By by Glenn Chapman - Thu Oct 29, 2009 2:19PM EDT
LOS ANGELES (AFP) -
Technology stars, pundits, and entrepreneurs joined the Internet's father on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his culture-changing child.
"It's the 40th year since the infant Internet first spoke," said University of California, Los Angeles, professor Leonard Kleinrock, who headed the team that first linked computers online in 1969.
Kleinrock led an anniversary event that blended reminiscence of the Internet's past with debate about its future.
"There is going to be an ongoing controversy about where we have been and where we are going," said Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the popular news and blog website that bears her name.
"It is not just about the Internet; it is about our times. We are going to need desperately to tap into the better angels of our nature and make our lives not just about ourselves but about our communities and our world."
Huffington was on hand to discuss the power the Internet gives to grass roots organizers on a panel with Kleinrock and Social Brain Foundation director Isaac Mao.
"The Internet is a democratizing element; everyone has an equivalent voice," Kleinrock said. "There is no way back at this point. We can't turn it off. The Internet Age is here."
Leonard Kleinrock never imagined Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube that day 40 years ago when his team gave birth to what is now taken for granted as the Internet.
"The net is penetrating every aspect of our lives," Kleinrock said to a room of about 200 people and an equal number watching online.
"As a teenager the Internet is behaving badly, the dark side has emerged. The question is when it grows into a young adult will it get over this period of misbehaving?"
Kleinrock referred to spam emails, online scams and malicious software spread by crooks as an unexpected dark side of the Internet.
On October 29, 1969 Kleinrock led a team that got a computer at UCLA to "talk" to one at a research institute.
Kleinrock was driven by a certainty that computers were destined to speak to each other and that the resulting network should be as simple to use as telephones.
A key to getting computers to exchange data was breaking digitized information into packets fired between on-demand with no wasting of time, according to Kleinrock.
Engineers began typing "LOG" to log into the distant computer, which crashed after getting the "O."
"So, the first message was 'Lo' as in 'Lo and behold'," Kleinrock recounted. "We couldn't have a better, more succinct first message."
Kleinrock's team logged in on the second try, sending digital data packets between computers on the ARPANET. Computers at two other US universities were added to the network by the end of that year.
Funding came from the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) established in 1958 in response to the launch of a Sputnik space flight by what was then the Soviet Union.
US leaders were in a technology race with Cold War rival Russia.
The National Science Foundation added a series of super computers to the network in the late 1980s, opening the online community to more scientists.
The Internet caught the public's attention in the form of email systems in workplaces and ignited a "dot-com" industry boom that went bust at the turn of the century.
Kleinrock, 75, sees the Internet spreading into everything.
"The next step is to move it into the real world," Kleinrock said. "The Internet will be present everywhere. I will walk into a room and it will know I am there. It will talk back to me."
Showing posts with label SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Ariz. court rules records law covers 'metadata'
By PAUL DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer - Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:19PM EDT
PHOENIX -
Hidden data embedded in electronic public records must be disclosed under Arizona's public records law, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case that attracted interest from media and government organizations.
The Supreme Court's unanimous decision overturned lower courts' rulings and is one of the first decisions by a state appellate court on whether a public records law applies to so-called "metadata" — data about data.
Metadata can show how and when a document was created or revised and by whom. The information isn't visible when a document is printed on paper nor does it appear on screen in normal settings.
"It would be illogical, and contrary to the policy of openness underlying the public records law, to conclude that public entities can withhold information embedded in an electronic document, such as the date of creation, while they would be required to produce the same information if it were written manually on a paper public records," Justice Scott Bales wrote.
A Washington state appellate court ruled last year that metadata in e-mail received by a city's deputy mayor was a public record under Washington's public records law.
Unlike Arizona's public records law, the Washington law specifically says the data is subject to disclosure. That case is pending before the Washington Supreme Court.
The Arizona ruling came in a case involving a demoted Phoenix police officer's request for data embedded in notes written by a supervisor. The officer got a printed copy of the records but said he wanted the metadata to see whether the supervisor backdated the notes to before the officer's demotion.
Upholding a trial judge, the midlevel state Court of Appeals in January ruled 2-1 that metadata doesn't constitute a public record subject to disclosure requirements.
When the officer appealed, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns filed a brief citing burdens of complying with requests for metadata and urging the justices to uphold the lower courts' rulings. The Associated Press and other media organizations filed briefs asking the court to rule that the public records law applies to metadata.
___
The case is Lake vs. City of Phoenix, CV-09-0036-PR.
___
On the Net:
Arizona Supreme Court: http://www.supreme.state.az.us
PHOENIX -
Hidden data embedded in electronic public records must be disclosed under Arizona's public records law, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case that attracted interest from media and government organizations.
The Supreme Court's unanimous decision overturned lower courts' rulings and is one of the first decisions by a state appellate court on whether a public records law applies to so-called "metadata" — data about data.
Metadata can show how and when a document was created or revised and by whom. The information isn't visible when a document is printed on paper nor does it appear on screen in normal settings.
"It would be illogical, and contrary to the policy of openness underlying the public records law, to conclude that public entities can withhold information embedded in an electronic document, such as the date of creation, while they would be required to produce the same information if it were written manually on a paper public records," Justice Scott Bales wrote.
A Washington state appellate court ruled last year that metadata in e-mail received by a city's deputy mayor was a public record under Washington's public records law.
Unlike Arizona's public records law, the Washington law specifically says the data is subject to disclosure. That case is pending before the Washington Supreme Court.
The Arizona ruling came in a case involving a demoted Phoenix police officer's request for data embedded in notes written by a supervisor. The officer got a printed copy of the records but said he wanted the metadata to see whether the supervisor backdated the notes to before the officer's demotion.
Upholding a trial judge, the midlevel state Court of Appeals in January ruled 2-1 that metadata doesn't constitute a public record subject to disclosure requirements.
When the officer appealed, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns filed a brief citing burdens of complying with requests for metadata and urging the justices to uphold the lower courts' rulings. The Associated Press and other media organizations filed briefs asking the court to rule that the public records law applies to metadata.
___
The case is Lake vs. City of Phoenix, CV-09-0036-PR.
___
On the Net:
Arizona Supreme Court: http://www.supreme.state.az.us
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Bad weather delays NASA new rocket test flight
By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn, Ap Aerospace Writer – 5 mins ago:
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA tried for hours Tuesday to launch its newest rocket for a shakedown flight, but clouds and high wind kept it stuck on the pad.
Liftoff of the Ares I-X rocket — the first step in the space agency's tentative back-to-the-moon program — was reset for Wednesday.
Besides poor weather, launch controllers had to deal with an odd assortment of technical trouble, everything from a snagged cover for the rocket's tiptop probe to a cargo ship that strayed into an ocean danger zone under the flight path.
Launch director Ed Mango and his team came within two minutes and 39 seconds of sending the rocket on its short test flight. But a big cloud moved over the pad, and the flip-flopping weather was just too much to overcome for the remainder of the four-hour launch window.
Mango finally halted the countdown for good and ordered everyone back Wednesday morning for another try. The weather was expected to be a little better.
"We're not going to be 'go' today," Mango announced, thanking everyone for their hard effort.
The experimental flight is meant to last just two minutes. Parachutes will drop the first-stage booster into the Atlantic for recovery. The upper portion of the rocket — all fake parts — will fall uncontrolled into the ocean.
There's no payload on board, just hundreds of sensors to measure pressure, strain and acceleration.
NASA expects to learn a lot, even if it's for another type of rocket. The White House is re-evaluating the human spaceflight program.
Cloudy conditions pose extra concern for the Ares I-X. Rain clouds could cause static electricity to surround the soaring rocket, which lacks proper protection. The result would be disrupted communications, undesirable for a test flight.
ON THE NET:
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Behind the cover of an iTunes LP
By Scott McNulty - Sat Oct 17, 2009 11:45AM EDT :
One of the big new features rolled out alongside iTunes 9 was the new iTunes LP format. You’ll recall that the iTunes LP is an attempt to include some of the extras that one used to get when buying a physical CD or record, plus a whole lot more. Lyrics, video, and liner notes are all features that you might find included with an iTunes LP when you buy one from the iTunes Store.
