8:36 PM
Here are photos of the Air Force's secret space plane. It appears that the Pentagon may be using space planes more, and one potential application of it would be as a cheap replacement for the Space Shuttle to get spy sensors into orbit quickly:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12/gallery-inside-the-secret-space-plane-landing/
Wheelchair-bound woman decided to wear only black underwear so that she could get through airport security easier...unfortunately, she ended up getting an HOUR-long security search! The Oklahoma TSA worker found traces of nitrates (which can be used in explosives but are also found from lots of other things) on her body:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8177265/Wheelchair-bound-woman-in-underwear-gets-hour-long-security-search.html
Florida has a new bill that seeks to crack down on the estimated 800,000 undocumented workers in their state. The bill empowers police to check the residency status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Any legal immigrant that isn't carrying proper documentation can be fined $100 and go to jail for 20 days:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/florida-follows-arizona-cracking-down-illegal-immigrants
Japanese researchers have built a tornado simulator that can simulate a storm powerful enough to uproot large trees, knock down walls, and destroy steel-frame structures:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/artificial-tornadoes-created-test-japanese-homes
Google is rumored to be creating their "Facebook-killer" Google+1:
http://www.telecomtv.com/comspace_newsDetail.aspx?n=47020&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10
Americans have a list of reasons why they dislike voicemail:
http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=055&ACCT=0000100&ISSUE=1012&RELTYPE=IN&PRODCODE=00000&PRODLETT=Z&CommonCount=0
Sprint announced that it will phase-out its Nextel service (Sprint bought Nextel for $36 billion) in 2013, which gives time for current 2-year Nextel contract holders to have their phones replaced with Sprint's Nextel replacement. Nextel will be phased out as part of Sprint's modernization program where they will spend between $4 billion and $5 billion to update and upgrade their network, saving $10 billion to $11 billion over 7 years:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Sprint-to-start-phasing-out-apf-2502465839.html?x=0&.v=2
TD-LTE will apparently be launching commercially in India in the second half of next year. Reliance chose TD-LTE over WiMAX for its broadband wireless access license and Qualcomm has been pushing for LTE over WiMAX of course:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=201060&
Google opened its e-book store (Google E-books), which users can read on tablets, computers, smartphones, and e-readers. A customer can start reading the e-book on one device or computer and switch midway through the book to another device without losing their spot. More than 3 million books are available already from Google E-books:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704493004576001671533243118.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Unemployed woman in Alabama who loves to read was charged with stealing *222* books over the past few years:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/02/ap/strange/main7111852.shtml
Awesome story about how secret Santas in Charlotte and other places have been anonymously giving away thousands of dollars each from their own bank accounts to give $100 bills to needy strangers. They find out about the needy from newspaper clippings or tips from police or school employees, or just by going to thrift stores or finding strangers near shelters or on the street:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/04/1886360/merry-christmas-and-heres-100.html
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12/gallery-inside-the-secret-space-plane-landing/
Wheelchair-bound woman decided to wear only black underwear so that she could get through airport security easier...unfortunately, she ended up getting an HOUR-long security search! The Oklahoma TSA worker found traces of nitrates (which can be used in explosives but are also found from lots of other things) on her body:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8177265/Wheelchair-bound-woman-in-underwear-gets-hour-long-security-search.html
Florida has a new bill that seeks to crack down on the estimated 800,000 undocumented workers in their state. The bill empowers police to check the residency status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Any legal immigrant that isn't carrying proper documentation can be fined $100 and go to jail for 20 days:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/florida-follows-arizona-cracking-down-illegal-immigrants
Japanese researchers have built a tornado simulator that can simulate a storm powerful enough to uproot large trees, knock down walls, and destroy steel-frame structures:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/artificial-tornadoes-created-test-japanese-homes
Google is rumored to be creating their "Facebook-killer" Google+1:
http://www.telecomtv.com/comspace_newsDetail.aspx?n=47020&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10
Americans have a list of reasons why they dislike voicemail:
http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=055&ACCT=0000100&ISSUE=1012&RELTYPE=IN&PRODCODE=00000&PRODLETT=Z&CommonCount=0
Sprint announced that it will phase-out its Nextel service (Sprint bought Nextel for $36 billion) in 2013, which gives time for current 2-year Nextel contract holders to have their phones replaced with Sprint's Nextel replacement. Nextel will be phased out as part of Sprint's modernization program where they will spend between $4 billion and $5 billion to update and upgrade their network, saving $10 billion to $11 billion over 7 years:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Sprint-to-start-phasing-out-apf-2502465839.html?x=0&.v=2
TD-LTE will apparently be launching commercially in India in the second half of next year. Reliance chose TD-LTE over WiMAX for its broadband wireless access license and Qualcomm has been pushing for LTE over WiMAX of course:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=201060&
Google opened its e-book store (Google E-books), which users can read on tablets, computers, smartphones, and e-readers. A customer can start reading the e-book on one device or computer and switch midway through the book to another device without losing their spot. More than 3 million books are available already from Google E-books:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704493004576001671533243118.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Unemployed woman in Alabama who loves to read was charged with stealing *222* books over the past few years:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/02/ap/strange/main7111852.shtml
Awesome story about how secret Santas in Charlotte and other places have been anonymously giving away thousands of dollars each from their own bank accounts to give $100 bills to needy strangers. They find out about the needy from newspaper clippings or tips from police or school employees, or just by going to thrift stores or finding strangers near shelters or on the street:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/04/1886360/merry-christmas-and-heres-100.html