The lawyer representing Malaika Brooks said Monday that the court's 2-1 decision sanctioned "pain compliance" tactics through a modern-day version of the cattle prod.

"Although she had told the officers she was seven months pregnant, they proceeded to use a Taser on her, not once but three times, causing her to scream with pain and leaving burn marks and permanent scars."

An officer was holding Brooks' arm behind Brooks' back while she was being shocked.

The firm said that an update to be released on 1 April will prevent people using a function that allows them to install alternative operating systems.

The move comes after a US hacker released the first code that he claimed bypassed the PS3's security systems.

"It's about whether these companies have the right to take away advertised features from a product you purchased."

The 16GB version of the iPad sells for $499 with WiFi and $629 with WiFi and 3G. The 32GB version costs $599 with WiFi and $729 with WiFi and 3G, while the 64GB version costs $699 with WiFi and $829 with WiFi and 3G.

Apple claims that some 150,000 apps will be available upon the iPad's launch. The company's App Store could hold as many as 300,000 apps by the end of the year, according to research firm IDC.

Now the Associated Press reports that smart meters have security flaws that could let hackers tamper with the power grid, opening the door for attackers to jack up strangers' power bills, remotely turn someone else's power on and off, or even allow attackers to get into the utilities' computer networks to steal data or stage bigger attacks on the grid.

'Even though these protocols were designed recently, they exhibit security failures we've known about for the past 10 years,' says Wright.

Green wrote on his Twitter account late last week: "Booted twice -- and progress lost -- on my single-player C&C4 game because my DSL connection blinked. DRM fail. We need new solutions," continuing later, "Well. I've tried to be open-minded. But my 'net connection is finicky -- and the constant disruption of my C&C4 SP game makes this unplayable. The story is fun, the gameplay is interesting and different at least -- but if you suffer from shaky/unreliable DSL -- you've been warned."

We've heard that select Facebook partners will now be able to look for your existing Facebook cookie to identify you, even if you never opted into Facebook Connect on the site you're visiting. Using that, the third party site will be able to display your friends and other key information. It's possible that these sites will also be able to display any data you've shared with 'everyone', which is of course now the default option on Facebook.

But by default, you're all in. How convenient.

The government increasingly combines censorship and surveillance measures with pro-active efforts to steer online conversations in the direction it prefers.

Known derisively as the "fifty cent party," these people are paid to write postings that show their employers in a favorable light in online chat rooms, social networking services, blogs, and comments sections of news websites.

Facebook has contributed to a resurgence in the sexually-transmitted disease syphilis, a health expert has claimed.

Professor Peter Kelly, director of public health in Teesside, claimed staff had found a link between social networking sites and the spread of the bacteria, especially among young women.

"Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex."

Starting last December, individuals and businesses that wished to register a .cn domain name were being asked to submit a photograph of themselves as well as a serial number identifying their business license in China.

Google's Alan Davidson, director of public policy, also plans to speak before the hearing, coming two days after Google announced its decision to move its Chinese-language search engine from mainland China to Hong Kong in order to bypass government laws on Internet censorship.

A recent study estimates that one out of every 10 meals Chinese people eat in restaurants is cooked in recycled waste oil-that is, oil that has been dumped in the sewer, scooped out, processed, and resold at low prices.

Medical research shows that a regular diet which includes recycled oil could cause developmental retardation, enteritis, swelling of the liver, heart, and kidneys.

By simple processes of filtration, heating, precipitation, and separation, the ill-smelling opaque waste becomes clear cooking oil.