NASA offers $400,000 prize for super space glove

If you can build a high-tech glove that can move easily and operate effectively in the vacuum of space, NASA may have $400,000 for your effort. NetworkWorld Extra: 12 mad science projects that could shake the world NASA said the competition will test gloves from at least two contestants that will measure the gloves' dexterity and strength during operation in a glove box that simulates the vacuum of space. That's the amount of money up for grabs in the 2009 Astronaut Glove Challenge set for Nov. 19 at the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Fla.

According to the competition Web site, the challenge will be conducted by Volanz Aerospace in a format that brings all competitors to a single location for a "head to head" competition to determine the winning Team(s). Each team will be required pass a series of minimum performance requirements having to do with the glove's interface with the interface to the test box, flexibility, dexterity and pressurization. The team(s) that earns the highest score will be the winner. Other requirements include: the weight of the outer or thermal micrometeoroid garment (TMG) layer of the glove must not exceed 200 grams; and the TMG must be able to withstand a temperature range from -120 degrees Celsius (-185 F) to +113 degrees Celsius (235 F). Performance tests include range-of-motion and the ability of the operator to push and pull items as well as manipulate them. From the Web site: For this test, conducted in the glove box, the Competitor will insert the full Glove, consisting of the TMG layer, outer glove unpressurized layer, and the unpowered, bladder and bladder-restraint portion of the Glove into the Glove Box. The glove challenge is but one of NASA's Centennial Challenges that offers top dollar rewards for a variety of innovative technologies.

The Competitor will perform 30 minutes of hand exercises (e.g., pinching and gripping), and other manipulation dexterity tests and tasks that will be scored based on performance. For example, NASA recently awarded $1.65 million in prize money to a pair of aerospace companies that successfully simulated landing a spacecraft on the moon and lifting off again. NASA recently held and awarded a $900,000 prize in its Power Beaming and Tether Challenge to develop future solar power satellites and a futuristic project known as the Space Elevator. NASA gave a $1 million first prize to Masten Space Systems and a $500,000 second prize to Armadillo Aerospace for successfully completing the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. Space elevators are in a nutshell stationary tethers rotating with the Earth, held up by a weight at its end, and serving as a track on which electric vehicles called "climbers" can travel up and down carrying about 10 tons of payload, according to The Spaceward Foundation which is working with NASA on these challenges.

Judge says TD Ameritrade's proposed security fixes not enough

A federal judge's rejection of a proposed settlement by TD Ameritrade Inc. in a data breach lawsuit marks the second time in recent months that a court has weighed in on what it considers to be basic security standards for protecting data. In September 2007, Ameritrade announced that the names, addresses, phone numbers and trading information of potentially all of its more than 6 million retail and institutional customers at that time had been compromised by an intrusion into one of its databases. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco yesterday denied final approval of a settlement that had been proposed by TD Ameritrade in May to settle claims stemming from a 2007 breach that exposed more than 6 million customer records . In arriving at his decision, Walker said the court didn't find the proposed settlement to be "fair, reasonable or adequate." Rather than benefit those directly affected by the breach, Ameritrade's proposed settlement is designed largely to benefit the company, Walker wrote in his 13-page ruling. The stolen information was later used to spam its customers.

The company also offered to retain the services of an analytics form to find out whether any of the data that had been compromised in the breach had been used for identity theft purposes. As part of an effort to settle claims arising from that incident, Ameritrade this May said it would retain an independent security expert to conduct penetration tests of its networks to look for vulnerabilities. The company also said it would give affected customers a one-year subscription for antivirus and antispam software. He described the additional security measures that Ameritrade proposed in the settlement as "routine practices" that any reputable company should be taking anyway. It was these offers that the judge dismissed as too meager. Penetration tests provide a reliable way for companies to detect the sort of security weaknesses that led to the Ameritrade breach, Walker said.

The two "very temporary fixes do not convince the court that the company has corrected or will address the security of client data in any serious way, let alone provide discernable benefits," he noted. But "as a large company that deals in sensitive personal information, penetration and data breach tests should be routine practices of TD Ameritrade's department that handles information security," he wrote. A TD Ameritrade spokeswoman said the company would provide its response to the judge's ruling soon. In August, the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois, denied a request by Citizens Financial Bank to dismiss a negligence claim brought against it by a couple. The case is the latest to illustrate a growing willingness by courts around the country to consider claims of negligence and breach of contract brought by individuals against companies for failing to protect sensitive data.

