Everything You Needed to Know About the Internet....In 1994

You guys hear about this "internet" thing people are talking about? No? Then this book should be helpful!
  • E-mail: "Never forget that electronic mail is like a postcard. Many people can read it easily without your ever knowing it. In other words, do not say anything in an e-mail message which you would not say in public."

  • Finding people to communicate with: "… telephone a good friend who has electronic mail and exchange e-mail addresses with him or her."

  • "Surfing" the Internet: "Surfing the Internet is a lot like channel surfing on your cable television. You have no idea what is on or even what you want to watch."

Breaking Bad spurred Lost fans to slam creator for that controversial ending


It's been three years, but some people still can't let go of their disappointment in the series finale of Lost.
Last night, the acclaimed AMC drama Breaking Bad ended its five-season run with a finale that was, for many, easily the most anticipated episode of television since the Lost finale aired in May 2010. The shows don't have all that much in common beyond a rabid fanbase and a storyline that invited endless speculation and anticipation, but something about the big finale night triggered Lost flashbacks in some viewers, and they wanted to let people know about it.

George R.R. Martin teases yet another 'wedding of the year' for Thrones S4


Can Game of Thrones top the sheer horror of last season’s gut-wrenching Red Wedding?
*BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD*
George R.R. Martin, author of the A Song of Ice and Fire saga on which the hit HBO series is based, spoke to TV Guide in an exclusive interview and teased Thrones’ upcoming fourth season's eagerly anticipated nuptials between the universally hated King Joffrey and the beautiful Margaery Tyrell.
Yep, you guys. Another one.

iMotion haptic 3D controller lets you get a 'grip' on gaming


Immersive video games are great and all, but sometimes, a player just wants to get a better "grip" on things. Enter the iMotion 3D controller, a portable, wearable, Tony Stark-like device that not only has haptic feedback, but also creates an interactive, floating virtual touch field in front of you. Mind blown yet?

Buy your flat-pack solar panels at Ikea in the UK

Swedish furniture company Ikea rolls out solar panels alongside its usual table, chair, and home accessory offerings.
Southampton Ikea
Today, Ikea customers in Southampton, England, can stroll into the big blue and yellow store and plunk down $9,200 for a solar panel array for their semi-detached home. Ikea, which has been installing industrial-size solar arrays on its store roofs for years, has just started to roll out home solar systems for consumers in the UK.
Ikea's move to sell solar panels was anticipated years ago with the company formally committing to green technologies. Southampton is the first store to offer the panels, made by Hanergy Solar UK, but more stores in Britain will be jumping onboard.

SpaceX launches partially reusable Falcon 9


On Sunday morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The payload was a Canadian satellite called CASSIOPE, designed to study the weather in spaaace.

Physicists inch toward atomic-scale MRI

Researchers are improving the first nanoscale MRI technique developed at MIT in 2009 in the hopes of imaging such biological samples as viruses at extremely high resolution.

A team of physicists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University is working on a novel MRI technique that has achieved nanoscale resolution -- meaning scientists could soon view biological samples such as influenza viruses very clearly.
The experimental result brings MRI one step closer to atomic-scale imaging, says lead researcher Raffi Budakian of the University of Illinois, who reports his findings in the journal Physical Review X. "Imagine a 3D image slice-by-slice of an influenza virus and then looking at all the chemical components with nanometer-scale resolution. That's our dream. It provides a toolset for biology that doesn't yet exist."

Lamborghini's new 'Egoista' supercar thinks it's a jet aircraft


If James Bond (or Batman) were Italian, you can bet that he'd be tooling around in the just-unveiled Lamborghini Egoista. Created to celebrate the Italian car maker's 50th anniversary, the Egoista was heavily influenced by the aviation industry.
More specifically, the Egoista is based off the Apache helicopter. To begin with, the Egoista features an octagonal Apache-style heads-up display and a one-seater cockpit that will have you thinking you're really flying when it hits 60 mph in under two seconds on its 5.2-liter V10 engine with 600 horsepower. Adding to the list of aviation-inspired design is an aluminum and carbon fiber construction made of antiradar material, and a series of self-actuating rear spoilers that'll make you feel the wind beneath your feet the second you hit the gas pedal.

