Thus far, no one knows what this asteroid looks like, which makes the event rare and exceptional due to the relatively close distance by which it will pass. At such a distance, it is possible for NASA to snap images as detailed as 12-feet across, a remarkable result considering that the space rock will be millions of miles away and is about 2-miles in length/diameter.

Said NASA astronomer Lance Benner: “Whenever an asteroid approaches this closely, it provides an important scientific opportunity to study it in detail to understand its size, shape, rotation, surface features, and what they can tell us about its origin. We will also use new radar measurements of the asteroid’s distance and velocity to improve our calculation of its orbit and compute its motion farther into the future than we could otherwise.”

The imaging will be done via the NASA Deep Space Network antenna in California, as well as the Arecibo Observatory located in Puerto Rico. When combined, the information gathered by each telescope will be combined to create as many details about the asteroid as possible, aiding researchers in their efforts to learn about the space rock that has been flying around for quite some time.

While learning about this particular asteroid is interesting enough, the details provided by the images will help provide researchers with information about asteroids in general. Such knowledge is essential for future NASA missions, including one that will involve the redirection of an asteroid, followed by human exploration of it.

SOURCE: Astronomy

Contractor, who is a mechanical engineer who specializes in 3D printing, owns the company Systems & Materials Research Corporation. In his view of the future, the average household’s kitchen will be akin to that of The Jetsons, with a machine that creates food from basic powdered ingredients loaded in cartridges, such as oils and carbohydrate powders. The cartridges would be sold at stores, and would have a very long shelf life.

Because the cartridges would contain simply the building blocks of various different kinds of food, the amount of food waste would be greatly reduced due to the use of all the ingredients to create different meals. Once a cartridge is empty, it would be replaced. According to Contractor, the powders could be shelf-stable for three decades.

While that’s Contractor’s idea of what the future could hold, the grant is specifically space-oriented, with the goal being to print food for those who undertake long interstellar trips, such as going to Mars. Said Contractor, “Long distance space travel requires 15-plus years of shelf life.” His projected shelf-stable lifespan of the powders is twice that number.

What kind of food would result from 3D-printing? In this case, pizza. In the next two or so weeks, Contractor will start working on the creation of a 3D-printer that creates a pizza, the reason being the layer-by-layer nature of the dish, something that is easy for the printer to recreate. The crust would be printed first, followed by the sauce, then some type of protein. If all goes as planned, astronauts could one day print a hot pizza while in space, perhaps followed by college students holed up in a dormitory on finals week.

SOURCE: Quartz

According to the Associated Press, the military issued a shutdown of the wireless network at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also blocking access to social media websites, including Twitter and Facebook, via the base’s computers. No cyberattacks have happened thus far; the shutdown was initiated merely as a precaution due to the posted threats.

The threats were made on May 6 via Anon Insiders, where Anonymous published a press release regarding “Operation Guantanamo.” According to the statement, May 18 represented the 100th day the prisoners had been on the hunger strike, the same time the hackers’ 3-day operation would take place. The public was called to initiate “twitterstorms, email bombs, and fax bombs” nonstop to show their support.

The press release also included numbers to the White House, U.S. Southern Command, and Department of Defense, urging the public to call the numbers and demand a change in conditions and eradication of the force-feedings, as well as demands that the Obama Administration close Guantanamo, as was the original plan. People were also asked to call their representatives and senators to petition for its closure.

It is worth noting the press release doesn’t say anything about hacking or cyberattacking the network, instead urging the public to bombard the powers that be with denouncements of the prison’s conditions, actions, and continued existence. As such, it has been pointed out on the Operation Guantanamo’s Twitter account that the base has taken itself offline, with the hacking collective not having to do anything, seemingly fulfilling the purpose it was assumed Anonymous sought to achieve.

There’s no word on when the network will be available again.

SOURCE: Associated Press

As you can tell from the phone’s image, the Spot Global isn’t priced so high for up-and-up hardware, but rather for its satellite connectivity. The phone harkens back to the days of candy-bar handsets, offering a 4-line, 12-character display, a 99 entry address book, security via a lock code and keypad lock to avoid accidental dials, and changeable ringtones. The battery is said to last 36 hours on standby and 4 hours whilst talking.

The handset does offer data connectivity if paired with a monthly (or annual) service plan that offers data. With a mobile Internet connection, the handset can be used to access the Internet, though – as you might suspect based on the display’s size – this is achieved via a laptop using the phone as a modem and a USB data cable. Same goes for sending and receiving email, it would seem.

There’s also the ability to receive text messages, although they are limited to a mere 35-characters. Those who subscribe will receive a local area phone number. As far as plans go, the cost falls in line with what you would expect from a satellite cell phone – expensive, but not beyond what is normal for the market. Both monthly and annual plans are available, with each having its own plus and minuses based on the needs of the user.

Annual service plans start at $300 for 120 minutes, increasing to $480 for 960, $780 for 2400, $1200 for 4800, and $1800 for unlimited minutes. The cost per minute is highest for the cheapest plan (for minutes over the allotted number), starting at $2.50 and decreasing to $0.25. If such rates are too steep, there’s also the monthly plan, which gives 10 for $25 monthly, 80 minutes for $40, up to 400 minutes for $99 and unlimited for $150. The price per minute over the allotted amount is the same as with annual plans.

SOURCE: Find Me Spot

According to the folks over at Digital Trends, which says it received confirmation from Ubisoft itself, the movie will hit theaters on May 22, 2015. As we heard last year, the movie will indeed feature Fassbender, who is reportedly serving as producer. There’s no word yet on who is going to direct the movie yet, but the distributor is pegged as Fox and New Regency.

This won’t be Ubisoft’s first movie, with the company having had (very little, by its own account) involvement in the so-so Jake Gyllenhaal movie Prince of Persia. Visual effects will be curteosy of Ubisoft’s own production studios. Aside from that, no other details about the film are known for now, except that Fassbender will probably be playing Desmond Miles.

If the name Fassbender sounds familiar, you may have seen Hunger or X-Men: First Class, both of which he has starred in. Likewise, you may be familiar with our interview with the actor back in June following the world premiere of the movie Prometheus, where we sat down with Fassbender – as well as Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce, and Logan Marshall-Green – for a nice discussion.

While the date has been set, it isn’t etched into stone, and considering how massive of a year summer 2015 will be for blockbuster films, no one will be surprised if the release date gets shuffled. Other movies that will be releasing around the same time include the next Hunger Games and Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the long-awaited Star Wars film, Hobbit: There and Back Again, and more.

SOURCE: Digital Trends

Apple avoided paying $74 billion in taxes from 2009 to 2012, doing so using a variety of subsidiaries scattered throughout the world, according to investigators. According to the New York Times, some of these subsidiaries do not have employees, instead being run by “top officials” at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters. Such subsidiaries not only skip out on paying taxes, but also aren’t required to file tax returns.

