white

DOJ: Lying on Match.com needs to be a crime

The U.S. Department of Justice is defending computer hacking laws that make it a crime to use a fake name on Facebook or lie about your weight in an online dating profile at a site like Match.com.

In a statement obtained by CNET that's scheduled to be delivered tomorrow, the Justice Department argues that it must be able to prosecute violations of Web sites' often-ignored, always-unintelligible "terms of service" policies.

The law must allow "prosecutions based upon a violation of terms of service or similar contractual agreement with an employer or provider," Richard … Read more

White House: There is no evidence aliens exist--yet

What if it's just us? What if this is all there is?

The clocks going back stimulated me to this thought. Then, grabbing my laptop from beneath my 1,200-thread sheet duvet cover, I discovered that the White House might think the same.

You see, the president's "We The People" initiative, which allows groups to ask specific questions of the government and get a response, received a couple of queries about alien life, existence beyond here, and little green people with strange antennae coming out of their heads.

Naturally, interested entities were highly expectant for a … Read more

The 404 910: Where we are baked fresh every day (podcast)

When Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg tells us he has ideas for the 404 Podcast, we listen. We invited him to sit down with us today to talk about Netflix splitting in half, which "high-end" audio manufacturers are making impossible claims about their products, and the headphones that just earned Steve's award for "Worst-Sounding Audio Ever."

Be sure to keep checking The Audiophiliac blog on CNET for the latest hardware reviews and news, and follow up with Steve on Twitter @Audiophiliacman.

The 404 Digest for Episode 910

A $25,000 'bookshelf' speaker from Magico. The award for 'Worst-sounding audio product' goes to... Steve endorses these $74 5.1-channel home theater satellite speakers. And these $1 HDMI cables from Monoprice, too.

Episode 910 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

What's next for iPod Touch: The color white

If you were hoping that the fifth-gen iPod Touch would offer a higher-resolution camera, built-in 3G, and maybe a latte dispenser, don't hold your breath. According to a report from MacRumors, there's exactly one notable change coming to the next Touch, and it's nothin' but a coat of paint.

Specifically, Apple will introduce a white iPod Touch model as part of its upcoming new-product lineup. And, well, that's about it. Added the report:

Only minor changes are expected for the existing hardware, with the addition of an oleophobic coating for the display and a revised … Read more

Scientists view 'natural killer' cells in super 3D

Researchers at the Imperial College London and the University of Oxford are reporting in the journal PLoS Biology that they can see the inner workings of white blood cells at the highest resolution ever documented.

To do this, the team immobilized a white blood cell using a pair of optical laser tweezers and watched with a super-res microscope as the so-called Natural Killer cell's actin filaments parted, creating a tiny portal through which enzyme-filled granules passed to kill targeted diseased tissue.

If you think the resulting image (at right) doesn't look super-res, consider the zoom. The place where … Read more

Amazon may launch Netflix-like book service

HP launches the TopShot LaserJet Pro printer that can scan 3D objects, Netflix finally arrives on most Android phones, and Amazon.com is rumored to be in talks with major publishers to launch a Netflix-like service for books.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Amazon may launch Netflix-like book services Netflix now works for most Android phones GRAIL heads to the moon White PS3 comes to Europe and Australia HP's 3D scanner Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" gets a date Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) |&… Read more

White House pledges new Net privacy approach

ASPEN, Colo.--A White House aide today previewed the administration's forthcoming approach to Internet consumer protection, saying it will provide "privacy law without regulation."

"Businesses that are engaged in responsible privacy practices today ought not to face any additional burdens," said Danny Weitzner, associate administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) who's on assignment to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Weitzner suggested during a discussion at a Technology Policy Institute conference here that: "You can have stronger privacy law, clearer rules, clearer principles established in law, … Read more

When hacking Chrome, it's all about your data

LAS VEGAS--Google touts the Chrome OS as being free from traditional security concerns like malware, but it's still vulnerable to entirely different kinds of attacks, two researchers from the firm WhiteHat Security told Black Hat attendees here today.

The Chrome OS is unlike any other desktop system currently available, said Matt Johansen, WhiteHat Security's team lead. "It's more similar to mobile devices and apps, where to get more out of the device you're going to need to install extensions," he said. "Mobile bugs are being sold for 20 to 30 percent more than … Read more

White House: Need to monitor online 'extremism'

A White House terrorism strategy released today says Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks aid in "advancing violent extremist narratives" and should be monitored by the government.

The 12-page strategy (PDF), which outlines ways to respond to violent extremism, promises that: "We will continue to closely monitor the important role the Internet and social-networking sites play in advancing violent extremist narratives."

President Obama said in a statement accompanying the report that the federal government will start "helping communities to better understand and protect themselves against violent extremist propaganda, especially online."

While much of the … Read more

The 404 871: Where we're pleading the 14th (podcast)

Today is international System Admin Appreciation Day, so buy your friendly neighborhood IT guy a bag of Funyuns for another year of tech support! It's Jeff's last show before his vacation next week, and we're kicking off today's episode with a discussion about what science has determined to be the saddest movie scene of all time.

We're also looking back at Obama's rickrolling earlier this week, China banning booth babes from their online gaming show, and Apple writing a check to free the U.S. from debt.

The 404 Digest for Episode 871

The White House just Rickrolled a Twitter user. The saddest movie scene ever is pinpointed by science. Apple now has more money than the U.S. government. It's the 12th annual System Admin Appreciation Day!

Episode 871 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more