DVT linked to video gamer's death

30 July 2011 Last updated at 15:44 GMT Chris Staniforth would spend up to 12 hours playing on the console. A man whose son died after playing video games for long periods is campaigning for greater awareness of the risk posed by their excessive use.

Chris Staniforth, 20, who would play his console for up to 12 hours, died in May from deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

His father David believes the condition may have been triggered by long gaming sessions.

DVT can form during long periods of immobility and can kill if the clots travel to the lungs.

Computer records showed his son would sometimes play online on his Xbox for periods up to 12 hours.

The coroner said a clot formed in Chris' left calf before moving to his lungs.

Once there, it caused a fatal blockage, known as a pulmonary embolism.

Mr Staniforth said: "After my research I saw there was no difference to Chris sitting at a desk on his Xbox and someone on a long-haul flight.

"Sitting still is literally the danger zone. Chris loved to play and would stay up all night.

"Millions of people worldwide are playing these games for hours, and there is a risk."

While Mr Staniforth has no problem with games consoles, he wants to highlight the heightened risk of DVT associated with being immobile, and is in the process of setting up a website.

In a statement, Microsoft, who manufacture the Xbox console, said: 'We have always encouraged responsible game play through our education campaigns such as Play Smart, Play Safe.

"We recommend that gamers take periodic breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."

David Staniforth calls for greater awareness of DVT after the death of his son, Chris

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Rocket vision

28 July 2011 Last updated at 07:11 GMT By Virginia Brown BBC News Magazine As the next generation of spaceships is being conceived, should shuttle designers take their inspiration from sci-fi illustrators?

Generations of schoolchildren, openly, and many adults, perhaps more guardedly, have delighted in fantastical depictions of space travel.

Continue reading the main story Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun worked with Chesley Bonestell to illustrate his concepts of space technologyNasa artist Robert McCall illustrated for Isaac Asimov and worked on 2001: A Space OdysseyNasa commissioned space and aerospace illustrator Vincent Di Fate to create the official painting of the International Space Station in 1985Before a man walked on the moon, Norman Rockwell provided a depiction of what the first step on the moon would look likeFrom Star Wars back to 2001: A Space Odyssey and even further back to comic hero Dan Dare and Victorian illustrations for the stories of Jules Verne and HG Wells, the way spaceships should look has been an important issue - before the first rocket booster ever fired.

But the fanciful reputation of sci-fi novels and films aside, the illustration of spacecraft might actually have a realistic place in the design of future vessels.

The line has often been blurred between the realm of the sci-fi artist and the real spacecraft designers.

Often referred to as the father of modern space art, Chesley Bonestell had a significant impact on not only science fiction illustration, but the whole of the American space programme.

German rocket developer and champion of space exploration Dr Wernher von Braun, who was inspired by the works of Verne and Wells, commissioned Bonestell to illustrate his spaceflight concepts in a 1952 issue of Collier's Weekly magazine.

The epic film 2001: A Space Odyssey influenced Chris Foss and other space artists

The combination of von Braun's technology and Bonestell's artistic vision made the science come alive for the layman readers. Of course, the tax dollars and votes of those inspired layman readers would be needed to realise ambitious space projects.

The Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists now honours work in the sci-fi and fantasy art industry with its annual Chesley Awards.

Continue reading the main story

An enterprising company might achieve success by offering spaceships that resemble the unique visions of Chris Foss”

End Quote Dr Gary Westfahl Science fiction academic Harry Lange was a German artist who got his start in military flight manual illustrations and was appointed to lead the future projects section for Nasa. He and his team found themselves illustrating von Braun's ideas to promote his vision of a US space station. Lange ended up as production designer on Stanley Kubrick's 2001.

On the other hand it's hard to imagine the designs of Chris Foss, the subject of a new retrospective book, Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss, easily crossing the line into the real world of space travel. With Picasso as an inspiration, Foss created book covers that pioneered a new style of space art, featuring prominently placed gigantic colourful craft in swirling spacescapes.

Marked with mysterious symbols and complex patterns, his illustrations have breathed life into sci-fi writings of everyone from Isaac Asimov to EE "Doc" Smith and AE van Vogt. Foss was also commissioned to do work for Alien, Superman and Alejandro Jodorowsky's unmade film version of Dune.

Seeing Kubrick's 2001 made a lasting impression on his work, as did the Cold War years and the bleakness of some of the derelict areas of post-war Britain. "People were really looking for a new kind of explosion," says Foss. "Humans want hope. They want something to believe in."

So is it fanciful to imagine Foss's ships - or those of equally florid artists - being like Bonestell's and infiltrating real design?

Perhaps not if a new age of privately-financed space travel needs to rally support in the same way von Braun and Bonestell did.

The end of the space shuttle programme presents a new challenge for spacecraft engineers and designers - one that could even benefit from collaboration with artists.

With government funding constricted, many will be looking to private investors to lead the future of space vessels.

More and more, the aim of companies, such as Boeing, will be to entice consumers to pay for space travel. Just as airlines have done, they will have to appeal to potential passengers - and investors - in order to establish their brands against the competition.

"An enterprising company seeking to attract government and private passengers might achieve success by offering them spaceships that resembled the unique visions of Chris Foss," says science fiction academic Dr Gary Westfahl.

Exotic design might play a part similar to that of airline insignia - from Alaska Airlines' themed craft to Aer Lingus's shamrocks. The goal is to establish brand recognition and visual appeal.

"Foss made his spaceships beautiful not by streamlining them but by adding bright, decorative colours," says Westfahl.

Some might find it strange that a Nasa worker like Lange could make the jump from a deep space project to Hollywood and end up with Oscar nomination for the art direction on The Empire Strikes Back.

But space is a particularly romanticised part of our vision of exploration, says Dr Eric Rabkin, a professor of English at the University of Michigan who specialises in science fiction.

It's because of the unknown, he says. Trains must go where tracks have previously been laid down and planes have to fly where they can ultimately land.

"Ships are inherently romantic because they can go where no one has before. Ships are associated with freedom and conquest," says Rabkin.

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Whitehall's web habits revealed

29 July 2011 Last updated at 11:47 GMT By Victoria King Political reporter, BBC News The list reveals the eclectic tastes and varied hobbies of civil servants Belly dancing, Doctor Who and the Roman Empire are just some of the interests of civil servants as revealed by their web browsing habits.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has disclosed the 1,000 sites visited most often by staff while at work.

The BBC website came top, but employees are also spending time apparently shopping, gambling and house-hunting.

A DfT spokesman said personal internet use by staff should be restricted to official breaks.

The details were published in response to a Freedom of Information request by campaign group the TaxPayers' Alliance. They cover the period from January to May this year.

'Leave reality behind'

Many of the websites come as no surprise - Google is close to the top along with a number of newspapers and news blogs. The BBC homepage is number one with 7.4 million hits.

Facebook comes in at 85th, with more than 130,000 hits. Argos is the most regular online shopping destination, but John Lewis, Next and Debenhams feature too.

Plenty of sports fans appear to have been sneaking in a cheeky look or two at scores or fixtures - with goonerweb, chelseaafc and espncricinfo - a cricket stats website - all popular.

Continue reading the main story

It is vital taxpayers are able to scrutinise how time they are paying for is spent”

End Quote Matthew Sinclair TaxPayers' Alliance Some may also be having a flutter - hence the popularity of oddschecker and bet365 - which get 25,808 and 7,328 hits respectively.

But there are a number of unusual sites which reveal some more unexpected pastimes among civil servants.

Coming in at number 385 - with 27,634 hits - is bearsfaction.org.uk - a website run by the Lorien Trust which organises fantasy role-play festivals.

It invites users to "leave reality behind" and "walk amongst goblins, elves and dwarves".

Even more popular, coming in at 115, is etiquettehell.com which gives frustrated sticklers for good manners a forum in which to vent.

Smallworldbellydance.com - a south London belly dancing studio - gets 3,170 hits, while a website for fans of the Roman Empire attracted nearly 100,000.

Some civil servants also seem to be interested in matters of glamour within Whitehall itself.

Sexymp.co.uk - where users get to rank Members of Parliament in order of attractiveness - got 21,477 hits in the five-month period, making it the 465th most popular site.

Meal breaks

The TaxPayers' Alliance said it had contacted all government departments, but the DfT was the only one to provide the information.

Director Matthew Sinclair said: "While many staff work very hard, there have been enough anecdotal reports of time-wasters within the civil service that it is vital taxpayers are able to scrutinise how time they are paying for is spent.

"Other departments need to follow suit and publish this information. There is no practical obstacle to proper transparency."

The DfT was asked whether it could reveal the amount of time spent on each website, but it said it did not keep accurate figures.

