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Submission + - Nanowires Improve Graphene Conductance (acs.org)

Submitted by

MTorrice

on Tuesday November 06, 2012 @01:11PM

MTorrice writes: "Researchers may have found a way to turn one-atom-thick sheets of graphene into a promising material for making transparent electrodes needed in solar cells and displays. Transparent electrodes in today’s devices are made of indium tin oxide films. These films are typically 90% transparent and have a resistance of less than 100 ohms. But they are expensive and brittle. Graphene could be a stronger, lower-cost, and more bendable alternative. However, the resistance of a typical graphene sheet is usually more than 500 ohms. By integrating metal nanowires into conventionally grown graphene films, researchers lowered the films’ resistance. The resulting material is 94% transparent and has a resistance of 64 ohms."

Submission + - Nvidia Doubles Linux Driver Performance, Slips Steam Release date (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by leppi on Tuesday November 06, 2012 @01:10PM

leppi writes: Nvidia has announced the steam beta for linux should be out today. They also annouced an increase in performance thanks to Valve and other partner contributions to the driver.
Nvidia said “Steam gaming platform that officially opened to gamers today” while announcing new Linux-optimised version of the R310 drivers for its GeForce graphics chips, including the new GTX 600 series. According to the chip maker, the drivers “double the performance and dramatically reduce game loading times” of Linux games — at least if a test comparing the new code with version 304.51 while running Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2 beta is anything to go by.

Submission + - the worlds first anonymous general purpose operating system (sourceforge.net) 2

Submitted by S414m4n63r on Monday November 05, 2012 @04:57PM

S414m4n63r writes: Whonix (called TorBOX or aos in past) is an anonymous general purpose operating system based on Virtual Box, Debian GNU/Linux and Tor. By Whonix design, IP and DNS leaks are impossible. Not even malware with root rights can find out the user's real IP/location.

This is because Whonix consists of two (virtual) machines. One machine solely runs Tor and acts as a gateway, which we call Whonix-Gateway. The other machine, which we call Whonix-Workstation, is on a completely isolated network. Only connections through Tor are possible.

Submission + - Should Wireless Carriers be required to Back-up Cell Towers? (broadbandconvergent.com) 1

Submitted by

broadbandconvergent

on Monday November 05, 2012 @04:07PM

broadbandconvergent writes: "Lets’ be realistic when we ask if government should act as “big brother” and require Wireless Industry carriers to back-up cell towers in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. This issue came to light before Sandy began its rampage on the East Coast this past week. As reported by the Huffington Post, legislation was introduced prior to the mega storm that ravaged the New York, and New Jersey coastal landscape. Such government mandates would have required cell phone carriers to back-up their cell towers with power generators. The legislation went nowhere fast, struck down by heavy wireless industry lobbying."

Submission + - First Fan-Sponsored Ad Runs on Network TV (betabeat.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh on Monday November 05, 2012 @03:20PM

blackbearnh writes: Fans can be passionate about their favorite TV programs, but the Bronies (adult My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) fans have taken it to the next level. In an effort to support the show, they have purchased commercial air time on The HUB, the network that airs My Little Pony.

The ad thanks the makers of the show for doing such a good job, and encourages viewers to donate to Toys for Tots to show their appreciation. As far as can be determined, this is the first time (Star Trek included!) that fans of a show have ever purchased advertising time. The group that produced the ad, The Brony Thank You Fund, is also in the middle of fundraising to endow an animation scholarship at CalArts.

Submission + - Windows RT uses almost 1/2 the storage on 32GB Surface Tablet

Submitted by jigamo on Monday November 05, 2012 @03:04PM

jigamo writes: Microsoft's newly released Surface tablets are available in 32 and 64 GB capacities. The company has disclosed how much of that space is available to the user. After taking into account Windows RT, Microsoft Office, built-in apps, and Windows recovery tools, nearly 13 GB of the available space is eliminated from user accessible storage. Microsoft's recommendations for adding additional capacity are to use cloud storage, a memory card, or a USB storage device.

Submission + - Coca-Cola hacked by Chinese and kept it a secret (networkworld.com)

Submitted by colinneagle on Monday November 05, 2012 @02:49PM

colinneagle writes: In 2009, the FBI told Coca-Cola executives that hackers had broken into their computer systems and spent a month "pilfering sensitive files" about Coke's "attempted $2.4 billion acquisition of China Huiyuan Juice Group," Bloomberg reported. The Chinese hackers penetrated the network when the deputy president of Coca-Cola's Pacific Group, Paul Etchells, clicked on a malicious link in a targeted email.

The subject line on the email was "Save power is save money! (from CEO)," but after Etchell clicked the link supposedly from the chief executive officer, "malware was surreptitiously loaded onto his machine." It gave "hackers full access to Etchells's computer via the Internet, according to the internal report. They installed a keystroke logger, which captured everything the executive typed. Once in control of the computer, the hackers installed various other programs, gaining access to the company's corporate network and using Etchells's machine as a staging point to store and download data taken from other computers."

