One by One, Hardware Geek Gets Physically Disabled People Gaming

Ben Heckendorn makes gaming hardware for the physically disabled, and sometimes, his target audience for that hardware is in the single digits.

“What happens on a large scale is that the percentage of people who have the need is fairly small,” Heckendorn said in an interview with Re/code. The expense of manufacturing new controllers on a large scale, he added, makes the physically disabled a difficult market for profit-minded businesses.

Heckendorn hosts a Web video series using his nom de ’Net, Ben Heck, covering many types of electronics “modding” — not just gaming, and not just mods for accessibility. He encourages his viewers to suggest new projects, which led to his first one-handed Xbox 360 controller in 2006.

“I got an email from an armless Iraq veteran who couldn’t play games,” Heckendorn said. “Since then, I’ve built more and more revisions, for multiple consoles.” These projects are then often donated to the nonprofit AbleGamers Foundation, as is the case with his latest mod: A one-handed Xbox One controller.He has also helped build an Xbox 360 controller for a man with muscular dystrophy, a tongue-and-neck-controlled setup for quadriplegics, and a cut-in-half gamepad for gamers who have trouble bringing their arms together.One of Heckendorn’s best known mods is a single-handed Guitar Hero controller, which turned the plastic guitars’ “strum” button into a foot pedal on the floor. The project began at the prompting of Games for Health organizer Ben Sawyer, who looped in the game’s developer, the now-defunct Activision subsidiary RedOctane.

The result: About ten plastic guitars wound up on Heckendorn’s doorstep in Wisconsin. “I think I can do this in one,” he recalled saying to Sawyer.

So, what’s next? In addition to the new ideas suggested by his video show audience, Heckendorn expressed interest in developing gloves for interacting with virtual reality games and figuring out how to control games via an infrared blink sensor.

“That’s how Stephen Hawking writes books,” he said.

Google to link email to social network, users must 'opt out'

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A new feature in Google's Gmail will result in some users receiving messages from people with whom they have not shared their email addresses, raising concerns among some privacy advocates.

The change, which Google announced on Thursday, broadens the list of contacts available to Gmail users so it includes both the email addresses of their existing contacts, as well as the names of people on the Google+ social network. As a result, a person can send an email directly to friends, and strangers, who use Google+.

Google is increasingly trying to integrate its Google+, a two-and-a-half-year old social network that has 540 million active users, with its other services. When consumers sign up for Gmail, the company's Web-based email service, they are now automatically given a Google+ account.

Google said the new feature will make it easier for people who use both services to communicate with their friends.

"Have you ever started typing an email to someone only to realize halfway through the draft that you haven't actually exchanged email addresses?" the company said in a blog post announcing the feature. "You're in luck, because now it's easier for people using Gmail and Google+ to connect over email."

Google said that users who did not wish to receive email messages from other people on Google+ could switch the settings so that they receive messages only from people they have added to their networks of friends or from no one at all.

Some privacy advocates said Google should have made the new feature "opt-in," meaning that users should explicitly agree to receive messages from other Google+ users, rather than being required to manually change the setting.

Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center, called the new feature "troubling."

"There is a strong echo of the Google Buzz snafu," he said, referring to a social networking service that Google launched in 2010. Buzz initially used its Gmail users' contact lists to create social networks that the rest of the world could see, leading to an uproar and ultimately a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Google said the new feature would not expose the email addresses of any Google+ users to strangers. Emails from strangers on Google+ will be routed to a special section within the recipients mailbox that is separate from messages from friends and other contacts. If the recipient does not reply to the message, Gmail will block any future messages from that person.

A Google spokeswoman said the company planned to send an email to all Google+ users during the next two days alerting them to the change and explaining how to change their settings.

One exception to the new feature is celebrities on Google+, who are followed by a large number of fans. According to the spokeswoman, the Gmail accounts of such public figures will not automatically receive emails from other Google+ users.

Netflix app to stream 4K on new TVs immediately

Netflix says video streaming of its programming in ultra-high definition will work for buyers of new UHD sets from Sony, LG, Samsung, Vizio and others upon purchase.

That's because Ultra HD models from those makers will include the Netflix app and chips that decode signals in the so-called High Efficiency Video Coding standard, or HEVC.

The chip is required to decode signals that Netflix Inc. will compress by more than 100 times and squeeze through the Internet at a speed of 15.6 megabits per second. That's a download speed widely available from Internet providers in the U.S.