Said Senator Carl Levin (D. Michigan), Chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations: “Apple wasn’t satisfied with shifting its profits to a low-tax offshore tax haven. Apple successfully sought the holy grail of tax avoidance. It has created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars while claiming to be tax resident nowhere … I’ve never seen anything like this and we don’t know anybody who’s seen anything like this.”

Despite the means it used to avoid paying taxes, Apple has not been pegged as having violated any laws. The investigation does, however, underscore the reality of tax loopholes, and will be used in a possibly volatile meeting between the Congressional committee and Apple tomorrow. The committee will also show findings that Apple’s effective tax rate was lower than its disclosed tax rate by at least 4-percent.

Not surprisingly, Apple disagrees with the results of the investigation, saying that it does not use gimmicks and other similar methods to avoid paying taxes. Likewise, says the company, its biggest subsidiaries don’t reduce the amount of taxes it pays. Says a statement from the company, “[Apple] welcomes an objective examination of the U.S. corporate tax system, which has not kept pace with the advent of the digital age and the rapidly changing global economy.”

SOURCE: Facebook

Google Checkout is officially being retired on November 20, requiring users selling physical items to use Google Wallet Instant Buy if they already have payment processing. If a merchant doesn’t have payment processing, Google has partnered with three options: Freshbooks, Braintree, and Shopify. Via the partnership, Google Checkout users will get a discount when migrating to one of the three.

Individuals who use Google Checkout to sell items via a Google service, such as Google Play and the Chrome Web Store, won’t have to migrate, instead being automatically switched over to Google Wallet at an unspecified date in the next few weeks. Those who sell both physical items and digital items via a Google service will only see their Checkout functionality disappear in November.

Google suggests that users switch to a different system from Checkout before the retirement date rolls around, advising that failing to do so could cause some disruption to the merchant’s business if an alternative isn’t in place by November 20. New orders will no longer be accepted on that date, while refunds can still be initiated for an extra month, with that ability going down on December 20.

November 21 will be the last day for merchants to ship orders, with all outstanding orders being automatically cancelled on November 27. Google says it won’t be “proactively” informing Google Wallet users of this change, and so merchants should do that on an individual basis if they feel it is necessary. A replacement to Checkout APIs will be announced “shortly.”

SOURCE: Google

As you can see in the video below, the Leap Motion device works via some smooth flicks of the wrist, finger plucks, and other such hands-off movements to control Windows without using a mouse and keyboard. This allows one to enjoy the touch-based design of Windows 8, for example, without a touchscreen panel, and brings the functionality to whatever computer you would like.

The device connects to a PC with a standard USB cable, and once connected works out of the box, no tweaking or such necessary. A 4-cubic foot span across your desk becomes your gesture-control area, with the device tracking finger movements to within 1/100th of a millimeter. The device itself measures in at about 3-inches long, so it won’t take up much room at all.

As you might suspect, the device’s usefulness extends beyond just tapping Windows tiles and scrolling through web results. As with a touchscreen device, it can be used to sketch, to sign digital documents, and to play games, among other things. Says Leap Motion, this video is a preview for those interested to check out before the device enters beta testing next month, during which period developers will get to use the unit.

Leap Motion CTO and co-founder David Holz said: “Out of the box, users will have the ability to browse the web, navigate their desktops, and interact with existing software. Everything you can do with a touch-based system, like Windows 8, can now be accomplished with Leap Motion technology. We want our users to have a magical experience, with easy and natural movements in the air leading to amazing interactions.”

Apple joined the Fair Labor Association in 2012 after being slammed with criticism over the working conditions at Foxconn. This prompted Apple and the Chinese company to set forth 360 items to take action on, such as things like correcting issues with a working environment that is too hot, the installation of an adequate number of fire escapes, and more. Thus far, according to a report released yesterday, Foxconn has met 98.3-percent of them.

One of the issues that is still causing grief, however, are working hours, with the report showing that employees are still being forced to work longer than allowed by Chinese labor laws. Per Apple, its suppliers are to have employees work no more than 60 hours every week. Chinese law says that 40 hours weekly is the cap, however, and that overtime can’t amount to more than 36 hours monthly. After being met with criticism, Apple and Foxconn agreed that its workers would be capped at 40 hours per week.

This hasn’t been the case, however. All three facilities had their workers clocking in up to 60 hours a week, with the spat late last year during which the iPhone was released hitting 70 hours a week. According to the Foxconn agreement, the new hour changes wouldn’t be completely implemented until July of this year, giving it a little over a month to correct the issue.

Another area of concern is unions, which have been positively impacted, showing a 20-percent increase in worker representatives over the last report. Said the Fair Labor Association’s President and CEO Auret van Heerden, “When FLA first visited Foxconn last year, the union committees – like those at most other factories in China – were dominated by management. By this time next year, we expect worker participation to be even higher.”

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

The automated highway system was undertaken by a group formed in 1994 called the National Automated Highway System Consortium, which was composed of nine primary organizations including General Motors and the California Department of Transportation. The consortium was required by Congress to demonstrate the feasibility of driverless vehicles by 1997, something it did down to the wire in an on-vehicle demonstration showing a driver behind the wheel of a self-driving car, arms sticking out the window and sunroof. You can see it for yourself in the video below.

The technology involved was quite primitive by today’s standards, with – as the Smithsonian pointed out – such seemingly requisite technologies like consumer GPS not even existing at the time the project was undertaken. And yet, with toggle switch boxes and thick laptops offering less power than the smartphone in your pocket, a system was devised that could take a car through a series of obstacles that it successfully avoided, such as traffic barrels placed in a lane.

As with today, the idea of driverless cars and automated highways drew quite a bit of criticism at the time, with, for example, Marcia Lowe of the Worldwatch Institute saying in 1993, “Smart cars and highways have quietly emerged as the latest and most-expensive proposal to solve the nation’s traffic problems. Government spending on the little known Intelligent Vehicle and Highway Systems program is expected to exceed $40 billion over the next 20 years … despite evidence that smart cars and highways may well exacerbate the very problems they are supposed to solve.”

Why did the progress stall (again, pun intended)? According to the Smithsonian, it was due to the very legislation that provided funding to develop such technologies. The lack of direction was one issue, as well as no solid definition having ever been provided over what the Congressional legislation meant by “automated highways.” As such, while the consortium had an idea and the motivation to take it as far as it did, it lacked a solid singular goal to pursue and dissolved as funding ran out.

