Megaupload has asked a federal court in Virginia to postpone its legal battles with the MPAA and RIAA while the criminal proceedings remain pending. The movie studios and recording labels haven't objected to the request which means that it will take at least six more months before the civil cases begin.
MPAA and RIAA’s Megaupload Lawsuits Delayed Until 2016
It's been almost four years since this all started, what's another six months going to hurt?
Apple Moves Forward With Data Center Expansion Plans
Apparently Apple is moving forward with its plans for total world domination. Whoops, pardon me, I meant "data center expansion plans." 
Back in April 2015, Apple filed an application with the County Court responsible for the area including their Prineville Oregon data center, to expand their existing data center operation by adding two additional data halls -- or, as Apple calls them in its own non-standard terminology, pods. While the application has not yet been approved, the company has moved forward by purchasing 200 acres of land directly adjacent to their existing 159 acre Prineville data center campus.
NVIDIA Introduces GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming Service
NVIDIA has taken the wraps of its new GeForce NOW cloud gaming service. With a library of over 50 games at launch, the service will cost $7.99 per month with the first three months free.
GeForce NOW is the first cloud-gaming service to stream at full high-definition 1080p quality and at 60 frames per second. Membership costs just $7.99 a month with the first three months free. GeForce NOW arrives on Oct. 1 in North America, the European Union and Japan with more than 50 popular games included. And it offers members the option to buy and play many more in an instant.
Make $1000 A Week Standing In Line
A thousand bucks a week to stand in line for stuff like iPhones, product launches and other stuff isn't half bad.
Samuel recently spent 48 hours outside the Apple store in the Meatpacking District waiting for the iPhone 6s. He was the first in line, slept in a fold-up cot for two nights, had pizza delivered to his spot and snagged $1000 for the gig
Yahoo's Latest Transparency Report
Yahoo published its fifth transparency report today. Aside from requests to take down images "promoting terrorism" on Flickr in the UK, the rest of the report is business as usual.
We carefully scrutinize each request to make sure that it complies with the law, and we push back on those requests that don’t satisfy our rigorous standards. When we are compelled to disclose data, consistent with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests, we disclose only as much data as is necessary to comply with the request.
What Shape Is The Internet?
What shape is the internet? According to these patent drawings, no one really knows. These are some of my favorites:
Microsoft Ditches Bing For Baidu In China
Whoa! Microsoft ditching Bing in favor of Baidu in China? I never thought I'd see that happen. They must really want Windows 10 to do well over there. 
Today, we’re excited to announce another partnership with a leader in China – Baidu. With over 600 million active users, Baidu is one of the most frequently used Internet gateways in China. Together, we will make it easy for Baidu customers to upgrade to Windows 10 and we will deliver a custom experience for customers in China, providing local browsing and search experiences. Baidu.com will become the default homepage and search for the Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 10.
Netflix Knows Exactly When You Got Hooked
Netflix says that they have us all figured out. I don't know how they know what gets us hooked but you have to admit, they are doing something right.
It turns out that when commercial breaks and appointment viewing are stripped away and consumers can watch an entire season as they choose, you can see fandom emerge. That is, 70% of viewers who watched the hooked episode went on to complete season one or more poetically, when members were hooked and there was no turning back.
FBI Arrests Chinese Millionaire Once Tied to Clinton $$ Scandal
The FBI has arrested a politically prominent Chinese millionaire, the alleged secret source of foreign money in a campaign finance scandal during the Clinton administration, on charges he lied about why he brought more than $4.5 million in cash into the United States over the last two years.
Ng Lap Seng was arrested in New York last weekend by FBI agents working with federal prosecutors assigned to the public corruption squad in the Southern District of New York, according to federal authorities.
His arrest came on the same day the Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Seattle for a state visit to the United States.
In addition to his role as a prominent real estate developer on the gambling center island of Macau, Ng has close ties to the Chinese government and is listed as a member of a senior advisory group, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
This 14-Year-Old Boy And His Homemade Motorbike Will Inspire You
As parents, we dream our kids will discover something in life that they’re truly passionate about — something that keeps them honest, free from perils, and away from the many armchair-based video games encompassing today’s youths. If that passion turns out to be our passion — something we can share together — well, then count your blessings. You just hit the lotto.
