Google is one of a group of investors pouring $60 million into a startup company that hopes to use satellites to deliver Internet access to developing countries. O3b Networks, based in the U.K.'s Channel Islands, plans to launch up to 16 satellites by the end of 2010, according to the Wall Street Journal. The satellites could provide service to Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Latin America.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
If the phone rings at 3 a.m., it's probably Barack Obama texting you the late news of his vice presidential choice. Nielsen, which normally measures television audiences, said about 2.9 million people received the cell phone message, which had already been scooped by the more old-fashioned media. The Wall Street Journal points out that Obama still wins, having collected all those cell phone numbers so he can contact supporters in the future.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
A number of governments are implanting radio frequency identification (RFID) tags into passports as a way of making them more secure. But a pair of researchers at last week's Black Hat conference in Las Vegas showed the Wall Street Journal's Business Technology Blog that they could hack into the chips and change the data. One said it took about four hours to break the encryption key and get the data contained in a passport chip.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
In a sign that the era of gas guzzlers may be ending, the Wall Street Journal observes that even in Texas, people are leaving their SUVs in the garage in favor of smaller electric cars. As the paper puts it, "You Know Gas Prices Are High When Texans Start Driving Golf Carts." The story says the tiny vehicles take some getting used to, but people seem willing to switch given how much they save on gas.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Fearing the country isn't producing enough scientists and engineers to keep the US competitive with the rest of the world, the National 4-H Council went to Washington this week to lobby members of Congress to promote science to youngsters, says the Wall Street Journal.
4-H wants funding for programs that give kids hands-on experience with science, such as building rockets. The council pledges to prepare one million of the nation's youth for science careers by 2013.
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
posted by Neil Savage, xconomy.com
High-tech attacks notwithstanding, an analysis by Verizon's Business Risk team found the vast majority of data losses come down to sloppy security. The Wall Street Journal says that over half of the attacks the team studied were committed by people with minimal technical skills. They say stupid mistakes are so common that forensics work is getting boring.
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