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Arizona man gets 20 months in prison for emergency system DDoS attacks
Denial of service attacks are serious by themselves, but doubly so when they target vital systems... and one perpetrator is finding that out first-hand. A court has sentenced Arizona resident Randall Charles Tucker (who nicknamed himself the "Bitcoin Baron") to 20 months in prison for launching distributed denial of service attacks against city websites, including damaging attacks against Madison, Wisconsin. He not only took down the city's website, but "crippled" its emergency communication system to the point where first responders had trouble reaching the 911 center. It also 'degraded' the automatic dispatching for emergency crews.
ICYMI: Steps for electricity, scoliosis exosuit and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-340917{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-340917, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-340917{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-340917").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison made shoes that store energy from steps inside internal batteries, making them the coolest transport hybrid yet. Columbia scientists built a prototype for a robotic exoskeleton torso suit that would allow wearers who suffer from curvature of the spine to move, all while the machine kept their spine in proper alignment. And an upcoming art installation turns a door into a psychedelic experience that must be seen. We also hoped you'd enjoy this DIY build of a Russian tank. As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
The New York Times wants you to help identify old newspaper ads
Unless you're clipping coupons, advertisements are the last thing you look for when you pick up the newspaper. They're also the part of the New York Times archives that the newspaper wants you to look at the most, but not just for the sake of revenue. Madison, a new project from the New York Times' research and development lab seeks to document the paper's long history of advertising by crowdsourcing its advertisement identification project. That is, asking the public to view archives of old papers and sort out if a specific section of a paper is an ad, who it is advertising for, and to help transcribe the text.
iPads for Madison, WI schools purchased with Microsoft lawsuit settlement funds
A total of about 1,400 iPads are heading to schools in Madison, Wisconsin during 2012, indirectly paid for by none other than Microsoft. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the school district is acquiring iPads as they are less expensive, easier to use, and more portable than the usual computers purchased for educational use. Bill Smojver, the director of technical services for the Madison School District, referred to Apple's recent educational announcements about iBooks Author, iBooks 2, and digital textbooks as a "significant development." Deputy superintendent of schools Sue Abplanalp said that Madison administrators found that students using tablets were more engaged in the classroom, as evidenced by a demonstration they witnessed in the Chicago Public Schools. The school district will get the iPads through a traditional Apple educational discount for about $479 each, with the final tab being paid for with part of a nearly US$80 million settlement between Microsoft and the state of Wisconsin. That 2009 settlement was the end result of a lawsuit that alleged that Microsoft cheated consumers by overpricing its software for years. [via AppleInsider]
Verizon rolling out LTE coverage in 21 additional markets on June 16th, wins 4G blackjack
This could be just the news your lonely little Thunderbolt has been waiting for. Verizon today announced the addition of 21 new markets to its LTE coverage, starting June 16th. The list includes some biggish spots, like Boise, ID, Milwaukee / Madison, WI, Salt Lake City, UT, and Hartford, CT -- Northern California will be getting a major coverage boost, as well, with the existing Bay Area coverage being expanded to Marin and Solano counties. The network launched with 38 markets back in December and those, plus these new additions and a handful announced earlier this month, are bringing the company ever closer to its proposed 175 markets by the end of the year. That's a whole lot of green stars.
Breakfast Topic: Keep Azeroth clean
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. Is it just me, or is the air a bit dirtier than it used to be? Turbo-Charged Flying Machines, Mekgineer's Choppers, the new Refer-A-Friend X-53 Touring Rocket and not to mention all of the vehicles in Ulduar and Wintergrasp. Soon goblins will be driving their very own cars! Yes, it seems the once fresh, clean atmosphere of Azeroth is destined to become more polluted than trade chat. At first I thought the whole Ice Stone melting incident was a farce .. just a part of our natural, cyclical climate change. But what if all of this engineering exhaust is causing irreparable damage? Perhaps it's the pollution itself that causes "Cataclysm" and not the return of Deathwing, like we've been told. It seems we are amidst the industrial revolution of Azeroth, and the progression of technology cannot be stifled any longer. As an engineer myself, I have to wonder about the effects I have personally had on WoW's environment -- crafting machines, bombs and even extracting motes and eternals on a daily basis. For shame. Have you contributed to polluting Azeroth? If so what can we do to improve the air quality or prevent the situation from getting out of control? Have you ever wanted to write for WoW.com? Your chance may be right around the corner. Watch for our next call for submissions for articles via Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. The next byline you see here may be yours!