The two had claimed that Citizens' failure to implement two-factor user-authentication measures had resulted in the theft of more than $26,000 from their home equity line of credit. Such rulings are relatively rare in consumer lawsuits against companies that suffer data breaches involving the potential compromise of credit card data and personal information. The judge hearing the case allowed the claim to move forward, saying there was a reasonable basis to show that the bank had not moved quickly enough to implement stronger user authentication measures as it should have. Until recently, courts have tended to reject such lawsuits mainly on the grounds that consumers suffer little financial harm from such breaches. A case before the Maine Supreme Court is testing whether consumers can seek restitution from merchants for the time and effort involved in changing payment cards and bank accounts after a data breach.

They have also held that consumers can't seek damages for any potential injury that could stem from any future ID theft that might result from such breaches.

Microsoft exceeds goal of 5,000 layoffs

Microsoft has more than made good on its plan from a year ago to eliminate 5,000 positions by the middle of June 2010, the company reported as part of its quarterly 10Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company reported that it paid out $59 million in severance associated with those layoffs. Microsoft reported that its head count reduction since January 2009 now stands at 5,300. The original plan for mass layoffs, the first in the company's history, was put forth in January 2009 by CEO Steve Ballmer.  Layoffs: Microsoft bent, but not broken The staff reductions include 800 positions that were eliminated in Microsoft's fiscal second quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2009, according the 10Q filing. While not part of the position cutdown, among those leaving in the second quarter was http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/112409-microsoft-cfo-to-leave-at.html ">Chris Liddell, who resigned as CFO. His departure is of note because the 10Q filing includes a copy of his lengthy resignation agreement, which promises to pay him nearly $2 million by the end of March.

He also agreed that he could never again be employed by Microsoft. Liddell received a payment of $950,000 on Dec. 31 and will get another $950,000 on March 31. Terms of the deal include provisions barring him from talking to the media or blogging without the approval of Lisa Brummel, the head of Microsoft's human resources department. The staff reductions began in January 2009 when Microsoft cut 1,400 employees in a move that shocked many inside the company even though rumors had been flying for months. At the time, Ballmer said staff cuts would continue over an 18-month period ending on June 30, 2010, and could go as high as 5,000. With five months left until that deadline, Microsoft has exceeded Ballmer's prediction by 300. The results of those layoffs can be seen throughout the company's 10Q filing as many divisions reported that earnings were helped by decreased head count-related expenses. It was the first time in its history that Microsoft had made wholesale cuts across the company.

For example, Microsoft's Business Division reported that "sales and marketing expenses decreased $262 million or 12%, primarily driven by a decrease in corporate marketing activities and headcount-related costs associated with our corporate sales force." The layoff numbers come as Microsoft reported a record quarter of revenue totaling $19 billion. Follow John on Twitter: twitter.com/johnfontana

NewsGator updates NetNewsWire for Mac and iPhone

The folks over at NewsGator sure are busy, er, gators these day. Now the company has released both the final version of 3.2 as well as a new 2.0 iteration of its companion iPhone app. When last we heard from the makers of news reader NetNewsWire, they were offing their own online news reader service in favor of syncing with Google Reader; the change, which came in a beta version of NetNewsWire 3.2, rubbed some the wrong way. In addition to the new Google Reader syncing features, the final version of NetNewsWire 3.2 fixes a number of bugs and adds other features, such as support for Web service Instapaper and the ability to easily create Twitter search feeds.

You can download and use it for free, but it will display a small ad in the bottom left corner (a mere 90 pixels tall!). If you want to banish the ad forever, it will cost you $10. Speaking as someone who owned an earlier version of NetNewsWire back when it cost $30, I can easily say it's worth the price-I slapped down my cash immediately. Articles that are flagged in NetNewsWire now sync with starred items in Google Reader and vice versa, and the final version has returned the earlier version's suppot for both nested folders and clippings (though the latter doesn't sync yet). NetNewsWire has also once again returned to being a paid product. The software requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later. The new 2.0 release comes in two flavors: standard and premium. At the same time, NewsGator also released an update to the iPhone version of NetNewsWire. As with the desktop version, you can download the standard version for free if you don't mind putting up with a small ad, or pay the $2 ($5 beginning in October) for the premium version and read your news ad-free.

