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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 48 declined, 12 accepted (60 total, 20.00% accepted)

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Submission + - Swiss watchdog sets court ultimatum for Google Str (swissinfo.ch)

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: Google just can't get it right (it must be hard after being given a free ride practically everywhere else): the Swiss Federal Data Protection Commissioner has given Google 30 days to fix the problems with Streetview or the matter will go to court.

Another article in the Swiss press (in German) goes a little bit more into detail, not only have quite a number of complaints been handed in, Google has also been told to lower its cameras, in more or less a repeat of what it encountered in Japan, and to remove small private streets from its images unless it can obtain local permission (IMHO a somewhat impossible to meet requirement).
Privacy

Submission + - Switzerland: disable Google Streetview 1

Submitted by glow-in-the-dark
glow-in-the-dark writes: The Swiss office for Data Protection has asked Google to turn off Streetview, I suspect because it doesn't meet the conditions as demanded when permission was given to go ahead.

Google answered privacy concerns with the following points (I'm translating them from German):

"Do I have to worry about being in Streetview?"
Google will publish in advance where it is going to record the images, so you can act accordingly.
Comment: WTF? So people have to hide when Google rides into town? Who exactly has the obligation here?

How is my Data Protection guaranteed when my picture has been taken?
Google has made masking the images of people and car license plates obligatory.
Comment: I think this is where trouble starts, because their permission to go ahead against concern appears to have been dependent on how well they did this. I have browsed one particular town as an experiment and was quite quickly able to unearth unmasked faces. This means that either the algorithm they use doesn't work, or that it is done manually and they're behind (in which case they should not have put up the images IMHO).

How do I get myself removed from Google Streetview?
You can tell Google where you were in the picture and they'll remove it.
Comment: same comment as above (whose obligation is this?), and, in addition, how are you going to recall where you saw a Google car (if you noticed it at all)? The images take several months to show up, and you don't need to look straight at them to be in the image.

Can I get my home removed from Google Streetview?
Although a picture of a home is generally not covered under Data Protection, Google has agreed to remove them if so asked, follow the same process as removing a person.
Comment: I think it wouldn't be half as bad if the pictures weren't taken with a high enough resolution to see inside a house.

In short, Google has not been given the easy ride it had in other countries regarding Streetview. I actually suspect there is more to come..
Moon

Submission + - What got us to the moon

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: This is an interesting article, detailing a few of the challenges of the first moon flight:

Fence Wire, Flying Bedsteads and 36KB: What Got Us to the Moon

It's easy, once things become commonplace, to forget how extraordinary they once were. When Lindbergh flew to Paris, the whole world stopped to cheer. Now thousands of people jet back and forth everyday. Some 2,000 people have now reached the summit of Mt. Everest. And almost 500 people, from 39 countries, have flown in space. Which undoubtedly explains why I'm hard pressed to name even one of the astronauts who blasted off in the Space Shuttle Endeavor on Wednesday.

I just looked at the flight computer stats: 36k memory, and an MTBF of 70'000h. Translated: 1/50000 of the currently customary 2GB, and -if used during office hours- no failure for 40 years. It's clear that Microsoft had not been founded yet :-).

Microsoft

Submission + - Swiss interim judgement: buying Microsoft is risky

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: It's presently only available in German, sorry — this is in principle a followup of
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/26/red_hat_switzerland/. I expect there will be a Redhat press release surfacing at some point.

The Swiss NZZ newspaper reports (at http://preview.tinyurl.com/ldmgmw) that an interim judgement now allows the procurement of Microsoft products & services, with the proviso that such contracts could be annulled by the final judgement.

This means that the purchase of Microsoft products is presently a risk until the final judgement. IMHO this is as effective as banning purchases until then, but without enabling Microsoft to do anything about it (AFAIK, IANAL).

This interim judgement is in principle a confirmation that there is actually a case to answer, and that the existence of viable alternatives is accepted by the court.

In related news, Redmond Microsoft staff recently dismissed are asked to bring their office chairs to a storage room on the executive floor before they leave. No explanation is provided :-)
Cellphones

Submission + - iPhone update nukes certain firmware versions

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: We just had a call from our phone shop as we have several iPhones in the company — apparently there's a message out from the telco for people not to upgrade just yet to iPhone v3 firmware.

It appears some newer phones have problems with the update and brick instead, leaving you with a device that is just about recognised as a USB device, but no longer as an iPhone — it's now an iBrick.

I can confirm this as a colleague had this happen. Mine's one of the early ones and it went OK-ish (needed a restart before I could enter the SIM code to allowed the whole process to complete).
NASA

Submission + - Spirit stuck in soft soil on Mars

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: NASA reports that the Spirit Mars lander is presently stuck in soft soil. The lander's wheels are halfway sunk into the soil and they are planning simulation tests to see if they can get it out again.

I hope they can get it out of there because it's picking up enough new energy to work with, however, it only has 5 wheels left to work with — one of the wheels hasn't been working for years. Fingers crossed..
Patents

Submission + - Swiss researchers: Markets better than patents

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: OK, the conclusion isn't new, but these people have put some more science behind the conclusion. Key question: will anyone listen?

Patent system needs overhaul , say Swiss researchers.

Markets are much better than patents in stimulating intellectual curiosity and discovery, according to Swiss-led research.

An international team, led by Professor Peter Bossaerts from Lausanne's Federal Institute of Technology, carried out experiments to quantify the ways patent systems and market forces might influence someone to invent and solve intellectual problems.

Their findings were published in the latest issue of the journal Science.

