Welcome to Computer Future!: 02/26/11

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Consumer Reports ' antennagate, ' reignites sues Verizon Apple iPhone 4 editions

(Credit: Apple)

Renewal of a problem that just doesn't seem to want to die, Consumer Reports says Apple iPhone Verizon 4 suffers the same problems antenna "death grip" original device, released last summer amid widespread controversy.

Verizon iPhone 4 has an issue that could cause the phone drop calls or be able to make calls in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in laboratory tests.

The "death grip" occurs when you hold the iPhone in a way that covers the band antenna, located on the bottom of the left side of the phone. As with the AT&T version of the iPhone 4, any case (or cottage industry "band-aid" product) would alleviate the problem, the conductivity of interfering with the cell phone signal of human skin.

Consumer Reports tested the new iPhone Verizon 4, along with several other popular smartphone Verizon.

Special tests were all conducted in a controlled environment isolation Chamber of RF-CU at our Testing Center in Yonkers, New York and national research. In this room, which blocks the interference from external signals, our engineers test mounted each phone on a support and established a continuous signal connection to our base station emulator, a device that mimics the cellular signals are given in the field. We then put a finger to every cell phone in a range of locations around its edge and monitored changes the phone's performance in every position.

Proofs of claim that the iPhone was the only phone hit by inserting your finger around the outer band of the phone.

Once again, Consumer Reports has not included the iPhone Verizon Smartphone in its list of recommended for its subscribers, despite the fact that it surpassed many other smartphones in almost any other category.

Consumer Reports is entitled not to include Apple iPhone Verizon 4 recommended in its smartphone? Let me know what you think in the comments!

If you have a question or a comment for Joe Aimonetti, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you receive a response.

Joe is a seasoned veteran with years of experience on the platform. He reports on the Mac, iPod, iPhone and other Apple sells. He also worked at the Apple Retail Store. He is also a creative professional who knows how to use a Mac to get the job done. Joe is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive.

Cosmic Log: how serious is space solar power?

Femica Studios

Conception of this artist shows a satellite based on space equipped with photoelectric cells, in addition to an antenna that transmits energy thrown down to Earth like a beam of microwaves. Click the image for a graphical presentation, showing how the space-based solar works.

By Alan Boyle

The idea of power beaming down from outer space is revealed in science fiction stories and studies of Government for decades. Commercial offers were affected, prototype satellites have been proposed, international initiatives have been announced. But any real progress towards solar energy systems based on developing space? This is what we are talking about this Sunday on "virtually speaking science."

Few companies have been working on the technology of power beaming challenge from point to point (B), in the form of laser or microwaves. In 2009, a company called LaserMotive won $ 900,000 a best secured by NASA for robot powered bundle. The company showed last year that they could maintain a quadrocopter air throughout the night, only a laser beam focusing on its generating arrays. And in 2008, managed energy technology has shown a RF wireless transmission system that could send a beam of energy on a small scale over a distance of up to 90 miles.

But all these experiments are firmly grounded on planet Earth. Anyone who has gotten to the point of building hardware for experiments radiant in outer space?

"None of them that I know of is at the turning point of steel," said Air Force Col. M.V. "Coyote" Smith, who will be our guest in show on Sunday. Smith led a study of 2007 for the Department of Defense set out a scenario for the military use of solar energy based on space, which has submitted a proposal for a follow-up to a project of satellite power-beaming called "a light bulb."

The idea was to bundle enough power from space to make only a small LED light shine. Smith figured that $ 10 million would be enough to go ahead with the satellite project and learn how to overcome the technological and regulatory barriers that may face large international satellites. But the Pentagon didn't go for the idea.

"Is a new area of mission", explained to Smith, "and in this era of austere budget, it is difficult to attract an organization sponsor".

For now, Smith is pinning its hopes on small business to get the ball rolling. "I think what you're going to make is that the business community is going to step up to the plate and minor studies that would lure the attention," he said.

What do you think? PG & E customers will be getting some of their electricity from space by 2016, as the California-based company, Solaren promised a couple of years ago? Or solar space will stay in the realm of science fiction for decades to come? Tune into our show on your computer at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, or join the studio audience to the virtual world of Second Life. (To get there, here is the SLurl).

Indeed, it is also possible to see the Oscar TV while you're listening to "virtually speaking science" on your computer. My Second Life avatar is probably adapting compared to some of the actors ' ll be seeing. Wish I could say the same thing for my face before life.

To learn more about solar space:

My co-host on "virtually speaking science" is Robin Snelson's Institute for space studies. Listen to the podcast from our show February 13, which included Tim Pickens, team leader of the pioneers of space rocket city. And stay tuned for our program on Pluto and suborbital spaceflight on March 13th, the 81st anniversary of the announcement of the discovery of Pluto.

Join the community of Cosmic Log by clicking the "like" on our Facebook page or by msnbc.com science editor Alan Boyle as b0yle on Twitter. For more information on the book by Alan Boyle on Pluto and the search for planets, refer to "the case for Pluto."

Consumer Reports critical Verizon iPhone 4

AT&T iPhone 4 (left) and Verizon iPhone 4 (right) have several shortcomings in top antennas. (Matthew Rivera/msnbc.com)

By Suzanne Choney

Consumer Reports is dissing Verizon iPhone 4 antenna, just as it did last year with the same model sold by AT&T, although the antenna on the Verizon version of the phone has been moved to a new location on the device.

"The iPhone Verizon 4 has an issue that could cause the phone drop calls or be able to make calls in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in laboratory tests," the publication said on his blog on Friday.

"Holding Verizon iPhone 4 in a specific way, but natural enough can cause dropped calls in weak signal conditions, our tests found."

For Verizon iPhone 4, Apple has moved the antenna of a prominent place in less than the version of the phone sold by AT&T.

Wilson Rothman of MSNBC.com noted last month: "Although the shortcomings of the lower antenna — that on iPhone AT&T 4 can be gripped to recreate the ' death grip ' known to reduce the receipt and occasionally drops calls — are still in the same place, we moved the antenna higher gap. Instead of being up next to the headphone jack is located on the side, above the mute switch.

"Even if this does not necessarily correspond to any difference in performance, it did cause the buttons switch and volume drop ' ever so slightly, '" according to another employee msnbc.com who tested the phone.

Consumer Reports is adamant on the issue:

Verizon iPhone 4 looks like the original iPhone AT&T 4 under many positive aspects, including offering great multimedia features sharp screen, and the best MP3 player that we've seen on a mobile phone. Unfortunately, also shares with his brothers the possibility of compromised performance in low-signal when used without a bumper or case.
As noted earlier, there were widespread reports of reception with the Verizon iPhone 4, and Verizon's network, unlike AT&T, has received above-average scores by our readers for the voice service reliability in the past. (These scores reflect data collected before the launch of iPhone Verizon 4). But given our findings, we believe that there is a possibility for individuals to experience the problem because the low signal conditions are inevitable when you use any cellular network.
For this reason, we are not including Verizon iPhone 4 on our list of featured smart phones, despite its high ranking in our evaluations. Even if Apple doesn't offer more a case free for buyers of the iPhone 4, as it did for a time after it was discovered the problem about AT&T, the company said in the past that will consider requests on a case free from customers who buy the phone and subsequently experience reception problems.

