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Saturn’s Moon Helene from Cassini What’s happening on the surface of Saturn’s moon Helene? The moon was imaged in unprecedented detail last week as the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn swooped to within two Earth diameters of the diminutive moon. Although conventional craters and hills appear, the above raw and unprocessed image also shows terrain that appears unusually smooth and streaked. Planetary astronomers will be inspecting these detailed images of Helene to glean clues about the origin and evolution of the 30-km across floating iceberg. Helene is also unusual because it circles Saturn just ahead of the large moon Dione, making it one of only four known moons to occupy a gravitational well known as a stable Lagrange point.

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Actor Corey Haim dies at age 38 :dead:
Police say hospital notified them of former ‘Lost Boys’ star’s death

Actor Corey Haim, 38, was pronounced dead at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday morning after an apparent overdose, police said.

Police learned of the death, which occurred between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, when staff at the hospital called authorities, said Sgt. Frank Albarren of the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Station.

“It was an apparent overdose,” Albarren said. “Unknown what type of medication.”

The Canadian-born Haim found fame in the 1987 when he co-starred in numerous films with actor Corey Feldman, including “The Lost Boys.”

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Dear Lifehacker,
I’ve read about how HTML5 will change the way I use the web, but it seems like the biggest example of HTML5 in action is on sites like YouTube—which don’t support my favorite browser, Firefox. What’s the deal?

I find myself, and I’m sure tons of others, caught in the Adobe Flash Player vs. HTML5 battle. Flash Player runs terribly on my iMac. Videos on different sites either tell me to install Flash components, show up as blank white areas, load perpetually (CNET TV) or tell me to adjust global storage, and so on. If they do play, I often get the stuttering/buffering that drives me crazy. I had the latest version of Flash Player, uninstalled that and installed the latest 10.1 Beta3, and it’s just as bad.

I considered signing up for YouTube’s HTML5 beta test, but that only works for Safari, Chrome, and IE, not Firefox. I’ve read about Mozilla’s stance on this issue, too.

I apologize for the long intro to my question, but do you know of any Firefox add-on or plug-in that installs the H.264 codec? We already have to install a plug-in for Flash Player, so perhaps it’s possible someone can do this for H.264.

Thanks for any help,
Fighting with Flash

Howdy Fighting,
That’s a good question, and unfortunately one to which there’s no great answer. It actually is technically possible to play HTML5 YouTube videos in Firefox, but it’s extremely convoluted (details below)—and Mac users like yourself won’t have any luck. First, for those who aren’t familiar with why Firefox is excluded from YouTube’s (and some other video sites’) HTML5 support, here’s why:

The Problem

In order to move to HTML5 from Flash, video sites like YouTube need to host their videos in formats friendly to Flash-free HTML5 embedding. Unfortunately there’s no default standard for the format HTML5 videos should use.

As a dedicated open-source, open-standards browser, Firefox chose to support the Ogg Theora video format for HTML5 video. Like Firefox, Ogg Theora is free and open; it’s not covered by any patents, so it requires no licensing and is completely free to use for everyone involved.

Other browser makers, like Chrome and Safari, support H.264 for HTML5 video. Unlike Ogg Theora, H.264 is patented, and would theoretically require browser makers to pay licensing fees to use it (though the company that owns licensing rights to H.264 have said that they’ll offer it royalty free until 2016). Additionally, the issue isn’t just about licensing.

Some tests have shown H.264 to perform better than Ogg Theora in side-by-side comparisons. Apple’s stance on the matter, via Wikipedia, is that “H.264 performs better and is already more widely supported.” For video sites like YouTube, the main concern is likely which format can deliver the highest quality video with the greatest compression rates. Unfortunately for Team Firefox (and supporters of free and open web standards), it’s looking like H.264 might deliver the best results.

It’s worth nothing that browsers can support multiple video formats for HTML5 support, but currently Chrome is the only browser that supports both H.264 and Ogg Theora (though through the Frankenstein efforts of Google Chrome Frame, Internet Explorer also gets support for both). The chart below (from Wikipedia) lays it all out:

As you can see, unless either Firefox changes its stance or sites like YouTube decide to support a free alternative like Ogg Theora, Firefox fanatics don’t have a clear way to watch HTML5 YouTube videos.

The “Solution”

If you’re extremely desperate to watch HTML5 YouTube videos but you absolutely do not want to switch to another browser, you’ve got one simple-yet-absurd solution that’ll only work on Windows:

Watch HTML5 YouTube Videos in Firefox (on Windows)

1. Install the IE Tab Firefox extension (or one of the other IE-in-Firefox extensions).
2. Install Google Chrome Frame for IE.
   
3. In the IE Tab preferences inside Firefox, set YouTube to always open inside an IE Tab (see image below).
   
4. Visit the YouTube HTML5 Video Player opt-in page (if you’ve set up IE Tab correctly above, it should open in an IE Tab inside Firefox) and click the Join the HTML5 Beta link at the bottom of the page.
   
