Technology

A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) or distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack) is an attempt to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended users. Although the means to carry out, motives for, and targets of a DoS attack may ... vary, it generally consists of the concerted efforts of a person or people to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely. Perpetrators of DoS attacks typically target sites or services hosted on high-profile web servers such as banks, credit card payment gateways, and even root name ... (view more)

When Microsoft first announced it had discovered a third party was responsible for mysterious data use on some Windows Phone 7 handsets, it didn't confirm rumors that Yahoo was to blame. Now, it's firmly pointing the finger at Yahoo -- which is in ... turn passing the blame back to Microsoft. The problem emerged last month when some users noticed particularly high levels of data use even when their phones weren't being used. That led to complaints that some users risked unintentionally going over monthly data limits and facing blocks or excess use fees. Microsoft later said that the problem ... (view more)

The long-running trivia show "Jeopardy!" is trying a new tactic to woo viewers -- replacing human players with computers. Well, sort of. Starting on Monday, February 14th, two particularly dominant former human champions will take on a computer ... specially engineered by IBM to rival the way a human answers trivia questions. It's the game show version of The Terminator. Jeopardy! Winner Racks up $3M in Prizes, Wins 74 Shows NonStop Ken Jennings is perhaps the most memorable Jeopardy! player ever, setting show records back in 2004 when he won an incredible 74 games in a row. During his run, ... (view more)

A Massachusetts-based research and development facility has created a detection prototype that could determine the driving abilities of someone wishing to operate a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol. While a number of similar systems already ... exist (such as those requiring an individual to blow into a breath-testing device before the automobile can operate), the new system would use cutting-edge, sensory technology never before added to a motor vehicle. Wheel, Door Lock Sensors Measure Blood Alcohol Level The new approach, called "The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety", uses ... (view more)

Google has unveiled two new tools for its Android phone system. One is genuinely useful while the other appears to be an impressive gimmick. The first tool is an extension to the existing Google Translate feature. As well as offering traditional ... translation services, the phones could recognize voices and offer a translation of spoken words. However, as with most automated translation tools and traditional phrasebooks, this was limited in conversations with foreign speakers. That's now been solved by the introduction of a conversation mode. For example: a Spanish user can speak into the phone ... (view more)

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have created a robot prototype that is able to accurately respond to human directions by identifying and reacting to simple motion commands. In a recent demonstration, a ... scientist pushed a toy car and tossed a ball in the direction of the prototype. Confused, the robot flashed a question mark on an attached screen. Without saying a word, the scientist made a throwing motion with his hand and the prototype responded by tossing the ball back to him and ignoring the car. Core System Mirrors Human Brain Activity The ... (view more)

Microsoft is set to plug a coding loophole that allows users of the new Windows Phone 7 system to run unauthorized software on it, an action known as jailbreaking . But it's agreed to meet the developers of the tool that took advantage of that ... loophole. The jailbreaking tool in question, called Chevron , helps users get around one of the key restrictions Microsoft put on the phones: that it's only possible to run applications that have been approved by, and downloaded from, Microsoft's own "Marketplace" store. Chevron to be Disabled in Upcoming Release Chevron worked by unlocking a special ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced "Avatar Kinect," a new add-on for the Xbox 360 Kinect motion-sensitive video game peripheral. It would allow voice and motion commands to take the place of the traditional remote control, in addition to several other changes ... that would re-define the ways in which we watch television. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer expressed his company's ambition to make television a more social experience. Among the most significant changes would see television viewers conversing with one another as avatars in different virtual ... (view more)

IBM has revealed their annual "Five in Five" list, which highlights five innovations that the company predicts will change the lives of everyday people over the next five years. Among the predictions turning heads is the belief that IBM researchers ... are five years away from enabling mobile phones to produce 3D hologram images of people talking and moving in real time. Image Princess Leigha's hologram inside R2D2 from the mega-smash hit movie Star Wars, and the experience may be similar. 3D Visual Images to be Displayed on Virtually Any Surface Paul Bloom, IBM's CTO for telecommunications ... (view more)