Technology
Injunctions fail to protect celebrities from Twitter
(DailyMail): The social networking site Twitter today made a mockery of the celebrity trend for using privacy injunctions to hide their identity. A single user, who quickly attracted a following of 20,000, set up an account claiming to ‘out’ those behind the legal gagging orders – but riddled with errors. So many Twitter users began exchanging messages supposedly naming high-profile figures who have hidden their secrets that part of the site crashed. The move exposed the total inadequacy of court rulings which gag the press – but have no effective control over what is published online.
Today Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming, who is compiling a report on super-injunctions, said: “It shows the utter absurdity of what is being done in the courts. It ignores the way that modern communication works. Normally these things are kept so that only a few people in North London know what is going on. But more recently people have been coming to my constituency surgery and telling me that they know who these people are.”
The move also made plain how the practice of creating injunctions has spawned its own global rumour mill – much of it untrue.
Facebook is spy tool for US, says Assange
(NY daily News): WikiLeaksfounder Julian Assange called Facebook "the most appalling spyingmachine ever invented" in an interview with Russia Today, pointing to the popular social networking site as one of the top tools for the U.S. to spy on its citizens. "Here we have the world’s most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations, their communications with each other and their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to US Intelligence," he said. "Facebook, Google, Yahoo, all these major U.S. organizations have built-in infaces for US intelligence. "Everyone should understand that when they add their friends to Facebook they are doing free work for the United States intelligence agencies," he added.
Mercedes-Benz recalls SUVS over cruise control
(Reuters): Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz is recalling 136,750 M-Class and M-Class AMG vehicles in the United States made from 1999 to 2004 for issues related to cruise control that may lead to a crash, U.S. federal safety regulators said. A filing with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that repairs will be made at Mercedes dealerships beginning in September. Applying the brakes to disengage cruise control may fail, increasing the chances of a crash, the filing said. There are other ways, including working a "cruise control stalk" or pumping the brakes, that will still engage the system in the event that applying the brakes fails, the filing said.
Bronx Zoo’s missing cobra ‘speaks out’ on Twitter
(BBC): A tongue-in-cheek Twitter user giving "updates" on a missing deadly Egyptian cobra now has some 35,000 followers. The 20in (50cm) venomous snake escaped from New York City’s Bronx Zoo on Friday, and is yet to be found. In one tweet, BronxZoosCobra says: "On top of the Empire State Building! All the people look like little mice down there. Delicious little mice." In its Twitter account, The Bronx Zoo – whichhas some 6,000 followers – admits it is currently "the snake’s game". The identity of the person behind BronxZoosCobra’s tweets has not been revealed.
Curacao to create data and technology park
(CNS): Cayman is not the only Caribbean country looking to technology as a possible direction for diversifying its economy. Plans are now reportedly in place to build the largest datacenter and technology park in the region in Curacao. According to a release from the Dutch territory’s government following a year’s detailed research by government and its partners in the venture CTEX the technology park will offer businesses and governments in the region ‘bunker-type’ facilities from which they can operate their organizations either as a secondary or backup or primary facility. Geographically outside the Caribbean’s main hurricane belt, the island hopes to benefit from the position to attract business to the park.
“We are excited about the project and believe that the economic impact to Curacao will ultimately drive the creation of a new economic sector resulting in more jobs and revenues for the island. In many ways, the project repositions Curacao as a new business center in the same manner as the offshore sector did decades ago,” said Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte. “More importantly the technology park as a whole will drive up our education levels and result in downstream growth in other industries such as Financial Services, Real-estate, Hospitality and Telecommunications. If we are to become a player in today’s world that is primarily driven by Technology, then Curacao must seek its leadership role in the region.”
The park will consist of four independent pods or buildings over approximately 12.000 m2 where
CTEX will offer businesses and governments a unique blend of services which include the digitalization and storage of information sensitive paper documents in a climate controlled environment, an expansive datacenter housing the latest ‘cloud’ computing infrastructure that customers can lease as well as full emergency recovery facilities with standby offices with international telecommunications access.
“Because of the geographic positioning of Curacao which is located relatively outside the traditional hurricane belt in a politically stable jurisdiction, having a center on the island that can provide backup for critical business transactions and data, makes all the sense and places our island in a unique and enviable position in the region,” said Anthony DeLima CTEX’s CEO. “CTEX’s facilities will provide companies with investments in neighboring countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Surinam and Panama with an alternative operating facility.”