When the sets go on sale in the next few months, Netflix will be ready with Ultra HD programming, including some nature documentaries and the second season of its original series, "House of Cards." Ultra HD streaming will be part of the standard Netflix streaming price of $8 a month, the company said.

Netflix showed off streaming in Ultra HD, or 4K, on the sidelines of the International CES gadget show this week. The format has four times as many pixels as standard HD and vastly improves the clarity of larger screens that measure 60 or more inches diagonally. Netflix videos that are available in the sharper format are labeled with the "Ultra HD 4K" symbol.

The picture was crisp on a large Sony Bravia screen when running off hotel Internet that was boosted to 50 Mbps, and didn't seem to take any longer than standard Netflix video to load.

Neil Hunt, Netflix's chief product officer, said the company was in a "unique place" by being able to order original programming in 4K and then being able to deliver it to the small group of early adopters while the format is still in its early stages.

"People are recognizing that disc formats are yesterday's solution," Hunt said.

Because of the cost challenges of making a new disc format or upgrading TV production facilities for small audiences, most content early on "is bound to be Internet-delivered," he said.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Supreme Showdown: Court Will Hear Broadcasters’ Suit Against Aereo

Big news for tech and media: The U.S. Supreme Court says it will take on the Aereo vs. the TV ineo, which delivers broadcast TV shows over the Web but doesn’t pay a license for the programming, and the TV industry have asked the court for a ruling. Here’s a statement from Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia (pictured above):dustry case. A decision could come this summer, and could have a significant impact on both the TV industry as well as a crop of Web companies that use the Web to deliver media.

Both Aer

“We said from the beginning that it was our hope that this case would be decided on the merits and not through a wasteful war of attrition. We look forward to presenting our case to the Supreme Court and we have every confidence that the Court will validate and preserve a consumer’s right to access local over-the-air television with an individual antenna, make a personal recording with a DVR, and watch that recording on a device of their choice.

“This case is critically important not only to Aereo, but to the entire cloud computing and cloud storage industry. The landmark Second Circuit decision in Cablevision provided much needed clarity for the cloud industry and as a result, helped foster massive investment, growth and innovation in the sector. The challenges outlined in the broadcasters’ filing make clear that they are using Aereo as a proxy to attackCablevision itself and thus, undermine a critical foundation of the cloud computing and storage industry.

“We believe that consumers have a right to use an antenna to access over-the-air television and to make personal recordings of those broadcasts. The broadcasters are asking the Court to deny consumers the ability to use the cloud to access a more modern-day television antenna and DVR. If the broadcasters succeed, the consequences to consumers and the cloud industry are chilling.

“We remain unwavering in our confidence that Aereo’s technology falls squarely within the law and our team will continue to work hard to provide our consumers with best-in-class technology that delights and adds meaningful value to their lives.”

The broadcasters released a statement as well:

“We are pleased the Court has agreed to hear this important case. We are confident the Court will recognize that this has never been about stifling new video distribution technologies, but has always been about stopping a copyright violator who redistributes television programming without permission or compensation.

Aereo pulls down over-the-air broadcast signals and delivers them to its customers for a monthly fee. It argues that it doesn’t need to pay broadcasters for the programming because it is performing the same function as an old-fashioned antenna.

Aereo has won a series of battles in the lower courts, and if the Supreme Court gives it the okay, it could threaten a lucrative revenue stream for TV programmers, who get hefty fees from pay-TV providers to transmit their shows: If Aereo doesn’t have to pay Fox, or ABC, or NBC (which is owned by NBCUniversal, which is an investor in this website) for its shows, then Time Warner Cable or Dish Network might make the same argument.

For now, Aereo only offers broadcast TV shows, which means it has a fairly limited offering, and there’s a good debate about how appealing that is to a mass market. The company is only open for business in New York City and a handful of other markets, though it says it intends to expand widely this year.

Kanojia, who just raised a new round of funding from IAC and other investors including Gordy Crawford, is betting that a court victory will give him the ability to strike programming deals with other providers and allow him to start building a broader Web-based TV service.

Aereo has also gotten legal backing from a Silicon Valley consortium that represents companies including Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Pandora, who have argued that a loss for Aereo could threaten cloud computing in general.

