Comment dump trump (Score 4, Insightful) 686
dump trump after giving him a decent haircut
Submission + - Virtually climb El Capitan with Google's first vertical Street View (latimes.com)
mpicpp writes: Gogle Maps has announced its first vertical Street View, giving people the opportunity to virtually climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
"People around the world will now be able to virtually experience the unique act of ascending a 3,000-foot cliff by going on a self-directed, vertical climb," the Mountain View, Calif., company said. "Climbers" can make their way up the Nose route and part of the Dawn Wall.
To collect the imagery for Google Maps, the company worked with photographers and partnered with climbers Lynn Hill, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell.
"People around the world will now be able to virtually experience the unique act of ascending a 3,000-foot cliff by going on a self-directed, vertical climb," the Mountain View, Calif., company said. "Climbers" can make their way up the Nose route and part of the Dawn Wall.
To collect the imagery for Google Maps, the company worked with photographers and partnered with climbers Lynn Hill, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell.
Submission + - Charter agrees to buy Time Warner Cable for $56 billion (reuters.com)
mpicpp writes: Charter Communications Inc struck a $56 billion deal to buy Time Warner Cable Inc, seeking to combine the third and second largest U.S. cable operators to better compete against market leader Comcast Corp.
The Federal Communications Commission immediately served notice that it would closely scrutinize the deal, focusing not only on absence of harm but benefits to the public.
Charter, in which Malone-chaired Liberty Broadband Corp owns about 26 percent, is offering about $195.71 in cash-and-stock for each Time Warner Cable share, based on Charter's closing price on May 20.
Including debt, the deal values Time Warner Cable at $78.7 billion.
A key area of regulatory concern would be competition in broadband Internet.
A merger of Charter and Time Warner Cable, with other related deals, would create a company that controls more than 20 percent of the U.S. broadband market, according to research firm MoffettNathanson.
"Regulatory approval is no longer a given but we expect this is highly probable and greater than Comcast-Time Warner," Macquarie Research analyst Amy Yong wrote in a note.
Comcast walked away last month from a deal to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, citing regulatory concerns.
The Federal Communications Commission immediately served notice that it would closely scrutinize the deal, focusing not only on absence of harm but benefits to the public.
Charter, in which Malone-chaired Liberty Broadband Corp owns about 26 percent, is offering about $195.71 in cash-and-stock for each Time Warner Cable share, based on Charter's closing price on May 20.
Including debt, the deal values Time Warner Cable at $78.7 billion.
A key area of regulatory concern would be competition in broadband Internet.
A merger of Charter and Time Warner Cable, with other related deals, would create a company that controls more than 20 percent of the U.S. broadband market, according to research firm MoffettNathanson.
"Regulatory approval is no longer a given but we expect this is highly probable and greater than Comcast-Time Warner," Macquarie Research analyst Amy Yong wrote in a note.
Comcast walked away last month from a deal to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, citing regulatory concerns.
Submission + - Get Ready for Tweets in Google Search Results (pcmag.com)
mpicpp writes: Twitter and Google are formally getting back together.
The companies said today that Twitter content will show up in Google search results. It's rolling out to the iOS and Android Google apps and the mobile Web in the U.S. The desktop version will arrive "shortly," as will content in other countries.
In a blog post, Twitter pointed to a search for Taylor Swift. In searching her on the iOS app, her tweets appear halfway down the page; swipe left to read her five latest posts and tap her Twitter handle to read more.
Twitter also recommended searching #Madmen, which produced a "Popular on Twitter" box atop the search results with recent tweets about the AMC drama. Searching for "Mad Men" without the hashtag, however, did not produce any tweets.
"By deeply integrating Twitter's real-time content into Google search, we hope you find it easier than ever to explore your interests across both Twitter and Google," Twitter said.
The companies said today that Twitter content will show up in Google search results. It's rolling out to the iOS and Android Google apps and the mobile Web in the U.S. The desktop version will arrive "shortly," as will content in other countries.
In a blog post, Twitter pointed to a search for Taylor Swift. In searching her on the iOS app, her tweets appear halfway down the page; swipe left to read her five latest posts and tap her Twitter handle to read more.
Twitter also recommended searching #Madmen, which produced a "Popular on Twitter" box atop the search results with recent tweets about the AMC drama. Searching for "Mad Men" without the hashtag, however, did not produce any tweets.
"By deeply integrating Twitter's real-time content into Google search, we hope you find it easier than ever to explore your interests across both Twitter and Google," Twitter said.
Submission + - Robotic Space Plane Launches in Mystery Mission This Week (discovery.com) 1
mpicpp writes: he United States Air Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane will head to orbit this week for the fourth time.
