- The Radiation Boom: After Stroke Scans, Patients Face Ser... Among patients tested for strokes with a complex type of brain scan, radiation overdoses were more widespread than previously known, a New York Times examination has found.
- Mistaken as an Iranian Martyr, Then Hounded Wrongly identified as Neda Agha-Soltan, whose death in 2009 became a symbol for the opposition, Zahra Soltani fled Iran.
- Missouri Voters to Have Say on Health Care Law The first plebiscite on the Obama health care law seems likely to be a low-turnout affair among an electorate dominated by Republican primary voters.
- Ethics Inquiry on Waters Is Tied to OneUnited Bank An ethics trial of Representative Maxine Waters will involve communication she had with federal officials that touched on OneUnited bank, in which her husband owned stock.
- The Big Day: Chelsea Clinton's Wedding The Caucus is in Rhinebeck, N.Y., for the former first daughter's wedding day. "We don't know who we're looking at," one bystander complained. "Seriously, I want to see Oprah."
- Optimism That Cement Will Shut Down Gulf Oil Well An effort known as a static kill is part of a two-pronged strategy to kill the well in the Gulf of Mexico by cementing it shut twice, from above and below.
- BP Used Much Dispersant Despite E.P.A. Directive of Rarely The Coast Guard approved requests to use dispersants despite an Environmental Protection Agency rule that they be used rarely, a Congressional analysis said.
- Recession? Knockoffs Go Downmarket Criminals are discovering there is money to be made in faking the more ordinary — like $295 Kooba bags and $140 Ugg boots.
- India Digs Under Top of the World to Match Rival India is building a tunnel to bypass the dangerous Rohtang Pass as part of a plan to match China’s power.
- Flood Deaths in Pakistan Rise to 800 Government officials are pleading for international aid as water levels in dams continue to rise.
- The New Credit-Card Tricks Just months after historic legislation banned certain billing practices, card issuers have dreamed up new ones designed to trip up consumers.
- Rhinebeck Readies for Clinton Wedding Media and onlookers filled the sidewalks of Rhinebeck, N.Y., preparing for the wedding of Chelsea Clinton. Many storefronts downtown displayed their support with signs and banners.
- Second House Democrat May Face Ethics Trial Democrats are facing the possibility that two of their most outspoken lawmakers will be on trial for ethics violations this fall after California Rep. Maxine Waters failed to reach an agreement to settle allegations against her.
- Foreign Forces Transform U.S. Films The rising clout of international audiences is a sea change for Hollywood. Foreign ticket sales represent 68% of the global market, and studios are using foreign actors and tweaking plots to lure viewers abroad.
- BofA Cuts Some CD Rates Bank of America cut some rates on certificates of deposits this week, the latest in a round of cuts that will leave consumers and businesses with fewer options to stash their cash.
- Are Bonds Expensive? Stocks Cheap? Or Both? After lagging behind bond performance this year, stocks appear historically cheap compared to bonds, offering investors reason to favor stocks, particularly if they are optimistic about the economic outlook.
- Q&A: Romer Reacts to GDP Data Obama adviser Romer said that there is room for the government to do more to promote economic growth and jobs, and noted a higher savings rate that indicates much of the necessary consumer retrenchment may be past.
- Number of the Week: Default Repercussions Twenty-five percent of Americans now have a credit score of less than 600. In an economy where credit plays a central role, that presents a significant obstacle to recovery.
- In Detroit, Obama Hails Bailout The president said last year's $60 billion rescue of GM and Chrysler saved an estimated one million jobs.
- Nokia Siemens in Deal Talks Nokia Siemens Networks is talking to several buyout firms about a potential cash infusion of at least $1 billion in exchange for a minority stake.
- Three convicted murderers break out of Arizona prison Authorities are hunting for three convicted murderers who escaped from a Kingman, Arizona, prison on Friday night.
- Russian wildfires leave 28 dead, thousands homeless At least 28 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by wildfires sweeping through western Russia, authorities said Saturday.
- Pakistan flooding death toll reaches 800, more rain to come The rescue and recovery efforts of the Pakistan floods that have killed more than 800 could become more complicated as weather officials predict more monsoon rains starting Monday.
- Onlookers, media converge on New York town for Clinton we... Hundreds of curious onlookers -- along with hordes of reporters and cameramen -- gathered Saturday at the main intersection of the tiny New York town of Rhinebeck in hopes of catching a glimpse of celebrities and dignitaries attending the wedding of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky.
- Brazil's president offers asylum to imprisoned Iranian woman Brazil's president has offered asylum to an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning, state-run media reported Saturday.
- Waters will choose House ethics trial, source says Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California has chosen to face a House ethics trial rather than accept a finding of wrongdoing by the House ethics committee, according to a source familiar with the process.
- Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza A senior Hamas member was killed during Israeli air strikes in Gaza, Hamas security forces said Saturday.
- 4 killed in Iraqi bombings, closing out deadliest month i... Four people died in a double bombing in Baghdad on Saturday -- the same day Iraqi authorities released monthly data showing the highest number of civilian deaths and detentions so far this year.
