YouTube Video Used To Catch Illegal Snake Handler

A YouTube video has been used as evidence in an investigation involving a licensed snake-handler accused of illegally releasing captured snakes.

Sunshine Coast snake catcher, David Dixon Jolly, 72, pleaded guilty to 62 charges concerning the illegal treatment of snakes at Maroochydore Magistrates Court yesterday after being confronted in court with clips from the online video sharing site.

The crime could cost him up to $7500 Aud in fines.

According to Australian laws, upon capturing a snake, a snake-handler should release captured snakes in a suitable habitat somewhere close to the location it was found.

The authorities became aware of Jolly's actions after seeing YouTube footage of him and two associates capturing and releasing snakes on the Sunshine Coast.

Annastacia Palazczuk, the acting climate change minister for Queensland, said: “Registered wildlife handlers with licences to capture or rehabilitate injured wildlife have a fundamental responsibility to care for native wildlife in their care and to abide by the highest standards of their industry.”

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Google To launch Chrome OS By Year's End

Google may launch Chrome OS, its second consumer operating system, by the end of the year according to a senior executive who is managing the project.

Sundar Pichai, Google's head of Chrome, told reporters at Computex 2010 (as reported by Reuters) that the operating system would be available by "late fall".
Google Chrome OS will be based on the eponymous open source browser and may actually be a combination of both entities, something that brought a shedload of trouble for Microsoft back in 1998 with the whole Windows & Internet Explorer saga.
Pichai says that the OS will initially target laptops and is likely to integrate seamlessly with Google's expanding array of cloud-based services, ranging from email to photo-editing services.
The announcement come only 24 hours after the Financial Times reported that the search giant had started a company ban on Windows operating system and encouraged its staff to move to Linux, Google's own OSes or Mac.

It also throws out the question of where will Android OS fit in. The mobile platform has been used in the past to power tablets and netbooks and the recent Froyo version gave us a glimpse of what was possible.

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Microsoft Hits Out Over Google Engineer's Hacking Tips

Microsoft has hit out at Google after one of the search giant's engineers released a full description of a vulnerability in the Windows Help and Support Center function for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, complete with exploit code.

The software company, along with several other security firms, said that although the information was helpful, irresponsible disclosure of vulnerabilities over the web could provide information useful to hackers in attempting to exploit the vulnerabilities.

Google engineer Tavis Ormandy posted a document detailing the vulnerability in Windows XP, explicitly explaining how an attack exploiting the vulnerability could be carried out by hackers.

Oblivious to the criticism, he said:  “I would like to point out that if I had reported (the issue) without a working exploit, I would have been ignored. This document contains my own opinions. I do not speak for or represent anyone but myself.”

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ISOBuddy – Convert disc images to ISO, ISO Image Burner

ISOBuddy is a small and free tool which can convert almost any image file format to ISO. It can convert image formats like: GI, NRG, CDI, MDF, IMG, B5I, B6I, DMG, PDI, BIN and CCD to .ISO image. Apart from converting, it lets you Erase CD/DVD and Burn ISO image files to CD/DVD disc.

Use the Open button to select the source image file and ‘Save as’ to chose the target file where you want to save the output file. To erase a disc, open extras and chose the erase disk option. Supports – Windows only.
Download Here

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Watch 2010 FIFA World Cup Live Online

FIFA 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa is ready to commence from tomorrow i.e. June 11 and will last for 1 month till July 11. A total of 64 Football matches among 32 teams will be played.FIFA fans can watch the soccer action live on Internet for Free.



Live Streaming links for FIFA 2010 World Cup –

• ESPN3 – Watch Live Streaming Soccer Online
• Tv Bunch – Live streaming from the soccer World Cup South Africa
• ATDHE.NET – Watch Live Sports or Live TV
• USTREAM – Live Soccer (Multiple channels)

• efootballtv – Football highlights , Live Score, FIFA world cup 2010 streaming online

You can also follow official FIFA account @fifacom on twitter for latest updates.
South Africa 2010 Match Schedule [PDF]
Do share any links for live streaming which you find useful.

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Could humans be infected by computer viruses?

Name:
Dr Mark Gasson
Job Title:
Senior Research Fellow

A scientist at the University of Reading has become the first person in the world to be infected by a computer virus.

Dr Mark Gasson, from the School of Systems Engineering, contaminated a computer chip which had been inserted into his hand as part of research into human enhancement and the potential risks of implantable devices.

These results could have huge implications for implantable computing technologies used medically to improve health, such as heart pacemakers and cochlear implants, and as new applications are found to enhance healthy humans.

Dr Gasson says that as the technology behind these implants develops, they become more vulnerable to computer viruses.

"Our research shows that implantable technology has developed to the point where implants are capable of communicating, storing and manipulating data," he said. "They are essentially mini computers. This means that, like mainstream computers, they can be infected by viruses and the technology will need to keep pace with this so that implants, including medical devices, can be safely used in the future."

Dr Gasson will present his results next month at the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society in Australia, which he is also chairing.

A high-end Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip was implanted into Dr Gasson's left hand last year. Less sophisticated RFID technology is used in shop security tags to prevent theft and to identify missing pets.

The chip has allowed him secure access to his University building and his mobile phone. It has also enabled him to be tracked and profiled. Once infected, the chip corrupted the main system used to communicate with it. Should other devices have been connected to the system, the virus would have been passed on.

Dr Gasson said: "By infecting my own implant with a computer virus we have demonstrated how advanced these technologies are becoming and also had a glimpse at the problems of tomorrow.

"Much like people with medical implants, after a year of having the implant, I very much feel that it is part of my body. While it is exciting to be the first person to become infected by a computer virus in this way, I found it a surprisingly violating experience because the implant is so intimately connected to me but the situation is potentially out of my control.

"I believe it is necessary to acknowledge that our next evolutionary step may well mean that we all become part machine as we look to enhance ourselves. Indeed we may find that there are significant social pressures to have implantable technologies, either because it becomes as much of a social norm as say mobile phones, or because we'll be disadvantaged if we do not. However we must be mindful of the new threats this step brings."

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