Haven Jarel, 14, was three when he fell in love with the motorcycle. A full-face helmet dwarfed his tiny body, and yet the child that was likely not long out of diapers bombed around a grassy field, “free,” as he so eloquently puts it. It was this moment that birthed his passion for bikes. And yet young Haven didn’t just want to ride them, he wanted to work on them and, ultimately, make his own.
An RPG vs. 16-inches of bulletproof glass: Which do you think prevails?
Leave it to the Russian YouTube channel Crash Zone to come up with an answer to a question no one ever really thought to ask: What happens when you pit a shoulder-fired RPG (rocket propelled grenade) against 16 inches of fortified bulletproof glass?
Why a whole lot of destruction, naturally.
As you might expect, the RPG emerged victorious by a mile. Bulletproof glass, especially 16 inches worth, is certainly no joke. But when you start talking about military grade weaponry, well, that’s an entirely different level of destructive power to contend with.
Ahmed Mohamed Will Not Return To MacArthur High School, Family Says
Days after administrators called for the arrest of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed for bringing in what they suspected was a “bomb” (actually a homemade clock), MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, said that it would “certainly welcome” the teen back to school.
“We're confident that we can continue to provide him with an excellent education,” a school spokeswoman told ABC News.
But Ahmed’s family says the freshman is not at all interested in returning to MacArthur. His father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, said Thursday that Ahmed will transfer out of the high school; the family is “still deciding where he will go next,” reports The Associated Press.
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, gestures as he arrives at his family's home in Irving, Texas, on Thursday.
Ahmed was arrested on Monday after teachers became suspicious of the homemade clock that he’d brought to school.
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, gestures as he arrives at his family's home in Irving, Texas, on Thursday.
Police: Qatari sheikh left US with his speeding Ferrari
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A Ferrari caught on video zooming through a Beverly Hills neighborhood last weekend is owned by a Middle Eastern sheikh who has since left the country and taken his million-dollar sports car with him, authorities say.
Police held a news conference Thursday to discuss the incident and identified the owner as Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, of Qatar. He's a lover of fast cars who owned a champion drag-racing team and is a member of the ruling family of the oil-rich country.
Al Thani's bright yellow, 12-cylinder LaFerrari, which sells for around $1.4 million new, was recorded along with a white Porsche speeding down narrow streets and racing through stop signs Saturday evening. They eventually pulled into a driveway, the Ferrari's engine smoking.
Officers answering reports of reckless driving found both cars parked in the driveway. A man believed to be Al Thani told the officers that the cars belonged to him, and he denied speeding or driving recklessly, police said.
Owner Of Beverly Hills LaFerrari Does Not Have Diplomatic Immunity, Flees Country
The story of the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 911 GT3 that were caught on camera speeding through a Beverly Hills neighborhood, ignoring stop signs and narrowly avoiding pedestrians, has taken another turn for the weird. Having been confronted by a video journalist, the cars’ owner — who’s name has not been released — reportedly told the man he had “diplomatic immunity” and could have him “killed and get away with it.”
The Air Force Will Have Combat Lasers On Its War Planes By 2020
I only have one question. Which company—Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, or Boeing—is best capable of creating the Vic Viper?
These armaments, dubbed directed-energy weapons pods, will be mounted on American warplanes and serve to burn missiles, UAVs -- even other combat aircraft -- clean out of the sky. "I believe we'll have a directed energy pod we can put on a fighter plane very soon," Air Force General Hawk Carlisle said at a Fifth-Generation Warfare lecture during the Air Force Association Air & Space conference earlier this week. "That day is a lot closer than I think a lot of people think it is."
US, China Seek Deal On Cyberspace Attacks
Despite ongoing negotiations between the superpowers toward an arms control accord for cyberspace, espionage and theft will likely go on as usual.