NetNewsWire 2.0 for iPhone requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later. Otherwise, the two are basically the same app, which has been largely reworked since version 1.0, released back in July of 2008. The update sports much faster performance, a new interface, and new features like the ability to collapse and expand folders of feeds, send items to Instapaper or Twitter, star and view starred items, and more.

BlueBeat says Beatles songs are its own creations

Recently I wrote about BlueBeat, a Website that was not only selling MP3 downloads of The Beatles (something the Fab Four doesn't yet allow, although you will be able to buy an apple-shaped USB drive with the remastered catalog soon), but also selling music in general for the cut-rate price of 25 cents a track. A few days later, EMI-the record company that controls the Beatles' music-and others filed a lawsuit against BlueBeat for copyright infringement and asked for a temporary restraining order (TRO). And that's where things get really weird. Something seemed fishy. As Ars Technica reports, Media Rights Technologies (MRT), the company behind BlueBeat, has a very reasonable explanation for why what it's doing is legal.

How's that, you wonder? You see, according to MRT's co-founder and CEO Hank Risan, the songs BlueBeat is selling are in fact his original creations. Apparently Risan told the RIAA's general counsel Steven Marks that he authored the songs using "psycho-acoustic simulation" so they are new recordings and not subject to copyright restrictions. In its response in opposition to the TRO, BlueBeat's lawyers claim that the Website is "entirely lawful and does not constitute piracy" and that the plaintiffs are not likely to succeed. Well, that explains everything.

Also, the plaintiffs are well aware that the defendants "developed a series of entirely new and original sounds that it allows the general public to purchase" and that "copyright protection does not extend to the independent fixation of sounds other than those contained in their copyrighted recordings." Uh huh. The Abbey Road album page, for example, list the artist, album title, track titles, record label, and release date-you would reasonably assume that's what you're buying. Even if BlueBeat could somehow convince a judge that it's completely legit-and that isn't going to happen, mind you-there's still the fact that the company doesn't actually tell you that you're not buying the originals. So at the very least, BlueBeat is misleading users into believing they are buying something that's not actually for sale. BlueBeat pays royalties or it owns everything it sells? Oh yeah, and the Website's FAQs say, "our mp3s are fully-licensed audio-visual works and BlueBeat.com pays all applicable royalties," yet at the bottom of every page it reads, "All audio-visual works copyright BlueBeat." So which is it?

Seems like if its own Website is so schizophrenic, there's not much chance of convincing anyone else that it deserves to survive.

Eyes on with Sony's 360 degree 3D display

Sony on Thursday unveiled an impressive 3D display that can be viewed from any direction. The screen sits in the upper half of a black, circular case that's 13 centimeters in diameter and 27 centimeters tall - about the size of a small blender. The screen, development of which was announced earlier this week, is on show until Sunday at the DC Expo in Tokyo. Sony is keeping the technology used in the display under wraps except to say it uses an LED light source.

Objects displayed on the screen included a globe, car, cartoon character and model. The produced image appears to have depth to it and can be viewed through 360 degrees around the device. Sony created the objects either in 3D on a computer or by keeping them still while taking photographs from all around. So, for example, when a model's head was being displayed a visitor could walk to the other side of the screen and see the back of her head. As a result it's possible to walk around the display and view each object from any angle on the horizontal plane.

The screen has a resolution of 96 pixels by 128 pixels, which doesn't sound like it would make for a very good image but is surprisingly good, especially when images of people are displayed. While it has taken Sony roughly three years to develop the prototypes, it will not take a great leap to make versions with larger screens, said Naoya Eguchi, general manager of the photonics development department at Sony's core device development group. Sony has two of the displays on show at the DC Expo, both of which are early prototypes - and possibly the only two prototypes judging by the "No.1" and "No.2" stickers on them - but bigger screens could be on the way. He hinted that a larger version would be ready sometime in 2010. Sony sees several potential uses for the screen. "This is a very good display for educational purposes and there are many design applications," said Ryoji Chubachi, vice chairman of Sony, in an interview. "There are so many, I'm expecting to accept many proposals from visitors." As for when it might come to market, Chubachi said that for now Sony is soliciting ideas on how it might be used and then will consider future plans. "It all depends on the application," he said regarding commercialization. "If we can develop a good application then we'll invest more."