A spokesman said: "Our internet access policy states that personal use of the internet by staff should be kept as short as possible and should not in any event exceed one hour each day made in their own time, e.g. meal breaks.

"We also have measures in place to prevent the inappropriate use of internet by staff, for example in relation to pornographic web sites.

"Personal use should not place excessive demands on ICT [information and communications technology] facilities and should not detract from staff's performance of their duties."

The DfT said two staff had been disciplined during 2009-10 due to "inappropriate internet usage".

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Solar car put to wind tunnel test

29 July 2011 Last updated at 11:15 GMT By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News Nuon technical manager Mike Hoogstraten explains the aerodynamic tests

The best in solar car engineering can be heard on the wind.

At the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels in the Netherlands, an entry into this year's World Solar Challenge is being put to its final tests - and the results are both visible and audible.

The bi-annual contest is a gruelling race straight across Australia, covering more than 3,000km between Darwin and Adelaide.

More than 40 teams from 22 countries have applied for the 2011 race in October. The teams are only allowed to travel between 8am and 5pm, and must follow Australian road regulations and share the road with conventional cars.

The Nuon Solar Team from the University of Delft has won four of the last five Challenges, and their latest effort - dubbed Nuna 6 - is the lightest yet, weighing in at just 145kg.

But getting the weight down is just part of the battle, said Pier von Zonneveld, the project's team leader.

"Aerodynamics is a very important part of the design process," he told BBC News.

"There's a rule of thumb that states that about 70% of the friction that the car needs to overcome comes from aerodynamics. Of course we tested in wind tunnels in our design phase, but now we've actually built the car we want to test and see if these measurements are still accurate."

Ribbon test

A gale of wind, completely silent, whips through the tunnel, simulating the conditions of travel at 100km/h.

Continue reading the main story

We're... showing the world these cars are really good - they can go extremely fast with very little energy. It's just an inspiration to future technology”

End Quote Mike Hoogstraten technical manager, Nuon Solar Team The car is strapped to the tunnel's floor, and high-precision scales measure the how much lift the car is experiencing. But for all the technology gathering data from the scales, two low-tech approaches are part of the tests.

What the team wants to know is whether there is "laminar flow" around the car - smooth, uninterrupted sheets of air.

If the precise shape of the car's surfaces and edges aren't perfect, the flow can be turbulent - swirling and chaotic, and creating a great deal of drag that squanders energy.

The team uses a microphone and amplifier to quite simply listen to the air - laminar flow is silent, whereas turbulent flow makes a noise.

And a ribbon on the end of a stick can show where the flow is turbulent flow is too; as it is brought close to the car's surfaces, the ribbon whips around wildly where the flow is turbulent, and hugs the shape of the car where it is laminar.

Mike Hoogstraten, the team's technical manager said that preparing for the race would entail far more than fine-tuning the car's aerodynamics.

"The design is one part of the deal - you have to make a good car. But once you get to Australia there's another part - strategy," he said.

"To win the race you have to make lots of calculations and predictions. You have to use the energy as efficiently as possible, by knowing how much energy you're going to get, and how much you're going to give away."

The teams travel just nine hours a day and sleep alongside the Stuart highway in Australia

Those calculations even include weather modelling, a crucial aspect of a race that runs thanks only to the Sun.

The race's organisers tighten the regulations on the cars every year; the entries have become so refined that the contest simply needs to be made tougher.

This year, teams will have to use silicon solar cells - the type commonly found on roofs and used to power electronics - rather than the higher-efficiency gallium arsenide cells used previously.

The kind of engineering that is being worked out now, for nothing more than the glory of winning the race, will pay dividends in the development of solar-powered passenger cars.

"Our team doesn't believe that this kind of car is the commercial car - you can see by the size it'd be difficult to get your groceries from one place to another," Mr Hoogstraten said.

"But we're improving those technologies and using them and showing the world these cars are really good - they can go extremely fast with very little energy. It's just an inspiration to future technology."

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Moniker rule

28 July 2011 Last updated at 07:26 GMT By Alex Hudson BBC News Many people are loath to reveal their identity Google+ took only 24 days to reach 20 million users but their decision to delete accounts without real names attached has caused anger. So why do social networks insist on your real name?

Many people choose to conceal or alter their identity online.

Visit many forums and you'll see the likes of "Jboy72" and "NYgirl" outnumbering those giving their real names. But it's something social networks really don't like.

Over the past few days, Google has enforced its policy for requiring a real name on its new social network Google+ by suspending accounts.

The affected users were not happy at all. Blogger GrrlScientist, who prefers her real-life identity to remain private, thinks the decision to delete her account was "gormless".

"I've established an identity and a personality and an online and off-line world using this name," she says. "I look at it as the best part of myself so I'm not going to give it up now."

So why do the social networks want your real identity?

Many social networks require a full name before you can use their services

Google says it is addressing those with genuine complaints, but it maintains that to use the network effectively, users should be able to search for a friend or a family member as quickly and as easily as possible. And that, they say, means demanding real names.

Indeed, the guidelines are very similar to other social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.

"By providing your common name, you will be assisting all people you know in finding and creating a connection with the right person online," a Google spokesman says.

Insisting on real names is supposed to combat spam. MySpace struggled with it in the past and Twitter "spambots" crop up from time to time.

And some see being made to use your real name as the antidote to the unpleasantness that happens on forums.

The theory goes that when people are using their real names online, they are more likely to act responsibly and engage honestly with the community.

"There is an issue of trolls," says Benjamin Cohen, Channel 4 News' technology correspondent.

Continue reading the main story Facebook users must agree to provide their real names and giving any false personal information allows Facebook to stop providing all or part of the siteGoogle says: "To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles, use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of those would be acceptable.""The authentication is important - it's a big problem on the internet and social networks make it more unlikely for someone to be pretending to be someone else."

And certainly things can get heated when the mask of anonymity is granted to users. Messageboard community 4Chan has received significant attention for its posts, often featuring adult content, which offer absolute anonymity, though founder Chris Poole still believes that this is vital to allow honest opinions and is responsible for much of the popularity of the site.

But choosing to use a pseudonym is not just about examples like GrrlScientist.

Some users choose to hide their identity to avoid being found by people they would not like to be contacted by. Others live in countries where identification could have serious implications for those who have expressed political views or associated themselves with others who have.

Many users in China, where access to Google+ itself is difficult because of restrictions by Chinese authorities on some websites, have called on Google to change its mind.

Twitter user Newsinchina - known by the English name Richard Zhang - wrote in Chinese on Google+ before his profile was removed: "Please Google+, when you are deciding regulations, you must consider Chinese usage, especially from users in mainland China.

"Be sure to consider the user's actual situation. Please do not force them to use a real-name system. Otherwise, I think that Google will be violating its principle of 'don't be evil'."

Indeed, Google's motto of "Don't be evil" has featured in a number of posts, but some analysts think Google+ suspending accounts is more an oversight than anything else.

"They're still in Beta [test] mode and perhaps been too strict in enforcing the rules," says Robin Grant, managing director of social media agency We Are Social.

"They are most probably going to change it to allow human rights activists, for example, to hide their identity. They're not going to leave themselves open to that sort of criticism.

"It's not a fully fleshed out product and they made a mistake but I don't think it's sinister."

But there has been a muttering in the blogosphere that the real reason the social networks want real names is that it makes them more money. A real name is more lucrative for advertisers.

"The more Google knows about its audience, the better it can target adverts of interest and therefore make more money," says Nate Elliott, vice-president principal analyst at technology company Forrester Research.

"That said, it's very unlikely that people would focus on the first name or last name fields to target people."

"Of all the ways Google has to connect your profile with your other behaviour on Google, that's by far the least exact."

Others agree that it is not the name that is vital, but demographics and interests information that holds the real key to revenue.

"It's not really about being to sell someone's name but their intent - people's search and social behaviour," says Grant.

"It doesn't matter if you know their name or not, it matters that there's a link between what they say they do and what they actually do."

But whatever the reasons, there will be many who still press for the right to use a pseudonym.

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Microsoft sorry for Amy tweet

By Dan Whitworth
Newsbeat technology reporter Amy Winehouse was found dead in her Camden home on Saturday Microsoft has apologised after being accused by Amy Winehouse fans of trying to make money from her death.

It's after Xbox360's official Twitter account, tweetbox360, posted a message urging people to pay tribute to the star by using Microsoft's online store to buy her album.

It read "remember Amy Winehouse by downloading the ground-breaking 'Back to Black' over at Zune".

One response came from Simacco: "Talk about cashing in on someone's death!"

'Crass' and 'vile'

Another, from iamjovic, said: "It's very insensitive and whoever had the idea of tweeting it had no taste."

