jugglerjon - Slashdot User

Journal SPAM: 5-Year-Old Boy Detained as US National Security Threat 1

Journal by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday January 09, 2008 @10:33PM

It's a case of a mistaken identity for a 5-year-old boy from Normandy Park. He had trouble boarding a plane because someone with the same name is wanted by the federal government. "When his mother went to pick him up and hug him and comfort him during the proceedings, she was told not to touch him because he was a national security risk. They also had to frisk her again to make sure the little Dilling

Submission + - SPAM: Online cartoonist breaks publishing record?

Submitted by

destinyland

on Saturday January 05, 2008 @11:36PM

destinyland writes: "The first collection of "Perry Bible Fellowship" comics racked up pre-sales of $300,000 due to its huge online following, and within seven weeks required a third printing. Ironically, the 25-year-old cartoonist speculates people would rather read his arty comics in a book than on a computer screen, and warns that "There's something wonderful, and soon-to-be mythic, about the printed page..." He also explains the strange anti-censorship crusade in high school that earned him an FBI record!"
Link to Original Source

Submission + - Spammer gets Internet Justice! (nsxprime.com) 1

Submitted by Zoltar on Friday January 04, 2008 @10:49AM

Zoltar writes: In an attempt to promote his online gambling website NSX_NICK made a post to an NSX enthusiasts web forum claiming he was able to purchase his NSX with the winnings he made from online gambling, including a link to the gambling site. Users of the forum immediately accused him of trying to promote his gambling site, which he repeatedly denied. Forum members promptly went into sleuth mode and discovered not only was the guy a spammer, but he was also a convicted sex offender who may be violating his parole by running an illegal gambling website. An epic example of Internet Justice!

Submission + - Google Algorithm to Search Out Hospital Superbugs 1

Submitted by

Googling Yourself

on Friday January 04, 2008 @10:45AM

Googling Yourself writes: "Researchers in the UK plan to use Google's PageRank algorithm to find how super-bugs like MRSA spread in a hospital setting. Previous studies have discovered how particular objects, like doctors' neckties, can harbor infection, but little is known about the network routes by which bugs spread. Mathematician Simon Shepherd plans to build a matrix describing all interactions between people and objects in a hospital ward, based on observing normal daily activity. "Obviously nurses move among patients and that can spread infection, but they also touch light switches and lots of other surfaces too," says Shepard., "If you observe a network of all those interactions you can build a matrix of which nodes in the network are in contact with which other nodes." Combining that information with the strength of different interactions within a ward makes it possible to calculate which ties to cut — by, perhaps, tougher cleaning — to maximally disrupt the network and cut infections. "Ultimately, we would like to produce a software tool so managers of wards can carry out the analysis for themselves," says Shepherd."

Submission + - Science "can prove the universe is a simulatio

Submitted by holy_calamity on Friday January 04, 2008 @09:24AM

holy_calamity writes: A New Zealand physicist has written a paper saying that physicists should seriously explore the possibility the universe is a giant virtual reality simulation. He says that the existence of quantum phenomena could be due to the underlying digital nature of the simulation and also claims his VR hypothesis can explain relativity, the big bang and more. It should be possible to perform experiments to prove the hypothesis too. He reasons that if reality was to do something that information processing cannot, then it cannot be virtual.

Submission + - Atheists not allowed to adopt children (time.com) 4

Submitted by

gollum123

on Friday January 04, 2008 @01:47AM

gollum123 writes: "From Time, After six years of childless marriage, John and Cynthia Burke of Newark decided to adopt a baby boy through a state agency ( http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877155,00.html ) . John Burke, an atheist, and his wife, a pantheist, left the line for religious affiliation blank on the forms. Superior Court Judge William Camarata raised the religious issue. Inestimable Privilege. In an extraordinary decision, Judge Camarata denied the Burkes' right to the child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Despite the Burkes' "high moral and ethical standards," he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that "no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience." Despite Eleanor Katherine's tender years, he continued, "the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being." Two weeks ago, aided by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Burkes appealed directly to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case. If they fail in their appeal, Eleanor Katherine may have to leave the only family she has ever known and await adoption by another couple whose religious convictions satisfy the State of New Jersey."

Submission + - Indian Children To Be Given LASERs To Zap Monkeys. (gadling.com) 3

Submitted by

Dan L

on Thursday January 03, 2008 @04:36PM

Dan L writes: "Offered without comment. Read it here.

