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Jon Martindale

Paramount claims to own the Klingon language

Can you own a language? That might seem like a bizarre question to ask but it's one that lawyers will have to figure out the answer to, as it's become rather important in the case of Paramount Pictures vs a crowd-funded team, who want to make a Star Trek spin-off. They …

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Smartphone app proves almost as effective as contraceptive pill

Although the rhythm method is one that non-religious organisations might mock or deride as ineffective, it turns out that if you take that sort of idea and mix it up with smart tracking, it actually becomes very effective. Natural Cycles is an application that tracks the user's temperature over time …

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Panama Papers law firm raided by police

The law firm, Mossack Fonseca, that was the source of all of the recent information leaked during the Panama Papers reveal, has been raided by Panamanian police. The raid was said to have gone smoothly, “without incident or interference,” though since the original leak, Mossack Fonseca executives have denied any …

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NASA pulls Kepler telescope back from the brink

One of the biggest difficulties with putting space craft outside of Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) is that it gets ever more difficult to maintain it. Repairs are too costly to attempt in person, so the best we can often hope for are software tweaks – but even they take a long time …

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Netflix price-hike won’t grandfather you in

If you've been a Netflix subscriber for a number of years, you've likely taken advantage of the fact that as prices were changed and options added, you were grandfathered in at the lower price point. That's not going to happen this time around though, as the latest Netflix price change …

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Ford autonomous-vehicle test goes smoothly at night

One of the big concerns with self-piloting vehicles, is how they will perform in adverse conditions and at night. Indeed, the optical sensors that many autonomous cars rely on don't function as well in those conditions. Fortunately, lidar doesn't have so much of an issue and in a recent test, …

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Regulator slams Three’s O2 buyout, demands Commission do more

The move by mobile network Three, to try and buyout other major UK network, O2, looks to have hit a snag, as the British antitrust regulator has raised concerns about a recent European Commission investigation into the merger. It described the remedies to cited problems as “materially deficient,” and wants …

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Daily Mail parent company considering Yahoo buyout

Although it may not go it alone, with talks said to be ongoing between the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) and private equity firms, the parent company of the Daily Mail publication is said to be in talks with Yahoo over a potential buyout. This was confirmed by the …

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Pirate Party Iceland support holds strong in election lead up

Just a few months after noting how well the Pirate Party was polling in Iceland, it's really looking like we may close out the year with the first Pirate majority government. Following the recent resignation of the Icelandic Prime Minister, the Pirate Party continues to poll well, with now more than …

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Rust’s lack of gender choices is bugging some players

Picking your character's gender in-game is something offered by a lot of titles without a sex-specific story to tell, helping people feel represented in-game. However Rust, by Garry's Mod developer, Facepunch, does this in a more naturalistic style, by assigning players a gender based on their Steam ID and doesn't let …

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Update: Tesla Model 3 sales top 325,000 in first week

Update: Electric vehicle manufacture Tesla has had a fantastic week. Just seven days after the official unveiling of its Model 3, much-more-affordable electric car, it's taken in over 325,000 pre-orders, which if all go through eventually, will earn it more than $14 billion (£10 billion). This comes just a few …

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White House refuses to back anti-encryption legislation

The Obama administration will not be backing legislation that would allow judges to force companies like Apple to weaken the security of their hardware and software in order to facilitate snooping. While President Obama's personal opinion seems to still be in favour of this sort of bill, clearly there is …

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Don’t get phished because they know your home address

Phishing emails are still one of the most effective methods of capturing people's personal details without them realising it. It was how the Fappening came about and countless leaks and hacks have been possible purely because people were tricked. So make sure you're extra vigilant in the future, as a …

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