Buzz Out Loud 1362: New alien DNA discovery: new Toxic Avengers? (podcast)

On today's show, NASA's announcement about training bacteria to exist on arsenic is super cool, and could lead to a great remake of "Toxic Avengers," but it's certainly not the little green men announcement we were hoping for. Plus, why the FTC's "Do Not Track" system is doomed to fail, we launch an angry Angry Birds take-down petition, and Donald "Downer" Bell buzzkills the entire show. --Molly

Watch this: Ep. 1362: New alien DNA discovery: new Toxic Avengers?

47:17

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NEWS

NASA Finds Alien DNA in Californian Lake
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Alien-DNA-NASA-Mono-Lake-Bacteria,news-9183.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/101202-nasa-announcement-arsenic-life-mono-lake-science-space/

FTC proposes “do not track” system for Web sites
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/01/AR2010120106451.html

No Deal in Xbox Modding Case, Trial Begins
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/12/no-deal-in-xbox-modding-case-trial-begins/

Google changing rank algorithm after “bad reviews good for business” story
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/being-bad-to-your-customers-is-bad-for.html
http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/01/googl/

AD BREAK

Google wins email contract with U.S. GSA
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-wins-email-contract-with-us-gsa-2010-12-01?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Apple removes anti-gay app from App Store
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20024274-37.html

Apple patents glasses-less 3D projection
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20024309-260.html

OnLive announces $10 a month flat-rate plan
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20024396-1.html

55 people think the iPad is more valuable than the Galaxy Tab
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/02/55-people-think-the-ipad-is-more-valuable-than-the-galaxy-tab/

QUICK HITS

Amazon cuts off WikiLeaks
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20024376-38.html

RIM acquires company renowned for UI design
http://www.bgr.com/2010/12/02/rim-acquires-the-astonishing-tribe-tat/

Google admits trespassing in Pa., pays couple $1
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfsmjWhKqREaJP0Ia67FQEmahWNQ?docId=567ec583a55b41d7a5499cf8e879a94b

Windows Phone 7 jailbreak tool comes, goes within a week
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/12/windows-phone-7-jailbreak-tool-comes-goes-within-a-week.ars

Apple pushes Ping with exclusive Michael Jackson song
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/12/02/apple_pushes_ping_with_exclusive_michael_jackson_song.html

Zynga holding press conference at 12:30 ET
http://www.businessinsider.com/live-zynga-announcement-2010-12

GADGETS
Sony strongly believes it can deliver life-size holographics by 2022
http://dvice.com/archives/2010/12/sony-strongly-b.php

SCIENCE NEWS
Too many one night stands? Blame your genes.
http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/02/too-many-one-night-stands-blame-your-genes/

HAPPY ENDING
Angry Birds holiday edition now available in the app store
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/angry-birds-seasons-now-available_n_790926.html

Email (buzz@cnet.com)

Hey Buzz Crew!,
I just wanted to show y’all the site likealittle.com which started out at Stanford back in early November by an M.B.A student named Evan Reas and is now spreading to campuses across the country ( starting only recently at mine, the University of Texas at Austin). The site calls itself a “”flirting facilitator program”", or FFP for short, that acts as a social engine for those missed moments (and, well, for general goofing around). The site looks like a community twitter feed with one wall where each post begins with the gender of the person you saw, their hair color and the location on campus where you saw them as well as a box to enter your personal flirt. Happy engine generator: ACTIVATED! (and just in time for finals)

Addicted Listener,
Milan the Biomedical Engineer at UT

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Hey Crew,

So did that date just get Heisenberged? Now that we have all this info traffic about that day is there any way to repeat the analysis and get the same result? Or will it now get lost in the sea of days of interest because we’ve now discussed it so much?

I dislike the trite ‘love the show’ mail ending so I won’t use it. Even though I do. Love the show that is. Right. Whatever. L8R!
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

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Careful what you wish for; on your story about folks ‘routing around’ the USAgov damage, keep in mind we are running out of IPv4 addresses. Some posit the seemingly intentional slow-play on switching over to IPv6 is to instead put into place an ISP NAT system, with the end result of everyone’s computer turned into a zombified dumb terminal with no ability to directly connect to another computer without playing ‘Mother May I’ with the ISP – and looming police state hovering over their shoulder.

Tim in Kansas

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