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Privacy

Submission + - Bill Would Require Isps To Track Users

Submitted by
Dan
Dan writes: ""A Republican congressman has introduced legislation that would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to keep information about their users' identities and, possibly, their actions online."

"Earlier this month, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) introduced a bill (H.R. 837) with a stated purpose of combating child pornography but the legislation also includes a measure that would force ISPs to monitor their users, an item that has long been on law enforcement's wish list. The bill mandates that the U.S. Attorney General determine the exact regulations, but the rules should "at a minimum, require retention of records, such as the name and address of the subscriber or registered user to whom an Internet Protocol address, user identification or telephone number was assigned, in order to permit compliance with court orders.""

Clicky:
http://www.governmentsecurity.org/forum/index.php? showtopic=24884"
Space

Submission + - Theory for Expansion of Universe

Submitted by
LethargicParasite
LethargicParasite writes: "In a recent astronomy class, my professor was talking about the expansion of the universe. He mentioned three key things:
1. The universe is likely expanding.
2. The velocity of the expansion of the universe is likely increasing.
3. Whatever causes the expansion of the universe is likely the cause of the bubble structure of the universe.
I came up with a theory that the professor could not refute outright: The expansion of the universe is the result of black holes converting matter (which takes up space) into a singularity (which does not take up space). This theory could explain the bubble-like structure of the universe, the expansion of the universe, and perhaps even the acceleration of the universe. So. Is this theory even falsifiable without looking for black holes at the centre of the voids?"
Privacy

Submission + - REAL ID Could Endanger Domestic Violence Victims

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Many states have "address confidentiality programs" in which victims of domestic violence register a dummy address with the state. The state uses this dummy address on official documents, such as drivers licenses, thus assuring that abusers with access to state databases are not able to track down their victims. The newly enacted federal REAL ID Act may change this, however, by forcing domestic violence victims to list their real addresses in a nationwide database. Under REAL ID, all holders of state drivers licenses and ID cards must submit their information to a nationwide database which can be accessed at tens of thousands of terminals by officials ranging from cops to DMV workers. Privacy rights groups such as EPIC are warning that this new law may force domestic violence victims to reveal their true addresses, thus undermining state programs designed to protect them.
Operating Systems

Submission + - IBM'er says Vista's needs 4GB of RAM

Submitted by
taoman1
taoman1 writes: "IBM'er says Vista's RAM sweet spot is 4GB. Microsoft's on-the-box minimum RAM requirement "really isn't realistic," according to David Short, an IBM consultant who works in its company's Global Services Divison. He says users should consider 4GB of RAM if they really want optimum Vista performance. With 512MB of RAM, Vista will deliver performance that's "sub-XP," he warned."
User Journal

Journal SPAM: Iraq and the Sioux Nation

Journal by Jeremiah Cornelius

When President Bush says he's prepared to stay in Iraq "until the job is done," those poor Iraqis have no idea just how long he means. But the Lakotas do. The United States government has been "stabilizing" the Great Sioux Nation and promoting democracy for 139 years.
HP

Submission + - HP to Pocket $500M 'Pension Curtailment Gain'

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "As it reported a $1.5B Q1 profit, HP announced it will freeze its pension plan for U.S. employees, reduce eligibility for its subsidized retiree medical program, and show the early-retirement door to an estimated 3,000 old-timers. No doubt guided by enduring values, HP said the moves would 'align HP's U.S. retirement programs more closely with industry-competitive practices' and allow it to pocket a 'pension curtailment gain' of $500M. Let's hope CEO Mark Hurd didn't catch Sunday's Dilbert."
Music

Submission + - Warner Music Group Proposes Take Over of EMI

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Slyck.com is reporting that major record label Warner Music Group is proposing to take over another major record label EMI plc. While currently in talks right now, the acquisition could mean that "The Big Four" will become "The Big Three"
Bug

Crashing an In-Flight Entertainment System 322

Posted by kdawson from the stress-testing dept.
rabblerouzer writes "Hugh Thompson, who was interviewed by Slashdot on the dangers of e-voting, now has a cool blog entry on how he was able to bring down the gaming/movie console on an airplane. He calls it one of the most interesting examples of a software 'abuse case' he has ever seen." Fortunately the IFE system is totally disjoint from the avionics.
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Wireless Wii Hack for SNES and NES Controllers

Submitted by GooglyWoogly
GooglyWoogly writes: One of the nice features of the marvelous Wii is that you also can play all those retro NES/SNES/Genesis/other games. To be more retro, you could buy one of these, but who wants wires in a Wii world ?
Mark Feldman decided to take a step further by hacking the old NES & SNES controllers to work wirelessly with the Wii. Retro games can now be enjoyed how the makers intended — with the 'real' controllers but with the wireless convenience of Wii.
He has a YouTube video showing the gear, with an iPod replacement battery used to power the controllers.
United States

Submission + - Stanford gears up for robot race

Submitted by nght2000
nght2000 writes: The Stanford Racing Team displayed their entry for the DARPA Urban Challenge this past weekend. The story was reported in the Palo Alto Daily News. The DARPA Urban Challenge features autonomous ground vehicles conducting simulated military supply missions in a mock urban area. Safe operation in traffic is essential to U.S. military plans to use autonomous ground vehicles to conduct important missions. The vehicle, a 2006 diesel powered Passat named Junior, was donated by Volkswagen of America. Volkswagen's Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, California is once again joining the Stanford Team by providing vehicle support, modification and testing. This year the team is being sponsored by no less than Google, Intel, Red Bull and others. Stanford won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge with their Volkswagen Touareg robot named Stanley. The Urban Challenge is scheduled to be held at an undisclosed location on November 3, 2007.

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