We've reached out to Verizon and Apple for the comment on this and are awaiting word. Those of you with Verizon iPhones, what are you finding to be the cause? Let us know.

More information on iPhone on msnbc.com:

Check out technology on Facebook and Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney, which AT&T iPhone seems to just drop calls when they are important.

Horrible Facebook app broken relationships

By Rosa Golijan

We saw creepy Facebook apps designed to help you automatically track status report to someone so that you'll be the first to know when he or she is unique, but an app called WaitingRoom is taking things further: it is actually helping you encourage a break.

Mashable reports that WaitingRoom was released shortly after — in comparison — much less terrifying Breakup notifier app was banned from Facebook and already is gaining popularity.

How does the app is that you install and enter the name and email address of the person you're interested in. This person will receive an email notification, announcing that one of his friends "want [he or she] had only".

Note that the email does not reveal the identity of the individual concerned.

This is because the object of your affections are supposed to install the WaitingRoom application in order to discover which only friend is interested in him or her — except that information will not be revealed until he or she is unique as well!

Thus reduces to this: the application creates a bit of mystery and encourages people to end relationships — at least as Facebook Status are involved — in order to discover their secret admirers.

You could falsify the changing status of the relationship in order to solve the mystery, but not all significant other would completely understand if you were to say "Hey baby, I'm gonna break with you for 10 minutes so I can extract this Facebook app and see who has a crush on me. Hope you don't mind! " Then, in theory, this app definitely could lead to an actual dissolution.

Related articles:

Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. You may be obsessed with Twitter, but still loves to be liked on Facebook.

Track your spouse cheating with the phone software

If you suspect your spouse, child or dependent has been up to no good, would want proof? It would help if you had access to every phone call, text and e-mail that is sent?

In this case, it could be a new spy phone application right up your alley.

Made by Software of Retina and published this week, ePhoneTracker allows users to monitor every move made by the person on the phone, text messages and call information to websites visited, emails sent and received, new contacts added and even GPS mobile phone user.

Email even deleted and texts can be retrieved by ePhoneTracker.

"Armed with this information, you will know the truth about your spouse, your child or employee thing while you're not around," says ePhoneTracker.com. "You will be able to confirm the suspicion and have peace of mind".

The person who makes tracking receives e-mail for all actions performed on the phone, while the person monitored remains blissfully innocent (for electronic spying, at least). No sign that he or she is being watched it appear on the phone.

The software sells for $ 49.97. Is available for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian OS 9.

A Wii game for swingers? No, really

Thin is the line between the party and the Party of sex.

Over a few drinks, a little Prince, and suddenly what started out as fun Suburban innocent turns into debauchery that will be gossiped in years to come.

The creators of a new game for Wii and PS3 called "Dare" seem to want to help you cross that line. Created by Ubisoft, "Dare" is, according to Kotaku, a game that can quickly replace the icebreaker social as the party key as the favorite Friday night couple-relaxation entertainment in your neighborhood.

While I wouldn't dream of encouraging this behavior socially discord, creators of "Dare" I would like to offer you about 35 games "fun and flirtatious" that will help you relax in the company of Mrs. Galloway by the number 47. And her husband always slightly terrifying wearing a cardigan.

The "dare" trailer is already enjoying so many parody versions published on YouTube that Ubisoft seems to be scrambling to protect his back--I mean, copyright (YouTube has already yanked some clips).

Some people, however, will be less concerned with copyright Ubisoft and more worried as uber-titillation may make their whole weekend.

Well, Kotaku points out that, according to UbiSoft promotional materials, "Dare" will offer EXHILARATING atmosphere: "light-hearted with intelligent characters, COY MINI games and popular music: International HITS as ' SEX BOMB, (I've had) the time of my life ' and many others more!"

Tom Jones and Dirty Dancing all in one night? What more could you ask for a happy marriage?

Now, there are a couple minor kinks in "Dare" that I remember. While the Wii version can handle up to four players, the PS3 version may meet only two. That, I suppose, makes the game less-spanking a little less experimental.

The second is even more worrying. "We dare" is only offered in Europe. A representative of UbiSoft told me: "the game is releasing in the United States." When I asked if UbiSoft felt "Dare" could be the kind of fun that does not appreciate a fundamentalist, impersonation is not offered a no comment.

The PS3 version of "Dare" is available for pre-order on Amazon Uk, with an expected release date of March 11. And the quote is nothing if not dramatic.

Manufacturer's description says you can "use the Wii-mote controller and PS3 move so incredible," as you've never imagined before (seriously which underestimates the creative power of the average gamer). It also explains that "some cooperative enveloping helps".

I am a firm believer in cooperative enveloping. I believe that there is no other type.

However, once you have embraced cooperatively, there's still more to look forward: "the final climax of the game ends in a lighthearted, matchmaking session. Which of your friends is the best match for love or friendship? "

That is a question that will be discussed, I fear, long into the night so many houses in the very near future.

Deal of Venus, Moon offer early bird skywatching

Early risers will be treated to a suggestive view celeste early next week as the two brightest objects in the night sky — Moon and Venus — will appear near to each other.

Venus and the moon appears low in the eastern sky-Southeast Monday and Tuesday. For U.S. skywatchers, they will rise over the horizon at about 4: 30 a.m. local time and should be in a good position to be displayed approximately 60-90 minutes later in Alba spinning.

This map of the sky of Venus and the Moon shows as they appear during appearances of morning next week.

See Venus and the Moon
Monday morning, Venus will be located about 7 degrees in the lower left of the Moon Waxing. On Tuesday, a slightly thinner moon appears a bit closer to Venus, sitting around 4 degrees to the left of the planet. [Photo: our moon change]

Keep in mind that the disputed measures clenched fist arm length about 10 degrees wide. So on Tuesday, the Moon and Venus will appear separated by less than half of a fist.

If you plan to arrive early to see this pair catchy, make sure you don't have any obstacles such as trees or buildings in your path, as they will be pretty low in the sky.

Venus is in the sky
Venus is now on the rise around the beginning of morning twilight. Although it is only about half as bright as it was during the greatest sagacity last December, is still an impressive sight as it comes up in the East-South-East.

Venus rises to about 2 hours before the Sun on Tuesday, but that will be reduced to only about 80 minutes 31 March. While unmistakably bright, is rather low in the sky at dawn.

Dawn in early March, Venus is less than 20 degrees high as seen from locations around 40 degrees north latitude, and every week it sinks a little lower.

Venus moves from Sagittarius to Capricorn on 2nd March. As it goes through the stars of Capricorn, we will have our last chance until December to observe the planet against a dark background and stars.

With binoculars, watch it go 4 degrees south of the star Beta Capricorni, 5 March and 0.7 degrees north of the Stella Theta on 13 March. Venus will enter weak constellation of Aquarius on March 25th.

Between one half and the end of this year, Venus will make a complete circuit of the zodiac. A telescope will reveal its shape Crescent.

