Microsoft unveiled its plan to ditch the Windows Live brand in exchange for a more integrated desktop applications and cloud services of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Windows Live was introduced in 2005 and though its services like Hotmail and SkyDrive are being used by over 500 million users, Microsoft noted that they "did not meet their expectations of a wholly connected experience". Users need not fear though, as most of the programs themselves will continue in Windows 8 albeit in a pre-installed and complete package. "Windows Live services and apps were built on versions of Windows that were simply not designed to be connected to a cloud service for anything other than updates, and as a result, they felt 'bolted on' to the experience." Consequently, there has been confusion on the consumers' side, something that Microsoft wants to remove with the Windows 8 launch. With Windows 8, a user only needs one Microsoft account, referred to as an "identity service". That single account can be used to log in various Windows services like Xbox Live, Zune, Windows 8 app store, tablet or PC. "Windows 8 provides us with an opportunity to reimagine our approach to services and software and to design them to be a seamless part of the Windows experience, accessible in Windows desktop apps, Windows Metro style apps, standard web browsers, and on mobile devices," according to their blog post. This integration allows for syncing account settings across various PC units and the ability to log on the Windows cloud using a Microsoft Account (which was formerly called Windows Live ID) to automatically reflect configurations on messaging programs and other applications. Norton Scientific Collection blog post boasted of the cloud feature of Windows 8 where users can share data across various products, "When you connect a device or service to your Microsoft account, you're automatically provisioned with a set of cloud services, includ

Thirteen people, many from Walterboro, pleaded guilty this month to conspiring to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and student financial-aid fraud. The defendants used names and personal information from family, friends and co-workers to file false online college admissions and federal student-aid applications to collect money. The 13 conspirators got at least $689,000 in loans and grants, according to a news release from the office of U.S. attorney Bill Nettles. The case was investigated by the Department of Education, the Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Secret Service. Judge David Norton will review all the cases and issue a sentence at a later date. Nettles said the maximum penalty for each defendant is a $250,000 fine, 5 years in prison or both. Those pleading guilty in federal court in Charleston to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and student financial aid fraud are: Deena Holmes, 39, of Walterboro Sierra Thomas, 24, of Green Pond Mayella Saxon, 52, of Fairfax Helen Ross, 41, of Williston Shanean Glaze, 32, of Walterboro Kourtney Fishburne, 27, of Orlando, Fla. Marvin Spell, 48, of Yemassee Tameko Fishburne, 27, of Walterboro Marquita Fishburne, 28, of Walterboro Cleo Fryar (also known as Cleo Cooper), 39, of Walterboro Lena Gant, 48, of Walterboro Latanya Cochran, 41, of Orangeburg Shannon Fishburne, 32, of Walterboro Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/05/30/2086023/13-plead-guilty-to-walterboro.html#storylink=cpy

More Americans want the presidential candidates to focus on protecting the government and the electrical grid against hackers than fighting terrorism groups. That's according to a new security study by Unisys (.pdf), which found that the three highest priorities for Americans when it comes to security issues in the presidential campaign are: Protecting government computer systems against hackers and criminals (74 percent) Protecting our electric power grid, water utilities and transportation systems against computer or terrorist attacks (73 percent) Homeland security issues such as terrorism (68 percent) The survey, based off a random phone survey of 1,000 households in America, asked, "How important is it for a candidate to emphasize the following issues in the upcoming 2012 presidential election?" along with a set of questions about how worried Americans were about other security issues, such as identity theft and online fraud. Threat Level is conflicted by the results. Should we cry over proof of the success of the security-industrial complex's PR campaign to convince Americans that cybarmegeddon is near? Or do we rejoice that Americans seem to finally be rejecting post-9/11 fear mongering? And we wonder whether Mat Honan will update the name of his fantastic Obama-idealization parody site from BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle to BarackObamaIsYourNewFirewall.

U.S. Senate Committee hears submissions on NASA's 2013 budget request & U.S. space program The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has been hearing submissions regarding NASA's 2013 budget request and on the priorities, plans and progress of the U.S.