177381
submission
Croakyvoice writes:
Nintendo in an effort to stop piracy
on its Nintendo Wii Console is now shipping consoles in Japan with 3-pins
that are physically cut from a surface-mounted IC, this latest move makes all
present Wii modchips incapable of modding the new consoles. As yet this new motherboard
change is only showing up in Japan where it has already pushed the price of consoles
up.
177375
submission
Hoplite3 writes:
Recently, Microsoft bigwigs Balmer and Gates engaged in some patent
sabre rattling directed at the Gnu/Linux operating system, claiming it
violated 235 patents. Torvalds, Moglen, Shuttleworth,
and others in the Linux community made some responses, but these didn't get
the big airtime that the Microsoft claims did. All of these responses were
reassurances that Microsoft didn't have a case, wouldn't take action, or
wasn't the real threat. But what about a tougher, legal, response? What
about a slander suit?
Here's the deal: would you be willing to donate money to a slander suit
against Microsoft? Their comments reduced the value of Linux, value that
keeps big corporations donating money and the time of their employees. It
shouldn't be hard to establish this as the intention of the remarks.
Microsoft can always use the standard slander defense of showing their
statements are true. Of course, that would force them to state
specifically which patents were violated, exactly what they'd like to
avoid. If the suit was successful, the money could be stocked away to pay
for future patent battles for Free Software. If it fails because Microsoft
discloses the specific violations, these can actually be dealt with. This
is a win-win situation for Linux, and a put-up or shut-up situation for
Microsoft.
There are some wrinkles. Microsoft just has to show that they believe
the statements they made to be true. The Free Software plaintiff would
have to establish the damage done. This muddies the waters, but isn't it
worth a try? The possibility of forcing disclosure is too tempting to pass
up.
For me, and for many of you too, Linux is an essential daily tool that
makes my life easier. These threats to its existence are odious and
upsetting because they raise the possibility of the death of Linux. We
need to fight zealously to maintain our favorite OS.
It would also set a precedent that Linux will fight patents head-on,
rather than in some licensing deal. It would be the equivalent of
ballistic missile defenses in the mutually assured destruction world of
patents. It could also be a good landmark case in patent defense.
Establishing a legal precedent of slander suits to force patent disclosure
could up the ante for baseless patent threats in the marketplace.
174149
submission
Funny Finder writes:
How much more weight will you gain if you play video games all day.Well if you believe a resent Japanese study that just came out it's 6 kilograms (13.2 lbs.).After 60 kids aged 8-14 years old spent 4 hours a day for 6 months playing assorted video games they averaged a gain of 6 kilos more than they should. Rest Of The Story
174083
submission
mobydobius writes:
Blizzard makes young cancer patient's wish come true: He becomes a small part of the WoW storyline.
Okay so this is a little more sentimental than your typical slashdot fare, but the father in this article is my best friend and I just love his kid so much that I want everyone to know his story. And hey, it's WoW; it's Blizzard; so it's tangentially relevant.
110125
story
BobB writes
"Stanford University researchers have launched an initiative called the Clean Slate Design for the Internet. The project aims to make the network more secure, have higher throughput, and support better applications, all by essentially rebuilding the Internet from scratch. From the article: 'Among McKeown's cohorts on the effort is electrical engineering Professor Bernd Girod, a pioneer of Internet multimedia delivery. Vendors such as Cisco, Deutsche Telekom and NEC are also involved. The researchers already have projects underway to support their effort: Flow-level models for the future Internet; clean slate approach to wireless spectrum usage; fast dynamic optical light paths for the Internet core; and a clean slate approach to enterprise network security (Ethane).'"
110145
submission
thhamm writes:
Using it's radar instrument, ESA's Mars Express Probe gauged the water quantity around the martian south pole: 'The amount of water trapped in frozen layers over Mars' south polar region is equivalent to a liquid layer about 11 metres deep covering the planet. This new estimate comes from mapping the thickness of the dusty ice by the Mars Express radar instrument that has made more than 300 virtual slices through layered deposits covering the pole.'
110139
submission
siglercm writes:
Astronomers have detected the remnants of an
ancient collision in the Kuiper
Belt, the region of bodies found outside of our solar system. The massive impact
between a nearly Pluto-sized body and one half as large created a "collisional family" of objects; this
is the first such family identified in the Kuiper Belt. The largest body produced may cross
Neptune's orbit in the distant future, but it's possible that smaller objects created by the smash-up
have already fallen into the inner solar system as comets.