Aereo’s defense, which relies on an earlier court decision that gave Cablevision the right to create a “cloud DVR,” is based on the notion that its users — not the company itself — are the ones pulling down programming over the Web. If the court rules against Aereo, tech firms say that all kinds of Web-based storage and transmission may be at risk.

Here’s the crux of their argument, made last spring via a friend-of-the-court brief:

“Every time a consumer uses the an Internet cloud-based backup system or online storage locker, both the consumer and the company providing that system rely on Cablevision’s clear holding that (1) it is the user – not the provider of that system – who copies the underlying work; and (2) the transmission of that work to that same user in a manner not capable of being received by others is a private performance that infringes no exclusive right of the rights holder in the underlying work.”

Reuters sources: Other US retailers victims of cyberattacks

BOSTON/WASHINGTON -- Target Corp and Neiman Marcus are not the only U.S. retailers whose networks were breached over the holiday shopping season late last year, according to sources familiar with attacks on other merchants that have yet to be publicly disclosed.

Smaller breaches on at least three other well-known U.S. retailers took place and were conducted using similar techniques as the one on Target, according to the people familiar with the attacks. Those breaches have yet to come to light. Also, similar breaches may have occurred earlier last year.

The sources said that they involved retailers with outlets in malls, but declined to elaborate. They also said that while they suspect the perpetrators may be the same as those who launched the Target attack, they cannot be sure because they are still trying to find the culprits behind all of the attacks.

Law enforcement sources have said they suspect the ring leaders are from Eastern Europe, which is where most big cyber crime cases have been hatched over the past decade.

Only one well-known retailer, Neiman Marcus, has said that they too have been victim of a cyber attack since Target's December 19 disclosure that some 40 million payment card numbers had been stolen in a cyber attack. On Friday, Target said an investigation found that hackers stole the personal information of at least 70 million customers, including names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses.

Video: The upscale retailer is the latest to reveal it was hacked during the holidays. Here's how to protect yourself. NBC News' Kristen Dahlgren.

Neiman Marcus said it was not sure if the breach was related to the Target incident.

Most states have laws that require companies to contact customers when certain types of personal information is compromised. In many cases the task of notification falls on the credit card issuer.

Merchants are required to report breaches when certain types of personal information, including social security numbers are compromised. It was not immediately clear if that was the case with the retailers who were attacked around the same time as Target.

The Secret Service and Department of Justice, which are investigating the Target breach, declined comment.

'Worst breach in history' puts data-security pressure on retail industry

The Target security breach that may have affected as many as 110 million customers — with their names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and credit card information possibly swiped — ranks as the most extensive corporate data hack ever, experts said on Friday.

"This is the worst breach in history," Ken Stasiak, CEO of SecureState, told NBC News. "It's 2014. We expect retailers of this magnitude to have better security, weigh their risks and spend the resources necessary to secure their data."

Yet without a massive shift towards a credit card technology called EMV that stores data on a chip instead of a magnetic strip, it’s likely that data breaches of this size and scale will continue to plague the retail industry, Chester Wisniewski, senior security adviser at Sophos, told NBC News.

Some holiday shoppers had earlier cut up their cards after Target announced on Dec. 19 that some 40 million accounts had been put at risk by a hack that stretched from before Black Friday through mid-December. When the company announced on Friday that 70 million or more people may have been affected, however, the breach soared past prior incidents like the 2007 theft of 45 million credit card numbers from the parent company of TJMaxx and Marshall’s.

Seven years ago, however, these kind of massive hacks were relatively new. The third-largest retailer in the United States should have been more prepared by now, Stasiak said.

"For the sheer volume of data stolen over time, this is new world-record territory for sure," Chris Camejo, director of assessment services for NTT Com Security, told NBC News.

Video: The security breach that affected Target customers who shopped between Nov. 27 to Dec. 15 was only the tip of the iceberg – the company has now announced hackers tapped into Target’s entire customer database.

Malware attacks that target a company’s point of sale system are becoming more common, Stasiak said, and such a high-profile case could convince other retailers to up their security. There is also the possibility that the U.S. government steps in and imposes its own payment security standards, which today are set entirely by retailers. More small businesses – where the majority of credit card breaches occur – could also commit to payment card industry (PCI) standards that require data encryption, firewalls and other measures.

