News:
- EU considers sanctions on Russia
EU leaders are considering imposing sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Georgia, the French foreign minister says. - US economy rebounds
The US economy grew 3.3% in the second quarter of 2008, the Commerce Department said, much higher than first thought. - Bill Clinton backs Obama for president
Bill Clinton resoundingly endorses Barack Obama, who is formally nominated by US Democrats as their presidential candidate. - Indian PM says flood 'a calamity'
The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, describes the floods in the northern state of Bihar as a "national calamity". - Lebanon helicopter hit by gunfire
A Lebanese army helicopter hit by gunfire is forced to make an emergency landing in the south of the country, the army says.
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Geekdom:
- "Shimmer Vision" Scopes See Better Using Heat
holy_calamity writes "New Scientist reports on a neat DARPA idea that uses the shimmer of heat haze to allow binoculars to see further. It works by exploiting the fact that some distortions from heat haze actually magnify objects behind them. The binoculars collect a series of frames when that is occurring to boost magnification by 3 times. The design goal is to be able to present one image a second, and to enable facial recognition at 90% accuracy at a distance of 1 km. The scopes could be on the battlefield inside of 3 years."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- The Internet's Biggest Security Hole Revealed
At DEFCON, Tony Kapela and Alex Pilosov demonstrated a drastic weakness in the Internet's infrastructure that had long been rumored, but wasn't believed practical. They showed how to hijack BGP (the border gateway protocol) in order to eavesdrop on Net traffic in a way that wouldn't be simple to detect. Quoting: "'It's at least as big an issue as the DNS issue, if not bigger,' said Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko, noted computer security expert and former member of the L0pht hacking group, who testified to Congress in 1998 that he could bring down the internet in 30 minutes using a similar BGP attack, and disclosed privately to government agents how BGP could also be exploited to eavesdrop. 'I went around screaming my head about this about ten or twelve years ago... We described this to intelligence agencies and to the National Security Council, in detail.' The man-in-the-middle attack exploits BGP to fool routers into re-directing data to an eavesdropper's network." Here's the PDF of Kapela and Pilosov's presentation.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Computer With UK Bank Customer Data Sold On eBay
Walpurgiss tips a BBC News story about a man in Oxford who paid $140 for a computer on eBay, and was shocked to find on it bank records of several million customers of the Royal Bank of Scotland, its subsidiary Natwest, and one other bank. "Mr. Chapman said anyone with a basic knowledge of computer software would have been able to find the data fairly simply. 'The information was in back-up CDs and in ISO files so it would have been possibly quite easy to find...,' he said."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Psystar Will Countersue Apple
An anonymous reader sends us to CNet for news that Apple clone maker Pystar plans to countersue Apple. We discussed Apple's suit last month. "Mac clone maker Psystar plans to file its answer to Apple's copyright infringement lawsuit Tuesday as well as a countersuit of its own, alleging that Apple engages in anticompetitive business practices. Miami-based Psystar... will sue Apple under two federal laws designed to discourage monopolies and cartels, the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, saying Apple's tying of the Mac OS to Apple-labeled hardware is 'an anticompetitive restraint of trade,' according to [an] attorney... Psystar is requesting that the court find Apple's EULA void, and is asking for unspecified damages."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Phil Zimmermann Replies To CNet On Biden
A couple of days ago we discussed a CNet article on the tech voting record of Joe Biden, Barack Obama's running mate. Philip Zimmermann, who was mentioned in that piece, sends the following note to set the record straight. "In his 23 August opinion piece in CNet, Declan McCullagh wrote on Joe Biden's suitability as the Democratic VP nominee, Declan quotes me, creating the impression I criticized Biden for some legislation that Biden introduced in 1991. Declan's quote from me is out of context because it does not make it clear that I never mentioned Biden in my original quote at all when I wrote about Senate Bill 266. Second, Declan's quote is drawn from remarks I wrote in 1999. Declan seems to be trying to draft me in his opposition to Biden, and, by extension, makes it seem as if I am against the Democratic ticket. I take issue with this." Read below for the rest of Phil's comments.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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- NYT: In-depth 'Watchmen' lawsuit analysis
New York Times provides an in-depth analysis of the Fox vs. Warner Bros. struggle over 'Watchmen'.
