ScottKin - Slashdot User

Submission + - Source of Ancient Egypt's Gold Discovered? (livescience.com)

Submitted by TheProspector on Wednesday June 20, 2007 @02:05AM

TheProspector writes: Archaeologists at Chicago's Oriental Institute have discovered what seems to be an ancient gold-processing and panning camp along the Nile River. It is thought to have been operated by the Kushites, and to have been the source of ancient Egypt's gold.

Submission + - How Not to Hire Americans H-1B Video Shocker

Submitted by

theodp

on Wednesday June 20, 2007 @01:53AM

theodp writes: "A YouTube video of a law firm's how-not-to-hire-Americans advice is providing explosive material for H-1B critics. 'Our goal is clearly not to find a qualified U.S. worker ... our objective is to get this person a green card,' a lawyer from Cohen & Grigsby tells the audience. Among the law firm's satisfied customers is Pitt's Katz Graduate School of Business, who relies on the firm to grease the wheels for H-1B seeking MBA grads and prospective employers via the Katzport Program, which Pitt fully subsidizes to the tune of $4,000+ per student. Not too surprisingly, the firm's Hot Topics in Immigration Law videos have vanished from YouTube."

Submission + - ISP that does not police their users? What to do?

Submitted by marcusbjol on Wednesday June 20, 2007 @12:59AM

marcusbjol writes: I am having a problem with an ISP that is in another country; one of their users attacks my public IP address daily between 10-20 times for the past week. I lodge a complaint and a copy of this log with the ISP, and I get a response of: "Our Customers have full root access to their servers. Unfortunately we are not able to do something against such activities." As my net connection is end-user cablemodem (roadrunner) I assume this a scripted attack to attack large segments of the net (Logwatch segment follows). I find it pretty easy to stop the attack (just drop all the packets from that IP) with an OpenWRT router, but what is a responsible netizen to do?

################### Logwatch 7.3.2 (12/20/06) ####################
Processing Initiated: Mon Jun 18 03:01:05 2007
Date Range Processed: yesterday
( 2007-Jun-17 )
Period is day.
Detail Level of Output: 5
Type of Output: unformatted
Logfiles for Host: *****
################################################## ################

— pam_unix Begin —

sshd:
Authentication Failures:
unknown (kilo038.server4you.de): 9 Time(s)
sshd (kilo038.server4you.de): 1 Time(s)
Invalid Users:
Unknown Account: 9 Time(s)

— pam_unix End —

— SSHD Begin —

Illegal users from:
85.25.10.75 (kilo038.server4you.de): 9 times
admin/keyboard-interactive/pam: 4 times
irc/keyboard-interactive/pam: 1 time
mysql/keyboard-interactive/pam: 1 time
oracle/keyboard-interactive/pam: 1 time
postgres/keyboard-interactive/pam: 1 time
zope/keyboard-interactive/pam: 1 time

Error in PAM authentication:
Authentication failure for illegal user admin from kilo038.server4you.de : 4 Time(s)
Authentication failure for illegal user irc from kilo038.server4you.de : 1 Time(s)
Authentication failure for illegal user mysql from kilo038.server4you.de : 1 Time(s)
Authentication failure for illegal user oracle from kilo038.server4you.de : 1 Time(s)
Authentication failure for illegal user postgres from kilo038.server4you.de : 1 Time(s)
Authentication failure for illegal user zope from kilo038.server4you.de : 1 Time(s)
Authentication failure for sshd from kilo038.server4you.de : 1 Time(s)

— SSHD End —

###################### Logwatch End #########################

Submission + - Autonomous Vehicles Coming to Car Lot Near You! (sfgate.com)

Submitted by saldate on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @10:31PM

saldate writes: I was surprised that this was overlooked by Slashdot posters, I found it to be pretty cool and somewhat inspiring. The DARPA Urban Challenge (think of it as DARPA Grand Challenge v2.0) is pushing autonomous automotive travel to the next stage of development, the urban zone. Obviously, the initial target of the project is aimed at military application, but simultaneously paves the way for commercial use. Have a look at the video and any of the articles below:

