Shocking map that shows rise of 'botnet' PC infections across the world

More than 2.2 million US PCs were found to be part of botnets, networks of hijacked home computers, in the first six months of 2010, according to a new report from Microsoft.

The firm discovered that the US leads the world in numbers of Windows PCs that are part of botnets and that Spain has the most infected machines in Europe.

Between April 2010 and June 2010, Microsoft cleaned more than 6.5 million computers of botnet infections — double the amount for the same period a year before.

The heat map of botnet infections across the globe shows that Spain and the US are the hotspots

Using Weather Ballon Father and son capture amazing video footage... using an iPhone and HD camera

It looks like satellite footage taken by a state-of-the-art NASA camera with a telescopic lens.

But this remarkable video was in fact filmed by an innovative father-and-son team equipped with just an iPhone and a high-definition video camera.

Luke Geissbuhler, 40, and his seven-year-old son Max, designed a 'craft' made from a takeaway box attached to a weather balloon and sent it, and the two electronic devices, into space.
Following months of research and testing, the amateur science enthusiasts launched their innovative weather balloon in Newburgh, New York, in August.

During a 102-minute flight it managed to reach an altitude of 19 miles above the ground in the upper stratosphere before the balloon burst and parachuted the craft back down to earth.

Mr Geissbuhler tracked the module, which was caught in a tree, by using the GPS system set up on the iPhone and spotted its flashing LED light.

The cinematographer and director said he got the idea for the project because he is always looking for fun ideas to share with his son.

Amateur footage: During a 102-minute flight, a weather balloon craft assembled by a father-and-son team managed to reach an altitude of 100,000ft

Humble beginnings: The main body of the craft was made from a takeaway food box

Back to basics: Amazingly, Luke Geissbuhler, 40, and his seven-year-old son Max equipped the craft with just an iPhone and a high-definition video camera

Skinput gadget turns your own ARM into a touchscreen display

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Those who find the touchscreens on their ever shrinking gadgets too fiddly to handle, will be glad to hear scientists are developing a new touch surface... your own arm.

Developers at Microsoft Research and Carnegie Mellon University are working together to create an armband that projects an interface directly on to your skin.

They have combined a mini projector which creates a changing display with a sophisticated sensor that can tell which part of your arm is being tapped.
The researchers showed Skinput can be used to control audio devices, play simple games like Tetris, make phone calls and navigate simple browsing systems.

The gadget effectively turns your arm into a touchscreen surface by picking up various ultra-low sounds produced when you tap different areas.

Different skin locations are acoustically distinct because of bone density and the filtering effect from soft tissues and joints. The team then used software that matched sound frequencies to specific skin locations.

The prototype then uses wireless technology like Bluetooth to transmit the commands to the device being controlled, such as a phone, iPod, or computer.

Writing in a paper for Microsoft Research, Chris Harrison, Desney Tan and Dan Morris, said: 'Our skin has been overlooked as an input canvas and is one that happens to always travel with us.

'Furthermore, proprioception - our sense of how our body is configured in three-dimensional space - allows us to accurately interact with our bodies in an eyes-free manner.

'We can readily flick each of our fingers, touch the tip of our nose, and clap our hands together without visual assistance.'

The sensor picks up two two types of acoustic signals - transverse waves created by the rippling of skin as it's tapped and longitudinal waves that travel through the soft tissue of the arm and excite the bone.
Currently, the acoustic detector can detect five skin locations with an accuracy of 95.5 per cent, which would be high enough for many smartphone applications.

Twenty volunteers who have tested the system said they found it easy to navigate. The researchers added that Skinput also works well when the user is walking or running.

The researchers plan to present their work in April at the Computer-Human Interaction meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.


Skinput could solve the problem of ever shrinking gadget screens

The armband prototype can be combined with an MP3 player and used to change the song or volume level

A video showed how Skinput could recognise a telephone number being typed out on a hand

10,000,000,000 and counting: 10billionth tune downloaded from Apple iTunes... by a 71-year-old man

The 10 billionth song has been downloaded from Apple iTunes, just seven years after the online store shook up the flagging music industry.

The 10 billionth song - Johnny Cash's 'Guess Things Happen That Way' - was downloaded by 71-year-old Louie Sulcer in Woodstock, Georgia, U.S.

Apple has rewarded him with a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

An online counter of the popular music website read: '10 billion songs downloaded from iTunes. And counting' on Wednesday.
The California company behind the iPhone, iPod and Macbook series have promised a $10,000 iTunes gift card to the lucky customer who downloaded the 10-billionth song.

Apple has also provided a list of the all-time top 20 songs on iTunes to mark the occasion.

'I Gotta Feeling' by the Black Eyed Peas, which debuted in May 2009 topped the list, followed by Lady Gaga's electronic-inspired 'Poker Face.'

The iTunes Music Store had dominated the music download industry ever since its launch in 2003. This is because of the enormous popularity of Apple music devices such as iPods that automatically synced with the iTunes store.

Many iPod owners still do not realise they can buy cheaper music on websites other than iTunes, as most providers now don't use DRM (Digital Rights Management) to protect their tracks.

For instance Apple's top download from the Black Eyed Peas is 99p in the UK, but can be bought for 65p from play.com and 50p from 7digital.

iTunes has expanded over the years and now offers television shows, movies, audio books and podcasts.


Tunes from The Black Eyed Peas came first and third in a list of the top songs on Apple iTunes. The list was released to mark the 10billionth download

Steve Jobs, at the UK launch of Apple's iTunes back in 2004. It continues to dominate the download market

ITUNES TOP 20 SONGS

1) I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas
2) Poker Face, Lady GaGa
3) Boom Boom Pow, Black Eyed Peas
4) I'm Yours, Jason Mraz
5) Viva la Vida, Coldplay
6) Just Dance, Lady GaGa
7) Low, Flo Rida
8) Love Story, Taylor Swift
9) Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis
10) Tik Tok, Keisha
11) Disturbia, Rihanna
12) So What, Pink
13) I Kissed a Girl, Katy Perry
14) Single Ladies, Beyonce
15) Hot N Cold, Katy Perry
16) Stronger, Kanye West
17) Live Your Life, T.I
18) Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's
19) Right Round, Flo Rida
20) Party in the USA, Miley Cyrus

Get Apple stuffs.