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#26
from slashdot
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| Phoenix Lander Discovers Nighttime Snowfall On Mars |
| from the time-to-build-a-martian-snowman dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday July 03, @14:02 (Mars) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...03/1529234 |
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Many outlets are reporting on the recently released results of the
various experiments and observations of NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander. Most
notable is the [0]discovery of nighttime snowfall on the planet, lending
credibility to the idea of a hypothesized active water cycle based on
earlier data collection. "The papers rely on evidence from a variety of
the instruments on the lander, and the description of the data provides
an impressive catalog of the various ways that Phoenix could prod and
query the Martian pole. In the months before Martian winter shut the
lander down, it managed to dig a dozen trenches, taking soil samples from
each. These samples went into wet and dry chemistry labs, had their
conductivity tested, and were even examined using an atomic force
microscope. Meanwhile, cameras and a LIDAR system (a laser-based range
detector) scanned the surroundings. The overall conclusion is that the
northern pole has an active water cycle. This had been suggested by a
variety of evidence from orbital sensors, as well early images returned
from Phoenix. It's also not a huge shock, given the seasonal growth and
retreat of the polar ice cap. Still, Phoenix provided some significant
details on the cycling of water in the area where it landed."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...03/1529234

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009...n-mars.ars




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| Hawking Says Humans Have Entered a New Stage of Evolution |
| from the already-banned-in-kansas dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 03, @22:03 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...03/2241207 |
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[0]movesguy sends us to The Daily Galaxy for comments by Stephen Hawking
about how humans are [1]evolving in a different way than any species
before us. Quoting: "'At first, evolution proceeded by natural selection,
from random mutations. This Darwinian phase, lasted about three and a
half billion years, and produced us, beings who developed language, to
exchange information. I think it is legitimate to take a broader view,
and include externally transmitted information, as well as DNA, in the
evolution of the human race,' Hawking said. In the last ten thousand
years the human species has been in what Hawking calls, 'an external
transmission phase,' where the internal record of information, handed
down to succeeding generations in DNA, has not changed significantly.
'But the external record, in books, and other long lasting forms of
storage,' Hawking says, 'has grown enormously. Some people would use the
term evolution only for the internally transmitted genetic material, and
would object to it being applied to information handed down externally.
But I think that is too narrow a view. We are more than just our genes.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...03/2241207

Links:
0. http://www.aulati.net/
1. http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/200...ution.html




Reply
#27
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

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| Nanopillar Solar May Cost 10x Less Than Silicon |
| from the hot-off-the-presses dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday July 06, @12:53 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...06/1545213 |
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[0]Al writes "A team of researchers from the University of California,
Berkeley, have developed [1]a new kind of flexible solar cell that could
be far cheaper to make than conventional silicon photovoltaics. The cells
consist of an array of 500-nanometer-high cadmium sulfide pillars printed
on top of an aluminum foil — the material surrounding the pillars absorbs
light and releases electrons, while the pillars themselves transport the
electrons to an electrical circuit. The closely packed pillars trap light
between them, helping the surrounding material absorb more. This means
the electrons also have a very short distance to travel through the
pillars, so there are fewer chances of their getting trapped at defects
and its possible to use low-quality, less expensive materials. '"You
won't know the cost until you do this using a roll-to-roll process," says
lead researchers Ali Javey. "But if you can do it, the cost could be 10
times less than what's used to make [crystalline] silicon panels."'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...06/1545213

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/22958/


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| Laser Treatment Could Save the Sight of Millions |
| from the i-can-see-clearly-now dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday July 06, @18:30 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...06/2043251 |
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[0]BotScout writes "British experts claim that a [1]new laser treatment
could save the sight of millions of people. The process is said to stop
the onset of age-related macular degeneration, one of the most common
forms of blindness, which leaves victims unable to read, drive or live
independently. The technique rejuvenates the Bruch's membrane — a thin
layer that lies behind the retina. The process takes just ten to 15
minutes and could be done by any ophthalmologist. While it does not cure
sight loss, its inventor, Professor John Marshall, says it could prevent
a generation from having to put up with declining vision in old age."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...06/2043251

Links:
0. http://botscout.com/
1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/articl...sight.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Railway Workers Get Daily Smile Scans |
| from the *_* dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday July 06, @14:15 (It's funny. Laugh|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...06/1722225 |
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More than 500 workers at Japan's, Keihin Electric Express Railway,
[0]must have their faces scanned each morning to determine their optimum
smile. The "smile scan" analyzes a smile based on facial characteristics,
from lip curves and eye movements to wrinkles. After the program scans
you, it produces a smile rating that ranges from zero to 100 depending on
the estimated potential of your biggest smile. If your number is
sufficient, you can go about your day grinning like a maniac. If your
smile number is too low the computer will give you a message such as,
"lift up your mouth corners" or "you still look too serious." Every
morning employees receive a printout of their daily smile which they are
expected to keep with them throughout the day.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...06/1722225

Links:
0. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...scans.html

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| WikiLeaks' Daniel Schmitt Speaks |
| from the difference-makers dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 06, @10:00 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/06/1321227 |
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[0]Lars Sobiraj submitted an [1]interview with Daniel Schmitt of
WikiLeaks. "He encourages all readers and warns his opponents — WikiLeaks
has the means to make our society better, to create a world which stands
united and strong against abuse — locally and nationally as well as
globally. Modern, fast, world-wide technology makes it possible. In the
interview, Daniel explains in detail how this will be done, with the help
of WikiLeaks and all its supporters."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...06/1321227

Links:
0. mailto:lars.sobiraj@gmx.net
1. http://www.gulli.com/news/wikileaks-dani...009-07-05/

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| uSocial Sells Twitter Followers By the Thousand |
| from the how-to-know-when-you've-jumped-the-shark dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday July 06, @03:34 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/2151220 |
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bfire writes to tell us that marketing firm uSocial has decided to apply
a new [0]monetization scheme to the Twitter service by providing packages
of followers for purchase. "According to the firm, a single Twitter
follower could be worth $0.10 a month. It is selling followers in various
packages, starting at 1,000 for $87, which is delivered in seven days,
and going all the way up to 100,000 followers at a cost of $3,479,
delivered over a year." This is just the latest in a number of different
[1]exploits and [2]problems of the Twitter universe as individuals try to
subvert a popular tool into a self-serving device.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/2151220

Links:
0. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/149303,aus...owers.aspx
1. http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4496.html
2. http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4402.html

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| Social Security Numbers Can Be Guessed |
| from the oh-there's-a-scheme-all-right dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 06, @19:14 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/06/2215218 |
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[0]BotScout writes "The nation's Social Security numbering scheme has
[1]left millions of citizens vulnerable to privacy breaches, according to
researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, who for the first time have
used statistical techniques to predict Social Security numbers solely
from an individual's date and location of birth. The researchers used the
information they gleaned to predict, in one try, the first five digits of
a person's Social Security number [2]44 percent of the time for 160,000
people born between 1989 and 2003. A Social Security Administration
spokesman said the government has long cautioned the private sector
against using a social security number as a personal identifier, even as
it insists 'there is no fool-proof method for predicting a person's
Social Security Number.'" Update: 07/07 00:01 GMT by [3]T : Reader
angrytuna links to [4]Wired's coverage of the SSN deduction system, and
links to the [5]researchers' FAQ at Carnegie Mellon, which says that the
research paper will be presented at BlackHat Las Vegas later this month.

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...06/2215218

Links:
0. http://botscout.com/
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...id=topnews
2. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aKbjO.Ew4S2E
3. http://www.monkey.org/~timothy/
4. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/0...ictingssn/
5. http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/~acquisti/ssnstudy/






In this issue:
* Robot Invented To Crawl Through Veins
* Don't Copy That Floppy! Gets a Sequel
* Jammie Thomas Moves To Strike RIAA $1.92M Verdict
* Incandescent Bulbs Return To the Cutting Edge
* Microsoft Puts C# and the CLI Under "Community Promise"
* US, Russia Reach Nuclear Arsenal Agreement
* Microsoft Warns of New Video ActiveX Vulnerability
* VLC 1.0.0 Released
* Optical Transistor Made From Single Molecule
* Epic Sticking With Classic Controllers For Now
* Volunteer Programming For Dummies?
* Google Apps Leave Beta
* New Zealand Creates Safety Billboard That Bleeds When It Rains
* The Dilemma of Level vs. Skill In MMOs
* British Library Puts Oldest Surviving Bible Online
* Four Missed Opportunities for Privacy
* Sunspots Return
* Prof. Nesson Ordered To Show Cause
* Is IE Usage Share Collapsing?
* Gaze-Tracking Software Protects Computer Privacy
* US Finalizes Stem Cell Research Guidelines
* PC Invader Costs a Kentucky County $415,000

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| Robot Invented To Crawl Through Veins |
| from the oh-no-not-creepy dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 06, @20:39 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...07/0012256 |
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Slatterz writes "Scientists from Israel's Technion University have
[0]unveiled a tiny robot, made using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems
(MEMS) technology, purportedly able to crawl through a person's veins in
order to diagnose and potentially treat artery blockage and cancer. The
little robot — with a diameter of just one millimeter — has neither
engine nor onboard controls, instead being propelled forward by a
magnetic field wielded on it from outside the patient's body."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...07/0012256

Links:
0. http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/14940...veins.aspx


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| Don't Copy That Floppy! Gets a Sequel |
| from the not-the-jailhouse-fantasy-I-signed-up-for dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 06, @22:40 (The Media) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/0024224 |
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[0]theodp writes "Back in 1992, the [1]SIIA released [2]Don't Copy That
Floppy!, a goofy video in which anti-piracy rapper [3]MC Double Def DP
convinces a young lad not to copy a game by appealing to his sense of
right and wrong. Now, to address what it calls 'new generations and new
temptations,' the SIIA has uploaded a trailer for a new anti-piracy rap
video — [4]Don't Copy That 2 — that will be released this summer. To
underscore the video's it's-not-just-a-copy-it's-a-crime message, the new
film is a tad darker than the original. A smug teen who's downloading
files from 'Pirates Palace' and 'Tune Weasel' finds his world turned
upside down when automatic weapons-toting government agents break down
the door and take his Mom away in handcuffs. The teen finds himself in a
prison jumpsuit forced to tattoo shirtless adult inmates who eventually
turn on him, physically attack him, and make him run for his life back to
his jail cell ([5]image summarizing his plight)."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/0024224

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.siia.net/
2.
3. http://www.siia.net/components/com_fpss/...t2_1_1.jpg
4.
5. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2499/3692...6c04f1.jpg


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| Jammie Thomas Moves To Strike RIAA $1.92M Verdict |
| from the in-excruciating-detail dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday July 07, @01:56 (The Courts) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/049252 |
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[0]NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Jammie Thomas-Rasset has [1]made a motion
for a new trial, seeking to vacate the $1.92 million judgment entered
against her for infringement of 24 MP3 files, in [2]Capitol Records v.
Thomas-Rasset. Her [3]attorneys' brief (PDF) argues, among other things,
that the 'monstrous' sized verdict violates the Due Process Clause,
consistent with 100 years of SCOTUS jurisprudence, since it is grossly
disproportionate to any actual damages sustained. It further argues that,
since the RIAA elected to offer no evidence of actual damages, either as
an alternative to statutory damages, or to buttress the fairness of a
statutory damages award, the verdict, if it is to be reduced, must be
reduced to zero."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../07/049252

Links:
0. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
1. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspo...al-in.html
2. http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Documents.htm&s=Virgin_v_Thomas
3. http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Law...wTrial.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Incandescent Bulbs Return To the Cutting Edge |
| from the abstract-standards-mean-more-flexibility dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday July 07, @05:09 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...07/0716247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]lee1 writes "A law in the US that is due to take effect in 2012
mandates such tough efficiency standards for lightbulbs that it has been
assumed, until recently, that it would kill off the incandescent bulb.
Instead, the law has become a case study of the way government regulation
can inspire technical innovation. For example, new incandescent
technology from Philips that [1]seals the traditional filament inside a
small capsule (which itself is contained within the familiar bulb). The
capsule has a coating that reflects heat back to the filament, where it
is partially converted to light. The sophisticated ($5.00) bulbs are
about 30% more efficient than the old-fashioned ($0.25) kind, and should
last about three times as long. So they are less economical than compact
fluorescents, but should emit a more pleasing spectrum, not contain
mercury, and, one supposes, present the utility company with a more
desirable [2]power factor."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...07/0716247

Links:
0. http://ltleegtltatgtltlee-phillips.orggt/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/busine...bulbs.html
2. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...08/2125250&tid=232


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| Microsoft Puts C# and the CLI Under "Community Promise" |
| from the if-it's-a-trap-please-clarify dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday July 07, @08:06 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/0434236 |
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FishWithAHammer writes "Peter Galli of Microsoft posted a blog entry on
Port25 today, regarding the explicit placement of [0]C# and the Common
Language Infrastructure (the ECMA standard that underpins .NET) under
their Community Promise: 'It is important to note that, under the
Community Promise, anyone can freely implement these specifications with
their technology, code, and solutions. You do not need to sign a license
agreement, or otherwise communicate to Microsoft how you will implement
the specifications. ... Under the Community Promise, Microsoft provides
assurance that it will not assert its Necessary Claims against anyone who
makes, uses, sells, offers for sale, imports, or distributes any Covered
Implementation under any type of development or distribution model,
including open-source licensing models such as the LGPL or GPL.'" Adds
reader anshulajain: "Understandably, [1]Miguel De Icaza is jumping with
joy."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...07/0434236

Links:
0. http://port25.technet.com/archive/2009/0...dards.aspx?
1. http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2009/Jul-06.html


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| US, Russia Reach Nuclear Arsenal Agreement |
| from the you-can't-hug-your-children-with-nuclear-arms dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @08:49 (The Military) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1155236 |
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[0]Peace Corps Library writes "The United States and Russia, seeking to
move forward on one of the most significant arms control treaties since
the end of the cold war, announced that they had reached a preliminary
agreement on cutting each country's stockpiles of strategic nuclear
weapons, effectively setting the stage for a successor to the Strategic
Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), a cold war-era pact that expires in
December. Under the framework, negotiators are to be instructed to craft
a treaty that would [1]cut strategic warheads for each side to between
1,500 and 1,675, down from the limit of 2,200 slated to take effect in
2012 [2]under the Treaty of Moscow (PDF) signed by President George W.
Bush. The limit on delivery vehicles would be cut to between 500 and
1,100 from the 1,600 currently allowed under Start. Perhaps more
important than the specific limits would be a revised and extended
verification system that otherwise would expire with Start in December.
The United States currently has 1,198 land-based intercontinental
ballistic missiles, submarine-based missiles and bombers, which together
are capable of delivering 5,576 warheads, according to its most recent
Start report in January, while Russia reported that it has 816 delivery
vehicles capable of delivering 3,909 warheads. 'We have a mutual interest
in protecting both of our populations from the kinds of danger that
weapons proliferation is presenting today,' said President Obama."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1155236

Links:
0. http://peacecorpslibrary.org/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/world/...prexy.html
2. http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL31448_20081230.pdf


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| Microsoft Warns of New Video ActiveX Vulnerability |
| from the like-one-of-those-pothole-signs dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @09:34 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/1254243 |
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ucanlookitup writes "Microsoft has [0]warned of a 'privately reported'
vulnerability affecting IE users on XP or Windows Server 2003. The
vulnerability allows remote users to execute arbitrary code with the same
privileges as the users. The vulnerability is triggered when users visit
a web site with malicious code. 'Security experts say criminals have been
attacking the vulnerability for nearly a week. Thousands of sites have
been hacked to serve up malicious software that exploits the
vulnerability.' [1]The advisory can be found at TechNet. Until Microsoft
develops a patch, [2]a workaround is available."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/07/1254243

Links:
0. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...AD9996H7O0
1. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/securit...72890.mspx
2. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890#FixItForMe


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| VLC 1.0.0 Released |
| from the now-supports-kitchen-sink dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @10:16 (Software) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1357237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

rift321 writes "[0]VLC media player, which we all know for simplifying
the playback of pretty much any codec out there, has [1]finally released
version 1.0.0. Here's a quick list of improvements: live recording,
instant pausing and frame-by-frame support, finer speed controls, new HD
codecs (AES3, Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, Blu-Ray Linear PCM, Real Video
3.0 and 4.0), new formats (Raw Dirac, M2TS) and major improvements in
many formats, new Dirac encoder and MP3 fixed-point encoder, video
scaling in fullscreen, RTSP Trickplay support, zipped file playback,
customizable toolbars, easier encoding GUI in Qt interface, better
integration in Gtk environments, MTP devices on Linux, and AirTunes
streaming."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1357237

Links:
0. http://www.videolan.org/
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10280845-16.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Optical Transistor Made From Single Molecule |
| from the moore-refuses-to-surrender dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @10:59 (Supercomputing) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1346221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers from ETH Zurich have recently
managed to [0]create an optical transistor from a single molecule in what
is yet another important achievement on the road to quantum computing.
The molecule itself is about 2 nanometers in size, much smaller than
standard transistors, which means that a lot more could be integrated in
a single chip. Dr. Hwang, lead author of the academic paper, said, 'Our
single-molecule optical transistor generates almost negligible amount of
heat. When a single molecule absorbs one photon, there is some
probability (quantum yield) that the molecule emits a photon out. The
rest of the energy absorbed turns into heat in the matrix. For the case
of the specific hydrocarbon molecule that we use, the quantum yield is
near 100%. So almost no heat is generated.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1346221

Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/optical-transistor...ule/12157/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Epic Sticking With Classic Controllers For Now |
| from the no-hand-waving dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @11:23 (Input Devices) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...07/1512225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Cliff Bleszinski, design director for Epic Games, said in an interview
with Develop that while motion control schemes like Project Natal look
interesting, Epic will probably be [0]sticking with classic controllers
"for the foreseeable future." He said, "Microsoft came down a few weeks
before E3 and gave us a demo, and they're now shipping out the dev kits;
I think it's great. When you start combining the motion-capture, the
facial recognition, and the vocal recognition you can create some unique
experiences. And of course more accessibility is always a good thing.
When you build an interface like that though you need to [specifically]
design a game for it. It can't just be tacked on."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...07/1512225

Links:
0. http://www.develop-online.net/features/5...king-ahead


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Volunteer Programming For Dummies? |
| from the learning-the-ropes dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @11:44 (Programming) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/1440247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Tios writes "I've been studying programming languages (C++, Java, C,
Visual Basic) on my own with the self-guided, basic textbooks and
tutorials, and I'm starting to get tired of working with examples that
are not put into real use. I'm motivated to utilize my programming
potential, but I've not had any experience programming in a team
environment with lead developers, mentors, or collaborators. If finding a
programming job isn't an option, I wonder if I could volunteer for
programming in an open-source community. If this is a good idea, how do I
start? What resources are out there that could get me oriented in
volunteering? What kind of basic projects are out there, with a
supportive team/mentor for me to develop, practice, learn, and
contribute?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...07/1440247


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Apps Leave Beta |
| from the why-so-soon dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @12:27 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1526237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Today Google announced that [0]they're removing the "beta" label from
Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Talk. They said, "We've
come to appreciate that [1]the beta tag just doesn't fit for large
enterprises that aren't keen to run their business on software that
sounds like it's still in the trial phase." Quoting the NYTimes:
"'Obviously we haven't had a consistent set of policies or definitions
around beta,' said Matt Glotzbach, a director of product management at
Google. Mr. Glotzbach said that different teams at Google had different
criteria for what beta meant, and that Google felt a need to standardize
those. ... Practically speaking, the change will mean precious little to
Gmail's millions of users. But it could help Google's efforts to get the
paid version of its package of applications, which includes Gmail,
Calendar, Docs and other products, [2]adopted inside big companies."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1526237

Links:
0. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/07...artner=rss&emc=rss
1. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/g...eally.html
2. http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/200...large.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Zealand Creates Safety Billboard That Bleeds When It Rains |
| from the when-it-rains-it-gores dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday July 07, @12:39 (Transportation) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1620230 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Officials in Papakura, New Zealand have come up with [0]a billboard that
bleeds when it rains. They hope it will encourage drivers to slow down
when the weather makes conditions dangerous. Since the billboards have
been erected, there hasn't been a fatal accident in the area.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1620230

Links:
0. http://gizmodo.com/5308413/disturbing-bi...oplay=true


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Dilemma of Level vs. Skill In MMOs |
| from the one-does-not-imply-the-other dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 07, @13:10 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../07/163236 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Karen Hertzberg writes "Since MMORPGs became a mainstream medium, players
have [0]debated the two primary methods of advancement. Which is better?
Is it the level-based system that is so dominant in today's MMORPGs, or
the lesser-used skill-based system? This has been a strong subject of
debate on many forums, blogs, and gaming sites for as long as the genre
has existed. Ten Ton Hammer's Cody 'Micajah' Bye investigates the two
concepts and gathers input from some of the brightest minds in the gaming
industry about their thoughts on the two systems of advancement."
Relatedly, I've seen a growing trend of players saying that such games
don't really take much skill at all. The standard argument is that it
just boils down to "knowing how to move" or "knowing when to hit your
buttons." In the MMO community, people often make references to FPS or
RTS games, saying they have a higher skill cap. However, the same
complaints also come from within those communities, with comments like
"you just need to know the map," or "it's all about a good build order."
At what point does intimate knowledge of a game's mechanics make a player
skilled?

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../07/163236

Links:
0. http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/70728


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| British Library Puts Oldest Surviving Bible Online |
| from the greek-to-me dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @13:57 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1715210 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Peace Corps Library writes "BBC reports that about 800 pages of the
[1]earliest surviving Christian Bible, the 1,600-year-old Codex
Sinaiticus manuscript, have been recovered and put on the Internet. 'The
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the world's greatest written treasures,' says
Dr. Scot McKendrick, head of Western manuscripts at the British Library.
'This 1,600-year-old manuscript offers a window into the development of
early Christianity and first-hand evidence of how the text of the Bible
was transmitted from generation to generation.' The New Testament of the
Codex Sinaiticus appears in [2]Koine Greek, the original vernacular
language, and the Old Testament in the version, known as the
[3]Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians. For
1,500 years, the Codex Sinaiticus lay undisturbed in a Sinai monastery
until it was found in 1844 and split between Egypt, Russia, Germany, and
Britain. It is thought to have survived because the desert air was ideal
for preservation and because the monastery, on a Christian island in a
Muslim sea, remained untouched, its walls unconquered. [4]The British
Library is marking the online launch of the manuscript with an exhibition
which includes a range of historic items and artifacts linked to the
document. 'The availability of the virtual manuscript for study by
scholars around the world creates opportunities for collaborative
research that would not have been possible just a few years ago.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1715210

Links:
0. http://peacecorpslibrary.org/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8135415.stm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koine
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint
4. http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Four Missed Opportunities for Privacy |
| from the squirming-to-head-off-regulation dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @14:44 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/181256 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The NY Times has a blog posting on the occasion of the [0]Internet
advertising industry's release (PDF) of what it describes as tough new
standards governing the collection and use of data about users' behavior.
The Time's Saul Hansell describes these "new" standards as [1]more of the
same old status quo, and outlines four privacy-enhancing ideas, being
discussed by Google, Yahoo, the FTC, and Congress, that the IAB has
completely ignored. These principles are: every ad should explain itself;
users should be able to see data collected about them; browsers should
help enforce user choices about tracking; and some information (medical
and financial) is simply too sensitive to track.

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/07/181256

Links:
0. http://www.iab.net/media/file/ven-princi...-01-09.pdf
1. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/06...-left-out/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sunspots Return |
| from the try-this-proven-acne-cure dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @15:31 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...07/1858223 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

We're [0]emerging from the longest, deepest sunspot drought since 1913
(we [1]discussed its depths here) with the appearance of a robust group
of sunspots over the weekend. Recently we discussed [2]a possible
explanation for the prolonged minimum. The Fox News article quotes
observer Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, Calif.: "This is the best sunspot
I've seen in two years." jamie found a NASA site where you can
[3]generate a movie of the recent sunspot's movement — try selecting the
first image type and bumping the resolution to 1024. The magnetic field
lines are clearly visible.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...07/1858223

Links:
0. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530275,00.html
1. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...09/1414205&tid=160
2. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...17/2218225&tid=236
3. http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/...ie_theater


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Prof. Nesson Ordered To Show Cause |
| from the does-not-sound-good dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @16:18 (The Courts) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1933219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Professor Charles Nesson, the Harvard law
professor serving pro bono as counsel to the defendant in [1]SONY BMG
Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, has been [2]ordered to show cause why
sanctions should not be issued against him for violating the Court's
orders prohibiting reproduction of the court proceedings. The order to
show cause was in furtherance of [3]the RIAA's motion for sanctions and
protective order, which we [4]discussed here yesterday. The Judge
indicated that she was 'deeply concerned' about Prof. Nesson's apparent
'blatant disregard' of her order."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1933219

Links:
0. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
1. http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Documents.htm&s=SONY_v_Tenenbaum
2. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspo...judge.html
3. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspo...overy.html
4. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/07/06/2034213/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is IE Usage Share Collapsing? |
| from the war-rejoined dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @17:03 (Internet Explorer) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...07/1925254 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]je ne sais quoi writes "Net Applications normally releases its
statistics for [1]browser and operating system usage share on the first
of every month. This month, however, the data has not shown up — only a
cryptic message stating they are reviewing the data for [2]inexplicable
statistical variations and that it will be available soon. Larry Dignan
at ZDNet has a [3]blog post that might explain what is happening:
Statcounter has released some data that shows a [4]precipitous drop in IE
browser use in North America, to the benefit of Firefox, Safari, and
Chrome. At the end of May, StatCounter shows IE usage share (vor versions
6, 7, and 8 combined) at around 64%; at the beginning of June it is now
about 56% — an astounding 8% drop in one month. We should keep in mind
the difficulties in estimating browser usage share: this could very well
be a change in how browsers report themselves, or some other statistical
anomaly. So it will probably be healthy to remain skeptical until trend
this is confirmed by [5]other organizations. Have any of you seen drops
in IE usage share for Web-sites you administer?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...07/1925254

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/~je+ne+sais+quoi/
1. http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operatin...px?qprid=8
2. http://marketshare.hitslink.com/status.aspx
3. http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=20674
4. http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-na-da...1-20090707
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share...b_browsers


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Gaze-Tracking Software Protects Computer Privacy |
| from the shoulder-surfer-wipeout dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @17:50 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/1946217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Ponca City, We Love You writes "Two years ago computer security expert
Bill Anderson read about scientific research on how the human eye moves
as it reads and processes text and images. 'This obscure
characteristic... suddenly struck me as (a solution to) a security
problem,' says Anderson. With the help of a couple of software
developers, Anderson developed a software program called Chameleon that
tracks a viewer's gaze patterns and [1]only allows an authorized user to
read text on the screen, while everyone else sees gibberish. Chameleon
uses gaze-tracking software and camera equipment to track an authorized
reader's eyes to show only that one person the correct text. After a
15-second calibration period in which the software learns the viewer's
gaze patterns, anyone looking over that user's shoulder sees dummy text
that randomly and constantly changes. To tap the broader consumer market,
Anderson built a more consumer-friendly version called PrivateEye, which
can work with a simple Webcam to [2]blur a user's monitor when he or she
turns away. It also detects other faces in the background, and a small
video screen pops up to alert the user that someone is looking at the
screen. 'There have been inventions in the space of gaze-tracking. There
have been inventions in the space of security,' says Anderson. 'But
nobody has put the two ideas together, as far as we know.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/07/1946217

Links:
0. http://poncacityweloveyou.com/
1. http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_12743292
2. http://oculislabs.com/Products/PrivateEye.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Finalizes Stem Cell Research Guidelines |
| from the stem-too-stern dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @18:38 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...07/2027238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes with an excerpt from Cosmos Magazine, to wit:
"The US government unveiled [0]final rules for embryonic stem cell
research, laying out ground rules for 'ethically responsible,
scientifically worthy' studies eligible for federal funds. The new rules,
which go into effect today, follow President Barack Obama's March 9
executive order [1]lifting a ban on embryonic stem cell research, an
order that went into effect under his predecessor, George W. Bush. ...
The US National Institutes of Health's (NIH) guidelines are slightly less
restrictive than those outlined in a [2]draft document released in April
in that they allow the use of existing stem cell lines, in addition to
new ones derived from IVF procedures. ... The NIH received some 49,000
comments from patient advocacy groups, scientists, medical groups, and
other interested parties before issuing the guidelines."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...07/2027238

Links:
0. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2844/...guidelines
1. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s.../07/057220&tid=272
2. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...15/1426220&tid=272


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PC Invader Costs a Kentucky County $415,000 |
| from the don't-be-stupid-out-there dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 07, @19:26 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/07/2051238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

plover recommends a detailed account by Brian Krebs in the Washington
Post's Security Fix column of [0]a complex hack and con job resulting in
the theft of $415,000 from Bullitt County, Kentucky. "The crooks were
aided by more than two dozen co-conspirators in the United States, as
well as a strain of malicious software capable of defeating online
security measures put in place by many banks. ...the trouble began on
June 22, when someone started making unauthorized wire transfers of
$10,000 or less from the county's payroll to accounts belonging to at
least 25 individuals around the country... [T]he criminals stole the
money using a custom variant of a keystroke logging Trojan known as
'Zeus' (a.k.a. 'Zbot') that included two new features. The first is that
stolen credentials are sent immediately via instant message to the
attackers. But the second, more interesting feature of this malware... is
that it creates a direct connection between the infected Microsoft
Windows system and the attackers, allowing the bad guys to log in to the
victim's bank account using the victim's own Internet connection."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/07/2051238

Links:
0. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securit...d=sec-tech

Reply
#28
In this issue:
* Researchers Enable Mice To Exhale Fat
* Command & Conquer 4 Announced For 2010
* Facebook Sued Over Data Access
* Bethesda Releases Daggerfall For Free
* Bletchley Park WWII Staff Finally Recognized
* Why Video Games Are Having a Harder Time With Humor
* Memristor Minds, the Future of Artificial Intelligence
* Apple To Sell WiFi-less iPhone In China
* Study Highlights Gap Between Views of Scientists and the Public
* UK's National Portrait Gallery Threatens To Sue Wikipedia User
* ImageShack Hacked, Security Groups Threatened
* Developer Stigma After a Bad or Catastrophic Release?
* Behind the "My Location" Errors In Google Maps
* British Men Jailed For Online Hate Crimes
* Lightning Strikes Delay Shuttle Launch
* Searching Google, Where Internet Access is Scarce
* How Do You Create Config Files Automatically?
* How To Teach Programming To Kids, Via Xbox
* Five Years of PC Storage Performance Compared
* Military's Satellite Meteor Data Sharing May Soon Resume

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Researchers Enable Mice To Exhale Fat |
| from the americans-still-too-lazy-for-this-diet dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 10, @20:01 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...10/2310235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]destinyland writes "UCLA researchers made a startling discovery:
[1]genetic alterations enable mice to convert fat into carbon dioxide.
Mammals digest fats differently than bacteria — so researchers
[2]introduced bacteria genes into mouse livers, and 'the excess fat was
literally released into thin air.' (One researcher calls it 'an
unconventional idea which we borrowed from plants and bacteria.') The
research potentially could help treat serious medical conditions
including diabetes, heart disease — and of course, obesity."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...10/2310235

Links:
0. http://www.destinyland.org/
1. http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/health...xhale-diet
2. http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22757/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Command & Conquer 4 Announced For 2010 |
| from the i-hope-they-bring-back-invincible-sand-bags dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 10, @21:19 (PC Games (Games)) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...11/0110207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

EA has officially announced that [0] Command & Conquer 4 will be coming
to the PC sometime next year. They say it will bring the Tiberium series
to an "epic conclusion," while introducing "new class-based gameplay,
mobile bases and persistent player progression throughout all game
modes." In [1]an interview with Gamespot, designer Samuel Bass
elaborated: "Our 'offense class' is your classic RTS faction,
tank-oriented and focused on frontline combat. With the 'defense class,'
however, the emphasis is on infantry, bunkers, and turrets, which lets
you build complex defensive grids and really hold down a section of the
battlefield. Lastly, we come to the 'support class,' which is based
around utilizing a selection of aircraft and custom vehicles to traverse
the environment. Once engaged in combat, support players can fight
directly or assist their teammates with a variety of powers and [healing
abilities]."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...11/0110207

Links:
0. http://www.commandandconquer.com/cnc4/pressrelease.html
1. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/comm...id=6213111


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facebook Sued Over Data Access |
| from the your-information-wants-to-be-free-but-not-ours dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 10, @22:05 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/11/0029255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Late last year, a web service called Power.com launched with the aim of
allowing users to unify their use of multiple social networks. Facebook
quickly filed a lawsuit, objecting to the (user-authorized) gathering of
their data. Reader sufijazz writes with news that [0]Power.com has now
countersued Facebook, saying, "Facebook improperly restricts its users'
access to their private information," and that Facebook's own data
scraping makes their lawsuit an attempt to stifle competition. According
to TechCrunch, "Facebook can point to its efforts with Facebook Connect,
which lets you log in with your Facebook username at third party sites
and import some select data from your profile, as evidence of its
openness. But [1]this isn't true data portability, it's just a new walled
garden — third parties are generally only allowed to cache your data,
which means that you're still tethered to Facebook."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/0029255

Links:
0. http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090710/a...ok_lawsuit
1. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/09/pow...rtability/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bethesda Releases Daggerfall For Free |
| from the vennnnn-geannnnnnnnce dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 10, @22:57 (Classic Games (Gam|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../11/023245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

On Thursday, Bethesda announced that for the 15th anniversary of the
Elder Scrolls series, they were [0]releasing The Elder Scrolls II:
Daggerfall for free. They aren't providing support for the game anymore,
but they posted a [1]detailed description of how to get the game running
in [2]DOSBox. Fans of the series can now easily relive the experience of
getting completely lost in those enormous dungeons. Save often.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../11/023245

Links:
0. http://bethblog.com/index.php/2009/07/09...-for-free/
1. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59477
2. http://www.dosbox.com/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bletchley Park WWII Staff Finally Recognized |
| from the what's-a-few-decades-among-friends dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @00:07 (Encryption) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/2318252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

99luftballon writes "Nearly 70 years after Station X (aka the Bletchley
Park cryptanalysis unit) was set up, the surviving members [0]are to be
honored by the British government. Bletchley was one of the most
important computing centers of its time and housed giants of the
technology industry (as it was) like [1]Tommy Flowers, who built
[2]Colossus, and [3]Dr. Alan Turing. I was lucky enough to meet one of
the staff at the site 11 years ago, and she was very bitter that their
work was never recognized, and that they were bound by the Official
Secrets Act and couldn't talk about it. It's just a shame that so few of
the staff are still alive to receive the award."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/2318252

Links:
0. http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2245801/gove...s-veterans
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Flowers
2. http://www.codesandciphers.org.uk/lorenz/colossus.htm
3. http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why Video Games Are Having a Harder Time With Humor |
| from the moo-moomoo-moo-moomoomoo-mooooooo dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @02:09 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../11/038252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Kotaku is running an opinion piece discussing why video games are
[0]having a harder time being funny as they've shifted away from
text-driven adventures and toward graphics-intensive environments. "As
technology improved, things began to get more serious. With the rise of
3D technology a strong focus was put on making games look good,
delivering a more realistic — and often darker — experience to the
player. Cartoonish comedic games became more of a novelty than the norm.
Few titles, such as Rare's Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64,
fully embraced humor." The article also talks about how the trend could
soon reverse itself. LucasArts' Dave Grossman said, "As the games get
smarter and start paying attention to more things about what the player
is actually doing, using that ability not just to create challenges but
to create humorous moments will be pretty cool. Eventually I expect to be
out of a job over that."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../11/038252

Links:
0. http://kotaku.com/5310896/why-its-hard-t...ames-funny


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Memristor Minds, the Future of Artificial Intelligence |
| from the boldly-stated-claims dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @05:12 (Robotics) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/0114226 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

godlessgambler writes "Within the past couple of years, memristors have
morphed from obscure jargon into one of the hottest properties in
physics. They've not only been made, but their unique capabilities might
revolutionize consumer electronics. More than that, though, along with
completing the jigsaw of electronics, they might solve the puzzle of
[0]how nature makes that most delicate and powerful of computers — the
brain."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/0114226

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20...?full=true


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple To Sell WiFi-less iPhone In China |
| from the also-adding-special-tinfoil-bezel dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @08:15 (Cellphones) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...11/0216229 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Business Week reports that the Chinese government
has received an application from Apple seeking a Network Access License
to sell the iPhone for officially-sanctioned use in the country. However,
the application is for an [1]iPhone that does not include WiFi
connectivity, a sticking point in negotiations with the Ministry of
Industry and Information Technology, which wants the phone to only run on
the cellular networks. 'Apple was hellbent on having the iPhone be
WiFi-enabled,' says analyst Matt Mathison. 'The Chinese government has
been just as adamant that it not be.' For many years now, China ministry
officials told wireless consumers that [2]WiFi would not be allowed on
mobile phones for fear that consumers might be tempted to illegally load
VoIP apps and make calls over the Net, undermining carriers' interests.
However Glenn Fleishman says that China uses WAPI, a homegrown
proprietary extension to Wi-Fi that only a handful of Chinese
manufacturers have access to, and that equipment sold in China must have
WAPI support and chips made in China. Fleishman speculates that
[3]China's WAPI standard contains backdoor technology to allow China to
monitor any communications sent over 'secure' links."

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...11/0216229

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/B..._stri.html
2. http://idannyb.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/...-in-china/
3. http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2006/05/...ision.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Study Highlights Gap Between Views of Scientists and the Public |
| from the i-blame-the-schools dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @09:17 (United States) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...11/1155220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]ZeroSerenity was one of many to write with news of a survey from the
Pew Research Center which sought to [1]find out how Americans feel about
science and contrast that with the opinions of actual scientists. The
study showed that "nearly 9 in 10 scientists accept the idea of evolution
by natural selection, but [2]just a third of the public does. And while
84% of scientists say the Earth is getting warmer because of human
activity, less than half of the public agrees with that." 27% of the
respondents said that the advances of the US in science are its greatest
achievement, down from 44% ten years ago. The study is lengthy, and it
contains many more interesting tidbits. For example: scientists [3]decry
the level of media coverage given to science, and they also think
[4]research funding has too much influence on study results. 32% of
scientists identify themselves as Independent, while [5]55% say they're
Democrats and 6% say they're Republicans.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...11/1155220

Links:
0. mailto:gormac05@yahoEINSTEINo.comminusphysicist
1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090710/sc_n...e_survey_1
2. http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1550
3. http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1547
4. http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1548
5. http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1549


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| UK's National Portrait Gallery Threatens To Sue Wikipedia User |
| from the pictures-of-pictures dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @10:21 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/11/1239244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]jpatokal writes "The National Portrait Gallery of London is
[1]threatening litigation against a Wikipedia user over his uploading of
pictures of [2]some 3,000 paintings, all 19th century or earlier and
firmly in the public domain. Their claim? The photos are a 'product of a
painstaking exercise on the part of the photographer,' and that
downloading them off the NPG site is an 'unlawful circumvention of
technical measures.' And remember, the NPG's [3]taxpayer-funded mission
is to 'promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all
media [...] to as wide a range of visitors as possible!'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/1239244

Links:
0. http://openflights.org/
1. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:D...gal_threat
2. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Catego...ry,_London
3. http://www.npg.org.uk/about/organisation.php


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ImageShack Hacked, Security Groups Threatened |
| from the a-picture's-worth-a-couple-hundred-words-or-so dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @11:23 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/11/1430249 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]revjtanton writes "Last night a group calling themselves 'Anti-Sec'
hacked ImageShack, one of the largest image hosting sites on the web, and
replaced many of the site's hosted pictures with one of their own, which
[1]detailed their manifesto. The group's grievance is against
full-disclosure of exploits, an issue that was debated recently [2]after
a presentation on an ATM exploit was canceled. Anti-Sec simply wants the
practice within security circles to end, and they've promised to cause
'mayhem and destruction' if it doesn't. These people are taking direct
aim against a sect of the IT industry who is already armed to fight them
... but they also already know that. It should be interesting to see how
this plays out."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/11/1430249

Links:
0. http://jasonanton.com/
1. http://mashable.com/2009/07/10/imageshack-hacked/
2. http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/07/10/14...d?from=rss


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Developer Stigma After a Bad or Catastrophic Release? |
| from the don't-call-us-we'll-call-you dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @12:28 (Programming) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/11/1555235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "We hear in the news all the time about how
executives can drive a company into the ground and yet somehow become
more desirable to other big companies. What we don't hear about are the
grunts who implemented those decisions, and whether or not they end up
resume-stained or blacklisted. Since we've got so many developers with
lots of time in the trenches, I thought I would appeal to their
experience. When disaster looms and sales starts pushing development that
has little chance but to end in disaster, what happens to the programmer
who decides he needs his job enough to follow orders? Have they ever
become unhireable?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/1555235


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Behind the "My Location" Errors In Google Maps |
| from the i-can-see-my-house-from-here dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 11, @13:30 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/1650219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]waderoush writes "Ever since Google added the 'My Location' feature
this week to the desktop and laptop versions of Google Maps, allowing
Firefox and Chrome users to see their current location on a map,
[1]people have been reporting bizarre location errors — Manhattanites,
for example, are being told by Google that they're in Austin, TX. Ted
Morgan, the CEO of Boston-based location software provider Skyhook
Wireless, talked about the problems in an interview Friday. Skyhook's
Wi-Fi-based location-finding technology was passed over when Mozilla
adopted Google's own location services toolkit for Firefox 3.5 in April;
Morgan says that was unfortunate for Web app developers, because Google's
'crowdsourced' database of Wi-Fi access point locations is far less
reliable than Skyhook's."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/1650219

Links:
0. mailto:wroush@xconomy.com
1. http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/07/10...-location/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| British Men Jailed For Online Hate Crimes |
| from the don'tcha-just-hate-online-crime dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @14:33 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/11/1746206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

chrb writes "Two British men have become the first to be jailed for
[0]inciting racial hatred online. The men believed that material they
published on web servers based in the United States did not fall under
the jurisdiction of UK law and was protected under the First Amendment.
This argument was rejected by the British trial judge. After being found
guilty, the men fled to Los Angeles, where they [1]attempted to claim
political asylum, again arguing that they were being persecuted by the
British government for speech that was protected under the First
Amendment. [2]The asylum bid was rejected and the two were deported back
to the UK after spending over a year in a US jail."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/1746206

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north...144366.stm
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8010537.stm
2. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/03/...ts-jailed3


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Lightning Strikes Delay Shuttle Launch |
| from the hey-we've-all-got-problems dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @15:28 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...11/1844205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Tisha_AH writes "The Space Shuttle has had its [1]launch delayed for
inspection after several lightning strikes to the launch tower and/or
shuttle. Several different technologies have been applied by NASA to
divert the strike energy to ground potentials with Air Terminals
(lightning rods), surge protectors or the often-disputed use of [2]static
dissipator brushes. One technology that appears promising is to cause a
lightning strike (to a safe location) through the [3]use of short pulsed
ultraviolet lasers. Maybe in the future, once the technology matures, we
may find widespread use of UV lasers to protect space launch vehicles,
antenna towers or buildings."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...11/1844205

Links:
0. mailto:Tisha.Hayes@gmail.com
1. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttl...index.html
2. http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=bK4gAAAAEBAJ
3. http://www.iop.org/ej/article/1367-2630/...j2161.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Searching Google, Where Internet Access is Scarce |
| from the guessing-isn't-quite-a-substitute dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @16:32 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/2012247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Internet searching means that finding information mundane, obscure, or
fantastically useful is just a few keystrokes away — but not if you're
without a connection to the Internet (or can't read), both the norm for
many of the world's poor. [0]itwbennett writes "Rose Shuman developed a
contraption for this under-served population called [1]Question Box that
is essentially a [2]one-step-removed Internet search: 'A villager presses
a call button on a physical intercom device, located in their village,
which connects them to a trained operator in a nearby town who's sitting
in front of a computer attached to the Internet. A question is asked.
While the questioner holds, the operator looks up the answer on the
Internet and reads it back. All questions and answers are logged. For the
villager there is no keyboard to deal with. No complex technology. No
literacy issues.' This week, Jon Gosier, of [3]Appfrica, launched a web
site called [4]World Wants to Know that displays the QuestionBox
questions being asked in real time. As Jon put it, it's allowing
'searching where Google can't.' And providing remarkable insight into the
real information needs of off-the-grid populations."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/2012247

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.questionbox.org/
2. http://wireless.itworld.com/internet/705...ogle-can-t
3. http://appfrica.net/blog/
4. http://appfrica2.com/qbox/index.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Do You Create Config Files Automatically? |
| from the hire-7-new-admins dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @17:03 (Networking) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/11/2017214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "When deploying new server/servergroup/cluster
to your IT infrastructure, deployment (simplified) consist of following
steps: OS installation: to do it over network, boot server must be
configured for this new server/servergroup/cluster; configuration/package
management: configuration server has to be aware of the newcomer(s);
monitoring and alerting: monitoring software must be reconfigured; and
performance metrics: a tool for collecting data must be reconfigured.
There are many excellent software solutions for those particular jobs,
say configuration management (Puppet, Chef, cfengine, bcfg2), monitoring
hosts and services (Nagios, Zabbix, OpenNMS, Zenoss, etc) and performance
metrics (Ganglia, etc). But each of these tools has to be configured
independently or at least configuration has to be generated. What tools
do you use to achieve this? For example, when you have to deploy a new
server, how do you create configs for, let's say, PXE boot server,
Puppet, Nagios and Ganglia, at once?"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/11/2017214


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How To Teach Programming To Kids, Via Xbox |
| from the if-it's-fun-it's-educational dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @17:37 (Education) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/2124218 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Chris Wilson reviews Kodu, the [0]new XBox
game that he calls 'Logo on Steroids.' The game allows you to build a
world and program every object in it with an in-house graphical language,
making the game a primitive example of 'reactive state machines' in a
'multi-agent concurrent system.' It sounds like what we call 'application
specific integrated circuits' in engineering, where every line of code
runs in parallel."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/2124218

Links:
0. http://www.slate.com/id/2222546/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Five Years of PC Storage Performance Compared |
| from the professor-it-seems-to-be-getting-cheaper dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @18:40 (Data Storage) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../11/224246 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

theraindog writes "PC storage has come a long way in the last few years.
Perpendicular recording tech has fueled climbing capacities, 10k-RPM
spindle speeds have migrated from SCSI to Serial ATA, Native Command
Queuing has made mechanical drives smarter, and a burgeoning SSD market
looks set to fundamentally change the industry. The Tech Report has taken
a look back at [0]the last four and a half years of PC storage solutions,
probing the capacity and performance of a whopping 70 different notebook
and desktop hard drives, SSDs, and exotic RAM disks. There's a lot of
test data to digest, but the overall trends are easy to spot, potentially
foretelling the future of PC storage."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../11/224246

Links:
0. http://techreport.com/articles.x/17183


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Military's Satellite Meteor Data Sharing May Soon Resume |
| from the so-we'll-know-what's-about-to-hit-us dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday July 11, @19:42 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/2319232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

jbdigriz writes "Leonard David has a followup piece to his original
story, referenced here on June 22nd ('[0]US Military Blocks Data On
Incoming Meteors'). Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Rego [1]explains his
decision to suspend the meteor data sharing program due to 'loopholes' in
the informal arrangement. He and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher hold out
some hope that the program will resume on a more secure basis at some
unspecified but not too distant point."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/2319232

Links:
0. http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/06/...ng-Meteors
1. http://www.space.com/news/090703-militar...-data.html


Reply
#29
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Early Abort of Ares I Rocket Would Kill Crew
* Consumers May Find Smart Appliances a Dumb Idea
* Study Catches Birds Splitting Into Separate Species
* A GNU/Linux Distro Needing Windows To Install?
* Can New Game Control Schemes Hope To Match the PC Keyboard?
* Danish Expert Declares Vinland Map Genuine
* Open Source Software In the Military
* Kazaa To Return As a Legal Subscription Service
* Med Students Get Training In Second Life Hospitals
* Earthquake Invisibility Cloak
* New Firefox Vulnerability Revealed
* Computerized Election Results With No Election
* Best Home Backup Strategy Now?
* DNA Differences Observed Between Blood and Organs
* Noctilucent Clouds Spread and Mystify

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Early Abort of Ares I Rocket Would Kill Crew |
| from the do-not-push-the-big-red-button dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 18, @20:37 (NASA) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...18/2142224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

FleaPlus writes "From studying past solid rocket launch failures, the
45th Space Wing of the US Air Force has concluded that an early abort (up
to a minute after launch) of NASA Marshall Flight Center's Ares I rocket
would have a [0]~100% chance of killing all crew (report [1]summary and
link), even if the launch escape system were activated. This would be due
to the capsule being surrounded until ground impact by a 3-mile-wide
cloud of burning solid propellant fragments, which would melt the
parachute. NASA management has stated that their computer models predict
a safe outcome. The Air Force has also been hesitant to give launch range
approval to the predecessor Ares I-X suborbital rocket, since its solid
rocket vibrations are violent enough to disable both its steering and
self-destruct module, endangering people on the ground."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...18/2142224

Links:
0. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/spac...1613.story
1. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31792


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Consumers May Find Smart Appliances a Dumb Idea |
| from the will-you-please-just-cook-my-carrots-now dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 18, @22:57 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../18/224208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "As GE readies [1]appliances that communicate with smart
meters in the hope of taking advantage of cheaper electricity rates, CNet
asks a big question: [2]Are consumers ready for the smart grid? Right
now, most utilities only offer a flat rate, not time-of-use pricing, so
the example of a drier that reacts to a 'price signal' about peak rates
by keeping one's clothes wet until a more affordable time is pretty much
a fantasy. And longer-term, a big question is whether consumers will want
to deal with the hassle of optimizing household appliance energy usage
themselves, or be willing to relinquish monitoring and control to utility
companies — with a concomitant loss of privacy. After all, [3]losing
one's copy of 1984 is one thing — [4]losing one's lights and refrigerator
is another thing altogether."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../18/224208

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10286278-54.html
2. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10287240-54.html
3. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/07/17/2...m?from=rss
4. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/colum...944.column


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Study Catches Birds Splitting Into Separate Species |
| from the it's-not-me-it's-you dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 18, @23:58 (Education) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...18/2239205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

webdoodle writes "A new study finds that a change in a single gene has
sent two closely related bird populations on their way to becoming two
distinct species. The study, published in the August issue of the
American Naturalist, is one of only a few to investigate the specific
genetic changes that drive [0]two populations toward speciation."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...18/2239205

Links:
0. http://www.geneticarchaeology.com/resear...pecies.asp


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A GNU/Linux Distro Needing Windows To Install? |
| from the for-some-values-of-instant dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @01:17 (Operating Systems) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/2221210 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]dgun writes "I recently put together a new PC. When I purchased the
motherboard, I noticed that it came with an instant-on OS, a small
GNU/Linux distro called [1]Splashtop. I assumed that the OS was on a ROM
chip on the motherboard. To my great annoyance, when I tried to boot to
this OS, a message said that it was not installed. It turns out that
motherboard comes with an install disk for this GNU/Linux OS — that you
can only run from Windows, to install Splashtop on the hard drive. First
of all, doesn't installing it on the hard drive defeat the point of
having an instant-on OS? If I wanted to dual-boot a small GNU/Linux OS,
there are plenty that I could choose from. Second, if distributing GPL'ed
software by means that completely preclude it from being used without
Windows is not a violation of the GPL, should it not be?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/2221210

Links:
0. mailto:douggunnoe@gmail.com
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splashtop


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Can New Game Control Schemes Hope To Match the PC Keyboard? |
| from the precision-and-complexity dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday July 19, @02:50 (Input Devices) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...19/0412240 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An opinion piece on Gamasutra discusses how, in spite of the fancy new
motion control systems that have come to console gaming, the PC's
keyboard and mouse setup is [0]still unreplaceable for many titles and
genres. Quoting: "With over 100 keys to choose from (back of the box
quotation right there), the possibilities are near endless, if you start
to think of shift and control functions altering the purpose of keys. It
means that, when the developers start to make their game, they don't have
to worry about the limitations of the interface, knowing that, if all
else fails, they can always assign the compass to K, even if that's a bit
of a stretch to all but the pianists. The keyboard is the friend of
ambition, and ArmA 2 is the testament to that, in all its surrealist,
broken glory. ... It's the same reason RTS games have found a home on the
PC for so long, able to use the skills people accumulate moving around
windows and clicking on icons to command troops and manipulate their
battle lines. Developers taking advantage of what we already know to
teach us something we don't is what gaming is all about."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...19/0412240

Links:
0. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_in...tory=24434


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Danish Expert Declares Vinland Map Genuine |
| from the even-now-they-walk-among-us dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @04:38 (Media) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s.../18/233202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]MBCook writes "A Danish conservation expert named Rene Larsen has
[1]finished a 5-year study of the infamous [2]Vinland Map and declared it
genuine. 'All the tests that we have done over the past five years — on
the materials and other aspects — do not show any signs of forgery,' he
said at the press conference. He and his team studied the ink, the paper,
and even insect damage. They believe that the ink, which was discovered
in 1972 to contain titanium dioxide and thus supposedly was too new for
the map to be genuine, was contaminated when sand was used to dry the
ink."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?.../18/233202

Links:
0. http://www.foobarsoft.com/
1. http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre56g5...p-america/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinland_map


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Open Source Software In the Military |
| from the keep-it-stupid-stupid dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @08:04 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/2233255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]JohnMoD writes With the advent of [1]forge.mil, etc. the military
seems to be getting on board with free and open source software. A
[2]working group meeting is going to be held at Georgia Tech in Atlanta,
August 12-13, 2009. There's a pretty good lineup of speakers including a
Marine from the Iraq-Marine Expeditionary Forces, who was on the ground
and saw the agility open source gave to him and his soldiers. A number of
OSS projects are going to be meeting there: [3]Delta 3D, [4]OpenCPI,
FalconView, [5]OSSIM, Red Hat, etc. Looks like there will be some good
discussions."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/2233255

Links:
0. mailto:jms3rd@gmail.com
1. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...01/1259203&tid=61
2. http://www.mil-oss.org/
3. http://www.delta3d.org/
4. http://www.opencpi.org/
5. http://www.ossim.com/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Kazaa To Return As a Legal Subscription Service |
| from the if-it's-good-enough-for-the-pirate-bay dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday July 19, @09:23 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...19/1143214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

suraj.sun sends in this excerpt from CNet: "One of the most recognizable
brands in the history of illegal downloading is due to officially
resurface, perhaps as early as next week, sources close to the company
told CNET News. Only this time the name [0]Kazaa will be part of a legal
music service. Altnet and parent company Brilliant Digital Entertainment
attached the Kazaa brand to a subscription service that will offer songs
and ringtones from all four of the major recording companies. For the
past few months, a beta version has been available. The company tried
recently to [1]ratchet up expectations with a series of vague, and what
some considered misguided, press releases. The site will open with over 1
million tracks." The NYTimes has a related story about how the music
industry is [2]trying to convert casual pirates by offering more
convenient new services.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/1143214

Links:
0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10289985-93.html
1. http://torrentfreak.com/kazaa-uses-riaa-...gn-090709/
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/techno....html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Med Students Get Training In Second Life Hospitals |
| from the going-for-the-virtual-kidney-high-score dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday July 19, @10:40 (Medicine) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...19/1332232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Discover Magazine reports that although medical
simulations have been around for a long time, medical schools like
Imperial College London are [1]starting to use virtual hospitals in
Second Life so students can learn their way around an O.R. before they
enter the real thing. The students can also test their knowledge in the
Virtual Respiratory Ward by interviewing patient avatars, ordering tests,
diagnosing problems, and recommending treatment. 'The real innovation in
SL clinical simulations is that they bring people together in a clinical
space — you are standing next to an avatar who is a real patient, and the
doctor avatar to your right is a resident at Massachusetts General
Hospital and the nurse to your left is at the University of Pennsylvania
hospital,' says John Lester, the Education and Healthcare Market
Developer at Linden Labs. The most significant benefit of SL training may
be the cost. Real-life training facilities require thousands, and
sometimes millions of dollars to build and maintain, while SL simulation
rooms can be created for minimal costs, and accessed from anywhere in the
world for the price of an internet connection. SL can also expose
students to situations that a standard academic program can't duplicate:
'[2]You can take risks that aren't safe in the real world and teach more
complex subjects in three dimensions,' says Colleen Lin. 'When you're
resuscitating a dummy in real life, it looks like a dummy. But you can
program an avatar to look like it's choking or having a heart attack, and
it looks more real to the student responsible for resuscitating it.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...19/1332232

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug...econd-life
2. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/...8256f.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Earthquake Invisibility Cloak |
| from the seismic-disguise dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday July 19, @11:58 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...19/1449205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]BuzzSkyline writes "The same folks who brought us the [1]tsunami
invisibility cloak last year have now [2]come up with an earthquake
invisibility cloak. They show that a platform made of just the right
configuration of elastic rings could make a structure invisible to
earthquakes by effectively steering a quake around the structure. It
doesn't work well for compression waves, but the researchers claim it
could hide buildings from the slower-moving, more destructive shear
earthquake waves. The research is due to be published soon in the journal
Physical Review Letters."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/1449205

Links:
0. mailto:buzzskyline@gmail.com
1. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...29/2032204&tid=1446
2. http://www.physicscentral.com/buzz/blog/...3998268113


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Firefox Vulnerability Revealed |
| from the whack-a-fox dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday July 19, @13:15 (Mozilla) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/19/169206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Not long after [0]Firefox 3.5.1 was released to address a security issue,
[1]a new exploit has been found and a [2]proof of concept has been
posted. "The vulnerability is a remote stack-based buffer-overflow,
triggered by sending an overly long string of Unicode data to the
document.write method. If exploited, the resulting overflow could lead to
code execution, or if the exploit attempts fail, a denial-of-service
scenario." It's recommended that Firefox users disable Javascript until
the issue is patched, though add-ons like NoScript should do the trick as
well (unless [3]a site on your whitelist becomes compromised).

Update: 07/20 00:09 GMT by [4]KD : An anonymous reader informs us that
the Mozilla security blog is indicating that [5]this vulnerability is not
exploitable; denial of service is as bad as it gets.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../19/169206

Links:
0. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/0510258&tid=366
1. http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php...efox-3-5-1
2. http://downloads.securityfocus.com/vulne...35707.html
3. http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=6829
4. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
5. http://blog.mozilla.com/security/2009/07...2009-2479/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Computerized Election Results With No Election |
| from the why-bother-with-mere-tampering dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @14:28 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...19/1646201 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]_Sharp'r_ writes "In Honduras, according to breaking [1]Catalan
newspaper reports ([2]translations [3]available, [4]USA Today mention),
authorities have seized 45 computers containing certified election
results for a constitutional election that never happened. The election
had been scheduled for June 28, but on that day the president, Manuel
Zelaya, was ousted. The 'certified' and detailed electronic records of
the non-existent election show Zelaya's side having won overwhelmingly."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/1646201

Links:
0. mailtoConfusedharper@booksunderreview.com
1. http://www.europapress.cat/internacional...21327.html
2. http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2009-07-18&ID=274578
3. http://babalublog.com/2009/07/a-page-out...-playbook/
4. http://content.usatoday.com/topics/artic...1jdUbgu5/1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Best Home Backup Strategy Now? |
| from the all-thumbs dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @15:37 (Data Storage) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...19/1712225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

jollyreaper writes "Technology moves quickly and what was conventional
wisdom [0]last year can be folly this year. But the one thing that's
remained constant is hard drives are far too large to backup via
conventional means. Tape is expensive and can be unreliable, though it
certainly has its proponents. DVD's are just too small. There are
prosumer devices like the [1]Drobo, but it's still just a giant box of
hard drives, basically RAID. And as we've all had drilled into our heads
'RAID is not backup.' When last this topic came up on Slashdot, the
consensus was that hard drives were the best way to backup hard drives.
Backup your internal HDD to an external one, and if your data is really
important, have two externals and swap one off-site once a week. Is there
any better advice these days?"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...19/1712225

Links:
0. http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/13/1434216&tid=20
1. http://www.drobo.com/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DNA Differences Observed Between Blood and Organs |
| from the same-old-same-old dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @16:48 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...19/1727203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Scrameustache writes "Researcher working on a rare type of aortic
abnormality found that the [0]DNA from diseased tissue did not match the
DNA from the blood of the same patients So far it's unclear whether these
differences in the blood and aortic tissue are the consequence of RNA
editing, which changes the messenger RNA but not the gene, or DNA
editing, which involves differences in the gene itself. Based on the
evidence so far, the researchers believe the differences resulted from
developmental rather than somatic DNA alterations. 'Traditionally when we
have looked for genetic risk factors for, say, heart disease, we have
assumed that the blood will tell us what's happening in the tissue,' lead
author Bruce Gottlieb said in a statement. 'It now seems this is simply
not the case.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...19/1727203

Links:
0. http://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/snps...tudy-finds


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Noctilucent Clouds Spread and Mystify |
| from the nature's-own-light-pollution dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @17:58 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...19/1920203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Wired has a feature on [0]noctilucent clouds, once seen only at high
latitudes but increasingly visible now lower down the globe. The clouds
result from ice crystals at altitudes of 50 miles, higher than five 9s of
the atmosphere. What water ice is doing up there, in a region 100 million
times drier than the Sahara desert, is only one of the mysteries
associated with the clouds. They are a recent phenomenon: the first
scientific description of noctilucent clouds was penned in 1885. For a
time it was believed that the clouds were an effect resulting from the
eruption of the Krakatoa volcano two years before. Since 2002, the clouds
have been sighted — and [1]photographed — as far south as Oregon,
Colorado, and Utah. Some scientists believe that human-caused climate
change is playing a role, but others doubt this. Two satellites are in
orbit to study the clouds; NASA's AIM generated this [2]day-by-day movie
of clouds in the vicinity of the North Pole during 2008.