The planet is now flee brilliant in front of Earth in his travel around the Sun. But its 22 miles to second motion is only slightly faster than 19 mps of the Earth. This year Venus takes about seven months to pass behind the Sun as seen from our platform motion in space.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes of astronomy for the New York Times and other publications, and he is also a meteorologist on camera to News 12 Westchester, New York.

Links to 12 dead rival Craigslist last year

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By Athima Chansanchai

Craigslist can be dangerous, so much that a recently released study — commissioned by rival Oodle, which runs Facebook app Marketplace — calls it "a cesspool of crime." The report links the famous classified service to 330 crimes and 12 deaths in the U.S. over the course of a year — 20 deaths total since the site began 16 years ago. These findings have Craigslist's CEO protesting the innocence of the site, which conducts hundreds of millions of transactions among more than 50 million U.S. users.

While there has been an alleged serial killer tied to Craigslist, the 56-page study — which has the totally unbiased Lifetime TV movie title of "Crime and Craigslist: A sad tale of murders and more" — goes for the jugular from the get-go, with this introduction, under the heading, "Craigslist: A site of murder and mayhem":

Sadly, Craigslist has become a cesspool of crime. Murders. Rapes. Robberies. Hitman-for-hire. Assault. Fraud. Rental rip-offs. Unfortunately, these are everyday occurrences involving people who use Craigslist to buy or sell, or for worse. And the old rules — "meet in public;" "always tell someone where you’re going;" "know who you’re dealing with" — often don’t work on Craigslist.

While 330 crimes (which include 74 robberies and 31 assaults) over a year does make for an almost "everyday" occurrence, 20 deaths in 16 years does not — though an average of one death a month for this past year is, at the very least, disturbing. "Four of those were women whose bodies were found in December on Gilgo Beach near New York City. They’re believed to be victims of a serial killer who preyed on prostitutes who used Craigslist."

Oodle says that the main difference between it and its more famous rival is accountability. Through this study, Oodle takes direct aim at the inherent danger of anonymous transactions, which do not happen on Marketplace, as it operates through Facebook. Listings and e-mail conversations are tied to a person's Facebook profile. Marketplace has over 14 million monthly unique users and is also available on mobile platforms, such as Android.

"We were doing some focus groups, how they used online classifieds and it was pretty clear that interactions that began anonymously led to face-to-face encounters, and flaky behavior. What really struck us in all the focus groups was that everyone cited a close call, or where they felt really scared," said Craig Donato, Oodle CEO, in an interview this morning. "We just asked [AIM, the research group] to look at problems and crimes associated with online classifieds, and it quickly zoned in on Craigslist, which has the lion's share."

Millions of Americans use Craigslist every day to sell items, find tickets or even a new job, but the number of people who enter the site to prey on users is growing, causing a spike in related crimes and deaths. Msnbc's Richard Lui reports.

Oodle couldn't have hired a better research group to find fault with Craigslist; even when it tries to give the benefit of the doubt to Craigslist, AIM can't help but be back-handed.

To be absolutely fair, Craigslist as an entity can't be blamed for the things that happen among its users. It's merely a facilitator of commerce, after all. And we understand thousands or even tens of thousands of transactions happen safely between Craigslist aficionados. Long before Craigslist, even, robberies were linked to newspaper classifieds from time to time. But that's no longer an excuse that Craigslist can hide behind.

Comments like this had the immediate effect of making Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster go ballistic in his response.

"Classified listings scraper/aggregator and CL wannabe Oodle has paid AIM Group to falsely portray Craigslist as fraught with criminal activity," Buckmaster told the Los Angeles Times. "If you strip away the false (and defamatory) paid-for editorial however, and look at the numbers AIM uses, a very different story emerges."

Sorry, that wasn't the ballistic part. This is the ballistic part.

Sounds scary until you compare that number to the 570 million classified ads posted by 100 million or more U.S. Craigslist users during that same time span, generating literally BILLIONS of human interactions, many involving face-to-face meetings between users who do not know one another," Buckmaster said. "AIM Group facetiously writes 'we understand thousands or even tens of thousands of transactions happen safely between Craigslist aficionados.'
THOUSANDS??? Shame on you AIM Group (and Oodle). You know better. Try HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS or BILLIONS of safe transactions.

In this war of words between the CEOs, Donato has also posted his responses on the Oodle blog.

But, he also told us this in this morning's phone interview: "At the end of the day, this study highlights a big problem in our industry, potentially dangerous outcomes, and that there are alternative solutions they should know about."

He doesn't put the blame for the crimes on Craigslist. "I'm saying it's not their fault ... but I found the comments they made are odd. I don't know why, maybe they responded too quickly. Calling the data here insignificant makes a lot of sense to me. It's clearly significant ... worthy of discussion. It's not an inappropriate message to get out. This is a problem and there are ways to address the issue."

While Donato insisted he didn't hold Craigslist responsible, his public relations firm didn't get the memo. This is the subject line of the e-mail they sent us about the study: "responsible for 12 murders and nearly 100 robberies in 2010 - News for Thursday February 24th."

When asked about crimes related to Oodle, Donato said that most of their issues have been with fraud, which they've vigorously pursued. Personal safety problems, he said, have not come to light.

Oodle monitors communication between buyers and sellers, scanning for any suspicious activity. For tips on how to buy and sell safely online check out the newly-revamped Oodle Safety Center.

Crime enthusiasts will gobble up the report, which includes links to news stories that mention Craigslist's role in the crimes, divided into these sections: Killings, Robberies, Assaults, Prostitution-related crimes and Other. It even provides a link to a site dedicated to cataloging the danger of Craigslist, craigscrimelist. That site, like many others critical of Craigslist, says it's not enough to warn people and give tips. (In the past, Craigslist did do manual screenings of the now defunct adult service ads, and has worked with law enforcement to monitor suspicious activity that points to human trafficking and crimes against children.)

In the press release that harkened the arrival of the study, these crimes were highlighted:

There was a recent rash of robberies in Oakland, California traced to a gang of men advertising luxury cars for sale on Craigslist and then robbing and in some cases assaulting buyers who responded. Police in Chicago have labeled Craigslist crimes "robbery by appointment," because criminals in the Windy City regularly use Craigslist to recruit victims and have the luxury of scheduling their crimes. The most notorious crime last year led to an entire family being taken hostage and the father shot dead in front of his wife and children, who were also assaulted.

These also caught our eye:

Sarah Weyrik was found stabbed to death in her burning car in June 2010 at an apartment complex in southwest Houston. She had posted a need for extra cash on Craigslist. (June 2010) Heather M. Snivley of Tigard, Ore., was killed and her unborn child cut from her womb after she met a woman to sell baby clothes. The suspect, who later pleaded guilty, had been posing as a pregnant woman. (June 2009) Pacifica, Calif., couple accused of pepper-spraying and stealing IPads from two people who answered ads on Craigslist.

Look for yourself. Will this make you think twice about doing business (or pleasure) on Craigslist?

More Craigslist stories:

Check out Technolog on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Athima Chansanchai, who rarely uses online classifieds.

If it is on the Internet, which makes Quotable?

