Sci-Tech Today

Another Porn App Gets Booted From Apple's App Store

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:40:38 -0500

Week after week, Apple sees controversy swirl around its App Store like no other smartphone maker. Yet again, the controversy has focused on pornographic content.

The latest application to attempt to make its way into the App Store is called BeautyMeter. The app lets iPhone and iPod touch users view user-submitted images of men and women, then rate them based on anatomy and clothing. One image up for rating was of a topless 15-year-old girl. Apple booted the application on Thursday.

But that wasn't the first time a pornographic application made its way through Apple's approval process. The App Store has a policy that prohibits pornography or explicit content of any kind.

Last week, Apple removed an application called Hottest Girl because it published photos of topless women. In both cases, the applications got by the approval process because the developers slipped in the nude pictures after the program was vetted.

Controversial Apps

The list of applications Apple has rejected continues to grow. In some cases, Apple initially approved an application, only to ban it later. In others, Apple originally banned the application and then accepted it after a firestorm of negative publicity. Still others were rejected for good.

In May, Apple rejected the Me So Holy App for having "objectionable" content. The application let iPhone users choose their religion, take a picture of themselves, and insert their face in a messianic image, among other religious scenes. Users could also add a message and e-mail their personalized Jesus to friends or upload it to Facebook. Hindu figures, priests and nuns were also available.

Apple initially approved and later removed the controversial Baby Shaker application in April. Sikalosoft developed Baby Shaker, which featured a drawing of a crying baby, and the object of the game was to get the baby to stop crying. This was accomplished by...

Hybrid Cellular Satellite Will Boost Rural Coverage

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:07:11 -0500

European space transportation provider Arianespace launched its largest satellite ever on Wednesday on behalf of TerreStar Networks -- a Virginia-based company that intends to inaugurate a hybrid satellite/cellular service in the United States and Canada later this year.

TerreStar Networks has already developed a Windows Mobile smartphone with QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen capabilities for its new hybrid service. The handset will automatically switch from AT&T's terrestrial cellular network to a satellite link at any location within the 50 U.S. states where AT&T's local coverage is unavailable.

"We believe there are tremendous opportunities ahead -- in both the commercial and government sectors," said TerreStar President Jeff Epstein. "And we remain focused on our promise to help solve the critical communications and business-continuity challenges faced by government, emergency responders, enterprises and rural communities."

Creating a New Paradigm

The new TerreStar-1 satellite is equipped with an 18-meter reflector capable of sending and receiving signals via about 500 spot beams, each of which will function as a cellular tower in the sky for a specific localized area. Moreover, each individual spot beam can be custom controlled to increase the available capacity for emergency personnel responding to a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, which decimated a large part of southern Louisiana's communications infrastructure.

"TerreStar-1 has the capability to increase both power and capacity dynamically across spot beams with advanced ground-based beam-forming technology," a company spokesperson said. "This feature will be especially important to emergency responders and other critical users."

TerreStar's $300 million satellite also has the potential to fulfill one of the priority objectives of the national broadband plan currently under development at the FCC. Later this year, the fledgling network operator intends to begin providing core voice, data and video services to rural businesses and consumers in areas where cellular coverage is spotty or even nonexistent.

"We are creating...

Facebook Will Simplify Confusing Privacy Controls

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:10:33 -0500

Facebook will again tweak its privacy controls to give its 200 million users simplified control over what they want the public and their friends to see. In the past months, Firefox has added multiple privacy controls that confused and angered its members.

Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly said Wednesday that Facebook will begin a series of tests to simplify choices. "With the test we're announcing today, we'll move toward simplifying these settings and putting them all on the same page," Kelly said.

Facebook users will soon begin to see the move to new settings. During the process, Facebook will ask offer a Transition Tool so users can select their level of sharing.

The settings will be tested by 40,000 U.S. Facebook users in week one, using one of the six versions of the Transition Tool. Tests in week two will include 80,000 users worldwide.

In week three, Facebook will slowly begin rolling out the final product to all users.

