Wired News: Scientists Clamor to Save Hubble

Wired News: Scientists Clamor to Save Hubble: "Faced with the impending loss of the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers and space enthusiasts raged mightily against the dying of the light. Now it appears their efforts to save Hubble, along with political pressure, may be paying off."

Wired News: Teen Blogger Turns Heads Online

Wired News: Teen Blogger Turns Heads Online: "Stephen Yellin posts a minutiae-filled analysis of Senate, House and gubernatorial races across the country almost weekly on Daily Kos, the most-trafficked liberal political blog on the Net. Other posters laud his thoroughness and debate his conclusions.

He has landed a spot as a political operative with a major Democratic presidential nominee. He's walked precincts, volunteered for campaigns and run for office.

He is also 15 years old -- too young to drive to his local polling station, let alone cast a vote there."

Slashdot | Microsoft Advises to Type in URLs Rather than Click

Slashdot | Microsoft Advises to Type in URLs Rather than Click: "'In a recent Microsoft Knowledge Base article, they provide 'Steps that you can take to help identify and to help protect yourself from deceptive (spoofed) Web sites and malicious hyperlinks.' These steps include always using SSL/TLS, typing 'JScript commands' in the address bar, and typing in URLs instead of clicking links! I have a suggestion that's not in the Knowledge Base: don't use IE!'"

Slashdot | IETF Approves XMPP Core as Proposed Standard

Slashdot | IETF Approves XMPP Core as Proposed Standard: "'As long expected, the IESG hasapproved the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP): Core (draft-ietf-xmpp-core-22.txt) as a Proposed Standard. For those of you in the dark, thats the protocol behind the only tried and proven open IM platform, Jabber. Congrats to the hard working Peter Saint-Andre, and the entire XMPP Working Group.'"

Lindows offers software for free over P2P | CNET News.com

Lindows offers software for free over P2P | CNET News.com: "'No, we haven't lost our minds,' Lindows CEO and founder Michael Robertson stated in a newsletter. 'What we're doing is figuring out how we can take advantage of P2P to advance our own business.' Robertson said Lindows.com would spend more than $100,000 in bandwidth charges to deliver software used to create installation CDs for LindowsOS."

MacSlash | Pixar Nixes Disney Deal

MacSlash | Pixar Nixes Disney Deal: "CNN/Money is reporting that Pixar has decided to end its relationship with Disney and seek other distribution options. The probability of this occurring has been speculated on for quite some time now.

Pixar, the computer animation pioneer founded by Apple Computer Inc.'s Steve Jobs, said it would begin talks with other companies to distribute its films starting in 2006....'After ten months of trying to strike a deal with Disney, we're moving on,' Pixar CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. 'We've had a great run together -- one of the most successful in Hollywood history -- and it's a shame that Disney won't be participating in Pixar's future successes.'"

Hollywoodreporter.com | Strokes helping Save the Music in L.A.: "With an announcement regarding their upcoming tour plans expected imminently, the Strokes have confirmed a Feb. 5 concert in Hollywood, to benefit VH1's Save the Music Foundation. Tickets are $50; payment can only be made with an American Express card via Ticketmaster.com. The Strokes are expected to embark on an eight-week North American tour beginning in mid-March and winding down in mid-May. The group is about to finish its stint on the Big Day Out tour of Australia and New Zealand, which wraps Sunday in Perth. The activity comes in support of the quintet's sophomore RCA album, 'Room on Fire,' which debuted in November at No. 4 on The Billboard 200. (Billboard)"

P2P companies say they can't filter | CNET News.com

P2P companies say they can't filter | CNET News.com: "Responding to sharp criticism from legislators, a group of file-swapping companies told Congress that they have no ability to block copyrighted files or child pornography from their networks. "

Slashdot | Scientists Create New Form of Matter

Slashdot | Scientists Create New Form of Matter: "'Yahoo News has a story aboutscientists creating a sixth form of matter. They are calling their new state of matter a 'fermionic condensate.' Somehow they got potassium atoms to form pairs similar to the 'Cooper pairs' that make superconducting possible. Maybe any quantum physicists around can tell us more about this, but it certainly sounds pretty revolutionary. The scientists are predicting that this will lead to 'room temperature solid' superconductors, which in turn will enable us to have better electricity generators, more efficient electric motors, and (our favorite) cheaper maglev trains.' "

SecurityFocus HOME News: 'Warspying' San Francisco

SecurityFocus HOME News: 'Warspying' San Francisco: "Hobbyists explore the City by the Bay, as seen though its wireless cameras."

Slashdot | Xbox for $99? Xbox 2 in 2005?