There has been some talk about how much, if anything, Apple charges artists and record labels for creating an iTunes LP. But what if you want to make your own iTunes LP? What are the ingredients that makes those fancy new features tick?
That’s the question iTunesLP.net aims to answer. They have a number of tutorials that will show you how easy it is to create an iTunes LP. (Hint: If you know your way around HTML, CCS, and JavaScript, you’re already well on your way to being an iTunes LP master.) Not only can you find out how to create your own LPs, but you can even download indie iTunes LPs that some bands are offering up for free. iTunesLP.net had also created an iTunes LP using the music from Fantasia, but it's since been taken down for legal reasons. (You can still access iTunes LPs from indie artists.)
If only I had some musical talent and some coding ability, I would totally be creating an iTunes LP for my awesome, nonexistent band at this very moment.
One of the big new features rolled out alongside iTunes 9 was the new iTunes LP format. You’ll recall that the iTunes LP is an attempt to include some of the extras that one used to get when buying a physical CD or record, plus a whole lot more. Lyrics, video, and liner notes are all features that you might find included with an iTunes LP when you buy one from the iTunes Store.
There has been some talk about how much, if anything, Apple charges artists and record labels for creating an iTunes LP. But what if you want to make your own iTunes LP? What are the ingredients that makes those fancy new features tick?
That’s the question iTunesLP.net aims to answer. They have a number of tutorials that will show you how easy it is to create an iTunes LP. (Hint: If you know your way around HTML, CCS, and JavaScript, you’re already well on your way to being an iTunes LP master.) Not only can you find out how to create your own LPs, but you can even download indie iTunes LPs that some bands are offering up for free. iTunesLP.net had also created an iTunes LP using the music from Fantasia, but it's since been taken down for legal reasons. (You can still access iTunes LPs from indie artists.)
If only I had some musical talent and some coding ability, I would totally be creating an iTunes LP for my awesome, nonexistent band at this very moment.
The Macalope Weekly: You should see the other guy
By The Macalope - Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:00AM EDT :
Apple announces quarterly results on Monday and Windows 7 comes out just days later, which means it’s gut-check time again. Some fret about Windows 7, but Phil Schiller ain’t one of them (shocking footage at 11!). Apple may be ready to fire back with more Windows-jabbing ads and maybe Michael Dell can help out with an unintentionally-backhanded compliment for Microsoft’s latest OS.
Apple announces quarterly results on Monday and Windows 7 comes out just days later, which means it’s gut-check time again. Some fret about Windows 7, but Phil Schiller ain’t one of them (shocking footage at 11!). Apple may be ready to fire back with more Windows-jabbing ads and maybe Michael Dell can help out with an unintentionally-backhanded compliment for Microsoft’s latest OS.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
US must help poor nations deal with climate change: experts
49 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Experts and aid groups called Thursday for the United States to help poor countries deal with the effects of global warming, as Congress considers key climate change legislation.
Testifying before a Senate panel, humanitarian organizations called for US aid to help countries with "adaptation solutions" in response to the effects of climate change.
"Congress has a unique opportunity to invest in adaptation solutions today that will pay off both immediately and in the future," said David Waskow, climate change program director at Oxfam.
"We urge you to help ensure that at least three percent of the resources in comprehensive climate and energy legislation are devoted to adaptation efforts in vulnerable developing countries," he said.
Peter O'Driscoll, director of ActionAid USA said "there is no viable alternative to investing in climate adaptation: helping people, communities and entire countries face these consequences must be a central pillar of US foreign policy."
General Charles Wald, former deputy commander of US European Command, warned that serious climate change could pose a security threat.
"On the most basic level, climate change has the potential to create sustained natural and humanitarian disasters on a scale and at a frequency far beyond those we see today," he said.
"The consequences of these disasters will likely foster political instability where societal demands for the essentials of life exceed the capacity of governments to cope," Wald added.
The US House of Representatives adopted a major climate change bill in June, that called for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from 2005 levels by 2020.
The Senate is in the process of negotiating its own bill, but experts testifying Thursday warned that the current iteration does not provide sufficiently for poor countries struggling with climate change.
"I don't think that what's in the House negotiations gets us there yet," said Waskow.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Experts and aid groups called Thursday for the United States to help poor countries deal with the effects of global warming, as Congress considers key climate change legislation.
Testifying before a Senate panel, humanitarian organizations called for US aid to help countries with "adaptation solutions" in response to the effects of climate change.
"Congress has a unique opportunity to invest in adaptation solutions today that will pay off both immediately and in the future," said David Waskow, climate change program director at Oxfam.
"We urge you to help ensure that at least three percent of the resources in comprehensive climate and energy legislation are devoted to adaptation efforts in vulnerable developing countries," he said.
Peter O'Driscoll, director of ActionAid USA said "there is no viable alternative to investing in climate adaptation: helping people, communities and entire countries face these consequences must be a central pillar of US foreign policy."
General Charles Wald, former deputy commander of US European Command, warned that serious climate change could pose a security threat.
"On the most basic level, climate change has the potential to create sustained natural and humanitarian disasters on a scale and at a frequency far beyond those we see today," he said.
"The consequences of these disasters will likely foster political instability where societal demands for the essentials of life exceed the capacity of governments to cope," Wald added.
The US House of Representatives adopted a major climate change bill in June, that called for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from 2005 levels by 2020.
The Senate is in the process of negotiating its own bill, but experts testifying Thursday warned that the current iteration does not provide sufficiently for poor countries struggling with climate change.
"I don't think that what's in the House negotiations gets us there yet," said Waskow.
NASA probe helps to map solar system
33 mins ago
AFP/HO – This image illustrates one possible explanation for the bright ribbon of emission seen in the NASA Interstellar …
AFP/HO – This image illustrates one possible explanation for the bright ribbon of emission seen in the NASA Interstellar …
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A NASA probe exploring the outer edges of the solar system has helped scientists create the first map of this little-understood region of space 10 billion miles (16 billion kilometers) from Earth.
Data from the US space agency's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is helping researchers explore the boundary between our Sun and the rest of the galaxy by collecting high-speed atoms.
The IBEX probe is the latest in NASA's series of low-cost, rapidly developed Small Explorers space missions, and was launched just last October but has already has produced stunning results, scientists said.
"The IBEX results are truly remarkable, with emissions not resembling any of the current theories or models of this never-before-seen region," said IBEX principal investigator David McComas.
"We expected to see small, gradual spatial variations at the interstellar boundary, some 10 billion miles away," said McComas, who is also assistant vice president of the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
"IBEX is showing us a very narrow ribbon that is two to three times brighter than anything else in the sky."
That bright narrow ribbon that snakes through the sky "remained completely undetected until now," McComas said.
NASA said that a closer look at segments of the ribbon revealed fine structures, which suggests that ion densities may be significantly enhanced in highly localized regions at the interstellar boundary.
Scientists long have been keen to investigate the boundary between the solar system and the rest of our galaxy.
They are particularly eager to learn more about the invisible boundary of our solar system and dust and gas that fills the area between the stars, referred to as interstellar medium.
The interstellar medium is created in part by the interaction between the solar wind -- charged particles continuously traveling at supersonic speeds away from the Sun in all directions.
Scientists said the understanding this outer edge of our solar system will help them understand how the solar wind and interstellar medium inter-relate.
They also hope to gain greater understanding of the heliosphere -- described by NASA as a "giant bubble" providing the first layer of protection against high-energy cosmic rays -- in which the Earth and other planets reside.
IBEX uses two novel cameras to image and map the heliosphere's global interaction, providing detailed information about this interstellar relations. IBEX also is giving scientists greater insight into our cosmos by mapping the flow of interstellar neutral gas which blows through our solar system.
Scientists said more time is needed to fully understand the IBEX data.
The two Voyager spacecraft -- the robotic space probes sent to the outer solar system and beyond, in the past have provided data about more localized parts of the interstellar boundary region, but NASA officials said IBEX is helping fill in the "big picture" of what the space boundary looks like.
NASA was to hold a press conference in Washington Thursday to discuss their findings.
