Phoenix -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered some measures used in atmospheric science overlook important factors affecting climatic warming and cooling.

The Arizona State University researchers led by Associate Professor Peter Crozier said their discovery could lead to more accurate forecasting of global-warming activity.

Crozier, along with Ira Fulton and Duncan Alexander, studied nanoscale atmospheric aerosols called brown carbons, which they said are largely being ignored in climate computer models in favor of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

But the researchers say there are other atmospheric components that can also contribute to climate change -- including carbonaceous and sulfate particles from combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, salts from oceans and dust from deserts.

The American multinational corporation, the software giant, Apple Inc. best known for its iPhone is enjoying high sales right from the day its online software clearinghouse- the App Store came into being.

Washington -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of SunL Group all-terrain vehicles made for youth due to a lack of safety features.

The SLA90 Youth ATVs, made in China and distributed by SunL Group Inc. of Irving, Texas, lack front end brakes, a manual fuel shut-off and appropriate padding to cover sharp edges on the handlebar assembly, CPSC said in a statement. No injuries have been reported.

About 144 of the ATVs were sold nationwide from May 2005 through March 2007 for $400-$500.

Consumers were advised to stop using the ATVs and contact SunL Group for a full refund.

Consumers can call SunL Group at 866-355-0497 for information.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.

Terry Childs, a 43-year old supposedly embittered network administrator with the San Francisco Department of Telecommunication Information Services, yesterday pled not guilty to charges of tampering with computers with the purpose of setting up an illegal system that gave him the leverage to hijack the computer network of the city of San Francisco.

Washington -- The IBM Corp. says the U.S. government has purchased a supercomputer to provide improved data for the nation's military and commercial ocean-going vessels.

IBM said the U.S. Department of Defense will use the Power 575 Hydro-Cluster, water-cooled supercomputer to provide some of the most detailed models of ocean waves, currents and temperature ever constructed to help scientists predict the behavior of the oceans with incredible precision.

Although to be primarily used by the U.S. Navy, the ocean models will be publicly accessible via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Web site, helping keep commercial ships out of harm's way. The ocean models will also be used by the U.S. Coast Guard to improve its search-and-rescue capabilities.

Sony pulled the latest firmware update for PlayStation 3 following complaints from users that it froze up their systems. A few hours after the release of version 2.40 on July 2, the PS3 official message board was filled with complaints from quite a few disappointed customers.

Reunion tours have been hot sellers on the music circuit, with a number of old-time rock acts coming together again over the past few years in an attempt to recapture the glory of the olden days and wow fans all over again.

Sprint Nextel Corp’s has finally gone ahead and announced war, it’s ‘Instinct’ priced at an astounding $130 is to take on Apple’s new $199 iPhone.

With the hurricane season approaching rapidly, officials in Florida are falling back on lessons learned from past hurricane experiences to improve their track record of providing help to the state’s senior citizens.

Seattle -- The offer deadline for Yahoo! by U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. passed without comment, signaling a possible hostile takeover attempt, executives say.

The two companies engaged in talks in recent weeks to negotiate a friendly acquisition, but Saturday's deadline to reach a deal passed without comment from either party.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer said if the deadline passed, the initial bid of a cash-and-stock offer valued at $29.68 per share would diminish significantly, The Wall Street Journal said Sunday.

Yahoo! directors say the offer is too low and suggested a price closer to $35 a share. Yahoo stock prices closed down 1.86 percent at $26.80 in trading Friday on the Nasdaq.

Microsoft officials said they would consider only a modest increase.