Swedish philosophy student Isaac Gerson thinks that file sharing is sacred. The 19-year-old leader of the Missionary Church of Kopimism believes that stealing and sharing are signs of appreciation, and has compared closed-source software to slavery. Last year, Sweden rejected the church's ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 11th 2011 5:15PM

Comments: 5

As security firms have been warning for some time, malware attacks are now more frequently focused on social networks and mobile devices. In Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat Report, the company noted that the number of malware attacks delivered through the Web practically doubled from ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 11th 2011 3:40PM

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Using video games as propaganda is nothing new. The U.S. has been doing it with 'America's Army' for some time, while Hezbollah has employed 'Special Force' to spread its message. But those games might seem quaint and diplomatic in the face of a series of games from Residents' Councils of Samaria ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 11th 2011 11:25AM

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The video game emulator -- the bit of software that allows nostalgic button-mashers to mount an NES on their PCs in order to relive halcyon "HADOUKEN!" days -- is one of the most misunderstood elements of modern computing. But we're here to tell you exactly what they are, how they work, and even ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 9th 2011 10:30AM

Comments: 2

Here's a fascinating look at the world of Sakawa, a unique blend of e-mail fraud and African religious tradition that has become a cultural force in Ghana. The young and unemployed people who use scavenged computers and Juju priests for their scams also drive a thriving music and movie scene ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 8th 2011 2:30PM

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Haven't you ever heard the old adage, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? Well it doesn't just apply to things that are "good" -- it works for just about anything that sounds a bit unbelievable, like that Facebook is going to close all user accounts. It's not gonna happen. That ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 8th 2011 12:40PM

Comments: 2

We thought collecting baseball cards went out with grunge, but apparently we were wrong. Upper Deck (one of the card companies that isn't Topps) is still clinging to life and pushing the envelope of what can legitimately be called a "card." The half-inch thick Evolution Series holds a ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 8th 2011 10:10AM

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After it was revealed earlier this week that several smartphone app makers, including Pandora, were being targeted by a federal grand jury in New Jersey for illegally gathering and distributing user information, security firm Veracode decided to do its own analysis. It took a look at the Android ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 8th 2011 9:20AM

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Online courses have become an accepted fact of college life. But more and more school districts are turning to Web-based learning for lower grade levels, especially as a way for struggling high school students to make up courses they've failed or missed. The online classes aren't only for those ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 8th 2011 8:30AM

Comments: 1

Which ones are the humans and which are the robots? We're not even sure the participants in this terrifying photo op know the answer to that question. Three nightmarish Geminoids were brought together with the flesh bags they were modeled after, presumably so the 'bots could learn a bit more ...

by Terrence O'Brien on Apr 7th 2011 4:00PM

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