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Airbnb announced a ,000 insurance policy and the formation of a 24/7 customer support hotline Monday after two users recently stated their use of the company’s travel services had left them the victims of vandalism and theft.

Up to this point, Airbnb — a website that connects travelers with people who are willing to host travelers — had been on a hot streak: It had landed high-profile celebrity and tech investor Ashton Kutcher as an advisor, as well as a funding round of 2 million, which valued the company at .3 billion.

In June, an San Francisco Airbnb individual identifying herself as E.J. stated on her individualized blog that a mortal who rented her apartment on the website had trashed her home and stolen her jewelry, some cash and electronics, among other things. E.J. followed up that post with one Thursday accusing Airbnb of trying to get her to remove her original blog post as well as neglecting to help her recover from the “nightmare” of a situation.

Another Airbnb user, Troy Dayton, told the website TechCrunch that he too had his home vandalized by someone who had rented his apartment through the service and that he’d come home to find “meth pipes everywhere.”

After a back-and-forth between TechCrunch and investors in Airbnb, Chief Executive Brian Chesky wrote a blog post Monday saying his San Francisco start-up hadn’t handled its users’ situations correctly and was looking to make things right.

“Last month, the home of a San Francisco host titled EJ was tragically vandalized by a guest,” Chesky said. “The alteration was so bad that her life was turned upside down. When we learned of this our hearts sank. We felt paralyzed, and over the last four weeks, we have really screwed things up.”

The CEO apologized for Airbnb’s mistakes and stated the last few days have given the company a “crash course in crisis management.”

Chesky stated that Airbnb is working with the San Francisco Police Department to set things straight for E.J. and that a suspect is in custody.

“I hope this can be a valuable lesson to other businesses about what not to do in a time of crisis,” he said. “With regards to EJ, we let her down, and for that we are very sorry. We should have responded faster, communicated more sensitively, and taken more decisive action to make sure she felt innocuous and secure. But we weren’t prepared for the crisis and we dropped the ball. Now we’re dealing with the consequences.”

In an attempt to “make it right,” Chesky stated Airbnb would launch its ,000 Airbnb Guarantee on Aug. 15, which it states will wage up to ,000 in insurance for any loss or restitution at the property of an Airbnb “host” by someone who prefabricated their reservations through the company’s website.

Next week, the site will launch a 24/7 hotline for its users to report any problems with its service or to complain about other users, he said. If an Airbnb individual can’t reach anyone when they need to, Chesky stated he’d be reachable by email at brian.chesky@airbnb.com.

“We will extend this program to E.J. and any other hosts who might have reported such property alteration while renting on Airbnb in the past,” he said.

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http://www.marketwatch.com/story/life-technologies-launches-highly-efficient-stem-cell-reprogramming-technology-2011-06-15?reflink=MW_news_stmp

CytoTune(TM)-iPS Reprogramming Kit can accelerate research using cells programmed to serve as models for human disease.

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Life Technologies Corporation this day announced the launch of CytoTune(TM)-iPS Reprogramming Kit — research technology that provides far improved efficiency over standard methods to develop induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human somatic cells. The capability to more easily create larger numbers of these embryonic stem cell-like cells can expedite basic research and studies that target specific diseases.

Widely accepted methods for turning adult skin cells, for example, into iPSCs involve benign virus vectors that are used to deliver reprogramming genes. The process, however, is woefully inefficient (reprogramming efficiency rates for standard methods range between 0.00001-0.01 percent) and runs the risk of leading to unwanted mutations since the vectors must insert themselves into the host cell’s DNA – essentially altering the genome and leaving “footprints.”

The CytoTune(TM)-iPS Reprogramming Kit is based on zero-footprint technology that employs an RNA virus developed by the Asian firm DNAVEC Corporation. The benign vectors effectively do their job without DNA integration and can generate iPSCs with about 1 percent efficiency.

“This technology is the most successful method my work has used to generate iPSCs,” stated Keiichi Fukuda, Ph.D., M.D. Professor and Chief, Department of Cardiology, and Vice Dean at the Keio University School of Medicine, whose research team demonstrated the effectiveness of CytoTune’s RNA vector in a study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. “Considering the high efficiency of iPSC generation and absence of integration of the vectors into the host genome, this method is definitely the most powerful tool acquirable for transgene-free iPSC induction and will have an enormous impact on the future direction of many fields utilizing iPSCs.”

Efficient development of footprint-free iPSCs provides highly sought-after advantages for the basic research field. Scientists who test existing or novel drugs in the hopes of treating specific diseases will now have quicker access to patient-derived cells that are physiologically accurate because they won’t contain mutations that could be introduced during reprogramming. The use of iPSCs as disease models was the subject of a study on Schizophrenia published April 14, 2011 in the journal Nature and of other current studies.