Data from the US space agency's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is helping researchers explore the boundary between our Sun and the rest of the galaxy by collecting high-speed atoms.
The IBEX probe is the latest in NASA's series of low-cost, rapidly developed Small Explorers space missions, and was launched just last October but has already has produced stunning results, scientists said.
"The IBEX results are truly remarkable, with emissions not resembling any of the current theories or models of this never-before-seen region," said IBEX principal investigator David McComas.
"We expected to see small, gradual spatial variations at the interstellar boundary, some 10 billion miles away," said McComas, who is also assistant vice president of the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
"IBEX is showing us a very narrow ribbon that is two to three times brighter than anything else in the sky."
That bright narrow ribbon that snakes through the sky "remained completely undetected until now," McComas said.
NASA said that a closer look at segments of the ribbon revealed fine structures, which suggests that ion densities may be significantly enhanced in highly localized regions at the interstellar boundary.
Scientists long have been keen to investigate the boundary between the solar system and the rest of our galaxy.
They are particularly eager to learn more about the invisible boundary of our solar system and dust and gas that fills the area between the stars, referred to as interstellar medium.
The interstellar medium is created in part by the interaction between the solar wind -- charged particles continuously traveling at supersonic speeds away from the Sun in all directions.
Scientists said the understanding this outer edge of our solar system will help them understand how the solar wind and interstellar medium inter-relate.
They also hope to gain greater understanding of the heliosphere -- described by NASA as a "giant bubble" providing the first layer of protection against high-energy cosmic rays -- in which the Earth and other planets reside.
IBEX uses two novel cameras to image and map the heliosphere's global interaction, providing detailed information about this interstellar relations. IBEX also is giving scientists greater insight into our cosmos by mapping the flow of interstellar neutral gas which blows through our solar system.
Scientists said more time is needed to fully understand the IBEX data.
The two Voyager spacecraft -- the robotic space probes sent to the outer solar system and beyond, in the past have provided data about more localized parts of the interstellar boundary region, but NASA officials said IBEX is helping fill in the "big picture" of what the space boundary looks like.
NASA was to hold a press conference in Washington Thursday to discuss their findings.
Mystery Emissions Spotted at Edge of Solar System
Clara Moskowitz
Staff WriterSPACE.com
19 mins ago
In the murky boundary between our solar system and the rest of the galaxy, scientists have spotted a bright band of surprising high-energy emission.
The results come from the first all-sky map created by NASA's new Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, which launched in October 2008. While orbiting Earth, IBEX monitors incoming neutral atoms that originate billions of miles away at the solar system's edge to learn about the interaction between the sun and the cold expanse of space.
"The IBEX results are truly remarkable, with emissions not resembling any of the current theories or models of this never-before-seen region," said David McComas, IBEX principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas. "We expected to see small, gradual spatial variations at the interstellar boundary, some 10 billion miles away. However, IBEX is showing us a very narrow ribbon that is two to three times brighter than anything else in the sky."
This ribbon of energy lies at the very edge of the solar system, where the bubble of charged particles streaming from the sun finally peters out. This bubble is called the heliosphere, and it encompasses the region of space dominated by the sun's influence.
The edge of the solar system
At the boundary of the heliosphere, the sun's positively-charged particles interact with neutral atoms drifting in from interstellar space. When these particles meet, an electron may hop over from a neutral atom to a charged one, called an ion. The result: the charged particle becomes neutral. IBEX detects these fast-moving neutral particles and traces their paths back to the solar system's edge to create a picture of this chaotic frontier.
"We're just now getting a handle on the interaction of the surrounding interstellar medium with the heliosphere, and that's providing us with the big picture," said mission co-investigator Eberhard Möbius of the University of New Hampshire.
The bright ribbon shown in the new IBEX maps appears to be shaped by the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field outside the heliosphere. Scientists think this suggests that the galactic environment just outside the solar system has far more influence on the structure of the heliosphere than previously believed.
The boundary of the solar system was first explored by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 2004 when it encountered an invisible shock created as the charged particles streaming off the sun hit the neutral gas from interstellar space. Its sister craft Voyager 2 followed into the solar system's edge in 2007. While these spacecraft began the exploration of this wild frontier, IBEX is now revealing a whole new picture.
"The most astounding feature in the IBEX sky maps — the bright narrow ribbon — snakes through the sky between the Voyager spacecraft, where it remained completely undetected until now," McComas said.
The new IBEX results will be published in the Oct. 16 issue of the journal Science.
Video - NASA's IBEX: Exploring the Solar System's Edge
Images - Voyager's Photo Legacy
Top 10 Voyager Facts
Original Story: Mystery Emissions Spotted at Edge of Solar SystemSPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
Staff WriterSPACE.com
19 mins ago
In the murky boundary between our solar system and the rest of the galaxy, scientists have spotted a bright band of surprising high-energy emission.
The results come from the first all-sky map created by NASA's new Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, which launched in October 2008. While orbiting Earth, IBEX monitors incoming neutral atoms that originate billions of miles away at the solar system's edge to learn about the interaction between the sun and the cold expanse of space.
"The IBEX results are truly remarkable, with emissions not resembling any of the current theories or models of this never-before-seen region," said David McComas, IBEX principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas. "We expected to see small, gradual spatial variations at the interstellar boundary, some 10 billion miles away. However, IBEX is showing us a very narrow ribbon that is two to three times brighter than anything else in the sky."
This ribbon of energy lies at the very edge of the solar system, where the bubble of charged particles streaming from the sun finally peters out. This bubble is called the heliosphere, and it encompasses the region of space dominated by the sun's influence.
The edge of the solar system
At the boundary of the heliosphere, the sun's positively-charged particles interact with neutral atoms drifting in from interstellar space. When these particles meet, an electron may hop over from a neutral atom to a charged one, called an ion. The result: the charged particle becomes neutral. IBEX detects these fast-moving neutral particles and traces their paths back to the solar system's edge to create a picture of this chaotic frontier.
"We're just now getting a handle on the interaction of the surrounding interstellar medium with the heliosphere, and that's providing us with the big picture," said mission co-investigator Eberhard Möbius of the University of New Hampshire.
The bright ribbon shown in the new IBEX maps appears to be shaped by the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field outside the heliosphere. Scientists think this suggests that the galactic environment just outside the solar system has far more influence on the structure of the heliosphere than previously believed.
The boundary of the solar system was first explored by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 2004 when it encountered an invisible shock created as the charged particles streaming off the sun hit the neutral gas from interstellar space. Its sister craft Voyager 2 followed into the solar system's edge in 2007. While these spacecraft began the exploration of this wild frontier, IBEX is now revealing a whole new picture.
"The most astounding feature in the IBEX sky maps — the bright narrow ribbon — snakes through the sky between the Voyager spacecraft, where it remained completely undetected until now," McComas said.
The new IBEX results will be published in the Oct. 16 issue of the journal Science.
Video - NASA's IBEX: Exploring the Solar System's Edge
Images - Voyager's Photo Legacy
Top 10 Voyager Facts
Original Story: Mystery Emissions Spotted at Edge of Solar SystemSPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Adobe Fixes 29 Vulnerabilities in Acrobat and Reader
By Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com - Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:41AM EDT
While IT administrators around the world had their hands full planning to implement the largest-ever set of patches from Microsoft on Tuesday, another software maker quietly rolled out a massive fix of its own.
On what will go down in IT admin history as a day of headaches, Adobe Systems rolled out updates for both Acrobat and Reader on Tuesday. The updates address 29 critical security vulnerabilities for the PDF applications, which are used across business and consumer PCs around the world.
Despite a hyper-focus on Microsoft's patches, security researchers warn not to put off dealing with Adobe security fixes. The one-two punch spells long nights for IT administrators.
"Compound Tuesday's Microsoft release with the Adobe quarterly release and we are certain to see some enterprise teams become flustered," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle. "The key for security and IT organizations managing today's deluge of patches is to maintain focus and diligence with patch-management practices."
Critical Vulnerabilities
According to Adobe's security bulletin, critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Reader 9.1.3 and Acrobat 9.1.3; Adobe Reader 8.1.6 and Acrobat 8.1.6 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX; and Adobe Reader 7.1.3 and Acrobat 7.1.3 for Windows and Macintosh.
