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Android

Submission + - Carrier IQ: Which phones are infected, and how to (extremetech.com)

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes: "The Carrier IQ debacle is quickly spiralling out of control: First it was confirmed that Android devices on Sprint and AT&T had the keylogging software installed, and then late last night it emerged that CIQ is also buried deep within iOS. Since then, other manufacturers such as RIM and Nokia, and carriers like Verizon, have confirmed that Carrier IQ never goes anywhere near their devices. If you're stuck with an Android or iOS phone with Carrier IQ installed, though, here's how to remove it — or at least disable it."

Submission + - LoveFilm to ditch Flash for Silverlight (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by iB1
iB1 writes: The Register reports that LoveFilm has decided to ditch flash streaming for its films and switch to Microsoft Silverlight by the first week of January 2012, thus denying customers with non-Intel macs and Linux users access.
Chrome

Submission + - Chrome Overtakes Firefox in Browser Market Share (techcrunch.com)

Submitted by SharkLaser
SharkLaser writes: According to StatCounter, Chrome has now surpassed Firefox in market share and is now the second most used browser. Firefox is currently the only browser losing market share, as even IE's usage has recently grown, despite losing much of its share to Chrome last year. Globally IE now has 40.63 percent market share (50.66% in the US) and both Chrome and Firefox have around 25%. In related news, Firefox prepares to release Firefox 9 and currently Firefox 10 and Firefox 11 are in alpha stage.

Submission + - UK recruiting codebreakers (canyoucrackit.co.uk)

Submitted by
Demerara
Demerara writes: "http://www.canyoucrackit.co.uk/ CanYouCrackIt is an array of numbers and a prompt to enter a keyword. The numbers are displayed graphically so you have to manually transcribe (or else do OCR with blue-on-black text) to another application for automated analysis.
BBC reporting (here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15968878 ) that the people behind the Can You Crack It website are the UK's GCHQ (one of the UK intelligence agencies) and that they're hiring!
So, let's see if the Slashdot effect holds... ;-)"
Intel

Submission + - Happy 70th, Federico Faggin

Submitted by
Alioth
Alioth writes: "Outside of the tech community, not many people know who Federico Faggin is, after all, many people didn't know who Dennis Ritchie was either. Federico Faggin is one of the pioneers of microprocessors, initially desiging the first microprocessor, the Intel 4040, then going on to design the 8080, before breaking away from Intel to found Zilog. He then designed the Z80, which was a chip that many of us got our start with with the home micros of the 1980s such as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It is notable that the Z80 is still manufactured today in its "classic" 40 pin DIL form (and indeed, its main competitor at the time, the 6502, designed by Chuck Peddle, is still manufactured too). Happy birthday, Federico — thanks for helping enable the explosion of micrcomputing in the 1980s that lead to many of our careers today!"

Submission + - Toyota Fun-Vii: A Concept Car Is A 'Smartphone On (gizmocrazed.com)

Submitted by
Diggester
Diggester writes: "“Smart” is the trend of what all the commodities are following- sleeky, stylish and tech–conscious.

Mobility of info is taken care of by mobiles and tablets whereas that of real humans isn’t imaginable without vehicles. But vehicles now are dressing up as smart phone and that too quite literally.

Toyota, to show how far they are going to take the top slot in the automotive industry and their preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, unveiled a futuristic concept car 'Fun Vii' having the outlook of a smartphone.

This “smartphone on four wheels” as described by the president Toyota, is actually smart with touch panel doors. The doors enable its drivers to communicate with dealers and others outside its intra-sphere. It works in the same way as personal computers."
Businesses

Submission + - Rushed testing leads to huge fine for algo trader (computerworlduk.com)

Submitted by DMandPenfold
DMandPenfold writes: "Infinium Capital Management, one of the world’s largest automated trading firms, has been hit with an $850,000 (£542,000) fine after its algorithmic systems wrought havoc on the markets, in some instances following a rapid testing cycle.

US futures exchange operator CME Group imposed the fine on the Chicago-based firm for a series of problems in 2009 and 2010.

Executives at the regulator expressed anger that Infinium had only tested one algorithm for less than two hours before running it live in the markets – when the company’s own standard was for six to eight weeks’ testing.

Infinium, which was criticised for serious management-level failures, said it had improved processes and no longer employed the testing staff who played a part in the errors.

In October 2009, Infinium identified a problem in its algo trading system and instructed staff to disable elements of the software. But the changes were not made, and weeks later the systems bought a raft of NASDAQ futures contracts.

Infinium had failed to “diligently supervise its systems, employees or agents”, the CME said. By “allowing a malfunctioning [system] to operate in a live trading environment, Infinium committed an act detrimental to the welfare of the exchange”, it stated.

Four months later, another problem in the system led Infinium to automatically make nearly 7,000 orders for crude oil futures on the Nymex market. In only 24 seconds, the automated systems had bought 4,600 of the contracts before the order was cancelled.

