IT News HeadLines (HardOCP) 29/08/2010

25% of Malware Spread Via USB Drives
The incredible convenience, low cost and speed of information transfer via removable storage medium has come back to bite us squarely on our USB port. "Much of the malware in circulation has been designed to distribute through these devices," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. "Not only does it copy itself to these gadgets, but it also runs automatically when a USB device is connected to a computer, infecting the system practically transparently to the user. Comments
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MPAA Rakes in Record Amounts of Cash
I could have sworn the MPAA said the economic downturn and piracy were killing the movie industry. Ticket prices are at an all-time high and the industry is set to shatter revenue records againÂ…someone explain to me how this is possible? At least so far, theater owners have gotten away with the biggest year-to-year increases in ticket prices ever -- with average admission costs spiraling upward more than 40 cents in 2010, or over 5 percent. Meanwhile, attendance has stayed largely flat, dropping less than 1 percent, according to the National Association of Theater Owners. Comments
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Facebook Sued in California Over Teen Endorsements
Normally I would laugh something like this off but, because these are minors (and involves the state of California), this will probably end up being settled by Facebook. Two Los Angeles County teenagers are suing Facebook, claiming the social network effectively sold their names and images to advertisers without parental permission. The lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles challenges a Facebook feature that allows members to note that they like an advertised service or product. Facebook broadcasts those endorsements to the user's friends. Comments
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Sony Halts Sales of PS3 Jailbreak
Well, that didn't take long, now did it? A federal court in Australia on Thursday ordered electronics retailers in the country to stop sales and distribution of the dongle called PS Jailbreak, which we told you about last week. Court documents indicate the injunction will remain in place until a hearing scheduled for Tuesday that could determine the permanent fate of the modchip in Australia, and have consequences for the device in other countries, as well. Comments
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The Government Can Use GPS to Track Your Moves
The courts have ruled that it is not a violation of your rights for the authorities to stick a GPS tracking device on your car to collect evidence against you. Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn't violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway — and no reasonable expectation that the government isn't tracking your movements. Comments
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Deep Fried Beer is Here!
OMG, OMG, OMG, OMGÂ….deep fried beer is HERE! I know this isn't tech related but this is just too awesome not to share! It's really quite simple. Ravioli-ish pockets of dough are filler with Guiness and then deep fried. Judging by the below video, the beer just spills out onto the plate after the first bite. Comments
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Microsoft Co-founder Sues Apple, Google, AOL, Yahoo and Others
According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen has filed lawsuits against Google, YouTube, Yahoo, Apple, eBay, Facebook, AOL, Netflix, OfficeMax and Office Depot for patent infringement. The lawsuit marks new terrain. He is aggressively going after companies, including many of Silicon Valley's biggest names, that he thinks are violating technology that was developed at his Interval Research Corp., a Palo Alto, Calif., lab and technology incubator he financed with about $100 million during the Internet bubble. Comments
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