Lexus' F Sport cars bring the LFA supercar's DNA down to earth


I've driven hundreds of hours in the Lexus LFA — in the Xbox 360 driving simulator game Forza 4, of course. As near-perfect as the sim is, it's still nothing compared to riding in the real-deal LFA.
Until last week, the closest I had ever even gotten to an LFA was at the New York Auto Show. But even there, the LFA's slick curves and carbon fiber body just sits there stationary, on a convention floor — lifeless.
You really don't need me to tell you the LFA is a gorgeous supercar with one of the most satisfying-sounding engines thanks to tuning from Yamaha's music division. And you certainly don't need me to tell most of you that it's a vehicle you won't find at your local car dealership.
For the 1 percent that can afford to own an LFA, congrats. For the rest of us, we can either dream, or consider Lexus' F Sport vehicles.
***

World's smartest emergency robots have been crowned


Over the last week Berchtesgaden, Germany has played host to some of the smartest emergency response robots in the world. There, nestled in the shadow of one of Germany's highest peaks, the euRathlon was held. Multiple real-world emergency scenarios were enacted, giving the 14 teams present a chance to show the world their robot's mettle.

Finally, someone has designed a desk for the modern professional

Your average desk isn't what you might call modern. Hunks of hex wrench assembled balsa, these dilapidated pieces of furniture are considered modern if they come with even one hole through which to shove your myriad of wires.

Congress marches closer to shutdown as Senate rejects the House's latest proposal - Oct. 2013

As expected, the Senate on Monday rejected a Republican bill to fund the government that also would delay the Democrats' health care law known as Obamacare, a move that increases the likelihood of a government shutdown.

With only hours left before the first government shutdown since the Clinton era, the Senate voted to table the House spending bill, approved over the weekend, which included amendments to delay the Affordable Care Act for a year and abolish a controversial tax on medical devices that would cover some of the costs of the health care program. The vote sends the bill back to the House.
As a result of Republicans refusing to hold a budget conference to set spending levels for the year, Congress is funding the government with short-term, stop-gap spending bills called "continuing resolutions" that must be approved when old ones expire. Barring an agreement on a new resolution by the end of Monday, parts of the federal government will close down until the parties can reach a compromise.

Even BSG's producers aren't entirely sure what happened to Starbuck


One of genre TV's great ambiguities is still not clear, even to the people who helped engineer it.
It's been four years since the celebrated Battlestar Galactica revival series ended, and fans are still talking about the complexities of its finale, including the fate of Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), who literally vanished into thin air at the end of her journey. This week, members of the cast and crew gathered at San Diego Comic-Con for a panel celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Battlestar franchise, and one fan asked the inevitable question: "What happened to Starbuck?"

Vin Diesel whines he won't get paid enough for Pitch Black 3


There's good news for all you Riddick fans out there. It seems that with Diesel's career back on the rise, there's a plan to make Pitch Black into a trilogy. There's a catch, though, and Vin's asking his fans for some spiritual (read: financial) advice.

Why aren't we surprised? Constantine creators won't get paid for new TV series


Just because Constantine is coming to the small screen, doesn't mean his creators are making money.
Creating characters for Marvel and DC has become something that most writers and artists are increasingly skittish about doing. Generally speaking, when you make something for the big two, what you make is theirs and not yours.

"Ferris Bueller" Beauty Today

We visited Mia Sara at her home in Los Angeles to chat with the "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" beauty. She explains why her two kids are embarrassed of her iconic role, and what she spends her time doing now. VIDEO

This Site Shows All 1.2B Facebook Users' Faces

Ever wonder what it would look like to cram all 1.3 billion Facebook members on to one page? You guessed it, it looks like static (you can zoom in and find your own profile pic).

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3D Scanned Subway Ride

This video is pretty damn neat. It starts off a bit slow but gets really interesting at about the two minute mark.


Oculus Rift + Robot Hand = Creepiness

I don't even want to know what else this thing can be used for, the handshaking is creeping me out as it is. eek!