Following other replies from fans which labelled the post "crass" and "vile" Microsoft was quick to say sorry.

"Apologies to everyone if our earlier Amy Winehouse download tweet seemed purely commercially motivated.

"Far from the case we assure you."

After the initial apology Microsoft went even further to try to appease Amy's fans.

There was another post shortly after the apology tweeting: "With Amy W's passing, the world has lost a huge talent.

"Our thoughts are with Amy's family and friends at this very sad time."

Follow our technology reporter Dan Whitworth on Twitter

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BT ordered to block pirate links

28 July 2011 Last updated at 09:15 GMT BT and the Motion Picture Association give their reaction to the order for BT to block Newzbin 2

A High Court judge has ruled that BT must block access to a website which provides links to pirated movies.

Newzbin 2 is a members-only site which aggregates a large amount of the illegally copied material found on Usenet discussion forums.

The landmark case is the first time that an ISP has been ordered to block access to such a site.

It paves the way for other sites to be blocked as part of a major crackdown on piracy.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Arnold stated: "In my judgment it follows that BT has actual knowledge of other persons using its service to infringe copyright: it knows that the users and operators of Newzbin 2 infringe copyright on a large scale, and in particular infringe the copyrights of the studios in large numbers of their films and television programmes."

He continued: "It knows that the users of Newzbin 2 include BT subscribers, and it knows those users use its service to receive infringing copies of copyright works made available to them by Newzbin 2."

BT and the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which brought the case, will be back in court in October to work out how the blocking will work. BT said it will not appeal the ruling.

PDF download Download Justice Arnold's ruling[445kb]

Creative victory Continue reading the main story

Finally, it seems we have a way to deal with rogue sites which will benefit the film industry including UK independent distributors and, more broadly, the entire creative sector.”

End Quote Lord Puttnam President, Film Distributers Association The MPA which represents a number of movie studios including Warner, Disney and Fox, launched the legal action as a last-ditch attempt to close down Newzbin 2.

Chris Marcich, president and managing director of MPA Europe said: "This ruling from Justice Arnold is a victory for millions of people working in the UK creative industries and demonstrates that the law of the land must apply online.

"This court action was never an attack on ISPs but we do need their co-operation to deal with the Newzbin site which continually tries to evade the law and judicial sanction. Newzbin is a notorious pirate website which makes hundreds of thousands of copyrighted products available without permission and with no regard for the law."

The MPA signalled its intention to pursue other ISPs.

BT describes the judgement as "helpful".

"It clearly shows that rights holders need to prove their claims and convince a judge to make a court order. BT has consistently said that rights holders need to take this route. We will return to court after the summer to explain what kind of order we believe is appropriate," the firm said in a statement.

Link sites such as Newzbin 2 are gaining popularity as those determined to get their hands on free content move away from traditional peer-to-peer downloading methods.

A previous court case had ruled that Newzbin 2's predecessor must stop linking to free content but a new version of the site was set up outside of the UK's jurisdiction.

Revenge attacks

Justice Arnold ruled that BT must use its blocking technology CleanFeed - which is currently used to prevent access to websites featuring child sexual abuse - to block Newzbin 2.

In an email interview before the verdict, Newzbin 2 threatened to break BT's filters.

"We would be appalled if any group were to try to sabotage this technology as it helps to protect the innocent from highly offensive and illegal content," said a spokesman for BT.

The Internet Service Providers' Association has been a fierce critic of web blocking.

It said that using blocking technology designed to protect the public from images of child abuse, was inappropriate.

"Currently CleanFeed is dealing with a small, rural road in Scotland," ISPA council member James Blessing told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

"Trying to put Newzbin and other sites into the same blocking technology would be a bit like shutting down the M1. It is not designed to do that."

Digital rights organisation the Open Rights Group said the result could set a "dangerous" precedent.

"Website blocking is pointless and dangerous. These judgements won't work to stop infringement or boost creative industries.

"And there are serious risks of legitimate content being blocked and service slowdown. If the goal is boosting creators' ability to make money from their work then we need to abandon these technologically naive measures, focus on genuine market reforms, and satisfy unmet consumer demand," said ORG campaigner Peter Bradwell.

He said more scrutiny needed to be paid to the content of such sites.

"What will qualify a site to be worthy of blocking? Who makes the decisions about what people people are allowed to see online?" he asked.

Disconnection

The crackdown on piracy has gained new urgency in recent months.

Pressure from rightsholders forced new legislation on the issue.

The UK's controversial Digital Economy Act makes provisions for tough action against those who downloading pirated music and films - initially sanctioning a letter-writing campaign asking them to desist.

BT and TalkTalk called for a judicial review of the DEA, saying the legislation was rushed through Parliament and was unenforceable but a judge ruled that it could go ahead.

Court action could be taken against individuals who ignore written warnings and 'technical measures' including disconnecting someone from the web could also follow.

The government is also considering the feasibility of more widespread site blocking, including looking at the possibility of a voluntary scheme between ISPs and rightsholders.

The Newzbin case was brought under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.

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A star is formed

28 July 2011 Last updated at 13:40 GMT By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News Number 16 goes into position. Another 50 will follow in the next 18 months One of the grand astronomical projects of the 21st Century is open for business.

The Alma radio telescope facility high up in Chile's Atacama Desert has put its 16th antenna in place, giving it a configuration that allows it to do some very capable science.

Eventually, it will have 66 dishes.

This will give the observatory an unprecedented view of the cool Universe - all the gas and dust that goes into building stars and planets.

It will also enable astronomers to see events in the very early cosmos that are beyond the detection of current technologies.

"There's nothing really magical about the number 16, but the sensitivity gain on current instruments is so great it would be a shame not to start doing some serious science with Alma," said Dr John Richer, the UK Alma project scientist based at Cambridge University.

Alma (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) is a co-operative venture that includes the scientific and engineering inputs of Europe, East Asia, North America, and the host nation, Chile.

Alma's 12m-dishes and their associated receiver systems and electronics are manufactured around the world before being shipped for final integration in South America.

The finished antennas are driven up on to Atacama's Chajnantor plateau by special 28-wheeled trucks, in which the drivers must sit in oxygenated cabins to cope with the thin air found at Alma's 5,000m-high location.

A star is formed

Number 16 has the distinction of being the "first European antenna" to make it up the mountain.

The 15 already in position have made some observations but these were more technical in nature, explained Professor Brian Ellison, Alma's UK Project Manager based at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

"Those observations were early engineering checks to assess that the systems were working as expected," he said.

"Obviously, as you do more science, that tends to reveal more [flaws] that engineers can go back and work on."

The air on Atacama's Chajnantor plateau is thin and extremely dry - perfect for astronomy

The facility is designed to detect millimetre and submillimetre signals from the sky with multiple antennas.

By combining those signals in a process known as interferometry, Alma can mimic the capabilities of a single, giant antenna with a diameter equal to the distance between the dishes.

In the 16-antenna configuration this distance at its maximum separation is just 400m; when Alma is completed in 2013, the separation will be more than 15km.

This will give the observatory unrivalled sensitivity and resolution.

Key early targets will be the "birthing clouds" of new stars, and the discs of dusty debris that emerge around these newborns to produce planets.

The European Space Agency currently operates an orbiting telescope called Herschel that has returned remarkable pictures of these same star-forming regions, but Alma will be capable of subjecting them to forensic investigation.

"Herschel is making maps of big star-forming complexes," said Dr Richer.

"What Alma will do is zoom in on the interesting areas and make ultra-high-resolution images that show not just a blob where the galaxies or the molecules are, but resolves in very, very fine detail the structure of those objects, whether it's the gas discs forming around stars or the collisions between galaxies at [great distance]."

Alma will also go after events in the very early Universe, in particular the so-called "Epoch of Re-ionisation".

This was a period about 400-plus million years after the Big Bang that saw a fundamental change in the cosmic environment - when the intense ultraviolet light from the first stars turned the dominantly neutral hydrogen gas then pervading the Universe into the diffuse intergalactic plasma we detect between the stars today.

Rich science

The world's astronomers have scrambled to be part of the early science observations.

Almost 1,000 proposals have been submitted - far more than can be accommodated in the initial nine months of viewing time.

Dr Richer is not surprised by the rush to use Alma. He is in no doubt that it will become one of the premier facilities in the front line of science.

"It doesn't have quite the same profile as, say, the Large Hadron Collider and it doesn't have the same price tag," he told BBC News.

"Nonetheless, it is the most complex observatory ever constructed on the ground in terms of its engineering and scale.

"We're doing this because we believe it will have commensurate scientific returns. Over the next 20 years, Alma will deliver an incredible wealth of new discoveries."

Europe's participation is co-ordinated through the European Southern Observatory organisation, which runs a number of other astronomical facilities in Chile, including the nearby Very Large Telescope (VLT).

