Ini Dia Kategori yang Bebas PPh 21

JAKARTA, RABU - Pemerintah akan memberikan insentif berupa Pajak Penghasilan (PPh) Pasal 21 yang ditanggung pemerintah (DTP) untuk tiga kategori usaha.

"Insentif PPh pasal 21 untuk mengurangi dampak krisis keuangan global untuk meningkatkan daya beli masyarakat pekerja. Akan diberikan ke 3 kategori usaha dengan sejumlah sub sektor," kata Dirjen Pajak Darmin Nasution, di kantor Ditjen Pajak, Jakarta, Rabu (4/3).

Tiga kategori usaha tersebut, antara lain pertanian termasuk perkebunan dan peternakan, perburuan, dan kehutanan. Selanjutnya perikanan, dan indusri pengolahan.

Lebih lanjut Darmin mengatakan PPh pasal 21 DTP diberikan kepada pekerja dengan penghasilan bruto diatas Penghasilan Tidak Kena Pajak (PTKP) dan tidak lebih dari Rp 5 juta per bulan.

"PPh Pasal 21 DTP tersebut harus dibayarkan secara tunai oleh perusahaan kepada karyawan dalam gaji. Dan karyawan akan memperoleh kenaikan gaji sebesar PPh 21 itu," kata Darmin.

Pemberi kerja wajib melaporkan realisasi pemberian PPh Pasal 21 DTP pekerjanya beserta daftar pekerja yang wajib diberi fasilitas PPh Pasal 21 DTP kepada Kepala Kantor Pelayanan Pajak (KPP) tempat pemberi kerja terdaftar.

"Insentif ini berlaku untuk masa Pajak Februari 2009 sampai dengan Masa Pajak November 2009 yang dilaporkan paling lambat 20 Desember 2009 ," ujarnya.

Photo Allegedly Shows Putin Undercover During Reagan Visit

A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.

The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders – U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev — in Moscow.

But, according to the man who took the photo, it also captures Putin disguised as a tourist.

Pete Souza, now President Obama's official photographer, captured the moment when he worked for President Reagan during the political thaw that soon ended the Cold War.

Reagan took a stroll around Red Square accompanied by the Russian leader, who then introduced him to a group of tourists.

In an interview, Souza recounted being surprised at the "pointed" questions these supposed tourists asked the U.S. leader.

They included searching inquiries on the state of human rights in the U.S.

The identity of the man on the left of the photo — complete with camera round his neck — was later revealed and "verified" to Souza as none other than Putin.

The planting of KGB officers as bystanders was a common practice in Soviet times.

During the tense stand-off of the Cold War, they would be used to challenge foreign leaders during visits to Russia.

But, while acknowledging this practice, a Russian political analyst and author of books on Vladimir Putin dismissed Souza's claims as "nonsense."

"Vladimir Putin was a major serving in Dresden and he wasn't important enough at that time to be brought to Moscow,"said Andrey Piontkovsky.

Russia to Deploy Strategic Nuclear Bombers in Cuba, Venezuela

Oh hello, again, you Cold War you! As if we didn't have enough problems with worldwide economic collapse, the Russians are now testing President Obama's nuclear balls placing strategic nuclear bombers in Cuba and Venezuela:

There are four or five airfields in Cuba with 4,000-meter-long runways, which absolutely suit us.

That's what tovarishch Major General Anatoly Zhikharev—chief of staff of the Russian Air Force's long-range aviation—told Russian news agency Interfax, adding that "if the two chiefs of state display such a political will, we are ready to fly there."

So basically, the Russians are now at the dick-waving testing-the-new-guy stage. Add this to the Chinese plans to build carrier battlegroups and their recent harassment against a US Navy oceanographic ship in international waters, and you will have a pretty grim picture of what may be brewing.

The HRP-4C Model Robot Is Programmed to Work...It

The HRP-4C robot was not programmed to please families like Asimo. Nor will she save/destroy humanity like a Terminator. Rather, she's taking the fashion world by storm as Tokyo's next top model.

