First cost-benefit analysis of DNA profiling vindicates 'CSI' fans

First cost-benefit analysis of DNA profiling vindicates 'CSI' fans: The first rigorous analysis of the crime-fighting power of DNA profiling finds substantial evidence of its effectiveness.

Microsoft's Future of the Living Room Starring SuperTuxKart

Microsoft's Future of the Living Room Starring SuperTuxKart: New submitter Antoine.Stroll writes "Microsoft's concept of the living room's future doesn't include Master Chief apparently. In fact, it's starring several FOSS games including Red Eclipse and SuperTuxKart (video). Does FOSS just allow more possibilities for research and experimentation? SuperTuxKart had their 0.8 release last month. Go check out the website and download the game that Redmond's researchers couldn't resist. STK gets its Microsoft closeup at 48 seconds into the demonstration." This is the full room projection tech detailed in an earlier story about the patents Microsoft filed relating to it.

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Windows RT Jailbreak Tool Released

Windows RT Jailbreak Tool Released: An anonymous reader writes "Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the Windows RT operating system had been jailbroken to allow for the execution of unsigned ARM desktop applications. Microsoft quickly issued a statement saying it does not consider the findings to be part of a security vulnerability, and applauded the hacker for his ingenuity. Now, a Windows RT jailbreak tool has been released."

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California Decides App Crime Is a Serious Problem

California Decides App Crime Is a Serious Problem: The California attorney general issued guidlines for app makers just as Apple instituted a crackdown of its own.

Clever SMB vid

College CIO Predicts Tablets Will Kill Smart Boards

College CIO Predicts Tablets Will Kill Smart Boards: CowboyRobot writes "Keith Fowlkes (vice chancellor for information technology and CIO at the University of Virginia's College at Wise) has a commentary at Information Week in which he makes the point that moving forward, colleges will be able to dump all the 'smart' classroom tools and devices (e.g. electronic whiteboards, clickers, projection systems, etc.) and will only need to support students' tablets. The reasoning comes down to the return on investment, which is easy to argue for tablets but not for other classroom technologies. Standardization of video across devices remains a problem, as does the issue of where files are stored and how they are shared. But these are solvable problems and we will soon see the day when electronic whiteboards are a distant memory." I think the issue of file storage was solved by openafs a long time ago, certainly at the scale of small University.

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Floppy Bach

Marriage linked to better survival in middle age; Study highlights importance of social ties during midlife

Marriage linked to better survival in middle age; Study highlights importance of social ties during midlife: Could marriage, and associated companionship, be one key to a longer life? According to new research, not having a permanent partner, or spouse, during midlife is linked to a higher risk of premature death during those midlife years.

Motorist Claims Corporation Papers Are Carpool Passengers

Motorist Claims Corporation Papers Are Carpool Passengers: We've heard it countless times from losers of courtroom showdowns who claim they're going to take their defeat all the way to the Supreme Court. But over a traffic citation? Jonathan Frieman, a 56-year-old Northern California man, is joining the ranks of pregnant women who have transformed carpool-lane violations into a soapbox of sorts.

Americans have worse health than people in other high-income countries

Americans have worse health than people in other high-income countries: On average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries.

Fireflies Bring Us Brighter LEDs

Fireflies Bring Us Brighter LEDs: Zothecula writes "Fireflies have helped an international team of scientists get over 50 percent more light out of existing LED bulbs. It was discovered that in the Photuris genus of firefly, scales in the insect's exoskeleton possess optical qualities that boost the amount of bioluminescence that can shine through. Those same qualities were found to dramatically increase the light output of an LED bulb."

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Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk

Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk: New research suggests that drinking sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults while drinking coffee was tied to a slightly lower risk.

Space sailing soon: A one-kilometer-long electric sail tether produced

Space sailing soon: A one-kilometer-long electric sail tether produced: An electric sail (ESAIL) produces propulsion power for a spacecraft by utilizing the solar wind. The sail features electrically charged long and thin metal tethers that interact with the solar wind. Using ultrasonic welding,engineers successfully produced a 1 km long ESAIL tether.

Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help utilities' bottom line, study shows

Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help utilities' bottom line, study shows: The storage capacity of concentrating solar power can add significant value to a utility company's optimal mix of energy sources, a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests.

Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms

Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms: Researchers report that -- in contrast to the prevailing dogma -- sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles. The findings, which demonstrate that sodium is stored in the body, have implications for blood pressure control, hypertension and salt-associated cardiovascular risk.

'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand

'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand: The hand-held scanners, or tricorders, of the Star Trek movies and television series are one step closer to reality now that an engineering team has invented a compact source of X-rays and other forms of radiation. The radiation source, which is the size of a stick of gum, could be used to create inexpensive and portable X-ray scanners for use by doctors, as well as to fight terrorism and aid exploration on this planet and others.