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Early Monday morning, central Italy was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The 2009 L’Aquila earthquake caused serious damage to several medieval hill towns in the region, killing over 260 residents, injuring over 1,000 and leaving 28,000 homeless. Despite the dangers from aftershocks, the search for survivors continues, and will be maintained until Sunday, after which the daunting tasks of cleanup and reconstruction willl begin. (32 photos total)

17 A view of Santa Maria Paganica church, severely damaged after the earthquake of April 7, 2009 in L’Aquila, Italy. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) #

And no, those aren’t Google Map tiles, and it’s not requiring a 3.0 beta…

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You may have been introduced to the world of electronic haptics by your smartphone’s virtual keypad, but now your car’s doors could soon begin giving you feedback about surrounding potential dangers.

Michael Graf, from car firm BMW, has – with a little help from researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) – designed a prototype car door that senses surrounding dangers, only allowing itself to be fully opened if the area’s clear of other cars, pedestrians and bikes.

Ultrasonic sensors are used to detect movement around the car, while accelerometers monitor attempts from those inside the car to get out.

Cool! All I have to do to keep you locked in your car is stand nearby it!

And…well,just read the table of contents.

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This was one of four DOI hearings set up by Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, to decide how the government should proceed in offshore energy policy — particularly offshore oil drilling, liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation terminals, and wind power.

Somewhere between dozens of politicians, environmentalists, fishermen, veterans, platform workers, surfers, and concerned citizens, young Christian Regan of Northfield New Jersey addressed the board.

Without apprehension, he explained that he loves the beach, and 20 years from now, he would like to be able to surf and fish without dodging trash. He hopes he can bring his own kids to a beach that hasn’t been destroyed by current policies and that his generation should be taught to simply use less energy.

“I’ve watched an oil exec sneer at every person who has come up to speak today against drilling for oil,” young Regan stated.

He then stopped speaking, turned to his left and stared directly at his 3-piece suit-clad target.

“Let me ask you something,” said Regan, whose mother had signed him out of school to attend the hearing. “Do you have children? Grandchildren?”

The bigwig was caught off guard, but answered that he did have children.

“This is their future too,” Regan told him.

Good work, Regan!

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Reznor says, “Anyone who’s an executive at a record label does not understand what the internet is, how it works, how people use it, how fans and consumers interact – no idea. I’m surprised they know how to use email. They have built a business around selling plastic discs, and nobody wants plastic discs any more. They’re in such a state of denial it’s impossible for them to understand what’s happening.
“One of the biggest wake-up calls of my career was when I saw a record contract. I said, ‘Wait – you sell it for $18.98 and I make 80 cents? And I have to pay you back the money you lent me to make it and then you own it? Who the f**k made that rule? Oh! The record labels made it because artists are dumb and they’ll sign anything’ – like I did. When we found out we’d been released (from their recording contract) it was like, ‘Thank God!’. But 20 minutes later it was, ‘Uh-oh, now what are we going to do?’ It was incredibly liberating, and it was terrifying.”
And Reznor adds that musicians should be exploring other ways to sell their own music, rather than relying on labels: “As an artist, you are now the marketer.”

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General Motors Corp. and Segway today demonstrated a new type of vehicle that could change the way we move around in cities.

Dubbed Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), GM and Segway are developing an electrically powered, two-seat prototype vehicle that has only two wheels. It could allow people to travel around cities more quickly, safely, quietly and cleanly – and at a lower total cost. The vehicle also enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking.

GM and Segway announced their collaboration, while demonstrating the Project P.U.M.A. prototype in New York City this morning.

more info

I wonder what happens when it stalls and you try to push it to get the engine restarted. Will it fall flat on its face?

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Dramatic footage obtained by the Guardian shows that the man who died at last week’s G20 protests in London was attacked from behind and thrown to the ground by a baton–wielding police officer in riot gear.

Moments after the assault on Ian Tomlinson was captured on video, he suffered a heart attack and died.

The Guardian has handed a dossier of evidence to the police complaints watchdog.

It sheds new light on the events surrounding the death of the 47-year-old newspaper seller, who had been on his way home from work when he was confronted by lines of riot police near the Bank of England.

[..]

The man who shot the footage, a fund manager from New York who was in London on business, said: “The primary reason for me coming forward is that it was clear the family were not getting any answers.”

The Guardian’s dossier also includes a sequence of photographs, taken by three different people, showing the aftermath of the attack, as well as witness statements from people in the area at the time.

A number of witnesses provided time and date-stamped photographs that substantiate their accounts.

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The sweat stood out cold on Ford Prefect’s brow, and slid round the electrodes strapped to his temples. The Vogons wanted to be very much on top of the next-generation web. And they had the technology to show it – ajaxian social media delivering crowdsourcing network effects via software-as-a-service – all designed to heighten the experience of the sites and make sure that not a single nuance of the next-generation web’s poetry was lost.

Arthur Dent sat and quivered. He had no idea what he was in for, but he knew that he hadn’t liked anything that had happened so far and didn’t think things were likely to change.

The Vogon began to read – a fetid little passage of his own devising.

“Oh twitter xanga…” he began. Spasms wracked Ford’s body – this was worse than ever he’d been prepared for.

“… thy topix are to me–As orkut skype on a lulu bee.”

“Aaaaaaarggggghhhhhh!” went Ford Prefect, wrenching his head back as lumps of pain thumped through it. He could dimly see beside him Arthur lolling and rolling in his seat. He clenched his teeth.

“Digg I implore thee,” continued the merciless Vogon, “my ning shutterfly.”

His voice was rising to a horrible pitch of impassioned stridency. “And rollyo woot me with wikia flickr,– Or I will rend thee in the squidoo with my stornge, see if I don’t!”

“Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggggcccccc!” cried Ford Prefect and threw one final spasm as the electronic enhancement of the last line caught him full blast across the temples. He went limp.

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Trei cetateni bulgari au fost prinsi, in Capitala, in timp ce incercau recuperarea unui dispozitiv de skimming instalat pe un bancomat aflat chiar la intrarea in sediul Inspectoratului General al Politiei Romane. Politistii Directiei de Combatere a Criminalitatii Informatice s-au sesizat, luni dimineata, la ora 7.45, cu privire la existenta unui dispozitiv fraudulos de skimming, destinat copierii informatiilor inregistrate pe banda magnetica, instalat la un bancomat amplasat pe Soseaua Stefan cel Mare si apartinand unei banci comerciale.

Astfel, politistii au luat masuri de supraveghere a zonei invecinate bancomatului pentru a identifica persoanele suspecte care au instalat dispozitivul fraudulos. Cateva ore mai tarziu, trei persoane aflate intr-un autoturism inmatriculat in Bulgaria s-au deplasat in zona apropiata bancomatului, iar la ora 13.30 au incercat recuperarea dispozitivului de skimming instalat pe bancomat. Ei au fost prinsi si identificati, stabilindu-se ca sunt cetateni bulgari. S-au dispus masuri de ridicare a echipamentului de skimming, precum si de blocare a bancomatului si a cardurilor posibil a fi fost compromise, pentru evitarea realizarii de tranzactii frauduloase cu acestea.

Bulgarian cyber-criminals install a skimming device on the ATM machine at the Police HQ in Bucharest. The Romanian Cybercrime Fighting Squad (which is responsible for catching skimmers and phishers) of the Romanian Police is located in the same building. One of their agents went downstairs to draw some money and he noticed the skimming device attached to the ATM.