News in Grand Rapids, Michigan, were dominated this week by local sports, a debate on wage increases for workers who receive tips and a man who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor to encourage her dog for killing a raccoon. But there was also some controversy Newsroom inside the local newspaper of Grand Rapids Press: as Quotable is Twitter?

An entertainment reporter, Rachael Recker, has written an article where you mentioned various Twitter users and identified by username. For those of us accustomed to printing tech, this is not a surprise--but for a local newspaper, unorthodox territory. Recker was met with criticism from readers as well as some Twitter users mentioned, that, according to a published column earlier this week the release of Grand Rapids, thought that the journalist "wasn't doing a complete job reporting, since you do not contact them personally for a quote ...(e) questioned whether it is appropriate to use tweets in a story online without specifically asking for permission.

This minicontroversy--whether something is published on the Web, making it open for quoting automatically within the realm of copyright restrictions?--is not limited to Twitter. One-to-one email should be private. So should instant messages. In addition, it gets messy.

Questions and answers site Quora has a little known where users can mark their responses, many of which are large and detailed, as "not for reproduction." Facebook, encouraging more and more public content, says in its terms of service that users grant "a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensing, royalty free, worldwide," to what they say and upload to your social network, but is very fuzzy on details when it comes to citations and reproduce such content outside of Facebook. The Web has just flooded the world with the printing of the content, it is flooded with new types of content--public and semipublic e-mail lists, Facebook groups, blog comments, responses on questions and answers--and the old rules of quotability does not always fit.

But here is to start somewhere: If something is public, is Quotable. If you do not want to be quoted, not to say that on the Internet. If you have a Twitter account and say something, then, Yes, it is public. Should Twitter users expect to be contacted and asked for permission to have their tweets reprinted? Don't count on it.

You can get a little more complicated, obviously. Quora requires users to be logged in before they can find something, this means that the content is not fully public, and on Facebook is hard to say what is not hidden behind any sort of restriction contacts-coordination-workers alone or unless you log out and reload the page to see if it is still visible. In both cases, citing is significantly more ambiguous than on Twitter.

Then there's panoply of Web of semi-public mailing lists, services, forums and groups galore. I came across this headlong when, in a story earlier this year, I mention a post from a user, NextNY mailing list e-mail that you have been in 2006 and in my memory has adhered without problems; openly urges membership list on its Web site, not lists of any reprint policy and has more than 3,000 members. I contacted you to ask permission, but hasn't heard back and with an expiring soon decided to run with it. The user ultimately got back to me and asked if would like to dissociate his name from the summons. Digging a little deeper, I learned that NextNY archives are not indexed in search engines, and while membership is shame, verified with a trustee that new users must be approved by a moderator. That was not "public" enough for me. I run a correction.

That was an instance where the situation was ambiguous, but now I have a new rule for dealing with mailing lists and forums mentioning in future--and now I encourage my colleagues and acquaintances who administer e-mail lists to come up with policies for republishing content if you don't already have them. Journalists are not the only ones who publish on the Web; a line from an email list could easily be reproduced semi-public and distributed by anyone with a Twitter account or blog.

But in the event of an accident, the Grand Rapids Press side Rachael Recker--how does your employer. "For the record, we look at tweets fair game for publication, unless they appear in a direct message. Same goes for Facebook that are accessible to the public, "explained the newspaper column. "Almost everyone on Twitter retweets interesting comments, and nobody asks permission to do so. Six observations of the person sharing with potentially thousands of people, depending on whether it is retweeted again. "

(Or, potentially millions, if Ashton Kutcher meets your tweet and decide that it discovers brilliant).

The Web is forcing us to redefine what is public and what is private in many cases. Often we don't know who might be listening, and we can never be sure who might be able to transmit such information to the masses. In 5 or 10 years, maybe we have known rules and guidelines for the treatment with quoting and republishing digital media--but not yet. GigaOM writer Mathew Ingram may have summed up best in a tweet, that now I'm quoting (how meta!) where he he riffed on Quora policy "not to reproduction".

"Here's a tip for those who use the thing is not to play ' on Quora," wrote Ingram. "We don't want your answer above? Don't put it on the Internet. "

Cosmic Log: Alarm as an astronaut

By Alan Boyle

Ever since it was Apollo, NASA has been beaming up melodies to begin the working day for the astronauts to travel. For the last mission of the space shuttle Discovery, the space agency has asked the public to choose a couple of fitting wakeup songs from Top 40 list. More than 2.4 million votes have been registered in the online contest and the winners are "blue sky" by Big Head Todd and the Monsters (with 722,662 votes) and the initials of "star trek" by Alexander Courage (671,134 votes). Songsters have also presented more than 1,300 original compositions for consideration as future wakeup songs.

Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, you too can wake up as an astronaut. Just have the mission control team, click on the button "play" and crank up the volume.

There will be another vote online for the melodies to be played during the wakeup Swan STS-127 Endeavour in April. Stay tuned ...

Online crime complaints down botnet numbers up

Complaints about Internet criminal activity fell 10 percent last year, as well as the number of computers hijacked by botnets shot more than 600 percent. Computer users may be getting savvier, but security experts that online criminals are scurrying to find new methods of attack.

Americans reported 303,809 instances of online criminal activity in 2010, down from 335,655 in the previous year, according to the Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2009 Internet crime report.

IC3 has logged an average of 25,317 complaints per month in 2010 to its website. Most complaints (14.4%) regard the non-delivery of merchandise or payment. Scams using FBI name accounted for 13.2% and 9.8% of complaints were about identity theft.

Shocking mug shots reveal toll of addiction couple rescued after 5 days trapped in ditch Gaddafi ' opens the storage of weapons ' supporters Middleton receives high marks after event hero COP Saves ducklings in danger

Although statistics 2010 rank as the second highest in the ten-year history of IC3, experts speculate that strong decline in the last year is a significant indicator of the growing awareness of protection for the average computer user.

On the other side of the coin, as the Internet population — companies and online merchants including — get savvier, online criminals find new routes to attack, or adapt older ones to meet the challenge of victims more informed.

Top 10 Botnet Threat Report – 2010, from security firm Damballa, shows that the total number of PC enslaved by botnet grew from 654 percent.

Other security news from MSNBC Tech & science as crooks fake an ATM and steal from your money there is no shortage clever tools for ATM thief. But Skimmers not exactly an aisle at Wal-Mart takes Gizmodo. a look at the black market Internet where scammers get their scary tools — or get cheated themselves. Man pleads guilty to running vast spam network Charles Manson had phone under the mattress NYT: Google China hacked, leaked say cables

A botnet is a large number of computers connected to the Internet that have been infected by malware that links them together to form a network, which is then in turn used to send spam, launch attacks against targets or distribute other forms of malware.

The "zombie" machines are often ordinary home or business PC whose owners have no idea that you have been diverted.

Botnet Software was found on more than 35% of all computers that Damballa monitors, as the technology blog that reading Dark underlined. Many machines had more than one kind of botnet malware.

Security researchers Damballa said that many botnet operators were now using their armies of zombie computers to steal data.

Left behind by prejudice, astronaut there ' the spirit '

HOUSTON — NASA Astronaut who has lost its place on the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery because of a bicycle accident communicated via radio his companions into orbit today saying that he is with them in spirit.

