Andrew Morton, the lead maintainer of the Linux production kernel, is worried that an increasing number of defects are appearing in the 2.6 version and is considering drastic action to resolve it.

“I believe the 2.6 kernel is slowly getting buggier. It seems we’re adding bugs at a higher rate than we’re fixing them,” Morton said in a talk at the LinuxTag conference in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Friday.

Source: News.com

Over objections by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Nevadans will be able to buy prescription drugs from Canada over the Internet starting next week, a spokesman for Gov. Kenny Guinn said on Friday.

Responding to fast-rising drug prices, a number of U.S. states and local government have urged the federal government to allow imports of prescription drugs, which often cost less abroad. The U.S. government opposes the imports.

Source: Reuters

AOL is set to offer its instant-messaging users a free phone number to use for incoming calls, and for a fee, the ability to call regular phones from the software.

The move brings AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM, closer in functionality to voice-oriented applications like eBay Inc.’s Skype and so-called voice over Internet services from Vonage Holdings Corp. and others.

Source: AP

A U.S. appeals panel challenged the Bush administration Friday over new rules making it easier for police and the FBI to wiretap Internet phone calls. One judge told the government its courtroom arguments were “gobbledygook” and invited its lawyer to return to his office and “have a big chuckle.”

Source: AP

CBS Corp. has launched a Web site that will offer new programming as well as some of its existing TV shows, as competition intensifies between broadcasters and Internet firms such as Google Inc..

The site, called innertube, was launched on Thursday and will be free to viewers and supported by advertising. Cadbury Schweppes, Chili’s, Pier 1 Imports Brinkmann Corp. and Verizon SuperPages.com are its initial advertising sponsors, CBS said.

Source: Reuters

Ian Wright has a car that blows away a Ferrari 360 Spider and a Porsche Carrera GT in drag races, and whose 0-to-60 acceleration time ranks it among the fastest production autos in the world. In fact, it’s second only to the French-made Bugatti Veyron, a 1,000-horsepower, 16-cylinder beast that hits 60 mph half a second faster and goes for $1.25 million.

The key difference? The Bugatti gets eight miles per gallon. Wright’s car? It runs off an electric battery.

Source: CNN

A new AdSense referral program lets site publishers place referral buttons for Google Pack and the Picasa photo software on their sites and earn money each time a user goes through the click to install the software.

Google will pay $2 for each Google Pack referral, and $1 for each Picasa referral coming from the referring links

Source: searchnewz.com

The stock of Comverse Technology Inc. fell Friday morning after the company said it received a subpoena from federal prosecutors over its stock option grants, which have already led to the resignation of three top executives.

Shares of the New York-based maker of telecommunications systems and software were down 91 cents, or 3.8 percent, at $23.12 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock is down from a 52-week high of $29.64 set just before the company announced its own accounting probe in March.

Source: AP

Intel has slashed the prices of its desktop Pentium D processors by up to 50 per cent following the introduction of the 3.6GHz Pentium D 960. The chip giant also cut the prices of its Celeron D products, and tweaked what it charges for Centrino and Centrino Duo bundles.

The most recent round of cuts saw the Pentium D 950’s price fall from $637 to $316, a drop of 50 per cent. The 940 now costs $241, down 43 per cent from $423. The 930’s price fell 34 per cent, from $316 to $209, which is also what the 920 now costs - its price dropped 13 per cent from $241.

Source: The Register

A California hacker has pleaded guilty to disrupting computer systems - including the network of a hospital - through a malware-fueled attack designed to install adware on infected PCs.

Christopher Maxwell, from Vacaville, California, 20, also confessed to disrupting US military systems during the January 2005 attack.

Source: TheRegister

They can steal your smartcard, lift your passport, jack your car, even clone the chip in your arm. And you won’t feel a thing. 5 tales from the RFID-hacking underground.

Source: Wired

Sony Electronics has begun shipping its 25GB single layer Blu-ray Disc recording media with AccuCORE technology. In addition, a dual layer 50GB capacity disc is set to debut in June.

“Sony knows Blu-ray technology like no other company,” said Mike Lucas, director of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Media and Application Solutions Division. “Coupled with our unique AccuCORE technology, we expect our Blu-ray recording media to take the high-definition experience to a new level of performance.”

Sony’s AccuCORE technology, which was first integrated into recordable DVD media over a year ago, has been re-engineered for Blu-ray Discs to deliver enhanced reliability and durability. Its major benefits include:

• Scratch Guard — hard coating that resists scratches, dust and static
• Archival Reliability — special material design that prevents data and image corruption and deterioration to ensure quality playback
• Stable Writing — a uniform and precise cover layer that reduces fluctuation as the disc spins
• Temperature Durability — a high-precision disc structure helps prevent warping during severe changes in temperature and humidity.

Sony’s Blu-ray media also supports a 2x recording speed, which provides a high data transfer rate of up to 72 Mbps, making it ideal for high-definition video recording and data storage applications.

In addition to media, Sony will soon offer a wide range of Blu-ray Disc devices, including a Blu-ray Disc player, VAIO desktop and notebook computers, and an internal Blu-ray Disc drive.

The BD-R (write-once) 25GB and BD-RE (rewritable) 25GB recording media have suggested retail prices of $20 and $25, respectively. The soon to come BD-R 50GB and BD-RE 50GB recording media will have suggested retail prices of $48 and $60, respectively.