Man tries to run down police; they shoot, kill him

UPPER DARBY, Pa. (AP) — A man who had posted an online video threatening to kill police and FBI agents tried to use his car to run down officers seeking to arrest him on Tuesday so, fearing for their lives, they shot and killed him, authorities said.

Police did not immediately identify the man, who was killed in Upper Darby, in suburban Philadelphia, as officers ordered him out of the car and he appeared ready to accelerate at them as they manned a blockade.

Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the officers feared the man would kill them and they "did what they had to do." He said five officers fired at the man and no officers were injured.

Police had secured an arrest warrant for the man after he threatened to kill police and FBI agents in the online video, Chitwood said. The man's death comes a little more than a week after a man who made similar threats shot two New York Police Department officers dead in their patrol car and then killed himself in a subway station.

California Snowstorm Leaves Drivers Trapped in Their Vehicles

More than 100 drivers were trapped in their vehicles overnight during a snowstorm in Southern California.
Dozens of stranded drivers were trapped on State Route 38 in the San Bernardino Mountains, said San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Ryan Beckers. Rescue crews worked to remove people from their vehicles and take them to a nearby church, Beckers said.
Others were trapped on Mount Baldy – some near the ski lifts, others near Baldy Village, with those people provided shelter for the time being, Beckers said.

The road I live on in Crestline. #ABC7Eyewitness pic.twitter.com/qL2oquT4wL
— Llama (@rypeskater12112) December 31, 2014

Two highways were shut down due to the conditions – the Ortega Highway connecting Riverside and Orange counties, as well as southbound lanes of I-15, authorities told ABC station KABC.
Isabel Castellanos said it was difficult to drive in the wintry conditions.
"It's really foggy, you can't see much, which I'm used to the fog because I'm from Fresno, but it's just a little different, haven't driven it in a while," she told KABC.
 VIDEO

NY Couple Complained About Neighbor So Much They Were Arrested

A Cooperstown, New York, couple, who often complained about their neighbor to a district attorney, were taken by surprise when charges were filed against them.

Paul Sohacki and Katherine Gannon live on 12 scenic acres in Otsego County, New York. They say their neighbor Gene Ellis, who lives on more than 50 acres, attempted to steal their land. It all started, the couple recalls, because Ellis’ driveway crossed a sliver of their land.

“He never asked permission. He said, ‘You’re not going to prevent us from driving on this driveway,’” Gannon told ABC News’ “20/20.”
“He was redefining the border closer and closer to our house. We had to get the land surveyed and see who owned what,” Sohacki told “20/20.”

Internet Porn Causing A Decline In Marriage

The institution of marriage is under attack from internet porn. Damn you internet porn! Damn you!

The rise of free internet pornography is responsible for people increasingly deciding not to get married, according to researchers. Scientists studied trends in marriage and internet porn proliferation and said the increased availability and reduced cost of pornography on the internet had a "causal" effect on people deciding not to tie the knot.

Five Ways To Delete Yourself From The Internet

Can you really delete yourself from the internet? It sure seems like it'd be harder than this article makes it sound.

Social networks include sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. Shopping accounts include information stored on Amazon, Gap.com, Macys.com and others. And Web services might include cloud storage accounts such as Dropbox and OneDrive. To get rid of these accounts, go to your account settings and just look for an option to either deactivate, remove, or close your account.

The Hackers Who Hit Sony Also Threatened CNN

Why would you hack a news outlet? Could you imagine how boring a CNN hack would have been?

The Intercept has obtained an FBI alert noting that the group implied threats against a "news media organization" on December 20th. While the bulletin doesn't name the company, The Desk's Matthew Keys has copies of the Pastebin-based messages (since removed) showing that CNN was the target. The GOP sarcastically complimented CNN on its "investigation" of the hacking group and linked a video calling the TV network an idiot, but didn't warn of any specific consequences.

Yet Another Horrible Comcast Recorded Customer Service Call

Comcast, the king of horrible customer service is at it again. It's not as bad as the time they had a guy fired for complaining or the time customer service thought Steam was a virus or the last customer service call from hell, but it's still pretty bad.

It’s been a bad year for Comcast’s customer service image — probably not what the company wants to hear when it’s trying to convince federal regulators to let it swallow up millions of Time Warner Cable customers — and while many consumers are taking this week off from work, the folks at Kabletown know that bad service doesn’t take a holiday.

Cyber Warfare Mapped In Real Time

Is it just me or does it seem like the only country being attacked is the United States? Don't other countries have stuff to steal?

NASA Found A Cheaper Way To Reach Mars Safely

NASA has come up with a cheaper and safer way to reach Mars? Well what are we waiting for? Let's start shooting stuff into space!

