Submission + - China making own PCs with own CPU and Linux
An anonymous reader writes: A Chinese company, Lemote, is about launch a computer running a Chinese processor and Linux, according to Gareth Powell of TECH.BLORGE.com. Lemote hopes to get a 1000 PCs to market before the Chinese New Year. It's expected the PC will cost around $200.
Submission + - Spam is back, and worse than ever.
Ant writes: "The Red Tape Chronicles reports that just last December (2006), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published an optimistic state-of-spam report. It cites research indicating spam had leveled off or even dropped during the previous year. It now appears spammers had simply gone back to the drawing board. There's more spam now than ever before.
In fact, there's twice as much spam now as opposed to this time last year. And the messages themselves are causing more trouble. About half of all spam sent now is "image spam," containing server-clogging pictures that are up to 10 times the size of traditional text spam. And most image spam is stock-related, pump-and-dump scams which can harm investors who don't even use e-mail. About one-third of all spam is stock spam now.
Seen on Digg."
Submission + - 53 CSS-Techniques You Couldn't Live Without
vitaly.friedman writes: "Cascading Style Sheets offer many advantages you don't have in table-layouts — i.e. a strict separation between layout, or design of the page, and the information, presented on the page. Over the last few years web-developers have developed many useful techniques, which can save you a lot of time — of course, if you are able to find them in time. This article lists 53 essential css-techniques, which will make your life easier. "Thanks to all developers who contributed to accessible and usable css-based design over the last few years. We really appreciate it.""
Submission + - Language Tools
creolophus writes: I am a college student and I am looking for language tools which will help me with my writing, by giving me useful feedback (on my grammar, usage, etc). I will be writing mostly English prose with very little technical content.
So far, I have been using only Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar checkers, and they don't provide any feedback.
Do you know (or) have you been using any such tools?
So far, I have been using only Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar checkers, and they don't provide any feedback.
Do you know (or) have you been using any such tools?
Submission + - Quantum Computer Demo in February
fwburton writes: D-Wave Systems has announced
has announced
that they will be demoing a 16-qubit adiabatic quantum computer in February. Their roadmap calls for a 1000-qubit by the end of 2008.
D-Wave Systems is planning to provide free access to one of their quantum computers in Q2/2007 for people who want to develop or port applications to the system.
D-Wave Systems is planning to provide free access to one of their quantum computers in Q2/2007 for people who want to develop or port applications to the system.
Submission + - Wired: "Computer Privacy in Distress"
davidwr writes: Wired has an interesting editorial on laptop searches and seizures. It raises some interesting issues including: Employee rights against police searches in the workplace, routine vs. non-routine searches at ports of entry, the implications of never deleting files, police use of unrelated data found in a database search; using a single target to get a warrant to seize all information on a computer used by the many "real" targets of law enforcement, and more.
The article ends saying, "Of course, there's a chance that the courts will not recognize the different scope of privacy interests at stake in computer searches, or will not be adept at crafting a rule that gives enough leeway and guidance to law enforcement, while also protecting privacy. At that point, the Constitution may fail us, and we will have to turn to Congress to create rules that are better adapted for the information age."
The article ends saying, "Of course, there's a chance that the courts will not recognize the different scope of privacy interests at stake in computer searches, or will not be adept at crafting a rule that gives enough leeway and guidance to law enforcement, while also protecting privacy. At that point, the Constitution may fail us, and we will have to turn to Congress to create rules that are better adapted for the information age."
Submission + - TJ Maxx breach compromises millions
teslatug writes: As many as 40 million credit and debit card numbers may have been compromised following a computer security breach at the retailer that operates T.J. Maxx and Marshall's stores. This could be the biggest such breach in the U.S., and it could go back as far as four years.
Submission + - The Growing Problem of Censorship in India
eldavojohn writes: "While it may be easy to find censorship in North Korea and China these days, India's government is traveling down the same path. Much to my surprise, "In November, undercover Indian police in Mumbai were assigned to scan the catwalks at fashion shows in an effort to prevent a repeat of last year's episode in which an Indian model's top slipped to reveal her breasts. India censors banned Paris Hilton's music video "Stars Are Blind" from being shown on television in August, which shows the blond socialite cavorting on a beach in revealing clothes. India last year also tried to ban smoking scenes in films, reasoning that cigarette-wielding Bollywood stars were influencing people to take up the habit." The CEO of Sony's Indian division has been expressing concern that the censorship may spread to games and that these censorship rules are enforced and made randomly."