Walking in mission control on crutches, astronaut Tim Kopra communicated via radio six astronauts on shuttle NASA Johnson Space Center here to congratulate them for their good launch. Discovery blasted off Thursday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"I just wanted to tell you guys you all had a terrible launch and we are all very proud of you here at the bottom," said Kopra.

Unlucky bike ride
Kopra is a veteran spaceflyer who lived on the international space station for months on his previous flight. He has been tapped to serve as the lead spacewalker for STS-133 of discovery to the space station, but was injured in a bicycle accident last month.

NASA replaced ultimately Kopra with another accomplished, veteran astronaut spacewalker Steve Bowen.

"Great to hear your voice, Tim, I wish you were here," said Discovery Commander Steve Lindsey. "I appreciate the kind words, it was a big launch. I can't tell you how we want that you were here with us as well. "

"Well, I am sure you know I feel the same way, so I definitely feel like we are in the spirit and, above all, I'm eager to see Steve and go out the door and do great work," Kopra said.

After his injury, Kopra has helped shape Bowen, who now will perform both walks with his Alvin Drew. During the two walks, such as NASA calls extravehicular activities (EVAs), Kopra will control mission to provide advice to the two Stowage

Good friends in space
In the cosmic call today, Kopra has also had a chance to talk with other final astronaut crew members of space shuttle Discovery.

"Hello, Timmy," said Nicole Stott, mission specialist. "I just want to say I love you, and as Steve said, we wish you were here. But we are also very happy you will be supporting us from the ground and look forward to speaking with you about EVA days. "

"I love you back and that is going to be a great couple of EVAs," replied Kopra.

"Hey Tim, Mike," said astronaut Michael Barratt, so he shared an apparent inside joke. "We lost the booming laughter zero-g up to here, and I gotta tell you, listening to a little spirit, but we'll have to explain that when we return."

More information on final final mission Discovery crew of Discovery: experienced six veteran astronauts and friends are flight of space shuttle Discovery to the international space station during the final voyage of the long and illustrious career of the orbiter. NASA confirms that debris has done evil Robot butler anchor ride shuttle orbit on Shuttle payload includes more closet space by the numbers: basic information about the shuttle scored a big image launch? Please share it

"I look forward to that, Mike, it's nice to hear your voice," said Kopra.

And as a touch of closure, astronaut Steven Robinson in mission control the conversation ended with a final thought: "everything is just right, discovery, to show you have a crew of seven people, not only are there with you."

Discovery crew beats an eleventh day of the mission to the international space station to deliver a new storage room and humanoid robot to the orbiting laboratory. The shuttle arrives at the laboratory orbito Saturday at 2: 19 PM EST.

You can follow Space.com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @ denisechowas she covers the final space voyage Discovery from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Visit Space amenities complete coverage of the final mission of Discovery STS-133.

Motorola sings TiVo blues ' sue me, sue you?

brian_tong: for those wondering, because Amazon? MP3 format is compatible to all devices, better bitrate (no big deal), plus best prices 4 albums/songs!

Top reviews of the week (photos)

Here's our weekly roundup of new products CNET reviewers liked more.

Klipsch Image S5i robusta

Editors ' rating: 4 out of 5

good: Klipsch Image earphones have a S5i Rugged durable design, water resistant, and remote control buttons are large enough to be operated with gloved hand. The earphones provide you dive down and solid overall sound. Includes a hard-sided case with a built-in flashlight.

evil: Klipsch Image earphones S5i don't offer safer adaptation, since the remote control adds weight and ear loop must exist.

the bottom line: Of skier, snowboarder or skater who does not have a helmet with built in headphones, Klipsch Image earphones S5i Rugged are best.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at: $ 129.00 from 6 stores

photo by Josh Miller/CNET

caption James Martin

Did Google app pull for in-app purchase violation?

It seems that the problems of in-app purchase are starting to influence Google too. Reports emerged Thursday that the company has removed an app on a violation of "rules".

(Credit: Google)

Earlier this week, Google sent one of his developers free app developers, Visual VoiceMail, had to be pulled from the Android market. The reason is that the app violated a developer agreement section which covers pricing and payments, according to a report on GigaOM Google.

While Google has not been clear about the exact violation, Jonathan Hollander of PhoneFusion, creators of Visual VoiceMail, believes that the problem is that the application does not use Google Checkout for in-app purchases. PhoneFusion is executed in-app purchases through its Web site.

Google Developer agreement says that "all fees received by developers for products distributed via the market must be processed by the payment processor market." In other words, developers should use Google Checkout.

"It seems that they're pulling an Apple, but only for us," said Hollander, GigaOM as saying. "There was no warning that they're going to apply this, which makes it worse for Apple. Even if you do not agree with Apple, have given until June to remove their applications. Here, there is no choice. "

Google has responded to GigaOM, but let me just say that delete applications that violate the terms of service.

New Apple subscription service drew the ire of the publishers of newspapers and magazines, when it was announced on 15 February.

Publishers don't like the fact that Apple is taking a cut of 30 per cent of revenue on customers that leads to publishers and that the company will not share customer information with them. Apple is giving consumers the ability to share information with publishers, instead of forcing the issue.

A few days after the service was announced at Apple, items FTC survey service began popping up, but a probe may have to be expanded if Google has found to do something similar.

Russia launches satellite navigation system

Moscow — Russia launched Saturday, one of the final satellites required to complete a navigation system based on space, that Moscow hopes will challenge the dominance of the United States system GPS (Global Positioning).

Glonass-K satellite, which was launched shortly after the local time 6: 00 a.m., reached the orbit, said Aleksei Reklos, space forces spokesman of the Ministry of defence.

The voice of the space craft into space "has gone according to plan. Constant telemetry communications were established with the craft of space, "he said.

After the embarrassing loss of three satellites last year, two more are planned to be launched in 2011 to complete the project of 2 billion dollars that said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will give Russia "satellite navigation sovereignty."

Moscow is hoping that the GLONASS navigation technology that will create a revolution in the consumer technology in the domestic market, with applications that you plan to use cell phones and cars.

Three Glonass satellites were launched in December last year travelling out progress and crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, Moscow that cost about $ 160 million and set the program back a about six months.

Without Russia's Glonass, military fears that is at the mercy of the United States, which it says could freeze or blur your GPS signal in time of crisis — accusations that were widely used during a brief war 2008 between Georgia and Russia.

I guess time flies? Well, actually, you may be right

Time flies when you're having fun. But you are at work and work sucks. As it is already 5 pm?

When we speak of "wasting time", we are not referring to that big night out, or that the week of wonderful holiday, or the three-hour movie that honestly does not want more than one hour. No, when we fret about not having enough time, or wonder where it went exactly all those hours, we are talking about mundane things. The working day. A lazy Sunday, trivial. Days in which we have not given the time apparent reason to fly, and flew it anyway.

Why is that? And where did it go all the time? The secret lies in the ticking of the clock in your brain — a clock elusive, inaccurate and easily ignorable.

