ISIS Hostage Executioner 'Jihadi John' Identified by the FBI

The man who murdered James Foley,  Steven Sotloff and David Haines has beenidentified by FBI officials.

Thus far, the executioner has been known only as "Jihadi John." He was known to intelligence officials as a hostage negotiator for a group of British ISIS fighters in Syria. He was also a guard for hostages in Raqqa. He originally hails from the United Kingdom, likely the London area, based on his accent. One of his former hostages said John is "intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings."

While the identity is now known to intelligence officials, it will not be publicly released, presumably as the military works to apprehend him. Though the man will not be named, this is a major step to taking down the terrorist network.

Black Holes Do Not Exist

No black holes? There went the plot to countless science fiction books and movies. 

By merging two seemingly conflicting theories, Laura Mersini-Houghton, a physics professor at UNC-Chapel Hill in the College of Arts and Sciences, has proven, mathematically, that black holes can never come into being in the first place. The work not only forces scientists to reimagine the fabric of space-time, but also rethink the origins of the universe.

Federal Workers Not Punished For Surfing Porn At Work

I'm not saying we all need to get jobs with the federal government but....we all need to get federal government jobs. 

An employee at the U.S. Office of the Trustee — an arm of the Justice Department charged with overseeing the integrity of the bankruptcy system — spent up to five hours a day on the job looking at pornography, visiting more than 2,500 adult websites during 2011, investigators found.

Advanced Cybersecurity at Lockheed Martin

See how our cybersecurity threat intelligence speeds response and helps governments and private enterprise mitigate security risks.

Russian military NASTY SUPPRISE in a box for US military

Soft Robot Uses Explosions to Jump

Harvard researchers have created a soft robot that uses an "explosive actuator" to propel itself. Learn more: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/ro...

This video is part of the paper "An Untethered Jumping Soft Robot," by Michael T. Tolley, Robert F. Shepherd, Michael Karpelson, Nicholas W. Bartlett, Kevin C. Galloway, Michael Wehner, Rui Nunes, George M. Whitesides, and Robert J. Wood, from Harvard University, presented at IROS 2014 in Chicago.

Video shows trooper shooting unarmed man, South Carolina police say

(CNN) -- One moment, a man reaches into his vehicle after a South Carolina trooper asked for his driver's license.
Seconds later, the trooper shoots him, and the man asks why. Days afterward, prosecutors aren't satisfied with the answer.
Authorities released dash-camera video Wednesday showing what they say is Sean Groubert, then a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, shooting Levar Jones, who was unarmed, in the parking lot of a gas station just outside Columbia on September 4.
Jones, 35, survived the shooting. But Groubert, who was fired because of the incident last week, has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony that could get him up to 20 years in prison if convicted, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday.

This Racy 'Breastaurant' Is The Fastest-Growing Food Chain In America

Twin Peaks is the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America. 

The chain, which prides itself on being a racier version of Hooters, has 57 locations, writes Devin Leonard at Bloomberg Businessweek. 

With $165 million in sales last year, it's the fastest-growing chain in the U.S., according to Leonard. 

CEO Randy DeWitt credits his attractive, young waitresses with the chain's epic success. 

Staff are vigorously judged on appearance.

A Decoy Computer Was Set Up Online. See Which Countries Attacked It the Most

If you build it, they will come. And attack.

Earlier this year, I was brainstorming with Greg Martin, the founder and chief technical officer of ThreatStream, a Google Ventures-backed security startup, about finding a way to show the global nature of attacks against industrial-control systems used in electrical grids, water systems and manufacturing plants. For obvious reasons, attacks against critical infrastructure are among the biggest concerns in cyber-security.

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce resignation - Sept. 25, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- Attorney General Eric Holder will announce Thursday that he will resign after six years at the Justice Department helm. The attorney general has agreed to remain in his post until the confirmation of his successor, a Justice Department official confirmed to CNN.
At a formal announcement later Thursday, Holder plans to express his personal gratitude to President Barack Obama for the opportunity to serve in his administration and to lead the Justice Department, which he will call the "greatest honor of my professional life."
Obama will address Holder's resignation Thursday afternoon from the White House State Room.
An Obama administration official noted some of Holder's accomplishments, saying the attorney general established a historic legacy of civil rights enforcement and restored fairness to the criminal justice system. "He revitalized the Justice Department's praised Civil Rights Division, protected the rights of the LGBT community, successfully prosecuted terrorists, and fought tirelessly for voting rights, to name a few," the official said.

Water discovered on Neptune-sized planet outside our solar system

Scientists found water vapor on a Neptune-sized planet 124 light years away from Earth, the first time an exoplanet smaller than Jupiter has been found with water. Their results are published in the journal Nature.

Cop's Tip For Not Getting Raped By A Cop: 'Don't Get Pulled Over'

In response to the arrests of three law enforcement officials in Oklahoma for sexually assaulting women while on the job, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper told women they can avoid getting raped by a cop if they simply follow traffic laws.