The unmanned X-37B spacecraft is scheduled to launch Wednesday (May 20) at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The liftoff will begin the reusable space plane’s fourth mission, which is known as OTV-4 (short for Orbital Test Vehicle-4).
Most of the X-37B’s payloads and specific activities are classified, so it’s not entirely clear what the space plane will be doing once it leaves Earth Wednesday. This secrecy has led to some speculation that the vehicle might be some sort of space weapon, but Air Force officials have repeatedly refuted that notion, saying X-37B flights simply test a variety of new space technologies
The unmanned X-37B spacecraft is scheduled to launch Wednesday (May 20) at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The liftoff will begin the reusable space plane’s fourth mission, which is known as OTV-4 (short for Orbital Test Vehicle-4).
Most of the X-37B’s payloads and specific activities are classified, so it’s not entirely clear what the space plane will be doing once it leaves Earth Wednesday. This secrecy has led to some speculation that the vehicle might be some sort of space weapon, but Air Force officials have repeatedly refuted that notion, saying X-37B flights simply test a variety of new space technologies
Submission + - Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Gets Death Penalty in Boston Marathon Bombing (nytimes.com)
mpicpp writes: A federal jury on Friday condemned Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a failed college student, to death for setting off bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured hundreds more in the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.
The jury of seven women and five men, which last month convicted Mr. Tsarnaev, 21, of all 30 charges against him, 17 of which carry the death penalty, took more than 14 hours to reach its decision.
It was the first time a federal jury had sentenced a terrorist to death in the post-Sept. 11 era, according to Kevin McNally, director of the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project, which coordinates the defense in capital punishment cases.
The jury of seven women and five men, which last month convicted Mr. Tsarnaev, 21, of all 30 charges against him, 17 of which carry the death penalty, took more than 14 hours to reach its decision.
It was the first time a federal jury had sentenced a terrorist to death in the post-Sept. 11 era, according to Kevin McNally, director of the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project, which coordinates the defense in capital punishment cases.
Submission + - California Senate Approves School Vaccine Bill (wsj.com) 1
mpicpp writes: The California state Senate has passed a bill aimed at increasing California’s school immunization rates.
The bill approved Thursday would prohibit parents from seeking vaccine exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs.
SB277, sponsored by Democratic senators Ben Allen of Santa Monica and Richard Pan of Sacramento, would make medical waivers available only for children who have health problems, forcing unvaccinated children to be home-schooled.
California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements if the bill becomes law.
The bill approved Thursday would prohibit parents from seeking vaccine exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs.
SB277, sponsored by Democratic senators Ben Allen of Santa Monica and Richard Pan of Sacramento, would make medical waivers available only for children who have health problems, forcing unvaccinated children to be home-schooled.
California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements if the bill becomes law.
Submission + - ITT Educational Services charged with fraud over student loan program (cbs4indy.com)
mpicpp writes: Things are tense in the world of for-profit colleges.
The latest to face problems is ITT Educational Services, which was charged with fraud Tuesday. The Securities & Exchange Commission said the company’s chief executive and chief financial officer misled investors and auditors with “outright misstatements” and “half-truths” about its student loan program.
ITT Educational Services allegedly created a fraudulent scheme to show that it was doing better financially than it really was. Students had been defaulting on their loans in droves, but CEO Kevin Modany and CFO Daniel Fitzpatrick hid the real cost from investors, the SEC said.
More than 51,000 students take online courses or attend the 135 ITT Technical Institute campuses located in 39 states. ITT also runs the Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire.
The charges comes on the heels of financial problems at Corinthian College, which was recently shuttered, affecting about 74,000 students.
The latest to face problems is ITT Educational Services, which was charged with fraud Tuesday. The Securities & Exchange Commission said the company’s chief executive and chief financial officer misled investors and auditors with “outright misstatements” and “half-truths” about its student loan program.
ITT Educational Services allegedly created a fraudulent scheme to show that it was doing better financially than it really was. Students had been defaulting on their loans in droves, but CEO Kevin Modany and CFO Daniel Fitzpatrick hid the real cost from investors, the SEC said.
More than 51,000 students take online courses or attend the 135 ITT Technical Institute campuses located in 39 states. ITT also runs the Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire.
The charges comes on the heels of financial problems at Corinthian College, which was recently shuttered, affecting about 74,000 students.
Submission + - Verizon, Sprint Agree To Pay Combined $158 Million Over Cramming Charges (huffingtonpost.com)
mpicpp writes: The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that Verizon Wireless and Sprint Corporation will pay tens of millions of dollars to settle claims that they unfairly billed customers for unauthorized third-party text-messaging services.
Under the agreements, Verizon will pay $90 million and Sprint $68 million over allegations they engaged in a practice called "cramming." Customers complained they were charged for third-party services they never requested, which typically cost about $10 a month, and were often denied refunds. Both companies received at least 30 percent of each charge, according to the agency.