The Queue: Left 4 Cheesehead
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.I was horrified to find endless amounts of Wisconsin hate in the comments of yesterday's edition of The Queue. Come on, Wisconsin rules! Well, no, the few bubbles of real civilization in Wisconsin rule. Milwaukee, Madison, and maybe (maybe) the Green Bay area. Everything in between those points are like something out of a horror movie. In transit from Milwaukee to Madison, all of the passengers in the car keep their eyes squeezed shut while the driver breaks out in a cold sweat. Packers fans fling themselves at your vehicle like the undead, crying out for your blood and pounding their fists on your windows. The only thing that you can do, the only thing you want to do, is keep driving.Milwaukee, though? Totally rules.aw232 asked..."I'm starting to think that there won't be a raid included in 3.2. I've heard about a new battleground, an expansion of the argent tournament but nothing about a new raid. Is there any confirmation or denial on if there will be a new raid before Icecrown?"
Charter's Moxi 3012 HD DVR rollout reaches Wisconsin
Looking for a Moxi box without paying $799 (even in easy monthly payments) up front? We got the heads up that Charter is expanding the footprint for its Cable HD DVR 3012 multistream CableCARD box, starting with Wisconsin. Apparently following a successful test in St. Louis Charter is ready to deploy 23,000 of the set-top boxes in 2009 and make it the primary DVR in the area. No official word from Charter on the new hardware yet, but the trend of Digeo actually shipping units is one we can get used to.[Thanks, Anonymous]
Twitter-brain interface offers terrifying vision of the future
We'll be honest, we're always on the lookout for faster and better ways to annoy our Twitter followers with hopelessly mundane status updates, and this brain-control interface from the University of Wisconsin's Adam Wilson seems to be the perfect to get all Scoble on it with a minimum of effort -- you think it, you tweet it. Okay okay, we kid -- it's actually just the usual brainwave-control setup you've seen everywhere, and the average user can only do ten characters a minute, but think of the potential, people. Soon everyone will know that you are "Walking on sidewalk, LOL" almost the second you think it, and all it will take is a mindreading cap paired with a sophisticated computers running an advanced signal processing algorithm connected to the massive infrastructure of the internet via a multibillion-dollar mobile broadband network. That's progress. Video after the break.[Via Hack A Day]
Researcher plans to use GPS to study asthma triggers
You wouldn't expect GPS tech to have an impact on asthma research, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison's David Van Sickle says it will -- he's planning on tagging sufferers so he can learn when and where they reach for their inhalers. The data will hopefully make sorting out environmental triggers of the disease much easier -- it took scientists eight years to prove that soybean dust near the Barcelona harbor caused a massive asthma outbreak in the 80s, a timeline that might have been dramatically shorter if location information had been available from the start. The plan's still in the early stages, but would-be participants can sign up already -- let's just hope the tracker is slightly more attractive than Kogan's enormous watch unit.[Via CNET]
AT&T U-Verse shows up in Madison, Wisconsin, badgers get celebratory
Man, talk about being loved. The citizens of Madison, Wisconsin are indeed loved... at least by programming providers. Not too terribly long after Charter added in a half dozen HD channels to its lineup in the area -- and just weeks after DISH Network finally delivered HD locals to Badgerville -- along comes official word from AT&T that U-verse is also ready for consumption. Select Madison-area residents can now opt for AT&T's fiber-based TV, high-speed internet and digital phone services, and given that the provider just boosted its HD count by 30 (for free), today seems like an excellent day to mull a switch. If you're parked in Beloit, Fitchburg, Janesville, Madison, Maple Bluff, Middleton, Monona or Shorewood Hills (among other South Central Wisconsin communities), feel free to give AT&T a call and see if it's available at your domicile.[Thanks, Nik]
WISC-TV to finally deliver HD news in Madison, Wisconsin
Get ready, Madison -- HD news is just around the bend. Starting on Sunday, October 26th, WISC-TV will become the first in the region to air all of its regularly-scheduled newscasts in high-definition. Of note, the CBS affiliate has been airing feature stories within its newscast in HD since January of this year, but on Sunday, it will become the first in the area to go wire-to-wire in high-def. The first completely HD newscast will air at 5:30PM on the aforementioned day, and in preparation for the change, the regularly scheduled "News 3 at 5:30" will be preempted for an original special on HDTV and the February 2009 digital television conversion.
DISH Network unloads HD locals in a handful of new markets
Of late, it's been DirecTV doing all the dishing of HD locals, but at long last, we've got its biggest, most bitter rival stepping to the plate and doing some damage, too. As it's fall HD locals rollout continues, DISH Network has gone live with 'em in a bevy of new places. We're talking Florence / Myrtle Beach, SC, Fort Myers / Naples, FL, Greenville / New Bern / Washington, NC, Madison, WI and Wilkes Barre / Scranton, PA. As it stands, the satcaster now offers locals in high-def in 70 markets reaching 71% of the US, but really, all that matters is if you're in that 71%, right?
