The UpStream (Page 396)

Michigan State University researchers presented a prototype propulsion system that could completely replace the internal combustion engine in vehicles. The design, called a shock wave generator, does away with the crankshafts, pistons and valves in favor of a rotating round disc with wavy grooves.

This prototype uses 60% of the fuel for motion, compared with standard engines which only use 15% of the fuel for motion. Add to this the fact that it would reduce the weight of vehicles by up to 20% by removing the transmission and cooling system and you get one hell of a fuel efficient vehicle.

To read a description about how this thing works, hit the break.

Microsoft's Zune enjoyed a relatively short life since it was first introduced to us in 2006 and might be discontinued according to a Microsoft statement made to Bloomberg that there will be no future models,

We have nothing to announce about another Zune device -- but most recently have introduced Zune HD to Canada via the Zune Originals store and remain committed to supporting our devices in North America.

Fear not, the Zune may be discontinued but it's not dead. Hit the break to find out how.

Here is some quick follow up news on the fate of Blockbuster which was attempting to gain federal court approval to be auctioned off instead of liquidated. Judge Burton R. Lifland with the Manhattan U.S. Bankruptcy Court signed off on an auction that will have a starting bid of $290 million by Monarch Alternative Capital for all the company's assets.

This only came after very intense negotiations between Blockbuster's lawyers and movie studio lawyers who felt a liquidation of the company would be the only way they could recoup the millions of dollars Blockbuster currently owes them. Dennis McGill, Blockbuster's financial chief, is happy about the auction approval and is hoping for an overbid which would aide in the paying off creditors more quickly than the agreed upon terms that Judge Lifland spent all day getting both sides to agree on.

There are currently six parties interested in purchasing Blockbuster and the interest helped persuade debtors and creditors that Chapter 7 isn't the only option for them to recuperate their losses. We can expect the final sale to be completed by April 20th this year.

If you've been following us for a while, you know that we cover most of the topics and events that involve the widely-known and feared hacker group Anonymous, referred to as Anon. When we last talked about them, the group was engaging cyber war with Operation: Payback and more recently involved in the takedown of security firm HBGary Federal, including the hacking, distribution and documentation of 50,000 emails of their top-level executives.

Now, things have gotten a little more interesting and intense. We have been informed that on Monday, the 14th of March, we should see evidence of fraud by Bank of America.

Anon member OperationLeakS claims,

I seen some of the emails... I can tell you Grade A Fraud in its purest form.

He (insider in Bank of America) Just told me he have GMAC emails showing BoA order to mix loan numbers to not match it's Documents.. to foreclose on Americans.. Shame

If this is true, we should see something hit the Anon site on Monday. This has also created their newest initiative, billed as their #1 priority communication, Operation Empire State Rebellion. Their mission is to cause civil, nonviolent disobedience at every Federal Reserve site next week for several days, until Ben Bernanke steps down and the "primary Dealers within the Federal Reserve banking system be broken up and held accountable for rigging markets and destroying the global economy effective immediately."

For more on this very important and definitely large and concerning this operation, including video, hit the break.

In the two short years Foursquare has been around they have managed to attain almost 7.5 million users that have made over 500 million check-ins at an estimated 10 million venues worldwide. That puts the average number of check-ins at 50 per venue which Foursquare thinks is enough to justify moving forward with real-world recommendations. The technology is far from perfect and will present some interesting engineering challenges for them to overcome. These types of recommendations go far beyond what services like Netflix use in their recommendation process and have a much larger application which has prompted big boys like Facebook and Google to also look into perfecting this technology that bears high risks but also great rewards.

Foursquare recommends you hit the break for details.

Remember the 90s? Those were good times of MC Hammer pants, cassettes, real mixtapes, hightops, Surge, the third-coming of the McRib and of course, kick ass programming on Nickelodeon.

Well, the cable station is bringin' it back to the old school, as TeenNick will be airing episodes from Rugrats, Kenan & Kel, Pete & Pete, The Amanda Show, All That and Clarissa Explains it All from midnight to 2 AM in a block aptly titled The '90s Are All That. Apparently the company finally realized the Internet existed and they figured out what those Facebook Pages were all about that clamored for the return of these shows.

Keith Dawkins, senior VP and general manager of TeenNick, on the matter,

At the time, we were completely devoted to that audience ages 9, 10, and 11. It was ground-breaking and for the young viewers, a powerful and pivotal time in their lives. Those kids who are now 22, 23 and 24 want to bring that back.

Hopefully they will expand the selection to include shows like Doug, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Salute Your Shorts, Goosebumps and Hey, Dude! in the future. Perhaps we'll even see some of those classic Nickelodeon made-for-TV movies. Maybe Snick, anyone? I'm starting the petition for the return of Stick Stickly starting now! Of course, he'd have splinters and stuff from old age, but I digress.