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The 404 660: Where is that Yu in the background? (podcast)

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments


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(Credit:
Craigslist)

Happy belated Labor Day! Today’s show title comes courtesy of 404 listener bitMorph3r, who spotted yours truly riding my bike through the background shot in an episode of Michio Kaku’s Sci-Fi Science. Check out the video clip here, and thanks again to bitMorph3r’s hawk eye for the shot!

On today’s episode of The 404 Podcast we say goodbye to Craigslist Adult Services, revisit the Duke Nuken Forever saga, argue over the new iTunes logo, show you how to jailbreak a PS3 with a TI-84 graphing calculator, and get scratch silly over the bedbug infestation sweeping the Google office in New York City.

After much controversy, the Craigslist finally blocked access to its “adult services” section over the weekend. Head over to Craigslist.org and you’ll now see an ugly black “CENSORED” bar covering the location of the original link.

Founder Craig Newmark is so far silent on the issue, and it’s unclear at this point if the change is temporary or permanent, but Interpervs can still get their paid freak on using other Web services that you can research in Gawker’s latest “Post-Craigslist Guide to Buying Sex Online.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced a new iTunes logo to go along with iTunes version 10, but not everyone is satisfied with the redesign. One user, Josh Kopac, decided to take it upon himself to e-mail Jobs and express his distaste, saying he “enjoyed the presentation today. But…this new iTunes logo really sucks…” to which Steve replied, “We disagree.” Sometimes two words is all it takes to dead-end an argument!

After 14 years of painful waiting, Duke Nukem Forever might finally see the light of day after all. According to Jeff’s report, 2K Games recently announced that Gearbox Software is taking the rights to its development, which is supposedly in the final stages. As usual, Jeff is skeptical that the game will come out before the end of the century, especially after all the controversy and drama surrounding its release. Check out this article in Wired for the full story.

All these stories coming your way on today’s episode of CNET’s The 404 Podcast! Enjoy!


Episode 660


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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast

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Air tankers fight fast-moving blaze

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

Are wildfires affecting you? Please share images and information with CNN iReport.

(CNN) — Authorities in Colorado are deploying a fleet of aircraft to extinguish the fast-moving wildfire near Boulder that has forced about 3,500 residents to evacuate.

Cmdr. Rick Brough of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, said seven tankers, two spotter aircraft and three helicopters are going to work in relatively favorable weather Tuesday to attack the blaze and protect the threatened dwellings.

At present, the fire has covered 3,500 acres and there has been minimal growth around perimeter in recent hours.

The planes are to operate in winds between 3 to 6 mph. On Monday, 40 mph winds proved to be a challenge for responders.

The high winds initially grounded air tankers Monday, making containing the blaze more difficult. Later in the day, three were able to fly until air operations stopped at nightfall.

Video: Battle to contain wildfire

Tuesday’s conditions are “going to allow us to get air tankers up in the air,” Brough said.

Many additional resources including equipment and manpower are coming, and the firefighters will be working in rugged and steep territory that’s difficult to access, he said.

An investigative team will go in and document the structures involved, and those addresses will be posted on the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management website, he said. The witnesses who made the initial call on the blaze, reporting a fire in trees in Four Mile Canyon, will be interviewed.

No injuries have been reported but it’s unclear whether there are any victims at this time.

“We did mandatory evacuations, but we still had people who didn’t leave,” Brough said. “There’s many subdivisions up there.”

About 1,000 homes had been evacuated Monday, Brough said earlier, and he confirmed that structures have been lost to the fire, though he did not know how many.

The fires meant no classes Tuesday for students who attend mountain schools in the Boulder Valley School District.

“Mountain schools include Jamestown, Gold Hill and Nederland elementary schools, as well as Nederland Middle/Senior High School,” the district’s website said.

Excel Energy said early Tuesday about 1,200 people were without power because of the fire.

