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Submission + - Court orders two sisters must receive MMR vaccine (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by rnws
rnws writes: The BBC reports that an English High Court judge has ruled that sisters aged 15 and 11 must have the MMR vaccine even though they and their mother do not want it. The High Court decision, made last month, came after the girls' father brought a case seeking vaccination.
When outlining her decision in the latest case, Mrs Justice Theis emphasised it was a specific case "only concerned with the welfare needs of these children", but lawyers say as one of a series it confirms there is no longer any debate about the benefits of the vaccine.

Submission + - OfficeMax breaks embargo on selling Windows 8.1

Submitted by Kichigai Mentat
Kichigai Mentat writes: Tipped off by a post on Reddit where an OfficeMax employee claimed their store was selling Windows 8.1 as of today, I ventured to my local OfficeMax to verify this story (as well as for a long overdue purchase of DVDs). Sure enough, I found myself face to face with copies of Windows 8.1 and 8.1 Pro on a shelf with other Microsoft products without any information about an availability date. When I queried an employee about this, noting that I thought the official release date was 10/18 ( as noted in the online flier for this week) they said that OfficeMax was attempt to make a "big push" with 8.1 because of "a lot of confusion." I don't believe this is the official explanation, but the employee seemed rather sure of himself.

Submission + - Book review: Secret History: The Story of Cryptology

Submitted by benrothke
benrothke writes: Secret History: The Story of Cryptology

Author: Craig P. Bauer

Pages: 620

Publisher: CRC Press

Rating: 9/10

Reviewer: Ben Rothke

ISBN: 978-1466561861

Summary: Excellent comprehensive and decipherable text on the history of cryptography







Narrating a compelling and interesting story about cryptography is not an easy endeavor. Many authors have tried and failed miserably; attempting to create better anecdotes about the adventure of Alice and Bob. David Kahn probably did the best job of it when wrote The Codebreakers: The story of secret writingin 1967 and set the gold standard on the information security narrative. Kahn's book was so provocative and groundbreaking that the US Government originally censored many parts of it.



While Secret History: The Story of Cryptologyis not as groundbreaking, it also has no government censorship. With that, the book is fascinating read that provides a combination of cryptographic history and the underlying mathematics behind it.



As a preface; the book has cryptologyin its title, which is for the most part synonymous with cryptography. Since cryptography is more commonly used, I'll use it in this review.



Kahn himself wrote that he felt this book is by far the clearest and most comprehensive of the books dealing with the modern era of cryptography including classic ciphers and some of the important historical ones such as Enigma and Purple; but also newer systems such as AES and public-key cryptography.



The book claims that the mathematics detailed in it are accessible requiring minimal mathematical prerequisites. But the reality is that is does require at least a college level understanding, including algebra, calculus and more.



As an aside, nearly every book on encryption and cryptography that claims no advanced mathematical knowledge is needed doesn't meet that claim. With that, Bauer does a good job of separating the two narratives in the book (cryptography and history), so one who is not comfortable with the high-level math can easily parse through those sections.



Bauer brings an extensive pedigree to the book, as he is a former scholar-in-residence at the NSA Center for Cryptologic History. While Bauer has a Ph.D. in mathematics, that does not take away from his ability as an excellent story teller. And let's face it; telling the story of cryptography in a compelling and readable manner is not an easy task.



The 20 chapters in the book follow a chronological development of encryption and cryptography; from Roman times to current times. Each chapter has a set of exercises that can be accessed here. Besides being extremely well-researched, each chapter has numerous items for further reading and research.



Chapters 1-9 are focused on classical cryptology, with topics ranging from the Caesar cipher, Biblical cryptology, to a history of the Vigenère cipher, the ciphers of WW1 and WW2 and more.



In chapter 8 World War II: The Enigma of Germany, Bauer does a great job of detailing how the Enigma machine worked, including details regarding the cryptanalysis of the device, both in its rotor wirings and how recovering its daily keys ultimately lead to is being broken. The chapter also asked the question: what if Enigma had never been broken,and provides a provocative answer to that.



Chapter 8 opens with the famous quote from Ben Franklin that "three may keep a secret if two of them are dead". He notes that the best counterexample to that is of the 10,000 people that were involved in the project to break the Enigma. They all were able to maintain their silence about the project for decades; which clearly shows that large groups can indeed keep a secret. Bauer notes that it is often a reaction to conspiracy theories that large groups of people could never keep a secret for so long.



Chapter 9 provides a fascinating account of the Navajo code talkers. These were a group of Navajo Indians who were specially recruited during World War II by the Marines to serve in their communications units. Since the Navajo language was unknown to the Axis powers; it ensured that all communications were kept completely secret.