Europe's Herschel telescope is mapping the "cold cosmos". Alma will zoom into the most interesting places and objects Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

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Millions hit in South Korean hack

28 July 2011 Last updated at 11:07 GMT South Korea is one of the most widely wired nations on Earth. South Korea has blamed Chinese hackers for stealing data from 35 million accounts on a popular social network.

The attacks were directed at the Cyworld website as well as the Nate web portal, both run by SK Communications.

Hackers are believed to have stolen phone numbers, email addresses, names and encrypted information about the sites' many millions of members.

It follows a series of recent cyber attacks directed at South Korea's government and financial firms.

Details of the breach were revealed by the Korean Communications Commission.

It claimed to have traced the source of the incursion back to computer IP addresses based in China.

Wave of attacks

The Nate portal gives people access to web services such as email while the Cyworld social site lets people share images and updates with friends and allows them to create an avatar that inhabits a small virtual apartment.

Like many other nations, South Korea has suffered a spate of hacking attacks in recent months. One incident in April targeted a government-backed bank.

A month later, data on more than 1.8 million customers was stolen from Hyundai Capital.

Government ministries, the National Assembly, the country's military HQ and networks of US Forces based in Korea were also hit.

Earlier this year, the South Korean government drew up a cyber security plan in an attempt to thwart the attackers.

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Alibaba takes on Google and Apple

29 July 2011 Last updated at 06:57 GMT Alibaba operates some of China's biggest e-commerce websites China's Alibaba has taken on established players such as Google and Apple in the mobile operating system market.

It has launched its own operating system, Alyun OS, in a bid to capture the fast-growing Chinese market.

The launch comes as sales of smartphones in China, the world's largest mobile handset market, are expected to grow rapidly.

Alibaba is one the world's biggest internet conglomerates.

The company said the operating system will feature services such as email, internet search and support web-based applications.

"Mobile users want a more open and convenient mobile operating system (OS), one that allows them to truly enjoy all that the internet has to offer, right in the palm of their hand," said Wang Jian, president of Alibaba Cloud Computing.

"The cloud OS, with its use of cloud-based applications, will provide that," he added.

Hardware Continue reading the main story

We are not responsible for selling the phone, we just provide the system, so there is no hard number”

End Quote Wang Jian Alibaba Cloud Computing Alibaba also launched K-Touch, the first smartphone to run the OS. The phone will be manufactured by handset maker Tianyu.

The company said it was also in talks to with phone manufacturers to develop low-end mobile phones that will run the operating system.

However, Alibaba said it has no plans to enter the phone manufacturing sector on its own.

"We shouldn't make a phone. We're not in that ecosystem," said Mr Wang.

He also added that the company is concentrating only on developing the operating system and was not focussing too much on the sales of mobile phones that will use the software.

"We are not responsible for selling the phone, we just provide the system, so there is no hard number," he said.

Alibaba said it plans to launch a tablet PC running on the software by the end of this year.

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Spotify sued over music streaming

29 July 2011 Last updated at 10:14 GMT Spotify launched its service in the US in mid-July Music service Spotify is being sued in the US and Europe for allegedly violating patents held by PacketVideo.

The lawsuit claims that Spotify has violated at least two patents owned by PacketVideo that cover methods of streaming music over data networks.

The legal action comes barely two weeks after Spotify launched a US version of its music streaming service.

UK-based Spotify said it would "strongly contest" the claims PacketVideo made in its lawsuit.

Tangled patents

Court papers that kicked off the legal action were filed by PacketVideo lawyers on 28 July. The patents in question were filed in 1995 and became the property of PacketVideo when it bought Swiss-based SDC AG in 2007.

PacketVideo has filed legal papers in San Diego and the Netherlands. It said the lawsuit had been filed following attempts to "amicably resolve" the dispute over the patents outside the court.

"PacketVideo has a strong intellectual property portfolio, and will take any necessary action needed to protect its intellectual property and prevent the misuse of its patents," said Joel Espelien, PacketVideo's general counsel in a statement.

In response, Spotify said in a statement that its success was due to its "highly innovative, proprietary hybrid technology that incorporates peer-to-peer technology".

"PacketVideo is claiming that by distributing music over the internet, Spotify (and by inference any other similar digital music service) has infringed one of the patents that has previously been acquired by PacketVideo," it added. "Spotify is strongly contesting PacketVideo's claim."

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of patent wrangles that have set tech firms against each other. Apple, Nokia, HTC, Google, Oracle, Samsung, Electronic Arts, AT&T and many others are all fighting or have launched, sometimes simultaneously, legal action over patents.

In addition, many firms who claim to own patents but have never turned them into working code or gadgets are also suing tech firms for infringing on their intellectual property.

The situation led Kent Walker, Google's top lawyer, to decry the "explosion in patent litigation" which "threatens to stifle innovation".

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IT giants 'ripping off Whitehall'

28 July 2011 Last updated at 06:40 GMT Civil servants need to improve their knowledge of IT before negotiating contracts, MPs say Government departments have been ripped off by a "cartel" of big IT firms, a damning report by a committee of MPs has found.

Some were paying as much as 10 times the commercial rate for equipment and up to ?3,500 for a single desktop PC.

The public administration committee said an "obscene amount of public money" was being wasted on IT.

The government said it was already making "significant improvements" to the way it bought computer equipment.

Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to end the era of vast government IT projects that he said had dominated Labour's time in power.

The coalition has called a halt to schemes costing more than ?100m as it looks to reduce the UK's budget deficit.

In its report, the public administration committee recommends that departments across Whitehall use more small and medium-sized IT suppliers to increase competition and bring down prices.

'Rip-offs'

Committee chairman, Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, said that according to some sources, the government had paid contractors between seven and 10 times more than the standard rate.

But ministers themselves did not collect the information required to verify these claims, he added.

Continue reading the main story Norman Smith Chief political correspondent, BBC Radio 4

The government has talked a good game on ending mega IT schemes - but we'll probably still be reading headlines about catastrophic computer projects for years to come.

True, the coalition has scrapped the huge ID card project, but this had more to do with politics than cost-saving.

The real problem facing ministers is that IT is central to delivering better public services and cutting costs.

Hence, the Department for Work and Pensions is rolling out a huge computer project to place all claimants' income and benefits on one database that they will be able to access in real time, online.

Placing the proposed Universal Credit online is not just a hugely complicated IT project involving millions of different benefit claims, but is also politically crucial and key to to Ian Duncan Smith's welfare reforms.

The department insists the Universal Credit roll-out is on time and on budget, but somehow I suspect we may not have heard the last of great government IT rip-offs.

The committee said Whitehall's overall record in developing and implementing new IT systems was "appalling".

It warned: "The lack of IT skills in government and over-reliance on contracting out is a fundamental problem which has been described as a 'recipe for rip-offs'.

"IT procurement has too often resulted in late, over-budget IT systems that are not fit for purpose.

"Given the cuts that they are having to make in response to the fiscal deficit it is ridiculous that some departments spend an average of ?3,500 on a desktop PC."

The ?3,500 figure is taken from the Cabinet Office's business plan for 2011-2015, but officials have stressed that it covers more than just hardware and also includes infrastructure and applications.

The MPs' report concludes that "the current government seems determined to succeed where others have failed and we are greatly encouraged by its progress to date".

But it warns that the government will be "doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past" if it does not learn to be more "intelligent" in its dealings with IT suppliers and improve the way it compares costs across different departments, known as "benchmarking".

The last Labour government spent ?16bn in IT projects in 2009.

It came under particular criticism for the spiralling cost of its delayed NHS scheme, which eventually reached more than ?12bn.

Last autumn, the coalition government announced it would allow hospitals to source more of their own equipment, as part of a plan to cut costs by ?700m. This came on top of ?600m of savings already announced by Labour.

'Robust'

In March, Tony Blair's former IT chief Ian Watmore - who has returned to the Cabinet Office under the coalition - told the committee that some Labour ministers had ordered expensive computer projects because they wanted their policies to "sound sexy".

Mr Jenkin called for an overhaul of the entire system of procurement, saying: "The government has said that it is overly reliant on an 'oligopoly' of suppliers; some witnesses went further and described the situation as a 'cartel'.

"Whatever we call the situation it has led to an inexcusable situation that sees governments waste an obscene amount of public money."

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "We have already made significant improvements to the management of IT projects including introducing new ICT [information and communications technology] controls, increasing transparency, and creating robust governance arrangements.

"We hope these will go some way to address the problems of the past the committee have rightly highlighted."

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Nintendo shares slump after loss

29 July 2011 Last updated at 07:17 GMT Nintendo's latest gadget the 3DS has not made a big impact on the market Shares in Nintendo have tumbled on the Tokyo stock exchange a day after the company announced a loss in the first quarter.

