Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Censorship

Submission + - Comcast Selectively Blocking Subscriber Traffic (msn.com)

Submitted by
madsheep
madsheep writes: "It looks like Comcast is actively blocking subscriber traffic to a number of services that are primarily related to peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. From the story: "Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally. The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed through nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves company computers masquerading as those of its users." It looks like Comcast is out there to limit your bandwidth and where you can go. What's next?"
Censorship

Submission + - Comcast blocks some Internet traffic

Submitted by QuietLagoon
QuietLagoon writes: MSNBC is reporting the results of an Associated Press test that show Comcast blocks some Internet traffic. "Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally.

"The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed through nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves company computers masquerading as those of its users.

"If widely applied by other ISPs, the technology Comcast is using would be a crippling blow to the BitTorrent, eDonkey and Gnutella file-sharing networks. While these are mainly known as sources of copyright music, software and movies, BitTorrent in particular is emerging as a legitimate tool for quickly disseminating legal content.

"The principle of equal treatment of traffic, called "Net Neutrality" by proponents, is not enshrined in law but supported by some regulations. Most of the debate around the issue has centered on tentative plans, now postponed, by large Internet carriers to offer preferential treatment of traffic from certain content providers for a fee....
Education

Submission + - Eleven New Species

Submitted by
pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: "Two butterflies and five orchids are among 11 new species found in Vietnam by scientists.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature said:

"You only discover so many new species in very special places, and the Green Corridor is one of them,"You only discover so many new species in very special places, and the Green Corridor is one of them"
There is also a sideshow."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Holds Executives to a Higher Standard

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: Because company's performance last year fell short of expectations Microsoft is holding it's executives to a higher standard.

From the Seattle Times story:

As a result, four executives got no more than half as much stock as they would have if the company had met or exceeded all of its goals, according to a regulatory filing Friday.
Among the points not covered, constructive chair throwing.
Handhelds

Submission + - Apple and the RIAA, ringtones

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: Apples own interests to defend the rights of consumer has cost them a lot of grief in the ringtone market.

Ask Not For Whom the Ring Tones.
Writing about Apples iTunes ringtones, John Gruber of the Daring Fireball cited Engadget, which reported that the RIAA wanted to be able to distribute ringtones of its artists without having to pay them big money to do so (surprised?), and it won a decision last year before the Copyright Office saying that ringtones werent derivative works, meaning they didnt infringe on the copyright of the songwriter.
Just a continuation of just how evil that RIAA really is.
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Super-fast wireless (techworld.com)

Submitted by
Golygydd Max
Golygydd Max writes: "Scientists at Georgia Tech claimed to have cracked the problem of how to send large data files, such as video, over wireless. According to a story in Techworld, they have developed a technique that allows them to use the 60GHz range to send such files at 15Gbit/s over a span of one metre. That translates into a download time of less than five seconds for a DVD-quality copy of a typical Hollywood movie."
Security

Submission + - Pentagon Computer Attack

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: The China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), as the armed forces are known has been fingered in a Pentagon computer network crack last June.

The PLA has demonstrated the ability to conduct attacks that disable our system...and the ability in a conflict situation to re-enter and disrupt on a very large scale, said a former official, who said the PLA had penetrated the networks of US defence [sic] companies and think-tanks.
Sci-Fi

Submission + - Chupacabra?

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: A woman, Phylis Canion, of Texas believes she has found the mythical chupacabra or "goat sucker" thought to be an urban legend. Looks like a large hairless Chiwawa.

"It is one ugly creature," Canion said, holding the head of the mammal, which has big ears, large fanged teeth and grayish-blue, mostly hairless skin.
Security

Submission + - Teen Unlocks IPhone From AT&T Network

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: George Hotz of Glen Rock, N.J. a 17 year old cracker has broken the lock that keeps the IPhone tied into the AT&T network.

AT&T Inc. spokesman Mark Siegel said the company had no comment, and referred questions to Apple. A call to Apple was not immediately returned. Hotz said the companies had not been in touch with him.

Both hacks leave intact the iPhone's many functions, including a built-in camera and the ability to access Wi-Fi networks. The only thing that won't work is the "visual voicemail" feature, which shows voice messages as if they were incoming e-mail.
Hotz' blog
Biotech

Submission + - Experts Say Artificial Life Likely

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: Breitbart.com reports:

In a little known field of "wet artificial life" scientists believe they will be able to create live in a test tube in as little as 3 years.

"Creating protocells has the potential to shed new light on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."
Security

Submission + - US Senator Wants to Revamp SSN Cards

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican — South Carolina) plans to introduce legislation to replace all current Social Security cards with plastic RFID cards as reported in The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC

"The documents used to get a job in America, a Social Security card, is a piece of paper that's easily, fraudulently duplicated," Graham said at the University of South Carolina, where he demonstrated a program employers can use to check the legal status of workers along with Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff.
There is also a You Tube posting.
The Internet

Submission + - CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits

Submitted by pilsner.urquell
pilsner.urquell writes: Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest guidelines may have been violated by persons in the FBI and CIA. A new program, WikiScanner, allows users to track the source of computers used to make changes to Wikipedia.

WikiScanner revealed that CIA computers were used to edit an entry on the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. A graphic on casualties was edited to add that many figures were estimated and were not broken down by class.

Feed Science Daily: Gene For Left-handedness Identified (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed
Scientists have discovered a gene that increases an individual's chances of being left-handed. The research revealed a gene called LRRTM1; the first to be discovered which has an effect on handedness. Although little is known about LRRTM1, it is conceivable that it modifies the development of asymmetry in the human brain.

Feed Engadget: California white hat hackers: 3, Diebold and friends: 0 (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In a move which will bolster your undoubtedly high sensations of "faith" in the US voting process, a group of University of California researchers have just hacked their way through security on nearly every voting machine certified by the state of California. According to Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who initiated these tests, the team was able to "bypass physical and software security in every machine they tested." The group, which was sanctioned by the state, was given full access to the machines, as well as their source code and manuals, leaving some to argue that the test doesn't accurately depict how vulnerable the machines are -- because we all know how hard it is for hackers to get their hands on that kind of stuff. The report will affect whether or not Bowen approves the systems for use throughout California in its upcoming presidential primaries. It looks like 2008 is going to be an exciting year, to say the least.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Slashdot Top Deals

"There is such a fine line between genius and stupidity." - David St. Hubbins, "Spinal Tap"

Close