What Will a Nuclear-Free Germany Cost?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week released a detailed proposal to close all of Germany's 17 nuclear reactors by 2022. Merkel promises an orderly transition to replace nuclear power, which accounts for nearly one-quarter of the country's supply, with renewable power. But opposition from reactor operators could inflate the cost of that transition.

The construction of new reactors in various countries has slowed in the wake of Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident, but Merkel's plan would make Germany the first to scrap nuclear altogether.

The proposal could have a number of impacts on Germany's energy supply. Federal Economics Minister Philipp Rösler has estimated that the plan would raise power costs to German consumers by roughly one cent per kilowatt-hour, which translates to an annual increase of roughly 35 to 40 Euros ($50 to $57) per household. But Rösler's modest price tag assumes that the government will defray the cost of building offshore wind farms?currently Germany's smallest power source?to provide one-fifth of generation within two decades.

Blackouts are a near-term concern because, under Merkel's plan, Germany's eight oldest reactors?seven of which she ordered offline for safety inspections in March, and another undergoing maintenance?would never run again, and ramping up supply from other sources could prove difficult. Germany's Federal Network Agency has determined that southern Germany, which stands to lose five reactors producing 5,200 megawatts, could run short of power this winter. During cold snaps, demand for power is at a peak, and output from Germany's more than 17,000 megawatts' worth of solar capacity is also at a minimum. Electricity imports are also harder to come by during the winter, as neighboring countries confront their own power peaks.

Merkel's plan seeks to counter the blackout threat over the next two years by keeping some of the shuttered reactors in "cold reserve," ready to be restarted in a pinch. For the longer term, it proposes a doubling of renewable power generation, from 17 percent now to 35 percent of supply by 2020, and power grid expansions to share that power around the country. "We need an entirely new architecture for our energy system," Merkel acknowledged on Monday in a statement distributed by Germany's embassies.

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IE losing share, Firefox gains a bit, Chrome used by 1 in 8

With IE9, Firefox 4, and Chrome 11 all out, the second browser war is only getting fiercer. Let's take a look at the market share numbers for last month.

Between April and May, Internet Explorer dropped 0.84 percentage points, just a tad more than the previous month. Firefox, meanwhile, gained 0.08 percentage points, less than what it lost last month. Chrome gained 0.58 percentage points, making it last month's biggest winner. Safari was up 0.13 percentage points. Opera lost 0.11 percentage points.

At 54.27 percent, Internet Explorer has once again hit a new low. IE9, the latest and greatest from Microsoft, last month captured 4.19 percent of the market (up by 1.78 percent percentage points). IE8 lost 1.78 percentage points, but it's still the world's most popular browser. IE7 fell 0.31 percentage points and IE6 fell 0.49 percentage points. We're hoping that IE6 will fall below the 10 percent mark next month.

At 21.71 percent, Firefox is still below the peak it reached last year (24.72 percent). It appears that Firefox 4 is still not helping Mozilla regain overall market share. This is despite the fact that Firefox 4 last month captured a whopping 10.08 percent of the market (up by 4.65 percentage points). Firefox 3.6 lost 4.88 percentage points and Firefox 3.5 lost 0.20 percentage points.

At 12.52 percent, Chrome has hit a new high and is now being used by 1 in 8 of all Internet citizens. The browser's built-in updating system is working wonders for Google. Chrome 11 managed to capture 9.73 percent (up by 9.23 percentage points). Chrome 10 meanwhile fell 8.71 percentage points and Chrome 9 fell 0.06 percentage points.

The data is courtesy of Net Applications, which looks at 160 million visitors per month. As you can see above, the situation at TechSpot is slightly different: Firefox is first, IE is second, Chrome is third, Safari is fourth, and Opera is fifth. The only browser to gain share at TechSpot between April and May was Chrome.

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/44078-ie-losing-share-firefox-gains-a-bit-chrome-used-by-1-in-8.html

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United States developing software for cyber propaganda campaign

AlJazeera reports that US military is currently developing software that will allow military personnel to create multiple fake online identities with a mission of going into chat rooms and online forums to spread ?pro-American messages.?