Now new research lays out a smoother, safer way to achieve Martian orbit without being restricted by launch windows or busting the bank. Called ballistic capture, it could help open the Martian frontier for more robotic missions, future manned expeditions and even colonization efforts. "It's an eye-opener," says James Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division.

US Lawmaker Asks Sony For Details On Data Breach

Lawmakers want to know about Sony's cybersecurity practices? Ummm, how about they sucked? There you have it, now go make a new law about security practices that blow ass.

A senior U.S. lawmaker wants Sony Pictures Entertainment to provide details about its recent data breach and its cybersecurity practices, saying the information will help Congress decide whether new laws are needed.

10 Biggest Things That Will Happen With the Internet In 2015

We’re coming up on the New Year and as some people look to what has happened in the past, Business Insider contributor Ben Schachter, looks straight to the future of the Internet in 2015.

Dell's Announces New SonicPoint AC Wireless Access Point

This week Dell announced that the company will be launching its new series SonicPoint AC access point. The SonicPoint series is aimed for the small to medium sizes businesses looking for a lower cost solution to a more secure ‘enterprise-class’ network.

Dell cites research that claims prevalence of technologically superior 802.11ac Wi-Fi access points have increased from 8% to 45% since 2013, and the company says its new WAPs represent an "essential solution" as that continues to increase.

North Korea Wants Joint Probe into Sony Hack

The Sony hack left the corporation in shambles, the President of the US weighs in on not releasing the movie, the FBI declared North Korea is behind the hacks, and now North Korea wants to team up with the US to find the real culprit behind the hack…..or else. So where does that leave the US in options?

Moreover, Obama talked about a "proportional" response. What would that be in this case?

Developers Warn of Plot to Cripple Tor Network

Just a heads up for any of you Tor Network users this weekend. Tor has received information that there may be a concentrated attack on the network in an attempt to bring it down over the weekend.

While the Tor Project has not said who could be behind the attack or what their motivation might be, some anonymous comments posted under the blog suggest a swoop could be related to the US government's investigation into the Sony Pictures mega-hack.

Tesla's First Battery Swap Station Opens Next Week

Just in time for Christmas, Tesla is opening its first Model S battery swap station.

The company announced today that it's ready to start a pilot program for invited Model S owners along the San Francisco to LA route, at a facility across the street from its Supercharger station in Harris Ranch, CA. Right now Tesla says the whole process can be done in under three minutes, but with changes to the vehicle design, it says cars could be ready to go in less than a minute.

Sony Pictures CEO Claims 'We Have Not Caved'

Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention, please? I would like to announce that Sony's CEO has taken the position of Information Minister.

While President Obama has joined the voices criticizing Sony Pictures for its decision to pull The Interview, its CEO claims he " In an interview with CNN set to air tonight during Anderson Cooper 360, Michael Lynton tells Fareed Zakaria that "We have not caved. We have not given in." In the pieces CNN has teased, he even says the company would still like for people to see this movie.

Uber Suspend Service In Portland After Lawsuit

Uber has agreed to suspend service in Portland for three months while the city hammers out new taxi regulations.

Uber has agreed to suspend its operations in Portland, Ore., for three months while city officials revise rules governing taxis and the use of ride-sharing apps, the company announced Thursday.

12M Routers Vulnerable To Critical Hijacking Hack

You know, with this many vulnerable routers out there, chances are we all know someone using one.

The vulnerability resides in "RomPager" software, embedded into the residential gateway devices, made by a company known as AllegroSoft. Versions of RomPager prior to 4.34 contain a critical bug that allows attackers to send simple HTTP cookie files that corrupt device memory and hand over administrative control.

Apple 'Failing To Protect Chinese Factory Workers'

It's a sad fact that, regardless how many of these articles are written, most people couldn't care less about working conditions as long as we get our shiny new tech gadget.

Poor treatment of workers in Chinese factories which make Apple products has been discovered by an undercover BBC Panorama investigation. Filming on an iPhone 6 production line showed Apple's promises to protect workers were routinely broken.

Your Linux PC Isn't As Secure As You Think It Is

Even if your Linux box isn't as secure as you think, it is still way better than the alternatives when it comes to security.

It’s been an apocalyptic year for Linux security, with a sophisticated Trojan and security holes over 20 years old. The Shellshock bug left Linux desktops and servers wide open for anyone to own. Security updates fixed these problems—but you may not even be getting those patches.

Valve Apologizes As Hatred Greenlight Campaign Returns

Apparently Gabe Newell has decided to step in and reverse an earlier decision to remove Hatred from Greenlight.

The Steam Greenlight campaign for Hatred has returned, not long after it was ended by Valve, who said at the time: "Based on what we've seen on Greenlight we would not publish Hatred on Steam. As such we'll be taking it down." Polish developer Destructive Creations' announcement of this isometric shooter admitted its themes are "disturbing," and this sparked controversy from the start.