Still, one must admire the future mindset of those who undertook the project, and wonder where we would be today had efforts to develop such vehicles continued rather than falling back into the “idea box” – we could very well have had driverless cars in place today, or be much farther along in the process than is reality. If nothing else, this shows that automated cars are more than a novelty idea, and that it is only a matter of time before we’re all kicking back while the car does the work for us.

SOURCE: Smithsonian

The Lenovo K900 was launched at a gala event at the M-Space located in Haidian, and will go on sale this week. The phone is being hocked by Kobe Bryant of the NBA, who is featured in advertisements from Lenovo throughout Southeast Asia and China. Lenovo calls him and his fame “a magnet of attention.” As for the phone, you can check it out in action in our hands on video below.

The Lenovo K900 features a 6.9mm thick unibody chassis, which makes it the most thin phone in its class. To help maintain its thinness, the rear camera is flush with the back panel, and the IPS display lies under Gorilla Glass 2 to help protect it from cracks. Inside, users will find an Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core 2GHz processor with hyper-threading.

Graphics are provided via an Intel GMA PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPU. The camera is one of the phone’s more distinguishing points – and it certainly has a lot of them – with a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor BSI sensor and an F1.8 focal length lens with an 88-degree viewing angle for the front camera. Lenovo says the handset is capable of taking clear photos in a low-light setting without using the flash, something that is difficult to achieve with smartphone cameras.

Lenovo’s Senior Vice President Lio Jun said: “Smartphones are a critical component of Lenovo’s PC+ strategy and the Lenovo K900 is an example of this strategy in action. With its cutting-edge design and intuitive, optimized user experience, K900 offers China’s smartphone users a fresh, new option. At the same time, Lenovo’s smartphone business is growing fast in global markets. In 2013, we will add several new countries to our smartphone footprint, and by year-end we will cover most of the world’s emerging markets.”

Price starts at RMB 3,299 in China.

SOURCE: Lenovo

The information comes from the folks over at CNET, who report that “people familiar with the negotiations” say Apple and Sony Music are in contention over how much Apple will pay when a user listens to part of a song, then skips to the next one. Such an issue is reportedly causing frustration amongst the other labels slated to have their music offered through the service, which they anticipate bolstering the music industry.

Sources also have said that iRadio will offer features not found on what will be the service’s biggest competitor, Pandora, such as rewinding a song they want to hear a second time around. The service will reportedly allow an easy way for listeners to buy a song while using iRadio, and will also give labels a cut of the advertisement revenues generated. Apple is considering using audio advertisements.

Unlike Pandora, Apple has chosen to form individual deals with each music label rather than going by federal stipulations, which could potentially give the service more abilities than Pandora, but comes at the cost of running into negotiation problems. One such difference that could be in iRadio’s benefit from direct deals, for example, is having no limit on the number of songs skipped, or a higher skipping allowance than Pandora, which limits skips on an hourly basis with a daily cap.

While the sources provided some information on the matter, they didn’t specify any particular numbers, such as what Sony is wanting per skipped song and what Apple wants on its part. Reportedly, Apple is seeking to have the same terms across its deals with each music label, and as such could have problems if Sony ended up getting a deal that crunches out with more favorable numbers than the other labels.

SOURCE: CNET

According to the Federal Reserve, the new bill will go into circulation on October 8, will all new bills in that denomination ordered after that date being issued with the new technology. This follows the current design, which was issued back in March 1996, and is aimed at making it more difficult for counterfeiters to replicate the notes. As such, the new design implements a variety of technologies.

As part of the changes, Benjamin Franklin is now larger and slightly raised, with more detailed eyes and with a microprinted “United States of America” in the collar. The combination of these two things will make it harder for counterfeiters to print the bills and easier for those receiving fake bills to notice if something is off, such as missing details or incorrectly rendered aspects of the portrait.

In addition, changes have been made to the watermark so that it duplicates slightly when held up to the light. The gold inkwell visible in the image above has a slightly darker image of the Liberty Bell inside of it, which turns green when the bill is shifted. This is achieved using color-shifting ink, and is designed to be easier to spot due to the contrast between the green and gold colors.

One of the biggest changes is found on the back, with the new note featuring a giant golden “100″ numeral vertically aligned on the left side, with the outside of the numbers being lined with blue ink, and the inside being filled with a striated golden gradient, something that makes it especially hard for counterfeiters to replicate, partly because of the color difficulties and partly because of the large size, which require more attention to detail and makes it easier for someone to notice a mistake. There’s the added bonus of being easier on the eyes for those with visual impairments.

Independence Hall is now pictured from the rear, and the clock on the building has had its time changed from 4:10 to 10:30. And finally, there is a blue woven ribbon near the center of the note composed of 650,000 microlenses that generate $100 signs and 3D Liberty Bells. All commonly used counterfeiting methods are incapable of generating this.

SOURCE: Business Week

The app is available now from the Windows Store, and can be used by both Windows 8 and Windows RT users, meaning it can be used on both a Windows 8 PC and a tablet. For those who don’t require the full expanse of Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Express is a free alternative that offers a variety of photo-editing tools, such as the basics like cropping and red-eye correction, as well as color-adjustment tools and “Looks” photo filters.

Back on January 25, the company rolled out an update to its Express app for iPad, adding support for Retina displays, as well as some other needed features, such as multi-tasking and using the on-board camera. That last feature is now available across the latest version of the software for all devices, including PCs with an attached or integrated webcam.

In case you missed it, earlier this month Adobe rolled out Photoshop CC with integrated collaboration, Behance instant sharing, and more. Such is part of their Creative Cloud online storage, which is a subscription-based service for Adobe users available at a monthly fee. Tools, syncing, and more are offered.

It was also revealed earlier this month that Adobe is working on a Lightroom app for iOS users, an offering that will provide support for editing RAW images. This app will appeal more to the professional market, as well as those who currently use Lightroom. While not exactly the same, the app will be similar to the desktop version of the software, and will allow users to transfer their work to a computer for finalization.

SOURCE: Windows

The Syrian Electronic Army has attacked a variety of media companies, including CBS, The Guardian, E! Online, and even The Onion. Often times, the hackers take control of the company’s Twitter account(s) and use it/them to post messages, some of them coming across as nonsense, others as fake news (such as Justin Bieber coming out of the closet), and sometimes things of a more serious nature, such as the link to a video execution on YouTube posted on one of the Financial Times’ Twitter accounts.

The Financial Times confirmed the hacks to The New York Times in an email, according to the latter company. While the company didn’t specify how the hackers gained access to their system, there’s a good chance it was accomplished the same way its other breaches have been achieved, which was detailed by The Onion earlier this month.

According to a blog post published on May 10, The Onion’s attack was the result of a rather conventional phishing scheme that involved sending links to a few of the company’s employees. The links purported to be of an interesting story, but instead took the recipient to a page requesting Google Apps login information. When someone falls for the ruse, their email is then used to try to message other workers for additional login information.

