The Rigged-Up Net

Agency initiates steps for selective draft The government is taking the first steps toward a targeted military draft of Americans with special skills in computers and foreign languages.

Underground wiring shocks people, pets When a New Yorker walking her dogs was electrocuted in January by faulty wiring under the pavement, it seemed like the freakiest of accidents — until several pets in other big cities were killed or shocked in the weeks that followed.

Glazed diet? Krispy Kreme plans low-sugar doughnut Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD), long known for its high-calorie treats, says it plans to offer a low-sugar doughnut to attract dieters and diabetics.

Nutrient during pregnancy ‘super-charges’ brain Taking a nutrient called choline during pregnancy could “super-charge” children’s brains for life, suggests a study in rats.

Magazine names Chris Rock as funniest man He’s not on television regularly anymore, but Entertainment Weekly has judged Chris Rock to be the funniest man in America.

Rebate Roulette Still waiting for that check in the mail? Here’s the ugly truth about rebates–and how to steer clear of the gotchas.

R.I.P., Texas Oil – Here Comes the Sun Inside the plot to make the Lone Star State a solar powerhouse.

Stewart brands see no change in sales rates Companies that make or sell Martha Stewart brands appear not to be deterred by her felony conviction. Most report no change in sales and say they’ll sell her goods for as long as consumers buy them.

I love my cyberknife… but this is may be cooler: CeBIT to premiere USB Swiss Army Knife It was bound to happen. Given that you can buy a Victorinox Swiss Army Knive with just about every gadget known to man, from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space Telescope lens polisher, it’s no real surprise that the […]

Dogma on mammals’ eggs scrambled Contrary to popular belief, female mammals produce new eggs after birth, a new study in mice suggests.

The perils of Googling Google is in many ways most dangerous website on the Internet for thousands of individuals and organisations, writes SecurityFocus columnist Scott Granneman. Most computers users still have no idea that they may be revealing far more to the world than they would want.

More on pPod… Reach Out and Strong-Arm Someone

Clear Channel invests in new broadcast delay equipment San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE: CCU) on Tuesday announced that the company has purchased more than $500,000 worth of new equipment that will allow its stations to block indecent material.

Obesity to surpass tobacco as top US killer Americans are eating themselves to death – soon poor diet and physical inactivity may overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death, according to a US government study.

For more parents, 3 kids are a charm Whether they keep working, quit or go part time, many women are choosing to have three children — large families by today’s standards. American women have an average of two children (2.013 to be exact) and had fewer than two just 15 years ago. During most of […]

Seattle No. 2 in U.S. with graduate degrees Nearly one in five Seattle residents has a graduate or professional degree, ranking the city second nationally only behind Washington, D.C., in that category, according to figures released today by the U.S. Census.

The front and back of a fake $1 million dollar bill The front and back of a fake $1 million dollar bill is shown in this undated Covington Police Department handout photo. Alice Regina Pike, 35, was arrested when she tried to use the bill to purchase $1,675 worth of merchandise at Wal-Mart in Covington, […]

Plugging into the power of sewage The waste you flush down the toilet could one day power the lights in your home. So say researchers at Pennsylvania State University who last week revealed they have developed an electricity generator fuelled by sewage.

TiVo skips past naysayers TiVo is skipping past the skeptics with ambitious plans for growth and new features that it hopes will keep it a step ahead of rivals.

Study: Texas near bottom for legal fairness in U.S. At No. 45, Texas ranks near the bottom among the 50 states in a study of legal fairness by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform.

Online porn often leads high-tech way Gail Harris is an unlikely high-tech pioneer. The former model and queen of B-movie gems Cellblock Sisters and Galaxy Girls fished nude photos out of a trash can years ago and went on to create a multimillion-dollar Internet company with the world’s largest collection of erotic images.

DISH Network Drops Viacom Channels As Talks Stall EchoStar Communications, the parent company of the DISH Network, said it removed 16 local channels and 10 nationally distributed channels owned by Viacom International Inc. at midnight Monday night, after talks between the two companies broke down.

DirecTV accuses O.J. Simpson of pirating its satellite signals Satellite television network DirecTV has accused former football star O.J. Simpson of using illegal electronic devices to pirate its broadcast signals.

Painkiller linked to rise in overdose deaths Doctors prescribing methadone for pain relief may inadvertently be the cause of an alarming rise in deaths related to the drug in the US. Forensic science experts fear that a huge increase in methadone prescriptions is feeding the black market and encouraging abuse.

Tech firm Rackspace expects to add 127 jobs over course of ’04 Rackspace Managed Hosting, which saw its revenues grow by nearly 50 percent for the third straight year in 2003, is looking to boost its employee base by more than 25 percent in 2004, mostly in technical positions. This stellar growth has San Antonio […]

AT&T Wireless Phone “Upgrades” Aren’t “AT&T Wireless is requiring customers in parts of California and New York and elsewhere to “upgrade” their phones and offering free replacements. The catch? In most cases the upgrades have worse features than the phones they’re replacing.”

I guess this was made during the time when AOL was having some major issues with their systems… but it still funny to watch it now. Watch video here

Inside the Apple iPod Design Triumph Steve Jobs is recognizably the top cheerleader for Apple’s products. And the inventor of such hyperbole as “insanely great” has not abandoned that characteristic for the company’s iPod MP3 player.

Unchained Melodies Austin’s wireless future takes the stage at SXSW

Sex no bar to geekdom The so-called technology gender gap has slammed shut in the US: university students, whether male or female, report near identical take-up of technology, according to the latest 360 Youth College Explorer Study.

Americans driving to distraction But it wasn’t a laughing matter. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates that up to 30% of the 3 million accidents a year may be attributable to distracted driving.

Ah, this is good stuff.. Watch the video here…

I posted about this before, but now Wired is all over it… Cannibals Descend on MP3 Players Digital photographers have found a source of cheap microdrives for their cameras: Creative Technology’s MuVo2 digital music player.

Mysterious virus may thwart HIV HIV patients who are also infected by a second, mysterious virus are less likely to develop AIDS and die of the disease, suggests a new study.

Acupuncture’s secret: Blood flow to brain Acupuncture on pain-relief points cuts blood flow to key areas of the brain within seconds, providing the clearest explanation to date for how the ancient technique might relieve pain and treat addictions, a Harvard scientist reports today.

ICQ gets ‘friendlier’ with new service America Online’s ICQ has joined the social-networking craze.

Worm authors talk trash Security researchers have discovered that the authors of MyDoom and Bagle are exchanging insults with the author of NetSky, using text hidden inside their virus code.

What is the difference between espresso and drip coffee? The main differences between espresso coffee and drip coffee are the fineness of the grind and the brewing time. The brewing time for espresso coffee is much shorter, made possible by espresso machines that generate up to 15 atmospheres (ATM) of pressure to force the water […]

Colleges throw lifeline to students The subject line of the e-mail was simple: “Are you depressed?”

McDonald’s phasing out super-size fries, drinks Say goodbye to those super-sized fries — McDonald’s is slimming down its menu. The hamburger giant has started phasing out its trademark Supersize fries and drinks in its U.S. restaurants as part of an effort to simplify its menu and give customers choices that support a balanced lifestyle, a […]