18th March 2012 Archive

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Assange bids for Senate seat

Yes, WikiMinister

WikiLeaks has taken the natural next step in its evolution as a force of continuous disclosure by announcing it wants to challenge for a seat in the Australian Senate. The organisation announced on Saturday that founder and chief Leaker Julian Assange will run for a seat in the Australian Senate, although the details of which …

Security 18 Mar 09:17
Pair of double-As give you cheap, quick charge

Emergency mobile power when you least expect it

It's nighttime in Barcelona, you can't find your hotel and your phone battery is dead. Double-A batteries won't go in a phone so you're screwed, unless you've read the following advice. If a phone sports a removable battery then you can carry a charged spare, and there are numerous pocket chargers on the market, but they all …

Mobile 18 Mar 11:07
NEC shows off ultra-thin battery

Bendy battery packs a punch

NEC has announced the development of an ORB (organic radical battery) which it says can be printed into circuit boards as thin as 0.3mm – making it suitable for applications like credit cards and bendable screens. The company expects to have the batteries ready for production in 2013. The new ORB, part of an ongoing project …

Networks 18 Mar 21:14
Kim Dotcom seizures 'null and void'

Kiwi cops got it wrong, says High Court

In an astonishing blunder, New Zealand’s Crown Law Office and its police commissioner have admitted to a ‘procedural error’ when they seized cash, cars and other property from Megaupload chief Kim Dotcom. According to the New Zealand Herald, Justice Judith Potter of the High Court has declared the first restraining order under …

Security 18 Mar 22:05
Microsoft signs up Aus eco geeks

Carbon Systems' cloud CO2 wares fight Redmond's gas problems

Australian cloud computing eco-warrior Carbon Systems has scored its most significant deal to date with a global Microsoft agreement. Carbon Systems’ Australian developed cloud app, Enterprise Sustainability Platform (ESP), will be implemented across Microsoft’s 600 global facilities across 110 countries. Microsoft has …

Software 18 Mar 22:30
Sex-starved fruit flies hit the sauce

Satisfaction equals sobriety

Fruit flies that can’t get on the tail get on the sauce instead, according to a study from University of California San Francisco. It isn’t, however, simply because their misery sends them to the shot glass asking a handy pianist to “play it, Sam”: rather, it’s related to the brain’s reward signals. In particular, it’s about …

Science 18 Mar 22:41
'Fileless' malware installs into RAM

Exploit found in Russian adware invades process, doesn't install files

Researchers at Kaspersky Labs have found malware which, unusually, does not install any files on its victims PCs. The researchers aren’t quite sure how unusual it is, describing it as both “unique” and “very rare”, but no matter how scarce this type of malware is it does sound rather nasty as it “… uses its payload to inject …

Security 18 Mar 23:05