Adobe said these vulnerabilities could cause the applications to crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of a PC. The vulnerabilities are many, ranging from heap-overflow issues to memory-corruption issues to invalid-array-index issues to remote-exploitation issues. Adobe acknowledged reports that some of the issues are being exploited in the wild.
Adobe recommends that consumers who use Adobe Reader 9.1.3 and Acrobat 9.1.3 and earlier versions update to Adobe Reader 9.2 and Acrobat 9.2. The company also recommends users of Acrobat 8.1.6 and earlier versions update to Acrobat 8.1.7, and users of Acrobat 7.1.3 and earlier versions update to Acrobat 7.1.4. For Adobe Reader users who cannot update to Adobe Reader 9.2, the company has provided the Adobe Reader 8.1.7 and Adobe Reader 7.1.4 updates.
'The Most Critical Kind of Bugs'
"All users of Adobe Reader or Acrobat will need to update their software with this release because these updates include fixes for the most critical kind of bugs," Storms said. "Several of these could let an attacker take remote control of a user's computer."
Storms sees a stark contrast between the patches from Adobe and Microsoft on Tuesday. Microsoft issued 34 bug fixes, but they were spread over 12 different products. On the other hand, Adobe fixed nearly 30 bugs in just two products.
"Every security team is hoping that future quarterly security releases from Adobe will not be this massive," Storms said. With Microsoft just releasing its largest-ever set of security bulletins, analysts could say the same thing about the software giant.
While IT administrators around the world had their hands full planning to implement the largest-ever set of patches from Microsoft on Tuesday, another software maker quietly rolled out a massive fix of its own.
On what will go down in IT admin history as a day of headaches, Adobe Systems rolled out updates for both Acrobat and Reader on Tuesday. The updates address 29 critical security vulnerabilities for the PDF applications, which are used across business and consumer PCs around the world.
Despite a hyper-focus on Microsoft's patches, security researchers warn not to put off dealing with Adobe security fixes. The one-two punch spells long nights for IT administrators.
"Compound Tuesday's Microsoft release with the Adobe quarterly release and we are certain to see some enterprise teams become flustered," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle. "The key for security and IT organizations managing today's deluge of patches is to maintain focus and diligence with patch-management practices."
Critical Vulnerabilities
According to Adobe's security bulletin, critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Reader 9.1.3 and Acrobat 9.1.3; Adobe Reader 8.1.6 and Acrobat 8.1.6 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX; and Adobe Reader 7.1.3 and Acrobat 7.1.3 for Windows and Macintosh.
Adobe said these vulnerabilities could cause the applications to crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of a PC. The vulnerabilities are many, ranging from heap-overflow issues to memory-corruption issues to invalid-array-index issues to remote-exploitation issues. Adobe acknowledged reports that some of the issues are being exploited in the wild.
Adobe recommends that consumers who use Adobe Reader 9.1.3 and Acrobat 9.1.3 and earlier versions update to Adobe Reader 9.2 and Acrobat 9.2. The company also recommends users of Acrobat 8.1.6 and earlier versions update to Acrobat 8.1.7, and users of Acrobat 7.1.3 and earlier versions update to Acrobat 7.1.4. For Adobe Reader users who cannot update to Adobe Reader 9.2, the company has provided the Adobe Reader 8.1.7 and Adobe Reader 7.1.4 updates.
'The Most Critical Kind of Bugs'
"All users of Adobe Reader or Acrobat will need to update their software with this release because these updates include fixes for the most critical kind of bugs," Storms said. "Several of these could let an attacker take remote control of a user's computer."
Storms sees a stark contrast between the patches from Adobe and Microsoft on Tuesday. Microsoft issued 34 bug fixes, but they were spread over 12 different products. On the other hand, Adobe fixed nearly 30 bugs in just two products.
"Every security team is hoping that future quarterly security releases from Adobe will not be this massive," Storms said. With Microsoft just releasing its largest-ever set of security bulletins, analysts could say the same thing about the software giant.
Military Fuel-Cell Aircraft Sets Record
LiveScience.com livescience Stafflivescience.com – 20 mins ago
The U.S. Navy has developed a hydrogen-powered aircraft that can fly for nearly an entire day without refueling.
During a test flight last week, the Ion Tiger, an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), stayed airborne for approximately 23 hours and 17 minutes, setting an unofficial endurance record for a flight powered by fuel-cell technology.
Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, with only water and heat as byproducts. The electric fuel cell propulsion system onboard the aircraft features a 550-Watt (0.75 horsepower) fuel cell that researchers say is 4 times more efficient than a comparable internal combustion engine. The Ion Tiger weighs approximately 37 pounds and carries a 4- to 5-pound payload.
Small UAVs such as the Ion Tiger have the advantage of being nearly undetectable from the ground, allowing Navy officials to deploy the machines for a variety of specialized missions ranging from surveillance collection to communication links. And with the fuel cell system onboard the Ion Tiger, it is now possible to use UAVs to conduct long endurance missions that require a larger cruise range, reducing the number of daily launches and landings.
The military is also developing fuel-cell technology to improve the capabilities of ground, air and undersea vehicles and man-portable power for Marine expeditionary missions.
The Ion Tiger "successfully demonstrates ONR's vision to show how efficient, clean technology can be used to improve the warfighter's capabilities," said Michele Anderson of the Office of Naval Research.
Video - Ion Tiger Takes to the Skies
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Original Story: Military Fuel-Cell Aircraft Sets RecordLiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.
The U.S. Navy has developed a hydrogen-powered aircraft that can fly for nearly an entire day without refueling.
During a test flight last week, the Ion Tiger, an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), stayed airborne for approximately 23 hours and 17 minutes, setting an unofficial endurance record for a flight powered by fuel-cell technology.
Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, with only water and heat as byproducts. The electric fuel cell propulsion system onboard the aircraft features a 550-Watt (0.75 horsepower) fuel cell that researchers say is 4 times more efficient than a comparable internal combustion engine. The Ion Tiger weighs approximately 37 pounds and carries a 4- to 5-pound payload.
Small UAVs such as the Ion Tiger have the advantage of being nearly undetectable from the ground, allowing Navy officials to deploy the machines for a variety of specialized missions ranging from surveillance collection to communication links. And with the fuel cell system onboard the Ion Tiger, it is now possible to use UAVs to conduct long endurance missions that require a larger cruise range, reducing the number of daily launches and landings.
The military is also developing fuel-cell technology to improve the capabilities of ground, air and undersea vehicles and man-portable power for Marine expeditionary missions.
The Ion Tiger "successfully demonstrates ONR's vision to show how efficient, clean technology can be used to improve the warfighter's capabilities," said Michele Anderson of the Office of Naval Research.
Video - Ion Tiger Takes to the Skies
Top 10 Emerging Environmental Technologies
Top 10 Alternative Energy Bets
Original Story: Military Fuel-Cell Aircraft Sets RecordLiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Cisco to buy wireless maker Starent for $2.9 bln
Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:32AM EDT
NEW YORK (AFP) -
Cisco announced Tuesday it has agreed to buy wireless equipment maker Starent Networks for 2.9 billion dollars, the latest in a string of acquisitions by the US networking giant.
The San Jose, California-based Cisco said it will pay 35 dollars in cash for each share of the Tewksbury, Massachusetts-based company, a premium of around 20 percent over Starent's closing price on Monday.
Cisco said the deal, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, was expected to close in the first half of 2010 and is subject to regulatory approval.
Starent makes networking equipment that allows mobile operators to transmit large amounts of data to smartphones and other connected devices.
According to Cisco, global mobile data traffic is expected to more than double every year through 2013.
"We believe their products and engineering talent will greatly benefit our service provider customers as they build out their mobile Internet offerings," said Cisco chairman and chief executive John Chambers.
Starent president and chief executive Ashraf Dahod said the combined companies will offer "rich, quality multimedia experiences to mobile subscribers on 3G and 4G networks."
Starent was founded in 2000 and has about 1,000 employees worldwide. It reported revenue of 254 million dollars last year, up 74 percent from the previous year.
