Cambodian authorities expressed alarm over the significant increase of cheating incidents among students, who used cellphones to share answers during national examinations.

According to reports, hundreds of students were caught talking to friends or relatives over their cellphones to ask for answers in the exams. Some students even bribed their professors to allow them to browse their “smuggled” notes for answers.

Initial investigations also showed that teachers and their cohorts have masterminded the massive cheating incident, even selling answers to the national exams for $30 in advance to avoid suspicion of other school officials.

The report also told that teachers involved with the shenanigan would often turn a blind eye to students who were openly talking to their relatives, and kept inspectors out of the rooms.

The examination result will be announced on August 20, with some 100, 000 students eager to learn if they passed.

Authorities only learned about the cheating incidents after several students (who did not cheat) blurted to school administrators about how their classmates pass on the answers to other students.

“It was hard to copy all the correct answers with just one sheet of paper. So, many of the students just took pictures with their camera phones and pass on the image to other students via mobile Internet,” a female student said.

After the incident, authorities are now studying the possibility of declaring the exam results as null and void.

For his part, Mak Vann, a senior official at the Cambodia Ministry of Education blamed the mass killing of educated people during the 1970s, when the Khmer Rouge has executive all the educated and intellectual people of Cambodia leaving only peasants who have no proper training to help restore the country’s educational system.

He said that the habit of cheating during the years in school is being carried out by students when they work, noting the low-ranking of Cambodia in the fight against graft and corruption.

Vann also recognized that there is still a lot of work to be done before the country can fully restore its education system, saying that it could take years or even decades if the government will fail to act decisively today.

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Ever wonder why many people choose to watch regular films than 3-D or IMAX movies? A new research study showed the real reason why many people feel sick or throw up when watching 3-D movies.

Due to the brain’s inability to process realistic images coming out of the movie screens, many people are now suffering an occasional case of nausea called by researchers as “cybersickness.”

“People suffering dizziness, nausea, and even headaches while watching 3-D and IMAX movies are unable to process the information from their senses. The brain receives conflicting information from all their senses,” Prof. Andrea Bubka, a cybersickness researcher at the St. Peter’s College in New Jersey.

Prof. Bubka also noted that the eyes and brain coordination of a person has a lot to do with the conflicting signals, saying that the vivid images being played out on screen tells the body that it is moving.

However, the “motion and balance” fluid or the sense of motion, in the inner part of the ear detects no changes in the positioning of the person’s body causing a dizzying experience to the people watching 3-D movies.

Bubka also pointed that the phenomenon was exactly the opposite to what happens during “motion sickness.”

“For example, while reading a book in a moving car, the eyes are focused on the page and do not sense that the body is moving. But the fluid within the ears senses the movements of the car, and the difference between the information coming in from these two senses causes the brain to trigger nausea and dizziness,” Bubka said.

To better understand the phenomenon, the researchers have conducted and developed a series of laboratory tests inside a device called the optokinetic drum or the “vomitator.”

The vomitator works by putting the subject inside the machine in a sitting position in the center a large cylinder that is open on the top and bottom.

The drum spins, and images on the inside of the drum move across the subject’s visual field while the subject remains still.

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A new study by media watchdog Ofcom showed that the number of children, aged 12 years old and below, who have Facebook and other social networking accounts increased in the past couple of years.

According to the report, many of these children have ignored the age restrictions by the social networking sites by posing as older persons. The average age restriction for social networking sites is 13 years old.

The study also revealed that one out of five (19 percent) children, aged 12 years old below, uses social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. But the most alarming fact about the study is one out of six parents did not even know that their kids have social networking accounts.

The study also included the number of young Internet users that visited social networking sites from their homes, showing the number grew by more than 37 percent.

Many of the experts who have reviewed the new data said that the new study could spark a new set of debates on how social networking sites should regulate theirs age policy. They also said that despite the warning on the age limit, there is no real verification process to distinguish if the applicants were on the right age group.

It will be recalled that Facebook has faced a barrage of criticism from Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center for its refusal to install the CEOP abuse report program in its website. The program aims to look after and report inappropriate behavior of the youth in the website.

Sophos Internet safety expert Graham Cluley said that there are mix types of dangers that children will encounter on social networking sites, including being preyed by adult users.

He also mentioned that racism is a popular topic among the people in this websites, which could potentially misinform millions of youth in the website.

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World’s biggest mobile phone maker Nokia Inc. and software giant Intel Corp. announce on Monday a deal that would help both companies develop top-class Smartphone software that can directly compete against Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

Based on the initial agreement Nokia’s Linux Maemo software platform will merge its expertise with Intel’s Moblin, which is also a Linux open-source software developer, to create a new mobile phone operating system called MeeGo.

