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Patents

Submission + - Concept of Swarming patented

Submitted by Wertigon
Wertigon writes: It looks like someone has received a patent on Swarming, which among other things Bittorrent utilises. FTA:

[The patent] describes file swarming, which is a class of data transfer technology whereby data is broken up, distributed to other sources and then reassembled at an endpoint. These core algorithms form the foundation of many common modes of next-generation network data transfer, including peer-to-peer, grid content delivery and multi-source streaming. File swarming provides the ability to harness unused network capacity by distributing and exchanging small pieces of data between servers, network routers or personal computers.
AMD

Submission + - AMD sued by worker for disabling her son (idg.com.au)

Submitted by
icecap
icecap writes: "An ex AMD employee is suing AMD, claiming that exposure (before she became pregnant) to glycol ethers and acetates in an AMD Fab plant clean room caused severe birth defects in her son. "AMD negligently failed to use chemicals, which were less hazardous, and/or failed to design its facility or use equipment so as to prohibit or minimize the hazards," Writes the angry ex-employee. "Quite simply, AMD put profits ahead of employee safety, and the safety of its employees' unborn children.""
Windows

Submission + - Software RAID on XP/Linux Dual Boot System?

Submitted by FilmAddict
FilmAddict writes: Hi all, Just dusting off the old desktop and turning it into a media/backup server. I installed two 500gig drives solely for storage (OS's are on another drive). What I'd like to do is make a 200gig partition on each and mirror the partitions, then use the rest of the space for unsecured storage (media, etc). My issue is that I want to dual boot Ubuntu and XP and have access to all of the data, as well as backup data to the RAID over the network regardless of which OS is booted. I can "hardware" mirror the drives (my motherboard supports RAID 0 and 1 through the BIOS — I know it's not ideal) but I don't need all 500gigs for secure storage, so I'd rather save some of the space. Is there a way to use a software RAID to accomplish this? Is there a cross platform software RAID solution? Thanks for your help! -Jon
Communications

Submission + - The end of l33t speak on forums (custompc.co.uk) 3

Submitted by
arcticstoat
arcticstoat writes: "Software developers create a 'StupidFilter' to block out phrases like 'OMGZ hax!!!111one' from forums. Once the software has been installed on a webserver, it will scan posts before they are published for nonsense terms including 'OMG!!' and 'LOL', blocking the worst offenders with a message that says 'This comment is more or less unintelligible. Please try to restate it.'"
Microsoft

Submission + - MS: New VS to be allowed for Cross Platform

Submitted by
WED Fan
WED Fan writes: "Aiming at being a "kinder gentler Microsoft", the company has announced that it will allow developers to use Visual Studio to develop for cross-platform solutions.

In what amounts to a monumental reversal of policy, Microsoft said Monday in a press release — so it's in writing — and publicly at TechEd in Barcelona that it's changing its licensing terms and will no longer restrict developers "to building solutions on top of Visual Studio for Windows and other Microsoft platforms only."


...

Microsoft said it plans to create one of its shared source licensing programs for the Premier-level partners in its VSIP program so they can see VS IDE source code for debugging purposes and to simplify the process of integrating their products with the thing.

The move obviously suggests that Microsoft is under increasing pressure from the open source movement and is acting to protect its precious developer base.
"
Government

Submission + - Forgotten memory cards nearly flip election result (indystar.com)

Submitted by CorporalKlinger
CorporalKlinger writes: Many of America's larger election districts have already switched to electronic touchscreen voting. Despite all of the usual complaints about software security and lack of paper records for auditing purposes, one of the less insidious flaws with digital election recording came to light in Indianapolis this week: the ease with which an election could be flipped if officials simply 'forgot' to count votes on memory cards from specific districts. 'Two computer memory cards inadvertently left inside voting machines on Tuesday held enough votes to give the victory to Democrat incumbent Angela Mansfield in the race to represent City-County Council District 2. Tuesday, with all precincts reporting, [Republican candidate Schumacher] was listed as the winner on the Marion County Election Board's Web site. By 2 p.m. Thursday, after the memory cards were retrieved and the votes on them counted, [Schumacher] had 5,591 votes compared to Mansfield's 5,900. The reversal of fortune for Schumacher would leave the GOP with 16 seats and give the Democrats 13.' It leaves one to wonder how many other election results may be in error from November 6th due to mistakes such as this.
The Media

Submission + - Press crew thrown out at UK iPhone launch

Submitted by chocokrispy
chocokrispy writes: According to a blog on ZDNET, an english press crew was thrown out of this morning's Apple iPhone press conference in London for 'being rude'. "Apparently, the interviewer expressed some negative thoughts about the details of the 18 month contract — my informant reckons the word 'rip-off' was used — and the film crew was immediately shown the door. The ITN newsroom is agog: it's the sort of thing one might expect when dealing with President for Life Gzonk of Gzonkistan, but not normal behaviour during a product launch."
Google

Submission + - Dvorak on the gPhone, DOOMED says he! (pcmag.com) 3

Submitted by drewmoney
drewmoney writes: Speaking with his usual frustrated crankiness, John C. Dvorak (from CNET fame, not to be confused with the good Doctor), rants, cries, and laughs his way through an article explaining why the gPhone will never work. Yes, this is the same Apple basher that made fun of the company when they included a mouse with their systems in 1984.