Disbarred "Pirate Site" Lawyer Preps NSA-Proof Email

Whether or not you agree with what this guy is doing, I don't think anyone will dispute that he's a glutton for punishment. stick out tongue

Did you hear the one about the file-sharing site that was dragged to court by the MPA and bankrupted, only to be reincarnated one month later by self-proclaimed hackers? Well, the MPA now says they were both run by a lawyer who was disbarred after it was discovered he was the owner of the site while simultaneously defending it in court. In the latest twist the lawyer, who previously referred to an MPA lawyer as a "prick", says he’ll soon premiere a brand new NSA-proof email service.

Hands-On With Valve's New Controller

Several game developers talked to Kotaku about how it felt to use Valve's new controller. Here's what indie developer Ichiro Lambe had to say:

"This sounds weird, but it's almost like rolling two weighted trackballs that are too large to actually fit into the controller," Lambe said as he tried to explain what it's like to have one's thumbs on those two trackpads. "For camera controls, slide one thumb to the right, and you'll feel this ticking, like you're turning a physical control. Flick your thumb quickly, and this imaginary physical thing reacts like something with weight to it—the 'trackball' continues to roll for a bit, eventually coming to a rest. And since it's all controlled through the software, the same trackpad then becomes more like a mouse or a laptop trackpad when you're navigating through menus. Dynamic!"

Game of Thrones house sigils carved in crayon!



(Via Nerd Approved)

Amid Probe, Chinese Moguls Vanish! - billionaire developer Deng Hong,

Prominent Executives are Being Detained, Associates Say, in Sign of New Round of Political Infighting.

CHENGDU, China—When the government of this southwestern city needed a landmark for a new district, billionaire developer Deng Hong picked up the land cheap five years ago and erected a building almost three times the size of the Pentagon. Nearby, Wu Bing paved a motorway, while Liu Han put up schools. He Yan wired a jail with information technology and Wang Junlin's winery funded government charities.

ASSAD: Forget Chemicals, We Have Other Weapons That Could 'Blindside' Israel

Bashar Assad
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed Syria has weapons more sophisticated than chemical weapons that could "blindside Israel," The Times of Israel reports.
“Originally, we produced chemical weapons in the 1980s as a deterrent to Israel’s nuclear capabilities,” Assad told the Hezbollah-affiliated, Lebanon-based Al-Akhbar newspaper.
"Today, we have weapons that are far more important and sophisticated and that can blindside Israel in the blink of an eye.”

Animated fan letter tells Abrams how to redeem Star Wars franchise


Oregon superfan TrumanPDX created this loving instructional video to golden boy J.J. Abrams with Four Rules To Make Star Wars Great Again. From setting Episode VII in the galactic frontier and not in stale libraries and boring parliament to tossing a little grit and grime on the glossy sci-fi fantasy, the are some sensational suggestions of which we hope Abrams takes note.
(Via Obvious Winner)

Dual Disney Princesses Face Off in New 'Frozen' Trailer

Princesses Anna and Elsa in Disney's

Sometimes one princess just isn't enough.
"Frozen" breaks the mold from all previous 52 animated Disney fairy-tale features by having not one but two intrepid, singing princesses. What's more, they're sisters, and their sibling relationship tends to run hot and cold. Literally. One has the magical power to create snow, and the other must stop her from turning their usually sunny kingdom into an icy wasteland. For the first time we have two Disney princesses pitted against one another.

Futuristic truck concept gamefies long hauls


Semi trucks aren't usually the sort of vehicle you think about when you envision the world of tomorrow. They're boxy and noisy and just plain boring — most of the time. But once in a while a designer comes around and turns something boring on its head. In the world of semi truck design, Ehsan Parandin has done just that.

Chevrolet unveils two new Silverado-based concepts


WTF? This Japanese company sells their lube with the Enterprise in this weird ad



The Federation may be a wondrous organization, but what do they do about rust or squeaky chairs, huh? Japan's got the answer.
Alright. Let's say you're the chief engineer of a starship and your lunatic captain has insisted, despite all logic, that you find a way to submerge the ship under the ocean of some alien world. There's probably all kinds of weird critters swimming around, foreign microbes galore, and, worst of all, the damned thing's going to rust!

Another DC baddie bringing evil science to S2 of Arrow



The rogues gallery will be getting a little bigger in the new season or Arrow, as another DC baddie is set to join the ranks this year.
Classic DC villain Dr. Anthony Ivo, a mad scientist character introduced back in the 1960s, will be showing up via flashbacks to Oliver’s time on the island. He’ll be played by veteran actor Dylan Neal (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Blood Ties).