Charter adding 6 HD channels in Madison, Wisconsin
So we already knew Charter had a mind to add FSN Wisconsin HD sometime this summer to enable locals to see some of those 65 HD Brewers games, and while August 20th is a bit late (we're being really generous here) in the season to flip the switch, we guess late is better than never. Charter has just announced plans to pick up the aforesaid sports station along with Animal Planet HD, The Movie Channel HD, TBS HD, Smithsonian HD and In-Demand HD on August 20th. As residents of Madison will surely recall, Charter vowed to roughly double its HD lineup from just over 20 to around 40 within the next two years, but based on Charter's recent dealings, we aren't so sure it'll come through on that.[Image courtesy of RightFieldBleachers, thanks Tim]
Trek Stop: a vending machine for skinny people
Fat kids want cake, skinny kids abstain, right? Whatever philosophy you subscribe to, chances are you'll only see the world's fittest stopping by a Trek Stop. This curious vending machine is currently parked in Madison, Wisconsin and enables cyclists to nab spare parts (an extra tube, patch kit, water bottle, etc.) or healthy snacks while rolling by. As for installation? Prepare to get greasy.[Via AutoblogGreen]
Charter adding TLC HD and Discovery HD to Madison, WI lineup
While not the most impressive of additions, we're hearing that Charter is gearing up to bless subscribers in the Madison, Wisconsin area with a new pair of HD channels. Reportedly, messages are flying out to DVRs now informing customers that TLC HD and Discovery HD will be added on March 25th. Sadly, that means you've got quite awhile to sit around wishing these would go live, but at least you can go ahead and cancel any plans you may have had coming up on that fateful Tuesday, right?[Thanks, Joe H.]
Madison, WI Apple Store: Your Reports
Apple opened a new retail store in Madison, WI this weekend. As usual, we asked any TUAW operatives who may have attended to share their reports and/or pictures. So, did you go, and if you did, how was it? Let us know in the comments. Here's hoping you scored a T-shirt, the Opening Day Contest's grand prize and, dare we say it? An iPhone!If you haven't gone down to the store yet, show us a little love and set the in-store Macs to TUAW!
Human Head survives fire, no data loss reported
Early Friday morning (late Thursday night for most), a devastating fire feasted on a historical building in Madison, Wisconsin. Local news coverage identified the multi-use building as home to Human Head Studios, developer of last year's long-incubated shooter Prey. Thankfully, the level designers had been released from their shackles for the night. No one was harmed in the fire.But what of the precious MEE data? Had Marc Ecko's rags-to-renders dream gone up in ... smoke? According to today's update from Human Head, no. "[Though] we suffered some equipment and furniture loss due to smoke and water, we suffered no significant data loss," reports the studio. A temporary relocation plan seems to indicate that Human Head is eager to get back to work on the Ecko-endorsed project, shedding any stigma earned from Prey's 5-year development cycle.
Microsoft offers up laptop totes for the ladies
It can be confusing and a little bit scary when big-name manufacturers decide to delve into new product categories. Case in point: whenever we're in the market for a new operating system, Microsoft is always right up there among our top three finalists; however, when we're trying to pick up a new laptop bag for our sweetheart, a "Made in Redmond" label would have little to do with our purchasing decision. Actually, the trio of new female-focused bags that the software giant is kicking out on the 15th probably aren't made in Washington or even the US for that matter -- Microsoft has teamed up with luggage manufacturer Samsill to bring its Madison, Manhattan, and Monticello totes (pictured left to right) into the world. This all-leather nylon and "leather-look" vinyl lineup handles laptops up to 15.4 inches (sorry, XPS M2010 owners), and contains all the amenities you'd expect from a modern notebook tote: padded internal sleeve, zippered compartments, and, um, shoulder straps for convenient transport. Other nice features include built-in file compression (looks like you could cram a whole ream of paper into the Manhattan), advanced search capabilities (simply stick your hand in and dig around), WGA security (you have to bring the bag in for "patching" once a month or it falls apart), and Microsoft's proprietary ReadyZip technology (for opening 'em up 30% faster). Prices range from $50 for the Monticello to $70 for the Manhattan, although no matter which one you order, all three models are shipped in the same package -- simply call up customer service for a license to use one of the other bags.Read- MonticelloRead- MadisonRead- Manhattan[Via Crave]
Human Head CEO quit in Nov, talks now
FiringSquad reports that Human Head CEO Timothy Gerritsen has left the studio; in fact, he did so shortly before Thanksgiving last year. When questioned, Gerritsen said he departed on friendly terms, but was driven to leave because of creative differences. Gerritsen did not like the direction the other owners were steering Human Head in.Gerritsen confirmed that he would remain in game development, though he declined to give specifics. Human Head co-founder and president Paul MacArthur has been acting as interim CEO.