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/1920203

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/nightclouds/
1. http://www.google.com/images?as_q=&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=noctilucent+clouds&as_oq=&as_eq=&imgtype=&imgsz=&imgw=&imgh=&as_filetype=&imgc=&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images&as_st=y
2. http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a00...12x288.m1v

Reply
#30
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Up To 10% of CD-Rs Fail Within a Few Years
* WebKit For Metacity/Mutter CSS Theming?
* Something May Have Just Hit Jupiter
* Main Toilet On ISS Craps Out
* Why the Photos On Wikipedia Are So Bad
* RIAA Spokesman Says DRM Is Dead
* Microsoft Backs Down On Making IE8 Default At Upgrade
* South Korea Deploys Cloned Drug-Sniffing Dogs
* Is Battery-Free 2-Factor ID Secure?
* Alaskan Blob Is an Algae Bloom
* Forty Years of Lunar Lander
* Hacking Hi-Def Graphics and Camerawork Into 4Kb
* Company Denies Its Robots Feed On the Dead
* Ireland Criminalizes Blasphemy
* Microsoft Releases Linux Device Drivers As GPL
* 7-Story Wooden Condo Survives 7.5 Magnitude Quake
* The Geek Atlas
* Negroponte Sees Sugar As OLPC's Biggest Mistake
* Linux Distributions' Tracking of Upstream Projects Examined
* Collaborative Software For Pair Programming?
* Reasons To Hesitate On Zer01's Unlimited Mobile Offer
* A Server Farm Powered By a Wind Farm
* Five Technologies Iran Is Using To Censor the Net
* How Apple's App Review Is Sabotaging the iPhone

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Up To 10% of CD-Rs Fail Within a Few Years |
| from the nothing-lasts-forever-mister-bond dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @20:17 (Media) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../19/213216 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Whatever you think about the likelihood that a new kind of [0]DVDs could
last for 1,000 years, this note from reader [1]crazyeyes should give you
pause about expecting current CD-Rs to be reliably readable for decades.
TechARP found a [2]failure rate near 10% for CD-Rs recorded 7 to 9 years
ago, after storage in ideal conditions. On some, one or more individual
files could not be recovered; others were not reliably readable on two
separate drives. "In the past, hard disk drives were small (in capacity)
and costly. To make up for the lack of affordable storage, many turned to
CD-Rs. As it became common to store backups and personal pictures,
videos, etc. on CD-Rs, the lifespan of these discs became a concern.
According to manufacturers, CD-Rs should last for decades. Some even
quoted an upper limit of 120 years based on accelerated aging tests! That
sure is a long time, isn't it? But will CD-Rs really last that long?"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../19/213216

Links:
0. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...17/1213203&tid=20
1. mailto:forbidden2k@yahoo.com
2. http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=641&pgno=0


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| WebKit For Metacity/Mutter CSS Theming? |
| from the future-proofing dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @21:37 (GNOME) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...19/2155223 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "As Metacity (the GNOME window manager)
evolves into Mutter, the question of [0]CSS themes and how to implement
them has come up. One of the proposals was WebKit, which the author
[1]asked more specifically about on his blog. It seems that WebKit, being
a very fast rendering engine, would allow Mutter to have unprecedented
power, not to mention being nearly future-proofed. As a major bonus,
going this way could allow GNOME to [2]share themes with KDE, which is
apparently already headed towards a dependency on WebKit. Many people
will reflexively recoil at the idea of a browser being mixed with a
window manager. But it's important to remember that WebKit is not a
browser — it's just a rendering engine, and it's not where all the
security issues come from. So, what are the real technical issues at
stake here? What are the pros and cons of using WebKit underneath GNOME
rendering?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/2155223

Links:
0. http://blogs.gnome.org/metacity/2009/07/...-thoughts/
1. http://blogs.gnome.org/tthurman/2009/07/...-question/
2. http://blogs.gnome.org/metacity/2009/07/...mment-1068


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Something May Have Just Hit Jupiter |
| from the jumbo-size-clearasil dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday July 19, @22:36 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...20/0114250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The blog of Anthony Wesley, an Australian amateur astronomer, has what
may be the [0]first photos of a recent comet or asteroid impact on
Jupiter, near the south pole. These photos are 11 hours old. The ones at
the bottom of the page show three small dark spots in addition to the
main dark mark. The [1]Bad Astronomy blog picked up the story a few hours
later — but cautions that what we're seeing may not be an impact event.
This is all reminiscent of the closely watched [2]impact of comet
Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter in 1994.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...20/0114250

Links:
0. http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/ObsRepo...mpact.html
1. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badast...n-jupiter/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoemaker_Levy


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Main Toilet On ISS Craps Out |
| from the series-of-tubes dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday July 20, @01:44 (NASA) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...19/2357222 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]The Narrative Fallacy writes "NASA has spent years getting ready for a
crowd in space — adding additional sleeping quarters, learning how to
recycle liquid waste into drinking water, and installing a second
bathroom last year. But now the [1]main toilet has broken down on the
International Space Station while a record 13 astronauts are on board.
For now Mission Control has advised the astronauts to hang an 'out of
service' sign on the toilet as it may take days to repair. In the
meantime, Endeavour's seven astronauts will be restricted to the shuttle
bathroom. Last year a [2]Russian cosmonaut complained that he was no
longer allowed to use the US toilet because of billing and cost issues.
Now the six space ISS residents will have to get in line to use the
back-up toilet in the Russian part of the station. The [3]pump separator
on the malfunctioning toilet has apparently flooded, and ESA astronaut
Frank De Winne is the guy tasked with putting his plumbing skills to work
on short notice. 'We don't yet know the extent of the problem,' says
flight director Brian Smith, adding that the toilet troubles were 'not
going to be an issue' for now."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...19/2357222

Links:
0. http://narrativefallacy.com/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8158350.stm
2. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...31/1332257&tid=147
3. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8122374&page=1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why the Photos On Wikipedia Are So Bad |
| from the does-this-cellphone-snap-make-me-look-fat dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday July 20, @04:51 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...20/0044240 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Reservoir Hill writes "The NY Times has an article investigating why,
unlike the articles on Wikipedia which in theory are improved, fact
checked, footnoted, and generally enhanced over time, [1]the photos that
go with Wikipedia articles are so bad and in many cases there is no photo
at all for even well known public figures. Few high-quality photographs,
particularly of celebrities, make it onto on Wikipedia because
[2]Wikipedia runs only pictures with the most permissive Creative Commons
license, which allows anyone to use an image, for commercial purposes or
not, as long as the photographer is credited. 'Representatives or
publicists will contact us' horrified at the photographs on the site,
says Jay Walsh, a spokesman for the Wikimedia Foundation. 'They will say:
"I have this image. I want you to use this image." But it is not as
simple as uploading a picture that is e-mailed to us.' Recent photographs
on Wikipedia are almost exclusively the work of amateurs who don't mind
giving away their work. 'Amateur may be too kind a word; their photos
tend to be the work of fans who happen to have a camera,' opines the
Times's author. Ultimately the issue for professional photographers who
might want to donate their work is copyright. 'To me the problem is the
Wikipedia rule of public use,' says Jerry Avenaim, a celebrity
photographer. 'If they truly wanted to elevate the image on the site,
they should allow photographers to maintain the copyright.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/0044240

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Reservoirhill
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/arts/20funny.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_use_policy


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RIAA Spokesman Says DRM Is Dead |
| from the joined-the-choir-invisible dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday July 20, @08:02 (Music) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/20/0021247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

TorrentFreak is reporting an on-the-record remark by the main RIAA
spokesman acknowledging what has been obvious to the rest of the world
for some time now. Let's see whether their actions going forward align
with the words. "Jonathan Lamy, chief spokesperson for the RIAA[,]
[0]declared DRM dead, when he was asked about the RIAA's view on DRM for
an upcoming SCMagazine article. "DRM is dead, isn't it?" Lamy said,
referring to the DRM-less iTunes store and other online outfits that now
offer music without restrictions." Update: 07/21 01:16 GMT by [1]KD :
InformationWeek is now reporting that Jonathan [2]Lamy says he never said
"dead." TorrentFreak, which originally reported Lamy's remark, [0]has
also backtracked.

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...20/0021247

Links:
0. http://torrentfreak.com/drm-is-dead-riaa-says-090719/
1. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
2. http://www.informationweek.com/news/pers...=218501454


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Backs Down On Making IE8 Default At Upgrade |
| from the you-call-that-backing-down-huh dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @08:44 (Microsoft) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/20/1227210 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Barence writes "Internet Explorer 8 will [1]no longer replace the
default browser when a user selects the 'Use express settings' option
during installation. Back in May, Mozilla and Opera accused Microsoft of
force-feeding users Internet Explorer 8 through the Automatic Updates
process. The object of their ire was the 'Use express settings' option
which automatically sets Internet Explorer 8 as the default browser. The
option was already ticked when Automatic Updates offered users the choice
to upgrade their browser. 'We heard a lot of feedback from a lot of
different people and groups and decided to make the user choice of the
default browser even more explicit,' notes Microsoft in a blog post."

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/20/1227210

Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/262612/micro...ation.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| South Korea Deploys Cloned Drug-Sniffing Dogs |
| from the gee-your-dogs-sure-like-cocaine-a-lot dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @09:28 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...20/1312257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "BBC reports that six puppies cloned from a
Canadian-born sniffer dog in late 2007 have reported for duty to check
for drugs at Seoul's Incheon International Airport after completing a
16-month training course. The customs agency says [1]clones help to lower
crime-fighting costs as it is difficult to find good sniffer dogs. Only
about 30% of naturally-born sniffer dogs make the grade, but South Korean
scientists say that could rise to 90% using the cloning method. The
puppies, each called 'Toppy' for 'Tomorrow's Puppy,' are part of a litter
of seven who were cloned from a 'superb' drug-sniffing Canadian Labrador
retriever called Chase at a cost of about $239,000. 'They are the world's
first cloned sniffer dogs deployed at work,' says customs spokesman Park
Jeong-Heon. 'They showed better performances in detecting illegal drugs
during the training than other naturally-born sniffer dogs that we
have.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...20/1312257

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8158097.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is Battery-Free 2-Factor ID Secure? |
| from the go-ahead-do-your-worst dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @09:50 (Security) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/20/1333215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "There was a television program in Australia
last week about Matthew Walker's visual [0]battery-less two-factor
authentication system called PassWindow. Essentially, you hold the clear
plastic window up to the apparently random pattern on the screen of your
computer, revealing a one-time PIN to type in for authentication. The
plastic window has many advantages: difficult to copy or view over the
shoulder, etc. Because there is no electronics, chip or battery, the
PassWindow is extremely cheap to manufacture, giving it a big advantage
over other two-factor authentication systems. However, I don't know about
the security of the system. The apparently random pattern of lines in the
PassWindow is analogous to a one-time pad, using a different subset of
the one-time pad every time a PIN is needed. Is this a useful level of
security for logging in to a bank account?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...20/1333215

Links:
0. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2622746.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Alaskan Blob Is an Algae Bloom |
| from the no-sixes-here-just-a-couple-of-nines dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @10:11 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...20/1317248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Bryan Gividen writes "Time.com is running a story on [0]the previously
unidentified blob floating off of the coast of Alaska. [1]The article
states that the blob is an algae bloom — far less sinister (or exciting)
than any The Thing or The Blob comparison that was jokingly made. From
the article: '"It's sort of like a swimming pool that hasn't been cleaned
in a while." The blob, Konar said, is a microalgae made up of 'billions
and billions of individuals.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1317248

Links:
0. http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/07/...?art_pos=1
1. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/...17,00.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Forty Years of Lunar Lander |
| from the simulation-nation dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @11:00 (Classic Games (Games|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...20/1447236 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Harry writes "2009 marks not only the fortieth anniversary of Apollo
11, but also [1]four decades of the iconic, omnipresent Lunar Lander, one
of the first simulation games ever written. The first version was written
by an Apollo-crazy high school student; among its countless descendants
are the classic Atari arcade machine and versions for practically every
other platform, from the Apple II to the iPhone. We're celebrating with a
look at the game's origins, history, and significance — including an
interview with creator Jim Storer, who hadn't given the game a moment's
thought since he left high school, and wasn't aware of the phenomenon he
spawned."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...20/1447236

Links:
0. mailto:harry@technologizer.com
1. http://technologizer.com/2009/07/19/lunar-lander/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Hacking Hi-Def Graphics and Camerawork Into 4Kb |
| from the thumbdrive-could-hold-the-entire-world dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @11:49 (Graphics) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...20/1525203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]TRNick writes "The old home-computing art of hacking elaborate
graphics and camerawork into tiny amounts of memory has been lost, right?
Not so. The demoscene is keeping ingenious coding skills alive, and
TechRadar [1]finds out the latest developments. Winner of the 4kb
competition at 2009's [2]Breakpoint party was [3]RGBA's demo 'Elevated,'
a gorgeous scrolling demo featuring photo realistic landscapes and music,
which fits into the memory used by one of your PC's desktop icons. This
is really impressive stuff."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1525203

Links:
0. http://www.techradar.com/
1. http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-t...ene-616817
2. http://breakpoint.untergrund.net/
3. http://rgba.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Company Denies Its Robots Feed On the Dead |
| from the meat-is-murder dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday July 20, @11:55 (Robotics) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...20/1526200 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Back in January we covered the [0]Energetically Autonomous Tactical
Robot, or EATR. The EATR gets its energy by "engaging in
biologically-inspired, organism-like energy-harvesting behavior which is
the equivalent of eating. It can find, ingest, and extract energy from
biomass in the environment ..." So many news outlets picked up the story
and ran it with titles alluding to the robot "eating flesh" or even
"eating corpses" that a company spokesperson put out a press release
saying, "[1]This robot is strictly vegetarian." The statement says in
part, "RTI's patent pending robotic system will be able to find, ingest
and extract energy from biomass in the environment. Despite the
far-reaching reports that this includes 'human bodies,' the public can be
assured that the engine Cyclone has developed to power the EATR runs on
fuel no scarier than twigs, grass clippings and wood chips — small,
plant-based items for which RTI's robotic technology is designed to
forage. Desecration of the dead is a war crime under Article 15 of the
Geneva Conventions, and is certainly not something sanctioned by DARPA,
Cyclone or RTI."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...20/1526200

Links:
0. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../29/142258&tid=2248
1. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/07/...-the-dead/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ireland Criminalizes Blasphemy |
| from the who-wants-a-flogging dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday July 20, @12:31 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/20/1550224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Another European country clamps down on free
speech. From the article: 'It does seem bizarre that, in 2009, a modern
European nation would seek to shield religious belief from criticism —
yet that is what is happening in Ireland right now. In repealing the 1961
Defamation Act, the Irish government sought to expunge the worst excesses
of Ireland's draconian laws restricting free speech, but in the process
it has ended up making [0]offending religious belief a criminal offence.
Aside from a 25,000 fine (reduced from the 100,000 originally sought by
the government), the new Defamation Act gives the authorities the power
to stage raids on publishers: the courts may now issue a warrant
authorising the police to enter, using "reasonable force," premises where
they have grounds for believing there are copies of "blasphemous
statements."'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...20/1550224

Links:
0. http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/s...icle/7171/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Releases Linux Device Drivers As GPL |
| from the could-easily-be-world's-largest-open-source-distributor |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @13:10 (Microsoft) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...20/1643251 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]mjasay writes "Microsoft used to call the GPL 'anti-American.' Now, as
[1]Microsoft releases Hyper-V Linux Integration Components (LinuxIC)
under the GPL (version 2), apparently Microsoft calls the GPL 'ally.' Of
course, there was little chance the device drivers would be accepted into
the Linux kernel base unless open source, but the news suggests a shift
for Microsoft. It also reflects Microsoft's continued interest in
undermining its virtualization competition through low prices, and may
suggests concern that it must open up if it wants to fend off insurgent
virtualization strategies from Red Hat (KVM), Novell (XEN), and others in
the open-source camp. Microsoft said the move demonstrates [2]its
interest in using open source in three key areas: 1) Make its software
development processes more efficient, 2) product evangelism, and 3) using
open source to reduce marketing and sales costs or to try out new
features that highlight parts of the platform customers haven't seen
before."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1643251

Links:
0. http://cnet.com/openroad
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10290686-16.html
2. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/featu...nuxQA.mspx


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 7-Story Wooden Condo Survives 7.5 Magnitude Quake |
| from the this-is-awesome dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @13:40 (Earth) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...20/1712208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Mike writes "[1]Earthquake news abounds as of late — recently a team
of researchers from five universities unveiled an [2]seven-story
earthquake-proof wooden building that is capable of withstanding severe
earthquakes. Featuring a structurally efficient nail distribution and a
63 anchor tie down system, the wooden condominium survived a test using
an E-Defense shake table, which simulated a 7.5 magnitude quake (check
out the video!)"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1712208

Links:
0. http://www.inhabitat.com/
1. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/19/...lity-Cloak
2. http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/07/20/wood...rthquakes/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Geek Atlas |
| from the read-all-about-it dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday July 20, @14:01 (Science) |
| http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...20/1325215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]brothke writes "A recent search on Amazon for travel guides returned
over 30,000 results. Most of these are standard travel guides to popular
tourist destinations which advise the reader to go to the typical tourist
sites. The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive
is a radically different travel guide. Rather than recommending the usual
trite destinations, which are often glorified souvenir stores, the book
takes the reader to places that make science real and exciting, and
hopefully those who exit such places are more knowledgeable than when
they went in." Read on for the rest of Ben's review.

This story continues at:
http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...20/1325215

Discuss this story at:
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...20/1325215

Links:
0. mailto:ben@rothke.com


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Negroponte Sees Sugar As OLPC's Biggest Mistake |
| from the neat-tech-but-has-some-drawbacks dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @14:43 (Red Hat Software) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...20/1628228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]griffjon writes "In an interview, Nicholas Negroponte claims that the
[1]biggest mistake OLPC made was the revolutionary [2]Red Hat-based Sugar
desktop environment — instead, he says, they should have built Sugar as
an application that ran on a 'vanilla' Linux OS. [3]Some disagree."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...20/1628228

Links:
0. http://moc.liamtohtanojffirg/
1. http://www.zdnetasia.com/insight/hardwar...166,00.htm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_(GUI)
3. http://www.olpcnews.com/people/negropont...sugar.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Linux Distributions' Tracking of Upstream Projects Examined |
| from the perhaps-software-should-come-with-renewal-dates- dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @15:31 (Operating Systems) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...20/1851223 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Linux distributions track upstream projects,
releasing a particular version with each official release. But how far
behind the latest versions do these releases linger? Scott Shawcroft did
an interesting new study into this [0]relationship between distributions
and upstream projects. Shawcroft says: 'Over the last 10 months I've been
working on Linux evolution research. Similar to distrowatch, I track the
current versions of packages in a number of distributions and the current
upstream version. Based on that data I then graph a number of metrics to
understand the relationship between upstream and downstream.' His
[1]presentation on the topic scheduled for [this] week's open source
convention, [2]OSCON, should provide an interesting insight into that
relationship. Currently he is tracking 20 projects including the Linux
kernel, Firefox, GCC, OpenSSH and GNOME on Arch, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo,
openSUSE, Sabayon, Slackware, and Ubuntu."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...20/1851223

Links:
0. http://oswatershed.org/
1. http://tannewt.org/slides/shawcroft-osco...tation.pdf
2. http://en.oreilly.com/oscon2009


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Collaborative Software For Pair Programming? |
| from the is-your-sister's-name-cynthia? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @16:17 (Programming) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.p.../20/197233 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]DavidMatuszek writes "I will be teaching Java again this Fall.
Students work in pairs, but unfortunately (after the first hour)
typically not physically together. I would like to find collaborative
software that is (1) dead simple to use, because that's not what the
course is about, and (2) free. Google Docs would do, but students will be
sharing code — plain text — not RTF or HTML or Word files. Is there such
software for plain text?"

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments..../20/197233

Links:
0. mailto:matuszek@cis.upenn.edu


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Reasons To Hesitate On Zer01's Unlimited Mobile Offer |
| from the past-performance-no-guarantee-but-it's-a-big-hint dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @17:02 (Businesses) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...20/2047254 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

alphadogg writes with an excerpt from Network World that might save you
some money: "Imagine downloading a two-hour HD movie in three minutes to
your new cell phone, then plugging the phone into your TV to watch the
film. Make unlimited phone calls, surf online as much as you like and
send unlimited text messaging for $70 a month, without a contract. Sign
up to sell the same service to other people and get $10 a month for each
person you sell to. That's what a group of related companies including
Zer01 Mobile, Buzzirk, Global Verge and Unified Technologies Group are
promoting heavily online and at industry trade shows. The offer is
attractive enough to garner coverage in top business and technology
publications, at least one positive review from an analyst and even a
'best in show' award from a magazine at the CTIA wireless industry trade
show earlier this year. Does it all sound too good to be true? If so,
that's because it probably is. What little information is available about
the services is [0]technically inconsistent, and doesn't match up with
public records."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...20/2047254

Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/07...ay-be.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Server Farm Powered By a Wind Farm |
| from the nice-and-symmetrical dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday July 20, @17:54 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...20/2145219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]1sockchuck writes "A Texas startup called Baryonyx plans to build data
centers powered entirely by renewable energy. Its first project will be a
[1]wind-powered server farm powered by 100 wind turbines in the Texas
panhandle. The company has also leased 38,000 acres in the Gulf of
Mexico, where it hopes to build hundreds of 300-foot wind turbines that
can each generate up to 5 megawatts of power to support additional
facilities. Baryonyx plans to sell excess capacity to the local utility,
which it will use as a backup when the wind dies down."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...20/2145219

Links:
0. http://www.gamehostingguide.com/
1. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archi...r-planned/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Five Technologies Iran Is Using To Censor the Net |
| from the many-mice-and-one-big-cat dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday July 20, @18:41 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/20/2211214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

alphadogg sends in a Network World piece on the [0]unexpectedly effective
technologies Iran is now employing to thwart their citizens' access to
the Net. "While the government's initial efforts to censor the Internet
were blunt and often ineffective, it has started employing more
sophisticated tools to thwart dissidents' attempts to communicate with
each other and the outside world. Iranian dissidents are not alone in
their struggle, however, as several sympathetic hacker groups have been
working to keep them online. One such group is NedaNet, whose mission is
to 'help the Iranian people by setting up networks of proxy severs,
anonymizers, and any other appropriate technologies that can enable them
to communicate and organize.' NedaNet project coordinator Morgan
Sennhauser, who has just written a paper [1]detailing the Iranian
government's latest efforts to thwart hackers (PDF), says that the
government's actions have been surprisingly robust and have challenged
hackers in ways that the Chinese government's efforts at censorship have
not."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...20/2211214

Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/cgi-bin/mail...tools.html&pagename=/news/2009/072009-iran-censorship-tools.html&pageurl=http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072009-iran-censorship-tools.html&site=printpage
1. http://emsenn.com/SoIN.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Apple's App Review Is Sabotaging the iPhone |
| from the race-to-the-bottom dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday July 20, @19:29 (Cellphones) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...20/2318201 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes to recommend Peter Wayner's [1]inside look at the
frustration iPhone developers face from Apple when attempting to
distribute their apps through the iPhone App Store. Wayner's long piece
is an extended analogy comparing Apple to the worst of Soviet-era
bureaucracy. "Determined simply to dump an HTML version of his book into
UIWebView and offer two versions through the App Store, Wayner endures
four months of inexplicable silences, mixed messages, and almost
whimsical rejections from Apple — the kind of frustration and uncertainty
Wayner believes is fast transforming Apple's regulated marketplace into a
hotbed of bottom-feeding mediocrity. 'Developers are afraid to risk
serious development time on the platform as long as anonymous gatekeepers
are able to delay projects by weeks and months with some seemingly random
flick of a finger,' Wayner writes of his experience. 'It's one thing to
delay a homebrew project like mine, but it's another thing to shut down a
team of developers burning real cash. Apple should be worried when real
programmers shrug off the rejections by saying, "[2]It's just a hobby."'"

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...20/2318201

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://infoworld.com/print/83773
2. http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/22/int...-rejected/


Reply
#31
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Google Wave Reviewed
* Astronomer Photographs Meteor Through Telescope
* Solar-Powered Moon Rover To Explore Apollo Landing
* Artificial Brain '10 Years Away'
* Cryptic's Roper Explains Microtransactions For Champions Online
* Transformers Special Edition Chevy Camaro Unveiled
* Zer01 Parent Strips Web Site Following Report
* Hacking Nuclear Command and Control
* Mobile Phone Technology and Developing Nations
* Apple Backs Off DMCA Threats Against Wiki
* Pics of the Longest Solar Eclipse of the Century
* Cloud-Sourcing's Long-Term Impact On IT Careers
* Microsoft's Code Contribution Due To GPL Violation
* White House Panel Seeks Input On Spaceflight Plans
* Want to Eat Chocolate Every Day For a Year?
* Intel 34nm SSDs Lower Prices, Raise Performance
* Pirate Bay's Anonymity Service Enters Beta Testing
* Armadillo Aerospace Flight Paves Way For Science Payloads
* Could the Cloud Derail a $300 Million Data Center?
* Stroustrup Says New C++ Standard Delayed Until 2010 Or Later
* People Emit Visible Light
* Amazon UK Refunds Windows License Fee, With Little Hassle
* U of Michigan and Amazon To Offer 400,000 OOP Books
* $2 Million NASA Power Beaming Challenge Heating Up
* How To Vet Clever Ideas Without Giving Them Away?
* SpinVox "Recognition" Is Often Expensive Human Transcription
* The Rocky Road To Wind Power

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Wave Reviewed |
| from the what's-the-skinny dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 22, @20:46 (Google) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.p.../22/220226 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Michael_Curator writes "Developers are finally getting their hands on
[1]the developer preview of Google's Wave, which means we can finally get
some first-hand accounts of what it's really like to use, unfiltered by
Google's own programmers. Ben Rometsch, a developer with U.K. Web
development firm Solid State, blogged that, it's 'probably the most
advanced application in a browser that I've seen.' Wave is like giant Web
page onto which users can drag and drop any kind of object, including
instant messaging and IRC [Internet Relay Client] clients, e-mail, and
wikis, as well as gadgets like maps and video. All conversations, work
product and applications are stored on remote servers — presumably
forever. 'It's like real time email. On crack,' he wrote. And unlike the
typically minimalist Google UI, 'It feels a lot more like a desktop
application that just so happens to live in your browser.'" User
[2]molex333 has already [3]written a Slashdot app and shares his initial
reactions here.

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments..../22/220226

Links:
0. http://e-piphanies.typepad.com/epiphanies/
1. http://industry.bnet.com/technology/1000...-on-crack/
2. http://www.m1cr0suxor.com/blog.html
3. http://www.m1cr0sux0r.com/2009/07/wave-part-deux.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Astronomer Photographs Meteor Through Telescope |
| from the expensive-camera dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 22, @21:50 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s.../22/224240 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Matt Rogers writes "Amateur astronomer Mike Hankey may be the first
person on earth to [1]take a picture of a fireball meteor through a
telescope. The picture has been confirmed authentic by numerous
professional astronomers and asteroid hunters. This picture could
possibly be the first of its kind. Taking a picture of a meteor is a very
difficult thing to do, taking a picture of a meteor through a telescope
is near impossible. The hunt is on in southern PA for the meteorites that
broke away from this space rock. Using Hankey's picture, as well as
security tape, meteorite hunters have been able to narrow down the crash
site to a smaller area. Even with the trajectory roughly determined,
professional meteorite hunters think finding these meteorites may be near
impossible. However if they are found they will be immensely valuable and
could be very large."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?.../22/224240

Links:
0. mailto:mrogers@castlecomm.com
1. http://www.mikesastrophotos.com/baltimor...pa-meteor/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Solar-Powered Moon Rover To Explore Apollo Landing |
| from the check-out-the-whole-stage dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 22, @22:41 (Robotics) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...22/2224225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Mike writes "Carnegie Mellon roboticist Dr. William Whittaker has
teamed up with Astrobiotic Technology to develop a [1]solar powered moon
rover that will explore the Apollo landing site in 2011. The photovoltaic
clad robot features two electric motors in the hub of each wheel, and a
half cone of solar generators up top that will power the wheels, run
computers, and beam stereo HD video back to earth. The project has been
entered in the $25 million Google Lunar X Prize competition."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...22/2224225

Links:
0. http://www.inhabitat.com/
1. http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/07/22/sola...ding-site/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Artificial Brain '10 Years Away' |
| from the batteries-not-included dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @00:54 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...23/0037245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

SpuriousLogic writes "A detailed, functional [0]artificial human brain
can be built within the next 10 years, a leading scientist has claimed.
Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, has already built
elements of a rat brain. He told the TED global conference in Oxford that
a synthetic human brain would be of particular use finding treatments for
mental illnesses. Around two billion people are thought to suffer some
kind of brain impairment, he said. 'It is not impossible to build a human
brain and we can do it in 10 years,' he said."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...23/0037245

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8164060.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Cryptic's Roper Explains Microtransactions For Champions Online|
| from the dollars-per-experience-point dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday July 23, @02:23 (PC Games (Games)|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...23/0340236 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Karen Hertzberg writes "Many MMO gamers have expressed concern over the
recent announcement that micro-transactions would play a role in the
upcoming release of Champions Online. Knowing that MTs can be a touchy
subject for fans, Ten Ton Hammer sat down with Bill Roper for an
interview. He reveals more about Cryptic's take on the business model,
what type of items you can expect to find through MTs, and [0]how the
system will be integrated into Champions Online come launch day. Roper
said, 'The idea is wanting to be able to have things there that players
can get if they want to, but they don't negatively impact the balance of
the game. It's not like we're expecting players to go and purchase things
through micro-transactions that then give them some huge leg up. All
those things I think people get worried about, but really the focus is on
having things that are fun, cosmetic or are things that are more
account-wide and maintenance based.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...23/0340236

Links:
0. http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/71536


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Transformers Special Edition Chevy Camaro Unveiled |
| from the nerds-roll-out dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @03:28 (Transportation) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/0141237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]roelbj writes "Automotive stories are few and far between on Slashdot,
but today's news from Chevrolet might just make a few readers' mouths
water at the chance to own their own Bumblebee. Today at Comic-Con,
General Motors officially announced the [1]2010 Chevy Camaro Transformers
Special Edition. The $995 appearance package can be applied to LT (V6)
and SS-trim Camaros in Rally Yellow with or without the optional RS
package."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/0141237

Links:
0. http://www.brianroelofs.com/
1. http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/22/2010-...-unveiled/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Zer01 Parent Strips Web Site Following Report |
| from the get-out-of-dodge dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @05:17 (Businesses) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...23/0332221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

alphadogg writes "Two days after a report cast doubt on [0]Zer01 Mobile's
business, its parent company has stripped its Web site down to only basic
information. New details have also come to light suggesting a past
connection between two of the involved companies, despite claims to the
contrary. Earlier this week IDG News Service reported that it's unlikely
that Zer01 could be technically able to offer the [1]unlimited mobile
voice and data service that it is advertising. The service, originally
targeted for a July 1 launch, does not appear to be available yet. In
addition, it's being marketed through a multilevel marketing program run
by a company called Global Verge whose founder, Mark Petschel, in 2005
pleaded guilty to securities fraud. Petschel is currently on probation."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...23/0332221

Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/07...ay-be.html
1. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/07...zer01.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Hacking Nuclear Command and Control |
| from the why-haven't-you-radioed-the-plans-countermanding-the-go-|
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @08:03 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/0344228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]The Walking Dude writes "The International Commission on Nuclear
Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) has released an [1]unclassified
report exploring the possibility of cyber terrorists launching nuclear
weapons. Ominous exploits include unreliable early warning sensors,
unsecure nuclear weapons storage, transportation blunders, breaches in
the chain of command, and the use of Windows on nuclear submarines. A
traditional large-scale terrorist attack, such as the 2008 Mumbai
attacks, could be combined with computer network operations in an attempt
to start a nuclear war. Amidst the confusion of the traditional attack,
communications could be disrupted, false declarations of war could be
issued on both sides, and early warning sensors could be spoofed. Adding
to this is the short time frame in which a retaliatory nuclear response
must be decided upon, in some cases as little as 15 minutes. The amount
of firepower that could be unleashed in these 15 minutes would be
equivalent to approximately 100,000 Hiroshima bombs."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/0344228

Links:
0. http://walkingdude.blogspot.com/
1. http://www.icnnd.org/latest/research/Jas...ng_NC2.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mobile Phone Technology and Developing Nations |
| from the can-you-help-me-now dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @08:44 (Cellphones) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...23/1136252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir writes "Mobile Operator Tata Teleservices is testing
technology that allows farmers to use their mobile phones to [1]remotely
monitor and switch on irrigation pump sets in far-flung locations. The
technology, called Nano Ganesh, is being tested in two villages in the
Indian state of Gujarat. In India, where the electricity supply is
erratic, farmers often walk several kilometers to where their irrigation
pumps are located, only to find that there is no electricity available.
By dialing a code number from a mobile phone to a wireless device
attached to the pump, farmers can now remotely monitor the electricity
supply, and also switch the pump on and off. It's just the latest example
of how mobile phone technology is being employed in novel ways to solve
problems in developing nations. For example in Kenya, [2]GSM technology
has been used to help tame marauding elephants."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...23/1136252

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/...irrigation
2. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/22..._elephants


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Backs Off DMCA Threats Against Wiki |
| from the red-light-green-light dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @09:34 (Censorship) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...23/1143251 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]netbuzz writes "A wiki operator who was pressured by Apple's legal
team into removing anonymous discussions about circumventing the
company's music-playback software for iPods and iPhones says he is
relieved that Apple has backed off and he'll be able to restore the
disputed material. [1]Apple dropped its claims of copyright and DMCA
violation against BluWiki only under legal pressure of its own in the
form of [2]a lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation."

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...23/1143251

Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/227
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/43762
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/28/141259&tid=332


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pics of the Longest Solar Eclipse of the Century |
| from the dark-day dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @09:45 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...23/1246207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Vinod writes "Yesterday thousands of people around Asia witnessed
[1]the longest solar eclipse of the century. Although it was not clearly
visible in some parts due to overcast weather, thousands of people
gathered to view this spectacular event. Yesterday's solar eclipse lasted
for 6 to 7 minutes, making it the longest solar eclipse of the century.
Here is a collection of 33 beautiful images of the solar eclipse from
around the world."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...23/1246207

Links:
0. http://planetfunn.blogspot.com/2009/07/longest-sol
1. http://planetfunn.blogspot.com/2009/07/l...ry-33.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Cloud-Sourcing's Long-Term Impact On IT Careers |
| from the keeping-your-job-in-the-clouds dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @10:15 (The Almighty Buc|
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/23/1237258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes "InfoWorld provides a reality check on the [1]impact
cloud computing will have on IT jobs, the overall effects of which will
likely resemble those of outsourcing, automation, and utility computing —
in other words, a movement [2]away from the nuts and bolts of technology
toward the business end of the organization. This shift from 'blue-collar
IT to white-collar IT' will be accompanied by greater demand for IT pros
experienced with virtualization and Web scale-out deployments, even among
midlevel organizations, and greater emphasis on SaaS integration among
in-house development teams, analysts say. And though the large-scale
impact of 'cloud-sourcing' is likely a decade away, those not versed in
vendor contract management, cloud integration, analytics, and RIA and
mobile development may find themselves pushed toward the less technical
jobs to come, those that will require days full of conference calls and
putting out fires caused by doing business in the cloud."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/23/1237258

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/...minate-008
2. http://infoworld.com/t/cloud-computing/c...career-297


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft's Code Contribution Due To GPL Violation |
| from the say-it-aint-so dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @11:07 (Microsoft) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/1327205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]ozmanjusri writes "While Microsoft presented [1]its recent embrace of
the GPL as 'a break from the ordinary,' and the press spoke of them as
going to great lengths to engage the open source community,' as is often
the case with Microsoft, it turns out they had an ulterior motive.
According to Stephen Hemminger, an engineer with Vyatta, Microsoft's
Hyper-V used open-source components in a network driver and the company
released the code to [2]avoid legal action over a GPL violation.
Microsoft's decision to embrace the GPL was welcomed by many in the open
source community, but their [3]failure to honestly explain the reason
behind the release will have squandered this opportunity to build trust,
something which is sadly lacking in most people's dealings with
Microsoft."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1327205

Links:
0. mailto:aussie_bob.hotmail@com
1. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...20/1643251&tid=11
2. http://www.osnews.com/story/21882/Micros..._Violation
3. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/23/...violation/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| White House Panel Seeks Input On Spaceflight Plans |
| from the in-space-nobody-can-hear-you-vote dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @11:49 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...23/1335242 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Neil H. writes "The Augustine Commission, commissioned by the White House
and NASA to provide an [0]independent review of the current US human
spaceflight program and potential new directions, is seeking public input
on a [1]document describing the preliminary beyond-LEO exploration
scenarios they're analyzing. The destination-based scenarios, designed
with NASA's current budget in mind, range from a Lunar Base (essentially
NASA's current plan), to 'Mars First' (human exploration of Mars ASAP),
to 'Flexible Path' (initially focused on several destinations in shallow
gravity wells, such as Lagrange points, [2]near-Earth asteroids, and the
Martian moon Phobos). The Commission is also seeking input on the issues
of engaging commercial spaceflight, in-space refueling, and coordinating
human and robotic exploration."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...23/1335242

Links:
0. http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/members/subgroups.html
1. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/368722main_Beyon..._12_09.pdf
2. http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/the_t...iods.shtml


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Want to Eat Chocolate Every Day For a Year? |
| from the dental-nightmare dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @12:07 (Science) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...23/1538214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Scientists from the University of East Anglia are studying the potential
health benefits of dark chocolate, and need 40 female volunteers who
would like to [0]eat chocolate every day for a year. The chocolate loving
40 must be post-menopausal and have type 2 diabetes so it can be
determined if the flavonoid compounds in chocolate can reduce the risk of
heart disease. Dr Peter Curtis, of the UEA's School of Medicine, said,
"Our first volunteers are about to return for their final visit to see if
the markers of heart health - such as blood pressure and cholesterol
levels — have changed. A successful outcome could be the first step in
developing new ways to improve the lives of people at increased risk of
heart disease."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...23/1538214

Links:
0. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/scien...ience.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Intel 34nm SSDs Lower Prices, Raise Performance |
| from the getting-better dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @12:38 (Data Storage) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...23/1524202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Vigile writes "When Intel's consumer line of solid state drives were
[0]first introduced late in 2008, they impressed reviewers with their
performance and reliability. Intel gained a lot of community respect by
addressing some [1]performance degradation issues found at PC Perspective
by quickly releasing [2]an updated firmware that solved those problems
and then some. Now Intel has its second generation of X25-M drives
available, designated by a "G2" in the model name. The SSDs are
technically very similar though they use 34nm flash rather than the 50nm
flash used in the originals and reduced latency times. What is really
going to set these new drives apart though, both from the previous Intel
offerings and their competition, are the much lower prices allowed by the
increased memory density. PC Perspective has posted [3]a full review and
breakdown of the new product line that should be available next week."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...23/1524202

Links:
0. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../25/015209&tid=20
1. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...13/2337258&tid=20
2. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...13/2332211&tid=52
3. http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=750


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pirate Bay's Anonymity Service Enters Beta Testing |
| from the counting-grains-of-sand dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 23, @13:19 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/23/1636209 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

schliz writes "Developers of The Pirate Bay have launched [0]their new
Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to some 180,000 pre-registered beta
testers. An e-mail to beta testers read. 'IPREDator does not store any
personal details about its clients. IPREDator does not store any traffic
habits you might have. IPREDator is the key to a free internet in the
renaissance of censorship!' The new service was launched to protect file
sharers [1]in response to the Swedish Intellectual Property Rights
Enforcement Directive (IPRED) that went into effect in April."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...23/1636209

Links:
0. http://itnews.com.au/News/150881,pirate-...sting.aspx
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/03/27/1...-7-a-Month


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Armadillo Aerospace Flight Paves Way For Science Payloads |
| from the how-much-for-a-spacemail-stamp dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @14:05 (Transportation) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/1723232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Matt_dk writes "Armadillo Aerospace conducted [1]two groundbreaking
atmospheric test flights this weekend with their 'Mod'
vertical-takeoff-vertical-landing rocket, a vehicle familiar to anyone
who has followed NASA's Lunar Lander Challenge competitions. Flying from
their test facility in Caddo Mills, Texas, Armadillo Aerospace first
completed a milestone flight under a NASA contract, using methane fuel
and liquid oxygen as propellant. Later that same afternoon, a second
successful low-altitude flight was performed using a 'boosted hop'
trajectory of the same type that will be used for suborbital flights to
space."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1723232

Links:
0. http://spacefellowship.com/
1. http://spacefellowship.com/2009/07/23/ar...-payloads/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Could the Cloud Derail a $300 Million Data Center? |
| from the follow-the-electrons dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @14:23 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/1735234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]1sockchuck writes "The cloud computing debate has come into focus for
taxpayers in Washington state, where a proposed $300 million project to
build a data center in Olympia for the state's IT operations is coming
under scrutiny. Two legislators are urging the state to [1]shift
applications to the cloud instead, noting that two of the largest cloud
computing providers (Microsoft and Amazon) are based in the state. The
[2]critics say the data center project is driven by an interest in local
construction and 'fails to seriously explore the larger strategic
question facing government technology today.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1735234

Links:
0. http://www.gamehostingguide.com/
1. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archi...ta-center/
2. http://reuvencarlyle36.com/2009/07/21/a-...n-mistake/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Stroustrup Says New C++ Standard Delayed Until 2010 Or Later |
| from the esperanto-wasn't-built-in-a-day dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @14:48 (Programming) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/1817225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

wandazulu writes "At the end of an article written by [0]the creator of
C++, where he talks about removing a feature from the new C++ standard,
he drops a bombshell: The new C++ standard (typically referred to as
C++0x) has been [1]delayed until 2010 or later. What does this mean? No
new C++ features like threads, proper enum classes, or hash tables. C++0x
is dead, long live C++1x!"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1817225

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjarne_Stroustrup
1. http://www.ddj.com/cpp/218600111


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| People Emit Visible Light |
| from the lots-of-girls-I-know-glow-visibly dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @15:10 (Science) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...23/1819215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An Anonymous Reader writes "The human body literally glows, emitting a
visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall
with the day, scientists now reveal. [0]Japanese researchers have shown
that the body emits visible light, 1,000 times less intense than the
levels to which our naked eyes are sensitive. In fact, virtually all
living creatures emit very weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct
of biochemical reactions involving free radicals."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...23/1819215

Links:
0. http://news.aol.com/article/humans-glow/584160


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Amazon UK Refunds Windows License Fee, With Little Hassle |
| from the obey-lord-good-idea dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @15:36 (Windows) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/1855211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]christian.einfeldt writes "Alan Lord, a FOSS computer consultant based
in the UK, has announced that Amazon UK [1]honored his request for a
refund of the Microsoft license fee portion of the cost of a new Asus
netbook PC that came with Microsoft Windows XP. Lord details the steps
that he took to obtain a refund of 40.00 GBP for the cost of the EULA,
complete with links to click to request a refund. Lord's refund comes 10
years after the initial flurry of activity surrounding EULA discounts,
started by a blog post by Australian computer consultant Geoffrey Bennett
which [2]appeared on Slashdot on 18 January 1999. That Slashdot story led
to mainstream press coverage, such as [3]stories in CNN, the [4]New York
Times Online, and the [5]San Francisco Chronicle, to name [6]just a few.
The issue quieted down for a few years, but has started to gain some
momentum again in recent years, with judges in [7]France, [8]Italy, and
[9]Israel awarding refunds. But if Lord's experience is any indication,
getting a refund through Amazon might be as easy as filling out a few
forms, at least in the UK, without any need to go to court."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1855211

Links:
0. mailto:einfeldt@@@digitaltippingpoint...com
1. http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2009/07/...amazon-uk/
2. http://slashdot.org/story/99/01/18/15392...art_pos=34
3. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9901/2...index.html
4. http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/0...riefs.html
5. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...U74183.DTL
6. http://linuxmafia.com/refund/coverage.html
7. http://news.slashdot.org/story/08/05/19/...?art_pos=4
8. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/07/10/27/1...?art_pos=7
9. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/08/12/03/1...?art_pos=1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| U of Michigan and Amazon To Offer 400,000 OOP Books |
| from the had-no-idea-so-many-people-loved-object-oriented-pumas d|
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @16:25 (Books) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...23/1912231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "Four hundred thousand rare, out of print books [0]may
soon be available for purchase ranging anywhere from $10 to $45 apiece.
The article lists a rare Florence Nightingale book on Nursing which
normally sells for thousands due to its rarity. The [University of
Michigan] librarian, Mr. Courant said, 'The agreement enables us to
increase access to public domain books and other publications that have
been digitised. We are very excited to be offering this service as a new
way to increase access to the rich collections of the university
library.' The University of Michigan has a library where [1]Google is
scanning rare books and was the aim of heavy criticism. (Some of the
Google-scanned books are to be sold on Amazon.) How the [2]authors guild
and publishers react to Amazon's Surge offering softcover reprints of out
of print books remains to be seen."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1912231

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8162664.stm
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...06/1515255&tid=14
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/03/1628233&tid=172


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| $2 Million NASA Power Beaming Challenge Heating Up |
| from the when-moving-target-is-not-figurative dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @17:11 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...23/2046203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]carstene writes "Qualification rounds for the NASA Centennial
Challenge Power beaming contest are underway at the [1] Dryden Flight
Research Center. The contest uses a scale model of a space elevator as a
race track. Entrants must build a robot to climb a cable, suspended by
helicopter, 1 km into the sky without any on board energy storage. The
teams are using high power laser beams to transmit power from ground
stations to photovoltaic arrays on the robots. If a team can accomplish
this at 5 meters per second average speed then they could win up to 2
million dollars. One day this technology could be used to power rovers in
shadowed areas of the moon or to recharge electric UAV's in-flight or
even a [2]space elevator in the far future. A [3]blog of the event can be
found here. Full disclosure: I'm a member of the LaserMotive team that
you can [4]follow on twitter, or [5]or via blog."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...23/2046203

Links:
0. http://www.lasermotive.com/blog/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryden_Flig...rch_Center
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator
3. http://www.spaceelevatorgames.org/
4. http://twitter.com/lasermotive
5. http://www.lasermotive.com/blog/?page_id=5


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How To Vet Clever Ideas Without Giving Them Away? |
| from the don't-clever-ideas-want-to-be-free? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @18:00 (Patents) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/23/2110205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Rival writes "As an inquisitive and creative geek, I am constantly
coming up with 'clever' ideas. Most often I discover fundamental or
practical flaws lurking in the details, which I'm fine with. As Edison
said, 'I haven't failed; I've found 10,000 ways that don't work.' Other
times, I discover that someone else has beaten me to the idea. I'm fine
with that, too. At least I know that I've come up with a great idea, even
if I'm not the first. There are times, however, when I can find no flaws
with an idea and nobody else seems to have thought of it. I'm not
conceited enough to think my idea is genius; I just assume that I'm not
knowledgeable enough to see what I'm missing. In these times, I often
want to ask a subject matter expert for their thoughts. On the admittedly
long chance that an idea is genius, however, what is the best way to ask
for another's insights while mitigating the risk of them stealing or
sharing the idea? Asking a stranger to sign a contract before discussing
an idea seems like a good way to get a door closed on my face. What are
your experiences and suggestions?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...23/2110205

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/~Rival/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SpinVox "Recognition" Is Often Expensive Human Transcription |
| from the comes-with-free-offsite-backups dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @18:51 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/23/228208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "[0]SpinVox offers to convert voice messages
to text using a system called D2 or 'the Brain.' According to BBC News,
said 'Brain' is often of the old-fashioned kind: SpinVox is [1]sending
private voice messages to South Africa, the Philippines, and maybe Egypt
to be typed by people in a call centre, despite being registered as
keeping all private data inside Europe and claiming that the text is
somehow anonymised. Insiders say they transcribed 'love messages, secret
messages' and everything else from beginning to end, and the company is
being bled dry by the cost: SpinVox has been locked out of one of their
data centers over a payment dispute. SpinVox refuses to comment further
on details — but according to their web page, they're 'enabling the
Speech 3.0, Voice 3.0, and Business 3.0 markets,' whatever that means."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/23/228208

Links:
0. http://www.spinvox.com/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8163511.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Rocky Road To Wind Power |
| from the must-save-many-megawatts-to-outweigh dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 23, @19:40 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...23/2322213 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times has an interesting story on the
[1]logistical problems involved in transporting disassembled towers that
will reach more than 250 feet in height from ports or factories to the
remote, windy destinations where the turbines are erected. In Idaho
trucks laden with tall turbine parts have slammed into interstate
overpasses requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. In
Texas the constant truck traffic is tearing up small roads in the western
part of the state where the turbines are being rapidly erected. And in
Maine a truck carrying a big piece of turbine got stuck for hours while
trying to round a corner near Searsport."

This story continues at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...23/2322213

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...23/2322213

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/busine...rbine.html



Reply
#32
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* IBM Seeks Patent On Digital Witch Hunts
* SHA-3 Second Round Candidates Released
* Spore Patch Nearly Lets Creatures Into Other Games
* Skype Apparently Threatens Russian National Security
* Professor Layton and the Curious Twitter Accounts
* Australian Net Filter Gets One Step Closer
* New Zealand Tree Stuck In Evolutionary Time Warp
* Network Solutions Suffers Massive Data Breach
* Free Web Content a "Myth," Claims Barry Diller
* The Best First Language For a Young Programmer
* The Irksome Cellphone Industry
* Hubble Photographs Jupiter's New "Scar"
* Are RAID Controllers the Next Data Center Bottleneck?
* Feds Seek Input On Cookie Policy For Government Web Sites
* Apple Dominates "Premium PC" Market
* Electronic Armageddon, and No Electricity Either
* Linus Calls Microsoft Hatred "a Disease"
* Facebook Lets Advertisers Use Pictures Without Permission

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| IBM Seeks Patent On Digital Witch Hunts |
| from the everyone-sees-a-unique-version-of-this-story dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 24, @20:01 (IBM) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/24/2243209 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "Should Mark Zuckerberg want to [1]identify a snitching
Facebook employee, Elon Musk wish to [2]set a trap for loose-lipped Tesla
employees, or Steve Jobs want to '[3]play Asteroid,' they'll be happy to
know that a new IBM 'invention' makes it easier than ever to be paranoid.
In a newly-disclosed patent application for [4]Embedding a Unique Serial
Number into the Content of an Email for Tracking Information Dispersion
(phew!), Big Blue describes how it's automated the creation of [5]Canary
Traps with patent-pending software that [6]makes ever-so-slight changes
to e-mail wording to allow you to spy on the unsuspecting recipients of
your e-mail."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...24/2243209

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.switched.com/2009/04/03/faceb...d-streak/3
2. http://valleywag.gawker.com/5164035/tesl...witch-hunt
3. http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=451
4. http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220090187629%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20090187629&RS=DN/20090187629
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_trap
6. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3751...70b3_o.jpg


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SHA-3 Second Round Candidates Released |
| from the narrowing-the-field dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 24, @22:03 (Encryption) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/24/2322243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Jeremy A. Hansen writes "NIST just announced their selections for
algorithms [1]going to the second round of the SHA-3 competition.
Quoting: 'NIST received 64 SHA-3 candidate hash function submissions and
accepted [2]51 first round candidates as meeting our minimum acceptance
criteria. We have now selected 14 second round candidates to continue in
the competition. Information about the second round candidate algorithms
[3]will be available here. We were pleased by the amount and quality of
the cryptanalysis we received on the first round candidates, and more
than a little amazed by the ingenuity of some of the attacks. ... In
selecting this set of second round candidates we tried to include only
algorithms that we thought had a chance of being selected as SHA-3. We
were willing to extrapolate higher performance for conservative designs
with apparently large safety factors, but comparatively unforgiving of
aggressive designs that were broken, or nearly broken during the course
of the review. We were more willing to accept disquieting properties of
the hash function if the designer had apparently anticipated them, than
if they were discovered during the review period, even if there were
apparent fixes. We were generally alarmed by attacks on compression
functions that seemed unanticipated by the submitters.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/24/2322243

Links:
0. mailto:jeremyhansen@acm.org
1. http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/hash/sha-..._rnd2.html
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...21/1334238&tid=537
3. http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/hash/sha-...index.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Spore Patch Nearly Lets Creatures Into Other Games |
| from the universal-elf-care dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 24, @23:10 (PC Games (Games)) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../25/024209 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Dalambertian writes "The release of [0] Spore's Patch 5 lets players
[1]export their creatures (and soon vehicles and buildings) in Collada
format. This includes textures, bump mapping, and rigging for animation.
Maxis developer Ocean Quigley recently [2]posted a nice tutorial for
getting said creatures into Maya, and other 3D packages are soon to
follow. This could have a huge impact on the games industry, and the
indie games scene in particular. Unfortunately, if the patch falls under
the usual [3]EULA, then any legitimate use of the art assets outside of
the Spore community becomes impossible. EA is apparently just teasing us
with its taste-but-don't-swallow policy, and at present it's not clear
whether the genius that came out of Spore's development will ever truly
be accessible to the game dev community."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../25/024209

Links:
0. http://www.spore.com/patch
1. http://oceanquigley.blogspot.com/2009/07...-maya.html
2. http://oceanquigley.blogspot.com/2009/07...-maya.html
3. http://www.spore.com/comm/prototypes#eula


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Skype Apparently Threatens Russian National Security |
| from the do-icbms-work-on-skype dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @00:05 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/25/0015250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Mr.Bananas writes "Reuters reports that 'Russia's most powerful business
lobby [0]moved to clamp down on Skype and its peers this week, telling
lawmakers that the Internet phone services are a threat to Russian
businesses and to national security.' The lobby, closely associated with
Putin's political party, cites concerns of 'a likely and uncontrolled
fall in profits for the core telecom operators,' as well as a fear that
law enforcement agencies have thus far been [1]unable to listen in on
Skype conversations due to its 256-bit encryption."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...25/0015250

Links:
0. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/i...1I20090724
1. http://english.pravda.ru/business/compan...84-skype-0


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Professor Layton and the Curious Twitter Accounts |
| from the somebody-do-this-with-starcon2 dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @01:01 (Communications) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...25/0452225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Ssquared22 writes "'Frankly ... I'm ashamed. I have made myself a
Twitter page and officially joined the world of technology. Perhaps Luke
may help me update.' With [1]those words on June 28, 2009, what had been
just [2]a fictional character in a Nintendo DS game became a fixture on
Twitter. Over the coming days and weeks, the [3]TopHatProfessor account
would post dozens of riddles and brainteasers of the type found in 2008's
Professor Layton and the Curious Village and the upcoming Professor
Layton and the Diabolical Box, soliciting answers from his slowly growing
cadre of followers. Along the way, the professor happily answered
questions about the upcoming title and shared little slices of life from
his day, all without ever breaking character. Many followers were bemused
and intrigued by what they assumed was a clever new viral marketing
campaign put on by Nintendo ahead of Diabolical Box's August release. In
reality, though, the TopHatProfessor account was the work of a lone
college student and amateur game journalist, trying to get attention for
a game he felt was being sorely neglected by publisher Nintendo and the
media at large."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...25/0452225

Links:
0. http://radioexile.com/
1. http://twitter.com/TopHatProfessor/status/2373377107
2. http://www.crispygamer.com/features/2009...ounts.aspx
3. http://www.twitter.com/TopHatProfessor


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Australian Net Filter Gets One Step Closer |
| from the put-down-the-kangaroo-and-write-a-letter dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @02:09 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...25/0049217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Condobolin sends in an update to the Australian government's ongoing
efforts to implement ISP-level filtering. One of the hurdles they had to
overcome was to build a system that would allow them to filter content
without impairing other internet usage. [0]A trial of the system has just
concluded, and the results are positive — at least, for the government.
Quoting: "More than half of the Internet service providers (ISPs) taking
part in the Federal Government's ISP filtering trial have reported
minimal speed disruptions or technology problems. Of the nine
participating ISPs, iPrimus, Netforce, Webshield, Nelson Bay Online and
OMNIconnect told ARN they had seen no slowdowns in Internet speeds or
problems with the filtering solutions in place. Of the remaining four
ISPs, Tech2U and Highway1 were unable to respond by time of publication
while Unwired and Optus refused to comment. ... 'From a technical
perspective we're more than confident that if the government decided to
roll out a mandatory Internet filter based on or around an Australian
Communications and Media Authority blacklist or subset thereof, then it
can be done without any impact whatsoever to the speed of the Internet,'
[said Webshield managing director Anthony Pillion]."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...25/0049217

Links:
0. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/312354/...reen-light


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Zealand Tree Stuck In Evolutionary Time Warp |
| from the decompress-the-shuttlebay dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @05:13 (Earth) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...25/0249238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

sciencehabit writes "A eucalyptus-like tree from New Zealand is [0]still
waging a battle that should have ended over 500 years ago. The tree
continues to sport evolutionary adaptations, such as barbed leaves, to
protect it from a large, flightless bird known as a moa. There's just one
problem: the moa went extinct around 1500 AD."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...25/0249238

Links:
0. http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/con...2009/724/1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Network Solutions Suffers Massive Data Breach |
| from the is-there-a-prescription-for-that dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @08:19 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/25/0259204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]dasButcher writes "Network Solutions, the domain registration and
hosting service company, suffered [1]a massive security breach that
lasted three months and exposed tens of thousands of credit card numbers
of its customers and of the businesses that use its hosting and online
payment processing service. The company is just beginning the [2]victim
notification process. 'There is no information on how the code was
planted on the sites. While examination of the code shows that it had the
ability to [3]ship data off to a third party, and Network Solutions
believes that it did just that, the exact code is not available for
public review. There is also no public information as to where the data
believed to be stolen was sent.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/25/0259204

Links:
0. mailto:lmwalsh2112@yahoo.com
1. http://blogs.channelinsider.com/secure_c...reach.html
2. http://www.careandprotect.com/feedback/e...-is-fixed/
3. http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php...-in-attack


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Free Web Content a "Myth," Claims Barry Diller |
| from the news-to-us dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @09:20 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...25/1151206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]BotScout writes "Following in the footsteps of other traditional media
executives who just don't get it, [1]Barry Diller, chairman and chief
executive officer of IAC/InterActiveCorp, said [2]web users will have to
pay for what they watch and use, and that's that. The media and
technology executive said it's 'mythology' to view the Internet as a
system of free communications. 'It is not free, and is not going to be,'
Diller said yesterday at the Fortune Brainstorm conference in Pasadena,
California. Companies from Disney to New York Times Co. are seeking ways
to extract revenue from the Internet. The latter recently said that it's
considering a $5 monthly fee for access to its namesake newspaper's web
site."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...25/1151206

Links:
0. http://botscout.com/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Diller
2. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZeenjkAYFIE


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Best First Language For a Young Programmer |
| from the what-language-do-the-binars-speak dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @10:22 (Programming) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...25/1224247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister questions whether
Scheme, a dialect of Lisp taught as part of many first-year CS curricula
and considered by some to be the 'latin of programming,' is really [1]the
best first language for a young programmer. As he sees it, the
essentially write-only Scheme requires you to bore down into the source
code just to figure out what a Scheme program is trying to do — excellent
for teaching programming but 'lousy for a 15-year-old trying to figure
out how to make a computer do stuff on his own.' And though the
[2]'hacker ethic' may in fact be harming today's developers, McAllister
still suggests we encourage the young to 'develop the innate curiosity
and love of programming that lies at the heart of any really brilliant
programmer' by simply encouraging them to fool around with whatever
produces the most gratifying results. After all, as Jeff Atwood puts it,
'[3]what we do is craftmanship, not engineering,' and inventing effective
software solutions takes insight, inspiration, deduction, and often a
sprinkling of luck. 'If that means coding in Visual Basic, so be it.
Scheme can come later.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...25/1224247

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-wor...rammer-413
2. http://developers.slashdot.org/story/09/...?art_pos=1
3. http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001288.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Irksome Cellphone Industry |
| from the reach-out-and-regulate-some-one dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @11:19 (Cellphones) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...25/1438217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

gollum123 writes "David Pogue of the NYTimes wonders why Congress is
[0]worrying about exclusive handset contracts when there are more
significant things that are [1]broken, unfair, and anti-competitive in
the American cellphone industry. He lists text messaging fees, double
billing, handset subsidies, international call rates, and 'airtime-eating
instructions' among the major problems not being addressed by Congress.
'Right now, the cell carriers spend about $6 billion a year on
advertising. Why doesn't it occur to them that they'd attract a heck of a
lot more customers by making them happy instead of miserable? By being
less greedy and obnoxious? By doing what every other industry does: try
to please customers instead of entrap and bilk them? But no. Apparently,
persuading cell carriers to treat their customers decently would take an
act of Congress.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...25/1438217

Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...16/2150205&tid=61
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/techno...e.html?hpw=&pagewanted=all


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Hubble Photographs Jupiter's New "Scar" |
| from the too-bad-cassini's-at-the-wrong-planet dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @11:53 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...25/1457245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

BearRanger writes "Calibration of new systems in the Hubble Space
Telescope (installed in May by Shuttle Atlantis astronauts) were
interrupted to take pictures of [0]the new 'scar' near the south pole of
Jupiter. The scar is believed to have been caused by the [1]impact of an
asteroid or small comet with the gas giant, which we discussed last
Sunday. Hubble's return to service will be delayed by this interruption,
but NASA says that rare events such as this warrant the delay. This is
only the second recorded impact of an object with Jupiter."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...25/1457245

Links:
0. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble...ubble.html
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/07/...r?from=rss


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Are RAID Controllers the Next Data Center Bottleneck? |
| from the many-varied-pipes dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @12:23 (Data Storage) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...25/1547214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]storagedude writes "This article suggests that most RAID controllers
are [1]completely unprepared for solid state drives and parallel file
systems, all but guaranteeing another I/O bottleneck in data centers and
another round of fixes and upgrades. What's more, some unnamed RAID
vendors don't seem to even want to hear about the problem. Quoting:
'Common wisdom has held until now that I/O is random. This may have been
true for many applications and file system allocation methodologies in
the recent past, but with new file system allocation methods, pNFS and
most importantly SSDs, the world as we know it is changing fast. RAID
storage vendors who say that [2]IOPS are all that matters for their
controllers will be wrong within the next 18 months, if they aren't
already.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...25/1547214

Links:
0. mailto:pshread@internet.com
1. http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/te...hp/3831661
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOPS


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Feds Seek Input On Cookie Policy For Government Web Sites |
| from the om-nom-nom dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 25, @13:23 (Government) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/25/164220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

suraj.sun sends along this quote from Information Week: "The government
wants to [0]use cookies to offer more personalized web sites to citizens
and better analytics to Webmasters. ... The federal government has
drafted changes to its outdated restrictions on HTTP cookies, and wants
the public's input. Under the plan, detailed in a blog post by federal
CIO Vivek Kundra and... Michael Fitzpatrick, federal agencies would be
able to use cookies as long as their use is lawful, [1]citizens can opt
out of being tracked, notice of the use of cookies is posted on the Web
site, and Web sites don't limit access to information for those who opt
out. ... The Office of Management and Budget is considering three
separate tiers of cookie usage that will likely have different
restrictions for each, based on privacy risks. The first tier of sites
would use single-session technologies, the second multi-session
technologies for use in analytics only, and the third for multi-session
cookies that are used to remember data or settings 'beyond what is needed
for web analytics.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/25/164220

Links:
0. http://www.informationweek.com/news/gove...=218600614
1. http://blog.ostp.gov/2009/07/24/cookiepolicy/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Dominates "Premium PC" Market |
| from the PC-hunters-shy-away dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 25, @14:33 (The Almighty Buck)|
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...25/1648208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]itwbennett writes "Macs made up a whopping [1]91 percent of the
$1,000-and-up computer market in June. Not so long ago, $1,000 got you an
entry-level machine. Today the [2]average computer sells for $701, while
the average Windows machine sells for only $515. Still, Macs only make up
8.7% of PC sales. But is that really such a bad position to be in?
Consider an Apples to Apples, that is, Macs to iPhones comparison: the
iPhone takes only a sliver of the phone market but a [3]much larger share
of the profits."