But can a hulking robot be a model?

Even though the HRP-4C packs 42 motors, at just over 5 feet tall and 95 pounds in weight, she's still thin enough to guilt teenage girls everywhere into puking up their lunches. And the manga-inspired face, with a tiny nose and large eyes, should keep the plastic surgery market afloat in even the most dire economic climate.

Unlike modern models, however, the HRP-4C walks down the runway with constantly bent knees and it fully capable of smiling.

In case you are looking for an HRP-4C of your own, a similar model will cost you $3 million. Otherwise, you can check her out again during the Tokyo fashion show on March 23rd.

Modus Penipuan Baru, Tinggalkan Dokumen di Pinggir Jalan

Penipu memang tidak kehilangan akal dalam menjalankan aksinya. Setelah penipuan dengan modus menang undian produk sabun cuci tercium oleh aparat kepolisian, sekarang penipuan menggunakan sebuah dokumen yang ditinggal di pinggir jalan sedang marak di Jakarta.

“Saya barusan ditemui oleh dua orang pejalan kaki, yang mengaku telah mendapat sebuah dokumen berharga di pinggir Jalan Slipi,” ujar petugas TMC Polda Metro Jaya, Bripka Kasyanto, ketika sedang melakukan patroli di Slipi, Jakarta Barat, Senin (9/3).

Kasyanto menambahkan, dokumen tersebut berupa amplop persegi panjang dan tertulis di bawahnya dokumen penting lengkap dengan nomor register. Di dalam amplop tersebut ada tiga buah surat. Pertama sebuah sertifikat tanah yang berkop Badan Pertanahan Nasional, kedua sebuah Izin Usaha Perdagangan (SIUP) berkop Pemerintah Provinsi DKI Jakarta Dinas Perindustrian dan Perdagangan dan terakhir sebuah cek Bank Rakyat Indonesia sebesar Rp 4.700.000.000. “Isi dalam amplop tersebut dua-duanya sama,” tambah Kasyanto.

Dalam modusnya kali ini, berdasarkan penuturan salah seorang korban kepada Kasyanto, didasari oleh rasa kemanusian ingin mengembalikan kepada pemiliknya, si penemu menghubungi nomor telepon yang tercantum di bagian depan dokumen tersebut. Setelah itu, orang yang dihubungi tadi akan mengucapkan terima kasih dan akan mengirimkan uang sejumlah Rp 20 juta sebagai balas budi. Lalu si penipu pun akan menanyakan nomor rekening.

“Terima kasih nanti saya akan kirim uang sebesar Rp 20 juta atas upaya bapak menemukan surat berharga kami. Tolong kirim nomor rekening Anda, nanti kami transfer uangnya,” ujar Kasyanto menirukan aksi si penipu.

Nantinya si penipu tadi akan meminta si penemu agar memberikan nomor rekeningnya melalui ATM. Lalu si penipu tadi akan mengajak mengobrol dan secara tidak terasa akan meminta kepada si penemu agar membayar biaya dari transfer tersebut.

Sementara ini, TMC sudah mendapatkan sebanyak tiga amplop dari para pejalan kaki di wilayah sekitar Slipi dan Gatot Subroto. Semua isinya sama. Semua amlop berisikan surat milik tanah berkop Badan Pertanahan Nasional, SIUP DKI, dan sebuah cek senilai Rp 4.700.000.000.

Did China Fake Its Spacewalk?

Invisible Octopus

Researchers Decipher Keyboard Typing from Thin Air

As long as someone isn't looking over your shoulder and your computer is free from keylogging software, what you type should be pretty safe...or it was, until researchers learned to read your keyboard's electromagnetic radiation.

While two separate teams have developed a variety of ways to sniff out your typing from a nearby area, our favorite involves just $5,000 worth of equipment: a PC, antenna, oscilloscope, and an analog to digital converter (use your government coupon!).

