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Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

Software

+ - 179 Linux Spark tablet is open for pre-order!->

Submitted by skade88
skade88 writes "The Linux Spark Tablet is now open for pre-order! They require no money down for the pre-order. The final cost of the device is only $260.00. Check out the specs!

Spark operates on a free software platform of GNU/Linux, Mer and Plasma Active.
7 Inch multi-touch capacitive screen
1 GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor with Mali 400
          GPU
512 MB DDR2 RAM
4 GB Nand Flash Disk
Wireless Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g (3G via USB Extenal)
1.3 MP built-in front facing camera
HDMI 1080P Output
2 USB ports
MicroSD slot
3.5 mm audio jack
Hardware volume and power buttons
4 dimensional Gsensor
Battery: 3000mAH @ 7.4v
Weight: 355 grams"
Link to Original Source
Microsoft

+ - 229 Rumor: Xbox 720 Will Be a Touch-Controlled 3D Console->

Submitted by
itwbennett
itwbennett writes "Escapist Magazine says that the next Xbox console will have a touch screen controller 'with a shape closer to Sony's sleek Vita handheld / Apple's iPad than Wii U's bulky unit' and that the touch screen would be surrounded by traditional Xbox buttons. Meanwhile, Boy Genius Report has divined from a job description looking for expertise in 'state of the art 3D imaging systems' that Xbox 720 is 3D. ITworld blogger Peter Smith reminds us that 'the current Xbox 360 does support 3D though I'm not aware of anyone who uses it (someone must). My guess is that Microsoft's emphasis on 3D will depend on whether the technology ever really catches on with home audiences.'"
Link to Original Source
Government

+ - 145 Is China's Political Model Superior? 1

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes "As the leader of world’s most powerful electoral democracy and the heir apparent to its largest one-party state meet at a time of political transition for both, Eric X. Li, a venture capitalist in Shanghai, writes in the NY Times that the West’s current competition with China is a clash of two fundamentally different political outlooks. The modern West sees democracy and human rights as the pinnacle of human development while China sees its current form of government merely as a means to achieving larger national ends. "The American Federalists made it clear they were establishing a republic, not a democracy, and designed myriad means to constrain the popular will," writes Li. "The political franchise expanded, resulting in a greater number of people participating in more and more decisions. As they say in America, “California is the future.” And the future means endless referendums, paralysis and insolvency." China is on a different path. Its leaders are prepared to allow greater popular participation in political decisions if and when it is conducive to economic development and favorable to the country’s national interests. The fundamental difference is whether political rights are considered God-given and therefore absolute or whether they should be seen as privileges to be negotiated based on the needs and conditions of the nation. "The West seems incapable of becoming less democratic even when its survival may depend on such a shift," concludes Li. "History does not bode well for the American way.""
AT&T

+ - 153 Kentucky telephone companies pushing for option to end basic service->

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "There is a bill pending in the Kentucky State Senate that would eliminate almost all Public Service Commission oversight over local phone companies. Written by AT&T lobbyists, SB135 is being pushed by the phone companies as a "modernization" of rules. It would keep the PSC from investigating phone service on its own and eliminate rules concerning price discrimination, price increases, required published rates, and performance objectives. It also will prevent any state agency from imposing net neutrality, and will enable phone companies to use the fact that there are cell phones to refuse to run a land line. The text of the bill is at http://e-lobbyist.com/gaits/KY/SB135."
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Biotech

+ - 167 Deadly H5N1 flu studies to stay secret... for now->

Submitted by Edsj
Edsj writes "WHO spokesman said an agreement had been reached, after a debate, to keep details of the controversial work about the highly pathogenic H5N1 secret until deeper risk analyses have been carried out.