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...25/1648208

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/articl...1248313624
2. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/...apple.html
3. http://itworld.com/business/72160/mac-sa...ld-bonkers


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Electronic Armageddon, and No Electricity Either |
| from the life-under-a-faraday-cage dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 25, @15:40 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...25/1728241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Smart grid technology is a hot issue on Capitol Hill, but some are
raising questions about the idea. In recent days we've discussed the
smart grid's potential [0]exposure to worm attacks, [1]consumers'
unreadiness for the idea, and whether the [2]whole concept may need a
rethink. A Congressional hearing on Thursday surfaced another reason for
caution: the [3]smart grid's vulnerability to EMP. "Electromagnetic
Pulse" refers to the damage caused in electrical circuits and systems
when a nuclear explosive goes off nearby. The electric grid as it's
currently constituted is vulnerable to EMP; the further down the road we
go towards a smart grid, the more vulnerable it will become. "It makes a
great equalizer for small nations looking to stand up to military
Goliaths, argues Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (Rep.-Md.), a former research
scientist and engineer who has worked in the past on projects for NASA
and the military. All one needs to wreak some serious EMP damage, he
charges, is a sea-worthy steamer, $100,000 to buy a scud-missile
launcher, and a crude nuclear weapon. Then fling the device high into the
air and detonate its warhead. Such a system might not paralyze the entire
United States, he concedes. 'But you could shut down all of New England.
And if you missed by 100 miles, it's as good as a bulls eye.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...25/1728241

Links:
0. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../22/082236&tid=154
1. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../18/224208&tid=154
2. http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/07/14/1918232
3. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/...c_weaponry


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Linus Calls Microsoft Hatred "a Disease" |
| from the open-means-open dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 25, @16:49 (Microsoft) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...25/1757253 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "In the aftermath of [1]Microsoft's recent
decision to contribute 20,000 lines of device driver code to the Linux
community, Christopher Smart of Linux Magazine talked to Linus Torvalds
and asked if the code was something he would be happy to include, even
though it's from Microsoft. 'Oh, I'm a big believer in "technology over
politics." I don't care who it comes from, as long as there are solid
reasons for the code, and as long as we don't have to worry about
licensing etc. issues,' says Torvalds. 'I may make jokes about Microsoft
at times, but at the same time, [2]I think the Microsoft hatred is a
disease. I believe in open development, and that very much involves not
just making the source open, but also not shutting other people and
companies out.' Smart asked Torvalds if Microsoft was contributing the
code to benefit the Linux community or Microsoft. 'I agree that it's
driven by selfish reasons, but that's how all open source code gets
written! We all "scratch our own itches." It's why I started Linux, it's
why I started git, and it's why I am still involved. It's the reason for
everybody to end up in open source, to some degree,' says Torvalds. 'So
complaining about the fact that Microsoft picked a selfish area to work
on is just silly. Of course they picked an area that helps them. That's
the point of open source — the ability to make the code better for your
particular needs, whoever the "your" in question happens to be.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...25/1757253

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/20/1643251
2. http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7439/1.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facebook Lets Advertisers Use Pictures Without Permission |
| from the controlling-rights-to-your-face dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday July 25, @17:56 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/25/1842203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Krokz sends in an LA Times piece that begins "A [0]warning is bouncing
through cyberspace today, landing on the Facebook statuses of many of the
social networking site's users. The message: 'Facebook has agreed to
[1]let third party advertisers use your posted pictures without your
permission.' It continues with a prescription of how you can protect your
photos." The attention-grabbing incident in this furor involved a married
woman, whose photo appeared in an ad for a dating service that was
presented to her husband to view. Fortunately, both husband and wife had
a sense of humor about it.

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...25/1842203

Links:
0. http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/16/...ur-photos/
1. http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/200...uired.html



Reply
#33
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Sun's JRuby Team Jumps Ship To Engine Yard
* New DoS Vulnerability In All Versions of BIND 9
* Microsoft and Yahoo Reach Deal
* Verizon 4G LTE Tests Planned For Seattle, Boston
* Noctilucent Clouds Likely Caused By Shuttle Launches
* China Bans Games That "Glorify Gangsters' Lives"
* In Europe, Auto Spam Translation Kicks In
* From Doom To Dunia — the History of 3D Engines
* Northern Sea Route Through Arctic Becomes a Reality
* Therapists Log On To WoW To Counsel Addicts
* Microsoft's Urgent Patch Precedes Black Hat Session
* New Class of Galaxy Discovered
* Antitrust Pressure Mounts For Wireless Providers
* The Pirate Bay Is Being Sued Again
* Apple Says iPhone Jailbreaking Could Hurt Cell Towers
* Debian Decides To Adopt Time-Based Release Freezes
* Rude Drivers Reduce Traffic Jams
* Asus Demos First Intel P55
* Stopping Spam Before It Hits the Mail Server
* Verizon Asks Court To Affirm 'Most Reliable' Claim
* The Downsides to Digital Distribution
* Tetraktys
* US Supercomputer Lead Sparks Russian Govt's Competitive Drive
* Windows 7 vs. Windows XP On a Netbook
* AMD Spin-Off GlobalFoundries Gets First Non-AMD Customer
* First MS Retail Stores Will be In Scottsdale, AZ and Mission Viejo, CA
* Alan Cox Quits As Linux TTY Maintainer — "I've Had Enough"
* P2P Network Exposes Obama's Safehouse Location
* Inside the AP's Plan To Security-Wrap Its News Content
* Feds May Soon Be Allowed To Use Cookies
* Funds Dwindle To Dismantle Old Nuclear Plants
* Company Awarded "The Patent For Podcasting"

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sun's JRuby Team Jumps Ship To Engine Yard |
| from the just-in-case dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 28, @20:13 (Sun Microsystems) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.p...28/2215211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]itwbennett writes "'To be honest, we had no evidence that Oracle
wouldn't support JRuby, but we also didn't have any evidence that they
would,' said Charles Nutter, explaining why Sun's entire 3-member
[1]JRuby team will be leaving the company to work for application hosting
company Engine Yard. Nutter called [2]getting hired by Sun about
two-and-a-half years ago and being given the chance to work full time on
JRuby a 'dream come true.' And said that the decision to leave Sun came
down to making sure 'JRuby will get to the next level.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments....28/2215211

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/business/72663/su...ngine-yard
2. http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2...JRuby-guys


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New DoS Vulnerability In All Versions of BIND 9 |
| from the binding-with-briars-my-joys-and-desires dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 28, @22:02 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/0028231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Icemaann writes "ISC is reporting that a new, remotely exploitable
[0]vulnerability has been found in all versions of BIND 9. A specially
crafted dynamic update packet will make BIND die with an assertion error.
There is an exploit in the wild and there are no access control
workarounds. [1]Red Hat claims that the exploit does not affect BIND
servers that do not allow dynamic updates, but the ISC post refutes that.
This is a high-priority vulnerability and DNS operators will want to
upgrade BIND to the latest patch level."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/29/0028231

Links:
0. https://www.isc.org/node/474
1. https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=514292


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft and Yahoo Reach Deal |
| from the rhymes-with-sting dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 28, @23:45 (Yahoo!) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/0212220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

e9th writes "We know that Microsoft failed last February in its attempt
to buy Yahoo. Now, Advertising Age reports that [0]they've reached a deal.
Instead of a buyout, the two will enter into a revenue sharing agreement,
and Bing will become Yahoo's default search engine. The meat of the AdAge
article can be found [1]in Yahoo News. This deal may give Google
something to worry about."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/0212220

Links:
0. http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=138177
1. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Microsoft-...1.html?x=0&.v=1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Verizon 4G LTE Tests Planned For Seattle, Boston |
| from the finally-catching-up-to-802.11b dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday July 29, @00:42 (Wireless Networki|
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...28/2251217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

suraj.sun writes "Verizon will kick off [0]tests of its LTE network in
Seattle and Boston later this year, and is 'working on a commercial
launch of LTE service in up to 30 markets next year. LTE is Verizon's
next-generation, '4G' network, which will supplement and eventually
replace its existing CDMA network and provide average data speeds between
8-12 Mbps. Their ultimate goal is to cover 100 million 'points of
presence' nationwide by the end of 2013."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...28/2251217

Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2350807,00.asp


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Noctilucent Clouds Likely Caused By Shuttle Launches |
| from the tunguska-was-a-comet dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday July 29, @02:33 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/006241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]icebike writes "In our recent discussion of the phenomenon of
[1]noctilucent clouds, there was some suggestions that these might be the
product of global warming due to moisture being lofted high into the
atmosphere. It now appears that these clouds are simply the product of
Shuttle launches. In a story about the Tunguska blast, Science News says:
'Each launch of a space shuttle, which burns a combination of liquid
hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel, pumps about 300 metric tons of water
vapor into the atmosphere at altitudes between 100 and 115 kilometers.
Soon after the January 16, 2003, launch of the shuttle Columbia, a
liftoff that took place just after the height of summer in the Southern
Hemisphere, noctilucent clouds appeared over Antarctica. Similarly, a
widespread display of the night-shining clouds showed up over Alaska two
days after the shuttle Endeavour blasted off on August 8, 2007. Previous
studies show that in both instances [2]those clouds included material
from the shuttle plumes.' So, man-made after all?"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../29/006241

Links:
0. mailto:ICEBIKE@GMAIL.COM
1. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/19/...nd-Mystify
2. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/...uska_blast


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| China Bans Games That "Glorify Gangsters' Lives" |
| from the let's-buy-jack-thompson-a-plane-ticket dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @04:28 (Government) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/0825206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

As we discussed in June, China has been working on plans to [0]impose
further restrictions on the games that can be sold or publicized within
its borders. The Chinese government has now begun implementing those
plans, [1]starting with games that involve gangs, saying, "These games
encourage people to deceive, loot and kill, and glorify gangsters' lives.
It has a bad influence on youngsters." According to a Xinhua news agency,
"The ministry ordered its law enforcement bodies to step up oversight and
harshly punish those sites that continue to run such games."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/0825206

Links:
0. http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...19/0548233&tid=60
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/technolog...8T20090728


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| In Europe, Auto Spam Translation Kicks In |
| from the voulez-vous-du-viagra-a-base-de-plantes dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday July 29, @05:21 (Spam) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/28/220248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "While spam levels globally remain at a
two-year high of approximately 90 percent, some European countries are
seeing levels of over 95%. According to a new MessageLabs report ([0]PDF
here), countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands are being
heavily [1]targeted by spammers with automated spam translation
techniques. The use of automated translation services enables
multiple-language spam runs and is responsible for a 13% increase in spam
levels in these countries since May."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/28/220248

Links:
0. http://www.messagelabs.com/mlireport/MLI..._FINAL.pdf
1. http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=7805


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| From Doom To Dunia — the History of 3D Engines |
| from the looking-forward-to-tech-5 dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @06:24 (First Person Sh|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/0838240 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

notthatwillsmith writes "It's difficult to think of a single category of
application that's driven the pace of desktop hardware development
further and faster than first-person shooters. Maximum PC [0]examined the
evolution of FPS engines, looking back at the key technologies that
brought games from the early sprite-based days of Doom to the fully
3D-rendered African Savannah as rendered by Far Cry 2's Dunia engine.
It's truly amazing how far the state of the art has moved in the last 16
years."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/0838240

Links:
0. http://www.maximumpc.com/print/7079


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Northern Sea Route Through Arctic Becomes a Reality |
| from the admiral-peary-i-presume dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday July 29, @08:10 (Transportation) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/0052242 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Andrew Revkin writes in the NY Times that since
1553, when Sir Hugh Willoughby led an expedition north in search of a sea
passage over Russia to the Far East, mariners have dreamed of a
[1]Northern Sea Route through Russia's Arctic ocean that could cut
thousands of miles compared with alternate routes. A voyage between
Hamburg and Yokohama is only 6,600 nm. via the Northern Sea Route —
[2]less than 60% of the 11,400 nm. Suez route. Now in part because of
[3]warming and the retreat and thinning of Arctic sea ice in summer, this
northern sea route is becoming a reality with the 12,700-ton 'Beluga
Fraternity,' designed for a mix of ice and open seas, [4]poised to make
what appears to be the first such trip. The German ship picked up
equipment in Ulsan, South Korea, on July 23 and arrived in Vladivostok on
the 25th with a final destination at the docks in Novyy Port, a Siberian
outpost. After that, if conditions permit, it will head to Antwerp or
Rotterdam, marking what company officials say would be the first time a
vessel has crossed from Asia to Europe through the Arctic on a commercial
passage."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/0052242

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...ping-nigh/
2. http://www.fni.no/INSROP/konf.htm
3. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...c-sea-ice/
4. http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myal...lid=908938&cid=128


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Therapists Log On To WoW To Counsel Addicts |
| from the sometimes-an-elf-is-just-an-elf dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @08:31 (It's funny. La|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/0833213 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "So, you can't find the time to leave the World of
Warcraft to seek help for your World of Warcraft addiction? Sounds
reasonable. Well, [0]addiction therapists are coming to meet you so you
don't have to quit playing as they counsel you and your addiction. From
the leader of this initiative, Dr. Graham: 'We will be launching this
project by the end of the year. I think it's already clear that
psychiatrists will have to stay within the parameters of the game. They
certainly wouldn't be wandering around the game in white coats and would
have to use the same characters available to other players. Of course one
problem we're going to have to overcome is that while a psychiatrist may
excel in what they do in the real world, they're probably not going to be
very good at playing World of Warcraft.' Send in the level 5 counselor
and let the games begin!" What happens when the therapists become
addicted?

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/0833213

Links:
0. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ne...craft.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft's Urgent Patch Precedes Black Hat Session |
| from the no-time-like-the-present dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @08:54 (Microsoft) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/122205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Julie188 writes "Mystery solved! Microsoft's latest emergency
out-of-band patch was weird beyond belief. A notice was sent to
journalists and researchers late Friday evening that the patch was coming
Tuesday, but Microsoft [1]refused to explain the flaw and even put [2]a
cone of silence around researchers who would have otherwise talked about
it. But finally, one researcher broke ranks and explained that the patch
was caused by a flaw introduced in Microsoft's own development tools.
This flaw was also the source of the emergency ActiveX patch, which
[3]took about 18 months to complete and which supposedly fixed the
problem by turning off ActiveX (setting a 'killbit' on the control).
Researchers at Black Hat on Wednesday will be [4]demonstrating how to
override the killbit controls and get access to vulnerabilities
supposedly stopped with a killbit. What's really scary is that Microsoft
has issued [5]175 killbits fixes so far."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/29/122205

Links:
0. mailto:jbort@nww.com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/43854
2. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/07...softs.html
3. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/43424
4. http://shavlikctocorner.wordpress.com/20...y-release/
5. http://shavlikctocorner.wordpress.com/20...-killbits/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Class of Galaxy Discovered |
| from the give-peas-a-chance dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @09:16 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...29/1210200 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]fructose sends along this excerpt from Space Daily: "A team of
astronomers has [1]discovered a group of rare galaxies called the 'Green
Peas' with the help of citizen scientists working through an online
project called [2]Galaxy Zoo. The finding could lend unique insights into
how galaxies form stars in the early universe. ... Of the 1 million
galaxies in Galaxy Zoo's image bank, only about 250 are in the new 'Green
Pea' type. Galaxy Zoo is claiming this as a success of the 'citizen
scientist' effort that they spearheaded. ... The galaxies, which are
between 1.5 billion and 5 billion light years away, are 10 times smaller
than our own Milky Way galaxy and 100 times less massive. But
surprisingly, given their small size, they are forming stars 10 times
faster than the Milky Way. 'They're growing at an incredible rate,' said
Kevin Schawinski, a postdoctoral associate at Yale and one of Galaxy
Zoo's founders. 'These galaxies would have been normal in the early
universe, but we just don't see such active galaxies today. Understanding
the Green Peas may tell us something about how stars were formed in the
early universe and how galaxies evolve.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...29/1210200

Links:
0. http://www.ericksmodels.com/
1. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Astron...s_999.html
2. http://www.galaxyzoo.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Antitrust Pressure Mounts For Wireless Providers |
| from the can-you-hear-us-now dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @09:37 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/1313239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Over the past few weeks, the cellphone industry has been criticized on a
variety of subjects, from distracted driving to handset exclusivity deals
to [0]everything else that's shady within the industry. Verizon's CEO has
now responded, [1]addressing what he claims are "myths" about standard
practices. Reader DJRumpy points out that the chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights has
been [2]calling for an investigation into whether competition is being
stifled through many of these practices, "including possible text
messaging price fixing and questionable roaming arrangements." Apparently
[3]the new antitrust chief is hitting resistance from within the
government over the aggressive inquiries into this and other major
industries. However, a small victory was achieved the other day when the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration "told
incumbent carriers that they'll have to [4]prove their cases just like
everyone else if they want to challenge broadband grant proposals from
smaller players." There is also legislation in the works that would
require states to [5]impose a ban on text messaging while driving or lose
a significant portion of their federal highway funding.

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/1313239

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/story/09/07/25/14382...e-Industry
1. http://www.intomobile.com/2009/07/27/ver...ustry.html
2. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wire...be-500900/
3. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32149153/ns/...ork_times/
4. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main...0CJUNN2JVN
5. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...QD99O2NL04


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Pirate Bay Is Being Sued Again |
| from the beating-a-dead-horse dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @10:19 (The Courts) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/1413203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]BuR4N writes with news that 10 US movie companies have [1]filed a suit
in Swedish civil court seeking to [2]shut down The Pirate Bay and impose
a fine on its three former operators, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm
Warg and Peter Sunde, as well as the site's bandwidth supplier. Speaking
to TorrentFreak, Sunde said, "It's another day in the whole soap opera of
TPB. They're suing us in Stockholm where none of us live. They're suing
us over something which we don't own. I think the most funny part of the
whole suit is that they just write: 'Reservella is a company run by
Fredrik Neij' — out of 40 pages of paper that's all they have to say, and
it's so wrong. They have no paperwork to back it up." Meanwhile, [3]plans
for The Pirate Bay to be sold to Global Gaming X [4]seem to have stalled.

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/1413203

Links:
0. http://www.intellipool.se/
1. http://www.thelocal.se/20954/20090728/
2. http://torrentfreak.com/us-movie-compani...in-090728/
3. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/1233213&tid=253
4. http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-sale-...er-090728/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Says iPhone Jailbreaking Could Hurt Cell Towers |
| from the think-of-the-towers dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @11:03 (Cellphones) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/1440233 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

AHuxley writes "Apple suggests that the nation's cellphone networks could
be [0]open to 'potentially catastrophic' cyberattacks by iPhone-using
hackers at home and abroad if iPhone owners are permitted to legally
jailbreak their wireless devices. The Copyright Office is currently
considering a request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to legalize
the widespread practice of jailbreaking. Apple has responded to the
request by saying that if the 'baseband processor' software — which
enables a connection to cell phone towers — is exposed, then [1]a user
could crash the tower software, or use the Exclusive Chip Identification
number to make calls anonymously. Apple also thinks its closed business
model is what made the iPhone a success. The Vodafone scandal from a few
years back [2]showed how a network could be compromised, but that was
from within. So, what do you think? Is Apple playing the 'evil genius'
hacker card or can 'anyone' with a smartphone and a genius friend pop a
US cell tower?"

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/1440233

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/07/jailbreak/
1. http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threat...sponse.pdf
2. http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/sec...s-affair/0


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Debian Decides To Adopt Time-Based Release Freezes |
| from the regular-intervals dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @11:28 (Debian) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/1446202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

frenchbedroom writes "The ongoing [0]Debconf 9 meeting in Cáceres, Spain
has brought a significant change to Debian's project management. The
Debian project will now [1]freeze development in December of every odd
year, which means we can expect a new Debian release in the spring of
every even year, starting with 'Squeeze' in 2010. Until now, development
freezing was decided by the Debian release team. From the announcement:
'The project chose December as a suitable freeze date since spring
releases proved successful for the releases of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0
(codenamed "Etch") and Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 ("Lenny"). Time-based freezes
will allow the Debian Project to blend the predictability of time based
releases with its well established policy of feature based releases. The
new freeze policy will provide better predictability of releases for
users of the Debian distribution, and also allow Debian developers to do
better long-term planning. A two-year release cycle will give more time
for disruptive changes, reducing inconveniences caused for users. Having
predictable freezes should also reduce overall freeze time.' We
previously discussed [2]talks between Canonical and the Debian release
team about fixed freeze dates."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/1446202

Links:
0. http://debconf9.debconf.org/
1. http://lists.debian.org/debian-announce/...00009.html
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/13/...ith-Debian


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Rude Drivers Reduce Traffic Jams |
| from the earning-that-one-finger-salute dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @11:49 (Transportation)|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/152243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]BuzzSkyline writes "Traffic jams are [1]minimized if a significant
fraction of drivers break the rules by doing things like passing on the
wrong side or changing lanes too close to an intersection. The insight
comes from a [2]cellular automata study [3]published this month in the
journal Physical Review E. In effect, people who disregard the rules help
to break up the groups that form as rule-followers clump together. The
risk of jamming is lower if all people obey the rules than if they all
disobey them, according to the analysis, but jamming risk is lowest when
about 40 percent of people drive like jerks."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../29/152243

Links:
0. mailto:buzzskyline@gmail.com
1. http://physicscentral.com/buzz/blog/inde...7807494042
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_automaton
3. http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.80.016111


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Asus Demos First Intel P55 |
| from the zoom-zoom dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @12:06 (Intel) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../29/157236 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]adeelarshad82 writes "Intel's X58 chipset is the platform of choice
for enthusiasts, but Intel serves a heck of a big audience. To please
that larger crowd and bring down prices, the company is planning a
mainstream iteration of its Nehalem architecture: the P55 chipset. It's
designed to work with the forthcoming Lynnfield CPUs, and offers
performance close to LGA1366 chips at a much cheaper price. Recently
[1]Asus demoed its first intel P55 chip and [2]released exclusive photos.
Asus claims to have run its new boards with engineering samples of the
Core i5-750 at a 77 percent overclock, boosting speeds from 2.66 GHz to
4.7 GHz. Asus admits this wasn't necessarily stable, but still — that's
fast. And on liquid cooling, the boards reportedly hit speeds of 5.1
GHz."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../29/157236

Links:
0. mailto:adeelarshad82@gmail.com
1. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,28...810,00.asp
2. http://www.extremetech.com/slideshow_vie...00.asp?p=n


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Stopping Spam Before It Hits the Mail Server |
| from the napalm-would-catch-it-even-earlier dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @12:32 (Spam) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/1541217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute for
Technology say they have [1]developed a way to catch spam before it even
arrives on the mail server. Instead of bothering to analyze the contents
of a spam message, their software, called SNARE (Spatio-temporal
Network-level Automatic Reputation Engine), examines key aspects of
individual packets of data to determine whether it might be spam. The
team, led by assistant professor [2]Nick Feamster, analyzed 2.5 million
emails collected by McAfee in order to determine the key packet
characteristics of spam. These include the geodesic proximity of end mail
servers and the number of ports open on the sending machine. The approach
catches spam 70 percent of the time, with a 0.3 false positive rate. Of
course, revealing these characteristics could also allow spammers to fake
their packets to avoid filtering."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/29/1541217

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/23086/
2. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~feamster/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Verizon Asks Court To Affirm 'Most Reliable' Claim |
| from the can-you-sue-me-now dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 29, @13:09 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/1643214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

suraj.sun writes "Verizon has asked a court to [0]affirm its claim to be
'America's Most Reliable 3G Network.' From the article, 'Verizon
Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon and Vodafone Group PLC, asked a U.S.
court for a judgment that its advertising claims to be "America's Most
Reliable 3G Network" were truthful, which rival AT&T called "misleading"
on Monday. In papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Verizon
said assertions on July 1 by AT&T Mobility LLC, a unit of AT&T, that its
advertising was false could not be supported. AT&T, which has its
principal business in Atlanta, had filed the challenge with the National
Advertising Division of the Council for Better Business Bureaus. Verizon
Wireless said its claims of having "America's Most Reliable 3G Network"
and "America's Best 3G Network" and "America's Most Reliable Wireless
Network" are "truthful, accurate and substantiated" and do not violate
the trademark law known as the Lanham Act. It said that AT&T's challenge
"relies on the incorrect premise that speed is an essential element of
the standard for measuring network reliability.'" I can only hope that at
some future date a court will decide which light beer truly is the best
tasting.

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...29/1643214

Links:
0. http://www.reuters.com/article/technolog...1820090728


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Downsides to Digital Distribution |
| from the severe-coaster-shortage dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday July 29, @13:14 (The Internet) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/1558219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The gaming industry's ongoing shift from physical media to direct
downloads has made buying new titles much more convenient, and in some
cases cheaper. However, as this article in The Escapist notes, there are
downsides as well, such as [0]an increased dependence on console makers
and the inability to sell your used games. Quoting: "Microsoft and Sony
might end up charging publishers an arm and a leg to enable game
downloads, especially as they gain more and more control over
distribution. Think about it: What if, 10 years from now, 50 percent of
software sales for Microsoft's latest console come through Xbox Live? Or,
in an even scarier scenario for consumers, what if there is no physical
media drive at all, and everything goes through Xbox Live? Sony's
marriage to the Blu-ray format ensures its continued support of game
discs, but Microsoft has no such restrictions. They could cut console
production costs and take control over the entire supply chain in one
fell swoop. There would be zero room for publishers to negotiate anything
in such a de facto monopoly. The perfect comparison is Wal-Mart. As the
world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart is able to demand pretty much whatever
it wants of suppliers because it grants access to such large numbers of
consumers."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/1558219

Links:
0. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles...-Downloads


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tetraktys |
| from the read-all-about-it dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 29, @14:09 (Security) |
| http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/1313201 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]brothke writes "Imagine for a moment what his novels would read like
if Dan Brown got his [1]facts correct. The challenge Brown and similar
authors face is to write a novel that is both compelling and faithful to
the facts. In Tetraktys, author Ari Juels is able to weave an interesting
and readable story, and stay faithful to the facts. While Brown seemingly
lacks the scientific and academic background needed to write such
fiction, Juels has a Ph.D. in computer science from Berkeley and is
currently the Chief Scientist and director at [2]RSA Laboratories, the
research division of RSA Security." Read below for the rest of Ben's
review.

This story continues at:
http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/1313201

Discuss this story at:
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/1313201

Links:
0. mailto:ben@rothke.com
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaccuracie...Vinci_Code
2. http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Supercomputer Lead Sparks Russian Govt's Competitive Drive |
| from the ever-since-that-damn-satellite dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @14:27 (Supercomputing) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/1759237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]CWmike writes "Russia's launch of Sputnik in 1957 triggered a crisis
of confidence in the US that helped drive the creation of a space
program. Now, Russia is comparing the US's achievements in supercomputing
with theirs, and [1]they don't like what they see. In a speech on
Tuesday, Russia's President, Dmitry Medvedev, criticized his country's IT
industry almost to the point of sarcasm for failing to develop
supercomputing technology, and urged a dramatic change in Russia's use of
high-performance computing. Medvedev, at the opening address of a
Security Council Meeting on Supercomputers in Moscow, told attendees that
476 out of the 500 supercomputers on the Top500 list were manufactured in
the United States. 'Therefore, in general, our situation is very
difficult,' he said."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/1759237

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...for_Russia


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Windows 7 vs. Windows XP On a Netbook |
| from the all-battery-life-claims-are-lies dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @14:46 (Windows) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...29/1814229 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Justin writes "Many in the industry are counting on Windows 7 to bring
the netbook market to the next level. Having netbook manufacturers ship
netbooks with 7+ year old Windows XP pre-installed surely deterred some
from joining the ranks of households with the small, light and portable
netbooks. It seems Microsoft has addressed most of the pitfalls of
Windows Vista on a netbook by increasing battery life and performance to
be very close to that of the lighter-weight Windows XP. Legit Reviews has
the full scoop of [1]battery life and performance tests pitting Windows 7
against Windows XP on the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA Netbook." I'd like to see a
follow-up with a few different Netbook-friendly Linux distros, too.

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...29/1814229

Links:
0. mailto:jw@legitreviews.com
1. http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1023/1/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMD Spin-Off GlobalFoundries Gets First Non-AMD Customer |
| from the and-they're-not-virtual-like-transmeta dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @15:14 (AMD) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...29/1910231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Vigile writes "Since the company was spun off in March,
[0]GlobalFoundries has struggled to answer how it will survive and
compete against powers like TSMC and UMC in the global world of chip
manufacturing. Part of that answer came today when they [1]announced the
company's first customer, excluding AMD. STMicroelectronics will be using
GlobalFoundries' 40nm lower power process technology for future cell
phone SoC designs in the second half of 2010. While one customer won't
drive enough revenue to make the foundry completely independent, it is an
important step in the right direction and could lead to other customers
finally making the leap."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...29/1910231

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalfoundries
1. http://www.pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7557


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| First MS Retail Stores Will be In Scottsdale, AZ and Mission Viejo,|
| from the probably-good-swag-on-day-1 dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @15:33 (Microsoft) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/191221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

UnknowingFool writes "MS has announced the [0]locations of its first two
retail stores. The first one will be located at The Shops in Mission
Viejo, CA sometime in the fall. There is an existing Apple store at the
location. The second one will be located in Scottsdale Fashion Square in
Scottsdale, AZ. That location does not have an Apple store. According to
Corporate Communications Director Kim Stocks, the locations were picked
because they were 'hot markets,' presumably meaning high traffic. Also,
the stores will sell laptops, Zunes, Xbox 360s, MS and 3rd party
software. No details on which laptops were provided."

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/29/191221

Links:
0. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Microsoft-...0.html?x=0&.v=3


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Alan Cox Quits As Linux TTY Maintainer — "I've Had Enough" |
| from the when-smart-people-clash dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @15:52 (Programming) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...29/1925224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Slashdolt writes "After a [0]stern criticism from Linus, the
long-time kernel hacker [1]Alan Cox has [2]decided to walk away as the
maintainer of the TTY subsystem of the Linux Kernel, stating '...I've had
enough. If you think that problem is easy to fix you fix it. Have fun.
I've zapped the tty merge queue so anyone with patches for the tty layer
can send them to the new maintainer.'" A response to a subsequent post on
the list makes it [3]quite clear that he is serious.

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...29/1925224

Links:
0. http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/7/28/373
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Cox
2. http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/7/28/375
3. http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/7/28/378


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| P2P Network Exposes Obama's Safehouse Location |
| from the this-is-an-unsecured-channel-please-acknowledge dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @16:20 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/205207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Lucas123 writes "The location of the safe house used in times of
emergency for the First Family [1]was leaked on a LimeWire file-sharing
network recently, a fact revealed today to members of the House Oversight
and Government Reform Committee. Along with the safe house location, the
LimeWire networks also disclosed presidential motorcade routes, as well
as sensitive but unclassified document that listed details on every
nuclear facility in the country. Now lawmakers are considering a bill to
ban P2P use on government, contractor networks."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/29/205207

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...ak_via_P2P


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Inside the AP's Plan To Security-Wrap Its News Content |
| from the one-of-the-greatest-diagrams-ever dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @17:07 (The Media) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/2057222 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

suraj.sun writes with an excerpt from this story at Ars Technica that the
"Associated Press, reeling from the newspaper apocalypse, has a [0]new
plan to 'wrap' and 'protect' its content though a 'digital permissions
framework.' The Associated Press last week rolled out its brave new plan
to 'apply protective format to news.' The AP's news registry will 'tag
and track all AP content online to assure compliance with terms of use,'
and it will provide a 'platform for protect, point, and pay.' That's a
lot of 'p'-prefaced jargon, but it boils down to a sort of DRM for news —
'enforcement,' in AP-speak."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/2057222

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/...ontent.ars


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Feds May Soon Be Allowed To Use Cookies |
| from the it-looks-like-you're-building-a-bomb dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday July 29, @17:50 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/2123256 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]fast66 writes "The White House [1]may lift its policy barring federal
Web sites from tracking users' online behavior. In place since 2000, the
cookie policy issued by the Office of Management and Budget was intended
to protect citizen privacy but has sparked criticism — even from White
House officials — for hampering citizen outreach. On Friday, Bev Godwin,
the director of online resources and interagency development at the White
House's new media office, blogged on the White House Web site, 'We want
to use cookies for good, not evil' — and invited the public to comment on
cookies through various online channels, including the Office of Science
and Technology Policy blog."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/2123256

Links:
0. http://www.nextgov.com/
1. http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/07/w...fronts.php


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Funds Dwindle To Dismantle Old Nuclear Plants |
| from the what's-the-worst-that-could-happen dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 29, @18:45 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...29/2222204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The Associated Press reports that the companies
that own almost half the nation's nuclear reactors are [1]not setting
aside enough money to dismantle the reactors so many plants may sit idle
for decades posing safety and security risks as a result. The shortfalls
in funding have been caused by huge losses in the stock market that have
devastated the companies' savings and by [2] the soaring costs of
decommissioning. Owners of 19 nuclear plants have won approval to idle
their reactors for as long as 60 years, presumably enough time to allow
investments to recover and eventually pay for dismantling the plants and
removing radioactive material. But mothballing nuclear reactors or
shutting them down inadequately presents the risk that radioactive waste
could leak from abandoned plants into ground water or be released into
the air, and spent nuclear fuel rods could be stolen by terrorists. The
[3]NRC has contacted 18 nuclear power plants to clarify how the companies
will address the recent economic downturn's effects on funds to
decommission reactors in the future but some analysts worry the utility
companies that own nuclear plants might not even exist in six decades."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...29/2222204

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.columbiamissourian.com/storie...all-short/
2. http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...ng-nuclear
3. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collec...9-112.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Company Awarded "The Patent For Podcasting" |
| from the patent-for-obtaining-patents dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 29, @19:55 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/29/2232204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Chris Albrecht writes "VoloMedia announced today that it has been
awarded what it called the '[1]patent for podcasting.' According to the
press announcement, patent number 7,568,213, titled 'Method for Providing
Episodic Media,' covers: '...the fundamental mechanisms of podcasting,
including providing consumer subscription to a show, automatically
downloading media to a computer, prioritizing downloads, providing users
with status indication, deleting episodes, and synchronizing episodes to
a portable media device.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...29/2232204

Links:
0. http://www.newteevee.com/
1. http://newteevee.com/2009/07/29/volomedi...odcasting/


Reply
#34
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* DARPA Builds Smarter Version of Microsoft's Clippy
* Panel Advises Longer Life For Space Station
* Jellyfish Swimming Is Mixing the Oceans
* EMI Only Selling CDs To Mega-Chains From Now On
* Making a Game of Hardware Design
* UK's FSA Finds No Health Benefits To Organic Food
* McAfee Leaks Conference Attendees' Personal Info
* MI5 Website Breached By Hacker
* iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders
* CentOS Project Administrator Goes AWOL
* SMS Hack Could Make iPhones Vulnerable
* Google Warns About Search-Spammer Site Hacking
* Inside the Rise of the Domain Name System
* Pakistan Used Google Earth For Military Targeting
* Games That Design Themselves
* The Pirate Bay Ordered To Block Dutch Users
* RIAA Says "Don't Expect DRMed Music To Work Forever"
* Null Character Hack Allows SSL Spoofing
* Emacs Hits Version 23
* Arizona Considers Selling Capitol Buildings
* David Pogue Wants to Take Back the Beep
* How Wolfram Alpha's Copyright Claims Could Change Software
* ARM Hopes To Lure Microsoft Away From Intel
* DHS Tries to Safeguard Against Giant Monster Attack
* A.I. Developer Challenges Pro-Human Bias
* Linux-Friendly Label Printer Recomendations?
* Malaria Vaccine, Via Mosquito

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DARPA Builds Smarter Version of Microsoft's Clippy |
| from the dead-but-dreaming-of-electric-sheep dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 29, @21:24 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...29/2246241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]holy_calamity writes "Microsoft's animated paperclip may be long dead,
but a $150m DARPA project has resurrected the idea of [1]a virtual
assistant. AI researchers from more than 60 institutions worked on the
project entitled CALO. CALO is designed to help ease the bureaucratic
burden of the military. A consumer spinoff, Siri, is coming to the iPhone
later this year. It responds to conversational voice commands to take
over multi-step tasks like choosing and booking restaurants or cabs."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...29/2246241

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/technology
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17...stant.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Panel Advises Longer Life For Space Station |
| from the if-it-isn't-broke dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 29, @23:42 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...29/2357215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

suraj.sun writes "A presidential panel reviewing the US space program has
found that the United States needs to boost NASA's budget by $1.5 billion
to fly the last seven shuttle missions and should [0]extend International
Space Station operations through 2020. The panel also proposed adding an
extra, eighth shuttle flight to help keep the station supplied and narrow
an expected 5-7 year gap between the time the shuttle fleet is retired
and a new US spaceship is ready to fly."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...29/2357215

Links:
0. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSB237881


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jellyfish Swimming Is Mixing the Oceans |
| from the jellyfish-effect dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @00:15 (Science) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...30/0333201 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eviltangerine writes "A new article from LiveScience suggests that marine
creatures, such as the jellyfish, may [0]contribute as much to ocean
mixing as wind and tides. Wired is also covering the story and includes
[1]a video of the jellyfish in action. From the article, 'The mere act of
swimming implies that some water travels with the swimmer,' said CalTech
engineer Kakani Katija, co-author of the study in Nature Wednesday.
'Drift applies to all animals, to anything with a body.' No word yet on
when the jellyfish blender is to debut."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...30/0333201

Links:
0. http://www.livescience.com/animals/09072...ixers.html
1. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/jellyfish/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EMI Only Selling CDs To Mega-Chains From Now On |
| from the another-brick-in-the-wall dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @02:01 (Music) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/0117222 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]farrellj writes "According to Zeropaid, record company EMI has been
notifying small music stores that they will [1]no longer be able to buy
EMI CDs from EMI, and will have to buy product from mega-chains like
Walmart. Independent record store customers are some of the most loyal
music buyers around. You are not going to find the back catalog, what
used to be the staple of the music business, at your local Walmart. One
wonders when the music business is going to run out of feet to shoot?"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/0117222

Links:
0. mailto:farrell.mcgovern@gmail.com
1. http://www.zeropaid.com/news/86637/emi-q...rd-stores/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Making a Game of Hardware Design |
| from the sim-cpu dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday July 30, @03:20 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...30/0437239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]no-life-guy writes "Researchers at the University of Michigan have
developed a web-game to [1]harness the natural human abilities for
electronic design automation (EDA). Arguing that people are still much
better than computers in games of strategy and visualization, and that
we'll do anything as long as it's fun, a group created [2]FunSAT — a game
where an average Joe gets to solve a [3]Boolean satisfiability problem.
Known as SAT, this problem is an important component in various hardware
design tools from formal verification to IC layout to scheduling. The
pilot version is a puzzle-like single-player Java app (akin to those
addictive web-games), but the researchers envision that it can be
extended to a multi-player (and, perhaps, replace WoW as the favorite
past-time of the millions), so anybody can be a hardware designer. If
anything, this is definitely a great learning tool."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...30/0437239

Links:
0. mailtoConfusedergeant_@mail.ru
1. http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/...hp?id=7252
2. http://funsat.eecs.umich.edu/
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_sat...ty_problem


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| UK's FSA Finds No Health Benefits To Organic Food |
| from the 30-day-detox-delusion dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @04:51 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...30/0210224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]blackbeak writes "The UK [1]Food Standards Agency's 'Independant
Organic Review' results were just released, and the BBC rushed to publish
the findings in the shockingly titled article, '[2]No Health Benefits to
Organic Food.' From the article, 'There is little difference in
nutritional value and no evidence of any extra health benefits from
eating organic produce, UK researchers found.' A peek into the research
at Postpeakpublishing provides [0]a slightly deeper look."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...30/0210224

Links:
0. http://postpeakpublishing.com/
1. http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/...ul/organic
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8174482.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| McAfee Leaks Conference Attendees' Personal Info |
| from the black-fly-in-your-chardonnay dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @07:57 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/0337232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Timmy writes "In the cruelest of ironies, e-mail security vendor McAfee
has accidentally [0]coughed up the personal details of some 1400
attendees of its recent security conference in Sydney, Australia. Those
who were sent the list — attached as a spreadsheet to a thank you e-mail
— are far from pleased that such an extraordinary thing could happen.
McAfee, which sells products to 'stop sensitive and protected data from
leaving the enterprise through email and web traffic' has blamed 'human
error' for the blunder and is 'taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen
again.' Doh!"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/30/0337232

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/...vate_names


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MI5 Website Breached By Hacker |
| from the because-they-can dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 30, @08:49 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/1230259 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Jack Spine writes "UK intelligence agency MI5 has admitted that its
website security was [0]breached by hacker group Team Elite. A member of
the hacker forum posted [1]details of the hack [2]last week, which took
advantage of a cross-site scripting vulnerability in the site's Google
embedded search. MI5 admitted the breach on Wednesday, but said that the
flaw had not been exploited maliciously."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/30/1230259

Links:
0. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,10000...487,00.htm
1. http://nemesis.te-home.net/Forum/3100_Ba...__XSS.html
2. http://news.softpedia.com/news/MI5-and-W...7291.shtml


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders |
| from the there's-a-sweaty-app-for-that dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @09:28 (Apple) |
| http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/0341206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]The Narrative Fallacy writes "All 50 states in the US require the
50,000 people convicted of sexual offenses to sign a register so that
their whereabouts can be tracked and monitored. The Telegraph reports
that now users of the [1]iPhone Offender Locator application can search
for sex offenders living nearby a friend or colleague whose address is
stored in their Apple iPhone address book, or they can type in a street
address to generate a list of convicted sex offenders in the local area.
'Offender Locator gives everyone the ability to find out if registered
sex offenders live in their area,' says the application developer,
ThinAir Wireless, on its iTunes page. 'Knowledge equals safety. They know
where you and your family are...now it's time to turn the tables so that
you know where they live and can make better decisions about where to
allow your kids to play.' Offender Locator uses the iPhone's built-in GPS
to pinpoint the user's location, and then provide a map listing sex
offenders in the local area. Tapping on one of the 'pins' dropped on to
the map brings up a photograph of the offender, as well as their address,
date of birth and list of convictions."

Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/0341206

Links:
0. http://narrativefallacy.com/
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ap...nders.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CentOS Project Administrator Goes AWOL |
| from the going-out-for-smokes dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 30, @09:29 (Operating Systems|
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../30/130249 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Lance Davis, the main project administrator
for CentOS, a popular free 'rebuild' of Red Hat's Enterprise Linux,
appears to have gone AWOL. In an [0]open letter from his fellow CentOS
developers, they describe the precarious situation the project has been
put in. There have been attempts to contact him for some time now, as
he's the sole administrator for the centos.org domain, the IRC channels,
and apparently, CentOS funds. One can only hope that Lance gets in
contact with them and gets things sorted out."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../30/130249

Links:
0. http://www.centos.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SMS Hack Could Make iPhones Vulnerable |
| from the up-against-the-wall-and-spread-'em dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 30, @10:13 (Cellphones) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../30/135234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]mhx writes "A single character sent by text message could [1]allegedly
compromise every iPhone released to date. The technique involves sending
only one unusual text character or else a series of 'invisible' messages
that confuse the phone and open the door to attack. Apple has not
released any updates yet, so little can be done, except to power off your
iPhone to avoid being hacked."

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../30/135234

Links:
0. mailto:mhx@oplink.net
1. http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/28/hackers...ckers.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Warns About Search-Spammer Site Hacking |
| from the secure-your-borders dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 30, @11:00 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/1357234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "The head of Google's Web-spam-fighting team, Matt Cutts,
warned last week that [1]spammers are hacking more and more poorly
secured websites in order to 'game' search-engine results. At a
conference on information retrieval, held in Boston, Cutts also discussed
how Google deals with the growing problem of search spam. 'I've talked to
some spammers who have large databases of websites with security holes,'
Cutts said. 'You definitely see more Web pages getting linked from hacked
sites these days. The trend has been going on for at least a year or so,
and I do believe we'll see more of this [...] As operating systems become
more secure and users become savvier in protecting their home machines, I
would expect the hacking to shift to poorly secured Web servers.' Garth
Bruen, creator of the Knujon software that keeps track of reported search
spam, added that some campaigns involve creating up to 10,000 unique
domain names."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/1357234

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/web/23095/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Inside the Rise of the Domain Name System |
| from the it-sucked-back-then-too dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 30, @11:39 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/1410202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Greg Huang writes "Looking back, it's almost impossible to believe
that for most of the 1990s, a single company, Network Solutions, had a
government-issued monopoly on registering domain names on the Internet.
And considering how central the company was to the growth of the Web,
it's surprising how little of the company's back story — how it got into
the domain name business, or who owned it — has been told. Xconomy has an
in-depth [1]interview with two former executives from SAIC, the secretive
San Diego defense contractor that bought Network Solutions in 1995 for $5
million and sold off the domain registration business in 2000 for
billions of dollars."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/1410202

Links:
0. mailto:gthuang@xconomy.com
1. http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/07...eb-part-1/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pakistan Used Google Earth For Military Targeting |
| from the bejewel-funded dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @12:14 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/042258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

NeoBeans writes "According to this article in the New York Times about
the recent 'improvements' in military strikes by the Pakistani military
it is revealed that they have [0]dropped Google Earth as part of their
target planning for a more precise technology. From the article, '... the
air force has shifted from using Google Earth to more sophisticated
images from spy planes and other surveillance aircraft, and has increased
its use of laser-guided bombs. And no, you can't really find [1]Osama Bin
Laden using Google Maps either."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../30/042258

Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/world/...pstan.html
1. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Osama+Bin+Laden&sll=38.892091,-77.024055&sspn=0.431824,0.641327&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Games That Design Themselves |
| from the real-time-savers dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday July 30, @12:20 (PC Games (Games)|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...30/1610250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]destinyland writes "MIT's Media Lab is building '[1]a game that
designs its own AI agents by observing the behavior of humans.' Their
ultimate goal? 'Collective AI-driven agents that can interact and
converse with humans without requiring programming or specialists to
hand-craft behavior and dialogue.' With a similar project underway by a
University of California professor, we may soon see radically different
games that can 'react with human-like adaptability to whatever situation
they're thrust into.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...30/1610250

Links:
0. http://www.destinyland.org/
1. http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai...themselves


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Pirate Bay Ordered To Block Dutch Users |
| from the can't-catch-a-break dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday July 30, @13:01 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/1641202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]secmartin writes "In a totally unexpected ruling, a Dutch court has
decided that [1]The Pirate Bay should block visitors from the Netherlands
within 10 days or [2]face a fine of €30,000 per defendant per day. Peter
Sunde has already announced that he will appeal the ruling. Even though
the defendants sent a letter explaining that they were unable to come to
the hearing and provided arguments in their favor, these were [3]ignored
by the judge because they failed to appear in his court. The full text of
the ruling [4]was just published (in Dutch, PDF) by Peter Sunde, and
[5]further coverage is available at Forbes."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...30/1641202

Links:
0. http://securityandthe.net/
1. http://securityandthe.net/2009/07/30/dut...e-blocked/
2. http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-o...ds-090730/
3. http://torrentfreak.com/dutch-court-refu...ant-09030/
4. http://drop.io/breinpaidforthis
5. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/3...20764.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RIAA Says "Don't Expect DRMed Music To Work Forever" |
| from the just-ask-what-and-whether-you're-buying-or-renting dept.|
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @13:50 (Media) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/1736209 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Oracle Goddess writes "Buying DRMed content, then [1]having that
content stop working later, is fair, writes [2]Steven Metalitz, the
lawyer who represents the MPAA, RIAA in a letter to the top legal advisor
at the Copyright Office. 'We reject the view that copyright owners and
their licensees are required to provide consumers with perpetual access
to creative works.' In other words, if it stops working, too bad. Not
surprisingly, Metalitz also strongly opposes any exemption that would
allow users to legally strip DRM from content if a store goes dark and
takes down its authentication servers."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...30/1736209

Links:
0. http://psoug.org/
1. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/...orever.ars
2. http://www.iipa.com/html/Bio_Steven_Metalitz.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Null Character Hack Allows SSL Spoofing |
| from the cannot-anticipate-all-evil dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @14:43 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/186228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "Two researchers, Dan Kaminsky and Moxie Marlinspike,
came up with [0]exact same way to fake being a popular website with
authentication from a certificate authority. Wired has the details: 'When
an attacker who owns his own domain — badguy.com — requests a certificate
from the CA, the CA, using contact information from Whois records, sends
him an email asking to confirm his ownership of the site. But an attacker
can also request a certificate for a subdomain of his site, such as
Paypal.com\0.badguy.com, using the null character \0 in the URL. The CA
will issue the certificate for a domain like PayPal.com\0.badguy.com
because the hacker legitimately owns the root domain badguy.com. Then,
due to a flaw found in the way SSL is implemented in many browsers,
Firefox and others theoretically can be fooled into reading his
certificate as if it were one that came from the authentic PayPal site.
Basically when these vulnerable browsers check the domain name contained
in the attacker's certificate, they stop reading any characters that
follow the "\0 in the name.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/30/186228

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/07/kaminsky/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Emacs Hits Version 23 |
| from the actually-includes-duke-nukem-forever dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @15:29 (Software) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/1854243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

djcb writes "After only 2 years since the previous version, now [0]emacs
23 (.1) is available. It brings [1]many new features, of which the
support for anti-aliased fonts on X may be the most visible. Also, there
is support for starting emacs in the background, so you can pop up new
emacs windows in the blink of an eye. There are many other bigger and
smaller improvements, including support for D-Bus, Xembed, and viewing
PDFs inside emacs. And not to forget, [2]M-x butterfly. You can get emacs
23 from [3]ftp.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/ or one of its mirrors; alternatively,
there are binary packages available, for example from [4]Ubuntu PPA."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/1854243

Links:
0. http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-...01526.html
1. http://emacs-fu.blogspot.com/2009/07/ema...-near.html
2. http://xkcd.com/378/
3. ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/
4. https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-elisp/+archive/ppa


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Arizona Considers Selling Capitol Buildings |
| from the everything-must-go dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @16:02 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/0450235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Things are so bad in Arizona that legislators are considering [0]selling
the House and Senate buildings where they've met and worked for more than
50 years. Dozens of other state properties may also be sold. The plan is
to sell the properties and then lease them back over several years before
assuming ownership again. "We've mortgaged the legislative halls," said
an exasperated state Rep. Steve Yarbrough, a Chandler Republican. "That
just tells you how extraordinary the times are. To me, it's something
we're going to have to do no matter how much we find it undesirable." I
bet they could get a great price on the Grand Canyon.

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/0450235

Links:
0. http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/a...s0729.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| David Pogue Wants to Take Back the Beep |
| from the pogue-mahone-jerks dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @16:18 (Communications) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/1955255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

David Pogue has distilled into useful form a long-standing complaint I
have (and one reason I have long had a voice mail greeting that asked
people not to leave me voicemail): cell phone companies set up the
greeting, caller instructions, and playback system prompts in large part
to maximize their revenue per user; by his calculations, the "mandatory
15-second voicmail instructions" from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and
others is earning those companies something near a billion dollars a year
in charges. Pogue suggests that users should "[0]take back the beep," and
to that end provides contact information for the largest cell carriers in
order to register a complaint — and, more helpful in the short run,
suggests ways in which to make better use of paid-for phone minutes by
alerting callers how to bypass the annoying instructions.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/1955255

Links:
0. http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/3...tructions/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Wolfram Alpha's Copyright Claims Could Change Software |
| from the my-patent-app-will-involve-prayer-wheels-and-combinatori|
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @17:09 (Software) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/2055221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister suggests that Wolfram
Research's claim to copyright of results returned by the Wolfram Alpha
engine [1]could have significant ramifications for the software industry.
'While software companies routinely retain sole ownership of their
software and license it to users, Wolfram Research has taken the
additional step of [2]claiming ownership of the output of the software
itself,' McAllister writes, pointing out that it is 'at least
theoretically possible to copyright works generated by machines.' And,
under [3]current copyright law, if any Wolfram claim to authorship of the
output of its engine is upheld, by extension the same rules will apply to
other information services in similar cases as well. In other words, 'If
unique presentations based on software-based manipulation of mundane data
are copyrightable, who retains what rights to the resulting works?'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...30/2055221

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://infoworld.com/d/developer-world/h...ftware-248
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/05/19/...?art_pos=2
3. http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ARM Hopes To Lure Microsoft Away From Intel |
| from the there-would-be-this-software-ecosystem dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @18:00 (AMD) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...30/2147246 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Steve Kerrison writes "With the explosion of netbooks now available,
the line between PC and mobile phone is becoming much less distinct. ARM,
one of the biggest companies behind CPU architectures for mobile phones
(and other embedded systems), sees now as an opportunity to break out of
mobiles and give Intel a run for its money. HEXUS.channel quizzes Bob
Morris, ARM's director of mobile computing, on [1]how it plans to achieve
such a herculean task. Right now, ARM's pushing Android as the OS that's
synonymous with the mobile Internet. But it's not simply going to ignore
Microsoft: 'What if Microsoft offered a full version of Windows (as
opposed to Windows Mobile or Windows CE) that used the ARM, rather than
X86 (Intel and AMD) instruction set? Then it would be a straight hardware
fight with Intel, in which ARM hopes its low power, low price processors
will have an advantage.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...30/2147246

Links:
0. http://stevekerrison.com/
1. http://channel.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=19514


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DHS Tries to Safeguard Against Giant Monster Attack |
| from the why-do-the-gigantic-creatures-hate-us dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 30, @18:43 (United States) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...30/1458246 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]KnightShift writes "Earlier this month the Department of Homeland
Security [1]halted the publication of the Monsterpocalypse Series 3: All
Your Base Strategy Guide due to 'national security concerns.' In a
statement on its website Privateer Press, which publishes [2]the popular
kaiju-inspired collectible miniatures game, reported that 'Homeland
Security pulled the shipment for an intensive examination last week when
it arrived in the United States. While no comment was made to the nature
of the investigation, several crew members within Privateer Press believe
the government became concerned over some of the more radical ideals
espoused by several factions within the Monsterpocalypse game.' Privateer
Press Chief Creative Officer Matt Wilson added that 'I am confident that
the investigation's outcome will reaffirm the rights of free speech and
protest of the radical environmental group Green Fury at the perceived
devastation man is having on our planet as well as the freedom of people
to practice religion without governmental oversight — even those
religions which may very well bring forth the minions of the ancient
Lords of Cthul.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...30/1458246

Links:
0. http://theknightshift.blogspot.com/
1. http://privateerpress.com/company/monste...d-security
2. http://www.monsterpocalypse.com/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A.I. Developer Challenges Pro-Human Bias |
| from the what-it-is-you-intend-to-practice dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @18:58 (Technology) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...30/2251233 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]destinyland writes "After 13 years, the creator of the Noble Ape
cognitive simulation says he's learned two things about artificial
intelligence. '[1]Survival is a far better metric of intelligence than
replicating human intelligence,' and "There are a number of examples of
vastly more intelligent systems (in terms of survival) than human
intelligence." Both Apple and Intel have used his simulation as a
processor metric, but now Tom Barbalet argues its insights could be
broadly applied to real life. His examples of durable non-human systems?
The legal system, the health care system, and even the internet, where
individual humans are simply the 'passive maintaining agents,' and the
systems can't be conquered without a human onslaught that's several
magnitudes larger."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...30/2251233

Links:
0. http://www.destinyland.org/
1. http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai...-life-view


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Linux-Friendly Label Printer Recomendations? |
| from the whippersnapper-can't-address-envelopes-by-hand dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @19:20 (Printers) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/30/2317215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]pdkl95 writes "I have been using some small, simple desktop label
printers for quite a while now. Unfortunately, it's rapidly becoming
clear that my printing needs are for something far more 'industrial
strength.' Several of the label printers have failed, and they never
really had the management features I wanted. So, does anybody have
recommendations on label printers, that can hold up to a quite heavy
load? The catch is that I'm printing to them from CUPS under Linux, and
it seems like specialty-printers are a windows-centric field."