"For too long, consumers have been charged on their phone bills for things they did not buy," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement. "We call these fraudulent charges 'cramming,' and with today’s agreements we are calling them history for Verizon and Sprint customers."
Under the agreements, Verizon will pay $90 million and Sprint $68 million over allegations they engaged in a practice called "cramming." Customers complained they were charged for third-party services they never requested, which typically cost about $10 a month, and were often denied refunds. Both companies received at least 30 percent of each charge, according to the agency.
"For too long, consumers have been charged on their phone bills for things they did not buy," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement. "We call these fraudulent charges 'cramming,' and with today’s agreements we are calling them history for Verizon and Sprint customers."
Comment Re:Sometimes, people are their own worst enemy... (Score 1) 105
...as she demonstrated terrible choices in men AND pizza.
if i had any moderator points...
Submission + - Self-destructing virus kills off PCs (bbc.com)
mpicpp writes: A computer virus that tries to avoid detection by making the machine it infects unusable has been found.
If Rombertik's evasion techniques are triggered, it deletes key files on a computer, making it constantly restart.
Analysts said Rombertik was "unique" among malware samples for resisting capture so aggressively.
On Windows machines where it goes unnoticed, the malware steals login data and other confidential information.
Rombertik typically infected a vulnerable machine after a booby-trapped attachment on a phishing message had been opened, security researchers Ben Baker and Alex Chiu, from Cisco, said in a blogpost.
Some of the messages Rombertik travels with pose as business enquiry letters from Microsoft.
The malware "indiscriminately" stole data entered by victims on any website, the researchers said.
And it got even nastier when it spotted someone was trying to understand how it worked.
"Rombertik is unique in that it actively attempts to destroy the computer if it detects certain attributes associated with malware analysis," the researchers said.
If Rombertik's evasion techniques are triggered, it deletes key files on a computer, making it constantly restart.
Analysts said Rombertik was "unique" among malware samples for resisting capture so aggressively.
On Windows machines where it goes unnoticed, the malware steals login data and other confidential information.
Rombertik typically infected a vulnerable machine after a booby-trapped attachment on a phishing message had been opened, security researchers Ben Baker and Alex Chiu, from Cisco, said in a blogpost.
Some of the messages Rombertik travels with pose as business enquiry letters from Microsoft.
The malware "indiscriminately" stole data entered by victims on any website, the researchers said.
And it got even nastier when it spotted someone was trying to understand how it worked.
"Rombertik is unique in that it actively attempts to destroy the computer if it detects certain attributes associated with malware analysis," the researchers said.
Submission + - Woman Alerts Police of Hostage Situation Through Pizza Hut App (go.com)
mpicpp writes: A Florida mother held hostage by her boyfriend used the Pizza Hut app to notify police she needed help, authorities said.
Cheryl Treadway, 25, was allegedly being held at knife point in her home by Ethan Nickerson, 26, in Avon Park on Monday, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News today.
"She was held hostage by him all day," Public Information Officer Nell Hays said.
Nickerson took away Treadway's phone, police said, but she was eventually able to persuade him to let her order a pizza using her Pizza Hut app.
"She told him, 'The kids are hungry. Let's order a pizza. Let's get them some food,'" Hays said, noting that's when Treadway was able to sneak in a written message through the delivery.
Along with her order of a small, classic pepperoni pizza, she wrote: "Please help. Get 911 to me," according to police. She also wrote: "911hostage help!"
Cheryl Treadway, 25, was allegedly being held at knife point in her home by Ethan Nickerson, 26, in Avon Park on Monday, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News today.
"She was held hostage by him all day," Public Information Officer Nell Hays said.
Nickerson took away Treadway's phone, police said, but she was eventually able to persuade him to let her order a pizza using her Pizza Hut app.
"She told him, 'The kids are hungry. Let's order a pizza. Let's get them some food,'" Hays said, noting that's when Treadway was able to sneak in a written message through the delivery.
Along with her order of a small, classic pepperoni pizza, she wrote: "Please help. Get 911 to me," according to police. She also wrote: "911hostage help!"
Submission + - Uber? It's not in Kansas anymore (cnn.com)
mpicpp writes: Need a cab in Kansas? You'll have to hail one the old-fashioned way. Uber isn't in Kansas anymore.
It stopped operations there Tuesday after the state legislature approved a new law the company says makes it "impossible" to keep operating.
Kansas legislators voted to override Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of new, stricter regulations on companies like Uber, that allow people to hail a ride with an app on their smartphone.
The governor said the new rules are "premature."
