Sub-$300 HD Movie Players En Route From Wal-Mart

High-def movies will soon reach the mass market thanks to Wally's World

Reports came in late last week of Wal-Mart planning to stock inexpensive high-definition disc movie players for under $300. The retailer reportedly is ordering 2 million players produced by Great Wall Corporation in China, with parts developed by Taiwan’s Fuh Yuan and Japan’s TDK, in a $100 million deal.

Although the news was initially pegged as a huge boost to the HD DVD camp, closer examination and more accurate translation of Chinese reports indicate that the players for Wal-Mart are “Blu-ray (or blue light) HD DVD” players, adding an extra layer of confusion to the matter. Both next-generation optical formats use blue or violet lasers, so unless the player is to be compatible with both HD DVD and Blu-ray, the exact nature of this low-priced will be unknown until we get official English confirmation. ... Click Here

Read more

Govt Public Database Exposed SS Numbers of 63,000 People

An Illinois farmer discovered, by accident, that her name along with her Social Security number was displayed in plain view on a U.S. government website, FedSpending.org. She was only one of the about 63,000 people whose personal information was publicly displayed in connection with financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The 63,000 people were awarded funds through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or USDA Rural Development (RD).

"I was bored, and typed the name of my farm into Google to see what was out there," said Marsha Bergmeier, president of Mohr Family Farms in Fairmount, Ill. ...Click Here
Read more