The agreement being negotiated would also not appear to cover the use of tools to steal intellectual property, as the Chinese military does often to bolster state-owned industries, according to an indictment of five officers of the People’s Liberation Army last year. And it is not clear that the rules would prohibit the kind of attack carried out last year against Sony Pictures Entertainment, for which the United States blamed North Korea. That attack melted down about 70 percent of Sony’s computer systems.
Batband Is A High-Fidelity Bone-Conduction Headphone
I am really curious as to what these sound like. It seems like they’d be perfect for activities where you need to hear your surroundings, like cycling around traffic.
How one high schooler made $80K (without getting a job)
High schoolers can now earn money for college -- no job required.
Startup Raise.me developed a program that allows high school students to start banking college scholarship money.What's the catch?
The money is tied to students' individual achievements. The better they do in school, the more engaged they are with their communities, the more money they earn from Raise.me's college partners.
There are 76 colleges on Raise.me's platform, including Penn State, UMass and Tulane. Raise.me cofounder Preston Silverman hopes to increase that to 100 colleges by the end of the year.
As long as students meet the college's GPA requirements, they can start earning money from as many as they choose -- between $500 to $1,000 per achievement. Students don't get the money until they are accepted to one of the colleges.
China Punishes Social Media Pranksters
You know how it is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded theater? Well, in China, the same thing goes for posting zombie pictures. I'm not kidding. 
Earlier this month, the police in the southern city of Guangzhou published a notice online that images posted on Weibo of a woman covered in blood and a note suggesting she was a zombie were fake. The online warning added a reminder for residents to avoid hallucinogens. A 21-year-old man from the area with the surname Zhang was given 10 days of detention for posting the item.
GM agrees to $900M criminal settlement over ignition-switch defect
People who opted to sue GM instead of taking a previous settlement offer may get compensated as part of the settlement announced Thursday by Texas attorney Bob Hilliard.
General Motors agreed to pay $900 million as part of a Justice Department investigation into its failure to fix a deadly ignition-switch defect blamed for more than 120 deaths.
Federal prosecutors hit GM with a wire-fraud charge and a charge for "engaging in a scheme to conceal a deadly safety defect" from regulators. But those counts would be dismissed in three years if GM fixes its recall processes. GM's official plea is not guilty.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara left the door open to prosecuting specific GM employees. But he said it's difficult to pin blame on an individual who may have had only partial knowledge of a backward bureaucratic process that led to tragedy.
"We're not done, and it remains possible we will charge an individual," Bharara said at a news conference in New York. "If there is a way to bring a case like that, we will bring it."
GM engineers, attorneys and midlevel executives failed to fix the defect for more than a decade.
“To sum it up, they didn’t tell the truth in the best way that they should have, to their regulators, to the public, about the serious safety defects that risked life and limb," Bharara said.
As part of the settlement, GM admitted to having defrauded customers by marketing its vehicles as safe during that period.
Federal prosecutors hit GM with a wire-fraud charge and a charge for "engaging in a scheme to conceal a deadly safety defect" from regulators. But those counts would be dismissed in three years if GM fixes its recall processes. GM's official plea is not guilty.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara left the door open to prosecuting specific GM employees. But he said it's difficult to pin blame on an individual who may have had only partial knowledge of a backward bureaucratic process that led to tragedy.
"We're not done, and it remains possible we will charge an individual," Bharara said at a news conference in New York. "If there is a way to bring a case like that, we will bring it."
GM engineers, attorneys and midlevel executives failed to fix the defect for more than a decade.
“To sum it up, they didn’t tell the truth in the best way that they should have, to their regulators, to the public, about the serious safety defects that risked life and limb," Bharara said.
As part of the settlement, GM admitted to having defrauded customers by marketing its vehicles as safe during that period.