But stricter standards probably wouldn’t prevent massive breaches at big retailers, Wisniewski said, because they usually already have strong security protections in place. (No experts, however, could comment specifically on Target’s preparedness for the attack, because the company hasn't shared many details about its privately built payments system).

Due to the degree of difficulty involved, these headline-grabbing hacks are usually custom jobs, Wisniewski said, meaning there are few security solutions that can be applied across the entire industry.

According to Wisniewski, there is only one move that would put an end to these breaches: adopting EMV standards. That means using credit and debit cards that use an encrypted chip instead of a magnetic stripe for more secure transactions. In Australia, similar measures cut the number of fraudulent credit card charges by 29 percent in 2013, according to a report from the Australia Payments Clearing Association.

The U.S. government wants retailers to start making the switch by 2015, but adoption of EMV standards means replacing nearly every payment card terminal in the United States. Smaller merchants are reluctant to foot the bill, Wisniewski said, while banks don’t want to issue new EMV cards until it becomes the retail standard.

Still, it’s the only thing that would really make a difference, he said.

“With EMV, in other parts of the world, we have never seen more than one credit card compromised at a time, as opposed to 40 million in one go,” he said. “It changes the game."

Of course, that won’t provide much comfort to Target customers who already had their information stolen. It is unlikely that both data sets stolen from Target were combined and sold together on the black markets that digital thieves prefer, said James Wester, research director of IDC Financial Insights. That is because hackers want to “sell the data as quickly as possible to make a buck,” he said. 

There might be some silver lining to the massive hack. According to Camejo, experts in the security industry see the sophistication of this latest attack as a sign that criminals are getting desperate.

"Security has been improving, which is why hackers have been resorting to new and novel techniques to steal data," he said. "So we're getting better, but it's still a cat-and-mouse game."

Multiple experts said consumers aren't more at risk now than they were before — they are probably just more aware of the danger, thanks to the high profile of Target. That could make for savvier shoppers.

"With every data breach that occurs, another avenue for data to be compromised is closed off," Wester said, although he cautioned that the arms race between retailers and criminals will probably never end. "As long as there is payment data that can be stolen, there will be hackers who will try to find a way in."

Up close and very personal: 4K porn is becoming a reality

Get ready for 4K porn. In the wake of Netflix and YouTube announcing that they would start streaming in ultra-high definition, porn production company Naughty America unveiled its plan to offer adult entertainment at four times the resolution of regular 1080p HD. 

Right now, few consumers have displays capable of streaming 4K, but that could change in 2014. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, both Vizio and Polaroid showed off 4K TVs that cost under $1,000. Dell announced a new 4K display monitor priced at only $699. 

Before the technology becomes widespread, it makes sense for smaller companies to wait before investing in expensive 4K camera equipment and the massive server space needed to host extra-large files. Naughty America plans to cover its costs by charging an extra $10 on top of the $24.95 it charges for an HD monthly subscription, according to the Wall Street Journal. Another adult film company, Huccio, also announced 4K streaming in October.

While it might seem like a niche industry, online pornography accounts for 8.3 percent of all web traffic in the United States, meaning there are plenty of potential customers who might pony up extra cash to watch ultra-high definition NSFW content.

Despite all of the new 4K displays on the market, consumers still need a computer capable of streaming uncomfortably detailed video at home. Those don't come cheap. Even top-of-the-line computers rarely have the memory and graphics cards capable of smoothly running 4K video. One exception: The new Mac Pro, which starts at $3,000 and can support up to three 4K displays. 

Are there people out there willing to spend that much money on porn? Considering that it's a $14 billion industry, there is a good chance that the answer is yes.

Mobile app use doubles, social apps triple in 2013: Report

The mobile world is growing at breakneck pace, according to the latest data from app analytics company Flurry: usage of apps on average doubled over the last year, and some categories posted even greater gains.

It's important to note that this data is not per user, but total — in other words, much of the growth comes from more people getting smartphones, not just from people opening apps more.

Even so, the rate of increase is remarkable, especially that of the "messaging and social" category of apps, which grew in use by 203 percent during 2013. This includes the obvious players, like Twitter and Facebook, but also new and promising chat apps and platforms like WhatsApp and China's WeChat.

Flurry

App use overall went up 115 percent, and no category lost ground.

Such apps are both replacing SMS and providing new and interesting ways for mobile users to interact, from trading silly videos in Snapchat to doing group audio without using up valuable minutes.