CTEX’s facilities will be built based on the international LEED certified standards for energy efficiency and will be the only facility in its class in the region. They facilities are designed to withstand hurricane force winds and operate independently for 15 business days based on self-sustained power generation, accommodation and provisioning for emergency staff located in the facility.
White House to push privacy bill
(Wall Street Journal): The Obama administration plans to ask Congress Wednesday to pass a "privacy bill of rights" to protect Americans from intrusive data gathering, amid growing concern about the tracking and targeting of Internet users. Lawrence E. Strickling, an assistant secretary of commerce, is expected to call for the legislation at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, said a person familiar with the matter. This person said the administration will back a law that follows the outlines of a report issued by the Commerce Department in December. The administration wants any new rules to be enforceable and will look to expand the Federal Trade Commission’s authority, this person said.
Shuttle Discovery lands after final voyage
(Reuters): The space shuttle Discovery capped a successful construction mission with asmooth landing in Florida on Wednesday, ending a 27-year flying career for NASA’s most-traveled spaceship as the agency faces an uncertain future. Discovery commander Steven Lindsey circled his ship through clear, sunny skies over the Kennedy Space Center to burn off speed, then bee-lined toward the marsh-surrounded runway a few miles from where the shuttle blasted off for its final space flight on Feb. 24. Discovery touched down at 11:57 a.m. EST (1657 GMT) to wrap up a cargo run and construction mission at the International Space Station. The shuttle accumulated 365 days in orbit over 39 missions, racking up more than 148 million miles (238 million km).
It will now be prepared for display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Gmail outage leaves 150,000 users without e-mail
(Computer World): About 150,000 of Google’s Gmail users woke up Sunday morning to missing e-mails, contacts and chat histories. Google engineers noted on the Apps Status Dashboard Sunday night that e-mail services were restored to "some" users and that they expected to fix the problem for everyone in the "near future." They were not, however, specific as to how many users had their Gmail services restored and how soon everyone else should expect to get their services back. Users complained that they were missing key parts of their Gmail service, which inlcudes e-mail, chats, contacts, folders and settings and some reported that accounts seemed to have been reset so they appeared to be brand new.
Google first acknowledged the problem on its Apps Status Dashboard Sunday at 3:09 p.m. EST. Several hours later, Google engineers reported that the issue was affecting less than 0.08% of its Gmail users.
Technology breakthrough fuels laptops and phones
(Power online): SiGNa Chemistry Inc. has unveiled its new hydrogen cartridges, which provide energy to fuel cells designed to recharge cell phones, laptops and GPS units. The green power source is geared toward outdoor enthusiasts as well as residents of the Third World, where electricity in homes is considered a luxury. "SiGNa has created an inherently safe solution to produce electric power, resulting in an eco-friendly and cost-effective portable solution," said Michael Lefenfeld, SiGNa’s CEO. The spark for this groundbreaking technology came from the laboratory of James Dye, SiGNa’s co-founder and University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at MSU.
His work with alkali metals led to a green process to harness the power of sodium silicide, which is the source for SiGNa’s new product.
Volunteer runs free computer classes at library
(CNS): The George Town public library is offering free computer classes to people wanting to get to grips with basic information technology and acquire a new skill. Offered in partnership with Micro Matrix’s Sandra Catron, the 12-week course will begin at 10:15am on 5 March with the first two hour Saturday class. Spaces are limited however, as only 10 places are available for this first class. Interested persons are therefore encouraged to register as soon as possible, using forms available from reception at the George Town Public Library, according to a release from GIS.
Titled Computer Basics Foundation, the course covers a wide range of areas including general information technology concepts, the Internet, Outlook and Microsoft Office. “It’s ideal for beginners and aims to equip participants with essential skills for lifelong learning and personal development,” Community Librarian Deborah Powery-Zureigat explained. “We know that times are difficult, so we’re happy to partner with generous people like Ms. Catron and positively serve our community.
Cayman Islands Public Library Service Acting Director Juliet Lawson noted applauded Catron for her spirit of voluntarism in facilitating training for the community. “Information Technology has revolutionised every facet of society and it is a fundamental skill for every individual. Participants will therefore, reap remarkable benefits from this programme.”
Delighted to partner with the library on the initiative Catron said computer skills are extremely important. Anything that we can do to assist people in acquiring that additional knowledge is very important. I’m sure that many people will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”
On completion participants who attend each class, participate in homework assignments, and pass the course assessment at the end of the twelfth week will receive a completion certificate. Free handbooks and refreshments will also be provided. For more information, email Deborah.Powery-Zureigat@gov.ky or call her on 949-5159.