First of all, Yes
In understanding any complex issue, especially to the psychological, intuition doesn't usually arrives too far. As often as you can with a theory about scrabble as does the mind, a man in a lab coat will adjust his glasses, tilt forward his eyebrows and deliver a carefully intoned, "Indeed ..."

But not today. Most of what you think you know about the perception of time is true.

"Philosophers have written for a long period (normally longer than the perception of time), and psychology has been interested in it since its inception as a separate discipline — since the late 1800s," says Dr. Frederick m. Brown, Director of the laboratory of Human Performance rhythms at Penn State University and associate professor of psychology.

Brown says that common wisdom about how "time flies" is essentially correct. "We know that now can drag rather dramatically, and that when people get older, time seems to fly much faster." More generally, "when people are interested in something, almost escaped in the time dimension."

This jibes with common experience, as well as decades of experimentation. What not to do, however, is explain that middle ground between bored and fascinated, when we are not having fun, but we are consciously not hating life, either. This time it looks fly, too.

The secret, says Brown is that something called habituation. This refers to the progressive adaptation to a stimulus or to the environment, "with a descending response," and explains why certain sensations — the bitterness of a lime, the pain of rash irritated, the shock of a loud sound — seem to decrease over time. But it can also help explain, says Brown, as it can sometimes "escape the dimension of time" — essentially losing awareness of it.

"If there is a very regular noise — one that is observable but isn't terribly harmful — after a while we tune." The hum of the machine, the drone of Muzak and a/c can all fade into the background. To listen to these elements, see what you are doing it intentionally, in terms of your attention.

The Act of thinking at the time — how long until lunch? How long have they been here? I am bored so! — has the tendency to make you feel as if you're moving more slowly. "A watched pot never boils" is particularly apt here; While it's certainly annoying to watch water to boil, the fact that it was encoded colloquially as a boring thing makes it even more boring. In this scenario, the extent of ranks as follows: 1. you're thinking about how long this seems to take. 2. you're thinking the boiling water. 3. you're boiling water.

Or as Anthony Chaston puts the University of Alberta:

Imagine that you had a little counter in your head, an internal clock, which most people believe that the brain has, in some form. To monitor the passage of time, sort of have to monitor, or add and count and collect those few clicks. Right? You must keep track of how many are going. But if your attention is dedicated to another task, such as the Visual research, then you will miss some shots that they come from.

On top of that, says Brown, the reverse is true. "When things become irritating, as perhaps a dripping tap can actually become sensitised, then that becomes the focus of your attention, so it's almost like you're waiting for the next drip, and you're losing a sense of awareness of time passing." Replace the ' dripping faucet "with" the hateful menial task at hand "and you get the idea.

But why?
Now that we understand the models (very rough) of flight time, we are left with a more basic question: why the hell our brains work like this?

It is easy to study the perception of time, and have a lot of people. And have found all kinds of weird stuff:

• Time passes more slowly than those who consciously keep track of what people who are not. (The study informed half its participants that they were asked about the length of the experiment, but not the others).

• Body temperature can affect the perception of time. (Passes more slowly when you're cold.)

• Wrist won't affect the perception of time.

• Drugs can do all sorts of terrifying/terrible things for the perception of time. (ie., our college years.)

• Certain health conditions may do the same. (An epileptic attack, for example, you may feel as if his lasted a very long time, even if it was over in a matter of seconds.)

Here's the problem: there is no clear answer as why these things influence the perception of time. We can talk in General concentration and attention, but we can't put your finger on what, in our brain, controls of this type of thing. Yet. In a book published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of Biological Sciences Journal, Marc Wittman Explore dozens of possible causes, but arrive at this conclusion:

Despite the fact that time is essential to an understanding of more complex behaviors, processes that underlie the experience of time and incomplete action times are understandable.

In other words, we don't know really why this happens.

But we have a pretty good idea of how. So the next time you catch yourself wondering how five o'clock is already ensured: whatever you were doing, and however long it seemed to take, at least it was giving undivided attention.

Original illustration from Gizmodo guest Artist Robert Grossman. You can check out more of his stuff at his website.

A drought so severe, it drained Lake Victoria

A megadrought expansive that parched ancient Africa and South Asia about 16,000 years ago it was one of the most intense and deep dry periods in the history of modern man, indicates a new climate research.

The drought has hit almost all of South Asia and most of the African continent. During drought, Lake Victoria Lake tropical Africa — the world's largest and the source of the Nile — dried out, as did the Lake Tana in Ethiopia and Lake Van in Turkey. And monsoon from China to the Mediterranean resulted in little or no rain.

Looking to climatic recordings, including examples of ancient sediments collected from Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, researchers have combined the timing of peak megadrought over 3000 years when iceberg and meltwater increased northern Atlantic. This change in the ocean, which occurred as the last ice age came to a close, seems to have had effects in the tropics, write the researchers in the journal Science on February 25.

The exact cause of megadrought toughest in at least the past 50,000 years, however, remains unclear.

Research points to a shift towards South the Intertropical Convergence zone, where winds near the equator, creating a tropical rain belt. Moving South would have starved region of rainfall which would otherwise have experienced. However, evidence collected in this study suggest that such a move could not explain the expanse of the drought, according to the authors, who were led by Curt Stager Paul Smith College in New York and the University of Maine, Orono.

Other science news from the market of MSNBC Tech & Science places its bets on Oscar science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: markets Online, at least as well as surveys, when it comes to predicting the outcome of the election, but they are as good at predicting the Oscar? Shoes peep flowers when planted looks tired — Iceman but 5300 years tale of boy magnetic: truth or friction?

They suggest, that besides the convergence zone-move, tropical rain in Africa and Asia must have weakened dramatically, perhaps in response to the cooling of the surface of the sea and they evaporate less water out of it.

The next question, of course, is if an extreme megadrought could strike again in our world of heating.

"There's a lot less ice on the left to collapse in North Atlantic now, so I wouldn't be surprised if it could all happen again – at least on such a massive scale," Stager said in a statement.

You can follow Parry Wynne LiveSciencewriter on Twitter @ Wynne_Parry.

Teaser site opens modern warfare 3

This is the first glimpse of Modern Warfare 3?(Credit: Screenshot by GameSpot)

In 2009, Activision has used the Game Developers Choice Awards--the ceremony Game Developers Conference--a premiere of the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The preview was a matter of bones, with audio clips of the controversial content auguring now internationally infamous "No Russian"-level airport massacre.

Now, it seems like history is repeating the same--almost. This morning, the findmakarov.com site with graphics and sound cues straight advertising campaign of Modern Warfare 2 (as of 12: 50 p.m. PT, seemed to be intermittent connection problems).

Site title also references Vladimir Makarov, the ultranationalist terrorist who was the main antagonist for a large portion of actioner blockbuster 2009--in addition to mentioning a modern Warfare 3 reveal. (The site itself is owned by a company facing-registration URL used by companies to hide their Web domains).

read more of "Modern Warfare 3 teaser site opens" on GameSpot.