With this rig, they could decode what most keyboards were typing (with 95% accuracy) from 22 yards away. Laptops proved the hardest to read because a laptop keyboard's electromagnetic signature tends to mix with the rest of the system. But those fancy, wireless encrypted keyboards? Easy. Apparently such a keyboard identifies itself with every keypress because it passes an encryption algorithm. Once identified, it's decoded like any other keyboard.

No, it's probably not the easiest way to steal your password, but it's certainly the most theatrical.

Concept Tire Splits in Eight to Maintain Traction at all Times

The idea behind these segmented, eight-part wheels is that your car can take a turn while maintaining speed and traction by having the wheels lean like the Tower of Pisa.

Yanko says the Dynamic Augmented Wheel System are guided by a magnetic guide rail on the inside that hold's the wheel in place while driving straight, and moves to let it shift with the car's center of gravity while turning. The current design is inspired by motorcycle wheels and the human foot, making uses of servos, a drive gear and embedded magnets in each segment to pull this feat off.

Currently, the prototype wheel works on a 1:2 scale, but no word on actual implementation plans.

Star Trek iPhone

New Boomerang Missile Can Destroy Enemy Fighters Behind Combat Jets

Score another one for Australians after inventing the didgeridoo and koala teddies: Their Air Force just got the first missile that can kill enemy fighters behind their F/A-18s, converting the hunter into (dead) prey.

Imagine this: You are Chinese MiG pilot chasing a Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 fighter jet. All of the sudden, you see the flash of a fired missile under its wing, which leaves you scratching your head. After all, you are the one chasing the guy ahead and he doesn't have anything in front. So for a brief moment you wonder until you see the missile turning around towards you, which is probably the last thing you are going to see in your life, seconds before getting engulfed in flames. Good bye, sucker.

That's exactly what the Australians did the other day for the first time ever, without grilling a Chinese pilot: One of their new ASRAAM (Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile) was fired at a target behind the wing-line of one of their F/A-18 Hornets. The chasing plane was located at more than three miles behind the Hornet, resulting in a direct kill.

What does this mean? Basically, that you don't need to be Maverick to survive up there as long as you have a full load of these missiles. According to the company, the new ASRAAMs give full-around protection.

Coffee-Fueled Car Is Surprisingly Practical

Turns out you can make biofuel from just about any oily plant product. Corn may be the standard, but coffee works at least as well, and it makes your car smell like a Starbucks!

Experts say it takes about 5-7 kg of coffee grounds to get one liter of biofuel, which with a medium-sized production would yield a cost of about $1 per gallon. Plus, it's already used: you can just walk around to your local coffeeshops and convenience stores and stock up the same way you would on vegetable oil.

Creating fuel from the grounds uses the same procedure as other biodiesels, transesterification, which is sort of complicated to explain but fairly inexpensive. The US estimates they consume over 7 tons of coffee each year, which would yield about 340 million gallons of biodiesel.

How to: Install Unofficial Apps on Your iPhone 3G or iPod Touch, Easily and Safely

If you want to install cool apps on your iPhone or iPod Touch for free, easily, breaking Apple-imposed limitations without breaking your warranty or Applethingie, here is the how-to guide for Mac and Windows users.

What is a jailbreak?

Jailbreaking is the process required to install applications in your iPhone or iPod touch. It is a very easy procedure. It's also safe: There are no risks in this operation*, as you can easily use iTunes to restore your iPhone or iPod touch to the default factory settings. When you do that, the iPhone will be like new.

Why jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch from Apple's iron fist?

You should jailbreak your iPhone or iPod if you want to install really cool and useful applications that are not in the iTunes App Store. Many of these apps are a complete must for any iPhone user but are not allowed by Apple in their iTunes App Store.

This is what you can do with a phone that has been jailbroken:

• Use your iPhone as a 3G modem with your laptop.

• Record video using Cycorder.

• Unlock your iPhone installing a simple program, so you can use a pre-paid card when you go out on vacation instead of paying outrageous roaming charges.

• Follow speech turn-by-turn directions in a GPS program.

