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Update (2:27 p.m.): The account is now back up. According to a Twitter spokesperson, it was "infected" for some reason.

When Wired recently launched its Vanish contest, a challenge to readers to locate reporter Evan Ratliff, who has gone on the "lam," it suggested that a major source of clues would be Ratliff's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

But as of Friday morning, his Twitter account (@theatavist) had been suspended for "strange activity."

Whoever finds Ratliff (and is the first to send his editor a photo of him) will win $5,000. … Read more

If you're shopping for a high-end portable media player, but the iPod just isn't your cup of tea, the Sony X-Series Walkman and the Cowon S9 are two of the best options around.

But aside from the fact that both players include beautiful OLED touch screens, they couldn't be more different. The X-Series comes with a Web browser, noise-canceling headphones, and lacks Bluetooth, while the S9 includes Bluetooth, standard earbuds, and wants nothing to do with the Internet.

To see which iPod Touch alternative offers the most bang for your buck, we've handed the S9 and … Read more

The National Renewable Energy Lab and U.S. Department of Energy have launched a mapping tool on alternative fuels and vehicles.

Employing Google Maps, TransAtlas plots geographical locations of things like specific types of fuel stations and concentrations where certain types of alternative fuel vehicles are owned in abundance.

It plots points where production facilities and other infrastructure for alternative fuel transportation exist, as well as separate icons identifying projects under development.

The comprehensive tool allows users to turn layers on and off by checking boxes in a legend. It includes alternative fuels like hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, propane, compressed … Read more

With the goal of reducing the production of greenhouse gases, California regulators on Thursday pushed the state toward the adoption of automotive fuels that use less carbon.

The state's Air Resources Board said that by 2020, the new regulation will staunch greenhouse gas emissions from California's transportation fuels by 16 million metric tons, or 10 percent, and will boost the market for alternatives to fossil fuels.

At the heart of the regulation is the concept of "carbon intensity," which takes into account not only the emissions associated with driving cars, but also the those gases emitted … Read more

Last year, the Institute for the Future created an alternate-reality game, Superstruct, designed to crowdsource scenarios to try to save humanity from fictional "superthreats" discovered in 2019 that are thought to mean the end of humanity by 2042.

Now, the IFTF has issued its first findings from the 1,000-plus stories, 500-plus discussions, and 500-plus "superstructures" created by the worldwide community of the game's players, and while there's some reason for hope, there's also a lot to be pessimistic about.

In a report issued Wednesday evening, Superstruct's program director, Kathi Vian, lead … Read more

Music (formerly known as iLike) is a music listening service that allows you to add tracks to your Facebook profile, share playlists with friends, and play games. It practically owns the space on the popular social network.

But it's not the only music app on Facebook. Quite the contrary, there are a variety of apps that provide the same basic service as Music. Some of those apps do it quite well.

Free Music Player When you search for a song in Free Music Player, it tries to find the track on YouTube. If it's available on the video site, you'll be able to view the music video and sing along.

Imeem It's not the easiest app to use, but if you want to add practically any song you can think of, plus some music videos to your profile, Imeem will help you do it. All the songs can be added for free. And they can be played anywhere you can access your Facebook profile.

Last.fm All of your favorite Last.fm features can be enjoyed on Facebook. Whether you want to listen to songs, create a shared playlist, or check out what your friends are listening to, you can do it with the Last.fm app. (Disclosure: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News.)

MixPod Playlist MixPod Playlist lets you find songs on the MixPod service, add tracks to a playlist, and listen to them as often as you like. You can also share that playlist on other social networks, like MySpace and Bebo.… Read more

For oilman turned wind-power enthusiast T. Boone Pickens, the future is a bit up in the air.

The "Pickens Plan" for energy independence, launched in July 2008, now has 2 million supporters signed up online. It aims to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil by--among other measures--replacing imported oil with wind power and natural gas (two areas in which he has business interests).

His own wind project, however, has problems finding a grid to deliver power from his newly bought wind turbines. If it comes to fruition, the project, Mesa Power, would be the world'… Read more

Rarely has a device so immediately inspired as much scorn as the latest Apple iPod Shuffle. Within 12 hours of its release, the third-generation of the littlest iPod had no shortage of complaints railed against it. It's too small, shuns compatibility with third-party headphones, and doesn't have a screen or even any buttons. At least one tech editor has even gone so far as to call it a disaster. Still, like most things, the iPod Shuffle undoubtedly has a few redeeming qualities, and some people have come to its defense.

Having spent some hands-on time with the teeny … Read more