Jury Finds Apple Not Guilty Of Antitrust

It looks as though Apple has walked away with a unanimous "not guilty" verdict from the jury yesterday. The plaintiff has promised to appeal but, at least for now, this case is finally over.

The plaintiffs represented a group of digital music consumers who purchased iPods from 2006 to 2009 and alleged that Apple unfairly locked users into iTunes software on iPods, and in turn, locked out competitors. They sought damages of close to $350 million, which could have gone to $1 billion had Apple been found in violation of antitrust laws.

Facebook Now Automatically Enhancing Your Mobile Photos

Whatever happened to the concept of just uploading my damn picture like I asked? No filters or adjustments, just upload the picture.

Photos uploaded to Facebook on an iPhone will now be gently enhanced by default, with the app adjusting lighting, shadows, and general clarity. You'll be able to remove the changes entirely, or you can enhance the photo further.

The Crew Review

Overclockers Club has a review of The Crew posted today that is certainly worth checking out. While we are on the subject, make sure you read our The Crew Performance Video Card Review if you haven't done so already.

It is a fun game and if you have an itch for a racing game, but not necessarily one limited to racetracks, this is a game to consider. The graphics are not the best, but considering how much there is to the game world, and the importance of strong, solid performance, this is forgivable. The story is nothing much to talk about as all it does is connect the various campaign missions, and nothing more. The gameplay has some issues, but is largely solid and fun. Those issues can also be avoided fairly comfortably.

Tesla sales forecast cut by 40%

One of Tesla Motors' biggest fans on Wall Street has cut drastically sales expectations for the electric car maker, saying that low oil prices could be a problem for the company's future growth.

Adam Jonas, auto analyst with Morgan Stanley -- and long a bull on Tesla -- published a note Wednesday forecasting that Tesla will only be able to sell just under 300,000 cars by 2020. That's far short of the 500,000 cars that Tesla is predicting it will sell by that date.

The biggest drag on Tesla sales will be the lower-priced, mass market Model 3 expected in showrooms in about three years.
Jonas' doubts that Tesla will be able to price the Model 3 in the $35,000 range as many have been expecting. He's now thinking the price could be closer to $60,000.

AMD Radeon R7 240GB SSD Review

Those crazy crustaceans over at MadShrimps have published a review of the AMD Radeon R7 240GB SSD today for those of you interested.

The R7 240 AMD-Branded SSD succeeds to perform really well and positions itself along with the latest Vertex 460 and Vector 150 drives from OCZ; the product succeeds to render very good write speeds and it comes in 7mm format, which makes it compatible with the latest ultrabooks. AMD has extended the warranty to 4 years and for added value we are also getting the Acronis proven drive cloning software for easy migration.

New Features Proposed For Fedora 22

The crew at Phoronix have the lowdown on what new features are being proposed for Fedora 22.

Fedora 22 will be released no earlier than next May while the full schedule has yet to be set in stone. As more Fedora 22 features are proposed and other changes talked about, you can expect to find them mentioned on Phoronix. The work mentioned here is just the start with Fedora 21 having been (finally) released just this past week.

Women Give Disturbing Personal Accounts Of Being Sexually Harassed On The Subway

Through a montage of stories with a variety of women media company Vocativ shows the dangers of street harassment.
Vocativ interviewed Miss DC Jen Corey, Jennifer Pozner, Executive Director for Women in Media & News, and several members of Hollaback, the organization behind the 10 Hours of Walking In NYC As A Woman video. VIDEO
Follow Vocativ: On Facebook and Twitter.

Lexus Thinks That Selling Teslas In Malls Is 'Clever'

Lexus operates with the firm belief that hybrids are better than battery-electric cars, but there's at least one thing about electric-carmaker Tesla Motors it wants to emulate.

Even as Toyota's luxury division has lashed out at electric cars in recent ads, its executives are intrigued by Tesla's direct-sales model.

Lexus U.S. chief Jeff Bracken thinks Tesla's strategy of operating company-owned stores in shopping malls is "a clever one," and explained why in a recent interview with auto industry trade journal Ward's Auto.

Lexus executives believe Tesla Stores are helping to attract younger buyers, who Lexus feels are particularly disinterested in visiting traditional franchised dealerships.
Gen Y buyers reportedly do more research before visiting a dealership, and tend to be younger than the salesperson servicing them.

Ex-Employees File Lawsuit Against Sony

Sony better bust out the checkbook because I don't think they have a leg to stand on in this case.

The complaint was filed on behalf of Michael Corona, who says he worked at the company from 2004 to 2007, and Christina Mathis, who says she worked at the company between 2000 and 2002. Both say they had information such as Social Security numbers leaked. Corona also alleges that his salary history and reason for resigning were breached.

ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces the Poseidon GTX 980

ASUS Republic of Gamers today announced the Poseidon GTX 980 with DirectCU H2O, a new graphics card with a hybrid thermal solution that enables efficient cooling by either air or water. Armed with a host of exclusive ROG features, the Poseidon GTX 980 is for gamers that want superlative performance without compromise. Cooler, Quieter and Faster with DirectCU H20. The ROG Poseidon GTX 980 is fitted with exclusive DirectCU H2O technology, which employs a combined air and water channel to provide complete flexibility for the user.

Assassin's Creed Unity Patch Is 6.7GB

According to the patch notes, the long awaited patch for Assassin's Creed Unity tips the scales at a whopping 6.7GB. Console version is out today, the PC patch is coming "later this week." Here's a partial list of what has been fixed in this patch:
Stability, Performance and Save Game:

• Fixed numerous random crashes both on Campaign and Coop
• Implemented multiple optimizations and fixes to improve overall performance
• Fixed save issue caused by the companion app on the main menu (loss of data)
• Fixed save issue caused by contacts list (crash occurring). Users should now have access to save

PC-Specific:

• Fixed crash on "Quit to Windows" in free roam mode
• Fixed crash on accepting multiple "Join the club" requests
• Fixed issues with TXAA
• Fixed issues with PCSS
• Fixed issues with textures on NPCs
• Fixed black texture issues on MSAA-4x, MSAA-8x and TXAA
• Right Control now can be assigned as a hotkey
• Minor UI fixes

South Korea to report ex-Korean Air exec to prosecutors over role in flight delay

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's transport ministry said on Tuesday it would report to prosecutors a former Korean Air Lines executive who delayed a flight earlier this month because she was unhappy about how she was served nuts.

Cho is the daughter of the airline's chairman and was previously head of its in-flight services. She apologized over the incident, which fueled outrage and ridicule in South Korea, and resigned her posts last week.A ministry official said its probe has confirmed the former executive, Heather Cho, was engaged in abusive behavior towards flight attendants in the Dec. 5 incident at John F. Kennedy airport in New York and may have broken aviation law. Cho may face legal charges if prosecutors pursue the case.

Plane That Can Fly Anywhere In 4 Hours

What's better than a plane that can fly anywhere in four hours? One that can fly anywhere in four hours...including space. 

British aerospace firm Reaction Engines has been working on an aircraft it believes would be able to take passengers anywhere in the world in just four hours. If that doesn't sound utterly awesome enough, how about this: The vehicle would also be able to fly in outer space!!!

T-Mobile Unveils Data Stash

I've heard off rollover minutes but rollover data? That's actually a pretty good idea.

T-Mobile today announced its next industry-rocking Un-carrier™ move − eliminating the infuriating wireless industry practice of confiscating unused data you’ve already paid for. With Un-carrier 8.0, high-speed data you don’t use each month automatically rolls into a personal Data Stash™ so you can use it when you need it for up to a year. And, the best part is that Data Stash is included at no extra charge for every single new and existing T-Mobile customer – individual, family or business – on an eligible postpaid Simple Choice plan who buys extra high-speed data for their smartphone or tablet.

Fast-growing Chinese phonemaker Xiaomi hits speed bumps

Chinese low-end phone champion Xiaomi has made quite a splash this year.

Concentrating on its home market and a few others (India, especially), it has surged to the #4 position in smartphone sales worldwide. Xiaomi shipped almost 16 million phones in the third quarter, five times what it shipped a year earlier and good for 5% of the global smartphone marketplace, Gartner reported on Monday.

A Wall Street Journal report last month even said Xiaomi was racking up big profits -- close to $600 million last year and over $1 billion this year. Supposedly, that was due to the brand’s smart social marketing efforts, which avoided TV ads and other expensive tactics used by Apple (AAPL) and Samsung.

But there are a few hiccups in the Xiaomi story coming out now that may have serious long-term implications.

Manhunt widens for ex-Marine in 6 killings

PENNSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Schools closed and hospitals and other public places tightened security Tuesday as police in suburban Philadelphia hunted for a Marine veteran suspected of killing his ex-wife and five of her relatives.

Residents remained on alert even as officials lifted a shelter-in-place order for parts of Bucks County, where a knife-wielding, fatigue-clad man resembling Bradley William Stone attempted a carjacking Monday night.

Stone, locked in a child custody dispute, went on a 90-minute shooting rampage before daybreak Monday at three homes within a few miles of each other in the Montgomery County towns of Harleysville, Lansdale and Souderton, authorities said.

