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Books

Submission + - Underground libraries

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: While everybody around the world is fighting music and video piracy it has it's own twist in Russia.
Apparently unable legally shut down two most popular pirate online libraries — http://www.flibusta.net/ and http://lib.rus.ec/ — Russian copyright fighters trying to go in different direction — cover them up from regular users.
Sites becoming not accessible directly from many providers in different countries. But you still can see content and download books with anonymizer — for example: http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://flibusta.net
See for yourself — check translated version in babelfish.
Apple

Submission + - Opera to test Apple's resolve with iPhone browser (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by Barence
Barence writes: Opera is launching a version of its Mini browser for the iPhone in what could prove a landmark decision for Apple's app gatekeepers. Apple has been traditionally hostile to rival browsers, with Mozilla claiming that Apple made it "too hard" for its rivals to develop a browser for the iPhone. However, Opera remains bullishly confident that it's app will be approved. "We have not submitted Opera Mini to the Apple App store," an Opera spokesperson told PC Pro. "However, we hope that Apple will not deny their users a choice in web browsing experience."
Government

Submission + - Open source not free, Australian Senate hears (itnews.com.au)

Submitted by schliz
schliz writes: The Australian Government Information Management Office says that the cost of scoping the potential for a platform change could cost more than it saves. It was pushed to investigate open source software to reduce its AUD$500m software spend at a Senate meeting yesterday.

"Agencies are obliged to consider value for money on each occasion they apply a software," spokesperson Graham Fry said. "If the cost of assessing it [open source] was greater than the cost of the software, you would have to think twice."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft wins Windows XP WGA lawsuit

Submitted by Rish
Rish writes: A lawsuit that accused Microsoft of misleading consumers to download and install an update for Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) under the guise that it was critical security update has been tossed out. Last month, a federal judge refused to certify the lawsuit as a class action, which would have meant anyone who owned a Windows XP PC in mid-2006 could join the case without having to hire an attorney, and on Friday the same judge dismissed the case completely.

Submission + - Movie Star's airport body scan already leaked (gizmodo.com)

Submitted by jeko
jeko writes: Far faster than anticipated, Bollywood movie star Shah Rukh Khan full-body scan has already been leaked to the public. Contrary to previous assurances, the actor's scans were not kept anonymous, were not destroyed, and were released into the hands of fans before he even got out of the airport. The actor, somewhat shocked when presented with naked pictures of himself by a couple of girls, remained in remarkably good humor and even autographed the printouts.

"'Then I saw these girls — they had these printouts. I looked at them. I thought they were some forms you had to fill. I said 'give them to me' — and you could see everything inside. So I autographed them for them.' said Khan.
Medicine

Submission + - Hearts Actually Can Break (wsj.com)

Submitted by
DesScorp
DesScorp writes: "It seems that there's a grain of truth to one old wives' tale; it turns out that you really can die of a broken heart, especially if you're a woman. The Wall Street Journal reports on a phenomena called "broken-heart syndrome", which often occurs after great emotional distress. "In a conventional heart attack, an obstructed artery starves the heart muscle of oxygenated blood, quickly resulting in the death of tissue and potentially permanently compromising heart function. In contrast, the heart muscle in broken-heart-syndrome patients is stunned in the adrenaline surge and appears to go into hibernation. Little tissue is lost. 'The cells are alive, but mechanically or electrically disabled'", notes a doctor in the article. Documented cases track heart attacks in people with seemingly healthy hearts after the grief of the death of a loved one. Intense feelings can cause the heart to actually change shape, which doctors call "Tako-Tsubo", which is Japanese for "Octopus Trap", so called because the syndrome was first identified by a Japanese doctor that noticed the strange shape in the left ventricle. Doctors note that while strong emotions like grief are usually associated with the syndrome, stress can also trigger such heart attacks."
Patents

Submission + - An end to frivolous patents may be in sight (economist.com)

Submitted by fiannaFailMan
fiannaFailMan writes: The Economist has high hopes that frivolous patents may become a thing of the past.

America’s Supreme Court is about to issue a ruling which, by all accounts, will make it difficult, if not impossible, to get a patent for a business process. And because most business processes are, at bottom, computer algorithms, the Supreme Court’s judgment could also bar all sorts of software patents in the process. As a result, a lot of patents for online shopping, medical-diagnostic tests and procedures for executing trades on Wall Street could be invalidated.

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