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AMD

Submission + - Ubuntu on the $99 decTOP (AMD PIC) (jsco.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The old news is that the AMD PIC has been reincarnated as the $99 decTOP. The new news is that I actually bought one, took it apart, put it back together again, and installed Linux on it (Ubuntu and Xubuntu). This page walks you through the installation process. The result is a reasonably usable machine—certainly enough to get your mom on the internet. The decTOP comes with 128MB of RAM and a 10GB HDD, both of which can be upgraded easily.
Security

Submission + - Free, Secure VPN solution

Submitted by BrianCaulkins
BrianCaulkins writes: I'm a Windows user who would like to use a VPN solution to access my home network for when I'm on the road. I've looked into a few open source solutions such as openVPN but some people are saying it's not very secure because it's a SSL VPN. Are there any suggestions for what I could use for a free, secure VPN solution?
Censorship

Submission + - Help. American Idol is going after me. (gk2gk.com)

Submitted by
Geek 2 Geek
Geek 2 Geek writes: "Hi, I was referred to slashdot as a place where I might get help for a problem I'm having. A while ago, I devised a contest for my web site — Geek 2 Geek. It is a "talent" show for geeks in which they submit humorous videos. I called it "Geek Idol". We received a letter from a law firm representing American Idol regarding our contest contest. A complete copy of the letter can be seen at www.gk2gk.com/topten/template20.asp . They express the concern that "... your use of GEEK IDOL will most likely cause confusion, mistake, and/or deception among the consuming public regarding the source or sponsorship of your services, and will give the false impression that your services are associated with ... 'American Idol' in violation of our client's rights. They also say that "... since AMERICAN IDOL is a famous mark, ... your use of GEEK IDOL would also constitute dilution of our client's marks and unfair competion. If we do not withdraw our use of "GEEK IDOL", they say they will seek remedies including, "without limitation, immediate and permanent injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, and an award for attorney's fees and costs incurred in obtaining such remedies. I asked our members whether anyone who read about the contest got the impression that it was somehow affiliated with American Idol. Of course, no one would, it was described in a humorous, satirical way, for one thing. The word "IDOL" is hardly a new word. And, having seen the American Idol show a few times, I don't see that anybody who performs as a "geek" will win their contest, although, I guess, Clay Aiken started out that way, but it was bred out of him by the time he was a finalist. Are there any lawyers out there? Any advice from anyone as to how we should respond? Thanks."
Security

Submission + - Car Rental Agency with poor Credit Card verify

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In an time of increased Credit Card Fraud it's amazing that one of the worlds largest Car Rental Agencies has such poor Credit Card Verification technology leaving countless users open to Credit Card Fraud.

Rather than being a victim of Credit Card fraud, I discovered on June 14th that a car I booked and paid for on January 31st was charged to some other poor person's Credit Card. How did this happen? The other persons credit card was the same as mine with 2 digits (11th and 13th) swapped and the same expiry date. Sounds impossible, but not it's actually not that difficult to occur given that the Checksum is the same if numbers are swapped and Credit Cards are generally only issued for a period of up to 4 years (48 expiry periods). They blame me for user input error, I blame them for systems error.

You'd think that a company the size of Hertz would use proper verification technology. However, they only verify the Credit Card Number and Expiry Date. They don't verify against the Credit Card Owner Name or Address or CVC number. With chip and pin and more secure online technology such as "Verified By Visa" becoming increasingly common place, to combat fraud, this seems like absolute madness. They have the lowest form of online Credit Card verification.

In resolving the matter Hertz Ireland sent me an email containing all the details of the booking (including the Credit Card Number and Expiry Date). That gave me real confidence that they are protecting my data.

Hertz's answer to this. My fault of course. The poor owner of the credit card had to wait 4 months (mainly because they didn't contact me till the end of the dispute with her) for a refund and I had to make a new booking for next month. Thankfully, there was still availability of the convertible mustang I'm so looking forward to driving. ;-)
Music

Submission + - Even century old records had restrictive licensing (natch.net)

Submitted by
natch
natch writes: "While rummaging through some old records at an antique store I found some turn-of-the-century Victor Record Company pressings. The label on the back laid out the terms of use, something similar to an EULA. In today's modern world of RIAA lawsuits and DRM, it's interesting to note that similar tactics have been in use by record companies for over a century, restricting your right to use what you purchased. The label clearly states that unless the record was sold for at least one dollar, there is no license to use it."
Spam

Submission + - Bail Denied for Spam King (lawbean.com)

Submitted by Spamicles
Spamicles writes: The man accused of defrauding people with millions of spam emails has been denied bail today. Judge James P. Donohue said Robert Soloway, 27, of Seattle, should remain in jail until his trial scheduled for Aug. 6 because he has minimal ties to Washington state and has family in Sweden. Spamhaus has listed Soloway as one of the 135 spammers that were responsible for up to 80 percent of all spam sent.
Privacy

Submission + - IBM loses tapes with former employees' data (ibm.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I was an intern with IBM ten years ago and just today received a letter informing me that tapes containing my and other former employees' data (including social security numbers) were lost on February 23, 2007 while being transported by a vendor. IBM is offering free membership with the ID TheftSmart Enhanced Identity Theft Restoration and Continuous Credit Monitoring program from Kroll Inc for one year for everyone affected. It just goes to show that no matter how long it's been, your personal information in someone else's hands is never safe.

