Spaced Out Roundup

by Mike Krumboltz

Ever try to count all the stars in the sky? Don't. Scientists recently announced that there may be a billion (that's with a "b") more stars out there than they originally thought.

A buzzy article from the Discovery News explains that astronomers "may have underestimated the tally of galaxies in some parts of the universe by as much as 90 percent."

How could sky watchers have missed so many stars? Apparently, astronomers rely on ultraviolet light signatures to determine the number of stars in the cosmos. But that might not be the most accurate way to go about conducting a census of the universe. "In the case of very distant, old galaxies, the telltale light may not reach Earth as it is blocked by interstellar clouds of dust and gas -- and, as a result, these galaxies are missed by the map-makers." The story inspired a slew of searches on everything from "how many stars in the sky" to "how to count stars."

That epic miscalculation was only one of several space-related stories making news. Also soaring to the top of the Buzz: A homemade helium balloon and camera that captures images from the edge of space. Brit Robert Harrison's homemade device can soar 20 miles above the earth. The photos it takes are incredibly impressive. So impressive, in fact, that NASA reportedly got in touch with the father of three. They apparently told him that the space agency would have had to have spend millions of dollars to get similar results. Harrison's budget was a comparatively modest $815.

Clearly Mr. Harrison is resourceful with his funds, but even he would be jealous at the idea of an International Space Station (ISS) "man cave," complete with its very own robot butler. That's right, kids. A robot butler. In space. Aw. Yeah. Here's the scoop: According to blog Universe Today the ISS will soon be getting a new Multi Purpose Logistics Module. Eventually, the Module could be transformed to a quiet place where astronauts can get away from it all. Best of all, the proposed den may have a helpful resident. The Robonaut 2 features a human-like torso, head, and arms that astronauts can control via virtual-reality. Best of all, it never complains about Cheeto dust, a problem in any true man cave. Robonaut 2 will be joining the ISS on April 5.

Source : http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93509

Clinton, Bush survey state of Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Haiti -- Extending U.S. trade preferences for Haiti could create as many as 100,000 jobs that would boost the earthquake-ravaged country's recovery, former President Bill Clinton said during a visit to the Haitian capital Monday.

Clinton and former President George W. Bush visited Haiti on behalf of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which was established to raise money for long-term recovery in the impoverished nation.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Clinton said that to help Haiti beyond the short term, the U.S. Congress should extend trade preferences that would allow Haiti to increase the amount of textiles Haiti can export into the United States.

"Because if we do, and we say we're going to do it for a longer period of time, we can get massive investment here (and) create tens of thousands or perhaps even 100,000 jobs," Clinton said.

Korean businesses have already expressed an interest in investing in additional textile manufacturing facilities in Haiti if such an extension is passed, Clinton said.

Brazil's foreign minister recently told Clinton that his country would follow in investing as well.

On Monday, Clinton and Bush met with Haitian leaders, visited a camp for displaced Haitians and toured two small businesses in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The U.S. presidents spoke with Haitian President René Préval at a news conference Monday.

"My mission is to work with President Clinton to remind the American people there is still suffering and work to be done here," Bush said.

Clinton also said he supported the development of Haiti's domestic agriculture industry as a key to development and recovery. During the periods of the Clinton and Bush presidencies, the conventional wisdom was that by opening up countries like Haiti to subsidized agricultural imports from the United States and other developed nations, Haiti could industrialize faster. Both president's policies followed this logic, which Clinton now said was ultimately harmful and abandoned in recent years.

Haitians were enthusiastic about seeing the American presidents, but shouted "down with Préval," referring to their own leader.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least 220,000 people on January 12 and demolished large parts of Port-au-Prince. About 300,000 people were injured and 1 million were left homeless, government officials said.

The two former leaders started the joint effort at the request of President Barack Obama. It aims to raise funds for relief and rebuilding work, economic opportunities and improving the quality of life for Haitians affected by the quake. Various celebrities have donated to the fund, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio who gave $1 million. The organization raised more than $37 million in the weeks after the disaster, according to its Web site.

CNN's Lonzo Cook contributed to this report.

Source : http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/03/23/haiti.bush.clinton/index.html

Aruban divers to inspect site where couple says they saw human remains

The latest on the Aruban authorities' search of the site where human remains may have been found on tonight's "Nancy Grace", HLN 8pm ET

CNN) -- An Aruban police dive team will search the site where an underwater photograph was taken that might show human remains, a spokeswoman for the Aruban prosecutor said Saturday.

The picture has renewed interest in the nearly 5-year-old Natalee Holloway case.

Officials first heard of the picture, taken in October by a vacationing American couple, on Thursday, Ann Angela, a spokeswoman for Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken, said

"We have received the picture, and the diving team of the Aruban police will start doing preliminary work at the spot where we believe it was taken," Angela told CNN.

She declined to identify the location, saying authorities want to avoid attracting onlookers during the search.

The picture has raised the notion that, if it shows human remains, they could be those of Holloway, an 18-year-old Alabama high school student whose 2005 disappearance while on a graduation trip to Aruba was widely publicized.

