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This City Wants Space Aliens to Come Visit

Coded message sent to TRAPPIST-1 solar system welcoming ETs to Lexington, Kentucky

(Newser) - If you've never visited Lexington, the Kentucky city wants your business—especially if you're from out of this world. That's why the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau (aka VisitLEX) beamed a message in October to the TRAPPIST-1 solar system, described by VisitLEX as "home to the...

As Storm Raged Through Acapulco, One Man's Last Message

'It's really horrible,' sailor Ruben Torres recorded himself saying as Hurricane Otis struck Mexico

(Newser) - During the first minutes of Oct. 25, when Hurricane Otis roared into Acapulco Bay with 165mph winds, sailor Ruben Torres recorded a 10-second audio message from a yacht called the Sereno. "All things considered, I'm all right, but it's really horrible, it's really horrible, it's...

Musk Announces Twitter DM Change With Notable 'Acid Test'

He won't be able to see others' encrypted messages, 'even if there was a gun to my head'

(Newser) - Elon Musk says users of his social media platform will very soon be able to send private direct messages to each other that no one else can ever see—including Musk himself. In a Tuesday evening tweet , the Twitter CEO announced the launch of encrypted DMs, a feature that could...

Scholar Sees Defiant Message in 16th-Century Cipher

Catherine of Aragon appears to have commissioned it after Henry VIII left her

(Newser) - After Henry VIII left her for Anne Boleyn in 1531, queen Catherine of Aragon refused to consent to a divorce—and insisted she was Henry's wife until her death five years later. Now a scholar suggests that Catherine left behind a secret message of defiance in a pendant design...

Putin's New Year's Note to Trump: Let's Work Together

Russian president calls for 'pragmatic cooperation,' 'mutual respect' between 2 countries

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin is heading into the new year with hopes that Russia and the US can move toward a "pragmatic cooperation" that will allow them to work together over the long haul. Per the Kremlin, that's the gist of the New Year's message the Russian president sent...

Message to ISIS on British Bomb Riles Internet

'Love From Manchester,' reads controversial note

(Newser) - A photo circulating online in the wake of the Manchester attack has sparked controversy, and the British Royal Air Force has confirmed it's indeed a real pic, CNN reports. The image, which started proliferating on Thursday, shows what appears to be a bomb with a written message on it...

Scrawled 'Help' Message Leads to Woman's Rescue

 Scrawled 'Help' 
 Message Leads to 
 Woman's Rescue 
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Scrawled 'Help' Message Leads to Woman's Rescue

Australian was stuck for three days in national park

(Newser) - An Australian woman was rescued in a national park last weekend after leaving two messages for help—one scrawled dramatically in the sand, the Herald Sun reports. Emergency crews went looking for Lynette Bond, 68, after a hiker found a three-day-old note in her broken-down vehicle. Rescuers then found her...

Man Sends 5K Messages in Bottles —Gets 3K Replies

Answers can take up to 13 years, but come from everywhere

(Newser) - Sting should be so proud. Since 1996, Harold Hackett has tossed about 5,000 messages in bottles into the ocean from his home in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and has received more than 3,000 responses from all over the world, reports the BBC . Hackett throws his brightly colored notes,...

New Software Can Delete Emails Permanently

Software scatters encryption keys among temporary BitTorrent nodes

(Newser) - Email is inherently insecure, because it has a long shelf-life—even deleted messages can be stored infinitely on the email service of the sender or recipient. Now a team of scientists is poised to unveil software later this month to make them disappear for keeps, reports the Economist. “Vanish”...

Voicemail Is So Over
 Voicemail Is So Over 

Voicemail Is So Over

System too slow in faster-paced world

(Newser) - After some 25 years of popularity, voicemail has become merely an annoyance for many, the Boston Globe reports. "What I really hate are the soliloquies," says a time-crunched user. But the long-winded are only part of the problem, experts say; the real culprit is the rise of texting....

Lincoln's Watch Yields Hidden Message

(Newser) - A legend about a DC watchmaker who etched a secret message inside Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch is true, the Washington Post reports. Smithsonian officials opened the watch today and found it amid the tiny gears: "Jonathan Dillon April 13, 1861. Fort Sumter was attacked by the rebels on...

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