Cars

Computers

GeekedAbout

Hardware

Apple

Internet

Spam

Programming

SQL

Security

Software

Entertainment

Books

Movies

Music

Television

Video Games

Odd Things

Technology

Gadgets

Science

By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng called on the United States on Friday to ensure his family in China would be treated fairly, saying his imprisoned nephew was not receiving proper medical care from Chinese authorities, whom he accused of "hooligan tactics." Chen, who made international headlines last year when he escaped house arrest and spent 20 hours on the run before finding refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, said his nephew was suffering from appendicitis and being treated only by a fellow inmate who had received some medical training. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tried calling Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the imprisoned nephew of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng but Wang was not available, the State Department said on Friday. Wang was said to be in Singapore on Friday for meetings with senior officials there. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters Kerry had tried to call Wang Thursday and would follow up. ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Lawmakers in South Carolina are trying to keep junk food out of the governor's mansion.

Don Castner was already in danger of arousing the suspicions of the fashion police. But the 39-year-old Floridian got a taste of delicious irony when he was arrested Wednesday by the actual police while wearing a T-shirt that read, “Jail Sucks!” The Smoking Gun reports that Castner was arrested on charges of welfare fraud as [...]

By Jeffrey B. Roth ROCKY RIDGE, Maryland (Reuters) - The horse is an American icon. It races gracefully, performs heavy farm tasks, can do tricks and, if television is to be believed, may even talk. But only one is an accomplished painter. Metro Meteor, a 10-year-old thoroughbred bay in rural Maryland, is enjoying singular success. Within just months of applying his first brush stroke to paper, he is juggling requests for public appearances, weighing endorsement offers and earning thousands of dollars for his work. ...

For one police officer, eight strikes may mean he’s finally out. The man has been fired eight times before from three departments. This time Sgt. German Bosque has been charged with leaving his assault weapon with his girlfriend’s father –- a trained security guard -- while he was on an eight-day leave, according to CBS4 [...]

For one police officer, will the ninth strike mean he's out? This time around, Sgt. German Bosque—who has been fired eight times from three different police departments—has been charged with leaving his assault weapon with his girlfriend’s father, a trained security guard, while on an eight-day leave, according to CBS4 Miami. That’s a no-no, says [...]

SEATTLE (AP) — In sun-deprived Washington state, the promise of nice spring weather has prompted a small private school to give students a day off to enjoy the sunshine.

Plus: 'Smart meters are crap computers in a crap box'

QuoTW This was the week when a technology consultant tried to give people the FEAR by hacking Google Glass and suggesting that nefarious villains could use the tech specs to see and hear everything users do.…

HONG KONG (AP) — A six-story-high rubber duck is making a big splash in Hong Kong.

By Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's national airline has barred female flight attendants from wearing red lipstick and nail polish, striking a nerve among secular Turks worried the country is becoming more Islamic. Turkish Airlines, Europe's fourth-biggest carrier, said the ban was aimed at keeping crews "artless and well-groomed with makeup in pastel tones", as a natural look improved communication with passengers. ...

Boys in Blue brought after bang heard from the bogs

Two suspected peeping Toms earned themselves a cuffing last weekend after apparently crashing through the ceiling of the women's toilet in a Georgia cinema, having failed to correctly assess the structure's load-bearing capacity.…

Plus: 'You have to be a complete Facebook junkee to use Home'

Quotw This was the week when head hypocrite honcho at Google Eric Schmidt gave the world his two cents on the privacy concerns surrounding unauthorised photos taken of people and their homes. The photos taken by civilian drones of course, not those taken from cars with "Street View" emblazoned on them.…

Welcome, visionary Rahul Sativa

¡Bong! "Our educational policy must enable everyone who receives an education to develop morally, intellectually and physically and become a worker with both socialist consciousness and culture." - Mao Tse Tung, On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People (1959)…

Plus: 'Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone'

QuotW This was the week when Tim Cook issued an apology to every Apple-adoring fanboi in China about how lousy the firm's customer service and warranty policies in the country were.…

El Reg exclusively reveals Kim Jong-Un's photo propaganda tool

The recent news that North Korea had been caught red-handed indulging in some not-so-light hovercraft cloning, led our beloved Reg commenters to ponder just what software Pyongyang uses to big up its military capabilities.…

Possible blokey jokey sees cross woman in pink slip

Life can imitate a Charlie Brooker drama, after all.…

Anti-fairy guide wins prestigious literary award

The splendidly titled Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop has won The Bookseller's Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year.…

Fragile London landmark dodges Brummie sonic weapon

London's Victoria and Albert Museum has canned a planned performance tonight by Napalm Death, amid fears the Brummie grindcore outfit might literally bring the house down.…

Officer pulls piece from intimate hidey-hole

An Oklahoma woman busted on drugs and firearms charges earlier this week was found to have concealed a loaded .22 revolver in her vagina, the Smoking Gun reports.…

Plus: 'Why do PC manufacturers even bother any more?'

Quotw This was the week that hard-working Reg hack Kelly Fiveash came in for some flack over her presentation of Steelie Neelie's latest comments on the lack of IT skills in Europe.…

Blue moon shines bright in Nova Scotia

NSFW Google's Street View has been around long enough to become part of the internet scenery, although it continues to offer interesting scenery for those with a sharp eye.…

Spots paramour pair in Perm panorama

A Russian woman has ditched her boyfriend of five years after spotting him with another squeeze on the local equivalent of Street View.…

Plus: 'Trolls are just trying to hijack somebody else's idea'

Quotw This was the week when US President Barack Obama let everyone know that Google Hangouts are a thing! POTUS indulged in a little "Fireside Hangout" to chat about issues raised in his earlier State of the Union address. When asked about software patents and the patent snarking that goes on, Obama came down hard on patent trolls, so-called non-practising entities (NPE) whose sole business is IP litigation. He complained:…

'Intimate' entertainment endangered teen welfare, cops claim

A New York woman is in a spot of bother after allegedly arranging for strippers to liven up a young man's 16th birthday bash.…