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...30/2317215

Links:
0. mailtoConfusedlashdot.org@noSPAM.thoughtnoise.net


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Malaria Vaccine, Via Mosquito |
| from the absolutely-nothing-can-go-wrong dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 30, @19:55 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...30/2344222 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]CodeShark writes "The AP is reporting that mosquitoes have been
[1]used for the first time to deliver anti-malarial vaccine through their
bites. According to this article the results were crystal clear: 100% of
the vaccinated group acquired immunity, everyone in the non-vaccinated
control group did not. Those in the control group and developed malaria
when exposed to the parasites later, the vaccinated group did not.
Malaria kills nearly a million people per year, mostly children."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...30/2344222

Links:
0. mailto:ellsworthpc@yahEULERoo.comminusmath_god
1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090729/ap_o...VpdG9lc2Rl


Reply
#35
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Microsoft Acknowledges Linux Threat To Windows
* Psychopaths Have Brain Structure Abnormality
* Windows 7 RTM Reviewed & Benchmarked
* Mario AI Competition
* Navigating a Geek Marriage?
* New Left 4 Dead DLC Coming Next Month
* Expedition To Explore an Alaska-Sized Plastic "Island"
* Yahoo Filing Reveals Details of Microsoft Deal
* Surface Plume On Betelgeuse Imaged
* US Marine Corps Bans Social Networking Sites
* Teen Killed At Chinese Internet Addiction Camp
* Wipeout HD Loading Ads Scrapped After Uproar
* 3D Images Reconstructed of 300M-Year-Old Spiders
* Mind-Blowing Interfaces On Display At SIGGRAPH 2009
* XML Library Flaw — Sun, Apache, GNOME Affected
* What's In an Educational Game?
* Twitter Faces Patent Infringement Lawsuit
* Google Acquiring VP3 Developer On2 Technologies
* DIY CPU Thermal Grease, Using Diamond Dust
* Sticky Tape Found To Emit Terahertz Radiation
* Comcast the Latest ISP To Try DNS Hijacking
* Preview the Office 2007 Ribbon-Like UI Floated For OpenOffice.Org
* Google's Launches 2nd Android Developer Contest
* StarCraft II Delayed Until 2010
* Apple Balks, Finally Relents, At Possible User Queries of Dictionary App
* Best Free Open Source Software For Windows
* Chapter 11 Trustee Appointed For SCO
* Swiss Open Source Decision Going Microsoft's Way
* NASA's LCROSS Spacecraft Discovers Life On Earth

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Acknowledges Linux Threat To Windows |
| from the credit-where-due dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 04, @21:46 (Microsoft) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...04/2323253 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir sends along coverage from Good Gear Guide of a recent
Microsoft !0-K SEC filing: "Microsoft for the first time has [1]named
Linux distributors Red Hat and Canonical as competitors to its Windows
client business in its annual filing to the US Securities and Exchange
Commission. The move is an acknowledgment of the first viable competition
from Linux to Microsoft's Windows client business, due mainly to the use
of Linux on netbooks, which are rising in prominence as alternatives to
full-sized notebooks. ... 'Client faces strong competition from
well-established companies with differing approaches to the PC market,'
Microsoft said in the filing. 'Competing commercial software products,
including variants of Unix, are supplied by competitors such as Apple,
Canonical, and Red Hat.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...04/2323253

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/...ows_client


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Psychopaths Have Brain Structure Abnormality |
| from the probably-a-funny-bump-on-the-head-too dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 04, @23:49 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...04/2226218 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

mmmscience writes "A group of scientists has identified a [0]structure in
the brain of psychopaths that is abnormal when compared with controls.
The change is found in the uncinate fasciculus, a bridge of white matter
that connects the amygdala (emotion/aggression brain region) and the
orbitofrontal cortex (decision making region). Interestingly, the greater
the abnormality in the region, the more severe the levels of sociopathy
in a subject. The results were published as 'Altered connections on the
road to psychopathy' in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. A researcher on
the team suggests the finding could have considerable implications in the
world of criminal justice, where such scans could one day be presented as
evidence in a trial." The study's results have not yet been replicated by
other researchers.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...04/2226218

Links:
0. http://www.examiner.com/x-1242-Science-N...bnormality


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Windows 7 RTM Reviewed & Benchmarked |
| from the praising-with-faint-damns dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 05, @01:50 (Windows) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/0025243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "The code is final, and CNet has [0]reviewed
the final version of Windows 7, with benchmarks to support the case that
it's not only the fastest version of Windows to shut down, but also looks
like 'the operating system that both Microsoft and its consumers have
been waiting for.' The review continues: 'By fixing most of the perceived
and real problems in Vista, Microsoft has laid the groundwork for the
future of where Windows will go. Windows 7 presents a stable platform
that can compete comfortably with OS X, while reassuring the world that
Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/0025243

Links:
0. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39029...203,00.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mario AI Competition |
| from the must-be-on-mushrooms-when-you-write-the-code dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @03:37 (Programming) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...05/0438241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]togelius writes "We're running a competition to see who can [1]program
the best AI for a version of Super Mario Bros. It's about deciding what
to do at each time step — run, jump, shoot etc. — based on a description
of the platforms, items and enemies around Mario. This is hard. It's so
hard we believe that some sort of machine learning algorithm will be
necessary to reach good playing performance. But really, any approach is
fair game. We welcome hard-coded submissions, commercial AI programmers,
academics and amateurs alike. Whoever wins, it will be really
interesting. The competition is associated with [2]two IEEE conferences,
and there are cash prizes available for the best submissions."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...05/0438241

Links:
0. http://julian.togelius.com/
1. http://julian.togelius.com/mariocompetition2009/
2. http://ice-gic.ieee-cesoc.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Navigating a Geek Marriage? |
| from the waiting-for-taco-to-weigh-in dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 05, @04:59 (Communications)|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...04/2343241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]JoeLinux writes "I am soon to marry my true love (a girl! yes! they do
exist!). She is a literary geek, whereas I am a gaming/Linux geek. Being
the RTFM-style geeks that we are, we have been reading up on marriage,
making things work, etc. Unfortunately, all of the references seem to be
based around an alpha-male jock and a submissive cheerleader-style wife.
A lot of the references to incompatibility in the books don't apply to us
(neglect due to interest in sports, etc.). What are some of the pitfalls
and successes learned in the course of a more geek-oriented marriage?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...04/2343241

Links:
0. mailto:joelinux@%5B%5Dificnet.net%5B'pac'ingap%5D


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Left 4 Dead DLC Coming Next Month |
| from the mo-zombies-mo-problems dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @06:27 (First Person |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...05/0431216 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Valve said yesterday that they're [0]working on a new campaign for Left 4
Dead, and they plan to release it in September. It's called Crash Course,
and while it will be free for owners of the PC version, Xbox 360 users
will need to purchase it. The new campaign "bridges the gap between the
end of the 'No Mercy' campaign and the beginning of 'Death Toll' in the
original game, expanding the game universe with new locations, new
dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale." Crash Course
isn't as long as the other campaigns, a deliberate decision by Valve to
enable players to finish a Versus-mode game in about 30 minutes. A
[1]preview of the new content on Destructoid notes, "Since we've got a
shorter campaign, much more has been packed into a smaller space. Lucky
players who know where to look can upgrade to second-tier weaponry almost
straight away. However, they'll have their work cut out for them, because
there's a chance to get swamped by the horde right from the very
beginning."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...05/0431216

Links:
0. http://store.steampowered.com/news/2708/
1. http://www.destructoid.com/exclusive-pre...2570.phtml


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Expedition To Explore an Alaska-Sized Plastic "Island" |
| from the one-hundred-megatons dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 05, @08:09 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/010238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Peace Corps Online writes "An expedition called [1]Project Kaisei has
departed bound for the [2]Great Pacific Garbage Patch — a huge 'island'
of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean estimated to be the size of Alaska
(some estimates place it at ten times that size). The expedition will
study the impact of the waste on marine life, and research methods to
clean up the vast human-created mess in the Pacific. The BBC [3]quotes
Ryan Yerkey, the project's chief of operations: 'Every piece of trash
that is left on a beach or ends up in our rivers or estuaries and washes
out to the sea is an addition to the problem, so we need people to be the
solution.' The garbage patch occupies a large and [4]relatively
stationary region of the North Pacific Ocean bound by the North Pacific
Gyre, a remote area commonly referred to as the horse latitudes. The
rotational pattern created by the North Pacific Gyre draws in waste
material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including the coastal
waters off North America and Japan. As material is captured in the
currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris
toward the center, trapping it in the region. 'You are talking about
quite a bit of marine debris but it's not a solid mass,' says Yerkey.
'Twenty years from now we can't be harvesting the ocean for trash. We
need to get it out but we need to also have people make those changes in
their lives to stop the problem from growing and hopefully reverse the
course.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../05/010238

Links:
0. http://peacecorpsonline.org/
1. http://www.projectkaisei.org/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacif...bage_Patch
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8184397.stm
4. http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/w...urface.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Yahoo Filing Reveals Details of Microsoft Deal |
| from the all-chairs-must-be-bolted-to-the-ground dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @08:52 (Yahoo!) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/127225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]CWmike writes "Microsoft [1]will pay Yahoo $50 million a year for
three years and will hire at least 400 Yahoo employees as part of the
companies' recent search agreement, according to a filing with the US
Securities and Exchange Commission. Yahoo's form 8-K, which appeared
online on Tuesday, [2]reveals a few additional details about the
agreement. The deal, [3]announced last week, will mean that Microsoft's
Bing search engine will power Yahoo's search site and Yahoo will sell
premium search ad services for both companies. Five years into the
10-year agreement, Microsoft can opt out of the exclusive engagement for
Yahoo's ad sales services, according to the filing. If it does, Yahoo
will then keep 93 percent of the search revenue generated on sites owned
and operated by Yahoo, instead of 88 percent. But Yahoo can also decide
to remain the exclusive premium ad sales provider, in which case it will
settle for an 83 percent share of the revenue. If Microsoft doesn't end
the exclusive arrangement, Yahoo's share of the revenue will go up to 90
percent."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../05/127225

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...osoft_deal
2. http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/10110...09/d8k.htm
3. http://slashdot.org/story/09/07/29/02122...Reach-Deal


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Surface Plume On Betelgeuse Imaged |
| from the it-looks-hungry dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @09:10 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...05/1231244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

BJ_Covert_Action writes "Astronomy Now is running a piece regarding some
new, exquisitely detailed pictures taken of Betelgeuse, a star in the
constellation Orion. Betelgeuse is classified as a supergiant star, and
its diameter is approximately 1,000 times that of the sun. Two teams of
astronomers used ESO's 'Very large Telescope,' its NACO instruments, and
an imaging technique known as 'Lucky Imaging' to take some of [0]the most
detailed pictures of Betelgeuse to date. The new pictures reveal a gas
plume on Betelgeuse which extends from the surface of the star a distance
greater than that between our sun and Neptune. The images also show
several other 'boiling' spots on the surface of Betelgeuse, revealing the
surface to be quite tumultuous. Currently, it is known that stars of
Betelgeuse's size eject the equivalent mass of the Earth into space every
year. This recent astronomy work will help researchers determine the
mechanics behind such ejections." Update — 8/05 at 13:31 by SS: Here's
the [1]original press release from the European Southern Observatory,
since the Astronomy Now page has slowed to a crawl.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...05/1231244

Links:
0. http://astronomynow.com/news/n0907/29betel/
1. http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press...27-09.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Marine Corps Bans Social Networking Sites |
| from the don't-ask-don't-tweet dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @09:34 (Social Networ|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/1244251 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Q-Hack! writes "Citing security concerns, the United States Marine Corps
has [0]issued an order banning access to social networking sites like
Facebook, MySpace and Twitter on its network for the next year. The
Pentagon is now [1]reviewing its social networking policy for the entire
Department of Defense, which should be completed by the end of September,
according to a report from CNN. The policy for the entire military is
somewhat fragmented, as the Army ordered military bases to [2]allow
access to social media sites in May."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/1244251

Links:
0. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/t...op+stories
1. http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/04/penta...index.html
2. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/...ok-flickr/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Teen Killed At Chinese Internet Addiction Camp |
| from the symptomatic-overreactions dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @10:18 (The Internet)|
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/1329241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "Sixteen-year-old Deng Senshan was tragically [0]beaten
to death by three of his instructors in an internet addiction camp in the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Reportedly it was for not
being able to run fast enough. An article in the Wall Street Journal says
that, 'China's netizens have [1]played a key role in drawing nationwide
attention to recent cases of deaths in prisons and detention centers, so
it should be no surprise that they are up in arms over the fate of one of
their own. Many questioned the fairly new diagnosis of "Internet
addiction" as a mental disorder.' You may recall [2]electroshock
treatment being banned from use on internet addicts in China. According
to Xinhua, [3]more than 100 juveniles remain in 'treatment' at the camp,
which has stayed open. Perhaps for Senshan it would have been better to
let him endure his cruel affliction instead of having his parents pay
over $1,000 to have him beaten to death?"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...05/1329241

Links:
0. http://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2009-08/453958.html
1. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2009/0...ns-deadly/
2. http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/07/15...-Addiction
3. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-0...823045.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Wipeout HD Loading Ads Scrapped After Uproar |
| from the vox-populi-vox-dei dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @10:40 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../05/141216 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]RobotsDinner writes "After Monday's story about intrusive,
loading-screen ads being [1]retroactively added to the PSN racing title
Wipeout HD, the popular uproar has indeed succeeded in getting Sony to
pull them. You can put your pitchforks down; your voice has been heard! A
Sony spokesman said, 'The ad has been removed from Wipeout HD and [2]we
are investigating the situation to ensure that any in-game advertising
does not affect gameplay.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../05/141216

Links:
0. mailto:robotsdinner@hotmail.com
1. http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/03...oon-Others
2. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sony-r...out-advert


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3D Images Reconstructed of 300M-Year-Old Spiders |
| from the things-that-i'm-glad-are-extinct dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @11:01 (Earth) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...05/1444259 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Scientists at Imperial College London have
created detailed 3D computer models of two fossilized specimens of
ancient creatures called Cryptomartus hindi and Eophrynus prestvicii,
closely related to modern-day spiders. The researchers created their
images by using a CT scanning device, which enabled them to [1]take 3,000
X-rays of each fossil then compile them into precise 3D models, using
custom-designed software. Both spiders roamed the Earth during the
Carboniferous period, 359-299 million years ago, when life was emerging
from the oceans to live on land. C. hindi's front pair of legs were
angled toward the front, suggesting they were used to grapple with prey,
[2]an 'ambush predator' like the modern-day crab spider, lying in wait
for prey to come close. 'Our models almost bring these ancient creatures
back to life and it's really exciting to be able to look at them in such
detail,' says researcher Russel Garwood, adding that the technique could
be used to return to fossils that have previously been analyzed by
conventional means. 'Our study helps build a picture of what was
happening during this period early in the history of life on land.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...05/1444259

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandevents...09-9-49-44
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8184396.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mind-Blowing Interfaces On Display At SIGGRAPH 2009 |
| from the closing-in-on-that-holodeck dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @11:45 (Displays) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...05/1525235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Tech Review has a roundup of some [0]cool,
experimental new interfaces being shown at SIGGRAPH 2009, underway in New
Orleans this week. They include an amazing 'touchable holograph' display,
developed by a team in Japan, which uses an ultrasound device to simulate
the sense of touch as the user grasps objects shown in 3D. The other
ideas on display are Augmented Reality for Ordinary Toys, Hyper-Realistic
Virtual Reality, 3D Teleconferencing and [1]Scratchable Input Devices. If
this is the future of computers, sign me up." The conference has also
seen [2]the release of OpenGL 3.2 by the Khronos Group.

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...05/1525235

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23940/
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/15/175246&tid=3045
2. http://www.khronos.org/news/press/releas...ve-months/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| XML Library Flaw — Sun, Apache, GNOME Affected |
| from the finding-fast-fixes-for-flaws dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @12:27 (Security) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/1555219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]bednarz writes with this excerpt from Network World: "Vulnerabilities
discovered in XML libraries from Sun, the Apache Software Foundation, the
Python Software Foundation and the GNOME Project could [1]result in
successful denial-of-service attacks on applications built with them,
according to Codenomicon. The security vendor found flaws in XML parsers
that made it fairly easy to cause a DoS attack, corruption of data, and
delivery of a malicious payload using XML-based content. Codenomicon has
shared its findings with industry and the open source groups, and a
number of recommendations and patches for the XML-related vulnerabilities
are expected to be made available Wednesday. In addition, a general
security advisory is expected to be published by the Computer Emergency
Response Team in Finland (CERT-FI)."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/1555219

Links:
0. mailto:abednarz@@@nww...com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2...-flaw.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| What's In an Educational Game? |
| from the zombies-and-zombie-removal-tools dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @12:50 (Education) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/1625257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "I work at a [0]non-profit whose mandate is to
increase science literacy and awareness. One of the methods that we've
started exploring is in making free, online educational games. Our target
demographic for the games is kids aged 8-12, but there is no reason the
games could not also appeal to a broader age range. What would you look
for in an educational game? Does length and depth of gameplay matter to
you, or would you rather play a trivial game with subconscious
educational value?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...05/1625257

Links:
0. http://www.sciencealberta.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Twitter Faces Patent Infringement Lawsuit |
| from the stupid-but-predictable dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @13:10 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/1643238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Digital Dan writes "Twitter is [1]being sued for patent infringement.
Surprised? OK, probably not, but you'd think the plaintiff would at least
wait for Twitter to actually make money before striking. According to
TechCrunch: 'Twitter is being sued ... by TechRadium, a Texas-based
technology company which makes mass notification systems for public
safety organizations, the military, and utilities.' The abstract to
[2]patent #7130389 describes it: 'A digital notification and response
system utilizes an administrator interface to transmit a message from an
administrator to a user contact device. The system comprises a dynamic
information database that includes user contact data, priority
information, and response data. The administrator initiates distribution
of the message based upon grouping information, priority information, and
the priority order.' Two other patents are involved as well."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...05/1643238

Links:
0. mailto:dotjeffrey@yahoo.com
1. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/05/her...first-one/
2. http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=gUR7AAAAEBAJ&dq=7,130,389


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Acquiring VP3 Developer On2 Technologies |
| from the my-crystal-ball-shows-the-web-is-good-for-video dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @14:01 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/1742249 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

R.Mo_Robert writes "BetaNews is reporting that [0]Google is acquiring On2,
the video codec company and original developers of the VP3 codec from
which Theora is derived. The article suggests that this may mean Google
is backing Ogg Theora as the HTML5 video standard, but this is likely not
the case--with Theora already being open-source and On2 having disclaimed
all rights and patents, there is no reason Google should have needed to
do this to push Theora. You may recall from some time back that [1]HTML5
no longer specifies which video codec(s) a browser should support due to
there being, unfortunately, no suitable codec at this time. But Google
(known for supporting H.264) practically owns Web video with YouTube in
most people's minds, so their influence could really swing the future of
HTML5 video either way. It remains to be seen whether Google's
acquisition of On2 has any bearing on their plans for video on the Web."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/1742249

Links:
0. http://www.betanews.com/article/Future-o...1249481107
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/02/...L-5-Codecs


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DIY CPU Thermal Grease, Using Diamond Dust |
| from the honey-about-the-ring-you-used-to-have dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @14:47 (Hardware Hackin|
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...05/1827246 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]tygerstripes writes "[1]The dysfunctor has spotted an impressive
project over on [2]InventGeek.com; an innovative chap has developed his
own thermal compound for improved CPU cooling, [3]using diamond dust —
the best available material for thermal conduction — as the key
ingredient. In spite of the quick-&-dirty DIY nature of the project, the
gains in cooling performance are remarkable, especially considering the
material cost was only $33. Given the price many enthusiasts will pay for
a top-end cooler, it's easy to imagine this product coming to market
quite soon."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...05/1827246

Links:
0. http://pyrotyger.wordpress.com/
1. http://www.dysfunctor.org/blog
2. http://inventgeek.com/
3. http://inventgeek.com/Projects/DiamondGr...rview.aspx


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sticky Tape Found To Emit Terahertz Radiation |
| from the turn-up-your-sensors dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @15:09 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...05/1840207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from New Scientist "'Peeling
sticky tape has already been shown to produce X-rays, so Joseph Horvat
and Roger Lewis of the University of Wollongong in New South Wales,
Australia, tried to see if it could create lower-frequency terahertz
radiation. "We were rather pleasantly surprised to obtain a clear signal
in our first attempt," says Horvat. Strongly adhesive Scotch Magic 810
tape and weakly adhesive electrical tape [0]both yielded strong terahertz
signals, ranging from 0.1 to 10 terahertz, but only about a microwatt of
power, too little for practical use (Optics Letters, vol 34, p 2195).
Horvat says that refinements should increase the power by orders of
magnitude.' It may be old news to Slashdot that [peeling clear tape] had
been [1]proved to produce X-rays, but watching the linked video where
they use tape to expose X-ray film was pretty amazing."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...05/1840207

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20...-rays.html
1. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...22/1757257&tid=480


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Comcast the Latest ISP To Try DNS Hijacking |
| from the c'mon-fellas dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @15:33 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/1926257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]A semi-anonymous reader writes "In the latest blow to DNS neutrality,
Comcast is starting to redirect users to an ad-laden holding page when
they try to connect to nonexistent domains. I have just received an email
from them to that effect, tried it, and lo and behold, indeed there is
the ugly DNS hijack page. The good news is that the opt-out is a more
sensible registration based on cable modem MAC, rather than the
[1]deplorable 'cookie method' we just saw from Bell Canada. All you
Comcast customers and friends of Comcast customers who want to get out of
this, [2]go here to opt out. Is there anything that can be done to stop
(and reverse) this DNS breakage trend that the ISPs seem to be latching
onto lately? Maybe [3]the latest net neutrality bill will help." Update:
08/05 20:03 GMT by [4]T : Here's a page from Comcast with [5](scant)
details on the web-jacking program, which says that yesterday marked the
national rollout.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/1926257

Links:
0. mailto:radiopac1ty@yahoo.co.in
1. http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slas...in-Queries
2. https://dns-opt-out.comcast.net/
3. http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slas...r-3rd-Time
4. http://www.monkey.org/~timothy/
5. http://networkmanagement.comcast.net/Dom...rLogic.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Preview the Office 2007 Ribbon-Like UI Floated For OpenOffice.Org |
| from the trial-balloon-target-practice dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @16:22 (GUI) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/1951244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

recoiledsnake writes "OpenOffice.org has prototyped a [0]new UI that
radically changes the current OO.o interface into something very similar
to the new Ribbon style menus that Office 2007 introduced and which have
been extensively used throughout Windows 7. The blog shows a
[1]screenshot of the prototype in Impress (the equivalent of PowerPoint),
but this UI is proposed to be used across all OO.o applications. Some
commenters on the Sun blog are not happy about OO.o blindly aping Office
2007, and feel that the Ribbon UI may be out of place in non-Windows
operating systems."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/1951244

Links:
0. http://blogs.sun.com/GullFOSS/entry/prot...ew_ui_july
1. http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/w/im...totype.jpg


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google's Launches 2nd Android Developer Contest |
| from the don't-worry-only-at-nexus-2 dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @16:41 (Programming) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...05/2021239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

coffeeisclassy writes "Google's [0]second Android Developer Contest
(ADC2) has started, despite some [1]confusion around how to submit
applications. The prizes are different from the first ADC, with each
category having prizes of 100k, 50k, and 25k and an overall best of
150k,50k and 25k, meaning the best Android application from ADC2 is
eligible for ~250k. The rules seem to allow any application never
published before August 1st to compete, and the contest is open through
the end of August (so break out your keyboards!). The top prizes are
certainly less than that of first ADC, but with the prizes broken down by
category, Google may be hoping to inspire some love for less popular
categories."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...05/2021239

Links:
0. http://code.google.com/android/adc/
1. http://groups.google.com/group/android-d...7?lnk=raot


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| StarCraft II Delayed Until 2010 |
| from the nobody-likes-a-rush dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 05, @17:08 (Real Time Str|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...05/2058228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Blizzard has just announced that [0] StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty won't
be released this year. From their announcement: "Over the past couple of
weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to
prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game. The upgraded
Battle.net is an integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be
an essential part of all of our games moving forward. This extra
development time will be critical to help us realize our vision for the
service. ... As we work to make Battle.net the premier online gaming
destination, we'll also continue to polish and refine StarCraft II, and
we look forward to delivering a real-time strategy gaming experience
worthy of the series' legacy in the first half of 2010."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...05/2058228

Links:
0. http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?top...9110062236&sid=3000


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Balks, Finally Relents, At Possible User Queries of Dictionar|
| from the my-dictionary-doesn't-even-list-the-****ing-word dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @17:53 (Censorship) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...05/2034219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Geoffrey.landis writes with a snippet from CNET reporting another
example of offputting treatment at Apple's App Store: "'In this case,
it's a dictionary app called Ninjawords (so called because ninjas are
'smart, accurate, and really fast') that was rejected three times over
the course of two months, mostly because [1]'objectionable' words could
be looked up and found in the dictionary's search function, Gruber
reported.' [2]PCWorld also reports the story." Note that the app was
eventually approved, but only after a few go-rounds and changes.

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...05/2034219

Links:
0. http://www.geoffreylandis.com/
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10303794-37.html
2. http://www.pcworld.com/article/169667/ap...y_app.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Best Free Open Source Software For Windows |
| from the where's-vlc? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @18:12 (Software) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/2157256 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes "InfoWorld surveys the FOSS-on-Windows landscape,
detailing the [1]10 free open source solutions most likely to unseat
proprietary offerings. 'Some, like TrueCrypt and VirtualBox, are real
diamonds in the rough: enterprise-grade solutions that deliver many of
the same bells and whistles of their commercial brethren, but for free.
Others, like Firefox and OpenOffice.org, are already legendary, and their
strong followings ensure their continued development and support at
levels that rival the best proprietary solutions.'" Rather than click
through 10 different pages, the [2]slideshow presentation at least lets
you hover over each page's link to preview the author's top picks.

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/05/2157256

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://infoworld.com/d/open-source/best-...indows-903
2. http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/...ource=fssr


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Chapter 11 Trustee Appointed For SCO |
| from the why-not-a-trusty-instead dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @18:46 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/2229245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The judge overseeing the
SCO Chapter 11 bankruptcy case has [1]issued an order appointing a
chapter 11 trustee to oversee SCO's operations. However, the judge's
reasoning is far from clear. While the judge believes that SCO has
'abandoned rehabilitation' to bet its future on litigation, he doesn't
think it appropriate to convert their case to Chapter 7 liquidation. So
SCO's management hasn't been fired yet, but they're no longer fully in
charge either. It's not clear why the bankruptcy judge opted for this
solution, when even the US Trustee was pushing to fire SCO's management
and convert the case to Chapter 7. In short, SCO is still only mostly
dead, rather than all dead, and in desperate search of a miracle worker."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...05/2229245

Links:
0. http://www.eff.org/support
1. http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story...5144623275


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Swiss Open Source Decision Going Microsoft's Way |
| from the or-else-we-bank-secretly-elsewhere dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @19:14 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/05/235206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]hardsix writes "The recent legal wrangling between a group of open
source supporters led by Red Hat against the Swiss government's
[1]decision to award an IT contract solely to Microsoft [2]appears to be
going Microsoft's way. A Swiss lawyer close to the case claims that a
preliminary ruling has rejected the open source group's request to
overturn the Microsoft contract however the case is still ongoing and
there is still room for appeal. 'The Administrative Court hasn't made its
final ruling yet but even if it finds in favor of Microsoft, there is
still room for appeal. No matter what the ruling will be, an appeal will
likely be filed to the Supreme Court, whose final word will have
substantial significance in the future for public authorities with
regards to computing services,' said Swiss legal firm BCCC AVOCATS. Open
source supporters argue there has to be [3]real political will for open
source projects to succeed in the public sector."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/05/235206

Links:
0. http://adonoghue.wordpress.com/
1. http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/red-ha...nopoly-965
2. http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/swiss-...s-way-1552
3. http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/govern...-will-1033


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA's LCROSS Spacecraft Discovers Life On Earth |
| from the that-was-the-control-group dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 05, @19:39 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...05/2329234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Matt_dk writes "On Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, the LCROSS spacecraft
[1]successfully completed its first Earth-look calibration of its science
payload. 'The Earth-look was very successful' said Tony Colaprete, LCROSS
project scientist. 'The instruments are all healthy and the science teams
was able to collect additional data that will help refine our
calibrations of the instruments.' During the Earth observations, the
spacecraft's spectrometers were able to detect the signatures of the
Earth's water, ozone, methane, oxygen, carbon dioxide and possibly
vegetation."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...05/2329234

Links:
0. http://spacefellowship.com/
1. http://spacefellowship.com/2009/08/05/lc...-on-earth/


Reply
#36
Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Ten Things We Still Don't Understand About Humans
* Garbage Collection Algorithms Coming For SSDs
* Malaysian Government Wants Internet Filtering
* Finding New and Unintended Ways of Playing Games
* Contributing To a Project With a Reclusive Maintainer?
* The Perseverance of a Trademark Troll
* Iran Getting Better At Filtering Web Traffic
* Microsoft Finally Joins HTML 5 Standard Efforts
* Tesla Motors Turns a Profit For the First Time
* Sony Producing New PS3 Hardware, Slim Appears Likely
* Movable Clouds Migrate To Chase Tax Breaks
* GM Gets To Dump Its Polluted Sites
* Opera Dominates CNET Survey of "Underdog" Web Browsers
* Poor Passwords A Worse Problem Than Poor Antivirus
* Open Source Textbook For Computer Literacy?
* Firefox 3.6 Alpha 1 Released
* Linux-Friendly, Internet-Enabled HDTVs?
* Several Quantum Calculations Combined At NIST

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ten Things We Still Don't Understand About Humans |
| from the why-do-they-like-will-ferrell-movies dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 07, @20:01 (Science) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...07/2356221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]ParticleGirl writes "New Scientist has an article examining [1]10
human features (bugs?) that we still don't understand, like blushing,
laughing, and nose-picking. There are some interesting, speculative
evolutionary explanations listed for each. '[Psychologist Robert R.
Provine] thinks laughing began in our pre-human ancestors as a
physiological response to tickling. Modern apes maintain the ancestral
'pant-pant' laugh when they are tickled during play, and this evolved
into the human 'ha-ha.' Then, he argues, as our brains got bigger,
laughter acquired a powerful social function — to bond people. Indeed,
Robin Dunbar at the University of Oxford has found that laughing
increases levels of endorphins, our body's natural opiates, which he
believes helps to strengthen social relationships.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...07/2356221

Links:
0. mailto:SlashdotParticleGirl@gmaiDEGASl.comminuspainter
1. http://www.newscientist.com/special/ten-...ies-of-you


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Garbage Collection Algorithms Coming For SSDs |
| from the take-out-the-tash dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 07, @22:11 (Data Storage) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...08/0210246 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]MojoKid writes "A common concern with the current crop of Solid State
Drives is the performance penalty associated with block-rewriting. Flash
memory is comprised of cells that usually contain 4KB pages that are
arranged in blocks of 512KB. When a cell is unused, data can be written
to it relatively quickly. But if a cell already contains some data, even
if it fills only a single page in the block, the entire block must be
re-written. This means that whatever data is already present in the block
must be read, then it must be combined or replaced, and the entire block
is then re-written. This process takes much longer than simply writing
data straight to an empty block. This isn't a concern on fresh, new SSDs,
but over time, as files are written, moved, deleted, or replaced, many
blocks are a left holding what is essentially orphaned or garbage data,
and their long-term performance degrades because of it. To mitigate this
problem, virtually all SSD manufacturers have incorporated, or soon will
incorporate, garbage collection schemes into their SSD firmware which
[1]actively seek out and remove the garbage data. OCZ, in combination
with Indilinx, is poised to release new firmware for their entire line-up
of Vertex Series SSDs that performs active garbage collection while the
drives are idle, in order to restore performance to like-new condition,
even on a severely 'dirtied' drive."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...08/0210246

Links:
0. http://hothardware.com/
1. http://hothardware.com/News/OCZ-and-Indi...on-Scheme/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Malaysian Government Wants Internet Filtering |
| from the it's-fashionable-these-days dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 08, @00:07 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/08/0243231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]adewolf tips news that the government of Malaysia is looking into
[1]the development of an internet filtering program. According to a
Reuters report, "A vibrant Internet culture has contributed to political
challenges facing the government, which tightly controls mainstream media
and has used sedition laws and imprisonment without trial to [2]prosecute
a blogger." The Malaysian government insists that such a filter would
[3]only be used to block pornography, though critics of the plan expect
it would be wielded as a political tool, censoring websites that are
critical of the current administration. "An industry source says the
government could [4]impose the filters late this year or in 2010,
coinciding with the rollout of a high-speed broadband network run by
Telekom Malaysia. Malaysia aims to increase broadband penetration to half
of all homes by 2010 as part of its drive to boost economic efficiency."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...08/0243231

Links:
0. mailto:adewolf@gmail.com
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNe...806?rpc=44
2. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...06/1952201&tid=357583
3. http://www.reuters.com/article/technolog...JF20090807
4. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/reuters/2009...T-Q-A.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Finding New and Unintended Ways of Playing Games |
| from the trickjumping-and-speedruns-and-bears-oh-my dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 08, @02:13 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...08/0345231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Ronald Diemicke writes "World of Warcraft players sometimes hang out
in front of Ironforge and dance. Fallout 3 players seek out new and
elaborate ways of destroying their avatar. Brawlers in Smash Brothers
have an itchy pause finger, ready to catch any humiliatingly hilarious
screengrabs. The thugs running rampant in Grand Theft Auto are putting
Evil Knievel to shame by using a full assortment of vehicles to pull off
some incredible stunt work. Personally, I like to collect and move
things. My favorite is making piles of bodies in any game that lets me
move them around. Ever catch yourself [1]doing something in-game that
isn't exactly part of the game, or just something really dumb?"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...08/0345231

Links:
0. http://www.sleeperhit.net/
1. http://www.sleeperhit.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&catid=53


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Contributing To a Project With a Reclusive Maintainer? |
| from the pulling-a-davis dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 08, @05:13 (Programming) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/08/0628215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]zerointeger writes "I am still fairly new to programming in C, but I
was asked to extend an open source authentication module by my employer.
The project is complete, testing has been done and it works as designed.
The extension/patch I have created is fairly robust, as it includes
configuration options, help files, and several additional files. The
problem is that I have been unable to make contact with the current
maintainer about having this feature added. I think the only reason I'd
like to see this included is to prevent any patching of later revisions.
A few others I have spoken with agree that the patch would benefit
administrators attempting to push Linux onto the desktop, as we have done
at the University that employs me. Has anyone else submitted
patches/extensions to what seems to be a black hole?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...08/0628215

Links:
0. http://sourceforge.net/projects/pam-krb5-ldap/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Perseverance of a Trademark Troll |
| from the why-produce-when-you-can-sue dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 08, @06:24 (The Courts) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...08/0639206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Sockatume writes "Eurogamer has published an article on [0]Tim Langdell's
battle against the Edge iPhone game. Langdell, a British entrepreneur,
founded Softek (later renamed The Edge, Edge Games and Edge Interactive
Media Inc.) in the 1980s as a venture to fund game development, with
profits to be split 50/50 with the developers. He moved to California in
the 1990s [1]in the wake of accusations of failing to pay his developers.
Now a professor in games studies at National University, an IGDA board
member, and a former member of BAFTA-LA's board, 'Dr.' Langdell spends
his time accusing people of infringing his trademarks and offering to
settle. After delivering a settle-or-die ultimatum to Edge publisher
Mobigames (detailed in the article), he has convinced Apple to pull the
game from the App Store. Mobigames is preparing to strike back: their
lawyer believes that his trademarks are 'liable to be revoked.' Langdell
has had [2]a spate of bad press lately as other trademark disputes come
to light, involving entities ranging from EA Games to Britain's venerable
Edge Magazine (source of Edge Games' logo and now registering its own
Edge trademark). He has never actually prevailed in a trademark hearing."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...08/0639206

Links:
0. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-edge-of-reason
1. http://imr.ip-design.com/imr/iview/c33i_m.htm
2. http://tigsource.com/pages/edge-games/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Iran Getting Better At Filtering Web Traffic |
| from the practice-makes-perfect dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 08, @08:16 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...08/0448223 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "Rob Lemos reports that Iran's national ISPs seem to have
recently [1]gained the ability to filter large quantities of web traffic
more effectively. Arbor Networks used data gathered from distributed
network sensors to monitor the data going to Iran from the global
internet. The firm found that all of the country's providers showed an
enormous drop in traffic [2]following the contested June 12 election,
then nearly normal traffic patterns until June 26. After that, [3]five of
six national ISPs showed an 80 percent drop in traffic for approximately
three weeks. The one internal ISP that continues to see significant
traffic during those three weeks counts many government ministries among
its clientèle. The picture painted by the data is of an ISP that is
becoming increasingly skilled in filtering, says Craig Labovitz, chief
scientist for Arbor Networks."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...08/0448223

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/unsafebits/23946/
2. http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2009/08/r...-firewall/
3. http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2009/08/1132/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Finally Joins HTML 5 Standard Efforts |
| from the fashionably-late dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 08, @09:18 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...08/1231231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

bonch writes "On Friday, Microsoft [0]posted to a mailing list that IE
developers are [1]reviewing the HTML 5 standard for future versions of
Internet Explorer. They've given some feedback on the current editor's
draft, saying that they 'have more questions than answers' and
criticizing many of HTML 5's new tags, like
,
and
Reply
#37
Aug 11th 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Shaw Cable Again Blocks Firewire On Canadian Set-Top Boxes
* 21st International Olympiad of Informatics Opens, In Bulgaria and Online
* Encyclopedia Britannica Loses Information-Retrieval Patent Ruling
* Neuros LINK Mixes Quiet, Aesthetics, and Ubuntu
* The iPhone SMS Hack Explained
* College Credits For Trolling the Web?
* China's Response To the Internet Addiction Death
* Netflix Announces Second Data Mining Contest
* Chrome OS Designed To Start Microsoft Death Spiral
* Yemenis Should Be Incensed At Websense
* Deposit Checks By iPhone
* First Internet-Connected Pacemaker Goes Live
* New Company Seeks to Bring Semantic Context To Numbers
* Opera Being Composed On Twitter
* Comparing the MMO Industry With the Silver Screen
* Scientists Create Artificial Bones From Wood
* Working Off the Clock, How Much Is Too Much?
* 10 Worst Evolutionary Designs
* Music Labels Working On Digital Album Format
* Facebook Acquires FriendFeed

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Shaw Cable Again Blocks Firewire On Canadian Set-Top Boxes |
| from the now-that's-value-added dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday August 09, @20:08 (Television) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../09/237247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

WestCoastSuccess writes with this excerpt: "A year and a half ago,
Canada's Shaw Cable began encrypting channels with the '0x02' flag. This
flag has the effect of making the IEEE1394 (Firewire) output useless to
customers who use third-party PVRs (such as the excellent MythTV, for
example). After complaints to the CRTC and Industry Canada about this
practice, the encryption flag was dropped on most channels and the
Firewire connection again functioned. [0]Until last night, that is."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../09/237247

Links:
0. http://westcoastsuccess.wordpress.com/20...xes-again/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 21st International Olympiad of Informatics Opens, In Bulgaria and O|
| from the your-long-awaited-dream-vacation dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday August 09, @23:02 (Programming) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.p...09/2338220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Kostadin Vodenicharov writes "The [0]International Olympiad in
Informatics is considered one of the most prestigious programming
contests in the world. Currently the [1]21st IOI is being held in
[2]Plovdiv, [3]Bulgaria (which was the country that also hosted the 1st
IOI), from 8th to 15th August. High school students from all over the
world have gathered to put their programming skills to the test. Everyone
else who wishes to participate can do it in the online contest which will
run in parallel with the real one and will present the same tasks to be
solved. The competition itself is going to take place on Monday 10th
August and Wednesday 12th August from 9:00 to 14:00 EEST (UTC+3)."

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments....09/2338220

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internation...nformatics
1. http://www.ioi2009.org/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plovdiv
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Encyclopedia Britannica Loses Information-Retrieval Patent Ruling |
| from the rent-seeking-behavior-thwarted-for-once dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday August 10, @02:08 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/10/0223249 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir writes with a snippet from Good Gear Guide: "A notorious
patent case about a technology that allows people to search multimedia
content may finally be coming to a close. Earlier this week, a judge
ruled that [1]two patents initially awarded to Encyclopedia Britannica
are invalid. The patents were built on the infamous 5,241,671 patent
first unveiled by Compton's NewMedia in 1993 at the Comdex trade show.
That patent, which covered the retrieval of information from multimedia
content and is now owned by Britannica, would have been relevant to the
many companies selling multimedia CD-ROMs at the time."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...10/0223249

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/...ent_ruling


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Neuros LINK Mixes Quiet, Aesthetics, and Ubuntu |
| from the gone-to-seed-is-before-the-good-stuff-in-this-context de|
| posted by timothy on Monday August 10, @05:14 (Media) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...10/0624234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

jonniee writes with a link to Dr. Dobb's Journal's look at a rather cool
living-room-suitable media-centric computer from Neuros (presented as
being suitable mostly for developers and serious hobbyists for now),
excerpting: "The Neuros LINK is [0]essentially a quiet x86 PC running
Ubuntu Linux with an ATI graphics card delivering video via VGA, DVI, and
HDMI output. ... What makes the LINK such a compelling platform for these
folks and Linux/open source developers in general is the recognition that
a real business entity is stepping forward to spend the money necessary
to market and commercialize what tech enthusiasts have been doing for
years."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...10/0624234

Links:
0. http://www.ddj.com/linux-open-source/219100482


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The iPhone SMS Hack Explained |
| from the en-percent- dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday August 10, @08:12 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/10/0530219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

GhostX9 writes "Tom's Hardware just [0]interviewed Charlie Miller, the
man behind the iPhone remote exploit hack and [1]winner of Pwn2Own 2009.
He explains the (now patched) bug in the iPhone which allowed him to
remotely exploit the iPhone in detail, explaining how the string
concatenation code was flawed. The most surprising thing was that the bug
could be traced back to several previous generation of the iPhone OS (he
stopped testing at version 2.2). He also talks about the failures of
other devices, such as crashing HTC's Touch by sending a SMS with '%n' in
the text."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/10/0530219

Links:
0. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hack...,2384.html
1. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/25/2215203&tid=76


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| College Credits For Trolling the Web? |
| from the sounds-like-xkcd dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 10, @09:05 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1237245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Jafafa Hots writes "Some undergraduate and masters level courses at
the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary [1]require trolling as part
of their requirements. In William Dembski's classes on Intelligent Design
and Christian Apologetics, [2]20% of the final grades come from having
made 10 posts defending Intelligent Design Creationism on 'hostile'
websites. There seems to be no requirement that the posts contain
original writing, apparently cut and paste jobs are sufficient. Is this
the first case of trolling the net being part of course requirements?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1237245

Links:
0. mailto:jafafahots@gmail.com
1. http://www.richarddawkins.net/article,41...ferencecom
2. http://www.designinference.com/teaching/teaching.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| China's Response To the Internet Addiction Death |
| from the i'm-sure-everyone-will-get-a-fair-trial dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 10, @09:55 (The Internet) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1247214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "Last week, news broke of a [0]tragic incident that
resulted in the death of a 16 year old boy at one of China's internet
addiction camps. Details were scarce except for reports that the camp
remained open. New reports are now coming in from [1]China Daily that
report 13 arrested and the camp closed down on Friday with 122
participants being sent home. The vice-chief of the district has stated
that the authorities are working on the case to identify and punish the
criminals involved in the death. Xinhua is reporting that [2]the camp was
unlicensed. This is directly in conflict with what [3]the Southern
Metropolis Daily reporter is saying, 'When the reporter arrived outside
the rear wall of the school, children on the third and fourth floors
started to stick notes into aluminum cans, drink bottles, and slippers,
and others folded notes into paper planes. They tried to throw them over
the wall, but owing to the distance, none of them succeeded. Some
children had papers bearing the messages "SOS" and "beating" which they
waved out the windows. Some wrote calls for help on their clothing, which
they displayed to the reporter. Some even yelled for help. They were all
stopped by the instructors.' Here is that [4]original story in Chinese.
Is China handling this delicate issue appropriately or are the news
reports of justice and monitoring treatments merely a facade?"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1247214

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/story/09/08/05/13292...ction-Camp
1. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-...547901.htm
2. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-0...845538.htm
3. http://www.danwei.org/front_page_of_the_..._to_de.php
4. http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/epaper/nf...6003FM.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Netflix Announces Second Data Mining Contest |
| from the sixteen-tons-and-whaddaya-get dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 10, @10:40 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1343248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]John Snodgrass writes "Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer at Netflix,
has announced on the Netflix Prize Forums that they are planning to hold
a [1]new data mining competition. The second competition will have some
twists and is expected to be shorter in duration. It will feature two
grand prizes, to be awarded in a 6 and 18 month time frame. A previous
competitor still active on the board has already dubbed it: The Sparse
Matrix: Reordered" and "The Sparse Matrix: Factorizations"."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1343248

Links:
0. mailto:johns@instantservice.com
1. http://www.netflixprize.com//community/v...hp?id=1520


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Chrome OS Designed To Start Microsoft Death Spiral |
| from the a-little-bit-optimistic dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 10, @11:21 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1442221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "Technology Review has a feature article that explores
[1]the business strategy underlying Google's decision to develop its
Linux-based operating system, Chrome OS. Writer G. Pascal Zachary argues
that Eric Schmidt has identified a sea-change in the software business,
as signaled by Microsoft's recent problems and by the advancement of
cloud computing. Zachary notes that Larry Page and Sergey Brin have
pushed to develop a slick, open-source alternative to Windows for around
six years (with the rationale that improving access to the Web would
ultimately benefit Google), but that Schmidt has always refused. While
developing Chrome OS is a significant gamble for Google, Zachary believe
it will exploit Microsoft's historical weakness in terms of networking
and internet functionality, forcing its rival to better serve Google's
core business goals, whilst initiating its own steady, slow-motion
decline."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1442221

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/web/23140/page2/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Yemenis Should Be Incensed At Websense |
| from the not-the-worst-of-their-problems dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 10, @12:00 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/10/1449206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Slashdot Regular [0]Bennett Haselton writes "Websense, a US-based
Internet censoring software maker, claims not to sell to foreign
governments that are censoring Internet access for all of their citizens.
But the OpenNet Initiative reports that national ISPs in Yemen have been
using Websense to filter Internet access for at least the past four
years. Will Websense revoke their license? And what would happen then?"
Update: 08/10 21:01 GMT by [1]KD : Bennett adds, "After the story ran,
Websense sent me this update." "Since we were informed about the
potential use of our products by Yemeni ISPs based on government-imposed
Internet restrictions in Yemen, we have investigated this potential
non-compliance with our anti-censorship policy. Because our product
operates based on a database system, we are able to block updated
database downloads to locations and to end users where the use of our
product would violate law or our corporate policies. We believe that we
have identified the specific product subscriptions that are being used
for Web filtering by ISPs in Yemen, and in accordance with our [2]policy
against government-imposed censorship, we have taken action to
discontinue the database downloads to the Yemeni ISPs."

This story continues at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/10/1449206

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...10/1449206

Links:
0. mailto:bennett@peacefire.org
1. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
2. http://www.websense.com/content/censorship-policy.aspx


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Deposit Checks By iPhone |
| from the bad-day-to-be-a-bank-teller dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @12:49 (Input Device|
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...10/1552217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

kaychoro writes to mention that at least one privately held bank is
planning on removing a little bit more legwork for the consumer by
allowing the [0]electronic submission of paper checks via a new iPhone
app. The app would allow users to take a picture of the front and back of
the check and submit that to the depository. "Customers will not have to
mail the check to the bank later; the deposit will be handled entirely
electronically, and the bank suggests voiding the check and filing or
discarding it. But to reduce the potential for fraud, only customers who
are eligible for credit and have some type of insurance through USAA will
be permitted to use the deposit feature. Mr. Peacock said that about 60
percent of the bank's customers qualify."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...10/1552217

Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/techno....html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=USAA&st=Search


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| First Internet-Connected Pacemaker Goes Live |
| from the jailbreak-your-heart dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @13:41 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...10/1611238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Register is reporting that a New York woman has become the first
person to have their [0]pacemaker wirelessly connected to the internet
for full-time monitoring. "The device contains a radio transmitter which
connects to receiving equipment in New Yorker Carol Kasyjanski's home,
using a very low-power signal around 400MHz, to report on the condition
of her heart. Any problems are instantly reported to the doctor, and
regular checkups can be done by remotely interrogating the home-based
equipment — the pacemaker itself doesn't have an IP address, fun as that
would be."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...10/1611238

Links:
0. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/10/...pacemaker/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Company Seeks to Bring Semantic Context To Numbers |
| from the quick-create-another-standards-body dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @14:28 (Math) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...10/1628250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

A new company, True#, is seeking to bring [0]extensive semantic context
to numbers to give them obvious meanings just as certain words have
obvious meanings to most readers. "Most of us can probably recognize
3.14159 and the conceptual baggage it carries, but how many of us would
recognize 58.44? (That's a mole of sodium chloride, in grams, for the
curious.) And the response that would work for words--look it up--doesn't
work so conveniently for numbers. Only one of the top-10 hits in Google
refers to salt, and Bing fails entirely (though it does offer "Women's
Sexy Mini Skirts by VENUS"). Clearly, we haven't figured out how to make
the Web work for numbers in the same way it does for words."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...10/1628250

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/08/...umbers.ars


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Opera Being Composed On Twitter |
| from the how-to-jump-the-shark dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @15:21 (Music) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1746211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

musefrog writes "The BBC is reporting that the UK's Royal Opera House is
to [0]stage an opera created through social networking site Twitter.
'Members of the public have been invited to submit their 'tweets' online
— messages of up to 140 characters — which will form the new libretto.The
first scene of the as-yet-untitled work has already been completed and
features a man who has been kidnapped by a group of birds. Excerpts will
be performed at the Royal Opera House in September.' I'm personally
looking forward to lots of idiotic net memes and inane emo ramblings
being trilled out by aging sopranos."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1746211

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment...193917.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Comparing the MMO Industry With the Silver Screen |
| from the talkies-will-never-take-off dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @16:13 (Movies) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../10/183241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Karen Hertzberg writes "With video gaming — specifically the massively
multiplayer online titles — quickly surpassing Hollywood's cash flow, it
seems logical that the silver suits at Tinsel Town would begin paying
attention to their digital brethren. On the same line of thought,
Hollywood provides the MMO industry with a history in the entertainment
medium that we simply don't have. Ten Ton Hammer's Cody Bye sat down with
four industry experts to draw together some [0]similarities between MMOs
and films, and he attempted to use those points to draw out some
predictions for the future of the MMO gaming industry."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../10/183241

Links:
0. http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72378


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Scientists Create Artificial Bones From Wood |
| from the sticks-and-bones dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @17:05 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...10/1840220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

steve_thatguy writes "According to Discovery News, Italian scientists
have [0]made artificial bone from wood. Created by blasting wood blocks
with heat until they are nearly pure carbon then coating them with
calcium, the scientists say the material allows bones to heal faster and
more securely. Unlike titanium, the wood-based artificial bones flex
slightly much like real bone, and the porous nature of the wood allows
for better bio-activity with surrounding tissue. Though human testing is
still likely years away, the material is currently being used
successfully in sheep and may have other industrial applications."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...10/1840220

Links:
0. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/10...-bone.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Working Off the Clock, How Much Is Too Much? |
| from the volunteering-isn't-voluntary dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @17:54 (Businesses) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/10/1953231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Wall Street Journal has word of [0]yet another suit against an
employer who required an "always on" mentality to persist because of
easily available communications. Most of us working in some sort of tech
related job are working more than 40 hours per week (or at least lead the
lifestyle of always working), but how much is too much? What methods have
others used in the past to help an employer see the line between work and
personal life without resorting to a legal attack? "Greg Rasin, a partner
at Proskauer Rose LLP, a New York business law firm, said the recession
may spawn wage-and-hour disputes as employers try to do the same amount
of work with fewer people. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act says
employees must be paid for work performed off the clock, even if the work
was voluntary. When the law was passed in 1938, 'work' was easy to define
for hourly employees, said Mr. McCoy. As the workplace changed, so did
the rules for when workers should be paid."

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...10/1953231

Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124986371466018299.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 10 Worst Evolutionary Designs |
| from the everyone-makes-mistakes dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday August 10, @18:35 (It's funny. Lau|
| http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1648215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

JamJam writes "Besides my beer gut, which I'm sure has some purpose,
Wired is running a story on the [0]10 Worst Evolutionary Designs. Ranging
from baby giraffes being dropped 5-foot during birth to Goliath
bird-eating spiders that practically explode when they fall from trees."

Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1648215

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries...08/st_best


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Music Labels Working On Digital Album Format |
| from the i-bet-it-wont-be-open dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 10, @18:45 (Music) |
| http://entertainment.slashdot.org/articl...10/2053200|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Nerdfest writes to mention that just weeks after Apple announced their
new "Cocktail" digital album project, the four big record companies are
moving forward with their own [0]project dubbed "CMX". The new digital
album will feature songs, lyrics, videos, liner notes, and artwork.
"However, this may be of little interest if CMX isn't compatible with
iTunes, the default music software for iPods, iPhones and Apple
computers. Whereas labels are eager to resuscitate the album format in an
age of singles, Apple is concerned with selling hardware, including a
tablet computer rumored to be launching this fall. The major labels plan
to launch CMX, which is just a working title for the format, in November.
It will reportedly be 'soft-launched' with a few select releases."

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...10/2053200

Links:
0. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/aug...tal-format


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facebook Acquires FriendFeed |
| from the friends-indeed dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 10, @19:37 (Social Networks) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/2235252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Several readers including [0]carpenter37 let us know that [1]FriendFeed
has sold itself to Facebook. Nobody who knows is talking about the terms
of the deal. Here is [2]Facebook's announcement, and here is
[3]FriendFeed's, which elaborates: "As my mom explained to me, when two
companies love each other very much, they form a structured investment
vehicle." FriendFeed was founded in 2007 by four ex-Googlers, including
Paul Buchheit — the engineer behind Gmail and the originator of Google's
"Don't be evil" motto — and Bret Taylor, a former group product manager
who launched Google Maps.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/2235252

Links:
0. mailto:carpenterj37@yahoo.com
1. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/10/fac...riendfeed/
2. http://www.facebook.com/press/releases.php?p=116581
3. http://blog.friendfeed.com/2009/08/frien...riend.html


Reply
#38
Aug 12 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Nearby, Recent Interplanetary Collision Inferred
* Charlie Stross, Paul Krugman Discuss the Future
* How Famous OS Logos Got Started
* GPLv2 Libraries — Is There a Point?
* Classic Game Console Design Mistakes
* Google Previews New Search Infrastructure
* Rest In Print, Gaming Journalism
* Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over
* The Right Amount of "Challenge" In IT & Gaming
* A Standardized OS For Robots
* No Windows 7 XP Mode For Sony Vaio Z Owners
* AMD Releases 2 Low-Power 64-bit Processors
* Schneier On Self-Enforcing Protocols
* "Terminator Vision" Is Here For the iPhone
* CRIA, MPAA Demand Expanded DMCA For Canada
* US Cell Phone Plans Among World's Most Expensive
* NASA Wants To Fund Space Taxis
* Voting Machine Attacks Proven To Be Practical
* Chevy Volt Rated At 230 mpg In the City
* MS — Dropping IE6 Support "Not an Option"
* Adobe Flash Cookies Raising Privacy Questions Again
* Intel Licenses NVIDIA SLI Technology For P55 Chips
* Reports of IE Hijacking NXDOMAINs, Routing To Bing
* Sensor To Monitor TV Watchers Demoed At Cable Labs

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Nearby, Recent Interplanetary Collision Inferred |
| from the when-worlds-collide dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 10, @20:29 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...10/2149204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Bad Astronomer writes about a new discovery by the Spitzer Space
Telescope, which [0]detected signs of an interplanetary smashup only 100
light-years from here, and only a few thousand years ago. There's a
NASA-produced animation of the collision between a Mercury-sized planet
and a moon-sized impactor. The collision's aftermath was detected by the
presence of what are essentially glass shards in orbit around the star.
Here's [1]NASA's writeup.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...10/2149204

Links:
0. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badast...s-collide/
1. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitze...90810.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Charlie Stross, Paul Krugman Discuss the Future |
| from the i'll-have-the-vegetarian dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 10, @22:25 (Sci-Fi) |
| http://entertainment.slashdot.org/articl...11/0211257|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Peripatetic Entrepreneur writes "At the Science Fiction World
Convention in Montreal, Hugo Award winning author Charlie Stross and
Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman opened the show with a
75-minute, [1]wide-ranging conversation on stage. From flying cars to
decoding the genome of the Pacific Ocean to vat-grown Long Pig, it's all
there. [2]Audio is also available — video soon."

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...11/0211257

Links:
0. http://www.steussy.com/blog/
1. http://www.steussy.com/blog/?p=1867
2. http://cluebytwelve.net/anticipation/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Famous OS Logos Got Started |
| from the in-the-beginning dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 11, @00:08 (Businesses) |
| http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1712242 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Shane O'Neill writes "Ronald McDonald and the NBC Peacock may get more
TV air time, but today's operating systems have cool logos, too. Google,
Apple, Microsoft and the Linux crowd crafted mascots ranging from cute
lizards to circles of life. In this slideshow, we look at the [1]origins
of the logos and look ahead to their future."

Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...10/1712242

Links:
0. mailtoConfusedoneill@cxo.com
1. http://www.cio.com/article/499135/Pengui...ot_Started


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| GPLv2 Libraries — Is There a Point? |
| from the spirit-of-the-license dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @00:24 (GNU is Not Unix) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/0222234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

PiSkyHi writes "I understand that if I build an application that links
with a library that is licensed under GPLv2, I must also make my
application GPL2. I can see that value in this for an application. But
for a library, what's to stop me separating my program into a
GPLv2-compliant client app that talks to the rest of my (choose my own
license) application?"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/0222234


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Classic Game Console Design Mistakes |
| from the you-could-land-a-helicopter-on-that-controller dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 11, @02:24 (Classic Games (|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...11/0621225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Harry writes "Some bad decisions in game console design get made over
and over. (How many early systems had nightmarish controllers?) Others
are uniquely inexplicable. (Like the Game Boy Advance's lack of a
headphone jack.) Some stem from companies being too clever for their own
good. (Like the way the RCA Studio II and Atari 5200 drew their power
through their RF switches.) Benj Edwards has rounded up a few classic
examples, and has attempted to [1]figure out what was going on in the
designers' heads — and what we can learn from their mistakes."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...11/0621225

Links:
0. mailto:harry@technologizer.com
1. http://technologizer.com/2009/08/10/fift...-mistakes/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Previews New Search Infrastructure |
| from the not-standing-still dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @03:01 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/0349217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Google has announced a [0]"developer preview" of a new search
infrastructure, though one wouldn't have to be a developer to try it out.
Google is asking for feedback on how the search results in [1]the new
regime stack up against the old. Matt Cutts has posted a [2]mini FAQ.
Some [3]early testing indicates that the new search may be faster in some
cases, and return more relevant results, than the old one. Those who
attempt to game Google search for a living will be scrambling henceforth.
Has anyone identified the new crawler bot in log files?

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/0349217

Links:
0. http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.c...ation.html
1. http://www2.sandbox.google.com/
2. http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/caffeine-update/
3. http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/google-caffeine/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Rest In Print, Gaming Journalism |
| from the what-is-this-print-you-speak-of dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 11, @04:12 (The Media) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...11/0639259 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Phaethon360 writes "The film industry, the music industry and the
gaming industry — three factions of entertainment in the grasp of a
vicious and unbridled tyrant. The internet is a toddler with a handgun,
and its whims shall be met — and with great abandon. It can be a source
of great wealth or utter failure. But what's striking is the fact that no
one seems to be taking the necessary precautions to ensure a smooth and
prosperous transition. I'm talking, of course, about [1]doing away with
the middle man; the gaming magazine." Dan Amrich, former editor of OXM,
recently argued the other side of this issue, saying that [2]game-related
print media doesn't get the respect it deserves for breaking stories
earlier than online media, and for not just waiting "until the
information came to them, in the form of a PR release and a video." A
related piece at GameSetWatch suggests that the print media is [3]doing a
decent job of undercutting itself through unsustainably-low subscription
fees.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...11/0639259

Links:
0. http://couchcampus.com/
1. http://couchcampus.com/blog/2009/08/rip-...ournalism/
2. http://bunnyears.net/dan/?p=879
3. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/08/colu...g_a_qu.php


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over |
| from the nice-while-it-lasts dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @05:38 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/034221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]xp65 writes "Scientists at this year's XXVIIth General Assembly of the
International Astronomical Union in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil agree that we
do not yet know how ubiquitous or how fragile life is, but that: '[1]The
Earth's period of habitability is nearly over on a cosmological
timescale. In a half to one billion years the Sun will start to be too
luminous and warm for water to exist in liquid form on Earth, leading to
a runaway greenhouse effect in less than 2 billion years.' Other
surprising claims from this conference: that the Sun may not be the ideal
kind of star to nurture life, and that the Earth may not be the ideal
size."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../11/034221

Links:
0. http://spacefellowship.com/
1. http://spacefellowship.com/2009/08/10/on...arly-over/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Right Amount of "Challenge" In IT & Gaming |
| from the inversely-proportional dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 11, @08:08 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...11/0650226 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]boyko.at.netqos writes "In an essay entitled '[1]An Epiphany I Had
While Playing Pac-Man,' the author talks about how smart people need to
find a certain amount of intellectual challenge from day to day. If they
don't find it in their workplace, they'll end up playing complex, 'smart'
games, like Civilization IV or Chess — and if they do find it in their
workplace, they're more likely to sit down with a nice game of Pac-Man,
Katamari Damacy, or Peggle. Quoting: 'When I look back on my life, and I
compare the times in my life when I was playing simple games compared to
the times in my life when I was playing complex ones, a pattern emerges.
The more complexity and mental stimulation I was getting from other
activities — usually my day job at the time — the less I needed mental
stimulation in my free time. Conversely, in times when I was working
boring jobs, I'd be playing games that required a lot of thinking and
mental gymnastics.' The author then goes on to speculate that some IT
workers might subconsciously be giving themselves more challenges by
choosing to deal with difficult problems, rather than performing simple
(but boring) preventative maintenance and proactive network management."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...11/0650226

Links:
0. mailto:brian.boyko@netqos.com
1. http://www.networkperformancedaily.com/2...layin.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Standardized OS For Robots |
| from the kill-all-humans-until-done dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @08:56 (Robotics) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...11/1242217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The New Scientist reports that at present, all
robot software is designed uniquely, even for parts common to all robots
but that could be about to change as roboticists have begun to think
about [1]what robots have in common and what aspects of their
construction can be standardized, resulting in a basic operating system
everyone can use. 'It's easier to build everything from the ground up
right now because each team's requirements are so different,' says
Anne-Marie Bourcier of Aldebaran Robotics but Bourcier sees this changing
if robotics advances in a manner similar to personal computing where a
common operating system allowed programmers without detailed knowledge of
the underlying hardware and file systems to build new applications and
build on the work of others. 'Robotics is at the stage where personal
computing was about 30 years ago,' says Chad Jenkins of Brown University.
'But at some point we have to come together to use the same resources.'
This desire has its roots in frustration, says Brian Gerkey of the
robotics research firm Willow Garage. If someone is studying object
recognition, they want to design better object-recognition algorithms,
not write code to control the robot's wheels. "You know that those things
have been done before, probably better," says Gerkey, who hopes to one
day see a robot "app store" where a person could download a program for
their robot and have it work as easily as an iPhone app."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...11/1242217

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20...MP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| No Windows 7 XP Mode For Sony Vaio Z Owners |
| from the for-your-own-good dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @09:48 (Sony) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...11/1315255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Voyager529 writes "While virtually every Core 2 Duo processor supports
the hardware virtualization technology that powers the Windows 7 XP Mode,
The Register UK reports that the Core 2 Duo processors in the Sony Vaio Z
series laptops had the [1]virtualization features intentionally crippled
in the BIOS. Senior manager for product marketing Xavier Lauwaert stated
that the QA engineers did this to make the systems more resilient against
malicious code. He also stated that while they are considering enabling
VT in some laptop models due to the backlash, the Z series are not among
those being retrofitted."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...11/1315255

Links:
0. http://voyager529ampyahoocom/
1. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/06/..._disabled/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMD Releases 2 Low-Power 64-bit Processors |
| from the competition-is-grand dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @10:07 (AMD) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...11/1339255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

rwiggers writes "AMD has released [0]two new low power processors for
embedded apps. With a power of 18W and a chipset with [1]3W of average
consumption [PDF] it seems we may have some interesting competition with
Intel's Atom."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...11/1339255

Links:
0. http://www.eetimes.com/rss/showArticle.j...=219200031&cid=RSSfeed_eetimes_newsRSS
1. http://www.amd.com/us/Documents/42656B_M...od_Brf.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Schneier On Self-Enforcing Protocols |
| from the visibility-rocks dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @10:36 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/1340256 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Hollow Being writes "In an essay posted to Threatpost, Bruce Schneier
makes the argument that [0]self-enforcing protocols are better suited to
security and problem-solving. From the article: 'Self-enforcing protocols
are safer than other types because participants don't gain an advantage
from cheating. Modern voting systems are rife with the potential for
cheating, but an open show of hands in a room — one that everyone in the
room can count for himself — is self-enforcing. On the other hand,
there's no secret ballot, late voters are potentially subjected to
coercion, and it doesn't scale well to large elections. But there are
mathematical election protocols that have self-enforcing properties, and
some cryptographers have suggested their use in elections.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/11/1340256

Links:
0. http://threatpost.com/blogs/value-self-e...-protocols


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Terminator Vision" Is Here For the iPhone |
| from the old-hat-to-thad-starner dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @11:27 (Displays) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...11/1442239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

musefrog writes "The BBC is reporting that so-called [0]augmented reality
has arrived — in the UK at least. From the article: 'Via the video
function of a mobile phone's camera it is now possible to [1]combine a
regular pictorial view with added data from the internet just as the
fictional Terminator was able to overlay its view of the world with vital
information about its surroundings. For example, UK-firm Acrossair has
launched an application for the iPhone which allows Londoners to find
their nearest tube station using their iPhone.' The page features an
impressive video demonstrating AR in action."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...11/1442239

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8193951.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CRIA, MPAA Demand Expanded DMCA For Canada |
| from the professional-envy dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @12:16 (The Internet) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/1534224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "The Canadian Recording Industry Association
and the MPAA's Canadian subsidiary are [0]demanding that Canada adopt
copyright laws that go beyond even the DMCA. The groups demand
anti-circumvention law, three strikes and you're out legislation, and
increased secondary liability for websites. The demands come as part of
the [1]national copyright consultation in which hundreds of Canadians
have [2]spoken out against such reforms."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/1534224

Links:
0. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4256/125/
1. http://www.copyrightconsultation.ca/
2. http://speakoutoncopyright.ca/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Cell Phone Plans Among World's Most Expensive |
| from the yes-but-we-have-cheap-gasoline dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 11, @13:03 (Communications) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/1610237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Albanach writes "An OECD report published today has shown moderate cell
phone users in the United States are [0]paying some of the highest rates
in the world . Average US plans cost $52.99 per month compared to an
average of $10.95 in Finland. The full report is available only to
subscribers, however Excel sheets of the raw data are available to
download." (You'll find those Excel sheets — which open just fine in
OpenOffice — on the summary page linked above.)