'Pacific Rim 2' Could Be Cancelled For Same Reason As 'Tron 3'
Image from ‘Pacific Rim,’ courtesy of Warner Bros. and Legendary
If Pacific Rim 2 gets cancelled, it will arguably be for the same reason that Walt Disney DIS +0.96% pulled the plug on Tron 3.There is a big, juicy piece in The Hollywood Reporter today about the push-and-pull between Legendary and Universal/Comcast CMCSA +1.72%. A lot of it has to do with the whole “Skull Island goes to Warner Bros./Time Warner TWX +0.00%” thing with a little bit of bad blood concerning Legendary’s Thomas Tull perhaps taking too much credit for mega-hits like The Dark Knight and Jurassic World over the years. I will admit that I am a little disheartened to hear that Universal wasn’t thrilled about a film as expensive as Crimson Peak going out as an R, but that may be for another day if I get a chance to discuss their still worthwhile slate of theatrical horror films this year. The big geek news concerns the now uncertain fate of Pacific Rim 2. The film was slotted for August 4, 2017, before it was pulled off the schedule a week or so ago.
World's first 8K TV costs $133,000
Sharp will begin selling the world's first 8K television just in time for Halloween.
Interested? You'd better be prepared to pay up. The 85-inch "LV-85001" ultra-high definition TV set will cost you ¥16 million ($133,000) when it goes on sale October 30.
Donate Sperm To Get An iPhone 6S
Oh come on, don't act like you wouldn't do this. Too bad it's in China.
Too bad it's in China. Several facilities in Shanghai are using Apple's latest iPhone to boost the amount of donations they receive, according to regional-news site Shanghaiist. One such institution is Renji Hospital, which posted an online advertisement that, roughly translated, reads: "No need 'to sell their kidneys,' easily have 6S."
A Japanese Robot Is Learning The American Way
And by "learning the American way" the folks at MIT mean ROBOTS ARE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!!
"In Japan, because they have a very cute-centric culture, Pepper is much more silly and cute," says Alia Pyros, international communications manager at Aldebaran Robotics, a French company that developed the robot in collaboration with the Japanese corporation Softbank before Softbank acquired it outright. "In the U.S., we have this kind of C3-PO idea, where he’s kind of snarky and kind of smart."
Apple Wins Patent Ruling Against Samsung
The current round in the never ending fight between Samsung and Apple goes to the crew from Cupertino.
The 2-1 appeals court ruling said that Apple's proposed injunction is narrow because it does not want to ban Samsung's devices from the marketplace, and that Samsung can remove the patented features without recalling its products.
The Best, Most Efficient GPU For 1080p Linux Gamers
If you want to know what the best, most efficient graphics card for Linux gamers is, you should probably read this article at Phoronix today.
Earlier this week I posted a graphics card comparison using the open-source drivers and looking at the best value and power efficiency. In today's article is a larger range of AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards being tested under a variety of modern Linux OpenGL games/demos while using the proprietary AMD/NVIDIA Linux graphics drivers to see how not only the raw performance compares but also the performance-per-Watt, overall power consumption, and performance-per-dollar metrics.
What Texas Teen Ahmed Mohamed Said About His Clock Being Mistaken for a Bomb (VIDEO)
The Texas teen who was arrested after school officials mistook his homemade invention for a bomb says he plans to transfer schools and is on his way to the White House.
"I guess everyone knows I'm the one who built a clock and got into a lot of trouble for it," Ahmed Mohamed, 14, said in a news conference today. "I built the clock to impress my teacher, but when I showed her, she was threatened by it."
Ahmed, a high school freshman at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, was taken into police custody Monday when his homemade digital clock was mistaken for a bomb by school officials and the police.
"In terms of what he [Ahmed] said, he told the officers that it was a clock," Chief Larry Boyd of the Irving Police Department told ABC News today. "We live in an age that horrific things have happened in schools across this nation and, of course, we have to be cautious.”
Boyd said that after further investigation, all four officers on the scene concluded that the device did not have the workings of an explosive and, in turn, no charges will be brought against Ahmed for bringing it to school.
Here's the "bomb" clock that got Ahmed Mohamed Arrested
At a press conference today, police in Irving, Texas, released this photo of the homemade clock 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed brought to his high school. Though police acknowledge Ahmed never claimed the device was anything but a clock, they arrested him anyway on suspicion of making a “hoax bomb.” Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd said today the department wouldn’t be filing charges.
