MS cracks down on piracy

Microsoft is cracking down on software piracy harder than ever before, with harsh penalties for anyone using unlicensed versions of its new Windows Vista operating system, reports Seattle PI.

Anyone running an unlicensed copy of Vista will be denied access to some of the most anticipated features of the operating system.

If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will curtail functionality much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time, says Thomas Lindeman, Microsoft senior product manager.

The first study on the link between social networking and vulnerability to cyber-crime shows users` online behaviour makes them vulnerable to threats such as fraud, identity theft, computer spyware and viruses, reports Technology News Daily.

The US National Cyber Security Alliance study shows 57% of people who use social networking sites are still divulging information that may put them at risk, 83% of adults taking part in social networking are downloading unknown files, and 51% of parents leave their children`s profiles unrestricted to potential predators.

The study concluded the growing number of adults using social networking sites is an indicator of the increasing popularity as well as the potential security risks of these sites.

Google has created a Web site dedicated to literacy that pulls together Google`s book, video, mapping and blogging services to help teachers and educational organisations share reading resources.

Boston.com says the new literacy site seeks to combine a rich set of resources to combat global illiteracy, but also helps bolster Google`s educational credentials.

The article says more than one billion people around the world over the age of 15 are considered illiterate, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Researchers at Mitra Hartmann University in Illinois have crafted robotic whiskers that can create accurate, 3D images of objects to enhance the vision and manoeuvrability of robots, reports MSNBC.

The researchers say the inspiration for whiskers on planetary rovers and other robots came from animals like rats that rely on whiskers to determine everything from the shape and texture of nearby predators to the relative size of an underground burrow.

Based on the knowledge that the twisting force of each whisker at its base indicates how close an object is to the whisker, the researchers constructed whiskers out of spring-steel wires equipped with a gauge at its base to measure torque. Tests of the robotic hairs produced accurate images of objects.