King of spam faces 26 years

The notorious spammer authorities dubbed "the king of spam" is facing a possible 26-year jail sentence, after pleading guilty in Seattle on Friday to charges of fraud and tax evasion, says IT World.

Robert Soloway, 28, had already been found guilty of spam charges in several civil cases, with Microsoft winning a $7.8 million judgment against him in 2005, but had avoided paying fines in those cases. The criminal charges to which he pleaded guilty on Friday followed his arrest in 2007 by the US Department of Justice.

He was arrested on criminal charges brought by the department in May 2007. That year, Soloway raked in more than $300 000 from his spam operations, according to his plea agreement.

Amazon has released two applications that allow Facebook users to buy gifts based on interests listed on their profiles and to manage wish lists, says Computing.co.uk.

The move follows eBay's launch of its own applications for Facebook users who have opted in to the service. With the add-ons, Amazon hopes to enhance its presence in the "social shopping" market.

Amazon Giver allows Facebook members to view suggested items for friends based on interests listed on their profile pages, while Amazon Grapevine provides news feeds of members' activity on Amazon, such as when they update their wish lists, write reviews, or tag products.

The international space station's giant new handyman robot got its first check-up on Sunday, with astronauts and flight controllers testing its electronics, joints and brakes, reports The Associated Press.

The Canadian-built robot, named Dextre, passed all but one of the tests. One of the wrist joint brakes in Dextre's left arm slipped a tiny bit more than engineers wanted, but Canada's acting space station programme manager said he wasn't too concerned. The brakes help hold the arm steady.

"In the long-term it's not going to affect the operation of Dextre in any significant way," Pierre Jean said. Astronauts and flight controllers planned to test the brake a couple more times in hopes that it slips less as it gets more worn in, Jean said.

The IT industry has attacked the government's latest innovation strategy for not encouraging the development of IT skills, says Computing.co.uk.

The Innovation Nation white paper - published yesterday by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills - aims to encourage research and development in UK companies. But the plan focuses on science and engineering to the detriment of IT.

Although technology skills can be developed later in life, the industry would be more effective if schooling started earlier, said technology trade association Intellect.