Japan Loses Track of 3000 Radioactive Cows

ABC Asia Correspondent Mike Willacy has reported that Japanese authorities have lost track of nearly 3,000 dead cows suspected of containing high levels of radioactive caesium. The cows ate rice straw contaminated in the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Last year Japan’s health ministry ordered the testing of more than 4,500 beef cattle suspected of being contaminated with radiation. According to Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper, so far only a third has been tested, with the distribution routes of about 3,000 head of slaughtered cattle remaining a mystery. Of the tested meat, about 6 per cent was found to contain radioactive caesium above the acceptable safe limit. Food safety experts say that consumers would have to eat a lot of the meat to suffer any damage to their health.

source: abc

TECHNOID REVIEW: Bitdefender Total Security 2012

Our lives are divided into two distinct realms, online and offline, and as we start taking up more online time, security becomes a serious issue, protecting our online lives from the malicious, dubious and nefarious is a pretty serious business.

Bitdefender Total Security 2012 - BTS2012 - was developed by Romania based software company SOFTWIN. Bitdefender has a great tradition of providing leading edge antivirus technology in a simple to use interface. Bitdefender was the first antivirus applications that allowed automatic software updates, the first to include a personal firewall, and the first to include behavioral detection – B-HAVE – to spot virus’s without a virus definition. SOFTWIN continues to push these boundaries of technology, staying one step ahead of the steadily evolving world of virus and antivirus.

There’s a bevvy of Antivirus/Protection software out there, so what seperates Bitdefender from the pack? First up, BTS2012 doesn’t require a reboot after install – we like this a heap, it’s also a clue at just how clever this suite is –  the program is up-and-running In-Full, immediately. We downloaded BTS2012 which was pretty seamless, and were immediately struck by BTS2012′s ease of use, for such an outwardly simple application, BTS2012 certainly packs some serious tech-punch. REVIEW: Read the full article »»»»

Mark Wahlberg Says He Would’ve Landed Hijacked 9/11 Plane

In what can only be described as a foot-in-mouth moment Mark Wahlberg reckons he’d have had a Hollywood shot at rescuing a doomed 9/11 flight. “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” Wahlberg told Men’s Journal. “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’” Wahlberg has since apologised for the boasting, but still believes that events may have turned out differently had he been on one of the planes that crashed on 9/11.

Wahlberg incurred the wrath of critics and one victim’s widow.

Again, just in case you missed that: In the interview, Wahlberg is quoted as saying: “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry” Read the full article »»»»

Kodak Has Filed For Bankruptcy

Eastman Kodak Co, inventors of the hand-held camera, the digital camera and helped bring the world the first pictures back from the Moon, has filed for bankruptcy protection, capping a prolonged plunge for what remains one of America’s best-known companies. The 130-year-old photographic film behemoth, which had tried to restructure to become a seller of consumer products like cameras, said it had also obtained a $950 million, 18-month credit facility from Citigroup to keep it going.

Kodak said it and its US subsidiaries had filed for chapter 11 business reorganisation. Non-US subsidiaries were not covered by the filing, it added. ”The board of directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak,” chairman and chief executive Antonio M Perez said in a statement. Read the full article »»»»

Chinese Herb Offers Cure For Alcoholics

Researchers at the University of California – UCLA –  are investigating a 500-year-old Chinese hangover cure in the hope they can put its properties into a pill to help alcoholics and stave off hangovers. Alcoholism is a huge problem globally, killing 2.5 million people each year according to the World Health Organization. There has been serious research recently looking for drugs that stop people drinking, or at least encourage them to drink less.

In an article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, they describe how dihydromyricetin blocks the action of alcohol on the brain and neurons and also reduces voluntary alcohol consumption, with no major side effects, in an early study with rats. Only an estimated 13 percent of people identified as having an alcohol use disorder receive medical treatment, partly due to a lack of effective medications without major side effects. Read the full article »»»»

Australia’s Largest Art Fraud: Ronald Coles Charged

A former Sydney art dealer has been released on bail after being charged over a multi-million dollar investment fraud. Police say 64-year-old Ronald Coles sold investors valuable artworks that had either already been on-sold to others or were already the property of others. More than 40 investors allegedly lost a combined total of more than $8 million. Coles was arrested by officers from Strike Force Glasson which was established in 2009 with Fraud and Cybercrime Squad detectives to investigate the alleged artwork investment fraud. Police say they began investigating in early 2009, with 400 paintings seized while officers established who legitimately owned them. Coles was arrested this morning at Gosford Police Station on the New South Wales central coast. The Ettalong resident has been charged with 77 counts of larceny and 10 counts of cheat and defraud.

