JRHelgeson writes "In a story strangely reminiscent of Superman 3, a 'hacker' allegedly stole over $50,000 from PayPal, Google Checkout as well as several unnamed online brokerage firms. When opening an online brokering account it is common practice for companies such as E-trade and Schwab to send a tiny payment — ranging from only a few cents to a couple of dollars — to verify that the user has access to the bank account listed. According to the story, the attacker wrote a script that opened thousands of accounts at dozens of these providers. He was arrested not for taking the money, but for using false names in order to get it."

An anonymous reader sends us to the UK's TimesOnline for a story about dissident Burmese bloggers, who, with the Internet shut down in the country, are no longer posting live stories. Some of them are on the run and fearing for their lives. "Internet geeks share a common style, and Ko Latt and his four friends would not be out of place in cyber cafes across the world. They have the skinny arms and the long hair, the dark T-shirts and the jokey nicknames. But few such figures have ever taken the risks that they have in the past few weeks, or achieved so much in a noble and dangerous cause. Since last month Ko Latt, 28, his friends Arca, Eye, Sun and Superman, and scores of others like them have been the third pillar of Burma's Saffron Revolution."

Rubinstien writes "A mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum was contracted to help identify an unknown mineral found in a Serbian mine. While he initially thought the miners had discovered a unique compound, after its crystal structure was analyzed and identified the researcher was shocked to find the material already referenced in literature. Fictional literature. Dr. Chris Stanley, from the BBC article: 'Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's chemical formula — sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide — and was amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luthor from a museum in the film Superman Returns ... I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either — although it will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange.'"

An anonymous reader writes "High-Def Digest has released their first annual 'Best (and Worst) of the Year' list of movies released on HD DVD and/or Blu-ray. Not surprisingly, the 'best' list is heavy on superheroes. Superman, Batman, and the Hulk all made the list. Not a bad cheat sheet for those of us with a Blu-ray capable PS3 or an XBox 360 HD DVD add-on on our Christmas lists."

bluefoxlucid asks: "Lately I've been looking into technical books, and have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of useful books out there containing information that could be useful to me. To my alarm, I've found that many of these titles are not in my local public library! This requires action; I must build my own library, and actually use that bookshelf in my room! But, without a way to sample the books, how should I know which to buy? What (mainly non-fiction) recommendations would you make for anyone who would fall into the Slashdot audience to read?"

peterwayner writes "There are few corners of the world that are more closely associated with the word "nerd" than comic books and physics. Despite the large overlap in the fan base, the two disciplines seem doomed to live forever in different corners of our minds. Superheroes don't have to obey the laws of physics and that's probably what makes them so attractive to the poor physicists who labor long and hard in the hope of making those laws work correctly. James Kakalios, a physics professor at the University of Minnesota, has produced a book, "The Physics of Superheroes" (now in paperback). The surprise is that the two don't behave like matter and anti-matter. They don't explode on contact." Read the rest of Peter's review.

Instead of being used and returned at the pace of cloth diapers, it seems DVDs rented from Netflix are often gathering dust, unwatched, in customers' homes, in what a posting yesterday dubs a "paradox of abundance." Readers suggested some reasons why this was so, and why this might not be a bad thing, in the comments attached to the story; read on for the Backslash summary of the discussion.

eieken writes "The physics of Superman mostly belong in the realm of comic books, but some scientists decided to give their input on the matter. The article tells of 'a scientific experiment in which a researcher put several chickens in a centrifuge and raised them in twice-normal gravity for months at a time. When they emerged, the chickens were stronger and had larger bones and muscles, and greater endurance. In other words, they were superchickens.' Do they have human sized centrifuges?"

1up has a feature, in honor of the excellent Superman Returns, discussing the unfortunate history of Superman licensed games across the many consoles. The worst is, of course, Superman 64. From the article: "Superman 64 isn't completely without redeeming features. It serves as an invaluable object lesson in how not to make a videogame. Try to build your characters with more than three polygons. Do not pad out your game by forcing players to fly through rings at two miles an hour in between each stage. Do not make your superheroes less physically imposing than a one-legged, asthmatic kitten with a concussion."

TheBouncer2006 writes "Today Alienware has released the limited-edition Superman Desktop PCs and Notebooks. Only 250 desktop PCs and 350 notebooks will be produced."

Crystal Lake Central might be well-served to load up some Kryptonite before its trip to Joliet’s Silver Cross Field today.

City-County Councilor Arrested (Indianapolis) -- Metro Police report that City-County Councilwoman Doris Minton-McNeill was arrested Sunday evening for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Software innovator, Epic Systems, stakes out Dane County's place on global IT map.

In November 2003, the Transportation Security Administration – one of the front-line fighters in the war on terror – shelled out almost half a million dollars for one glorious night of awards and entertainment . According to an internal investigation carried out by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, the $461,745 poured into the event included “$1,850 for seven ...

LOUISVILLE INJURED TEEN'S FRIENDS MIGHT BE ADDED TO SUIT Attorneys for a teenager whose feet were severed on an amusement-park ride last summer want to add two of her friends to a lawsuit against the park. Blair Johnson and Arin Valsted, both of Louisville, suffered injuries and emotional trauma when a cable on the Superman Tower of Power ride broke at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, cutting ...

Brent Hawkins won't forget the day Alex Hula showed up for track and field practice as a Litchfield High freshman and said he wanted to do the long jump and high jump.

Rising Chinese mainland stocks pushed the Hong Kong stock market to post a turnaround on Wednesday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index opening slightly higher and then widening its gains. The blue chip Hang Seng Index opened up 56.4 ...

A Spanish reserve team battled back from a goal down to send the Greeks home without a win

Can the European champions salvage some pride against a heavily-changed Spain? Find out with Tom Bryant now

His shoes are six years old and are falling apart. His sign is scrawled in humble black marker. He has wool socks pulled up to his knees. However, 64-year-old Billy Joe Flett from St. Theresa Point isn't here to run the half marathon looking like a Lululemon catalogue.