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/1610237

Links:
0. http://www.oecd.org/document/20/0,3343,e..._1,00.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA Wants To Fund Space Taxis |
| from the would-you-like-a-trip-to-the-stars dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 11, @13:07 (NASA) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...11/1642206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

NASA plans on using $50 million in stimulus funds to seed development of
[0]a commercial passenger transportation service to space. Potential
space taxi inventors have 45 days to submit their proposals. The
proposals will be competitively evaluated and the winners will be
announced by the end of September. It is unclear what other Commodore 64
games NASA plans on making a reality, but I hope Arkanoid makes the short
list.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...11/1642206

Links:
0. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/spa...axis_N.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Voting Machine Attacks Proven To Be Practical |
| from the back-up-the-dumpster dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @13:51 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/1642231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Every time a bunch of academics show
vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines, critics complain that the
attacks aren't realistic, that attackers won't have access to source
code, or design documents, or be able to manipulate the hardware, etc. So
this time a bunch of computer scientists from UCSD, Michigan, and
Princeton offered a rebuttal. They completely [0]own the AVC Advantage
using no access to source code or design documents (PDF), and deliver a
complete working attack in a plug-in cartridge that could be used by
anyone with a few private minutes with the machine. Moreover, they came
up with some cool tricks to do this on a machine protected against
traditional code injection attacks (the AVC processor will only execute
instructions from ROM). The research was presented at this week's USENIX
EVT."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/11/1642231

Links:
0. http://www.usenix.org/events/evtwote09/t...ckoway.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Chevy Volt Rated At 230 mpg In the City |
| from the bragging-rights dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @14:41 (Transportation) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/1738234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

necro81 writes "General Motors, emerging from bankruptcy, [0]today
announced that its upcoming plug-in hybrid vehicle, the [1]Volt, will
have an [2]EPA rating of 230 mpg for city driving (about 98 km/L). The
unprecedented rating, the first in triple digits, is the result of a new
(draft) methodology for calculating the 'gas' mileage for vehicles that
operate primarily or extensively on electricity. The Volt, due out late
next year, can drive approximately 40 miles on its Li-Ion battery pack,
after which a gasoline engine kicks in to provide additional electricity
to charge the battery. Running off the gasoline engine yields
approximately 50 mpg. Of course, the [3]devil's in the details, because
the conversion of grid-based electricity to gasoline-mileage is
imprecise." Now we know the meaning of the mysterious [4]"230" viral
marketing campaign.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/1738234

Links:
0. http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServl...?domain=74&docid=56132
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?titl...rolet_Volt&oldid=307386950
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/business/12auto.html
3. http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/11/autos/vo...2009081108
4. http://adage.com/adages/post?article_id=138346


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MS — Dropping IE6 Support "Not an Option" |
| from the die-already dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @15:31 (Internet Explorer|
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/1756248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft wants to see IE6 gone as much as
anyone else, [0]but the company isn't going to make the decision for its
users anytime soon. The software giant has been pushing IE6 and IE7 users
to move to IE8 ever since it arrived in March 2009, but it's still up to
the user to make the final decision to upgrade: 'The engineering point of
view on IE6 starts as an operating systems supplier. Dropping support for
IE6 is not an option because we committed to supporting the IE included
with Windows for the lifespan of the product. We keep our commitments.
Many people expect what they originally got with their operating system
to keep working whatever release cadence particular subsystems have. As
engineers, we want people to upgrade to the latest version. We make it as
easy as possible for them to upgrade. Ultimately, the choice to upgrade
belongs to the person responsible for the PC.'" Of course some big Web
sites aren't waiting for Microsoft. Reader Yamir writes, "Google's Orkut,
a social networking service popular in Brazil and India, has [1]started
warning IE6 users that the browser will no longer be supported. Just last
month, [2]YouTube started showing a similar message."

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/11/1756248

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/20...option.ars
1. http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/20...or-ie6.ars
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/14/...rt-For-IE6


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Adobe Flash Cookies Raising Privacy Questions Again |
| from the flash-in-the-pan dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @16:10 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/1947208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Nearly a year after we discussed the [0]privacy implications of Flash
cookies, they are in the news again as the US government [1]considers
revising its cookie policy. Wired covers a study out of UC Berkeley
[2]exposing questionable practices used by many of the Internet's
most-visited Web sites ([3]abstract). The most questionable activity the
report exposes is known as "respawning": after a user has deleted browser
tracking cookies, some sites will use information in Flash cookies to
recreate them. The report names two companies, Clearspring and QuantCast,
whose technologies reinstate cookies for other Web sites. "Federal
websites have traditionally been banned from using tracking cookies,
despite being common around the web — a situation the Obama
administration is proposing to change as part of an attempt to modernize
government websites. But the debate shouldn't be about allowing browser
cookies or not, according Ashkan Soltani, a UC Berkeley graduate student
who helped lead the study. 'If users don't want to be tracked and there
is a problem with tracking, then we should regulate tracking, not
regulate cookies,' Soltani said."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/1947208

Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/14/1656251&tid=83
1. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/29/2123256
2. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/y...ink-again/
3. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a...id=1446862


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Intel Licenses NVIDIA SLI Technology For P55 Chips |
| from the men-to-match-my-mountains dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @17:08 (Graphics) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/2030237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

adeelarshad82 writes "NVIDIA announced that Intel has [0]licensed the
company's SLI technology for inclusion in upcoming products — as have a
slew of major hardware partners such as ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte, and MSI.
This means the P55 chipsets that power those new socket LGA 1156
motherboards, which are based around the next-gen Nehalem architecture,
will let you build systems using two or four NVIDIA-powered GPUs.
Specifically, the licensing agreement covers the Core i5 and Core i7
microprocessors."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/2030237

Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351409,00.asp


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Reports of IE Hijacking NXDOMAINs, Routing To Bing |
| from the if-I-want-bing-I-will-type-bing dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @18:01 (Internet Explorer|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...11/2149218 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Jaeden Stormes writes "We just started getting word of a new browser
hijack from our sales force. 'Some site called Bing?' they said. Sure
enough, since the patches last night, their IE6 and IE7 installations are
now routing all NXDOMAINs to Bing. Try it out — put in something like
www.DoNotHijackMe.com." We've had mixed results here confirming this: one
report that up-to-date IE8 behaves as described. Others tried installing
all offered updates to systems running IE6 and IE7 and got no hijacking.
Update: 08/11 23:24 GMT by [1]KD : Readers are reporting that it's not
Bing that comes up for a nonexistent domain, it's the user's default
search engine (noting that at least one Microsoft update in the past
changed the default to Bing). There may be nothing new here.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...11/2149218

Links:
0. mailto:mholden@darkenedsky.com
1. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sensor To Monitor TV Watchers Demoed At Cable Labs |
| from the audience-has-reached-critical-mass dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @18:47 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/2236252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Cable operators at the semi-annual CableLab's
Innovation Showcase have informally voted as best new product a gizmo
that can [0]determine how many people are watching a TV. Developed by
Israeli company [1]PrimeSense, the product lets digital devices see a 3-D
view of the world (the images look like something from thermal imaging).
In other words, that cable set-top box will know whether three people are
sitting on the sofa watching TV and how many are adults vs. children. Do
we really need cable and/or video service operators knowing this? It all
happens via a chip that resides in a camera that plugs into the set-top
box."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/2236252

Links:
0. http://www.cablefax.com/cfp/just_in/Futu...37042.html
1. http://www.primesense.com/


Reply
#39
Aug 13 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Supreme Court Review of Bilski Heats Up
* Green Cement Absorbs Carbon
* Xbox Gaming Platform To Span Web, Console, Mobile
* Leaving the GPL Behind
* Will Your Credit Report Disqualify You For a Job?
* EVE Online's Fight Against Currency Farmers
* In UK, Two Convicted of Refusing To Decrypt Data
* US Court Tells Microsoft To Stop Selling Word
* Classifying Players For Unique Game Experiences
* Judge Rules Against RealDVD
* Encryption? What Encryption?
* WordPress Exploit Allows Admin Password Reset
* Gardeners Told to Give Exhausted Bees an Energy Drink
* How Much Does a Reputation For Security Matter Anymore?
* Man Jailed After Using LimeWire For ID Theft
* How Artificial Leaves Could Generate Clean Hydrogen
* Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm
* Speaking With the Designer of an Indie MMO Project
* HP Restores Creased Photos With Flatbed Scanners
* Illinois Bans Social Network Use By Sex Offenders
* Microsoft, Nokia Team To Add Mobile Office Apps To Phones
* First Look At Palm's Mojo SDK
* Database Error Costs Social Security Victims $500M
* Science, Technology, Natural History Museums?
* Can Unmanned Aircraft Mix With Commercial Planes?

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Supreme Court Review of Bilski Heats Up |
| from the do-patent-leather-shoes-really-reflect dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @20:30 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/2354200 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The Supreme Court's
review of In Re Bilski ([1]discussed [2]here [3]numerous [4]times) is
heating up, having attracted no less than 44 friend-of-the-court briefs
from almost everyone with a stake in the patent system. [5]Patently-O
provides a nice summary of who is arguing against Bilski. The two
questions before the Supreme Court are whether or not a process must
satisfy the particular machine or transformation test, and whether this
test improperly excludes many business methods in spite of the wording of
35 U.S.C. 273, which specifically allows business-method patents. So far,
the case has attracted legal filings from nearly every large company or
group whose patents might be threatened. You can read briefs from Yahoo,
IBM, Borland, Dolby Labs, the BSA, and many others, even one from some
guy claiming to speak on behalf of the State of Oregon."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...11/2354200

Links:
0. http://www.eff.org/support
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/18/1356257&tid=473
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/30/1959216&tid=473
3. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/03/1815215&tid=473
4. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...10/1218231&tid=332
5. http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2009/08/...ilski.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Green Cement Absorbs Carbon |
| from the do-not-like-green-cement-and-ham dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 11, @22:13 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...12/0029204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Peace Corps Online writes "Concrete accounts for more than 5 percent
of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions annually, mostly because cement,
the active ingredient in concrete, is made by baking limestone and clay
powders under intense heat that is generally produced by the burning of
fossil fuels. Now Scientific American reports that British start-up
company Novacem has developed a [1]'carbon-negative' cement that absorbs
more carbon dioxide than it emits over its life cycle. The trick is to
make cement from magnesium silicates rather than calcium carbonate, or
limestone, since this material does not emit CO2 in manufacture and
absorbs the greenhouse gas as it ages. 'The building and construction
industry knows it has got to do radical things to reduce its carbon
footprint and cement companies understand there is not a lot they can do
without a technology breakthrough,' says Novacem Chairman Stuart Evans.
Novacem estimates that for every ton of Portland cement replaced by its
product, around three-quarters of a ton of CO2 is saved, turning the
cement industry from a big emitter to a big absorber of carbon. Major
cement makers have been working hard to reduce CO2 emissions by investing
in modern kilns and using as little carbon-heavy fuel as possible, but
reductions to date have been limited. Novacem has raised $1.7M to start a
pilot plant that should be up and running in northern England in 2011."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...12/0029204

Links:
0. http://peacecorpsonline.org/
1. http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...reen-cemen


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Xbox Gaming Platform To Span Web, Console, Mobile |
| from the triple-threat dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 11, @23:02 (Operating Syste|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...12/0114259 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Ars Technica:
"According to a job posting from August 10, 2009, Microsoft is looking
for a LIVE Community Director in the Entertainment & Devices Division.
The job posting seems to suggest that Microsoft is looking to [0]bring
the Xbox Live, Windows Mobile, and other similar properties closer
together. More specifically, there's talk of a 'casual and social gaming
platform' that would be available via more than just one device: 'The
LIVE Engagement Team is looking for a LIVE Community Director to manage
its LIVE community strategy and execution across a range of properties,
from Xbox LIVE to Windows Mobile. This senior position will play a vital
role in the community space as the LIVE Engagement team builds and
program's Microsoft's next-generation, LIVE-enabled casual and social
gaming platform across the Web, the console, mobile and beyond.' The
first key responsibility listed in the job posting is to '[d]evelop a
community strategy that leverages all parts of the LIVE Services team to
deliver scenarios and engagement across three screens.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...12/0114259

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/20...mobile.ars


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Leaving the GPL Behind |
| from the one-license-to-rule-them-all dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 12, @00:03 (GNU is Not Unix|
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/018255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]olddotter points out a story up at Yahoo Tech on [1]companies'
decisions to distance themselves from the GPL. "Before deciding to pull
away from GPL, Haynie says Appcelerator surveyed some two dozen software
vendors working within the same general market space. To his surprise,
Haynie saw that only one was using a GPL variant. 'Everybody else, hands
down, was MIT, Apache, or New BSD,' he says. 'The proponents of GPL like
to tell people that the world only needs one open source license, and I
think that's actually, frankly, just a flat-out dumb position,' says Mike
Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, one of the
many organizations now offering an open source license with more generous
commercial terms than GPL."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../12/018255

Links:
0. http://inttech.blogspot.com/
1. http://tech.yahoo.com/news/infoworld/200...orld/85922


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Will Your Credit Report Disqualify You For a Job? |
| from the permission-to-google-you-sir dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 12, @02:43 (The Almighty Bu|
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/023204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]coondoggie writes "Two companies that fired workers and [1]rejected
job applicants based on background checks, without informing those people
of their rights, have settled with the FTC for $77,000 in civil
penalties. Most experts we talked to think this case is just the tip of
the iceberg. The companies — Quality Terminal Services and Rail Terminal
Services — were charged with violating provisions of the Fair Credit
Reporting Act, which requires employers to get permission to look at
individual credit reports. If you don't get a job because of information
in your report, the employer must show you the report and tell you how to
get a copy from the consumer reporting company. There is no charge for
the report if you request it within 60 days of getting notice that you
did not get a job."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../12/023204

Links:
0. mailto:mcooney@nww.com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/44303


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EVE Online's Fight Against Currency Farmers |
| from the stay-away-from-those-pitchforks dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @04:14 (Space) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...12/0728202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Massively has a writeup discussing the way CCP Games is battling
ISK-farmers in EVE Online (ISK is the game's currency). The developers
felt that merely banning sellers whenever they could was not enough, so
they introduced a system where players could [0]purchase game-time codes
that could then be sold within the game to other players. Since players
are unlikely to give up buying ISK voluntarily, CCP's thought is that
they can at least [1]keep the money and currency distributed among the
real players. Some of the player-base has been critical of the plan, but
it's becoming more and more popular as time goes on — and the old
ISK-sellers aren't pleased.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...12/0728202

Links:
0. http://www.massively.com/2009/08/11/the-...ve-online/
1. http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=684


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| In UK, Two Convicted of Refusing To Decrypt Data |
| from the no-pleading-the-fifth dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 12, @05:31 (Encryption) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/11/2340221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

ACKyushu clues us to recent news out of the UK, where two people have
been [0]successfully prosecuted for refusing to provide authorities with
their encryption keys, resulting in landmark convictions that may have
carried jail sentences of up to five years. There is uncertainty in that
the names of the people convicted were not released; and without those
names, the Crown Prosecution Service said it was unable to track down
details of the cases. "Failure to comply with a section 49 notice carries
a sentence of up to two years jail plus fines. Failure to comply during a
national security investigation carries up to five years jail. ... Of the
15 individuals served, 11 did not comply with the notices. Of the 11,
seven were charged and two convicted. Sir Christopher [Rose, the
government's Chief Surveillance Commissioner] did not report whether
prosecutions failed or are pending against the five charged but not
convicted in the period covered by his report."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/11/2340221

Links:
0. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/11/...i_figures/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Court Tells Microsoft To Stop Selling Word |
| from the somebody's-not-having-a-good-day dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @08:13 (Microsoft) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...12/1129230 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

oranghutan writes "A judge in a Texas court has given Microsoft 60 days
to comply with [0]an order to stop selling Word products in their
existing state as the result of a patent infringement suit filed by i4i.
According to the injunction, Microsoft is [1]forbidden from selling Word
products that let people create XML documents, which both the 2003 and
2007 versions let you do. Michael Cherry, an analyst quoted in the
article, said, 'It's going to take a long time for this kind of thing to
get sorted out.' Few believe the injunction will actually stop Word from
being sold because there are ways of working around it. In early 2009, a
jury in the Texas court [2]ordered Microsoft to pay i4i $200 million for
infringing on the patent. ZDNet has [3]a look at the patent itself,
saying it 'sounds a bit generic.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...12/1129230

Links:
0. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/314620/...halt_sales
1. http://sev.prnewswire.com/banking-financ...009-1.html
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/29/1843201&tid=332
3. http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=22595


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Classifying Players For Unique Game Experiences |
| from the in-soviet-underworld dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @08:57 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...12/0225241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]togelius writes "Whenever you play a game of Tomb Raider: Underworld,
heaps of data about your playing style is collected at Eidos' servers.
Researchers at the Center for Computer Games Research have now [1]mined
this data to identify the different types of player behavior (PDF). Using
self-organizing neural networks, they classified players as either
Veterans, Solvers, Pacifists or Runners. It turns out people play the
game for very different reasons and focus on different parts of the game,
but almost everyone falls into one of these categories. These neural
networks can now quickly determine which of these groups you belong to
based on just seeing you play. In the near future, such networks will be
used to adapt games like Tomb Raider while they are played (e.g. by
removing or adding puzzles and enemies), so you get the game you want."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...12/0225241

Links:
0. http://julian.togelius.com/
1. http://www.itu.dk/~yannakakis/CIG09_IOI.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Judge Rules Against RealDVD |
| from the another-one-bites-the-dust dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @09:40 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1220211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]mattOzan writes "Judge Marilyn Hall Patel was unswayed by
[1]RealNetworks' defense of their product under the Fair Use Doctrine, as
she [2]declared RealDVD illegal and barred its distribution. As she said
in her ruling, 'So while it may well be fair use for an individual
consumer to store a backup copy of a personally owned DVD on that
individual's computer, a federal law has nonetheless made it [3]illegal
to manufacture or traffic in a device or tool that permits a consumer to
make such copies.' She also said RealNetworks was aware of the conflict
between their agreement and their plans for the software: 'Real did not
elect to return (or destroy, with appropriate certification) the CSS
General Specifications after it received them, as Real had a right to do
under the agreement... This behavior indicates that Real [4]understood it
to be bound by the CSS General Specifications as well as the other
technical specifications received after execution of the CSS License
Agreement.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...12/1220211

Links:
0. mailto:vispuslo@NospaM.mattozan.net
1. http://www.realdvd.com/litigation
2. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/08...s-illegal/
3. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technolo...ction.html
4. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351471,00.asp


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Encryption? What Encryption? |
| from the these-are-not-the-files-you're-looking-for dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @10:22 (Encryption) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1255241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Slashdot regular Bennett Haselton writes with his take on the news we
discussed early this morning about the UK government's [0]prosecution of
two people who refused to disclose their encryption keys: "Is it possible
to write a program that enables you to encrypt files without drawing
suspicion upon yourself if anyone ever seizes your computer? No; a
program by itself, no matter how perfectly written, couldn't do this
because you'd still attract suspicion just for possessing the software.
You'd need a social element driving the program's popularity until it
gets to the point where people no longer look suspicious just for having
the program installed. Here are some theories on how that could happen —
but it would be a high bar to clear." Hit the link below for the rest of
Bennett's thoughts.

This story continues at:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1255241

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/12/1255241

Links:
0. https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/11/2...crypt-Data


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| WordPress Exploit Allows Admin Password Reset |
| from the probably-the-first-time-most-have-been-changed dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @11:04 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1353211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Multiple readers have sent word of a vulnerability in WordPress 2.8.3
which allows anyone to [0]lock an admin out of his or her account by
resetting the password. "The bug ... is trivial to exploit remotely using
nothing more than a web browser and a specially manipulated link.
Typically, requests to reset a password are handled using a registered
email address. Using the special URL, the old password is removed and a
new one generated in its place with no confirmation required." An alert
on the Full Disclosure mailing list [1]detailed the vulnerability, and
WordPress quickly [2]rolled out version 2.8.4 to address the issue.

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/12/1353211

Links:
0. http://www.darknet.org.uk/2009/08/wordpr...t-exploit/
1. http://lists.grok.org.uk/pipermail/full-...70137.html
2. http://wordpress.org/development/2009/08...y-release/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Gardeners Told to Give Exhausted Bees an Energy Drink |
| from the it's-what-bees-crave dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 12, @11:33 (Science) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s.../12/153220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

In an effort to help Britain's declining bee population, the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds is urging gardeners to [0]leave out a
homemade energy drink for tired bees. The RSPB says that a mix of two
tablespoons of sugar with a tablespoon of water makes a perfect
bee-boosting drink. Val Osborne, head of wildlife inquiries at the RSPB,
said, "Many people keep seeing bees on the ground and assume they are
dead, but chances are they are having a rest. Much like us, a sugary
drink could boost their energy levels and a simple sugar and water
combination will be a welcome treat."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?.../12/153220

Links:
0. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...evels.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Much Does a Reputation For Security Matter Anymore? |
| from the eh-i'm-sure-they'll-patch-it-soon dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @11:49 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1454253 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]dasButcher writes "We often hear that businesses risk their corporate
reputations if they don't have adequate security. It's been a common
refrain among those selling security technologies: protect your data or
suffer the reputational consequences. But, as Larry Walsh points out,
[1]the evidence is against this notion. Even companies that have suffered
major security breaches — [2]TJX, [3]Hannaford, etc. — have suffered
little lasting damage to their reputation. So, does this mean that
reputational concerns are simply bunk?"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/12/1454253

Links:
0. mailto:lmwalsh2112@yahoo.com
1. http://blogs.channelinsider.com/secure_c...ation.html
2. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...05/1812254&tid=76
3. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/...er_breach/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Man Jailed After Using LimeWire For ID Theft |
| from the guess-his-making-available-defense-didn't-work-either de|
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @12:31 (Privacy) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...12/1533248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir sends along this excerpt from PC World: "A Seattle man has
been [1]sentenced to more than three years in prison for using the
LimeWire file-sharing service to lift personal information from computers
across the US. The man, Frederick Wood, typed words like 'tax return' and
'account' into the LimeWire search box. That allowed him to find and
access computers on the LimeWire network with shared folders that
contained tax returns and bank account information. ... He used the
information to open accounts, create identification cards and make
purchases. 'Many of the victims are parents who don't realize that
LimeWire is on their home computer,' [said Kathryn Warma of the US
Attorney's Office]."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...12/1533248

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/31...tity_theft


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Artificial Leaves Could Generate Clean Hydrogen |
| from the leaving-well-enough-alone dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @12:54 (Power) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...12/1539248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "At Imperial College London, researchers have
embarked on a £1m project to study, and eventually mimic, photosynthesis.
Part of a project, called the 'artificial leaf,' involves working out
exactly how leaves use sunlight to make useful molecules. The team then
plans to build artificial systems that can do the same to [0]generate
clean fuels such as hydrogen and methanol. These would then be used in
fuel cells to make electricity or to directly power super-clean
vehicles."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...12/1539248

Links:
0. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/20...eaf-energy


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm |
| from the caught-palm-red-handed dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @13:14 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1616243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]AceJohnny writes "[1]Joey Hess found that [2]his Palm Pre was ratting
on him. It turns out the Pre periodically uploads detailed information
about the user to Palm, including the names of installed apps,
application usage (and crashes), as well as GPS coordinates. This, of
course, is without user consent or control. The only way he found to
disable the uploads was to modify system files."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...12/1616243

Links:
0. http://www.eff.org/support
1. http://www.ohloh.net/accounts/joeyhess
2. http://kitenet.net/~joey/blog/entry/Palm_Pre_privacy/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Speaking With the Designer of an Indie MMO Project |
| from the quite-ambitious dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 12, @13:39 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...12/1610233 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]PsxMeUP writes "Love is a persistent online first-person shooter that
will let players build structures, permanently manipulate the environment
and share resources — all in real-time. Action will be similar to a
real-time strategy game as seen through the eyes of a grunt. The game is
being completely designed by a man named Eskil Steenberg, and
GameObserver had a chance to interview him. Steenberg talks about how all
MMOs offer an egocentric experience where character growth is the most
important aspect, and how he intends to change that. He also explains how
mainstream MMOs have too many players, which basically [1]trivializes
accomplishments that have an impact on the entire server. 'If you imagine
Civilization where you invent your stuff or build new stuff, imagine
playing one of those characters on the ground doing that. And being able
to do something minute in your world and see that impact in the major
world,' Eskil explains, when asked what his game will be like. 'I want to
scare people in a direction that is different from this sort of
"me-centric" style of games. It feels that pretty much all games are
going into that Diablo direction of collecting and building up my
characters, and it's all very egocentric about creating your own powerful
character,' he clarifies when asked how his game will be different from
other MMOs. Love is well into development, and Steenberg has already
posted some incredible gameplay demos. Levels, for instance, are all
procedurally generated. The game also offers open-source tools, like UV
editing — not a small feat considering the whole thing was designed by
one man."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...12/1610233

Links:
0. http://www.gameobserver.com/
1. http://www.gameobserver.com/features/ins...nberg-146/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| HP Restores Creased Photos With Flatbed Scanners |
| from the but-can-they-restore-my-boorish-charm? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 12, @14:04 (Graphics) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...12/1744228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Scientists at HP have developed a technique
to [0]detect creases in photographs using standard, unmodified flatbed
scanners. Once correctly scanned into a computer, software can determine
where the photograph's defect is, and artificially correct it to remove
any trace of a crease or fold. The result is a spotless JPEG scan from a
creased photo, with absolutely no modified hardware and no technical
know-how required on the part of the user." They're using multiple light
sources to do this, in a way that reminds me of last year's description
of [1]3D image creation using an ordinary digital camera.

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...12/1744228

Links:
0. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/0,390295...316,00.htm
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...27/1734224&tid=136


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Illinois Bans Social Network Use By Sex Offenders |
| from the good-feel-measure-vs.-bad-feel-felons dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 12, @14:52 (Communications)|
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/1817232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]RobotsDinner writes "Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed into law a
bill that [1]bans all registered sex offenders from using social networks.
'"Obviously, the Internet has been more and more a mechanism for
predators to reach out," said Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), a sponsor
of the measure and a governor candidate. "The idea was, if the predator
is supposed to be a registered sex offender, they should keep their
Internet distance as well as their physical distance."'

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...12/1817232

Links:
0. mailto:robotsdinner@hotmail.com
1. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...1658.story


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft, Nokia Team To Add Mobile Office Apps To Phones |
| from the just-where-you-want-them dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 12, @15:42 (Cellphones) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...12/1941232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]CWmike writes "On the same day a court [1]banned sales of Microsoft
Office for PCs, Microsoft and Nokia said they are [2]working together to
put Microsoft Office on Nokia handsets, It's a move that should give
Microsoft leverage against Google and others that are attacking its
Office business with free or low-priced Web apps. The aim of the deal is
to bring an application called Microsoft Office Mobile to Nokia's Symbian
devices, they said. They will also do the same for other Microsoft
communications, collaboration and device-management software. The
applications will be available first on Nokia's E-series phones, but
eventually will extend to other Nokia handsets. The Microsoft-Nokia deal
brings two competitors together, but could spell the end of Windows
Mobile. Gartner analyst Nick Jones said he is becoming "more concerned"
about the future for Windows Mobile and added in a blog today that
[3]Windows Mobile 7 could be Microsoft's last update of the product."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...12/1941232

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://blogs.computerworld.com/14532/mic...lling_word
2. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...ile_phones
3. http://blogs.gartner.com/nick_jones/2009...-friendly/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| First Look At Palm's Mojo SDK |
| from the commodity-bits-making-a-new-whole dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 12, @16:30 (Handhelds) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...12/2028238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes "Peter Wayner puts [1]Palm's Mojo SDK through its paces
and finds the general outline of the system solid and usable despite
'numerous rough edges and dark, undocumented corners.' The main draw, of
course, is the reliance on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which lower the
barriers to entry, though with Mojo, HTML and JavaScript do at times work
against each other, with JavaScript occasionally 'wiping out anything you
do with HTML.' But more than anything, Wayner sees the current version of
Mojo as 'merely the start of access to a very fertile platform.
'Developers are actively digging into the Linux foundations of the Pre
and finding they can build tools that work with the raw guts of the
machine. Some are talking about writing Java services underneath,' Wayner
writes, pointing to sites such as [2]PalmOpenSource.com and
[3]PreCentral.net that are cataloging dozens of apps that come complete
with the source code. 'I know people are doing similar things with the
iPhone — such as [4]selling the source to people who must install it
themselves — but the entire scene emerging around Palm has a much more
organic and creative vibe. It's not getting hung up on [5]parsing and
reparsing the App Store rules.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...12/2028238

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://infoworld.com/d/mobilize/palms-mo...-edges-032
2. http://www.palmopensource.com/
3. http://www.precentral.net/
4. http://www.macworld.com/article/142182/2...ysale.html
5. http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/ipho...ection-773


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Database Error Costs Social Security Victims $500M |
| from the drop-in-the-bucket dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 12, @17:18 (Bug) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/2055208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Posts reports that the Social
Security Administration has agreed to pay more than $500 million in back
benefits to more than 80,000 recipients whose benefits were unfairly
denied after they were [1]flagged by a federal computer program designed
to catch serious criminals. At issue is a 1996 law, which contained
language later [2]nicknamed the 'fleeing felon' provision, that said
fugitives were ineligible to receive federal benefits. As part of its
enforcement, the administration began searching computer databases to
weed out people who were collecting benefits and had outstanding
warrants. The searches captured dozens of criminals, including some
wanted for homicide, but they also ensnared countless elderly and
disabled people accused of relatively minor offenses such as shoplifting
or writing bad checks and in some cases, the victims simply shared a name
and a birth date with an offender." (Read more, below.)

This story continues at:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/2055208

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/12/2055208

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...03282.html
2. http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resourceC...es/view/20


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Science, Technology, Natural History Museums? |
| from the your-neck-of-the-woods dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 12, @18:10 (Education) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/12/2152252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

beadfulthings writes "An unexpected windfall has enabled my husband and
me to plan a road trip next year. He's expressed a wish to visit some
good science, technology, and natural history museums along the way. Of
course it's easy to obtain a long list of them via Google, but I'd like
some insight and input. What does your area or city in the US or Canada
have in the way of science museums? Are they worth traveling to visit? Do
you have any particular favorite exhibits or 'must see' recommendations?
This man was brought up in Philadelphia and apparently spent most of his
boyhood and adolescence at the Franklin Institute and its Fels
Planetarium, so I guess that would be his 'gold standard.' I grew up
going to the Smithsonian. Any area of science, math, technology, natural
history, or even industrial stuff would be fair game. I think we'll
probably want to miss out on the 'creation science' stuff."

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...12/2152252


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Can Unmanned Aircraft Mix With Commercial Planes? |
| from the fly-the-robotic-skies dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 12, @19:15 (Transportatio|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...12/2218208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]coondoggie writes "The Federal Aviation Administration this week
signed a research and development agreement with GE Aviation to come up
with a way to [1]safely mix the burgeoning amounts of unmanned aircraft
with commercial aviation. With this research the FAA and GE hope to
accomplish aviation first by completing the research to facilitate flight
of an Unmanned Aircraft System with an FAA certified, trajectory-based
flight management system. Integrating unmanned aircraft into the national
airspace will be no easy task. The Government Accountability Office last
year laid out the difficulties stating that routine unmanned aircraft
access to national airspace poses technological, regulatory, workload,
and coordination challenges."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...12/2218208

Links:
0. mailto:mcooney@nww.com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/44336

Reply
#40
Aug 14 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space?
* Google Two Years Into Overhaul of the Google File System
* Parents Baffled By Science Questions
* Why the UK Needs the Pirate Party
* EA Looking Into Reviving Classic Games?
* World's First Formally-Proven OS Kernel
* EFF Says Burning Man Usurps Digital Rights
* US Colleges Say Hiring US Students a Bad Deal
* Wikipedia Approaches Its Limits
* AMD's Phenom II 965, 3.4GHz, 140 Watts, $245
* China Ditches Compulsory Green Dam Plans
* Open Textbooks Win Over Publishers In CA
* Guitar, Studio Wizard Les Paul Dies At 94
* Joachim De Posada Talks About Delayed Gratification
* Yahoo Revives Pay-per-email, With Charitable Twist
* Making the Case That Virtual Property Is a Bad Idea
* $18M Contract For Transparency Website Released — But Blacked Out
* Local Privilege Escalation On All Linux Kernels
* Why Should I Trust My Network Administrator?
* Mixed Conclusions About Powerline Networking vs. Ham Radio
* A Planet That Orbits Its Star the Wrong Way

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space? |
| from the demand-and-demand dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 12, @20:24 (Data Storage)|
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...12/2227215 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]1sockchuck writes "With capital scarce, data center developers are
prioritizing projects in northern Virginia, where the Obama stimulus plan
and federal shift to cloud computing are likely to boost data center
demand from government agencies. This is forcing them to delay or scale
back large projects in Santa Clara, setting the stage for [1]a
supply/demand imbalance in Silicon Valley, particularly for large space
requirements. One potential mitigating factor: some currently occupied
data center space could become available through the failure of
venture-backed startups."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...12/2227215

Links:
0. http://www.gamehostingguide.com/
1. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archi...on-valley/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Two Years Into Overhaul of the Google File System |
| from the we-can-make-it-better dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 12, @22:27 (Google) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...13/0031202 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]El Reg writes "As its ten-year-old file system — GFS — struggles to
keep up with Gmail, YouTube, and other apps it was never designed to
support, Google is [1]brewing a replacement. According to the company,
it's [2]two years into a GFS sequel designed specifically for
customer-facing apps that require ultra low latency."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...13/0031202

Links:
0. mailto:cmetz@theregister.com
1. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/...part_deux/
2. http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1594206


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Parents Baffled By Science Questions |
| from the don't-get-smart-with-me dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 13, @00:57 (Education) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...13/0141219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Pickens writes "The BBC reports that four out of five parents living
in the UK have been [1]stumped by a science question posed by their
children with the top three most-asked questions: 'Where do babies come
from?', 'What makes a rainbow?' and 'Why is the sky blue?'. The survey
was carried out to mark the launch of a new website by the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills called [2]Science: So what? So everything."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...13/0141219

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/educa...195805.stm
2. http://sciencesowhat.direct.gov.uk/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why the UK Needs the Pirate Party |
| from the representative-piracy dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 13, @03:42 (Censorship) |
| http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?...13/0146258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Barence writes "The UK Pirate Party wants to reform copyright and
patent laws, abolish the surveillance state and increase our freedom of
speech, and [1]it's just been recognized as a political party. In this
interview with PC Pro, UK Pirate Party leader Andrew Robinson explains
how he's [2]planning to shake up the political landscape. 'What we really
want to do is raise awareness, so that the other parties say "bloody
hell, they've got seven million votes this time out," or one million
votes, or enough votes to make them care and seriously think about these
issues.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl...13/0146258

Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/blog/2009/...egistered/
2. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/interviews/3...rate-party


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EA Looking Into Reviving Classic Games? |
| from the easier-than-being-creative dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday August 13, @05:52 (Classic Games |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...13/0851206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Gamasutra reports that Electronic Arts has [0]filed for trademarks on
several popular old franchises: Populous, Wing Commander, Theme Park, and
Road Rash. This, along with comments from Harvey Elliot of EA's Bright
Light Studio, have led many to suspect that we may see new titles for
those IPs in the near future. Elliot said, "If you remember all the old
classics you played, if you go back and play them now, they're not the
same. They were right for their time, and the trick with those games is
[1]coming up with what's right for the time now. I'm going to look at
them at some point; I think there's an opportunity to bring those back in
the future, but only if it's right for the time and not just a 'remake'
or something. We'd need to do it in a way that's true to the original
values, but would still make a great game today."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...13/0851206

Links:
0. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_in...tory=24811
1. http://games.kikizo.com/news/200908/ea-t...rog-ip.asp


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| World's First Formally-Proven OS Kernel |
| from the wait-for-it dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday August 13, @07:57 (Operating Syst|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...13/0827231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Operating systems usually have bugs — the
'blue screen of death,' the Amiga Hand, and so forth are known by almost
everyone. NICTA's team of researchers has managed to [0]prove that a
particular OS kernel is guaranteed to meet its specification. It is
fully, formally verified, and as such it exceeds the Common Criteria's
highest level of assurance. The researchers used an executable
specification written in Haskell, C code that mapped to the Haskell, and
the Isabelle theorem prover to generate a machine-checked proof that the
C code in the kernel matches the executable and the formal specification
of the system." Does it run Linux? "[1]We're pleased to say that it does.
Presently, we have a para-virtualized version of Linux running on top of
the (unverified) x86 port of seL4. There are plans to port Linux to the
verified ARM version of seL4 as well." [2]Further technical details are
available from NICTA's website.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...13/0827231

Links:
0. http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/31...ftware.htm
1. http://ertos.nicta.com.au/research/l4.verified/faq.pml
2. http://ertos.nicta.com.au/research/l4.verified/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EFF Says Burning Man Usurps Digital Rights |
| from the free-spirit-for-a-price dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @08:43 (Privacy) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...13/1214244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "In a few weeks, tens of thousands of creative
people will make their yearly pilgrimage to Nevada's Black Rock desert
for [1]Burning Man, an annual art event and temporary community
celebrating radical self expression, self-reliance, creativity and
freedom, but EFF reports that the event's Terms and Conditions include 'a
remarkable bit of legal sleight-of-hand.' As soon as 'any third party
displays or disseminates' your photos or videos in a manner that the
Burning Man Organization (BMO) doesn't like, [2]those photos or videos
become the property of the BMO. BMO's Terms and Conditions also limits
your own rights to use your own photos and videos on any public websites
obliging you to [3]take down any photos to which BMO objects, for any
reason; and forbidding you from allowing anyone else to reuse your
photos. This 'we automatically own all your stuff' magic appears to be
creative lawyering intended to allow the BMO to use the streamlined
'notice and takedown' process enshrined in the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA) to quickly remove photos from the Internet giving
BMO the power of fast and easy online censorship. 'Burning Man strives to
celebrate our individuality, creativity and free spirit,' writes Corynne
McSherry. 'Unfortunately, the fine print on the tickets doesn't live up
to that aspiration.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...13/1214244

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.11/...an_pr.html
2. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/08/sna...ghts-playa
3. http://tickets2.burningman.com/info.php?i=2386


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Colleges Say Hiring US Students a Bad Deal |
| from the talking-to-you-cliff dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @09:27 (Education) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/13/137252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "Many US colleges and universities have notices posted
on their websites informing US companies that they're tax chumps if they
hire students who are US citizens. 'In fact, a company may save money by
hiring international students because the majority of them are exempt
from Social Security (FICA) and Medicare tax requirements,' [1]advises
the taxpayer-supported University of Pittsburgh (pdf) as it makes the
case against hiring its own US students. You'll find identical pitches
made by the [2]University of Delaware, the [3]University of Cincinnati,
[4]Kansas State University, the [5]University of Southern California, the
[6]University of Wisconsin, [7]Iowa State University, and other public
colleges and universities. The same message is also echoed by private
schools, such as [8]John Hopkins University, [9]Brown University,
[10]Rollins College and [11]Loyola University Chicago."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../13/137252

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.ois.pitt.edu/pdf/HiringIntern...udents.pdf
2. http://www.udel.edu/CSC/pdfs/Hiring-Int-Students.pdf
3. http://www.isso.uc.edu/forms/pdf/HiringI...June08.pdf
4. http://www.k-state.edu/ces/employers/int...udents.htm
5. http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/OIS/S...loyer.html
6. http://iss.wisc.edu/intemployer.html
7. http://www.business.iastate.edu/files/ca...w_rev1.pdf
8. http://carey.jhu.edu/partners_employers/...dents.html
9. http://www.brown.edu/Administration/OISS...d_know.pdf
10. http://tars.rollins.edu/int-students/Inf...yers.shtml
11. http://www.luc.edu/bcc/employers_IntFAQs.shtml


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Wikipedia Approaches Its Limits |
| from the time-to-start-over-i-guess dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @10:09 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...13/1310228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Reservoir Hill writes "The Guardian reports that a study by Ed H Chi
demonstrates that the [1]character of Wikipedia has changed significantly
since Wikipedia's first burst of activity between 2004 and 2007. While
the encyclopedia is still growing overall, the number of articles being
added has reduced from an average of 2,200 a day in July 2007 to around
1,300 today while at the same time, the base of highly active editors has
remained more or less static. Chi's team discovered that the way the site
operates had changed significantly from the early days, when it ran an
open-door policy that allowed in anyone with the time and energy to
dedicate to the project. Today, they discovered, a stable group of
high-level editors has become increasingly responsible for controlling
the encyclopedia, while casual contributors and editors are falling away.
'We found that if you were an elite editor, the chance of your edit being
reverted was something in the order of 1% — and that's been very
consistent over time from around 2003 or 2004,' says Chi. 'For editors
that make between two and nine edits a month, the percentage of their
edits being reverted had gone from 5% in 2004 all the way up to about 15%
by October 2008. And the 'onesies' — people who only make one edit a
month — their edits are now being reverted at a 25% rate.' While Chi
points out that this does not necessarily imply causation, he suggests it
is concrete evidence to back up what many people have been saying: that
it is increasingly difficult to enjoy contributing to Wikipedia unless
you are part of the site's inner core of editors. Wikipedia's growth
pattern suggests that it is [2]becoming like a community where resources
have started to run out. 'As you run out of food, people start competing
for that food, and that results in a slowdown in population growth and
means that the stronger, more well-adapted part of the population starts
to have more power.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...13/1310228

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Reservoirhill
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/200...clusionist
2. http://asc-parc.blogspot.com/2009/07/par...-some.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMD's Phenom II 965, 3.4GHz, 140 Watts, $245 |
| from the less-is-more dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @10:50 (AMD) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...13/1431209 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Vigile writes "While AMD does not have the muscle to push around the i7,
they certainly have the ability to give the older and more common Core 2
Quads a run for their money. With [0]the release of the Phenom II X4 965,
AMD further attempts to dethrone the Core 2 Quad as the premier midrange
CPU offering. While it may not be a world-beater by any stretch of the
imagination, it certainly is catching Intel's attention in the
breadbasket of the CPU market. The X4 965 is the fastest clocked
processor that AMD has ever produced, much less shipped in mass
quantities. While the speed bump is appreciated, the cost in terms of
power and heat will make the introduction of the X4 965 problematic for
some. Many of us thought that we would never see another 140 watt
processor (as the Phenom 9950 was), but unfortunately those days are
back. Still, AMD offers a compelling part at a reasonable price, and
their motherboard support for this new 140 watt processor is robust."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...13/1431209

Links:
0. http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=762


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| China Ditches Compulsory Green Dam Plans |
| from the well-that's-something-then dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @11:33 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/13/1434210 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

scrubl writes "China has ditched plans to force foreign and domestic
computer manufacturers [0] to install internet filtering technology in
computers sold inside its borders. The Chinese government paid $5.85m to
develop the software called Green Dam and claimed it was being installed
to stop access to porn on computers and protect children. China's
industry and information technology minister, Li Yizhong said
manufacturers, internet users and organisations opposed to the plans had
received the wrong message from his department and that installation was
never planned to be compulsory."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...13/1434210

Links:
0. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/152924,chi...plans.aspx


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Open Textbooks Win Over Publishers In CA |
| from the now-put-them-in-a-wiki dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @12:18 (Education) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...13/1450220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Unequivocal writes "Recently California's Governor announced a [1]free
digital textbook competition. The [2]results of that competition were
announced today. Many traditional publishers submitted textbooks in this
digital textbook competition in CA as well as open publishers. An upstart
nonprofit organization named [3]CK-12 contributed a number of textbooks
(all free and open source material). 'Of the 16 free digital textbooks
for high school math and science reviewed, ten meet at least 90 percent
of California's standards. Four meet 100 percent of standards.' Three of
those recognized as 100% aligned to California standards were from CK-12
and one from H. Jerome Keisler. None of the publisher's submissions were
so recognized. CK-12 has a very small staff, so this is a great proof of
the power of open textbooks and open educational resources."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...13/1450220

Links:
0. mailto:public@misuse.org
1. http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/12225/
2. http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/12996/
3. http://www.ck12.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Guitar, Studio Wizard Les Paul Dies At 94 |
| from the he-will-be-missed dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 13, @13:22 (Hardware Hackin|
| http://entertainment.slashdot.org/articl...13/1716255|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

beeshman noted that [0]Les Paul has died. Paul was quite the [1]hardware
hacker of his day, innovating with guitar hardware, and later multi track
recording. The Gibson Les Paul is one of the single most iconic
instruments associated with Rock 'n Roll, and was of course [2]played by
Pete Townshend. Someday I'm going to get me one.

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...13/1716255

Links:
0. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08...index.html
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul
2. http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/lpdeluxe.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Joachim De Posada Talks About Delayed Gratification |
| from the a-bird-in-hand dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 13, @13:50 (Science) |
| http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...13/1644229 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

grrlscientist writes "Here is a short talk in which Joachim de Posada
shares a landmark experiment on delayed gratification — and how it can
predict future success. With priceless video of kids trying their hardest
not to eat their marshmallow."

Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...13/1644229


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Yahoo Revives Pay-per-email, With Charitable Twist |
| from the penny-post-sans-post dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @14:12 (Spam) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/13/1716205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]holy_calamity writes "Yahoo research have started a private beta of a
scheme that resurrects the idea of [1]charging people to send email to
cut spam. [2]Centmail users pay $0.01 for each message they send, with
the money going to a charity of their choice. The hope is that the feel
good effect of donating to charity will reduce the perceived cost of
paying for mail and encourage mass adoption, making it possible for mail
filters to build in recognition of Centmail stamps."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/13/1716205

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17...arity.html
2. http://centmail.net/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Making the Case That Virtual Property Is a Bad Idea |
| from the contrarians-just-can't-get-along dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @15:07 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/13/1821203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

pacergh writes "Many legal commentaries on virtual property [0]argue that
[1]it should exist. Others [2]argue why [3]it can exist. None seem to
explicitly spell out what virtual property will look like or how it will
affect online worlds. Lost in the technology love-fest are the problems
virtual property might bring. [4]The Virtual Property Problem lays out a
model for what virtual property might look like and then applies it to
various scenarios. This highlights the problems of carving virtual
property out of a game developer's rights in his creation. From the
abstract: '"Virtual property" is a solution looking for a problem.' The
article explains the 'failure of property rights to benefit the users,
developers, and virtual resources of virtual worlds.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...13/1821203

Links:
0. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a..._id=807966
1. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a..._id=402860
2. http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/articles/v20.php
3. http://new.stjohns.edu/academics/graduat.../Chein.stj
4. http://works.bepress.com/john_nelson/3/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| $18M Contract For Transparency Website Released — But Blacked|
| from the but-don't-worry-government-health-care-will-be-cheap dep|
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @15:59 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/13/195235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]zokuga writes "The US government recently approved an $18 million
contract for Smartronix to build a website where taxpayers could easily
track billions in federal stimulus money, as part of President Obama's
[1]promise to make government more transparent through the Internet.
However, the contract, which was released only through repeated Freedom
of Information Act requests, [2]is itself heavily blacked out. ProPublica
reports: 'After weeks of prodding by ProPublica and other organizations,
the Government Services Agency released copies of the contract and
related documents that are so heavily blacked out they are virtually
worthless. In all, 25 pages of a 59-page technical proposal — the main
document in the package — were redacted completely. Of the remaining
pages, 14 had half or more of their content blacked out.' Sections that
were heavily or entirely redacted dealt with subjects such as site
navigation, user experience, and [3]everything in the pricing table. The
entire contract, [4]in all its blacked-out glory, is here."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../13/195235

Links:
0. http://propublica.org/
1. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_offi...overnment/
2. http://www.propublica.org/ion/stimulus/i...secret-813
3. http://documents.propublica.org/recovery.../103#p=103
4. http://documents.propublica.org/recovery...uments#p=1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Local Privilege Escalation On All Linux Kernels |
| from the uriah-deems-it-scary dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @16:54 (Security) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...13/2022212 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

QuesarVII writes "Tavis Ormandy and Julien Tinnes have discovered a
[0]severe security flaw in all 2.4 and 2.6 kernels since 2001 on all
architectures. 'Since it leads to the kernel executing code at NULL, the
vulnerability is as trivial as it can get to exploit: an attacker can
just put code in the first page that will get executed with kernel
privileges.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...13/2022212

Links:
0. http://blog.cr0.org/2009/08/linux-null-p...ue-to.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why Should I Trust My Network Administrator? |
| from the hire-two-and-aim-them-at-each-other dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @17:49 (Businesses) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/13/2016208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Andrew writes "I'm a manager at a startup, and decided recently to
outsource to an outside IT firm to set up a network domain and file
server. Trouble is, they (and all other IT companies we could find)
insist on administering it all remotely. They now obviously have full
access to all our data and PCs, and I'm concerned they could steal all
our intellectual property, source code and customers. Am I being overly
paranoid and resistant to change? Should we just trust our administrator
because they have a reputation to uphold? Or should we lock them out and
make them administer the network in person so we can stand behind and
watch them?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...13/2016208


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mixed Conclusions About Powerline Networking vs. Ham Radio |
| from the absolutely-nzzzzbzzzzbzzzzz- dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @18:52 (Wireless Network|
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...13/2249212 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Barence writes "Since writing about the success he's had with
powerline networking, a number of readers emailed PC Pro's Paul Ockendon
to castigate him for recommending these products, such as HomePlug. They
were all amateur radio enthusiasts, claiming the products affect their
hobby in much the same way that urban lighting affects amateur
astronomers, but rather than causing light pollution they claim powerline
networking causes radio pollution in the HF band (otherwise known as
shortwave). Paul's follow-up feature, '[1]Does powerline networking nuke
radio hams?' documents his investigation into these claims, which found
evidence to support both sides of an intriguing debate."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...13/2249212

Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/realworld/350648/...radio-hams


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Planet That Orbits Its Star the Wrong Way |
| from the didn't-get-the-memo dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 13, @19:57 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...13/2353252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Smivs writes "BBC News is reporting that astronomers have discovered
the first [1]planet that orbits in the opposite direction to the spin of
its star. Planets form out of the same swirling gas cloud that creates a
star, so they are expected to orbit in the same direction that the star
rotates. The new planet is thought to have been flung into its
'retrograde' orbit by a close encounter with either another planet or
with a passing star. The work has been submitted to the Astrophysical
Journal for publication. Co-author Coel Hellier, from Keele University in
Staffordshire, UK, said planets with retrograde orbits were thought to be
rare. 'With everything [in the star system] swirling around the same way
and the star spinning the same way, you have to do quite a lot to it to
make it go in the opposite direction.' Professor Hellier said a
near-collision was probably responsible for this planet's unusual orbit.
'If you have a near-collision, then you'll have a large gravitational
slingshot from that interaction,' he explained. 'This is the likeliest
explanation. But it might be possible you can do it by gradually
perturbing the orbit through the influence of a second planet. So far, we
haven't found any evidence of a second planet there.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...13/2353252

Links:
0. http://www.smivsonline.co.uk/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8197683.stm

Reply
#41
Aug 15 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* On Transitioning To an Asian-Style MMO, Such As Aion
* Australian ISPs Soon To Become Copyright Cops
* How APB's Persistent World Will Work
* Battlestar Galactica Feature Film Confirmed
* US Tests System To Evade Foreign Web Censorship
* Firefox Plugin Liberates Paywalled Court Records
* How To Stop Businesses Storing SSNs Indefinitely?
* Danish FreeBSD Dev. Sues Lenovo Over "Microsoft Tax"
* Facial Expressions Are "Not Global"
* Digsby IM Client Quietly Installs Badware
* Dell Says High Linux Netbook Returns a "Non-Issue"
* NASA's Cashflow Problem Puts Moon Trip In Doubt
* Domain Tasting "Officially Dead" Thanks to Cancellation Policy
* Genetic Mutation Enables Less Sleep
* Team Aims To Create Pure Evil AI
* Twitter Used To Control Botnet Machines
* Netscape Founder Backs New Browser
* Iowa Aims to Establish International Video Game Hall of Fame
* Major Carriers Shun Broadband Stimulus

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| On Transitioning To an Asian-Style MMO, Such As Aion |
| from the mixing-real-culture-with-virtual-culture dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday August 13, @23:09 (PC Games (Game|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...14/0226201 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]A. Harvey writes "Ten Ton Hammer has an interesting article about
[1]the transition to Asian-style MMO games, specifically Aion. 'In many
ways, the West is catching up to the East in terms of gaming. Per capita
gaming ... and broadband proliferation is markedly higher in Asian
markets. Gaming is much more social in the East as well; many players
gather together in internet cafes to spend their game time with each
other. Another surprising difference in most Asian-based games is that
most functions of game control are mouse based.' I think the author hit
the nail on the head that Aion will be a big success in North America and
will introduce a lot of players to games with an Eastern feel."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...14/0226201

Links:
0. mailto:hypotensive@ymail.com
1. http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72442


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Australian ISPs Soon To Become Copyright Cops |
| from the classic-multitasking dept. |
| posted by timothy on Friday August 14, @02:11 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/0346249 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

srjh writes "In the Australian Federal Government's latest assault on the
internet, draft legislation has been released that allows network
operators to intercept communications [0]to ensure that their networks
are being 'appropriately used.' Such legislation is particularly
important given the [1]interference of Communications Minister Stephen
Conroy in a recent copyright lawsuit against iiNet, one of the largest
ISPs in the country. Conroy called prominent filtering opponent iiNet's
inaction over copyright infringement 'stunning,' whereas iiNet claimed
that it would be illegal under current Australian law to intercept its
users' downloads. While this latest legislation appears to be a
concession of that point, the government is said to be [2]watching the
case closely and along with attempts to introduce a [3]three-strikes law
in Australia, it appears the law will be changed if the government
dislikes the outcome of the case. The [4]internet villain of the year
just continues to earn his title."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/0346249

Links:
0. http://www.zeropaid.com/news/86819/austr...ight-cops/
1. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/141300,con...issue.aspx
2. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/stor...06,00.html
3. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/07/15/1...w?from=rss
4. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technol...-di8q.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How APB's Persistent World Will Work |
| from the very-carefully-and-with-guns dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 14, @02:36 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...14/0249214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Edge Magazine recently sat down with David Jones, creative director for
Realtime Worlds, the studio behind upcoming action MMO APB. He spends
some time talking about [0]their thinking behind the game, and he also
gets into [1]how their persistent online worlds will work. Quoting: "...
you absolutely want 'moments' in the game. Even if it's just for thirty
minutes, you want people to become celebrities — OJ Simpson on TV with
the police chasing after him: you want those kind of moments in the game.
We can't create them, so it's about what mission can ultimately lead to
those kinds of experiences. We have what we call heat mechanics in the
game, so if a criminal has just been on a complete rampage, recklessly
blowing stuff up and killing people, heat builds up until eventually we
unlock him to every single enforcer on the server. It's not part of their
missions, it's just that this guy has become number one wanted and
everyone has the authority to take him down. That's a fun mechanic from
both sides; everybody who's a criminal is going to want to reach that and
if you're on a mission for the enforcers you'll see that guy and wonder
whether you should break away to get him. You get a lot of compound stuff
which we never planned for, because it's a hundred real players
interacting in ways we don't expect."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...14/0249214

Links:
0. http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/inte...abc-part-1
1. http://www.edge-online.com/features/inte...abc-part-2


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Battlestar Galactica Feature Film Confirmed |
| from the more-grace-park-please dept. |
| posted by timothy on Friday August 14, @05:15 (Sci-Fi) |
| http://entertainment.slashdot.org/articl...14/0326248|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Dave Knott writes "Entertainment Weekly reports that Univeral Pictures
has [1]confirmed rumours of a Battlestar Galactica feature film. Directed
by Bryan Singer, and co-produced by original series creator Glen Larson,
the new movie will not be related to the recently concluded SyFy Network
series. Rather, it will be a 'complete re-imagining of the sci-fi lore
that was invented by Larson back in the 70s.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...14/0326248

Links:
0. http://www.cs.unc.edu/~knott
1. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/08/1...tica-movie


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Tests System To Evade Foreign Web Censorship |
| from the worthy-objective dept. |
| posted by timothy on Friday August 14, @08:12 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/14/0426247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]D1gital_Prob3 excerpts from a Reuters story that says "The US
government is [1]covertly testing technology in China and Iran that lets
residents break through screens set up by their governments to limit
access to news on the Internet. The 'feed over email' (FOE) system
delivers news, podcasts and data via technology that evades web-screening
protocols of restrictive regimes, said Ken Berman, head of IT at the US
government's Broadcasting Board of Governors, which is testing the
system. The news feeds are sent through email accounts including those
operated by Google, Microsoft's Hotmail, and Yahoo. 'We have people
testing it in China and Iran,' said Berman, whose agency runs Voice of
America. He provided few details on the new system, which is in the early
stages of testing. He said some secrecy was important to avoid detection
by the two governments."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...14/0426247

Links:
0. http://www.tjpowell.com/
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/i...OQ20090813


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Firefox Plugin Liberates Paywalled Court Records |
| from the free-as-in-beer dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @09:01 (The Almighty Buck)|
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/1158247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Timothy B. Lee writes "If you want to access federal court records,
you're often forced to use [1]PACER, a cumbersome, paywalled Web site run
by the federal judiciary. My colleagues and I at Princeton's Center for
IT Policy have released a new [2]Firefox extension called RECAP that
allows users to automatically upload the documents they download from
PACER into a public archive hosted by the Internet Archive. It also saves
users money by automatically notifying them if a document they're
searching for is available for free from the public archive. Over time,
we hope to build a comprehensive, free repository of federal court
records that's available to everyone."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/1158247

Links:
0. http://timothyblee.com/
1. http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/
2. https://www.recapthelaw.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How To Stop Businesses Storing SSNs Indefinitely? |
| from the not-so-secret dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @09:51 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/14/1233208 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]The Angry Mick writes "My wife and I recently moved, and during the
course of providing change-of-address information to the many companies
we do business with, I asked each if they were storing a full Social
Security number in their databases, and if so, could they remove it or
replace it with an alternate identifier. Neither the experience nor the
results were particularly enjoyable. On the positive end of the spectrum,
some companies were more than willing to make a change, even offering
suggestions for a suitable alternate such as a driver's license number.
In the middle were companies that made things a little more difficult,
requiring several steps up the management tree before speaking to someone
with some actual authority to address the issue. Then there was DirectTV.
This company not only flatly refused to consider the suggestion, but also
informed me that even if I were to discontinue service with them, they
still intended to keep my full SSN on file indefinitely. There is no
logical reason for them to do this, and I'm not keen on the idea of being
left vulnerable to identity theft should they have experience any
security breaches at any future point in my life. So, my questions to the
Slashdot community are: Has anyone else tried getting your SSN replaced
or removed in corporate databases, and what were your experiences? And
short of Armageddon, is there any way to force a company to erase your
SSNs after you cease doing business with them, or is this a job for a
lawyer or regulatory body?"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...14/1233208

Links:
0. mailto:the.angry.mick@gmail.com


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Danish FreeBSD Dev. Sues Lenovo Over "Microsoft Tax" |
| from the cracks-in-the-dam dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @10:43 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/14/1324238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Handbrewer writes "The FreeBSD developer Poul-Henning Kamp (phk) has
[0]sued Lenovo in Denmark (Google translation, [1]original here) over
their refusal to refund the Windows Vista Business license, even though
he declined the EULA during installation. Lenovo argues that they sell
the computer as a full product, and that they cannot refund it partially,
such as the power supply or the OS even if people intend to use a
different one. This seems to be contrary to [2]previous [3]rulings in the
EU where Acer and HP has been forced to refund the 'Microsoft tax.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...14/1324238

Links:
0. http://translate.google.com/translate?u=...oftSkat%2F&sl=da&tl=en
1. http://phk.freebsd.dk/MicrosoftSkat/
2. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/96581
3. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/98106


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facial Expressions Are "Not Global" |
| from the look-me-in-the-mouth dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @11:10 (Communications) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/1336203 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader sends in a BBC report on new research out of Glasgow
University, which detected [0]differences in how facial expressions are
read between Westerners and East Asians. Using eye tracking, the
researchers determined that "people from different cultural groups
observe different parts of the face when interpreting expression. East
Asians participants tended to focus on the eyes of the other person,
while Western subjects took in the whole face, including the eyes and the
mouth." Interestingly, the researchers point out that the emoticons used
online by the two groups reflect this difference.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/1336203

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8199951.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Digsby IM Client Quietly Installs Badware |
| from the pushing-the-envelope-and-the-bounds-of-good-taste dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @11:32 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/14/147233 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "IM company Digsby has quietly included
malware in an update to their client software that [0]utilizes users'
computing power and bandwidth while idle for a quick buck. When
questioned, developers at Digsby claim that they have done no wrong and
that users should not complain because the client software is 'free.'"
The money-making distributed computing software is in addition to six
"crapware" apps that users must refuse during installation. The terms of
service that no one ever reads does describe the CPU- and
bandwidth-robbing moneymaker, and its off switch is located behind the
"Support Digsby" menu item.