In northwestern Oklahoma, where fires have been raging since the weekend, firefighters have gained the upper hand, according to an emergency official there.

Conditions were much improved early Tuesday in Woodward County, Oklahoma, where emergency officials have responded to as many as five wildfires since Sunday evening, when 40 mph winds began whipping through the region.

“All fires are about 90 to 95 percent contained,” said Matt Lehenbauer, director of emergency management for the county. He said most crews were sent home overnight to get some rest, but will be back on the fire lines Tuesday morning.

At least one home was destroyed in a 300-acre blaze near Fort Supply Lake, Lehenbauer said. At least one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion in that fire, he said. No other injuries were reported.

Authorities believe embers from a campfire sparked the blaze. About 30 homes and 120 campsites were evacuated as a result of the fire.

Firefighters were also working a 1,200-acre blaze on the east side of the county, believed started by arcing utility lines, Lehenbauer said.

CNN’s Amanda Watts, Dave Alsup and Erica Henry contributed to this report.


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Google taps State Dept. vet for Google Ideas

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

Jared Cohen, known as a tech evangelist within the State Department, will be joining Google to launch a think tank called Google Ideas.

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Turn your iPhone into a microscope for less than $5

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

Here’s a fun project for children, students, and anyone interested in getting a bigger view of the smaller world around us. All you need is a few bucks and a few minutes.

Originally posted at iPad Atlas

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John Lennon’s killer denied parole

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

New York (CNN) — Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s killer, was denied parole for the sixth time Tuesday, according to the New York State Division of Parole.

A three-member panel of the New York State Parole Board Commissioners conducted a video conference interview with Chapman from their offices in Rochester.

Chapman’s latest quest for freedom comes just months short of the 30th anniversary of the death of the former member of the Beatles.

The last time Chapman was up for parole, in 2008, the New York State Division of Parole issued a release saying his request was denied “due to concern for the public safety and welfare.”

He also was denied parole in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Chapman, 55, is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison for the shooting death of Lennon outside Lennon’s New York City apartment on December 8, 1980.

He has served 29 years of his sentence at the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility, where he is held in a building with other prisoners who are not considered to pose a threat to him, according to officials with the state Department of Correctional Services.

He has his own prison cell but spends most of his day outside the cell working on housekeeping and in the library, the officials said.

For the past 20 years he has been allowed conjugal visits with his wife, Gloria.

The visits are part of a state program called “family reunion” that allows inmates to spend up to 44 hours at a time with family members in a special setting. Inmates must meet certain criteria to receive the privilege.

Chapman has not had an infraction since 1994, said Erik Kriss, spokesman for the Department of Corrections said last month.

“He goes about his business, doing his prison job and without any fanfare,” Kriss said.

Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow, in previous years has submitted a letter requesting that parole be denied.

Chapman is next eligible for a parole interview in August 2012.


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Tube strike brings major delays

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

7 September 2010
Last updated at 13:23 ET

Millions of Londoners are attempting to travel home amid a major Tube strike affecting nearly all its lines.

Services on all but the Northern Line are currently suspended or delayed as the first in a series of 24-hour strikes continues.

Staff walked out in two waves, at 1700 BST and 2100 BST, on Monday in a row over 800 job cuts.

Unions said support for the strike was “rock solid” while the city’s transport bosses said London “was not paralysed”.

The strike was due to finish at 2100 BST on Tuesday, but Transport for London (TfL) said there would be some disruption throughout the rest of the night.

Service resumption

It is hoped that services will be running fully on Wednesday morning.

A full service has been operating on the Northern Line, but many stations on the route are closed. There has been a full service on the Waterloo and City Line since the latter part of the morning rush hour.

The Bakerloo, Victoria, District, Central, Piccadilly, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan lines are all partly suspended and more than 70 stations remain closed.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) unions are fighting London Underground (LU) plans to scrap 800 jobs in Underground ticket offices.