Raw Story first pointed out on Tuesday that Capt. George Brown, a state trooper, shared a few tips for women in an interview with local NBC News affiliate KJRH. Brown told the KJRH anchor that women can keep their car doors locked and speak through a cracked window if a trooper approaches them. If the trooper asks a woman to get out of the car, Brown said, she can ask "in a polite way" why he wants her to do that.

These 10 Vehicles Have Been Deemed the Deadliest on the Road

It takes years for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to compile and organize the statistics for crash deaths and the vehicles in which drivers met their end. However, the latest report tracked model-year automobiles up to 2008, allowing the IIHS to deliver stats that included traffic accident data through 2009 .

The auto safety agency ran the numbers on all vehicles with 100,000 registrations or more between 2006 and 2009, counting only the deaths of the driver (not passengers) in their statistics. In the end, the IIHS calculated a ratio of “driver death per million registered vehicles.” Needless to say, drivers shopping for used vehicles more than four years old would be advised to check the list, which we’ve laid out for your perusal below.

Here are the 10 vehicles that involved the highest number of deaths per million registrations.

Source: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

10. Chevy Colorado Extended Cab

Store Pulls 'It's Not Rape It's a Snuggle With a Struggle' T-Shirt (But You Can Still Buy It Online)

A department store in the Philippines was selling a brown T-shirt reading, “It’s Not Rape It’s a Snuggle With a Struggle,” with two hands forming the shape of a heart in the middle. But after the photo went viral, the product was pulled from the retailer’s shelves.

An in-depth examination of the bending iPhone 6 Plus

The biggest controversy surrounding the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus isn’t their size, their software or their displays — it’s their unfortunate tendency to bend under pressure. The Internet went into an uproar this week when early adopters began complaining that their phones had begun to warp after sitting in their pockets over the weekend. Everything came to a head when a “bend test” video showed the iPhone 6 Plus being bent by hand.

DON’T MISS: ‘Bend but don’t break’ is a weak defense for the iPhone 6 Plus

But before you join the angry mob, it’s worth taking a step back and attempting to understand the issue at hand. Dr. Raymond Soniera, President of DisplayMate, has taken a more educational approach to what is quickly becoming a scandal even more potent than the antenna deficiencies Apple had to deal with during the launch of the iPhone 4.

Alibaba surges in trading debut

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's (BABA.N) shares soared 38 percent in their first day of trading on Friday as investors jumped at the chance for a piece of what is likely to rank as the largest IPO in history, in a massive bet on China's burgeoning middle class.

It was an auspicious debut for the Chinese e-commerce company, which was founded by Jack Ma in his apartment in 1999 and now accounts for 80 percent of online sales in China.

Bikinis, fire tunnels and massive trophy-truck jumps: "Recoil 2" has everything

From the same Ken Block-related creative team that sent him hooning around a San Francisco streetcar comes "Recoil 2," a stunt video featuring off-road champion racer "Ballistic" B.J. Baldwin, his 850-hp Chevy trophy truck, several bikini models and what seems to be most of the streets in Ensenada, Mexico. The choice of location makes perfect sense, because most of the massive jumps Baldwin makes here would be instant lawsuit fodder in the United States. And if you've ever wondered how a Baja-ready race truck with 39-inch tires would leap through a skate park, this would be the definitive answer. LINK

The history of the Predator, the drone that changed the world

Longtime Pentagon correspondent Richard Whittle investigated the unmanned aircraft that gave the military the ability to attack targets from the other side of the world. He talked to CNET about the drone.
These days, the word drone is used to refer to just about any kind of remote-controlled, unmanned aircraft. That could mean a consumer-grade quadcopter or a slightly more advanced octocopter.

It seems like an insane gamble: Spend millions upon millions of your personal fortune to build a house that's so off-the-charts indulgent -- $200,000 "candy wall"; $1 million-plus security system; quarter-million-dollar sculptures, plural -- that the Los Angeles Times doesn't feel too hyperbolic in a headline declaring it "L.A.'s most extreme home."

Nvidia sinks moon landing hoax using virtual light

Using its new top-shelf graphics processing unit, Nvidia tackles one of the most persistent conspiracy theories in American history: the veracity of the 1969 to 1972 Apollo moon landings.

Few events in US history inspire a paranoiac bent on unearthing political conspiracy theories quite like the Apollo moon landings do. So when Nvidia, the leader in high-end graphics processing units (GPUs) for PC gaming, wanted to show off a lighting feature of its new GeForce GTX 970 and 980 cards, it found its inspiration in the sky.

Zumwalt: The Navy's massive, high-tech destroyer is here

Big ship, low profile

The absence of high-profile masts and rotating antennas, combined with a composite-material deckhouse, means the Zumwalt-class destroyer will be extremely low profile.
Water sleeting along the sides, along with passive cool air induction, also reduce signature thermal emissions, and although it's almost 40 percent larger than a current Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the radar signature will be more like that of a simple fishing boat than a menacing military machine. LINK

The population of the internet, in one map

How big is the internet? This map from the Oxford Internet Institute shows where the world's internet users live:

This is a cartogram, a map in which the area of each country is proportional to its online population, based on 2011 data. So countries with large land areas but small populations — like Canada and Russia — appear shrunken, while dense, well-connected areas like South Korea and Belgium appear larger than life.