Boeing WINS dogfight for new U.S. tanker (images)

The U.S. Air Force has named winner of hotly contested to build its next generation tanker aircraft: Boeing. Under the agreement signed yesterday, the American aerospace giant will get $ 3.5 billion for beginners, and for this amount should provide four planes. In the end, though, Boeing is going to bring in $ 30 billion for the manufacture of 179 tankers, to be designated the KC-46A.

This artist's Rendering from Boeing shows what it was called the NewGen tanker bomber B-2 Spirit stealth of refuelling

Discovery arrives at space station for the finals

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the international space station on Saturday, making his final visit before being parked in a museum.

"What took you guys so long?" asked the Commander of the space station, Scott Kelly.

Discovery should have come and gone last November, but was founded by cracks of the fuel tank. It blasted off Thursday with just two seconds to spare after being held up by a balky computer on Earth.

"Yes, I do not know, we kind of waited until the last two seconds," shuttle commander Steven Lindsey said.

The link occurred 220 miles above Australia.

Discovery — flying on his final journey — will spend at least a week at the orbital outpost. It is bringing a room closet style full of supplies, and the first humanoid robot to fly in space.

The compartment is permanently attached to the international space station early next week.

Overall, there are 12 persons aboard the probe joins, representing the United States, Russia and Italy. And in a historic first, four of the five major partners have now ships anchored there, including cargo ships from Japan and Europe. The entire agglomeration has a mass of 1.2 million pounds, including the shuttle service.

Just before pulling, discovery performed a backflip 360 degrees so slow space station cameras might capture any signs of damage. At least four pieces of debris broke the fuel tank during liftoff and one of the strips of foam insulation has hit the belly of the Discovery.

NASA managers do not believe that the shuttle was damaged. That is why it is the loss of foam so late in launching, preventing a hard impact. Hundreds of digital photos taken by two residents of space station should confirm that; Experts on the ground will spend the next day or two poring over all the images.

As a precaution, each crew after the Columbia disaster in 2003 had to carefully check for possible damage to the heat shield, which must be robust to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

Discovery — the first to perform the manoeuvre somersaulting, back in 2005 — is the first of the fleet to be withdrawn this year. Endeavour and Atlantis close out shuttle program for 30 years.

Discovery is the oldest of three and more traveled, with 143 million miles logged over 39 flights and 26 years.

' Men's crew: ' Turd ' Sheen can pay off my mortgage San Francisco gets 1st snowfall since 1976 Shocking mug shots reveal toll of addiction Middleton receives high marks after event hero COP Saves ducklings in danger

The robot has launched aboard Discovery — Robonaut 2, or R2 for short — will remain at the space station, all boxed up for at least another couple of months. This is an experimental machine from bust to be tested before attempting to work inside the orbiting complex simple. The idea is to serve as Assistant R2 finally astronaut.

"We are here!" Robonaut said in an update to Twitter after the reception of Saturday. It actually was sent from a colleague of man on Earth.

Sony NGP arrives in ancient Colosseum

(Credit: Marc crane)

Sony NGP console might not be off by as much as Christmas, but we're already pretty excited. Some monster hardware boxes, including two--count 'em--two analog sticks and an intriguing touch-sensitive pad on the back.

But it is huge! Measurement to 182 84 19 mm, really extends the definition of "handheld". That we were so blown away by these dimensions, we have decided to enlist the help of our cohort of loyal followers of Facebook to illustrate the enormous Circ. NGP.

Click on above picture to see more of what our loyal CNETeers came up with. The first item above comes courtesy of Photoshop, master Marc Crane explaining the challenges faced by stores that offer home delivery for NGP.

read more of "Sony NGP Photoshops show console mole, reader of creativity" to need UK.

You protect your PC for free?

With Avast 6 fresh out of the gate and opinion on record, CNET is the time to ask you which of the many free security suites available is your favorite. The big three on Download.com are Avast, AVG and Avira, although it will be interesting to see if the download counts are reflected in popularity. We tried to have all major players represented here, even if we left out certain choices as ClamWin Antivirus, technically still in beta.

The survey will remain open until 11 p.m. PT 3 March and we'll look at the results March 4.

If you have a question or comment for Seth Rosenblatt, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you receive a response.

Seth peers deep and dark corners of software so that it is not necessary. He still suffer a single nightmare about OS/2.

Space shuttle launch, seen from above

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Seeing a space shuttle launch from the ground is impressive enough, but the view from above is just as thrilling. Take a look at some out-of-this-world pictures of the shuttle Discovery's final launch.

First, there's this YouTube video of Thursday's liftoff, which software developer Neil Monday shot with his iPhone through the window of a commercial airplane flying out of Florida's Orlando International Airport. A member of the flight crew can be heard on the intercom, telling passengers to look out "the right side of the aircraft" ... and later on, someone jokes, "we don't want to have anybody complain because we were late."

No one's complaining here.

Still more stunning views were captured from an even higher altitude, using an unmanned helium balloon that was festooned with smart phone cameras and other gizmos. The first images were released today, and they're stunning.

"We are tickled pink. We don't think anyone has ever taken a picture of the shuttle this high," said Keith Cowing, a spokesman for Challenger Center for Space Science Education, which led the Robonaut-1 project with Quest for Stars.

Quest for Stars / Challenger Center

This is a frame grab from a video shot by a GoPro Hero Motorsport on a helium balloon launched to image the shuttle Discovery as it transited the stratosphere. The fogging is due to the fact that the balloon is coming through the troposphere when this picture was taken at 5:05 ET.

The Robonaut-1 balloon was launched from Florida so that it was in position for Discovery's supersonic transit of the stratosphere. The team hoped that the high-tech smart phones would send back real-time views of the launch, but that didn't pan out.

"We were relying on cell phone coverage, and you don't get a lot of that over swamps," Cowing explained. He said that similar experiments carried out in California, where coverage is better, have had better real-time results.

Payload payday
Expecting that the real-time imagery might not work, the experiment was set up with redundancy. The balloon was equipped with six Android smart phones as well as other high-tech cameras — an array of equipment that's worth several thousand dollars.

The payload was recovered in a field just west of Daytona Beach, Fla., near Cody's Corner on Route 11. The built-in redundancy paid off. "These guys are a real combination of storm chasers, barnstormers, and techno-geeks," Cowing said of the team behind Robonaut-1, an effort that was geared toward advancing science education.

Quest for Stars / Challenger Center

The trail of exhaust left behind by the shuttle Discovery begins to dissipate in the atmosphere, as seen in this view from the Robonaut-1 high-altitude balloon. The image was captured using a Motorola Droid X smart phone.

The team released the first of the photos retrieved from the equipment today, but Cowing said this was just the tip of the iceberg. The balloon was at an altitude somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 feet "for the better part of an hour, which means we actually have captured the entire launch sequence and can actually see it heading into space," Cowing noted.

More images will be released in the coming days, and the cream of the crop will be released March 2 at the Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Orlando.

More launch views
Robonaut-1 proved that regular folks can join the space community with just a few cutting-edge smart phones — devices that are lightweight, have a high-quality camera, and the computing power of desktops — plus some clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration and a little ingenuity. Meanwhile, other enthusiasts were busy capturing images of Discovery's launch from the ground.

