british

Anti-abortion Anonymous hacker arrested in U.K.

Shortly after hacking into Britain's biggest abortion provider's Web site and stealing 10,000 database records of women registered with the service, self-proclaimed member of Anonymous James Jeffery proudly touted his triumph on Twitter.

It was this misstep that quickly led to his arrest, court hearing, admission of guilt, and impending sentence, according to the Guardian.

It all started on Thursday when the British Pregnancy Advisory Service reported that there were 26,000 attempted break-ins to its Web site over a six-hour period. According to the Guardian, the site was also defaced with the Anonymous logo and a … Read more

Business in space looks golden, says Lord British

AUSTIN, Texas--When Richard Garriott went to space, he lost money on the deal. Next time, he wants to make a profit.

In October 2008, Garriott, a well-known video game designer, traveled as a space tourist to the International Space Station.

The son of a NASA astronaut who grew up thinking everyone goes to space--because his neighbors all had been--his dream of following in his father's footsteps was dashed when he learned as a teenager that his eyes disqualified him for the job. "Being told I was not going to be allowed to go into space," Garriott said, &… Read more

Singing gloves give new meaning to jazz hands

Hand gestures can add a lot to a conversation. They can convey excitement and help you describe a scene or object. And, of course, the simple act of lifting a certain finger can quickly let someone know you're not too happy with them. In all, gestures are an effective form of communication, and now, researchers in Vancouver have found a way to take them to the next level.

A team of engineers from the University of British Columbia has developed a pair of gloves that read hand gestures and convert them to speech and song, potentially giving those with speech and/or hearing disabilities another way to communicate.

The project, called Digital Ventriloquized Actor (DIVA) and led by UBC professor of electrical and computer engineering Sidney Fels, tries to replicate the movements of real vocal cords through the use of hand gestures read by a system of sensors. … Read more

British Telecom sues Google over Android, other services

British Telecom filed a lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that Android and other services violate six of the telephone company's patents.

The lawsuit (see below), filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, claims that Google services such as Android Market, Google Maps, Google Search, Google+, and Google Offers violate patents owned by British Telecom. The services infringe on a variety of patents including ones that cover systems for navigation information, service provision system for communications networks, and telecommunications apparatus and method.

The suit seeks unspecified damages as well as an injunction.

A Google representative rejected BT's … Read more

iPad only used once a week? What?

A quarter of British iPad owners polled only use their iPad once a week--and some don't use it at all. According to the new figures, 26 percent of iPad users only use their Apple slate once a week, and 1 in 10 say they may not pick it up at all.

Less than half of owners queried by discount voucher site My Voucher Codes, 42 percent, say they use their iPad every day.

Of those who use their iPad less than once a week, half don't bother because they don't own a 3G model, so they can only use the iPad when they've got a Wi-Fi signal and not while wandering around. Several of those who don't use it say they just can't think of a need for it. Can't think of a need for it?

Read more of "iPad only used once a week, say a quarter of owners" at Crave UK. … Read more

Big payoff in smart energy, says BT

One the U.K.'s top 10 energy consumers says it's found a simple and straightforward way to save money.

Phone and broadband giant BT (previously known as British Telecom) announced yesterday that it's on track to save at least 13 million pounds (about $20.6 million) in annual energy bills after switching to smart meters and energy management systems in its office buildings, data centers, and telephone exchanges.

The switch has reduced BT's carbon footprint by 5 percent, or the equivalent of powering 23,000 homes annually, the company said.

Of course, the initial layout was … Read more

British rapper nabs Marty McFlys--for $37,500

How much is a pair of real-life Marty McFlys from "Back to the Future II" worth? To Tinie Tempah, the answer is $37,500. That's how much the British rapper paid for the Nike sneaks during a live auction Wednesday night in Los Angeles, TMZ reports.

"It was a total spur-of-the-moment decision," the rapper told the publication. "I was really touched in the moment by the presentation and next thing I knew I owned these iconic sneakers."

Anyone with deep pockets can still bid on one of 1,500 pairs of Nike's new Air Mag 2015 sneakers up for auction on eBay's Fashion Vault. Proceeds from the 10-day auction will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.

The man behind the famed Marty McFly character, actor Michael J. Fox, went on the "Late Show with David Letterman" last night to show off the rechargeable kicks (see the vid below). They look like the originals, but sadly don't sport power laces.

Related stories • More details on Nike's Marty McFly-inspired shoes • It's about time: Nike sneakers go back to the future

Most of the shoes being auctioned haven't come close to the $37,500 price tag yet and are instead going for $4,000 to $11,000. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1529: HTC tries to buy some street cred (Podcast)

HTC spends $300 million to acquire some Beats Electronics awesomeness, but we have to admit: we're befuddled. Also, Apple is now officially the world's most valuable company, and we're happy, because they're slightly less evil than ExxonMobil. And in the worst idea we've heard in a while, the British Prime Minister floats the idea of turning off social networks to stem the rioting in London. Dude, do you WANT more riots!?

Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (640x360) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS (640x360)… Read more

Luxury aboard the Orient Express' British Pullman

LONDON--It's not often you take a train, look out the window all during the journey, and see people standing alongside the tracks with cameras at the ready so they can take pictures of the carriages going by.

Not often, that is, unless you're prone to taking Venice-Simplon Orient Express trains. If you are, be prepared for an almost uncountable number of train spotters looking for a rare glimpse of one of the most luxurious and storied conveyances in modern history.

I got a chance to take one of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express journeys recently as part of Road Trip 2011, … Read more