National Videogame Museum Finds A Home In Frisco, Texas

The Videogame History Museum has found a home in Frisco, Texas. According to the report the museum should be ready by April.

The Frisco Community Development Corporation board in Frisco, Texas, has approved a deal that grants the nonprofit museum a 10,400 square foot space in the Frisco Discovery Center. Frisco will spend up to $800,000 for building improvements and extra parking, with $100,000 donations (that the museum matched with raised funds) from the CDC and Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau contributed to help with startup costs.

Where To Find The GTX 980 & GTX 970 For Sale

After reading our evaluation of the GeForce GTX 980, a bunch of you guys wanted to know where you could find one for sale. The answer? This forum thread has a TON of links to several brands of the GeForce GTX 980 and the GeForce GTX 970 video cards from various retailers. Hit the link to find what you are looking for.

Bungie Leaving Disconnected Destiny Players Stranded

This is just ridiculous.You'd think Bungie would shell out some of that $325 million it made already to go towards tech support.

There's a reason for that: Bungie launched its "shared world shooter" without much of a customer support structure in place. Eight days after launch, users who haven't been able to connect—including one of Ars Technica's own contributors, who still can't get online with an Xbox 360 copy of the game—have exhausted all of the suggestions listed at help.bungie.net. At that point, those users are directed to visit Bungie's forums, "staffed by community mentors who are here to help you."

Chin Strap That Harvests Energy From Chewing

Technology gone wrong or brilliant idea of the day? Your call.

All you have to do is chew and talk and grind your jaw as per your usual doses of coffee and 5-Hour Energy, and the device provides tiny bits of juice that might be used to power hearing aids, wearable electronics, or some so-far unrealized implantable device of the cyborg future.

Kickstarter Updates Its Terms Of Use

Kickstarter has updated its terms of use page to outline what creators must do to satisfy backers in the event that they are unable to complete their project.

Teen critical from stun gun; FBI investigates case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Doctors were trying Tuesday to awaken a suburban Kansas City teenager who was put in a medically induced coma after a police officer critically injured him with a stun gun in an incident the FBI is investigating.

Bryce Masters, 17, of Independence, is being treated for a lack of oxygen to the brain that occurred when his heart stopped after he was shocked Sunday afternoon, his family members said Tuesday in a statement released through their attorney, Daniel Haus.

Haus said the family contacted the FBI's Kansas City office, which is now looking into whether excessive force was used during the traffic stop. Masters' father is a Kansas City police officer, but FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said Tuesday that the case isn't being given special treatment because of that.

IBM cuts pay for workers who don't keep up: Report

IBM (IBM) is slashing the salaries of some of its employees for not keeping their skill set sharpened, according to a report from ComputerWorld.

Oracle’s Larry Ellison Steps Down as CEO While Taking New Role as Chairman

Oracle Corp.'s Larry Ellison stepped down as chief executive officer of the software maker he founded, making way for a new generation of executives and ending one of the most profitable runs for a leader in business history.

Mark Hurd and Safra Catz, currently co-presidents of Oracle, were both named CEO to replace Ellison, the company said today. Hurd will run sales, marketing and strategy, while Catz will remain chief financial officer and oversee legal and manufacturing operations. Ellison will become chairman, replacing Jeff Henley, and also take on the title of chief technology officer.

New Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Trailer

There is a new Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel trailer out today. If this doesn't make you want to pre-order the game, I don't know what will. VIDEO

Alibaba is a phenom — just not in America

American investors will clamor for a piece of the action this week when Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA) holds its highly anticipated initial public offering. Yet even though the firm will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Alibaba is unknown to most Americans, and a huge splash in financial markets won’t necessarily raise the company’s profile on Main Street.

[Yahoo Finance's parent company, Yahoo, has a 22.6% ownership stake in Alibaba and stands to profit from the IPO.]

Alibaba, which could end up being the biggest IPO of all time, is often compared with Amazon (AMZN) and considered by some to be a major threat to the huge American e-tailer. But while Alibaba has ambitions in the United States — and a lot of cash to invest, following the IPO — its main focus seems to be dominating the market in China and other developing nations, which are far from mature. “There’s so much more they can do in China,” says Jeff Walters, a partner with the Boston Consulting Group who focuses on the Chinese consumer market. “I don’t doubt they have ambitions in the United States, but it’s hard to see a master plan beyond just getting a feel for the market.”

A white-hot IPO

The time for the Galaxy S6 is now

The new iPhone is here and it’s amazing. The new Moto X is here and it’s brilliant. But where’s Samsung? The Korean company that still sells the most smartphones worldwide seems to be off in the corner, doodling on its Galaxy Note 4 and muttering under its breath about how it invented the big-screen smartphone. Samsung can feel justifiably proud for showing the way, but its lead has been undermined by its American competitors who can now claim to have the two best phones on the market. A response is called for, and it must be something more substantial than sharp-tongued ads, it should be something corporeal that people can buy. A Galaxy S6, perhaps.