The shares closed down 13%, having fallen as much as 20%, on news of the worse-than-expected profits figures.

On Thursday, Nintendo reported a net loss of 25.5bn yen ($324m, ?201m) for the April-to-June quarter, its first-ever quarterly loss.

The company also cut its full-year profit forecast.

Nintendo said it now expects a net profit of 20bn yen for the year to March 2012, down 82% from its previous projection.

'Underweight' Nintendo earnings were hit by weak sales of its new gadget, the handlheld 3DS console.

In an attempt to boost sales the company has announced huge price cuts.

The price in Japan will be about 40% less - retailing at 15,000 yen. In the US, the price will drop next month to $169.99 from $249.99.

However, analysts said the price cut may hurt the company's earnings even further.

"The timing of the 3DS hardware price cut is surprising, given the major in-house software releases," said Hiroshi Kamide of JP Morgan.

"We believe the 3DS will be a heavy weight on earnings over the medium term," he added.

JP Morgan also cut its rating on Nintendo from "overweight" to "underweight," saying the current situation was worse than feared and the outlook uncertain.

Tired customers?

To make matters worse for the gaming giant, industry watchers say sales of the 3DS are unlikely to turn around anytime soon.

"Software is a big problem. Right now there are not many games available for the 3DS," said David Abrams, of CAGCast Video Game.

Mr Abrams added that while the 3DS has had a lukewarm response, smartphones continue to capture an increasing share of the gaming market.

He said easy availability of games and their low cost meant more and more people were preferring smartphones over specialised gadgets.

"The question is, are people willing to spend a premium to play the next Mario game or would they spend that amount to buy close to 40 games on their smartphones," he said

Mr Abrams added that despite the launch of its latest version, the DS gadget has been losing its charm.

"The reality is that people may be tired of the whole DS concept. It has been around for almost seven years," he said.

"May be its not that exciting to people anymore," he added.

View the original article here

Apple overtakes Nokia and Samsung

29 July 2011 Last updated at 11:55 GMT Handsets from Apple (left) and Samsung (right) saw the biggest growth Apple has become the world's biggest seller of smartphones, according to industry analysts.

The US firm overtook both previous leader Nokia and Samsung in the second quarter of the year, when total smartphone sales hit a record 110m.

The figures from Strategy Analytics also showed that 361m handsets were shipped, up 13% on the previous year.

Nokia remained the biggest seller of all types of handsets, but the numbers shipped and its market share fell.

It shipped 20% fewer handsets in the second quarter - 88.5 million.

The Finnish firm's market share dipped to 25% - its lowest level since 1999.

'Star'

The report describes Apple as the "star performer" during the quarter, more than doubling its handset shipments to a record 20.3 million units.

All handsets Smartphones Total market share

However, its share of the overall market was 6%, making it the world's fourth biggest mobile phone seller behind Nokia, Samsung and LG.

Samsung shipped 74 million units, rising 16% from 63.8 million in the quarter a year earlier.

The company's market share rose to just above 20%, and Samsung is now "breathing down Nokia's neck", the report said.

Strategy Analytics said Nokia was plagued by problems.

"An unexciting touchphone portfolio, inventory corrections in Asia and Western Europe, wavering demand for the Symbian platform and limited presence in the huge US market continue to weigh on Nokia's near-term performance," the report said.

Third-placed LG shipped 24.8 million handsets during the three months, with volumes down 19% from a year earlier.

China-based ZTE shipped 18 million handsets, giving it a global market share of 5%.

Seperately, Taiwan's HTC said it had shipped 12m handsets in the second quarter of the year, helping its profits double to 17.5 billion Taiwan dollars ($607m; ?372m).

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Virtual people to get ID checks

29 July 2011 Last updated at 00:12 GMT Is that cyclops the same one you saw yesterday? The faces and behaviour of online avatars could help identify the people controlling them, scientists believe.

Using both characteristics, researchers hope to develop techniques for checking whether the digital characters are who they claim to be.

Such information could be used in situations where login details are not visible or for law enforcement.

Impersonation of avatars is expected to become a growing problem as real life and cyberspace increasingly merge.

Signature moves

Avatars are typically used to represent players in online games such as World of Warcraft and in virtual communities like Second Life.

As their numbers grow, it will become important to find ways to identify those we meet regularly, according to Dr Roman Yampolskiy from the University of Louisville.

Working out if their controller is male or female has an obvious commercial benefit, he said. But discovering that the same person controlled different avatars in separate spaces would be even more useful.

As robots proliferate we will need ways of telling one from the other, said Dr Yampolskiy.

"It's useful for profiling of avatars for marketing purposes by businesses in virtual worlds," explained Dr Yampolskiy.

"It also has some applications in forensic tracking of avatars across multiple virtual communities."

The technology may also have implications for security if a game account is hacked and stolen.

Behavioural analysis could help prove whether an avatar is under the control of its usual owner by watching to see if it acts out of character.

The research looked at monitoring for signature gestures, movements and other distinguishing characteristics.

Limited expressions

Researchers discovered that the lack of possible variations on a avatar's digital face, when compared to a real human, made identification tricky.

However, those limited options are relatively simple to measure, because of the straightforward geometries involved in computer-generated images.

Dr Yampolskiy's team generated large data sets made up of many possible faces in Second Life and Entropia Universe and then studied them to spot key characteristics.

"It's very preliminary work as we are still collecting data," he said. "So far we have been very successful."

Dr Yampolskiy pointed out that another factor driving the need for avatar identification was the increasing use of telepresence and augmented reality.

Especially for businesses, it will be important to ensure that on-screen facsimiles represent the people they purport to.

Further work by the group will extend the identifying work and behaviour monitoring to robots.

As more and more machines start to work alongside people access to controlled areas would rely on being able to tell one from another.

View the original article here

Tomb raider

30 July 2011 Last updated at 00:05 GMT By Katia Moskvitch Technology reporter, BBC News Interactive 3D film about a theory of the construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt has now migrated on to the home desktop

A mouse click - and a member of a pharaoh's burial procession turns around.

One more click - and the animated figure invites you inside the snaking, narrow corridors of one of the world's most magnificent structures - the Great Pyramid of Khufu, also known as the Great Pyramid of Cheops.

Peering into the screen through his funky red and blue 3D glasses, ancient Egypt enthusiast Keith Payne is gripped by the centuries-old story unfolding before his eyes as if through a time-travel lens.

"This is amazing!" he says. "I think that being able to use a 3D simulation tool to explore Khufu's pyramid is really a whole new way of both learning and teaching.

Jean-Pierre Houdin's controversial theory is totally different from all other hypotheses

"Being able to pause the narration and virtually take control of the camera to go anywhere in the scene and explore for yourself, and then return to the documentary where you left off is a way of learning that was never really available before now."

This interactive journey, first presented to the public in a 3D theatre in Paris, has now migrated onto the home desktop.

To watch the film, users simply download a plug-in and don a pair of 3D glasses - although the software gives the sensation of depth without them too, to a lesser extent.

And it works with 3D TVs, too.

Controversial theory Continue reading the main story

It is a theory that explains how the Egyptians, who had no iron, no wheels and no pulleys, were able to build such a massive structure”

End Quote Mehdi Tayoubi Dassault Systemes With help of cutting-edge 3D technology, the video lets users take a peek inside the 146m-high Great Pyramid, the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing.

The scene appears as it might have 45 centuries ago - full of the loyal people of the second ruler of the fourth dynasty.

But the film is not pure entertainment - besides the educational aspect, it tries to explain one of the theories behind the pyramid's construction.

Lying north of modern-day Cairo, the largest and oldest of the three pyramids of the royal necropolis of Giza is believed to have been built as Khufu's tomb.

Inside, it contains three burial chambers - one underground, a second known as the Queen's Chamber which was possibly intended for the pharaoh's sacred statue, and the King's Chamber.

This latter is located almost exactly in the middle of the structure, and it is there where the pharaoh's granite sarcophagus lies, but no mummy has ever been found.

What we don't know is how this colossal monument, made of two million stone blocks that weigh an average of 2.5 tonnes each, was actually built.

The interactive 3D film outlines one hypothesis.

The enigma of the Great Pyramid's construction has intrigued people for centuries and sparked many theories

"It is a theory that explains how the Egyptians, who had no iron, no wheels and no pulleys, were able to build such a massive structure," says the project's interactive director Mehdi Tayoubi from French software firm Dassault Systemes.

Continue reading the main story

Until we can do some non-invasive means of confirming or denying his hypothesis, we will have to leave it as just a theory”

End Quote Prof Peter Der Manuelian Harvard University "Most of all, it explains how they managed to get huge beams weighing around 60 tonnes each all the way up to the King's Chamber."