The story of a 14-year-old hoping to impress his teachers with a homemade clock who ended up in handcuffs instead turned Ahmed Mohamed into an instant celebrity. Police have decided not to file “hoax bomb” charges against Ahmed, but social networks are still seething with outrage over the egregious treatment of a person of color simply wanting to participate in technology.
Along with the outrage, however, has come an outpouring of support from technology’s biggest names.
Texas principal sends awful letter to parents after Ahmed Mohamed was wrongfully arrested
Fourteen-year-old Texas student Ahmed Mohamed was arrested yesterday for bringing a clock to school, after his teacher and police confused it for a bomb. While charges were eventually dropped, the school district issued a memo to parents stating that it succeeded in its goal of keeping students safe. That memo fails to acknowledge that it confused an incident ultimately fueled by Islamophobia for a legitimate one, instead showing the school trying to hide behind the reasonable aim of taking school security seriously.
In a memo sent to parents, MacArthur High School principal Dan Cummings states that the local police responded to a suspicious-looking item on campus. That item turned out to be a clock Mohamed invented for class. Despite the confusion and subsequent media fiasco, parents are now urged to take this opportunity to go over the Student Code of Conduct, as bringing dangerous items to school is strictly prohibited.
In a memo sent to parents, MacArthur High School principal Dan Cummings states that the local police responded to a suspicious-looking item on campus. That item turned out to be a clock Mohamed invented for class. Despite the confusion and subsequent media fiasco, parents are now urged to take this opportunity to go over the Student Code of Conduct, as bringing dangerous items to school is strictly prohibited.
Ahmed Mohamed science project Clock, gets him initally arrested by 'hoax bomb' charges (Sept. 14, 2015)
School officers questioned Ahmed about the device and why Ahmed had brought it to school. Boyd said Ahmed was then handcuffed “for his safety and for the safety of the officers” and taken to a juvenile detention center. He was later released to his parents, Boyd said.
“The follow-up investigation revealed the device apparently was a homemade experiment, and there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm,” Boyd said, describing the incident as a “naive accident.”
Asked if the teen’s religious beliefs factored into his arrest, Boyd said the reaction “would have been the same” under any circumstances.
“We live in an age where you can’t take things like that to school,” he said. “Of course we’ve seen across our country horrific things happen, so we have to err on the side of caution.”
The chief touted the “outstanding relationship” he’s had with the Muslim community in Irving. He said he talked to members of the Muslim community this morning and plans to meet with Ahmed's father later today.
Google Starts Rolling Out Android Pay
By a show of hands, how many of you guys that have NFC-enabled Android phones plan on using Android Pay?
Today, we’re beginning to roll out Android Pay -- the simple and secure way to pay with your Android phone at over one million locations across the US. Android Pay also stores your gift cards, loyalty cards and special offers right on your phone. We’ll be rolling out gradually over the next few days, and this is just the beginning. We will continue to add even more features, banks and store locations in the coming months, making it even easier to pay with your Android phone.
Marriott Introduces The First Ever In-Room Virtual Reality Travel Experience
Why would anyone travel to a hotel to use something like this? This only makes sense if you are taking a VR vacation ala Total Recall.
Marriott Hotels today announced the launch of "VRoom Service" – a first-of-its-kind guest service that allows guests to order inspiring virtual reality experiences to their rooms. Created in collaboration with Samsung Electronics America, "VRoom Service" is a first in the travel industry. The launch represents the latest in a series of innovations by the Marriott International flagship brand that are changing how people travel.
ASUS Announces H170, B150, H110 and Q170 Motherboard Series
ASUS today announced Signature and Pro Gaming motherboards based on the latest Intel® H170, B150, H110 and Q170 chipsets for 6th-generation Intel Core™ processors, and available in a variety of popular board sizes for maximum build flexibility — including ATX, mATX and mITX.ASUS Signature motherboards span the four new chipsets, both DDR3 and DDR4 memory types, and all price ranges. They provide exceptional everyday computing, with advanced technologies including ultra-stable 5X Protection II, convenient USB Type-C connectivity, and beautiful LED-illuminated audio.