Correction: Police Shooting-Missouri-Timeline

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — In stories before and on Aug. 25 about the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson, The Associated Press, relying on information from authorities, erroneously reported that Wilson had served two years as an officer in Jennings, Missouri, before serving for four years in Ferguson. Records show Wilson served almost two years in Jennings and just less than three years in Ferguson before the shooting.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Key events following the death of Michael Brown

Timeline of events following fatal shooting of Michael Brown in St. Louis suburb of Ferguson

By The Associated Press

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — A timeline of key events following the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.

Apple No Longer Unlocking iPhones For Police, Search Warrant Or Not

For a second there, it sounded like Apple was saying the it can't figure out how to bypass your passcode. I'm sure that's not the case.

"Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data," Apple said on its Web site. "So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8."

‘Django Unchained’ Actress Daniele Watts Under Scrutiny: Her Credibility Is Going to Be in the Toilet

“Django Unchained” actress Daniele Watts wasn't off base when she said African-Americans are frequently profiled by police officers, according to a college professor specializing in race relations in America. But Watts’ insistence that she did “nothing wrong” is being called into question.

“She has tapped into a general complaint and a complaint that has legitimacy,” Dr. David Horne, acting chair of the Department of Africana Studies at California State University Northridge, told TheWrap on Wednesday.

But Horne added if Watts’ insistence that she was not having sex on a public street turns out to be untrue, “Her own credibility is now going to be in the toilet.”

Also read: ‘Django Unchained’ Actress Claims She Was Detained by LAPD, Mistaken for Prostitute

Consumer Reports finds Chinese tire brands are no bargain

With prices starting at just $89, less than half the cost of better-known models, tires from China may seem like an irresistible deal. That’s why, for the first time, Consumer Reports included a few Chinese brands in our latest tests: Geostar, Pegasus, and Sunny.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II

Proponents of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been trying, for years, to retire the A-10 “Warthog” and replace it with the former. The A-10 excels at close-air support, and critics worry that a “Swiss Army Knife” like the F-35 — a jack of all trades and master of none — is a poor replacement. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur)

GM reins in sale of Chevrolet Corvettes due to issues

DETROIT (Reuters) - Auto dealers were told to stop selling the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette and shipments were delayed from the General Motors plant that makes the hot-selling sports car while the company addresses two issues, GM said Friday.

A public recall of the car wasn't issued, said GM, which didn't say if a recall later would be necessary.

Witness: Michael Brown was 'walking dead guy,' not rushing Ferguson officer

In sad twist, contractor says slain teen encouraged him shortly before tragedy.
An unresolved question in the controversial shooting death of Michael Brown is whether or not the unarmed teen may have charged at Ferguson officer Darren Wilson, giving the policeman reasonable fear to fire a barrage of fatal shots.

But new comments made by eyewitness to CNN, claim the 18-year-old only stumbled toward Wilson after being struck by gunshots fired while the officer was chasing him.

Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson and shooting victim Michael Brown. (Facebook/AP Photo)
Brown “staggered dead after the second shot, 20-25 feet, to the ground,” the unidentified witness told CNN. “He was like a walking dead guy.”

Ethan Hawke Still Chases the 'Thrill' of Robin Williams Scene

Ethan Hawke took time out from the Toronto International Film Festival Thursday to remember his mentor, the late Robin Williams.

Prompted by a question from CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, the 43-year-old actor said, “First off, I feel there is an immediate sadness that is pervasive in the whole community when somebody who made all of us so happy reveals themselves to have been in tremendous personal pain. The happiness wasn’t reciprocal — that we didn’t make him happy.”

Hawke, went on to share that Williams, who died one month ago, got him his first agent (who remains with Hawke to this day). Williams made the call and recommended Hawke. “I owe that to him. That’s how I got White Fang.”

Is it a crime to raise a killer?

A tragedy in New Jersey raises questions about where parental responsibility ends when a child becomes a murderer.

Anthony Pasquale stops to visit his daughter at the Cedar Green Cemetery every morning, then returns once or twice more during the day. He sits on the small white bench and faces the polished granite headstone, etched with a hologram of Autumn on one side and the things she loved on the other — bicycles, soccer balls, cheerleading, skateboards.

From where he sits he can see the middle school, where his 12-year-old girl was a student, and next to that the high school, where the 15-year-old boy who killed her was one, too. When school is in session, Pasquale has even glimpsed a classmate peering out of the ground-floor science-lab windows, which look directly onto Autumn’s grave.

That’s how things work in a small town like Clayton, New Jersey, where everyone knows everyone else, where lives and stories intertwine. “Because it’s a small town — that’s why we live here,“ says Anthony Pasquale. But it was also why Autumn died.

“She trusted him because she thought everyone was raised the way she was,” he says of her attacker. “That everyone could be trusted. That all parents taught kids right from wrong.”

Ferrari F80 Supercar Concept

Most automotive enthusiasts are always looking for the next big thing, and Italian designer Adriano Raeli is no exception. Although Ferrari debuted their LaFerrari not too long ago, Raeli thought it was due time to pull the curtain back on his Ferrari F80 Supercar.