Strand Consult chief and owner John Strand said that the both Intel and Nokia have recognized that the only way to beat market leaders Apple, Microsoft, and Google is to introduce the new MeeGo to more devices.

“However, both companies also failed to realize that it is not about just the mere scale or numbers. But it is also about what consumer will like. It like bees, they do not just go for the biggest garden but the most beautiful flowers,” Strand pointed out.

To date, many of the consumers are lending toward the Smartphone markets, which can give them more power and control to what they want to have in their handheld devices. So far, iPhone and Google Android devices, as well as Research in Motion’s Blackberry, have been dominating the market with millions of sales worldwide.

Also, both Intel and Nokia’s release of the new MeeGo may be spoiled by the release of a Microsoft mobile phone platform called Windows Phone 7. Many of the experts and consumers have been anticipating the release of the new phone OS, which could further provider stiffer competition against the MeeGo.

Nokia was able to release its only Maemo-based phone called N900. It is a result of a five-year development program in a bid to boost the company’s Smartphone sales.

To date, Nokia still dominates the mobile phone market but is slowly losing ground to higher end phones.  Meanwhile, Intel hopes to get more of its chips into Smartphones.

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A report by the New York Times showed that a 17-year-old Russian was the founder and creator of Chatroulette.com, one of the hottest and most unconventional, new websites on the world wide web today.

According to the report, Andrey Ternovskiy, a high school student in Moscow, founded Chatroulette, which has drawn the attention of many of the online users since the website generates live webcam feed between to strangers.

Ternovskiy also said in an interview with the newspaper that he had only created the hot website just for “fun,” saying that he and his friends got bored by just talking with each other.

“The website will ramdomly connect me and my friends with people online,” he said.

The high school whiz also said that he wrote the website code all by himself but admitted that it is his relatives that pay for the bandwidth and server host bills.

The buzz over the new website also gutted the attention of Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist working with Union Square Ventures and Flatiron Partners.

In his blog post, the well-know venture capitalist said that he wanted to see Andrey personally and offered the young high school kid to visit New York City.

“I’m still not sure if this is something we should invest in, but I’d sure like to meet this guy. He reminds me of many great young entrepreneurs we’ve worked with and his story sounds so familiar,” Wilson said in his blog.

Despite criticism over the website, which has been tagged as a hotbed for voyeurism and exhibitionism, Wilson said that the disturbing nature of the website is one thing and there is much more that can be done about.

“With over a billion people logging in on the Internet, Chatroulette is something that feels really cool and it offers a quick trip around the whole network by meeting and talking with people,” he said.

To date, the majority of the users of Chatroulette are from the US.

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The Japanese government on Monday announced that it will summon Apple Inc officials this week over hundreds of complaints about the bogus charges against iTunes customers, saying that the online store is charging customers for download that they have not made.

In Japan alone, at least 95 people complained about the bogus transactions, which were done using their credit cards. Some of the complainants even said that they were being billed by iTunes for thousands of dollars.

Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency said that there has been a notable increase in the number of cases since last year. The agency added that most cases reached to several thousands of dollars.

Sought for comment, Apple Japan officials were not available.

Apple consumers are worried that their main source of music, games, and videos may be subjected to cyberattacks, which is designed to acquire users’ bank and credit card account details to be used in future transactions.

One of the cases cited by the Japanese officials was a woman who had registered her ID and credit card details for several music downloads several years ago. She has not used the cards in the following months and was surprised to learn that she was being charges by the iTunes online store for purchases that she was not aware of.

Meanwhile, the Japanese communications and industry ministers said that they will join the investigation, saying that they will concentrate on how the personal data were stolen and if there are enough security features being implemented by iTunes during transactions.

To date, Japan is considered as the iPhone haven, having sold millions of units in the past months since the newest version was released early last year.

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In a bid to expand its appeal to customers beyond its core business, world’s largest software manufacturer Microsoft Corp has launched on Monday its new operating software for mobile phone, which aims to improve quality of music, networking, and, gaming experiences of users.

With the introduction of the new mobile phone software, Microsoft is now putting itself direct against market leaders Apple Inc and Research in Motion, whose mobile phones have dominated the Smartphone category for the past years.

The Windows Phone 7 software will help Microsoft wrest huge market shares from the iPhone and Blackberry devices.

Smartphone market has been growing in an outstanding pace and many analysts see it as the future of communications and Microsoft hopes to smoothen out bumps in the market by giving users another option in Smartphone technology.

Based on records, Microsoft acquired only about 8.8 percent of the total market share of the Smartphone software sales in the world. The figure was down from the 13.9 percent in the previous year.

With the new Windows Phone 7, users can now view their social networking accounts on three different screens, which is divided into the most recent, all, and what’s new.