Infinium had bypassed automatic systems, intended to block questionable trades, by placing large numbers of individual contracts rather than one large order. It was also criticised after an instance where one employee used another’s login in order to correct a trading error."

Submission + - House Approves Faster Green Cards For Foreign IT W (informationweek.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Does the US really need more foreign IT workers with unemployment so high? The Government seems to think so. The House on Tuesday voted to eliminate per-country caps on employment-based visas, a move that could make it easier for tech workers from highly populated nations like India and China to obtain so-called green cards, which allow individuals to permanently reside and work in the U.S. The reasoning is for "allowing technology companies access to the best and the brightest highly-skilled immigrants from around the world". Or are they just trying to get the cheapest labor they can find knowing they can force them to work 70 hour workweeks?

Submission + - 30 Years of the BBC Micro (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by
Alioth
Alioth writes: "The BBC has an article on the BBC Microcomputer, designed and manufactured by Acorn Computers for the BBC's Computer Literacy project. It is now 30 years since the first BBC Micro came out — a machine with a 2 MHz 6502 — remarkably fast for its day, the Commodore machines at the time only ran at 1MHz. While most US readers will never have heard of the BBC Micro, the BBC's Computer Literacy project has had a huge impact worldwide since the ARM (originally meaning "Acorn Risc Machine") was designed for the follow-on version of the BBC Micro, the Archimedes, also sold under the BBC Microcomputer label by Acorn. The original ARM CPU was specified in just over 800 lines of BBC BASIC. The ARM CPU now outsells all other CPU architectures put together. The BBC Micro has arguably been the most influential 8 bit computer the world had thanks to its success creating the seed for the ARM, even if the "Beeb" was not well known outside of the UK."
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Guardian PR war against WikiLeaks + Guardian Docu (makeahistory.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Guardian has continued its war on WikiLeaks with three new attacks over 48 hours—five days before Julian Assange’s final extradition appeal judgement in the High Court and a UK Parliamentary debate and vote on extradition abuses (both Monday, December 5). While it is often counter-productive to divert resources to dealing with PR attacks head-on, we provide here a revealing window into the behind-the-scenes realities that WikiLeaks has to deal with every day as a result of its high profile. While many attacks come from "traditional" enemies — the organizations WikiLeaks has exposed — others come from opportunists trying to work an easy socio-political sector — apparently saying what they believe these powerful enemies would like to be said, in the hope of preferment or relief in other areas. Others still, in fear of their reputations or the legal process, seek to whitewash past opportunism before natural moral or legal redress.
Science

Submission + - Stephen Wolfram Bets on Singularity (fastcoexist.com)

Submitted by kodiaktau
kodiaktau writes: This week the Lifeboat foundation announced that Stephen Wolfram would be joining its organization. The purpose of the group is to think through scientific solutions to existential problems that might be used to save humanity from such risks as asteroids hitting the earth or some other diabolical disaster. Wolfram brings computational science to the table and has posited that the earth and universe can be understood as a computer program that can be significantly altered as we continue to advance in technology.
Apple

Submission + - Siri: Coming Soon to Apple TV? (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by
redletterdave
redletterdave writes: "Apple's new TV set-top, revealed by code found within the iOS 5.1 update, will reportedly feature the newest version of Bluetooth, called Bluetooth Smart (4.0). With this technology, Apple could potentially implement motion-sensitive controls and even Siri onto its TV platform. With the ability for Bluetooth 4.0 to connect with a greater number of wireless devices faster and more reliably, it's likely Apple will use Siri to help users control and navigate the Apple TV interface, especially for finding and discovering content. With the addition of Bluetooth, sources also say the next-gen Apple TV could become a gaming port. Bluetooth 4.0 can leverage the gyroscopes and accelerometers within the iOS devices to make any iOS handheld into a motion-sensitive game controller, which could potentially help Apple compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii."
Security

Submission + - Why Password Wisdom Is All Wrong (internetevolution.com)

Submitted by hapworth
hapworth writes: Contrary to popular wisdom, using complex passwords with varying letters and numbers is all wrong and far from secure, says Stephen Gallagher, a Red Hat Linux Software Engineer. The truth about creating safe passwords is three-fold, he says, requiring a second form of authentication, such as a smartcard or time-based authentication token; a "physical device on your person"; and, lastly and most importantly, creating long passwords with letters and spaces (e.g., "vagrant pizza mouse garden pick"). Says the developer, this approach "has effectively zero cost to a corporate environment while providing a significant gain in security."
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Video game consoles are 'fundamentally doomed' (bgr.com)

Submitted by zacharye
zacharye writes: Microsoft just sold nearly one million Xbox 360 consoles last week alone, but we’re nearing the end of the road for video game consoles according to one industry visionary. Richard Garriott, known for having created the fantasy role-playing franchise Ultima and the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Tabula Rasa, says converged devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets will soon render dedicated game consoles obsolete...

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