Video:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/ a/2007/06/15/BUROBOCARTEST15.DTL&o=0

Articles:
http://origin.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6147098?ncli ck_check=1
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/06/how_stanford s_r.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/technology/15rob ot.html?_r=1&em&ex=1182052800&en=5ff9a120cd2b0a2d& ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9584_22-6191180.html
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/15/stanfords-junio r-volkswagen-passes-first-darpa-test/
http://news.com.com/2300-11394_3-6191150-1.html

Submission + - On (Mis)Trusting Google Desktop (cio.com)

Submitted by

rabblerouzer

on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @09:43PM

rabblerouzer writes: "Highly usable software, such as Google Desktop, can seem revolutionary, but the web-meets-desktop search capabilities are seductively porous and raise huge privacy concerns, says Hugh Thompson [see previous Slashdot submission for more of Thompson's "research"]. Documented flaws demonstrate how attackers can use the tool to access private information on the user's desktop. Worse yet, consider that Google Desktop keeps a sizable index and cache of historical data that by default is unencrypted: It retains previous versions of files, web-based email communications, browsing history, etc. and is largely invulnerable to overwriting and other deletion tools."

Submission + - Mandriva Rejects Microsoft Deals Too

Submitted by

jdcampo

on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @09:39PM

jdcampo writes: "http://corp.mandriva.com/webteam/2007/06/19/we-wil l-not-go-to-canossa/"

Submission + - Isaac Newton's papers calculating the apocalypse (usatoday.com)

Submitted by

the terminal of geoff goodfellow

on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @08:52PM

the terminal of geoff goodfellow writes: "The Associated Press has a story out today on the three-century-old manuscripts by Isaac Newton calculating the exact date of the apocalypse, detailing the precise dimensions of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and interpreting passages of the Bible. The Newton Papers just went on display for the first time in public at the Jewish National and University Library in Israel and lay bare the little-known religious intensity of a man many consider history's greatest scientist. The fully digitized manuscripts and printed works can be viewed here, including the Apocalypse, that reached the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060."

Submission + - Producing Supermassive Contrails at 35,000-ft Plus

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @08:37PM

An anonymous reader writes: Producing Supermassive Contrails at 35,000 Feet — Plus

Isn't this picture of a Boeing 747-206B (KLM Flight 9165) jet flying at 35,000 feet a beauty? It was taken by photographer and pilot Josef P. Willems on 21 May 2002 from 36,000 feet. But why are the contrails "supermassive"? In a very interesting comment EridanMan, a member at Digg.com, writes in part the "aircraft, in this case, is just a massive catalyst..where a 'typical' contrail is composed of simply the H20 created in the cumbustors, a super-saturated-contrail contains that plus tons of ambient H20 in the air that is simply 'waiting' for any excuse to become solid. Hence, ALL air which contacts the aircraft, forms a cloud, not simply the air that runs through the combustors....The result are these super thick, long-lived contrails, which some, ignorant of the basic laws of chemistry and physics, mistakenly believe to be somehow nefarious."

But what about the "Plus" in the title? For the answer look at this beautiful and even more incredible photo, shot over Alaska, USA, by USAF Staff Sgt. Kevin L. Bishop on 1 August 1989, of contrails created by four fighter jets — specifically USAF F-15 Eagle fighters intercepting Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 jet fighters (the photo's via has additional pictures and the fascinating story). It appears these fighter jets are flying well over 35,000 feet, possibly closer to 50,000 feet above Earth.

