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It’s mostly bad news for network administrators at this year’s Black Hat Security Briefings: Increasingly, attackers are using better tools to find vulnerabilities, exploit flaws and hide their attacks. Better tools let hackers strike more quickly
When analyst Bruce Leichtman looks at TiVo, the company that pioneered digital video recorders (DVRs) in 1999, he thinks of Moses. Will DVR rivals outrun TiVo?
Television fans who like to choose when and where they watch their favorite programs are in for a rude awakening next year when new copy controls encoded in digital television streams will limit such freedoms. Group Warns DVRs Endangered
Matt Renck is spoiled. Ever since moving here to teach English two years ago, Renck has had a high-speed Internet connection of 8 megabits per second–only about average for a South Korean apartment, but nearly eight times the typical broadband speed in U.S. households. He watches TV shows over this connection, creates multimedia projects for […]
Over the past few months, Rackspace has unveiled a new application level service level agreement (SLA) for its Intensive Hosting solution that gives clients running the Microsoft family of solutions the opportunity to cover the complete software stack, including operating systems, database servers and the application framework. Rackspace President Lanham Napier on Managed Hosting
Starbucks did it for coffee. Target, with an assist from designer Michael Graves, did it for toilet brushes. And now, some mega lodging chains are doing it for hotel rooms. Atlanta’s Hotel Indigo: High style, nice price
“A G4/Tech TV feature on DOOM 3, offering a history of the DOOM franchise in the words of the folks at id Software. The clip can be found on the air on The DOOM Franchise, episode 310 of a series called ‘Icons.’ The piece offers clips from DOOM 3 and other games, interview footage, analysis […]
People outdoors are exposed to higher levels of harmful ultraviolet rays than previously thought, according to a three-year study. Warning of bigger burn for sunbathers
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals staged a ‘Live Make-Out Tour’ on Friday to promote vegetarian eating. PETA Stages Vegetarian ‘Love-In’ in Idaho
The hand you favour as a 10-week-old fetus is the hand you will favour for the rest of your life, suggests a new study. Handedness develops in the womb
With automakers sweetening incentives on new cars and with affordable used cars flooding the market, leasing a used car might not seem to make much sense. But it can be a good deal for a lot of consumers, and it’s gaining interest. For a quick change, lease a used car
Would you eat food cooked in your own urine? Food scientists working for the US military have developed a dried food ration that troops can hydrate by adding the filthiest of muddy swamp water or even peeing on it. Army rations rehydrated by urine
Coke (KO) and Pepsi (PEP) have been trying to pump up flat carbonated-soft-drink sales with new varieties, but the latest — “mid-calorie” colas — might not be the answer. ‘Light’ colas may not boost flat sales
When Sam Donaldson agreed several months ago to be on HBO’s Da Ali G Show, he thought he was going to discuss media and politics with a British talk-show host. You can’t possibly be serious!
Prices of consumer electronics products continued to nose-dive in May, with plasma television taking a huge fall, according to pricing data released by NPD Group on Thursday. Report: Plasma TV, notebook prices drop
If you’ve ever wondered, enviously, how celebrity and fashion-tribe women manage to strut red carpets for hours in sky-high stilettos, here’s one possible secret: collagen injections in the balls or heels of their feet. Podiatrists can plump you up for stilettos
Many men feel there’s something missing from their sex lives. And they are likely wholly unaware of some options they may have for improving their — and perhaps their partners’ — time between the sheets. Forget therapy. Forget sex toys or role playing. Build thee a foreskin, young — or old — man. Men who […]
More than a decade ago, theoreticians predicted that nitrogen, the major constituent of air, could assume a three-dimensional, polymeric structure. Now, chemists have made this polymeric nitrogen, and they say it might someday serve as a lightweight, high-energy storage material that could outperform conventional explosives, rocket fuels, and even automotive fuel. Nitrogen Power: New crystal […]
Flicking away pesky mosquitoes may be better than swatting the bloodsucking insects, which can risk infections if their body parts are smashed into human skin, researchers say. Researchers: Don’t slap that mosquito, flick it
Computer glitches would be a lot less annoying if the machines were programmed to acknowledge errors gracefully when something goes wrong, instead of merely flashing up a brusque “you goofed” message. Polite computers win users’ hearts and minds
You’ve got to see this… its quite amazing. Lego Spiderman 2
Babies exposed to sign language babble with their hands, even if they are not deaf. The finding supports the idea that human infants have an innate sensitivity to the rhythm of language and engage it however they can, the researchers who made the discovery claim. Babies babble in sign language too
I’m a master’s student in a speech language pathology program and have found that cursive writing does not exist. My nephew is 19 years old and prints. He never learned cursive. Bring penmanship back!