Half believe CIA interrogation methods justified: poll

Washington (AFP) - About half of Americans believe that the CIA was justified in its harsh interrogation methods of "war on terror" detainees, a poll found Monday, days after a damning US report revealed harrowing details of torture.

The US Senate report released last week said the Central Intelligence Agency's interrogation of Al-Qaeda suspects, including beatings, rectal rehydration and sleep deprivation, was far more brutal than acknowledged and did not produce useful intelligence.

The findings triggered international condemnation and calls for those involved to face justice.

Taliban halted after slaughtering at least 141, mostly children, in Pakistan school

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- "'God is great,'" the Taliban militants exclaimed, as they roared through the hallways of a Peshawar, Pakistan, school. Then, 14-year-old student Ahmed Faraz recalled, one of them changed the narrative. " 'A lot of the children are under the benches,' " a Pakistani Taliban member said, according to Ahmed. " 'Kill them.' " By the time the hours-long siege at Army Public School and Degree College ended early Tuesday evening, at least 141 people -- 132 children plus nine staffers -- were dead, military spokesman Gen. Asim Bajwa said. More than 100 were injured, many suffering gunshot wounds, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani.

Photos: Taliban attack Pakistani school

Map: Peshawar, Pakistan

The death toll does not include the attackers who Pakistani Taliban spokesman Mohammed Khurrassani said scaled the school's walls around 10 a.m. (midnight ET), intent on killing older students there.

These Taliban had "300 to 400 people ... under their custody" at one point, said Khurrassani, whose group is called Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan.

Watch a Challenger SRT Hellcat race a Corvette Stingray for braggin' rights

We’re converging on the drag strip, 40 minutes or so away, when I finally get someone there on the phone. They’re not open, despite what it says on their web site. This presents a problem, because I’ve got a 2015 Chevy Corvette Stingray and The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Neil has a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat—nearly 1,200 horsepower of righteous American thunder, and now no place to use it.

But I have a Plan B, and a short while later we’re at a rural airport, taxiing down the access road and lining up for takeoff. Which is quicker, a Corvette or a Hellcat? I think I probably know, but we’d better do this just make sure.

Super Sub: Why The Navy's Next 'Boomer' Is The Most Important Program In The Pentagon Budget

As Congress raced to complete work last week on spending measures that would fund the military in 2015, barely a word was said about the most important technology program in the whole defense budget. In fact, there are probably plenty of legislators who have never even heard of it. It’s called the Ohio Replacement Program, and there is a real possibility that at some point later in the century, it will make the difference between whether our Republic lives or dies.

I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not. The Ohio Replacement Program was conceived to modernize the sea-based part of the nation’s nuclear force — the only part of that force that is certain to survive if Russia, China or some other major nuclear power launches a surprise attack in, say, 2050. The reason why is that the Navy’s ballistic-missile subs patrol silently beneath the surface of the world’s oceans, where enemies cannot find them; the Air Force’s bombers and silo-based missiles, on the other hand, are in known locations that can be easily targeted.

Cops killed man at Walmart, then interrogated girlfriend.

(CNN) -- After killing a man at an Ohio Walmart, police interrogated his girlfriend, accusing her of lying, threatening her with jail time and suggesting she could be on drugs, according to a video posted on The Guardian's website. The man, John Crawford III, was holding an air rifle he had picked up off a store shelf when police shot him. A prosecutor called the case a "perfect storm" with "no bad guys," but the family has said police used excessive force. A grand jury decided not to indict the officer who pulled the trigger in the August 5 shooting at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio. While the Justice Department investigates the case, Crawford's name -- along with the likes of Michael Brown and Eric Garner -- is being chanted by some demonstrators across the country protesting what they say is systemic racism that fuels police violence.

When White People See Themselves With Black Skin, Something Interesting Happens

The antidote to racism partly lies in empathy, or the willingness to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes," as the saying goes. But scientists from universities across Europe are taking the maxim one step further, providing people an opportunity to experience life in someone else's skin by experimenting with virtual reality as a means of helping people shed racial stereotypes.

Researchers from London and Barcelona teamed up to discuss their recent experiments on virtual reality and race in an opinion piece for the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, published Dec. 15. The researchers found that if people got the chance to physically experience their own body with different skin colors (or ages and sexes), their unconscious biases against other racial groups could be diminished.

Amazon's Echo speaker teardown reveals two tin cans filled with AI

Unlike the disembodied Siri and Cortana, Amazon's personal assistant software has a dedicated speaker box to call home: the Echo. This $199 cylinder came as a big surprise when it was announced early last month, promising to answer questions, play back music, and help you shop at Amazon even more efficiently. Though it has yet to ship out to its first, invite-only purchasers, the Echo has today been torn down by the guys at iFixit, and we can all inspect the way it's been put together. At the top of the speaker, there's an array of seven microphones nestled in under a volume control ring that's encircled by a band of LED light. Sending commands and queries to the Echo will be confirmed by light signals and aural responses.

