DDOS Attacks Between Chinese Online Games Takes Down Internet

In China, online games are big business. So big that competitors engage in some shady practices to snipe at each other and one of these instances took down the Internet over there back in May. NetworkWorld has more details.

Attacks between illegal game operators and other Internet businesses are fairly common in China, both in and outside of major cities, said a local security researcher. Online mercenaries who own servers or control networks of compromised PCs often sell attack services on private forums or chat clients, he said.

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[H]ardware Roundup

Cooling

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus, N620, and Cogage TRUE Spirit CPU coolers @ Xbit Labs

Zalman CNPS10X Extreme CPU cooler @ HardwareLogic

ETC.

Microsoft Sidewinder X8 gaming mouse @ MaximumPC

Kingwin EZ-Dock 2 @ Virtual-Hideout

Power Supplies

OCZ StealthXStream 400W @ Hardware Secrets

Antec CP-850: new CPX form-factor @ SPCR

Silverstone Element ST85EF 850W @ jonnyGURU

Processors

Intel Core i7 870 (Lynnfield) @ InsideHW

AMD Athlon II X2 250 @ OC3D

Video

Warpia Wireless USB Display Adapter SWP100 @ BmR

Sparkle 285 GTX 2GB @ DriverHeaven

Lori Drew Cyberbully Case Dismissed, Charges Overturned

The cyberbullying case against Lori Drew that led to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl was officially dismissed with all misdemeanors overturned. The judge presiding over the case originally said that he would overturn the jury verdict back on July 2 and the final decision just came down.

The reasoning of the opinion is that whatever unauthorized access means, it cannot mean mere violation of Terms of Service without more. Such a reading of the statute would render the statute unconstitutionally void for vagueness because it would give the government almost unlimited power to prosecute any Internet user and wouldn't give citizens sufficient notice as to what of their Internet conduct was criminal.

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Internet Turns 40, Faces Mid-Life Crisis

The AP has an article about the current "mid-life crisis" that the Internet is facing as it turns 40 soon. The crisis is the erosion of the openness that the Internet’s creators sought when it was developed. Check out the article for more detail.

Speaking of turning 40, Yahoo has a list of key milestones in the development of the Internet. Check it out and get your history on.

A variety of factors are to blame. Spam and hacking attacks force network operators to erect security firewalls. Authoritarian regimes block access to many sites and services within their borders. And commercial considerations spur policies that can thwart rivals, particularly on mobile devices like the iPhone.

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Ford Phasing Out Crown Victoria, Police Get Taurus Instead?

Ford is closing the Ontario plant that manufactures the Crown Victoria in 2011. Rumors have it that they’ll replace the Crown Vic with the Taurus as the police cruiser. If this is true, methinks we’ll see more Dodge Charger and similar police cars as a result. Way to go Ford.

Ford has told the CAW that said production at St. Thomas after 2011 isn't an option and has told the CAW that it has already begun marketing other police vehicles. Ford stopped selling the Crown Victoria to consumers in 2007, but it remains the most popular vehicle for police departments.

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Windows 7 Under Fire for ‘Treacherous Computing’

The Free Software Foundation has condemned Microsoft’s Windows 7 for "treacherous computing" that quietly takes away user rights. FSF has launched a campaign to educate people and even has a site that lists the seven sins of Windows 7. To be fair, FSF makes these complaints against any proprietary software but they’re targeting W7 in this particular instance.

The group, best-known for overseeing the General Public License (GPL) used by most open-source software, including Linux , will hold a rally at noon in Boston Common, where it will unveil a 12-foot-tall art installation depicting Windows 7 "being trashed," Brown said.

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Movie Theaters Go Big to Compete with Online Videos

This TechNewsWorld article takes a look at the steps movie theaters are taking to fight off the loss of attendance due to online video. From massive IMAX screens showing summer blockbusters to 3D wizardry breaking out of animation, theaters are leaning on tech that is difficult to reproduce at home.

We're talking about an industry that not only survived, but ended up thriving amid the arrival of television in the 1950s, videotapes in the 1980s, and DVDs in the '90s. The reason? An ability to continually remake themselves and find new ways to generate revenue, by introducing everything from the multiplex and more elaborate concessions to lengthy pre-show advertising.

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Are Intel, Dell Numbers Indicators of Tech Turnaround?

This CNET blog takes a look at the numbers tossed out by two tech giants last week. Intel raised their 3Q expectations, indicating PC recovery. However, analysts caution that this may not be a true turnaround and point to Dell’s 2Q numbers as evidence. In other words, things are still as muddy as they were before the announcements.

"The problem for the industry at large is that ASPs (average selling prices) are dropping like a rock," said Kumar. And on a macro level "employment is still weak and consumer discretionary spending is under pressure," according to Kumar.

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IBM Images Chemical Structure of a Molecule

IBM scientists have been able to image the "anatomy" -- or chemical structure -- inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using acomplex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy. The results push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at the smallest scale and could greatly impact the field of nanotechnology, which seeks to understand and control some of the smallest objects known to mankind.

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ASUS ‘Absolute Pitch’ Series Motherboards Launched

ASUS announced the launch of a series of specially-developed motherboards that lets theater-sound aficionados and audiophiles build their dream home-theater PC. The DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC delivers theater-like sound on modest equipment for an affordable, full-range sound, ENVY HD delivers a comprehensive 10 channels of audio output for a professional audio experience, and BD 192/24 delivers high-fidelity Blu-ray decoding for a dynamic sound output similar to a live entertainment experience.

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U.S. Will Consider Single Rating System

Okay, the question of the day is this….do you think a universal rating system would make things better or worse? I mean, how hard could it be to make one system cover everything?

U.S. regulators will consider a single ratings system that would warn parents of programming on television, video games, and wireless telephones that could be inappropriate for children, officials said. The Federal Communications Commission will begin the inquiry after an agency report to be delivered Aug. 31 to Congress on media blocking and rating techniques, said two commission officials.

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Court Rejects Cap on Cable Market Share

So the courts have once again rejected a cap that would limit the market share any one cable provider can have to 30%. I want to know where you guys are at on this issue. Hit the comments link below and let us know what you think.

Fearing a cable monopoly, Congress in 1992 directed the FCC to set limits on how many customers cable TV operators could reach nationwide. The FCC set the 30 percent limit, but that was thrown out twice by the courts. Two years ago, under then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the same cap was reinstated, prompting the new challenge from Comcast.

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