The researchers claim that a market economy, where inventors buy and sell shares of the key elements of their discoveries, beats the winner-takes-all patent system, especially in terms of the number of beneficiaries, levels of collaboration and pace of development.
Software

Submission + - The death of the progress bar? (slashdot.org)

Submitted by Too-late-too-fight-boredom
Too-late-too-fight-boredom writes: As I sit watching a 3G iPhone absorb the latest 237.8MB upgrade (that's before unpacking, btw) I realise that here too is really no way of telling just how far it has progressed, and it struck me that I haven't seen a *real* progress bar for quite some time other than, ironically, on the iPhone itself.

Let me define "real": a progress bar that gives me an idea of how far a computer program has progressed during a time consuming (> 30 seconds) task. What I do NOT consider a progress bar:

- one that starts again after it has completed its journey from left to right (a "feature" of most newer installers, probably aimed at users busy)
- an animation that tells me nothing at all — demonstrated by what PC based iTunes shows when it pushes the aforementioned update up the iPhone's rear end.
- one that tells me it needs another 31456 hours and some minutes and then finishes 10 mins later (Vista).

Now, I understand that it's sometimes hard to predict just how long things are going to take, but then maybe an overview bar and one per task would be more informative. It's not like that is a new idea, if I recall correctly that was something used by the Norton Commander. If not, well, look at the Linux Midnight Commander — same idea. Useful.

I've seen enough "keep 'em busy" animation to last me a lifetime, starting with the animated Windows hourglass which mainly appears to suggest that the system you paid for is presently off doing something else like smoking a joint or copying some potentially confidential information, so I really don't need any more of that, thanks.

Just bring back the progress bar, please. I would consider that, umm, well, progress..
Technology (Apple)

Submission + - Apple charges for iPhone updates

Submitted by No-more-iPhones
No-more-iPhones writes: From Apple update: "iPod touch gets better with the App Store, Genius, and other new features. All for just $9.95".

What Apple doesn't mention is that there are also security updates behind this version, see the SANS page, so we are having a first here: Apple has finally gone where even Microsoft didn't dare to venture: charging for security updates.

In principle, this could be construed as someone deliberately selling you a defective product to later charge you for fixing it, and that's going to be very interesting with respect to the trading laws I know in most countries. Countdown to formal complaints starts now..

Oh, for the record: I couldn't care less about the "Genius" feature that appears to be the argument for the charge. I spend most of my time switching off all the electronic nannying I'm subjected to (including online spell checks) because they interrupt me when I can least use it. I use computers as tools, not babysitters.

I would like to thank Apple for providing me more ammunition to keep their phone of the list of approved corporate phones. I'm glad we barred it from day one.
Media

Submission + - Queen Rania of Jordan starts project on Youtube

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has posted a video on YouTube asking for people to send in stereotypes.

Her aim is to start a dialogue (which is IMHO long overdue) to address the impression people have of the Arab world and Islam.

It's a brave start of an uphill struggle, she has decades of propaganda and biased reporting to undo..
Linux Business

Submission + - Ubuntu mobile!

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: The BBC has an article about mobile use of Ubuntu

From the article:

Linux evolves for mobile devices
A version of the increasingly popular Linux operating system Ubuntu will be developed for use on net-enabled phones and devices.
The Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project aims to create the open source platform for initial release in October 2007.
The operating system will be developed by members of the Ubuntu community, along with staff from chip giant Intel.

Well, I personally wouldn't mind a Linux phone so I can finally ditch Windows based sync software..
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Linux Indie 500 car marketing: abuse or good idea?

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: At Tux 500 someone is trying to get enough money together to sponsor a Linux logo'd car in the Indie 500. It seems to be aiming for a lot of money (min $25k) for creating Linux awareness, and has so far apparently collected $11k .. $12k.

However, is this really a good use of community money or is this blatant opportunism to sponsor a hobby? A discussion at YouTube seems to throw a handful of nuts in the gearbox of this prospective event.

I don't think it's a scam, but the whole idea doesn't seem so bright after reading the YouTube comments.

What is your opinion? Good idea, nice try or contribution scam?
Toys

Submission + - Barbie gets a new life - as an MP3 player

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: Just when you thought the horror had died down, Mattel has come up with a new ploy to sell its view of fashion to impressionable young girls. The franchise continues with an MP3 equipped Barbie, and to make matter worse, they have created a 'safe' internet portal to go with it.

The idea of a safe location for children to communicate is OK-ish, I guess (I just wonder how they're even going to learn about the threats 'out there' to prevent a default lack of wariness, but I digress), but there are two amusing revelation there: it appears the perfect Barbie wannabee only needs a vocabulary of about 2000 words (actually, that shouldn't really come as a surprise), and Britney has apparently "imploded".

Good news all around then :-)

Oh, and for the record, I was looking at the Sony video sharing article when I spotted the link, I don't go out of my way to visit Barbie sites :-). That's my story and I'll stick to it ..
The Internet

Submission + - Have domain wildcards sneaked in after all?

Submitted by cheros
cheros writes: I just happened to check on a domain name to see if it was de-registered, and much to my surprise I ended up on an alike sounding domain name at Network Solutions. I then just typed a totally random domain name (yaboo1234.com), did a quick whois (just to be safe) and got nil back. Yet, entering this in Firefox I end up at GoDaddy who tells me that they have kindly parked the domain — which is very evident nonsense. Now, I may have missed this, but wasn't this supposed to be a Very Bad Idea? And if so, where is it implemented — at browser (works in both IE and Firefox), OS, ISP or DNS? = Ch =

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