As with Apple's Mac Pro, another recently introduced cylindrical device, the component boards inside the Echo are oriented vertically and everything is packed tightly together. Amazon has used a vibration-dampening fabric to minimize distortions and has stacked multiple layers of electronics inside the densely populated space. iFixit provides a handy size comparison by posing the Echo alongside two standard aluminum cans, giving everyone an easy way to determine whether they have space to fit an Echo in their lives. LINK

Jaguar Land Rover Shows Off Transparent Pillar Technology: Video

Remember Land Rover’s unique transparent hood technology that allows you to see the position of a vehicle’s wheels from behind the wheel for easier off-roading? Well, sister brand Jaguar has come out with its own version of the technology, this time making the pillars of a car transparent so that driving is made easier in urban environments.

The technology is called the 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen, and as its name suggests it provides the driver with a 360-degree view out of the vehicle, completely uninterrupted by the pillars that support the roof. Essentially, a screen embedded in the surface of each pillar inside the car relays a live video feed from cameras covering the angles outside the car.

Brad Pitt, Kids Maddox, Pax, Shiloh Fill in For Sick Angelina Jolie at Unbroken Premiere

To the rescue! Brad Pitt stepped in forAngelina Jolie at the Los Angeles premiere ofUnbroken on Monday, Dec. 15, and brought with him their eldest kids Maddox, 13, Pax, 11, andShiloh, 8.

Pitt and Jolie's kids were all dressed up for their mom's big night, wearing matching black suits and looking all grown up. Pitt, who also filled in for his wife earlier in the day at the UnbrokenRoger Deakins Image Exhibition, opted for an all-black ensemble as well.

Putin’s ‘shock and awe’ puts the markets on high alert

Critical intelligence before the U.S. market opens

TriStar/Everett

In the wee hours of a Moscow morning, Russia took a massive step toward protecting the ruble and defending its ailing economy against a currency crisis. The country’s central bank, in a surprise move, raised its key interest rate to 17% from 10.5%, effective today. That’s the biggest bump since the government defaulted on debt back in 1998.

Our comrades in the fuzzy hats are up against it.

Army selling Humvees to the public for the first time — but there's a catch

If you, like this author, always dreamed of using a camo-covered, Army-issue Humvee as your personal golf cart, your dreams can finally come true — for a price.

According to the Army Times, the Department of Defense will start auctioning off as many as 4,000 military-spec Humvees to the public as part of its surplus-reduction efforts. In previous years, the off-road behemoths would have been sent straight to the military scrapyard, but due to changes in policies in recent years and what the Defense Logistics Agency spokesperson Michelle McCaskill describes as “cooperation from other government offices," the used Humvees will be sold instead of scrapped for the first time.

Brazilian Wax in Crisis: A Report

Publicly embracing pubic hair: so hot this year. Gwyneth Paltrow arguably started the trend (and kept it rolling), and Cameron Diaz was quick to back her up. American Apparel couldn't help but throw in its own two cents, and the media shouldered some of the responsibility by spawning thinkpiece after thinkpiece on the topic. (The New York Times found space for not one but two trend pieces, parsing the implications of a culture that champions pubic hair.)

2015 Corvette Stingray PDR Camera Captures Valet Hitting 50 MPH In Parking Garage

UPDATE: The video's owner has made it private on YouTube in anticipation of a local news channel producing coverage. We'll keep you posted on the news video, which will hopefully bring more details to light.

The Valet Mode of the Stingray’s Performance Data Recorder system is a cool feature—even if it has drawn some heat for its potential illegal recording of audio. But you don’t need audio to see what’s wrong with this valet’s treatment of a new 2015 Corvette.

Rubberneck at this TIE Fighter highway crash dashcam video

There is a disturbance on the freeway. A dashcam video parody shows what happens when a popular "Star Wars" vehicle gets in an accident on Earth.

The excitement over the short "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" teaser trailer shows just how desperate we all are for fresh "Star Wars" footage. It may not be official, but we can revel in a short video that shows what it would be like if the Dark Side were real and the Galactic Empire had ships flying around Earth.

Volcanic eruption in Cape Verde destroys villages

Bissau (AFP) - The biggest eruption of Cape Verde volcano Pico do Fogo in decades has destroyed two villages and threatens a forest reserve Tuesday, officials said.

Some 1,500 people were forced to abandon their homes before the lava flow reached the villages of Portela and Bangeira on Fogo island in the Atlantic archipelago, fire brigade chief Arlindo Lima said late Monday on national radio.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the Cha das Caldeiras region at the foot of the volcano immediately after it first erupted on November 23, while officials closed the airport as the skies darkened with ash.