Easing Confusion

"I think that Facebook very much needed to revamp its user interface, the many mechanisms that deal with privacy controls," said Ray Valdes, a Gartner analyst. "This had become complex due to a steady accumulation of features over the years that needed to be put back in order toward a more cohesive user experience."

The slew of updates and changes to the social-networking site included the "everyone" option in March, which allowed users to share all information, including photos and posts. Last week, Facebook launched a beta version of the Publisher Privacy Control, which allows users to decide who can see their published content on a per-post basis.

Combined, those features enable users to allow some posts to be seen by everyone and other posts to be seen only by select friends.

"You will have the choice of being as open...

NASA: Fuel Test a Success, Shuttle Launch Day Set

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:23:16 -0500

To NASA's relief, a fueling test on space shuttle Endeavour uncovered no hydrogen gas leaks Wednesday and paved the way for another launch attempt late next week for the delayed mission.

Last month, potentially dangerous leaks of hydrogen gas thwarted back-to-back launch attempts.

"Nothing in this business is ever guaranteed, but this one I feel really good about, that we got that problem licked and we're not going to see a ... leak again on the next launch attempt," said Mike Moses, a launch manager.

"And there's wood around somewhere here I can knock on," he said, tapping the news conference table.

Because of the successful test, NASA is now shooting for a launch attempt July 11. Endeavour is set to deliver one last piece of a Japanese space station lab.

Earlier Wednesday, launch controllers filled Endeavour's external fuel tank to see if repairs plugged the leak. No abnormal leakage was detected during the three-hour test.

During two launch attempts in mid-June, significant amounts of hydrogen gas escaped from around a plate on the fuel tank that attaches to a vent line. Engineers discovered a slight misalignment of the plate, and a different, more pliable type of seal, with a spring, and special washers were installed to correct the problem.

The same plate on the fuel tank that will be used to launch Discovery in mid-August also is slightly misaligned, and similar repairs will be conducted, Moses said. Engineers are still trying to figure out how the plates were installed ever so slightly tilted.

Commander Mark Polansky, who monitored the test from Houston, was pleased with the results. He said he and his crew will return to Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday for the start of the launch countdown.

The seven shuttle astronauts will deliver and install the Japanese lab section at the international space station. They will spend...

Sentencing Scheduled for Mom in MySpace Hoax

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:23:36 -0500

A Missouri mother faces up to three years in prison at her sentencing Thursday in Los Angeles for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who later killed herself.

Lori Drew was convicted in November on three misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization. A defense motion to dismiss the convictions has received a lengthy review from U.S. District Judge George Wu, who delayed Drew's sentencing in May to review the testimony of two prosecution witnesses.

Much attention has been paid to Drew's case, primarily because it was the nation's first cyberbullying trial.

Prosecutors say Drew sought to humiliate Megan Meier by helping create a fictitious teen boy on the social networking site and sending flirtatious messages to the girl in his name. The fake boy then dumped Megan in a message saying the world would be better without her. She hanged herself a short time later in October 2006 in the St. Louis suburb of Dardenne Prairie, Mo.

Drew was not directly charged with causing Megan's death. Instead, prosecutors indicted her under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which in the past has been used in hacking and trademark theft cases.

Drew's attorney, Dean Steward, said charges should have never been brought against his client and prosecution's decision to seek a three-year prison sentence for misdemeanor convictions was "shocking."

"The government's case is all about making Lori Drew a public symbol of cyberbullying," Steward said in a previous court filing. "The government has created a fiction that Lori Drew somehow caused (Megan's) death, and it wants a long prison sentence to make its fiction seem real."

Judge Wu acknowledged in May he was concerned that sending Drew to prison for violating a Web site's service terms might set a dangerous precedent. Wu noted that millions of people either don't read...

Bing Searches Up-To-the-Minute Tweets on Twitter

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:13:46 -0500

Bing is now doing Twitter. The recently launched Microsoft search engine is now allowing users to search for various kinds of real-time data, including tweets from Twitter.

