting intel, engaging in public combat, all of those types of things. These areas are big enough that there’s shops, there’s secret spaces, photos to be taken of suspicious objects, things like that. They’re all out there in the world. We’re really trying to create a balance, where you’re encountering a lot of social situations, chances to get into groups with other people, just by merit of the fact that you guys are doing the same sorts of things in the same sorts of places.'"

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