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Businesses

Submission + - How Big Pharma Hooked America on Legal Heroin (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "The active ingredient in OxyContin, oxycodone, isn’t a new compound. It was originally synthesized in Germany in 1916. The patent on the medication had expired well before Purdue Pharma, a Stamford, Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company and the industry leader in pain medication, released it under the brand name in 1996. The genius of Purdue’s continued foray into pain-management medication – they had already produced versions of hydromorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, codeine, and hydrocodone – was twofold. They not only created a drug from an already readily available compound, but they were able to essentially re-patent the active ingredient by introducing a time-release element. Prior to the 1990s, strong opioid medications were not routinely given for miscellaneous or chronic, moderately painful conditions; the strongest classes of drugs were often reserved for the dying. But Purdue parlayed their time-release system not only into the patent for OxyContin. They also went on a PR blitz, claiming their drug was unique because of the time-release element and implied that it was so difficult to abuse that the risk of addiction was “under 1%.”"
Blackberry

Submission + - RIM gets exFAT from Microsoft (crackberry.com)

Submitted by Minion of Eris
Minion of Eris writes: According to a press release found today on CrackBerry:

Microsoft Corp. announced today that Microsoft and Research In Motion (RIM) have signed a patent licensing agreement that gives RIM broad access to the latest Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) for certain BlackBerry® devices of RIM. exFAT is a modern file system from Microsoft that facilitates large files for audiovisual media and enables seamless data portability and an easy interchange between desktop PCs and other electronic devices.
Science

Submission + - Graphite soaked in water may be a room-temperature superconductor (nature.com)

Submitted by
ananyo
ananyo writes: "Researchers in Germany have claimed a breakthrough: a material that can act as a superconductor — transmit electricity with zero resistance — at room temperature and above. Superconductors offer huge potential energy savings, but until now have worked only at temperatures of lower than about -110 degrees centigrade.
Now, Pablo Esquinazi and his colleagues at the University of Leipzig report that flakes of humble graphite soaked in water seem to continue superconducting at temperatures of greater than 100 degrees centigrade. Even Esquinazi admits that the claim “sounds like science fiction”, but the work has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials (abstract) and physicists say that the results, although tentative, merit further scrutiny."
Software

Submission + - GEOINT developing a military and intelligence app store (geek.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (GEOINT) is looking to bring new meaning to the now cliche saying “there’s an app for that” with its recent call for application developers and engineers to come and learn about the new GEOINT app store that is being developed .

Responsible for gathering and analyzing all of the geospatial intelligence for the US military and intelligence communities, GEOINT is looking to leverage modern mobile devices by offering secure applications that can be rapidly deployed to operating units in the field.

While you may have never heard of GEOINT before, it plays an important role in the military and intelligence operations of the US government. Not as public of an organization as DARPA is, GEOINT is responsible for giving as much information about a geographical region as possible before one of the aforementioned groups places people and other resources there. It also offers operational information during global events.
Android

Submission + - Programming a Wearable Android Device (drdobbs.com)

Submitted by
CowboyRobot
CowboyRobot writes: "Dr. Dobb's reviews an alternative to Google Glass and goes through the steps of coding your own Android-based Heads-Up Display.
"By tucking their 428x240 pixel WQVGA heads-up display in the lower right corner of ski goggles, Recon has effectively created an unobtrusive HUD with a decent 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor running Android 2.3.3 (Eclair). Network connections can be made via a Bluetooth-paired Android smartphone.""
Businesses

Submission + - Dice Holdings buys Slashdot and other Geeknet websites for $20M (yahoo.com) 3

Submitted by Angostura
Angostura writes: Dice Holdings Inc. said Tuesday that it acquired Geeknet Inc.'s online media business, including its Slashdot and SourceForge websites, for $20 million in cash.
The New York-based careers website company said the acquisition of the technology websites is part of its strategy of providing content and services geared toward technology professionals.
Software

Submission + - Leaked Windows 8 tablet pricing suggests Microsoft may have already lost the war (extremetech.com)

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes: "If, like me, you thought Microsoft would price Windows RT competitively, you were wrong: A leaked slide from Asus says that its Vivo Tab RT, due to be released alongside Windows RT at the end of October, will start at $600. Unbelievably, this is $100 more than the iPad 3, and a full $200 more than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. For $600, you would expect some sensational hardware specs — but alas, that’s sadly not the case. The Vivo Tab RT has a low-res 10.1-inch 1366×768 IPS display, quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, 2GB of RAM, NFC, 8-megapixel camera and that’s about it. Like its Androidesque cousin, the Transformer, the Vivo Tab RT can be plugged into a keyboard/battery dock — but it’ll cost you another $200 for the pleasure. (Curiously, the Transformer’s docking station only costs $150 — go figure.) What could possibly be the reason for the Vivo Tab’s extortionate price tag? The Windows Tax, of course! Microsoft better have something other than a $100 Windows Tax up its sleeve if it wants to compete with the iPad and Android tablets..."
Android

Submission + - Motorola's first Intel-powered handset launches in UK (bbc.com)

