Bluetooth-equipped prosthetic legs help double amputee walk again

As we’ve seen, there’s plenty of different solutions out there for controlling prosthetic limbs, but the artificial legs now helping Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bleill walk certainly have to rank up there with the most inventive, and they don’t even rely on brain control. Instead, the legs employ tried and true Bluetooth technology, which has previously been used to allow a single prothestic leg to mimic the individual’s other leg but, in this case, is being use to allow one prosthetic leg to mimic the other. To control them, Bleill simply applies force with his thigh muscles to get things moving or slow them down, with built-in motors in the legs allowing him to walk longer without getting tired. As you can see in the video available courtesy of CNN at the read link below, that setup appears to work remarkably well, and Bleill hopes he’ll soon get to the point where he needs just one cane before eventually ditching them altogether.

-Engadget.com, from CNN.com

Xbox goes profitable

After years of watching Microsoft chase billions of dollars into the bottomless pit that has been its Xbox Entertainment and Devices Division, the company is finally, as predicted, returning with some loot — $524 million in income over the past six months, compared to $423 million in losses over the same period last year. Microsoft says the achievement was primarily due to 360 successes, even though Zune and PC sales are factored in there somewhere. Sounds like decreasing production costs, decreased marketing and a little thing called Halo 3 all worked together to help rake in the cash, and Microsoft has high hopes for the rest of fiscal ‘08, since they “expect revenue to increase due to increased sales of Xbox 360 consoles and related games, accessories, and services.”

-from Engadget.com

Detained Teen Allegedly Intended to Hijack Plane From Los Angeles to Nashville

A teenage passenger from California was arrested in Nashville for plotting to hijack a plane from Los Angeles to Nashville, the FBI said Friday.

FBI spokesman George Bolds told The Associated Press the 16-year-old boy was removed from Southwest Airlines Flight 284 Tuesday night by authorities at Nashville International Airport and found with “suspicious” items.

Bolds said the teen had handcuffs, rope and duct tape in his bag and was believed to be traveling alone. The juvenile’s name has not been released.

“His plan had a low probability of success,” Bolds said.

Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Brandy King could not provide additional details. Airport spokeswoman Emily Richard declined to provide additional information because the passenger is a minor.

Messages left by The Associated Press with the Department of Homeland Security were not immediately returned.

The teen is in custody at Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where he faced state charges, but Bolds did not comment on what the charges were. He said he expects federal charges to come.

Bolds dismissed earlier broadcast reports that the teen was planning to crash the plane into a “Hannah Montana” concert in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Bolds said it has not been determined if the boy was trying to crash the plane. He said authorities searched the teen’s home in California and found a mock cockpit.

The teen is believed to be suicidal, Bolds said. Bolds said he could not comment further on the teen’s mental condition because he is a minor.

Bolds said the teen was calm throughout the flight and never made an attempt to hijack the plane but told the FBI after he was apprehended about his original plans to commandeer the aircraft.

-FoxNews.com

Pilot awarded $5 million for Sept. 11 tip

The Bush administration paid a $5 million reward to a former Minnesota flight instructor who provided authorities with information that led to the arrest and conviction of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

The recipient, Clarence Prevost, was honored Thursday at a closed-door ceremony at the State Department, although the payout was secretly authorized last fall by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Justice Department, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

The reward from the State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program is the first and only one to date to a U.S. citizen related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the officials said.

It is also unusual because Moussaoui, who was imprisoned at the time of the attacks, was never named as a wanted suspect by the program. The program mainly seeks information about perpetrators or planners of terrorist acts against U.S. interests and citizens abroad.

The State Department would not identify the recipient, citing privacy and security concerns.

Two administration officials, however, said the reward sent to Prevost, a key witness at Moussaoui’s trial who has previously spoken out about his involvement in the case. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Prevost, 69, is a former Navy pilot who later flew for Northwest Airlines and goes by his nickname “Clancy.” He was Moussaoui’s flight instructor at the Pan Am International Flight Academy outside Minneapolis.

-from MSNBC.com