Critics call it propaganda or ?systemized lying?, while the Pentagon calls it ?countering violent, extremist and enemy ideology outside the US.?

Right now it is still uncertain how effective it will be and how success or failure can be measured. There is also the legal issue of military using fake personas within the US but the government assures the system will not be used in the country but in the Middle East and South East Asia.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/us/2011/06/03/united-states-developing-software-for-cyber-propaganda-campaign/

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U.S. Aims Missiles at Hackers

Fight Over Debt Ceiling Risks Credit Rating, Moody?s Warns

The warning, from one of the agencies whose assessments of creditworthiness help determine interest rates, amounted to a stern reminder from Wall Street to Washington that global financial markets are watching the budget battle closely and that a standoff or brinkmanship could have economic consequences.

Both sides seized on Moody?s statement to reinforce their bargaining positions, with Republicans demanding that President Obama get more serious about deep spending cuts and Democrats saying that Republicans are risking a financial crisis in pursuit of an ideological agenda.

Moody?s said a review of the credit rating was ?likely? in July, given that ?the risk of continuing stalemate has grown.? Its warning followed a similar one from another major ratings firm six weeks ago, and it came as the administration met Thursday with both House Republicans and Democrats in search of a deal.

The treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, met on Capitol Hill with House freshmen, including Republicans who have suggested that they see little or no risk in a showdown over the debt limit. Citing the Moody?s statement, Mr. Geithner urged them to support raising it or risk an economic crisis.

?We didn?t create this mess,? one Republican told Mr. Geithner, according to a person in the room.

Independent analyses have shown that more than half of the $14.3 trillion debt is from policies enacted during the past decade when Republicans controlled both the White House and Congress, and much of the rest from lost revenues and stimulus spending and tax cuts since Mr. Obama took office at the height of the financial crisis and recession.

Mr. Geithner, as he left the Capitol, told reporters: ?I?m confident two things are going to happen this summer. One is we are going to avoid a default crisis. And we are going to reach agreement on a long-term fiscal plan.?

Representative Austin Scott, the Georgia Republican who is the leader of the freshman class, said after the meeting that House Republicans had a ?fundamental? difference with Democrats on taxes: instead of new tax revenues, the Republicans want additional tax cuts to increase economic growth. Still, he said, ?I think we are all hopeful we will get to a resolution.?

Earlier, Mr. Obama and Mr. Geithner met privately with House Democrats at the White House about debt-reduction matters, following a similar session on Wednesday with House Republicans.

?Just as he discussed with the Republican caucus, the president highlighted the need for both parties to work together to take a balanced approach to deficit reduction, one that allows us to live within our means without hurting our ability to invest in the future or burdening our middle class or seniors,? an administration official said. 

House Democrats said they would support Mr. Obama if he reached a compromise with Republicans that included long-term spending cuts, but not to Medicare benefits, as well as higher tax revenues, according to those briefed on the meeting.

The House speaker, John A. Boehner, said in a statement, ?The White House needs to get serious right now about dealing with our deficit and debt.? He interpreted the Moody?s report as bolstering his contention that ?a credible agreement means the spending cuts must exceed the debt-limit increase.?

Moody?s, however, made no mention of how a deficit-reduction deal should be structured.

The Moody?s report was unexpected. In April, Standard & Poor?s lowered its outlook for the AAA rating on United States debt ? but not the rating itself ? to negative from stable. Moody?s cautionary note was more pointed in that it was pegged to the current political maneuvering over the debt limit and it urged a resolution weeks sooner than the White House and Congressional leaders were aiming for.

Its warning was two-pronged. First, Moody?s said, if Congress does not increase the Treasury?s borrowing authority in coming weeks, the nation?s credit rating may be lowered ?due to the very small but rising risk of a short-lived default.? That is likely to translate into higher interest rates at a time when the recovery shows signs of slowing again.

And second, Moody?s said, with an implicit slap at both parties, that whether the United States keeps its triple-A rating ?will depend on the outcome of negotiations on deficit reduction.?

