Podcaster - Slashdot User

Submission + - 'Click-to-get-infected ad' a test ... but of what

Submitted by

netbuzz

on Monday May 21, 2007 @03:37PM

netbuzz writes: "Everybody's laughing at the 409 people who clicked on that ad promising to infect their PCs. The ad, brainchild of a security researcher, was a test, all right. But exactly what was it measuring? Security savvy, or lack thereof, is the obvious answer. But what about curiosity, courage, and, dare I say it, faith in almighty Google?

http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1536 6"

Submission + - Slashdot's Firehose: Misplaced democracy?

Submitted by

PetManimal

on Monday May 21, 2007 @03:37PM

PetManimal writes: "The Slashdot Firehose is a 'bad metaphor and a bad idea,' or so says Computerworld's Joyce Carpenter, who has been using the user-directed submission rating system since it was introduced a few months ago. She points to an increase in unworthy submissions — some of which seem to be part of 'viral marketing scams' — and says that they make Firehose unpleasant for everyone:

The increased number of unworthy submissions makes more unpleasant work for the editors as well as members of the community. A bigger hose with more crap in it just means that the editors have to read all that crap — and so do the voting members of the community. That's just more work for everyone.
She also questions whether Zonk and Co. are even using the recommendations that make it to the top of the Firehose ratings:

So far as I can tell, the editors still make the decisions. Good for them. I have no need for democracy in the selection of stories at a site that has done an excellent, if elitist, job of using editorial judgment. That's what makes it such a good site. Drain the hydrant and throw away with the hose.
"

Submission + - 1024 bit Product of Primes Factored

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21, 2007 @03:36PM

An anonymous reader writes: A press release from EPFL as well as other sources are reporting that an international team has factored a 1024 bit product of primes using the special number field sieve. Once again time to increase your GPG key lengths.

Submission + - Prizes vs. Patents: a Nobel laureate's perspective

Submitted by

benesch

on Monday May 21, 2007 @02:37PM

benesch writes: "Joseph Stiglitz, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, points out the flaws of our patent system "The fundamental problem with the patent system is simple: it is based on restricting the use of knowledge. Because there is no extra cost associated with an additional individual enjoying the benefits of any piece of knowledge, restricting knowledge is inefficient." He goes on to suggest prizes as a more efficient alternative "Of course, the patent system is itself a prize system, albeit a peculiar one: the prize is temporary monopoly power, implying high prices and restricted access to the benefits that can be derived from the new knowledge. By contrast, the type of prize system I have in mind would rely on competitive markets to lower prices and make the fruits of the knowledge available as widely as possible. With better-directed incentives (more research dollars spent on more important diseases, less money spent on wasteful and distorted marketing), we could have better health at lower cost.""

Submission + - Tattoos, what do you think about the ink?

Submitted by WannaBeGeekGirl on Sunday May 20, 2007 @11:27PM

WannaBeGeekGirl writes: /.'ers you represent a unique and interesting demographic and that makes your opinion useful.

I've done my share of research up to this point about tattoos. Even though tattoos aren't forever anymore due to skin laser treatment technology, the ink is on your skin so I consider it a personal subject on some level. Therefore, I started out by talking to people that had tattoos and listening to their stories. There are plenty of resources in the old school media that I've been watching for the last three years. Magazines, tv series and books are loaded with information about the subject from many points of view. Sorting through the online resources is even more intimidating. Whether you google, skip around on webrings or approach it from a customer's perspective like most topics, the amount of data is overwhelming. I believe the moderation system here and the demographic I mentioned earlier will help me mine some useful data more efficiently. We might even start some interesting discussion and see some nifty art.

To be clear, I'm not asking for your opinions about a specific tattoo for me personally, but on the subject in general. I'm looking for your input based on personal experiences, resources you can share and other helpful creative discussion.

Submission + - Garbage Dump named after John Cleese

Submitted by heretic108 on Sunday May 20, 2007 @10:25PM

heretic108 writes: New Zealanders have long memories. So one year after Monty Python comedian John Cleese took a low swipe at the town of Palmerston North, the locals saw fit to get even, with the town council officially naming the local garbage dump after him.

Submission + - Microsoft, Sue Me First

Submitted by corigo on Sunday May 20, 2007 @10:22PM

corigo writes: Supporters of Free Open Source, Oasis Open Document, and other Free and Open Source solutions have asked Microsoft to throw down the guantlet. Sue Me First says Christian Einfeldt of Digital Tipping Point and he's not alone. More and more people are signing up and challenging Microsoft to put there lawyers where there mouth is. It sounds to me like the open source community is far from running scared. Will Microsoft have the cajones to step up to the plate, or is Microsoft just continuing to use a scare campaign with no real faith in their ability to leverage the patent control they claim the open source is infringing on?

