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Microsoft

Submission + - The website for B&N's new Nook Media sub already belongs to someone else (the-digital-reader.com)

Submitted by Nate the greatest
Nate the greatest writes: Do you remember when Netflix decided to spin off the DVD service as Qwikster, only they forgot to check the related Twitter account first? B&N didn't quite goof that badly today, but they came close. It turns out NookMedia.com is registered to a Swedish software developer, and so is the Twitter handle. Mattias Hallqvist could not be reached for comment so we don't know yet of he likes being the new face of B&N ebook efforts.
Open Source

Submission + - Linux 3.7 Kernel to Support Multiple ARM Platforms (paritynews.com)

Submitted by hypnosec
hypnosec writes: The yet to be released Linux 3.7 kernel is getting exciting by the day prior to its release as it has been announced that the kernel will be supporting multiple-ARM System on Chips (SoCs) / platforms. Up until now there is a separate Linux kernel build for each of the ARM platform or SoCs, which is one of the several problems when it comes to ARM based Linux. The merging of ARM multi-platform support into Linux 3.7 will now put an end to this problem thus enabling the new kernel to not only target multiple platforms but, also be more in line with its x86 counterpart.
Hardware

Submission + - Grip UI may be the cure for huge smartphones screens (extremetech.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: At CEATEC Japanese telecom NTT Docomo is showing off a new user interface dubbed "Grip UI". As the name implies, Grip UI runs on a smartphone that’s equipped with side-mounted pressure sensors. One of Docomo’s goals for Grip UI is to add ways for users to control cell phones with just one hand. With modern phones you’re generally limited to using your thumb for navigation and selection. The trend towards longer, wider phones actually makes this a bigger problem and Grip UI could help solve it.
Space

Submission + - New study shows Universe still expanding on schedule 1

Submitted by
The Bad Astronomer
The Bad Astronomer writes: "A century ago, astronomers (including Edwin Hubble) discovered the Universe was expanding. Using the same methods — but this time with observations from an orbiting infrared space telescope — a new study confirms this expansion, and nails the rate with higher precision than done before. If you're curious, the expansion rate found was 74.3 +/- 2.1 kilometers per second per megaparsec — almost precisely in line with previous messureents."
Books

Submission + - Google, Book Publishers Settle Seven Year-Long Scanning Lawsuit (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by
redletterdave
redletterdave writes: "After seven long years of litigation, Google Inc. and the Association of American Publishers have reached an agreement to settle over the search giant’s book-scanning project, which will allow publishers to choose whether or not they want their books, journals and publications digitized by Google and accessed via its Google Library Project. The agreement, according to the two companies, acknowledges the rights and interests of copyright holders, so US publishers can choose to remove their books and journals digitized by Google for its Library Project, or choose to keep their publications available. For those that keep their works online with Google, those publishers will be able to keep a digital copy for their own use and sell their publications via the Google Play marketplace."

Submission + - Best Open Communications Set Up for my Office

Submitted by earthwormgaz
earthwormgaz writes: Hello Slashdot, I've started at a small company and our phone system is crusty, old and awful. We've got email hosted elsewhere on POP/IMAP, and we've got no groupware. The server here is Windows small business whatever it is and Exchange isn't set up, but I've put CentOS on it in a VM, and I'd like to do everything using open standards and open source where possible.

I've been looking at SOGO — http://www.sogo.nu/english.html
And these phones — http://www.avaya.com/uk/product/ip-office

What are my chances of getting all this stuff working together? What other suggestions have people got a for a small office and communications?
Hardware

Submission + - The CIA and Jeff Bezos bet $30 million on quantum computing company (technologyreview.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The CIA's investment fund, In-Q-Tel, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have invested $30 million in a Canadian company that claims to build quantum computers, reports Technology Review in a detailed story on why that startup, D-Wave, appears to be attracting serious interest after years of skepticism from experts. A spokesman for In-Q-Tel says that intelligence agencies "have many complex problems that tax classical computing architecture", a feeling apparently strong enough to justify a bet on a radically different, and largely unproven, approach to computing.
Transportation

Submission + - We Don't Need More Highways

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "When it comes to infrastructure, politicians usually prefer shiny new projects over humdrum repairs. A brand-new highway is exciting: There’s a ribbon-cutting, and there’s less need to clog up existing lanes with orange cones and repair crews. So it’s not surprising that 57 percent of all state highway funding goes toward new construction, often stretching out to the suburbs, even though new roads represent just 1.3 percent of the overall system. Now Brad Plumer writes in the Washington Post that many transportation reformers think this is a wrong-headed approach and that we should focus our dollars on fixing and upgrading existing infrastructure rather than continuing to build sprawling new roads). UCLA economist Matthew Kahn and the University of Minnesota’s David Levinson made a more detailed case for a “fix-it first” strategy. They noted that, at the moment, federal highway spending doesn’t get subjected to strict cost-benefit analysis, and governments often build new roads when they arguably shouldn’t (PDF). And that’s to say nothing of data suggesting that poor road conditions are a “significant factor” in one-third of all fatal crashes, and cause extra wear and tear on cars. "When a highway gets clogged, states find it more palatable to simply build new lanes rather than, say, put in place congestion fees — even though research has found that widening highways does little to alleviate traffic jams," concludes Plumer. "There’s a strong policy case that we could stand to build fewer new highways out to the suburbs, at least for the time being.""
Censorship