Memorable Overclocking-Friendly CPUs

TechSpot is taking a trip down memory lane today looking back at all the memorable overclocking-friendly processors. Any overclocking list that starts off with the Celeron 300A is okay in my book. That thing was a beast! 

Think legendary. The Celeron 300A was largely responsible for reigniting mainstream processor overclocking in the late 90's through the ease that it could be accomplished. A 50% overclock to 450MHz was as simple as changing the bus speed from its nominal 66MHz to 100MHz. Although some boards topped out at 83.3MHz limiting the OC to 375MHz, motherboards that supported 103MHz FSB could yield 464MHz.

James A. Clifford Joins AMD as Senior Vice President of Global Operations

AMD today announced James A. Clifford (69) has joined the company as senior vice president of Global Operations, reporting to President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su. Clifford will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of AMD’s end-to-end manufacturing and supply chain strategy.

With more than 25 years of technology industry experience, Clifford brings a unique blend of end-to-end operational knowledge from supply chain to design enablement, quality, procurement, business management, and engineering to the role. He joins AMD from RF Micro Devices, Inc., where he served as vice president of global sourcing and foundry technology. He previously spent more than 17 years at Qualcomm Incorporated in numerous leadership roles, including senior vice president and general manager of operations, as well as senior vice president of Qualcomm CDMA Technology. Before Qualcomm, Clifford spent more than 20 years at Unisys Corporation in a variety of roles that culminated in leading the company’s global sourcing and foundry operations. Clifford has a Bachelor of Science in physics from San Diego State University. He is based in Austin, Texas.

Accelerate Your Startup With $100,000 From NVIDIA

Startups face huge challenges. But we can help. We’ve helped scores of them grow by putting their CEOs in front of a live audience of investors, tech executives and media at our annual Emerging Companies Summits. It’s amazing what that recognition—along with expert advice from our panelists—can do. Winning our $100,000 prize for the most promising GPU-based venture doesn’t hurt, either.

Jury Begins Deliberations In Billion-Dollar Apple iTunes Trial

What's your prediction on the outcome of this case?

If the jury sees the "software and firmware updates" in iTunes 7.0 as a real improvement, the case will be over—a win for Apple. If it doesn't see it that way, the jurors will still have to decide if Apple broke competition laws and, if so, how much the company should pay in damages. Plaintiffs are asking for $351 million, and any award will be tripled under antitrust law.

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2800MHz DDR4 Review

Overclockers Club has a few sticks of Corsair's Vengeance LPX 16GB 2800MHz DDR4 on the test bench today. Here's a quote from the full review:

Out of the box they come with 16-18-18-36 primary timings using just 1.2v to run the modules. By tweaking the applied voltage a little bit you can get the timings much tighter at the rated speed and even when running at my max overclock of 3200MHz. At this speed I was able to run the timings at 15-15-15-28 2T using over 1.4v applied to the modules.

Sony Execs Knew About Extensive IT Flaws Ahead Of Time

This article says Sony knew of its extensive IT flaws two months ahead of time. I guess they didn't learn their lesson from the massive PSN hack in 2011. 

Earlier this year, Sony Pictures released one hell of an internal IT assessment. The report showed that not only was the company ignoring basic security protocol, its IT security was plagued with unmonitored devices, miscommunication, and a lack of accountability. It's dated Sept 25th, almost two months to the day before hackers exposed thousands of the company's most sensitive documents.

Indecent exposure: Sony’s hack reminds us nothing is private

It sounds like a plot straight out of Hollywood. A giant movie studio is hacked exposing everything from CEO salaries to celebrity name-calling. Except, this is a real life drama for Sony Pictures. The hackers who accessed the movie studios network exposed confidential data on more than 47,000 current and former employees. Confidential information like social security numbers, salary figures, and personal emails acquired then posted for the world to see and for some to pirate and profit off the data.

It’s a modern day warning of how vulnerable the information we share is and how susceptible that information can become. Yahoo Finance’s Editor-in-Chief, Aaron Task says we need to be more diligent with our communications, “It is a reminder to the rest of us and senior executives that you have to be careful what you put on any electronic medium. This is the advice we give our kids when they become teens and get on social networks. It looks like these executives never got that lesson.”

Angelina Jolie's Awkward Run-In With Amy Pascal in Wake of Sony Hacking Scandal

Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words!

On the same day that the Sony Pictures hack exposed an email exchange between company co-chair Amy Pascal and movie producer Scott Rudin calling Angelina Jolie a "spoiled brat," the movie star came face to face with Pascal at a Hollywood event. Let's just say things seemed, um, frosty.

