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Submission + - How to set up a Pirate eBook Store in Google Play Books (the-digital-reader.com)

Submitted by Nate the greatest
Nate the greatest writes: Most ebook pirates simply upload ebooks to a one of many pirate sites, but the entrepreneurial ones have opened storefronts in Google Play Books. They invent an author's name, and then upload dozens if not hundreds of pirated ebooks under that name, The names can range from Devad Akbak to Ispanyolca, but the really clever pirates choose a legit sounding name like Bestsellers — Books USA Press or Fort Press and then start selling ebooks.

Thanks to Google's indifference, the pirates can continue to sell ebooks no matter how many times copyright holders might complain. If Google takes a pirated ebook down in response to a DMCA notice, the pirates simply upload another copy of the same title.

Submission + - The Challenge of Web Hosting Once You're Dead (tutsplus.com)

Submitted by reifman
reifman writes: Hosting a website (even WordPress) after your death has a variety of unexpected complexities, from renewing your domain name, to hosting, security, monitoring, troubleshooting and more. It's a gaping hole that we as technologists should start thinking more about — especially because all of us are going to die, some of us unexpectedly sooner than we'd like or planned for. The only real solution I found was to share credentials and designate funds to descendants — you've done this, right?

Submission + - DEA steals life savings of innocent man

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: In another example of civil forfeiture, DEA agents confiscated the life savings of a man heading to California based on no evidence.

There was no evidence of a crime, the man was never charged, but three weeks later he still has not gotten his money back.

Sean Waite, the agent in charge for the DEA in Albuquerque, said he could not comment on the Rivers case because it is ongoing. He disputed allegations that Rivers was targeted because of his race. Waite said that in general DEA agents look for "indicators" such as whether the person bought an expensive one-way ticket with cash, if the person is traveling from or to a city known as a hot spot for drug activity, if the person's story has inconsistencies or if the large sums of money found could have been transported by more conventional means.

"We don't have to prove that the person is guilty," Waite said. "It's that the money is presumed to be guilty."

Read the whole article. This is entirely unconstitutional. The fifth amendment to the Bill of Rights expressly forbids the taking of private property "without just compensation."

Submission + - Enzyme Could Make Any Type of Donated Blood Safe For Anyone to Receive (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Zothecula
Zothecula writes: When it comes to donated blood, type O is special. It can be given to anyone, regardless of their blood type. By contrast, type A can only go to A or AB patients, and B can only go to B or AB patients. Additionally, type O patients can only receive O. Thanks to new research, however, it may soon be possible to give anyone whatever type of blood happens to be available, with no ill effects.

Submission + - How the NSA Converts Spoken Words Into Searchable Text

Submitted by Presto Vivace
Presto Vivace writes: Dan Froomkin reports:

Though perfect transcription of natural conversation apparently remains the Intelligence Community’s “holy grail,” the Snowden documents describe extensive use of keyword searching as well as computer programs designed to analyze and “extract” the content of voice conversations, and even use sophisticated algorithms to flag conversations of interest.

I am torn between admiration of the technical brilliance of building software like this and horror as to how it is being used.

Submission + - 5 ways tech leaders can promote inclusivity and allow good ideas to emerge (opensource.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: People in tech companies and particularly in open source communities believe in and value meritocracy—letting the best ideas win. One thing that's become increasingly clear to Red Hat's DeLisa Alexander is this: meritocracy is a great driver of innovation, but if we want to get to the best ideas, we need diversity of thought and an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to participate and offer different perspectives.

Submission + - Appeals Judge Calls Prenda an "Ingenuous Crooked Extortionate Operation"

Submitted by ktetch-pirate
ktetch-pirate writes: Today was the long-awaited appeals court hearing in the ongoing Prenda copyright troll saga. Almost exactly two years after Judge Otis Wright went sci-fi on Prenda and its principles, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held an appeals hearing requested by Prenda on the sanctions, and it was not a pretty day for Prenda. Highlights included Senior Judge Pregerson calling Prenda's operation an "Ingenuous Crooked Extortionate Operation" after describing in detail how they operate.

Prenda also astonished the judges by welcoming the idea of a criminal contempt hearing, which Legal blog Popehat thinks is likely to happen, on top of the sanctions being sustained.