?Although Moody?s fully expected political wrangling prior to an increase in the statutory debt limit, the degree of entrenchment into conflicting positions has exceeded expectations,? the company?s statement said. ?The heightened polarization over the debt limit has increased the odds of a short-lived default.?

The goal of the bipartisan budget talks that Mr. Obama initiated in April, led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., has been to reach agreement on deep long-term spending cuts by Aug. 2. That is when the Treasury Department has said it will run out of accounting maneuvers to meet the nation?s financial obligations without breaching the $14.3 trillion debt limit, which would provoke a crisis, even default.

House Republicans have said they will not agree to an increase without parallel action on spending cuts of an even greater amount. The debt limit would have to be raised $2.4 trillion to carry the government through 2012.

Republican leaders engineered a vote on Tuesday evening in which the House voted overwhelmingly not to increase the debt limit. They said that was their way of proving to Democrats that a rise in the debt limit could not pass without spending cuts attached. The Democrats countered that Republicans were risking an adverse market reaction by staging the vote, knowing it would fail.

Stock markets did fall more than 2 percent on Wednesday, but analysts generally attributed the slump to the day?s disheartening economic reports and anticipation that the government?s monthly jobs report on Friday would also be disappointing.

Even so, Republican Congressional leaders fretted that they could be blamed, according to Republican lobbyists who spoke with them. With Mr. Biden traveling in Italy this week, the negotiators are not scheduled to meet again until next Thursday. However, staff advisers continue working on proposals.

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7418377b0f2a31aa2e8836f1f26427a9

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United States developing software for cyber propaganda campaign

AlJazeera reports that US military is currently developing software that will allow military personnel to create multiple fake online identities with a mission of going into chat rooms and online forums to spread ?pro-American messages.?

Critics call it propaganda or ?systemized lying?, while the Pentagon calls it ?countering violent, extremist and enemy ideology outside the US.?

Right now it is still uncertain how effective it will be and how success or failure can be measured. There is also the legal issue of military using fake personas within the US but the government assures the system will not be used in the country but in the Middle East and South East Asia.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/us/2011/06/03/united-states-developing-software-for-cyber-propaganda-campaign/

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Hardware 24 - A Computex-Free Zone

Hardware 24 - A Computex-Free Zone

Posted on 1st Jun 2011 at 15:37 by bit-tech Staff with 3 comments

Paul is joined by Harry and Clive to talk about the latest in the world of PC hardware. This was before Paul jetted off to Computex 2011, so we're debating everything from Nvidia?s naming scheme to Intel?s latest chipset.

For example, why has Nvidia called its latest GPU the GeForce GTX 560? Surely that?s just confusing, what with the GeForce GTX 560 Ti? Also, what?s with the non-standard clock speeds for the GTX 560? The Zotac GeForce GTX 560 1GB Amp! is within the reference range of frequencies and yet it's faster than a stock-speed GTX 560 Ti 1GB, despite its supposedly lesser rank in Nvidia?s range.

We also moan about how this makes our jobs a lot harder, as it?s difficult to recommend one GPU over another without getting into some very techy discussion. Even we struggled to stay interested as we delved into GPU architectures, the merits of having more resources versus higher frequencies and which card is right for certain sizes of monitor. Sheesh. Maybe in future we?ll just avoid the issue and continue to recommend the MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC.

We also talk about Intel?s latest Z68 chipset. The hybrid graphics via Lucid Virtu isn?t great at the moment, but Smart Response is better.

Harry also likes the look of Intel?s 3D Tri-gate transistors, claiming that ?they will bring the rain? to AMD? in the face.? Also, here?s a much better explanation of Moore?s Law than we could manage.

Please leave any questions here, or email us at podcast@custompc.co.uk.

