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Submission + - The Deat of Slashdot (dailycaller.com) 2

Submitted by OhSoLaMeow
OhSoLaMeow writes: From the Daily Caller:
"A recently introduced bill in the Illinois state Senate would require anonymous website comment posters to reveal their identities if they want to keep their comments online. The bill, called the Internet Posting Removal Act, is sponsored by Illinois state Sen. Ira Silverstein. It states that a “web site administrator upon request shall remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless the anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate.”
This could be the death of Slashdot: No more ACs.
Security

Submission + - CAPTCHA Using Ad-Based Verification (yahoo.com)

Submitted by mk1004
mk1004 writes: Yahoo news has an article explaining how the text-based CAPTCHA is giving way to ad-based challenge/response. It's claimed that users are faster at responding to familiar logos, shortening the amount of time they spend proving that they are human.
Sony

Submission + - Official: Playstation 4 will play used games (eurogamer.net)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Quenching some rumors 'Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has told Eurogamer that PlayStation 4 will not block the use of second-hand games, contrary to various reports, speculation and even a Sony patent unearthed last month.'
Software

Submission + - Microsoft, BSA and Others Push for Appeal on Oracle vs. Google Ruling (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by sl4shd0rk
sl4shd0rk writes: In 2012, Oracle took Google to court over the use of Java in Android. Judge William Alsup brought the ruling that the structure of APIs could not be copyrighted at all. Emerging from the proceedings, it was learned that Alsup himself had some programming background and wasn't bedazzled by by Oracle's thin arguments on the range-checking function. The ruling came, programmers rejoiced and Oracle vowed Appeal. It seems that time is coming now, nearly a year later, as Microsoft, BSA, EMC, Netapp, et al. get behind Oracle to overturn Alsup's ruling citing "destabilization" of the "entire software industry".

Submission + - Troll complaint dismissed; subscriber not necessarily infringer (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "The courts are finally starting to get it, that the subscriber to an internet access account which has been used for a copyright infringement is not necessarily the infringer. In AF Holdings v. Rogers, a case in the Southern District of California, the Chief Judge of the Court has granted a motion to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim where the only evidence the plaintiff has against defendant is that defendant appears to have been the subscriber to the internet access account in question. In his 7-page opinion (PDF), Chief Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz noted that "just because an IP address is registered to an individual does not mean that he or she is guilty of infringement when that IP address is used to commit infringing activity"."
Google

Submission + - DRM Lawsuit Filed By Independent Bookstores Against Amazon, 'Big Six' Publishers (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by
concealment
concealment writes: "Three independent bookstores are taking Amazon and the so-called Big Six publishers (Random House, Penguin, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan) to court in an attempt to level the playing field for book retailers. If successful, the lawsuit could completely change how ebooks are sold.

The class-action complaint, filed in New York on Feb 15., claims that by entering into confidential agreements with the Big Six publishers, who control approximately 60 percent of print book revenue in the U.S., Amazon has created a monopoly in the marketplace that is designed to control prices and destroy independent booksellers."
Software

Submission + - Why My Team Went with DynamoDB Over MongoDB (slashdot.org)

Submitted by
Nerval's Lobster
Nerval's Lobster writes: "Software developer Jeff Cogswell, who matched up Java and C# and peeked under the hood of Facebook's Graph Search, is back with a new tale: why his team decided to go with Amazon's DynamoDB over MongoDB when it came to building a highly customized content system, even though his team specialized in MongoDB. While DynamoDB did offer certain advantages, it also came with some significant headaches, including issues with embedded data structures and Amazon's sometimes-confusing billing structure. He offers a walkthrough of his team's tips and tricks, with some helpful advice on avoiding pitfalls for anyone interested in considering DynamoDB. "Although I’m not thrilled about the additional work we had to do (at times it felt like going back two decades in technology by writing indexes ourselves)," he writes, "we did end up with some nice reusable code to help us with the serialization and indexes and such, which will make future projects easier."
 "

Submission + - Drinking Coffee in Middle Age Promotes Longevity

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: If you can never decide whether you want coffee or tea in the morning, these new findings will make the decision easier. Scientists have recently discovered that drinking coffee can add years to a person's life. The study, which involved nearly half a million older Americans, revealed that the risk of death decreased the more cups of coffee participants consumed.

Submission + - USPS to launch line of smart clothing (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by SpaceGhost
SpaceGhost writes: The Washington Post reports that the United States Postal Service has contracted with Wahconah Group, Inc. to produce a line of USPS branded smart clothing. Per USPS Licensing manager Steven Mills “This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion... The main focus will be to produce Rain Heat & Snow apparel and accessories using technology to create ‘smart apparel’ — also known as wearable electronics.” USPS Spokesman Roy Betts reports that the line will be found in premium department stores and specialty stores starting in 2014. The Washington Post points out that the USPS had done a similar retail line in the 1980s sold exclusively at Post Offices, but the line was discontinued after lobbyists complained of competition with the private sector
Power

Submission + - Scientists develop a way to extract energy from coal without burning it (foxnews.mobi)

Submitted by Time_Ngler
Time_Ngler writes: Scientists have developed a new method to utilize the power from coal, by having it chemically react with iron-oxide pellets. Working over a span of 10 years with a budget of $15 million, barring any unforeseen problems, the new process should be ready to go into commercial production within the next 5 years. The reaction does not produce carbon dioxide and leaves water and coal ash as its byproducts. Furthermore, the iron used in the reaction can be recycled.
Science

Submission + - Coal Plants Are Victims of Their Own Economics (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: During the presidential campaign last fall, a single message was repeated endlessly in Appalachian coal country: President Barack Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency, critics said, had declared a "war on coal" that was shuttering U.S. coal-fired power plants and putting coal miners out of work. Not so, according to a newly-presented analysis of coal plant finances and economics. Instead, coal is losing its battle with other power sources mostly on its merits.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot - All new computer parts [burglary]

Submitted by sc30317
sc30317 writes: Dear Slashdotters, I am in a bit of an unusual conundrum; my house got robbed on Friday, and all of our electronics got stolen. Everything. Now, I have to go out and buy all new electronics with the insurance money. We had 5 TVs (don't ask), 3 Laptops, a Bose Sound dock with iPod, a digital camera and a Desktop stolen. It's looking like I am going to get around $10K from the insurance company to replace everything. What would you do if you had to replace ALL of your technology in your house at once?
I'm thinking:

* Replace TVs
* Nice Desktop
* New speakers
* New, cool stuff I don't know about (suggestions welcome)

I already added a DVR security system, so hopefully the new things won't get burgled! Looking for suggestions to utilize my money in order to get the best stuff. Also, no windows computers allowed in my house [because this IS slashdot, after all]

Thanks,
sc30317

Submission + - Are Mosquitos Becoming More Intelligent? (bbc.co.uk) 1

Submitted by Copper Nikus
Copper Nikus writes: An article at the BBC makes a shocking claim about mosquitoes. It appears some individual insects in the wild have developed the ability to ignore the very popular DEET repelent after a first exposure. Imagine what misery this will bring to the human race if this trait spreads to the general mosquito population through the process of evolution through natural selection (or through divine intervention if you happen to be a creationist).

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