A commuter stuck in the strike

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Two commuters and Bob Crow from the RMT union talk about the strikes

The unions have said security could be compromised for passengers.

But LU has insisted all stations would still be staffed and pledged there would be no compulsory redundancies.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “The message to the mayor and his transport officials is clear – stop playing fast and loose with safety, stop the drive towards unstaffed stations, drop the threat of these lethal cuts and start meaningful talks on a safe and secure future for the London Tube system.”

The RMT has also accused LU of breaching safety regulations during the strike, but the Office of Rail Regulation said it was satisfied with LU’s arrangements.

Mike Brown, of LU, said: “We are doing everything possible to keep as many Tube services operating today, and to keep Londoners moving.

“Londoners will face some disruption, but the city is not paralysed and people will still be able to get around.”

An extra 100 buses and 10,000 more passenger journeys on Thames riverboat services have been laid on to cope with the strike.

Some taxi ranks were being marshalled and escorted bike rides have been operating.

A TfL spokesman said there had been an extra 2,000 completed journeys using the city’s cycle hire scheme between 0800 BST and 0900 BST, compared to the same time on Monday, a rise of about 60%.

But commuters expressed their frustration at the disruptions.

Sandra Gibson, who queued for buses, a taxi and the Tube to reach Praed Street from Paddington station, said: “Gave up and headed home. As a contractor this cost me half a days wage through no fault of my own.”

Andrew Ross, of north London, said: “I’ve had two job interviews today which I was late for both. Walking to Russell Square also got me soaked from head to toe.

“Wondering if Bob Crowe’s umbrella handler will accompany me on my next walk?”

Paul Simmons, who walked to his destination, said: “I’m now walking from Paddington to Golders Green via Edgware Road, Kilburn and West Hampstead.

“Less a call to arms, more a call to feet. Come on Londoners enjoy your city.”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said new staffing proposals for the Underground were “moderate and sensible” and accused the unions of “cynically deciding to try the patience” of commuters.

Maintenance staff walked out first on Monday followed by drivers, signallers and station staff.

TfL said that on Tuesday almost 40% of its trains were running and only the Circle Line was completely suspended.

Mr Johnson said new staffing proposals for the Underground were “moderate and sensible” and accused the unions of “cynically deciding to try the patience” of commuters.


King's Cross station, London

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The scene at King’s Cross during rush hour

Are you a commuter? How have you been affected? Send us your travel stories using the form below.

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New IBM projects striving for cleaner water

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

Harnessing the power of its World Community Grid of users, Big Blue embarks on a series of projects designed to improve the quality of drinking water around the world.

View full post on CNET News.com

Report: Android to win half of smartphone market

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

A bevy of Android devices will ultimately mean that Google’s mobile OS will control largely half of the market, according to a Piper Jaffray report.

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Trapped miners to get help from NASA

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

Copiapo, Chile (CNN) — NASA teams usually use their knowledge to help astronauts many miles above the earth’s surface. But on Tuesday, a group of experts from the U.S. space agency will share their advice for the 33 miners who have been trapped 2,300 feet underground in Chile since August 5.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring the space flight experience back down to the ground,” Dr. Michael Duncan, the deputy chief medical officer at Johnson Space Center, said before NASA’s four-person team left for Chile last month.

The team includes two medical doctors, a psychologist and an engineer.

Interactive: Explore the mine and learn more about the miners

In a briefing after its arrival last week, the team said creating a strict organizational structure for the miners’ daily lives would be important. Duncan also noted that healthy eating would be key to helping the miners survive.

That means increasing the amount of calories the men are taking in, he said, and giving them food that tastes good.

“Part of nutrition also is making it a certain variety so it maintains their interest. All of us in this room can appreciate the value of good food,” he said.

When rescuers first found them, the miners told officials they had survived for more than 17 days by sharing a jar of peaches and small amounts of tuna and mackerel that were in their shelter below.

