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Submission + - Wireless networks self-nterference hits bandwidth

Submitted by RockDoctor on Wednesday June 06, 2007 @02:53AM

RockDoctor writes: In what may come as an unwelcome shock to people at the "cutting edge" of kewl technology (also known as the "bleeding edge", for reasons that will become obvious), Network Computing is carrying a report on the problems of interference between overlapping wireless networks. It came as no surprise to me to discover that (FTFA) a wireless manufacturer who I had never heard of suffered a 50% degradation in performance when working overlapped with a wireless network from market leader Cisco. It also came as no surprise to hear that the performance of the market leader [quote]cratered[quote]. I don't know the ins and outs of the technical aspects of bandwidth contention algorithms, or if one or other contender is adhering to or deviating from the standards. But since I ran the apartment with CAT5 cable about 5 years ago, I can't say that I particularly care either. Certainly, this degree of clashing and conflict between different hardware and software vendors is no surprise. Wireless may have benefits in some circumstances, but it's certainly not the universal solution some vendors would have customers think.

Submission + - Human-animal hybrid embryo is approved in UK

Submitted by

CryogenicKeen

on Monday May 28, 2007 @04:53PM

CryogenicKeen writes: "The Layman's Version: http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience / — "Human-animal hybrid embryo gets go-ahead" The Guardian Version: http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,2082 147,00.html The Actual Bill: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/Ukpga_1990003 7_en_1.htm"

Submission + - Man accidentally invents new fuel

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 28, 2007 @04:11PM

An anonymous reader writes: While attempting to cure cancer, John Janzius accidentally found a way to make salt water burn. http://www.wpbf.com/news/13383827/detail.html

Submission + - New Zealand rejects Office for Macs.

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 28, 2007 @03:38PM

An anonymous reader writes: The NZPA is reporting that the New Zealand Ministry of Education has declined to renew a licensing deal for MS Office on 25,000 Macintosh computers in the countries schools. The Education Minister, Steve Maharey, has even gone to suggest schools use free alternative NeoOffice. However a school Principal has spoken out against the decision, claiming the NeoOffice website warned users to expect problems and bugs, saying: "That's not the sort of software we should be expecting kids in New Zealand to be using."

Submission + - IIS overtakes Apache among Fortune 1000 sites

Submitted by El Lobo on Monday May 28, 2007 @03:31PM

El Lobo writes: If you think back a few years to IIS 5.0, the future for Microsoft's web server looked rather bleak. With IIS 6.0, Microsoft made "locked down" mode settings the default at installation, which helped minimize security problems, and helped IIS 6.0 recapture a major part of trust that IIS 5.0 lost. No major security disasters have been reported since the release of IIS 6.0. Now, Microsoft is looking to consolidate IIS 7.0's position as a secure and robust web server.

A recent market survey indicated that Microsoft's IIS has a 31.13 percent market share, which places it in second position behind the open source Apache Web Server. Another survey by Port80 Software that takes Fortune 1000 companies into consideration reports that IIS has overtaken Apache among Fortune 1000 sites.

Submission + - Study suggests US/UK are failing children

Submitted by

Brian Ribbon

on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @12:05PM

Brian Ribbon writes: "The BBC has a report regarding a study into child welfare by international charity Unicef, which reveals that the US and UK have the lowest levels of child welfare out of 21 countries studied. The study measured child welfare using six categories; family and peer relationships, material well-being, health and safety, behaviour and risks, and children's own sense of well-being (educational and subjective).

Is it a coincidence that the countries which have the most draconian legislation disguised as measures to protect children also have the lowest level of child welfare, or is the level of paranoia and hysteria in these countries actually harming children?"

Submission + - IBM Pares Speed Gap in Memory Circuitry

Submitted by

Carl Bialik from WSJ

on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @11:27AM

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes: "IBM researchers are claiming a breakthrough in developing circuitry to store data on future microprocessor chips, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: 'Exploiting a manufacturing technology called silicon-on-insulator, the company has developed unusually fast DRAM circuitry for use as cache memory. Subramanian Iyer, a director of IBM's manufacturing-process development, estimates it takes 1.5 nanoseconds — or billionths of a second — to fetch data from its enhanced DRAM technology, compared with 10 to 12 nanoseconds for conventional DRAMs and 0.8 to 1 nanoseconds for SRAMs. Mr. Iyer said three times more data can be stored in the same amount of space by switching from SRAM to DRAM circuitry; he expects the technology to be incorporated on microprocessors that will be manufactured next year using a new production process.'"