Submission + - Apple pushing music labels to kill free Spotify streaming before Beats relaunch (theverge.com)

Submitted by mpicpp
mpicpp writes: Aggressive tactics from the music giant have garnered scrutiny from the Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice is looking closely into Apple’s business practices in relation to its upcoming music streaming service, according to multiple sources. The Verge has learned that Apple has been pushing major music labels to force streaming services like Spotify to abandon their free tiers, which will dramatically reduce the competition for Apple’s upcoming offering. DOJ officials have already interviewed high-ranking music industry executives about Apple’s business habits.

Apple has been using its considerable power in the music industry to stop the music labels from renewing Spotify’s license to stream music through its free tier. Spotify currently has 60 million listeners, but only 15 million of them are paid users. Getting the music labels to kill the freemium tiers from Spotify and others could put Apple in prime position to grab a large swath of new users when it launches its own streaming service, which is widely expected to feature a considerable amount of exclusive content. "All the way up to Tim Cook, these guys are cutthroat," one music industry source said.

Comment Nothing new (Score 5, Insightful) 74

We should know by now what are the costs of "free". That is why I use a hosts file for ad and tracking block.

I only wonder why they only tested android apps, and left out IOS apps. Without this comparison, the first paragraphs of the article, blaming the tracking and ads on the openness of Android, is little more than wistful thinking.

Submission + - Tiny Capsules Tailor Light (acs.org)

Submitted by ckwu
ckwu writes: Dyes that can convert low-energy and ambient light to higher energy green or blue light could help boost the efficiency of solar cells and enable new kinds of medical imaging and light-based therapies. In a step that could help make these so-called upconverters more practical, researchers have demonstrated a way to encapsulate the dyes within particles. They make the particles with a microfluidic system that traps a droplet of a solution of upconversion dyes within three protective layers: a surfactant to help stabilize the droplet, a thin layer of water, and a polymer shell. These triple-layer coatings protect the sensitive dyes from oxygen without dimming their light.

Submission + - Montana man arrested after 'liking' his most wanted poster on Facebook (foxnews.com)

Submitted by mpicpp
mpicpp writes: A Montana man was arrested last month after he apparently "liked" his most wanted poster on a Crimestoppers Facebook page.

Levi Charles Reardon was arrested April 24 after he liked his photo on the Cascade County Crimestoppers Facebook page, according to the Great Falls Tribune. The newspaper reportedly captured a screenshot of it before Reardon revoked the like.

Reardon, 23, who is accused of felony forgery after he allegedly stole a wallet and cashed forged checks, was then apprehended by police without incident, the newspaper reported.

He made his initial court appearance last week. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

Submission + - Google, VMware, RedHat Embrace CoreOS' App Container Spec- What now Docker? (eweek.com)

Submitted by darthcamaro
darthcamaro writes: Big news today in container land as Google, VMware, Red Hat and Appcera are now supporters of the CoreOS led App Container spec (appc), which aims to define a broader spectrum of app containers beyond just Docker.

"The compatibility that we are aiming for is someone who packages up an image to run on top, or rkt should run another compatible runtime such as Kurma," Alex Polvi CEO of CoreOS explained. "This promise of having portability was something that the industry didn't quite achieve with virtual machines and cloud."

The big outstanding question though is with the new appc support — where does that leave Docker?

Submission + - Maritime cybersecurity firm: 37% of Microsoft servers vulnerable to hacking

Submitted by colinneagle
colinneagle writes: A report from maritime cybersecurity firm CyberKeel claims that spot spot checks at 50 different maritime sites revealed that 37% of the servers running Microsoft were still vulnerable because they had not been patched.

But what's most interesting is what happens when hackers can breach security in shipping environments, including one case in which "drug gangs were able to smuggle entire container loads of cocaine through Antwerp, one of Belgium's largest ports, after its hackers breached the port's IT network," said Rear Adm. Marshall Lytle, assistant commandant responsible for USCG Cyber Command.
Ubuntu

Ubuntu 15.04 Received Well By Linux Community 300

Posted by Soulskill from the of-proof-and-pudding dept.
jones_supa writes: Canonical released Ubuntu 15.04 a couple of weeks ago, and it seems that this release has been a success. The community is mostly reporting a nice experience, which is important since this is the first Ubuntu release that uses systemd instead of upstart. At Slashdot, people have been very nervous about systemd, and last year it was even asked to say something nice about it. To be fair, Ubuntu 15.04 hasn't changed all that much. Some minor visual changes have been implemented, along with a couple of new features, but the operating system has remained pretty much the same. Most importantly it is stable, fast, and it lacks the usual problems accompanied by new releases.

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