Luo, 28, was snatched in a small town in Sichuan province while on his way to kindergarten. He was then taken hundreds of miles east, to Fujian province, where he was adopted by a family in the city of Sanming. But Luo says he never gave up hope that he would one day be reunited with his biological parents.”Every day before I went to bed, I forced myself to relive the life spent in my old home,” he told Fujian’s Strait News. As an adult, all Luo could remember about his hometown was that it had two bridges. Lucky for him, that was all the information he needed. Luo posted what he knew of his story on a Chinese website which specializes in reuniting families with missing children. A contributor responded with details of a family whose son was abducted 23 years ago in Sichuan province. Using Google maps, Lou zoomed in on satellite images of an area called Yaojiab. He was then able to locate the two bridges which he remembered from his childhood.”That is my home,” he shouted. It wasn’t long before Luo – whose original name was Huang Jun – was reunited with his parents, who had given up the search for their son many years ago.”I felt heartbroken. I couldn’t eat or sleep and I cried every day thinking my son was missing and didn’t have enough food or clothes out there,” his mother, Dai Jianfang, said. But Luo didn’t just gain two loving parents – he also has a sister who was adopted after his parents gave up all hope of ever seeing their son again. It is not yet clear whether Luo’s adoptive parents will face criminal charges. Cases of child abduction and trafficking are common in China – some 76,000 families lost a child last year, according to Fujian’s Strait News. Many of the victims are young boys who are then sold to families in search of a son. … Read More
Major Redesign of Google Maps Is Unveiled
The new Google Maps shows personalized maps for every user that change in real-time, depending on a person’s search. The maps also have a new look, including incorporating 3D satellite imagery from Google Earth in maps shown in Web browsers. … Read More
ABC to Live-Stream Its Shows via App
The live stream, which will be available only to cable and satellite subscribers, is the first time that any major broadcaster has turned on such a technology. … Read More
FCC proposal may greatly improve airplane Wi-Fi
The FCC has proposed freeing up as much as 500MHz of spectrum for the purpose of impoving airplane Internet connectivity during flight. The bump in bandwidth could be a boon for airborne Internet junkies but may come at the expense of commercial satellite communications. … Read More
Pentagon preps new anti-satellite weapons program
Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced plans to ratchet up US space capabilities in light of the changing realities of the militarization of space.”We have established, really, for the first time, an integrated effort to bring together our space programs, all of them, with those folks who understand best the anti-satellite threat, and also how we can operate, if we have to, without spacecraft,” Carter told the National Press Club on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The initiative seeks to secure US Military and intelligence satellite systems against potential attacks, and to ensure the military can operate without them if necessary. Carter added that the 2014 budget had already accounted for the initiative, as well as “investments in our own capability to deny the use of space against our forces in a conflict.” He did not provide further details on the plan. Satellites are an invaluable lynchpin in US Military operations, providing a vast array of functions such as communications, surveillance, navigation and warnings of potential hostile missile launches. The initiative follows an 83-page Department of Defense report released Monday highlighting China’s efforts to modernize its military. David Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, noted that Beijing is ramping up both its space and cyberspace capabilities, trends which are likely to continue under the country’s new leadership helmed by President Xi Jinping. Helvey said that in 2012, China had conducted 18 space launches and expanded its space-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, meteorological and communication satellite programs.“At the same time, China continues to invest in a multidimensional program to deny others access to and use of space,” the American Forces Press Service quoted him as saying. The report referenced a Chinese military analysis that stressed the value of “destroying or capturing satellite and other sensors” in the event of armed conflict. US concerns over China’s space capabilities have remained high since a 2007 Chinese anti-satellite test, which saw a missile launch destroy a Chinese weather satellite in orbit at more than 537 miles above the Earth. Washington expressed concerns at the time, saying the “testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area.” China responded by insisting it advocates the peaceful use of space and not its militarization, and that Beijing is opposed to “any form of arms race.” … Read More
Media companies reap benefits of higher network fees
NEW YORK (AP) — Media companies benefited from higher fees for cable television networks such as TBS, Comedy Central and CNBC in the first three months of the year.Time Warner Inc., Viacom Inc. and Comcast Corp. all saw growth in their cable network businesses, thanks to distribution fees they charge cable and satellite TV service providers for rights to carry their channels on subscribers’ lineups. Those fees get passed on to customers of cable and satellite service.The boost in television helped make up for weakness at two of the three movie studios that reported results Wednesday.The trends show how important such fees have become to the television industry. Revenue at Time Warner’s television business grew, even with a decrease in ad revenue. Even broadcast networks such as CBS are increasingly relying on distribution fees to ride out fluctuations in the ad market.The fees have become so vital that broadcasters are worried about the threat posed by a Barry Diller-backed startup called Aereo. The company sends over-the-air broadcasts over the Internet and bypasses traditional cable and satellite operators. Disputes over the fees have also led to high-profile blackouts of channels on cable and satellite lineups.Continue Reading… … Read More