When fast cars and fire are the topic of conversation, the Jaguar F-Type isn’t a common name to drop. In fact, it’s downright rare. But this particular F-Type experienced some sort of dramatic malfunction that resulted in its total demise on a section of the German autobahn last week.

First Lamborghini Huracán Crash Results In Nothing But Ashes

Two men are lucky to be alive after a Lamborghini Huracán they were in suffered a violent crash. The crash took place late last week on the M7 motorway in Hungary and is believed to be the first major accident involving Lamborghini’s all-new Huracán.

Chrome Lamborghini Crashes Into Jeep Wrangler In Michigan: Gallery (Updated)

This is what it looks like when a chrome-wrapped Gallardo crashes into a Jeep Wrangler. As you might guess, the Lamborghini suffers more than the Jeep.

Stop-Sale Order Issued For 2015 Chevrolet Corvette

There appears no end to General Motors Company’s [NYSE:GM] recall woes, with the automaker this week announcing two more, this time for the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette that has only just gone on sale. About 2,800 cars are affected though very few of these have actually been delivered to customers.

Could Gold Apple Watch Cost $5,000?

Are you a half-wit with a klutzy Rolexy lump of gold on your wrist? Maybe a $5,000 Apple watch will make you cooler.

It's a persuasive concept, one that makes your standard Rolexy thing a klutzy lump of gold that can merely tell the time and make you look like something of a exhibitionist half-wit. However, if you want your artistic creation to seem valuable, you have to price it as such. So Gruber wagers that the stainless steel Apple watch will start at around $999. The Edition, however, he places at $4,999.

Oklahoma police say McCaskill wrong on extreme militarization example

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, singled out a small sheriff’s department in Oklahoma as an extreme example of the over-militarization of local police forces in a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

“I want to make sure we are clear about how out of control some of this is,” an outraged McCaskill said at the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Pentagon’s 1033 program, which has given billions of dollars of excess military equipment to local police over the past two decades. “In Dr. Coburn’s state, the sheriff’s office has one full-time sworn officer. One. They have gotten two MRAPs since 2011.”

Fastest woman on a motorcycle hits 241 mph with electricity instead of gas - Eva Håkansson

When the first self-powered vehicles appeared on roads in the late 19th century, they were as likely to use electricity for power as they were gas, steam or any other fuel. The lack of progress in batteries, and the steady march of fossil-fuel burning engines, knocked them off of the streets for about 100 years. But if you need more proof that the era of electrics may rise again, look to how the fastest woman on a motorcycle shattered records at Bonneville with a battery-powered bike.

Snowden: NSA collects mass data on New Zealanders

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Former National Security Agency systems analyst turned leaker Edward Snowden said Monday that the NSA is collecting mass surveillance data on New Zealanders through its XKeyscore program and has set up a facility in the South Pacific nation's largest city to tap into vast amounts of data.

Snowden talked via video link from Russia to hundreds of people at Auckland's Town Hall.

Shortly before he spoke, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key issued a statement saying New Zealand's spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau, or GCSB, has never undertaken mass surveillance of its own people. Key said he declassified previously secret documents that proved his point.

"Regarding XKeyscore, we don't discuss the specific programs the GCSB may or may not use," Key said. "But the GCSB does not collect mass metadata on New Zealanders, therefore it is clearly not contributing such data to anything or anyone."

Gas production blamed for rise in Colorado, New Mexico quakes

DENVER (Reuters) - The deep injection of wastewater underground by energy companies during methane gas extraction has caused a dramatic rise in the number of earthquakes in Colorado and New Mexico since 2001, U.S. government scientists said in a study released on Monday.

The study by U.S. Geological Survey researchers is the latest to link energy production methods to an increase in quakes in regions where those techniques are used.

Energy companies began producing coal-bed methane in Colorado in 1994, then in New Mexico five years later. The process creates large amounts of wastewater, which is pumped into sub-surface disposal wells.

Wildfires rage in California drought, hundreds forced to flee

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Crews were battling about a dozen major wildfires across California on Tuesday that have forced thousands of people to flee, damaged or destroyed more than 100 buildings, and charred thousands of acres of drought-stricken forest.

Three years of drought in the most populous U.S. state has forced farmers to let fields lie fallow and left communities reliant on well water, with bone-dry brush fueling wildfires in temperatures of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).

Alibaba 101: The biggest IPO of all time

A new star in the tech world is forming right before our eyes.
Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, is poised to raise more money in its IPO than Facebook or Visa did. It could generate an eye-popping $25 billion when it begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange -- likely at the end of this week.

KOOTRA SWATTED FULL VIDEO" "Member of Creatures" "Littleton Swatt video" "The creatures swatted"

A member of the creatures was livestreaming and got swatted the police stormed in the room and thew him to the ground. Taking his phone etc. Please leave a comment below on what you think. There is going to be an INTERVIEW going up soon I will upload that aswell so please subscribe and stay tuned for that.
The INTERVIEW kootra did the next day about the swatting incident.