5. Go watch an HTML5-supported YouTube video.

And… that’s it. Ridiculous, but I’ve tried it, and it seems to work. (Though, unsurprisingly, it seemed buggy, and worked much better in straight Chrome than it did in either IE with Chrome Frame or Firefox with IE and Chrome Frame.) Unfortunately it doesn’t help Mac users like Fighting with Flash much, but it’s the best we could do.

More than anything, the convoluted process involved in watching an HTML5 YouTube video in Firefox only serves to underscore the problem. It’s not something that’ll likely be solved overnight (though I guess if Mozilla decides to cave into H.264, change could come pretty quickly), but it’s a good reminder that important, web-changing technology almost always comes with a few speed bumps.

Love,
Lifehacker

Got a better method you’re using, or want to weigh in on this whole H.264 vs. Ogg Theora battle? Let’s hear it in the comments.

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Hey guys!!

Working in Gabon..West Africa,we had no Internet here in the bush..but are now the new owners of a brand new WI-FI system….back into my fav place..right here!!WHootttttt!!!

:tagteam2:

LOOKING THROUGH: A man peered through a hole in a tent at a makeshift camp for earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday. The Jan. 12 earthquake left more than one million people homeless. (Esteban Felix/Associated Press)

DETAINED: A Tibetan exile shouted slogans from inside a police van after being detained during a protest in front of Chinese Embassy in New Delhi Tuesday. Demonstrators marked the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising against China. (Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

SHOW OF SUPPORT: Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, center, hugged an earthquake survivor during a visit to Constitucion, Chile, Monday. The outgoing president maintained a record-high 84% approval rating following the deadly Feb. 27 quake. President-elect Sebastian Pinera takes office Thursday. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

RELATIVE GRIEVES: A woman whose relative was among the United Nations staff and diplomats killed in the Haiti earthquake cried during a memorial ceremony at U.N. headquarters in New York Tuesday. (Stan Honda/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

EARTHQUAKE AFTERMATH: People tried to save a cow trapped in debris in Okcular, Turkey, Tuesday, a day after a strong earthquake killed at least 50 people. (Ibrahim Usta/Associated Press)

STUDENT’S SUICIDE: Osmania University students sat around the body of student M. Sai Kumar Yadav during a protest in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday. Mr. Yadav hung himself to promote the creation of the proposed Telangana state — currently a region in Andhra Pradesh state — according to local media. (Mahesh Kumar A./Associated Press)

FAN BASE: Old Dominion fans swarmed the court after ODU defeated William & Mary 60-53 for the Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament championship in Richmond, Va., Monday. (Scott K. Brown/Associated Press)

GREEN SCENE: A man affixed a wall-size poster to an Indian booth in preparation for an international tourism fair in Berlin Tuesday. (Michael Gottschalk/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

WAITING FOR WORK: A sex worker waited for clients in downtown Mexico City on Monday, International Women’s Day. (Alexandre Meneghini/Associated Press)

SPEAKING TO THE TROOPS: U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke with troops at Forward Operating Base Frontenac in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Tuesday. Mr. Gates spoke about the upcoming Taliban offensive in Kandahar. (Jim Watson/Getty Images)

LAWYERS MARCH: Lawyers marched with a banner reading “respect for justice” during a protest in Paris Tuesday. The attorneys protested the government’s plan to do away with investigating judges, a centuries-old legacy, and give more power to prosecutors. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

SEEKING ASYLUM: Asylum-seekers demonstrated outside the U.K. Border Agency in Glasgow Tuesday. They called for an inquiry after a Russian family, possibly facing deportation, jumped to their deaths from the 15th floor of a building. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

WORKING TOGETHER: Residents helped extinguish a fire in Pasay, Philippines, Tuesday. At least six fire incidents occurred in metropolitan Manila Tuesday. (Rolex Dela Pena/European Pressphoto Agency)

PICTURE PERFECT: A couple photographed themselves in front of La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona Monday. (David Ramos/Associated Press)

HOT HEAD: Steam rose from the head of Switzerland’s Didier Cuche after he finished training for the alpine ski men’s World Cup downhill in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday. (Giovanni Auletta/Associated Press)

SETTING SUN: People were silhouetted against the skyline as they flew a kite at sunset in Berlin Tuesday. (Tobias Schwarz/Reuters)

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Galaxies Beyond the Heart: Maffei 1 and 2 The two galaxies on the far left were unknown until 1968. Although they would have appeared as two of the brighter galaxies on the night sky, the opaque dust of the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy had obscured them from being seen in visible light. The above image in infrared light taken by the recently launched Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), however, finds these galaxies in great detail far behind — but seemingly next to — the photogenic Heart nebula (IC 1805). The spiral galaxy near the top is the easiest to spot and is known as Maffei 2. Just below and to its right is fuzzy-looking Maffei 1, the closest giant elliptical galaxy to Earth. The above false-colored image spans three full moons from top to bottom. The Maffei galaxies each span about 15,000 light years across and lie about 10 million light years away toward the constellation of the Queen of Ethiopia (Cassiopeia). On the image right, stars, gaseous filaments, and warm dust highlight a detailed infrared view of the Heart nebula.