The expediency of the kit’s technology will also enable scientists to accelerate the number of experiments they can perform apiece week using iPSCs, a growing research field that circumvents the ethical concerns associated with embryonic stem cells because iPSCs are derived from adult tissues such as skin fibroblasts.

CytoTune(TM)-iPS Reprogramming Kit is part of Life Technologies’ broader set of products, including KnockOut(TM) Serum Replacement and Gibco® B-27® Supplement, among others, used in laboratories worldwide to grow, characterize and study iPSCs.

“The launch of this product fulfills a growing demand from our customers who have voiced their need for technology that provides the combined benefits of higher reprogramming efficiency with a zero footprint iPSCs,” states Christopher Armstrong, Head of Primary & Stem Cells at Life Technologies. “CytoTune(TM)-iPS Reprogramming Kit complements our extensive portfolio of stem cell research tools.”

Life Technologies will be hosting several speaks and poster sessions on its stem cell technology during the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 9th Annual Meeting, June 15-18 in Toronto, Canada. More information can be obtained at the Life Technologies booth (#626) during the show.

About Life Technologies ( http://www.lifetechnologies.com )

Life Technologies Corporation is a global biotechnology company dedicated to improving the human condition. Our systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific and medical advancements that make life even better. Life Technologies customers do their work crossways the biological spectrum, working to advance the fields of discovery and translational research, molecular medicine, stem cell-based therapies, food country and animal health, and 21st century forensics. The company manufactures both molecular diagnostic and research use only products. Life Technologies’ industry-leading brands are found in almost each life sciences work in the world and include innovative instrument systems under the Applied Biosystems and Ion Torrent names, as well as, the broadest range of reagents with its Invitrogen, GIBCO, Ambion, Molecular Probes and TaqMan® products. Life Technologies had income of .6 billion in 2010, has a workforce of approximately 11,000 people, has a presence in approximately 160 countries, and possesses one of the largest intellectual property estates in the life sciences industry, with approximately 3,900 patents and exclusive licenses. For more information on how we are making a difference, please visit our website: http://www.lifetechnologies.com .

Life Technologies’ Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements about our anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies’ plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words “believe,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “target,” “estimate,” “expect” and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions (“will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” etc.), or similar expressions, refer certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings prefabricated by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Mathew J. Schwartz

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/231000223

The hacking group known as LulzSec shows no signs of slowing down. Early on Wednesday, the group announced that it had taken offline Brazil’s official government website, as well as the Brazilian president’s website. As of Wednesday afternoon, both sites still appeared to be unreachable.

LulzSec’s activities and taunts come despite the arrest of a 19-year-old hacking suspect on Tuesday, outside London, who was reportedly involved in the group. “Seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it’s all over now… wait… we’re all still here! Which poor bastard did they take down?” stated LulzSec via Twitter.

We spoke with Chris Sather, Product Management for Network Defense at McAfee about McAfee’s next generation firewalls that examine relationships and not protocols.

LulzSec stated the mortal arrested by British police, titled by authorities on Wednesday as Ryan Cleary, ran a server on which one of LulzSec’s many chat rooms had been hosted. “Clearly the UK police are so desperate to catch us that they’ve gone and arrested someone who is, at best, mildly associated with us. Lame,” stated the group via Twitter.

On Wednesday, British police charged Cleary on multiple counts, including an October 2010 distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against the British Phonographic Industry website, and Monday’s botnet-driven DDoS attack against the UK’s Serious Organized Crime Bureau (SOCA) website. That attack occurred under the #AntiSec banner, which is a LulzSec’s joint

In the United States, meanwhile, an unnamed government official told The New York Times that a Tuesday raid against a data center in Reston, Va., run by DigitalOne, was in motion of information related to LulzSec and its affiliates, even though the company whose information was targeted wasn’t named. In the raid, FBI agents apparently seized hardware running multiple, hosted websites, knocking the others–not targeted in the investigation–offline.

Sergej Ostroumow, DigitalOne’s chief executive, stated in an email to customers that “tens of clients” had been affected, saying that “after F.B.I.’s unprofessional ‘work’ we can not restart our own servers, that’s why our Web site is offline and support doesn’t work.” The company, which leases space from the data center’s operator and had no employees onsite, hoped to bring the offline sites back up by Wednesday.

The FBI wasn’t acquirable for immediate comment.

