Yahoo To Anonymise Logs After 90 Days, Compared to Google’s 9 Months

Today, Yahoo upped the ante when it comes to protecting search engine users’ privacy, announcing a new data retention policy providing for anonymisation of search queries — as well as page views, page clicks, ad views and ad clicks — after 90 days. This announcement comes on the heels of Google’s announcement in September that it would be anonymising its logs after 9 months

Bizarre New Dinosaur: Giant Raptor Found in Argentina

Scientists have discovered what they say is a completely unexpected new giant dinosaur that lived 70 million years ago in Argentina. At 5 to 6.5 metres long, depending on its tail size, Austroraptor cabazai is among the largest of the slender, carnivorous, two-legged dinosaurs called raptors, said Fernando Novas, the lead researcher behind the discovery

Unpatched Internet Explorer Flaw Allows Attacks

A security flaw in all versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer leaves users wide open for attack, with millions of computers already infected. Microsoft did not say when a patch might be available. Simply opening a Web page in IE can infect an unprotected computer. Proper security protection, not a browser switch, is the best defence

Dell Replaces Styrofoam with Milk Bottles

Dell is moving to replace traditional styrofoam packaging with old milk and laundry detergent bottles in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint and shave $US8 million from packaging expenses. The computer manufacturer has set itself a goal of eliminating 10 per cent, or 9 million kilograms, of its global laptop and computer packaging material over the next four years. Dell will replace the styrofoam packaging it uses to ship all its laptops and desktop computers with 100 per cent recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) thermal-formed cushions

Sarcasm Useful for Detecting Dementia

Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but Australian scientists are using it to diagnose dementia, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, found that patients under the age of 65 suffering from frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second most common form of dementia, cannot detect when someone is being sarcastic

MIT Uses Nanotubes to Help Fight Cancer

MIT today announced that a group of scientists has developed nanotechnology that can be placed inside living cells to determine whether chemotherapy drugs are reaching their targets or attacking healthy cells. The sensors, which can detect chemotherapy drugs as well as toxins and free radicals, are carbon nanotubes that scientists have wrapped in DNA so they can be safely injected into living tissue, according to a release from the university

Telstra Loses $6bn in NBN Hit

The investment community delivered a savage vote of no confidence in the management of Telstra yesterday after the telco was dramatically kicked out of the tender for the federal Government’s $15 billion national broadband network. The move, which casts doubt over Telstra’s future earnings and profit margins, came as tensions emerged between the company’s board and management, as almost $6 billion was wiped off the company’s market value yesterday

Microsoft Unveils Thumbtack for Sharing Web Snippets

Microsoft’s Live Labs on Wednesday introduced a new service that lets users collect snippets of information from Web sites and share the collections with others. A user investigating vacation ideas, for example, might find Thumbtack helpful. Once users log into Thumbtack, they can copy a portion of a Web site, perhaps one that describes a hotel in a particular city, and paste it into a new collection in Thumbtack. The information appears in Thumbtack as an item in a box that can be placed anywhere on the collection page or as an item in a list. The user can continue browsing online for other hotels, similarly cutting and pasting relevant information into the Thumbtack collection