When someone in possession of the company’s social media accounts takes the bait, the hackers can then log into the account, change the password, and begin wrecking havoc. A similar attack was performed on The Associated Press, with one of the hackers revealing that 50 of the company’s employees had revealed their login information. Such attacks reaffirm that companies should train their employees on how to recognize phishing attempts, as well as taking measures to reduce the amount of damage that can result if someone does provide their credentials.

SOURCE: The New York Times

The request for responses to privacy concerns was sent in a formal letter on behalf of eight Congressmen via the Bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus. The letter poses eight questions, all of which are things – or variations of things – we’ve heard before, such as how Google plans to protect non users’ privacy, if it will be updating its privacy policy and what those updates could look like, and what data it will collect from users

One big question posed concerned the debacle that happened a couple years ago regarding Google’s mining of data from unprotected wireless networks, an action that ultimately got it slapped with a $7 million settlement across 38 states. The eight individuals behind the formal request are wanting Google to detail how it will prevent the unintentional collection of data about Glass users and non-users alike.

Another area the Congressmen are looking for answers concerns facial recognition. Says the letter that was delivered to Google CEO Larry Page, “Is it true that this product would be able to use Facial Recognition Technology to unveil personal information about whomever and even some inanimate objects that the user is viewing?” It follows up with additional questions related to that, such as whether someone who doesn’t use the device would be able to “opt-out” of this feature, and if not, why that is the case.

The letter goes on to detail additional concerns, and sums it up with a request for Google to respond “no later than” June 14. This follows an expansion to the list of places that have banned Glass on May 8, when it was announced the device can’t be used in Caesers Palace in Las Vegas due to concerns about cheating.

SOURCE: House.gov

Tesla sells its popular electric vehicle via its own website, as well as its expanding series of retail stores. Such is the nature of Tesla Motors, and it is working well for them, doing all the work – right down to delivering the vehicle – on its own. Consumers don’t seem to mind. That hasn’t stopped North Carolina from going after the company – and others offering direct vehicle sales – via a legislative proposal.

Under the bill, which is being pushed heavily by the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association, no car maker would be allowed to directly sell its own vehicles within the state, thus eschewing traditional conventions of dealerships. Late yesterday, the NC Senate’s Commerce Committee approved the proposal – unanimously – to block such actions. Despite its unanimous approval, the resulting bill will be reduced in some ways, such as removing wording that designates any service providing a computer that is used to order a Tesla Model S as a dealership.

Not surprisingly, Tesla Motors isn’t happy about the approved proposal, nor the thought of being forced to offer its vehicles through state dealerships. The direct sales method of offering the buying public its vehicles is part of Tesla’s image – it gives the vehicle purchase that little something extra, a feel of being super special or getting something that transcends the normal.

In fact, Tesla Motor’s VP of Corporate and Business Development Diarmuid O’Connell compared being forced to sell through dealerships as being like selling a fine wine in a mall’s food court. “They’re trying to insulate the dealer franchise model from any competition. It’s a protectionist move to lock down the market so we have to go through the middleman – the dealer – to sell our cars.”

SOURCE: News Observer

Under the hood, the Archos 80 xenon offers a quad-core Qualcomm 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, and while the announcement fails to mention how much on-board storage space there is, there’s a microSD expansion slot that supports up to 64GB cards. Around back, there’s a 2-megapixel camera, which is more or less average for tablets in this range.

The 8-inch IPS display has a resolution of 1024 x 768 and supports multi-touch. The slate runs Android Jelly Bean 4.1, and as mentioned above has an unlocked SIM, allowing users to pop in whatever they’d like to use, whether it’s a prepaid SIM or one as part of a contract plan. There’s integrated GPS, allowing the slate to be used as a navigational tool in conjunction with Navigation or another GPS app.

Hardware aside, there are a variety of apps, such as the Archos Media Center Applications suite, which is composed of various media offerings for video and audio, as well as media sharing. That is in addition to the pre-installed Google apps, such as Gmail, Google Talk, and Google+, due to the tablet being Google-certified.

Said Loïc Poirier, CEO of Archos: “We designed the ARCHOS 80 xenon to meet the growing need and desire for large screen connectivity while on the go. Taking advantage of the recent arrival of affordable 3G subscriptions, the ARCHOS 80 xenon provides a full connected tablet experience anywhere, anytime.” The device is slated to his shelves in the US and UK this June.

SOURCE: Android Community

Users can type an English phrase and receive its Klingon translation in the proper alphabet, and for those times when you need a Klingon translation, you can reverse the process and enter the alien phrases, in turn getting the English translation. The feature is available via the Web version of Bing, and via the Bing Translator app for Windows Phone 8 with the update Microsoft rolled out.

Microsoft went into detail on how the translation process project was performed over on MSDN, offering an explanation in both English and another in Klingon, for those fluent among us. The project was done in partnership with the Klingon Language Institute, and was particularly difficult because of the lack of substantial texts in the language, let alone transcribed texts.

That is where the fan community came in, providing feedback and corrections. The translation engine was trained with an initial bought of transcribed Klingon texts using the Microsoft Translator Hub. Over time, the combination of these two things resulted in more accurate results as the project progressed and was refined, and finally the finished project, which is now available.

You can get a translation in either Latin script or in its native plqaD script, but Microsoft advises that you must manually select the language rather than relying on Auto-Detect. If the translation option isn’t enough for you, there’s also a widget that can be added to websites, allowing visitors to translate the pages into the Star Trek language. And just for the record, this is how you say SlashGear in Klingon:

SOURCE: Bing

Last month, 20-year-old Jake Davis, 26-year-old Ryan Ackroyd, and 18-year-old Mustafa al-Bassam plead guilty to charges of cyberattacking the NHS, News International, and Sony. On top of those, Ackroyd in particular also plead guilty to plotting attacks on other websites in addition to a computer hacking charge. Al-Bassam and Davis, in addition to the aforementioned, plead guilty to conspiring to attack various law enforcement agencies in both the US and UK.

While those three plead guilty last month, 21-year-old Ryan Cleary, who was also sentenced today, had already plead guilty in his own legal spat, which consisted of six various related charges. The guilty pleas were entered about two years after the attacks for which they were sentenced took place. Out of the four, Ackroyd had been the only to initially maintain his innocence.

Now that the sentencing is complete, we see that Cleary was given a 32-month prison sentence, Ackroyd a 30-month sentence, and Davis a 24-month sentence. Al-Bassam was the only one to side-step a prison sentence, instead receiving a 20-month suspended sentence because – though now an adult – he was only 16-years-old when he committed the cyberattacks, making him a minor. Instead, he will perform 300 hours of community service.

