Approximately 10,000 Windows Live/Hotmail login credentials, including user names and passwords, have been leaked to the Internet. Upon learning of the leak, Microsoft "launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers". A total of 10,028 login details were posted online and are likely only a small portion of a much larger group of compromised email accounts, since the leaked details only cover usernames starting with letters A-B in the alphabet. The leak accompanies a rumor that all 450,000,000 Windows Live email accounts had been compromised, a rumor that is highly improbable. However, it is strongly suggested that anyone with a Windows Live account change their password immediately.

Microsoft to Add Competitors' Browsers to Windows

Microsoft has ended a squabble with the European Commission by agreeing to add a default option to download competitors' browsers to its next Windows operating system, Windows 7. Previously, Internet Explorer was added exclusively to the system. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said: "We also welcome the opportunity to take the next step in the process regarding our proposal to promote interoperability with a broad range of our products." Microsoft had initially said it would ship Windows in Europe without any kind of browser whatsoever.

Creation of Low-Power FM Stations Supported by Republicans, Democrats

A bipartisan group of representatives expressed its support for HR 1147, a bill that would clear the way for Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations to join their high-powered colleagues on the airwaves. LPFM is expected to be intensely local in focus. "This legislation will bring communities across the country access to their airwaves," said Rep. Mike Doyle, D.-Pa. Added Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., "I am a big fan of low power FM; it empowers people who need a voice." The bill has passed subcommittee. The bill would ease restrictions on LPFM stations, which are currently required to operate no closer than the third-next channel from the nearest high-power station on the dial. Now, Doyle says, "The time has come to bring low power to the people."

Wave-Powered Desalination Plant Planned

Firefox has gained a lot of popularity among the Internet community because of many useful extensions. One of them is called AdBlock, essential to anyone browsing the Internet today who wishes to remove all the intrusive and flashy ads. Is is stealing potential revenue from a website when you block their ads? Or is it a user right to do so? One popular filehost site 'MediaFire' seems to disagree. A Firefox add-on has forced this company to give Mozilla a takedown notice. Obviously this had no legal leg as the end-user has the final say in what appears on their computer. There have been threats from some website owners to target Firefox users and block them. However, this has yet to be followed through by anyone.

Pedal-Powered Notebooks Deployed by OLPC in Afghanistan

Afghanistan - OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) recently began experimenting with pedal-powered laptops in order to be able to provide computer access to areas where power is an issue. Previously, the solution adopted was a hand crank. OLPC took the original hand-crank-powered laptop and connected it to the feet, a solution which could be easier to provide power. A video which shows the prototype is available at the source.

Russia Planning a Nuclear-Powered Spaceship?

Head of the Russian Space Agency Anatoly Perminov has announced plans to build a spaceship powered by a megawatt-class nuclear reactor. He says that the basic design could be complete by 2012 with the ship to be built by 2021. President Dmitry Medvedev has thrown his weight behind what he calls "a very serious project" and called on the Cabinet to find the money to back it. Nuclear power has been used for spy satellites in the past on a much smaller scale While a specific use for the proposed space vehicle wasn't mentioned it is known that Russia is looking to replace the aging Soyuz rockets for orbital missions and is considering the possibility of going to the moon and Mars at some stage.

MS - Accepting Vista as a Failure?

It's estimated around a million units are now banned. Microsoft defended their stance on piracy and modified consoles by saying there is "no recourse for terms of use violations". Anyone with a modified console needs a new one to connect to the Live service. Modifying a console can include adding new chips to it or using software hacks. Microsoft isn't commenting on how their detection works. Rumour has it that there will soon be a new mod to get around the newest MS roadblock. Some users defend using modified consoles by saying discs are too fragile and you should be allowed a backup. All Live accounts will still be fine to use.

Hacker Rickrolls the iPhone

The Apple iPhone has been hit by its first malicious worm, a self-propogating program called ikee. The worm shows itself by changing the infected phone's wallpaper to a photo of Rick Astley and the message "ikee is never going to give you up". The worm is even able to infect "jail-broken" iPhones, those which have been cracked to remove Apple's protection mechanisms. The worm was written by Australian Ashley Towns, who also published the source code online. One security analyst said that the release of the source code "means that there will quickly be more variants, and they might have nastier payload than just changing your wallpaper."

Google is Your Friend

A Google search led a daughter to her father. After thirty years of Scott trying to find his missing daughter, she instead finds him by typing "Scott Robert Becker Looking for April" into the popular search engine. Scott was quoted as saying "I could not find her. I could not find her mother. I couldn't find April and I looked and I looked and I looked. So, I thought maybe one day my daughter will Google her name and maybe she will find me that way. The man from Wichita, Kansas, was finally reunited with his long-lost daughter at an Atlanta restaurant last week.

Carbon Rations Could Be On The Horizen For Britain