safety

Habbo, an online community targeted at teens, is under fire for being unable to stop users from engaging in sexually explicit virtual interactions or using derogatory language, according to a post from online magazine The Kernel.

The controversy, which sent the site into a "global mute" that stopped users from communicating, was sparked by a news broadcast in the U.K.'s Channel 4 News about "shocking lapses in moderation of a hugely popular online game used by young teenagers, including interactions of an explicit sexual nature."

The incident has caused one of Habbo's top … Read more

Skout suspended its 17-and-under community following reports of men posing as teenagers to prey on minors on the mobile social network.

The creators of the popular location-based flirting app suspended the site at 1 p.m. PT to adjust safety and security measures, according to Skout's blog post on the suspension.

The shutdown upset users who posted comments on the blog post, asking when the site will be back up. A Skout spokesperson said it will make a decision about reopening the teen community after it has concluded an evaluation and made the adjustments.

I don't run without music. I just get too bored. But a few beats into songs by, say, The Knife, and my feet are pounding the pavement hard. I'm also perpetually safety-conscious, though, which means I tend to avoid Portland's beautiful but busy waterfront loop in favor of quiet streets with low traffic.

So I have long hoped for the perfect sports headphones that are durable, comfortable, and let the ambient noise in. Enter AIRbudz, the alternative earbud attachments that Utah-based entrepreneur (and jogger) Tammy Erdel is raising funds for on Kickstarter.

AIRbudz deal with external sound blockage by incorporating air channels into their 3D-printed buds that quite simply let ambient sound stream in. The ambient noise is obviously still competing with whatever sounds are pumping through the headphones, but that sound doesn't appear to be in any way altered or compromised.… Read more

Now that the oohs and ahhs of Airtime's launch this week have settled, it's time to look at the nitty gritty of this new browser-based video chat service. One of the company's policies involve user privacy.

The way Airtime works is by using Facebook as its log-in platform. At its basic level, Airtime allows simple video chat with users' Facebook friends, but take it up a notch and it lets people chat with strangers that have common interests.

So, as a way to keep its users safe, the service takes random secret photos of video conversations between … Read more

The debate over whether Facebook should allow kids under the age of 13 to join its site might soon be moot.

The world's largest social network is close to allowing children under 13 to sign up for the social network, but those kids shouldn't expect to have the same rights as all others, according to the Wall Street Journal. The publication is reporting today, citing sources who have discussed the topic with Facebook executives, that the social network is testing features that would limit a child's ability to do what they want, when they want on the … Read more

It seems that it isn't just whiny, self-centered adults who can't be deprived of their precious gadgets on a plane for even 10 minutes.

For a 3-year-old on an Alaska Airlines flight plane threw such severe conniptions after his iPad was taken away before takeoff that he (and his family) were removed from the plane.

I am grateful to Boing Boing for offering me the New York Daily News' telling of the tale.

It seems that the unnamed 3-year-old is the son of Washington State resident Mike Yanchak. The family was reportedly flying to St. Martin Island from … Read more

Perhaps you've never thought about what is inside your airbag, other than air.

This story might make you wonder.

In 2010, Ronald Smith of Scotland, was involved in a six-car accident, during which his airbag deployed successfully. He wasn't hurt, even though he had been hit from behind and had struck the car in front.

The crash was of sufficient force that his car window broke and pierced the airbag of his Vauxhall Insignia. (Vauxhall Motors is owned by General Motors.) After the crash, Smith, an engineer, reported seeing white powder emerge from the airbag. His face was … Read more

In today's show, Facebook shareholders are fuming, Windows Phones need updating and Prime subscribers are streaming:

Facebook and several banks have been slapped with a lawsuit, accused of hiding some details about revenue estimates days before the stock went public. The charge is this: Facebook spoke with select analysts about additional information on revenue expectations than what was disclosed in amended filings. Smaller investors are upset they were left out of the loop, and say they lost money because they didn't know the full picture. But even if Facebook did give extra info to analysts, it's not … Read more

Discovered by Patently Apple in a group of 21 patents issued to Apple by the Patent and Trademark Office, the in-vehicle remote-control patent describes a product designed for drivers wishing to control their iOS devices more easily.

Currently, drivers must fumble around with their iPhone, iPod, or iPad to change songs, get directions, or make calls if their car's in-dash system doesn't support iOS devices. This lack of integration can cause serious distractions for drivers.

Apple's solution is a small device that would attach to any steering wheel, allowing users to connect to their iOS devices and control basic functions.… Read more