Gamers Use 911 Prank Called ‘Swatting’ to Lash Out at Online Opponents

The calls to 911 raised an instant alarm: One caller said he shot his co-workers at a Colorado video game company and had hostages. Another in Florida said her father was drunk, wielding a machine gun and threatening their family. A third caller on New York’s Long Island claimed to have killed his mother and threatened to shoot first responders.

In each case, SWAT teams dispatched to the scene found no violent criminals or wounded victims — only video game players sitting at their computers, the startled victims of a hoax known as “swatting.”

Parents put baby at risk atop Pulpit Rock

Infant was placed near the edge of a 1,982-foot cliff to get a photo at one of Norway’s most popular attractions; is a protective fence needed?

One of the most-visited and most-photographed attractions in Norway is Pulpit Rock, a flat-topped cliff that overlooks Lysefjord and features a dangerous viewpoint where visitors inch near the edge for breathtaking photos.

Vikings message board shuts down, disgusted by both team and fans

When you've lost the fans, you've lost. And by that standard, the Minnesota Vikings are in trouble.

VikingsMessageBoard.com, a longtime board devoted to discussion of the Minnesota Vikings, has shut down forever because of its owners' disgust with the burgeoning Adrian Peterson scandal. And oh, are there plenty of people to be disgusted at. Sure, there's Peterson himself, indicted on charges of child abuse. But the proprietors of the message board also offered the following note, via SB Nation:

Vikings Message Board has been shut down permanently. It will not return. There are two primary reasons.

Canon Printer Hacked To Run Doom

What's the best way to demonstrate security problems on your printer? Hack it to run Doom. Check out the video below:

A wireless Canon Pixma printer has been hacked to run classic video game Doom. The hack was carried out by security researcher Michael Jordon, and it took four months to get the game running on the hardware.

The Disappointing Design of Apple’s New Gadgets

Wired seems less than impressed with the design of Apple’s new gadgets.

Is Apple leading from behind, or refusing to lead? Samsung or LG are trying hard to bend and morph screens to fit humans, and Sharp developed a truly zero-border screen with the Aquos Crystal… why won’t Apple?

$2.5B Minecraft Deal With Microsoft Confirmed

After a week of rumors and speculation, it is now official, Microsoft is buying Mojang for $2.5 billion. As part of the deal, Mojang's founders are leaving the company, presumably to have fun spending all that money.

As you might already know, Notch is the creator of Minecraft and the majority shareholder at Mojang. He’s decided that he doesn’t want the responsibility of owning a company of such global significance. Over the past few years he’s made attempts to work on smaller projects, but the pressure of owning Minecraft became too much for him to handle. The only option was to sell Mojang. He’ll continue to do cool stuff though. Don’t worry about that.

LINK

How An American F-16 Pilot Was Given A Kamikaze Mission On Sept. 11

One of the first two U.S. combat pilots in the air on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 took off from Andrews Air Force Base in an F-16 with a mission to bring down United Flight 93 — and without any missiles or ammunition.

“We wouldn’t be shooting it down. We’d be ramming the aircraft,” Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney said describing her orders to The Washington Post. “I would essentially be a kamikaze pilot.”

The fourth recently identified hijacked plane appeared to be on a heading for Washington, and there was no time to arm the base’s fighter aircraft before Penney and her commanding officer took off to intercept the rogue Boeing 757 passenger plane.

Alien Isolation Recommended PC Specs

The Alien Isolation website has listed the minimum and recommended PC specs for the game. Overall the system requirements look pretty tame:
Minimum PC Specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 7 (32bit)
• Processor: 3.16Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
• RAM: 4GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 35GB required for installation
• Video Card: 1GB DirectX® 11 (AMD Radeon HD 5550 or Nvidia GeForce GT 430)
• Broadband Internet Connection

Recommended PC Specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 7 (64bit)
• Processor: AMD: Phenom II X4 955 – 4 Core, 3.2 GHz or INTEL: Core 2 Quad Q9650 – 4 Core, 3.0 Ghz
• RAM: 8GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 35GB required for installation
• Video Card: 2GB DirectX® 11 (AMD GPU: AMD Radeon R9 200 Series or Nvidia gpu: GeForce GTX660)
• Broadband Internet Connection

Amazon Eliminates Person-to-Person Payments

Amazon sent out an e-mail today to all active Amazon Payment account holders that says, starting October 13th, the company is eliminating person-to-person payments.

Additionally, we have updated the terms and conditions of our User Agreement that apply to your use of the products and services provided by Amazon Payments. Our updated User Agreement revises certain terms (including, among other things, the elimination of person-to-person payments). Our new User Agreement will become effective on October 13, 2014, which is more than 30 days from when we first posted our updated User Agreement. By continuing to use our services after October 13, 2014, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms and conditions of our new User Agreement.

Explore The Pyramids Of Giza With Google Maps

Want to see the pyramids without having to put up with all the heat and sand? Google Maps has you covered.