Its products are used by more than 100 mobile operators in 45 countries.
The acquisition of Starent is the latest major purchase in what has been a busy year for Cisco.
Earlier this month, Cisco bid three billion dollars for Norwegian video-conference company Tandberg.
In March, Cisco bought Pure Digital Technologies, maker of the hot-selling Flip Video camcorder, and it purchased Tidal Software Inc. the following month.
NEW YORK (AFP) -
Cisco announced Tuesday it has agreed to buy wireless equipment maker Starent Networks for 2.9 billion dollars, the latest in a string of acquisitions by the US networking giant.
The San Jose, California-based Cisco said it will pay 35 dollars in cash for each share of the Tewksbury, Massachusetts-based company, a premium of around 20 percent over Starent's closing price on Monday.
Cisco said the deal, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, was expected to close in the first half of 2010 and is subject to regulatory approval.
Starent makes networking equipment that allows mobile operators to transmit large amounts of data to smartphones and other connected devices.
According to Cisco, global mobile data traffic is expected to more than double every year through 2013.
"We believe their products and engineering talent will greatly benefit our service provider customers as they build out their mobile Internet offerings," said Cisco chairman and chief executive John Chambers.
Starent president and chief executive Ashraf Dahod said the combined companies will offer "rich, quality multimedia experiences to mobile subscribers on 3G and 4G networks."
Starent was founded in 2000 and has about 1,000 employees worldwide. It reported revenue of 254 million dollars last year, up 74 percent from the previous year.
Its products are used by more than 100 mobile operators in 45 countries.
The acquisition of Starent is the latest major purchase in what has been a busy year for Cisco.
Earlier this month, Cisco bid three billion dollars for Norwegian video-conference company Tandberg.
In March, Cisco bought Pure Digital Technologies, maker of the hot-selling Flip Video camcorder, and it purchased Tidal Software Inc. the following month.
Walmart.com now selling health, beauty items
- Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:06AM EDTSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -
Wal-Mart Stores Inc's online division said on Tuesday that it is now selling a wide range of personal care items, including diapers, vitamins and over-the-counter medication, for home delivery.
The announcement comes a little more than a year after Walmart.com began allowing visitors to its website to browse some of the groceries and health and beauty products that the giant discounter sells in its stores.
But instead of being able to buy the items online, Walmart.com browsers were only able to check to see whether the products were in stock at a store near them.
Now, Walmart.com said visitors to its site can purchase thousands of health and beauty products, including Neutrogena, Pampers, L'Oreal, Colgate, Pantene and Gillette branded items.
A Walmart.com spokesman said the retailer continues to evaluate its assortment to determine how it may expand its selection, but at this time it is not offering home delivery of groceries.
(Reporting by Nicole Maestri, editing by Gerald E. McCormick))
Wal-Mart Stores Inc's online division said on Tuesday that it is now selling a wide range of personal care items, including diapers, vitamins and over-the-counter medication, for home delivery.
The announcement comes a little more than a year after Walmart.com began allowing visitors to its website to browse some of the groceries and health and beauty products that the giant discounter sells in its stores.
But instead of being able to buy the items online, Walmart.com browsers were only able to check to see whether the products were in stock at a store near them.
Now, Walmart.com said visitors to its site can purchase thousands of health and beauty products, including Neutrogena, Pampers, L'Oreal, Colgate, Pantene and Gillette branded items.
A Walmart.com spokesman said the retailer continues to evaluate its assortment to determine how it may expand its selection, but at this time it is not offering home delivery of groceries.
(Reporting by Nicole Maestri, editing by Gerald E. McCormick))
Rare Crow, Thought Extinct, Is Rediscovered
LiveScience.com livescience Stafflivescience.com – 37 mins ago
A critically endangered Indonesian crow - long feared extinct - has been rediscovered in its native habitat, scientists announced today.
The all-black Banggai Crow (Corvus unicolor), known to science only by two specimens described in 1900, was found again by Indonesian biologists on Peleng Island, off the east coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2007. Pamela Rasmussen, a Michigan State University zoologist verified the finding.
Rasmussen studied the two century-old specimens, housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and compared them to the new specimens to make sure they were not just members of a different all-black subspecies of crow, the more common Slender-billed Crow (Corvus enca).
"The morphometric analysis I did shows that all four unicolor specimens are very similar to each other, and distinctly different from enca specimens. We also showed that the two taxa differ in eye color - an important feature in Corvus," Rasmussen said. "Not only did this confirm the identity of the new specimens but also the specific distinctness of Corvus unicolor, which has long been in doubt."
The new specimens are now catalogued at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense on the Indonesian island of Java.
Since the specimens were gathered, other birdwatchers in the mountains of Peleng have photographed and recorded Banggai Crows, which Rasmussen said also confirms the distinctiveness of the species.
A photo of the Banggai Crow appears this week in the "Handbook of the Birds of the World."
Mochamad Indrawan of the University of Indonesia, who spearheaded the rediscovery, is now focusing on preserving the rare species, which is hunted by local residents. That includes making recommendations for protection of its forest habitat through sustainable agriculture methods and, perhaps, eco-tourism, to address the residents' livelihood needs.
Video - Extraordinary Birds
10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye
Images: Rare and Exotic Birds
Original Story: Rare Crow, Thought Extinct, Is RediscoveredLiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.
A critically endangered Indonesian crow - long feared extinct - has been rediscovered in its native habitat, scientists announced today.
The all-black Banggai Crow (Corvus unicolor), known to science only by two specimens described in 1900, was found again by Indonesian biologists on Peleng Island, off the east coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2007. Pamela Rasmussen, a Michigan State University zoologist verified the finding.
Rasmussen studied the two century-old specimens, housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and compared them to the new specimens to make sure they were not just members of a different all-black subspecies of crow, the more common Slender-billed Crow (Corvus enca).
"The morphometric analysis I did shows that all four unicolor specimens are very similar to each other, and distinctly different from enca specimens. We also showed that the two taxa differ in eye color - an important feature in Corvus," Rasmussen said. "Not only did this confirm the identity of the new specimens but also the specific distinctness of Corvus unicolor, which has long been in doubt."
The new specimens are now catalogued at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense on the Indonesian island of Java.
Since the specimens were gathered, other birdwatchers in the mountains of Peleng have photographed and recorded Banggai Crows, which Rasmussen said also confirms the distinctiveness of the species.
A photo of the Banggai Crow appears this week in the "Handbook of the Birds of the World."
Mochamad Indrawan of the University of Indonesia, who spearheaded the rediscovery, is now focusing on preserving the rare species, which is hunted by local residents. That includes making recommendations for protection of its forest habitat through sustainable agriculture methods and, perhaps, eco-tourism, to address the residents' livelihood needs.
Video - Extraordinary Birds
10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye
Images: Rare and Exotic Birds
Original Story: Rare Crow, Thought Extinct, Is RediscoveredLiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Red-nosed circus billionaire returns to Earth
Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:19pm EDT
KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Canadian circus billionaire Guy Laliberte returned to Earth on Sunday wearing his trademark clown's red nose, landing as planned in Kazakhstan after a landmark space performance to highlight water scarcity.
A Russian Soyuz space capsule carrying Laliberte and a Russian-American crew touched down in the vast steppe near Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan at 8:31 a.m. Moscow time (12:31 p.m. EDT).
"We have just received a report from the rescue and recovery team that the descent capsule has landed," said an announcer at Mission Control outside Moscow, to hearty applause from workers.
Laliberte, a former fire-breather and founder of the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, spent about two weeks in space.
A Reuters reporter at Mission Control, watching a live feed from the landing site, saw Laliberte seated on a chaise longue after leaving the craft. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up gesture.
He was draped in a coat with a blanket covering his legs and his blood pressure was being monitored by the rescue and recovery team. A Russian Orthodox priest also was present.
The 50-year-old, who is worth an estimated $2.5 billion and was reported to have paid more than $35 million to become Earth's No. 7 space tourist, entertained the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) and hosted a show from the space outpost.
The show, aimed at highlighting the scarcity of clean water for people in many parts of the world, involved singers, dancers and celebrities in 14 cities around the world. Organizers called the "Moving Stars and Earth for Water" spectacle the first of its kind to be hosted from space.