Slashdot | Xbox for $99? Xbox 2 in 2005?: "'CNN is reporting that Microsoft's Xbox may be on the verge of asubstantial price cut, falling from $179 to $99 by Labor Day, and Microsoft will launch its next generation console in late 2005 - a year earlier than has been previously rumored. That would put the Xbox 2 on store shelves up to a full year before Sony's PlayStation 3.' "

MacSlash | FBI Uses Mac OS X

MacSlash | FBI Uses Mac OS X: "'According to this article at Security Focus, 'many of the computer security folks back at FBI HQ use Macs running OS X, since those machines can do just about anything: run software for Mac, Unix, or Windows, using either a GUI or the command line. And they're secure out of the box. In the field, however, they don't have as much money to spend, so they have to stretch their dollars by buying WinTel-based hardware.'

They also mention that using a Mac is a good way to frustrate law enforcement... Interesting read.' "

AppleInsider | Exclusive: View the iTunes Super Bowl Ad

AppleInsider | Exclusive: View the iTunes Super Bowl Ad: " Pepsi iTunes Super Bowl ad in its entirety"

Trax2burn

Trax2burn: normy and darren e give itunes store lie show for dance tracks!!!

The Darkness take on America! - NME.COM

The Darkness take on America! - NME.COM: "THE DARKNESS will launch their first full scale assault on the US when they kick off their debut Stateside tour on March 26 in MILWAUKEE."

Luck changed! We were the only non ticket holders who got in. Crazy. Dope flick. Must see must own. Next good news from home. Got remaining grades. My best semester ever! Word! Then kevin p's new one, seven times lucky. Cool movie on the grift. Definitely worth a view! After came out to seriously dumping snow. Looks like freshies on the way! : )

Stacey! Word!

Four and a half hours but the kids get tun play with the giants!

Day two. New Lars von T. Interesting but not on the must see list but glad i did. Next return of the lack of avg. Waited 3 hours plus to see Garden State. Number 36. They let in like 5. : ( not like last year. Batted like 7 out of 8. What the fuck! Bummer!!! Maybe ride and see Stacey's new Ridding Giants. Keeping fingers crossed!

Day one. Drive to santa barbara meet g. Get tix. Fly back w/ g to salt lake. Get some dope mexican and drinks. Head to fest. Wait in coldest ever for new gary oldman. We were like #200. Missed by like 10. Bummer! Start off with bad averages. Wak. Next stick around for DEBS.Word. Great combo of Araki, Mc G, and a little Valley Girl thrown in for good measure. Very tongue in cheek. Only 3.5. Wow!!! Then The Party 12. Drinks. Teachers. Pretty girls. More drinks and blue too! Card readers. All kinds of crazy good stuff! Big fun!

Slashdot | Justin Frankel On AOL, Subverting The Status Quo

Slashdot | Justin Frankel On AOL, Subverting The Status Quo: "'Rolling Stone has an excellent feature on Justin Frankel, the creator of Winamp,Gnutella, Shoutcast, Waste, and other projects. The article calls him 'the world's most dangerous geek', and after years of being muzzled by AOL for igniting the pirate nation, Frankel is breaking his silence.' The article ends by asking: 'In many ways, Frankel's future encapsulates the debate over the future of the Internet itself. Does it become just a distribution system for corporate product or more of a way to subvert that corporate control?' "

Recording Industry Is Accusing 532 People of Music Piracy

Recording Industry Is Accusing 532 People of Music Piracy: "The new lawsuits are ``John Doe'' lawsuits, an increasingly common type of litigation in the Internet age, which allow plaintiffs to sue people whose identities are not known. These suits identify the suspected file traders only by the numerical identifier, known as an Internet Protocol number, assigned to them by their Internet service provider. "

Slashdot | The Amazing Properties of Aerogel

Slashdot | The Amazing Properties of Aerogel: "'We all know NASA is using a substance called 'aerogel' in the Stardust spacecraft to catch pieces of the Wild-2 comet. The NYT is running an article about some other amazing aerogel properties. My favorite quote: 'It's the lowest density of any solid, and it has the highest thermoinsulation properties. Though it would be very expensive, you could take a two- or three-bedroom house, insulate it with aerogel, and you could heat the house with a candle. But eventually the house would become too hot.''"

The Cure to headline Coachella Festival - NME.COM

The Cure to headline Coachella Festival - NME.COM: "THE CURE are to headline the Sunday night (May 2) at this year's COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL."

Slashdot | Lie Detector Glasses Coming Soon

Slashdot | Lie Detector Glasses Coming Soon: "'The EE Times is reporting on a product soon to be released by an Israeli company that allows the wearer of special glasses to tell whether the person they are talking to is telling a lie. Not only that, they can tell you whether someone loves you! Apparently a PC version of the 'love detector' is in the works as well. Think my Windows box will be upset when it knows how much I hate it?' "

Nintendo DS: "Nintendo DS -- or Dual Screen -- this new piece of hardware is all set to be officially unveiled for the first time at E3 in Los Angeles later in the year."