Amazon Should Be More Like Apple

Amazon needs to be more like Apple? Umm, no.
Amazon needs to make its products sexier, because it can't just compete on price. Despite throwing a higher-resolution screen and more bells and whistles into the new Kindle Fire HDX, it's still no iPad.

Ballmer Goes Out Punching At Last Employee Meeting

Did anyone expect anything different? I was surprised he didn't come on stage and tell everyone to kiss his ass before strolling off into the sunset with his billions. big grin
Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer took his farewell bow before thousands of applauding employees on Thursday with a typically loud and emotional performance at his last companywide meeting, talking up the software giant's prospects and taking swipes at rivals.

Steam Controller Revealed

Here's the new Steam Controller, what do you guys think?

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Traditional gamepads force us to accept compromises. We’ve made it a goal to improve upon the resolution and fidelity of input that’s possible with those devices. The Steam controller offers a new and, we believe, vastly superior control scheme, all while enabling you to play from the comfort of your sofa. We think you’ll agree that we’re onto something with the Steam Controller, and now we want your help with the design process.

IOS 7 Is Reportedly Making People Sick

iOS 7 is making people sick? And here we thought it was just the iPhone in general that made people nauseous. big grin
Maybe Apple should bundle some air sickness bags with every iOS device sold. A thread on Apple's support forums has users loudly complaining that the animation effects in the new OS are making them sick--like physically, I'm-going-to-puke sick.

Bill Gates: Control-Alt-Delete was a mistake

Bill Gates has finally admitted the puzzling Control-Alt-Delete key combination used to access the login screen on personal computers was a mistake.

"It was a mistake," Gates, co-founder and former chairman of Microsoft, said during a recent appearance at Harvard University. "We could have had a single button, but the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn't want to give us our single button.

“You want to have something you do with the keyboard that is signaling to a very low level of the software — actually hard-coded in the hardware — that it really is bringing in the operating system you expect, instead of just a funny piece of software that puts up a screen that looks like a login screen, and then it listens to your password and then it’s able to do that,” the billionaire software mogul explained.

The odd combination was originally designed to reboot a PC, but it became part of PC folklore as a login prompt in early versions of Windows. The IBM PC that Gates helped develop was introduced in the fall of 1981.

Forget Science — It's All About Math for Bryan Cranston in Choosing His Roles


As the acclaimed, Emmy-winning drama "Breaking Bad" comes to an end this week, star Bryan Cranston (himself a three-time Emmy winner) has Hollywood at his feet.
He could do anything, choose any movie or TV show, take on any role he wanted. Yet, as Cranston told the New Yorker recently, he's developed a complicated points system for determining which roles he will take.
Dubbed "The Cranston Project Assessment Scale," it ranks projects based on (in order of most to least important): story, script, role, director, and cast. A very good story is worth 10 points, while a very good cast is worth just two points. There are bonus points for things like high salary and location.
 
"An actor can only raise the level of bad writing by a grade," Cranston explained. "C writing, and I don't care if you're Meryl Streep — you can only raise it to a B."

United Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Pilot Suffers Fatal Heart Attack

A United Airlines flight from Houston to Seattle was diverted after its captain reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack during the flight. The flight was rerouted to the Boise Airport in Idaho and landed there at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Patti Miller, Boise Airport spokeswoman, confirmed to ABC News United Airlines Flight 1603 made an emergency landing at the airport Thursday evening. Miller says the captain of the flight experienced a medical emergency, which was an apparent heart attack.
Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO reported that a passenger on the flight said a crew member made an in-flight announcement on the loudspeaker asking if anyone on board was a physician.
"We got a man down, chest compressions going on right now. I'm not sure too much right now the status," A United crew member said in a recorded conversation with air traffic control. "Can an ambulance and maybe some air stairs meet us on the runway?"

Man pretends to be police officer in front of police officer

Impersonating a police officer is always a case of Bad Idea Jeans. Even worse: impersonating a police officer in front of an actual police officer.