Future Desks to Charge Gadgets Wirelessly 111
IronMan writes "Future desks may allow us to charge our phones, iPods, PDAs and other gadgets wirelessly. Office equipment maker Herman Miller is one of the first companies to license the eCoupled inductive coupling technology from Fulton Innovation, Engadget reports. The desk will allows wireless transfer of energy through a magnetic field. Motorola is working together with eCoupled, but still is not sure when the first consumer devices with this technology will appear on the market. From the article: 'Of course, cordless charging isn't an entirely new concept, with HP recently showing off some of its own ideas for juiced-up furniture, and Splashpower talking up its charge-on-contact system for a few years now. We guess we'll just have to wait and see if this new power-happy desk becomes the same status symbol for the Web 2.0 crowd that Herman Miller's Aeron chair was back in Web 1.0 days -- assuming we haven't moved on to Web 3.0 by the time the desk actually comes out, that is.'"
Submission + - Sound goes faster than light!
Roland Piquepaille writes: "According to Physics Web in 'Sound breaks the light barrier' (Free reg. required), a professor of physics in Tennessee has designed an experiment which proves that sound can move faster than light. This looks like impossible — and it is. In fact, the physicist has tweaked some scientific definitions. No sound can go faster than light. But a sound pulse, or more precisely, all the wavelengths associated to a sound, have a "group velocity" that far exceeds the real physical limits. Have I lost you? Read more for a summary of various sources trying to explain this superluminal phenomenon in plain English."
Submission + - Utah's Newest Attempt to Block Pornography
gc8005 writes: There's something
brewing in Utah. A new, non-profit organization called CP80 that wants to segregate Internet content
based on IP ports. To a lay person, it sounds plausible, as CP80 describes port
segregation like cable TV channels. But unlike the cable system, it's easily bypassed.
Even more disturbing are the founders and backers
of CP80, which include Ralph Yarro,
who was recently fired from his CEO position at Canopy Group (see SCO
fiasco), and several venture capital firms. Even Darl McBride has donated to the cause. Why are VCs backing a non-profit
anti-pornography organization? What's the real story behind CP80?
Submission + - Notable XML happenings in 2006
An anonymous reader writes: 2006 was a productive year for XML. The most sound and fury focused around browsers, with major new releases of every major browser. The importance of open, documented, standard file formats has suddenly become a critical issue to governments. The most effective XML technologies are growing from the grassroots because developers are looking at them and deciding they work. Join Elliotte Rusty Harold for a look back at the most significant XML news from 2006.
Apple Charges For 802.11n, Blames Accounting Law 471
If you have a Core 2 Duo Macintosh, the built-in WLAN card is capable of networking using (draft 2) 802.11n. This capability can be unlocked via an update Apple distributes with the new AirPort Extreme Base Station. Or, they will sell it to you for $4.99. Why don't they give it away for free, say with Software Update? Because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (which was passed in the wake of the Enron scandal). iLounge quotes an Apple representative: "It's about accounting. Because of the Act, the company believes that if it sells a product, then later adds a feature to that product, it can be held liable for improper accounting if it recognizes revenue from the product at the time of sale, given that it hasn't finished delivering the product at that point."
PHP Application Insecurity - PHP or Devs Fault? 200
somersault asks: "There have recently been a lot of people making jokes at the expense of PHP, but how many common security flaws in PHP are the fault of the language, and how many the fault of the developer? A recent Security Focus article (via the Register) has a brief discussion which suggests that PHP is no less secure than any other scripting language, and that it is the users of the language themselves who need to be educated. The other side of the story is that the developers of PHP should work on tightening up the language to make it more 'idiot proof' by default. Should the team developing PHP take a more active role in controlling the use of their language? What will it take to ensure that users of the language learn to use it securely, short of defacing every vulnerable website out there?"