The Globe and Mail

Alzheimer's risk reduced by vitamins: "Vitamins E, C cut Alzheimer's risk, study says Incidence in retirement-age people reduced by 78%, researchers find"

Wired News: Here's the Price of Fame: $218.32

Wired News: Here's the Price of Fame: $218.32: "Before he taught himself about cameras and editing, Jonathan Caouette designed a do-it-yourself method for making movies. He'd record the audio of a Hollywood film, and, with crayons, pencils and loose-leaf paper, draw it out."

Wired News: Chong Backed by Tokin' Resistance

Wired News: Chong Backed by Tokin' Resistance: "The comedian, who rose to fame in the '70s and '80s, is renowned for, more than anything else, playing a bumbling pot smoker as half of the moviemaking team Cheech and Chong. More recently, he played off that image with a glass pipe and bong business, Nice Dreams Enterprises; an advertising campaign for a contraption to foil drug tests; and a recurring role on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. But ever since Sept. 11, when a federal judge sentenced Chong to nine months in prison for selling illegal drug paraphernalia, the 65-year-old funnyman has found himself cast in a new part. As the 'Free Tommy Chong' movement gains momentum online and off, the star has emerged as celebrity poster child for the pot-legalization movement."

Yahoo! Research Labs

Yahoo! Research Labs: "Our goal is to cultivate knowledge, solve fundamental technology problems and translate theory into application so that our partners, advertisers and consumers can maximize the social and economic potential of the Internet."

Melatonin & Hypertension: "Melatonin taken at night over a prolonged period lowered blood pressure in people with hypertension, according to the results of a trial conducted in The Netherlands."

AskTog: Panther: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

AskTog: Panther: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

AskTog: Make Your Mac a Monster Machine

AskTog: Make Your Mac a Monster Machine: "Turn your Mac into a power-user, high-productivity monster in five easy steps."

MSNBC - How Spirit makes great photos

MSNBC - How Spirit makes great photos: "NASA's Spirit Rover is providing a lesson to aspiring digital photographers: Spend your money on the lens, not the pixel"

MacSlash | Tog vs Dock Reaction

MacSlash | Tog vs Dock Reaction: "'This article, by Mac author Kirk McElhearn, rebuts Tog's 9 reasons why the Dock sucks: Top 9 Reasons why the Dock is Cool. Bruce Tognazzi, who founded Apple's Human Interface Group, and worked for the company for 14 years, is an opinionated guy. His blog has many articles about, as he says, 'the Good, the Bad and the Ugly' of Mac OS X. Bruce is a smart guy, and his comments show a great sensitivity to users and their expectations. But his recent article, Top Nine Reasons the Apple Dock Still Sucks seems to take too personal a point of view, and ignores the way people use the Dock and Mac OS X. So, I thought I'd go through his nine reasons and point out why each of them is, if not incorrect, at least correctable.' "

CinemaNow debuts download-to-own movies | CNET News.com

CinemaNow debuts download-to-own movies | CNET News.com: "CinemaNow, an online movie rental company, is testing new waters by launching a service that lets people buy permanent downloads of Hollywood films for a PC. "

Slashdot | Warp Records Reject DRM, Go Bleep

Slashdot | Warp Records Reject DRM, Go Bleep: "'Warp Records, an independent label for electronic music (featuring artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, and Boards of Canada), has made their entire back catalog available thru Bleep, a new digital download service. Individual tracks are $1.35 for those of us in the USA, with EPs and full albums in the $4 to $10 price range. You can download Aphex Twin's rare, groundbreaking Hangable Auto Bulb EP for $4.29. To quote from the FAQ: 'We are at present the only store to offer very high quality MP3 files,' and 'Bleep music has no DRM or copy protection built in. We believe that most people like to be treated as customers and not potential criminals'.' "

MacSlash | Tog Stalks Panther

MacSlash | Tog Stalks Panther: "Founder of the Apple Human Interface Group Bruce Tognazzini tells us, in an OS X special flurry of articles, why the dock sucks and how he could do a better job, what he likes and dislikes about the Panthwyre user interface, and how he would turn a Mac into a 'Monster Mac'. Hmmm...a Classic-era Human Interface evangelist with reservations about the OS X user interface? How...'unexpected'.'

GUI flamefest in 3...2...1..."

Think Secret - Virginia Tech cluster to use G5 Xserves

Think Secret - Virginia Tech cluster to use G5 Xserves: "Virginia Polytechnic and State University will upgrade its massive Power Mac G5 cluster to the new Xserve G5, sources close to the project said."

Slashdot | Matrix-Style Brain Interface Closer To Reality

Slashdot | Matrix-Style Brain Interface Closer To Reality: "'According to this Wired article, a private company, Cyberkinetics is seeking permission from the FDA to test a product called BrainGate that implants in the brain and can control actions on a computer. So far it works for monkeys and they'd like to see it as viable for quadriplegics and others in need. How soon until anyone can become the ultimate expansion card? Sign me up!'"

