Japan plans US$2.1b military spend in stimulus package: official

TOKYO: Japan plans to spend $2.1 billion on its military over the next few months as part of a huge stimulus package, a defence ministry official said Wednesday, amid growing concerns over a rising China.The cash is in addition to the regular military spending for 2012-13 and is separate from a boosted budget request for next fiscal year that ruling party policy makers called for on Tuesday."We...

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Stylus lets you 'touch' normal screens, except when it won't

The APEN Touch8 Smart Pen brings touch to non-touch screens -- when it works.(Credit:Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)LAS VEGAS--APEN's Touch8 Smart Pen is a soft-tip stylus that gives non-touch screen Windows 8 computers the power of touch. It's a great idea, but it can't quite leave its mark.The idea is clever. Instead of missing out on touch functionality on an otherwise high-end system that lacks a touch...

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Pictures: Wildfires Scorch Australia Amid Record Heat

Photograph by Jo Giuliani, European Pressphoto AgencySmoke from a wildfire mushrooms over a beach in Forcett, Tasmania, on January 4. (See more wildfire pictures.)Wildfires have engulfed southeastern Australia, including the island state of Tasmania, in recent days, fueled by dry conditions and temperatures as high as 113ºF (45ºC), the Associated Press reported. (Read "Australia's Dry Run" inNational...

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Holmes Played Childish Games After Aurora Carnage

As police confronted the movie theater carnage and a massive booby trap left behind by accused Aurora gunman James Holmes, the suspect loopily played with hand puppets, tried to stick a metal staple in an electrical socket and clamly flipped a styrofoam cup, according to court testimony today.Holmes, 25, displayed the bizarre behavior once he was in custody and taken to Aurora...

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World's oldest pills treated sore eyes

In ancient Rome, physicians treated sore eyes with the same active ingredients as today. So suggests an analysis of pills found on the Relitto del Pozzino, a cargo ship wrecked off the Italian coast in around 140 BC. "To our knowledge,...

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Obama to host Afghan president Friday at White House

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will host Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on Friday for talks centered on the long-term security compact between the two countries.Obama looks forward to "discussing our continued transition in Afghanistan, and our shared vision of an enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan," a White House statement said.The...

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Circuit Playground plushies a perfect post-Xmas toy for hacker kids

MHO the Resistor is one of the six Circuit Playground plushies, from Adafruit Industries.(Credit:Adafruit Industries)It's a little late for Christmas presents, but if you throw a little time-machine action in the mix, this might be the perfect gift for the hacker kid in your life: Circuit Playground plushies.The plushies are the newest product from Adafruit Industries -- one of the world's leaders...

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Silent Skype calls can hide secret messages

Got a secret message to send? Say it with silence. A new technique can embed secret data during a phone call on Skype. "There are concerns that Skype calls can be intercepted and analysed," says Wojciech Mazurczyk at the Institute of Telecommunications in Warsaw, Poland. So his team's SkypeHide system lets users...

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Lenovo makes computer play a family affair

SAN FRANCISCO: Lenovo on Sunday unveiled a home tabletop touch-screen computer aimed at turning typically solitary online activities into family affairs.The Chinese computer colossus proclaimed the arrival of the "interpersonal PC" with the debut of the IdeaCentre Horizon Table in Las Vegas, where the Consumer Electronics Show gadget gala is set to start."It's definitely a new category;...

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Bolting your food? Put on the brakes with HapiFork

Inventor Jacques Lepine with the HapiFork, which buzzes when you bolt food. (Credit:Tim Hornyak/CNET)LAS VEGAS--Does your mom's lasagna taste better if you savor each bite as if it were your last?It might or might not, but if you slow down when eating, chances are you'll eat less. That's the idea behind HapiFork, shown off at 2013 CES Unveiled. The fork vibrates if you take a bite less than 10 seconds...

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