The telecommunications company has decided to turn its public telephone boxes — which are in danger of becoming obsolete anyway thanks to mobile phones — into battery recharging stations for electric cars. Admittedly, the scheme is still in its infancy: there are just 223 electric cars currently registered in Austria at the moment, plus 3,559 hybrid cars, from a total 4.36 million cars on Austrian roads
British e-mail users with Google accounts are now able to change the end of their addresses from @googlemail.com to @gmail.com. A five year trademark dispute meant that Google was not allowed to use the name Gmail in the UK. In 2005 a company called Independent International Investment Research claimed it had used Gmail
first. Google claimed at the time that the settlement IIR asked for was exorbitant
and dropped the name
SF writer Peter Watts, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced three days ago in a Port Huron, MI court. There’s not a lot of detail in the story, and although he is still being treated like a terrorist (cannot enter or pass through the US, DNA samples) he was not ordered to do any time in jail, was freed, and has returned home to his family. The judge in the case was, I believe, as sympathetic as the legal system would allow him to be — via Slashdot
Japanese scientists from Tokyo University have invented a new substance that consists of 95% water. Obtained by adding two grams of clay and a small quantity of some organic matter into normal water, this new substance is jelly-like and is considered proper for usage in medicine for the long-term to stick tissues together. The study period is scheduled to end in September 2010, if the scientists can succeed in increase the density of the substance, it can be used to produce ecologically clean plastic materials
London’s secret stories are everywhere around the capital – London’s greatest places, secret locations, weird tours, we pinpoint those of interest to you. Create your own additions, tours, and share them — via The Shady Old Lady’s Guide to London
The United States continues its reign as the king of spam, relaying more than 13% of global spam, accounting for hundreds of millions of junk messages every day, according to a report by Sophos. However, most dramatically, China — often blamed for cybercrime by other countries — has disappeared from the dirty dozen
, coming in at 15th place with responsibility for relaying just 1.9% of the world’s spam
A moth new to science and found nowhere else in the world has been formally recognised as living in the UK. The 3mm-long micro moth, which lives in Hembury Woods in Devon, was recognised as a new species this year. This week, the biologist who discovered it is presenting the Natural History Museum of London with one of the first known specimens. The receipt of this type
specimen will mark the official acceptance of the moth’s existence in the country. The tiny micro moth, which has a wingspan of just 6mm, was first spotted in 2004
Kevin Rudd has put another election promise on the backburner with his controversial internet filtering legislation set to be shelved until after the next election. A spokeswoman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said yesterday the legislation would not be introduced next month’s or the June sittings of parliament. With parliament not sitting again until the last week of August, the laws are unlikely to be passed before the election
A Russian company is marketing a devastating new cruise missile system which can be hidden inside a shipping container, giving any merchant vessel the capability to wipe out an aircraft carrier. Potential customers for the formidable Club-K system include Kremlin allies Iran and Venezuela, say defense experts. They worry that countries could pass on the satellite-guided missiles, which are very hard to detect, to terrorist groups
This site is meant to provide all users with improved access to World Bank data and to make that data easier to find and use. We will continue to add to the databases available and welcome suggestions on how we can improve the site for users — via The World Bank
The Government of India has just introduced a major new copyright reform package. Of particular note from a Canadian perspective are the approaches to fair dealing and anti-circumvention. On fair dealing, the provision is expanded to cover private and personal use
. On anti-circumvention, the bill is consistent with implementing the WIPO Internet treaties in a manner that retains equal rights both online and offline. The provision specifically targets circumvention for the purposes of copyright infringement and does not target the distribution or marketing of devices that can be used to circumvent
A man on a flight from West Africa to New York City was removed from the plane and detained Thursday after authorities apparently added him to a no-fly list during the trip. Customs and Border Protection agents detained the man while the Delta Air Lines jet stopped to refuel in San Juan, Puerto Rico after an overnight trip from Dakar, Senegal. Passengers said that the captain announced over the intercom that the man had been added to a roster of people banned from travel to the US while the plane was in flight
Google is looking to boost headcount in Sydney by around 15 per cent which would tip its local workforce to just over 400 people. The internet giant employs approximately 350 people in Australia and has 51 job openings for positions. A surging demand for its enterprise solutions, namely Google Apps and Geo — comprising Google Maps and Google Earth — has been the driving force behind the job spike, says Google Asia-Pacific enterprise managing director Doug Farber
A seller on eBay who drove up prices for goods by secretly bidding for them faces fines of up to £50,000. Paul Barrett used a second account on the internet auction site to also post positive feedback. The company said the case, the first prosecution of its kind in the UK, was a clear warning against the practice of shill bidding to bump up prices
The far-reaching demands of an anti-piracy group working on behalf of the movie industry have been rejected by a judge. Federazione Anti-Pirateria Audiovisiva wanted ISP Telecom Italia to take unprecedented action against file-sharing subscribers, but the court decided that the ISP couldn’t be held responsible for the actions of its customers
A former high-ranking National Security Agency employee was indicted on 10 felony charges Thursday for his alleged role in leaking classified information to a news reporter. The federal indictment does not identify the reporter, but several news organizations, citing government sources, named a former national security correspondent for The Baltimore Sun as the recipient of the leaks. Thomas Andrews Drake, a 52-year-old Howard County man who worked as a process improvement
official at NSA from 2001 until he resigned in 2008, is accused of copying and storing classified documents at his home and then destroying the documents and lying to investigators when authorities found out
Flights across much of Europe will be severely disrupted well into Saturday because of drifting ash ejected from a volcano in Iceland, officials say. Much of the airspace across northern and western Europe is closed, with fewer than half the usual number of flights expected to operate on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of passengers have been affected by the restrictions amid the worst travel chaos since 11 September. Scientists say the volcano is still erupting but producing less ash
Data centre executives from Google and other large companies are pushing back against new efficiency requirements proposed by a prominent standards group, saying they are too prescriptive
and don’t leave them room to innovate
All flights to and from Scotland’s airports have been grounded as a plume of volcanic ash drifts across much of northern Europe. Dust from the eruption in Iceland presents a serious risk to aircraft. All Scottish airports have been closed although search and rescue helicopters are still able to fly. Most flights in UK airspace have been suspended until 1900 BST on Friday and passengers were advised to check with their airlines before setting out
This Electronic Lodgement System can only be used for complaints under matters covered by the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. Code Complaints include program classification; accuracy, fairness and respect for privacy in news and current affairs; the amount of non-program matter on television; and placement of commercials and program promotions — via Free TV Australia
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