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Andrew Hadik said: “The harm they caused was foreseeable, extensive and intended. Indeed, they boasted of how clever they were with a complete disregard for the impact their actions had on real people’s lives. This case should serve as a warning to other cybercriminals that they are not invincible.”

SOURCE: BBC News

Intel’s involvement in the mobile market has been limited, although it is both present and growing. ZTE, for example, unveiled an Intel-powered smartphone – the Grand X2 In – yesterday, while its previous Grand X In was dubbed the first Intel-Inside smartphone running Ice Cream Sandwich last August. Likewise, earlier this month Intel revealed an overhauled Atom processor lineup to help it compete with Qualcomm and get a better footing in the smartphone chip market.

There was one area in particular where – in hindsight – the company missed a solid opportunity to become fully entrenched in the mobile industry, however: providing chips for Apple’s iPhone. Such was one of the areas discussed by Otellini in an interview with The Atlantic. Said the former Intel CEO about the matter:

“The thing you have to remember is that this was before the iPhone was introduced and no one knew what the iPhone would do… At the end of the day, there was a chip that they were interested in that they wanted to pay a certain price for and not a nickel more and that price was below our forecasted cost. I couldn’t see it. It wasn’t one of these things you can make up on volume. And in hindsight, the forecasted cost was wrong and the volume was 100x what anyone thought.”

The past is the past, however, and new CEO Krzanich is looking to the future. He conceded at the shareholder’s meeting today that Intel did, indeed, miss the mark, being slow to enter the mobile industry with “tablets and some of the mobile computing.” He says that the company has a solid base, however, and from such a foundation will make a concerted effort towards going up from there.

According to Reuters, the CEO has already met with manufacturers, and is seeking guidance from them on the current state of the market, where its future lies, and what those customers need Intel to do in light of those two things. Such information is aiding Intel in adjustments to its product choices and architecture. Said Intel CFO Stacy Smith: “I think the emphasis is important. A focus on the end-customer, a focus on execution and a really strong focus on the ultra-mobile segment of the business. That’s pretty important.”

SOURCE: Reuters and The Atlantic

You’ve likely seen the type of YouTube videos being referenced – they’re uploaded by gamers who brag about their skills, showcasing headshots or coin counts or any other such achievements worth their weight in digital praise. Others are of the more utilitarian variety, featuring step-by-step visual walkthroughs of hard-to-beat missions, as well as walkthroughs of complete levels from the game’s beginning to end.

The sticking point in the issue is that each video is displaying the video game maker’s intellectual property, and for that reason the company can have the content pulled. Rather than take that route, Nintendo has decided to fill its coffers, so to speak, with their customer’s content by reaping the advertisement revenue. Said the company, “We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube. That is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property.”

This will be achieved by targeting videos that meet certain requirements, such as displaying Nintendo game footage, as well as the duration that footage is visible on the video. Such videos will have advertisements placed either at the beginning of the content, somewhere in the middle, or at the end, depending on the video. Those proceeds will go to Nintendo, and the content creator’s ability to garner ad revenue is eliminated.

As you might imagine, the backlash over this has been large, with many stating they will no longer upload content of Nintendo games – some going so far as to say they’ll stop playing them entirely – until the issue is sorted and Nintendo stops leeching off their content. One such gamer that will be affected is Zack Scott, who said on his Facebook that unlike movies and TV shows, every game play is unique, and for this reason Nintendo is in the wrong. Viewers aren’t watching to see Nintendo’s content, but rather the means by which to beat a mission and to hear commentary on the game.

SOURCE: BBC News

It’s not likely anyone would want to run Ubuntu on Glass as a full-time deal, but seeing it done and knowing it is possible is certainly intriguing. The process involves using Launcher, Notepad, and Settings via adb, along with some apps like Complete Linux Installer and Android Terminal Emulator. Likewise, a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad will need to be paired to the device. Taking it a step further, the bootloader can be unlocked after this and the device flashed with a different image, providing root access.

If such a prospect is making you excited and you’re not a current Explorer edition owner, don’t get your hopes too high. The folks over at Geek report that, during the session, employees suggested the version set to hit shelves in the coming months won’t make the process this easy, and that the ease with which current owners can achieve such things is to foster as much development progress as possible.

Other Glass information that has surfaced at the event includes word from Sergey Brin that Glass will receive a software update in the future that brings stabilization to the wearable’s camera, helping combat the shakiness/unsteadiness issue that results from a head-mounted camera. No details about how that will be accomplished were provided, but we’re guessing it’ll involve the device’s various sensors and gyroscopes to offer digital stabilization.

Earlier today it was announced that Glass will be getting more apps, including ones for Facebook, Twitter, and Evernote. The design aspects of the device were also covered today via a talk by Glass’s lead industrial designer Isabelle Olsson, who showed off one of the original prototypes in all its bulky, heavy strangeness.

SOURCE: Engadget

The app was created by the New Zealand Amnesty International, and takes place outside of Facebook on its own website. After a brief introduction detailing the freedoms many of us enjoy and the lack of said freedoms in many places across this world, the app then requests permission to access your Facebook. After granting it, your social account will be analyzed, with your friends being “interrogated” and the things you’ve said in statuses, have liked, participated in, and listed potentially being used against you.

Once the “investigation” is over, a list of your crimes begin to scroll across the screen, followed by a list of your punishment and the various countries where you would be guilty. This is done alongside eye-catching graphics and a slowly scrolling animation. At the end of it all, you’re presented with a map of your sentencing, which displays in graph form the different types of punishments you would have received and for which statuses.

For example, I was personally found guilty – based on my Facebook information – of 4 crimes totaling 85 convictions in 67 different countries. For my crimes, my punishment graph shows 44 beatings, 24 instances of imprisonment, one lashing, a couple dozen spats of torture, and being killed nine times over again by extremists.

The purpose of the app is to draw attention to human rights issues across the world and bring attention to the lack of freedom in many locations (let’s hope you didn’t pop up with a violation or two in your own country). It has the added effect of bringing the dose of perspective we all need at times about the things we take for granted, and perhaps a small reminder to be careful what we post for the world the see.

Note: The app fails partway through when using Google Chrome, but is tested as working with Internet Explorer and Firefox.

SOURCE: Trial by Timeline

In addition to being in good standing, the YouTube channel must have a minimum of one thousand subscribers. The sticking point, however, is that neither of the two alone seem to guarantee that you’ll be granted access to the feature, instead making you eligible to apply for it. Says YouTube, after enabling the Live button, users will gain access to the feature “in the following weeks,” all of which is a rather obtuse explanation of the expansion.

