Is your landlord after your electronics?

But what if you use it in the corridor?(Credit:Jason Cipriani/CNET)Sometimes, readers send me things to incite an emotion or two. Sometimes it's laughter. Sometimes it's nausea. Sometimes, though, it's mere bafflement.An example of this last one came from a reader in Houston. She sent me a lease agreement created by a company called Fine Arts Apartments.She asked me to focus on one particular clause:...

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Attack at Algeria Gas Plant Heralds New Risks for Energy Development

The siege by Islamic militants at a remote Sahara desert natural gas plant in Algeria this week signaled heightened dangers in the region for international oil companies, at a time when they have been expanding operations in Africa as one of the world's last energy frontiers. (See related story: "Pictures: Four New Offshore Drilling Frontiers.")As BP, Norway's Statoil, Italy's Eni, and...

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President Obama Sworn In for Second Term

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden today officially embarked on their second term, taking the Constitutionally mandated oath of office in two separate private ceremonies inside their homes.Shortly before noon in the Blue Room of the White House, Obama raised his right hand, with his left on a family Bible, reciting the oath administrated by Chief Justice John...

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Earth may be crashing through dark matter walls

Earth is constantly crashing through huge walls of dark matter, and we already have the tools to detect them. That's the conclusion of physicists who say the universe may be filled with a patchwork quilt of force fields created shortly after the big bang. ...

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Economic summit must tackle Arab Spring, says Saudi minister

RIYADH: A two-day economic summit that opens on Monday in Saudi Arabia must break with tradition and tackle people's aspirations in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings, the Saudi foreign minister said."Our meeting should not be mired in routine," Prince Saud al-Faisal said at a meeting Saturday to prepare for the third Arab Economic and Social Development Summit."The Arab world has faced...

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Man posts on Facebook: 'im about to get shot'; gets shot

It seems that people want to announce everything on Facebook, even their imminent demise.30-year-old Eric L. Ramsey knew his time was up, so he took out his cell phone and posted on his Facebook wall: "Well folkes [sic] im about to get shot. Peace"As NBC News reports, some of his friends thought he was joking.However, shortly after his 3:15 a.m. post, he was fatally shot by a policeman.More Technically...

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Attack at Algeria Gas Plant Heralds New Risks for Energy Development

The siege by Islamic militants at a remote Sahara desert natural gas plant in Algeria this week signaled heightened dangers in the region for international oil companies, at a time when they have been expanding operations in Africa as one of the world's last energy frontiers. (See related story: "Pictures: Four New Offshore Drilling Frontiers.")As BP, Norway's Statoil, Italy's Eni, and...

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Inauguration to Cost Millions But Total Price Unclear

How much will all the inaugural events cost? It's hard to say.While most events that occur in the capital have a hard-and-fast budget, the inauguration's many moving parts, safety concerns and large geographic reach make it hard to quantify – especially before the main event.In 2009, ABC reported the total cost of Obama's first inauguration was $170 million. While incumbent...

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Today on New Scientist: 18 January 2013

Megaballoon launches big bang telescope in Antarctica The 2.7-tonne EBEX telescope will detect the weak light that remains from the big bang, helping to reveal the origin and evolutionary history of the universeMoth navigation probed to improve micro-drone flight Flying through a virtual forest, hawkmoths tailor their navigation according to visibility conditionsMussels with backpacks monitor...

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Toyota settles 'bellwether' US wrongful death suit

WASHINGTON: Japanese automaker Toyota has settled a wrongful death lawsuit in the United States over sudden, unintended acceleration that allegedly killed two people in Utah in 2010."We are satisfied that both parties reached a mutually acceptable agreement to settle this case," Toyota Motor Corp said in a statement late Thursday.A Toyota spokeswoman, Celeste Migliore, told AFP it was...

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