33018727
submission
Mrs. Grundy writes:
CGI software, even open-source software like Blender, continues to improve in quality, speed and easy-of-use. Photographer Mark Meyer wonders how long it will be before large segments of the photography industry are replaced by software and become the latest casualty to fall to outsourcing. Some imagery once the domain of photographers has already moved to CGI. Is any segment of the photography market safe? Will we soon accept digital renderings in places where we used to expect photographs?
33017901
submission
McGruber writes:
The Rochester (NY) Democrat-Chronicle has the interesting story (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120511/NEWS01/305120021/Kodak-Park-nuclear-reactor) of the Eastman Kodak Co.'s Californium Neutron Flux Multiplier, which was housed in Building 82 of Kodak Park in Rochester, NY.
The multiplier contained 3½ pounds of highly enriched (weapons-grade) uranium. Kodak used it to check chemicals and other materials for impurities, as well as for tests related to neutron radiography, an imaging technique.
33016109
submission
Velcroman1 writes:
For sale: manufacturing and office facility with 411,618 square feet, state of the art electrical, air, and power distribution systems — and a troubled past. As part of its bankruptcy proceedings, Solyndra is reportedly very close to landing a buyer for its mammoth, high-tech production plant in Fremont, Calif. The listing agent recently gave Fox News a tour of what the new owners will get for their multi-million dollar investment. Now the once-bustling offices, conference rooms, and cubicles are eerily quiet as the facility is "decommissioned," according to Greg Matter with Jones Lang LaSalle realty. One wonders about the conversations held, and emails written, in the corner office formerly occupied by CEO Brian Harrison.
33015515
submission
An anonymous reader writes:
Last week we heard complaints from Mozilla that Windows RT would restrict users' choice in web browsers, unfairly favoring Internet Explorer over alternative like Firefox and Chrome. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the situation is now on the Senate Judiciary Committee's radar, and they will look into claims that Microsoft is engaging in anti-competitive behavior. That said, it could be a difficult case to make, since the Windows RT is destined for ARM-based tablets, and Apple currently dominates that market. 'When it comes to proving abuse of monopoly power, an important question is determining the market in which a monopolist has power — the relevant market, in antitrust legal terms. In the DOJ case, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's findings of fact concluded Microsoft had a monopoly in the market for "Intel-compatible PC operating systems." Windows on ARM doesn't run on x86 chips, so by Jackson's standards, Windows RT hasn't been judged to be part of Microsoft's monopoly.' Microsoft addressed some of these issues in a blog post in February.
33010963
submission
McGruber writes:
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/judge-rules-largely-for-1437124.html) is reporting that a federal judge has ruled in favor of Georgia State University on 69 of 74 copyright claims filed by Cambridge University Press (http://www.cambridge.org/), Oxford University Press(http://www.oup.com/) and SAGE Publications (http://www.sagepub.com/) .
In a 350-page ruling, Senior US District Judge Orinda Evans found that "fair use protected a Georgia State University professor's decision to allow students to access an excerpt online through the university's Electronic Reserves System."
While the 69 of the 74 claims were rejected, the judge also found that five violations did occur "when the publisher lost money because a professor had provided free electronic access to selected chapters in textbooks." SAGE Publications (http://www.sagepub.com/) prevailed on four of these five claims, while Oxford University Press (http://www.oup.com/) won the fifth claim. Cambridge University Press (http://www.cambridge.org/) lost all its claims.
33010917
submission
mjrauhal writes:
In Finland, the operator of an open WiFi access point was found not guilty for copyright infringement allegedly committed over said access point. The operation of such access points would have become legally risky were this decided otherwise. Appeal by the Finnish Anti-Piracy Centre is still possible for this district court ruling.
33010225
submission
bzzfzz writes:
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) is beginning a $20 million dollar upgrade of its surveillance system. The upgrade will include 1800 high-definition cameras, facial recognition systems, and digital archiving to replace the analog tape system in use since the 1980s. The system will serve both security and operational goals. The MAC asserts that improved camera technology yields improved security as though the connection between the two is so strong that no proof is required.
33009137
submission
tsu doh nimh writes:
Global Payments, the Atlanta-based credit card processor that disclosed a major breach of its systems last month, has said that less than 1.5 million card numbers were stolen, and that customer names and addresses weren't included in the purloined data. But security reporter Brian Krebs carries a piece today highlighting how thieves were still able to use the data to clone debit cards, which were then used in shopping sprees in and around the Las Vegas area recently.
33005983
submission
aesoteric writes:
A New Zealand internet service provider has withdrawn a controversial, week-old service that allowed users to circumvent geographic restrictions on US and British video services like Hulu, Netflix and BBC's iPlayer. The company said it was taking more advice on the legality of the service, but earlier seemed sure of its legal position.
33003495
submission
ananyo writes:
The development of retinal implants has been dogged by problems of unwieldiness since the first implantable stimulator for vision restoration was developed in 1968. Now researchers have come up with a solution that overcomes many of the problems by the use of special glasses that fire infrared signals into the eye and onto an implanted array of silicon photodiodes. The system, tested in rats, simplifies what needs to be implanted and both transmits visual data and power directly to the implants, eliminating the need for any bulky external power source (abstract).
