Category: Uncategorised

President Vladimir Putin visits the Vostochny Cosmodrome in October 2015. (credit: Kremlin Press Service)

An old theater rises above the center of Baikonur, a dusty town in Kazakhstan near the cosmodrome from which Russians have launched humans into space since 1961. Long ago, Soviet soldiers mingled in its lobby and sat in its uncomfortable wooden chairs to watch propaganda films. In those early days, the Soviets often bested the United States with space milestones.

Today, after launches of Russian, American, and other astronauts to the International Space Station, the fliers’ families gather along with NASA officials in the theater to watch the Soyuz spacecraft dock to the orbiting laboratory. Afterward, they will offer celebratory toasts in the lobby against a backdrop of large, beautiful murals depicting Russia’s three great space pioneers. There’s the rocket visionary Konstantin Tsiolkovsky on the left, Yuri Gagarin in the middle, and aerospace engineer Sergei Korolev on the right.

All of those men have been dead for nearly half a century, and the Russian space program has been in a long slumber for most of the time since then. Yes, Russia is one of only two nations capable of putting humans into space, and it has an enviable record of launch safety, having not lost crew members since Soyuz 11 in 1971. Additionally, the most reliable American rocket, the Atlas 5, uses the exceptionally well-built Russian RD-180 engines to power its ascent into space.

(credit: Megan Geuss)

Wearable technology company Valencell has sued both Apple and Fitbit, saying the two companies' devices infringe on various Valencell patents.

In the Apple complaint (PDF), Valencell says that the Apple Watch infringes its patents, and the company also adds some unusual breach of contract claims. Valencell lawyers say that Apple employees downloaded white papers from the Valencell website. The white papers are publicly available, but they require a user to enter contact information before receiving the papers. Valencell says that "Apple breached this contract by not providing the organization, name, and email address of the recipient."

Valencell was able to capture several IP addresses from visitors who got the white papers and link them to Apple. The breach of contract claims say that white papers were downloaded to Apple IP addresses in March 2013, March 2014, and April of 2015. The paper allegedly downloaded in 2013 was called “PerformTek Precision Biometrics: Engaging the Burgeoning Mobile Health and Fitness Market."

2015 was our ninth straight year asking readers to donate to some worthy charities for a chance to win the swag we collected during the year. It was also our most successful charity fundraising year by a good margin.

All told, Ars Technica readers donated a combined $38,861.06 to Child's Play and the EFF as part of the 2015 drive. That absolutely shatters last year's charity take of $25,094.31 and beats the annual record of $28,713.52 set in 2012.

That record wasn't just set by a few extremely rich and generous readers, either. While 2012 saw a couple of $5,000 donations, the top donation this year was $2,500. Instead, we set the new record donation mark by getting 615 people to give whatever they could. That includes over 100 people who were able to give at least $100 each.

(credit: Lumosity)

Lumos Labs, the company behind the popular Lumosity "Brain Training" program, is agreeing to pay $2 million to settle deceptive advertising claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission.

“Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease," Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “But Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads.”

The FTC charged in its complaint (PDF) that Lumosity offered dozens of online or mobile games designed to train specific areas of the brain. The company claimed in its massive advertising campaign that the training would help customers reach their "full potential in every aspect of life," such as in school, at work, and in sports, and that it would protect against dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Among other things, the company also claimed that the training could help customers reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Subscription prices ranged from $14.95 a month to $299.95 for a lifetime membership, the FTC said.

(credit: dotSucks)

Have something to complain about but haven’t found a top-level domain (TLD) with adequate panache? Fear not.

Nearly six months ago, .sucks became available, and, sure enough, people have been using it in spades to gripe about stuff. But in a new Monday blog post, Vox Populi Registry, the company that owns the venerable TLD, says that it doesn’t just want to be the place for complaining. No, it has a far more noble purpose in mind.

"We view it as a platform for innovation, a magnet for conversation, and a hub for discussion of those things that stir passion," the firm wrote. "By these measures so far, we have exceeded our modest expectations for the company."