Comment Re:Get over it (Score 4, Interesting) 140
Last I heard people are using the term 'pharaoh' to refer to Egypt as a dodge around this restriction.
Next Generation of Algorithms Inspired by Ants 106
letsurock writes "Ants' capability to find the shortest route through a maze in an hour, and to find the second shortest route when the first path was obstructed, has inspired researchers creating algorithms for the future. From the article: 'Finding the most efficient path through a busy network is a common challenge faced by delivery drivers, telephone routers and engineers. To solve these optimization problems using software, computer scientists have often sought inspiration from ant colonies in nature — creating algorithms that simulate the behavior of ants who find the most efficient routes from their nests to food sources by following each other's volatile pheromone trails. The most widely used of these ant-inspired algorithms is known as Ant Colony Optimization (ACO).'"
Submission + - Retailer accused of inflating Google rank arrested (networkworld.com) 1
alphadogg writes: An online retailer who boasted that complaints about his business helped boost its standing in Google search results was arrested Monday.
Vitaly Borker, 34, was arrested at his home in Brooklyn, New York, and charged with fraud, cyberstalking and harassment, the U.S. Department of Justice said. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to the complaint http://www.scribd.com/doc/44795865/borkercomplaint against him and a profile that appeared in The New York Times last month, Borker made abusive customer service his signature style. Prosecutors say he shipped counterfeit or defective products and threatened customers with violence if they complained.
It was all part of a scheme to boost his online presence by getting people to discuss and link to his online store. Even if the links came from people complaining about his business it still drove traffic to the website.
Vitaly Borker, 34, was arrested at his home in Brooklyn, New York, and charged with fraud, cyberstalking and harassment, the U.S. Department of Justice said. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to the complaint http://www.scribd.com/doc/44795865/borkercomplaint against him and a profile that appeared in The New York Times last month, Borker made abusive customer service his signature style. Prosecutors say he shipped counterfeit or defective products and threatened customers with violence if they complained.
It was all part of a scheme to boost his online presence by getting people to discuss and link to his online store. Even if the links came from people complaining about his business it still drove traffic to the website.
Submission + - Comcast hit with second major outage in 8 days (informationweek.com)
ctmurray writes: Comcast cut off the upper midwest from the internet last night for 4 hours due to a DNS breakdown (including me). And this was the second outage for the same reason in 8 days, with the east coast going down on Cyber Monday. Apparently I could have surfed if I had known to switch to OpenDNS or Google's DNS, but there was nothing on the TV and Comcast phones were tied up. Not knowing this was widespread I ran through the standard song and dance of unplugging the modem and my wifi unit and waiting for them to reset. I had to call friends and do a survey to determine this was widespread. I know this is old news but I could not find any comments on /. I think the comments by /. ers would be interesting.
Submission + - Selling source code? 5
doesntbyte writes: I figured a lot of people on Slashdot have probably faced this before: I work as a freelance programmer and, over the years, I've compiled a huge collection of libraries and algorithms that I've developed to make my life easier. Anything from a calendaring application in Java to simple C++ file I/O stuff. It occurred to me: These programs/libraries/whatever are hugely useful for me and, if I cleaned them up a little bit, they'd probably help other programmers too. I thought about OpenSourcing them but, honestly, in this economic climate my finances aren't doing so well either.
So, Slashdot, I was wondering: Is there any way to easily sell source code to other programmers? Some people have pointed me to RentACoder or ScriptLance but they're not quite what I'm looking for since that's (basically) selling future work. Is there anything that's for selling pre-written code? Someone pointed me to SourceSale but that doesn't look like it's got much going on yet. Any other suggestions? I thought of just doing an opensource page with a PayPal donation link, but... That seems like it wouldn't actually result in very significant financial results. Help?
So, Slashdot, I was wondering: Is there any way to easily sell source code to other programmers? Some people have pointed me to RentACoder or ScriptLance but they're not quite what I'm looking for since that's (basically) selling future work. Is there anything that's for selling pre-written code? Someone pointed me to SourceSale but that doesn't look like it's got much going on yet. Any other suggestions? I thought of just doing an opensource page with a PayPal donation link, but... That seems like it wouldn't actually result in very significant financial results. Help?
Submission + - Hacking Java from the inside out (threatpost.com)
An anonymous reader writes: "The final release of JavaSnoop 1.0 came on Monday, after months of revisions and fixes since it was first announced at Black Hat this summer. The tool is the creation of Arshan Dabirsiaghi, director of research at Aspect Security, and it's meant to give developers, researchers and other interested parties the ability to do a number of interesting things with Java applications that normally aren't possible without having the source code at hand.
"The whole idea of JavaSnoop is to turn theoretical vulnerabilities into real vulnerabilities," he said in his presentation at Black Hat. "Theoretical vulns don't really get fixed at the same rate that real vulns do."
"The whole idea of JavaSnoop is to turn theoretical vulnerabilities into real vulnerabilities," he said in his presentation at Black Hat. "Theoretical vulns don't really get fixed at the same rate that real vulns do."
Submission + - DDoS Attacks On PayPal, PostFinance, AnonOps, Wiki (thepctool.com)
patrickwambu writes: DDoS Attacks On PayPal, PostFinance, AnonOps, Wikileaks
Submission + - From: Dr. Dennis Fetko, "Dr. Dog" (blogspot.com)
An anonymous reader writes: “How to finally eliminate your dog’s annoying behaviors—and why you may actually be teaching him these behaviorswithout even realizing it!”