As ever, the bit-tech podcast features music by Brad Sucks, and was recorded on Shure microphones. You can download the podcast direct, listen in-browser or subscribe through iTunes using the links below. Also, be sure to let us know your thoughts about the discussion in the forums.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bit-tech/blog/~3/UcFKfpXnEsY/

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Breached Companies Say They Did All They Could

Executives who contended with massive data breaches at two companies?Sony and Epsilon?agreed Thursday that a uniform federal law governing disclosure would improve responses to future breaches, but they also defended their security and response times.

"Regarding the security of networks, I think the experience of Epsilon and Sony indicates that despite spending millions to protect your networks?despite all the best methods known to us?the networks are not 100 percent protected. It is a process that requires continuing investment," Tim Schaaff, president of Sony Network Entertainment International, testified at a hearing of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

In late April, Sony shut down the PlayStation Network and the Qriocity streaming media service for almost a month after breaches exposed personal information on 100 million accounts. Sony estimates that the damage cost $171 million to fix. Yet another hacking attack against Sony surfaced Thursday, and the group that claimed responsibility for it said it took advantage of poor security at the company.

Earlier in April, a hacker using an employee's password at Epsilon?which handles e-mail marketing campaigns for major companies?stole millions of e-mail addresses and possibly customer names. While Epsilon did not name the companies victimized, its clients include Best Buy, Walgreens, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Hilton, and Marriott. In both cases, the culprits are unknown.

Committee members are mulling a White House proposal for legislation to establish a single federal law requiring companies to notify users of breaches that expose personal information. Currently, 47 state laws govern such notification. Both Schaaff and Jeanette Fitzgerald, chief counsel for Epsilon Data Management, endorsed the idea, saying a uniform federal law would clarify what they needed to do and when they needed to do it.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, the California Republican who chairs the committee, criticized Sony for taking a week after detecting its breach to explain to customers that their data, including names, addresses, birth dates, and e-mail addresses, had been exposed. "In effect, Sony put the burden on consumers to search for information instead of providing it to them directly," she said. But Schaaff said that Sony actually may have gone too far in suggesting that credit-card data, too, might have been stolen; it now appears the card information remained protected, he said.  

He said that any data-breach law should be careful to strike a balance between warning victims in a timely manner and giving them accurate information. And he denied media reports?and insinuations by some of the congressional questioners?that Sony's servers weren't adequately protected. "That's patently false?the Apache servers were fully up to date and fully patched, and had several firewalls in place," he said. "The intensity and sophistication of the hack?despite those best measures taken, they were not sufficient." Sony has since added layers of protection, he said.

Fitzgerald said Epsilon had tight security and added that industry security standards?which she said the company had followed?are "far from sufficient." She added, "If they were sufficient, we wouldn't be here. We are all under attack."

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Fight Over Debt Ceiling Risks Credit Rating, Moody?s Warns

The warning, from one of the agencies whose assessments of creditworthiness help determine interest rates, amounted to a stern reminder from Wall Street to Washington that global financial markets are watching the budget battle closely and that a standoff or brinksmanship could have economic consequences.

Both sides seized on Moody?s statement to reinforce their bargaining positions, with Republicans demanding that President Obama get more serious about deep spending cuts and Democrats saying that Republicans are risking a financial crisis in pursuit of an ideological agenda.

Moody?s said a review of the credit rating was ?likely? in July, given that ?the risk of continuing stalemate has grown.? Its warning followed a similar one from another major ratings firm six weeks ago, and it came as the administration met Thursday with both House Republicans and Democrats in search of a deal.

The treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, met on Capitol Hill with House freshmen, including Republicans who have suggested that they see little or no risk in a showdown over the debt limit. Citing the Moody?s statement, Mr. Geithner urged them to support raising it or risk an economic crisis.

?We didn?t create this mess,? one Republican told Mr. Geithner, according to a person in the room.

Independent analyses have shown than more than half of the $14.3 trillion debt is from policies enacted during the past decade when Republicans controlled both the White House and Congress, and much of the rest from lost revenues and stimulus spending and tax cuts since Mr. Obama took office at the height of the financial crisis and recession.

Mr. Geithner, as he left the Capitol, told reporters: ?I?m confident two things are going to happen this summer. One is we are going to avoid a default crisis. And we are going to reach agreement on a long-term fiscal plan.?