"There is no evidence that people want to use these things.", he said.

And, yes, this is the same person that made fun of the iBook, saying it looked like it was made for a child. And of course, who could forget when he said that people were making judgment on a product they haven't even used yet, referring to the praise that the iPhone got before its release.

Try to ignore the parts where Mr. Dvorak makes judgement on a product that he hasn't even used yet. And when you're done, feel free to make your own judgements.
Music

Submission + - Radiohead Calls comScore Data "Wholly Inaccura

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Tuesday comScore caused a stir when it said its research on the sales of Radiohead's In Rainbows showed that only 38% of downloaders paid for it. Way off, says the band in a press release issued today:

"In response to purely speculative figures announced in the press regarding the number of downloads and the price paid for the album, the group's representatives would like to remind people that, as the album could only be downloaded from the band's website, it is impossible for outside organisations to have accurate figures on sales...The figures quoted by the company comScore Inc are wholly inaccurate and in no way reflect definitive market intelligence or, indeed, the true success of the project."

The band, naturally, didn't offer any data of its own to offset comScores, but then it's probably good for business to keep everyone guessing.
Announcements

Submission + - Wikileaks releases Guantanmo "bible" (wikileaks.org)

Submitted by James Hardine
James Hardine writes: Wikileaks has released the Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) standard operating procedures (SOP) for Camp Delta (Guantanamo Bay). This is the primary document for the operation of Guantanamo bay, including the securing and treatment of detainees. The document is extensive and includes, in addition to its text various forms, identity cards and even burial diagrams. It is signed by Major Miller, who Donald Rumsfeld later sent to Abu Ghraib with instructions to "Gitmoize it". The document is the subject of an ongoing legal action between the ACLU, who has been trying to obtain the document and the Department of Defense, who has "witheld it in full". ACLU 0. DoD 0. Wikileaks 1
Displays

Submission + - Computer screens makin' you blind? (sciam.com)

Submitted by
Scott R.
Scott R. writes: "From SciAm.com — Ophthalmologists, optometrists and other eye professionals note a seeming link between myopia, also called nearsightedness, and "near work" — visual activities that take place at a distance of about 40 centimeters (16 inches) from the eye — such as reading a book. Staring at a computer screen qualifies as well, though monitors usually are around 50 centimeters (20 inches) away. But only a small — and mysterious — subset of people see myopic progression from near work, whether they are focusing on a computer or accounting books. The fact that near work doesn't lead to myopia in all of us, however, doesn't mean sitting close to a computer screen causes no problems. Though for most it is not permanently damaging, computer near work leads to an uncomfortable, at times debilitating, list of symptoms collectively known as eyestrain."
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - Chess Boxing: Out of the basement, into the ring

Submitted by AmIAnAi
AmIAnAi writes: BBC News reports on the first ever Chess Boxing World Championship in Berlin, won by 'Anti Terror' Frank Stoldt from Germany. Chess Boxing is described as:

a competition which requires both brains and brawn
The World Chess Boxing Organisation is even looking for new chessboxers. Fancy beating someone with your fists AND brain for a change?
Programming

Submission + - How Should One Form a Tech Workers Union? (iitwu.org)

Submitted by
jmadler
jmadler writes: "With the many horror stories of regular-pay forced overtime before deadlines and permanent temps in order to avoid paying benefits at such large IT corporations as EA, IBM, and Microsoft, Isn't it time that we — the blue collar workers of the 21st century — formed a union? Although there exist a few tech workers, communications workers, or programmers unions, few have large support. What would be necessary to jump start a programmers union?"
The Internet

Submission + - Did 'crowdsourcing' impede Fossett search?

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes: "The much-publicized participation of 50,000 amateur searchers using Amazon's "Mechanical Turk" project may have been more than futile, it may actually have gotten in the way of professionals trying to find Steve Fossett's airplane, according to an officer in the civil air patrol. "In hindsight, I wish (they) hadn't been there," she says at the very bottom of a Wired story that otherwise focuses on the feelings of the virtual searchers that they may have been wasting their time. Believers in the wisdom of crowds sometimes forget that even the best-intentioned of them can be unruly.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/21640"

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