Apparently nobody told Roland Herrera. The 63-year-old tried his make-believe skills on an off-duty detective at a Pueblo, Colo., cellphone store. The detective was neither fooled nor amused.
The Pueblo Chieftain reports that the would-be Rich Little entered the store and approached the off-duty detective, who was speaking with a sales clerk. Herrera then reportedly asked the detective why he had so many phones.

Things went off the rails after Herrera accused the detective of being a drug dealer and insisted that he hand over his drugs.

Ex-Mont. teacher freed after 30-day term for rape

This undated photo courtesy of Auliea Hanlon shows Cherice Moralez, who was raped in 2007 when she was 14 by teacher Stacey Rambold in Billings, Mont. Rambold is due to be released from prison on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013 after serving just 30 days. The short sentence triggered a backlash against the judge who handled the case, including calls for him to be removed from the bench. (AP Photo/Auliea Hanlon)
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana high school teacher registered as a sex offender and checked in with his probation officer during his first day of freedom after completing a 30-day sentence for raping a 14-year-old girl.
Stacey Rambold, 54, was picked up at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge by a family member Thursday, even as the state Supreme Court reviewed the sentence and critics called for the removal of the judge who handled his case.
District Judge G. Todd Baugh drew outrage last month over the sentence's leniency and comments he made that appeared to pin some of the blame on the victim, Cherice Moralez.
The teen committed suicide in 2010 before Rambold went to trial.
Rambold made no public comments when he was seen later Thursday reporting to a state probation office back home in Billings.

Happy Early Halloween: Dallas Tangled in Flying Spider Webs

Well in advance of Halloween, large, creepy, white webs seem to be floating around the air in Dallas -- sticking to cars, trees and hair.

The silky strands hovering around the city could be attributed to sprouting spiders.

"Often, in the fall," Dallas Zoo invertebrate keeper Tim Brys told ABC News, "you have baby spiders of various species that, something triggers them to hatch and then, directly after hatching, they'll spread a long silk line out behind their abdomen. The wind catches that and lifts them into the air like a balloon.

Queen Drummer: Sacha Baron Cohen 'Wasn't Right' to Play Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury in 1982 and Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen won't be rocking you as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury ... and, according to an actual member of the band, that's a good thing.

The "Borat" star had long been attached to play Mercury in the doubly long in-development biopic, an intriguing prospect due to the actor's remarkable physical resemblance to the singer. Cohen leaving the project this past July came as something as a surprise (and disappointment) to many, though Queen drummer Roger Taylor feels it's for the best.
"We felt Sacha probably wasn't right in the end," said Taylor in a recent interview with MOJO. "We didn't want it to be a joke. We want people to be moved."

Florida woman jailed for firing 'warning shot' at husband wins new trial

File of Marissa Alexander in Duval Country court in JacksonvilleTALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A woman sentenced to 20 years in prison after firing a "warning shot" during an argument with her abusive husband won a new trial on Thursday in a case under Florida's controversial self-defense law.
A state appeals court ruled that Marissa Alexander, 32, deserved a new trial because the judge failed to properly instruct the jury regarding her claim of self-defense.
No one was injured in the shooting but because Alexander fired a gun in the incident, Florida's mandatory-minimum sentencing guidelines required the judge to sentence her to 20 years in prison.
The case of Alexander, who is black, drew criticism from civil rights groups concerned about self-defense laws and mandatory minimum sentencing rules.

The New Corvette’s Oldster Problem

Corvette Stingray
To catch a glimpse of the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray whizzing by, you might have to reel around pretty quickly. And if you’re a typical Corvette fan, you might find yourself laid up at the chiropractor.
The Corvette is perhaps the most storied sports car in the history of American motoring, which is why the debut of the latest model — the seventh generation of the car, known as the C7 — is a Big Automotive Deal. GM (GM) might sell only 20,000 Corvettes in a good year, a tiny fraction of the pickups, SUVs or sedans it sells. Yet the Corvette, like other “halo” cars, reveals GM’s peak capabilities as a car builder and gives the company’s biggest division, Chevrolet, an object of desire it can show off next to boring Malibus and thrifty Sparks.
As an ambassador of excitement, however, the Corvette has grown gray and paunchy, like an aging rocker strumming the same old tunes. The median age of a Corvette owner has risen from 54 to 61 during the past 10 years, according to research firm Strategic Vision. For a company eager to rejuvenate itself following its 2009 bankruptcy filing and federal bailout, such geriatric overtones cast the wrong image.