- Farah completes long distance double Briton Mo Farah became the first man in 20 years to claim the long distance double at the European athletics championships with victory in the 5,000 meters in Barcelona.
- House votes to remove oil spill liability cap The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday which would lift the current $75 million liability cap for oil spills while imposing new safety standards for offshore drilling.
- Researcher detained at U.S. border, questioned about Wiki... Jacob Appelbaum, who volunteers with Wikileaks, is questioned for three hours and has mobile phones confiscated on his way back to the U.S. for hacker show.
- Detergent uses GPS to stalk customers A Brazilian promotion for Omo detergent involves 50 boxes that have GPS inside. Customers lucky enough to buy one of these boxes will be followed home in order to be given a very technological prize.
- Hedge your bets in cloud computing The future role of cloud computing is in many ways unpredictable and ever changing. What balance of traditional infrastructure, private clouds, and public cloud services will your IT department consume in the next three years? Five years? The trick is to hedge your bets wherever you can.
- In IPO-signaling move, Zynga adds fancy CFO The fast-growing social-gaming site says it has hired Allen & Co. investment banker David Wehner as its new chief financial officer.
- Will Apple's 'Spinning Wheel of Doom' become chic? An enterprising marketer is attempting to persuade geeks that the new geek chic consists of wearing Apple's Spinning Wheel of Doom on their chests. Will it work?
- Intel may be destined for iPhone, iPad Multiple reports indicate that an Intel buyout of chipmaker Infineon's wireless unit may be imminent.
- Contest finds workers at big firms handing data to hackers Organizers of contest at hacking confab hope showing how easy it is to get data from cold calls to companies will help alert firms to the threat of social engineering.
- Picture of the Day 7/31: What is this? If you know what this is and where it's located, you could win a prize in the CNET Road Trip Picture of the Day challenge.
- Top-rated reviews of the week (photos) Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the 2011 BMW 535i, the Sony BDV-E770W home theater system, and the Apple Magic Trackpad.
- Baseball Hall of Fame plaques (photos) Road Trip 2010: CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman calls out his selections as the best cross-sections of players in history.
- MoneyBall for Startups: Invest BEFORE Product/Market Fit,... Dave / Master of 500 Hats:
MoneyBall for Startups: Invest BEFORE Product/Market Fit, Double-Down AFTER. — My apologies... this is a long piece (~2500 words). Not for the faint of heart. If you want the short story, read the abstract below & 3 core assumptions, then cut to the conclusions at the bottom.
- The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets (Julia Angwin/Wall ...
Julia Angwin / Wall Street Journal:
The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets — A Journal investigation finds that one of the fastest-growing businesses on the Internet is the business of spying on consumers. First in a series. By Julia Angwin — Hidden inside Ashley Hayes-Beaty's computer, a tiny file helps gather personal details …
- Discovering Who To Follow - With more than a hundred mill...
Cpen / Twitter Blog:
Discovering Who To Follow — With more than a hundred million users on Twitter, there are sure to be at least dozens of accounts out there that will reflect your interests. The trouble is finding all of them. Today we're beginning to roll out a simple, but powerful new feature to help address that — “Suggestions for You”.
- The Irony - Black Hat Video Stream Hack (Michael Coates/....
Michael Coates / ...Application Security:
The Irony - Black Hat Video Stream Hack — Free access to the Black Hat Video Stream? Yep, that was the case. Read on for the whole story. — I was unable to attend Black Hat in person this year. Instead, I decided I would closely monitor twitter, blogs and the Black Hat page itself to stay up to date.
- Android Wallpaper Apps Falsely Accused of Spyware and Ste...
Antonio Wells / Android Tapp:
Android Wallpaper Apps Falsely Accused of Spyware and Stealing Sensitive User Data [FUD] — Wow! A recent VentureBeat article put the blogosphere and smartphone industry on its heels when a reported score of wallpaper Android apps were accused of being malicious.
- Steve Ballmer on the iPad: The transcript (Philip Elmer-D...
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
Steve Ballmer on the iPad: The transcript — “We'll talk about about slates and tablets and blah, blah, blah, blah.” Ballmer at the financial analysts meeting. No, those aren't the notes of a reporter who couldn't keep up. That “blah, blah, blah, blah” — taken from the official transcript …
- Spotify Denies Reported Setback to U.S. Launch (Eliot Van...
Eliot Van Buskirk / Epicenter:
Spotify Denies Reported Setback to U.S. Launch — A report surfaced Thursday evening that the Spotify music service, popular for years in Europe, is “back to square one” in its negotiations with record labels to launch in the United States — another apparent setback in a series of delays for the service …
- 360 Panorama does instant, awesome panoramas (Josh Lowens...
Josh Lowensohn / CNET News:
360 Panorama does instant, awesome panoramas — Shooting panoramic photos with a mobile phone can be difficult. Often times it requires doing all the work in a software app when you get back from wherever you are, as well as trying to make sure that the phone's camera does not change its white balance or exposure between shots.