Submitted by lookatmyhorse
lookatmyhorse writes: As [ promised http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/1640224/intel-powered-smartphones-arriving-soon%5D Google's Motorola unit has released its first Intel-powered smartphone. The Razr i is based on a mid-range model sold in the US that features an ARM-based Snapdragon processor. Motorola said the change of chip meant improved camera performance. However, it has also meant Google's Chrome browser is not installed on the device. [Intel recently cut its sales forecasts citing weaker demand http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/7/3300061/intel-reduced-q3-earnings-forecast-windows-8%5D. Although it dominates PC chip sales it is a niche player in the [smart device sector. http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/12/06/15/1259244/why-intel-needs-smartphones-more-than-they-need-intel%5D The handset is Motorola's first to feature an Intel processor Its existing smartphone partners — ZTE, Lenovo, Lava, and Gigabyte — are all relatively minor smartphone forces in Western markets. So, Intel's tie-up with Google — which also makes the Android system — is widely seen as its most significant effort to crack the market to date. [ The handset will be offered in the UK, France, Germany and Latin America. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19635451%5D
News

Submission + - Slashdot Gets Acquired as Part of $20 Million Deal (geek.net) 1

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: Dice Holdings (Owner of Job sites including Dice.com) reported this morning that it has acquired Geeknet's online media business, including Slashdot and SourceForge.

"We are very pleased to find a new home for our media business, providing a platform for the sites and our media teams to thrive," said Ken Langone, Chairman of Geeknet. "With this transaction completed, we will now focus our full attention on growing ThinkGeek."

Dice Holdings acquired the business for $20 million in cash. In 2011, the online media properties generated $20 million in Revenues.
News

Submission + - Judge preserves privacy of climate scientist's emails (nature.com) 1

Submitted by
ananyo
ananyo writes: "Climate scientist Michael Mann reported Monday that he and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville have prevailed in a court case against the conservative American Tradition Institute (ATI), which had sought access to emails he wrote while serving as a professor at the school from 1999-2005.
Now at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Mann says the ruling supports the University of Virginia’s argument than an exemption to the state’s freedom-of-information law “applies to faculty communications in furtherance of their work”. The Prince William County Circuit Court ruling came directly from the bench in and was not immediately available online.
The Virgina Supreme Court tossed out a case against Mann in March. The state's conservative attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, had, among other things, demanded access to the climatologist's emails, arguing that Mann might have manipulated data and thus defrauded the government in applying for scientific grants."
Google

Submission + - Google Bans Online Anonymity While Patenting It

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: 'It's important to use your common name,' Google explains in its Google+ ground rules, 'so that the people you want to connect with can find you.' Using a 'secondary online identity,' the search giant adds, is a big Google+ no-no. 'There are lots of places where you can be anonymous online,' Betanews' Joe Wilcox notes. 'Google+ isn't one of them.' Got it. But if online anonymity is so evil, then what's the deal with Google's newly-awarded patent for Social Computing Personas for Protecting Identity in Online Social Interactions? 'When users reveal their identities on the internet,' Google explained to the USPTO in its patent application, 'it leaves them more vulnerable to stalking, identity theft and harassment.' So what's Google's solution? Providing anonymity to social networking users via an 'alter ego' and/or 'anonymous identity.' So does Google now believe that there's a genuine 'risk of disclosing a user's real identity'? Or is this just a case of Google's left hand not knowing what its right hand is patenting?
Your Rights Online

Submission + - Traveling the Silk Road: a comprehensive measurement analysis (arxiv.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: "a comprehensive measurement analysis of Silk Road, an anonymous, international online marketplace that operates as a Tor hidden service and uses Bitcoin as its exchange currency. We gather and analyze data over eight months between the end of 2011 and 2012, including daily crawls of the marketplace for nearly six months in 2012. We obtain a detailed picture of the type of goods being sold on Silk Road, and of the revenues made both by sellers and Silk Road operators. Through examining over 24,400 separate items sold on the site, we show that Silk Road is overwhelmingly used as a market for controlled substances and narcotics. A relatively small "core" of about 60 sellers has been present throughout our measurement interval, while the majority of sellers leaves (or goes "underground") within a couple of weeks of their first appearance. We evaluate the total revenue made by all sellers to approximately USD 1.9 million per month; this corresponds to about USD 143,000 per month in commissions perceived by the Silk Road operators. We further show that the marketplace has been operating steadily, with daily sales and number of sellers overall increasing over the past few months. We discuss economic and policy implications of our analysis and results, including ethical considerations for future research in this area."
Power

Submission + - Fusion power breakthrough near at Sandia labs? (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: An achievement that would have extraordinary energy and defense implications might be near at Sandia National Laboratories. The lab is testing a concept called MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion), which uses magnetic fields and laser pre-heating in the quest for energetic fusion. A paper recently published by Sandia researchers state that the Z-pinch driven MagLIF fusion could reach "high-gain" fusion conditions, where the fusion energy released greatly exceeds (by more than 1,000 times) the energy supplied to the fuel.
Android

Submission + - Verizon Offers Free Tethering Because It Has To (itworld.com) 1

Submitted by
jfruh
jfruh writes: "Most US wireless carriers are trying to have it both ways on tethering or smartphones-as-hotspots — moving people from unlimited data plans to plans where they pay by the gigabyte, but then also charging them extra if they want to share the gigabytes they've paid for with other devices. But on Android phones on Verizon, at least, you can still tether, not because Verizon is trying to be more consumer friendly, but because, according to an FCC ruling, they agreed to allow it when they bought formerly public spectrum."

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