Beats Ends Relationship With HTC

It looks like HTC is done with Beats. Now that the headphone maker has bought back all the stock HTC owned, Dr. Dre and the crew will be looking for new investors wanting to break into the overpriced flimsy headphones business.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the maker of the popular Beats by Dr. Dre headphones was looking to buy out its Asian partner and bring in a new investor that can provide it with fresh funds for growth.

The World's First Bitcoin Escort Agency!

As if paying for sex wasn't awkward enough (so I've heard), you can now pay for it with Bitcoins.

The world's oldest profession met the world's youngest currency as escort agency Passion VIP announced it now accepts payment for its adult companionship services in bitcoin. Located in the second most populous British city (after London), Passion VIP is hoping the introduction of bitcoin payments will open up a new market by giving clients an alternative payment method.

10 Cities That May Not Make It Back From the Crash

You can sum up the U.S. real estate market this year in one word: recovery.

Across the nation as a whole, prices have grown by more than 10 percent, and double or even triple that rate in some regions. Some of the hardest-hit states -- California, Florida, Nevada -- are also growing the fastest. Even cities like Modesto, Calif., where real estate prices went off a cliff during the housing crisis are coming back. Although home prices in Modesto are down 49 percent from their pre-crash peak, they have grown 30 percent from this time last year.

But not every town and city is on the comeback trail. At the other end of the spectrum, there are places like Farmington, N.M. Home prices there plunged 20 percent from their peak during the meltdown and are up only 0.03 percent this year. At that rate, it would take centuries for the city's housing market to recover. The reality is that homeowners in the city may never recoup their losses.

And Farmington is in better shape than the communities around the country on this list, which have yet to show any signs of rebounding from the meltdown. Using data compiled for CBSNews.com by real estate analytics provider, we looked not only at cities where home prices have the farthest to go to climb back to their pre-bubble peak, but also where prices are still declining.

10. Steubenville, Ohio
Growth needed to match peak: 17.9 percent
Growth this year: 0 percent
Creative Commons


Steubenville, now nationally known for a teenage rape case, is a working-class town that has struggled economically since the city's steel mills closed down. A shale gas boom has the potential to boost economic growth in the area, but it has to yet to take off.

With car owners trying to keep gas costs from busting their budget and federal rules compelling higher mileage ratings, automakers add more hybrid, electric-powered and diesel vehicles with every new model year. For 2014, mileage-boosting offerings include a new Honda Accord hybrid rated for 50 MPG in city driving, an all-electric Chevrolet Spark and even a new Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel.

The changes in autos are coming more swiftly than many consumers realize, said senior editor John O'Dell, who follows "green" cars for automotive website Edmunds.com. "Even if you think you're not really interested in new technologies for improved fuel efficiency, it's likely that a car or truck with some type of electric drive or alternative fuel will wind up on your consideration list the next time you shop for a vehicle," he said.

Shrimp fight interrupted by peace-loving frog

Just because they live underwater doesn't mean shrimp don't get fired up.
Two Indian whisker shrimp residing in a tank in Michigan apparently had enough of each other and began butting heads.

Enter the peacemaker. An African dwarf frog suddenly appears between the two shrimp with its palms extended, much like a teacher breaking up a playground tussle.

According to the video's description, the frog's intervention worked. After a few days, the shrimp learned to avoid each other and give peace a chance. VIDEO

Facebook Wins $3M Injunction Against Spammer

Imagine how much money Facebook spent going after these guys only to end up with a $3 million judgment they'll never see.
"We are pleased with today's ruling awarding over $3 million in damages and injunctive relief. We will continue to enforce our rights against bad actors who seek to harm Facebook and the people who use it," Craig Clark, associate general counsel for Facebook, said in a statement to CNET.

At 77 He Prepares Burgers Earning in Week His Former Hourly Wage

Tom Palome
It seems like another life. At the height of his corporate career, Tom Palome was pulling in a salary in the low six-figures and flying first class on business trips to Europe.

Today, the 77-year-old former vice president of marketing for Oral-B juggles two part-time jobs: one as a $10-an-hour food demonstrator at Sam's Club, the other flipping burgers and serving drinks at a golf club grill for slightly more than minimum wage.

