The cloaking devices that are used to render spacecraft invisible in Star Trek might just work in reality, claim mathematicians Nicolae Nicorovici and Graeme Milton
ABC’s web site crashed twice as internet users flocked to watch streaming versions of its most popular shows, including Lost
and Desperate Housewives
. It was the first time the shows were available online directly from the network, and the first time the advertising community had gotten a look at what ad products would be offered. It was also the first opportunity for the industry to gauge how popular such an ad-supported offering might be with consumers
Optus is preparing to release details of a $3 billion fibre network plan proposed by Telstra rivals within the next six to eight weeks
Lakeshore GO Transit rail authority apologised after a mischievous rider hacked into the electronic message board to announce that Stephen Harper Eats Babies
— via Warren Ellis
Two acquaintances of Jeremy Allan Steinke, a man accused of murdering his pre-teen girlfriend’s family, say he professed to be a 300-year-old werewolf who liked the taste of blood — via Warren Ellis
Polar bears and hippos are among more than 16,000 species of animals and plants threatened with global extinction
Apple has renewed contracts with the world’s four largest music companies to sell songs through its iTunes Music Store, after blocking their attempts to end iTunes’ flat-rate pricing scheme
The federal health and welfare smartcard project may be heading for big problems, according to experts concerned by a lack of detailed planning and apparent Government willingness to work outside the business case
Unions have labelled proposed independent contractor legislation worse than Work Choices, warning that the federal Government risks creating an underclass
of IT contractors who will undercut the pay of salaried staff
Seiko Epson has succeeded in getting four online retailers of printer ink cartridges to stop selling a number of third-party ink cartridges designed for use in Epson printers. The four retailers are in Germany and agreed in out of court settlements to stop selling the cartridges, which Seiko Epson asserts infringe upon its intellectual property
realestate.com.au has announcing that it has finalised an agreement to acquire all of the shares in Hubonline Global for A$6 million. REA will acquire 87% of the shares in the company for A$5.2 million at completion, and will acquire the remaining 13% within a likely timeframe of 3 months from completion
Banner ads for the National Australia Bank and St George Bank have mysteriously appeared on Pirate Bay, a bittorrent tracker web site, that directs visitors to potentially illegal content
The US government has asked a federal judge to dismiss the EFF’s civil liberties lawsuit against the AT&T Corporation because of a possibility that military and state secrets would otherwise be disclosed
. The statement concludes by saying: Finally, because the United States intends to assert the state secrets privilege and file a dispositive motion to dismiss this action, the United States requests that discovery proceedings be deferred until the government’s submission has been considered and heard.
You can view the full text of the government’s statement of interest (PDF) on the EFF’s web site
Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi is the last living apprentice of the last fighting ninja
, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. At 76, he continues to train would-be ninjas, and the AP’s Hans Greimel spent a day at his studio, collecting ninja wisdom like Always be able to kill your students
— via Boing Boing
The California Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan allowing providers of high-speed internet services to test electricity lines to deliver internet access
An artificial insect eye that could be used in ultra-thin cameras has been developed by scientists in the US.The dimpled eye, contains over 8,500 hexagonal lenses packed into an area the size of a pinhead. The dome-shaped structure, described in the journal Science, is similar to a bee’s eye. The researchers, from the University of California, Berkeley, say the work may also shed light on how insects developed such complex, visual systems. Darpa is also funding this project with applications expected for digital cameras and high speed motion detectors
Intelligence agencies and police will be given access to a vast database of biometric
photographs of Australians to be created for the new health and welfare smart card to fight terrorism and more general crime
Some of Canada’s best known musicians, including Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlin, Sum 41 and Barenaked Ladies, have formed a new copyright coalition. The artists say in a press release that they oppose file sharing lawsuits, the use of DRM, and DMCA-style legislation and that they want record labels to stop claiming that they represent their views
The introduction of a national smart card with photo ID has upset Coalition MPs and privacy experts who believe it could develop into a national identity card by stealth
Telstra shares could gain in value by almost a quarter if it successfully fought new internet phone technology, otherwise it risked further declines in revenue
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