The idea has been drafted by French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin.

It differs sharply from another popular theory which suggests that ancient engineers used an outside stone ramp, spiralling its way to the top. No physical evidence to support such a system has ever been found.

Instead, Mr Houdin insists that the ramp was inside the pyramid - hence it is invisible from the outside.

The computer simulations done with Dassault Systemes seem to support this belief.

Djedi, a tiny robot, has been exploring the Great Pyramid of Khufu for the past two years

But not everyone agrees. Professor of Egyptology at Harvard University, Peter Der Manuelian points out that this theory too lacks solid proof.

"Mr Houdin has worked very hard to try to explain many of the features inside the Great Pyramid, he's certainly a dedicated researcher," he says.

"But until we can do some non-invasive means of confirming or denying his hypothesis, we will have to leave it as just a theory."

But the architect insists that there is some scientific backing to his thoughts.

For instance, in 1986 a French team used microgravimetry - a technique that measures the density of different sections of a structure to detect hidden chambers.

The resulting scan showed a curious pattern - a hollow that seems to wind the walls up the inside of the pyramid.

Infrared imagery

And it is possible to get even more evidence, says Mr Houdin.

The theory suggests ancient builders used an internal and not external ramp

Cracking the ancient monument open not being an option, his team decided to measure the reaction of the pyramid to exterior factors - such as heat.

To do that, they got in touch with specialists in infrared imagery from the University Laval in Canada who have decided to set up special cameras around the pyramid.

"In Egypt, air temperatures vary greatly between day and night - and rocks in the pyramid react accordingly," explains Mr Houdin.

"If the pyramid is a solid structure, then according to our computer simulations, in the summer at noon it will be hotter at the top as there's less mass, and cooler at the bottom, where the cold ground helps to cool it from below.

"But if there's an internal ramp, it will be the other way around - the pyramid will be cooler at the top."

Setting up a few cameras may seem simple enough, but for this next step to succeed, the joint international venture must be okayed by the Egyptian authorities - who have so far been reluctant to give any kind of positive response.

Djedi robot Continue reading the main story

The Great Pyramid is a truly unique and wonderful structure - the shafts and "doors" do not exist in any other ancient Egyptian building”

End Quote Shaun Whitehead Djedi project leader Besides the infrared proof, one other explorer could also help reveal what is hidden in pharaoh Khufu's eternal resting place.

Meet Djedi - a tiny robot that has been exploring the pyramid for the past two years.

Its name, although reminiscent of the Star Wars warriors, belongs to an ancient Egyptian magician whom Khufu consulted when building the pyramid.

The project is a separate one from Jean-Pierre Houdin's construction analysis, but has also been developed with help of Dassault Systemes - and in collaboration with an international team of researchers.

Djedi's mission is to continue the work of its predecessors.

After the pyramid's main chambers were discovered, researchers were puzzled by one interesting fact.

They found two straight narrow shafts 20cm by 20 cm that connected the King's Chamber with the outside world which were thought to have been used for ventilation.

There are two similar shafts that go from the Queen's Chamber, but never reach the walls, mysteriously stopping seemingly nowhere.

In 2002, a robot crawled to the stone in the end of the shaft and boldly drilled a hole in it, transmitting live images so the entire world could witness the moment of unveiling.

But that mission failed.

The King's Chamber sits in the middle of the Great Pyramid with the Queen's chamber below it

A second door, unseen for more than 4,000 years, blocked the way - and Djedi now has to drill a hole in that too.

"The Great Pyramid is a truly unique and wonderful structure - the shafts and "doors" do not exist in any other ancient Egyptian building," says the project leader Shaun Whitehead.

"Finding out why they are there will give us a greater insight into the techniques and motivation of an amazing civilisation from 4,500 years ago."

The robot crawls forward as a mechanical inchworm, armed with an endoscopic "snake camera" that can look into difficult to reach spaces.

It is also equipped with a drill, hopefully long enough to reach and pierce the second door.

And it has already sent back some exciting images.

In May 2011, Djedi found what looked like ancient graffiti in-between the two doors.

As these two separate, but interrelated projects progress, we may be on the very edge of uncovering some our past's greatest secrets.

The 3D film takes viewers back to ancient Egypt, as it was 45 centuries ago

View the original article here

Pay attention 007

28 July 2011 Last updated at 23:18 GMT By Michael Millar Business reporter "Now pay attention 007": You may think biometric security is something Q would recommend for James Bond - but should you be thinking about it? Until fairly recently many people using fingerprint or retinal scanners to get through doors would have done so to an exciting soundtrack and almost certainly have very good teeth and hair.

The use of such biometric devices was the domain of Hollywood films, as companies and governments tried to thwart suave secret agents intent on subterfuge.

Biometric verification involves identifying someone through one of their unique biological traits.

These include everything from a fingerprint, iris, retina, or outline of a hand, to ear shape, voice patterns, and even body odour.

Biometric benefit

Proponents of biometrics, such as Cyrille Bataller, director of Accenture Technology Labs Europe, say companies see benefits in terms of security, automation and convenience.

"It's a very secure way of assessing identity," he says. "You are also delegating control to a machine, rather than having to have face-to-face manual check."

"This makes it convenient because you don't need to carry a card or pay someone at the entrance to read an ID," he adds.

The biometrics industry claims there has been a sharp increase in the number of companies protecting their workplaces with this kind of technology.

This is not surprising but until recently much biometric technology was not fit for purpose.

Biometric verification identifies people using biological traits - including the unique patterns in our eyes

"Before you couldn't count on the biometric solution - we saw a lot of what is known in the industry as false rejection rates," says Itay Langer from Israeli firm BioGuard.

"In the past if you didn't put the finger in at the same angle as you originally did, it wouldn't let you in," he says. "If you had a weaker fingerprint - for example, if you did a lot of manual labour or had diabetes - you'd have a problem."

Big Brother

There are several other good reasons businesses decided a biometric solution wasn't worth the effort on the past.

These include legal concerns over collecting highly personal information from staff, and fears that multiple people touching the same machine could spread illness and disease, particularly in the healthcare sector.

Then there is the major problem of convincing staff that allowing an employer to take these unique details won't plunge them into an Orwellian nightmare of surveillance and profiling.

Security

Keeping the right people out and letting the right people in remains the chief raison d'etre of biometrics, and products have been developed that would make James Bond gadget chief 'Q' proud.

Now you can buy scanners that will register you accurately if you put your finger on the reader upside down or even back-to-front.

They have also become more affordable, with good products starting at around $200 (?122) per door reader, going up to around $1,000.

BioGuard's ID-Pod scans the veins in the hand to identify people

One of BioGuard's premium products is a $1,600 scanner which maps the veins inside your hand to make sure you are who you say you are.

"It sends an infrared light into your hand, which is harmless, it's just light," Mr Langer explains.

This also helps overcome concerns amongst staff that they will have to touch something dirty, he says.

He adds that in some places anyone other than police taking fingerprints is taboo, including Canada "where they don't want anything to do with fingerprint [technology]".

Health and safety

But biometrics can be useful for more than securing a strong room or server centre (two of the places most commonly associated with biometric security).

Firms can now put biometric readers on laptops and even printers, scanners and photocopiers.

Property developer, Ollie McGovern, created a handheld biometric reader to manage the movements of the workforce on his sites and ensure they adhered to health and safety regulations.

His Simeio fingerprint reader, which is principally used in the construction industry, is designed to make sure those entering a site have appropriate health and safety training.

"In the UK, for example, health and safety regulation is getting more and more onerous and employers are guilty until proven innocent if someone gets hurt," he says.

The Simeio fingerprint reader checks that workers have the right health and safety training

"So when contractors use the Simeio to clock in it will check whether they have the right training, insurance, and equipment to be on site," he explains.

The device can also act as an attendance monitor, which could defuse arguments over how much time a worker has spent on site.

Tara Sheehan, from building and transport firm Sheehan Contractors, uses the Simeio and says she "can't put a price" on the benefits her firm derives from its health and safety features.

"Daily it will remind staff to have the high visibility equipment they have to wear on a daily basis," she says.

"It shows we have done as much as humanely possible to ask them if they have the right equipment and we have a record that we are doing our part."

But like most firms she encountered suspicion of biometrics, particularly from older staff.

"They thought we were Big Brother - watching where they were and what they were doing all day," she says.

"But once they could see it was saving us money in the tough climate we were in they were more accepting. After a few days of moaning they accepted it," she adds.

But other workers are not so understanding and devices that attract such suspicion are inevitably going to face close scrutiny from legal authorities.