"To over-regulate or improperly regulate an emerging industry before the marketplace actors make proper arrangements is to invite more, problems, not less," he said in April, when he vetoed the legislation.
Uber first launched in Kansas about a year ago.
The company was actually on board with the original draft of the new rules. It required Uber to disclose certain information to customers, including how fares are calculated and the driver's license plate number before they get in the car. Uber already does those things in its app.
But, the final bill also requires Uber drivers to carry a level of insurance that the company said is not required in any other state.
It stopped operations there Tuesday after the state legislature approved a new law the company says makes it "impossible" to keep operating.
Kansas legislators voted to override Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of new, stricter regulations on companies like Uber, that allow people to hail a ride with an app on their smartphone.
The governor said the new rules are "premature."
"To over-regulate or improperly regulate an emerging industry before the marketplace actors make proper arrangements is to invite more, problems, not less," he said in April, when he vetoed the legislation.
Uber first launched in Kansas about a year ago.
The company was actually on board with the original draft of the new rules. It required Uber to disclose certain information to customers, including how fares are calculated and the driver's license plate number before they get in the car. Uber already does those things in its app.
But, the final bill also requires Uber drivers to carry a level of insurance that the company said is not required in any other state.
Submission + - Internet Customers Surpass Cable Subscribers at Comcast (nytimes.com)
mpicpp writes: The Internet is taking over television.
That shift is occurring at Comcast, where the number of people who subscribe to the company’s Internet service surpassed its total video subscribers for the first time during the second quarter this year.
Announced in an earnings call on Monday, the development signals a major turning point in the technological evolution sweeping across the media business, as the Internet becomes the gateway for information and entertainment.
Comcast, the country’s largest cable operator, abandoned its $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable last month after the deal drew regulatory scrutiny regarding concerns that the combined company would have too much control over the Internet.
Comcast is already the country’s largest broadband provider, with more than 22 million high-speed Internet customers.
Brian L. Roberts, Comcast’s chief executive, said in the call that the company was disappointed about the collapse of the deal but had moved on. He said that Comcast’s top priorities now were to advance its existing business and improve its poorly rated customer service.
That shift is occurring at Comcast, where the number of people who subscribe to the company’s Internet service surpassed its total video subscribers for the first time during the second quarter this year.
Announced in an earnings call on Monday, the development signals a major turning point in the technological evolution sweeping across the media business, as the Internet becomes the gateway for information and entertainment.
Comcast, the country’s largest cable operator, abandoned its $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable last month after the deal drew regulatory scrutiny regarding concerns that the combined company would have too much control over the Internet.
Comcast is already the country’s largest broadband provider, with more than 22 million high-speed Internet customers.
Brian L. Roberts, Comcast’s chief executive, said in the call that the company was disappointed about the collapse of the deal but had moved on. He said that Comcast’s top priorities now were to advance its existing business and improve its poorly rated customer service.
Submission + - Messenger's Mercury trip ends with a bang, and silence (bbc.com)
mpicpp writes: Nasa's Messenger mission to Mercury has reached its explosive conclusion, after 10 years in space and four in orbit.
Now fully out of fuel, the spacecraft smashed into a region near Mercury's north pole, out of sight from Earth, at about 20:00 GMT on Thursday.
Mission scientists confirmed the impact minutes later, when the craft's next possible communication pass was silent.
Messenger reached Mercury in 2011 and far exceeded its primary mission plan of one year in orbit.
That mission ended with an inevitable collision: Messenger slammed into our Solar System's hottest planet at 8,750mph (14,000km/h) — 12 times quicker than the speed of sound.
The impact will have completely obliterated this history-making craft. And it only happened because Mercury has no thick atmosphere to burn up incoming objects — the same reason its surface is so pock-marked by impact craters.
According to calculations, the 513kg, three-metre craft will have blasted a brand new crater the size of a tennis court. But that lasting monument is far too small to be visible from Earth.
Now fully out of fuel, the spacecraft smashed into a region near Mercury's north pole, out of sight from Earth, at about 20:00 GMT on Thursday.
Mission scientists confirmed the impact minutes later, when the craft's next possible communication pass was silent.
Messenger reached Mercury in 2011 and far exceeded its primary mission plan of one year in orbit.
That mission ended with an inevitable collision: Messenger slammed into our Solar System's hottest planet at 8,750mph (14,000km/h) — 12 times quicker than the speed of sound.
The impact will have completely obliterated this history-making craft. And it only happened because Mercury has no thick atmosphere to burn up incoming objects — the same reason its surface is so pock-marked by impact craters.
According to calculations, the 513kg, three-metre craft will have blasted a brand new crater the size of a tennis court. But that lasting monument is far too small to be visible from Earth.
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The Force is what holds everything together. It has its dark side, and it has its light side. It's sort of like cosmic duct tape.
