A firm that has designed habitats for plants and animals living in microgravity now hopes to grow the first flowers on the moon, the company’s founders announced on Friday.

Engineering firm Paragon Space Development plans to build a greenhouse to fly to the moon. It is set to travel on a lunar lander designed by Odyssey Moon, a competitor for the Google Lunar X Prize, a $30 million contest to send an unmanned lunar rover to the moon.

The greenhouse will be used to incubate fast-growing mustard seeds on the lunar surface, in the hopes of producing flowering plants and an iconic image that could be as thrilling as the Apollo images of Earth-rise over the lunar surface.

Google is officially denying widespread Internet rumors that its Google Earth software located the mythical sunken city of Atlantis off the coast of Africa. Either that, or Google is totally trying to hide something. Since I always appreciate a nice juicy conspiracy theory, I’m going to go with the latter.

From what it sounds like, a British aeronautical engineer was playing around with the new Google Earth 5.0, which includes undersea data, and noticed something funny off the coast of Africa, about 600 miles west of the Canary Islands, that resembled a pattern of a street grid. According to the U.K.’s Press Association, the pattern of streets equated to an area the size of Wales.

Southwest this week began testing their own in-flight wi-fi service, based on a satellite connection from Row 44. It’s on one plane now with more coming soon, and right now, it’s free.

Southwest is using a satellite-based system from Row 44, and not the cellular connection used by most other airlines with Aircell’s GoGo service. So if you find yourself on that one and soon to be handful of Row 44-equipped planes, you can surf for free.

So some may have seen the ATMs in the hotel were “tagged” with this prank and thought that THIS was the compromise I was referring to.

Making Faces is illegal.

This was funny, and I have a pretty good idea who put it there. (and really if it was “them” I would think twice of touching that ATM anyways) But it was not a compromise.

@surbo and I were running late to the airport, and the taxi driver wouldnt take a card. Having spent all our cash the night before, we ran over to the ATM located in the main hallway of the Marriott (across from the hotel convenience store) and I tried the ATM. It was acting very odd, it was taking about 5 minutes to change screens, and it was NOT TAKING MY PIN on my card, and occasionally told me that it could not read the card. I got a very bad feeling, but I was in a hurry, so I tried another card. Same story — acting weird not taking my pin. I asked Surbo to give it a go, and this time it took his pin, but it was still acting weird.

Surbo then did something that made us both say “F&^K”. He pulled the facepanel down off the ATM exposing the internal computer and authentication “dialer”, someone had either picked or left the panel unlocked. (the safe panel ($$$$) remained locked). The electronics that control the authorization of funds were easily accessed. You can imagine what an person of “low moral standards” could have benefited from this situation.

Right about the time that Surbo pulled the front panel down, Mouse came strolling by and said “Boys! What are you doing!?” It didnt look good, and since we had already had some run-ins with hotel police we immediately put it back and made sure it was reported. We didnt take any pictures because we didnt want to be any more involved than we already were. I am sure you can understand that although we pull some harmless pranks here or there, ATM fraud is not up our alley.

So, Do I have evidence that if you used that ATM that your card numbers & pin were exposed and/or recorded? No, in-fact I did not see any suspicious looking equipment inside that would indicate that it had, however the security of the ATM was compromised and the potential was definitely there. Don’t risk it, if you used this ATM, please call your bank and get your card reissued.

Update: I have now learned that the ATMs were using the default admin password. (crap see comments below)

Digg – Great Scott Downloads

Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner demonstrated a Wireless Energy Resonant Link as he spoke at the California firm’s annual developers forum in San Francisco.

Electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer.

Most importantly, the electricity was transmitted without zapping anything or anyone that got between the sending and receiving units.

“The trick with wireless power is not can you do it; it’s can you do it safely and efficiently,” Intel researcher Josh Smith said in an online video explaining the breakthrough.

Streaming — thanks ToddM!
http://mp3.bubblecoder.com/scripts/mp3_player.php?pid=38

Tracklist
# 1. Moonbootica – Jump Around
# 2. edIT – Battling Go-Go Yubari in Downtown LA v. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dog – Next Episode part I v. Beastie Boys – Ch-Check It Out
# 3. edIT – If You Crump Stand Up (just a taste)
# 4. The Crystal Method – PHD v. Beastie Boys – Body Movin’
# 5. The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin’ Beats v. The Gorillaz – Windmill
# 6. Q45 + Amy B – Naughty (Kissy Sell Out Mix)
# 7. Andrea Doria – Bucci Bag (Richard Vission Remix)
# 8. Dom Almond – Shake It (Philipe Boyar Remix)
# 9. Loose Cannons – Girls In Hats (Kissy Sell Out Remix)
# 10. Moonbootica – Roll The Dice
# 11. Kraddy – Conscious Ferilla v. Fatboy Slim – Star 69
# 12. Cicada – The Things You Say (Mr Miyagi Remix)
# 13. Slyde – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Twocker Remix) v. Klubbheads – Kickin’ Hard
# 14. Sander Kleinenberg – The Fruit (Ivan Gough and Grant Smith Remix)
# 15. Audio Bullys – Gimme That Punk (12″ Mix)
# 16. The Breakfastaz – Girls Money Drink and Drugs (Devil’s Gun Money Shot Remix)
# 17. Dopamine + Klaus Hill – Ah Baby (Elite Force Remix) v. Beastie Boys – Intergalactic
# 18. Uberzone – Okay v. Hybrid – Kill City [edit] v. Deltron3030 – Virus
# 19. Elite Force – Engine
# 20. EdIT – If You Crump Stand up v. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dog – Next Episode part II

Make sure you check him out @ Great Scott

Backup download