Continue reading the main story

They thought we were Big Brother - watching where they were and what they were doing all day”

End Quote Tara Sheehan Sheehan Contractors Suspicious minds "In Europe there is a general expectation that employers will carry out a risk assessment before they introduce biometrics, so that they can be confident that the inevitable interference with privacy will be proportionate," says Stewart Room, partner at law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse.

"They need to be sure that they are using biometrics for a legitimate purpose and that there is not a less privacy invasive way of achieving their goals," he adds.

In some European countries, such as Germany, there is also an expectation that the employer will consult with workers' representatives on biometrics.

In other countries, such as France, the roll out of any such plans will have to be approved by the national data protection regulator.

Advanced biometrics systems, such as those used by BioGuard and Simeio, never hold a picture of a finger print or suchlike, as the image is immediately encoded into binary and the photograph destroyed.

This makes it less likely companies will fall foul of data protection legislation.

"It's not possible to re-engineer the fingerprint," says Simeio's McGovern. "The information has no value and there's nothing you could do with it even if you are a super techie."

All of which means super spies will have to return to traditional skills, such as lifting fingerprints off martini glasses to get the job done.

View the original article here

Apple holding more cash than USA

29 July 2011 Last updated at 12:55 GMT US President Barack Obama is known to be an iPad owner, along with 28 million other people Apple now has more cash to spend than the United States government.

Latest figures from the US Treasury Department show that the country has an operating cash balance of $73.7bn (?45.3bn).

Apple's most recent financial results put its reserves at $76.4bn.

The US House of Representatives is due to vote on a bill to raise the country's debt ceiling, allowing it to borrow more money to cover spending commitments.

If it fails to extend the current limit of $14.3 trillion dollars, the federal government could find itself struggling to make payments, and risks the loss of its AAA credit rating.

The United States is currently spending around $200bn more than it collects in revenue every month.

Apple, on the other hand, is making money hand over fist, according to its financial results.

In the three months ending 25 June, net income was 125% higher than a year earlier at $7.31bn.

Spending spree

With more than $75bn either sitting in the bank or in easily accessible assets, there has been enormous speculation about what the company will do with the money.

"Apple keeps its cards close to its chest," said Daniel Ashdown, an analyst at Juniper Research.

Industry watchers believe that it is building up a war chest to be used for strategic acquisitions of other businesses, and to secure technology patents.

Bookstore Barnes and Noble and the online movie site Netflix have both been tipped as possible targets, said Mr Ashdown.

The company may also have its eye on smaller firms that develop systems Apple might want to add to its devices, such as voice recognition.

Apple dipped into some of its reserves recently when it teamed-up with Microsoft to buy a batch of patents from defunct Canadian firm Nortel.

The bidding consortium shelled out $4.5bn for more than 6,000 patents.

View the original article here

Sony insurer seeks hack opt-out

22 July 2011 Last updated at 10:00 GMT The PlayStation Network was shut down for weeks following the data theft Sony faces a court battle over how it will pay for legal claims made in the wake of a massive data breach.

One of the company's insurers has asked a judge to rule that it is not liable for losses related to the cyber attack.

In April, Sony discovered that hackers had gained access to 77 million accounts on its PlayStation Network.

The firm agreed to pay anyone who lost-out financially as a result of the incident, but it is still being sued by a number of users.

PlayStation Network was shut down worldwide for more than a month while Sony reviewed its security procedures.

Claim game

Zurich American Insurance has now gone to court in New York seeking a declaration that it does not have to help Sony with current or future legal action related to the data breach.

Legal papers filed by Zurich reveal that 55 separate class action lawsuits are pending in the US because of the breach.

Also underway are investigations by state and federal regulators that could also end-up before the courts.

Sony has made claims on several of its insurance policies, including one with Zurich, to help pay its legal bills and provide compensation.

However, Zurich argues that the policy it set up for Sony does not cover the part of the business that suffered the breach or the sort of damage the theft caused.

Specific clauses in the policy also rule out Zurich providing cover, it said.

Sony declined to comment because the matter is the subject of pending litigation.

In financial statements, Sony said it expected costs for the breach to top 14bn yen (?109m) this year. The figure does not include any costs for compensating customers.

View the original article here

Traffic light plan for web music

A music body wants online search results to steer fans to legal download sites.

The Performing Rights Society (PRS) For Music wants search engines to show which sites offer content illegally.

Links to sites that offer legal downloads would get green tags, while links to illegal download sites would be flagged in red.

The PRS says the new system is needed as some people don't know when they're illegally downloading.

"There is evidence out there that if you help people go in the right direction many of them will do," said Robert Ashcroft, boss of PRS For Music.

'Right thing'

"We're concerned about piracy, there are many things we can do about it, but we should start by telling people what is licensed and what is not licensed.

"We're not trying to stop people, this isn't a legal action, this isn't site blocking.

PRS are proposing search results are flagged with 'traffic lights'

"This is an information to consumers and I think that many people want to do the right thing.

"I say watch this space - I would like to see something happen before the end of the year," he added.

The technology has already been developed and could be deployed at short notice.

But the proposal has had a mixed reaction from artists and music fans.

Wretch 32, the rapper who scored a number one single with his track Unorthodox earlier this year, said he understood why PRS are doing this.

But he thinks the plan is flawed.

"I think 98% [of people] are aware of where they're getting it from.

"Everyone has got their way of obtaining music - I think people who download [illegally]... they just download.

"They know exactly where they're going and that's just what they do."

Adam Gibblin is 23 and from London.

Adam Gibblin, from Northwood, says he thinks it's a good idea

He usually listens to his music on iTunes and YouTube but he thinks it's a good idea.

"I think people are quite naive - when you search for something you think it's come up on the internet it must be okay. You just use it.

"It'd make you think about it and consider what you're doing."

PRS for Music will now need to convince anti-virus software providers or most popular search engines to adopt the idea for it to be brought in.

Google, which is by far the biggest search engine in the UK, said it had "no comment" on the plans.

But PRS for Music has had success in negotiating with the internet giant before.

Earlier this year after negotiation between the two parties, Google changed their Autocomplete search feature.

The most recent figures from the UK's recording music body British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said 1.2 billion individual tracks were illegally downloaded last year.

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Are you being served?

21 July 2011 Last updated at 23:04 GMT By Katia Moskvitch Technology reporter, BBC News Many retailers now see bricks and mortar stores as an old fashioned, inefficient way of doing business Shops. We go there, we browse, we buy.

But in the last few years, our increasingly mobile and digital society has been trying to achieve this successful money-product exchange without much need for bricks and walls.

One of the first solutions has been moving the catalogues online - first onto your desktop computer and, lately, on your smartphone's tiny, shiny screen.

Remote villages

Nowadays, almost every major retailer has a website; those that yet don't, are certainly moving in that direction.

But for some, the traditional formula of simply setting up a web page and waiting for customers to click "buy" just does not work.

Pixel Electronics, a home appliances company in Belarus, first began selling its products - coffee makers, digital cameras, TVs, sound systems, fridges - at the main store in the capital Minsk.

But it wanted to expand and reach the most remote corners of the ex-Soviet country.

There were two options, says CEO Andrei Simonovich: either to start dotting the map with new shops, or to go online.

But in both cases, there were problems.

Not many Belarusians who live in rural areas and small towns have internet access - or carry around 3G smartphones.

So it seemed tricky to rely on e-commerce alone.

Opening new shops was not a much better alternative, says Mr Simonovich.

"In many small towns and villages it is simply not profitable to set up a store.

Pixel Electronics decided not to build new shops - they set up e-terminals instead

"We'd never have enough regular sales to generate profit and cover expenses such as rent fee, salaries, and so on - so we dropped the idea."

Faced with a dead end, the firm started to seek out new marketing initiatives.

And in the spirit of merging online and offline, it decided to set up electronic terminals - ordinary computers with the store's online catalogue - in other stores all over the country.

The concept is similar to, but a step forward from the French Minitel - a closed network of e-terminals in the pre-internet era of the 1980s.

People used Minitel to search the telephone directory, communicate via a special mail system and even make purchases online - just like we do now on the web.

Pixel Electronics' idea is only different in the way that its terminals are internet-connected - but only to the store's website.

"Since these small shops in remote places have very limited floor space, they can only put a small fraction of our products on their physical shelves - or none at all," says Mr Simonovich.

Continue reading the main story

We recognise that increasingly, people wish to be able to shop at home or when they are on the move, as well as in our stores”

End Quote Spokesperson Tesco "But with the e-terminals, when shoppers come into the store, they can choose not only from what they see on the shelves, but also from our entire catalogue on the internet.

"It's like opening a store in a small town for just $500 - because that's what it costs us on average to invest into a terminal, and after that we only pay for the internet connection, as well as commission from sales to the shop."