- China Pushes Real Name System For Online Games oxide7 writes "Starting from August 1, internet users will have to register using their real names for playing online games, China Daily reported on Saturday. The regulation, issued by the Ministry of Culture on June 22, is said to be part of a nationwide campaign to improve management of the virtual gaming industry and protect the minor from unwholesome content. It applies to all multiplayer role-playing and social networking games."
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- 'I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!' v2.0 theodp writes "Remember those old Lifecall commercials? Well, you've come a long way, Grandma! The NY Times reports on a raft of new technology that's making it possible for adult children to remotely monitor to a stunningly precise degree the daily movements and habits of their aging parents. The purpose is to provide enough supervision to allow elderly people to stay in their homes rather than move to an assisted-living facility or nursing home. Systems like GrandCare, BeClose, QuietCare, and MedMinder allow families to keep tabs on Mom and Dad's whereabouts, and make sure they take their meds. Perhaps Zynga can make a game out of all this — GeriatricVille?"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Microsoft Tech Can Deblur Images Automatically An anonymous reader writes "At the annual SIGGRAPH show, Microsoft Research showed new technology that can remove the blur from images on your camera or phone using on-board sensors — the same sensors currently added to the iPhone 4. No more blurry low light photos!"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Antarctic Experiment Finds Puzzling Distribution of Cosmi... pitchpipe writes "A puzzling pattern in the cosmic rays bombarding Earth from space has been discovered by an experiment buried deep under the ice of Antarctica. ... It turns out these particles are not arriving uniformly from all directions. The new study detected an overabundance of cosmic rays coming from one part of the sky, and a lack of cosmic rays coming from another." The map of this uneven distribution comes from the IceCube neutrino observatory last mentioned several days ago.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Broadway Musicians Replaced With Synthesizers wooferhound writes "Sophisticated synthesizers and computer-manipulated recordings are increasingly taking over orchestras. Sounding almost like real players, while costing much less, they're especially popular with provincial or touring companies. But until mid-July — when 'West Side Story's' producers announced that a synthesizer was replacing three live violinists and two cellists, or half the orchestra's string section — staff violinist Paul Woodiel thought that at least the classics would be immune to the trend. There are computer programs able to read and play back music scores — a boon to composers who can now hear their work as they write — and software allowing conductors to control the tempo of the machine, in the same way that they direct live players."
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- Budapest Panorama, at 70GP, Now the World's Largest Digit... hasanabbas1987 writes "It's just been a few months since a 45-gigapixel panorama of Dubai claimed the title of world's largest digital photograph, but it's now already been well and truly ousted — the new king in town is this 70-gigapixel, 360-degree panorama of Budapest. As with other multi-gigapixel images, this one was no easy feat, and involved two 25-megapixel Sony A900 cameras fitted with 400mm Minolta lenses and 1.4X teleconverters, a robotic camera mount from 360world that got the shooting done over the course of two days, and two solid days of post-processing that resulted in a single 200GB file — not to mention a 15-meter-long printed copy of the photograph for good measure. Of course, what's most impressive is the photo itself [Note: requires Silverlight]."
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- Mars Rover Spirit May Never Wake From Deep Sleep astroengine writes "After repeated calls from NASA to wake up Mars Exploration Rover Spirit from its low-energy hibernation mode, mission control is beginning to realize the ill-fated robot may never wake up again. After getting stuck in a sand trap in Gusev Crater and then switching into hibernation in March, rover operators were hopeful that the beached Spirit might yet be saved. Alas, this is looking more and more unlikely. In a statement, NASA said: 'Based on models of Mars' weather and its effect on available power, mission managers believe that if Spirit responds, it most likely will be in the next few months. However, there is a very distinct possibility Spirit may never respond.'"
Related xkcd strip, in case the headline wasn't anthropomorphic enough for you.
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- Silent, Easily Made Android Rootkit Released At DefCon An anonymous reader writes with news that security experts from Spider Labs released a kernel level rootkit for Android devices at DefCon on Friday. "As a proof of concept, it is able to send an attacker a reverse TCP over 3G/WIFI shell upon receiving an incoming call from a 'trigger number.' This ultimately results in full root access on the Android device." The rootkit was developed over a period of two weeks, and has been handed out to DefCon attendees on DVD.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Average Cellphone Data Usage Is 145.8 MB Per Month destinyland writes "For the first time, the majority of cell phones are accessing data services — 53 percent, compared to only 42 percent last year, according to a new study by Validas. And each user downloads an average of 145.8 MB per month (the average was just 96.8 MB per month in 2009). The heaviest users are Verizon smartphone owners, averaging 428 MB per month (338 MB on average for iPhone users). In fact, Verizon users were twice as likely as iPhone users to exceed both 500 MB and 2 GB each month."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- TI Calculator DRM Defeated josath writes "Texas Instruments' flagship calculator, the Nspire, was hacked to allow user-written programs earlier this year. Earlier this month, TI released an update to the OS that runs on the calculator, providing no new features, but only blocking the previous hack. Now, just a few weeks later, Nleash has been released, which defeats this protection. The battle rages on as users fight for the right to run their own software on their own hardware."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