Submission + - The Philippines' Cybercrime Prevention Act makes SOPA look reasonable (forbes.com)

Submitted by silentbrad
silentbrad writes: From Forbes: "The dark days of SOPA and PIPA are behind the US, at least temporarily as copyright tycoons reground and restrategize, attempting to come up with measures that don’t cause the entire internet to shut down in protest. But one country has already moved ahead with similar legislation. The government of the Philippines has passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act, which on the surface, as usual, sounds perfectly well-intentioned. But when you read the actual contents of what’s been deemed “cybercrime,” SOPA’s proposed censorship sounds downright lax by comparison. Yes, there’s the usual hacking, cracking, identity theft and spamming, which most of us can agree should be illegal. But there’s also cybersex, pornography, file-sharing (SOPA’s main target) and the most controversial provision, online libel.

Submission + - New study links caffeinated coffee to vision loss (iovs.org)

Submitted by dsinc
dsinc writes: A new study suggests caffeinated coffee drinkers should limit their intake to reduce their chances of developing vision loss or blindness. According to a scientific paper in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, heavy caffeinated coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of developing exfoliation glaucoma, the leading cause of secondary glaucoma worldwide.

“Scandinavian populations have the highest frequencies of exfoliation syndrome and glaucoma,” said author, Jae Hee Kang, ScD, of Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass. “Because Scandinavian populations also have the highest consumption of caffeinated coffee in the world, and our research group has previously found that greater caffeinated coffee intake was associated with increased risk of primary open-angle glaucoma, we conducted this study to evaluate whether the risk of exfoliation glaucoma or glaucoma suspect may be different by coffee consumption.”

Submission + - 1,000 MPH Car Passes First Test (isciencetimes.com) 1

Submitted by amkkhan
amkkhan writes: Scientists aiming to create a car that can break 1,000 mph cleared a large hurdle yesterday when they successfully tested their rocket engine. The engine will power the supersonic car known as the Bloodhound SSC — meant to become the fastest car in the world.

The British team tested the engine in an aircraft shelter in Newquay Cornwall Airport, originally designed to protect fighter planes from bombs. Although the data hasn't fully been analyzed, the researchers said the engine reached 30,000 horsepower during the 10-second burn. Given enough time, they expect the engine to reach 80,000 horsepower and 27,500 pounds of thrust.

Submission + - Review of World Makerfaire 2012 NYC (solar1.net)

Submitted by
SirTicksAlot
SirTicksAlot writes: "I attended World Makerfaire 2012 NYC this past weekend and wanted to share some of the highlights of the faire. Makerfaire is a gathering of smart and talented groups and individuals who share their love for making things. And there is nearly no limit as to what ideas or projects on display. There is no age limit or restriction and kids of all ages are encouraged to interact with everything they can. If you ever go to shows and see, "DO NOT TOUCH" you did not see that here. Touching, inspecting and learning is very much warranted. There were many stations where kids could learn to use tools, assemble things, and even learn to solder."

Submission + - Stanford Study Flawed: Organic Produce May Be More Nutritious After All (nytimes.com)

Submitted by assertation
assertation writes: A few weeks ago an article was posted to Slashdot referring to a Stanford Study stating that organic produce, contrary to popular belief is not more nutritious. According to Mark Bitman of The New York times the Standford study was flawed. A spelling error skewed the results as well as the study ignoring several types of nutrients.
Security

Submission + - Europe Joins Forces in Massive Simulated Cyber Attack (net-security.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Hundreds of cyber security experts from across the EU are testing their readiness to combat cyber-attacks in a day-long simulation across Europe today. In Cyber Europe 2012, 400 experts from major financial institutions, telecoms companies, internet service providers and local and national governments across Europe are facing more than 1200 separate cyber incidents (including more than 30 000 emails) during a simulated DDoS campaign. The exercise is testing how they would respond and co-operate in the event of sustained attacks against the public websites and computer systems of major European banks. If real, such an attack would cause massive disruption for millions of citizens and businesses across Europe, and millions of euros of damage to the EU economy.
Microsoft