Representative Austin Scott, the Georgia Republican who is the leader of the freshman class, said after the meeting that House Republicans had a ?fundamental? difference with Democrats on taxes: instead of new tax revenues, the Republicans want additional tax cuts to increase economic growth. Still, he said, ?I think we are all hopeful we will get to a resolution.?

Earlier, Mr. Obama and Mr. Geithner met privately with House Democrats at the White House about debt-reduction matters, following a similar session on Wednesday with House Republicans.

?Just as he discussed with the Republican caucus, the president highlighted the need for both parties to work together to take a balanced approach to deficit reduction, one that allows us to live within our means without hurting our ability to invest in the future or burdening our middle class or seniors,? an administration official said. 

House Democrats said they would support Mr. Obama if he reached a compromise with Republicans that included long-term spending cuts, but not to Medicare benefits, as well as higher tax revenues, according to those briefed on the meeting.

The House speaker, John A. Boehner, said in a statement, ?The White House needs to get serious right now about dealing with our deficit and debt.? He interpreted the Moody?s report as bolstering his contention that ?a credible agreement means the spending cuts must exceed the debt-limit increase.?

Moody?s, however, made no mention of how a deficit-reduction agreement should be structured.

The Moody?s report was unexpected. In April, Standard & Poor?s lowered its outlook for the AAA rating on United States debt ? but not the rating itself ? to negative from stable. Moody?s cautionary note was more pointed in that it was pegged to the current political maneuvering over the debt limit and it urged a resolution weeks sooner than the White House and Congressional leaders were aiming for.

Its warning was two-pronged. First, Moody?s said, if Congress does not increase the Treasury?s borrowing authority in coming weeks, the nation?s credit rating may be lowered ?due to the very small but rising risk of a short-lived default.? That is likely to translate into higher interest rates at a time when the recovery shows signs of slowing again.

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7418377b0f2a31aa2e8836f1f26427a9

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IE losing share, Firefox gains a bit, Chrome used by 1 in 8

With IE9, Firefox 4, and Chrome 11 all out, the second browser war is only getting fiercer. Let's take a look at the market share numbers for last month.

Between April and May, Internet Explorer dropped 0.84 percentage points, just a tad more than the previous month. Firefox, meanwhile, gained 0.08 percentage points, less than what it lost last month. Chrome gained 0.58 percentage points, making it last month's biggest winner. Safari was up 0.13 percentage points. Opera lost 0.11 percentage points.

At 54.27 percent, Internet Explorer has once again hit a new low. IE9, the latest and greatest from Microsoft, last month captured 4.19 percent of the market (up by 1.78 percent percentage points). IE8 lost 1.78 percentage points, but it's still the world's most popular browser. IE7 fell 0.31 percentage points and IE6 fell 0.49 percentage points. We're hoping that IE6 will fall below the 10 percent mark next month.

At 21.71 percent, Firefox is still below the peak it reached last year (24.72 percent). It appears that Firefox 4 is still not helping Mozilla regain overall market share. This is despite the fact that Firefox 4 last month captured a whopping 10.08 percent of the market (up by 4.65 percentage points). Firefox 3.6 lost 4.88 percentage points and Firefox 3.5 lost 0.20 percentage points.

At 12.52 percent, Chrome has hit a new high and is now being used by 1 in 8 of all Internet citizens. The browser's built-in updating system is working wonders for Google. Chrome 11 managed to capture 9.73 percent (up by 9.23 percentage points). Chrome 10 meanwhile fell 8.71 percentage points and Chrome 9 fell 0.06 percentage points.

The data is courtesy of Net Applications, which looks at 160 million visitors per month. As you can see above, the situation at TechSpot is slightly different: Firefox is first, IE is second, Chrome is third, Safari is fourth, and Opera is fifth. The only browser to gain share at TechSpot between April and May was Chrome.

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/44078-ie-losing-share-firefox-gains-a-bit-chrome-used-by-1-in-8.html

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