"Utilities and productivity" also saw a major uptick as more phones continue to grow as tools for work: secure email, shared documents, remote access, and other office-friendly tasks are being used more than ever.

Flurry's data set was enormous: the company tracked 4.7 billion app "sessions" (i.e. opening email to read or send something) in one day, and over the year had amassed 1.126 trillion to mine for data. As the company says on its blog, "if the first few days of January are any indication, the mobile world is looking at another major growth year."

Do we need cyber warfare treaties? Study looks at legacy of Stuxnet

Over the last few years, Iran, China and the United States have all deployed weapons capable of damaging physical infrastructure, all without a single explosion. 

Unlike conventional weapons, these cyberweapons aren't restricted by international treaties — partly because governments know so little about their neighbors' electronic arsenals. 

"With nuclear weapons, we at least had some idea from satellites about how many weapons the Soviet Union had and what they were capable of," Robert Axelrod, a political scientist at the University of Michigan, told NBC News. "Cyberweapons are different. They can be stockpiled with other countries knowing it, causing them to be more frightened than they need to be, or not frightened enough."

A new study from Axelrod and fellow University of Michigan researcher Rumen Iliev tries to shed some light on why governments choose to launch cyberattacks, the timing behind them, and what kind be done to prevent them from getting out of hand.

Iran reportedly launched a cyberattack against Saudi Arabia oil firm Aramco in 2012. China has been accused of doing the same against the U.S. government computer systems.

But the most famous attack almost certainly originated in the United States. In 2010, Stuxnet made headlines. 

It seemed like the perfect computer worm. For 17 months, it sped up the centrifuges at Iran's nuclear enrichment center in Natanz while undetected, damaging but not destroying them. Then, quietly, it self-destructed.

In the end, Stuxnet temporarily disabled one-fifth of the facility's centrifuges, setting back Iran's nuclear program by two years, cyberdefense expert Ralph Langner said in Foreign Policy. It was a big win for for U.S. and Israeli intelligence — who, according to documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, developed the worm together.

"The capabilities that were employed in Stuxnet were far beyond the capabilites of what individual hackers could do," Axelrod said. 

Escape into the wild
The problem? Stuxnet escaped from Iran, possibly on somebody's laptop. Now it's out in the wild, available to both foreign governments and individual hackers who might want to attack anything from water treatment plants to electrical grids to other nuclear power plants.

If U.S. intelligence officials had used Axelrod and Iliev's model, they probably would not have chosen a different path, said Axelrod, mostly because the people who created it had to move fast. Stuxnet depended on exploiting at least three different vulnerabilities in Iran's nuclear facilities, any of which could have been fixed by the time the worm was deployed. 

That short time window, the high stakes involved with delaying Iran's nuclear program and the ability of Stuxnet to operate undetected for so long made it seem like a good idea at the time. (Axelrod's study breaks down these factors down into "persistence," "stealth" and "stakes" — basically, whether a cyberattack needs to be used quickly before becoming irrelevant, whether an attack will be useless later if used immediately and whether the stakes are high enough to risk the blowback from an attack).

Stuxnet certainly met its objective — delaying Iran's nuclear progress. But its "escape" was probably unforeseen, said Axelrod, and is just one of the many dangers of letting cyber conflicts go unregulated. 

The model he developed could help countries at least begin a dialogue about what is acceptable and what isn't, possibly leading to a ban on attacking things like civilian or banking infrastructure, Axelrod said.

"I think it could lead countries to realize that that they can't exactly judge another country's capabilities on what they see on a day-to-day basis," he said. "That makes any kind of established norms or agreements on limiting the use of cyberweapons more valuable."

Golden night: A-listers sweep, but Fey and Poehler steal show at Globes

Hollywood royalty and critical favorites swept up the big movie and TV trophies at a rather subdued Golden Globe Awards Sunday night in Los Angeles. It was a night of contradictions — numerous winners professed shock and seemed to not have even prepared acceptance speeches, and yet many of them talked so long the orchestra had to begin to play them offstage.

 Winners of the 2014 Golden Globes

Lucy Nicholson

Hollywood celebrates the best in television and film at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

"American Hustle," "Breaking Bad," and "Brooklyn Nine Nine" were among the films and television shows receiving multiple awards.

