Apparently it takes just 6 hours to hack into the FBI’s crime database and there are gaping holes in the network security of our government and many of our biggest companies:
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9087441&pageNumber=1
Article about the amazing hackers in China that work on behalf of the Chinese government. The hackers may be responsible to two recent and widespread blackouts in Florida and the Northeast:
http://www.shaneharris.net/2008/05/chinas-cyber-militia.html
Berkeley Bionics (startup company with UC-Berkeley researchers) has an impressive super suit that gives the wearer beyond-human strength:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/05/let-the-battle.html
Foster-Miller (iRobot’s main competition in the military sector) was awarded a $400 mil IDIQ contract for their robots that detect and disable explosives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The article also mentions that iRobot will also be able to announce a big military contract soon:
http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/28/foster-miller-wins-400-million-navy-contract-take-that-irobot/
Blackwater sued the city of San Diego for dragging their feet in issuing the final certificate so that they can open their training center. They claim that the mayor and city attorney are playing politics and could cause them to miss their Monday deadline specified in their Navy contract:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080528-9999-1m28black.html
The Pentagon wants a laser attack warning system for satellites. They are apparently concerned that recent failures of spy satellites are due to Chinese laser attacks:
Article link
Article stating that NASA should be working on asteroid defense instead of what he calls a wasteful Moon base mission. However, he points out that the Moon base would bring at least a decade of funding, which is why he said that NASA went along with it:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/05/the-case-for-as.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200806/asteroids/3
New filter may be useful for cleaning up power station emissions (a big global warming problem) cheaply and much more efficiently than current techniques:
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg19826577.200
Nigerian rebel group threatened to attack oil installations and military checkpoints to mark the one-year anniversary for Nigeria’s President. If it happens expect gas prices to shoot up even more:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4B34E408-9993-4F6F-8346-787F2BFA1DCF.htm
Google demoed Android’s user interface–the Google-led platform apparently looks like an open-source version of the iPhone with a lot of Google stuff integrated in the system:
http://telephonyonline.com/wireless/news/google-demos-android-0529/
Microsoft expects at least 50% annual growth for its Windows Mobile OS:
http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=43238&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10&view=news
India’s Tata will use Qualcomm’s A-GPS to launch the first location-based service in India:
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/31443.php
India is issuing guidelines next month for their 3G and WiMAX spectrum auctions, with the expectation that commercial service will begin in January 2009:
Article link
Long-range WiFi APs are being pushed as a cheaper alternative to WiMAX:
http://www.techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?newsID=101590&pagtype=samechan
The SEC filed lawsuits against 8 former AOL executives. Four of them already settled with the SEC for a total of $8 mil, which enables them to avoid having to admit guilt. The guy that paid $4 mil to settle his lawsuit sure paid a steep price to avoid admitting guilt:
http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=43239&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10
Santa Fe group says they are allergic to WiFi and want WiFi banned from public buildings:
http://kob.com/article/stories/S451152.shtml?cat=517
8 Megapixel cameraphones may be coming soon…that is better resolution than my digital camera!
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/cameras/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208400621
Lots of info on the rumor that Kobe had an affair with a Lakers cheerleader. The Laker Girl has apparently been kickoff off the squad and there are supposedly some photos being shopped around to tabloids for sale:
http://deadspin.com/5011467/this-dirty-kobe-bryant-business
http://www.popcrunch.com/cheating-kobe-bryant-laker-girl-vanessa-curry-affair/
Yahoo says that Microsoft is not interested in a merger but does describe some of the complicated parts is the deal that Microsoft is interested in (selling off their Asian assets, etc.):
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/search/e3idc8073fe43a5ca939f9d107de213baa0
Google’s paid clicks in the US market shot up last month:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/search/e3idc8073fe43a5ca93fc8dd6c27b6c9b0f
82% of the money that the Obama campaign spent on online advertising went to Google:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/search/e3i3f3a21456cba6a51581ed296479342df
