News Briefs

Netflix to let you watch online

Recently, California based Netflix, Inc. announced that it plans to start giving its subscribers the ability to view content such as movies and television shows online. This is a move intended to give immediate enjoyment to customers compared to the original method of sending DVD’s through the mail. The company initially plans on allowing only a limited number of its six million subscribers to use their instant viewing feature at no extra charge in order to test their server capabilities. Customers will be able to view anywhere between six and 48 hours of material each month. The amount of viewing time depends on how much customers pay for the movie service. Netflix has not announced when the service will begin.



Commercial planes to get anti-missile defense

Testing has started on anti-missile system that may be implemented on commercial jets throughout the country pending the results of the test. Several MD-10 cargo jets will soon have the anti-missile system installed, which consists of an invisible laser. When the system detects an incoming anti-aircraft missile, it targets the missile with the laser and interferes with its guidance system. Up to this point, tests of the system have consisted of firing an “electronic missile surrogate” in order to simulate an actual missile launch. Everything operated as expected and the electronic missile launch and missile were detected successfully. The anti-missile system is inspired by an incident in Israel in 2002 where terrorists fired on a passenger jet, but missed.



British bases disappear

Google, at the request of the British Army, has removed any remnants of satellite pictures of British military bases in Iraq. The military saw it as a strategic advantage for terrorists wishing to attack weak spots at the bases such as tents and other unfortified structures. In place of the base images are satellite imagery of the land before the bases were constructed. Some people feel that this is too little, too late since the images have been available for some time now. There are reports that print-outs of the bases “are being sold to rogue militias.” There is no word of whether Google will remove other military bases from their satellite mapping system.