The full text of the letter can be found here.
Censorship

Submission + - Law students sue anonymous message board posters (wsj.com)

Submitted by
The Xoxo Reader
The Xoxo Reader writes: "The Wall Street Journal reports that two female students at Yale Law School have filed suit for defamation and infliction of emotional distress against an administrator and several anonymous posters (identified only by their pseudoynms) at the popular law student discussion board AutoAdmit (a.k.a. Xoxohth). One of the claims is that the posters have violated copyright laws by reposting pictures of the women without their permission. Since AutoAdmit's administrators have previously said that they do not retain IP logs of posters, it is unclear how the plaintiffs will ultimately be able to identify the actual people behind the pseudonyms named in the complaint. Apparently, one method was to post the summons on the message board itself and ask the posters to step forward. The controversy leading to this lawsuit was previously discussed on Slashdot here."
Patents

Submission + - Nokia Countersues Qualcomm (lawbean.com)

Submitted by
Spamicles
Spamicles writes: "Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, has filed a patent infringement countersuit against Qualcomm Monday. Nokia filed the lawsuit in a Texas district court, and it is seeking damages and injunctive relief. Nokia stated that it believes the Qualcomm patents are not valid, as the alleged inventions have been patented or published by other companies before Qualcomm. It also said it does not believe Nokia's products infringe any of the patents."
Spam

Submission + - ISPs taking steps to begin charging for email (lawbean.com)

Submitted by Spamicles
Spamicles writes: Some of the largest ISPs in the United States have begun to support Goodmail, an email and authentication service that charges money in exchange for guaranteed delivery of email. Goodmail then splits the money with your ISP. Comcast, Cox, Verizon, and Roadrunner join AOL and Yahoo! who are already members of the CertifiedEmail program.
United States

Submission + - Friends involved in lawsuit over Bears tickets (lawbean.com)

Submitted by Spamicles
Spamicles writes: Donald Ramsell and Douglas Warlick's friendship had become strained in recent years as they argued over tailgating tactics and who would drive to Chicago Bears games. So when it seemed like Douglas Warlick wouldn't come through with the tickets for this year, Donald Ramsell did what came naturally: he sued.
Security

Submission + - US Government makes modifying computers illegal

Submitted by
packetmon
packetmon writes: "US Government officials in their infinite wisdom have created such a broad law in hopes of punishing malware writers that the law can punish just about anyone. "...engage in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with specified conduct, including: (1) taking unsolicited control of the computer; (2) modifying computer settings; (3) collecting personally identifiable information [incl. using keystroke loggers]; (4) inducing the owner or authorized user to disclose personally identifiable information; (5) inducing the unsolicited installation of computer software; and (6) removing or disabling a security, anti-spyware, or anti-virus technology." Now, is this broad what? Using Geeksquad as an example of this insane law, imagine a GeekSquad employee having to fix someone's machine. What if he or she has to disable antivirus software in order to fix something. Oops there goes the law. What about on the ISP level, what about if an ISP is filtering dirty clients on his network and via MAC address filtering sends his client to a null routed VLAN. He technically "modified" a machine. There are so many avenues for abuse going on with a broad statement such as: "modifying computer settings". Wired Article"
Announcements

Submission + - Women may murder husbands with impunity. (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
mikeeusa2
mikeeusa2 writes: "Mary Winkler Could Only Serve 60 Days(This is the woman who shot and killed her preacher husband in the back with a shotgun).

Daringest on Sat, 2007-06-09 03:49. informs us:

The trial of Mary Winkler is saddening and disappointing, but it's not surprising. Women get away with murder probably everyday.

The foreman was on the jury this Friday morning on CourtTV. According to him the women on the jury wanted to acquit the murderess. He, the jury foreman, was disappointed by the verdict but said the decision was a compromise since the ten women on the jury wanted to set her free.

Lisa Bloom, host of the CourtTV program and daughter of famed misandrist Gloria Allred, said the defense attorney was smart to keep the platform heels next to the defendant when she was on the stand. Apparently, Mz. Bloom thinks this helped the female jurors to sympathize with and exonerate the murderess. If a man wants his wife or girlfriend to wear heels, he deserves to be killed.

When a man gets married, he gives his wife the right to take his life, as well as his rights and property.

What's interesting is that in another case some months ago, a man was sentenced to eight (8) years in jail for trespassing in a women's apartment and trying on her underwear. So women believe a man who tries on her underwear should be jailed for eight years but a woman has a right to kill a man just because she feels like it. Where's the "equality" here?"

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