"In space, they didn't lose their interest in earthly life and food," said Igor Ushakov, director of the Moscow-based Institute of Medical and Biological Problems, which monitors the health of Russian cosmonauts.
"As you can see, they are uplifted and in a great mood. You cannot play this up."
Laliberte was accompanied by Russian Gennady Padalka, Expedition 20 commander of the ISS, and U.S. Flight Engineer Michael Barratt, whose space odyssey lasted for more than half a year.
Padalka was first to emerge from the capsule, which was charred on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. He drank a cup of tea and took a bite from an enormous apple presented to him.
During the space show, Irish singer Bono chatted with Laliberte from a U2 concert in Florida, while Cirque du Soleil acrobats gave water-themed performances from Montreal and Las Vegas.
Dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet also performed from Moscow in a show streamed on the Internet and broadcast on satellite TV in the United States, Canada and Latin America.
(Writing by Robin Paxton in Moscow, editing by Michael Roddy.)
A Russian Soyuz space capsule carrying Laliberte and a Russian-American crew touched down in the vast steppe near Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan at 8:31 a.m. Moscow time (12:31 p.m. EDT).
"We have just received a report from the rescue and recovery team that the descent capsule has landed," said an announcer at Mission Control outside Moscow, to hearty applause from workers.
Laliberte, a former fire-breather and founder of the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, spent about two weeks in space.
A Reuters reporter at Mission Control, watching a live feed from the landing site, saw Laliberte seated on a chaise longue after leaving the craft. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up gesture.
He was draped in a coat with a blanket covering his legs and his blood pressure was being monitored by the rescue and recovery team. A Russian Orthodox priest also was present.
The 50-year-old, who is worth an estimated $2.5 billion and was reported to have paid more than $35 million to become Earth's No. 7 space tourist, entertained the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) and hosted a show from the space outpost.
The show, aimed at highlighting the scarcity of clean water for people in many parts of the world, involved singers, dancers and celebrities in 14 cities around the world. Organizers called the "Moving Stars and Earth for Water" spectacle the first of its kind to be hosted from space.
"In space, they didn't lose their interest in earthly life and food," said Igor Ushakov, director of the Moscow-based Institute of Medical and Biological Problems, which monitors the health of Russian cosmonauts.
"As you can see, they are uplifted and in a great mood. You cannot play this up."
Laliberte was accompanied by Russian Gennady Padalka, Expedition 20 commander of the ISS, and U.S. Flight Engineer Michael Barratt, whose space odyssey lasted for more than half a year.
Padalka was first to emerge from the capsule, which was charred on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. He drank a cup of tea and took a bite from an enormous apple presented to him.
During the space show, Irish singer Bono chatted with Laliberte from a U2 concert in Florida, while Cirque du Soleil acrobats gave water-themed performances from Montreal and Las Vegas.
Dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet also performed from Moscow in a show streamed on the Internet and broadcast on satellite TV in the United States, Canada and Latin America.
(Writing by Robin Paxton in Moscow, editing by Michael Roddy.)
Canadian position prompts walk-out by developing countries at climate talks
By Steve Rennie (CP) – 35 minutes ago
OTTAWA — The government's push to abandon much of the Kyoto protocol prompted dozens of developing countries to walk out on Canada's address during recent climate talks in Thailand, The Canadian Press has learned.
The mass walkout came after the Canadian delegation suggested replacing the Kyoto Protocol with an entirely new global-warming pact, according to one of the negotiators and notes taken by others at the meeting.
A widening and bitter rift between rich and developing countries over climate change was laid bare last week when delegates from 180 nations met in Bangkok to shape a successor to Kyoto before its first phase expires in just over two years. The United Nations hopes to broker a draft deal in time for a meeting in Copenhagen this December.
The delegates discussed whether all or parts of Kyoto should end up in the new agreement, according to notes taken by a delegate from a developing nation as well as one of the South African negotiators.
The developing countries want a new climate deal to complement Kyoto, but Canadian officials told the room they would rather replace Kyoto with one agreement, according to the meeting notes.
Canada's delegation was apparently open to putting "some or all" of Kyoto in a new climate pact, the notes say.
"Some or all of (Kyoto Protocol) elements can be incorporated into (Copenhagen) agreement," the notes say about Canada's position.
At that point, the South African delegation stood up and led the Group of 77 developing nations - except for a group of small island states - out of the room.
"The conversation, in our view, at the point in time was effectively over and the G77 left the room," Joanne Yawitch, a South African negotiator at the Bangkok talks, said in an interview.
Talks resumed the next day, she added.
"We're not going to walk out of any negotiating process," Yawitch said.
"But there are certain conversations which we feel are outside of the perimeters of the legal mandate."
The developing nations were perturbed that Canada and other industrial countries would consider copying parts Kyoto into a new treaty. "You can't do a cut and paste on a ratified treaty," Yawitch said.
"You have to re-open it and negotiate what you would cut and paste. And we think that the risks are that you might end up with something that might be considerably weaker."
Environment Minister Jim Prentice declined comment on the walkout.
The Kyoto Protocol binds 37 industrial countries - including Canada but not the United States, which refused to sign it under George W. Bush's presidency - to reduce greenhouse gases by 5.2 per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Canada, the U.S., the Europeans, the Australians and others want a new agreement to also bind big developing nations such as China and India to cut greenhouse gases. Canada has spent much of the past year harnessing its environmental policy to that of the Obama administration in the United States.
The industrial countries argue the battle to cut greenhouse gases is for naught unless all major polluters curb their emissions. Developing countries argue that binding targets would stunt their fledgling economies.
They also oppose having similar targets to industrialized nations, who they say are responsible for most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
It is against this backdrop of diplomatic tussling that countries are trying to agree to a new global-warming pact in time for the Copenhagen meetings.
The discussions in Thailand make it clear that a meaningful agreement in Copenhagen may be elusive. Only five negotiating days remain before December's climate talks.
"I think that Bangkok has been a very, very difficult meeting," Yawitch said.
"I think it leaves the talks in a very difficult space, and I think it is going to be very challenging to pull this together and to find agreement in the short time that we've got left.
"But I think we are very committed to doing that."
U.S. President Barack Obama was once thought to be leading the charge towards a new climate pact but environmentalists believe he is facing increasing pressure to blunt any agreement on greenhouse gases that costs corporate America too much money.
The Nobel peace prize committee appeared to be offering encouragement to Obama last week by specifically mentioning in their citation that the U.S. president is "now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting."
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The mass walkout came after the Canadian delegation suggested replacing the Kyoto Protocol with an entirely new global-warming pact, according to one of the negotiators and notes taken by others at the meeting.
A widening and bitter rift between rich and developing countries over climate change was laid bare last week when delegates from 180 nations met in Bangkok to shape a successor to Kyoto before its first phase expires in just over two years. The United Nations hopes to broker a draft deal in time for a meeting in Copenhagen this December.
The delegates discussed whether all or parts of Kyoto should end up in the new agreement, according to notes taken by a delegate from a developing nation as well as one of the South African negotiators.
The developing countries want a new climate deal to complement Kyoto, but Canadian officials told the room they would rather replace Kyoto with one agreement, according to the meeting notes.
Canada's delegation was apparently open to putting "some or all" of Kyoto in a new climate pact, the notes say.
"Some or all of (Kyoto Protocol) elements can be incorporated into (Copenhagen) agreement," the notes say about Canada's position.
At that point, the South African delegation stood up and led the Group of 77 developing nations - except for a group of small island states - out of the room.
"The conversation, in our view, at the point in time was effectively over and the G77 left the room," Joanne Yawitch, a South African negotiator at the Bangkok talks, said in an interview.
Talks resumed the next day, she added.
"We're not going to walk out of any negotiating process," Yawitch said.
"But there are certain conversations which we feel are outside of the perimeters of the legal mandate."
The developing nations were perturbed that Canada and other industrial countries would consider copying parts Kyoto into a new treaty. "You can't do a cut and paste on a ratified treaty," Yawitch said.