It also allows user to share music, comments, images, and blogs quickly without any technical difficulties in connecting on the Internet.

Also, users will be given different hubs where they can share images, music, and videos.

However, there are no guarantees that Microsoft will offer the new phone software to all Smartphone out in the market today. But the company stressed that they are now working closely with four major carriers in the United States to help disseminate the use of the software to millions of users.

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The presiding  judge handling the controversial trial for the constitutionality of gay marriage in California has allowed videotaping and uploading of footages of the hearing on the popular video-sharing website Youtube.

The trial on same-sex marriage, which will begin next week, can now be viewed by millions of Youtube users around the world as Chief United States District Judge Vaughn Walker gives the “go signal” to have a video documentary of the trial that can be uploaded on the video-sharing website.

It will be recalled that Walker first floated the idea of live broadcasting of the hearing but met protests from various institutions. Instead of a live broadcast, the judge decided instead to record the trial, which will later be uploaded by court employees for delayed broadcast on Youtube.

Walker said that delaying the broadcast of the trial would give the court a strong sense of control over the transmission contrary to live broadcasting being done by various television networks in the US.

The uploading of the trial video on Youtube will be the first federal trial in a Western State, particularly California, which will be aired publicly.

The trial, whether the state will allow gay marriage or not, will also be the pioneering federal trial regarding the “unlawful” discrimination of the gays’ rights that can be viewed by the public on the Internet.

In an interview, Walker said that it is the national importance of the proceedings that has led the governing body of federal courts in the Western US to approve the pilot program.

“This is a great opportunity for people to see how the US judiciary really works and will teach us all great civic lessons,” he added.

But the program is still subjected to the approval of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Several analysts said that it will be just a formality for the Appellate Court to approve the program, saying that the chief judge for the 9th US Circuit Court is the same judge that has announced the pioneering proceedings.

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United States President Barack Obama, through National Telecommunications and Information Administration Chief Lawrence Strickling, is now calling for more radio spectrum availability from federal regulators that would allow wireless Internet service providers to compete against broadband plans being provided by major cable and phone companies.

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Strickling said on Monday that paving way for the wireless Internet connection will give users more options and hope to lower prices of broadband by injecting new competition into the duopoly of the Internet service market in the US today.

“Finding more radio spectrum for wireless Internet connections is therefore a primary tool for promoting broadband competition,” Strickling said in the letter.

The NTIA chief has included in the letter the inputs of the department while asking the FCC to draft an initial plan for the said program, which could potentially bring a more affordable high-speed Internet connection to millions of Americans.

Strickling also revealed that the plan, in accordance with the 2009 stimulus bill, is due to come out next month.

Based on the acquired documents, the NTIA letter focused heavily on the recently analysis of the US Justice Department, which was filed with the FCC on Monday, over the state of competition among broadband providers.

Strickling said that the analysis, which states that it is still premature to know whether the next-generation wireless Internet access will be able to compete with broadband connection in terms of speed and reliability, which the phone and cable companies boasted.

Earlier, the Justice Department warned that the duopoly in the wire-based networks and the cost of building such structures would mean limited competition giving phone and cable companies to dictate the prices of their services.

The NTIA said the exploration of airwaves would make it more efficient for the FCC and other technology companies to develop new gadgets that would allow users to access the Internet with just the faction of the price being offered by broadband plans.

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Despite recent legislations banning the use of Twitter in China, United States President Barack Obama on Monday urged the Chinese government to allow the use of the microblogging website, saying that it should be available to all people and all places in the world.

In a meeting at a town hall in Shanghai, China, Obama admitted that he has never used the microblogging website personally. However, he said that China, being an emerging economic power, should utilize social networking websites such as Twitter to maximize reach to its people.

“I have never used Twitter or other social networking website,” Obama jokingly said to ward off tension between Chinese officials who have recently restricted the use of the platform.

Obama, on a live broadcast, was in a state visit in China to iron the economic relationship of the two superpowers.

“My thumbs are too clumsy to type or text anything on the phone,” Obama added, pointing to his Blackberry Smartphone.

“I noticed that more and more young people in the US, and in China, are getting very busy with these electronic devices,” the US president said.

Obama then openly said that he is a strong supporter of the use of open Internet and noncencorship of all contents that can be found in the World Wide Web. The statement has a clear indication to the so-called “Great Firewall of China,” which implements a strict control in the contents that can be viewed by online users.

“In my own opinion, the more freely the information flows, the stronger the society becomes,” Obama said in response to an email question regarding the open Internet.

The Obama administration is one of the most prolific users of the microblogging website. In fact, the US president has his own Twitter feed, which can be viewed by members to see what is his next events, speeches, and meetings.

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