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/14/147233

Links:
0. http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joi...make-money


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Dell Says High Linux Netbook Returns a "Non-Issue" |
| from the data-trumping-bluster dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @12:23 (Microsoft) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...14/1457257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Michiel Roos notes that at this week's OpenSource World, a Dell
executive [1]deflated Microsoft's claims that Linux notebooks have return
rates four or five times higher than Windows machines. "Todd Finch, Dell
senior product marketing manager, said the number of Linux returns are
approximately the same as those for Windows netbooks. He categorized the
matter of returns as a 'non-issue.' 'They are making something of
nothing,' he said of Microsoft's claims."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...14/1457257

Links:
0. http://typofree.org/
1. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/..._netbooks/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA's Cashflow Problem Puts Moon Trip In Doubt |
| from the as-for-mars-talk-to-the-hand dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 14, @13:14 (NASA) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...14/1510258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

krou writes "According to the Guardian, the Augustine panel is going to
declare that [0]there is simply no money to go back to the moon, and the
next-generation Ares I rocket is likely to be scrapped unless there is
more funding. The $81B Constellation Program's long-term goal of putting
a human on Mars is almost certainly not going to be possible by the
middle of the century. The options outlined by the panel for the future
of NASA 'are to extend the working life of the aging space shuttle fleet
beyond next year's scheduled retirement until 2015, while developing a
cheaper transport to the moon; pressing ahead with Constellation as
quickly as existing funding allows; or creating a new, larger rocket that
would allow exploration of the solar system while bypassing the moon.'
All of this means that NASA won't be back on the moon before the end of
the next decade as hoped, 'or even leaving lower Earth orbit for at least
another two decades.' Another result of the monetary black hole is that
they don't have the '$300m to expand a network of telescopes and meet the
government's target of identifying, by 2020, at least 90% of the giant
space rocks that pose a threat to Earth.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...14/1510258

Links:
0. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/a...ing-budget


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Domain Tasting "Officially Dead" Thanks to Cancellation Policy |
| from the plenty-of-other-shady-practices-left dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 14, @14:07 (The Internet|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/1516247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Ars Technica is reporting that [0]domain tasting has been all but
eradicated now that the full penalty for excessive cancellations has
taken effect. "In 2008, ICANN decided to act. It allowed domain
registrars to withdraw as many as 10 percent of their total
registrations; they would face penalties for anything above that.
Initially, ICANN adopted a budget that included a charge of $0.20 for
each withdrawal above the limit, which was in effect from June 2008 to
July of this year. Later, it adopted an official policy that raised the
penalty to $6.75, the cost of a .org registration; that took effect in
July 2009. The results have been dramatic. Even under the low-cost budget
provisions, domain withdrawals during the grace period dropped to 16
percent of what they had been prior to its adoption. Once the heavy
penalties took hold, the withdrawal rate dropped to under half a
percent."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/1516247

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/08/...g-halt.ars


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Genetic Mutation Enables Less Sleep |
| from the i-want-to-be-like-mork dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 14, @14:58 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...14/1551239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]reporter writes to tell us that researchers are claiming to have
discovered a genetic mutation that allows people to [1]manage with much
less sleep. One of the researchers hopes that this could lead to
artificially reducing the amount of sleep required in your average human.
"Although the mutation has been identified in only two people, the power
of the research stems from the fact that the shortened sleep effect was
replicated in mouse and fruit-fly studies. As a result, the research now
gives scientists a clearer sense of where to look for genetic traits
linked to sleep patterns."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...14/1551239

Links:
0. http://wsj.com/article/SB124451552193396877.html
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health....html?_r=1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Team Aims To Create Pure Evil AI |
| from the playing-with-fire dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Friday August 14, @15:46 (Technology) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/1730223 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

puroresu writes "Scientific American reports on the efforts of Selmer
Bringsjord and his team at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who have
been attempting to develop an [0]AI possessed of an interesting character
trait: pure evil. From the article, 'He and his research team began
developing their computer representation of evil by posing a series of
questions beginning with the basics: name, age, sex, etc., and
progressing to inquiries about this fictional person's beliefs and
motivations. This exercise resulted in "E," a computer character first
created in 2005 to meet the criteria of Bringsjord's working definition
of evil. Whereas the original E was simply a program designed to respond
to questions in a manner consistent with Bringsjord's definition, the
researchers have since given E a physical identity: It's a relatively
young, white man with short black hair and dark stubble on his face.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/1730223

Links:
0. http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...ining-evil


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Twitter Used To Control Botnet Machines |
| from the it's-all-spam-to-me dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 14, @16:35 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/14/1828248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]DikSeaCup writes "Arbor Network's Jose Nazario, an expert on botnets,
discovered what looks to be the first reported case of hackers [1]using
Twitter to control botnets. 'Hackers have long used IRC chat rooms to
control botnets, and have continually used clever technologies, such as
peer-to-peer strategies, to counter efforts to track, disrupt and
sometimes decapitate the bots. Perhaps what's surprising then is that
it's taken so long for hackers to take Twitter to the dark side.' The
next step, of course, is to code the tweets in such a way that they
aren't so suspicious."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/14/1828248

Links:
0. http://ericdives.com/
1. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/08/botnet-tweets/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Netscape Founder Backs New Browser |
| from the making-web-development-harder dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 14, @17:27 (Software) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/1835247 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]wirelessjb writes to share that after a resounding defeat at the hands
of Microsoft in the first major browser war of the mid 1990s, Marc
Andreessen is looking to have another go at the market by backing a
[1]new startup called "RockMelt." "Mr. Andreessen suggested the new
browser would be different, saying that most other browsers had not kept
pace with the evolution of the Web, which had grown from an array of
static Web pages into a network of complex Web sites and applications.
'There are all kinds of things that you would do differently if you are
building a browser from scratch,' Mr. Andreessen said. [2]RockMelt was
co-founded by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes, both former executives at
Opsware, a company that Mr. Andreessen co-founded and then sold to
Hewlett-Packard in 2007 for about $1.6 billion. Mr. Howes also worked at
Netscape with Mr. Andreessen."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/1835247

Links:
0. mailto:jmmail@morch.us
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/techno....html?_r=1
2. http://rockmelt.com/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Iowa Aims to Establish International Video Game Hall of Fame |
| from the this-is-my-graceland dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 14, @18:19 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...14/1941243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "Anyone who's seen King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
knows that Ottumwa, Iowa is the [0]Dodge City of video games. Yesterday,
3,500 people showed up to the kick-off speech that announced the intent
to build the [1]International Video Game Hall of Fame right there. Radio
Free Iowa states Ottumwa's desire to become the '[2]video game capital of
the world' and held a Halo 3 and Guitar Hero tournament there yesterday.
Will this town of 25,000 residents secure the title?"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...14/1941243

Links:
0. http://kotaku.com/5196471/a-claim-to-fam...ideo-games
1. http://kotaku.com/5337062/thousands-atte...ame-launch
2. http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?...3599C5E080


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Major Carriers Shun Broadband Stimulus |
| from the why-risk-their-monopolies dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 14, @19:10 (Networking) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/2233221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

jmcharry sends word that as the deadline looms for requesting broadband
grants from the $4.7 billion available in stimulus funding, Comcast,
Verizon, and AT&T are [0]conspicuously absent from the list of applicants.
Quoting the Washington Post: "Their reasons are varied. All three say
they are flush with cash, enough to upgrade and expand their broadband
networks on their own. Some say taking money could draw unwanted scrutiny
of business practices and compensation, as seen with automakers and banks
that have taken government bailouts. And privately, some companies are
griping about conditions attached to the money, including a
net-neutrality rule that they say would prevent them from managing
traffic on their networks in the way they want. ... Yet those firms might
be the best positioned to achieve the goal of spreading Internet access
to underserved areas, some experts say." Reader Michael_Curator notes
that while the major carriers may be holding back, there were still
[1]enough applications to slow government servers to a crawl, resulting
in a deadline extension.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/2233221

Links:
0. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...d=sec-tech
1. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main...4ATMY32JVN

Reply
#42
Aug 16 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Army Asks Its Personnel to Wikify Field Manuals
* A Mathematical Model For a Spreading Zombie Infestation
* Ultima Online Expansion Sept. 8, WAR Expansion In Near Future
* Chinese Clinic Uses DNA Tests To Predict Kids' Talents
* Building an Apple-1 From Scratch — Just Like Woz
* Designer Fights For Second Life Rights
* Dell Considering ARM-Based Smartbooks
* Mac, Linux Support For Quake Live, Preview of Rage
* Burning Man Responds To EFF's Criticism of Policy
* Mystery of Sun's Outer Atmosphere Solved
* Sony To Convert Online Bookstore To Open Format
* Airborne Laser Successfully Tracks, Hits Missile
* 14-Year-Old Wins International Programming Contest
* New Hope For Predicting Earthquakes
* DoJ Defends $1.92 Million RIAA Verdict
* AMD Previews DirectX 11 Gaming Performance
* Measuring Real Time Public Opinion With Twitter
* C# and Java Weekday Languages, Python and Ruby For Weekends?
* Gene Therapy Causes Blind Woman To Grow New Fovea
* Arizona Judge Tells Sheriff "Reveal Password Or Face Contempt"
* "Easy Work-Around" For Microsoft Word's Legal Woes
* Google Wave Preview Opens Up On Sept 30th

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Army Asks Its Personnel to Wikify Field Manuals |
| from the now-adding-wikify-to-the-spellchecker-and-sighing dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 14, @20:06 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...14/2258244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that the Army began
encouraging its personnel — from the privates to the generals — to go
online and [1]collaboratively rewrite seven of the field manuals that
give instructions on all aspects of Army life, using the same software
behind Wikipedia. The goal, say the officers behind the effort, is to tap
more experience and advice from battle-tested soldiers rather than
relying on the specialists within the Army's array of colleges and
research centers, who have traditionally written the manuals. 'For a
couple hundred years, the Army has been writing doctrine in a particular
way, and for a couple months, we have been doing it online in this wiki,'
said Col. Charles J. Burnett, the director of the Army's Battle Command
Knowledge System. 'The only ones who could write doctrine were the select
few. Now, imagine the challenge in accepting that anybody can go on the
wiki and make a change — that is a big challenge, culturally.' Under the
three-month pilot program, the current version of each guide can be
edited by anyone around the world who has been issued [2]an ID card that
allows access to the Army Internet system. Reaction so far from the rank
and file has been tepid, but the brass is optimistic; even in an
open-source world, soldiers still know how to take an order."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...14/2258244

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/business/14army.html
2. http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ar...s_062909w/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Mathematical Model For a Spreading Zombie Infestation |
| from the integrating-by-parts dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 14, @22:04 (Math) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...15/0019258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

cloude-pottier writes "What do you do when zombies attack? Turn to a
mathematician to [0]come up with a model for the spread of a zombie
infestation, of course! Students at Carleton University and the
University of Ottawa have published a paper in a book titled Infectious
Disease Modelling Research Progress detailing how to model the spread of
a zombie population and various complications in managing the spread of
the infestation. They even give humans a fighting chance in some cases!
The [1]original paper (PDF) can be found at their professor's website."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...15/0019258

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/zombies/
1. http://www.mathstat.uottawa.ca/~rsmith/Zombies.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ultima Online Expansion Sept. 8, WAR Expansion In|
| from the bigger-and-better dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 14, @23:08 (Role Playing (Ga|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...15/0258224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

IndustryGamers recently spoke with Mythic Entertainment execs about
[0]the futures of Ultima Online and Warhammer Online. UO's newest
expansion, Stygian Abyss, was recently [1]given a September 8th release
date. As for WAR, they say, "... we just finished up a major patch for
Warhammer Online and there's a lot of stuff we're thinking about for
improving and enhancing the gameplay experience and guaranteeing that the
product lives up to the legacy of the Warhammer franchise. You should
expect an expansion in the near future." The Overly Positive blog
suggests that recent developer interviews have [2]undergone a change in
tone, demonstrating a greater willingness to [3]acknowledge the game's
flaws and work out [4]ways to correct them.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...15/0258224

Links:
0. http://www.industrygamers.com/news/inter...h-bioware/
1. http://www.crispygamer.com/news/index.ph...yss-dated/
2. http://overlypositive.com/2009/08/05/plain-spoken-war/
3. http://gaarawarrgabs.wordpress.com/2009/...er-part-1/
4. http://gaarawarrgabs.wordpress.com/2009/...er-part-2/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Chinese Clinic Uses DNA Tests To Predict Kids' Talents |
| from the this-one-will-be-a-level-80-death-knight dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @00:01 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...15/0037226 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal writes with this excerpt from CNN: "About 30 children aged
3 to 12 years old and their parents are participating in a new program
that uses DNA testing to identify genetic gifts and predict the future.
... The test is conducted by the Shanghai Biochip Corporation. Scientists
claim a simple saliva swab collects as many as 10,000 cells that enable
them to isolate eleven different genes. By taking a closer look at the
genetic codes, they say they can extract information about a child's IQ,
emotional control, focus, memory, athletic ability and more. For about
$880, Chinese parents can sign their kids up for the test and five days
of summer camp in Chongqing, where the children will be evaluated in
various settings from sports to art. The scientific results, combined
with observations by experts throughout the week, will be used to [1]make
recommendations to parents about what their child should pursue."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...15/0037226

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08...index.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Building an Apple-1 From Scratch — Just Like Woz |
| from the is-that-the-one-the-president-flies-on dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @00:18 (Desktops (Appl|
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...15/0324227 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Lucas123 writes "This year at KansasFest, computer fans from around
the world gathered to celebrate the Apple II — the computer that put
Apple on the map. But the Apple-1 (a.k.a. the Apple I), the machine Steve
Wozniak invented and first demonstrated at the Palo Alto Homebrew
Computer Club in 1976, has always been near to my heart. In attendance at
KansasFest was Vince Briel, who created an authorized reproduction the
Apple-1 and showed others how to build their own. 'As a regular
KansasFest attendee (and the conference's marketing director), I was one
of his students. Follow along as I [1]assemble a fully functional Apple-1
clone.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...15/0324227

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/p...e=Hardware&taxonomyId=12


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Designer Fights For Second Life Rights |
| from the get-a-first-right dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @01:10 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...15/0456238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "A London-based industrial designer has had
his [0]work ripped off in Second Life and is now looking to file a DMCA
grievance against his client. Commissioned to recreate the French Quarter
in New Orleans, the designer, Gospel Voom, spent six months on the
project, only to sign on to Second Life after its completion to find it
was deleted by the client. She claimed it was taken down because it
wasn't making money. However, despite having signed a contract that let
Voom retain creative rights over his work, he later found out it was sold
to another community, OpenLife, without his knowledge or permission."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...15/0456238

Links:
0. http://www.internetevolution.com/author....ion_id=785&doc_id=180504&


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Dell Considering ARM-Based Smartbooks |
| from the you-and-what-arm-eee dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @02:12 (Portables) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...15/0450240 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

wonkavader sends us this quote from an article in PCWorld: "In an effort
to expand its Linux offerings, Dell is researching new netbook-type
devices and will soon offer netbook Linux OS upgrades, a company official
said on Wednesday. The company is researching the possibility of offering
new Linux-based mobile devices called smartbooks, said Todd Finch, senior
product marketing manager for Linux clients, at the OpenSourceWorld
conference in San Francisco. The company will also upgrade its Ubuntu
Linux OS for netbooks to the latest version in the next few weeks ...
Smartbooks with [0]Arm chips have inherent advantages over x86 chips like
Atom, such as lower power consumption and longer battery life, according
to Finch. The chips are also becoming more powerful, as indicated by the
growing number of applications on smartphones, he said. 'I think it's
natural and reasonable for us to begin looking at them as they begin
scaling their processors up.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...15/0450240

Links:
0. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/ar...sence.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mac, Linux Support For Quake Live, Preview of Rage | from the no-more-excuses dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @05:11 (Quake) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../15/026251 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]AlexMax2742 writes "Great news for those anxious gamers who have been
waiting for a Linux and Mac version of Quake Live. [1]Support for both is
being implemented with next Tuesday's update, according to project lead
Marty Stratton, who gave the release date during a press conference held
at QuakeCon 2009. A [2]video of the press conference is up at
QuakeUnity." John Carmack revealed that they're working on a "premium"
subscription service for Quake Live, which will allow players to
[3]configure and run their own private servers. Also at QuakeCon, [4]a
new trailer was released for id's upcoming shooter, Rage. Kotaku posted
[5]an extensive preview of Rage, saying, "I've seen no game that, in this
realistic style, looks so good and has a landscape so rich with visual
splendor." A [6]detailed presentation on id Tech 5, the new game engine
behind Rage, was given at SIGGRAPH 2009 last week.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../15/026251

Links:
0. mailto:alexmax2742@gmail.com
1. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3175567
2. http://www.quakeunity.com/file=2920
3. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59998
4. http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/08/1...econ-2009/
5. http://kotaku.com/5337826/they-came-they...yoc-galaxy
6. http://s09.idav.ucdavis.edu/talks/05-JP_...lenges.pdf


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Burning Man Responds To EFF's Criticism of Policy |
| from the headlines-that-would-be-cooler-if-taken-literally dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @08:16 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/15/0328219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Briden writes "Earlier this week, we [0]discussed the EFF's criticism of
the Burning Man Photo Policy. Burning Man has now [1]responded at length
on their own blog. Here's an excerpt: 'In fact, there are but two
essential reasons we maintain these increased controls on behalf of our
community: to protect our participants so that images that violate their
privacy are not displayed, and to prevent companies from using Burning
Man to sell products. We don't remove images from pages just because they
criticize us (I've never been involved in taking down an image from an
editorial blog criticizing Burning Man, and it's certainly not because
there haven't been any!). We're also not at all interested [in]
preventing participants from sharing their personal imagery or
impressions of the event on third party sharing sites in a noncommercial
manner, so long as they observe the concerns about privacy and
commercialism. We're delighted to see people sharing videos, stories, and
pictures on our official Facebook page, and we know that it, along with
Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, etc. are representative of the way many of us
share personal imagery in the digital age.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...15/0328219

Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/13/...tal-Rights
1. http://blog.burningman.com/?p=4599


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mystery of Sun's Outer Atmosphere Solved |
| from the professor-plum-in-the-corona-with-the-nanoflare dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @09:17 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...15/1126231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]xp65 writes "For decades, scientists have puzzled over the mystery of
why temperatures in the solar corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, soar to
several million Kelvin (K) — much hotter than temperatures nearer the
sun's surface. New observations made with instruments aboard Japan's
Hinode satellite [1]reveal the culprit to be nanoflares. Nanoflares are
small, sudden bursts of heat and energy. 'They occur within tiny strands
that are bundled together to form a magnetic tube called a coronal loop,'
says astrophysicist James Klimchuk. Coronal loops are the fundamental
building blocks of the thin, translucent gas known as the sun's corona.
The discovery that nanoflares play an important and perhaps dominant role
in coronal heating paves the way to understanding how the sun affects
Earth and its atmosphere."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...15/1126231

Links:
0. http://spacefellowship.com/
1. http://spacefellowship.com/2009/08/14/ti...tmosphere/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sony To Convert Online Bookstore To Open Format |
| from the who-are-you-and-what-have-you-done-with-sony dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @10:19 (Sony) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/15/1316250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Dr_Barnowl writes "The BBC reports that [0]Sony is to convert its online
bookstore to the [1]EPUB format. While this format still allows DRM, it's
supported on a much wider variety of readers. Is this a challenge to the
Kindle? It's nice to see Sony [2]opening up to the idea of open standards.
Even if you still have reservations about buying a Sony device, you might
be able to patronize their bookstore sometime soon."

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/15/1316250

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8201093.stm
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB
2. http://www.macworld.com/article/142293/2...c=rss_main


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Airborne Laser Successfully Tracks, Hits Missile |
| from the sweet-zombie-reagan dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @11:21 (The Military) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...15/1410232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]fructose writes "The [1]Airborne Laser managed to [2]acquire, track,
and illuminate a test missile a few days ago. According to the press
release, the Boeing plane 'used its infrared sensors to find a target
missile launched from San Nicolas Island, Calif ... issued engagement and
target location instructions to the beam control/fire control system ...
fired its two solid-state illuminator lasers to track the target and ...
fired a surrogate high-energy laser at the target, simulating a missile
intercept.' The sensors on board the missile confirmed the 'hit.' Michael
Rinn, ABL's program director, said, 'Pointing and focusing a laser beam
on a target that is rocketing skyward at thousands of miles per hour is
no easy task, but the Airborne Laser is uniquely able to do the job.' The
next steps will be to test the high-power laser at full strength in
flight and do a complete system test later this year. Its success or
failure will [3]determine whether the project gets canceled. Looks like
the [4]Real Genius fans out there are finally living the dream."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...15/1410232

Links:
0. http://www.ericksmodels.com/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1
2. http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=796
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...04230.html
4. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089886/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 14-Year-Old Wins International Programming Contest |
| from the still-working-on-a-beard dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @12:21 (Education) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...15/1523255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]marcog123 writes "The [1]International Olympiad in Informatics was
held [2]earlier this week in Bulgaria. The IOI is a programming
competition for high school learners up to 20 years of age that has a
focus on problem solving and algorithms. It was won by [3]14-year-old
Henadzi Karatkevich of Belarus (PDF, [4]list of gold medalists), beating
the world's top high school programmers, including 18- and 19-year-olds,
to become the youngest winner in the IOI's 21-year history. Competition
is really tough, with some countries taking months off school to
concentrate only on IOI training. Henadzi first entered the IOI in 2006
when he was only 11 years old and won silver (missing gold by only six
points). He won gold in 2007 and 2008. He has the opportunity to enter
for the next three years; that is, unless he follows the path of
[5]Terence Tao, who won IMO gold at 12 and then went to university the
following year. If he continues his current streak, he will easily
surpass the current record of [6]six IOI medals by South Africa's Bruce
Merry."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...15/1523255

Links:
0. http://twitter.com/marcog
1. http://ioinformatics.org/about.shtml
2. http://developers.slashdot.org/story/09/...and-Online
3. http://ioi2009.org/downloads/br8-3str-en.pdf
4. http://www.ioi2009.org/index.jsp?id=414&ln=2
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Tao
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internation...OI_winners


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Hope For Predicting Earthquakes |
| from the give-it-a-fair-shake dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @12:51 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/15/167251 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Kristina writes "Interviews with several geophysicists reveal that new
data and new understandings about how earthquakes really happen inspire
some hope in pursuing the short-term prediction of earthquakes. 'Much of
the current work aims to decode how stress is distributed and
redistributed far below the surface and among more than one fault in an
area. Understanding that pattern could help scientists recognize when
stress is setting the stage for a large quake.' This article goes into
the latest ideas on [1]what we know and don't know about when large
earthquakes happen, and it talks with two Italian scientists about the
large quake that hit central Italy in April."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../15/167251

Links:
0. http://www.sciencenews.org/
1. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/..._Forecasts


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DoJ Defends $1.92 Million RIAA Verdict |
| from the yes-it's-totally-reasonable dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @13:23 (Government) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/15/171238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal points out a CNet report saying that the Justice
Department has [1]come out in favor of the $1.92 million verdict awarded
to the RIAA in [2]the Jammie Thomas-Rasset case. Their support came in
the form of a [3]legal brief filed on Friday, which notes, "Congress took
into account the need to deter the millions of users of new media from
infringing copyrights in an environment where many violators believe that
they will go unnoticed." It also says, "The Copyright Act's statutory
damages provision serves both to compensate and deter. Congress
established a scheme to allow copyright holders to elect to receive
statutory damages for copyright infringement instead of actual damages
and profits because of the difficulty of calculating and proving actual
damages."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../15/171238

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-103101...inesArea.0
2. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/06/18/227219&tid=332
3. http://www.scribd.com/doc/18593475/DOJ-B...sset-Award


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMD Previews DirectX 11 Gaming Performance |
| from the more-and-better dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 15, @13:48 (Graphics) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...15/1647245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "AMD invited 100 people up to their private
suite in the hotel that Quakecon 2009 is being hosted at for a first look
at [0]gaming on one of their upcoming DirectX 11 graphics cards. This
card has not been officially named yet, but it has the internal code name
of 'Evergreen,' and was first shown to the media back at Computex over in
Taiwan [1]earlier this year. The guys from Legit Reviews were shown two
different systems running DX11 hardware. One system was set up running a
bunch of DX11 SDKs and the other was running a demo for the upcoming
shooter Wolfenstein. The video card appears to be on schedule for its
launch next month."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...15/1647245

Links:
0. http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1040/1/
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...03/1928229&tid=136


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Measuring Real Time Public Opinion With Twitter |
| from the bloop-bleep-treacle-tweet-thurp-twaddle dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday August 15, @14:19 (Social Networks)|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...15/1751246 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that statisticians from the
University of Vermont are hoping to [1]harness the stream of messages
flowing through Twitter to read public opinion and sentiment in real time.
'"Twitter is a reflection of what people are interested in right now,"
says Peter Dodds, adding that the goal is to establish an index, akin to
the Dow Jones industrial average, that can "give an overall sense of how
a collective body of people are feeling at any given point in time.'
Dodds says he and his colleagues are analyzing about 1,000 tweets each
minute, or about a million a day, looking for trends in descriptive words
and phrases that indicate moods and emotions. In addition, the two can
monitor the public reaction to news or policy announcement and track it
over time. The tool is still in its early stages, but eventually Dodds
hopes that it could work similarly to Google Flu Trends, a Web tool that
doubles as an [2]early-warning system for flu outbreaks by detecting
spikes in certain search terms. Since relationships and conversations are
so intrinsic to how people communicate on Twitter, the researchers hope
that observing how one user's mood is affected by another might shed some
light on crowd behavior and emotional contagion. 'All of this data serves
as a remote sensor of well-being,' Dodds says."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...15/1751246

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11...mood-ring/
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/techno...12flu.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| C# and Java Weekday Languages, Python and Ruby For Weekends? |
| from the like-a-commercial-for-light-beer dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday August 15, @15:22 (Programming) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...15/1849217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Dan Lorenc writes "Using the [1]StackOverflow.com data dump, I
measured the activity of various programming languages throughout the
week. The results: [2]Ruby and Python saw a rise in questions asked on
the weekend while C# and Java saw a dropoff in activity on the weekend.
This means that more programmers are using Python and Ruby on the weekend
for their personal projects, showing that these languages are more fun to
use. Show this experiment to your boss the next time you are selecting a
programming language for a project at work."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...15/1849217

Links:
0. mailto:lorenc.d@gmail.com
1. http://blog.stackoverflow.com/wp-content...7z.torrent
2. http://danlorenc.blogspot.com/2009/08/st...sults.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Gene Therapy Causes Blind Woman To Grow New Fovea |
| from the way-beyond-lasik dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday August 15, @16:26 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...15/2015220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "A woman with a rare, inherited form of blindness is now
able to read, thanks to a gene therapy that [1]caused a new fovea — the
part of the retina that is most densely populated with photoreceptors —
to grow in her eye. The patient suffers from Leber congenital amaurosis,
meaning an abnormal protein makes her photoreceptors have a severely
impaired sensitivity to light. She received the experimental treatment
twelve months ago when physicians injected a gene encoding a functional
copy of the protein into a small part of one eye — about eight-to-nine
millimeters in diameter. Along with two other patients receiving the same
treatment, her eyesight improved after just a few weeks. Now the
physicians report that this patient seems to have developed a new fovea,
exactly where she received the injection. Because the woman has been
effectively blind since birth, the results suggest that the brain is able
to adapt to new visual stimuli remarkably quickly."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...15/2015220

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23239/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Arizona Judge Tells Sheriff "Reveal Password Or Face Contempt" |
| from the life-in-these-united-states dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday August 15, @17:33 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/15/212254 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Four days ago, deputies from the Maricopa
County Sheriff's Office in Arizona conducted a [0]raid against the county
government building hosting computers for a law enforcement database.
After threatening to arrest county employees who would stop them, the
officers proceeded to secure the room and promptly changed passwords on
many of the servers. In a hearing on Friday, a Superior Court judge
threatened [1]to hold members of the Sheriff's Office in contempt if they
did not reveal the passwords by next Wednesday. Following this, the
Sheriff's Office claimed to be conducting an investigation against other
Superior Court judges. [2]Courts have asked for passwords before, but
never under conditions like this."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/15/212254

Links:
0. http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoen...r0813.html
1. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2...s0815.html
2. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...24/2240241&tid=332


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Easy Work-Around" For Microsoft Word's Legal Woes |
| from the legal-hokey-pokey-is-what-it's-all-about dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday August 15, @18:40 (Microsoft) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/15/2217212 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]CWmike writes "Microsoft can likely use [1]an 'easy technical
work-around' to sidestep a recent injunction by a Texas federal judge
that [2]bars the company from selling Word, a patent attorney said today.
'The injunction doesn't apply to existing product that has already been
sold,' said Barry Negrin, a partner with the New York firm Pryor Cashman
LLP who has practiced patent and trademark law for 17 years. 'Headlines
that say Microsoft can't sell Word are not really true,' said Negrin,
pointing out that the injunction granted by US District Court Judge
Leonard Davis on Tuesday only prohibits Microsoft from selling Word as it
exists now after Oct. 10. 'All Microsoft has to do is disable the custom
XML feature, which should be pretty easy to do, then give that a
different SKU number from what's been sold so it's easy to distinguish
the two versions.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/15/2217212

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...ays_expert
2. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...halt_sales


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Wave Preview Opens Up On Sept 30th |
| from the well-that-is-what-they'd-say-isn't-it? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Saturday August 15, @19:50 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...15/2347257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snitch writes with this snippet from InfoQ about the [1]current state
of Google Wave: "With the [2]Google Wave Preview scheduled for public
availability on September 30th, Wave API Tech Lead Douwe Osinga has
posted on the [3]Wave Google Group about what the team has been working
on along with some future directions.Up until now with the limited
availability of testing accounts there have been [4]complaints on the
Google Group from users that wanted to get their hands on this new
technology but didn't have access to [5]the sandbox. As Douwe explains
[6]the team has been busy all this time with stability issues and more."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...15/2347257

Links:
0. http://snitch.name/
1. http://www.infoq.com/news/2009/08/wave-preview-opens
2. https://wave.google.com/
3. http://groups.google.com/group/google-wave-api
4. http://groups.google.com/group/google-wa...0359?hl=en
5. https://wave.google.com/a/wavesandbox.com/
6. http://groups.google.com/group/google-wa...1426?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=about+coming
Reply
#43
Aug 18 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Open Source GSM Network At Dutch Hacker Convention
* Facebook Faces the Canadian Privacy Commissioner
* Amazon Confirms EC2/S3 Not PCI Level 1 Compliant
* While My Guitar Gently Beeps
* Fatty Foods Affect Memory and Exercise Performance
* Microsoft Trial Misconduct Cost $40 Million
* The Home-Made Hard Disk Destroyer
* "District 9" Best Sci-fi Movie of 09?
* An Electricity-Cost-Aware Internet Routing Scheme
* TomTom Releases iPhone Navigation App
* Up To 90 Percent of US Money Has Traces of Cocaine
* NASA Developing Nuclear Reactor For Moon and Mars
* School Uniform To Block Cell Phone Emissions
* English Wikipedia Reaches 3 Million Articles
* StarCraft II Single-Player Details Revealed
* New Nano-Laser Created
* Is the Federal Government the Most Interesting Tech Startup For 2009?
* Comcast Finally Files Suit Against FCC Over Traffic Shaping
* Wireless Power Consortium Pushes for "Qi" Standard
* IBM Scientists Build Computer Chips From DNA
* Three Indicted In Huge Identity/Data Breach
* Microsoft Files "Emergency Motion" To Ship Word

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Open Source GSM Network At Dutch Hacker Convention |
| from the working-sort-of-within-the-system dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday August 16, @20:15 (Cellphones) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...17/0014235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

solevita writes "[0]Harald Welte, who's been [1]interviewed previously by
Slashdot, has written on his blog about [2]operating an Open Source GSM
network at the recent [3]HAR2009 conference. Photographs and a
description and of the setup, run under license of the Dutch regulatory
authority, are provided; essentially the setup consisted of a pair of
BTS' (Base Transceiver Stations) running at 100mW transmit power each and
tied to a tree. In turn these provided access to the Base Station
Controller (BSC), in this case a Linux server in a tent running
[4]OpenBSC. The system authenticated users with a token sent via SMS; in
total 391 users subscribed to the service and were able to use their
phones as if they were on any other network. Independent researchers are
increasingly examining GSM networks and equipment, Welte's work proves
that GSM is in the realm of the hackers now and that this realm of mobile
networking could be set for a few surprises in the future."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...17/0014235

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Welte
1. http://interviews.slashdot.org/story/08/...esentative
2. http://laforge.gnumonks.org/weblog/2009/...sm_network
3. https://wiki.har2009.org/page/Main_Page
4. http://bs11-abis.gnumonks.org/trac/wiki/OpenBSC


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facebook Faces the Canadian Privacy Commissioner |
| from the soory-aboot-that-yah dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday August 16, @23:20 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/0216213 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

dakohli writes "Canwest's Sarah Schmidt writes that [0]Facebook has until
Monday to find a way to fix its 'serious privacy gaps.' And if the
Canadian Privacy Commissioner isn't happy with the Web Company's
response, then she has two weeks to push it to the Canadian Federal Court
in Ottawa. 'A spokeswoman for the commission said it's premature to say
whether the feud will end up in court. This would be an international
first for Facebook, which has grown to more than 200 million users since
its launch in 2004.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...17/0216213

Links:
0. http://www.canada.com/technology/Faceboo...story.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Amazon Confirms EC2/S3 Not PCI Level 1 Compliant |
| from the division-of-resources dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday August 17, @02:31 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/0438207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Jason writes "After months of digging though speculation and polar
opposite opinions from [0]PCI experts, I finally sent a direct request to
Amazon's [1]AWS sales team asking if they are in fact PCI compliant and
will provide documentation attesting that they are as is required by PCI
guidlines. I fully expecting them to dodge the question and refer me to a
QSA, but to my relief, they replied with a [2]refreshingly honest and
absolute confirmation that it is currently impossible to meet PCI level 1
compliance using AWS services for card data storage. They also very
strong suggest that cardnumbers never be stored on EC2 or S3 as those
services are inherently noncompliant. For now at least, the official
verdict is if you need to process credit cards, the Amazon cloud platform
is off the table."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/17/0438207

Links:
0. https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/
1. https://aws.amazon.com/
2. http://developer.amazonwebservices.com/c...547#139662


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| While My Guitar Gently Beeps |
| from the happiness-is-a-warm-axe dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday August 17, @04:04 (Music) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...17/0556232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "As the world prepares to meet the Beatles all over
again on 9-9-9, the NY Times Magazine [1]takes a look at the making of
The Beatles: Rock Band, and asks a Fab Four tribute band to take the game
for a test drive. (Not surprisingly, [2]they fare well.) 'As huge as
Guitar Hero and Rock Band have been over the past few years,' says
Harmonix Music Systems co-founder Alex Rigopulos, 'I still think we're on
the shy side of the chasm because the Beatles have a reach and power that
transcends any other band.' The Beatles: Rock Band follows the group's
career from Liverpool to the concert on the roof of Apple Corps in London
in 1969 ([3]trailer). The first half of the game recreates famous live
performances; the second half weaves psychedelic dreamscapes around
animations of the Beatles recording in Studio Two. 45 songs deemed the
most fun to play, rather than the band's most iconic numbers, come with
the game."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...17/0556232

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/magazi....html?_r=1&ref=magazine
2. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/08/1...-band.html
3. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/06/0...-band.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Fatty Foods Affect Memory and Exercise Performance |
| from the I-distinctly-remember-eating-4-egg-mcmuffins-today dept.|
| posted by timothy on Monday August 17, @05:36 (Medicine) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...17/0351238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal writes "Eating fatty food appears to take an almost
[1]immediate toll on both short-term memory and exercise performance,
according to new research on rats and people. Other studies have
suggested that that long-term consumption of a high-fat diet is
associated with weight gain, heart disease and declines in cognitive
function. But the new research shows how indulging in fatty foods over
the course of a few days can affect the brain and body long before the
extra pounds show up."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...17/0351238

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/13...-exercise/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Trial Misconduct Cost $40 Million |
| from the at-least-he-wasn't-feeling-vindictive dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday August 17, @08:12 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/0449250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

SpuriousLogic writes "The judge who banned Microsoft from selling its
Word document program in the US due to a patent violation [0]tacked an
additional $40 million onto a jury's $200 million verdict because the
software maker's lawyers engaged in trial misconduct, court records
reveal. In a written ruling, Judge Leonard Davis, of US District Court
for Eastern Texas, chastised Microsoft's attorneys for repeatedly
misrepresenting the law in presentations to jurors.'Throughout the course
of trial Microsoft's trial counsel persisted in arguing that it was
somehow improper for a non-practicing patent owner to sue for money
damages,' Davis wrote. The judge cited a particular incident in which a
Microsoft lawyer compared plaintiff i4i, Inc. to banks that sought
bailout money from the federal government under the Troubled Asset Relief
Program. 'He further persisted in improperly trying to equate i4i's
infringement case with the current national banking crisis implying that
i4i was a banker seeking a "bailout,"' Davis said."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...17/0449250

Links:
0. http://www.informationweek.com/news/soft...=219400044


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Home-Made Hard Disk Destroyer |
| from the if-you-can-recover-that-you-earned-it dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @08:51 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/1221253 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Barence writes "All businesses have sensitive data they need to
destroy when they replace PCs, but disposing of hard disks properly can
be an expensive business. This has led one IT manager in the UK to come
up with his own, home-made solution — Bustadrive. It uses a powerful
'hydraulic punch' to physically deform a hard disk, rendering it
virtually unreadable, and requires nothing more than a pull of the lever
on the front — similar to a drinks-can crusher. PC Pro tested the
Bustadrive, and also sought the opinions of data destruction companies as
to whether the device was really as effective as hoped, or just [1]a fun
way to mangle a hard disk or two."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/17/1221253

Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/14/...destroyer/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "District 9" Best Sci-fi Movie of 09? |
| from the lotta-hype-on-this-one dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @09:38 (Sci-Fi) |
| http://entertainment.slashdot.org/articl.../17/139249 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Travis wrote in with a story that says much of what my friends have
been saying to me all weekend: "Slashdot [1]covered 'District 9' back in
July. I was originally excited to see this movie for its exhibition of
exoskeleton robot 'mechs' (see images and video at [2]Hizook.com ). After
watching the film this opening weekend, I can honestly say that it was an
amazing science fiction movie! Everything was spot-on: the plot, the
human elements, the alien elements, the technology, and the seamless
blend of special effects with real camera capture. This film should vault
Neill Blomkamp into sci-fi stardom, on par with George Lucas and the
Wachowski Brothers (of Matrix fame). This is certainly a must-see movie —
easily the best movie of the year."

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen.../17/139249

Links:
0. http://www.hizook.com/
1. http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/...es-of-Halo
2. http://www.hizook.com/blog/2009/08/14/ne...robot-mech


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| An Electricity-Cost-Aware Internet Routing Scheme |
| from the juice-is-juice dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @10:21 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...17/1413233 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "Researchers from MIT, Carnegie Mellon and Akamai have
developed a network-routing scheme that could save 'internet-scale'
companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft million of dollars each
year by [1]moving data to locations with the best electricity prices for
a particular day. The scheme simply considers both the most efficient
routing path for data and the potential cost savings of routing it
somewhere farther away. The researchers studied price fluctuations at
locations across the country and used data from Akamai caching servers to
test the idea out. In the best possible scenario — which would require
more efficient servers — they estimate that companies could save as much
as 40% on the electricity bills (tens of millions each year). Google
already operates [2]at least one datacenter that shuts down when
temperatures get too high. Is this the next logical step for internet
computing?"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...17/1413233

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/business/23248/
2. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archi...ta-center/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TomTom Releases iPhone Navigation App |
| from the hit-the-road-tom dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @11:04 (Transportation) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...17/1414241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]andylim writes "Today TomTom released its long-awaited iPhone app that
allows you to use your iPhone 3G and 3GS as a GPS navigation device.
Recombu.com [1]tested it out on video this morning and concluded that it
works well but if you receive a call while you're driving then the app
does cut out — it will restart once you've finished the conversation. The
app costs £60 for the UK & Ireland version, £80 for western Europe, £45
for Australia and £60 for the US and Canada."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...17/1414241

Links:
0. http://recombu.com/
1. http://recombu.com/news/tomtom-for-iphon...11050.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Up To 90 Percent of US Money Has Traces of Cocaine |
| from the having-more-fun-than-me dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @11:48 (The Almighty Buck|
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/1449219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

mmmscience writes "Scientists have found that [0]up to 90% of US paper
money has some cocaine contamination, up from the 67% mark measured two
years ago. Looking at bills from 17 cities, it's no surprise that the
city with the highest level was Washington DC, where up to 95% of bills
gathered there tested positive. From a global standpoint, both Canada and
Brazil tested rather high (85% and 80%, respectively), but China and
Japan were well behind the curve at 20% and 12%. The researchers hope
that studies such as these will be of help to law enforcement agencies
that are attempting to understand the growth and flow of drug use in
communities."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/1449219

Links:
0. http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-1242-...of-cocaine


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA Developing Nuclear Reactor For Moon and Mars |
| from the react-to-the-reactor dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @12:28 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...17/1519235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "NASA recently finished testing [1]a miniature nuclear
reactor that would provide power for an astronaut base on the Moon or
Mars. The reactor combines a small fission system with a [2]Stirling
engine to make a 'safe, reliable, and efficient' way to produce
electricity. The system being tested at NASA's Glenn Research Center can
produce 2.3 kilowatts and could be ready for launch by 2020, NASA
officials say. The reactor ought to provide much more power than solar
panels but could prove controversial with the public concerned about
launching a nuclear power source and placing it on the Moon or another
planet."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...17/1519235

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23247/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| School Uniform To Block Cell Phone Emissions |
| from the luddite-high dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday August 17, @12:37 (Science) |
| http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/1549256 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Foehg writes "ForeignPolicy.com reports, 'A Belarusian textile company
has developed a special school uniform that [1]protects kids from
electromagnetic radiation emanating from their cellphones. The uniform
features a dedicated pocket that can store the phone and make it safe for
those who wear it.'" Now someone has to create an oven mitt that can
protect you from the harmful radiation given off by your microwave oven.

Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/1549256

Links:
0. mailto:ransom.smith@gmail.com
1. http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/posts...s_obsolete


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| English Wikipedia Reaches 3 Million Articles |
| from the next-version-will-have-140-char-limit dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 17, @13:11 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/1522221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

FunPika writes "It has taken more than eight years and the work of vast
numbers of people around the world, but the English version of
[0]Wikipedia has finally amassed more than three million articles. The
site broke through the 3 million barrier early on Monday morning UK time,
with the honors taken by a short article about Norwegian actor [1]Beate
Eriksen — a 48-year-old cast member of a popular local soap opera."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/1522221

Links:
0. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blo...ee-million
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beate_Eriksen


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| StarCraft II Single-Player Details Revealed |
| from the no-lan-wah-wah-hey-look dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday August 17, @13:51 (PC Games (Games)|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...17/1551227 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

As Blizzcon approaches, a number of gaming sites were invited out to
California to get an early look at the single-player campaign for
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Kotaku has [0]a detailed write-up ([1]spoiler-free
version), and 1Up summarizes one of the missions: "... you're on [2]a
planet with an alternating day/night cycle (every five minutes, it
switches): during daylight, you're safe. You can build forces and go out
and destroy structures. At night, the infected Terrans will relentlessly
stream towards your base — necessitating a strong defense against the
'zombie horde.'" An [3]interview with some of the developers is
available, in which lead designer Dustin Browder says Blizzard will
continue their trend of having downloadable maps and other improvements
throughout the game's life. BlizzPlanet posted a [4]mission guide for the
part of the game they got to see, and new video footage has been released
that [5]shows off the single-player mode.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...17/1551227

Links:
0. http://kotaku.com/5338308/first-starcraf...h-spoilers
1. http://kotaku.com/5338309/first-starcraf...oiler+free
2. http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3175600&p=1
3. http://www.incgamers.com/Interviews/204/...gle-player
4. http://starcraft.incgamers.com/articles/...e-preview/
5.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Nano-Laser Created |
| from the very-small-breakthroughs dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 17, @14:37 (Technology) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/1644248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Many sources are reporting that researchers have [0]created the world's
smallest laser since the inception of lasers almost a half-century ago.
Dubbed "spasers," as an acronym for "surface plasmon amplification by
stimulated emission of radiation," their incredibly tiny size could
become a critical component for future technologies like "nanophotonic"
circuitry. "Such circuits will require a laser-light source, but current
lasers can't be made small enough to integrate them into electronic
chips. Now researchers have overcome this obstacle, harnessing clouds of
electrons called 'surface plasmons,' instead of the photons that make up
light, to create the tiny spasers."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/1644248

Links:
0. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...171003.htm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is the Federal Government the Most Interesting Tech Startup For 200|
| from the get-stuff-done-czar dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 17, @15:26 (Technology) |
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/1725213 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

With all of the recent focus on technology and the promises to continue
"getting stuff done" by the US government, Techdirt's Masnick suggests
that they might just be the [0]most interesting tech startup to watch
this year. "But, of course, talk is cheap (especially in politics). And,
while Chopra (and Vivek Kundra, the government's CIO) both actually have
a nice track record of accomplishing these sorts of goals in their past
jobs, the proof is in what's actually getting done. We'd already
mentioned at least one success story with the IT dashboard at
USASpending.gov, but can it continue? I have to admit, a second thing
that impressed me about Chopra was that, even with such a success, he
didn't focus on it. The fact that he got together such a site in such a
short period of time is impressive enough, and while he mentioned it in
his talks, most of them were much more focused not on what he'd already
done, but on what he was going to do — and the plans all seemed quite
achievable.

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...17/1725213

Links:
0. http://techdirt.com/articles/20090817/0133175896.shtml


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Comcast Finally Files Suit Against FCC Over Traffic Shaping |
| from the hoping-for-mutual-destruction dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 17, @16:18 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/1750217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Following up on their threat last year to sue the FCC over sanctions
imposed, [0]Comcast has finally filed suit, stating that there are no
statutes or regulations that support the FCC's authority to stop traffic
shaping procedures. "First, let's recap: After months of proceedings,
hearings, and investigations, the FCC concluded on August 1, 2008 that
Comcast was discriminating against certain P2P applications using deep
packet inspection techniques. These methods thwarted the ability of users
to share video and other files via BitTorrent. 'Comcast was delaying
subscribers' downloads and blocking their uploads,' declared then FCC
Chair Kevin Martin. 'It was doing so 24/7, regardless of the amount of
congestion on the network or how small the file might be. Even worse,
Comcast was hiding that fact by making [affected] users think there was a
problem with their Internet connection or the application.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...17/1750217

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/...omcast.ars


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Wireless Power Consortium Pushes for "Qi" Standard |
| from the someone-call-apple dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 17, @17:11 (Power) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...17/1933207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Wireless Power Consortium (comprised of Samsung, Sanyo, Olympus,
Philips, Texas Instruments, and others) has started a push towards a
[0]wireless charging standard under the moniker "Qi" (pronounced "chee").
"Members of the Wireless Power Consortium are reviewing version 0.95 of
its technical specification which defines a proposed standard for
charging devices, using up to 5Watts power, delivered by electromagnetic
induction. The spec could evolve into a standard — and will be
demonstrated by multiple vendors on September 15th to 16th. ... It is
less ambitious than the system demonstrated this summer by Witricity,
which operates at a distance of a few meters, using resonance, which the
company claims has green benefits through replacing disposable
batteries."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...17/1933207

Links:
0. http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/wirele...-spec-1619


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| IBM Scientists Build Computer Chips From DNA |
| from the some-chips-are-longer-than-others dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 17, @18:02 (IBM) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...17/1938243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]snydeq writes "Scientists at IBM are experimenting with using [1]DNA
molecules as a way to create tiny circuits that could form the basis of
smaller, more powerful computer chips. The technique builds on work done
by Cal Tech's Paul Rothemund, who found that [2]DNA molecules can be made
to 'self-assemble' into tiny forms [PDF] such as triangles, squares and
stars. 'To make a chip, the scientists first create lithographic
templates using traditional chip making techniques. After, they pour a
DNA solution over the surface of the silicon and the tiny triangles and
squares — what the scientists call DNA origami — [3]line themselves up to
the patterns etched out using lithography.' DNA-based chips may sound
like [4]crackpot tech, but those involved believe the methodology could
lead to a new way of fabricating features on the surface of chips that
allows semiconductors to be made even smaller, faster and more
power-efficient than they are today."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...17/1938243

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/d/hardware/ibm-...ps-dna-833
2. http://www.dna.caltech.edu/Papers/DNAorigami-nature.pdf
3. http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/vaop...9.220.html
4. http://science.slashdot.org/story/07/02/...?art_pos=4


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Three Indicted In Huge Identity/Data Breach |
| from the hoping-you-didn't-charge-that-slurpee dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 17, @18:53 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/2017204 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

ScentCone and other readers let us know about an indictment just unsealed
in federal court for [0]stealing 130 million credit cards and other data
useful in identity theft, or just plain money theft. The breaches were at
[1]payment processor Heartland (accounting for the bulk of the 130M),
Hannaford, 7-11, and two unnamed "national retailers." Interestingly, the
focus of the indictment, Albert "Segvec" Gonzalez, is currently awaiting
trial for masterminding the [2]TJX break-in, which until Heartland
counted as the largest credit-card theft ever. The indictment cites SQL
injection attacks as the entry vector. Two unnamed Russia-based
conspirators were also indicted. Securosis has analysis of the
[3]security implications of the breach ("These appear to be preventable
attacks using common security controls. It's possible some advanced
techniques were used, but I doubt it") and the [4]attackers' methodology.

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/17/2017204

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/08...heartland/
1. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/20/1930252&tid=76
2. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/16/207215&tid=76
3. http://securosis.com/blog/heartland-hack...questions/
4. http://securosis.com/blog/recent-breache...e-answers/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Files "Emergency Motion" To Ship Word |
| from the my-word dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 17, @19:43 (Microsoft) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/2318220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

adeelarshad82 writes "Several days after a judge [0]ordered Microsoft to
halt sales of Word and handed down $290M in [1]fines, the software giant
has moved to stop the ban. On Friday Microsoft [2]filed an emergency
motion to stop the judgment and waive the bond requirement, according to
court filings. The actual document was filed under seal, so the full
contents of the request have not yet been made public."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...17/2318220

Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...12/1129230&tid=11
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/17/0449250&tid=332
2. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351691,00.asp


Reply
#44
Aug 19 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* No Social Media In These College Stadiums
* Suitable Naming Conventions For Workstations?
* XP Users Are Willing To Give Windows 7 a Chance
* Scientists Learn To Fabricate DNA Evidence
* Xbox 360 Homebrew Finally Arrives
* In the UK, a Plan To Criminalize Illegal Downloaders
* The Challenges of Class Balance In MMOGs
* iPhone 3GS Is Number One In Japan
* The Press Releases of the Damned
* NASA Discovers Life's Building Block In Comet
* The Problems With Porting Games
* World's Only Diesel-Electric Honda Insight
* Looking For a Link Between Sci-Fi UFOs and UFO Reports
* Why the BSA Is Less Reviled Than the RIAA
* Scala, a Statically Typed, Functional, O-O Language
* Sony Announces PS3 Slim, Price Cut, Improvements To Home
* Excalibur Almaz To Offer Commercial Orbital Flights
* Predicting Malicious Web Attacks
* Smarter Clients Via ReverseHTTP and WebSockets
* i4i Says OpenOffice Does Not Infringe Like MS Word
* Fatal Explosion At Russian Hydroelectric Dam

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| No Social Media In These College Stadiums |
| from the ninety-thousand-reporters dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 17, @21:46 (Social Networks) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/2141244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

RawJoe writes "Today, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is expected to
release a final version of its new media policy that, at the moment, can
best be described as a [0]ban on all social media usage at SEC games.
Earlier this month, the conference informed its schools of the new
policy, which says that ticketed fans can't 'produce or disseminate (or
aid in producing or disseminating) any material or information about the
Event, including, but not limited to, any account, description, picture,
video, audio, reproduction or other information concerning the Event.'
Translated, that means no Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, TwitPic, or any
other service that could in any way compete with authorized media
coverage of the event. In the case of the SEC, authorized media coverage
rights belong to CBS, who has a [1]$3B deal with the conference over the
next 15 years, according to The St Petersburg Times." Good luck with
that. To quote Clay Shirky, "The idea that people can't capture their own
lived experience is a losing proposition."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/2141244

Links:
0. http://mashable.com/2009/08/17/sec-new-media-policy/
1. http://www.tampabay.com/news/science/per...ty/1027680


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Suitable Naming Conventions For Workstations? |
| from the tune's-my-own-invention dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 17, @22:06 (Networking) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/0143232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]spectre_240sx writes "We've discussed [1]server [2]naming a fair
amount in the past, but I haven't seen much about workstations. Where I
currently work, we embed a lot of information in our workstation names:
site, warranty end date, machine type, etc. I'm of the opinion that this
is too much information to overload in the machine name when it can more
suitably be stored in the computer description. I'd love to hear how
others are naming their workstations and some pros and cons for different
naming schemes. Should computers be logically tied to the person that
they're currently assigned to, or does that just cause unnecessary work
when a machine changes hands? Do the management tools in use make a
difference in how workstations are named?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/0143232

Links:
0. http://digital-traffic.net/
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...02/2228254&tid=718
2. http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/03/12/213232&tid=4


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| XP Users Are Willing To Give Windows 7 a Chance |
| from the light-at-the-end-of-the-long-tunnel-that-is-vista dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 17, @23:49 (Windows) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/2151224 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Harry writes "PC World and Technologizer conducted a survey of 5,000
people who use Windows XP as their primary operating system. Many have no
plans to leave it, and 80% will be unhappy when Microsoft completely
discontinues it. And attitudes towards Vista remain extremely negative.
But a majority of those who know something about Windows 7 have a
positive reaction. More important, [1]70 percent of respondents who have
used Windows 7 say they like it, which is a sign that Windows 7 stands a
chance of being what Vista never was: an upgrade good enough to convince
most XP users to switch."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/2151224

Links:
0. mailto:harry@technologizer.com
1. http://technologizer.com/2009/08/17/wind...windows-7/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Scientists Learn To Fabricate DNA Evidence |
| from the tossing-a-bag-of-maryjane-in-the-back-seat dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @02:37 (Biotech) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...18/0043212 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that it is possible to
fabricate blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other
than the donor, and even to [1]construct a sample of DNA to match
someone's profile without obtaining any tissue from that person — if you
have access to their DNA profile in a database. This undermines the
credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in
criminal cases. 'You can just engineer a crime scene,' said Dan Frumkin,
lead author of the paper. 'Any biology undergraduate could perform this.'
The scientists fabricated DNA samples in two ways. One requires a real,
if tiny, DNA sample, perhaps from a strand of hair or a drinking cup.
They [2]amplified the tiny sample into a large quantity of DNA using a
standard technique called whole genome amplification. The other technique
relies on DNA profiles, stored in law enforcement databases as a series
of numbers and letters corresponding to variations at 13 spots in a
person's genome. The scientists cloned tiny DNA snippets representing the
common variants at each spot, creating a library of such snippets. To
prepare a phony DNA sample matching any profile, they just mixed the
proper snippets together. Tania Simoncelli, science adviser to the
American Civil Liberties Union, says the findings were worrisome. 'DNA is
a lot easier to plant at a crime scene than fingerprints,' says
Simoncelli. 'We're creating a criminal justice system that is
increasingly relying on this technology.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...18/0043212

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html
2. http://www.fsigenetics.com/article/S1872...4/abstract


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Xbox 360 Homebrew Finally Arrives |
| from the mario's-not-in-kansas-anymore dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 18, @04:10 (Classic Games (|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...18/0349237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Busshy writes "[0]Tmbinc has posted a video showing [1]Snes 9X as the
first homebrew for the Xbox 360. This coincides with the upcoming release
of the [2]Free60 project, which will turn the 360 into the most powerful
console for homebrew to date, hopefully with emulators for the Dreamcast,
Gamecube, PS2, Xbox and possibly even the Wii."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...18/0349237

Links:
0. http://debugmo.de/?cat=6
1. http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthr...p?t=235375
2. http://www.free60.org/wiki/Main_Page


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| In the UK, a Plan To Criminalize Illegal Downloaders |
| from the naughty-naughty dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @05:26 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...17/2349241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

krou writes "It looks like the launch of the UK Pirate Party came not a
moment too soon. The Independent reports that Business Secretary Lord
Mandelson is going to [0]take a hard-line stance to preserve copyright
after intense lobbying by the music and film industry. 'Under the
proposed laws, Ofcom, the industry regulator, would be given powers to
require Internet service providers to collect information on those who
downloaded pirate material. The data would be anonymous, but serious
repeat infringers would be tracked down through their computer ID
numbers.' Prospective punishments included restricting internet access,
either slowing down an offender's broadband or disconnecting them
altogether, and fines up to £50,000. The Pirate Party came out against
the scheme, calling it a gross invasion of civil liberties, while Tom
Watson, the former minister for digital engagement, [1]spoke out against
the move, saying that the government should stop trying criminalize
downloaders just so as to 'restore 20th-century incumbents to their
position of power,' but should instead be 'coming up with interventions
that will nurture 21st-century creative talent.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...17/2349241

Links:
0. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entert...72820.html
1. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/com...72821.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Challenges of Class Balance In MMOGs |
| from the stupid-druids dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 18, @06:03 (PC Games (Games|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...18/0359210 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Karen Hertzberg writes "Balancing classes in MMOGs may be [0]one of the
most daunting challenges of the industry. Few games are immune, and no
game has ever claimed complete, perfect balance. So how does a developing
company deal with the ever-impending demand to keep their games fair in
both PvE and PvP environments? Ten Ton Hammer spoke with four industry
professionals about the issue in an effort to glean some answers. Age of
Conan's Craig Morrison said, 'It is part science and part intuition and
experience, I think. We do, of course, have all the ... "spreadsheet"
work in the back-end and development tools that calculate as many of the
parameters as possible. On top of that, though, you then have the
knowledge and skill of the designers involved. Working with a system, you
have the general overview of how things interact and how players tend to
behave in your game. Sometimes nothing beats spending time in the game
itself and actually seeing how the players have been using the skills and
abilities you have provided for them. Players are nothing if not
inventive, and they never cease to surprise designers with their
ingenuity, so it is vital that the designers are also watching and
learning themselves.' "

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...18/0359210

Links:
0. http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72725


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| iPhone 3GS Is Number One In Japan |
| from the buddha-phone dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @08:15 (Cellphones) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?si...18/0125245 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]mudimba writes "The iPhone 3GS 32GB is currently the [1]best selling
phone [2]in Japan (the 16GB version came in at number nine). This is in
stark contrast to reports from earlier this year that the [3]Japanese
hate the iPhone. Nobody is sure what specific features caused the change
of heart, though it is speculated that video capture and voice control
might be part of the answer. When the 3G iPhone first came out it saw a
spike in sales, but unlike the 3GS it was unable to outsell locally-made
handsets."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...18/0125245

Links:
0. http://mudimba.deviantart.com/
1. http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/....in.japan/
2. http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn....-in-japan/
3. http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../27/144256&tid=883


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Press Releases of the Damned |
| from the synthesize-best-practices dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 18, @09:08 (Businesses) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/1251255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Harry writes "Once upon a time, Microsoft said that Windows Vista
would transform life as we knew it. Palm said its Foleo was a
breakthrough. Circuit City said firing its most experienced salespeople
would save the company. And Apple said that Web apps were all that iPhone
owners needed. I've collected the original [1]press releases for these
and other ill-fated tech announcements, and annotated them with the facts
as they played out in the real world."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/1251255

Links:
0. mailto:harry@technologizer.com
1. http://technologizer.com/2009/08/18/press-releases/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA Discovers Life's Building Block In Comet |
| from the low-glycemic-index dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 18, @10:04 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...18/1357243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]xp65 writes "NASA scientists [1]have discovered glycine, a fundamental
building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA's
Stardust spacecraft. 'Glycine is an amino acid used by living organisms
to make proteins, and this is the first time an amino acid has been found
in a comet,' said Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md. 'Our discovery supports the theory that some of life's
ingredients formed in space and were delivered to Earth long ago by
meteorite and comet impacts.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...18/1357243

Links:
0. http://spacefellowship.com/
1. http://spacefellowship.com/2009/08/18/na...-in-comet/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Problems With Porting Games |
| from the i-don't-have-that-button dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 18, @10:46 (Games) |
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid...18/1411225 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]mr_sifter writes "There's a large lexicon of monosyllabic, four-letter
words for describing something you don't like — but only PC gamers use
the word 'port' with such a fervent degree of repulsion. Common
complaints about console ports include meager graphics options, dodgy
third-person camera angles, poorly-thought-out controls and sparsely
distributed save points. In this feature, Bit-tech talks to developers of
games such as Dead Space, Red Faction and Tales of Monkey Island to find
out why [1]porting games between the three major consoles and the PC is
so difficult. Radically different CPU, graphics and memory architectures
play their part, as do the differences in control methods and the rules
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo set about how games should work on their
systems."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...18/1411225

Links:
0. http://www.thewiredjester.co.uk/
1. http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2009/08/1...ng-games/1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| World's Only Diesel-Electric Honda Insight |
| from the something-like-that-I'd-drive-even-more dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 18, @11:40 (Transportation) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?...18/1534231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Jake Staub writes "Just replaced the gasoline engine in a Honda
Insight with a Diesel engine. On a 3,000 mile cross-country shakedown
journey the car averaged 92mpg over 1,800 miles. Around a very hilly town
in Northwest Washington, the car is averaging 78mpg. These mileage
averages are without the electric side of the vehicle fully functional.
With a bit more tinkering on the electric side and through a slight
gearing change through tire size, it is anticipated that the car will
likely average 100mpg. The build for the car has been [1]documented on
the web site and is as close to open source as my time allows. The car
was built by two guys in a garage in Southern Maryland. If we can do it I
don't see any reason why major auto manufacturers can't do it since we
used their parts."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...18/1534231

Links:
0. mailto:jpstaub@msn.com
1. http://www.redlightracing.org/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Looking For a Link Between Sci-Fi UFOs and UFO Reports |
| from the it's-spooky-how-the-aliens-manipulate-hollywood dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 18, @12:27 (Sci-Fi) |
| http://entertainment.slashdot.org/articl...18/1558249|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

NewsWatcher writes "The BBC has an interesting story about the [0]link
between sightings of UFOs and sci-fi films. From the article: 'Documents
from the Ministry of Defence released by the National Archives show the
department recorded 117 sightings in 1995 and 609 in 1996.' Those years
correlate with the screening of the film Independence Day (1996) and when
The X-Files was at the height of its popularity in the UK (1995). 'The
more that alien life is covered in films or television documentaries, the
more people look up at the sky and don't look down at their feet,' said
an expert on UFO sightings based at Sheffield Hallam University."