Ronald Coles was one of Australia’s leading art dealer, under the crimes act Coles face 77 counts of Larcenya s a bailee and a further 10 counts of director/officer cheat or defraud. Coles specialised in fine art, and dealt with some of Australia’s most respected artist, including Sir Arthur Streeton and Brett Whitely. Read the full article »»»»

Apple Calls In Outside Audit For Unfair Labor

Apple has admitted some of its suppliers continue to overwork and underpay employees, and is letting monitors into its factories after a spate of suicides at a Chinese plant. Apple said it would allow the Fair Labor Association to independently investigate and report on conditions in its suppliers.

After fielding heavy criticism for not policing conditions for the workers who produce its popular iPads, iPhones and other products, Apple divulged its list of suppliers and said it would allow an outside labour rights group to monitor them. An annual internal audit of its supply chain showed that just 38 per cent of the company’s suppliers adhered to Apple’s own standard of a maximum 60-hour work week and minimum one day off per week. One-third of its suppliers were negligent in managing hazardous substances, and the same portion were below standard in injury prevention practice. Apple company said it believed it had eliminated child labour among its final assembly suppliers. Read the full article »»»»

US Man Pleas Guilty To Sextortion Involving Minors: Sentenced to 33 Years Prison

A Maryland man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Indianapolis to seven counts of child pornography production and was sentenced to 33 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett of the Southern District of Indiana. Trevor J. Shea, 21, of Mechanicsburg, Maryland, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence in the US Federal Court, Southern District of Indiana. During the plea and sentencing hearing, Shea admitted to using blackmail to coerce 10 minor girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years to produce images and videos of themselves engaging in sadistic and masochistic abuse and other sexually explicit conduct.

According to court documents, the case arose from an investigation by the Brownsburg, Ind., Police Department, which received a complaint in late September 2009 that Victim One, a 16-year-old girl, was being stalked via the internet. Victim One and a family member reported that several months earlier, Jane Doe 1 and two other female minors visited an online webcam site where they exposed their breasts to unknown webcam viewers. Approximately one week later, Victim One began receiving emails and instant messages from Shea, who threatened to post the nude images of Victim One and her friends to the internet. Shea told Victim One that if she produced more images and/or webcam videos for him, he would not post the photos for others to see. Victim One complied with some of these demands, and produced images and videos of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct. She then transmitted the images and videos to him.

Barclays Bank Study Links Skyscrapers to Financial Crashes

An “unhealthy correlation” exists between the construction of skyscrapers and financial crashes, according to a new report from investment bank Barclays Capital. The construction of the Empire State building in New York in 1930, along with towers in Kuala Lumpur in 1997 and Dubai in 2010, have all been followed by economic crises, the report noted.

“Often the world’s tallest buildings are simply the edifice of a broader skyscraper building boom, reflecting a widespread misallocation of capital and an impending economic correction,” the report said. ”The completion of Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in 1997 was followed by a region-wide economic crisis and the collapse of Asian currencies,” it added.

Investors should pay special attention to China, the Skyscraper Index warns, as the “biggest bubble builder” is currently erecting 53 per cent of the 124 skyscrapers planned over the next six years.  Read the full article »»»»

SEXTING! ALISON BRIE?

We’ve been on a rant for the last six months – SEXTING! – nasty, dirty celebrities taking nasty dirty pix of themselves NAKED! Our tag has been all about the irresponsible behavior these supposed grown-ups have inflicted on young impressionable minds. Along the way we’ve been truly surprised at who has popped up in the SEXTING STAKES.

Everyone expected Lilo to get her kit off, no one was hugely shocked at Gossip Girls Blake Lively admiring her breast bits? Scarlett Johansson kind of came out of left field!

We so didn’t expect Ms Brie – the ever wholesome starlet of Hot Sluts and Scream 4 – to appear on the NSFW! pages. Ms Schermerhorn (Bries born name) has so far managed to keep all her nastiness completely private. We do have to admit to being just a little excited at the Pasadena Princess getting her kit off!! What a starlet . . .

Why oh why ALISON BRIE ???? 

WARNING! CONTAINS NUDITY! ADULT THEME!

First Non-Trekky Demonstration of Temporal Cloaking

According to Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki, humanity’s earliest-known encounter with cloaking technology came in the year 1986 in San Francisco. Admiral James T. Kirk decloaked the Klingon Bird-of-Prey he was commanding to waylay and frighten some whale hunters from killing two humpback whales. Researchers from Cornell Universitys, School of Applied and Engineering Physics have uncovered a remarkable ability to manipulate and control electromagnetic fields to produce effects such as perfect imaging and spatial cloaking, the invisibility cloak!? By distorting electromagnetic fields researchers are able to steer light around a volume of space so that anything inside this region is invisible, the effect has clearly generated huge interest.

