57430
submission
Alien54 writes
"Does the Israel Defense Forces believe incoming recruits and soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons are unfit for elite units? Ynet has learned that 18-year-olds who tell recruiters they play the popular fantasy game are automatically given low security clearance. "We have discovered that some of them are simply detached from reality," a security source told Ynet. Most soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons simply do not admit to it while they are in the army. Of course, there is more to this than meets the eye."
55838
submission
Alien54 writes
"via the register
The leading DRM digital download service, Apple's iTunes, has experienced a collapse in sales revenues this year according to analyst company Forrester Research. Secretive Apple doesn't break out revenues from iTunes, but Forrester conducted an analysis of credit card transactions over a 27-month period. And this year's numbers aren't good.[...]
And it isn't just Apple's problem. Nielsen Soundscan has grimmer news for prospective digital download services, indicating three consecutive quarters of flat or declining revenues for the sector as a whole.
"
53744
submission
Alien54 writes
"Imagine charging all of your gear by placing them on a large flat plate, no more multiples chargers for all of your devices. Apparently, the WildCharge device is just such a plate-like accessory. Devices rest on top of it and charge through osmosis. The slight catch is that devices will need to be equipped with something of a special faceplate to allow the exchange to take place, but it's still a much easier solution than the alternative. Plans are for it to be available in Q1 of 2007. Why is my vaporware alarm going off?"
52838
submission
Alien54 writes
"As reported on Info World, a 64-page electronic magazine named "Technical Mujahid", began circulating earlier this week on jihadist discussion forums. Like early hacking magazines, Technical Mujahid takes information that has already been published in discussion forums and Web sites and compiles it into one single source. According to Adam Raisman, an analyst with the SITE (Search for International Terrorist Entities) Institute, a terrorist tracking organization, it represents an evolution in the jihadist's documentation of computer security information. More info and screen shots at the mideast political site Memri, who note that the magazine is just one example evident on the Islamist websites of the growing interest on the part of the mujahideen in information technology, electronic data security, and hi-tech matters."
52608
submission
Alien54 writes
"Striking new images of the Red Planet have raised hopes life could be found on Mars after all. Scientists say they have photographic evidence that suggests liquid water may have been on the planet as little as five years ago. Experts last night said Mars now appears more active than previously thought and the latest study shows why it is vital to continue to search for life on our planetary neighbour. - On a side note, the HiRISE team is now posting new large images on the HiRISE Website every week on Wednesday. (A file size and format warning is needed. The full super high resolution photo of the Opportunity landing site is 677 MBytes in JP2 format)"
48698
submission
Alien54 writes
"The University of Arizona-based team that operates the high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, in conjunction with NASA, is releasing the first of what will be a non-stop flood of incredibly detailed Mars images taken during the spacecraft's two-year primary science mission.
"There's no Earth analog for some places we see, while other places look remarkably like Earth," said Professor Alfred S. McEwen of UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, HiRISE principal investigator. "The details we're seeing are just fantastic."
The HiRISE team is posting about 15 of the new large images on the HiRISE Website today. Last week, they added more than a dozen new Mars images, as well as reprocessed images, taken from low orbit during test imaging in early October. The team plans to release the latest HiRISE images on their Website every Wednesday."
47826
submission
Alien54 writes
"A couple of weeks ago someone wrote about the top "Ten Servers that Changed the World." In reaction, his buddy decided to make his own list... The Ten Servers that Changed the Fictional World.
There are two guidelines for this list. One, they must exist only in the world of movies or TV. Second, they need to fit the basic definition of a server. The list even provides a cute analysis of what each would be in real life, complete with 20/20 hindsite. With that said, here they are. In no particular order..."
47282
submission
Alien54 writes
"The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters. The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government."
46194
submission
Alien54 writes
"The Internet Industry Association of Australia has issued warnings that changes to Australia's copyright laws being rushed through Parliament risked making criminals out of everyday Australians. The measure apparently includes heavy fines for violating copyright by singing well known songs in public, among other things. Yes, this includes Happy Birthday."
46070
submission
Alien54 writes
"A new video game commissioned by the U.S. Army as a recruiting tool portrays the nation's military in 2015 as an invulnerable high-tech machine. It's an impressive game, simulating weaponry the military is actually using or building, gamers say. But the gameplay is designed so it's hard to lose: The equipment holds up awfully well and the enemy doesn't learn from experience."