• Copy and paste (yes, copy and paste).

• Play Nintendo Entertainment System games and other emulated classic cames (like Monkey Island!)

In other words: Do it.

*WARNING* Of course, the usual do this at your own risk and we are not responsible caveats still apply, but this process is really fool proof thanks to Apple's iTunes factory reset. If you are looking to unlock your iPhone now or in the future, DON'T USE THESE INSTRUCTIONS or you won't be able to unlock it. You will need a different process, which we will explain in another How To.

Opening the backdoor (Mac Users only)

The first thing you need to do to install free apps in your iPhone or iPod is putting it into DFU mode, or Device Firmware Update mode. Don't worry, this isn't anything weird: It's what your device goes through every time you update the operating system in it. With this step, you will be making the iPhone go into this state.

This is the only long part of this tutorial because—since the 10.5.6 update—Apple has made it difficult to easily connect your Mac to a manually DFU'ed iPhone or iPod. This can be solved by replacing some USB drivers from a previous version of Mac OS X. If you have 10.5.6 installed, follow these instructions:

Step 1. To do this, you need to get yourself a free Apple Developer Connection account. Since you are using iTunes with your device, you are already almost there: Just log in with your Apple ID from here. The form will ask you to answer a couple of questions (just answer whatever you want), and you'll be done as soon as you click the Accept button.

Step 2. Now you need to download and install the drivers. Go to this page and look for this file:

IOUSBFamily-315.4-log.dmg" for Mac OS X10.5.5 Build 9F33

Once it's downloaded, disconnect ALL USB peripherals except for your Apple keyboard and Apple mouse and install the package included in the disk image.

Once you restart after the installation, you will be ready to run QuickPwn, the program that will allow you to install the applications.

Important: Once you complete the jailbreaking process, you have to restore the previous USB drivers. Go to to this page and download IOUSBFamily-327.4.0-log.dmg" for Mac OS X 10.5.6 Build 9G55, then repeat the same operation. Once you restart, Mac OS X 10.5.6 will be restored to its original state.

Here's the easiest part: Running QuickPwn. QuickPwn is a program that will easily "jailbreak" your iPhone or iPod touch. Jailbreak, as the name says, just means breaking Apple's limitations on accessing your device, allowing you put anything you want in it. This means installing any application you want, and not only the ones that Apple allows you to install.

Step 1. Download QuickPwn for Mac OS X or Windows from any of the following links:

Windows

• QuickPwn 2.2.5 for Windows: Get the official release via Torrent here.

Unofficial mirrors

• http://miphone.ca/iphone-dev/QuickPwn225-2.zip

• http://foskarulla.com/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

• http://downloads2.touch-mania.com/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

• http://www.applei.ph/devteam/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

• http://phonenews.com/phones/gsm/apple/QuickPwn225-2.zip

• http://rabstalk.bplaced.net/mirrors/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

• http://www.evil-crew.de/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

• http://daniel14.com/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

Mac OS X

• QuickPwn 2.2.5: Get the official release via Torrent here.

Unofficial mirrors

• http://iphone-dev.fgv6.net/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

• http://iphone.schwarzmetall.cn/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

• http://rabstalk.bplaced.net/mirrors/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

• http://jmcoon.net/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

• http://www.iphone-storage.de/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

• http://downloads2.ipod.backshot.eu/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

• http://miphone.ca/iphone-dev/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

Step 2. Run QuickPwn and pick the kind of device you have: iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod Touch.

Step 3. Follow the instructions on the screen. QuickPwn is completely automated:

• Firstly, it will download all the necessary components from Apple on its own.

• Then the software will build a custom iPhone operating system, which includes Installer and Cydia, the two programs that will allow you to install the iPhone applications outside of the iTunes Apps Store microsystem.

• When QuickPwn asks you to enter your system password, do it. It's not malicious. It just needs this to work.

• Finally, follow the precisely timed instructions on the screen to put your device on DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. QuickPwn will do the rest.

