Column of the Wolf

Pentagon to Create Synthetic Organisms With Molecular Kill Switch

2010-02-08T13:34:33+09:00

Tired of waiting for the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement, the Pentagon has decided to take matters into its own hands: military scientists will create synthetic organisms that can live forever. But don't fear — they can be killed with a molecular kill-switch. What could go wrong?

Drinking Beer Could Help Prevent Weak Bones

2010-02-08T13:24:09+09:00

Beer is a rich source of a nutrient that can help prevent weak bones — but it depends what type you drink, claim researchers at University of California, Davis, today. As one of the nation's favourite tipples, beer is a rich source of dietary silicon, which can help cut the chance of developing diseases like osteoporosis, they conclude. However, not all beers are the same, with those containing malted barley and hops having higher silicon content than beers made from wheat

Plasma Jets Could Replace Dental Drills

2010-02-08T13:13:53+09:00

A new study shows that bacteria-killing jets of plasma could soon replace the drills used to treat cavities in our teeth, making visits to the dentist's office a bit less nerve-racking. Plasma is the fourth state of matter, after solids, liquids and gases. It is formed when gases are energised to the point where electrons fly off some or all of their atoms. Researchers recently demonstrated that a small, blowtorch-like device emitting a relatively cool beam of purple plasma can eliminate oral bacteria in cavities, leaving more tooth structure intact than a drill does

PayPal's India Transaction Block Could Last Months

2010-02-07T13:37:24+09:00

Online payments service PayPal says its suspension of certain transactions in India could last months. In a post on PayPal's blog Tuesday, spokesman Anuj Nayar wrote that the company will keep blocking personal payments to and from India as it works out questions that Indian regulators have posed. The payments were initially suspended 28 January, after regulators questioned whether PayPal payments should be regulated like wire transfers of cash. However, local bank withdrawals, which had also been suspended, should be available within a few days, Nayar said

In Europe, Challenges for Google

2010-02-07T13:26:56+09:00

Google has a problem in China. But it may have bigger headaches in Europe. On issues as varied as privacy, copyright protection and the dominance of Google's Internet search engine, the company is clashing with lawmakers, regulators and consumer advocates. And the fights are escalating across Western Europe. The stakes are high — potentially higher for Google than anything that happens in China — because Google's operations in Europe are so much larger and more lucrative. In Britain alone, Google has roughly 10 times its estimated sales in China. Across most of the Continent, Google is by far the most popular search engine, with a substantially larger market share over its rivals than it has over those in the United States. Google's border-straddling scale and its brash ambitions raise alarms with some European politicians

A Little Chip Designed by Apple Itself

2010-02-07T13:16:29+09:00

Sure, the screen is nice. But the iPad's most important component, at least for Apple's future, may be the A4, the fingernail-size chip at the tablet's heart. With the A4, Apple has taken another step toward challenging the norms of the mobile device industry. Device makers typically buy their primary chips from specialised microprocessor companies. But for the iPad, Apple chose to design its own — creating unique bonds between the chip and Apple's software. The do-it-yourself approach gives Apple the chance to build faster, more battery-friendly products than rivals and helps the company to keep product development secret. But designing its own processors burdens Apple with additional engineering costs and potential product delays. It also forces the company to hire — and retain — experienced chip designers. Several who joined the company in 2008 after an acquisition have already left for a secretive start-up. Though chip industry experts have yet to put the iPad through their customary rigorous tests, Apple's demonstrations left them underwhelmed

Google Teams Up with National Security Agency to Tackle Cyber Attacks

2010-02-06T12:46:50+09:00

Google's decision to enlist the help of the National Security Agency in tackling cyber attacks has caused alarm among internet groups and bloggers, who fear that users' personal information could be accessed by the US government. The Washington Post reported yesterday that the internet giant had turned to the NSA, which conducts surveillance and codebreaking for the federal government, in the wake of a cyber attack it believes came from China. The agency is responsible for securing the US administration's computer networks against similar breaches, and is said to be helping Google to understand and analyse the attacks. Sources say that the agreement will not allow the NSA to view users' searches or access email accounts, but the deal has angered some members of the online community

Microsoft to Patch 17-year-old Computer Bug

2010-02-06T12:36:15+09:00

A 17-year-old bug in Windows will be patched by Microsoft in its latest security update. The February update for Windows will close the loophole that dates from the time of the DOS operating system. First appearing in Windows NT 3.1, the vulnerability has been carried over into almost every version of Windows that has appeared since. The monthly security update will also tackle a further 25 holes in Windows, five of which are rated as critical

Physicist Discovers How to Teleport Energy

2010-02-06T12:25:55+09:00

First, they teleported photons, then atoms and ions. Now one physicist has worked out how to do it with energy, a technique that has profound implications for the future of physics

NIST's Second 'Quantum Logic Clock' Based on Aluminum Ion is Now World's Most Precise Clock

2010-02-06T12:15:29+09:00

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world's most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on a mercury atom. The new aluminum clock would neither gain nor lose one second in about 3.7 billion years

IE Flaw Gives Hackers Access to User Files

2010-02-05T09:44:42+09:00

Microsoft warned that a flaw in its Internet Explorer browser gives attackers access to files stored on a PC under certain conditions. Our investigation so far has shown that if a user is using a version of Internet Explorer that is not running in Protected Mode an attacker may be able to access files with an already known filename and location, Microsoft said in a security advisory

Media Urge FOI Reform

2010-02-05T09:33:55+09:00

A coalition of Australia's 12 largest media organisations says journalists and the public should have greater access to cabinet documents. The Right to Know Coalition has told a Senate committee inquiry into proposed new Freedom of Information (FOI) laws that Cabinet secrecy should not be used as a way of preventing access to documents

House of Lords: Record Companies Have Been Harassing Innocent Users

2010-02-05T09:23:33+09:00

Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Lucas took aim at ACS:Law solicitors, a firm that has been used by record companies in Britain to intimidate file-sharers, and that has apparently cause an enormous number of complaints to the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Tough New Child Porn Rules

2010-02-05T09:13:11+09:00

Police will be able to destroy computers carrying suspected child pornography even where the material is highly encrypted and impossible to access, under a tightening of federal sex offence laws. But police are also understood to be pressing the government for greater powers against suspects who refuse to reveal passwords. Meanwhile, in the US, anyone with an e-mail account likely knows that police can peek inside it if they have a paper search warrant. But cybercrime investigators are frustrated by the speed of traditional methods of faxing, mailing, or e-mailing companies these documents. They're pushing for the creation of a national Web interface linking police computers with those of Internet and e-mail providers so requests can be sent and received electronically

iiNet Wins! Film Industry's Case Torn to Shreds

2010-02-04T09:46:30+09:00

iiNet wins. Case dismissed. AFACT to pay. The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed the film industry's case against iiNet, finding that Australia's No.3 internet provider did not authorise copyright infringement on its network. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft representing the film industry, has been ordered to pay iiNet's costs. iiNet chief executive Michael Malone estimated that these costs add up to around $4 million. I find that iiNet simply can't be seen as approving infringement, said Justice Cowdroy