Holographic storage microholographic | GE General Electric | The Tech News Blog

GE (General Electric) announced today that they have achieved a major breakthrough in disc storage technology. They claim to have created a form of holographic storage, which allows a jaw-dropping 500 gigabytes of information to be stored on a single disc - no bigger than a regular DVD!

Holographic storage microholographic | GE General Electric | The Tech News Blog

Cuba criticizes Microsoft blocking Messenger

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press Writer


HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba criticized Microsoft on Friday for blocking its Messenger instant messaging service on the island and in other countries under U.S. sanctions, calling it yet another example of Washington's "harsh" treatment of Havana.

The technology giant recently announced it was disabling the program's availability in Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan and North Korea to come into compliance with a U.S. ban on transfer of licensed software to embargoed countries.

The move "is just the latest turn of the screw in the United States' technological blockade against the island," a technology writer said in an article published by state youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde.

He called the ban on transfer of technology "a truly harsh violation" of Cuba's rights.

Messenger has been used on the island for a decade without Microsoft interference.

Dharmesh Mehta, director of Windows Live Product Management at the Redmond, Washington-based company, said Microsoft "made the change late last year in connection with the last product release of Windows Live Messenger."

"This is not a new change, but has only recently received attention," he said.

He added that "Microsoft is one of several major Internet companies that have taken steps aimed at meeting their obligations to not do business with markets on the U.S. sanctions list."

Mehta said that "Microsoft supports efforts to ensure that the Internet remains a platform for open, diverse and unimpeded content and commerce," and that "governments should exercise restraint in regulating the Internet."

Internet communications service Skype currently works in Cuba, but the government evidently has periodically blocked other similar services in the past - sometimes including Messenger.

Last month, the Obama administration announced it was lifting some U.S. restrictions on telecommunications with Cuba in an effort toward easing the island's isolation. It is unclear if those changes will affect the ban on export of licensed software.

Cuba has been criticized for its own restrictions on Internet technology.

Although many islanders have access to e-mail through schools, workplaces and post offices, government restrictions keep most citizens from unfettered access to the Web. Officials say the island does not have enough bandwidth to allow universal access.

Cuba's Internet connection comes via satellite from faraway countries such as Italy and Canada, and Havana complains that the U.S. embargo prevents it from obtaining better service through underwater cable.

The government uses filters on the islandwide intranet to block pages that contain pornography or are considered a threat to national security, including some sites run by anti-communist exiles, the U.S. government's Radio Marti and popular Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez's "Generation Y."

Despite restrictions on U.S. licensed software, the Cuban government employs Windows operating systems and other Microsoft programs on many of its computers. But it is working toward replacing them with open-source programs.

During a media tour of Raul Cepero Bonilla technology high school in the capital, students and teachers this week touted the benefits of open-source software.

"Open software is comfortable, free, easy to modify and public," 15-year-old student Anette Camacho said.

Teacher Alain Tourino said Cuba should use only open software so it isn't bound to the rules and decisions of U.S. technology companies.

---

AP Technology Writer Jessica Mintz in Seattle contributed to this report.

Facebook makes exception to nudity policy?

Sharon Adams, a 45-year-old mother of four from Reading, England, underwent a mastectomy in March.

Instead of concentrating on her own misfortune, she decided to use Facebook to spread the need for women both to have regular checkups and not to feel shame should they endure such awful surgery.

So she posted four pictures of herself, revealing the right side of her body, scarred after the removal of her breast.

Within 24 hours, the pictures were removed by the so-called porn cops at Facebook as being "sexual and abusive."

Read Entire Article Here:Facebook makes exception to nudity policy? | Technically Incorrect - CNET News

Flammable Fingernail Polish

Ok, so I go to the store and get my daughter this fingernail kit, and she asks to to do her nails, as I open the container I read this:


Just lovely, flammable fingernail polish, Now im not sure if all of it isnt, but im wondering who the hell designs a label like this one, makes me wanna run out and coat my daughters fingers with it!

Hulu's first live-stream concert: Dave Matthews Band

This is gonna be cool, I was messing with the HULU desktop yesterday, I really like its ease of use, and quick stream.  You can actually control the whole thing with a remote control!  With like 6 buttons, pretty cool, Check it out.

Hulu's first live-stream concert: Dave Matthews Band | Digital Media - CNET News

Data backup service leads to recovery of stolen laptop | Security - CNET News

Muahhhhaaaaa Isn't this just the shit, this retard! I was laughing my ass off when I read this, it needs to be in the list of the dumbest criminals out there, lets steal a lap top then take our picture with it, and to boot lets upload the files to the internet, Way to go.

Retard!

Data backup service leads to recovery of stolen laptop | Security - CNET News

The 25 Best Free iPhone 3G Apps

Was browsing around the web and found this little list of APPS for your iphone, I thought it might come in usefull for some of you iphone users out there.

Peace...