You can find out rather quickly if you meet the requirements by heading into the Account Features page and scrolling to the bottom of the listing. At the end of the list is the “Live” feature with a radio button. If you see a clickable button that says “Enable,” you’ll eligible to apply. If you’re not for whatever reason, such as bad standing or too few subscribers, you’ll see the following instead:

There are three categories in which an account is monitored for good or sub-par standing: Community Guidelines, Copyright Strikes, and Content ID Claims. All three are likewise listed on the Account Features page, each with a radio button and rating next to it. All three radio buttons must display a green light and the phrase “Good Standing.”

YouTube specifies the standards for gaining – and remaining – in good standing in its Community Guidelines. If you are granted the live streaming feature, you’ll be able to use any live video stream, with the ability to implement various camera angles, advertisements, slates, and close captioning. The live streams are supported across multiple devices, and can be watched from a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

SOURCE: YouTube

The study looks at Internet users age 16 and older, and not surprisingly it is that youngest age group that has the highest rate of Internet usage, with 97.1-percent of the 16 to 24-year-olds age group having used the Web within the last three months. Jumping to the other end of the scale, however, only 34.3-percent of those aged 75 and older have used the Internet.

While it isn’t particularly surprising that the elderly are the least among Internet users, it is also not surprising that they are the demographic most quickly adopting an online presence, with the number of users having jumped 3.6-percent over the previous year to 30.7-percent at the end of 2012. Between the two age groups, we see a slight-but-steady drop in users moving from the youngest to the oldest age groups.

An area that shows an interesting trend is the fairly rapid decline of female Internet users compared to male users as one progresses through the age groups. While female users and male users are nearly identical (down to a tenth of a percent, in some cases) in the three youngest age groups – going up to 54-year-olds – the number of female users starts declining compared to male users in larger percentages from age 55 onward.

In the oldest age group, 43.7-percent of men use the Internet compared to only 27.3-percent of women. Also shown by the study was that out of the European Union, the United Kingdom has the highest rate of overall Internet users compared to other locations.

SOURCE: The Guardian

According to Heiner’s statements earlier this year, Google purposely passed down commands to YouTube to keep Windows Phone from having the same full-blown app iOS and Android users enjoy. “But just last month we [at Microsoft] learned from YouTube that senior executives at Google told them not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones.”

Fast-forward nearly six months, and Google has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Microsoft, demanding that the YouTube application be pulled and disabled on handsets by next Wednesday, May 22. This is due to two reasons: the lack of advertisements, and the ability to download videos that have been marked as unavailable for those accessing on smartphones and tablets. According to the letter, the lack of ads and download feature are harming the YouTube “content ecosystem” and decreasing ad revenue.

The claims aren’t bothering Microsoft, it would seem, with the Windows Phone YouTube app remaining available. Shortly after news of the cease-and-desist surfaced, Microsoft responded with a candid, if not somewhat biting, statement: “We’d be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs. In light of Larry Page’s comments today calling for more interoperability and less negativity, we look forward to solving this matter together for our mutual customers.”

In light of the accusations Heiner made earlier this year, such a response from Microsoft isn’t surprising. The question now is how Google will respond, which we’ll have to wait for until next week (assuming the app remains). Microsoft may elect to keep the app available and to allow it to remain functional on users’ devices, which is suggested by its response.

SOURCE: ars technica

The feature is available for Web, iOS, and Android users, and adds the features you find with other ebooks – bookmarking, highlighting, making notes, access to a dictionary, etc. Those custom made aspects, such as notes, are also synced with the cloud, making them available across multiple devices, such as a smartphone and a tablet.

Two different types of electronic book files are supported: PDF and ePUB. Uploads have to be done via the upload URL at Google Play, at which point the files can then be accessed via whatever devices you want, bookmarks, highlights, and such all automatically synced. Also tossed into the mix is a new confirmation dialog that will ask if you want to un-download a book, preventing you from accidentally purging a file from your library.

In addition to the new upload feature, the latest update also brings with it a refreshed Google Play Books design, with changes being made in a few different areas, among them being the library and end-of-book recommendation page. The Table of Contents view has also been tweaked. That rounds up the significant changes, with the rest being small improvements to stability and performance, which you may notice after updating.

This follows some other changes that have been rolled out to Google Play Books in the recent past. In December, “Read Aloud” and zooming capabilities were added, while on March 20, Google Play Books was rolled out in Mexico, giving ebook access to a previously unavailable market. The Play Books offerings include both international bestsellers and titles local to the area.

SOURCE: Google+

Perhaps the ZTE Grand X2 In’s greatest claim to fame is the hardware found under its hood – a dual-core Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz processor, as well as 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM (storage expansion available via microSD up to 32GB). The Intel-Inside aspect aside, the handset also has a higher-end display, measuring in at 4.5-inches with an HD 1280 x 720 resolution. The phone runs Android Jelly Bean.

Another notable feature on the Grand X2 In is its 8-megapixel rear camera, which – in addition to offering 1080p recording – also features a rapid-shot mode capable of up to 24-frames-per-second without shutter lag. There’s also smart scene and facial recognition, and a real-time x2 axis stabilizer. There’s also auto-focus, an automatic flash, and a 1-megapixel front camera for video chatting.

The ZTE Grand X2 In also offers wireless display sharing (WiDi), as well as an unspecified integrated audio enhancement technology said to make the resulting audio of a higher quality. The phone itself is seamless and features a soft-touch finish, which helps keep fingerprints to a minimum. The battery has a decent capacity at 2,000mAh.

ZTE France’s Terminal Director William Chhao said: “We are proud to announce the ZTE Grand X2 In smartphone pursuing our multi-year strategic collaboration with Intel. The ZTE Grand X2 In is set to build on the success of the ZTE Grand X In, our first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and further increase ZTE’s growth in the high-performance smartphone market segment.”

SOURCE: Business Wire

Bhalla is the CEO of security company Security Compass, which specializes in breaking into the security sytems of organizations and companies, exposing any vulnerabilities and issues that compromise data – or, in this case, allow someone to run off with millions of dollars. A bank located in the United States – name not provided – hired Bhalla’s company to test its system.

As we noted, the system wasn’t secure, and as a result Bhalla set himself up a checking account and funded it with $14 million that didn’t exist – money generated on the fly, so to speak. He then went over to the ATM machine and grabbed a receipt, which you can see an image of above, confirming that he was now – temporarily, at least – a multi-millionaire. Needless to say, such a massive infiltration “shocked” the bank, and it closed down his account before sprucing up its network security.

Not stopping there, he spoke to the folks over at CNN, detailing how the process of acquiring the funds went, and, in doing so, demonstrated how other stores, banks, and organizations could potentially suffer at the hands of the technically-inclined unscrupulous. The first step, as you likely guessed, was gaining access to the bank’s network, which Bhalla says it is simple to do by latching on to its wireless network – something many banks provide for its customers to use as a courtesy.

