Submission + - ODF gaining ground in Denmark (version2.dk) 1
An anonymous reader writes: Parliament debate ends in recommendation of open standard
Comment Re:Same old thing, over and over again... (Score 0) 4
The whole climate change debate has been artificially polarised, which leads to such views.
The Daily Mail (UK) has no credibility on climate change issues and dealt with the issue in the same way as the Times.
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8486440.stm for a proper article (with proper headline).
The scientists are attacked and intimidated by the PR machine of big oil/coal industry.
See http://www.desmogblog.com/climate-cover-convincing-and-riveting-tale-conspiracy-nature for details.
For all the criticism of quality of the stories in Slashdot, let's make sure we follow the science in this one.
Comment Same old thing, over and over again... (Score 0) 4
This is again the same old thing by the deniers trying to repeat their lies over and over again just in case they stick.
Here we have the added benefit of linking to a second-hand website.
Submission + - Interview with a convicted 419 scammer (scam-detectives.co.uk) 1
An anonymous reader writes: Scam awareness website www.scam-detectives.co.uk has published a two part interview with convicted Nigerian 419 scammer "John".
"John" talks about his experiences of scam victims, how he gains their trust and convinces them to part with their money, and how he would go back for another "bite" after the original scam, posing as a law enforcement official who has apprehended the scammer and recovered the funds.... for a fee of course.....
"John" talks about his experiences of scam victims, how he gains their trust and convinces them to part with their money, and how he would go back for another "bite" after the original scam, posing as a law enforcement official who has apprehended the scammer and recovered the funds.... for a fee of course.....
Submission + - Surprise! more Internet Explorer security holes (telegraph.co.uk)
likuidkewl writes: The good news keeps coming for IE,
"A US security research firm has found another set of vulnerabilities within Internet Exlporer, only a day after Microsoft released an emergency software update."
--
"Microsoft is investigating a responsibly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer. Weâ½Ââre currently unaware of any attacks trying to use the vulnerability or of customer impact, and believe customers are at reduced risk due to responsible disclosure. Once weâ½Ââre done investigating, we will take appropriate action to help protect customers"
"A US security research firm has found another set of vulnerabilities within Internet Exlporer, only a day after Microsoft released an emergency software update."
--
"Microsoft is investigating a responsibly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer. Weâ½Ââre currently unaware of any attacks trying to use the vulnerability or of customer impact, and believe customers are at reduced risk due to responsible disclosure. Once weâ½Ââre done investigating, we will take appropriate action to help protect customers"
Submission + - Sourceforge digging their own grave (sourceforge.net)
An anonymous reader writes: Sourceforge now blocks IPs from Cuba, Syria, Iran and a few more countries. While Google has the balls to show the finger to the Chinese government, Sourceforge chickens out. The obviously have become a bunch of corporate lamers. Not even a try to activate their community against this nonsensical censorship. Word goes round that many are already canceling their accounts. Seems they will soon R.I.P.
Submission + - AMD Develops Low-Cost Desktop Chips (eweekeurope.co.uk)
eWEEK Europe writes: AMD is rolling out three processors with prices of less than $100 (£62), designed for desktops
Advanced Micro Devices is continuing to roll out products in the under-$100 (£62) range.
Less than two weeks after announcing a mainstream graphics card supporting Microsoft's DirectX 11 that starts at $99, AMD is launching five desktop processors, including three with prices of less than $100.
AMD on 25 Jan. released the 3.1GHz Athlon II X2 255 and the 3.0GHz Athlon II X3 440. They have starting prices of $74 and $84, respectively, in 1,000 units.
Advanced Micro Devices is continuing to roll out products in the under-$100 (£62) range.
Less than two weeks after announcing a mainstream graphics card supporting Microsoft's DirectX 11 that starts at $99, AMD is launching five desktop processors, including three with prices of less than $100.
AMD on 25 Jan. released the 3.1GHz Athlon II X2 255 and the 3.0GHz Athlon II X3 440. They have starting prices of $74 and $84, respectively, in 1,000 units.
Submission + - UK Government asked to review use of IE (ebrahim.org)
aliebrah writes: "Lord Avebury (blog, bio) has tabled a written question in the United Kingdom House of Lords yesterday, which reads as under:
Lord Avebury to ask Her Majestyââs Government whether, in the light of the recent announcement by Microsoft that Internet Explorer was used to carry out the cyber attacks which prompted Google to say it will withdraw from China, they will review the use of Internet Explorer throughout the public sector. HL1505 Source: House of Lords Business (26 January 2010) and Eric Avebury: Internet vulernability
Lord Avebury mentions that the Parliamentary IT authorities are actively discouraging the use of alternative browsers such as Chrome so it is great to see that he is holding the government accountable for their policies.
According to UK parliamentary procedure, the government is obliged to provide a written response to his question on or before 8 February 2010. I think it will be interesting to see what they have to say.
Lord Avebury is an active campaigner for the rights of ethnic minorities in the UK and also those who are British nationals living abroad. He is also a member of the EU Select Committee which considers EU policy on protecting Europe from large-scale cyber attacks."