Peter Lardizabal

Peter Lardizabal of St. Johns, Fla., took this picture of Discovery's final ascent to space on Thursday from Apollo Beach, 18 miles north of the Kennedy Space Center launch pad.

Photographer Peter Lardizabal, for example, snapped pictures of Discovery's ascent and solid rocket booster separation from Apollo Beach in Canaveral National Seashore Park, about 18 miles north of the launch pad. More of his images are available from Spaceweather.com.

Lardizabal recommended Apollo Beach as a good venue for taking pictures. "It really gives you the best view of the separation. ... The only real problem is, it really, really fills up quick," he said. After Thursday's launch, he said, it took two hours to drive just three miles out of the park.

Shuttle-watchers started showing up a day in advance of Thurday's launch, and the park is likely to become even busier for the final two space shuttle launches, scheduled for April and June.

Lardizabal said another hot spot for shuttle-watching is Lighthouse Point Park, a Florida state park that's also north of the pad. "Viewing the launch from the north end is a special treat," due to the area's perspective on the shuttle's ascent route, he said. "You get to see the ascent of the vehicle from the side."

Are you thinking of taking in one of the last space shuttle launches in history? It's not too early to make your travel plans. The best guide to shuttle launch viewing is by photographer Ben Cooper. For additional advice, consult this NASA viewing guide, and keep an eye on this Web page for tickets from the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex.

Submitted by Todd Swanson / UGC

Discovery in 2010 in pre-dawn launch. Photo by Todd Swanson/HisImageStudio

So ... are you nostalgic for Discovery yet? After this trip, the shuttle will be heading for a spot at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and you'll be able to get a close-up look at the world's most traveled spaceship. In the meantime, flip through our album of "Blasts from the Past," and take a look at this shot of Discovery's launch in April 2010, as captured by Todd Swanson of His Image Studio in Charlotte, N.C. Thanks for sharing, Todd!

Update for 10:30 p.m. ET: Neil Monday, the airline passenger who shot the shuttle video on YouTube, told me the story behind the images in an e-mail:

"I am a 25-year-old working as a software developer for the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. On Thursday, I was on my way back to my hometown of Richmond, Va., for my older brother's wedding. The flight was scheduled to take off at 2:25, and if it had been on time, I would have completely missed the launch. I think we took off at around 4:30 headed south, and slowly banked toward the north. Once we leveled out, the shuttle took off.
"I was actually seated on the opposite side of the plane, but luckily the window seat on the right side was open (which was the side the shuttle would be on). I asked the gentleman if I could sit there for a few minutes to film the launch, and he said sure. Once I was done filming, he gave me his contact info so I could show him the video. I had a digital camera with me which would have done a great job recording, but the batteries were dead, so I shot the video on my iPhone. I don't think I knew about the launch until 20 minutes before it happened. It was neat, because we could see the countdown on the TVs in the headrests and then just peek outside the window and see the real thing.
"I remember seeing another video on YouTube of a shuttle launch filmed from an airplane, and I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. Then to actually have the opportunity to see it in real life was absolutely fascinating. I have a feeling that I will be telling the story to my grandkids one day."

Science editor Alan Boyle and msnbc.com contributor John Roach joined forces on this posting. Tip o' the Log to Keith Cowing, who also presides over NASA Watch, SpaceRef, OnOrbit and other space websites.

Join the Cosmic Log community by clicking the "like" button on our Facebook page or by following msnbc.com science editor Alan Boyle as b0yle on Twitter. To learn more about Alan Boyle's book on Pluto and the search for planets, check out the website for "The Case for Pluto."

Lesson 1 - Hello Csharp Part 2/2

The ability to see Discovery's parting shot (space)

Skywatchers in parts of the United States and Canada have a chance Friday night at NASA's space shuttle Discovery – on its mission last-ever – as it chases the international space station through the night sky.

The shuttle and space station will be visible to the naked eye as a separate entity, appearing as bright "stars" sailing across the twilight sky tonight. With clear skies Skywatchers in the northern and southern United States Canada have the best chances of seeing the two spacecraft.

The ISS can be seen easily in clear nights without a telescope, thanks to its enormous size and solar panels. It is as long as a football field and has enough living space for astronauts like a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

On good passes, the space station is so intense it can compete with the planet Venus in the sky and appears more than 25 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

Discovery launched into space on Thursday and is scheduled to dock at space station Saturday at 2: 16 PM EST. Since Saturday night, both will appear as a singular object moving light.

The international space station makes a complete orbit around the Earth, about once every 91.5 minutes. Initially, after launching Thursday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Discovery space station hauled through the sky from about 37 minutes.

By this evening, this gap will be decreased by around 15 minutes. This means that you will not be able to see the two spacecraft in the sky at the same time; rather, the discovery would appear first, followed by less than half an hour later from the space station traveling along essentially the same path.

Discovery is flying an 11-day mission to deliver a new storage room and humanoid robot to the international space station. This is the final flight of shuttle Discovery because NASA plans to retire the orbiter along with the rest of the shuttle fleet later this year.

NASA's shuttle Discovery is most-flown and is making its ninth trip into space.

Region of visibility
As regards its visibility, it seems that living in the United States of America Central and southern of skywatchers may be out of luck for the discovery or the space station. This is because the trajectories of spacecraft will transmit on paths that are too low or overhead during daylight hours, making them invisible.

In the northern United States of America, there is the possibility of spotting the discovery and the train station on paths that start in the Western Sky then scroll over the bottom in a direction toward the North and East.

In most cases, the higher the gain the shuttle or space station above the Northern horizon will be about 15 degrees. The closed fist at arm's length measures about 10 degrees. So a pass 15 degrees would be approximately one and a half fists up from the horizon.

From southern Canada, two space vehicles will make a bow even higher across the sky. From Montreal and Calgary, for example, there are estimated passes that are more than 40 degrees above the horizon – almost halfway from the horizon to the point of overhead (called the zenith).

How brilliant are?
Most of the satellites become visible only when they are in the light of the Sun and the observer is in deep dusk or dark. This usually means shortly after sunset or before sunrise.

Because of huge dimensions and configuration of highly reflective solar panels of the international space station, is the brightest object artificial currently in orbit around the Earth.

Some have even caught a glimpse of ISS just before sunset or shortly after sunrise. And as a bonus, in the light of the Sun to directly out of the solar panels can sometimes do seem to flare briefly to ISS superbrilliance.

The space shuttle also appears as a very bright (magnitude 0-1); almost matching Sirius, although nowhere near as dazzling as the ISS.

When and where to look
What are the chances of centering Discovery and space station in your town?

You can easily find trying one of these four popular websites: Chris peat heaven above, Science @ NASA's J-Pass, NASA SkyWatch and Spaceweather.com.

Everyone will ask for your zip code or city, and respond with a list of suggested times. Estimates computed a couple of days ahead of time is usually accurate within a few minutes. However, you can change due to slow decay of the orbit of the space station and periodic reboosts Gurkhas.

Another great site is this one, which provides real-time satellite tracking and shows at any time during the day or night on which part of the land the shuttle or ISS happens to be.

Allows you to check websites often for updates as viewing conditions can sometimes change due to developments of the mission.