If something doesn't work, don't worry. Start the process again. If your device gets a bit nutty, restore it to default factory settings using iTunes, and you will be back to square one, no harm done.

Step 4. Be patient as your iPhone restarts. Once it's done, you are done too. It's fun time.

Installing the applications

This is where the fun starts. You will notice two new icons in your iPhone or iPod touch's springboard: One says "Installer" and the other says "Cydia". These are the two competing systems for installation of software. It doesn't really matter what you use to install your software. Most applications can be installed from both—there are exceptions, like xGPS, which can only be installed on Cydia—and both allow you to browse and install software from a a variety of sources.

• Browsing the catalogs. Whatever system you choose, installing applications is as easy as going through the available catalogs and picking the application you want.

• Manually adding applications. There will be times in which you will discover applications on the web which are not in the default catalogs in Cydia or Installer. Fortunately, you can add these by just entering the URL provided by the developer in the web page, a process that is referred to as "Adding a source". Here's how to do it:

In Cydia

• Click on "Manage."

• Click on "Sources."

• Click on "Edit" and then "Add."

• Enter the address in the dialog field.

• Click on "Add source."

In Installer

• Click on "Sources."

• Click on "Edit" and then "Add."

• Enter the address in the field.

• Click "Done" and get back to sources by clicking on "Sources."

And that's it. Now you can install any application you want using either program. Have fun!

Misty Stealth Satellite Hides Perfectly While Watching You

Misty. That's the codename for one of the most advanced spy satellites up there. Launched in a 1990 military mission of space shuttle Atlantis, Misty is hidden by something really weird: A balloon.

As you can see in the image, Misty uses a conical reflective balloon. Little is known about how it works but in theory this design—which is patented by Teledyne Industries, who did the design for the US government—can both deflect ground lasers, radar waves, and hide it from the plain eye.

2012

Heboh ramalan tahun 2012 sudah berlangsung lama, tetapi baru meluas sekitar 10 tahun terakhir. Penelitian tentang hal itu dilakukan banyak ahli dari berbagai bidang ilmu dan puluhan buku sudah diterbitkan.

Observasi astronomi sangat akurat selama berabad-abad para astronom genius Maya memberi pertanda, tanggal 21/12/2012 akan menjadi kelahiran zaman baru. Masa itu paling sakral sekaligus paling berbahaya dalam sejarah Bumi.

Menurut Laurence E Joseph dalam Apocalypse 2012, tanggal 21/12/2012 merupakan titik balik musim dingin tahunan ketika belahan Utara Bumi berada di titik terjauh dari Matahari sehingga siang sangat pendek.

Pada tanggal itu, tata surya dengan Matahari sebagai pusatnya, seperti diyakini bangsa Maya, akan menutupi pemandangan pusat Bimasakti dari Bumi. Para astronom Maya Kuno menganggap titik pusat ini sebagai rahim Bimasakti. Keyakinan itu didukung banyak pembuktian para astronom kontemporer bahwa di situlah tempat terciptanya bintang-bintang galaksi.

Saat ini, sejumlah lembaga penelitian ilmiah mengenai atmosfer, ruang angkasa, dan teknologi di Barat menduga ada lubang hitam tepat di pusat itu yang menyedot massa, energi, dan waktu, yang menjadi bahan baku penciptaan bintang masa depan.

Untuk pertama kalinya dalam 26.000 tahun, energi yang mengalir ke Bumi dari titik pusat Bimasakti akan sangat terganggu pada 21/12/2012, tepatnya pukul 11.11 malam. Semua itu disebabkan guncangan kecil pada rotasi Bumi.

Bangsa Maya yakin, sesingkat apa pun terputusnya pancaran dari pusat galaksi akan merusak keseimbangan mekanisme vital Bumi dan tubuh semua makhluk, termasuk manusia.

Memaknai ramalan

Ada yang menginterpretasikan 21/12/2002 sebagai ”kiamat”, tetapi banyak pula yang memaknainya secara kontemplatif.