"You have to re-open it and negotiate what you would cut and paste. And we think that the risks are that you might end up with something that might be considerably weaker."
Environment Minister Jim Prentice declined comment on the walkout.
The Kyoto Protocol binds 37 industrial countries - including Canada but not the United States, which refused to sign it under George W. Bush's presidency - to reduce greenhouse gases by 5.2 per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Canada, the U.S., the Europeans, the Australians and others want a new agreement to also bind big developing nations such as China and India to cut greenhouse gases. Canada has spent much of the past year harnessing its environmental policy to that of the Obama administration in the United States.
The industrial countries argue the battle to cut greenhouse gases is for naught unless all major polluters curb their emissions. Developing countries argue that binding targets would stunt their fledgling economies.
They also oppose having similar targets to industrialized nations, who they say are responsible for most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
It is against this backdrop of diplomatic tussling that countries are trying to agree to a new global-warming pact in time for the Copenhagen meetings.
The discussions in Thailand make it clear that a meaningful agreement in Copenhagen may be elusive. Only five negotiating days remain before December's climate talks.
"I think that Bangkok has been a very, very difficult meeting," Yawitch said.
"I think it leaves the talks in a very difficult space, and I think it is going to be very challenging to pull this together and to find agreement in the short time that we've got left.
"But I think we are very committed to doing that."
U.S. President Barack Obama was once thought to be leading the charge towards a new climate pact but environmentalists believe he is facing increasing pressure to blunt any agreement on greenhouse gases that costs corporate America too much money.
The Nobel peace prize committee appeared to be offering encouragement to Obama last week by specifically mentioning in their citation that the U.S. president is "now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting."
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Belgium delays nuclear phase-out until 2025: minister
38 mins ago
BRUSSELS (AFP) – The Belgian government on Monday decided to delay the start of a progressive phasing out of nuclear power by 10 years until 2025, Energy and Climate Minister Paul Magnette said in a statement.
"The government has decided to delay by 10 years the first stage of phasing out nuclear power," the statement said.
Under a law passed in 2003, Belgium's seven reactors were scheduled to be shut down between 2015 and 2025.
Three of the reactors, two at the Doel plant in northern Belgium and one at Tihange in the south, were due to have been closed in 2015 after 40 years of operations but will now remain open until 2025.
In exchange for the three reactors remaining open, the main electricity producers will contribute between 215 and 245 million euros to state coffers between 2010 and 2014, the ministry explained.
Magnette had called for the delay because of costs and energy security.
"This would guarantee security of supply, limit the production of carbon dioxide and allow us to maintain prices that protect consumer purchasing power and the competitivity of our companies," he said earlier this month.
Belgium derives around 55 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.
T-Mobile Sidekick U.S. users face personal data loss
Posted on - Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:50AM EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) -
Users of Microsoft Corp's Sidekick mobile phone may have permanently lost data such as contacts, photos and calendar entries due to the failure of a Microsoft server computer.
T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, said in a notice available on its website on Monday that its customers who do have such data stored locally on their Sidekick devices will "almost certainly" have lost the data.
It also advised customers against resetting a Sidekick by removing the battery or letting the battery drain as this would still result in the loss of any personal content stored on the device.
When operating normally, the Sidekick retrieves data from Microsoft servers after an event such as a phone reset.
"Personal information stored on your device such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger," a Microsoft Corp unit, the company said.
T-Mobile USA said in the statement dated October 10 that it would update customers again on Monday. Representatives for Microsoft and T-Mobile USA were not immediately available for comment on Monday morning.
The glitch comes as technology companies are increasingly looking to convince customers to use remote storage services to back up their data and at a time when Microsoft is fighting to regain ground lost in smartphones.
T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. mobile service, said that while its workers were seeking a way to recover the information, "the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low."
The operator, which has been losing customers to both bigger and smaller rivals, said it is currently focused on looking for a way to restore data and is also considering additional measures for customers who have lost data.
Two Sidekick phones were listed as "temporarily out of stock" on T-Mobile USA's website on Monday.
(Reporting by Sinead Carew and Franklin Paul, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Users of Microsoft Corp's Sidekick mobile phone may have permanently lost data such as contacts, photos and calendar entries due to the failure of a Microsoft server computer.
T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, said in a notice available on its website on Monday that its customers who do have such data stored locally on their Sidekick devices will "almost certainly" have lost the data.
It also advised customers against resetting a Sidekick by removing the battery or letting the battery drain as this would still result in the loss of any personal content stored on the device.
When operating normally, the Sidekick retrieves data from Microsoft servers after an event such as a phone reset.
"Personal information stored on your device such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger," a Microsoft Corp unit, the company said.
T-Mobile USA said in the statement dated October 10 that it would update customers again on Monday. Representatives for Microsoft and T-Mobile USA were not immediately available for comment on Monday morning.
The glitch comes as technology companies are increasingly looking to convince customers to use remote storage services to back up their data and at a time when Microsoft is fighting to regain ground lost in smartphones.
T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. mobile service, said that while its workers were seeking a way to recover the information, "the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low."
The operator, which has been losing customers to both bigger and smaller rivals, said it is currently focused on looking for a way to restore data and is also considering additional measures for customers who have lost data.
Two Sidekick phones were listed as "temporarily out of stock" on T-Mobile USA's website on Monday.
(Reporting by Sinead Carew and Franklin Paul, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
BSkyB says to launch online music service
Posted on - Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:06PM EDT
LONDON (AFP) -
British pay-TV giant BSkyB said Monday it will launch an online music service next week which offers consumers access to more than four million tracks, rivalling Apple's iTunes.
Sky Songs, which is paid for with a monthly fee, will offer users songs for download and for advert-free streaming -- which allows unlimited listening to thousands of albums on computers via the web, BSkyB said in a statement.
The service, to be launched on October 19, will offer new releases and back catalogues from major music labels including EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner, and a large range of independent labels.
"Sky Songs will reach out to consumers who want legitimate digital services offering choice, ease of use and great value," BSkyB Chief Operating Officer Mike Darcey said in the statement.
"Offering legal access to digital music is a vital step in combating illegal downloading."
BSkyB will offer two different packages with a subscription of either 6.49 pounds (6.95 euros, 10.30 dollars) or 7.49 pounds per month. Both include unlimited streaming that will not contain advertisements.
Sky Songs will compete with two major players in Britain's online music marketplace -- Apple's dominant iTunes and Spotify, the Swedish music streaming website.
Spotify offers free music on demand with advertisements or advertising-free services for 10 pounds a month.
British pay-TV giant BSkyB said Monday it will launch an online music service next week which offers consumers access to more than four million tracks, rivalling Apple's iTunes.
Sky Songs, which is paid for with a monthly fee, will offer users songs for download and for advert-free streaming -- which allows unlimited listening to thousands of albums on computers via the web, BSkyB said in a statement.
The service, to be launched on October 19, will offer new releases and back catalogues from major music labels including EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner, and a large range of independent labels.
"Sky Songs will reach out to consumers who want legitimate digital services offering choice, ease of use and great value," BSkyB Chief Operating Officer Mike Darcey said in the statement.
"Offering legal access to digital music is a vital step in combating illegal downloading."
BSkyB will offer two different packages with a subscription of either 6.49 pounds (6.95 euros, 10.30 dollars) or 7.49 pounds per month. Both include unlimited streaming that will not contain advertisements.
Sky Songs will compete with two major players in Britain's online music marketplace -- Apple's dominant iTunes and Spotify, the Swedish music streaming website.
Spotify offers free music on demand with advertisements or advertising-free services for 10 pounds a month.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
What's next for NASA's LCROSS moon-crashing mission
Sources: NASACredit: Robert Ahrens, USA TODAY
By Dan Vergano,
Once you've dug yourself into a hole, stop digging. Or if you're NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) team, take a nap.
Friday morning's excitement — blasting a lunar crater with twin 6,000 mile-per-hour impacts — left the LCROSS controller team dead on its feet, says NASA's Grey Hautaluoma. Meanwhile, the science team is frantically looking into observations flowing from telescopes, spacecraft and the LCROSS "shepherd" vehicle, which caught sight of its booster's 7:31 a.m. ET impact crater, before plowing into the Cabeus crater on the moon's South Pole itself, four minutes later.
