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Businesses

Submission + - Is cash no longer legal tender? (uic.edu)

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: I attend the University of Illinois at Chicago. Last semester my housing arrangements went smoothly. I put down my application fee, and my deposit just fine, got a room for the semester and life went on. This semester, because there was supposedly a large number of students who did not check into their rooms last semester, we were required to make a $100 prepayment, in addition to the application fee and deposit. No problem, I think, I see the university is trying to make a quick buck off people who don't follow through with their plans. Now I do NOT have a checking account, a credit card, or anything. I am one of the few people who do EVERYTHING in cash. I don't trust the banks, I don't trust credit card companies. I also had a trip planned for out of the country, so I get my cash, and on my way to the airport, I stop by the housing office to make my prepayment. They refuse to take cash. They will not charge my university account (so I can pay the bursar or whoever I need to) in cash, and they want a check or money order. Nowhere in their letter did they say that. I fear out of technicality I am going to loose my housing since I cannot get them their money on time because they do not take cash. Is it legal for a state-owned university, let alone any business to not take legal tender?
Operating Systems

Submission + - Running Linux and Windows apps simultaneously

Submitted by
Kamen Tomov
Kamen Tomov writes: "I currently use Windows XP on the desktop and run Linux prorams on a remote machine. What virtualization and remote desktop software should I install to be able to run Linux on the same computer and to have Linux client-side applications on the Windows desktop? Should I run Linux under Windows or Windows under Linux will be better? I have a CPU that supports virtualization and 2GB of RAM."
Music

Submission + - EFF-An Update on the Innards of iTunes Plus Files

Submitted by sehlat
sehlat writes: The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been investigating the innards of iTunes-plus files. Last week, they reported on additional information apparently contained in the tracks over and above the music content itself.

This week they have published an update on their findings. Some of the mystery information appears to be cover art. However, they do mention:

While there are no watermarks, there are some other interesting fields that are likley to have privacy implications. In particular, there is a 1024 bit variant field labeled sign and a 630 byte variant field labeled chtb. These are unique for every combination of user and track we've seen. Neither of these fields existed in the FairPlay DRMed .m4p tracks that Apple has been selling in the past.
Programming

Submission + - 10 Things to Know When Starting A Facebook Applica (experienceproject.com)

Submitted by
nsheth2001
nsheth2001 writes: "By releasing a development platform, Facebook's enabled developers to create some amazing applications riding off their social network. It's not too hard to get an application of your own up and running, but it's nice to have some help, as the documentation's not complete. Here are a few tips to help you get started!"
Software

Submission + - Disable init of a service under linux:

Submitted by Tribbin
Tribbin writes: .
Disable init of a service under linux:

- X front-end (services-admin)
- ncurses font-end (sysv-rc-conf)
- terminal front-end (update-rc.d)
- Uninstall the package
- chmod a-x /etc/init.d/
- Edit the initscript
- Any of the above will do
- Reinstall the distribution
- Let somebody else do it
- Other
- This poll has way too many options
Software

Submission + - Windows, OS X and Linux: Is There A 4th Platform?

Submitted by
OOPen
OOPen writes: "An article on OSWeekly.com talks about a fourth platform. Something other than OS X, Linux and Windows and why these three platforms don't allow a fourth contender to enter. "On the other side of this issue, it's easy to just say that Microsoft isn't in a hurry to make Apple's products work well with its operating system, but if you'll remember, Microsoft's own Zune was incompatible with Vista from the very start. If they can't even get their own stuff to work right out of the box, then how in the world are we supposed to expect them to get everything else working, too? In Microsoft's case, this negligence in terms of compatibility is evident of bigger problems within the company."
IBM

Submission + - IBM Data Tapes "Fell Off the Back of the Truck

Submitted by
Demongirl
Demongirl writes: "According to Information Week, a contractor for IBM managed to lose several data tapes as he was driving through New York State. Lost as in, they might have fallen out the window, he might have gotten in an accident and they fell out or somebody took them, whatever. You get the idea. The driver does not have a clue. (He doesn't remember getting in an accident??)

The tapes contain contain information on IBM employees — current workers, as well as former employees and retirees. The tapes hold employment data on them, including names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and beginning and end dates of employment.

The tapes were lost on February 23. IBM is only just now making the information widely known?

I dunno, maybe this is old news to you. But it's a surprise to InfoWeek certainly."
Quickies

Submission + - Photo. Experts Say 'Stop Deleting!'

Submitted by
Ant
Ant writes: "This ABC News story says that look through any old photo album and you'll find them: wonderfully terrible family photos./photographs — the crying baby, the poorly lighted shot, the out-of-focus family, the off-center portrait. But digital cameras are changing all that, and some say family photography is becoming a lost art... Seen on Blue's News."
Enlightenment

Submission + - Are you fat on the inside?

Submitted by eZtaR
eZtaR writes: Discovery Channel News have a story which states that recent studies show that fat surrounding internal organs might be even more dangerous than regular obesity, and even though you don't seem fat with the naked eye, you might have large amounts of fat surrounding your internal organs. I guess it's the only time when some's said "It's what the inside that counts" it's actually been true..
Privacy

Submission + - The Pirate Bay hacked

Submitted by Mxyzptlk
Mxyzptlk writes: From an article in Computer Sweden: A list of user names and encrypted passwords for all 1.6 million registered users on the site The Pirate Bay has been stolen by a group of swedish hackers.
HP

Submission + - HP Recruiting using Second Life

Submitted by virtualJobsGetPaidVirtualMoney
virtualJobsGetPaidVirtualMoney writes: A Computer Science student graduating with a bachelor's degree looking for a full-time position has been contacted by HP for an virtual interview.

Representatives from Hewlett Packard have released the following opportunity. HP will be interviewing in the virtual world for real-world jobs! This is a first for HP and encourage students to try it out, especially if they are already Second Life players.
Interviewing is already so subjective, would this method of interviewing truly yield a qualified candidate?
Biotech

Submission + - Why you can't get a date

Submitted by
mcgrew
mcgrew writes: "New Scientist is running a story totled A quirky look at our quirky species, about "'quirkology' — the use of scientific methods to study quirky human behaviour, or quirky methods to probe weightier topics."

Of the eight "quirkology" subjects presented, number seven, "Hot and spicy" caught my eye, as it directly affects most of us loveless slashdot nerds. The author did a study to find the best pickup lines, and "the secret of a good chat-up line is to encourage someone to talk about themselves in a quirky, fun way. So the best line from the top-rated man was 'If you were on Stars In Their Eyes, which celebrity would you be?' On a similar theme, the top-rated female asked 'If you were a pizza topping, what would you be?'".

But the interesting (to me) part was at the end. The world's worst pickup line?

"I have a PhD in computing.""

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