While Palome worked hard his entire career, paid off his mortgage and put his kids through college, like most Americans he didn't save enough for retirement. Even many affluent baby boomers who are approaching the end of their careers haven't come close to saving the 10 to 20 times their annual working income that investment experts say they'll need to maintain their standard of living in old age.

For middle class households, with incomes ranging from the mid five to low six figures, it's especially grim. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, what little Palome had saved -- $90,000 -- took a beating and he suddenly found himself in need of cash to maintain his lifestyle. With years if not decades of life ahead of him, Palome took the jobs he could find.
The youthful and perennially optimistic grandfather considers himself lucky. He's blessed with good health, he said. He's able to work, live independently and maintain his dignity, even if he has to mop the floors at the club grill before going home at 8 p.m. and finally getting off his feet.
"That's part of the job," he said. "You have to respect the job you're doing and not be negative -- or don't do it."
Facing Reality
Low-income Americans have long had to scrape by in old age, relying primarily on Social Security. The middle class, with its more educated and resourceful retirees, is supposed to be better prepared, with some even having the luxury to forge fulfilling second acts as they redefine retirement on their own terms. Or so popular culture tells us.

Harvard and MIT jump the shark, create lightsaber matter


A man whose name sounds a heck of a lot like Luke and his partner, who's name could easily be misread as Vader, have figured how to make photons bond — creating light molecules. Seriously, Harvard professor Mikhail Lukin and MIT Professor Vladan Vuletic just might be the first people in our local galaxy to have passed their jedi trials.

Inflatable concert hall brings music to Japan's tsunami survivors


We've all seen how parts of Japan were devastated by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami a couple of years ago. Survivors in the region get little relief from rebuilding their devastated communities, so the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland decided to send them something to take their minds off the destruction, at least for a little while.
The Ark Nova is a classical music concert hall that seats 500, but instead of requiring years to build, its inflatable structure can be erected quickly almost anywhere. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki working with British designer Anish Kapoor, Ark Nova will debut in Matsushima on September 27 with a concert conducted by classical superstar Gustavo Dudamel. Future concerts cover a wide range of artists from Claudio Abbado to Ryuchi Sakamoto.
Check out the gallery to see what this amazing space looks like, both inside and out. PHOTOS
Ark Nova, via Spoon Tamago

Trying (and failing) to drown a ruggedized Android phone

Crave's Eric Mack is on a mission to push a military-grade smartphone endorsed by survivalist Bear Grylls to its limit. Watch his first attempt in Colorado's white water.

Summer is over, but I've been trying to extend those sweet dog days by running around the country looking for ways to contribute to the destruction of a completely innocent smartphone. The fine folks at Kyocera loaned me a sample of their ruggedized, military-grade, Bear Grylls-endorsed 4G Android phone, the Torque, with a license to stretch it to the limits without any fear of destroying it.
Either I will break this phone, or I will be broken trying.
For more on the Torque itself, which is actually a bargain on Sprint right now, read our full review. To see how it (and I) survive the white water of Colorado's San Juan River. VIDEO

Google Street View in the Large Hadron Collider is a smash

Explore the tunnels and control rooms of the world's biggest particle collider from the comfort of your own home using Google Street View.
Google Street View of collider
Perhaps Google Street View should be renamed "Google Anything View." Google's wandering cameras have now made their way into CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the atom-smashing wonder located under the Franco-Swiss border.
Since it wasn't feasible to send a Google Street View car into the Large Hadron Collider facility, a specially equipped trike was employed instead. The Street View explorations are now available online for the public to peruse. You can follow along through the tunnels of the particle collider and pretend you're on the staff at CERN.

The Hyperloop will soon have its own company behind it


After gaining steam on the collaboration platform JumpStartFund, a group of engineers set out to create a crowd-friendly company to make the Hyperloop happen.
The Hyperloop may not be such a long shot after all. Thanks to a community of enthusiasts who have gathered around the concept on the entrepreneurial collaboration platform JumpStartFund, Elon Musk's theorized high-speed tube transport system will soon have its own corporation behind it.
"We want to be the ones that actually make things happen," Dirk Ahlborn, CEO and co-founder of JumpStartFund, said in an interview Wednesday. "So of course we need to create a corporation. Whoever decides to dedicate more time to this than just logging onto the platform deserves to be part of this company."