- Winner: 'DC Super Heroes - Filmation Adventures'
We just gave away a copy of the new DVD 'DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures'. Did you win? Click to find out!
- Video Interview: 'Smallville's Doomsday - Sam Witwer
Actor Sam Witwer joins the cast of 'Smallville' this fall to play Doomsday -- just who will this new Doomsday be and what is he up to? Witwer answers those question adore in this video interview on the CBR Yacht.
- Downey Jr. slaps 'The Dark Knight' with his iron gauntlet
In chatting with Moviehole to support his new blockbuster 'Tropic Thunder', 'Iron Man' star Robert Downey Jr. removed his iron gauntlet and bitch-slapped both Batman, and his corporate parents at DC Comics with it.
- New statue inspired by 'Batman: Gotham Knight'
A new statue based on the DVD release 'Batman: Gotham Knight' will be released in April 2009. Here's a look...
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Sports:
- On The Mark: Preseason edition
Visit ESPN.com for the complete story. - Maisel: I-Formation
Visit ESPN.com for the complete story. - Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman will forgo knee surgery and play this season for the San Diego Chargers despite the fact he has two torn ligaments in his left knee. - Bay, Pedroia power BoSox past fading Yankees
Visit ESPN.com for the complete story. - Murphy's RBI double in 8th helps Mets drop Phils
Visit ESPN.com for the complete story.
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Comics:
- Cannot read RSS data file.
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- Comic for 24 Aug 2008
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- The Bonnie Situation - Part Ten
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Science:
- EU lawmakers get cold feet over CO
Fears that emissions legislation would put European industries at a disadvantage may result in watered-down plans for tackling climate change
- Iraq bans nuclear tests
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty has been signed by Iraq – the 179th country to do so
- Social injustice is 'killing on a grand scale'
Quality of life, health and life expectancy varied dramatically, depending on socioeconomic conditions, finds a WHO report
- The weekends are more rainy – and it may be our fault
As most of us suspected, weekends tend to be wetter, in Spain at least – the finding hints that human activity may affect weather cycles
- Heated seats may be frying your sperm
Car seats that warm up take the chill off a wintery morning drive, but they may also be harming men's sperm production and quality
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Essays:
- Arts & Letters Daily (28 Aug 2008)
Is there a performance drug that could actually increase the fairness of sports contests? Yes, there is. Carl Elliott on beta blockers... more
The tabloids create an alternative universe each week for four or five million people clutching their quarters at supermarket check-out racks... more
"Faith depends upon belief in things that cannot be proved," says P.J. O'Rourke, "and I can prove that more people flunk physics than flunk Sunday School"... more
- Arts & Letters Daily (27 Aug 2008)
The Cuban judge sat with his feet up on the desk reading a comic book. The sentence for opposing the Revolution: thirty years... more
Most conquerors try to convert their subjects. Hitler's empire was built on the idea of exterminating the natives... more
We Americans can adjust our compass heading, says John Lewis Gaddis, if we can make ending tyranny once again our priority, as it was through most of our history... more
- Arts & Letters Daily (26 Aug 2008)
The mini-cow is the solution to rising food prices. No taller than a German shepherd, it gives 16 pints of milk a day. Plus, it mows the lawn... more
Going Off the Rawls. How libertarians have adopted the liberal left's favorite modern philosopher... more
Should British teachers accept student's spelling misstakes merely as "variant spellings," or does this denigrate Trooth in education?... more
- Arts & Letters Daily (25 Aug 2008)
Hans Monderman loved cars. But he wondered if mature automobile societies could, in essence, act like adults. He was the Traffic Guru... more
Samuel Pepys: intelligent, curious, decent, and diligent, with an abiding interest in music, food, women and the life of the city... more
"I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not." W.E.B. Du Bois's words declaim in a way that echoes that most extraordinary of poets, John Milton... more
- Arts & Letters Daily (24 Aug 2008)
"She's imaginative, clever, educated," says Karl Lagerfeld, who has used Carla Bruni as a model. "She knows how to behave"... more
E.M. Forster was a tricky bugger, a man of many contradictions. He made a faith of personal sincerity, but his career was disingenuous... more
"I was a teenage atheist," writes Julie Burchill, "and it brings me no shame to say that. But it certainly makes me smile"... more
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