"American Hustle" swept two of the female acting awards. Jennifer Lawrence won the night's first award, for best supporting actress in a motion picture — and even managed to keep her feet beneath her as she took the stage. She praised director David O. Russell, saying she Googled him years ago after seeing his film, "I Heart Huckabees," and loved working with him. The lovably goofy star also apologized for being nervous.

"I don't know why I'm so scared ... I'm shaking," she said. "Don't ever do this again!"

"American Hustle" was in the spotlight again when Amy Adams — and her deep-V neckline — won the best actress in a comedy or musical award for playing a con woman. "I always cry when I'm not supposed to and then when a director asks me to, I can't cry," a tearful Adams said on stage. "It really sucks."

But "American Hustle" wasn't done collecting trophies. The film won best motion picture, musical or comedy, beating out "Her," "Nebraska," "Wolf of Wall Street" and "Inside Llewyn Davis."

"12 Years a Slave" had been talked about as a favorite, but the drama was shut out until the night's final award, claiming the best motion picture, drama award. Director Steve McQueen thanked his large cast, asking them to help him by shouting out names of the personnel he forgot to mention. "And of course, Brad Pitt, this movie couldn't have been made without you," McQueen said of the "12 Years" producer and co-star.

NBC / via Reuters

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler kept the celebrities in the audience laughing at their own expense.  

One of the best zingers: They introduced best-picture contender "Gravity" as "the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age." Clooney was not in attendance and the Internet was denied a great reaction GIF. 

Fey and Poehler also joked that the original title of "American Hustle," which features numerous exotic 1970s hairstyles, was "Explosion at the Wig Factory." And Fey praised Meryl Streep's work in "August: Osage County," saying the 64-year-old actress proved "that there are still great parts for Meryl Streeps over 60."

The hosts also promised — successfully, as it turns out — to get the show done in three hours. "Or as Martin Scorsese calls it, Act One," Fey joked.

Poehler also had her own moment in the award-acceptance spotlight, winning the Globe for best actress in a television series, comedy or musical for "Parks and Recreation." She was shown before the win was announced getting a shoulder massage from U2's Bono, and later dramatically kissing him after her win. "I never win, so I can't believe I won," the host said in her speech.

At the end of the show, she relived her moment with the U2 frontman.

"This is the beautiful mess we hoped it would be," Fey said in her signoff.

"And I got to make out with Bono!" Poehler added.

Jordan Strauss / AP

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston celebrated at the Golden Globes, where "Breaking Bad" won for best television drama, and Cranston for best actor in a television drama.

Critically acclaimed AMC drama "Breaking Bad" did itself proud at its final Golden Globe awards, claiming two honors in a row. Star Bryan Cranston won the best actor in a TV drama award for playing teacher turned meth kingpin Walter White.

"This is such a wonderful honor and such a lovely way to say goodbye to the show that meant so much to me," Cranston said of the program, which ended its five-season run in September.

Cranston had barely left the stage when "Breaking Bad" won the award for best TV series, drama. Co-star Aaron Paul put his punctuation mark on the series and the win by delivering his character's signature, "Yeah, b-tch!" into the microphone.

Mexican-born director Alfonso Cuaron won the best director award for "Gravity," and joked about his own heavy Spanish accent, saying he was sure "some members of the Hollywood Foreign Press can sympathize." He also thanked star Sandra Bullock for not quitting the film when she thought he said, "Sandra, I'm going to give you herpes," instead of "Sandra, I'm going to give you an earpiece."

Paul Drinkwater / AP

Matthew McConaughey accepts the award for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Matthew McConaughey won the Globe for best actor in a motion picture, drama, for his starring role in "Dallas Buyers Club," a film for which he lost 40 pounds. "All right, all right, all right!" he said as he took the stage in a throwback to his famed "Dazed and Confused" character Wooderson.

"This film, Ron Woodroof's story, was an underdog," McConaughey said of the true story of Woodroof, a Texan who had AIDS and smuggled drugs to treat the disease into the country. McConaughey also thanked his parents for making him play outside rather than allowing him to watch a lot of TV and movies, saying the active life was "a pretty good recipe for an actor."

Leonardo DiCaprio won for best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as brash stockbroker Jordan Belfort in "Wolf of Wall Street." 

"I have to thank Mr. Martin Scorsese for allowing me to stalk him into making this movie," DiCaprio said, praising the director as a "risk-taker and a visionary."