Submission + - HP becomes a platinum member of the Linux Foundation (engadget.com)

Submitted by who_stole_my_kidneys on Monday November 05, 2012 @02:44PM

who_stole_my_kidneys writes: "Snagging a first-class upgrade might empty out the contents of your wallet, but be glad you're not trying to buy your way to the Linux Foundation's top table. With a strategic investment of $500,000, Hewlett Packard has just become a platinum member of the body, alongside companies like Intel, Qualcomm and Samsung. In exchange for all that cash, HP gets a seat on the Foundation's board of directors and will have a say in how to advance the foundation's aims — and hopefully give Open webOS a gentle push, too."

Submission + - How To Cover Your Tracks Online (infoworld.com)

Submitted by

snydeq

on Monday November 05, 2012 @02:14PM

snydeq writes: "Steganography expert Peter Wayner discusses six techniques that help obscure the data and traces you leave online. 'The truth is, worrying about the trail of digital footprints and digital dustballs filled with our digital DNA is not just for raving paranoids. Sure, some leaks like the subtle variations in power consumed by our computers are only exploitable by teams of geniuses with big budgets, but many of the simpler ones are already being abused by identity thieves, blackmail artists, spammers, or worse.' What tools and techniques do you use to ensure greater privacy and better security of personal data on the Web?"

Submission + - Researchers use synthetic magnetism to control light (phys.org)

Submitted by rwise2112 on Monday November 05, 2012 @02:09PM

rwise2112 writes: Stanford researchers in physics and engineering have demonstrated a device that produces a synthetic magnetism to exert virtual force on photons similar to the effect of magnets on electrons. The advance could yield a new class of nanoscale applications that use light instead of electricity.

Submission + - Attack Steals Crypto Key from Co-Located Virtual Machines (threatpost.com)

Submitted by Gunkerty Jeb on Monday November 05, 2012 @02:02PM

Gunkerty Jeb writes: Side-channel attacks against cryptography keys have, until now, been limited to physical machines. Researchers have long made accurate determinations about crypto keys by studying anything from variations in power consumption to measuring how long it takes for a computation to complete.

A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, and RSA Security has ramped up the stakes, having proved in controlled conditions that it’s possible to steal a crypto key from a virtual machine.

The implications for sensitive transactions carried out on public cloud infrastructures could be severe should an attacker land his malicious virtual machine on the same physical host as the victim. Research has already been conducted on how to map a cloud infrastructure and identify where a target virtual machine is likely to be.

Submission + - MA "Right To Repair" initiative still on Tuesday ballot, may override compromise (masslive.com) 1

Submitted by skids on Monday November 05, 2012 @01:03PM

skids writes: MA voters face a complex technical and economic question Tuesday about just how open automobile makers should be with their repair and diagnostic interfaces. A legislative compromise struck in July may not be strong enough for consumer's tastes. Proponents of the measure had joined opponents in asking voters to skip the question once the legislature, seeking to avoid legislation by ballot, struck the deal. Weeks before the election they have reversed course and are again urging voters to pass the measure. Now voters have to decide whether the differences between the ballot language and the new law are too hard on manufacturers, or essential consumer protections. At stake is a mandated standard for diagnostic channels in a significant market.

Submission + - Defense Research overhaul needed to prevent scientist shortage (acs.org)

Submitted by

Tator Tot

on Monday November 05, 2012 @01:00PM

Tator Tot writes: "Quoting C&EN News: "The Department of Defense will have to confront critical shortages of scientists and engineers if it doesn’t change how it recruits researchers and manages its science and technology enterprise, according to a report by the National Academies. The report finds that DOD scientists and engineers are not being used to their full potential, their career growth is limited, and the hiring process for new workers is slow and opaque.""

Submission + - The DIY Machine Farm (businessweek.com)

Submitted by pacopico on Monday November 05, 2012 @12:30PM

pacopico writes: There's a 30-acre plot of land in Maysville, MO where about two dozen people have gathered to build a Civilization Starter Kit. As Businessweek reports, they're working on open-source versions of bulldozers, bread ovens, saws and other tools right on up to robots and chip fabs. The project has been dubbed the Factor e Farm, and it's run by a former nuclear physicist and a bunch of volunteers. The end goal is to have people modify the tool designs until they're good enough to compete with commercial equipment.

Submission + - Dutch Newspaper Reports Romney Avoided $100 Million in Taxes (electoral-vote.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 05, 2012 @12:10PM

An anonymous reader writes: A major Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, claims Mitt Romney avoided $100 million in taxes routing money through The Netherlands. Some of the data came from legal documents available from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. No comment from Romney.

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