Mr Simonovich explains that with this solution, it is a win-win for everyone involved.

Pixel Electronics gets their sales' profits, the regional client - the shop - gets its commission from sales of products that do not even take up any physical space in the shop, and individual buyers living in some tiny village are able to bring home a 3D television that they otherwise could have only dreamt of.

"If you make your order online before the end of the day, our delivery van will leave the Minsk base the next morning at 6am - and the buyer will receive the purchase that same day.

"And the price is the same everywhere, no matter if you buy your TV in our Minsk store or online."

And the sales are not limited to the e-terminals in stores - people who do have a computer and internet access can also place an order from home, and it then gets delivered either to their door or to the town shop.

"For us, e-commerce brings in additional money of some 7-10% of total revenue - a substantial sum," says Mr Simonovich.

And the company has recently started to embrace mobile shopping, too - it has developed an app for smartphones to allow orders on the go.

Offline & online

This gradual metamorphosis of e-commerce into m-commerce has been especially visible in recent months.

Giants such as eBay are looking for ways to engage shoppers - for instance through m-commerce

There are places such as China, for instance, where most people go online on their mobiles as opposed to home computers - and turning them into buyers is many retailers' ultimate goal.

Martin Gill from Forrester Research thinks that the smartphone is becoming that crucial glue destined to bind the online and the offline experiences together.

"Apps like bar code scanning, store locator, checking physical stock online via your phone - all of these features are turning your mobile into a shopping buddy or a shopping assistant," he says.

"These technologies are compelling and quite playful ways of engaging shoppers - they make the experience interesting, they make it unique to you, trying to build an emotional connection and create a link that resonates on a personal level."

Even such giants and pioneers of online commerce as eBay and Amazon that have never even had physical stores, have eventually joined the crowd and followed you from your living room right into your car, train or your child's playground.

"Mobile shopping is a hugely-growing trend," says Angus McCarey, eBay's retail director.

"In 2010 we tripled the amount of global business that we did over the mobile, reaching $2bn (?1.2bn), and this year, we're on track to double it - we'll do $4bn (?2.4bn) or more."

In the UK, considered the most rapidly-developing European market in m-commerce, during last year's Christmas holiday season eBay had 10% of its turnover through some kind of mobile application.

And eBay is not stopping at simply dragging you onto their website via your phone.

With ever-evolving technology and consumer habits, the company has had to innovate to constantly stay ahead of the game.

For instance, book lovers in a store now have a choice of either buying the item in front of them or using a special smartphone app to find that book on eBay - for less money.

"The world of offline and online shopping is blurring through the mobile, and with scanning technologies such as Red Laser, you can check the price of a book that you're looking at in the shop and order it really quickly online," says Mr McCarey.

And although this technology is still mostly limited to scanning easily-catalogued products such as books and DVDs, it soon might be possible to snap a photo of that stunning but crazy pricey red dress on a mannequin in a shop's window - and through some internet magic instantly find it far cheaper on the web.

Tesco concept Home Plus, the South Korean branch of Tesco, has developed a concept of bringing stores into subway

And some are going even further in their quest of bridging the online, offline and mobile worlds.

The UK retail giant Tesco already has a multitude of stores around the planet, but its South Korean branch Home Plus, jointly owned by Tesco and Samsung, has decided to try out a new initiative.

It now thinks of bringing the supermarket shelves right into the subway.

The concept aims to place huge digital billboards with images of Tesco products on virtual shelves onto subway station walls - so that commuters could use their smartphones to scan the items' barcodes, place an order, pay and arrange a delivery while waiting for a train.

"This is a concept and is not operational - however, we are always looking to innovate for the benefit of our customers and make their lives that little bit easier," says a Tesco spokesperson.

"We recognise that, increasingly, people wish to be able to shop at home or when they are on the move, as well as in our stores."

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Apple goes download only for Lion

20 July 2011 Last updated at 14:26 GMT OS X Lion takes many of its design cues from Apple's iOS devices Apple has launched the latest version of its Mac operating system - OS X Lion - through its online app store.

It is the first time that the company has not issued new system software on disk.

Users without an internet connection, or whose link is too slow, will be given the option to download the file in an Apple store later this month.

For customers who want a physical copy, Apple is offering a memory stick version for an extra ?25.

Editor-in-chief of Mac Format Magazine Graham Barlow said that many users viewed their OS disks as a "security blanket" in case something goes wrong with their machine.

"I for one will be looking at ways I can make an actual physical disk out of the download, if that is legally supported by Apple," he said.

Mr Barlow also warned that the 4GB file may lead some users to exceed their download limit if their home broadband has a low cap.

iPad-esque

Apple is touting OS X Lion as a major redesign which takes many of its cues from the iOS operating system that runs on iPhones and iPads.

It adds additional multitouch gestures, full screen applications and an iPad-style launch screen.

Like the touchscreen devices, Lion features an auto resume feature where programmes are restored to the state they were left the last time they were used.

"For people that are using lots of creative apps all day with lots of documents open in them, that is going to make a big difference," said Adam Banks, editor-in-chief at Mac User magazine.

Mr Banks said that Lion contained a number of design themes that would help extend the appeal of Apple's laptops and desktops in the face of competition from its own handheld products.

"Some people predicted that by this point there wouldn't even be a Mac any more because Apple is getting all these millions and millions of users on its iOS devices, why do they need the relatively small number of people using Macs.

"Is Apple still about that creative, professional market? I think there are features here that make clear it is," said Mr Banks.

Mac OS X Lion costs ?20.99 from the Mac App store.

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Angry Birds maker in patent suit

22 July 2011 Last updated at 14:32 GMT Angry Birds is one of the most downloaded applications on iPhones, iPads and Android devices Rovio, the Finnish maker of the Angry Birds game, is being sued by a licensing company for infringing its patents.

Lodsys has said that Rovio and other developers violated its patents with games on Apple's iOS platform and Google's Android.

Lodsys is embroiled in lawsuits with other big technology companies, including Apple.

Rovio said it had not received any direct contact regarding the complaint.

"As soon as we receive more information we will take appropriate action," a spokesperson said.

Angry Birds is one of the most popular game applications.

Rovio marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka said last week that the game had surpassed 300 million downloads.

Lodsys, a company that licenses patents but does not have any other business, added five new defendants to a suit filed in May with a US district court in Texas.

Along with Rovio, it named Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive which makes Grand Theft Auto, Atari and others in the list of companies it says are violating its patents.

Take-Two declined to comment. Electronic Arts and Atari were not immediately available for comment.

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Google profits beat expectations

14 July 2011 Last updated at 21:05 GMT Google boss Larry Page said the company had "a great quarter" Internet giant Google has reported a large rise in profits and revenue, well ahead of market expectations.

Net profit for the three months to June rose 36% on the same period last year to $2.5bn (?1.5bn), while revenues rose 32% to $9bn.

Last month, Google launched its social networking site Google+, in an attempt to take on Facebook.

The results were the first under chief executive Larry Page, who replaced Eric Schmidt in April.

Mr Schmidt had held the role for 10 years. Analysts said the decision for Google co-founder Mr Page to take over was made because he now carries more weight with investors and could re-energise the search giant.

The results will help reassure investors that the company is still thriving under his leadership.

"We had a great quarter," said Mr Page. "I'm super excited about the amazing response to Google+."

'Six-trick pony'

Shares in Google surged 11% in extended trading.

Jordan Rohan, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, said the results were "well beyond expectations from Wall Street".

"Clearly, the combination of mobile search, Android, ad exchange, YouTube, and the core search businesses, they're all doing well," he said.

"Google is no longer a one-trick pony. You might say six-trick pony if you count Google+."

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Gaga's YouTube channel restored

Lady Gaga's official YouTube channel has been restored after it was blocked over a copyright dispute.

Yesterday, [14 July] a notice on the site stated that the suspension was due to "multiple or severe violations of YouTube's copyright policy".

By Thursday evening the account was back to normal.

The Google Inc. owned YouTube channel declined to comment. Its policy is to remove accounts after three copyright violations.

Big in Japan

It's being reported the dispute was with a media company, after Lady Gaga's perfomance on Japanese channel Fuji TV.

She appeared on weekly show, SMAP X SMAP, to promote her new album.

The singer arrives in Sydney for a one night gig, earlier this week

During her ten minute set she performed a medley of songs featuring Born This Way, You & I and The Edge of Glory.

Footage of that performance has since been removed from other websites as well as YouTube.

Lady Gaga has two YouTube accounts, the Vevo account where her music videos often debut, and "ladygagaofficial", which is the one that got suspended.

Interscope, the singer's record label and publicist, has yet to comment.

Gaga's HBO concert special Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden on Thursday earned five Emmy Award nominations.

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