Cate Blanchett, who stars in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine," won the award for best actress in a motion picture, drama, and was one of many winners who heard the infamous notes of the show's orchestra hinting she'd talked too long.

"Can the people at home hear this music?" Blanchett asked during her speech. "Or do they suddenly think you're just getting real fast because you're having a panic attack?"

Jordan Strauss / AP

The members of U2, from left, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, Bono and The Edge, in the press room with the award for best original song for "Ordinary Love" from the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."

"Ordinary Love," by U2, from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," won for best original song. U2 leader Bono said in the band's acceptance speech, "This really is personal for us, very very personal. This man turned our lives upside-down, rightside-up." He added, "We wrote a love song because (the film is) kind of a dysfunctional love story. You know about (Nelson Mandela) the global statesman, you don't know about the man."

Jacqueline Bisset won the award for best supporting actress in a TV series, miniseries or movie for "Dancing on the Edge." Seeming flustered, she was at first silent, began speaking, then heard the telltale sounds of the orchestra, announced "I'm going to get this together."

Robin Wright won the award for best actress in a TV series, drama, for her role in the Netflix series "House of Cards." She thanked director David Fincher and co-star Kevin Spacey, saying of Spacey, "Kevin, you're the best playdate ever."

Jared Leto was named best supporting actor in a motion picture for "Dallas Buyers Club," for which he reportedly lost more than 30 pounds. "I did not use any prosthetics in this film," he said in his acceptance speech. "That tiny little Brazilian bubble butt was all mine."

Spike Jonze won the original screenplay award for "Her," starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with his computer operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

Andy Samberg won his first-ever Golden Globe, claiming the best actor in a TV musical or comedy series for "Brooklyn Nine Nine." The first-season sitcom also won for best television comedy series.

Paul Buck / EPA

Michael Douglas holds the Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a mini-series or motion picture made for television for "Behind the Candelabra."

The award for best miniseries or TV movie went to the Liberace biographical film "Behind the Candelabra." Michael Douglas, who stars as Liberace, won the award for best actor in a miniseries or movie. He called co-star Matt Damon the best actor he'd ever worked with and said he only beat him in the category because he wore more sequins.

Disney's "Frozen," based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," won for best animated feature film.

Elisabeth Moss, known best for her role as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men," won for best actress in a miniseries or TV movie for "Top of the Lake." Jon Voight won the best supporting actor in a TV series, miniseries or movie for "Ray Donovan."

The best original score award went to Alex Ebert for "All is Lost." His acceptance speech may have been overlooked if not for presenter Sean "Diddy" Combs' odd interruption. "He was on a boat with me partying in St. Bart's," Combs cut in to announce to the world.

Legendary director Woody Allen received the Cecil B. DeMille Award, given to a Hollywood figure who's "made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment." Allen famously avoids awards shows and Diane Keaton, who frequently worked with Allen, accepted the honor on his behalf.

The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is known for its free-flowing alcohol and for not always marching to the beat of the more staid, Oscar-awarding Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But many of the Globe nominees will likely appear on the Academy's list, which will be announced Thursday morning.

 Stars show up for the 2014 Golden Globes

Christopher Polk/nbc

Celebrities hit the red carpet in Los Angeles for the Golden Globes.

State Department says two Libyan terror groups were involved in Benghazi raid

The State Department on Friday designated two Libyan groups, including one led by a militant once held at Guantanamo Bay, as terrorist organizations and said they were involved in the deadly attack on U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi.

The groups are Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi and Ansar al-Sharia in Darnah. Their leaders, Ahmed Abu Khattalah and Sufian bin Qumu, were designated as global terrorists by the State Department.

Bin Qumu was captured in Pakistan and held at Guantanamo for five years before being released to Libyan authorities in 2007.

The State Department also gave the terror designation to a Tunisian group, Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia, and to its leader, Seifallah Ben Hassine.

The department said that group was involved in an attack on the U.S. Embassy and an American school in the Tunisian capital on Sept. 14, 2012, three days after the attack in Benghazi.

Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the Benghazi raid.

The State Department said in November that it had been quietly offering rewards of up to $10 millionfor information leading to the arrest or conviction of anyone involved in the Benghazi attack.

The department said Friday it was committed to working with the Libyan government to bring those responsible for the attack to justice. 

Helping those with Down syndrome reach their highest potential

Follow Nancy Gianni around for a day or two and the first thing you’ll feel is tired. She walks fast. She talks fast. And she is very much on a mission.

