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Hackers plan space satellites to combat censorship   By David Meyer Technology reporter   50 years after Russia's first piloted mission, hackers plan to send their own people beyond orbit Computer hackers plan to take the internet beyond the reach of censors by putting their own communication satellites into orbit. The scheme was outlined at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin. The project's organisers said the Hackerspace Global Grid will also involve developing a grid of ground stations to track and communicate with the satellites. Longer term they hope to help put an amateur astronaut on the moon. Hobbyists have already put a few small satellites into orbit - usually only for brief periods of time - but tracking the devices has proved difficult for low-budget projects. The hacker activist Nick Farr first put out calls for people to contribute to the project in August. He said that the increasing threat

A Point of View: Dazzling in an age of austerity     Stylised buttons show the wartime regulations were being followed History often harks back to dazzling moments rather than day-to-day drabness, argues historian Lisa Jardine. 2011 will be remembered as the year that ushered in a new age of austerity. From 4 January, when VAT increased from 17.5 to 20%, we all felt that little bit less well off, and things got worse as the year wore on. For my generation, "austerity" is a word with a very particular ring to it, permanently associated with the rationing regulations introduced during World War II. Sweet rationing did not end until 1953, and I have intense childhood memories of my mother counting out our scanty sweet allocation from a biscuit tin on the kitchen draining board once a week. It is probably why I am also of the generation that has an irresistibly sweet tooth to this day. A Point of View is on Fridays on Radio 4 at 20:50 BST

Mexico's drugs war: Lessons and challenges   Troops have been deployed in different Mexican states since late 2006 MEXICO'S DRUGS WAR For the past five years, Mexico has been engaged in a bloody confrontation with drug gangs. Mexican political scientist Eduardo Guerrero Gutierrez looks at how the struggle is going and the implications for Mexico's presidential election in July. The past year has been one of light and shade in the fight against organised crime in Mexico. The violence of the drug cartels, against one another as well as against the security forces and innocent citizens, continues to dominate the headlines. Five years after President Felipe Calderon launched his crackdown on the gangs, there have been some 50,000 drug-related killings. The number of murders in 2011, estimated at around 16,700, is 9% up on the total for 2010. However, a more detailed analysis suggests that the level of violence has stabilised, especia

31 December 2011 Last updated at 22:16 GMT First of Nasa's Grail gravity twins enters Moon orbit Measuring the Moon's gravity The Grail satellites measure the distance to each other as they circle the Moon, pole to pole Flying over gravity variations will induce tiny acceleration changes in the spacecraft twins Making the measurements requires the satellites to carry very precise timing devices The survey will probably continue until the end of 2012 if the pair survive an eclipse in June Nasa has succeeded in putting the first of two gravity mapping satellites in orbit around the Moon. The Grail-A spacecraft fired its main engine late on Saturday (GMT) to slow itself sufficiently to take up an elliptical path around the lunar body. Its twin, Grail-B, will attempt exactly the same manoeuvre on Sunday. Together, the satellites will make measurements that are expected to give scientists remarkable new insights into the internal

Europe leaders warn of difficult 2012     German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads Europe's largest economy European leaders have warned of a difficult year ahead, as many economists predict recession in 2012. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was experiencing its "most severe test in decades" but that Europe was growing closer in the debt crisis. France's President Sarkozy said the crisis was not finished, while Italy's president called for more sacrifices. Growth in Europe has stalled as the debt crisis has forced governments to slash spending. The leaders' new year messages came as leading economists polled by the BBC said they expected a return to recession in Europe in the first half of 2012. The cost of borrowing for some of the eurozone's largest economies, including Italy and Spain, has shot up in recent months as lenders fear governments will not be able to pay back money they have already borrowed. With growth

Jagjit Singh - Zindagi Yun Hui Basar

Job listings give a view into company strategy and the direction of the overall market. Indeed is a job listing service that provides excellent analysis of top job skills. For our purposes, we looked at Indeed’s top 10 listings to give a glimpse into the top 10 developer and engineering skills that employers are looking for going into the new year. HTML5 MongoDB iOS Android Mobile app Puppet Hadoop jQuery PaaS Social Media HTML5 Employers have 183 job postings for Web developers. Microsoft and Amazon have the most jobs posted. HTML5 is still in its infancy but should remain the #1 most popular job for 2012. Employers are weaving in HTML5 as a requirement for both developers and engineers. Web developers, Web designers, front-end developers and software engineers  have the most job postings. Here are the preferred qualifications for a software development engineer to build Web apps for the Kindle Cloud Reader team: Experience building complex software systems