Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Paper, Accountability (Score 2, Funny) 285

by Alphanos (#29445621) Attached to: T-Mobile Backs Off Plan To Charge $1.50 For Paper Bills

... therefore [sic] stops me from hitting "view source"--changing my displayed bill from $125 to $25, saving the html, hitting print, and cutting them a check for $25?

Next week when they complain, I underpaid--I send them a copy of my perfectly legitimate bill for $25, and tell them that *they* have a computer error. Since I'm the only one with a paper trail, it's pretty much their error by definition. Every one of their backups says $125? Okay--but I'm still the only person with a legitimate paper trail...

Sorry--paper is out there for a reason.

Tip: To make sense out of the above comment, simply print it. Once printed on paper it's automatically true! Paper's pretty magical that way.

Submission + - $40k per URL for aussie web filter (broowery.com)

Submitted by
smash
smash writes: "After several years of debate and electioneering, some statistics on the Australian national web filtering effort have been disclosed. Apparently, the typical Aussie web surfer is 70 times more likely to win the national lotto than stumble across a blocked page. Additionally, despite the claim that the main aim of the filter is to block child pornography, only 313 of the 977 total sites blocked is on the basis of child porn. At $40m AU so far in taxpayers funds, the cost so far is around $40,900 per blocked URL. Government efficiency at work..."

Submission + - Is Happiness Catching? (nytimes.com)

Submitted by chrb
chrb writes: The New York Times has an interesting article about research into modelling of real world social networks, and how tendencies to be happy, to smoke, and to become obese, are passed between nodes in a directed graph in a way that suggests such concepts are "contagious". Well connected nodes in the graph (i.e. people with more friends) are more likely to be happier than less connected nodes, even when the edges represent more distant friendships. Individuals quitting smoking, or becoming obese, influence not only their immediately connected friends, but also friends of friends, with the effect sometimes skipping the intermediary node. The contagion effect is most noticable when a tendency is passed from one person to another of the same sex — friends of the opposite sex, including spouses, are not as influential.
Privacy

Submission + - Heart Monitors in Middle School Gym Class? 7

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Today my son brought home an order form from his middle school. Apparently the 7th (his grade) and 8th graders are asked (required?) to purchase their own straps for the heart monitors they're to wear during gym class. I know nothing, yet, of the device in question, but have left a voice-mail with the asst. principal asking him to call me so I may ask some questions about the program and the device. My tinfoil-hat concern is that the heart rate data will be tied to each child, then archived and eventually used for/against them down the road when applying for insurance, high-stress jobs, etc. "I see you had arrhythmia during 7th grade pickle ball? NO INSURANCE FOR YOU!" Has anyone heard of this program, or had their child(ren) take part in it? Does the device transmit to the laptop the overweight gym teacher will be sitting in front of instead of running laps with the kids? Perhaps data is downloaded from the device after the class? Or am I just being paranoid? Thanks!

Submission + - DHS to review report on vulnerability in West Coas (computerworld.com)

Submitted by CWmike
CWmike writes: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking at a report by a research scientist in China that shows how a well-placed attack against a small power subnetwork could trigger a cascading failure of the entire West Coast U.S. power grid. Jian-Wei Wang, a network analyst at China's Dalian University of Technology, used publicly available information to model how the West Coast power grid and its component subnetworks are connected. Wang and another colleague then investigated how a major outage in one subnetwork would affect adjacent subnetworks, New Scientist magazine reported.
Hardware

Submission + - Congress Considers Funding for Vehicle Mileage Tra (thetruthaboutcars.com) 3

Submitted by BJ_Covert_Action
BJ_Covert_Action writes: According to thetruthaboutcars website, the House of Representatives is looking into legislation to divert $154,500,000 in tax dollars for a research project that involves tracking per vehicle mileage in the U.S. From the article:

US Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced H.R. 3311 earlier this year to appropriate $154,500,000 for research and study into the transition to a per-mile vehicle tax system

The article goes on to describe how Oregon already has done some research and testing of of such a tracking system. Tracking the mileage per vehicle in the United States via a GPS-RFID reader technology combination would allow the federal government to accurately tax motorists based on how far they actually drive. Currently, motorist taxes are levied at the gas pump. The bill being discussed would invest nearly $155 million in developing a system that tracks vehicles based on a unique GPS unit installed in each car. The GPS unit would communicate the data it gathers to RFID readers placed along roadsides at a particular interval. The U.S. Treasury Department would be in charge of the research program and would, thus, receive the appropriated tax money for research.