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...18/1558249

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8205424.stm


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why the BSA Is Less Reviled Than the RIAA |
| from the cry-havoc-and-let-slip-the-trolls-of-war dept. |
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 18, @13:14 (Businesses) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/1654220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The [1]Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a
trade group established in 1988 representing a number of the world's
largest software makers whose principal activity is trying to stop
copyright infringement of software produced by its members, performing
roughly the same function for the software industry that the RIAA
performs for the music industry. Yet, as Bill Patry, author of a 7-volume
treatise on US copyright law and currently Senior Copyright Counsel at
Google, notes on his blog the BSA is a 'far less unpopular organization'
than the RIAA because [2]there are three key differences between the
BSA's campaigns and the RIAA's. First, BSA's members have always offered
their products for sale to the public, through any channel that wants to
sell them. Second, BSA's members are consumer-oriented; they try to
develop products that respond to consumers' needs, and not, the reverse:
focusing on what they want to sell to consumers. Third, because consumers
can easily purchase BSA's members products, those who copy without paying
are simply scofflaws. 'I think the fact that the public does not object
to BSA's campaign proves my point [that]... people do not want things for
free; they are willing to pay for them,' writes Patry. 'It should not be
surprising that when consumers are not treated with respect, they react
negatively. That's something the software industry learned long ago, and
that's why people don't object to the BSA's enforcement campaign.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/1654220

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Software_Alliance
2. http://moralpanicsandthecopyrightwars.bl...reply.html


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Scala, a Statically Typed, Functional, O-O Language |
| from the means-scaleable dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @14:00 (Programming) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/1725217 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]inkslinger77 notes a Computerworld [1]interview with Martin Odersky on
the Scala language, which is getting a lot of attention from its use on
high-profile sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn. The strongly typed
language is intended to be a usable melding of functional and
object-oriented programming techniques. "My co-workers and I spend a lot
of time writing code so we wanted to have something that was a joy to
program in. That was a very definite goal. We wanted to remove as many of
the incantations of traditional high-protocol languages as possible and
give Scala great expressiveness so that developers can model things in
the ways they want to. ... You can express Scala programs in several
ways. You can make them look very much like Java programs which is nice
for programmers who start out coming from Java. ... But you can also
express Scala programs in a purely functional way and those programs can
end up looking quite different from typical Java programs. Often they are
much more concise. ... Twitter has been able to sustain phenomenal
growth, and it seems with more stability than what they had before the
switch, so I think that's a good testament to Scala. ... [W]e are looking
at new ways to program multicore processors and other parallel systems.
We already have a head start here because Scala has a popular actor
system which gives you a high-level way to express concurrency. ... The
interesting thing is that actors in Scala are not a language feature,
they have been done purely as a Scala library. So they are a good witness
to Scala's flexibility..."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/1725217

Links:
0. mailto:inkslinger77@gmail.com
1. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/...fp=4194304&fpid=1


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sony Announces PS3 Slim, Price Cut, Improvements To Home |
| from the worst-kept-secret dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 18, @14:45 (PlayStation (Ga|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.../18/187216 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

Sony's press conference today at the Gamescom convention was full of
announcements. They [0]officially revealed the PS3 Slim, which will be
36% lighter and 33% smaller than the normal PS3. It will come with a 120
GB hard drive and list for $299 when it hits retail stores in early
September. Normal PS3s will [1]drop to that price as well starting
tomorrow. (Unfortunately for Sony, their unveiling was spoiled a bit by
several retailers [2]jumping the gun on new advertisements, not to
mention the [3]rumors that had been swirling for weeks ahead of time.)
Sony also announced [4]a PS3 firmware update as well as [5]new features
and customization options for Home. In addition to that, the PS3 and PSP
will be getting a [6]digital reader service. At launch it will bring
access to Marvel comic books, and will expand from there. They didn't
talk much about their upcoming motion control scheme, but promised more
details next month at the Tokyo Game Show.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../18/187216

Links:
0. http://kotaku.com/5339968/sony-announces...-september
1. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/60043
2. http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/sony-...kmart-300/
3. http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/08...y?from=rss
4. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/18/ps3-fi...o-the-xmb/
5. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/18/playst...ization-o/
6. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/60041


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Excalibur Almaz To Offer Commercial Orbital Flights |
| from the big-circle-in-the-sky dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @15:29 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?s...18/1749231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]xp65 alerts to the plans of an international consortium called
Excalibur Almaz Limited to [1]open up a new era of private orbital space
flight for commercial customers. The group, consisting of Russian, US,
and Japanese companies, will use a formerly top-secret Soviet re-entry
vehicle called [2]Almaz to carry paying research crews on one-week
missions into Earth orbit by 2013. This ambition represents a large step
beyond the sub-orbital flight market so far targeted by most other
private space companies. "Excalibur has raised 'tens of millions of
dollars' to initiate what will become a several hundred million dollar
program, [CEO] Dula tells Spaceflight Now. He has spent more than 20
years eying this specific Almaz program... He also says 'the business
plan closes' generating profits within a few years. His surveys have
found research and science customers for space missions that are not
tourist hops, but less demanding than ISS operations."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...18/1749231

Links:
0. http://spacefellowship.com/
1. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/18almaz/
2. http://excaliburalmaz.com/SP1/spacecraft-almaz.php


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Predicting Malicious Web Attacks |
| from the you-will-begin-ddosing-me-in-three-two-one dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @16:13 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/18/1828255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]KentuckyFC writes "[1]Recommendation systems attempt to guess what
books, movies, or news people are likely to be interested in. Companies
such as Amazon, Google, and Netflix have developed algorithms to mine
vast databases looking for correlations that they then use to recommend
new items. Now a team of computer scientists has used some of the same
filtering techniques to [2]predict the origin of malicious Web attacks so
that they can be blacklisted in advance. The team mined a database of
hundreds of millions of security logs looking for correlations between
victims. The correlations were then used to produce a predictive
blacklist of potential attackers. The team says its algorithm is up to 70
per cent more successful at predicting the origin of attacks than current
state-of-the-art predictive blacklisting."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/18/1828255

Links:
0. http://arxivblog.technologyreview.com/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recommender_system
2. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/23998/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Smarter Clients Via ReverseHTTP and WebSockets |
| from the edges-are-not-dumb dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @17:01 (Software) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.p...18/1836214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]igrigorik writes "Most web applications are built with the assumption
that the client / browser is 'dumb,' which places all the scalability
requirements and load on the server. We've built a number of crutches in
the form of Cache headers, ETags, and accelerators, but none has
fundamentally solved the problem. As a thought experiment: what if the
browser also contained a Web server? A look at some of the [1]emerging
trends and solutions: HTML 5 WebSocket API and ReverseHTTP."

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments....18/1836214

Links:
0. http://www.igvita.com/
1. http://www.igvita.com/2009/08/18/smart-c...ebsockets/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| i4i Says OpenOffice Does Not Infringe Like MS Word |
| from the tooth-for-tooth dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @17:46 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/18/190227 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "After the [1]permanent
injunction barring Microsoft from selling Microsoft Word, many armchair
lawyers and pundits wondered how the ruling would affect OpenOffice. The
company with [2]the patent, i4i, [3]believes that OpenOffice does not
infringe upon it. But lest anyone think that therefore ODF will win out
over OOXML, keep in mind that Microsoft has its own [4]broad XML document
patent, which issued just two weeks ago, having been filed in December
2004, and they're [5]telling the Supreme Court to apply the Bilski ruling
narrowly, so that it doesn't invalidate patents like theirs (and i4i's).
After all, unlike most companies and individuals, Microsoft can afford
$290 million infringement fines. Then again, given that Microsoft's new
patent has only two independent claims (claim #1 and claim #12), and both
of those claims 'comprise' something using an 'XML file format for
documents associated with an application having a rich set of features,'
maybe they wouldn't be that hard to work around if you just make sure any
otherwise infringing format is only associated with an application
lacking in the feature richness department."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/18/190227

Links:
0. http://www.eff.org/support
1. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...12/1129230&tid=11
2. http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=y8UkAAAAEBAJ
3. http://gcn.com/Articles/2009/08/17/Feder...n.aspx?p=1
4. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,571,169.PN.&OS=PN/7,571,169&RS=PN/7,571,169
5. http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?...2034806294


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Fatal Explosion At Russian Hydroelectric Dam |
| from the price-of-green dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @18:32 (Earth) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/1916211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

stadium writes "[0]An oil-filled transformer exploded at the
Sayano-Shushenskaya power plant in Siberia, destroying three turbines and
bringing down the ceiling of the turbine hall, which then violently
flooded. The dam itself did not sustain any damage. It is unclear how
many people were killed, but with 12 confirmed deaths and as many as 64
still missing (all presumed dead), this is a serious incident. The huge
transformer had enough oil in it to produce a three-mile-long oil spill
slowly moving downriver. BBC News [1]reports with [2]three separate
[3]videos. The dam produces a quarter of the total energy of RusHydro
(whose stock thus took a [4]steep dive at London Stock Exchange) and also
feeds the world's largest aluminum smelter. The damages will take years
to repair."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/1916211

Links:
0. http://www.eng.rushydro.ru/press/news/7550.html
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8204860.stm
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8206998.stm
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8207816.stm
4. http://www.londonstockexchange.com/excha...7USUSDIOBU


Reply
#45
Aug 20 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Windows 7 To Sell In UK For Half the US Price
* Australian Police Database Lacked Root Password
* The Mindset of the Incoming College Freshmen
* Advice On Creating an Open Source Textbook?
* How To Build a 100,000-Port Ethernet Switch
* First Age of Conan Expansion On the Way
* Japanese Political Candidates Go Dark Online
* Opting Out of the Google Books Settlement, Pro & Con
* URL Shortener tr.im To Go Community-Owned, Open Source
* Behind Menuet, an OS Written Entirely In Assembly
* Schneier On a Generation Gap In Privacy
* Judge Rules To Reveal Anonymous Blogger's Identity Over Insults
* Average Gamer Is 35, Fat and Bummed
* Relativistic Navigation Needed For Solar Sails
* How the Pirate Bay Will Be Legalized
* CCP Announces Console MMO Tie-In To the EVE Universe
* Is Typing Ruining Your Ability To Spell?
* Wired Writer Disappears, Find Him and Make $5k
* The Decline of the Landline
* Fable III Announced For 2010
* Flickr Yanks Image of Obama as Joker
* Neural Networks-Equipped Robots Evolve the Ability To Deceive
* 'Awful' Internet Rules Released
* "Hidden" PayPal Fees Inciting Community Unrest
* Network Adapter Keeps Talking While a PC Is Asleep
* Pidgin Adds Google Talk Voice and Video Support (and a Vulnerability)
* Prototype Motherboard Clusters Self-Coordinating Modules
* SSN Overlap With Micronesia Causes Trouble For Woman

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Windows 7 To Sell In UK For Half the US Price |
| from the but-wait-you-also-get dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @20:17 (Windows) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/18...-the-US-Pr|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "In the UK, a full version of Windows 7 Home
Premium is going to [0]cost less than half the price Americans will have
to pay, and in fact less than Americans have to pay just for the
upgrade-only edition. Full details and prices were published in an
article on CNet, in which it was concluded that, at least for the time
being, Microsoft is honoring the prices it set for the now-discontinued
European version of Win7, which did not contain Internet Explorer 8 and
was only available as a full-install edition."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/1931242

Links:
0. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39029...374,00.htm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Australian Police Database Lacked Root Password |
| from the kick-me dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @22:02 (Security) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/18/2...Root-Passw|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Concerned Citizen writes "The [0]Australian Federal Police database has
been hacked, although 'hacked' might be too strong a word for what
happens when someone gains access to a MySQL database with no root
password. Can you be charged with breaking and entering a house that has
the door left wide open? Maybe digital trespassing is a better term for
this situation. 'These dipshits are using an automatic digital forensics
and incident response tool,' the hacker wrote. 'All of this [hacking] had
been done within 30-40 minutes. Could of [sic] been faster if I didn't
stop to laugh so much.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/18/2119254

Links:
0. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/secu...-eohc.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Mindset of the Incoming College Freshmen |
| from the we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @22:24 (Education) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...ge-Freshme|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Beloit College has come out with its [0]annual Mindset List of what the
incoming class (of 2013) has always known and has never known. "For these
students, ... the Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy
picking vegetables. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
... Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible. ... Rap music
has always been mainstream. ... Except for the present incumbent, the
President has never inhaled. ... Amateur radio operators have never
needed to know Morse code."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../19/013257

Links:
0. http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2013.php

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Advice On Creating an Open Source Textbook? |
| from the not-for-mammon-alone dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 18, @23:47 (Books) |
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/08/18/...e-Textbook |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Occamboy writes "I wrote a slightly successful (30,000+ copies sold)
computer communications textbook a number of years back that was
published via the traditional textbook publishing route. The royalties
were nice, but, frankly, the bigger money came from the boost in my
professional standing (I'm a practicing engineer, not a professor). I
also felt bad when the publisher hiked the price dramatically every year
because students were stuck once a professor adopted a text — $50 for a
smallish paperback seemed very high (although I like to think what they
learned was worth it!). I'm thinking of writing another textbook, this
time about the practice of software engineering in critical systems,
using the experience I've gained in the decades I've spent developing,
and managing the development of, software-driven medical devices. Poking
around on the Net, I've found several intriguing options for distributing
open source texts, such as [0]Flatworld Knowledge, [1]Lulu, and
[2]Connexions. This concept of free or inexpensive texts intrigues me —
the easy adoption and lack of price-gouging. Do any Slashdotters have
experience with this new paradigm? Any suggestions or experiences to
share from authors, students, and/or professors, who've written, read, or
adopted open source or low-cost texts from any source?"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...18/2137216

Links:
0. http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/
1. http://www.lulu.com/
2. http://cnx.org/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How To Build a 100,000-Port Ethernet Switch |
| from the stretching-the-fabric dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 19, @02:34 (Networking) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/18...net-Switch|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

BobB-nw writes "University of California at San Diego researchers Tuesday
are presenting a [0]paper (PDF) describing software that they say could
[1]make data center networks massively scalable. The researchers say
their PortLand software will enable Layer 2 data center network fabrics
scalable to 100,000 ports and beyond; they have a prototype running at
the school's Department of Computer Science and Engineering's Jacobs
School of Engineering. 'With PortLand, we came up with a set of
algorithms and protocols that combine the best of layer 2 and layer 3
network fabrics,' said Amin Vahdat, a computer science professor at UC
San Diego. 'Today, the largest data centers contain over 100,000 servers.
Ideally, we would like to have the flexibility to run any application on
any server while minimizing the amount of required network configuration
and state... We are working toward a network that administrators can
think of as one massive 100,000-port switch seamlessly serving over one
million virtual endpoints.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/1951204

Links:
0. http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~vahdat/papers/po...comm09.pdf
1. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/08...tland.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| First Age of Conan Expansion On the Way |
| from the now-with-one-hundred-percent-more-age dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @03:55 (Role Playing (Games)) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/1...On-the-Way |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Funcom announced today that they are working on [0]the first expansion to
Age of Conan, titled Rise of the Godslayer. In addition to high-level
content, it contains new objectives for lower levels as well, in an
effort to fill out the leveling process. It also introduces new factions
that are at war with each other: "Faction gameplay plays a large role in
Rise of the Godslayer, presenting the player with choices that earn them
both allies and enemies in Khitai. Through questing and adventure players
can advance through faction ranks, rewarding them with treasures such as
epic new armor and weapons. Players can choose to continue their
adventures with existing characters, acquiring new combat abilities and
spells through a robust alternate advancement system, or start over again
as a Khitan — an all-new culture." A [1]brief trailer has been posted,
and Eurogamer has [2]a more detailed preview of the new content.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...19/0532226

Links:
0. http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?show=933
1. http://www.massively.com/2009/08/18/func...e-of-cona/
2. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/age-of...er-preview

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Japanese Political Candidates Go Dark Online |
| from the sounds-relaxing-actually dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 19, @05:21 (The Internet) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/18...-Dark-Onli|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

maximus1 writes "A 59-year-old election law [0]prevents Japanese
candidates from blogging and twittering during the campaigning window.
So, on Tuesday, 1,370 Japanese will stop all online activity. Candidates
get a brief slot on public television, usually in the early or late-night
hours when few are watching, to make their pitch. The rest of the time is
spent campaigning in neighborhoods, walking through the streets, and
making speeches outside railway stations. If opinion polls are to be
believed, the Aug. 30 election could be the law's last stand. Voter
turnout among the young is poor, and some believe it's because the
old-fashioned method of campaigning has failed to energize a population
that is surrounded by digital media from the day they are born. 'The
Internet must be made available for election campaigns as soon as
possible,' the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's second-largest newspaper, wrote in
a recent editorial."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...18/2143243

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/legal/74834/day-blogging-stopped

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Opting Out of the Google Books Settlement, Pro & Con |
| from the orphans-got-rights dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 19, @08:08 (Google) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...Settlement-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Here are diametrically opposing view on what authors should do about the
upcoming deadline to opt out of the [0]Google [1]Books [2]settlement.
[3]Miracle Jones writes "The William Morris Agency has [4]come out
strongly against the Google Books settlement for its clients, citing the
fact that the settlement creates a non-competitive marketplace for a
whole new product (orphan books), in addition to containing provisions
that will make it impossible for writers to remove books from the
database after 27 months have passed: 'We believe that the license being
given to Google to publish and display with impunity out-of-print
"orphan" works (where the rights owner is unknown and estimated by the
Financial Times to be between 2.8 and 5 million books out of 32 million
books protected by copyright in the United States) will open the door to
establishing Google as the most comprehensive database, potentially a
monopoly, with unfair bargaining power.'" On the other side of the
debate, [5]James Gleick writes "With the deadline approaching for 'opting
out' of the Google Books settlement, the [6]Authors Guild has posted an
aggressive explanation of who it thinks should do that: no one. Not a
single author in the world, it argues, stands to benefit from removing
himself or herself from the class. This comes as part of a new set of
'Answers' meant to push back against what the authors group thinks is
widespread confusion about the settlement; they also address questions
about just what kind of money we might be talking about, and what kind of
control authors will have over Google's use of their work."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/0039254

Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/28/145249&tid=332
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...31/1719204&tid=14
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/03/1628233&tid=172
3. mailto:ticktickticktick.gmail@com
4. http://www.fictioncircus.com/news.php?id=436&mode=one
5. http://around.com/
6. http://authorsguild.org/advocacy/article...t-out.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| URL Shortener tr.im To Go Community-Owned, Open Source |
| from the keeping-up-with-the-twitses dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @08:52 (The Internet) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...y-Owned-Op|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal sends word that the owners of URL-shortening service tr.im
are in the process of releasing the project's source code and [1]moving
it into the public domain. This comes after reports that the service may
shut down and that they were entertaining offers from prospective buyers.
From a post on the site's blog: "It is our hope that tr.im, being an
excellent URL shortener in its own right, can now begin to [2]stand in
contrast to the closed twitter/bit.ly walled garden: it will become a
completely open solution owned and operated by the community for the
benefit of the entire community." They plan to complete the transition by
September 15th, and the code will be released under the MIT license. In
addition, "tr.im will offer all link-map data associated with tr.im URLs
to anyone that wants it in real-time. This will involve a variety of
time-based snapshots of aggregated destination URLs, the number of tr.im
URLs created for any given destination URL, and aggregate click data."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../19/120206

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=2F1591F...6BFC04B3B7
2. http://blog.tr.im/post/165049236/tr-im-t...nity-owned

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Behind Menuet, an OS Written Entirely In Assembly |
| from the keep-it-simple dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @09:34 (Operating Systems) |
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/09...n-Entirely|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir writes "[1]MenuetOS is an operating system written
entirely in assembly language. As a result it's extremely quick and
compact (it can even fit on a floppy disk, despite having a GUI). It can
run Quake. Two of the developers behind MenuetOS took time out to talk
about what inspired them to [2]undertake the daunting task of writing the
operating system, the current state of Menuet and future plans for it."

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments....19/1259210

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.menuetos.net/
2. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/...y_language

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Schneier On a Generation Gap In Privacy |
| from the get-off-my-lawnbook dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @10:17 (Privacy) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/...In-Privacy |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

goompaloompa writes "In the Japan Times, Bruce Schneier writes that a
passing conversation online is not what it may seem and that
[0]maintaining your privacy is becoming even more difficult as social
media and cloud computing become the norm. Furthermore, while users in
Japan may think they are secure, their level of protection may vary when
the computers that store their data are overseas. At the root of the
problem is a new generation gap: old laws incapable of covering
current-day scenarios. Quoting: 'Twenty years ago, if someone wanted to
look through your correspondence, they had to break into your house. Now,
they can just break into your ISP. Ten years ago, your voicemail was on
an answering machine in your office; now it's on a computer owned by a
telephone company. ... We need comprehensive data privacy laws,
protecting our data and communications regardless of where it is stored
or how it is processed. We need laws forcing companies to keep it private
and delete it as soon as it is no longer needed, and laws giving us the
right to delete our data from third-party sites. And we need
international cooperation to ensure that companies cannot flaunt data
privacy laws simply by moving themselves offshore."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...19/1325233

Links:
0. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/n...819a1.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Judge Rules To Reveal Anonymous Blogger's Identity Over Insults |
| from the truth-no-longer-the-best-defense-to-libel dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @10:59 (Privacy) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/...loggers-Id|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Several readers have written to tell us of a ruling in the New York
Supreme Court which will allow model Liskula Cohen to [0]find out the
identity of an anonymous blogger who posted some of her photos with
captions including the words "psychotic," "skank," and "ho." The site was
part of Blogger.com, and Google has already complied with a request for
the author's IP address and email. "[Cohen's attorney] said that once his
legal team tracks the e-mail address to a name, the next step will be to
sue Cohen's detractor for defamation. He said he suspected the creator of
the blog is an acquaintance of Cohen. The blog has not been operational
for months. The unidentified creator of the blog was represented in court
by an attorney, Anne Salisbury, who said her client voluntarily took the
blog down when Cohen initiated legal action against it. ... the judge
quoted a Virginia court that ruled in a similar case that nameless online
taunters should be held accountable when their derision crosses a line.
'The protection of the right to communicate anonymously must be balanced
against the need to assure that those persons who choose to abuse the
opportunities presented by this medium can be made to answer for such
transgressions.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...19/1342248

Links:
0. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/18/...index.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Average Gamer Is 35, Fat and Bummed |
| from the fun-also-causes-cancer dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @11:42 (Medicine) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/1...and-Bummed |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

kamapuaa writes "According to a study published in the upcoming October
issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the average US
video game player is [0]35 years old, overweight, and tends toward
depression. Specifically, female video game players tended towards
depression, while males tended towards large BMIs. While the study itself
points to several conclusions, one researcher noted: '... habitual use of
video games as a coping response may provide a genesis for
obsessive-compulsive video-game playing, if not video-game addiction.'"
On the flip side, the Washington Post is running a story about [1]the
mental health benefits of playing video games.

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...19/1516215

Links:
0. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32463904/ns/...nce-games/
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...02114.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Relativistic Navigation Needed For Solar Sails |
| from the i'd-rather-be-sailing dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @12:01 (Space) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...d-For-Sola|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]KentuckyFC writes "Last year, physicists calculated that a [1]solar
sail about a kilometer across with a mass of 300 kg (including 150 kg of
payload) would have a peak acceleration of roughly 0.6g if released about
0.1AU from the Sun, where the radiation pressure is highest. That kind of
acceleration could take it to the heliopause — the boundary between the
Solar System and interstellar space — in only 2.5 years; a distance of
200 AU. In 30 years, it could travel 2500AU, far enough to explore the
Oort Cloud. But the team has discovered a problem. Ordinary Newtonian
physics just doesn't cut it for the kind of navigational calculations
needed for this journey. Because the sail has to be released so close to
the Sun, it becomes subject to the effects of general relativity. And
although the errors these introduce are small, they become magnified over
the course of a long journey, [2]sending the sail roughly 1 million
kilometers off course by the time it reaches the Oort Cloud. What these
guys are saying is that if ever such a sail is launched (and the earliest
estimate is 2040), the navigators will have to be proficient in a new
discipline of relativistic navigation."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...19/1544225

Links:
0. http://arxivblog.technologyreview.com/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail
2. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24007/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How the Pirate Bay Will Be Legalized |
| from the by-nobody-going-there-anymore dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @12:26 (Media) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/...-Legalized |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal sends along this excerpt from Torrentfreak about how
Global Gaming Factory, the company who is buying The Pirate Bay, plans to
change the site in order to avoid the wrath of the entertainment
industry: "In a letter addressed to [shareholders], the company confirms
that the new Pirate Bay will become a pay site, while revealing some
additional details on how GGF plans to legalize it. To please the
entertainment industry, GGF will install a system that will allow the
copyright holders to [1]either authorize the 'illegal' torrent or have it
removed from the site. If the copyright holder chooses the first option,
they will be compensated every time the file is downloaded. In addition,
the board says that it will pay penalties if it has to. 'The holder will
be able to leave the file and obtain compensation or ask for removal of
the file. GGF will also pay any penalties that may arise,' the GGF board
announced."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...19/1618224

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://torrentfreak.com/how-the-pirate-b...ed-090819/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CCP Announces Console MMO Tie-In To the EVE Universe |
| from the ambitious-endeavours dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @12:49 (Role Playing (Games)) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/1...n-To-the-E|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Hork_Monkey writes "CCP Games, developer of the popular MMO EVE Online,
has [0]announced a new game called Dust 514. Building on the EVE
universe, this game will provide [1]planetary combat from an RTS and FPS
perspective, with significant impact into the space combat aspects of EVE
Online. Love or hate EVE Online, this appears to be an innovative way to
expand the overall universe by catering to a different gamer audience. A
video with [2]a trailer and further explanation was posted from GDC
Europe."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...19/1630255

Links:
0. http://www.eveonline.com/pressreleases/d...leaseID=60
1. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_in...tory=24886
2. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/08/dust...ps_con.php

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is Typing Ruining Your Ability To Spell? |
| from the my-spellchecker-sure-thinks-so dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @13:10 (Ask Slashdot) |
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/...y-To-Spell |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]NSN A392-99-964-5927 writes "My handwriting abilities have
deteriorated over the years. Putting a real pen to paper, I get
frustrated over how to spell correctly, as I am so accustomed to using a
keyboard and knowing where the letters are. Having spoken to a few
friends, I've found that this has become apparent to them, too. I've
noticed that my grammar is also affected; maybe this is because I spent
too much time on IRC and lowered my standards. Hand-written words are now
becoming obsolete. There is often no need to think about writing anymore,
or about how something is spelled. Are other Slashdotters having the same
problem? (I'm used to Telex machines, which should give you an indication
of how old I am.)"

Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...19/1653210

Links:
0. mailto:lynx@constructiontalking.com

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Wired Writer Disappears, Find Him and Make $5k |
| from the hiding-in-plain-sight dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 19, @13:28 (Privacy) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/...and-Make-5|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

carp3_noct3m writes "A freelance Wired magazine journalist has decided to
see what it is like to disappear from normal life, all while staying on
the grid. The catch, is that [0]he is challenging anyone and everyone to
find him, take a picture, and speak a special codeword to him. If you can
do that, you can make 5000 dollars, which happens to come out of his
paycheck for the article he'll be writing. Oh, and to top it all off,
whoever finds him gets pictures and interviews in Wired. He has been
posting to his [1]Twitter, using TOR for internet, and the Wired website
will be posting his credit card transactions."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...19/1626217

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/vanish/2009/08/auth...-win-5000/
1. http://twitter.com/theatavist

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Decline of the Landline |
| from the daddy-what-were-buggywhips? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @14:01 (Communications) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...e-Landline |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal writes "The phone network is thus not just a technical
infrastructure, but a socioeconomic one. The more Americans abandon it to
go mobile-only or make phone calls over the internet, [1]the more fragile
it becomes: its high fixed costs have to be spread over ever fewer
subscribers. If the telephone network in New York State were a
stand-alone business, it would already be in bankruptcy. In recent years
it has lost 40% of its landlines and revenues have dropped by more than
30%."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/1736242

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://www.economist.com/opinion/display...d=14213965

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Fable III Announced For 2010 |
| from the a-boy-and-his-dog-and-his-empire dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, @14:10 (Role Playing (Games)) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/1...d-For-2010 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Flea of Pain writes "Fable III is finally in the works! 'Peter Molyneux
revealed that his team is [0]working on Fable III, which will arrive in
late 2010, two years after the release of Fable II. The game will give
you the primary task of becoming Albion's king and leading the people to
happiness and the kingdom to glory. Fable III will be something bold and
different, Molyneux promises, stating that story and drama will play a
major part in it. New things will be done with the dog and the
bread-crumb-trails mechanic, which were present in the second game, and
you will be offered complete control of your actions and your people's
actions, as you will be the king of Albion. ... [Y]ou will need to
balance many things, including poverty and greed, tyranny and compassion
or progress and tradition, all in order to keep your subjects happy.
Furthermore, you will be able to set taxes and decide how you will rule
your subjects. Your spouse, be it a king or a queen, will also point you
into various directions over the course of the game. It seems that you
will start as a son or daughter of the hero from Fable II and then
progress until the halfway point of the game when you will be named king
or queen of Albion. This means that you need to keep your save data from
Fable II in order for a higher degree of customization.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../19/173259

Links:
0. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fable-III...9576.shtml

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Flickr Yanks Image of Obama as Joker |
| from the such-treatment-is-only-for-the-old-boss dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @14:49 (Censorship) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/...a-as-Joker |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "An interesting article yesterday about the
unmasking of the recent creator of the controversial and iconic
Obama/Joker image that has been popping up around Los Angeles with the
word Socialism under it. [0]The Los Angeles Times has identified the
images' creator as Firas Alkhateeb. Even more interesting though is the
fact that after getting over 20,000 hits on the image at Flickr, Flickr
[1]removed the image from Alkateeb's photostream, citing 'copyright'
concerns. The image in question is clearly both an independent derivative
work and unquestionably a parody of the President and Time Magazine which
would be covered under fair use. It has appeared on many other sites
without issue on the Internet." According to the same reader, "Flickr
also [2]recently nuked an entire user's photostream over negative
comments on President Obama's official photostream."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...19/1836210

Links:
0. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washingt...rtist.html
1. http://thomashawk.com/2009/08/flickr-cen...obama.html
2. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scav...y_id=41498

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Neural Networks-Equipped Robots Evolve the Ability To Deceive |
| from the I-never-blinked-that dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @14:59 (Robotics) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...ots-Evolve-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

pdragon04 writes "Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de
Lausanne in Switzerland have found that robots equipped with artificial
neural networks and programmed to find 'food' [0]eventually learned to
conceal their visual signals from other robots to keep the food for
themselves. The results are detailed in a PNAS study published today."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../19/185259

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/24010/?a=f

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 'Awful' Internet Rules Released |
| from the do-your-wuerst dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @15:40 (The Internet) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...s-Released |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

maximus1 writes "NetChoice, a trade group that identifies and fights
threats aimed at online communities and e-commerce, released iAWFUL, a
list of America's [0]10 worst legislative and regulatory proposals
targeted at the Internet. At the top of the list is a Maine law that
would require e-commerce sites to get parental approval before collecting
minors' personal information. According to the NetChoice site, 'lawmakers
approved the measure [1]despite the fact that Web sites have no means to
confirm such consent, and would be effectively forced to stop providing
valuable services like college information, test prep services, and class
rings.' Coming in second on the [2]iAWFUL list is a city ordinance that
would hit Internet users with an extra tax on hotel rooms. Scheduled to
take effect in September, the new tax is aimed at consumers who use the
Internet to bargain hunt for expensive NYC hotel rooms."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/1926219

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/internet/74927/tr...ernet-laws
1. http://www.netchoice.org/press/misguided...ation.html
2. http://www.iawful.com/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Hidden" PayPal Fees Inciting Community Unrest |
| from the everyone-wants-a-cut dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday August 19, @16:22 (The Almighty Buck) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...unity-Unre|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Several sites are reporting on the addition of [0]extra fees to PayPal
that are just starting to become common knowledge. While PayPal has
certainly had their fair share of controversy, the new "transaction fees"
that promise to affect the entire customer base are already well on their
way to becoming another. "For example, a personal account sending another
personal account money for a one-time payment for, say, mowing your lawn
was not previously charged any fees on either side, but is now charged
the usual transaction fee (the sender gets to decide who pays). The only
way to avoid this is by selecting 'gift' when making the transfer —
something you can't do if you're following through on a purchase or
invoice from someone. And, if you fall into this category (which many
people do), it's likely that you had no idea about the changes until just
now."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/2011258

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/08/...e-hike.ars

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Network Adapter Keeps Talking While a PC Is Asleep |
| from the would-make-me-feel-better-about-keeping-a-server-on dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @17:00 (Networking) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...ile-a-PC-I|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Al writes "Researchers at Microsoft and the University of California,
San Diego have developed a [1]network adapter that lets a computer enter
sleep mode without disrupting the network connection. The adapter, dubbed
Somniloquy (meaning to talk in one's sleep), consists of a gumstix
running embedded Linux, 64MB of RAM and a 2G SD memory card, connected
via USB. The adapter keeps the network connection going and the
researchers have also developed a simplified IM client and bittorrent
client that carry out more complicated tasks autonomously, only waking
the computer if, for example, an actualy IM is received or a download is
completed."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/2021210

Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/24001/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pidgin Adds Google Talk Voice and Video Support (and a Vulnerability) |
| from the hey-sometimes-stuff-happens dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @17:46 (Communications) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...d-Video-Su|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

ottothecow writes "While various attempts at video and voice support have
been in the pipeline since long before GAIM became Pidgin, fully
functioning support over XMPP is on its way. Lifehacker reports that
[0]Pidgin 2.6 adds voice and video support for GChat (and presumably any
other XMPP network) for Mac and Linux. Windows still has a few bugs but
they are being worked on. Pidgin 2.6.1 is only available as source at the
moment (but [1]precompiled versions are available at getdeb.)" Less
happily, an anonymous reader writes "A [2]remote arbitrary-code-execution
vulnerability has been found in Libpurple (used by Pidgin and Adium
instant messaging clients, among others), which can be triggered by a
remote attacker by sending a specially crafted MSNSLP packet with invalid
data to the client through the MSN server. No victim interaction is
required, and the attacker is not required to be in the victim's buddy
list (under default configuration)."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/2128210

Links:
0. http://lifehacker.com/5340632/pidgin-26-...ce-support
1. http://www.getdeb.net/app/Pidgin
2. http://www.coresecurity.com/content/libp...rary-write

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Prototype Motherboard Clusters Self-Coordinating Modules |
| from the your-mother's-so-modular-she-broke-up-with-herself dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday August 19, @18:35 (Hardware Hacking) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...rs-Self-Co|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "A group of hardware hackers has created a
motherboard prototype that uses [0]separate modules, each of which has
its own processor, memory and storage. Each square cell in this design
serves as a mini-motherboard and network node; the cells can allocate
power and decide to accept or reject incoming transmissions and programs
independently. Together, they form a networked cluster with significantly
greater power than the individual modules. The design, called the
Illuminato X Machina, is vastly different from the separate processor,
memory and storage components that govern computers today."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...19/2153203

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/08/m...therboard/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SSN Overlap With Micronesia Causes Trouble For Woman |
| from the not-my-problem dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 19, @19:35 (Government) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19...es-Trouble|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

stevel writes "Holly Ramer, who lives in Concord, NH, has never been to
the Federated States of Micronesia, but debt collectors [0]dun her
mercilessly for unpaid loans taken out by a small business owner in that
Pacific island nation. Why? Micronesia and other countries in the region
have their own Social Security Administrations which gave out numbers to
residents applying for US disaster relief loans. The catch is that the
Micronesian SSNs have fewer digits than the nine-digit US version, and
when credit bureaus entered these into their database, they padded them
out with zeros on the front. These numbers then matched innocent US
citizens with SSNs beginning with zeroes, as many in northern New England
do. The credit bureaus say to call the Social Security Administration,
the SSA says call the credit bureaus, the FTC says they can't help, and
nobody is taking responsibility for the confusion."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...19/2220209

Links:
0. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...wD9A437HG0

Reply
#46
Aug 21 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Marine Corps Wants a Throwable Robot
* Pi Calculated To Record 2.5 Trillion Digits
* Open Source Tech Used To Monitor Afghan Election
* US Navy Tries To Turn Seawater Into Jet Fuel
* Writing Style Fingerprint Tool Easily Fooled
* Amazon, MS, Google Clouds Flop In Stress Tests
* Irish ISP To Block Access To Pirate Bay
* NASA Probe Blasts 461 Gigabytes of Moon Data Daily
* The Myth of the Isolated Kernel Hacker
* IPv6 Challenges and Opportunities
* Poor Design Choices In the Star Wars Universe
* Xbox 360 Failure Rate Is 54.2%
* Cameron's Avatar Trailer Posted
* PCI Express 3.0 Delayed Till 2011
* US Life Expectancy May Have Peaked
* First American Internet Addiction Treatment Center
* A Video Ad, In a Paper Magazine
* New York MTA Asserts Copyright Over Schedule
* Speculating On the Far Future of Cellphones
* Alternative Orion Missions Proposed
* New Hitchhiker's Guide Book "Not Very Funny"

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Marine Corps Wants a Throwable Robot |
| from the goblin-bomb-dispenser dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 19, @21:11 (The Military) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...able-Robot |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]coondoggie writes "The US Marine Corps has a request — build and
rapidly deploy more [1]10lb-or-under robots its personnel can throw into
dangerous situations that can quickly gather information without
endangering Marines. The throwable robot is part of a family of robots
that would range from the 10lb version to one that would act as a central
controlling device and weigh close to 300lbs. Marine commanders are
demanding ever lighter robots so that troops don't have to offload
critical equipment from their rucksacks to accommodate them."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...19/2234201

Links:
0. http://networkworld.com/
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/44509

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pi Calculated To Record 2.5 Trillion Digits |
| from the almost-there dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 19, @22:37 (Math) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...illion-Dig|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Joshua writes "Researchers from Japan have [1]calculated Pi to over
2.5 trillion decimals using the [2]T2K Open Supercomputer (which is
currently ranked 47th in the world according to a June, 2009 report from
[3]Top500.org). This new number more than doubles the previous record of
about 1.2 trillion decimals set in 2002 by another Japanese research
team. Unfortunately, there still seems to be no pattern."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...19/2249242

Links:
0. mailto:JoshuaInNippon@gmail.com
1. http://www.examiner.com/x-16352-Japan-He...ion-digits
2. http://www.open-supercomputer.org/index.html
3. http://www.top500.org/list/2009/06/100

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Open Source Tech Used To Monitor Afghan Election |
| from the free-as-in-voting dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 19, @23:28 (Media) |
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/09/0...itor-Afgha|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

chrb writes "BBC News is reporting on how the [0]Alive in Afghanistan
project is helping to [1]oversee the Afghan elections using open-source
technologies. The site was set up by Brian Conley, who is also
responsible for 'Alive in Baghdad', 'Alive in Mexico', and who was
arrested for filming protests in China last year. The Afghan site uses
[2]FrontlineSMS and [3]Ushahidi to process and visualize SMS texts from
Afghani citizens, allowing reports from all over the country to be
rapidly collated and re-distributed globally."

Discuss this story at:
http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl...19/2246233

Links:
0. http://aliveinafghanistan.org/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8209172.stm
2. http://www.frontlinesms.com/
3. http://www.ushahidi.com/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Navy Tries To Turn Seawater Into Jet Fuel |
| from the ocean-in-the-tank dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 20, @01:52 (Power) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...er-Into-Je|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "New Scientist reports that, faced with global
warming and potential oil shortages, the [1]US Navy is experimenting with
making jet fuel from seawater by processing seawater into unsaturated
short-chain hydrocarbons that with further refining could be made into
kerosene-based jet fuel. The process involves extracting carbon dioxide
dissolved in the water and combining it with hydrogen — obtained by
splitting water molecules using electricity — to make a hydrocarbon fuel,
a variant of a [2]chemical reaction called the Fischer-Tropsch process,
which is used commercially to produce a gasoline-like hydrocarbon fuel
from syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen often derived from
coal. The Navy team have been experimenting to find out how to [3]steer
the CO2-producing process away from producing unwanted methane by finding
a different catalyst than the usual one based on cobalt. 'The idea of
using CO2 as a carbon source is appealing,' says Philip Jessop, a chemist
at Queen's University adding that to make a jet fuel that is properly
'green,' the energy-intensive electrolysis that produces the hydrogen
will need to use a carbon-neutral energy source; and the complex
multi-step process will always consume significantly more energy than the
fuel it produces could yield. 'It's a lot more complicated than it at
first looks.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...20/0215202

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17...-fuel.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer-Tropsch
3. http://oasys2.confex.com/acs/238nm/techp...260309.HTM

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Writing Style Fingerprint Tool Easily Fooled |
| from the is-that-your-signature dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 20, @05:08 (The Courts) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20/...sily-Foole|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Urchin writes "Some of the techniques used by literary detectives and
courts of law to identify the authorship of text are easily fooled, say
US researchers. They found that non-professional writers could [1]hide
their identity from 'stylometric' techniques by writing in the style of
novelist Cormac McCarthy. Stylometric methods have been used in a number
of high-profile legal cases in recent decades, including the 'Unabomber'
trial. 'We would strongly suggest that courts examine their methods of
stylometry against the possibility of adversarial attacks,' say the
researchers."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...20/0221246

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17...ooled.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Amazon, MS, Google Clouds Flop In Stress Tests |
| from the dark-clouds dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 20, @07:57 (Google) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...Stress-Tes|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Eponymous writes "A seven month study by academics at the University of
New South Wales has found that [0] the response times of cloud compute
services of Amazon, Google and Microsoft can vary by a factor of twenty
depending on the time of day services are accessed. One of the lead
researchers behind the stress tests reports that Amazon's EC2, Google's
AppLogic and Microsoft's Azure cloud services have limitations in terms
of data processing windows, response times and a lack of monitoring and
reporting tools."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/0327205

Links:
0. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/153451,str...cloud.aspx

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Irish ISP To Block Access To Pirate Bay |
| from the it'll-happen-here-soon dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @08:45 (Censorship) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20/...Pirate-Bay |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]flynn writes "Ireland's oldest and largest ISP will be [1]blocking
access to The Pirate Bay from September 1st, while other ISPs have
rejected the request to block TPB. From the Irish Times: 'Under an
out-of-court agreement with EMI Records, Sony Music, Universal Music and
Warners in January, Eircom agreed to cut off customers found to be
repeatedly downloading music illegally. The deal also required Eircom to
cut off access to Pirate Bay if requested. Yesterday, cable TV operator
UPC, which has more than 120,000 broadband subscribers, announced it
would not comply with a request to block access to Pirate Bay.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...20/1227210

Links:
0. mailto:flynny51@gmail.com
1. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/fron...tml?via=mr

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA Probe Blasts 461 Gigabytes of Moon Data Daily |
| from the thats-a-lotta-bits dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @09:32 (NASA) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...es-of-Moon|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]coondoggie writes "On its current space scouting mission, NASA's Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is using a pumped up communications device
to deliver [1]461 gigabytes of data and images per day, at a rate of up
to 100 Mbps. As the first high data rate K-band transmitter to fly on a
NASA spacecraft, the 13-inch-long tube, called a Traveling Wave Tube
Amplifier, is making it possible for NASA scientists to receive massive
amounts of images and data about the moon's surface and environment. The
amplifier was built by L-3 Communications Electron Technologies in
conjunction with NASA's Glenn Research Center. The device uses electrodes
in a vacuum tube to amplify microwave signals to high power. It's ideal
for sending large amounts of data over a long distance because it
provides more power and more efficiency than its alternative, the
transistor amplifier, NASA stated." It kills me that the moon has better
bandwidth than my house.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...20/1233258

Links:
0. mailto:mcooney@nww.com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/44529

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Myth of the Isolated Kernel Hacker |
| from the get-outta-yer-mom's-basement dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @10:09 (Programming) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...nel-Hacker |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Ant writes "[1]The Linux Foundation's report (PDF) on who writes Linux
— "... [2]Linux isn't written by lonely nerds hiding out in their
parents' basements. It's written by people working for major companies —
many of them businesses that you probably don't associate with Linux. To
be exact, while 18.2% of Linux is written by people who aren't working
for a company, and 7.6% is created by programmers who don't give a
company affiliation, everything else is written by someone who's getting
paid to create Linux. From top to bottom, of the companies that have
contributed more than 1% of the current Linux kernel, the list looks like
this: ..."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1342223

Links:
0. http://aqfl.net/
1. http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publicati...slinux.pdf
2. http://blogs.computerworld.com/14576/who...g_business

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| IPv6 Challenges and Opportunities |
| from the blah-blah-blah dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @10:51 (The Internet) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...ortunities |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]1sockchuck writes "Opinions differ on when the Internet will run out
of IPv4 addresses, prompting a wholesale transition to IPv6. In recent
videos, [1]John Curran of ARIN provides an overview of issues involved in
the IPv6 transition, while Martin Levy of [2]Hurricane Electric discusses
his company's view that early-mover status on IPv6 readiness can be a
competitive advantage for service providers. Levy's company has published
an [3]IPv4 DeathWatch app for the iPhone to raise awareness of the
transition."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1423224

Links:
0. http://www.gamehostingguide.com/
1. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archi...t-matters/
2. &feature=channel_page
3. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archi...he-iphone/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Poor Design Choices In the Star Wars Universe |
| from the there-are-so-many dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @11:31 (Star Wars Prequels) |
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story...he-Star-Wa|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Ant writes "[1]John Scalzi's AMC blog shows a short guide to the most
epic FAILs in [2]Star Wars design — 'I'll come right out and say it: Star
Wars has a badly-designed universe; so poorly-designed, in fact, that one
can say that a significant goal of all those Star Wars novels is to
rationalize and mitigate the bad design choices of the movies. Need
examples? Here's ten ...'"

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen.../20/153223

Links:
0. http://aqfl.net/
1. http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/200...r-wars.php
2. http://starwars.com/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Xbox 360 Failure Rate Is 54.2% |
| from the that-seems-a-bit-high dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @12:16 (XBox (Games)) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...ate-Is-542 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Colonel Korn writes "The Seattle PI Blog is reporting that a soon to be
published Game Informer survey finally shows the [0]failure rate of XBOX
360s: 54%! The survey also shows the rates of failure for the PS3 (11%)
and Wii (7%). Impressively, only 4% of respondents said they wouldn't buy
a new 360 because of hardware failures."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...20/1527212

Links:
0. http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/176741.asp

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Cameron's Avatar Trailer Posted |
| from the costs-a-little-more-than-district-9 dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 20, @13:02 (Sci-Fi) |
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story...ler-Posted |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

graviplana was one of several people to submit that Avatar, James
Cameron's 3D Sci-Fi epic has [0]released a trailer to whet your appetite.
There's a lot of very cool visual elements in there but no indication of
any actual story. Here's hoping there is one.

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...20/1614243

Links:
0. http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/hd/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PCI Express 3.0 Delayed Till 2011 |
| from the dreamliner-of-connections dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @13:49 (Upgrades) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...-Till-2011 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Professor_Quail writes "PC Magazine reports that the PCI SIG has
[0]officially delayed the release of the PCI Express 3.0 specification
until the second quarter of 2010. Originally, the PCI Express 3.0
specification called for the spec itself to be released this year, with
products due about a year after the spec's release, or in 2010."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../20/178209

Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351266,00.asp

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Life Expectancy May Have Peaked |
| from the so-lose-some-weight-and-eat-some-spinach dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @14:37 (Medicine) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...ave-Peaked |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Live Science reports that although life
expectancy in the United States has risen to an all-time high of 77.9
years in 2007 up from 77.7 in 2006, [1]gains in life expectancy may be
pretty much over, as some groups — particularly [2]people in rural
locations are already stagnating or slipping in contrast to all other
industrialized nations. Hardest hit are regions in the Deep South, along
the Mississippi River, in Appalachia and also the southern part of the
Midwest reaching into Texas. The culprits — largely preventable with
better diet and access to medical services — are diabetes, cancers and
heart disease caused by smoking, high blood pressure and obesity. What
the [3]new analysis reveals is the reality of two Americas, one on par
with most of Europe and parts of Asia, and another no different than a
third-world nation with the United States placing 41st on the 2008 CIA
World Factbook list, behind Bosnia but still edging out Albania.
'Beginning in the early 1980s and continuing through 1999 those who were
already [4]disadvantaged did not benefit from the gains in life
expectancy experienced by the advantaged, and some became even worse
off,' says a report published in PLoS Medicine by a team led by Harvard's
Majid Ezzati, adding that 'study results are troubling because an
oft-stated aim of the US health system is the improvement of the health
of "all people, and especially those at greater risk of health
disparities.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...20/1746241

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.livescience.com/health/090819...tancy.html
2. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/slid...ed.0050066&imageURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050066.g003
3. http://www.livescience.com/health/080422...spans.html
4. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info...ed.0050066

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| First American Internet Addiction Treatment Center |
| from the cure-for-what-doesn't-quite-ail-ye dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @15:21 (The Internet) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...n-Treatmen|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Taking their lead from China, two Americans
have opened the [0]first US-based Internet Addiction treatment center in
Fall City, Wash. — ironically close to Redmond (Microsoft's hometown).
The center, called reStart: Internet Addiction Recovery Program, is a
45-day treatment center where, for a steep set of fees, people can be
cured of their addiction to the Web. After paying the $200 application
fee, addicts are charged $14,500 for the 45 days, an additional $800 for
a screening, and more for extra services, like kayaking ($1,575)."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/1833202

Links:
0. http://www.internetevolution.com/author....ion_id=774&doc_id=180711&

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Video Ad, In a Paper Magazine |
| from the who'dathunkit dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @16:10 (The Media) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...r-Magazine |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]lee1 writes "The [1]first-ever video advertisement will be published
in a traditional paper magazine — Entertainment Weekly — in September.
The video will be displayed on slim-line screens around the size of a
mobile phone display and will have rechargeable batteries. The associated
chip can hold up to 40 minutes of video, and uses technology similar to
that used in singing greeting cards, playing the movie when the page is
turned. The first clips will preview CBS shows and advertise Pepsi, but
they will only be distributed in Los Angeles and New York. Imagine the
fun hacking possibilities."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../20/202243

Links:
0. http://lee-phillips.org/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8211209.stm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New York MTA Asserts Copyright Over Schedule |
| from the might-be-a-bargain-if-they-always-kept-the-schedule dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @16:52 (Transportation) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...ver-Schedu|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Presto Vivace writes "Greater Greater Washington reports that 'The New
York Metropolitan Transit Authority's lawyers are going after a local
blogger, and [1]attempting to block an iPhone application showing
Metro-North railroad schedules. The blog [2]StationStops writes about
Metro-North Commuter Railroad service north of New York City, and often
criticizes its operations. Its creator, Chris Schoenfeld, also created an
iPhone application to give Metro-North riders schedule information. Now
the MTA is insisting he pay them to license the data, and at one point
even accused the site of pretending to be an official MTA site.' I can't
believe that this the MTA's actions are going to go over well with the
public."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/2055225

Links:
0. http://www.prestovivace.biz/
1. http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=3263
2. http://www.stationstops.com/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Speculating On the Far Future of Cellphones |
| from the how-about-just-better-coverage? dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @17:43 (Communications) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/20...-Cellphone|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Trio writes "What will cellphones look like in in future? silicon.com
explores [0]five future characteristics that could shape tomorrow's
phones — from a wearable prototype such as [1]MIT's SixthSense device
which projects mobile data into the user's world, to a mobile that mixes
the real and the virtual by using [2]holographic telepresence. So far, so
futuristic, but one question remains: [3]will there be enough spectrum to
support [4]all this wireless communication?"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...20/2116247

Links:
0. http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,390...360,00.htm
1. http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,390...0-3,00.htm
2. http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,390...0-6,00.htm
3. http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,390...-20,00.htm
4. http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,390...308,00.htm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Alternative Orion Missions Proposed |
| from the things-I-did-not-ask-for dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @18:36 (Space) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...s-Proposed |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]skywatcher2501 writes "[1]Lockheed Martin, the company producing
NASA's new [2]Orion spacecraft, [3]published three videos (news article
in German) showing alternative Orion missions. Great efforts are made to
show Orion's flexibility as a space transportation system beyond the
goals of the [4]Constellation program." The three videos, respectively,
illustrate [5]ISS missions with cargo in low-Earth orbit; [6]autonomous
use of the service module; and [7]maintenance missions from low-earth
orbit to geosynchronous orbit.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?.../20/225255

Links:
0. mailto:ghostinthepuppet@gmail.com
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_martin
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(spacecraft)
3. http://www.raumfahrer.net/news/raumfahrt...5949.shtml
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Constellation
5. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/asset...dPart1.wmv
6. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/asset...dPart2.wmv
7. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/asset...dPart3.wmv

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Hitchhiker's Guide Book "Not Very Funny" |
| from the trying-to-meet-a-high-standard dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @19:37 (Books) |
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story...ook-Not-Ve|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

daria42 writes "An early review of part of the Eoin Colfer-penned sequel
to Douglas Adams's Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series [0]has panned
the book as not being very funny. If you read Hitchhiker to have a good
laugh, maybe you're going to be disappointed," wrote Nicolas Botti, on
his Douglas Adams fan site earlier this month."

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...20/2334235

Links:
0. http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/08/21...ery-funny/

Reply
#47
Aug 22 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Windows 7 Igniting Touchscreen PC Market
* Robots Make the Coins Go 'Round, Down Under
* Taiwan University Students Build Tour-Guide Robot
* Initial Tests Fail To Find Gravitational Waves
* ACP, One of the Oldest Open Source Apps
* Apple Allegedly Sought Non-Poaching Deal With Palm
* Nokia Leaks Phone With Full GNU/Linux Distribution
* Ask Blizzard About Starcraft2, Diablo III, WoW, or Battle.net
* Why Size Matters For Your SSD Purchase
* Clojure and Heroku Predict Flight Delays
* New Species of Worms Found To Release "Bombs"
* Ten Ways To Destroy a Hard Disk
* BlizzCon Keynote — New WoW Expansion, Diablo 3 Details
* Scientists Find Way To Combat Forged DNA
* Why AT&T Killed iPhone Google Voice
* Criminals Prefer Firefox, Opera Web Browsers
* China Jails Four For Microsoft XP Piracy

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Windows 7 Igniting Touchscreen PC Market |
| from the horses-for-courses dept. |
| posted by timothy on Thursday August 20, @22:37 (Input Devices) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...en-PC-Mark|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]ericatcw writes "Apple Inc. may still be coy about whether it plans to
launch a touch-screen tablet computer this year, but Windows PC makers
are forging right ahead. In the past three weeks, [1]five leading PC
makers have announced or been reported to confirm plans to release
touch-screen PCs in time for the multi-touch-enabled Windows 7, reports
Computerworld. Many appear to be using technology from New Zealand
optical touch vendor, [2]NextWindow, which already supplies HP's
market-leading TouchSmart line, and Dell's Studio One. NextWindow's CEO
says the company is working with partners on 8-10 products set for launch
within two months, in time for Windows 7's October 22nd release."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...21/0116243

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...creen_PCs_
2. http://www.nextwindow.com/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Robots Make the Coins Go 'Round, Down Under |
| from the can-haz-coin-collections dept. |
| posted by timothy on Friday August 21, @01:47 (Robotics) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...nd-Down-Un|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]inkslinger77 writes "Computerworld has a cool slideshow of a Kuka
Titan robot and a bunch of [1]AGVs [2]managing the circulation of coins
at the Australian Mint. There's also a [3]lengthier article where the
head of the project talks about the main reason robots were employed. One
of the reasons being that they radically reduce OH&S risk: 'We are
finding that the AGVs are much safer and more reliable. Robots are never
affected by having a bad night with the baby and falling asleep at the
wheel. They are extremely accurate and they always do the same task in
the same way.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...21/0034203

Links:
0. mailto:inkslinger77@gmail.com
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_Guided_Vehicle
2. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/...alian_mint
3. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/..._downunder

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Taiwan University Students Build Tour-Guide Robot |
| from the to-your-right-to-your-left dept. |
| posted by timothy on Friday August 21, @04:50 (Robotics) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...Build-Tour-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

BobB-nw writes "A group of engineering students and their professor at
[0]National Taiwan University have built a robot that [1]can map out the
area it's operating in and offer guided tours. The robot, named 'Hsiao
Mei,' uses laser mapping and GPS technology to navigate on its own,
including around corners and obstacles such as tables and chairs. In the
first public demonstration on Thursday, an engineering student with a
wireless remote control first took the robot through the floor of a small
museum on the university's campus so it could create a map for itself.
After the initial run-through, the robot was able to make an unaided
journey around the floor."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...21/0220204

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Taiwan_University
1. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/08...-tour.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Initial Tests Fail To Find Gravitational Waves |
| from the check-my-belly dept. |
| posted by timothy on Friday August 21, @07:57 (Space) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...avitationa|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes that though gravitational waves are "[0]predicted to
exist by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, the initial tests run
by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory Scientific
Collaboration (LIGO) [1]failed to find anything. It doesn't disprove
their existence although it does rule out a subset of string theory. From
the article, 'For example, some models predict the existence of cosmic
strings, which are loops in space-time that may have formed in the early
universe and gotten stretched to large scales along with the expansion of
the universe. These objects are thought to produce bursts of
gravitational waves as they oscillate. Since no large-amplitude
gravitational waves were found, cosmic strings, if they exist at all,
must be smaller than some models predict.' The scientists working in
Washington and Louisiana (in tandem to rule out flukes) will now move on
to Advanced LIGO which will analyze a volume of space 1,000 times larger.
If they don't find any gravitational waves in that experiment, the
results will be more than unsettling to many theorists."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...21/0223259

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_rel...onal_waves
1. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/09...waves.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ACP, One of the Oldest Open Source Apps |
| from the before-there-was-github dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 21, @08:48 (Software) |
| https://slashdot.org/story/09/08/21/1121...ource-Apps |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Esther Schindler writes "The Airline Control Program (ACP), introduced
by IBM around 1967, predated the term 'open source' by decades. But you
may be surprised by how much of its development resembles the FOSS
movement today. The ITWorld.com article [1]An Abbreviated History of ACP,
One of the Oldest Open Source Applications describes what made it
special."

