The access panel door on a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine — the door that protects the memory card that stores the votes, and is the main barrier to the injection of a virus — can be opened with a standard key that is widely available on the Internet
The airline has become the third to impose restrictions on laptops, following the recall of millions of exploding
batteries. The airline has banned the in-flight use of most Dell and Apple laptops, following recalls of thousands of batteries by both computer makers. The decision follows similar moves by Qantas and Korean Air
A Taiwan-based maker of DVDs and CDs for major studios is about to begin putting RFID chips in disks. The eventual aim is for DVD and CD players equipped with an RFID reader to prevent copied or out-of-region disks from being played
Users of modchipped gaming consoles could face fines of thousands of dollars when new copyright protection laws are introduced this year by the Federal Government. Until now, it has only been illegal to distribute or sell services or devices seeking to disable or override copy control technologies, but now users of such tools will also fall foul of the law once the legislation is introduced later this year
A Florida appeals court ruled that Fox and the media in general have no obligation to tell the truth after Fox fired members of its investigative journalist team for exposing the truth
Engineers at Brown University have built a prototype of a hybrid plastic battery that uses a conductive polymer. The system, which marries the power of a capacitor with the storage capacity of a battery, can store and deliver power efficiently. For example, during performance testing, it delivered more than 100 times the power of a standard alkaline battery. Still, it’s unlikely that such a device can appear on the market before several years
By studying how beetles can trap air to keep from drowning, researchers suggest artificial gills that mimic such a trick could help people breathe underwater
In his latest newsletter, security author Bruce Schneier delivered a scathing critique of politicians and the media for promoting fear and ultimately doing exactly what the terrorists want. Citing several cases of false alarms, Schneier writes: Our politicians help the terrorists every time they use fear as a campaign tactic. The press helps every time it writes scare stories about the plot and the threat… Our job is to think critically and rationally, and to ignore the cacophony of other interests trying to use terrorism to advance political careers or increase a television show’s viewership
Zune’s highly touted wireless file sharing will infect otherwise unprotected audio files with proprietary DRM. In cases where users are sharing songs covered by any of the Creative Commons licenses, this would be a clear violation of those license. From the CC FAQ: If a person uses DRM tools to restrict any of the rights granted in the license, that person violates the license
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a new campaign in an effort to shed light on the US government’s electronic surveillance programmes
A new nano-optical device can focus laser light tighter than traditional optics, which could lead to higher-density data storage
American airport staff almost stopped Harry Potter author JK Rowling boarding a flight because she would not part with the manuscript for the final book. Rowling was not prepared to stow her top secret notes for book number seven in her check-in baggage when she flew back from a book festival in August. Eventually she was allowed to take them on the flight, bound in elastic bands — via BBC News
Google Book Search and the American Library Association have teamed up to offer searchable indices and library links to banned books, in celebration of Banned Books Week
A US Department of Justice official has joined the debate surrounding Apple’s proprietary digital music technology by criticising European antitrust activities, but groups attacking Apple are defending their actions — via Macworld
After over a year of hanging in maybe-planet limbo, newly-classified 2003 UB313, nicknamed Xena, now has a permanent name: Eris, goddess of strife. Its moon will be named Dysnomia, after the goddess of lawlessness, in Greek mythology, Eris’s daughter
Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne on new non-lethal weapons such as the Active Denial System, which fires ultra-painful bursts of microwave energy: If we’re not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation. (Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press
— via Boing Boing
Neanderthals were thought to have died out as modern humans arrived in Europe. Now, artefacts found in a cave in Gibraltar reveal that the two groups coexisted for millenia before Neanderthals finally dwindled out of existence
Greg Palast and Matt Pascarella, a journalist and a TV producer working on a piece about Katrina refugees, have been charged with the crime of videotaping a critical national security structure
in Louisiana
Bill says: Sometimes I waste time on the Net by putting in interesting searches into Google. Today’s was quite interesting — Google this: Confidential do not distribute
. I just can’t believe in this day and age that anyone would think, let’s keep it confidential, but put on our web site
. I found some VERY interesting info I probably wasn’t supposed to see — via Boing Boing
Apple overhauled its digital music and video offerings on Tuesday, introducing new iPods in three categories, an update on iTunes and announcing plans to make movies available for purchase through the iTunes store. Apple also plans to introduce a product in the first quarter of 2007 that lets consumers stream their movies or music to televisions. The new device, code-named iTV, has 802.11 wireless built in. It will sell for US$299 and works with PCs and Macs
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