A North Indian state recently unveiled plans to teach kids to run around zapping monkeys with lasers, rendering their reproductive organs useless. Rendering the monkey's reproductive organs useless

"

Submission + - Antitrust Suit Filed To Halt Apple Music Monopoly (informationweek.com)

Submitted by

Dotnaught

on Thursday January 03, 2008 @04:23PM

Dotnaught writes: "An anti-trust lawsuit filed against Apple on December 31st, 2007, charges the company with maintaining an illegal monopoly on the digital music market. The complaint charges Apple with crippling its hardware as a means to maintain online music market dominance. "Apple, however, deliberately designed the iPod's software so that it would only play a single protected digital format, Apple's FairPlay-modified AAC format," the complaint states. "Deliberately disabling a desirable feature of a computer product is known as 'crippling' a product, and software that does this is known as 'crippleware.'""

Submission + - California sues US over emissions

Submitted by

gollum123

on Thursday January 03, 2008 @02:14PM

gollum123 writes: "California is suing the US federal government, in an attempt to force car makers to conform to tougher cuts in greenhouse gas emissions ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7169200.stm ). The lawsuit comes after the federal Environmental Protection Agency denied California a waiver from US law needed to enact its own efficiency targets. Fifteen other states or state agencies are set to join the action. It challenged the Epa's denial of California's request to implement its own emissions law — which would require a 30% reduction in motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by 2016 by improving fuel efficiency standards. For years, California has been allowed to set its own environmental targets in recognition of the "compelling and extraordinary conditions" the state faces — and the Epa has never before denied California a waiver request. The other states joining the fight are: Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington."

Submission + - Your Beliefs versus the Facts (yahoo.com) 1

Submitted by lucabrasi999 on Thursday January 03, 2008 @10:25AM

lucabrasi999 writes: Professor Thomas W. Martin of Arizona State University has an interesting article in the Chritian Science Monitor and was picked up by Yahoo. The basis of the article is that despite all of the evidence to the contrary, many of his students still prefer to believe in creationism over the evolution. This leads him to question why there are people who refuse to consider the opposing point of view. Even in science, there are scientists that fight publication of opposition articles, because they don't believe in them. Professor Martin's main point is, what would it take for people to realize that being 'wrong' on an issue is not necessarily a bad thing, but is part of the way we all become more intelligent. Learning, by it's very nature, means that we must be taught when our opinions are incorrect and we must learn to accept the fact that our individual views are not always correct.

Submission + - Konami : Metal Gear Solid 4 Is Coming To Xbox 360 (xuecast.com)

Submitted by

XueCast

on Wednesday January 02, 2008 @08:23PM

XueCast writes: "http://www.xuecast.com/?p=434, Even though Konami had fiercely told everyone that their latest Metal Gear Solid 4 will not be available for Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console, XboxFamily, an Xbox news website has just announced that they were able to get a confirmation from a Konami representative that Metal Gear Solid 4 will indeed come to Xbox 360."

Submission + - Airport profilers learn to read facial expressions 2

Submitted by nldavepc on Wednesday January 02, 2008 @02:49PM

nldavepc writes: Cory Doctorow at boingboing.net comments on a rather scary development in airport security. Airport profilers are watching people's facial expressions for clues of terrorist intent. Corry's comments can be read here:http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/01/tsa-to-punish-fliers.html And here is a link to the original article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/344868_airportprofiler26.html

Submission + - Molten Salt based Solar Power Plant (wsj.com)

Submitted by

rcastro0

on Wednesday January 02, 2008 @12:46PM

rcastro0 writes: "Hamilton Sundstrand, a division of United Technologies, announces today that it will start to commercialize a new type of solar power plant, says this WSJ article. A new company called SolarReserve will be created to "provide heat-resistant pumps and other equipment, as well as the expertise in handling and storing salt that has been heated to more than 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit." According to venture capitalist Vinod Khosla "Three percent of the land area of Morocco could support all of the electricity for Western Europe." Molten Salt storage is already used in Nevada's Solar One power plant. Is this be the post-hidrocarbon world finally knocking?"

Submission + - Metal Gear Solid 4 could appear on Xbox

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 02, 2008 @07:04AM

An anonymous reader writes: Over at Absolute Gadget, there is talk that Metal Gear Solid — so long a Playstation exclusive — could appear on Xbox 360. Cue much gnashing of teeth from Sony fanboys. Let the flame wars begin!

Submission + - Are e-mail failure notices legally required? 5

Submitted by on Wednesday January 02, 2008 @03:50AM

An anonymous reader writes: One of our vendors claims not to have received a series of e-mails, because the address to which the messages were sent was deactivated months ago. We received no failure notice for any message; in fact, even today when choosing any random string of letters for the username, no e-mail sent to the vendor's domain produces a failure notice in response. Is the vendor legally obligated to provide notice of failure to deliver e-mail messages sent to its domain? If no such notice is provided, can we support an argument that our messages have indeed been "received" by the vendor?

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