The scientists, led by Ron Fouchier, who made the study, still want to release the full paper at some future date for public viewing, but for the time being, the NSABB got what it want."
Link to Original Source
Technology

+ - 229 Ford and Bug Labs Shipping OpenXC Beta Kits->

Submitted by
MojoKid
MojoKid writes "OpenXC is an open source connectivity platform developed in tandem by Ford and open source hardware maker Bug Labs. Announced this fall, the platform is designed to allow developers the ability to use an Android- and Arduino-based modules to interact with a vehicle’s in-car tech, such as vehicle sensors and GPS units. The OpenXC website succinctly describes the platform as “an API to your car”. Ford announced that OpenXC beta test kits are now shipping to developers worldwide, including U.S. institutions such as MIT and Standford as well as India’s HCL Technologies."
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Google

+ - 193 Apple and Google Unite To Save A Dying Diabetic-> 1

Submitted by
redletterdave
redletterdave writes "Two Oregon State Police troopers stopped a car after receiving complaints from other drivers that a man was having trouble driving his car. When the officers approached the car and tried to speak to the man, they realized that he didn't speak any English, only Chinese. The man showed "signs of impairment," but they had extreme difficulty communicating with him. Instinctively, the senior officer fetched his personal iPhone from the police cruiser and launched his Google Translate app. Through translated dialogue with the man, the two officers discovered that the man had been driving non-stop from Montana on very little rest, food, and insulin. Once medical personnel arrived, paramedics discovered the man's blood sugar was more than five times the normal level. If the officer didn't have his iPhone and Google Translate with him, the man could have entered a coma or died."
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Media

+ - 146 Robot scribe threatens livelihood of journalists->

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes "The most common complaint from readers of newspapers, blogs, and websites are accusations of bias. You’re an apologist, you’re a hater, you’re a fanboy. Why so negative! We’ve heard them all. What if the next news story you read was not written by a human at all, and instead by a computer? Chicago-based Narrative Science does exactly that. The company's software takes a set of data — sports box scores or financial results, for example — and turns it into an actual news story. The result isn’t Pulitzer Prize-winning material but it’s enough for filler. The first version of the algorithm was only capable of turning structured data into short blurbs — Forbes uses this feature to automatically generate earnings previews — but now the software is capable of parsing Twitter and producing surprisingly good prose."
Link to Original Source
Open Source

+ - 150 Security Tool HijackThis Goes Open Source->

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes "The popular free security tool HijackThis has been open sourced by its owner, Trend Micro. The tool scans systems to find settings that may have been modified by spyware, malware or other programs that have wiggled their way onto a system and caused problems.

Downloaded over 10 million times, HijackThis generates reports to help users analyze and fix an infected or problemed computer. But the tool is not designed for novices – and doesn’t actually determine what’s good or bad. That’s up to you, but it is a good way to keep an eye on things and possibly locate anomalies that may have been missed by other security products. Trend Micro warns that if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s probably not a good idea to make any changes to your computer settings and system files.

Trend Micro acquired the tool from creator Merijn Bellekom in 2007, and has offered it for free ever since, but now is making the code available to the public. The code, originally written in Visual Basic, is now officially available at Sourceforge here."
Link to Original Source
Biotech

+ - 139 Nanopore machine will 'sequence a human genome in 15 minutes'->

Submitted by ananyo
ananyo writes "Oxford Nanopore Technologies, based in Oxford, UK says its GridION system will sequence a human genome in just 15 minutes. The company opened its first data run to scrutiny today revealed the initial results from its GridION system at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology meeting in Marco Island, Florida. The firm expects to start selling its new machine in the second half of this year and also plans to launch the world’s first miniaturized, disposable sequencer — the MinION — which will retail for less than US$900.

Oxford Nanopore’s system uses nanopore sequencing to rapidly read DNA sequences. A strand of DNA is fed through a biological pore and the various bases are identfied by measuring the difference in their electrical conductivity as they pass through the pore. The launch of the nanopore machines marks the end of a decades-long wait. Nanopore technology was first mooted in the early 1990s, and as it has taken so long to get to the market, many scientists have reserved judgement on the technique’s capabilities until they can see the results for themselves."
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