Hollywoodreporter.com

Hollywoodreporter.com: "Radiohead, the reunited Pixies and pioneering German rock act Kraftwerk will perform on the first day of the fifth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (May 1-2) in Indio, Calif., organizers said Wednesday. The lineup will also feature Air, Prefuse 73, the Thrills, Electric Six, Sahara Hotnights and the (International) Noise Conspiracy. The Pixies will be playing their first show since abruptly disbanding in 1993. It is unknown if all four original members -- guitarists Frank Black and Joey Santiago, bassist Kim Deal and drummer David Lovering -- will be present, or if the show will dovetail into a tour or new recording project. Kraftwerk's appearance will come at the end of a three-month world tour that begins Feb. 6 in Helsinki."

Judge rules Microsoft infringed on Eolas patent | CNET News.com

Judge rules Microsoft infringed on Eolas patent | CNET News.com: "A Chicago federal judge on Wednesday upheld a $512 million patent verdict against Microsoft that could ultimately force major changes in many of the most common Internet software products"

Coachella 2004 dates confirmed - NME.COM

Coachella 2004 dates confirmed - NME.COM: "COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL will take place on May 1 -2 at theEMPIRE POLO FIELD in INDIO, CALIFORNIA, it has been confirmed.

The event, which last year boasted a line-up including Blur, The Libertines, The Hives,Beastie Boys and The Mars Volta, attracted 68,000 fans.

Now in it's fifth year, 2004's Coachella is set to feature already confirmed acts Radiohead, with rumours circulating around a possible set from thePixies."

Slashdot | Earthquake Prediction Months In Advance

Slashdot | Earthquake Prediction Months In Advance: 'A UCLA seismologist named Vladimir Keilis-Borok claims earthquakes can be predicted months in advance. In the article at the University of California Newswire, he claims that the 'team including experts of pattern recognition, geodynamics, seismology, chaos theory, statistical physics and public safety ... has developed algorithms to detect precursory earthquake patterns.' It also says 'the team's current predictions have not missed any earthquake, and have had its two most recent ones come to pass.' They predict 'an earthquake of at least magnitude 6.4 by Sept. 5, 2004, in a region that includes the southeastern portion of the Mojave Desert, and an area south of it.' We'll see if they're right.'

Slashdot | Video Scratching Goes Mainstream

Slashdot | Video Scratching Goes Mainstream: "Pioneer has released a digital audio and video turntable (the DVJ-X1), which allows you to manipulate and playback synchronized digital audio and video. You can manipulate DVD visuals in the same way as you would music i.e. real-time digital video scratches, loops and instant cues. The video and audio streams will stay in sync, even when they're being reversed and pitched. I guess this is the logical, commercialized version of that which has been done before. It's being shown at CES, and there are several pictures on the official Pioneer site."

Slashdot | Internet Archive Opens Wayback Code Under LGPL

Slashdot | Internet Archive Opens Wayback Code Under LGPL: "'It looks like the Internet Archive, which hosts the infamous Wayback Machine has opened its newest in-development crawler code under the LGPL. From the announcement: 'Heritrix is the Internet Archive's open-source, extensible, web-scale, archival-quality web crawler project. Heritrix (sometimes spelled heretrix , or misspelled or missaid as heratrix / heritix / heretix / heratix) is an archaic word for inheritess. Since our crawler seeks to collect the digital artifacts of our culture for the benefit of future researchers and generations, this name seemed apt.''"

Slashdot | First High-Res Color Photos from Mars

Slashdot | First High-Res Color Photos from Mars: "The first color thumbnail from Spirit was available yesterday from a larger image. Today some full-size color images are available. If you are in the USA you may be interested in catching the NOVA program on your local PBS station tonight.' Acrobatman notes the existence of a nifty utility:'Mars24, a Mac OS X and Java application and applet which displays a Mars 'sunclock', a graphical representation of Mars. This free utility shows the current sun- and nightsides of Mars, along with a numerical readout of the time in 24-hour format and landmarks such as the landing positions of the rovers."

Slashdot | First Ever Nanotube Transistors On A Circuit

Slashdot | First Ever Nanotube Transistors On A Circuit: "Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University have developed the first ever integrated silicon circuit with nanotube technology. According to the article on UC Berkeley's site, this brings researchers one step closer to developing memory chips with carbon nanotubes - chips that could hold approximately 10,000 times more data than those we have today."

Slashdot | Interview with Bruce Sterling

Slashdot | Interview with Bruce Sterling: "Reason magazine has a long interview with Bruce Sterling."

D's Appeal Gets Published!!! big big up to D!!!

Happy New Year!!!