Submission + - Cash-strapped Nokia to sell company headquarters 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Amid reports of Microsoft creating its own smartphone and ever dwindling financial reserves, the once undisputed leader in smartphones who bet everything to Redmond, is now planning to sell its luxurious waterfront headquarters in Espoo, Finland.
Crime

Submission + - Eight Arrested In Russian High-Tech Export Scandal (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin
Penurious Penguin writes: Millionaire Alexander Fishenko, owner of US-based Arc Electronics Inc, and seven others have been arrested in Houston Texas, with a total of 11 indicted in a conspiracy to smuggle advanced microelectronics from the US to Russia. The technology allegedly involves components of radar, weapons guidance, and detonators. Amongst the evidence are accounting records indicating notable similarity between the revenue of Arc Electronics and the Russian Federation's defense spending; intercepted phone calls and emails; and a letter to Arc Electronics from a Russian domestic intelligence lab complaining of defective microchips .
A Russian foreign ministry spokesman has denied there were any intelligence connections in the affair.
Security

Submission + - Hitachi develops boarding gate with built-in explosives detector

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Hitachi in collaboration with Nippon Signal and the University of Yamanashi, have successfully prototyped a boarding gate with built-in explosives detection equipment as part of efforts to increase safety in public facilities such as airports. The prototype boarding gate efficiently collects minute particles which have affixed themselves to IC cards or portable devices used as boarding passes, and can detect within 1-2 seconds the presence of explosive compounds using internalized equipment. With this method, it is possible to inspect 1,200 passengers per hour.

Submission + - UK 'virtual ID card' scheme set for launch (independent.co.uk)

Submitted by evrybodygonsurfin
evrybodygonsurfin writes: The UK Government will announce details this month of a controversial national identity scheme which will allow people to use their mobile phones and social media profiles as official identification documents for accessing public services.

People wishing to apply for services ranging from tax credits to fishing licences and passports will be asked to choose from a list of familiar online log-ins, including those they already use on social media sites, banks, and large retailers such as supermarkets, to prove their identity.
Government

Submission + - Hiring Smokers - Banned In South Florida City (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin
Penurious Penguin writes: Earlier this week, City Commissioners of Delray Beach finalized a policy which now prohibits agencies from hiring employees who've used tobacco products within 12 months prior to application. In other Florida cities, such as Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, prospective employees must sign affidavits declaring themselves tobacco-free for 12 months prior to the date of application. Elsewhere, throughout the states, both cities and businesses are moving to ban tobacco-use beyond working hours. The city of Fort Worth, TX is considering such bans, and many hospitals have already done so, or intend to. In some environments referred to as nicotine-free, employee urine-samples are taken and tested for any signs nicotine, not excluding that from gum or patches. Employees testing positive can be terminated.
The rationale behind these policies has been primarily economic, citing greater insurance-costs for smokers and the savings implied by eliminating them from the workforce. In some less aggressive situations, persistent smokers are imposed a "Tobacco User Surcharge" of $20 per paycheck and offered waived co-payments for smoking-cessation drugs.
As one might presume, this subject isn't without controversy. Many argue that in efforts to address the effects of tobacco, other confirmed sources of ill-health are treated with less concern, such as transfats, nitrates, obesity, excessive sugar consumption and sloth. The fact that not just smoking, but tobacco and nicotine itself are being banned beyond the workplace, is certainly worth some consideration — especially while they remain legal activities.
Is tobacco an intrinsically wicked plant? In Sweden, where tobacco products are commonly used in the form of snus, tobacco-related cancers are amongst the lowest in Europe. Due to its curing process, nitrosamines — a primary carcinogen in tobacco — are found in much lower levels in Swedish snus than in other tobacco products. Snus is even labeled as a food product in Sweden. Strangely, what so often seems left out of anti-tobacco rhetoric are the aspects of abuse, deceptive advertisement and peculiar ingredients. Whether or not tobacco can cause grievous harm is not a matter to contest; but maybe perspective has wandered. Would we decline employment to the likes of an Oppenheimer, Hubble, or Einstein because they toked a smoke 6 months ago? Surely one might encourage them to quit, but to shun? Have we become so self-righteous that we no longer lend others the privilege of indulging in lawful behavior? Without making any cases for a hideous industry, can it be asked if this is going too far?
Facebook

Submission + - Facebook Privacy Boosted As Private Message 'Leak' Is Dismissed (techweekeurope.co.uk)

Submitted by
judgecorp
judgecorp writes: "Claims that old private Facebook messages have been leaking onto people's Timelines have been dismissed by the French privacy watchdog, CNIL. Apparently, as many concluded early on, the "leaked" messages were just old Wall-to-Wall posts, that users had mistakenly believed were private. Given the lack of user understanding, now is a good time for Facebook to revamp its privacy help pages. Let's hope users pay attention, and Facebook genuinely resists exploiting their naivety. ."

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