Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Congress and Hollywood Team Up to Destroy the Net

Anti-piracy laws will smash internet, US constitution

Legal experts are warning that the proposed PROTECT IP and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) legislation, currently working their way through Congress, will damage the world's DNS system, cripple attempts to get better online security and violate free speech rights in the US constitution…and all this for the folks in Hollywood.

AT&T abandons bid for T-Mobile

AT&T said today that it has withdrawn its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA in a deal worth $39 billion. The company said it would take a $4 billion charge in the fourth quarter as part of the break-up fee with Deutsche Telekom.

Sprint disabling Carrier IQ on phones

Sprint, which for weeks has defended its use of Carrier IQ software on mobile phones, is now disabling the software, a Sprint spokeswoman confirmed today.

Facebook Kept 1,200 Page File On 24-Year-Old

Facebook retains tons of data on its users, but exactly how much? Apparently, more than enough to fill a volume of "Atlas Shrugged." A 24-year-old Austrian law student asked Facebook to send him all the personal data it had on him. (Anyone with a residence outside North America has the right to see all the personal data a company has on him or her.) Here’s what Facebook sent Schrems: a CD filled with 1,222 PDF pages of data.

Steve Jobs: 20 Life Lessons

Having finished the 600-plus page Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, I think I finally understand Steve Jobs. Like most of us, his personality had many sides. He could be aloof, super-intense, odd, gross, passionate, creative, driven, unfair, conciliatory and deeply introspective. He lived a rich and unique life.

How to Protect Your Online Privacy

These days it often feels like online privacy is an unattainable illusion. While it is true that it’s impossible to be entirely anonymous while online there are many things you can do to greatly increase your privacy.

12 Great Tips to Scan Your Family Pictures

Get that shoebox of old photos from grandma's closet and turn them into digital files. We have 12 great tips to scan your family pictures.

To-Do Manager Astrid Updates Android and iOS Apps with a New UI and Featured Lists

Popular mobile to-do manager Astrid took the wraps off of its new Android and iPhone apps recently, completely overhauling the interface to make it easier to get right to the items you're working on, see all of the related information around a specific item, and featured lists from some of the developers' favorite sites to help you add some fun and time-saving projects to your list.

With ‘Google Earth’ for Mars, Explore the Red Planet From Home

A new software tool developed by the HiRISE team in the UA's Lunar and Planetary Lab allows members of the public to download high-resolution images of the Martian landscape almost instantaneously and explore the surface of the Red Planet from their own desktops.

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