king

The Wrath of Khan is soon to be offset by the joy of Jordan. Perhaps the world's richest Trekkie, King Abdullah II of Jordan, has given the green light and some cash from one of his namesake funds to build a $1.5 billion dollar Star Trek-themed resort in his Kingdom. King Abdullah is a well-known Trek fanatic who once appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager."

The resort is part of a larger development, the Red Sea Astrarium at the port of Aqaba, which will take up a reported 184 acres. The Developer, Rubicon Group Holding, announced a licensing deal with CBS to include a Star Trek center in the resort, one of at least a dozen other themed sections (disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET). The entire development is also expected to be eco-friendly, a theme that complements the Trek ethic as well as the corporate messaging.… Read more

Google and Microsoft continue their highly public patent-related catfight, which is either raising awareness of the issue of overbroad software patents or just turning into an embarrassing public battle that's making us all uncomfortable. Also, facial recognition is a trap, and security researchers are rushing to unveil the real Shady Rat. Plus: Computer Love!

Self-described spam king Sanford Wallace surrendered to the FBI today after being indicted on charges he broke into Facebook accounts to send 27 million spam e-mails on the social network.

Wallace, 43, was indicted in July by a San Jose, Calif., grand jury on three counts of intentional damage to a protected computer and two counts of criminal contempt, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California. Wallace allegedly compromised approximately 500,000 Facebook accounts during three separate attacks on the social-networking giant between November 2008 and March 2009.

If convicted of all charges, … Read more

Leonardo DiCaprio is reported to be getting the first Fisker Karma, a luxury plug-in hybrid sports car. He can now get a hybrid trailer to match on his next film project.

King Kong Production Trailers (KKPT) announced today that it's making what it believes is the world's first solar hybrid production trailer.

The Helios will include solar panels, and both a solar generator and a biodiesel generator for on-site use.

The interior will also sport some sustainable touches with bamboo cabinetry, recycled rubber flooring, recycled glass countertops, and Forest Stewardship Council certified lumber.

What might be the most … Read more

SCHWANGAU, Germany--Given that King Ludwig II of Bavaria built Neuschwanstein Castle as a place where he could get away from the public and the sycophants who wanted to be near him, he might well have shuddered at the notion that just weeks after his death, the incredible palace was opened up as a public museum.

Neuschwanstein, if you're not familiar with it, is one of the world's most fairytale castles. In fact, you've surely seen countless pictures of it, its picturesque towers and walls sitting gorgeously in the middle of an Alpine valley, a gorgeous German countryside … Read more

Americans will be able to use their driver's licenses after May 11 to travel by air after all.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today postponed the effective date of the Real ID Act until January 15, 2013, a move that avoided causing tremendous disruptions to air travel.

The reason Homeland Security granted the delay is that, apart from some Republican stalwarts in Congress, this law creating a digital nationalized ID is hardly popular, with critics calling it a national ID card. A chart (PDF) updated last month by the National Conference of State Legislatures lists 16 states, … Read more

We all know that any single tweet has a much better than average chance of containing total nonsense, and that any individual Twitter user's Oscar predictions aren't worth their weight in ones and zeroes.

But if you aggregate tens of thousands of users' guesses, you end up with what could be called The Wisdom of the Twitterverse, and in this case, the crowd has spoken: "The King's Speech" will win Best Picture in a runaway.

Since the announcement of the Academy Award nominations last month, a service called Tweetbeat has been collecting each and every … Read more

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Google purchases a company called eBook Technologies

However, Google's planned acquisition of ITA Software is under scrutiny from federal antitrust officials

AT&T will allow tethering on two upcoming 4G phones and may allow it on the iPhone as well

Fujitsu is set to launch the first glasses-free 3D desktop PC

News Corp.'s iPad magazine, The Daily, has been delayed

Google Translate for Android can help you have a bilingual conversation in real time

A new spyware program is parading as a Kama Sutra how-to guide

A man is suing … Read more

A full 30 years after Donkey Kong's release, gamers are still holding tight to ancient arcade joysticks in a quest for the next high score.

The latest King of Kong?

Hank Chien, according to video game score certification organization Twin Galaxies. The 35-year-old doctor from Queens, N.Y., has set a new Donkey Kong arcade world record by tallying up a mesmerizing score of 1,068,000 points on the classic 1981 game in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Chien beat out the previous record held by competitor Steve Wiebe (1,064,500 points).

Now the heat is on … Read more