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Ars Technica

"The Art of Technology"

 http://arstechnica.com/index.php via rss feed as at Feb 9 2012 12:56am
Feb 8 2012
10:30pm
Crypto crack makes satellite phones vulnerable to eavesdropping
Cryptographers have cracked the encryption schemes used in a variety of satellite phones, a feat that makes it possible for attackers to surreptitiously monitor data received by vulnerable devices. The research team, from th... more
Feb 8 2012
3:57pm
Anonymous exposes e-mails of Syrian presidential aides
Hackers aligned with Anonymous have exposed hundreds of e-mail messages from the webmail server of Syria's Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the support ministry for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Among the exposed e-mail mess... more
Feb 8 2012
3:33pm
Adobe confirms: no Flash for Chrome on Android
Google issued a beta release of Chrome for Android earlier today. The browser provides support for modern Web standards and includes a number of compelling features that aren't available in the Android's default browser. One note... more
Feb 8 2012
1:15pm
Feature: Don't panic? Windows 8 and the "ribbonification" of Explorer
When Microsoft first revealed that the Explorer file manager would be outfitted with a ribbon-style toolbar in Windows 8, responses were loud, passionate, and frequently negative. The company recently described changes that it h... more
Feb 8 2012
1:05pm
Google reportedly developing Android-powered smart glasses
Much like flying cars and jet packs, wearable computing is one of those aspirational fields of technology where the current state of the art doesn't deliver the sort of experience that people have imagined for decades. An experim... more
Feb 8 2012
10:00am
Lasers plus a crushing magnetic field may make fusion more efficient
Ever since I first heard about the idea, I have loved inertial confinement fusion. The basic concept involves blowing stuff up with lasers to get some energy, then doing it again and again as fast as possible. What more coul... more
Feb 8 2012
9:50am
Researchers boost processor performance by getting CPU and GPU to collaborate
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a technique to take advantage of the "fused architecture" emerging on multicore CPUs that puts central processing units and graphics processing units on the same c... more
Feb 8 2012
9:22am
The three patents Microsoft is hammering the Nook with—and why they may be invalid
Microsoft's complaint against Barnes & Noble's Android-based Nook devices has been narrowed down to just three patents, with the US International Trade Commission having to decide whether Nook devices infringe on several ... more
Feb 8 2012
9:05am
You, me, and "science" makes three: the state of online dating
Online dating has only become more ubiquitous and socially acceptable since the first sites launched in the mid-'90s: in a 2007-2009 study, 22 percent of couples surveyed formed as a result of dating websites, and it's now th... more
Feb 8 2012
8:25am
Apple trademark may hint at processing improvement for next-gen A6 processor
A recent trademark application from Apple for the term "Macroscalar" may give a clue about upcoming improvements for its next-generation mobile processors. The term refers to technology Apple has been working on as far back a... more
Feb 8 2012
8:15am
iOS companion game Infiltrator to offer bonuses in Mass Effect 3
Next month's launch of Mass Effect 3 is extending past the usual PS3, Xbox 360 and PC platforms with Mass Effect Infiltrator, an iOS game that will tie in with the console and PC title to provide bonuses and unlock content. A num... more
Feb 8 2012
8:03am
Judge denies record label's request to shutter "used" MP3 store
A one-of-a-kind website enabling the online sale of preowned digital-music files got a major legal boost late Monday when a federal judge refused to shutter it at the request of Capitol Records. ReDigi, which opened in... more
Feb 8 2012
5:36am
Google (finally) brings Chrome to Android
Google is finally bringing Chrome to the Android platform. A beta release of the increasingly popular Web browser was published this morning in the Android Market and is available to users who are running Android 4. The port ... more
Feb 8 2012
4:52am
Minecraft developer makes "serious" offer to fund Psychonauts sequel
In the annals of video gaming, 2005's mind-bending platformer Psychonauts is right up there with Earthbound and Beyond Good and Evil in the ranks of games that have a devoted cadre of fans eagerly demanding sequels. Now, thos... more
Feb 8 2012
4:40am
Genome of extinct human relative placed on Amazon web services
It has been nearly 200 years since we became aware of the Neanderthals, an extinct form of humans that once shared Europe and Asia with the modern humans. But it has been less than two years since we discovered that the Neandert... more
Feb 8 2012
4:30am
After seizure, online gamblers try to retrieve $150 million from Full Tilt Poker
After a key ruling last week, US gamblers hoping to retrieve $150 million stored with online gaming site Full Tilt Poker will have the opportunity to go after the company in court. In April 2011, the US Department of Justi... more
Feb 8 2012
4:15am
Kingdoms of Amalur: A great action game in an empty, forgettable world
The ubiquity of the action RPG, as an idea, is a little weird when you think about it. It's hard to think of two more disparate genres to try to combine, and usually the attempt ends up leaning too heavily toward one side of ... more
Feb 8 2012
4:00am
Pulsed lasers make lightweight glasses out of polymers
Microscopically, glasses are solids that look more like liquids—they lack a regular crystalline structure. The liquid character is no accident, since a typical glass is made by cooling a fluid rapidly. If done in the r... more
Feb 8 2012
3:40am
Motorola Droid 4 to launch on Verizon for $199.99
The Motorola Droid 4 will be available on Verizon's network for $199.99 with a two-year contract, Motorola announced in a press release today. The smartphone carries on the keyboard tradition of its predecessor, the Droid 3, bu... more
Feb 8 2012
3:30am
Nikon D800 combines medium format quality, HD filmmaking in one DSLR
Nikon on Monday announced the D800 digital SLR camera, the newest addition to its professional DSLR line up. Boasting a 36.3 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, high ISO shooting capabilities, and a variety of high definition v... more