2012 set for wireless Olympics

Ofcom has outlined plans for the “unique logistical challenge” of managing wireless networks around the London 2012 Olympics, reports Computing.co.uk.

The Games are expected to be the most technology-enabled Olympics ever. Thousands of wireless applications will be needed to support the events, security, athletes, TV cameras, administration and management during the seven weeks covering the build-up, the Games themselves and the subsequent Paralympics.

Ofcom's Spectrum Plan details how radio frequencies will be made available to organisers and users from more than 150 countries.

Scientists have developed a quick technique for detecting liquids that could be used as explosives. If commercialised, the technique could potentially end restrictions on liquids carried onto commercial airlines, reports the BBC.

Their idea is to use a very wide spectrum of light to identify either liquids that could be mixed to form an explosive, or that are already mixed. All materials reflect light in a way that is particular to their identity, and many techniques used in both security and scientific research rely on measuring the reflection or absorption of light to identify materials.

However, in practice, measurements on baggage are confused by the packaging and items inside. Researchers behind the new technique say they have managed to get around this problem by using a wide range of frequencies between a few gigahertz and a few terahertz -which is between 100 and 10 000 times lower in frequency than the visible light that passes easily through labels and packaging.

A Venezuelan hacking suspect arrested in Mexico last February on computer hacking and fraud charges faces a court appearance in New Jersey on Tuesday, following his extradition to the US last week, says The Register.

Edwin Pena, 26, a former Miami resident, fled from US justice in August 2006 two months after he was bailed on charges of hacking into phone systems and stealing VOIP call credits.

Pena allegedly resold these services in collusion with an accomplice, Robert Moore, of Washington. Pena and Moore raked in an estimated $1.4 million through the alleged sale of 10 million voice call minutes stolen from telecoms suppliers.

Jelli.net, a Total Request Live Internet radio station, came out of beta on Monday night and is expected to announce that it has inked a syndication deal with Triton Digital Media that will get it played in actual terrestrial FM radio stations across the US beginning next year, says CNet.

The service revolves entirely around a playlist of songs that's managed by users in real-time. Users can vote songs up or down before they ever hit the air, as well as when they're playing. If enough people down-vote a song, while it's in the middle of playing, it's pulled before it even finishes, something that can be either deeply satisfying or disappointing to those listening.

Up until about four months ago, this music had existed only on the Web, where Jelli streams as a 24/7 radio station. This changed in June when Jelli nabbed a two-hour spot Sunday nights on Live 105 KITS, a San Francisco FM radio station.