Sean Suchter, general manager of Microsoft's Search Technology Center, wrote on the Bing blog Wednesday that the search engine is "unveiling an initial foray into integrating more real-time data into our search results, starting with some of the more prominent and prolific Twitters from a variety of spheres."

Gore, Seacrest, More

These initial Twitterers, he wrote, include former Vice President Al Gore, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, and notables in search technology and business. Microsoft will update Twitter results every 60 seconds, using the Twitter API. Initially, Bing will only be indexing a few thousand Twitterers, based on follower count and number of tweets.

As an example, Suchter said a user could type "Kara Swisher Twitter," "Kara Swisher Tweets," or even "@karaswisher" as a search query and the results would show the latest tweets for Swisher, as well as a link to "see more tweets." Swisher is a Wall Street Journal tech columnist.

Brad Shimmin, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said Bing is joining the parade of search engines that allow users to query real-time information, with some engines specifically designed for that function. Twitter profiles and older tweet streams are searchable on many engines, but Bing is reportedly the first to allow Twitter to be searched in this way.

"This isn't revolutionary," he said, but is part of a search-industry trend as it recognizes that the Web isn't static, but includes many forms of real-time or near-real-time communications. The realization, he said, began with search engines including blogs, and has now moved to include Facebook postings and other very frequently updated, Web-based communications.

He added that this new feature is also Microsoft trying to offer more...

Celebrity Deaths Drive Spam, with Jackson Pervasive

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:11:24 -0500

With recent celebrity deaths, spammers are shifting strategies in hopes of cashing in on the misfortunes of others. Although several celebrities have passed away in the last few weeks, pop star Michael Jackson's death is driving the greatest spam volume.

Less than eight hours after Jackson's untimely death, Sophos began to intercept spam campaigns using the singer's name. Sophos also discovered cybercriminals taking advantage of 1970s TV icon Farrah Fawcett's death to spread fake antivirus software.

Mass Mailing Worms

Since then, Sophos reports large volumes of more spam, malware and other scams. For example, Sophos reports a mass-mailing worm that spams out messages with subject lines such as "Remembering Michael Jackson" with an attached file called "Michael songs and pictures.zip."

The e-mail, which claims to come from sarah@michaeljackson.com, says the attached ZIP file contains secret songs and photos of Michael Jackson. However, the reality is that opening the attachment exposes recipients to infection -- and if a computer is victimized, it spreads the worm to other Internet users.

Attackers have also set up a bogus Italian YouTube site link in an e-mail. When users click on the e-mail they get an error message indicating a Flash player upgrade is required in order to view the video. The download link ushers the victim to a fake codec that downloads a Trojan.

Exploiting Human Misery

How does the rash of celebrity deaths compare with other major world events? It's not at all unusual for the bad guys to try and take advantage of big international news stories in their attempts to infect computers and steal money, according to Graham Cluley, a senior security consultant at Sophos.

Cluley points to hackers in the past taking advantage of the death of the pope, the incarceration of Saddam Hussein, the death of kung-fu actor David Carradine, a Concorde crash in Paris,...

Ancient DNA Used To Map Extinct Bird's Colors

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:32:00 -0500

Australian and New Zealand scientists have used prehistoric feathers to help map the color of giant extinct birds and said Wednesday they believe their method could help reconstruct the appearance of other extinct bird species.

The researchers retrieved ancient DNA from four species of New Zealand's extinct Moa from feathers found in caves and rock shelters and believed to be at least 2,500 years old.

The native Moa -- a flightless, powerfully built forager that stood over 8 feet (2.50 meters) tall and weighed 550 pounds (250 kilograms) -- ranged widely in southern New Zealand before the arrival of man.

Using DNA analysis, scientists from New Zealand's Landcare Research and Australia's Adelaide University reconstructed the mainly plain brown plumage of the stout legged Moa, heavy-footed Moa, upland Moa and South Island giant Moa.

