Comment Re:Oh, I get it ... (Score 1) 182
and the US already has access to the servers ... so there is no need to worry here
Comment Apparent Contradiction in the Article (Score 5, Insightful) 148
How can the SEC hide behind the fig leaf of being understaffed when "As early as 2001, the media had quoted financial professionals who raised questions about Madoff's fund. In 2005, independent fraud investigator Harry Markopolos sent the SEC a memo raising 29 red flags -- he had complained about Madoff to regulatory officials for six years." It is very apparent that enough red flags were raised but they were ignored ... this smacks of connivance.
So what if the "crowd" finds some anomalies in accounts .. question is will anybody take any action on the same ? Their track record speaks otherwise ..
So what if the "crowd" finds some anomalies in accounts
Comment Adopting new technology points to an open mind ! (Score 1) 319
As a university teacher myself, my credo is that i do not teach, i help my students learn. One of the key components of learning, as opposed to acquiring facts, is the ability to push the borders of the known and seek out something new. So I always encourage my students to explore what is new even it is in something as traditional as -- say RDBMS.
In this context it is important that the teacher walk the talk and prove to the students that he or she is also pushing the borders ... and yes I do try to use whatever technology I have access or can afford .. and this includes stuff like Wiki, Blogs, social networks, YouTube, Print-On-Demand. Some of these have proved to be successful and some have failed. We rejoice when things work out but we do not regret our failures.
Unfortunately many of my colleagues see all this is a waste of time.
In this context it is important that the teacher walk the talk and prove to the students that he or she is also pushing the borders
Unfortunately many of my colleagues see all this is a waste of time.
Comment Is there a difference (Score 1) 232
between a monkey and a Talibani Islamist ? ( mind you, i am not referring to Muslim Afghans )
Comment JP Morgan is not bad (Score 1) 312
While they might have got the winner wrong, they have correctly placed Netherlands and Spain in the final four !!
Google To End Google.cn Redirect 183
shmG writes "Google Inc. has announced a 'new approach' in China after the government said the company could no longer automatically redirect users to the unfiltered Hong Kong site. This gives Baidu Inc., which already has a greater than 60% share in Internet search in China, a chance to expand. It has announced new plans to hire US engineers to enhance its technical skills and propel its growth globally."
Update: 06/29 18:27 GMT by S : Changed the headline to more accurately reflect what Google is doing. They're ending the redirect and applying for a license renewal, so it's still in question whether they'll actually go dark in China. However, they say they're also looking for ways to continue allowing uncensored search, such as putting a high-profile link to their Hong Kong site on the google.cn landing page.
Submission + - Entrepreneurs Get An Edge Playing Videogames (forbes.com)
Emberpyro writes: In the early 2000s Silicon Valley-based business guru John Hagel III was involved in a high-tech startup and hired Stephen Gillett, a young man right out of college. Less than a half-dozen years later, Gillett was named a senior vice president and chief information officer for Starbucks--the youngest CIO of a Fortune 500 company at that time.
And Hagel thinks he knows a primary reason for his one-time employee's meteoric rise. Everything that Gillett needed to know, Hagel said, he learned while becoming a guild leader in the popular online game World of Warcraft.
And Hagel thinks he knows a primary reason for his one-time employee's meteoric rise. Everything that Gillett needed to know, Hagel said, he learned while becoming a guild leader in the popular online game World of Warcraft.
Programmable Origami 84
sciencehabit sends this snip from Science Magazine, with included video: "Researchers have created flat sheets of composite material that can fold themselves into toy boats, tents, and even paper airplanes. Based on the ancient art of origami, the sheets are edged by foil actuators — thin, solid-state motors — that contract or expand when they receive an electric current from flexible electronic circuits embedded in the sheets. After they achieve their preprogrammed shape, the sheets are held in place by tiny magnets on the edges of the fold joints. Researchers say the technology could be scaled up to create ultra-portable tripods or even cups that automatically adjust to the size of liquid being poured into them."
Submission + - Can WoW make you a better boss?
Dexter Herbivore writes: HOW did Stephen Gillett go from college graduate to the youngest ever chief information officer of a Fortune 500 company in less than six years?
By playing World of Warcraft, says the Silicon Valley guru who gave him his first job. So there's hope for us budding millionaire guild masters yet!
News.com.au covers the story
By playing World of Warcraft, says the Silicon Valley guru who gave him his first job. So there's hope for us budding millionaire guild masters yet!
News.com.au covers the story
ACTA Is Backta, New Round of Talks Start Today 73
An anonymous reader writes "Negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement resume today in Lucerne, Switzerland, with the ninth round of talks. The Toronto Star highlights the mounting opposition to the deal from developing world countries such as India and China, while Michael Geist has posted a video
of a recent lecture that provides background on the agreement and where
things currently stand."
Comment Re:IBM is headed that way too (Score 1) 1003
as a former IBM employee, i had tried very hard to create a MS free desktop environment but what stumped me, paradoxically, was the non-availablity, of a Linux client for IBM's own Lotus Notes mail system --- and as anyone who has worked for IBM would realise, if you are not in Lotus Notes, your existence is in doubt inside the Blue Caverns !
Comment Strongly Agree (Score 1) 363
We really need an open alternative to Facebook.
It is useful no doubt, like Windows, but it is so locked in that I really hope for some open platform.
Unfortunately, unlike other software, I cannot move away from Facebook, on my own. I need my network to move along with me.
A Call For an Open, Distributed Alternative To Facebook 363
qwerty8ytrewq writes "Ryan Singel, writing for Wired, claims that Facebook has gone rogue: 'Facebook used to be a place to share photos and thoughts with friends and family and maybe play a few stupid games that let you pretend you were a mafia don or a homesteader. It became a very useful way to connect with your friends, long-lost friends and family members. ... And Facebook realized it owned the network. Then Facebook decided to turn "your" profile page into your identity online — figuring, rightly, that there’s money and power in being the place where people define themselves. But to do that, the folks at Facebook had to make sure that the information you give it was public.' Singel goes on to call for an open, distributed alternative. 'Facebook’s basic functions can be turned into protocols, and a whole set of interoperating software and services can flourish. Think of being able to buy your own domain name and use simple software such as Posterous to build a profile page in the style of your liking.' Can Slashdotters predict where social networking is going? And how?"
Relatedly, jamie points out a graphical representation of how Facebook's privacy settings have changed over the last five years.
IE Market Share Falls To Historic Low 472
An anonymous reader writes "Predicting that Microsoft will lose market share from month to month isn't especially difficult. Yet it is amazing to see the downfall of what was once a bastion for Microsoft. It appears that Microsoft can't defend IE against Firefox and, as it seems, Google's Chrome. Net Applications now believes that IE has a share of less than 60%, which is about the range that IE had in early 1999, when IE5 was launched. IE is now officially back in the 1990s. Chrome, by the way, is the fastest growing browser, both in absolute numbers and percentages. It is well ahead of Safari and more than tripled its share within 12 months."
Comment Wonder why ... (Score 4, Interesting) 192
this is not such a big deal here in India !
strange that i had to hear it in ./ and not in the national press
