It's my life, you're just along for the ride!

Quite a story here on several levels. First, I’m always amazed to read that folks don’t secure their WiFi connections with a password. Second, the ramifications of that obviously came crashing down on this poor fellow in a rather ugly way.Fed up with trying to secure his home WiFi network, the guy in question left his network unsecured. Then one morning he was surprised to find the authorities busting into his house in full SWAT mode, tossing him down his stairs, and accusing him of downloading child pornography. After the trauma of the arrest was over and an investigation ensued, the man was obviously not charged and apologies were issued.If you read the story on the Huffington Post you’ll see that leaving your WiFi unsecured can lead to some pretty serious stuff, given how, unfortunately, the world contains folks who will take advantage of any situation.Given that dual band routers are now becoming more prevalent and some allow you to set up a Guest account. That frees you from having to turn over your password to your cousins when they come to visit. I’ve been to at least two friends’ homes where this is the case and neither had secured the Guest account. You might think it is a charitable or neighborly thing to do to leave open a WiFi unsecured can lead to some pretty serious stuff, given how, unfortunately, the world contains folks who will take advantage of any situation.

Given that dual band routers are now becoming more prevalent and some allow you to set up a Guest account. That frees you from having to turn over your password to your cousins when they come to visit. I’ve been to at least two friends’ homes where this is the case and neither had secured the Guest account. You might think it is a charitable or neighborly thing to do to leave open a WiFi access point, but you do need to be careful out there.

via Innocent Man Accused of Child Pornography Because Neighbor Stole His Unsecured WiFi.

By the end of this year, a bigger and smarter rover will be on its way to Mars. Called Curiosity, NASA‘s six-wheel-drive, 9-foot-long robotic research vehicle will be delivered to the planet’s surface using the most unusual method yet, which you can see in the video above.Unlike its predecessors that landed on Mars inside huge balloons that bounced along the surface until they came to a halt, the heavier Curiosity will be suspended by a tether from a crane-like rocket platform that gently lowers the robot to the surface. Then that platform will fly away and crash elsewhere into the surface of the Red Planet while Curiosity gets its 687-Earth-day (1 Mars year) mission underway.This Mars buggy, officially called the Mars Science Laboratory, will have 10 scientific instruments on board, and one of those instruments is a laser that can vaporize rock, analyzing its composition. According to Space.com, instead of the solar power of the other rovers, this one will be powered by plutonium, letting it roam any time of the Martian day or night.Personnel at NASA must be breathing easy after they found out the U.S. Government’s 2011 budget compromise included $18.485 billion for the space agency, just 1.3% less than the amount NASA received in 2010. While this Mars project was already built using funding from years past,

via Next Mars Rover to Land on Planet Using Rocket Crane.

Citizens in Japan (especially the elderly) like to keep a fair amount of cash on hand in their homes. And after the earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc on homes, money (and safes full of money) are washing up on shore and appearing in the debris of ravaged towns.

Safes are washing up along the tsunami-battered coast, and police are trying to find their owners – a unique problem in a country where many people, especially the elderly, still stash their cash at home. By one estimate, some $350 billion worth of yen doesn’t circulate.

And we’re not talking about the equivalent of a few hundred dollars in a sock drawer. More like thousands of dollars locked in safes. And we’re not talking a few safes. More like several hundred of them.Citizens in Japan (especially the elderly) like to keep a fair amount of cash on hand in their homes. And after the earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc on homes, money (and safes full of money) are washing up on shore and appearing in the debris of ravaged towns.

Safes are washing up along the tsunami-battered coast, and police are trying to find their owners – a unique problem in a country where many people, especially the elderly, still stash their cash at home. By one estimate, some $350 billion worth of yen doesn’t circulate.

And we’re not talking about the equivalent of a few hundred dollars in a sock drawer. More like thousands of dollars locked in safes. And we’re not talking a few safes. More like several hundred of them. [AP, Image via Daily Mail]

via Hundreds of Safes Full of Quake Victims’ Money Are Washing up on the Shores of Japan.

The badly damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has been upgraded from 5 to 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Thats, in case you were wondering, out of seven—the only other nuclear crisis to reach the same level is Chernobyl. Authorities still believe “the cumulative amount [of radiation] from the Fukushima plant is less than that from Chernobyl,” but another aftershock—6.6 magnitude—forced workers to evacuate on Monday, and Reactor No. 4 is apparently on fire.Update: More information about the upgrade: The Wall Street Journal writes that the decision to upgrade the Fukushima plants rating is a “grim admission” that were talking about serious, long-term damage to the surrounding area, and an acknowledgment that the plant suffered from a “major release” of radioactive material. The Japanese government is evacuating towns as far as 19 miles away, depending on radiation levels, though the danger isnt immediate and residents have a month to move.

via Japanese Nuclear Crisis Upgraded to Chernobyl Level.

So remember that time we saw that Apple had been dreaming up carbon fiber iPads in a patent? Looks like the idea’s got some legs, if the recent hiring of Senior Composites Engineer Kevin Kenny is any indication.

Kenny joined Apple this month after spending 14 years at Kestral Bicycles, where he built—wait for it—carbon fiber bicycles. So where can he direct his attentions now? MacBook Air, possibly. iPad, even better. Or both: a full range of carbon fiber iProducts: lightweight, durable, sexy.

via New Hire Brings Apple’s Carbon Fiber Dream Closer To Reality.

Apples new iPhone 5 should go into production in September says Avian Securities in a note this morning.This suggests the iPhone wont be on the market until the end of this year, or even early next year possibly, says Avian.Apple could also be developing a lower price/lower spec iPhone model, says Avian.The report is based on conversations with a “key component supplier” to Apple.

via iPhone 5 Production Starting In September According To Talks With Key Supplier.