ASUS Pro Gaming motherboards appeal to today’s modern value-conscious consumers, who demand affordability and the very best technology. Every Pro Gaming motherboard features multiple ASUS-exclusive innovations to unleash full performance potential, including SupremeFX gaming audio with Sonic Radar II, gaming-optimized networking with Intel Gigabit Ethernet, GameFirst technology and LANGuard, plus Gamer's Guardian and smart DIY features for superb durability and easier builds.
China’s Nouveau Riche Have Landed on America’s Campuses
Chinese students abroad used to be seen as diligent, penny-pinching, and idealistic. No longer.
When Lingjia Hu arrived in the United States from China in 1996, she did so thanks to a scholarship that would allow her to pursue post-doctorate training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Raised by a family of doctors, Hu told Foreign Policy she wanted to “save the country with science,” but there were no opportunities for her back home. At Xiangya Hospital in Hu’s native city of Changsha, the best medical institution in China at the time, the lights would intermittently turn off because electricity was unreliable. When Hu moved to Colorado, she did a homestay with an American family. It would be six months before her first bite of Chinese food in the United States, only after learning how to drive to the local take-out restaurant. She then married, raised a son, and has lived in Denver ever since.
When Lingjia Hu arrived in the United States from China in 1996, she did so thanks to a scholarship that would allow her to pursue post-doctorate training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Raised by a family of doctors, Hu told Foreign Policy she wanted to “save the country with science,” but there were no opportunities for her back home. At Xiangya Hospital in Hu’s native city of Changsha, the best medical institution in China at the time, the lights would intermittently turn off because electricity was unreliable. When Hu moved to Colorado, she did a homestay with an American family. It would be six months before her first bite of Chinese food in the United States, only after learning how to drive to the local take-out restaurant. She then married, raised a son, and has lived in Denver ever since.
Homicide suspected in off-duty Texas officer's death
The death of an off-duty officer in Texas is being treated as a homicide, police said Tuesday.
Abilene Officer Don Allen was found dead Monday inside his home in Clyde. Investigators haven't released details about the manner of death, but have described it as "clearly suspicious."
"The circumstances behind his death indicate that the probable cause is homicide," police Chief Stan Standridge told reporters. "Aside from that, I'm not going to comment any further. ... I don't want to say anything today that would compromise our ability to hold these people accountable."
Police looking at videos that show Texas deputies shoot man
Authorities in Texas are examining two videos recorded by bystanders that show sheriff's deputies in Bexar County, Texas, shooting and killing a man.
One four-minute video has been made public by a San Antonio television station that acquired it from the man who recorded it Friday. It is shot from a distance and it appears Gilbert Flores has at least one hand in the air (the other cannot be seen) when he is shot.
The other video has not been released by police. Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas LaHood told CNN the video is "a better view to make an assessment on what happened. It is a closer view and a better angle."
Ohio officer in video says 'direct eye contact' one reason he pulled over driver
When a police officer in Dayton, Ohio, handed John Felton a warning for a traffic signal violation, Felton asked whether he was stopped for something besides having out-of-state plates, according to a video of the conversation posted on Facebook.
"Because you made direct eye contact with me and held onto it when I was passing you," the officer replied in the video.
Felton posted the video on Facebook. It's another example of how the national conversation about police-community interaction, especially with minorities, is being scrutinized. Technology makes the interactions easy to record and to share via social media.
On Monday, Felton's lawyer, Byron Potts, said he thought the officer's actions were discriminatory. Potts said he plans to lodge an internal affairs complaint against the officer and may file a lawsuit.
US Government Denies Responsibility for Megaupload’s Servers
This went exactly how we thought it would.
"…the government has already completed its acquisition of data from the Carpathia Servers authorized by the warrant, which the defendants will be entitled to during discovery. As such, there is no basis for the Court to order the government to assume possession of the Carpathia Servers or reimburse Carpathia for ‘allocated costs’ related to their continued maintenance."
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