Students show how to heat, cool, watch TV electric bill-free

WASHINGTON - The 20 suburban houses standing this week on the National Mall are demonstrating the use of alternative energy systems. The end results are remarkable. One of many interesting aspects of this government-sponsored project is how IT is used to manage and monitor energy consumption via iPhone apps and Web interfaces.

Undergraduate students from Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley, for instance, have built a solar powered house that monitors and measures every aspect of energy generation and consumption. Along with solar energy and computerized management technologies, these houses put a lot emphasis on things like blinds and shades for directing light. The house produces 150% more energy than it uses, making it a net supplier of electricity to the power company. Some of the homes are costly, but mass production could make them affordable in many housing markets. A Canadian team , for instance, made up of three universities, says it has built a house that can produce about double the amount of energy its occupants consume. "I don't think people realize we can build that," said Lauren Barhydt, the team's program manager, and a graduate student in architecture at the University of Waterloo.

And affordability only improves once the cost of living without an electric bill, or the price of oil for a furnace, is considered. Students from Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, are also involved. Its windows are floor to ceiling, creating a loft-like, cube shape, open structure. The Canadian entry in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon is designed for the snowy north and its physical appearance defies the conventional look of housing in cold climates. But the windows are as sturdy as a normal Canadian stud wall that doesn't allow heat to escape. The construction includes solar panels on the side so the building can capture light from low angles, another aspect of northern climates, said Lauren.

The house includes salt-hydrate packets under the floor that absorb heat, with the help of sunlight directed by blinds that is released as the temperature cools. Electric power is measured at every circuit, which is done through a branch circuit power meter by Schneider Electric. An industrial computer by Beckhoff Automation manages the control system but also works with a Windows-based, touch-screen system, which has controls that are also accessible via an iPhone application . From the iPhone a user can control lights, exterior shades, interior blinds, temperature and humidity, as well as a switch that will retract the bed into the ceiling to create more floor space in this 800 square-foot house, the maximum limit for any house in the biannual decathlon. The solar systems are also monitored, as well as hot water used. The Department of Energy selects 20 universities, which receive a grant to get the project going but typically have to seek donations for much more. The houses are rated in 10 categories, including architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, appliances, metering, among others.

The houses must be built in such a way that they can be moved to the National Mall for display and judging. The final winner will be announced on Friday. Architectural Juror Jonathan Knowles, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design and architect, said that one of the things the judges looked for is how successfully the designers used technology and incorporated it into a house. Team California won the architecture award in judging held on Monday. He was impressed by the use of iPhone apps in many of the houses.

Eventually, these homes may save people a lot of money. Being able to monitor and control a house via a device that you carry around is something "I think is pretty incredible," he said. Rice University, which took second place in the architectural judging, has an entry in the Solar Decathlon that cost $140,000 to build . "That's affordable by any metric," said Knowles. Although it cost Team California about $550,000 to build its house, Preet Anand, an engineering and physics major at Santa Clara University and the water systems and digital communications lead on the project, said a mass produced model of its home would cost about $300,000 to build. Team Ontario's house, including research and development work, cost $1.2 million, but if mass produced it may cost $400,000 (Canadian), said Barhydt.

New technology from Cisco Systems Inc. is used to control all the home's systems. A Mac Mini aggregates in all the data. Integration work is required because a lot of the systems in the house, such as those that provide the radiant heating and cooling, speak their own language, said Anand. The energy use in the Team California house can be monitored, shades adjusted, lights turned off and on, air and hot water temperature adjusted all via iPhone. You can even swivel a TV to face the kitchen via the remote application, if you happen to be working there. "Our house was designed to save people time," said Anand. This remote management allows occupants to cut circuits to appliances remotely, turning off any energy consuming sources.