“A cloaking device is – according to the Trekkies we spoke to –  a form of stealth technology that utilizes the selective bending of light to render a starship completely invisible to the naked eye, the electromagnetic spectrum and most available sensors. It has been encountered in varying forms over the centuries (2151) and is apparently most useful against Klingon’s and Romulan’s!!?” so say the proponents of prospicientific fictions such as Roddenberry based technologies.

WikiPad First Glasses-free 3D Android Tablet

Ever since the Nintendo 3DS proved that you don’t need bulky glasses to view images in 3D, smartphone and tablet makers have been systematically releasing their own glasses-free 3D devices with varying results. None of these, however, have incorporated the experience with console-like controls to play casual apps or streamed video games. That’s where the WikiPad comes in, with its no-glasses 3D screen and attachable gamepad to give a more immersive gaming experience. Using Android 4.0, the device operates as a standard tablet, but the attached gamepad allows for more control when playing games by adding dual joysticks, a direction pad and four face buttons. The WikiPad also includes mini HDMI and USB 2.0 ports, 8GB flash storage, micro SD expansion port, and both front and rear facing cameras.

Abandoned Children Harassed by Parents Using Facebook

Hundreds of adopted children in the United Kingdom have been contacted by their birth parents, who used social media sites like Facebook to track them down. One adoption support group in Victoria says the process can be illegal, and a mother of three adopted children in the UK says it can be highly traumatic. Adopted children can sometimes spend their whole lives wondering about their birth parents because the search process through official channels can take years. One adopted teenager in the UK received a message on Facebook saying “Hello, I am your father. I have been searching for you ever since you were stolen by social services. You look beautiful. I love you so much.” The father who wrote the message is a registered paedophile, whose children were removed by social services and later adopted.

It’s a development that has concerned some psychologists, who fear the destabilizing impact that kind of sudden contact could have. In Britain, health services fear that some birth parents, and in particular those who may have been abusive in the past, could track down their birth children via sites like Facebook to establish or re-establish contact. 

Some psychologists have reported that adopted children have displayed troubled behavior after their parents had unexpectedly re-established contact.

“Actually it’s an enormous surprise, it’s hijacking, it’s an ambush when it’s just an email that arrives via Facebook or some other social networking site that says, ‘hello do you remember me? I think I am your birth mum,’” says British author Helen Oakwater, a mother of three adopted children. One of Ms Oakwater’s children was contacted by a birth parent through Facebook. She says the consequences were devastating and has written a book about the experience called Bubble Wrapped Children. The book says unexpected contact with birth relatives has re-traumatised children, and she has seen some run away from home and others drop out of school.

Australian Landmarks: Tourist Numbers Dramatic Decline

Visitor numbers to two of Australia’s most iconic landmarks have declined in the last year. Statistics from Parks Australia show visitors to Uluru and Kakadu declined by about 9 per cent in 2011. About 273,000 people visited Uluru and about 160,000 went to Kakadu. The parks are two of the most famous wilderness areas in the world and the Northern Territory Government has spent millions promoting them. Kakadu tourism operator Genda Campbell says business has never been so tough. Tourism Central Australia’s Peter Solly says he is confident things will improve. ”This year’s going to be a difficult year,” Solly said. ”Things don’t change overnight but there are some good positive signs around.” Solly says visitor numbers have been declining right around Australia.

AOC’s Upsized USB 22-inch Übermonitor

UPDATE: AOC, the makers of an überrange of USB monitors, including the 720p High-Def 1080p - 16-inch E1649FWU USB monitor, has upped the screen size for its latest USB-powered offering. The new e2251Fwu boasts a 22-inch LED backlit display and receives both power and signal solely through it’s USB connection.

The single USB cable connection is designed to make hooking yourself up with a dual or multi-monitor setup a simple plug-and-play deal, sure to appeal to those looking to take a second monitor on the road. The e2251Fwu sports Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution and operates at 60 Hz, with a 5 ms response time, 250 cd/m2 brightness and 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

The unit is also HDCP compatible and comes with a built-in USB 2.0 port for daisy-chaining an additional monitor or other USB devices. AOC hasn’t provided full dimensions for the unit but does reveal it has a 10.6 mm/0.41 inch thickness. In September 2011 we reported:  The USB Monitor is ideal for business presentations, photo frame applications, multiple monitor displays and as a companion monitor for laptop and netbook users who want more out of their computer.