Pakar psikologi transpersonal dari AS, Dr Beth Hedva, yang ditemui di Jakarta beberapa waktu lalu, mengibaratkan Ibu Bumi sudah sangat dekat waktunya melahirkan. Proses kelahiran tak hanya diiringi darah dan penderitaan, tetapi juga harapan dan janji.

”Selalu terjadi kontraksi,” ujar Beth Hedva. Wujudnya perang, kekejian, dan bencana akibat penghancuran lingkungan dan perusakan atmosfer Bumi—dampak kebencian dan keserakahan manusia—serta bencana yang disebabkan faktor manusia dan nonmanusia.

Dalam antologi The Mystery 2012: Predictions, Prophecies & Possibilities (2007), ahli sistem komputer untuk ruang angkasa yang menjembatani ilmu pengetahuan dan spiritualitas, Gregg Braden, menyatakan, yang terpenting bukan apa yang akan terjadi, tetapi bagaimana potensi kolektif muncul dari pemahaman holistik dan kesadaran tentang siapa diri kita di tengah Semesta Raya.

Ahli fisika biologi dan ahli kanker pada Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia, Carl Johan Calleman, peneliti Kalender Maya, mengingatkan pada transformasi kesadaran manusia.

Robert K Stiler, Direktur Program Kajian Amerika Latin Universitas Stetson di DeLand, Florida, AS, menambahkan, ”Apa pun maknanya, bangsa Maya mengajak kita merengkuh hidup berkualitas dan kesehatan planet Bumi.”

Tahun 2012 adalah tahun berjaga dengan menyadari teknologi saja tak menjamin keberlangsungan Bumi. Begitu diingatkan José Argüelles, PhD, ahli Kalender Maya dan pakar sejarah seni dan estetika dari Universitas Chicago.

”Kalau kita tidak berjaga, planet Bumi akan hancur secara alamiah karena sekarang sudah jauh dari seimbang,” ia menambahkan. ”Pikiran manusia secara massal dikontrol dan dimanipulasi pemerintah dan institusi-institusi yang menjadi faktor kunci kehidupan modern.”

Christine Page, dokter medis, ahli homeopati dan kesehatan holistik, menjelaskan, tanggapan pada zaman baru sangat tergantung pada kemampuan memahami kesalingterkaitan dan menghargai Ibu Bumi. ”Alam dan semua makhluk hidup di Bumi adalah bagian diri kita yang harus diperlakukan penuh martabat, penghargaan, dan cinta,” ujarnya.

Jadi, pilihan ada di tangan manusia: membiarkan planet Bumi hancur atau melanjutkan evolusinya. Mari kita renungkan….

13.0.0.0.0
1 + 3 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 4
21 Des 2012 => 12 Des 2563 (Imlek)
2 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 5 + 6 + 3 = 4
21 Des 2012 => 8 Shafar 1434 (Hijriah)
8 + 2 + 1 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 4

New PSP to Feature Sliding Screen?

There's a new rumor floating around about an upcoming PSP redesign. It predicts a complete aesthetic redesign, including a sliding screen, but no new hardware inside.

So you'll have the same internal architecture as the current models, but the form factor will be more cellphone-like with the inclusion of a sliding screen. Interesting. What say you, would you be excited about a smaller, more pocketable PSP if it didn't offer any updates hardware-wise?

Note: the above image is a fan mockup, not the next PSP.

Oil Rigs Become Luxury Hotels

What do you do with 4,000 decommissioned oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico? Instead of blowing them up—costing millions and killing aquatic life—Morris Architects' Hotelier At Sea project turns them into Dubai-esque luxury hotels.

According to BldgBlog, approximately 4,000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico will be decommissioned within the next century. Morris proposed to convert this space into exclusive, self-sufficient eco-friendly, high-end resort islands off the Gulf of Mexico, dubbing it their very own American Dubai, as you can tell from the yacht parking lot seen in the picture.