Holloway was last reported seen leaving a bar in the capital of Oranjestad on May 30.

CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the photo nor confirm whether it shows human remains.

Holloway's mother, Beth Twitty, declined to comment on the photo.

The photo was taken by a Pennsylvania woman using a disposable film camera during the first stop on her Royal Caribbean cruise.

Three months after snapping what she said she thought were pictures of colorful fish, Patti Muldowney and her husband said they realized that one picture contained what they believe appear to be human remains.

"When I looked at that photo, I said, 'By darn, that certainly does look like a skeleton,' " John Muldowney told HLN's "Nancy Grace" on Friday. "You can see the skull. You can see where the eye sockets were. You can see where the chin was.

"It's lying flat on its back. And its arms are cradled around. You can almost see fingers. And then on the one sleeve it looks like some kind of maybe clothing that's deteriorating."

The couple, who took the photo to police and the FBI, said it was taken near a shipwreck.

The FBI said Friday that it is investigating.

"The photo has been made available to all elements of the FBI that are involved in this foreign police cooperation case," Mike Kortan, assistant director of the FBI's office of public affairs, said in a statement. "Investigative leads are being pursued and the effort is ongoing."

The main suspect in the Holloway case, Joran van der Sloot, remains free. Van der Sloot has made alleged confession-like statements in TV interviews, one of which involves dumping Holloway's body in the ocean after she suffered a seizure on the beach. Aruban judges have ruled there isn't enough evidence to arrest him.

Whether the object in the photo is human remains is still up for debate.

In underwater burials, it is typical for arms, legs and other extremities to be dispersed and for lighter bones to be carried away from heavier bones by fish, wildlife and water, according to Heather Walsh-Haney, a forensic anthropologist.

"It looks as if there's something that may be on top of the skeleton," Walsh-Haney said of the image in the photograph. "That would certainly bode well for preserving the center of the mass of the body and keeping most of it there."

Dr. Marty Makary, a physician who serves on the faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, said he sees mixed signs, some indicating the image may not be a skeleton.

"What I don't like about the photo is there's no spinal cord or vertebral column," he said. "In fact, below this roundish skull-type profile you see a curvature which doesn't really represent a normal spinal column."

Source : http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/20/aruba.photo.remains/index.html

Quarter of UK kids have tried hacking, survey finds

Posted By : Melissa Gray, CNN

London, England (CNN) -- Though the majority of children agree that computer hacking is wrong, more than a quarter of those in England have tried it, a survey released Thursday found.

Twenty-six percent of children surveyed said they had tried hacking -- breaking into someone else's account -- at some point. Of those who had hacked, more than a quarter (27 percent) had targeted accounts on the popular social networking site Facebook, and 18 percent went after their friends' e-mail accounts, the survey found.

The study of 1,000 children in London and 150 from the northern English county of Cumbria was conducted two weeks ago by the Cumbria Constabulary and Tufin Technologies, an international IT security firm.

The findings came despite 78 percent of respondents agreeing that it is wrong to hack, and 53 percent of them saying they feel it is illegal.

"What this survey starkly highlights is that hacking into personal online accounts, whether e-mail or Facebook, can be child's play if users do not protect their own passwords," said Stuart Hyde, deputy chief constable of the Cumbria Police and the president of the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace. "It illustrates the importance of keeping your passwords strong, secure, and changing them regularly."

The children who said they had hacked were split almost evenly between girls and boys. Of those who admitted guilt, 47 percent were girls.

Most of the hacking -- 27 percent -- was done from the children's bedrooms, but 22 percent was done in Internet cafes, 21 percent was done in the school computer lab, and 19 percent was done on a friend's machine, the survey found.

The most common reason for hacking was for fun, with 46 percent of respondents giving that answer. But 21 percent said they intended to cause disruption and 20 percent thought they could generate an income from hacking, the survey found.

Seven percent of those who admitted hacking said they went for online shopping sites and six percent targeted their parents' e-mail accounts. Five percent breached their school's Web site and three percent said they had hacked into corporate Web sites, the survey found.

"One of the most worrying statistics from this survey is the staggering numbers of kids that are successful and the ages involved," said Reuven Harrison, co-founder of Tufin Technologies. "Hacking has changed a lot in the past few years from the curiosity or fun factor to now making serious money or causing havoc in the corporate environment."

In Cumbria, 78 percent of those who had hacked had done it before their 13th birthday, the survey found. In London the ages were higher, with only 16 percent having hacked before entering their teens.

The survey did not explain the difference.

To conduct the survey in London, five researchers interviewed children at shopping malls, Internet cafes, and on the street. In Cumbria, police officers reached children through their schools in order to conduct anonymous online surveys.

Tufin recommended measures to protect online activity, such as installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software and installing a firewall.

It said users should vary their usernames and passwords between sites and periodically change them if they suspect someone may know them.

Users should also be careful about what they discuss in chat rooms, Tufin said, because "someone with an ulterior motive could be gathering information spanning many months that individually tells you nothing but pieced together provides a complete picture."

Source : http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/03/18/england.kids.hacking/index.html