Comment Free Speech (Score 4, Funny) 290
Hey, even photo copiers and faxes need freedom of speech.
Comment Re:What drugs and what protections from failure? (Score 1) 439
It will probably be in single pill form - i.e. you can't take half of it unless you are seriously trying to screw yourself or the system.
There are commercials on the radio, and they say it could be upwards of 100 pills. I know it's a political add, but there might and I say MIGHT be some truth to it being more than 1 pill.
Comment I for one... (Score 1) 90
... welcome our dupe posting overlord timothy.
Comment I for one... (Score 4, Funny) 110
I for one welcome our under wire overlords.
Submission + - App Can Prevent Users from Texting While Driving
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Scientific American reports that while laws prohibit texting while driving in many states, many people still find it impossible to resist. Now researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are studying how software on a cell phone could analyze keystrokes to determine when that phone’s user is distracted while composing and sending text messages and combined with GPS and other data, determine when a texter is behind the wheel and shut off texting functions automatically. Such a feature could take the form of a mobile app for any phone—independent of the manufacturer, operating system and wireless service provider. The researchers programmed a cell phone to log keystroke dynamics using a common operating system as a means of determining if an individual was texting while driving, in particular, “keystroke entropy,” (pdf) when keys are struck at irregular intervals, as an indicator that the test subjects’ attention is divided between texting and driving. “The things that we are measuring, the data never needs to leave the person’s phone,” says Mike Watkins, developer of the algorithm. “But as a parent, you could require your child to have something like this on their cellphone as a way to protect them. Employers could use it as a way to mitigate their liability for accidents on work time. Even insurance companies could use it.”"
Submission + - Siri Is The New Clippy
theodp writes: In perhaps the unkindest cut of all to Apple, TechCrunch's Alexia Tsotsis likens Siri to Clippy. 'Despite whatever Samuel L. Jackson says,' writes Tsotsis, 'Siri in its current incarnation simply doesn’t work. In fact, it’s actually starting to remind us of Microsoft’s Mr.Clippy, that cloying MS Office "assistant" that would pop up upon start and say stuff like, "It looks like you’re writing a letter, can I help you?" Tsotsis adds: 'What bugs people the most about these ill-thought-out products is that they’re like that annoying person at work who’s always all, "Can I do anything to help?" when they can’t actually do anything, don’t know shit, and are actually neglecting their real job while they take the time to ask you that question.' Ouch.
Submission + - NSA Director Says Cybercrime is 'Greatest Transfer of Wealth in History' (threatpost.com)
Trailrunner7 writes: The general in charge of the National Security Agency on Monday said the lack of national cybersecurity leglislation is costing us big and amounting to what he believes is "the greatest transfer of wealth in history."
U.S. Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander urged politicians to stop stalling on approving a much-needed cybersecurity law — of which various versions currently are circulating in Congress. At the same time, he implored private companies to better cooperate with government agencies, many of whom remain mum because of privacy concerns.
"We can do the protection of civil liberties and privacy and cybersecurity as a nation. Not only that we can, but I believe it's something that we must do," Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander told an audience at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander urged politicians to stop stalling on approving a much-needed cybersecurity law — of which various versions currently are circulating in Congress. At the same time, he implored private companies to better cooperate with government agencies, many of whom remain mum because of privacy concerns.
"We can do the protection of civil liberties and privacy and cybersecurity as a nation. Not only that we can, but I believe it's something that we must do," Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander told an audience at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.
Submission + - No More thunderbird??? WTF!!! (geek.com)
Am3r1cAn1nF1d3L writes: So mozilla is dropping development of Thunderbird.... WTF? I get the mobile thing or whatever but some of us use real computers too and don't want MicroCrap WinBl0z clients. Thunderbird is really the only viable alternative in my mind. Now I really have no real wiggle room to beetch cause I haven't donated any time, energy or money to the Thunderbird project BUT come on... I have been on the Netscape/Mozilla bandwagon since Communicator 4.5... never used never will use Outlook. Damn you mozilla. I ll take the Security updates, thank you but come on...