Russia successfully tests nuclear missile, more planned - navy chief

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia carried out a successful test of its new Bulava intercontinental nuclear missile on Wednesday and will perform two more test launches in October and November, the head of its naval forces said.

iPhone 6 vs. the world: Here’s how Apple’s new iPhones compare to rival phones

 Apple finally unveiled its next-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones on Tuesday during its huge press conference at the Flint Center in California, and not a soul in the building was surprised. Thanks to months of leaks, we knew nearly every single detail about Apple’s new iPhone lineup long before it was unveiled. Despite the lack of surprise, however, everyone in the building seemed to be impressed by Apple’s sleek new smartphones, and it looks like we could be marching toward a record launch yet again.

The new Batmobile from 'Batman v. Superman' has been fully revealed

Zack Snyder gave us a gritty, black-and-white glimpse of the new Batmobile back in May, and now, thanks to some people on Instagram who happen to be near the shoot, we're now starting to get a good look at the entire vehicle. The new photos show Batman v. Superman's Batmobile parked against the side of the road — where it's clearly a lot bigger than the average car. It looks like it's been covered in dirt, but you can still get a good look at the vehicle's general outline and questionable approach to aerodynamics. Perhaps most notable are the Batmobile's doors, which open upward, almost like wings.

Here's Why The Pentagon Wants Less Armor On The Next Generation Of Military Vehicles

The Pentagon wants next-generation armored vehicles that are more mobile, maneuverable and survivable — but without more armor.
In September, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will host a proposer’s day to give potential contractors a more clear idea of what the Defense Department wants in its Ground X-Vehicle Technologies program.
“GXV-T’s goal is not just to improve or replace one particular vehicle — it’s about breaking the ‘more armor’ paradigm and revolutionizing protection for all armored fighting vehicles,” Kevin Massey, DARPA program manager, said in an Aug. 18 press release.
Historically, militaries and industry have responded to improved or more lethal attacks on its armored vehicles by adding more armor. But armor-piercing weapons technology has pretty much taken the day in that competition, advancing faster than industry’s ability to come up with armor to withstand penetration, Massey said.

Soldier dies after shooting herself in Virginia

FORT LEE, Va. (AP) — An enraged soldier barricaded herself in a building at a Virginia Army base, threw objects around the office and then fatally shot herself in the head Monday as law enforcement officials tried to negotiate with her, authorities said.

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2. [$$] Soldier Who Shot Herself at Fort Lee Pronounced Dead The Wall Street Journal
3. Fort Lee shooter turns gun on self, but reasons behind rage unclear Christian Science Monitor
4. US soldier turns gun on herself at Virginia base AFP
5. Shooter at U.S. Army base in Virginia kills herself, sparks lockdown Reuters

The soldier, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead after being taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, according to a news release issued by Fort Lee, where the Monday morning shooting took place. No other injuries were reported.

The Online Careers You Never Knew Existed

Wait a minute, people don't really have jobs on the internet, do they? Who would pay someone to sit around all day doing "stuff" on the internet?

Next time you ask, ‘And what do you do?’, you might be surprised by the response. Ethical hackers, Pinterest consultants and troll hunters are all stepping out from behind the screens and into the mainstream world of work.

Police kill TV crew member filming reality show 'Cops'

Washington (AFP) - The filming of the reality show "Cops" turned deadly when US police firing on a man suspected of robbing a restaurant hit a TV sound man and killed him, police said.

The suspect, later found to have a pistol that fired pellets, was also killed in the incident in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday night.
The audio technician was named as Bryce Dion, 38, and his death is believed to be the first in the 25-year history of the show, one of the first American reality programs, US media said.
In "Cops", TV crews embed with the police and film them in action.
Omaha police chief Todd Schmaderer said Dion was in the vestibule of a Wendy's fast food restaurant as the suspect, identified as Cortez Washington, came out firing his pellet gun.

Experimental U.S. Hypersonic weapon destroyed seconds after launch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A hypersonic weapon being developed by the U.S. military was destroyed four seconds after its launch from a test range in Alaska early on Monday after controllers detected a problem with the system, the Pentagon said.

The weapon is part of a program to create a missile that will destroy targets anywhere on Earth within an hour of getting data and permission to launch.

Microsoft Bids $2 Billion for Minecraft

And it's Wednesday. September 10 Wall Street is open for business in today's big number is two billion dollars that's how much Microsoft. Reportedly paying at least.
By the company behind -- craft a wildly popular video game that has sold fifty million copies since its introduction. In 2009. Joining me to explain why Lauren -- of Yahoo!
finance good morning Lauren for those of us older than seventeen X the popularity of -- craft my my son plays at. OK did you might actually be authentic to speak about the popularity and I can't -- -- this sounds about right to use so. And basically one of the reasons this is so popular is because an open ended possibilities to build things in a legal like world wears on meat and -- are also there to attack -- and get you.
I. Basically its one of these games eight people will watch videos on YouTube of people playing. Tickets haven't billion -- -- -- and a billion views.VIDEO

FBI issues warning about creative Google searches

A memo dated July 7, issued by the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center, warns law enforcement and private security agencies about the practice of Google Dorking (or Google Hacking if you prefer) and what can be done about it.