Wonder Woman will show up in Batman vs. Superman


We already know the Man of Steel sequel will introduce the Ben Affleck version of Batman, but a new rumor indicates we might get to see another member of the Justice League.
Some casting call buzz indicates director Zack Snyder is looking for a strong woman between the ages of 25-33, and some agencies are under the impression they’re putting up actresses to play Wonder Woman in the sequel. Not surprisingly, Warner Bros. hasn’t confirmed (or denied) these reports.

The Star Wars spinoff film Whedon would have trouble turning down


Joss Whedon doesn't really want to make a Star Wars film, but the right character could convince him to do it anyway.
Ever since last year's massive Avengers success, Whedon's become a major player in the realm of blockbusters. He's already crafting his Avengers sequel, Age of Ultron, and he's got a deal with Marvel that basically allows him to have a hand in all the films the company's developing. He's neck-deep in superheroes, and if he keeps churning out successful comic book movies, he'll likely have his pick of any franchise he'd like to play with when his time at Marvel is done. He could, for instance, try his hand at an X-Men movie, perhaps, or mosy over to DC and finally make a Wonder Woman film. He could even stay in the Disney family and take a shot at something in the Star Wars universe.

Inside Unreal Engine 4 Character Aesthetics

The latest installment of Inside Unreal highlights Unreal Engine 4's character aesthetics. Definitely worth five minutes of your time. cool


Thrones star says there'll be 'more deaths this season than any other'


If you thought Game of Thrones didn’t get bloody or horrifying enough with last season’s shocking Red Wedding, think again.

Brew beer from your smartphone, courtesy of Brewbot

Brewing beer at home is a deliciously rewarding hobby, albeit a complex and time-consuming one. On brewing day, the proper amount of hops, barley, yeast and water must be combined and heated at very specific times and temperatures if your beer is going to come out right. Homebrewers taking on a new batch of golden brew must dedicate an entire day to its creation — not including bottling. But a handy new robot, developed in Northern Ireland, is putting an end to all that lost time.

Obamacare's average monthly cost across U.S.: $328

Home Depot Will Send Part-timers To Health Insurance Exchanges
(Reuters) - Americans will pay an average premium of $328 monthly for a mid-tier health insurance plan when the Obamacare health exchanges open for enrollment next week, and most will qualify for government subsidies to lower that price, the federal government said on Wednesday.
The figure, based on data for approved insurance plans in 48 states, is the broadest national estimate for the cost of coverage when President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law takes full effect next year. The prices of the new plans are at the heart of a political debate over whether they will be affordable enough to attract millions of uninsured Americans when enrollment begins on October 1.
Obama, who is facing a Republican threat to eliminate funding for the law or shut down the federal government next week, said the fierce opposition stems from the fear that Americans will embrace the program.

$24 sticker kit makes your iPhone 5 look like an iPhone 5S

New vinyl kits mimic the look of Apple's new trio of iPhone colors on older Apple devices, sans the features.

A gold iPhone 5S may be difficult to get at the moment, but making your old iPhone look like one is proving to be far easier.

Diver photographs ‘Cookie Monster of the Sea’

Mauricio Handler's wife was first to spot sea sponge that looked like famous 'Sesame Street' character, and swam to him laughing through her mask
Stove Pipe Sponge, Aplysina archeri
Scuba divers are often amazed by the beauty of the reefs and their colorful inhabitants, and sometimes they’re even amused.
That certainly was the case for Mauricio Handler and his wife, Julia, during their last adventure to the reefs of Curacao in the Caribbean.
Among their many wonderful discoveries was that of a purple sea sponge that strongly resembled the famous Cookie Monster Muppet of “Sesame Street” fame.

Boeing flies F-16 fighter, minus the pilot

Refurbished F-16 fighter jets take to the air without pilots in the cockpit to help the Air Force train for combat.
QF-16 unmanned plane
Google may have a driverless car, but Boeing has a pilotless F-16 fighter jet. As a matter of fact, it has six of them.
Renamed the QF-16, the retired fighter jets were refurbished and turned into empty-seated drones to act as flying targets for US Air Force training exercises.