Submission + - The Next Big Programming Language

Submitted by

narramissic

on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @10:29AM

narramissic writes: "In a recent ITworld article, Sean McGrath muses on the future of software development, speculating that the next programming language may not be 'so much a language as a language for creating languages.' From the article:

... Outbreaks of this sort of thinking can be seen in the programming community, typically under the moniker of Domain Special Languages or DSLs. Programming languages are again starting to sprout DSL capabilities. Ruby and Fortress — of the two languages already mentioned — are examples.

I think the time is right for this sort of thinking to become mainstream. The industry is at the point where the irrational exuberance surrounding using XML as a DSL for programming languages has passed (thank goodness!). Something needs to take its place which is significantly — not just incrementally better. I think a DSL-enabling programming language will fit the bill.

"

Submission + - U.S. Lobby Groups Criticize the World on Copyright

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @10:00AM

An anonymous reader writes: The International Intellectual Property Alliance — a group that brings together several U.S. lobby groups including the MPAA, RIAA, BSA, the ESA, and publisher groups, has just released its Section 301 recommendations, criticizing 60 countries for their copyright laws. While the report leads to dire media coverage, Michael Geist has just debunked the lobby campaign demonstrating how "the U.S. approach is quite clearly one of 'do what I say, not what I do' (fair use is good for the U.S., but no one else), criticizing country after country for not enacting a DMCA, and blasting national attempts to improve education or culture though exceptions or funding programs."

Submission + - U.S. group wants Canada blacklisted over piracy

Submitted by Kaneda2112 on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @09:58AM

Kaneda2112 writes: Again with the

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM .20070214.wblacklist14/BNStory/National/home

Canadian piracy thing! How can these groups continue to spread misinformation and FUD? It is so irritating for those of us up here! Micheal Geist has debunked this baloney (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/1656/159/ ) "While the reports have succeeded in attracting considerable attention, a closer examination of the industry's own data reveals that the claims are based primarily on fiction rather than fact." Aarrgh!

Submission + - Heavy criticism of "Linux Driver Development F

Submitted by

Stephan A. Rickauer

on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @09:55AM

Stephan A. Rickauer writes: "The newly announced "Free Linux Kernel Driver Development FAQ" initiated by Linux Kernel Developer Greg Kroah-Hartman, working for Novell, has provoked more negative reactions from prominent Free Software projects, e.g. OpenBSD. Project leader Theo de Raadt writes to Greg: "It is a fucking farce. You are trying to make sure that maintainers of code — ie. any random joe who wants to improve the code in the future — has LESS ACCESS to docs later on because someone signed an NDA to write it in the first place. You are making a very big mistake." Though the short term goal of getting Linux drivers more easily seems to be understandable in the first place, signing NDA's will hurt all Free Software projects in the long run. This short-sighted strategy will lead to the situation where companies are even less motivated to reveal free programming documentation. They will point with fingers to NDA'ed GPL code, which needs to be reverse engineered agin. Theo summarizes: "It is people like you who are closed."."

Submission + - Browser Vulnerability in IE and Firefox

Submitted by mortonda on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @02:27AM

mortonda writes: Internet Explorer and Firefox both appear to have similar vulnerabilities that allow a website to hijack keystrokes and divert them to a file input box, which can then be used to upload arbitrary files to the server. Demos are available from that page.

Journal Journal: Alzheimer's and Vasectomies Linked? New Research 2

Journal by cogno64 on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @12:49AM

Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who are cognitively normal. Certain organs including the testes and the brain exist in what is the equivalent of a gated community in the body. Tiny tubes within the testes (in which sperm are produced) are protected by a physical barrier of Sertoli cells. The tight

Submission + - U.S. Navy, Dolphins, and Fricken LASER Beams

Submitted by

WED Fan

on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @12:09AM

WED Fan writes: "The U.S. Navy is getting ready to deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins and Seals.

Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.

Those of us living in the area know this could be a problem for certain types of criminals, proving a problem for anyone who shoots sea mammals in the area."

Submission + - Technology Enabled Study Rooms

Submitted by

esparhawk

on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @12:09AM

esparhawk writes: "I work as a network administrator at an engineering college. We are in the process of expanding our campus housing, and have been asked to design study rooms incorporating educational aiding technologies. One idea so far, is to have electronic blackboards, which will print what has been written. How would you design the study rooms of the future?"

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