Feb
23

Amazon to open market in second-hand MP3s and e-books

A new market for second-hand digital downloads could let us hold virtual yard sales of our ever-growing piles of intangible possessions WHY buy second-hand? For physical goods, the appeal is in the price – you don't mind the creases in a book or rust spots on a car if it's a bargain. Although digital objects...
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Apple, Samsung face onslaught at mobile fair

BARCELONA - Chinese handset makers will lead an onslaught on smartphone titans Samsung and Apple when the world's biggest mobile fair opens on Monday in Barcelona, Spain.Offering big-screen, slick, slim smartphones at lower prices, Chinese manufacturers Huawei, ZTE and Lenovo will leverage the Mobile World Congress to chip away at the mighty duopoly, analysts say.The handset battle is...
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Police identify Las Vegas shooting suspect

By Greg Botelho, CNNupdated 10:29 PM EST, Sat February 23, 2013Ammar Asim Faruq Harris, 26, suspected in a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, is still at large, police said. STORY HIGHLIGHTS The suspect fired from his Range Rover at a Maserati in Las Vegas, police say 26-year-old Ammar Harris is at large, though his car has been impounded, they add The Maserati's driver was shot, then hit...
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Daytona crash sends car parts flying, injuring fans

Updated at 9:35 p.m. ET DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. At least 33 fans were injured Saturday during a NASCAR race when a car flew into the fence at Daytona International Speedway, hurling a tire and large pieces of debris into the stands. The accident happened on the last lap of the second-tier Nationwide Series race on the eve of Sunday's Daytona 500, which officials said would go on as scheduled. The crash...
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Las Vegas Strip Shooting Suspect ID'd

Las Vegas police identified a suspect today in a shooting on the strip that caused a Maserati to hit a taxi and burst into flames, killing three people.Ammar Harris, 26, has been named a suspect in the Thursday skirmish that killed three people, including rapper Kenny Clutch.The altercation between Harris and Clutch, 27, whose legal name was Kenneth Cherry Jr., is believed to...
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Feb
22

Rusty rocks reveal ancient origin of photosynthesis

SUN-WORSHIP began even earlier than we thought. The world's oldest sedimentary rocks suggest an early form of photosynthesis may have evolved almost 3.8 billion years ago, not long after life appeared on Earth. A hallmark of photosynthesis in plants is that the process...
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Tennis: Nishikori beats Cilic to reach Memphis semis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee - Fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan cruised past top-seeded Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-2 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the US National Indoor Tennis Championships.Croatia's Cilic had saved three match points in his previous match against Igor Sijsling, but could not find the answer against Nishikori, who had just four aces compared to a dozen for Cilic but won 69 percent...
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Water tank body still mystery

STORY HIGHLIGHTSCause of death deferred, pending further examinationTests show hotel water is free of harmful bacteria, health department saysCanadian university says woman not registered in classes this yearWater "had a very funny, sweety, disgusting taste," one guest saysLos Angeles (CNN) -- Two days after the grisly discovery, the case of the Los Angeles hotel water tank corpse is a mystery with...
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Pentagon grounds F-35 fleet after engine crack found

Updated 9:03 PM ET WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane. The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., of an F-35A, the Air Force version of the sleek new plane. The Navy and the Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which...
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Cyberattacks Bring Attention to Security Reform

Recent accusations of a large-scale cyber crime effort by the Chinese government left many wondering what immediate steps the president and Congress are taking to prevent these attacks from happening again.On Wednesday, the White House released the administration's Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets as a follow-up to the president's executive order. The strategy...
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Feb
21

Mood-sensing smartphone tells your shrink how you feel

PEOPLE with anxiety, depression or stress are often asked to record their mood changes throughout the day, helping psychologists fine-tune their treatment. But they often forget, recording only sparse information at best. Now an emotion-sensing smartphone app that automatically generates someone's "mood diary" could give psychologists...
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Wilmar International's Q4 net profit falls 4.7%

SINGAPORE: Wilmar International's net profit in the fourth quarter fell 4.7 per cent, weighed mainly by lower palm oil prices.Fourth-quarter net profit was US$476.8 million (S$590 million), down from US$500 million recorded in the same period in 2011. A decline in crude palm oil prices hit profits in the firm's plantations segment, which were down 23 per cent compared to the previous year.Fourth-quarter...
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Rapper among dead in Las Vegas shooting, crash

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Kenneth Cherry Jr., a rapper known as Kenny Clutch, was killed, his lawyer saysGunfire and a fiery crash kill 3 in the heart of Las Vegas StripCasino visitor describes seeing "fireball" from Caesars PalacePolice are looking for a black Range Rover Sport with large black rimsLas Vegas (CNN) -- A shooting and a fiery crash left three people dead in the neon heart of the Las Vegas...
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Arias Challenged On Pedophilia Claim

Accused murderer Jodi Arias was challenged today by phone records, text message records, and her own diary entries that appeared to contradict her claim that she caught her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, looking at pictures of naked boys.Arias had said during her testimony that one afternoon in January 2008, she walked in on Alexander masturbating to pictures of naked boys....
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Feb
20

Higgs may spell doom, unless supersymmetry saves us

Lisa Grossman, physical sciences reporter(Image: CERN)Is the Higgs boson a herald of the apocalypse? That's the suggestion behind a theory, developed more than 30 years ago, that is back in the headlines this week. According to physicists, the mass of the Higgs-like particle announced last summer supports the notion that our universe is teetering on the edge of stability, like a pencil balanced...
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Officer in Pistorius case facing 7 attempted murder charges: police

JOHANNESBURG: The lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius murder case is himself facing seven attempted murder charges for shooting at a taxi in 2009 to try to stop it, police said Thursday."We were only informed yesterday that attempted murders charges against Hilton Botha have been reinstated," said police spokesman Neville Malila.Malila said the charges were initially brought against...
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Pistorius case investigator accused of attempted murder

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: A decision in the bail hearing could come as soon as ThursdayCharges against investigator stem from 2009 incident, spokesman saysBotha and other officers fired at a minibus they were pursuing, he saysThe officers were allegedly drunk at the time, spokesman says(CNN) -- The sensational case of Oscar Pistorius took a new turn Thursday when police said the lead investigator is facing...
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Sequestration could mean across-the-board pain

(CBS News) WASHINGTON - The entire economy is headed for trouble in just eight days -- when massive across-the-board cuts in the federal budget are scheduled to kick in automatically. The cuts were designed to be so deep and harmful, that they would force the president and Congress to find a better way. But they haven't. Just for example, there would be $46 billion cut from the Defense Department...
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Arias Leaves Stand After Describing Killing, Her Lies

Jodi Arias stepped down from the witness stand today after mounting an emotional effort to save herself from death row, insisting to the Arizona jury that an explosive fight with ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander led to his death, and that her lies about killing him masked deep regret and plans to commit suicide.Arias, 32, will now face what is expected to be a withering cross-examination...
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Feb
19

Today on New Scientist: 19 February 2013

Doctors would tax sugary drinks to combat obesity Hiking the price of fizzy drinks would cut consumption and so help fight obesity, urges the British Academy of Medical Royal CollegesSpace station's dark matter hunter coy about findings Researchers on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which sits above the International Space Station, have collected their first results - but won't reveal them...
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