From there, it was only a matter of using freely available sniffer software to map the bank’s computer network, followed by flooding the network’s switches to gather data. He found log-in information for a teller’s computer, which didn’t use encryption when sending data to the bank’s main database. As such, Bhalla had free reign, and used it to create a bank account with $14 million in funds, something that would likely go undetected until well after he transferred the funds overseas and left the country.

Such a revelation comes only days after eight individuals were charged with swiping $45 million from ATM machines.

SOURCE: CNN Money

Strongbox was created by Kevin Poulsen and the late Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide earlier this year after intense legal pressure following his JSTOR hacking debacle. It is an extension of DeadDrop, the code of which will be made open source and released for other companies and individuals to use. Unlike traditional methods for submitting tips and information, Strongbox aims to keep the tipster anonymous, and makes it so the recipient won’t be able to determine from where the information comes.

The Strongbox system is both fairly simple and quite involved, with several steps happening between the sharing of the tip and access of the information on the receiving end. Tipsters have to access Tor in order to upload a file or message (which are encrypted using PGP), and will receive a randomly generated alias. The files are then shuttled off to a server that is isolated from the recipient’s network and checked regularly by those with access.

If information has been received, the recipient downloads it via a VPN-connected laptop onto a flash drive, then decrypts the files on a secondary laptop running a live CD that is wiped with every restart using a second thumb drive containing the decryption keys. From there, the recipient can then return a message if desired via Strongbox, and the tipster can receive it by accessing the system using the randomly-generated alias that was assigned.

Poulsen talks about the project in his own write up, detailing how it was initiated and the work that went into it, mixed it with a personal perspective on the man himself and the weeks leading up to his untimely passing days after a launch date for the project had been set.

SOURCE: The New Yorker

Julian Knight is known as the Hoddle Street killer, having committed one of the worst massacres in Australia over a decade ago in 1987. Knight was convicted of killing seven people and injuring 19, but has confessed to 17 more murders, all things earning him the 7 consecutive life sentences he is serving in prison. The 44-year-old is apparently looking to make those life sentences a little less tedious, because now he’s asking for a PlayStation 3.

The issue started in 2006 when Knight requested to have a computer in his prison cell, claiming it would be used to perform research and to prepare materials to be used later on in a bid to get a release date from the courts. His request was denied. And then denied again. Such denials have continued for seven years now. Such denials have prompted legal action on his part, with the inmate serving a legal subpoena to the government for records of other inmates who have been granted computers.

Said Knight on the issue of the computer: “This cause of action has been going for seven years, this is now the eighth proceeding. I only have to walk around the prison and I can see with my own eyes who has a computer and who doesn’t. I’m the only prisoner who has made applications to have a computer who has had it denied and denied repeatedly.”

And so now, in addition to seeking the computer, he is also seeking to have a PlayStation 3 console in his prison cell. Because Knight is known as a vexatious litigant – someone who takes legal action for the purpose of being annoying, essentially – he is being forced to get permission before proceeding with his legal case, however. Attempts to get electronic devices in prison cells isn’t new, but has been steadily increasing as the world becomes a more digital place.

SOURCE: Herald Sun

With the HP Split x2, consumers get a 13.3-inch high-definition touchscreen display that can be detached from the base, which contains an extra optional hard drive for additional storage on top of the storage in the detachable unit. As with the dual hard drives, there are dual batteries for “ultramobility,” all of it wrapped up in a soft-coated shell to keep fingerprints to a minimum.

Under the hood, users will find a 3rd-generation Intel Core processor (Core i3 and Core i5 options) and up to 8GB of RAM, while audio is provided via Beats Audio and HP Connected Music. There’s a multi-finger ClickPad trackpad, as well as a 2-megapixel HP TrueVision Full HD integrated webcam for video chatting. Storage can be expanded via an SD card slot in the base and a microSD card slot in the slate. You can see the device in action in the video above.

There are the various software trimmings you’d expect, such as support tools and other similar resources, as well as various warranty options for protection against accidents. The HP Split x2 is slated to hit shelves in the United State this upcoming August, and will have a starting price of $799.99.

Said HP’s Senior VP of Consumer PCs Ron Coughlin: “Customers want to access and share content anywhere, anytime, on any internet connected device-and they expect those connections to be seamless. The HP SlateBook x2 and the HP Split x2 are next-generation devices and the latest examples of our continued commitment to evolving the computing experience by providing the flexibility necessary for customers to be productive at home, at the office or on the go.”

It was only last month that Google pushed out a redesigned Play Store, but that hasn’t stopped it from rolling out additional changes. The 6-button layout has been switched up with some small user interface changes that makes it look better, such as the colors being boosted and some other changes you’ll notice. This update takes the Play Store from version 4.0.27 to 4.1.6.

The menu text has been refined for consistency, and the uninstall/install buttons have been tweaked as well, with some extra space stuffed between them, fixing a common complaint heard in feedback due to users hitting uninstall when they meant to tap “Update.” In additional, there’s now a new option called “app data sync,” which users will find under Google account sync options. This feature syncs and saves app data to the cloud.

More information will be learned at the event tomorrow, but in all likelihood it points at game saves and app settings (between devices, as well, though we don’t know that for sure yet). The much rumored “Play Games” from Google will use this new feature for cloud saving of game data. Meanwhile, the Play Store has some other smallish user interface changes, such as an altered “redeem giftcard” popup and a switcheroo back to a white settings page.

There are a bunch of small changes, which you can check out for yourself after nabbing the app updates, which should be rolling your way tonight or in the morning. If you’re impatient, you can hit up the download link we have below. Stay tuned, and we’ll bring you more info tomorrow!

Download: Play Store 4.1.6

SOURCE: Android Community

The feature, which is being rolled out over the course of the next few days, integrates your existing Gmail contacts so that they can see and message them from within Outlook.com, matching them with integrated contacts you might have from other services as well, such as Skype. The information is then available via the contact information summary page.

Initiating a chat with Google contacts can be done from both Outlook.com and SkyDrive once they’re connected. The feature – when it rolls your way – will appear under “Add people to chat with,” showing up as a Google contacts option. After selecting it, another window will open with Google’s “Request for Permission” page detailing what permissions Microsoft will be granted, including access to contacts, basic account info, and the ability to view and send chats.

Once you grant permission (by clicking “Allow access”), your Google contacts will be synced with the Microsoft account, appearing under the contact list with native Outlook.com contacts. As mentioned, the chat ability is also available on SkyDrive in addition to Calendar, the inbox, and People. For example, according to Microsoft, when working on a document, two contacts can chat from within SkyDrive, making real-time editing communication easier.

