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Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft eyes Apple with virtualization stance (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Pisces
Pisces writes: Over the past several days, Microsoft flip-flopped on virtualization in Vista, with one ascribing the change in policy to concerns over DRM. A piece at Ars Technica raises another, more likely possiblity: fear of Apple. Apple is technically an OEM, and could offer copies of Vista at a discounted price. 'All of this paints a picture in which Apple could use OEM pricing to offer Windows for its Macs at greatly reduced prices and running in a VM. The latter is absolutely crucial; telling users that they need to reboot into their Windows OS isn't nearly as sexy as, say, Coherence in Parallels. If you've never seen Coherence, it's quite amazing. You don't need to run Windows apps in a VM window of Vista. Instead, the apps appear to run in OS X itself, and the environment is (mostly) hidden away. VMWare also has similar technology, dubbed Unity.' Is Microsoft terrified of a world where Windows can be virtualized and forced to take a back seat to Mac OS X or Linux?
Media

Submission + - Internet Radio prepares for Nation-wide shutdown (x1fmradio.com)

Submitted by
Javier Leyva
Javier Leyva writes: "EMERGING INTERNET RADIO INDUSTRY PREPARES FOR NATION-WIDE SHUTDOWN.

Thousands of broadcasters will shutdown operations in this country's Internet radio industry.

SAN DIEGO. CA — Jun. 25, 2007 — A who's who of Internet Radio Broadcasters will go silent on June 26, 2007 in protest of the increase in royalty rates paid by on-line radio stations. In an effort led by Yahoo!, Apple, MTV and San Diego's own X1FMRadio.com thousands of U.S. Broadcasters plan to go silent in protest of an increase that they consider not only unfair but as intended to shut-down independent web-casters and prolong the crumbling control of Major Corporations over media-outlets.

"What we are seeing is a clear example of how Independent broadcasters are faced with dim prospects for survival if these royalty fees become law. The result will be a creative vacuum in which only traditional, well-funded companies will be able to utilize new media. This is not only unfair to independent broadcasters like X1FM, but would be extremely detrimental to emerging artists who can not get their music exposed through more traditional mediums" said Kevin Stapleford, Program contributor and Music consultant for X1FM Radio. X1FM is a part of BBCI a San Diego based company established since 1995 that has pioneered the Internet Radio Industry and leads the 'Movement for Freedom of Music' a user supported initiative based right here in San Diego with the intention to promote what Mr. Stapleford calls "fair treatment for independent web-casters" through the Internet Radio Equality Act, a bill that would equal the fees paid by web-casters to those paid by Satellite Radio Broadcasters a fee already higher than those paid by Terrestrial Radio. "The music industry is already being eaten alive by on-line piracy, so it only makes sense that legitimate Web broadcasters are given a fair chance to thrive and help introduce artists to the millions of music fans who no longer listen to terrestrial radio." concluded Mr. Stapleford.

X1FMRadio.com plans to limit the music programming during what others are already calling the 'Day of Silence' and serve as an outlet for information regarding this initiative through its own 'Movement for Freedom of Music.'

X1FM Radio is the first fully interactive Radio Station broadcasting and is a part of Binational Broadcasting Company, Inc and can be reached at (619) 336-4900.

###

Contacts:

Press: Music: Business:

Javier Leyva Raudel Enrique Raul Sanchez

javierleyva@x1fmradio.com raudelenrique@x1fmradio.com raul@x1fmradio.com

Word /PDFVersion: http:///www.x1fmradio.com/press.html"
HP

Submission + - HP Violated GPL?

Submitted by ericrost
ericrost writes: When the SCO case was at its peak, HP was offering indemnity to its customers. If you read through the conditions:

"not use or modify the source code".

As a company distributing Linux, isn't that in direct violation of the terms of the GPL?

https://h30201.www3.hp.com/Default.asp
Nintendo

Submission + - Nintendo's Market Value Exceeds Sony's (japantimes.co.jp)

Submitted by
AgentPaper
AgentPaper writes: "Today's Japan Times reports that Nintendo Ltd.'s market capitalization exceeded that of Sony Corp. (the parent company, not just Sony Computer Entertainment!) for the first time, despite the fact that Sony generates eight times Nintendo's revenue on average per year. Record-high share prices on the Nikkei stock exchange pushed Nintendo's value to 6.57 trillion yen against Sony's 6.48 trillion. Financial analysts pointed to strong sales of Nintendo's Wii console and DS handheld as the cause of the surge, noting that the Wii has outsold Sony's flagship Playstation 3 by a 5:1 margin in Japan and in North America and is forecast to continue doing so through year's end."
Space

Submission + - We're Not From the Milky Way (viewzone.com)

Submitted by
morefiend
morefiend writes: "volumes of infrared data from the Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) has revealed that our star once belonged to the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy.

