Google Handed Stacks of WikiLeaks Email Straight to the FBI in 2012

WikiLeaks is demanding explanations, after it’s come to light that Google gave the FBI emails and digital data belonging to three WikiLeaks staff members when warrants were served in March 2012. Read more…

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Google Handed Stacks of WikiLeaks Email Straight to the FBI in 2012

Facebook Releases Facebook Lite, Drastically Reduces App Overhead

Android: One of the biggest complaints about the Facebook app is that it can take up too many resources, particularly on older phones. Which is probably why Facebook released Facebook Lite, a super lightweight version of its app directed at developing markets. Read more…

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Facebook Releases Facebook Lite, Drastically Reduces App Overhead

DirectX 12 Lies Dormant Within Microsoft’s Recent Windows 10 Update

MojoKid writes After last Wednesday’s Windows 10 event, early adopters and IT types were probably anxious for Microsoft to release the next preview build. Fortunately, it didn’t take long as it came out on Friday, and it’s safe to say that it introduced even more than many were anticipating (but still no Spartan browser). However, in case you missed it, DirectX 12 is actually enabled in this Windows 10 release, though unfortunately we’ll need to wait for graphics drivers and apps that support it, to take advantage of DX 12 features and performance enhancements. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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DirectX 12 Lies Dormant Within Microsoft’s Recent Windows 10 Update

UHD Spec Stomps on Current Blu-ray Spec, But Will Consumers Notice?

An anonymous reader writes Details have emerged on the new UHD Blu-ray spec and players set to start shipping this summer. UHD promises resolutions 4X greater than Blu-ray 1080p as well as much higher data rates, enhanced color space and more audio options. But, will consumers care, and will they be willing to upgrade their HDTV’s, AV Receivers, and Blu-ray players to adopt a new format whose benefits may only be realized on ultra large displays or close viewing distances? The article makes the interesting point that UHD isn’t synonymous with 4K, even if both handily beat the resolution of most household displays. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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UHD Spec Stomps on Current Blu-ray Spec, But Will Consumers Notice?

Crunches Alone Won’t Give You a Six Pack: The Myth of Spot Reduction

Many people believe you can “target” fat loss through certain exercises, such as crunches for belly fat. The truth, however, is that no amount of crunches or sit ups will give you a six pack. Read more…

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Crunches Alone Won’t Give You a Six Pack: The Myth of Spot Reduction

Uber Is Punishing Drivers for Following the Law 

Uber drivers attempting to follow the law are getting screwed by Uber in California. A Buzzfeed investigation revealed that Uber suspended at least 12 drivers last month for properly registering their cars as commercial vehicles. To get their jobs back, Uber said the drivers had to re-register the cars as personal vehicles, which is a clear violation of DMV rules. Read more…

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Uber Is Punishing Drivers for Following the Law 

Barrett Brown Will Spend 5 Years In Jail For Linking to Hacked Material

A federal judge just sentenced journalist Barrett Brown to 63 months in prison and ordered him to pay nearly $890, 000 in restitution for charges related to the 2011 hack of Stratfor Global Intelligence. Brown’s supporters maintain that the young writer and activist was “merely linking to hacked material.” For that, he’ll spend about five years behind bars. That sucks. Read more…

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Barrett Brown Will Spend 5 Years In Jail For Linking to Hacked Material

Pentagon Scolds Air Force for Wasting Nearly $9 Billion on Drones

Drones are expensive. Aircraft like General Atomics’s MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper cost millions of dollars piece, while the cost of maintaining the fleet stretches into the high tens of billions dollars over their lifespans. The Pentagon’s internal watchdog is aware of this, and recently lambasted the Air Force for not justifying the purchase of 46 Reapers— potentially wasting $8.8 billion of taxpayers’ money . Read more…

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Pentagon Scolds Air Force for Wasting Nearly $9 Billion on Drones

Microsoft Office Will Be Free on Windows 10 Phones and Tablets

Microsoft will bundle the all-new Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as part of Window 10 for phones and tablets, Joe Belfiore announced during Microsoft’s two-hour-long Windows 10 event. However, there was no mention whether this generous app gift-giving would extend to the desktop. Read more…

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Microsoft Office Will Be Free on Windows 10 Phones and Tablets

Windows Server 2003 Reaches End of Life In July

Several readers sent word that we’re now less than six months away from the end of support for Windows Server 2003. Though the operating system’s usage peaked in 2009, it still runs on millions of machines, and many IT departments are just now starting to look at replacements. Although Microsoft publishes support deadlines long in advance — and has been beating the drum to dump Server 2003 for months — it’s not unusual for customers to hang on too long. Last year, as Windows XP neared its final days of support, there were still huge numbers of systems running the aged OS. Companies lined up to pay Microsoft for extended support contracts and PC sales stabilized in part because enterprises bought new replacement machines. Problems replacing Windows Server 2003 may appear similar at first glance, but they’re not: Servers are critical to a business because of the applications that run on them, which may have to be rewritten or replaced. [In many cases, legacy applications are the sole reason for the continued use of Server 2003.] Those applications may themselves be unsupported at this point, the company that built them may be out of business or the in-house development team may have been disbanded. Any of those scenarios would make it difficult or even impossible to update the applications’ code to run on a newer version of Windows Server. Complicating any move is the fact that many of those applications are 32-bit — and have been kept on Windows Server 2003 for that reason — and while Windows Server 2012 R2 offers a compatibility mode to run such applications, it’s not foolproof. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Windows Server 2003 Reaches End of Life In July