If authorities are closing in on LulzSec, the group doesn’t appear to be backing off. On Wednesday, the group released, via Pastebin, contact information for what it stated were two people who tried to snitch on LulzSec by “leaking some of our affiliates’ logs.” LulzSec alleged that the two people–named as Marshal Webb and Michael Dean Major–had orchestrated last month’s grapple and defacement of the Eidos Montreal website. In that attack, hackers reportedly stole information on at least 80,000 users of the company’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution game.

LulzSec also warned that there had been a rash of Pastebin posts purposing to be from the group, such as the declaration that LulzSec planned to release a complete copy of the U.K. 2011 census data. “That wasn’t us–don’t believe imitation LulzSec releases unless we place out a tweet first,” the group stated via its Twitter feed.

Are law enforcement agencies close to unmasking LulzSec? While British police did bust Cleary, aka “ViraL,” he had already been publicly named–in anonymous Pastebin posts released last month–as someone who interacted with LulzSec members via IRC. Some posts also alleged that he was a “4chan DDoS attacker,” referring to the freewheeling 4chan forum and imageboard in which all members are supposed to be anonymous.

Cleary was also mentioned in multiple tweets early this month from Twitter individual Power2All. Those messages warned LulzSec via Twitter to “avoid and ignore lulzco IRC net, your IP will be compromised by Ryan Cleary.” According to Power2All, Cleary’s server logged IP addresses and leaked them to the Internet.

In the wake of Tuesday’s arrest of Cleary, a post on the anti-LulzSec blog “LulzSec Exposed” also stated that Cleary was “just an IRC operator” for LulzSec, and that the group’s leader went by the handle of Sabu. It also stated that the arrest of Cleary would give law enforcement agencies a leg up on LulzSec. “Bad news for LulzSec, count your days as we count your heads,” stated a blog post on LulzSec Exposed. “As Ryan is arrested, your IRC irc.lulzco.org logs are with FBI, SOCA and Interpol.”

The group also alleged that LulzSec members, having been exposed, were starting to flee, and that the group’s joint operations with Anonymous are a ploy to keep the LulzSec brand going. “They also want to keep the legacy of Lulzsec even after their arrests by recruiting new people … to continue it and create havoc among security companies.”

Also on Wednesday, LulzSec Exposed titled Power2All, the admin for the Anonymous IRC channel (Anonops), as Netherlands-based PHP programmer Jasper Lingers. But a message via the Power2All Twitter feed fired back, “I am not lulzsec, neither anonymous. AnonOps is a platform to chat on … Nothing illegal about a chat server.”

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http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/21/apple_rumored_to_be_working_on_ios_powered_hdtvs_for_late_2011.html

A new rumor claims Apple is readying an iOS-powered connected TV, possibly for release as primeval as this fall.
A former Apple executive, talking anonymously, stated the company plans to “blow Netflix and all those other guys away” by bundling Apple television + iTunes inside a physical display, DailyTech reports. Apple is reportedly teaming up with a major supplier to wage the rebranded television sets, the source noted.

When questioned why an OEM would cut into its income by providing Apple with units, the source said, “If you have to be competing with somebody, you want to be competing with yourself.”

The tipster indicated a planned start launch, while noting that the product could get pushed to next year because of Apple’s “high standards.” A start launch could coincide with the launch of the next-generation iPhone, as well as iOS 5 and iCloud.

“You’ll go into an Apple retail store and be healthy to achievement out with a TV. It’s perfect,” the source said. According to the unverified report, the iOS-driven televisions would support third-party apps.

Rumors of an Apple Smart television have existed for years, with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster repeatedly forecasting the product. Munster has recommended that an Internet-connected television from Apple might have a starting price in the range of ,000.

In March, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty stated Asian suppliers had told her Apple had built a Smart television prototype. According to Huberty, an Apple-branded television could add as much as billion per 1 percent share of the television market Apple is healthy to capture over the next two years.

Then, in April, Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities stated “data points” from a China electronics trade show recommended Apple could launch an HDTV set possibly by the end of the year. “Our research recommends this Smart television would go well beyond the miniature second-generation Apple television that the company released last start and wage a full-blown television product for consumers,” White said.

Though Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated last year that the Apple television set top box product is “a hobby” for the company, income of the second-generation model have improved over the first-generation. After the company sold 250,000 units in the first six weeks of availability, Jobs stated Apple was “thrilled” with the figures.

Apple went on to sell 1 million Apple televisions within three months of the device’s launch. However, analysts have estimated that a million units per quarter would amount to a “fairly immaterial” 0 million in annual revenue.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities stated in April that Apple television income had reached 2 million, reportedly selling 820,000 units in the March quarter.

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