"The study published in the Astrophysical Journal, is the first to map the full extent of the Sagittarius galaxy and show in visually vivid detail how its debris wraps around and passes through our Milky Way. Sagittarius is 10,000 times smaller in mass than the Milky Way, so it is getting stretched out, torn apart and gobbled up by the bigger Milky Way."
"
Books

Submission + - Online book cataloger using webcam (gurulib.com)

Submitted by
Xinjiang_Freedom
Xinjiang_Freedom writes: "If you liked using iSight webcam with Delicious Monster to catalog your home library checkout the online solution called GuruLib. Take pictures of the ISBN barcode using webcam and then upload it to GuruLib. GuruLib extract ISBN number from the picture and add the title to your online catalog."
Education

Submission + - University of Washington to identify infringers

Submitted by
tor528
tor528 writes: "I received the following letter from the Vice Provost for Student Life at my school:

Dear Student:

        I am writing to inform you of a development that could become a serious issue
for some of our students — the law governing downloading and sharing of music and
video from the internet. Under copyright law, it is illegal to download or share
copyrighted materials such as music or movies without the permission of the
copyright owner. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in recent
years has taken an aggressive approach to stopping this illegal downloading and
file sharing. This has put many students at the nation's colleges and
universities at some legal risk. I write first to caution you against illegally
downloading or sharing files. Your actions when you do so are traceable and
could result in a significant financial penalty to you. Second, I want to inform
you about a new process the RIAA has initiated and the University's role in this
process.

        The RIAA is now sending colleges and universities a letter for each instance
they find of a student illegally downloading material from the internet and
requesting the university to identify the individual student and forward the
letter to him or her. The letter, called an "Early Settlement Letter" notifies
the student that he or she has 20 days to settle with the RIAA by going to a
designated website, entering identifying information, and paying a set amount,
usually between $3,000 and $5,000, but sometimes considerably more. If the
recipient chooses not to settle, the RIAA will file a lawsuit and the offer to
settle for the amount stipulated is no longer an option.

        The University has been notified by the RIAA that we will be receiving a number
of these early settlement letters. After careful consideration, we have decided
to forward the letters to the alleged copyright violators. We do so primarily
because we believe students should have the opportunity to avail themselves of
the settlement option if they so choose. Not forwarding the RIAA letter to
students could result in their being served with a lawsuit, with no chance to
settle it beforehand.

        The University is unable to provide legal services to students who have
violated copyright law through illegal downloading or sharing. If you receive a
letter from the RIAA, we encourage you to engage a personal attorney. If you
have questions, please let us know.

        We know how tempting it is to download music or movies and share files with
your friends. But you need to know that it is illegal to do so and that the
consequences can be severe. Please inform yourself of the requirements of the
law and please obey it. Otherwise, it may prove costly for you and your family.

Sincerely yours,

Eric S. Godfrey
Vice Provost for Student Life
OVPSL@u.washington.edu
"
Books

Submission + - Agile Software Development - The Cooperative Game

Submitted by
andrew cooke
andrew cooke writes: "Teaser for Slashdot's "above the fold": The second edition of Alistair Cockburn's "Agile Software Development" was released earlier this year. Does it add significantly to the first edition? Who should read it? And is it clear yet what "Agile" means? The answers: Maybe; Everyone; Ri. Amplification and justification below...

This excellent, but imperfect, book might make more sense read backwards — you would start (at the end) with useful, concrete ideas about how to improve the way you make software, progress to a more general discussion, and end with the unifying principles of Shu, Ha and Ri.

Instead, Cockburn starts by explaining those terms. He says that they are from Aikido. Someone who understand them in their original context may find the following (my own summary) to be crude (or plain wrong), but they are central to this book and to Agile as a whole:
  • Shu is the beginner's state. Lost, confused, looking for basic rules.
  • Ha is more experienced. Procedures are automatic; direction certain.
  • Ri goes meta. Higher order functionality. The questioning guru.
One reason (of many) these distinctions are important is that communication changes at each level (I think you can see this in programming languages — Python is designed for learners at the Shu level, while Perl is more concerned with letting Ri level programmers express themselves as they choose).

Although he never comes out and flatly states it, Cockburn clearly implies that Agile development is all about the Ri. I think he's right: that makes this book worth buying, reading, and passing on to others.

But this is all rather vague (another reason to read the book backwards is that it's much easier to tolerate this kind of hand-waving when you've seen some concrete facts; start at the beginning and you face not just this "wisdom", but some of Cockburn's own poetry — Paul Neil Milne Johnstone has a posse). Back to earth. What does this mean, in practical terms? And what does this say about "Agile"?

First rule of Agile: there are no rules. There are too many variables for any one process to be always right. Instead, you do what works in a particular context. Results matter. It's not who uses the latest catchphrase. It's not winning boardroom bingo. It is about getting results out of the door.

How do you get there? Is "Agile" more than the empty tautology "it's best to do the right thing"? After all, while we want to be Ri, we start at Shu. Cockburn provides two answers.