While part 1 is quite interesting; part 2, chapters 10-20 focuses on modern cryptology and is even more fascinating. Bauer does a fantastic job of encapsulating the last 60 years of cryptography, and covers everything from the origins of the NSA, the development of DES and AES, public key cryptography and much more.



The book was printed in March 2013 just before the NSA PRISM surveillance program became public knowledge. If there is any significant mistake in the book, it is in chapter 11 where Bauer writes that "everything I've seen and heard at the NSA has convinced me that the respect for the Constitution is a key component of the culture there".



Aside from the incorrect observation about how the NSA treats the Constitution, the book does an excellent job of integrating both the history of cryptography and the mathematical element. For those that aren't interested in to the mathematics, there is plenty of narrative in the book to keep them reading.



For those looking for a comprehensive and decipherable text on the history of cryptography, this is one of the best on the topic in many years.



Kahn's book laid the groundwork that made a book like this possible and Secret History: The Story of Cryptology is a worthy follow-up to that legendary text.





Reviewed by Ben Rothke

Submission + - Battlefield Director: Linux Only Needs One 'Killer' Game To Explode (polygon.com)

Submitted by dryriver
dryriver writes: It would only take one "killer" game for the Linux platform to explode its way into mainstream gaming, DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson told Polygon, revealing that the development studio would "strongly" like to get into Linux. "We strongly want to get into Linux for a reason," Gustavsson said. "It took Halo for the first Xbox to kick off and go crazy — usually, it takes one killer app or game and then people are more than willing [to adopt it] — it is not hard to get your hands on Linux, for example, it only takes one game that motivates you to go there." "I think, even then, customers are getting more and more convenient, so you really need to convince them how can they marry it into their daily lives and make an integral part of their lives," he explained, sharing that the studio has used Linux servers because it was a "superior operating system to do so." Valve's recently announced Steam OS and Steam Machines are healthy for the console market, Gustavsson said when asked for his opinion on Valve's recent announcements. He believes the products will open up the market to explore new, and perhaps better, ways of consuming games. "Basically for different ways of accessing customers and giving them possibilities of play, I think it is super exciting," he said. "The only thing I know is that from five or ten years from now gaming and especially how you consume it won't look like it does today. I do think with streaming services and new input devices and so on, it wouldn't surprise me if there is less need of hardware and more on demand gaming experience."

Submission + - You Are Still Legally Dead, Judge Tells Plaintiff 5

Submitted by Hugh Pickens DOT Com
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes: The Courier of Findlay Ohio reports that Judge Allan Davis ruled that 61-year-old Donald Eugene Miller Jr. is still legally dead, eight years having passed since Miller disappeared from his Arcadia rental home in 1986 and three years after the legal limit for changing a death ruling passed in 1994. Miller told the court he was an alcoholic who was unsure what to do after losing his job and left Hancock County sometime before 1990. "My paycheck was being taken away from me and I had nothing left," Miller said. "It kind of went further than I ever expected it to. I just kind of took off, ended up in different places." Now Miller says he would like to start his life again, or "whatever's left of it" and asked the court to reverse its 1994 death ruling so he can reinstate his canceled Social Security number and driver's license. "My client's here on a wing and a prayer today," said his attorney, Francis Marley. The court said no. Miller's ex-wife, Robin Miller, had asked for the death ruling so Social Security death benefits could be paid to their two children and she opposed his request for a change in the death ruling, because she does not want to repay the Social Security benefits. Judge Davis referred to Donald Miller's case as a "strange, strange situation." "We've got the obvious here. A man sitting in the courtroom, he appears to be in good health," said the Judge. "I don't know where that leaves you, but you're still deceased as far as the law is concerned." Miller has 30 days to appeal the court’s ruling, according Judge Davis.

Submission + - Car Dealers Stand In Line, Complain to DMV About Tesla's Website (greencarreports.com) 2

Submitted by cartechboy
cartechboy writes: Ok maybe they don't actually stand in line, but still, talk about complaining into ether. State and national car dealer groups have been battling Tesla Motors for years, trying to stop them from selling its electric cars directly to buyers. Most of the time, the dealers work behind the scenes to change state laws and and force Tesla to conduct its sales through "independently-owned third parties" which are aka, well, car dealers. But in California, Tesla's operations are legal, so that tactic won't work. So dealers there are taking an interesting new tack — complaining to the DMV about Tesla's website.

Submission + - Building developer ecosystems: What vendors do to attract you to their platform (itworld.com)

Submitted by Esther Schindler
Esther Schindler writes: Software developers have lots of choices about the platforms they target. Savvy vendors put serious thought into the ways to recruit people to write software to integrate with their stuff. Here's what they do --or they ought to.

exposing APIs isn't enough for a company to be successful at attracting and keeping developers. Vendors also need to provide support and maybe tools for them, and create an actual community.