Vortices, says EridanMan while observing that the Boeing 747 contrails also show lift-induced vortexes, "are truly beautiful (and dangerous) artifacts of simple fluid dynamics. Pilots...Just think about this picture [Boeing 747-206B, KLM Flight 9165] next time you hear 'caution, wake turbulence...' and give it the respect it deserves;)"

Submission + - Break a Security Product Beta and Win Prizes

Submitted by Ivan_Simic on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @08:17PM

Ivan_Simic writes: Slashdot reported last year on a BitDefender contest and this year they're doing it again by inviting the public to test BitDefender Total Security 2008. Among the prizes to be awarded to the most thorough beta testers will be three gaming consoles including a Sony Playstation 3, a Microsoft Xbox360 and a Nintendo Wii. Other prizes include a Nokia N90 device, 30 PC games (either World of Warcraft or Command & Conquer 3), as well as free licenses for BitDefender's 2008 consumer product line. Are you up for the challenge?

Submission + - ANSI receiving spam letters pro MS's Open XML

Submitted by omz on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @08:11PM

omz writes: this site reports that ANSI is publishing on a day to day basis all the comments received on the proposed OOXML specification. All the messages looks like this. But some submitters identifies the source of the spam: "Even though this is a form letter from Microsoft I thought I would add this personal touch..." Rob Weir's advice about "support form letters": [i]f you want to provide input into this process [...d]on't send in a form letter. It hurts your cause more than helps it, since it makes it look like you couldn't get real support if you tried.

Google Spends Money to Jump-Start Hybrid Car Development 352

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @07:44PM from the to-the-googmobile dept.

slugo writes "Internet search giant Google (GOOG) hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-in hybrid automobiles to market faster. 'While many people don't associate Google with energy, analysts say the fit isn't all that unnatural. Renewable energy, unlike coal or nuclear, will likely come from thousands or tens of thousands of different locations. Analysts have long said that one of the big challenges will be managing that flow into and out of the nation's electric grid, and that companies that manage the flow of information are well placed to handle that task.'"

Submission + - Linux DDK to encourage one driver for all printers

Submitted by

LiquidNitrogen

on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @07:06PM

LiquidNitrogen writes: "Cacheyourcash points out the news on desktoplinux.com that quotes as following:
The Linux Foundation last week announced the free availability of the Linux Standard Base Driver Development Kit for print drivers. The DDK provides the tools and resources for printing manufacturers to easily support all Linux distributions with one driver package, greatly reducing the time and effort needed to support Linux, a foundation spokesperson said.
You can download the new DDK here"

Submission + - Microsoft to alter Vista to address search concern (com.com)

Submitted by

mytrip

on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @07:05PM

mytrip writes: "Microsoft plans to make changes to Windows Vista to try to assuage concerns from Google that its desktop search product is disadvantaged by the operating system, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an unidentified source. Google complained about Vista's desktop search arrangement more than a year ago, but the issue has come back into the forefront in recent weeks, with the Connecticut Attorney General saying he would look into the matter."

Submission + - InkJet Printers lying, or mistaken? (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by akkarin on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @06:58PM

akkarin writes: An interesting 'study' (how scientific, I wonder?), is calling InkJet Printers "filthy, lying thieves".
They claim that even the most advanced printers misinform their users of their ink levels, which is wasting 100s of pages worth of ink. From the article:

A new study says that on average, more than half of the ink from inkjet cartridges is wasted when users toss them in the garbage. Why is that interesting? According to the study, users are tossing the cartridges when their printers are telling them they're out of ink, not when they necessarily are out of ink.

Hype, or truth? http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070618-stud y-inkjet-printers-are-filthy-lying-thieves.html

Submission + - Tetzschner sacked all boardmembers at Opera

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19, 2007 @06:44PM

An anonymous reader writes: According to the norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv Jon Tetzchner has sacked all boardmembers of Opera Software to avoid being sacked himself. Stockholders have reportedly been unhappy about the company's deficit and the fact that Opera's stock have gone down more than 60% since March 2006 (although they climbed up a bit in the last week). The board reportedly wanted to sack Tetzchner and hire a new CEO because of this, so Tetzchner sacked the boardmembers with the aid of a few other stockholders (Tetzchner owns 15% of the Opera stock).

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