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NBC — Police in Wichita, Kansas are investigating an odd crime that involves drugs, assault and Monopoly money.

It started as a routine traffic stop in a Wichita neighborhood Thursday evening.

When police pulled over the car they found a 33-year-old man bleeding from the head and telling an unusual story.

The victim said a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back.

“The man from whom he had bought the drugs was upset and invited him over to his house and upon arrival struck him in the head several times with a handgun and other people jumped into the fray,” said Gordon Bassham with the Wichita Police Department.

The victim was able to get away and escape serious injury.

At this point police say he’s being uncooperative.

Despite the unusual circumstances, officers still want to arrest the attacker.

“That was not a get out-of-jail-free card,” Bassham said.

The victim’s injuries were not life threatening.

Bill Clinton Gives Tiger Woods Words of Support

Former President Bill Clinton had a recent phone call with Tiger Woods and offered the embattled golfer his support, according to reports.

Woods reportedly called Mr. Clinton on issues unrelated to the scandal involving his multiple extramarital affairs, Golf Digest first reported. Still, the former president, who has experience in dealing with reports of extramarital affairs, gave Woods some encouragement.

“President Clinton spoke with Tiger and wished him well,” Matt McKenna, a spokesperson for Mr. Clinton, confirmed to People magazine.

Golf Digest also originally reported that President Obama called Woods to offer support, but the White House said that was not true.

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1 member is celebrating their birthday on 03-09-10:

-mrspvtpile (born in 1976, Age: 34)

Happy Birthday!

LADY IN RED: A woman greeted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s supporters at a rally in Ang Thong, Thailand, Monday. The government plans to give the armed forces more power to control such rallies after political protests brought traffic to a halt in April 2009. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

ON GUARD: An Iraqi soldier sat near a polling station as voters cast their ballots in the nation’s parliamentary election Sunday in Nasiriyah, Iraq. Voter turnout was around 62.4%, the nation’s electoral commission said Monday. (Matt Ford/Associated Press)

A MOTHER MOURNS: Stavriani Anastasis, center, cried before her son’s funeral in Famagusta, Cyprus, Sunday. The remains of Christofis Anastasis, missing since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, were found during exhumations and identified through DNA testing. (Petros Karadjias/Associated Press)

A RED ROSE: A man offered a rose to a woman to mark International Women’s Day in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)

SLEEPY USHERS: Chinese soldiers working as ushers napped near a stairway during a break Monday of the annual National People’s Congress session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Alexander F. Yuan/Associated Press)

FALL FASHION: Models showed off fall-winter designs by John Galliano in Paris Sunday. (Jacques Brinon/Associated Press)

RIBBON RHYTHM: Russia’s Evgenia Kanaeva competed in the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary, Sunday. (Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

RING OF FIRE: Spectators watched a car fly through a burning ring during the extreme sports event “Winter Circle 2010″ in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Sunday. (Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

PASSING BY: A pedestrian jogged between people running in the San Diego Tribune Race for Literacy in downtown San Diego Sunday. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune/ZUMA Press)

SNOW FALLING ON PIERS: A person walked on a pier in Collioure, France, as heavy snow fell Monday. (Raymond Roig/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The Washington Wizards’ Al Thornton, right, and Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce watched a missed pass intended for Mr. Thornton during their game in Boston Sunday. The Celtics won 86-83. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

FRIENDLY COMPETITION: “Avatar” director James Cameron playfully gestured at his ex-wife, director Kathryn Bigelow, before the start of the Academy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday. Ms. Bigelo became the first woman to win the Oscar for best director. (Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

EARTHQUAKE VICTIM: A man carried a dead child in Okcular, Turkey, Monday. A strong, pre-dawn quake rattled eastern Turkey, killing at least 51 people and knocking down stone and mud-brick houses. More than 50 aftershocks followed. (Ibrahim Yakut/European Pressphoto Agency)

CAMPING OUT: A woman slept outside her house in Talcahuano, Chile, Sunday, eight days after a powerful earthquake struck Chile, causing deaths and widespread damage. (Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press)

RESTING IN A RICKSHAW: A man rested on a bed being transported by a modified rickshaw in Amritsar, India, Sunday. Rickshaw drivers earn less than $3 a day. (Narinder Nanu/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

WATER WORLD: Crew members played soccer aboard the Majan, one of the world’s biggest and fastest yachts, as the vessel sailed into Cape Town, South Africa, Monday. The crew is tracing the route of a new yacht race. (Nic Bothma/European Pressphoto Agency)

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