Submission + - Apple's Siri technology to integrate into Cars – Will it work? (mirolta.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Now in 2012, after driving tens of millions of people up the wall, Siri is set help drivers on the roads, by being integrated into cars. Motorists will soon be able to active Siri by tapping their steering wheel and make a hands-free call, dictate text messages or emails, and control the radio, air conditioning and sat nav.....
Submission + - Database and IP records tie election fraud to Canada's ruling Conservatives (theglobeandmail.com)
choongiri writes: Canada's election fraud scandal continues to unfold. Elections Canada just matched the IP address used to set up thousands of voter suppression robocalls to one used by a Conservative Party operative, and a comparison of call records found a perfect match between the illegal calls, and records of non-supporters in the Conservative Party's CIMS voter tracking database, as well as evidence access logs may have been tampered with. Meanwhile, legal challenges to election results are underway in seven ridings, and an online petition calling for an independent public inquiry into the crisis has amassed over 44,000 signatures. The Conservative Party still maintains their innocence, calling it a baseless smear campaign.
Comment Yeah but? (Score 4, Informative) 366
Didn't even Wozniak say that Siri isn't as good as the advertisements?
Steve quoted on various news sites:
I have a lower success rate with Siri than I do with the voice built into the Android, and that bothers me. I’ll be saying, over and over again in my car, ‘Call the Lark Creek Steak House,’ and I can’t get it done. Then I pick up my Android, say the same thing, and it’s done. [...] On the 4S I can only do that when Siri can connect over the Internet. But many times it can’t connect. I’ve never had Android come back and say, ‘I can’t connect over the Internet. [...] Plus I get navigation. Android is way ahead on that.
Submission + - Diamond particles discovered in candle flames (bbc.co.uk)
An anonymous reader writes: BBC News says on 17 Aug 2011:
Candle flames contain millions of tiny diamond particles, a university professor has discovered. Dr Wuzong Zhou, of St Andrews University, found about 1.5 million diamond nanoparticles are created in a candle flame every second it burns. The diamond particles are burned away in the process.
Is this even possible, energy-wise? I mean I thought extreme temperature and pressure was required to form the diamond lattice...
If a candle flame produces nano-diamonds, wouldn't several other sources of hydrocarbons produce and burn it too, during combustion?
Does anyone have a reference to an article about this from the actual scientist? or is this just another hoax?
Submission + - Android Tricorder killed by CBS (google.com) 4
josn writes: Today I found out that Moonlight's Tricorder app, which I always install on Android devices, is gone. Google received a DMCA letter from CBS. I think it is a shame that CBS thinks it needs to kill a free and open source project giving a add-less app. I for one sent a message to CBS explaining that this fan-supported app is not bad, but good for them, and asked them to reconsider. I hope, especially for the author who must have spent a lot of time in this app, that they do.
Submission + - Will Google Ever Die? (thewebshowroom.com.au)
stephen1983 writes: "It seems a little sensationalist to question the livelihood of a company valued at almost $200bn and one that holds around 80% market share of worldwide search. But just over ten short years ago, prior to the Google revolution and the dot-com bubble of 2000, AltaVista like Google today, was the dominant player in search."
Submission + - Mobile Scanners Not "Certified People Scanners" (epic.org)
OverTheGeicoE writes: The Electronic Privacy Information Center received more FOIA documents from the US Department of Homeland Security regarding mobile x-ray scanners (a.k.a. Z Backscatter Vans). We've discussed these devices before. Perhaps the most interesting part is slide #11 ("Disclaimer About Scanning People") on page 6 of this PDF explaining that the radiation output of these devices is too high to comply with ANSI N43.17. In other words, they output too much radiation even by TSA's questionable standards for airport body scanners. Regardless, the slide ends with the author stating that the ANSI standard "is not applicable to covert operations". What might that assertion have meant to the presentation's intended audience?