First, reflect. Learn from your own group's experiences. Look at what you do well. Build on it. If reflection fails, reflect on that. Cockburn repeatedly emphasises the need for personal safety — that people need to feel safe to express what they think.

Second, steal. Learn from other groups' experiences. The second half of the book, roughly, discusses possible ideas. These tend to be the "traditional" Agile themes: communication; lightweight documentation; information radiators; pair programming; etc. Useful information when you're at the Shu level.

So this book is targeted at people responsible for process. People that influence a company's culture. People who aim to create an environment in which "The Cooperative Game" — Cockburn's term — can be played well.

Pick up a copy at your local bookstore and you'll see that there are grey "tab marks" printed on some page edges. These indicate new content (the unmarked pages are the original text which has been kept, more or less verbatim). In general the updates are not that substantial, but chapter 5.1 — a retrospective (with notes on various practical cases) — is the exception.

This new section includes reports from others responsible for improving agility. They are in broad consensus: the Cooperative Game cannot be dictated. It must be cultivated; grown from the roots.

Which is why this is also a book for developers. It recognises that everyone can make a difference. At various points in the book Cockburn addresses the question "what do I do about this?" and he's talking to everyone.

I am a programmer working in a distributed, open-source project. There are times when I take a walk round the block to shrug off the less-than-helpful comments of a co-worker, or some anti-pattern in the code, or [any programmer can insert their own examples here — my co-workers are a great bunch, these problems occur everywhere]. Reading a book like this helps keep me sane: it helps me understand how I miscommunicate, and how to communicate better; it lets me understand the (valuable!) role each person plays in our process (before that, it helped me see what our process is); it reassures me that communication in a distributed team is hard and it gives me ideas to help solve these issues. Although, having written that, I think Cockburn could profit from a study of successful global teams.

Your problems will be different, but the best way to solve them will be the same — through careful thought and reflection. And at heart, that is what this book is about. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for software development.

So this is a good book. It recognises that things go wrong; it admits there is no one size fits all patented wonder potion magical cure; it reaches the logical conclusion, you have to think; it goes on to discuss possible solutions.

But it's not perfect. One of the more amusing sections describes Cockburn's experience producing the previous version — he tried an Agile approach to publishing which met the (very tight) deadline, but alienated his copy-editor. Now I don't know what a copy-editor does, but if he was relying on her to remove duplications, rewrite cliches, or improve metaphors, well, he might not have found the optimal process. And it is a pity that the original text was not more completely revised for this edition.

Two final conclusions. One is that the waterfall model is "Agile" if it's the best approach for the circumstances. The other is that you should be suspicious of anyone trying to sell a single, perfect, recipe.

Disclaimer — I obtained a free copy of this book on condition that I review it."
Communications

Submission + - Social sites reveal class divide - Or do they? (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by r_jensen11
r_jensen11 writes: According to a BBC article, PhD student Danah Boyd (Berkeley) claims that there is a social divide between Facebook and Myspace users. FTFA:


A six-month research project has revealed a sharp division along class lines among the American teenagers flocking to the social network sites. The research suggests those using Facebook come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college. By contrast, MySpace users tend to get a job after finishing high school rather than continue their education.
Now, the article doesn't mention that Facebook originated as a College-only network, but they might still have a point. This could also be interesting as many view Facebook as becoming more and more like Myspace.
The Internet

Submission + - Interview Dr. Ron Paul presidential candidate

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Dr. Ron Paul is one of a dozen republican candidates. What sets him apart is that he has a gigantic (much larger than his opponents) web presence on such sites like Meetup, eventful, Youtube, etc. His name is a common searched for term on technorati.com, yet he registers 0-1% according to traditional polls.

I'm sure he would be willing to answer slashdotters questions. He's going to be a guest on G4's Attack of the Show for petes sake.

Official Ron Paul campaign contact page: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/contact/
Contact email: mail@ronpaul2008.com
Power

Submission + - Zap! to make $30,000 electric sports sedan

Submitted by Dave P
Dave P writes: Zap! is announcing it's plans to make an electric sports sedan that is significantly more affordable than current or slated electric sport vehicles. The new car has no name yet but is targeted for a $30,000 price tag and to have 100 mile range along with an 100mph top speed. It is derived from the Zap-X project and will include wheel hub electric motors. They say there will be more information released at their stockholder meeting in July. C-net has an article about the new car and there's a news blurb from Zap! on the zapworld website.
Businesses

Submission + - Anheuser Busch has USDA changing 'Organic' (organicconsumers.org)

Submitted by
paulevans
paulevans writes: "Anheuser Busch, Wal-Mart and other for-profit corporations have seeked and are getting a definition change on '95% Organic'. Such a change would allow for Anheuser Busch to "sell its 'Organic Wild Hops Beer' without using any organic hops at all".

Other changes would allow "sausages, brats, and breakfast links labeled as "USDA Organic" '..' to contain intestines from factory farmed animals raised on chemically grown feed, synthetic hormones, and antibiotics."

It is amazing how powerful the almighty dollar really is."

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