Like all fun government surveillance legislation, this funding and, if implemented, the program itself raises more questions about American's right to privacy. Do we really want the government, or any other agency for that matter, to track our movement and driving habits on a regular basis?

There is a pdf of the bill available for download on the article page.

Submission + - Viral voter suppression joke riles Norway (wikinews.org) 1

Submitted by GQuon
GQuon writes: A viral election joke has landed several politicians in hot water as Norway goes to the polls to elect its parliament today. A hoax message turning voters away from polling stations is circulating in digital media. The message was also passed on by politicians, who have used social media like Twitter and YouTube to interact with the voters during the campaign. The targeted party is not laughing, and is warning that the activity could be seen as voter suppression.
Science

Submission + - Most detailed photos of an atom yet (insidescience.org) 1

Submitted by BuzzSkyline
BuzzSkyline writes: Ukrainian researchers have managed to take pictures of atoms that reveal structure of the electron clouds surrounding carbon nuclei in unprecedented detail. Although the images offer no surprises (they look much like the sketches of electron orbitals included in high school science texts), this is the first time that anyone has directly imaged atoms at this level, rather than inferring the structure of the orbitals from indirect measurements such as electron or x-ray interferometry.
Transportation

Submission + - Federal Proposal Would Spend $154 Million on Vehic (thenewspaper.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Reader
Anonymous Reader writes: Oregon is proposing $154 million tax payer dollars to research the possibility of taxing vehicle mileage on a national level. One suggested method of tracking vehicle mileage is with a GPS tracking system which would report to RFID scanning devices. So, just in case you don't feel you have already paid enough in fuel tax, you may be forced to pay for research and then waste money on buying a gps tracking device so that you can be charged for tax on every mile you drive. Can they be serious? The GPS companies don't even agree with it. One GPS company says,"The monitoring of vehicle miles taxed may sound good on the surface but it could be a costly challenge. As much as we would like to see GPS tracking technology used for yet another application, this one may have some obstacles to overcome from a practicality standpoint." I wonder if the members of Slashdot think this is realistic or not. H.R. 3311 is currently waiting for a hearing before congress.

Comment Re:Why would you go to doctor? (Score 2, Insightful) 374

by Alphanos (#29370101) Attached to: Swine Flu Outbreak At PAX

Not for your own benefit, but for others who may have been exposed and are more susceptible. The guys at Penny Arcade are making a list of flights which had passengers confirmed by testing to be contagious with swine flu. Having this information available could help others.

Note: The list has grown substantially over the past few days as people get tested.

Comment Re:Apps (Score 1) 139

by Alphanos (#29339967) Attached to: Google Apps Not the DC Success Many Believe?

I really doubt an offering from Google is ready for the government scene. They may be perfect for home consumer markets, which is fine, but not government or 'secure' corporate.

You're right! Anyone who needs real corporate or government-level security uses Microsoft. Oh wait...

Comment Re:Reference to LotR (Score 1) 187

by Alphanos (#29313557) Attached to: How a Team of Geeks Cracked the Spy Trade

The larger role played by a Palantir was the one used by Saruman. He was chief among the wizards sent to oppose Sauron and the forces of evil, but the knowledge granted by the stone corrupted him such that he turned against his order and sought power for himself.

Even more appropriate.

Comment Weird Headline (Score 4, Interesting) 309

by Alphanos (#29290367) Attached to: All Humans Are Mutants, Say Scientists

Rather than making me think that all humans are mutants, this made me think: Wow, over a runtime of 204 years, the DNA copying process has an accuracy of 99.99988%, or an error rate of only 0.00012%.

I think we'll be hard-pressed to replicate that level of awesomeness in computers anytime soon.

Slashdot Top Deals

After the last of 16 mounting screws has been removed from an access cover, it will be discovered that the wrong access cover has been removed.

Close