"Some had white-tipped feathers to create a speckled appearance" that they used as camouflage, said researcher Nicolas Rawlence from the university's Australian Center for Ancient DNA.

The findings were published Wednesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.

A co-author of the study, Jamie Wood of Landcare Research, said it is likely that the Moa's drab color was to avoid predation by the extinct indigenous Haast's eagle, once the biggest and most powerful eagle in the world.

The study notes that the drab camouflage plumage of several other New Zealand native birds, including the flightless Kiwi and flightless nocturnal Kakapo parrot, supports this concept.

Moa quickly became extinct after indigenous Maori settled in New Zealand about 1200 A.D.

The research showed it was possible to retrieve DNA from all parts of the ancient feathers, not just the tip of the quill as previously thought, Wood said.

This important finding opens the way to study DNA from museum birds just by clipping a small part of a single feather, causing almost no damage to the valuable...

Is Twitter the News Outlet for the 21st Century?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:32:42 -0500

Cassy Hayes and Jasmine Coleman were among the first fans to arrive outside the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles where Michael Jackson was brought and later pronounced dead.

How had Hayes, 25, and Coleman, 21, heard the news so quickly?

Twitter.

The two young women had learned about Jackson's health like so many who get their news nowadays: by reading the ever-flowing feed of real-time information on the microblogging service.

Jackson's unexpected death at 50 was just the latest major news event where Twitter played a central role. But just as quickly as Twitter has emerged as a news source, so, too, has its susceptibility to false rumors become abundantly apparent.

The extraordinary amount of news coverage the mainstream media has recently devoted to Twitter has led some to think the press is in love with the 3-year-old microblogging service. But it's a jealous love.

Twitter's constantly updating record of up-to-the-minute reaction has in some instances threatened to usurp media coverage of breaking news. It has also helped many celebrities, athletes and politicians bypass the media to get their message directly to their audience.

Make no mistake about it, Twitter has in many ways been a boon to the media. It's one more way a story might go viral and it's arguably the best way for a news outlet to get closer to its readership. Most outlets now have a presence on Twitter with a feed directing readers to their respective sites.

But even in an Internet world that has for years eroded the distance between media and consumer, Twitter is a jolt of democratization to journalism.

To date, the most salient, powerful example of Twitter's influence has been Iranian protesters using the service (among many other methods) to assemble marches against what they feel has been an unjust election.

Early in the protests, the State Department...

China Web Controversy Highlights Public Role

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:33:28 -0500

Beijing's retreat on its latest Internet-censorship effort highlights the rise of China's increasingly tech-savvy, vocal public as a factor in the authoritarian government's decisions.

China gave in late Tuesday to complaints by Web users, manufacturers and foreign governments and postponed a plan to require producers to supply a government-endorsed filtering software known as Green Dam with every personal computer sold in China.

"We think this is a result of the efforts of all the parties, but we think public opinion played an even more important role than the others," said Edward Yu, president of Analysys International, an Internet research company in Beijing.

The retreat marks another significant shift for a Communist Party that is used to being the final voice in official decisions but is learning to accommodate a public that is growing more assertive as living standards rise.

One of the more vocal campaigners against the filtering software, avant-garde artist Ai Weiwei, threw a party at a Beijing restaurant Wednesday to celebrate. Guests wore T-shirts with slogans cursing Green Dam and the "GFW," or Great Firewall, the nickname of the government's extensive system to monitor and filter Internet traffic.

Ai said he wanted July 1 declared Internet Day as "a reminder that no one should violate the right to free access to the Internet."

Though the Chinese leadership remains as determined as ever to crush challenges to its authority, it also knows that staying in power means keeping in touch with public attitudes and key interest groups.

The government polls relentlessly if quietly. It monitors comments on the Internet from China's nearly 300 million Web users. Sometimes the government alters decisions -- like it did with Green Dam.

"This is a milestone in the growing role the broader public has in forming policy decisions," said David Wolf, president of Wolf Group Asia, a technology marketing consultant in...