Says Microsoft, the feature is rolling out now, so some lucky users might already have access to the feature. Those who aren’t seeing it yet will by the end of the week, according to the announcement. In the meantime, users are advised that some “quirks” may present themselves over the course of the week as a result of the update. Likewise, users are told to keep an eye on SkyDrive, as that is where it’ll pop up first, followed by your inbox, then finally People.

SOURCE: Office

Earlier today, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced that they have joined the “It Can Wait” campaign, which was created by AT&T in 2012 and is slated to begin circulating advertisements on May 20. The carriers aren’t the only ones working towards eradicating texting while driving, however, with in excess of 200 organizations and companies also slated to come on board.

The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to the dangers of texting while driving, with it primarily targeting teenage drivers. For this reason, the project is set to run radio, TV, online, and in-store advertisements throughout the summer when teenagers are more likely to engage in the activity. The campaign will run through Labor Day.

As part of the campaign, teenagers and other commuters are being encouraged to make an anti-texting-while-driving pledge, doing so on the official It Can Wait website or via its Facebook account. The campaign is also ramping up on Twitter under the hashtag #itcanwait. Videos are already circulating for the campaign, with everyone being encouraged to share stories for the public on texting while driving.

In addition to the advertisements, It Can Wait’s website also features a texting-while-driving simulation game that demonstrates the difficulties and dangerous in sending a text message while operating a vehicle. While the co-branded aspect of the campaign will end on Labor Day, the project itself will continue beyond it.

SOURCE: PC World

The biggest difference between the coronal mass ejection unleashed last month and these two, however, is that April’s CME was an M-class, while these two are X-class. An X-class solar flare is approximately ten times more powerful than an M-class flare, obviously bringing with it potential for higher damages. The first flare, occurring on May 12, was an X1.7, while the second flare, occurring on May 13, was an X2.8, making it 2013′s strongest thus far. Both resulted in coronal mass ejections.

The X1.7 solar flare reached its peak at about 10PM at night, and earned the designation of 2013′s first X-class solar flare. The coronal mass ejection that followed was not directed towards Earth, but the radiation resulting from the flare did cause some radio blackouts, which have since been restored. According to NASA, this particular CME left the sun going 745 miles per hour.

A couple hours later, just after midnight, the X2.8 solar flare was unleashed, coming out twice as powerful as the first one and making it the biggest so far this year. The coronal mass ejection that followed was launched at 1200 miles per second and aimed towards NASA’s STEREO-B, Spitzer, and Messenger spacecrafts. While there was a risk of damage, the agency said the crafts could be switched into safe mode if necessary.

Solar flares are currently happening at a more rapid rate than typical because the sun’s activity cycle, which lasts 11 years, is nearing its solar maximum, which is slated to happen later this year. NASA assures readers that the solar flares are normal, and that these are the first this year of a cycle that began back in early 2011, with the one that happened on May 13, 2013 being the 15th in the cycle.

SOURCE: NASA

The information comes from sources who spoke to the folks over at The Verge, also reporting that Google has penned deals with both Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. Such deals will provide the rumored subscription service with access to vast quantities of artists. This is in addition to deal with Warner Music Group reported by Fortune back on March 5.

While the rumor that surfaced earlier this year said that Google will be offering a free music streaming service, The New York Times has stated that its sources say that won’t be the case, with only a for-pay subscription model being offered. That is disappointing, but the subscription service – although no numbers have been dropped yet – is likely to be priced similar to its competition, meaning $10 or less monthly.

We still haven’t heard whether the service will only be available to those located in the United States or elsewhere as well. And while information on what, precisely, the service will be like is unknown, word has it the subscription model will compete with Spotify and similar other companies, meaning it will probably share some of the same functionality.

The information hasn’t been confirmed, with all three record labels declining comment and Google obviously having nothing to say on the matter. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to see if the sources pan out, with the announcement slated for tomorrow. We’re currently at the event, and will let you know as soon as we hear anything.

SOURCE: The Verge

The email, says Marlinspike, appeared in his inbox one day with the alluring subject line: Solution for monitoring encrypted data on telecom. Though he wasn’t interested in helping, he did respond to the agent’s email, initiating a correspondence that the programmer says lasted for a week. The end result was revelation of telecommunication company Mobily’s current project for intercepting data from mobile applications, with particular emphasis on Line, Viber, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

Reportedly, Mobily’s Executive Manager of Network & Information Security Yasser D. Alruhaily is at the helm of the project, which was initiated by someone referred to as “the initiator.” Marlinspike believes “the initiator” to be the Saudi government, but it doesn’t sound like that information was ever explicitly provided.

In one of the emails from Mobily that were published, it is revealed the telecom company is looking for information on how to go about intercepting traffic from mobile apps, whether a workaround exists for accomplishing that task, and if there are any other places it could approach in regards to the project. Marlinspike goes on to specify that one document they provided indicates using SSL certificates for interception, as well as SSL exploits and vulnerabilities.

Word has it a WhatsApp interception prototype is up and working.

So, what is compelling such an action? Terrorism, according to a message Marlinspike posted from Mobily. The telecom company, after being informed that he wouldn’t help them, said that Saudi Arabia has a “big terrorist problem” with those responsible using the aforementioned mobile apps – and others – to transmit information. The telecom company then goes on to say that because of this its actions are not only necessary, but Marlinspike’s refusal to help is indirectly aiding terrorist activities.

SOURCE: Thought Crime

According to NASA, which announced the safe arrival on its Google+, Expedition 35′s crew landed in a remote area located outside of the tongue-twister of a city, Dzhezkazgan, after having spent nearly half a year on the International Space Station. The crew, listed from left to right in the image above, is: Commander Chris Hadfield from Canada, Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko from Russia, and Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn of NASA.

Hadfield, in particular, has become quite the popular individual, having actively engaged with an on-Earth audience multiple times from his position above, such as back in April when he answered a question on camera about what happens when wringing a wet washcloth. Just watching the process of spraying the water into the cloth is fascinating enough, not to mention seeing the water cling to the cloth and run down his hands.

While that demonstration, along with the others, his social media presence, Reddit AMA, and more have all been entertaining, we’d argue nothing tops his final stand yesterday when he bade farewell to the ISS by singing David Bowie’s Space Oddity. The video shows some candid shots of our blue planet out the windows, as well as a what it looks like to wield a guitar in a gravity-free environment.

On May 10, two astronauts aboard the ISS were forced to take a spacewalk to repair an ammonia coolant leak that had developed in the space station, a particularly dangerous reality given that the station is powered by the coolant. Fortunately, all ended well, with Tom Marhsburn and Chris Cassidy replacing a pump controller over the course of 5.5 hours.

SOURCE: NASA (G+)