Video of Possible UFO Recorded by Pennsylvania Woman

A Pennsylvania woman who captured what she insists was an unidentified flying object on her cell phone camera says she is “scared to death now.”

A couple police officers also say they saw the UFO that night.
Stephanie Wilkerson says she was relaxing on her porch in Lower Paxton Township, Pa., Monday night when she spotted an object in the night sky.
“I thought it was a plane until I realized it wasn’t moving,” Wilkerson told ABC News. “I watched it for about 20 minutes and I started noticing it changing colors.”

Can levitating appliances take off?

Make, Create, Innovate is a science and technology series that tells the stories behind the inventions and technological breakthroughs that are reshaping our world.

(CNN) -- Ger Jansen is puzzling about how to fit a windshield. His problem is not installing it in a car, but hanging the glass in thin air and keeping it hovering for a prolonged display.

This is a fairly typical challenge for the Dutch engineer, who along with his daughter Angela runs Crealev, a leading levitation design firm. The mysterious art of floating has been largely confined to ultra-specialist industry applications and magician tricks, but the Jansens have developed a repertoire for any occasion; from lifting a model's top hat for a fashion shoot to a giant rock in a striking art display. They have given sneakers air for Nike, and produced a range of self-suspending lamps for the home.

These are all given flight by patented modules that induce magnetic levitation. The kit is comprised of two parts: a magnetic disc that can be integrated into the chosen object, and a base containing sensors that pin it in space. The latest and most heavy-duty module can support up to 10 kilograms to a height of nine centimeters, but bespoke services are available for unlimited height and weight.

ISIS an 'Incredible' Fighting Force, US Special Ops Sources Say

With the Obama White House left reeling from the "savage" slaughter of an American journalist held hostage by ISIS terrorists, military options are being considered against an adversary who officials say is growing in strength and is much more capable than the one faced when the group was called "al Qaeda-Iraq" during the U.S. war from 2003-2011.

ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been making a "tactical withdrawal" in recent days in the face of withering U.S. airstrikes from areas around Erbil in northern Iraq and from the major dam just north of Mosul it controlled for two nail-biting weeks, according to military officials monitoring their movements.
"These guys aren't just bugging out, they're tactically withdrawing. Very professional, well trained, motivated and equipped. They operate like a state with a military," said one official who tracks ISIS closely. "These aren't the same guys we fought in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) who would just scatter when you dropped a bomb near them."

Snowden Coverage: If U.S. Mass Media Were State-Controlled, Would They Look Any Different?

The Edward Snowden leaks have revealed a U.S. corporate media system at war with independent journalism. Many of the same outlets -- especially TV news -- that missed the Wall Street meltdown and cheer-led the Iraq invasion have come to resemble state-controlled media outlets in their near-total identification with the government as it pursues the now 30-year-old whistleblower.
While an independent journalism system would be dissecting the impacts of NSA surveillance on privacy rights, and separating fact from fiction, U.S. news networks have obsessed on questions like: How much damage has Snowden caused? How can he be brought to justice?
Unfazed by polls showing that half of the American rabble -- I mean, public -- believe Snowden did a good thing by leaking documentation of NSA spying, TV news panels have usually excluded anyone who speaks for these millions of Americans. Although TV hosts and most panelists are not government officials, some have a penchant for speaking of the government with the pronoun "We."

Koenigsegg Agera R Crashes on the Nurburgring

Supercar companies spend a lot of time testing their vehicles, and with so much time and effort being put into testing, accidents are bound to happen. Some involve minor mishaps that are taken care of immediately, while other take a little more time to fix. However, there are accidents that nobody wants to happen and usually these are the types that end with somebody getting hurt.

Ferrari chairman resigns after spat with Marchionne

Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has announced his resignation following an apparent dispute with Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne.

The executive initially worked with the prancing horse marque as a lieutenant to Enzo Ferrari in the '70s, before eventually taking the helm in 1991 after the founder's death.

Rare muscle cars seized by government to sell in "Blood Money" auction

David Nicoll's collection of vintage muscle cars is impressive, but the means in which he acquired them is not. Nicoll served as president of New Jersey's Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services (BLS) and faces up to 22 years in prison for pleading guilty to charges of bribery. For seven years, Nicoll paid physicians to send their patients to him for unnecessary blood tests, and then charged insurers for the cost. The FBI says Nicoll received $33 million from the scheme, with a total of $100 million in revenue going to the BLS.

Hacker Breached HealthCare.gov Insurance Site

The good news: Investigators found no evidence that consumers’ personal data was taken during the breach. The bad news: We have to take the word of the same people that didn't even know the site was breached until last week. 

A hacker broke into part of the HealthCare.gov insurance enrollment website in July and uploaded malicious software, according to federal officials. Investigators found no evidence that consumers’ personal data was taken in the breach, federal officials said. The hacker appears only to have accessed a server used to test code for HealthCare.gov. The Department of Health and Human Services discovered the attack last week.