Submission + - The Japanese bullet train hopes to come to America (examiner.com)
JoshuaInNippon writes: Central Japan Rail, the company the controls a vast majority of Japanese train tracks, announced on Jan. 25th that they want to bring their bullet train, known as the Shinkansen, to America. The company is hoping to take advantage of President Obama's call for high-speed rail and the potential for billions of dollars in funding from the federal stimulus package. While JR is looking at over 100 possibilities for tracks around the States, their top first pick so far would be a line in Florida, connecting Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. Other options include a track connect LA and Las Vegas, or a track in Texas. The company is also hoping to sell their MAGLEV technology, which has created some of the fastest test trains in the world (at over 300+ mph/ 500+ kmh). JR mentioned track options for the MAGLEV include a line between Baltimore and Washington D.C, a line between Chattanooga and Atlanta, or a line in Pennsylvania. While there is already steep competition coming from American and European companies with similar ideas, JR is pitching their complete train systems as extremely safe and environmentally efficient.
Submission + - China Will Lead World Scientific Research by 2020
Hugh Pickens writes: "The Financial Times reports that an analysis of papers published in 10,500 academic journals across the world shows that China is now second only to the US in terms of academic papers published, and will take first place by 2020 with Chinese scientists increasing their output at a far faster rate than counterparts in rival “emerging” nations such as India, Russia and Brazil and the number of peer-reviewed papers published by Chinese researchers rising 64-fold over the past 30 years. "China is out on its own, far ahead of the pack" says James Wilsdon, of the Royal Society in London.“If anything, China’s recent research performance has exceeded even the high expectations of four or five years ago." According to Wilsdon three main factors are driving Chinese research. First is the government’s enormous investment, with funding increases far above the rate of inflation, at all levels of the system from schools to postgraduate research; second is the organised flow of knowledge from basic science to commercial applications; and third is the efficient and flexible way in which China is tapping the expertise of its extensive scientific diaspora in north America and Europe, tempting back mid-career scientists with deals that allow them to spend part of the year working in the west and part in China."
Comment Re:Overstated issue by deniers (Score 0) 561
Simply read
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/01/the-ipcc-is-not-infallible-shock/
Read the referenced paper there by Karkel et al.
The link is at the end of the blog post.
In general, the deniers have good PR. They are funded by the fossil fuel industry to disseminate their propaganda and destroy the confidence in science.
Slashdot is technology and scientific method. We should not fall for that crap.
Comment Mind the deniers (Score 1, Informative) 561
Comment Overstated issue by deniers (Score -1, Troll) 561
The deniers are again at it to overstate this issue.
Who's Controlling Our Vital Information Systems? 116
HangingChad writes "Gary Lyndaker talks about Janine Wedel's Shadow Elite; about how our information infrastructure is increasingly being sold off to the low bidder. Contracting in state and federal government is rampant, leaving more and more of our nation's vital information in the hands of contractors, many of whom have their own agenda and set of rules. From the article: 'Over 25 years, as an information systems developer, manager, and administrator in both state and private organizations, I have increasingly come to the conclusion that we are putting our state's operations at risk and compromising the trust of the people of our state by outsourcing core government functions.' I've seen the same thing in my years in government IT, ironically much of it as a contractor. My opinion is this is a dangerous trend that needs to be reversed. We're being fleeced while being put at risk."
Submission + - Imminent Death of the Largest Lake on the Earth (wsj.com) 1
reporter writes: According to a disturbing report by the "Wall Street Journal", the world's largest body of fresh water is about to meet its demise. Known as Lake Baikal, this pristine creation of Mother Nature "contains one-fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water and has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site".
Unfortunately for humankind, Lake Baikal is situated near a paper mill now owned by Oleg Deripaska, a wealthy confidant of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The mill had been dumping toxic waste into the lake from 1966 until October 2008. In 2008, a court banned the further discharge of waste into the lake, and Deripaska shutdown the mill.
Then, last week Putin signed a decree that removes "waste discharges in the production of pulp, paper and cardboard from a list of operations banned by environmental legislation in and around" Lake Baikal. This decree legalized the continued dumping of toxic waste into the lake.
Freed from inconvenient environmental rules, Deripaska will soon restart the mill. He claims that he has upgraded the technology of the mill to the point that it will "not do any ecological harm to the lake".
Unfortunately for humankind, Lake Baikal is situated near a paper mill now owned by Oleg Deripaska, a wealthy confidant of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The mill had been dumping toxic waste into the lake from 1966 until October 2008. In 2008, a court banned the further discharge of waste into the lake, and Deripaska shutdown the mill.
Then, last week Putin signed a decree that removes "waste discharges in the production of pulp, paper and cardboard from a list of operations banned by environmental legislation in and around" Lake Baikal. This decree legalized the continued dumping of toxic waste into the lake.
Freed from inconvenient environmental rules, Deripaska will soon restart the mill. He claims that he has upgraded the technology of the mill to the point that it will "not do any ecological harm to the lake".