Submission + - Berksire school childen eye-scanned by sheriff

Submitted by

Podcaster

on Sunday May 20, 2007 @10:20PM

Podcaster writes: "The Berksire Eagle is reporting on the local sheriff's plans to photograph the eyes of every school-age child in the county for inclusion in a national database meant to help identify recovered children more quickly."

4.7GHz IBM Power6 Spotted 296

Posted by kdawson on Sunday May 20, 2007 @10:19PM from the more-power-to-ya dept.

Ilgaz notes that The Register has posted benchmark results from Oracle 11i running on four 4.7GHz Power6 chips. Quoting: "The speedy chips confirm IBM's boasting that Power6 would arrive near 5GHz. They also show that IBM's customers have a lot to look forward to in terms of raw performance." Rumor has it that the Power6 chips will be announced on Tuesday.

Submission + - U.S. slams Thailand for "pirating" AIDS dr

Submitted by nbauman on Sunday May 20, 2007 @09:40PM

nbauman writes: The U.S. government placed Thailand on a list of copyright violators, because Thailand exercised its legal right under the World Trade Organization rules to license generic versions of AIDS drugs. Merck offered to sell efavirenz for $237 per patient per year, but Indian generic manufacturers do it for $165. Then Thailand licensed generic versions of another AIDS drug, lopinavir/ritonavir, which Abbott had offered to sell for $1,000 per patient per year. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative placed Thailand on the Priority Watch List, which could lead to trade sanctions, and is usually used for software, trademark and other pirates.
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles /2007/05/02/thailand_stands_by_drug_patent_decisio n/ http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_ind ex.cfm?DR_ID=44603 "It's surprising that the reactions have been so harsh to a move that's perfectly legal," said Jon Ungphakorn, a former Thai senator. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/ 5826/816 [subscription, bummer] Thailand's GDP per capita is $9,100.

Submission + - Google Flips the Moon

Submitted by

proxima1

on Sunday May 20, 2007 @09:08PM

proxima1 writes: "Not only does Google think it can change the earth, it apparently has the power to change the orientation of the moon. Google's very own Lunar Phase widget that comes with their desktop presents us with a moon that is tilted 90 degrees clockwise, with the lunar "west" pole pointed up. Unless there has been a major astronomical event the NASA boys are not letting us in on, someone at the Big G was asleep in their astronomy classes. Google's arch rival Yahoo got it right however.

For Google's take on the earth's only satellite go here: http://www.distantsuns.com/images/google_moon.jpg.

But to see the way it should be: http://www.distantsuns.com/images/yahoo_moon.jpg"

Submission + - Compressed air car from India could kill GM, EXXON

Submitted by

vaporland

on Sunday May 20, 2007 @08:50PM

vaporland writes: "This article in Business Week describes a car that runs on compressed air, ready for production in India. The fiberglass MiniC.A.T. runs on compressed air, and offers zero pollution and very low running costs. It is expected that US politicians will be able to easily refuel it by speaking into a hose located in the passenger compartment . . ."

Submission + - Will Yankees really win 110 games as per Slashdot?

Submitted by aputerguy on Sunday May 20, 2007 @08:31PM

aputerguy writes: Just a little over a month ago (April 5th), a story was posted to slashdot (http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/ 05/2259207) about how a "mathematician" at Rutgers had developed a model predicting that "the Yankees will win 110 games this year, a pretty safe bet, many might agree... He claims to be right more than wrong in five of the past six years."

Well the Yankees are off to an abysmal start with a record of 18 and 23 (http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp) for an average of 0.439, placing them in the bottom 8 teams in all of baseball.

To win 110 games, they would need to win 92 out of the next 121 games (0.760 percent). Doesn't take much of a mathematician to guess that not only won't they be winning 110 games this year but that they are unlikely to win even 95 total games. Perhaps we geeks of slashdots should leave the odds-making to Las Vegas!

Submission + - Top teachers twice as good as bad treachers

Submitted by

Podcaster

on Sunday May 20, 2007 @08:30PM

Podcaster writes: "Australian National University researcher Andrew Leigh has released a new study that attempts to quantify school teacher's differing abilities to educate their students.

The study was conducted by the Australian National University (ANU) and found the top 10 per cent of teachers were able to achieve in six months what the bottom 10 per cent could only achieve in a full year."

Submission + - Putin vows GLONASS, GPS' counterpart, free for all

Submitted by

axyzmobile.com

on Sunday May 20, 2007 @08:01PM

axyzmobile.com writes: "According to the news agency RIA Novosti, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Friday a decree on the GLONASS navigation system to provide the service free for customers. GLONASS is a Russian version of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time. The system can also be used in geological prospecting."

Slashdot Top Deals