Almost exactly a month after we learnt that drinking beer makes you clever, a Spanish boffin has proved that the golden grog is also better at rehydrating the human body after excercise.

Manuel J Castillo Garzón, Professor of Human Physiology from Spain's University of Granada, got a bunch of students to run around in temperatures of 40°C then gave half of them a half-pint of beer while the rest got the same amount of water.

The Spanish prof reckons the bubbles and carbohydrates in beer help quench the thirst and replace lost calories, according to The Telegraph.

Copy and burn firm, Slysoft reckons it has cracked the beefed-up copy protection on Blu-ray disks, BD+.

It reckons it has the routine cracked even though Sony reckons its protection will be good for ten years.

SlySoft boss, Giancarlo Bettini says he has wonders "when people will understand that the more restrictions, pressures and protection measures that are applied to limit the functionality of a thing, the fewer sales that will result, not more."

The NYTimes reports that Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, has studied Apple's financial statements and come to the conclusion that AT&T is paying Apple $18 a month, on average, for each iPhone sold by Apple and activated on AT&T's network - up to $432 over a two-year contract.

Last week Apple disclosed that 250,000 iPhones had been purchased but not registered with ATT that Apple thinks are being unlocked so Apple has now taken action to curb unauthorized resellers by limiting sales of the iPhone to two per customer and requiring that purchases must now be made with a credit or debit card - cash will not be accepted.

A Kent librarian wants an exorcist called in to sort out a haunted lavatory.

Gordon Jenns, 61, who has worked at Gravesend library for 14 years, says the ghost flushes the toilet when he thinks everyone's gone home.

"It's very off-putting. The first time it happened I thought someone had broken in the back door so I went with something very heavy in my hand to give them a warm welcome."

"I'm an ex-marine and not prone to hallucinations. I'm guessing the poor fellow only wants to relieve himself."

Nokia has just launched the Independent Artists Club (IAC), a Web site (http://web-iac.nokia-asia.com) where anyone can go to listen to and download free songs submitted by independent musicians.

Users of Nokia cell phones can download up to 10 tracks per month, while non-Nokia users who register at the site are limited to 5 downloads per month. Free streaming is unlimited for all visitors world-wide.

Mostly, the site is intended as a free and easy means for indie musicians to get their music heard beyond their local community. Currently, Nokia is administering the uploading process, but will allow self-uploads by December.

Last month, word got out that an uncensored beta of the game leaked into various BitTorrent sites. The warez build allowed gamers with modded PS2s to play the entire AO-rated version of Manhunt 2, made before Take-Two toned down the violence to placate government censors.

"Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that a former employee of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has acknowledged his responsibility for the unauthorized online distribution of an unrated play-test version of Manhunt 2 submitted for the European PAL Playstation 2 computer entertainment system."

Manhunt 2 has effectively been banned from the UK after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) refused twice to grant the game a UK rating - determining it "unacceptable" over the fine point that it "constantly encourages visceral killing."

Bill Gates was recently visiting Africa, but needed a visa to travel to Nigeria. Getting a visa cannot be that much of a big deal if you are a multibillionaire, or so you would think.

The Nigerian government initially denied the Microsoft kingpin's application on the premise that they required proof he would not reside in Nigeria indefinitely, causing a strain on social services and a general nuisance for immigration.

On friday afternoon, both SCO Group and its subsidiary SCO Operations, Inc. filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

The bankruptcy filing canceled the SCO v. Novell trial that had been scheduled to begin Monday in the courtroom of US District Court Judge Dale A. Kimball. It automatically stayed that lawsuit and all of SCO's other pending litigation with IBM, Autozone and Red Hat.

SCO filed a lawsuit against IBM in March 2003 seeking $1 billion in damages, later raised to $5 billion, over various allegations related to IBM's support of Linux.

Along the way, SCO also sued Daimler-Chrysler and Autozone, former customers of its predecessor in interest Santa Cruz Operation. The Daimler-Chrysler case was quickly dismissed, but the Autozone case is still unresolved.

Some months after it had sued IBM, SCO apparently woke up to the fact that it didn't have written conveyances from Novell for the copyrights to UNIX SVRX. It attempted to obtain those from Novell but was rebuffed. So, in January 2004, SCO also sued Novell for alleged slander of title over the copyrights to the UNIX SVRX operating system.

The Associated Press is reporting that microchip implants have induced cancer in laboratory animals and dogs. A series of research articles spanning more than a decade found that mice and rats injected with glass-encapsulated RFID transponders developed malignant, fast-growing, lethal cancers in up to 1% to 10% of cases. The tumors originated in the tissue surrounding the microchips and often grew to completely surround the devices.

Key organisational failures that left Virginia Tech student Seung-hui Cho free to kill 32 people should never be repeated, Virginia's governor has said.

Tim Kaine lamented a series of "missed opportunities" that allowed Cho to remain at large despite serious concerns over his mental health.

The independent eight-member panel also concluded that though Cho had shown earlier signs of mental instability, college staff had not intervened effectively.

Mr Kaine, who commissioned the report, said a combination of poor college administration, inadequate mental health services and policing errors allowed Cho to live among the students he would eventually attack.