If your dog chews up the couch ... jumps on your guests ... barks excessively ... digs up the yard soils indiscriminately ... pulls on a lead ... or exhibits any number of other annoying and destructive behaviors, you will learn here how to eliminate these behaviors without resorting to yelling ... swearing ... hitting ... or jerking (and save yourself a boatload of frustration) once you learn the secrets of “dog talk.”
If your dog chews up the couch
Submission + - Australian web hosts wouldn’t host WikiLeaks (delimiter.com.au)
An anonymous reader writes: After being dumped by Amazon, Wikileaks mirrors have sprung up all over the world ... except in Australia, where local web hosting companies say they probably wouldn't play host to a mirror of the site due to technical and legal concerns. Is this a valid stance, or should web hosting companies take a braver stance on the issue and remain agnostic about the content they're hosting?
Submission + - Zombie satellite hoses NOAA/NWS weather systems (wattsupwiththat.com)
radioweather writes: Overnight, the drifting and still transmitting rogue "zombie" Galaxy 15 satellite spewed C band emissions into the satellite data distribution system used by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), effectively shutting down data sharing between NWS offices nationwide, as well as weather support groups for the U.S. Air force. Interference from Galaxy 15 affected transmissions of the SES-1 Satellite, which not only serves NOAA with data relay services, but also is used to feed TV programming into virtually every cable network in the U.S. NOAA's Network Control Facility reports that the computer system affected was NOAA's Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) used to issue forecasts and weather bulletins which uses the weather data feed. They also state the problem is likely to recur again this month before the satellite drifts out of range and eventually dies due to battery depletion.
Submission + - Feds Arrest Online Seller Who Scared Customers (nytimes.com) 1
wiredmikey writes: Federal law enforcement agents on Monday arrested a Brooklyn Internet merchant who mistreated customers because he thought their online complaints raised the profile of his business in Google searches.
The arrest came eight days after The New York Times published a lengthy account (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28borker.html?scp=1&sq=A%20Bully%20Finds%20a%20Pulpit%20on%20the%20Web&st=cse) of Mr. Borker’s campaign of intimidation against a woman named Clarabelle Rodriguez who had bought a pair of glasses from DecorMyEyes over the summer.
The arrest came eight days after The New York Times published a lengthy account (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28borker.html?scp=1&sq=A%20Bully%20Finds%20a%20Pulpit%20on%20the%20Web&st=cse) of Mr. Borker’s campaign of intimidation against a woman named Clarabelle Rodriguez who had bought a pair of glasses from DecorMyEyes over the summer.
Submission + - The white iPhone 4 set for release in Spring 2011 (networkworld.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Long delayed, it appears that the white iPhone 4 will finally hit stores in the Spring of 2011. Originally expected to launch alongside the black iPhone 4 this past Summer, Apple was forced to delay its launch time again for reasons that always remained somewhat murky. Some reports suggested that iPhone manufacturers were struggling to achieve the exact shade of white demanded by Apple while other reports suggested that the white iPhone 4 let too much light leak in through the glass, resulting in shoddy and perhaps unusable photos. Just a few weeks ago, reports surfaced that Apple was planning to abandon the white iPhone 4 altogether, but signs recently spotted at Apple Stores this past weekend confirm that Apple is planning to ship these elusive white iPhone 4's in Spring of 2011.
Submission + - iPad 2 to ship by late February 2011 (tekgoblin.com)
tekgoblin writes: Foxconn in Shenzhen, China has been notified recently that they will need to begin shipment of the iPad 2 by the end of February 2011. According to DigiTimes, the plant will ship around 600,000 units at that time. The iPad 2 was originally supposed to be shipped in January according to DigiTimes but was delayed because of firmware issues.
Submission + - Architect Norman Foster to Build 'City of Apple'
Hugh Pickens writes: "MacRumors reports that acclaimed British architect Norman Foster has been selected to design Apple's new campus on the 98-acre parcel in Cupertino, California, purchased from Hewlett-Packard and located across the street from a 50-acre parcel Apple had purchased in 2006 just a few blocks from Apple's main campus on Infinite Loop. El Economista reports that Apple is planning to connect its current campus and the new one with a network of tunnels [google translation] instead of cars to make the whole structure free of carbon emissions. In designing Apple's campus, Foster is reportedly drawing on his experience with Masdar City, a new sustainable community under development in Abu Dhabi designed to house up to 50,000 people in a car-free, zero-carbon environment powered entirely by renewable energy sources. Foster, one of the most highly-recognized architects in the world, was a long-time collaborator with American architect Buckminister Fuller, which continued until Fuller's death in 1983, on several projects that became catalysts in the development of an environmentally sensitive approach to design. Among Foster's most well-known works are the Millennium Bridge and 30 St Mary Axe ("The Gherkin") in London, Hearst Tower in New York City, and his reconstruction of the Reichstag in Berlin, including the addition of a glass dome offering a panoramic view of the city."
Submission + - Online Tracking Firms Launch Opt-Out Program (ecrmguide.com)
storagedude writes: Threatened by the prospect of tougher U.S. online privacy legislation, a handful of data collection companies have banded together to create a voluntary system for consumers to opt out of online data collection or edit the data collected. The Better Advertising Project's Open Data Partnership is a long way from a viable solution — scores of tracking and big-name online companies have yet to sign on to the effort — but it is nonetheless the first attempt to put all this online tracking data in one place. Some companies are even putting a brave face on the inevitability of some kind of a national do-not-track system. As Bill Franks, chief analytics officer of Teradata's SAS program, put it: "At the end of the day, whether it was a law or a simple agreement, if the customers trusted you'd use their data appropriately, you'd make more progress.