A biotech company that is using prostitutes in its AIDS drug experiments is being accused of exploiting the women and giving them poor education to further its research Activists Demand Drug Maker Gilead Halt AIDS Experiments Involving Prostitutes
The current spotlight on documentaries, particularly those of the political persuasion, means more movie fans than usual are likely to pay attention to the Best Documentary Feature category during the 77th Academy Awards. But a quirky rule that declares ineligible any documentary distributed on television or the Internet during the nine months after its theatrical […]
Travelers are used to removing their shoes at the airport, but one passenger took it a step further and dropped his shorts, airport police said. Man charged with dropping shorts in airport security line
Web hosting may not seem like a very exciting business, but it’s one where customer service really matters. Rackspace, a mid-size Web hosting company, considers customer support a fundamental component of its success. The Challenges of Online Customer Service
In the next 20 years, organizations of all types will be seeking out dead zones. If they don’t exist, they’ll create them. Why You Will Come to Love Dead Zones
AboveNet Communications UK Ltd, a subsidiary of AboveNet Inc., a leading provider of integrated access services to leading edge enterprises, announced today that it has signed a contract with Rackspace Managed Hosting for two diversely routed 1Gigabit wavelengths and IP Transit in excess of 100Mb. Rackspace Catches AboveNet Wave Rackspace Catches AboveNet Wave
Thai waiter wears a condom over his head while serving a cocktail as a patron looks on at the Cabbages and Condoms restaurant in Bangkok on July 8, 2004. The restaurant, founded by Mechai Viravaidya, better known as ‘Mr Condom’, aims to educate the public about safe sex. Bangkok will be the host for the […]
Since its inception, the social-networking service Friendster has taken a militant stance against members posting fake profiles of cartoon characters, political figures, celebrities and bogus people. But now, in an about-face, Friendster is promoting profiles of characters from the new movie Anchorman. Friendster’s Fakester Buddies
It looks like a fat carrot, but it is actually a banana. And it is so rich in precursors to vitamin A that researchers hope it could prevent children from going blind in the Pacific islands of Micronesia. Orange banana to boost kids’ eyes
A billboard placed this week in the heart of Silicon Valley posed a complex mathematical question that most commuters on Highway 101 would need Google to crack. Google recruits eggheads with mystery billboard
Vaccher is one of the 15,000 people the government estimates have been saved by air bags since then-Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole signed an order on July 11, 1984, requiring all vehicles to have driver’s side air bags or automatic seat belts by 1989 and passenger-side bags soon after. 15,000 saved by air bags in last […]
Fort Campbell is bracing for what recent statistics show would be a record number of newborns in a single month. Military hospital prepares for post-Iraq baby invasion
Microsoft is stuck in a full-blown midlife crisis. Microsoft’s Worst Enemy: Success
Contrary to popular belief, people in east Asia are no more genetically susceptible to short-sightedness than any other population group, according to researchers who have analysed past studies of the problem. Lifestyle causes myopia, not genes
Managed Hosting Specialist Named to Prestigious List of Innovators SAN ANTONIO — July 7, 2004 – Rackspace Managed Hosting, the fastest-growing managed hosting specialist, today announced it was named to the AlwaysOn (AO) Top 100 Private Companies list. AlwaysOn, an open source media company focused on technology and business innovation, and KPMG’s emerging business practice, […]
Drinking milk may protect against bowel cancer, suggests a new study on the dairy-eating habits of more than half a million people. Milk may protect against bowel cancer
David Day has a bounce in his step and a glint in his eye unexpected in someone who makes nearly 400 telemarketing calls a day for less than $200 a month. That’s because he has a coveted job where few exist: behind bars. Inmates vs. outsourcing