Commercial vendors devote a lot of money and other resources to convince developers to make a commitment to their platform — whether it's the latest mobile device or a car's OS, and whether they provide an API, a t-shirt, or an all-expense-paid developer conference. But the "What developers want" discussion has issues relevant to open source projects as well.

Submission + - Google Makes Quickoffice For Android And iOS Free For All

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Google today announced it is making Quickoffice free for everyone. That means Android and iOS users can edit Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the go without paying a dime. You can download the free versions now directly from Google Play and Apple's App Store. The only requirement is that sign in with your Google Account.

Submission + - FBI warns "Beta Bot" can kill your anti-virus programs, steal data (networkworld.com)

Submitted by coondoggie
coondoggie writes: The FBI sent out a warning today about an uptick in the use of malware known as Beta Bot that can steal sensitive data such as log-in credentials and financial information. The FBI says Beta Bot blocks computer users’ access to security websites and disables anti-virus programs, leaving computers vulnerable to compromise. Cyber criminals aiming Beta Bot at financial institutions, e-commerce sites, online payment platforms, and social networking.

Submission + - Its nuclear plant shut, Maine town full of regret (bostonglobe.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: In a wooded area behind a camouflage-clad guard holding an assault rifle, dozens of hulking casks packed with radioactive waste rest on concrete pads — relics of the shuttered nuclear plant that once powered the region and made this fishing town feel rich.

In the 17 years since Maine Yankee began dismantling its reactors and shedding its 600 workers, this small, coastal town north of Portland has experienced drastic changes: property taxes have spiked by more than 10 times for the town’s 3,700 residents, the number living in poverty has more than doubled as many professionals left, and town services and jobs have been cut.

“I have yet to meet anyone happy that Maine Yankee is gone,” said Laurie Smith, the town manager. “All these years later, we’re still feeling the loss of jobs, the economic downturn, and the huge tax increases....”

“It became a ghost town,” said [Tony] True, 51, who has lived in Wiscasset most of his life.... “I wish Maine Yankee never came here,” he said. “We went from having anything we wanted to having nothing, like going from being spoiled children to having no parents. The closing really put a curtain on Wiscasset....”

But the plant faced serious allegations of safety violations and falsifying records around the time it was closed, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Agency investigators found Maine Yankee relied on inadequate computer analyses to demonstrate the adequacy of its emergency core cooling system; “willfully provided inaccurate information” to the NRC about its ability to vent steam during an accident; and provided falsified records of safety-related equipment.

“Many of these violations and underlying causes were longstanding and appeared to be caused by ineffective engineering analyses,” NRC officials wrote to Maine Yankee shortly after the plant closed.

They added that Maine Yankee “was a facility in which pressure to be a low-cost performer led to practices which over-relied on judgment, discouraged problem reporting, and accepted low standards of performance.”

Submission + - A false fix for climate change (thebulletin.org) 1

Submitted by Lasrick
Lasrick writes: Miller is a former nuclear engineering officer on US Navy submarines. He reviews the book "Nuclear 2.0: Why a Green Future Needs Nuclear Power" by Mark Lynas. Interesting points all around.

Submission + - Windows 8.1 Review: New Version, Same Mess

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: If you're stuck with Windows 8, the Windows 8.1 upgrade is a no-brainer, but the fundamental flaws remain, writes Woody Leonhard in his in-depth review of the latest version of Windows 8. 'Windows 8.1 follows Windows 8 in typical Microsoft "version 2.0" fashion, changing a bit of eye candy and dangling several worthwhile improvements — but hardly solving the underlying problem. Touch-loving tablet users are still saddled with a touch-hostile Windows desktop, while point-and-clickers who live and breathe the Windows desktop still can't make Metro go away,' Leonhard writes. 'Windows 8.1 also installs the worst privacy-busting feature Windows has ever seen, and it nukes several key Windows 7 features in its headlong pursuit of SkyDrive profits.'

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: How to evaluate web hosting services?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: There appear to be a nearly infinite number of hosting services available. And there appears to be an infinity-squared number of "reviews," suggestions, comparison sites, etc. to "help" one pick a provider. The ones of these that make it to the top of search results usually have some sort of agenda. And there are triple-infinity number of discussion-board posts by people saying "I use so-and-so, and I (love/hate) it." Everyone has different needs (price, geography, geographic-latency, specific capabilities, bandwidth, etc.), so recommendations by others seem rather worthless. So how does one get unbiased, detailed information with which to select a hosting provider?

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