The 25 Best Free iPhone 3G Apps - OS, Software & Networking by ExtremeTech

Police can forcibly take DNA samples during arrests, judge rules | Politics and Law - CNET News

Ok so this shit could really go either way, I guess it all comes down to the primary freaking question, Did you do it?  Cuz if you didn't you sure as hell wouldn't care either way if they stuck a cotton swab in your mouth.

I can see how some may see this as an invasion, But if your not in the wrong place at the wrong time you have no worries

Peace....

Police can forcibly take DNA samples during arrests, judge rules | Politics and Law - CNET News

Wikipedia bans Church of Scientology • The Register

Wikipedia bans Church of Scientology

Wikipedia bans Church of Scientology • The Register

Facebook payments: Think virtual

Is it true?  Seems facebook will be setting up a Micro Payment system, check this artice out I found, and lstop back to share your thoughts.

Facebook payments: Think virtual

Facebook payments: Think virtual | The Social - CNET News

Hackers Breached US Army Servers

Hackers Breached US Army ServersPosted by timothy on Thursday May 28, @04:08PM

A Turkish hacking ring has broken into 2 sensitive U.S. Army servers, according to a new investigation uncovered by InformationWeek. The hackers, who go by the name 'm0sted' and are based in Turkey, penetrated servers at the Army's McAlester Ammunition Plant in Oklahoma in January. Users attempting to access the site were redirected to a page featuring a climate-change protest. In Sept, 2007, the hackers breached Army Corps of Engineers servers. That hack sent users to a page containing anti-American and anti-Israeli rhetoric. The hackers used simple SQL Server injection techniques to gain access. That's troubling because it shows a major Army security lapse, and also the ability to bypass supposedly sophisticated Defense Department tools and procedures designed to prevent such breaches."

Slashdot | Hackers Breached US Army Servers

Twitter Gets Targeted Again by Worm-like Phishing Attack

Twitter Gets Targeted Again by Worm-like Phishing Attack

Twitter users have been tricked into divulging their login and password details to a Web site that then spammed their contacts.

The culprit is a Web site called TwitterCut. Some Twitter users began getting a message that appeared to be from one of their friends and included a link to the TwitterCut Web site. The message implied they could gain more Twitter contacts by following the link.

At one time TwitterCut looked quite similar to the real Twitter login page, said Mikko Hypponen, chief research offer for the security vendor F-Secure.

If a person entered their login details, TwitterCut would then send the same message via Twitter to all of the victim's contacts, a kind of phishing attack with worm-like characteristics. No malicious software is installed on a user's machine, Hypponen said.

Although TwitterCut probably holds the login details for many accounts, it doesn't appear those accounts have been used to spam out links to more dangerous Web sites.

TwitterCut's Web site has been reported to services that blacklist potentially harmful Web sites, although it is still active. In a warning message now on TwitterCut, the site's operators said they didn't mean to phish people.

Instead, they say they were trying to create a so-called Twitter Train, which are sites that purport to quickly give Twitter users lots of followers. They said they bought the login script on their site for US$50.

"We were not phishing Twitter accounts whatsoever," the message said. "We're shutting down this site."

Hypponen said Twitter should be on the lookout for signs of spam, such as when an identical message appears hundreds and hundreds of times across users' profiles that isn't a "retweet," or the intentional reposting of other content.

Twitter could also screen URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) to make sure they're not already blacklisted for security issues, Hypponen said. Many Web browsers as well as search engines will either warn about or block suspicious Web sites.

Most URLs posted in Twitter have been shortened using services such as TinyURL in order to fit in the 140-character message length that Twitter imposes, obscuring the real destination and making users dependent on the trustworthiness of their friends when clicking links. The service was hit by other worms earlier in the year.

Twitter acknowledged the phishing problem late Tuesday night.

"We are currently pushing a password reset on accounts we believe may have been caught in a phishing scam," the company said. "Please exercise your best judgment when thinking about releasing your username and password to third parties."

40 (NEW) High-quality and Free Icon Sets

Here is a cool site I ran across on the internet tonight, these Icon sets are really cool, and best I can tell they are really free, Stop back by and leave a comment letting me know what you think!

40 (NEW) High-quality and Free Icon Sets

New Wave of "Gumblar" Hacked Sites Installs Google-targeting Malware by PC World: Yahoo! Tech

New Wave of "Gumblar" Hacked Sites Installs Google-targeting Malware * By Erik Larkin - Thu May 14, 2009 3:38PM EDT

New Wave of "Gumblar" Hacked Sites Installs Google-targeting Malware by PC World: Yahoo! Tech

Did The UK Press Con A 104-Year-Old Woman Into Joining Twitter For Digg Bait?

Did The UK Press Con A 104-Year-Old Woman Into Joining Twitter For Digg Bait?

hotel626.com

Hey all, Have another site you have just GOT to check out, its amazing, let me know what you think.

Hotel626.com