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/21/1121202

Links:
0. mailto:esther@bitranch.com
1. http://www.itworld.com/print/75218

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Allegedly Sought Non-Poaching Deal With Palm |
| from the hands-off-or-at-least-palms-off dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 21, @09:38 (The Almighty Buck) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21...ing-Deal-W|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "A Bloomberg report that Apple CEO Steve Jobs
[1]proposed a possibly illegal truce with Palm against poaching their
respective employees is sure to pique the interest of the US Department
of Justice, which already is [2]investigating whether Google, Yahoo,
Apple, Genentech and other tech companies conspired to keep others from
stealing their top talent. 'Your proposal that we agree that neither
company will hire the other's employees, regardless of the individual's
desires, is not only wrong, it is likely illegal,' former Palm CEO Ed
Colligan reportedly told Jobs in August 2007." The article notes that
Apple was probably reacting to Palm's hiring of Jon Rubenstein, who had
been instrumental in developing the iPod and went on to spearhead the Pre
for Palm (and has now become Palm's chairman and CEO). "It's the story
about the importance of charismatic engineers," said veteran Silicon
Valley forecaster Paul Saffo. "People don't work for Palm. They work for
Jon Rubinstein. One has to wonder how Steve Jobs ever let Jon Rubinstein
leave."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...21/1134207

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_13171912
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/techno....html?_r=1&ref=technology

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Nokia Leaks Phone With Full GNU/Linux Distribution |
| from the rocket-in-your-pocket dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 21, @10:30 (Cellphones) |
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...Linux-Dist|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "It is now clear why Nokia has been so slow
with S60 updates: [0]the upcoming N900 just left everything else in the
dust. Unlike Google's Linux platform, Nokia is not intentionally breaking
compatibility with real distros, choosing instead to bring you the
unmatchable power of [1]GNU/Linux on your phone. This is the most awesome
device I have ever seen: MAP3 CPU/GPU, 3,5" 800x480 touchscreen,
keyboard, Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS; 5-MP camera, CZ lens, 32 GB storage, SD slot;
X11, VT100 terminal emulator, APT package manager. Estimated price
without credit: $780 (N.5800: $390, iPhone 3GS: $750). Developers should
note that even though the current desktop is still GTK+, Qt will be
standard across all Nokia platforms in the near future (less powerful
phones will use Qt on the Symbian kernel). Users can download flashing
software [2]from Nokia, and patches can be submitted [3]at the Maemo site."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...21/1155217

Links:
0. http://www.mobile-review.com/review/noki...0-en.shtml
1. http://maemo.org/intro/platform/
2. http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/
3. https://bugs.maemo.org/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ask Blizzard About Starcraft2, Diablo III, WoW, or Battle.net |
| from the have-you-fixed-the-controls-for-diablo-yet dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 21, @11:23 (Games) |
| https://interviews.slashdot.org/story/09...ft2-Diablo|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Well, Blizzcon 2009 is about to get underway (look for the big news from
the keynote in a few hours) and given how fast it sold out I'm sure there
are still many rabid fans interested in what Blizzard might have to say
that don't want to shell out the $40 for Pay-Per-View access. So, to that
end we have interviews scheduled tomorrow with the teams from Starcraft2,
Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and Battle.net. If there is anything you
wish to know about the progress or juicy details from any of these teams
please leave it in the comments below. We'll try to parse through for the
best questions and get you answers during our interview slots tomorrow.
The usual Slashdot [0]interview rules apply.

Discuss this story at:
http://interviews.slashdot.org/comments....21/1432226

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/faq/interviews.shtml

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why Size Matters For Your SSD Purchase |
| from the taking-out-the-trash dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 21, @12:15 (Data Storage) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...D-Purchase|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Vigile writes "Performance analysis on solid state drives is still coming
into clarity as more manufacturers enter the fold and more of the drives
find their way into users' hands. While Intel's dominance in the SSD
market was once undoubted, [0]newer garbage collection methods from
Indilinx and Samsung are now balancing performance across the the major
players. What hasn't been discussed in great detail yet is the effect
that drive capacity can have on overall performance. Some smaller drives
(64GB versus 128GB) will actually use fewer data channels from the
controller chip and thus will have lower transfer speeds. The article
[1]compares drives using controllers from Indilinx, Samsung and Intel."
Note that PCPer greedily spans this review over 12 pages. Next time maybe
they can keep it down to something more reasonable.

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...21/1252251

Links:
0. http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=766&type=expert&pid=11
1. http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=766

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Clojure and Heroku Predict Flight Delays |
| from the fully-buzzword-compliant dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 21, @13:09 (Programming) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21...ght-Delays |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

murphee writes "Flight delayed again? Should have asked [0]FlightCaster,
a new site using statistical analysis to predict the delay of your flight
in real-time. What's even better, the services is fully buzzword
compliant: it's built with [1]Clojure, distributed with Hadoop, served
with Rails, and hosted on [2]Heroku. This [3]interview with one of the
FlightCaster developers gives the gory details on architecture, Clojure
tips, and your boss a reason to let you have all the multimethods and
macros you can eat. Seems like now that [4]O'Reilly's publishing a LISP
book, the Age of Parenthesus has come..."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../21/140246

Links:
0. http://flightcaster.com/
1. http://clojure.org/
2. http://heroku.com/
3. http://www.infoq.com/articles/flightcast...jure-rails
4. http://lisp-book.org/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Species of Worms Found To Release "Bombs" |
| from the take-that-and-that dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Friday August 21, @13:58 (Education) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21...ease-Bombs|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]caffiend666 writes "A [1]newly found deep ocean worm 'can cast off
green glowing body parts, a move scientists think may be a defensive
effort to confuse attackers. Researchers have dubbed the newly discovered
critters "green bombers." ... The first of the new species has been given
the scientific name Swima bombiviridis. ... [T]he worms are able to
regenerate the body parts.' So, it's a naturally occurring animal that
rips off its arms and throws them, and we're not talking about [2]a game
from ID Software?"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../21/123236

Links:
0. http://www.geocities.com/critter_75075/
1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090820/ap_o...en_bombers
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ten Ways To Destroy a Hard Disk |
| from the ten-is-better-than-one dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Friday August 21, @14:18 (Security) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21/1...-Hard-Disk |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Barence writes "Following his blog [1]last week about the home-made
hard disk destroyer, Bustadrive, Mike Jennings was deluged with comments
from readers, both on the blog and [2]here on Slashdot. Most seemed to
like the product, but also offered up far more innovative and madcap
methods of hard disk destruction, with a wide range of implements used —
household and otherwise. In this follow-up post, he rounds up the best of
an imaginative bunch of [3]hard disk destruction methods."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/21/1233204

Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/14/...-destroyer
2. http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/17/12...-Destroyer
3. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/08/20/...n-methods/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| BlizzCon Keynote — New WoW Expansion, Diablo 3 Details |
| from the here-it-is dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Friday August 21, @15:48 (Role Playing (Games)) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...-Expansion-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

BlizzCon kicked off this morning with a keynote address that brought some
major announcements for some of their games. First, World of Warcraft's
third expansion, Cataclysm, was officially revealed. It differs from the
previous expansions in that they will not be creating an entirely new
continent for players to explore. Instead, the two huge continents from
the original game will be going through a literal cataclysm, causing some
zones to be destroyed, new ones to become available, and existing ones to
be entirely revamped. Big news came for Diablo III as well, with the
announcement of the Monk class and a trailer showing how it plays. More
details for both games as well as StarCraft II will undoubtedly become
available over the next few days, but read on for more about what we
already know. If you have any questions, don't forget to [0]post them
here.

This story continues at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...-3-Details

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...21/1945216

Links:
0. https://interviews.slashdot.org/story/09...-Battlenet

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Scientists Find Way To Combat Forged DNA |
| from the i'll-see-your-dna-evidence-and-raise-you-an-authenticator dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday August 21, @17:11 (Security) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21/2...Forged-DNA |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that while scientists may have
learned how to [0]forge DNA, it appears that a group of Israeli
scientists has created a [1]DNA authentication method that is able to
distinguish between real and faked DNA samples. "The new process was
tested on natural and artificial samples of blood, saliva and touched
surfaces, with complete success, Nucleix said. It also identifies
"contaminated" DNA that has been mixed with two or more samples."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/21/2056257

Links:
0. http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08/...e?from=rss
1. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/art...oiwc35Bm1w

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why AT&T Killed iPhone Google Voice |
| from the doesn't-take-a-genius dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Friday August 21, @17:54 (Cellphones) |
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/08/...ogle-Voice |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

ZuchinniOne writes "The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting
article about the likely [0]reasons that AT&T and Apple killed the Google
Voice application." 'With Google Voice, you have one Google phone number
that callers use to reach you, and you pick up whichever phone--office,
home or cellular--rings. You can screen calls, listen in before
answering, record calls, read transcripts of your voicemails, and do free
conference calls. Domestic calls and texting are free, and international
calls to Europe are two cents a minute. In other words, a unified voice
system, something a real phone company should have offered years ago.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...21/2115245

Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424...01262.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Criminals Prefer Firefox, Opera Web Browsers |
| from the choosy-criminals-choose-chimera dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Friday August 21, @18:37 (Security) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21/2...b-Browsers |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Security researchers at Purewire have
leveraged vulnerabilities in malware infrastructure to track the
criminals behind it. In a three-month long project, they used security
flaws in exploit kits to get [0]operators to expose themselves (Obnoxious
interstitial ad between link and content) when they access the kits'
admin control panels. Data collected shows that 50% of those tracked use
Firefox, while 25% use Opera."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/21/2119253

Links:
0. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/21/..._browsers/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| China Jails Four For Microsoft XP Piracy |
| from the imagine-what-they-do-if-you-make-a-silly-face dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Friday August 21, @19:21 (Windows) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21...-XP-Piracy |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

adeelarshad82 writes "Chinese court has [0]jailed four people for
spreading their bootleg "Tomato Garden" version of Microsoft's Windows XP
program, in what the Xinhua news agency called the nation's biggest
software piracy case. Off the four men Hong Lei, the creator of the
downloadable "Tomato Garden Windows XP" software, was jailed for three
and a half years by a court in Suzhou in eastern China, Xinhua."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...21/2122248

Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351867,00.asp

Reply
#48
Aug 23 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* New Logitech Dark Field Mice Operate On Glass
* Amazon, MS, and Yahoo Against Google's Library
* Working With Ogg Theora and the Video Tag
* A Broken Heart Really Does Hurt, Scientists Claim
* Federal Court Grants Microsoft Expedited Appeal
* Sweden Launches Criminal Probe of Pirate Bay Sale
* Google Brings SVG Support To IE
* EVE Bans Exploiters; Dropping 2% of Users Cuts Average CPU Usage 30%
* Switzerland's Data Protection Watchdog Wants Street View Disabled
* Obstacles Near Emergency Exits Speed Evacuation
* Twitter Developing Location-Based API
* Big Bang Could Be Recreated Inside a Metamaterial
* RIAA Loses Case Against Launch Media
* IBM, Other Multinationals "Detaching" From the US
* How To Prove Someone Is Female?

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Logitech Dark Field Mice Operate On Glass |
| from the data-goes-in-here dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Friday August 21, @20:13 (Input Devices) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...-Operate-O|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Slatterz writes "Logitech has introduced new mice that [0]use two lasers
rather than one to work on a variety of previously unusable surfaces. The
first laser picks out imperfections in the surface of a tabletop while
the second laser focuses on microscopic imperfections highlighted and
uses those to direct the cursor. The technique, dubbed dark field
microscopy, allows mice to be used on almost any surface, including glass
as long as it is more than 4mm thick."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...21/2124215

Links:
0. http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/15361...rever.aspx

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Amazon, MS, and Yahoo Against Google's Library |
| from the many-against-one dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Friday August 21, @22:22 (Google) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/21...les-Librar|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

anonymousNR writes "From the BBC, 'Three technology heavyweights are
joining [0]a coalition to fight Google's attempt to create what could be
the world's largest virtual library. Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo will
sign up to the Open Book Alliance being spearheaded by the Internet
Archive. They oppose a legal settlement that could make Google the main
source for many online works. "Google is trying to monopolise the library
system," the Internet Archive's founder Brewster Kahle said.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...21/2314251

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8200624.stm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Working With Ogg Theora and the Video Tag |
| from the fighting-the-good-fight dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Saturday August 22, @01:13 (Graphics) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22...-Video-Tag |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "The Free Software Foundation's Holmes Wilson
is just back from Berlin, where he participated in the Ogg Theora book
sprint put on by FLOSS Manuals. Here is [0]a broad look at Ogg Theora and
how it fits into the push for free formats: where we're winning, what
works, and what could be improved."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...22/0128209

Links:
0. http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/working-with-theora

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A Broken Heart Really Does Hurt, Scientists Claim |
| from the bruised-on-the-inside dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Saturday August 22, @04:18 (Medicine) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...rt-Scienti|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Death Metal writes "Psychologists at the University of California, Los
Angeles say the human body has [1]a gene that connects physical pain
sensitivity with social pain sensitivity. The findings back the common
theory that rejection 'hurts' by showing that a gene regulating the
body's most potent painkillers — mu-opioids — is involved in socially
painful experiences too."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...22/0132204

Links:
0. http://www.anus.com/metal
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/scien...-hurt.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Federal Court Grants Microsoft Expedited Appeal |
| from the the-train-keeps-a-rolling dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Saturday August 22, @07:57 (Microsoft) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22/...pedited-Ap|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

patentpundit writes "On Friday, August 21, 2009, the United States Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit [0]granted Microsoft an expedited
appeal of its patent infringement loss to i4i Limited Partnership. On
August 11, 2009, Microsoft lost a $300 million judgment for infringing
the XML patents of i4i by selling Word. Microsoft was given 60 days to
stop selling Word, or implement work arounds that did not utilize the
infringed technology. Microsoft filed an emergency appeal with the
Federal Circuit, and requested a stay of the permanent injunction that
will force them to stop selling work 60 days from August 11, 2009. The
Federal Circuit granted an expedited oral argument, which will take place
on September 23, 2009. Microsoft requested an administrative stay of the
permanent injunction, which was denied, and then filed a petition to stay
the injunction pending appeal. i4i has until August 25, 2009, to respond
to Microsoft's request to stay the injunction pending appeal."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...22/0420224

Links:
0. http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/08/21/caf...e/id=5135/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sweden Launches Criminal Probe of Pirate Bay Sale |
| from the coming-and-going dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 22, @09:05 (Businesses) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22/...-Pirate-Ba|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

uolamer writes with word that the Economic Crimes Bureau in Sweden has
[0]opened an investigation into the upcoming purchase of The Pirate Bay
by Global Gaming Factory X. Quoting: "The Swedish newspaper SvD reported
Saturday that authorities are [1]looking for possible insider trading
after Global Gaming's stock jumped a week before they announced [2]plans
to acquire The Pirate Bay. Trading of Global Gaming shares was halted by
AktieTorget, a Swedish exchange, on Friday after officials there
requested proof that Global Gaming had enough money to complete the sale.
Global Gaming has yet to produce the required documentation. Until
officials get the proof they need, they said they won't allow the stock
to be traded again"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...22/1210203

Links:
0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10315576-93.html
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10315020-93.html
2. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/06/30/...78-Million

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Brings SVG Support To IE |
| from the quickest-way-to-get-something-done dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 22, @10:10 (Internet Explorer) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22...port-To-IE |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]stelt writes "Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is in most graphical
tools. It is used heavily in many big projects, such as KDE and
Wikipedia. But Internet Explorer's lack of built-in support for SVG was
keeping it away from mainstream use on the web. Google is fixing that now
with a JavaScript drop-in named SVGWeb. They've posted a quick,
[1]one-minute overview, a longer and [2]more detailed presentation, and
you can read about it on the [3]project page."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...22/1246248

Links:
0. mailtoConfusedvg@steltenpower.com
1.
2.
3. http://code.google.com/p/svgweb/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| EVE Bans Exploiters; Dropping 2% of Users Cuts Average CPU Usage 30% |
| from the and-stay-out dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 22, @11:14 (Security) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...f-Users-Cu|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Earthquake Retrofit writes "Ars has a story about EVE Online banning
thousands of accounts for real-world trading of in-game money for profit.
From the article: 'Those who buy and sell ISK, the game's currency, are
not only exploiting the game, but unbalancing play. That's why the
company decided to go drastic: a program they called "Unholy Rage." For
weeks they studied the behavior and effects these real-money traders had
on the game, and then they struck. During scheduled maintenance, over
6,000 accounts were banned. [Einar Hreiðarsson, EVE's lead GM,] assures
us that the methods were sound, and the bannings went off with surgical
precision. ... While the number of accounts banned in the opening phase
of the operation constituted around 2 percent of the total active
registered accounts, the [0]CPU per user usage was cut by a good 30
percent.' Looks like they got the right 6,000.' [1]Further information
and more graphs are available from the EVE dev blog."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../22/137220

Links:
0. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/...raders.ars
1. http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=687

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Switzerland's Data Protection Watchdog Wants Street View Disabled |
| from the not-so-neutral dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 22, @11:21 (Privacy) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22/...hdog-Wants|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

glow-in-the-dark writes "The Swiss office for Data Protection has
[0]asked Google to turn off Street View within the country because it
doesn't meet the conditions demanded when permission was given to go
ahead with the photography. Google answered privacy concerns [1]with the
following points (I'm translating them from German; here's an
[2]automated translation): 'Google will publish in advance where it is
going to record the images, so you can act accordingly.' Do they want you
to hide? Where is the real obligation here? 'Google has made masking the
images of people and car license plates obligatory.' I think this is
where trouble starts, because their permission to go ahead appears to
have been dependent on how well they did this. I have browsed one
particular town as an experiment and was quite quickly able to find
unmasked faces. This means that either the algorithm they use doesn't
work, or that it is done manually and they've fallen behind (in which
case they should not have put up the images). 'Although a picture of a
home is generally not covered under Data Protection, Google has agreed to
remove them if asked. Follow the same process as removing a person.' I
think it wouldn't be half as bad if the pictures weren't taken with a
high enough resolution to see inside a house. In short, Google has not
been given the easy ride it had in other countries regarding Street View.
I actually suspect there is more to come."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...22/1424251

Links:
0. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/art...V3RtJFA0aw
1. http://www.edoeb.admin.ch/faq/00786/0158...ml?lang=de
2. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edoeb.admin.ch%2Ffaq%2F00786%2F01580%2F01582%2Findex.html%3Flang%3Den

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Obstacles Near Emergency Exits Speed Evacuation |
| from the george-carlin-would-agree dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 22, @12:27 (Science) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...s-Speed-Ev|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]BuzzSkyline writes "Despite fire codes that require emergency exits be
clear of obstacles, [1]some types of obstacles actually speed evacuation.
The counterintuitive conclusion resulted from a series of experiments
performed at a TV studio in Japan. Researchers from the University of
Tokyo asked 50 volunteers to exit the studio through a narrow door. Video
tapes of the experiments show that people made it out quickest when a
pole was placed about 30 degrees to one side of the exit. The lead
researcher believes an obstacle reduces jamming and friction among people
in crowds by decreasing conflicts as the crowd presses toward the exit. A
paper describing the research is scheduled to appear in the journal
[2]Physical Review E in September, but a [3]preprint is available on the
Physics Arxiv."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...22/1532241

Links:
0. mailto:buzzskyline@gmail.com
1. http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/20...-door.html
2. http://pre.aps.org/
3. http://arxiv.org/abs/0906.0224

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Twitter Developing Location-Based API |
| from the for-up-to-the-minute-online-stalking dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday August 22, @13:32 (Social Networks) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22...-Based-API |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

adeelarshad82 writes "Twitter developers are now [0]working on a
location-based API that will provide accurate information on your
whereabouts. Developers will be able to add latitude and longitude to any
tweet. The option [1]will definitely be opt-in. Folks will need to
activate this new feature by choice, and the exact location data won't be
stored for an extended period of time."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...22/1541208

Links:
0. http://www.appscout.com/2009/08/twitter_...ion-ba.php
1. http://blog.twitter.com/2009/08/location...ation.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Big Bang Could Be Recreated Inside a Metamaterial |
| from the never-met-a-material-i-didn't-like dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday August 22, @14:38 (Math) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...nside-a-Me|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]KentuckyFC writes "Metamaterials are substances with a permittivity
and permeability that has been manipulated in a way that allows fine
control over the behavior of light. They have famously been used to
create an [1]invisibility cloak that [2]hides objects from view. Now Igor
Smolyaninov, a physicist in the US, has calculated how metamaterials
could be used for a much more profound demonstration: to reproduce the
behavior of light in various kinds of spacetimes, in particular a (2+2)
spacetime (one having two dimensions of space and two of time). His
method is to show that there is formal mathematical analogy between the
way metamaterials and spacetimes affect light. He goes on to show how a
phase transition in a (2+2) spacetime [3]leads to the creation of a (2+1)
spacetime filled with photons, an event analogous to the Big Bang." Here
are the [4]abstract and the [5]preprint (PDF).

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...22/1659218

Links:
0. http://arxivblog.technologyreview.com/
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/08/11/...a-Distance
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/05/13/...ke-Another
3. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24013/
4. http://arxiv.org/abs/0908.2407
5. http://arxiv.org/pdf/0908.2407v1

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RIAA Loses Case Against Launch Media |
| from the matter-of-law dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday August 22, @15:45 (The Courts) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22...unch-Media |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The RIAA's claim that personalized
internet radio stations were 'interactive services' was [1]flatly
rejected 'as a matter of law' by the US Court of Appeals for the Second
Circuit, in Arista Records v. Launch Media. In affirming the jury's
verdict in favor of the defendant, Launch Media — acquired during the
lawsuit by Yahoo! — the Court said it did not even need to concern itself
with possible errors in the jury instructions, since the trial judge
should have directed a verdict for defendant 'as a matter of law' on the
question of whether the radio stations were 'interactive services.' At
pages 23-42 of its [2]42-page opinion (PDF), the appeals court carefully
analyzed how Launch Media's personalized internet radio stations worked,
and noted that the users could neither obtain and play on demand a
particular song, nor obtain the transmission of a particular program,
thus rendering the RIAA's claim of 'interactivity' meritless."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...22/1734257

Links:
0. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
1. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspo...ahoos.html
2. http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Law...ircuit.pdf

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| IBM, Other Multinationals "Detaching" From the US |
| from the hear-the-weather's-fine-in-dubai dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday August 22, @16:51 (IBM) |
| https://slashdot.org/story/09/08/22/1825...rom-the-US |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "If you're brilliant, work really hard, and earn a
world-class doctorate from a US university, [1]IBM has a job for you at
one of its US research sites — as a '[2]complementary worker' (as this
1996 piece defined the then-emerging term). But be prepared to ship out
to India or China after you've soaked up knowledge for 13 months as a '[3]long-term
supplemental worker.' Newsweek sketches some of the bigger picture,
reporting that IBM, HP, Accenture, and others are [4]finding it
profitable to detach from the United States (even [5]patenting the
process). 'IBM is one of the multinationals that propelled America to the
apex of its power, and it is now emblematic of the process of creative
destruction pushing America to a new, less dominant, and less comfortable
position.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/22/1825208

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.workfortheworld.com/find.job?job=main.search&q=%22post+doctoral%22+and+complementary&search=Search+jobs&startrow=1
2. http://www.independent.co.uk/student/car...61890.html
3. http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/interna...tails.html
4. http://www.newsweek.com/id/212120
5. http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=2T-nAAAAEBAJ

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How To Prove Someone Is Female? |
| from the who-can-replace-a-man dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday August 22, @17:59 (Science) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...-Is-Female |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

krou writes "Caster Semenya won the 800m at the World Athletics
Championship in blistering style leaving her competitors in the dust, but
she has been thrown into the midst of a scandal amidst claims that she's
not really a woman. According to the many press reports, [0]she's
believed to shave, is flat chested, has a very masculine physique,
previously preferred playing physical games with boys, and shunned
traditional female activities and clothing. Questions about her gender
have dogged her entire career. Previously, acceptance that she is a women
relied on simple inspection of female genitals. But now the IAAF claim
that they want to conduct further tests to see if 'she may have a [1]rare
medical condition that gives her an unfair advantage.' An IAAF spokesmen
noted that 'The [testing] process was started after Semenya made her
startling breakthroughs — a 25-second improvement at 1500m and eight
seconds at 800m, just some weeks ago.' I'm curious what the Slashdot
community thinks: what can be considered proof of someone being male or
female? Is it simply a case of having the right genitals, or are there
other criteria that should be used? Is the IAAF right in claiming that
someone should be prevented from competing because they have a rare
medical or genetic advantage?"

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...22/1840229

Links:
0. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnew...ghter.html
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/aug...er-semenya

Reply
#49
Aug 24 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Developing World's Parasites, Diseases Enter US
* BrainPort Lets the Blind "See" With Their Tongues
* Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession
* Sunspots May Be Different During This Solar Minimum
* 3 of 4 Charges Against Terry Childs Dropped
* DOJ Gives Oracle Approval To Buy Sun
* Google Chrome For Linux Goes 64-bit
* Facebook App Exposes Abject Insecurity
* A History of the Shrinking Game Console
* Apple, Google, AT&T Respond To the FCC Over Google Voice
* NASA May Outsource
* First European Provider To Break Net Neutrality
* Real-Time Keyloggers
* "Gigantic Jets" Blast Electricity Into the Ionosphere

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Developing World's Parasites, Diseases Enter US |
| from the different-kind-of-worm dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday August 22, @20:22 (Medicine) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...iseases-En|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]reporter alerts us to a story up at the Wall Street Journal on the
[1]increasing prevalance in the US of formerly rare, 3rd-world diseases
such as toxocariasis, chagas, and cysticercosis. Health-care legislation
pending in the House calls for a full report to Congress about the threat
from this cluster of diseases, termed "neglected infections of poverty."
"Parasitic infections and other diseases usually associated with the
developing world are cropping up with alarming frequency among US poor,
especially in states along the US-Mexico border, the rural South, and in
Appalachia, according to researchers. Government and private researchers
are just beginning to assess the toll of the infections, which are a
significant cause of heart disease, seizures and congenital birth defects
among black and Hispanic populations. ... 'These are diseases that we
know are ten-fold more important than swine flu,' said [one] leading
researcher in this field. 'They're on no one's radar.' ... These diseases
share a common thread. 'People who live in the suburbs are at very low
risk,' Dr. Hotez said. But for the 37 million people in the US who live
below the poverty line, he said, 'There is real suffering.'" Update:
08/23 16:55 GMT by [2]KD : The submitter pointed out that the usual
"Related" link to the original submission was missing on this story. We
are testing a new version of the story editor and this was probably
caused by a bug; reported. [3]Here's the original.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...22/1910245

Links:
0. http://wsj.com/article/SB124451552193396877.html
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125090339313750961.html
2. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
3. http://slashdot.org/submission/1059675/D...-Enter-USA

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| BrainPort Lets the Blind "See" With Their Tongues |
| from the battery-testing dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday August 22, @22:45 (Input Devices) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...-With-Thei|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Scientific American reports that a new device
called 'BrainPort' aims to restore the experience of vision for the blind
and visually impaired by relying on the [1]nerves on the tongue's surface
to send light signals to the brain. BrainPort collects visual data
through a small digital video camera and converts the signal into
electrical pulses sent to the tongue via a [2]'lollipop' that sits
directly on the tongue, where densely packed nerves receive the incoming
electrical signals. White pixels yield a strong electrical pulse and the
[3]electrodes spatially correlate with the pixels, so that if the camera
detects light fixtures in the middle of a dark hallway, electrical
stimulations will occur along the center of the tongue. Within 15 minutes
of using the device, blind people can begin interpreting spatial
information. 'At first, I was amazed at what the device could do,' says
research director William Seiple. 'One guy started to cry when he saw his
first letter.'" There is some indication that the signals from the tongue
are processed by the visual cortex. The company developing the BrainPort
will submit it to the FDA for approval later this month, and it could be
on sale (for around $10,000) by the end of the year.

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl...22/2035256

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...th-tongues
2. http://vision.wicab.com/technology/
3. http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/...story3.htm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession |
| from the never-did-worry-much-about-the-little-things dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @01:12 (Government) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22...e-Drug-Pos|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Professor_Quail notes an AP story that begins, "Mexico enacted a
controversial law Thursday [0]decriminalizing possession of small amounts
of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free
government treatment for drug dependency. The law sets out maximum
'personal use' amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine.
People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal
prosecution when the law goes into effect Friday." An official in the
attorney general's office said, "This is not legalization, this is
regulating the issue and giving citizens greater legal certainty... for a
practice that was already in place." In 2006, the US criticized a similar
bill that had no provisions for mandatory treatment, and the
then-president sent it back to Congress for reconsideration.

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...22/1932212

Links:
0. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti...AD9A70MDO0

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sunspots May Be Different During This Solar Minimum |
| from the too-much-clearasil dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @04:43 (Space) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...ing-This-S|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]PhreakOfTime writes "According to Bill Livingston and Matt Penn of the
National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, sunspot magnetic fields
are waning. The two respected solar astronomers have been measuring solar
magnetism since 1992. Their technique is based on Zeeman splitting of
infrared spectral lines in radiation emitted by iron atoms in the
vicinity of sunspots. Extrapolating [1]their data (PDF) into [2]the
future suggests that sunspots could completely disappear within decades."
To motivate their interest the researchers mention the [3]Maunder Minimum,
which occurred beginning in 1645 and coincided with the coldest part of
the so-called "Little Ice Age." Sunspot counts during this period were as
low as 1/1,000 of the numbers seen in modern times.

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...22/2340202

Links:
0. http://www.demystify.info/
1. http://www.leif.org/EOS/2009EO300001.pdf
2. http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2009/22..._strip.jpg
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunder_Minimum

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3 of 4 Charges Against Terry Childs Dropped |
| from the childs-play dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @08:13 (Government) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/22...lds-Droppe|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

phantomfive writes "Terry Childs, who was arrested nearly a year ago for
refusing to turn over the passwords to San Francisco's FiberWAN network,
has been [0]cleared of three of the four charges against him. The dropped
charges referred to the attachment of modems to the network; the
remaining charge is for refusing to turn over the password. The
prosecutor has vowed to appeal, to have the charges reinstated. We have
[1]the original story, and the story where [2]Childs tells his side, for
those who want a refresher."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...22/2249221

Links:
0. http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Judge-dr...13717.html
1. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/15/120220&tid=76
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...18/1351205&tid=498

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DOJ Gives Oracle Approval To Buy Sun |
| from the nothin'-but-blue-skies dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday August 23, @09:15 (Oracle) |
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/09...To-Buy-Sun |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]k33l0r writes "The BBC is reporting that the [1]US Justice Department
has approved Oracle's takeover of Sun Microsystems. The acquisition gives
Oracle control over (or a leading role in), among other things, Java,
MySQL, (Open)Solaris, ZFS, OpenOffice, and the NetBeans IDE. 'The
European Commission has still to rule on the deal, a step that will be
required before it can close. That body has indicated it will issue an
initial opinion on Sept. 3, according to the Wall Street Journal. It may
OK the deal at that time or launch a four-month probe of it. ... The
Justice Department ruling [2]came earlier than expected, a possible
response to Sun's declining revenues and precarious business position in
a steep recession, as the required reviews proceeded.' We first discussed
the deal back [3]when it was announced in April."

Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments..../23/125211

Links:
0. http://proliferationoflinux.org/
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8213425.stm
2. http://www.informationweek.com/news/gove...=219400953
3. http://developers.slashdot.org/article.p.../20/128246&tid=463

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Chrome For Linux Goes 64-bit |
| from the you-really-only-need-three dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday August 23, @10:59 (Google) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/23...oes-64-bit |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Noam.of.Doom writes "The Google Chrome developers announced on August
19th the immediate availability of a new version of the Google Chrome web
browser for Linux, Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Google Chrome
4.0.202.2 is here to fix a lot of annoying bugs (see below for details)
and it also adds a couple of features only for the Mac platform. However,
the good news is that Dean McNamee, one of the Google Chrome engineers,
announced yesterday on their mailing list that a working port of [0]the
Chrome browser for 64-bit platforms is now available: 'The v8 team did
some amazing work this quarter building a working 64-bit port. After a
handful of changes on the Chromium side, I've had Chromium Linux
[1]building on 64-bit for the last few weeks. I believe mmoss or tony is
going to get a buildbot running, and working on packaging.' Until today,
Google Chrome was available on both 32- and 64-bit architectures, but it
appears that the latter was running based on the 32-bit libraries.
Therefore, starting with Google Chrome 4.0.202.2, 64-bit users can enjoy
a true x64 version!"

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1451237

Links:
0. http://blog.internetnews.com/skerner/200...-vers.html
1. http://code.google.com/p/chromium/wiki/LinuxChromium64

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facebook App Exposes Abject Insecurity |
| from the pay-no-attention-to-the-hole-in-my-pants dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday August 23, @11:47 (Social Networks) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/23...Insecurity |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]ewhac writes "Back in June, the [1]American Civil Liberties Union
published an article describing [2]Facebook's complete lack of meaningful
security on your and your friends' information. The article went
virtually unnoticed. Now, a developer has written a [3]Facebook 'Quiz'
based on the original article that graphically illustrates all the
information a Facebook app can get its grubby little hands on by
recursively sweeping through your friends list, pulling all their info
and posts, and showing it to you. What's more, apps can get at your
information even if you never run the app yourself. Facebook apps run
with the access privileges of the user running it, so anything your
friend can see, the app they're running can see, too. It is unclear
whether the developer of the Facebook app did so 'officially' for the
ACLU."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/1458246

Links:
0. http://ewhac.org/
1. http://www.aclu.org/
2. http://blog.aclu.org/2009/06/11/quiz-wha...about-you/
3. http://www.facebook.com/apps/application...4232425072

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A History of the Shrinking Game Console |
| from the wonder-when-the-wee-wii-is-coming-out dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday August 23, @12:48 (PlayStation (Games)) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...me-Console |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

After Sony's [0]announcement of the PS3 Slim earlier this week, CNet took
[1]a look back at size-reducing hardware revisions over the past couple
decades in console design, noting that they're gradually arriving sooner
and sooner after the initial release. "Does that mean it'll creep even
lower, into two-year or even yearly cycles between major revisions? Quite
possibly, yes. It's worked very well with handheld gaming devices, and
even some consumer electronics devices like iPods. Apple has turned out
slimmer, more powerful versions of the iPod every year since 2001, and
yearly events like E3 put continued pressure on console makers to show
off something big. In the case of the PS3 Slim though, it could just be
that the PS3 had to be pushed out to meet its launch window, and that the
Slim is what Sony was going for in the first place. Advances in the
PlayStation 3's core technology, like the cell processor, also underwent
changes since the console launched, including changes to fabrication that
have taken the chip down from 90 nanometers to 65, then 45 — the size
that can be found inside the Slim. These changes meant less power
consumption, smaller components, and easier cooling."

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...23/1539202

Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/story/09/08/18/18721...ts-To-Home
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-10313741-248.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple, Google, AT&T Respond To the FCC Over Google Voice |
| from the honest-guys-we-cool-we-cool dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday August 23, @13:49 (Google) |
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...he-FCC-Ove|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

We've recently been following the [0]FCC's inquiry into Apple's rejection
of the Google Voice app. Apple, Google, and AT&T have all officially
responded to the FCC's questions: Apple says they [1]haven't actually
rejected the app, they're just continuing to "study it," and that it may
"alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's
core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own
user interface for telephone calls, text messaging, and voicemail." The
interesting bits of [2]Google's response seem to have been redacted, but
they talk a little about the approval process for the Android platform.
AT&T [3]claims it had "no role" in the app's rejection and notes that
there are no contractual provisions between the two companies for the
consideration of individual apps. Reader ZuchinniOne points out a report
in The Consumerist [4]analyzing some of the statements made in these
filings, as well as TechCrunch's look into [5]the veracity of their
claims.

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si.../23/164236

Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/01/...e?from=rss
1. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/apple-answe...questions/
2. http://www.scribd.com/doc/18983640/Googl...nse-to-FCC
3. http://scribd.com/doc/18983512/ATT-Respo...9-as-Filed
4. http://consumerist.com/5343391/apple-goo...-questions
5. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/21/the...d-the-fcc/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA May Outsource |
| from the let-a-thousand-rockets-bloom dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @14:57 (NASA) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...-Outsource |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Wall Street Journal is running a piece about the growing momentum
behind the idea of [0]NASA outsourcing to private companies everything
from transporting astronauts to ferrying cargo into orbit. Quoting:
"Proposals gaining momentum in Washington call for contractors to build
and run competing systems under commercial contracts, according to
federal officials, aerospace-industry officials and others familiar with
the discussions. While the Obama administration is still mulling options
and hasn't made any final decisions, such a move would represent a major
policy shift away from decades of government-run rocket and
astronaut-transportation programs such as the current space-shuttle
fleet. ... In the face of severe federal budget constraints and a
burgeoning commercial-space industry eager to play a larger role in
exploring the solar system and perhaps beyond, ...a consensus for the new
approach seems to be building inside the White House as well as [NASA].
... Under this scenario, a new breed of contractors would take over many
of NASA's current responsibilities, freeing the agency to pursue
longer-term, more ambitious goals such as new rocket-propulsion
technology and manned missions to Mars. ...[T]hese contractors would take
the lead in servicing the International Space Station from the shuttle's
planned retirement around 2011 through at least the end of that decade."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?.../23/180257

Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125089632848150593.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| First European Provider To Break Net Neutrality |
| from the deliver-what-was-paid-for dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @16:08 (The Internet) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/23/...Net-Neutra|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Rik van der Kroon writes "Major Dutch cable provider UPC has
introduced a new network management system which, from noon to midnight,
for certain services and providers, [1]caps users' bandwidth at 1/3rd of
their nominal bandwidth (Google translation; [2]Dutch original here).
After the consumer front for cable providers in The Netherlands received
many complaints about network problems and slow speeds, UPC decided to
take this as an excuse to introduce their new 'network management'
protocol which slows down a large amount of traffic. All protocols but
HTTP are capped to 1/3 speed, and within the HTTP realm some Web sites
and services that use lots of upstream bandwidth are capped as well. So
far UPC is hiding behind the usual excuse: 'We are protecting all the
users against the 1% of the user base who abuse our network.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...23/1921206

Links:
0. mailto:astute.spam@gmail.com
1. http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=y&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coax.nl%2Fnews%2Freageer%2Findex.php%3FNewsID%3D2218&sl=nl&tl=en&history_state0=
2. http://www.coax.nl/news/reageer/index.php?NewsID=2218

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Real-Time Keyloggers |
| from the taking-a-leaf-from-twitter dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @17:18 (Security) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/23/2...Keyloggers |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

The NY Times has a story and a blog backgrounder focusing on a weapon now
being wielded by bad guys (most likely in Eastern Europe, according to
the Times): [0]Trojan horse keyloggers that report back in real-time. The
capability came to light in a [1]court filing (PDF) by Project Honey Pot
against "John Doe" thieves. The case was filed in order to compel the
banks — which are almost as secretive as the cyber-crooks — to [2]reveal
information such as IP addresses that could lead back to the miscreants.
Or at least allow victims to be notified. Real-time keyloggers were
[3]first discovered in the wild last year, but the court filing and the
Times article should bring new attention to the threat. The technique
menaces the 2-factor authentication that some banks have instituted: "By
going real time, hackers now can get around some of the roadblocks that
companies have put in their way. Most significantly, they are now
undeterred by systems that create temporary passwords, such as RSA's
SecurID system, which involves a small gadget that displays a six-digit
number that changes every minute based on a complex formula. If [your]
computer is infected, the Trojan zaps your temporary password back to the
waiting hacker who immediately uses it to log onto your account.
Sometimes, the hacker logs on from his own computer, probably using
tricks to hide its location. Other times, the Trojan allows the hacker to
control your computer, opening a browser session that you can't see."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/23/2015208

Links:
0. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/20...d-numbers/
1. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pd...anking.pdf
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/techno...acker.html
3. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2...trojan.htm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Gigantic Jets" Blast Electricity Into the Ionosphere |
| from the more-things-in-heaven-and-earth dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @18:26 (Earth) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...ty-Into-th|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

New Scientist has an update on the so-called "gigantic jets" first
discovered in 2003 — these are lightning bolts that reach from cloud tops
upward into the ionosphere, as high as 90 kilometers. (There's a video at
the link.) What's new is that researchers from Duke University have
managed to [0]measure the electrical discharge from a gigantic jet and
confirm that they carry as much energy skyward as ordinary lightning
strikes carry to the ground. According to the article, "Gigantic jets are
one of a host of new atmospheric phenomena discovered in recent years.
Other examples are [1]sprites and [2]blue jets."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...23/2041206

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17...MP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14...ealed.html
2. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14...-blue.html

Reply
#50
Aug 25 2009

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* "Smart" Parking Meters Considered Dumb
* Linux Port For id's Tech 5 Graphics Engine Unlikely
* High-Speed Robot Hand Shows Dexterity and Speed
* Fully Functional Bioengineered Tooth Grown In a Mouse
* Model Drops Lawsuit After Outing Anonymous Blogger
* Pirate Bay Buyer Chairman Resigns
* Apple vs. Google, Who Will Control the iPhone?
* Nokia Unveils Its First Netbook
* Avatar, Has Sci-fi Found Its Heaven's Gate?
* Blizzcon 2009 Wrap-Up
* Intel's Roadmap Includes 4nm Fab in 2022
* Joomla! 1.5: A User's Guide, 2nd Edition
* Apple To Ship Mac OS X Snow Leopard On August 28
* Blizzard Answers Your Questions and More
* Swedish Authorities Attempt Pirate Bay Shutdown
* Goldman Sachs Code Theft Not Quite So Cut and Dried
* Anti-Spam Lawyer Loses Appeal, and His Possessions
* One Crime Solved Per 1,000 London CCTV Cameras
* Why the Google Android Phone Isn't Taking Off

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Smart" Parking Meters Considered Dumb |
| from the sometimes-a-coin-is-just-a-coin dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday August 23, @20:42 (Government) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/23...dered-Dumb |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]theodp writes "The jury's still out on whether Chicago taxpayers were
[1]taken to the cleaners by a rushed 75-year lease of the city's metered
parking to a Morgan Stanley consortium. But most would probably agree
that the new shared Pay Boxes that replaced the city's old parking meters
don't exactly live up to their 'Smart' billing. Here's what the
redesigned [2]'user-friendly' parking solution looks like: 1. Park your
car. 2. Walk up to 1/2 block to a Pay Box. 3. Wait in line to use it. 4.
Use coins or credit cards to purchase parking time — [3]up to $84 for
24-hours ([4]add $50 if you run out of time). 5. Wait for a paper receipt
to be printed. 6. Walk up to 1/2 block back to your car. 7. Place the
receipt on your dashboard. 8. Head off to your destination, perhaps
passing the Pay Box a second time. So [5]before other cities suffer the
same fate as Chicago, [6]Portland, and [7]others, is there a 'smarter'
way? [8]Some suggest the [9]ParkMagic In-Car Meter, but no new orders are
being taken in Chicago. Any other ideas?"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...23/2045226

Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/08/21...r_Deal.htm
2. http://www.chicagometers.com/how-to-work-my-meter.aspx
3. http://www.chicagometers.com/cost--hours.aspx
4. http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webpo...=536910163&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Revenue%2FGeneral+Parking+Ticket+Information%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Revenue&deptMainCategoryOID=-536889525
5. http://www.rockymountainindependent.com/...s-it-time/
6. http://www.portlandonline.com/transporta...fm?c=34791&a=60407
7. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techin...ters_N.htm
8. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/parking-...s-llc.html
9. http://www.parkmagicchicago.com/purchase.htm

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Linux Port For id's Tech 5 Graphics Engine Unlikely |
| from the sounds-like-they-need-some-encouragement dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday August 23, @22:58 (Graphics) |
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...ics-Engine|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

DesiVideoGamer writes "John Carmack, the lead developer for id's Tech 5
graphics engine, [0]does not plan on making a Linux port for the new
engine. From his e-mail: 'It isn't out of the question, but I don't think
we will be able to justify the work. If there are hundreds of thousands
of [1]Linux users playing Quake Live when we are done with Rage, that
would certainly influence our decision.' One of the reasons for not
making a Linux port was due to the fact that the new engine 'pushes a lot
of paths that are not usually optimized' and that the Linux port would
have to use the binary blob graphics driver in order to work."

Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...24/0059218

Links:
0. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1244727
1. http://slashdot.org/story/09/08/15/02625...f-emRageem

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| High-Speed Robot Hand Shows Dexterity and Speed |
| from the think-fast dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 24, @02:01 (Robotics) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...exterity-a|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader tips a blog posting that begins "A few blogs are
passing around videos of the Ishikawa Komuro Lab's high-speed robot hand
performing impressive acts of dexterity and skillful manipulation.
However, the video being passed around is slight on details. Meanwhile,
their video presentation at ICRA 2009 (which took place in May in Kobe,
Japan) has an informative narration and demonstrates additional
capabilities. ... [It] shows the manipulator [0]dribbling a ping-pong
ball, spinning a pen, throwing a ball, tying knots, grasping a grain of
rice with tweezers, and tossing / re-grasping a cellphone!"

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../24/015222

Links:
0. http://www.hizook.com/blog/2009/08/03/hi...nipulation

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Fully Functional Bioengineered Tooth Grown In a Mouse |
| from the tooth-the-whole-tooth dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 24, @05:06 (Biotech) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08...d-Tooth-Gr|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

A couple of weeks back the Wall Street Journal reported on the [0]first
organ grown in vivo from stem cells — a tooth in the mouth of a mouse.
Reader cdrpsab spotted the news [1]on the MedGadget blog; the research
had been [2]reported earlier in the PNAS. From the WSJ: "The researchers
at the Tokyo University of Science created a set of cells that contained
genetic instructions to build a tooth, and then implanted this 'tooth
germ' into the mouse's empty tooth socket. The tooth grew out of the
socket and through the gums, as a natural tooth would. Once the
engineered tooth matured, after 11 weeks, it had a similar shape,
hardness and response to pain or stress as a natural tooth, and worked
equally well for chewing. The researchers suggested that using similar
techniques in humans could restore function to patients with organ
failure."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...24/0128214

Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...89978.html
1. http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2009/0...ebuts.html
2. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/0...6.abstract

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Model Drops Lawsuit After Outing Anonymous Blogger |
| from the you-can-pull-your-pants-up-now dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 24, @08:09 (Privacy) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24/...-Anonymous-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

JumperCable writes "The NY Daily News is reporting that model Liskula
Cohen, who was [0]suing the 'Skanks of NYC' blogger for defamation, is
[1]dropping the lawsuit now that she has outed the anonymous blogger, who
is a Fashion Institute of Technology student named Rosemary Port. This
brings up the question of potential abuse of the legal system to 'out'
anonymous authors even if there is no intention actually to pursue a case
against an anonymous individual. Also, according to the article, the
outed blogger intends to sue Google for $15 million because it 'breached
its fiduciary duty to protect her expectation of anonymity.' Do Web
hosting services even have a fiduciary duty to protect their clients, or
is this all legal bluff and bluster?" Should such anonymity-busting court
rulings include a provision for penalties if the plaintiff does not
follow through with legal action after outing their target?

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...24/1026205

Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/19/1342248
1. http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/0...tml?page=0

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pirate Bay Buyer Chairman Resigns |
| from the not-a-good-week-for-them dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 24, @08:53 (The Almighty Buck) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24...an-Resigns |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Xemu writes "Global Gaming Factory X (GGF), the company that plans to
purchase Swedish file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, has [1]encountered an
additional setback. Last week trading in GGF stock were suspended due to
suspected insider trading. On Friday, Magnus Bergman, GGF chairman,
submitted his resignation to the Swedish Companies Registration Office.
Bergman's resignation is the latest in a series after the previous
departures of board member Johan Sällström and adviser Wayne Rosso. The
CEO of GGF, Hans Pandeya, is being pursued by the Swedish enforcement
service for mounting unpaid debts. In an interview with the Swedish
business daily 'di.se' today, CEO Hans Pandeya says that the deal is
still on."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...24/1224241

Links:
0. http://www.xenu.net/
1. http://www.thelocal.se/21640/20090824/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple vs. Google, Who Will Control the iPhone? |
| from the thats-a-good-question dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 24, @09:43 (Cellphones) |
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...l-the-iPho|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Pieroxy writes "[1]Theiphoneblog carries a nice article on [2]the
reason Apple rejected the Google Voice application even though it doesn't
violate any terms and services. The article goes in depth over the issue
of controlling the hardware (Apple) vs. controlling the software (Google
& Apple so far) and how Apple doesn't want Google to take over a critical
part of its phone. Just like Google is going into the OS business to make
sure it gets never cut out, Apple is also building a huge datacenter to —
they guess — take over some online cloud computing business of their own
and be less dependent on Google for these services."

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...24/1234239

Links:
0. http://www.ignatzmouse.net/us/mouse-index.html
1. http://www.theiphoneblog.com/
2. http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/08/22/...le-iphone/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Nokia Unveils Its First Netbook |
| from the shouldn't-it-be-based-on-kde dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 24, @10:37 (Portables) |
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/08/...st-Netbook |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]andylim writes "Today Nokia [1]unveiled its first netbook that runs
Windows and packs an Intel Atom processor. The Nokia Booklet 3G is the
first Nokia device to feature a full-sized keypad and a 10-inch display.
Recombu.com has listed the specs, which include an SD card reader,
Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, HSDPA (3.5G), Wi-Fi, an HDMI port for HD video out
and a front facing camera for video calling. According to Nokia the
Booklet will provide 12 hours of battery life."

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?s...24/1237259

Links:
0. http://recombu.com/
1. http://recombu.com/news/nokia-booklet-3g...11055.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Avatar, Has Sci-fi Found Its Heaven's Gate? |
| from the wilburies-playing-end-of-the-line dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 24, @11:29 (Movies) |
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story...-Its-Heave|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]brumgrunt writes "Den Of Geek wonders if James Cameron's [1]Avatar is
heading for a fall, and if it will even be a science fiction film, off
the back of the previews shown last week. It writes: "It seems in Avatar
that all this gee-whiz science is merely there to draw the 'old crowd' in
and provide some kind of rationale for a brightly-coloured fantasy-world
which reflects the most emetic of the artwork plastered over teenage
girls' MySpace pages"

Discuss this story at:
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/commen...24/1420233

Links:
0. mailtoConfusedimon_brew@dennis.co.uk
1. http://denofgeek.com/movies/307785/avata..._gate.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Blizzcon 2009 Wrap-Up |
| from the this-post-is-not-available-over-LAN dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday August 24, @12:17 (Games) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...09-Wrap-Up |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0] *

Last year's Blizzcon was tremendously popular. So much so that their
servers were unable to handle the strain of fans competing for 15,000
available tickets. This year, Blizzard was more prepared; they made an
additional 5,000 tickets available and set up a queue so that the
transaction servers weren't overwhelmed. CEO Mike Morhaime said during
the keynote address that if you weren't able to get into the queue within
30 seconds of its opening, the tickets were sold out before your turn
came. Tens of thousands more chose to order the pay-per-view coverage,
demonstrating the extraordinary enthusiasm felt for Blizzard's games.
Their presentations didn't disappoint. Read on for details on the status
of StarCraft II, Diablo III, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and the new
Battle.net. It's divided into sections by game in case you're only
interested in one or two of them.

This story continues at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...09-Wrap-Up

Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...24/1317227

Links:
0. http://s.fsdn.com/sd/articles/09/08/24/1317227-1.png

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Intel's Roadmap Includes 4nm Fab in 2022 |
| from the thats-a-bit-out-there dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 24, @13:11 (Intel) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/0...ab-in-2022|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Precision submits "Intel Corp., the largest maker of chips in the
world, has [1]outlined plans to make chips using 4nm process technology
in about thirteen years. According to Intel, integration capacity of
chips will increase much higher compared to fabrication process."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl.../24/153256

Links:
0. mailto:uriah-slashdot@uriah.org
1. http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display...admap.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Joomla! 1.5: A User's Guide, 2nd Edition |
| from the read-all-about-it dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday August 24, @14:07 (The Internet) |
| https://books.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...nd-Edition |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Michael J. Ross writes "There are countless content management systems
(CMSs) available for building websites, and they offer varying levels of
built-in functionality. But once a site developer has successfully
installed any given CMS, a critical form of help (or hindrance) is the
CMS's documentation, which for some CMSs is quite impressive, and for
others absolutely atrocious. [1]Joomla is a powerful and popular choice
for Web developers, but can be daunting to newbies confused by its
non-intuitive menu structure and restrictive content hierarchy. The
documentation for Joomla is frequently criticized, for various reasons,
and that may largely account for the popularity of third-party books —
such as Barrie M. North's Joomla! 1.5: A User's Guide, now in its second
edition." Read on for the rest of Michael and Ethelyn's review.

This story continues at:
https://books.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...nd-Edition

Discuss this story at:
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...24/1317218

Links:
0. http://www.ross.ws/
1. http://www.joomla.org/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple To Ship Mac OS X Snow Leopard On August 28 |
| from the its-about-time dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday August 24, @14:59 (OS X) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24...rd-On-Augu|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

okapi writes "Apple announced that [0]Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard will go
on sale Friday, August 28 at Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized
Resellers, and that Apple's online store is now accepting pre-orders."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid.../24/151227

Links:
0. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/08/24macosx.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Blizzard Answers Your Questions and More |
| from the life-in-the-crosshairs dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 24, @15:52 (Games) |
| https://interviews.slashdot.org/story/09...stions-and-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Last week we [0]asked for interview questions to help supplement our
face-to-face interviews at Blizzcon. Over the course of the two-day con
we were able to sit down with StarCraft II's Dustin Browder, Diablo III's
Leonard Boyarsky, WoW's J. Allen Brack, and Battle.net expert Rob Pardo
to answer a few questions on each of the four major camps in Blizzard at
the moment. Since this wasn't a usual Slashdot-style interview, we tried
to use as many of your suggestions as possible, but the conversation
often took us in a unique direction once it got rolling.

This story continues at:
https://interviews.slashdot.org/story/09...s-and-More

Discuss this story at:
http://interviews.slashdot.org/comments....24/1552233

Links:
0. http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.p...21/1432226&tid=64

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Swedish Authorities Attempt Pirate Bay Shutdown |
| from the like-a-virtual-bullfighter dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 24, @16:44 (The Internet) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24...te-Bay-Shu|
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Several sources are discussing the recent [0]attempted shutdown of The
Pirate Bay by Swedish authorities. It seems that following the recent
court defeats and the pending civil actions, Swedish authorities
threatened TPB's main bandwidth supplier with a hefty fine in order to
get them shut down. Not surprisingly TPB has relocated and is back online
although the tracker still seems to be down. As a gesture of their
"appreciation" TPB plans on sending a mocking t-shirt to the people
believed responsible for the takedown attempt.

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid...24/1739240

Links:
0. http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-t...es-090824/

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| Goldman Sachs Code Theft Not Quite So Cut and Dried |
| from the those-who-have-the-gold-make-the-rules dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 24, @17:31 (The Courts) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24/...e-So-Cut-a|
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The New York Times has some interesting details that are surfacing about
the recent charges brought against Sergey Aleynikov, the programmer who
allegedly [0]stole code from Goldman Sachs on his way out the door to
another job. "This spring, Mr. Aleynikov quit Goldman to join Teza
Technologies, a new trading firm, tripling his salary to about $1.2
million, according to the complaint. He left Goldman on June 5. In the
days before he left, he transferred code to a server in Germany that
offers free data hosting. [...] After his arrest, Mr. Aleynikov was taken
for interrogation to F.B.I. offices in Manhattan. Mr. Aleynikov waived
his rights against self-incrimination, and agreed to allow agents to
search his house. He said that he had inadvertently downloaded a portion
of Goldman's proprietary code while trying to take files of open source
software -- programs that are not proprietary and can be used freely by
anyone. He said he had not used the Goldman code at his new job or
distributed it to anyone else, and the criminal complaint offers no
evidence that he has."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...24/1754224

Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/busine....html?_r=1&/partner/rssnyt

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| Anti-Spam Lawyer Loses Appeal, and His Possessions |
| from the know-when-to-fold dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday August 24, @18:22 (Spam) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24/1...His-Posses|
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Techdirt is reporting that one particularly rabid anti-spam fighter has
not only lost his case, but [0]most of his worldly possessions as well.
James Gordon tried to set himself up as an ISP to get around the
conventions of the CAN SPAM act in order to set up a litigation house
designed to sue companies that spam. Unfortunately a judge did not take
kindly to this trick and ordered him to pay $110,000 to the firm he was
suing, a decision that was not only upheld on appeal but accompanied by
some very unkind words trying to shut down litigation mills like his.
"But, perhaps even more fascinating is that the guy, James Gordon, didn't
just lose the lawsuit, it appears he lost most of his possessions as
well. Remember that ruling telling him to pay the $110k to Virtumundo? He
refused. The company sent the debt to a collections agency, but told
Gordon they'd call off the collections agency if he dropped the appeal.
Gordon didn't."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/08/24/1843206

Links:
0. http://techdirt.com/articles/20090821/0334155954.shtml

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| One Crime Solved Per 1,000 London CCTV Cameras |
| from the ready-for-my-closeup-mister-demille dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 24, @19:09 (Privacy) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/24/...CCTV-Camer|
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SpuriousLogic writes "Only [0]one crime was solved for each 1,000 CCTV
cameras in London last year, a report into the city's surveillance
network has claimed. The internal police report found the million-plus
cameras in London rarely help catch criminals. In one month CCTV helped
capture just eight out of 269 suspected robbers. David Davis MP, the
former shadow home secretary, said: 'It should provoke a long overdue
rethink on where the crime prevention budget is being spent.' He added:
'CCTV leads to massive expense and minimum effectiveness. It creates a
huge intrusion on privacy, yet provides little or no improvement in
security. The Metropolitan Police has been extraordinarily slow to act to
deal with the ineffectiveness of CCTV.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=...24/2031258

Links:
0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engla...219022.stm

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| Why the Google Android Phone Isn't Taking Off |
| from the know-thine-enemy-and-drive-him-nuts dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday August 24, @19:59 (Cellphones) |
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/08/2...snt-Taking-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Farhad Manjoo writes in Slate that while the
iPhone commands nearly 14 percent of smartphone sales and BlackBerry
about 21 percent, Android has only 3 percent. And even though Android is
far friendlier to developers, it has failed to attract anywhere near the
number of apps now clogging the iPhone. Manjoo writes that [1]Google went
wrong by giving handset manufacturers and carriers too much control over
the design and marketing of Android phones so there is no idealized
'Google phone' — instead, Android devices get names like the T-Mobile G1
or the myTouch 3G, and each is marketed separately and comes with its own
distinct capabilities and shortcomings. 'Outside handset manufacturers
lack ambition — -none of them even seems to be trying to match the
capabilities of the iPhone, let alone to knock us down with features that
far surpass those of Apple's device,' writes Manjoo. 'A smart handset
manufacturer could build a top-of-the-line Android device that outshines
Apple's phone in at least a few areas — better battery life, a much
better Web browser, a brighter or bigger screen, faster or more
functional controls... something that might help Android inspire gadget
lust. But so far, that's not happening.' John Gruber echoes this advice
and adds this advice to Android manufacturers: '[2]If Apple is BMW, you
can be Porsche.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?si...24/2041248

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.slate.com/id/2225815/pagenum/all/
2. http://daringfireball.net/2009/08/the_an...pportunity

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