“I want to show people the beauty and potential in our kids,” she explains. “Let people understand that they are so much more than a diagnosis.”

At the new flagship location of GiGi’s Playhouse, a 10,000 square foot “achievement center” for people with Down syndrome, Gianni greets parents and children with unbridled enthusiasm.“Hey, Sistah!” she calls out to one student.

“Are you a star?” she asks another, pointing to the sequined star on her T-shirt.

And everyone gets a hug. 

It’s a community Gianni built from the ground up, inspired by the birth of her own daughter, GiGi, now 11 years old.

Smart, self-assured and sassy (according to Gianni), GiGi loves to sing and dance and shares an office with her mom at GiGi’s Playhouse, where she writes thank you notes to donors.

Seeing the two of them together, it is hard to believe Gianni was ever afraid of her daughter’s Down syndrome. But she took her cue from her doctors. She said her obstetrician-gynecologist looked scared as he delivered the news.

“They said 'You know, we saw some soft markers of Down syndrome,' and just like at that point, like everything had stopped in my world. I don't remember anything else that they were saying.”

The nurses stopped making eye contact, she said, and it seemed as though the doctors didn't know what to say. Gianni says she was overcome with fear, but when she and her husband, Paul, brought GiGi home, things began to change.

“My other kids were so excited to see her because they didn't see her as a diagnosis. They just knew that they had a new baby sister. I wasn't going to let them see my fear,” she said. “If I was going to take this diagnosis and feel sorry for myself, or feel sorry for her, they would treat her that same way.  And I didn't want that for her, and I didn't want that for our family.”

And so she started gathering information and marshaling support for what would become GiGi’s Playhouse.

“I wanted to walk, have them walk in somewhere where they feel celebration. Where they feel the warmth, where they feel the love,” said Gianni. “I wanted them to be able to just walk in and know they belonged.”

And it has worked. The organization has been so successful that they’ve expanded, with 16 locations across the United States and Mexico, and six more set to open in 2014.

GiGi’s Playhouse offers free services to people with Down syndrome – from private tutoring to art and music and life skills classes for young adults.

A program called LMNOP (Language, Music, ‘N Our Peeps) uses song and dance to teach the youngest students language and movement. It looks like any preschool class, but the skills they teach are even more important.“Kids with Down syndrome have low muscle tone,” explained Gianni. “That's what we're fighting all the time, which is why all of our programs are therapeutic in nature.”

So when a 4-year-old named Katelyn blows bubbles, she’s doing more than lighting up the room with her smile. She is strengthening facial muscles.

“Our kids have a diagnosis they wear on their face. So that's the first barrier for children to get over,” Katelyn's mother, Kristin Malek, explained.

She says she is grateful to Gianni for creating a place where Katelyn can succeed. “She's changing lives day by day. And making things happen and swinging doors open for all of us just to walk through.”

The new facility also features a store called “Hugs and Mugs,” that will be up and running in January 2014. Students will make the mugs themselves and also staff the store, teaching them occupational skills that will help them live independently.

“I can sell mugs. I can do my drawings. I can do anything,” said Christine Maxwell, one of the program’s stars. She lives on her own, has worked for more than a decade at her local movie theater, and serves as a mentor to other students.

Nightly News' National Correspondent Kate Snow first learned about GiGi’s Playhouse through her family. Her sister-in-law, Kiera, was born 32 years ago with Down syndrome, but at the time, there was nothing quite like Gianni's organization. 

“I wished I had had more support,” said Kiera's mom, Kathy, who lives near GiGi’s Playhouse, and has participated in the group’s annual 5K fundraising walks with her daughter. “I know people who have been here from day one and that’s when you need it the most.”

And Kiera had a question of her own for her mom. “What did you think of me when I came into your world?” she asked.

“When you came into my world? Well I didn't know a whole lot yet, so it was unknown and you kind of are fearful of things you don't know,” said Kathy. “This is what this place helps people with. You come here and you're not alone anymore. You're with other moms and dads and they help you and your child is special.”

And that, says Gianni, is the point.

“I think the most important thing that people need to understand about Down syndrome is the potential in that person,” she said. “That's what keeps me going everyday. I can look into the eyes of -- whether it be a child or one of our adults with Down syndrome and I see nothing but untapped potential.”