Looking more like Maleficent than a cheery mom of six, a stone-faced and stiff Jolie has her eyes locked on Pascal, who's attempting to embrace her, at the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast on Wednesday. To describe it as awkward is an understatement.

A Jetwing Air Ballet over the Dubai Desert

Whoever said man was not meant to fly — at least without an airplane — has never met Yves Rossy.

The 55-year-old former Swiss fighter pilot, whose nickname is Jetman, makes a habit of strapping on a 7-foot-wide, 120-pound jetwing and taking it for a spin over some of the most beautiful and desolate regions of the planet.

In this stunning 4K video, Rossy teams up with aerobatics champ Veres Zoltán for an acrobatic arabesque high in the sky over the sands of Dubai.

Why cheap gasoline is BAD for America

The other day, I heard an elderly couple interviewed on the radio about our current astonishing drop in gas prices. They gave a variation on “we’re on a fixed income, so every little bit of savings counts.” Like many Americans, they don’t have a lot of transit options. An article in The Economistthis week said that the price reduction could save the average family $800 a year, or more. That’s no small amount when margins are tight.

Not everyone is broke, though. Low gas prices are putting us in the mood for new cars, sales of which are at their highest point in 11 years. Under these circumstances, we make odd choices, like besotted fools buying more diamond than we can afford. Sound the bells, because Americans are going to start purchasing guzzlers. This is what always happens when gas prices go down. At last, our long national nightmare of driving slightly smaller vehicles with slightly better fuel economy can end; the average efficiency of all new vehicles sold fell last month for the first time in four years. Once again, we can spend freely on our one true love: Gasoline.

We are insane.

Korean Air executive apologizes after nuts incident sparks national outrage

SEOUL (Reuters) - The former Korean Air Lines executive who delayed a flight because she was unhappy with the way she was served macadamia nuts apologized on Friday over the incident, which fueled outrage and ridicule in South Korea.

Heather Cho, the daughter of the airline's chairman and head of in-flight service before she stepped down from the post this week, also said she would apologize to the cabin crew chief, who had been ordered to disembark, delaying the flight.

Afghan woman bares legs in Kabul, stirring outrage and curiosity

A young woman bared her legs while walking through the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, recently — stunning onlookers.

The mystery woman ditched her burqa in the ultraconservative country, which has plenty of rules about women keeping their bodies completely covered while in public.

Afghan journalist Hayat Ensafi took several photos of the woman wearing a midlength dress — evoking scandal in Afghanistan and curiosity throughout the world.

"I was shocked," he told BBC News. "I knew I had to catch this special moment because I never saw a woman here walking down the streets like this."

How Los Angeles plans to survive the Big One

A massive earthquake is inevitable. But now L.A. is finally beginning to prepare for the worst — and it has ‘Earthquake Lady’ Lucy Jones to thank.

Everyone knows that a really big earthquake is going to hit Los Angeles sooner or later. L.A. is as little as 35 miles from the San Andreas Fault, which isn’t just the longest fault in California — it’s the longest in the Lower 48. Historically, the average amount of time between quakes on the most dangerous part of the southern San Andreas is 100 to 150 years. The last one ripped through L.A. more than 300 years ago.

3 shot near high school in Portland, Oregon, police say

(CNN) -- Three student-aged people were shot Friday afternoon near a high school in Portland, Oregon, the Portland Police Department said. Two males and a female were shot near the Rosemary Anderson High School campus, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said. The victims ran inside a school building after being shot, reportedCNN affiliate KOIN. Simpson didn't say if the victims were students at the school. The victims were breathing, conscious and talking as they were transported to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Simpson told CNN. Their condition was not immediately available.

ISIS: Enslaving, having sex with 'unbelieving' women, girls is OK

(CNN) -- Can you take non-Muslim women and children captive? Yes, says ISIS. Can you have sex with them, even prepubescent girls? Yes, according to the Islamist extremist group. Can you sell them or give them as gifts to others? The answer is yes, once again. People in Mosul -- the Iraqi city now under control of the group calling itself the Islamic State -- got these and other messages loud and clear after sunset prayers Friday, when armed men handed out a color-printed pamphlet "Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves," three residents told CNN.

Cleveland police's fatal shooting of Tamir Rice ruled a Homicide

(CNN) -- The death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy who was shot last month by a Cleveland police officer who authorities say mistook the child's air gun for a real firearm, has been ruled a homicide, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said Friday. The November 22 shooting outside a Cleveland recreation center is under investigation, and Tamir's family has filed a lawsuit against two officers and the city over his death. The homicide finding indicates that Tamir was killed by the police officer, rather than dying accidentally or by natural causes or by suicide. Medical examiners' homicide findings make no comment on whether the killing constitutes a crime. 

NASA: All About That Space

Honestly, I don't really know what to think about this.