Trebuchet - Slashdot User

Submission + - Are there any new motherboards without a TPM?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 14, 2007 @12:52PM

An anonymous reader writes: For those of us who don't want any piece of "treacherous computing" in our PC's, that means not having a TPM chip on the motherboard. That's easy enough if you're using an older computer, but what about the latest offerings? Are there any late-model motherboards or laptops being sold that do not have a TPM chip?

Submission + - Overzealous lawyers and DMCA notices on YouTube

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 05, 2007 @02:21PM

An anonymous reader writes: ThoughtFix of TabletBlog.com got smacked with a DMCA notice from YouTube this morning stating that Nokia Corporation claimed copyright to his Nokia N800 Dissection video. He composed the video himself — it just showed off a Nokia product. It does not show any proprietary IP that any competitor can't get simply by grabbing an N800 off the shelves. Even the photos of the dissection are still up.

Imagine the slippery slope here. If they can take down videos because their product appears in the content, every clothing manufacturer will be totally rich by suing people for royalties for wearing their designs. Every musical instrument maker will be amazingly wealthy for suing bands for videos of performances with their gear.

Submission + - H-1B Visa Catch-22

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 27, 2007 @12:23PM

An anonymous reader writes: The San Francisco Chronicle has published a multi-perspective article/editorial on the H-1B Visa debate. Not mentioned in the article is how large corporations routinely dodge paying taxes, an action that can lead to under-funded schools, which in turn reduces the native-born qualified workforce, which in turn creates a need for immigrant workers. We can get right to the heart of the matter now and ask: is the US government obligated to serve the American people or to serve business? Discuss please.

Submission + - Canada's Wayne Crookes sues Google, Wikipedia

Submitted by

newtley

on Saturday April 21, 2007 @01:18PM

newtley writes: "Wayne Crookes, the Green Party of Canada's ex-financier, is in effect trying to sue the Net. He's going after the Wikiedia, Google and openpolitics.ca, run up by federal Green Party activist Michael Pilling, claiming he's suffered, "an immense amount of frustration and emotional distress" over postings. Some 15 others may also have been targeted. "Mr Crookes seems to be trying to unwrite history," Pilling says. "He was a central figure in the growth of the Green Party. His actions were highly controversial and if we have freedom of speech in this country, people should be allowed to talk about them.""

Submission + - Identifying computer components

Submitted by

RedMage13

on Saturday April 07, 2007 @10:39PM

RedMage13 writes: "Many people like me have found a box of computer parts at a yard sale, and picked them up merely because they're cheap, and could possibly be salvaged for use. I recently became an owner of one such box of parts, but I have no idea how to find out how powerful any of the parts are, and there are several whose function seems impossible to determine due to a lack of any tags/FCC IDs. Surely some of my fellow Slashdotters will be able to share some tips for all of us suckers who are holding onto boxes full of crap that we don't know is useful at all."

Submission + - To Buy, Or Create Computers?

Submitted by Scienceboy on Monday April 02, 2007 @08:50PM

Scienceboy writes: Something I've noticed is that alot of nerds and /.-ers usually tear apart the computers that they buy, and change them to their own specifications, whether it be hardware or software. My question is this: For the person who usually does this sort of stuff, is it worth it anymore to buy computers from a retail provider, only to change it so much that there are barley any original parts? Or is it better just to buy the parts that you know you are going to use and build it yourself?

Submission + - MPAA Steals Code, Violates Linkware License

Submitted by stedo on Saturday February 17, 2007 @07:43PM

stedo writes: A blogger who wrote his own blogging engine called Forest Blog recently noticed that none other than the MPAA was using his work, and had completely violated his linkware license by removing all links back to the Forest Blog site, and had not credited him in any way.

Submission + - Texas Gov. Pressured to Rescind Vaccination Order

Submitted by

rock_climbing_guy

on Monday February 05, 2007 @03:09PM

rock_climbing_guy writes: "Recently, the state of Texas became the first state to require vaccination against HPV, a set of strains of viruses that cause warts and cancer, for all girls entering the sixth grade, beginning in September 2006. Texas Governor Rick Perry, as reported by Fox News, is being pressured by the state senate to rescind the order. Many critics of the order say that requiring such a vaccination will encourage premarital sex. Under Texas law, some parents may opt-out of the requirement for their children for religious or philosophical reasons.

How do we balance the need to provide citizens with protection against dangerous diseases with individual autonomy and freedom? Do such mandatory vaccinations violate our civil rights?"

Submission + - Google Freezes Canada Out

Submitted by

Wisam Abdulaziz

on Monday February 05, 2007 @02:35PM

Wisam Abdulaziz writes: "How do you get to be a Google Adwords Certified Company? Practise. Oh wait, no, thats how you get to Carnegie Hall.

Frankly, if you happen to be Canadian, its a whole lot easier to get to Carnegie Hall. Google, whose stated mandate, mantra, guiding principle, hollow mission statement or whatever you wish to call itis Do No Evil prevents or more to the point, prohibits Canadian companies from achieving the vaunted status of Google Adwords Certified Company.

Was it something we searched?

To date, there seems no real reason given and the issue is not one of proficiency as individuals within a Canadianorganization can become Qualified Google Adwords Professionals.

Companies in Liechtenstein can become Google Adwords Qualified. Liechtenstein. Population: 33,987. Companies in San Marino can become Google Adwords Qualified. San Marino. Population: 29,251. Companies in the Vatican can become Google Adwords Qualified for Gods sake. In fact there are well over 160 countries listed by namewhere companies can become Google Adwords Qualified but there is no amount of practise that will grant a search engine marketing agency in Canada that privilege.

An oversight? Maybe. But with over $8B (Cdn) spent in online commerce in 2005 in Canada, and over 49 million electronic transactions originating out of this country, Google may want to rethink its current strategy. Its one thing not to service a company. But to forego a whole country?

Perhaps on Googles earth there are no borders between Canada and the U.S. and thatd be great except then wed have to get into a whole other dialog about Google Checkout not being available to Canadians either. (Its coming.)

Evil? Perhaps not. And perhaps notintentionally so.

Stupid? Thoughtless? Territorial? Revenue compromising?

Ill let you be thejudge.

~ The (SEP) Guy

PS — I did my due diligence. Canadadoes in fact show up on Google Earth."

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