"We just slammed something the size of a school bus into the moon going really fast. It was a lunar encounter of the hardest kind," says LCROSS team scientist Peter Schultz of Brown University, an expert on crater impacts. "Everyone's happy, but it's hard to be excited after you've been up 36 hours straight, (so) a lot of the mission team is grabbing some rest."
In a post-impact briefing Friday morning at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., questioners expressed disappointment that the impacts hadn't thrown up a dramatic cloud over the moon's South Pole, noting the $79 million mission's goal was to create plumes of moon dust, hopefully filled with ice, for analysis.
"I think that's reporters just getting over-excited after writing about us 'bombing the moon,' the last few days," Schultz says. (I plead guilty.) "What we saw actually looks like one of the options we discussed and saw in lab experiments."
At the briefing, LCROSS project scientist Anthony Colaprete outlined several reasons why the impacts may not have thrown up plumes immediately visible after the impacts, including the booster and spacecraft hitting the inner walls of the crater at an angle that ejected the impact pit dust sideways instead of straight up. "Luck plays a part in this," he said, adding. "We have the data we need to address the questions we have and that's the bottom line."
Most important, the shepherd spacecraft caught sight of a flash from the crater made by its booster, Colaprete noted, estimating that pit's width at about 60 feet across, based on that glimpse.
"That flash was very important," Schultz says. "That means we have heat." Heat means whatever dust was tossed up by the impact was baked, which should reveal its chemistry to the spectroscopes observing the event. Readings from a photometer (which records the brightness and duration of the impact flash) aboard the shepherd spacecraft, which Schultz hinted looked promising, should enable the team to tell whether LCROSS hit solid rock or powdery lunar soil.
The whole point of the mission is to see whether ice, perhaps left over from comet impacts billions of years ago, lingers in the shaded craters on the moon's poles. Lunar explorers might drink that water, or extract hydrogen from water for use as rocket fuel, someday, if it's there in meaningful amounts.
"Of course, we'd like to see buckets of watery ice," Schultz says. But the science team, "has to be very careful," because any signatures of water reported by instruments has to be measured against carefully calibrated standards. "We're comparing one thing against another, not measuring it directly, so we have to be certain all the calibrations are absolutely right, so we don't get a false positive."
The LCROSS impact comes as planetary scientists are re-evaluating the moon's watery potential. NASA's Lunar Prospector mission in 1999 showed signs of unexpected water deposits in the lunar polar craters. And last month, Science magazine reported evidence that solar wind's particles are releasing tiny amounts of water from the moon's soil all the time, a big change from the era of the 1970's moon landings.
"The general feeling after Apollo was that the moon is very dry," says William Hartmann of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson.
Hartmann and a colleague proposed the idea three decades ago, now generally accepted in planetary science, that the moon started after a Mars-sized proto-planet struck the early Earth's northern hemisphere around 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from the blast swirled around the Earth in a ring for hundreds of thousands of years — baking away any water it was thought — before balling up into the moon, an idea inspired by the moon rock findings.
"As soon as the lunar rocks arrived on Earth, researchers found the moon is basically very dry. The rocks don't have large amounts of hydrated minerals, clays, or other minerals that indicate exposure to water," Hartmann says. "That finding seems to be still basically true, of rocks at depth on the moon, beneath the surface layers."
Instead, the LCROSS results should show whether any comets, essentially oversized dirty snowballs, left any water behind when they hit the moon after its formation.
"The LCROSS impact produced a crater five times smaller than a football field and threw dust hundreds of feet into space," Schultz says. "A big billowing cloud, that's just science fiction. This is reality, where what we are looking for is water molecules."
So, just like the mission controllers, you might want to sleep on instant results from the mission. Colaprete suggested definitive word won't come until a December science meeting. "It's now time to go to sleep and get ready to dig into the data, now that we've dug into the Moon," Schultz says.
Friday morning's excitement — blasting a lunar crater with twin 6,000 mile-per-hour impacts — left the LCROSS controller team dead on its feet, says NASA's Grey Hautaluoma. Meanwhile, the science team is frantically looking into observations flowing from telescopes, spacecraft and the LCROSS "shepherd" vehicle, which caught sight of its booster's 7:31 a.m. ET impact crater, before plowing into the Cabeus crater on the moon's South Pole itself, four minutes later.
"We just slammed something the size of a school bus into the moon going really fast. It was a lunar encounter of the hardest kind," says LCROSS team scientist Peter Schultz of Brown University, an expert on crater impacts. "Everyone's happy, but it's hard to be excited after you've been up 36 hours straight, (so) a lot of the mission team is grabbing some rest."
In a post-impact briefing Friday morning at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., questioners expressed disappointment that the impacts hadn't thrown up a dramatic cloud over the moon's South Pole, noting the $79 million mission's goal was to create plumes of moon dust, hopefully filled with ice, for analysis.
"I think that's reporters just getting over-excited after writing about us 'bombing the moon,' the last few days," Schultz says. (I plead guilty.) "What we saw actually looks like one of the options we discussed and saw in lab experiments."
At the briefing, LCROSS project scientist Anthony Colaprete outlined several reasons why the impacts may not have thrown up plumes immediately visible after the impacts, including the booster and spacecraft hitting the inner walls of the crater at an angle that ejected the impact pit dust sideways instead of straight up. "Luck plays a part in this," he said, adding. "We have the data we need to address the questions we have and that's the bottom line."
Most important, the shepherd spacecraft caught sight of a flash from the crater made by its booster, Colaprete noted, estimating that pit's width at about 60 feet across, based on that glimpse.
"That flash was very important," Schultz says. "That means we have heat." Heat means whatever dust was tossed up by the impact was baked, which should reveal its chemistry to the spectroscopes observing the event. Readings from a photometer (which records the brightness and duration of the impact flash) aboard the shepherd spacecraft, which Schultz hinted looked promising, should enable the team to tell whether LCROSS hit solid rock or powdery lunar soil.
The whole point of the mission is to see whether ice, perhaps left over from comet impacts billions of years ago, lingers in the shaded craters on the moon's poles. Lunar explorers might drink that water, or extract hydrogen from water for use as rocket fuel, someday, if it's there in meaningful amounts.
"Of course, we'd like to see buckets of watery ice," Schultz says. But the science team, "has to be very careful," because any signatures of water reported by instruments has to be measured against carefully calibrated standards. "We're comparing one thing against another, not measuring it directly, so we have to be certain all the calibrations are absolutely right, so we don't get a false positive."
The LCROSS impact comes as planetary scientists are re-evaluating the moon's watery potential. NASA's Lunar Prospector mission in 1999 showed signs of unexpected water deposits in the lunar polar craters. And last month, Science magazine reported evidence that solar wind's particles are releasing tiny amounts of water from the moon's soil all the time, a big change from the era of the 1970's moon landings.
"The general feeling after Apollo was that the moon is very dry," says William Hartmann of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson.
Hartmann and a colleague proposed the idea three decades ago, now generally accepted in planetary science, that the moon started after a Mars-sized proto-planet struck the early Earth's northern hemisphere around 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from the blast swirled around the Earth in a ring for hundreds of thousands of years — baking away any water it was thought — before balling up into the moon, an idea inspired by the moon rock findings.
"As soon as the lunar rocks arrived on Earth, researchers found the moon is basically very dry. The rocks don't have large amounts of hydrated minerals, clays, or other minerals that indicate exposure to water," Hartmann says. "That finding seems to be still basically true, of rocks at depth on the moon, beneath the surface layers."
Instead, the LCROSS results should show whether any comets, essentially oversized dirty snowballs, left any water behind when they hit the moon after its formation.
"The LCROSS impact produced a crater five times smaller than a football field and threw dust hundreds of feet into space," Schultz says. "A big billowing cloud, that's just science fiction. This is reality, where what we are looking for is water molecules."
So, just like the mission controllers, you might want to sleep on instant results from the mission. Colaprete suggested definitive word won't come until a December science meeting. "It's now time to go to sleep and get ready to dig into the data, now that we've dug into the Moon," Schultz says.
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