Currently, the method of removing these sorts of oil rigs would be to blow them up, which would cost millions of dollars and would kill a ton of sea life in the process. With a deck of each oil rig at 20,000 square feet, that creates about 80 million square feet of usable space. One reason this proposal is cheaper than blasting is that the rooms themselves are efficiently shipped out on big tankers and installed by stacking and sliding open, Transformers-style.

Large Hadron Collider's Restart Button To Be Pressed By Tom Hanks

Too good to be true: because his character in Angels and Demons saves the Vatican from being destroyed by antimatter stolen from CERN, Tom Hanks will be flipping the switch to restart the LHC.

No word on whether a faux-religious novel's 500+ pages of pap will have to be deciphered first for the activation codes. Or if Hanks will be in the "long hair mode" Dan Brown requires, but either way, we want to kiss the PR person at CERN who had this idea. If anyone can find a way to keep us all from being Hoovered into a rip in the fabric of space-time, it's the Hanks.

The wait until September just got even more agonizing.

Stealth Tech Blamed for International Sub Crash, French Crew Unaware They'd Hit Anyone for Days

How could two submarines end up colliding in the middle of the ocean? British military types are blaming excessive stealthiness, and the French claim they didn't realize what had happened for days.

A Royal Navy source told the Times:

It is remarkably difficult to detect a modern submarine with sonar and we work very hard with our own submarines, as do our allies, in making them as quiet as possible so they are not detectable.

And he's serious about that—even after realizing they'd hit something, the French crew couldn't tell what it was. They wrote the object off as a shipping container, only to find out that they had actually collided with another submarine upon docking three days later, after the government had deduced the collision from routine information exchanges with the British.

The problem was that both submarines use passive sonar to map out their surroundings, which doesn't give away their location with the 'pings' of active sonar, and is somewhat less sensitive. Without these 'pings', it was nearly impossible for either sub's passive sonar to detect the other's, leading to the collision and subsequent confusion.

In reality, the whole thing was a bit more subdued than initial reports (or our imaginations) led us to believe. The subs, which were traveling very slowly, just sort of bonked into on another, and the only critical damage to either vessel was to the French sub's sonar system.

Japanese Train Station

Panasonic Orders 10,000 Employees To Buy Panasonic Gadgets

In addition to cutting 15,000 jobs, Panasonic's all but ordering another 10,000 employees who didn't get axed to buy Panasonic electronics.

Surprisingly, this isn't the first time that Panasonic all but forced its employees to buy company goods. It did the same in 2002, during the last down-economy.

Higher-level managers need to purchase 200,000 yen ($2,200) worth of stuff, whereas mid-level managers will make do with 100,000 yen ($1,100). This may seem awful at first, but being forced to buy gadgets is kinda awesome. "Sorry honey, we really DO need this 65-inch Plasma. Do you want me to get fired, or do you want our son's teeth to be straight. PICK ONE!"

If Pirate Bay is Shut Down, It Could Take All of BitTorrent With It

The operators of Pirate Bay are standing trial in Stockholm this week. Yikes, we know, but here's the scariest part: if Pirate Bay falls, it could be big trouble for BitTorrent as a whole.

P2P researchers crunched the numbers and found that the Pirate Bay's eight servers are responsible for tracking over 50% of the internet's torrents. Should the Pirate Bay be shut down, the burden then placed on the next-largest BitTorrent trackers would likely overwhelm them, causing a chain reaction that could bring the whole torrenting infrastructure to its knees.

It is unlikely, of course, that BitTorrent as a protocol will fail. Someone will rise up to take the place of the Pirate Bay, and trackerless torrents are also in the works. But right now, the entire ecosystem depends on a single site, whose operators are about to go on trial for copyright violations. Nevertheless, all eyes should be on Stockholm this week if you're a torrenter. You can watch the Pirate Bay trial live thanks to Swedish public TV.

And as many of you commenters are pointing out, this of course does not include private trackers, but when considering the ecosystem as a whole, private trackers represent a tiny slice of overall mainstream torrenting traffic.