By last Thursday, their meals included bread with ham and turkey, wine cookies, stroganoff with pasta primavera, peaches in juice, nutritional supplements, bread with caramel spread, chicken in sauce and plantains.

The NASA team members are also helping design the system rescuers will eventually use to hoist the miners to the surface.

On Friday, a new drill arrived at the rescue scene that engineers hope could reach the miners in about two months.

Rescuers have started using that drill, normally used to bore water holes, but temporarily stopped after encountering a problem Monday.

The Chilean government has said another drilling operation, which started a week ago and had reached a depth of around 295 feet (90 meters) by Monday, could take up to four months to reach the miners.

Officials also announced a third plan on Sunday — using an oil drill. Although that option could turn out to be the fastest, officials said, it may not be ready until late September.

All three plans can proceed simultaneously as they approach the mine from different directions.

In the meantime, Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich told CNN the miners have been assigned tasks underground.

The men have been divided into teams to manage the tubes that carry the supplies that are their lifeblood. One miner is in charge of setting the schedule of when they eat and sleep, another of nutritional matters and another of medical needs, he said.

Officials have asked them to simulate night and day on their own and to sleep in shifts — half the men will sleep while the other half work and make sure their sleeping coworkers are okay, Manalich said.

CNN’s Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.


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Pension rallies hit French cities

Posted Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 | No Comments

7 September 2010
Last updated at 10:17 ET


Protests in Paris

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The BBC’s Christian Fraser describes the disruption caused by the strikes

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of France to register anger over the government’s austerity measures.

The rallies come as a 24-hour national strike has disrupted flight and rail services, and closed schools.

Officials said 450,000 people were marching in cities across the country, ahead of the main rally in Paris later.

The activists are angry at government plans to overhaul pensions and raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.

The BBC’s Christian Fraser in Paris says French retirement age is well below the European average, but the proposal would represent a sizeable jump in a country that guards jealously its way of life.

Under current rules, both men and women in France can retire at 60, providing they have paid social security contributions for 40.5 years – although they are not entitled to a full pension until they are 65.

The government says it will save 70bn euros (£58bn) by raising the retirement age to 62 by 2018, the qualification to 41.5 years, and the pension age to 67 by 2018.

President Nicolas Sarkozy says reforms are needed to cope with an ageing population and the country’s high public spending.

The government is also looking to find 100bn euros of savings in three years, and is planning cuts in the bloated civil sector, our correspondent adds.

Some secondary school teachers went on strike on Monday, protesting against plans to cut 7,000 jobs in education.

State railway operator SNCF said only two out of five TGV high-speed trains were running, and there was a greatly reduced service on many other lines.

Eurostar said its trains between France and London would operate normally.

Some air-traffic controllers walked out, forcing the cancellation or delay of about a quarter of flights from Paris airports.

Air France said it was operating all of its long-haul flights as planned, but short and medium-haul flights had been affected.

Senate debates

France’s largest union, the CGT, said it expected the turnout for the protest marches across the country to be stronger than during the rallies in June, when more than 800,000 people took part.

“We may have an exceptional day and, if it is exceptional, we will perhaps be at a turning point,” CGT leader Bernard Thibault said.

The pensions bill is one of the key reforms the president hopes to push through during the last two years of his mandate.

It will be presented to the National Assembly by Labour Minister Eric Woerth.

Separately, the French Senate will debate the ban on the full face veil approved by the lower house in July.

Senators are also expected to debate a controversial new security law.

It would see recent immigrants stripped of French citizenship if they committed serious crimes such as killing a police officer.

The law would also allow electronic tagging for foreign criminals facing deportation.

The proposals and the recent deportation of about 1,000 Roma (Gypsies) have led to protests across the country.

The European Parliament is scheduled to debate the situation of the Roma minority in Europe on Tuesday.

Are you affected by the strikes? How serious are the disruptions in your area? Are you taking part in the protests? Send us your comments.

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