josh washington - Slashdot User

Submission + - Chrome Browser Usage Artificially Boosted (windowsteamblog.com)

Submitted by bonch on Tuesday May 22, 2012 @11:59AM

bonch writes: Chrome was recently called the world's no.1 browser, but Microsoft is accusing the source, StatCounter, of using flawed methodology. When a user enters a search in Chrome, the browser preloads an invisible tab not shown to the user, and these were being counted by StatCounter. Net Applications, another usage tracking group, ignores these invisible tabs and reports IE at 54%, Firefox at 20.20%, and Chrome at 18.85%.

Submission + - Starbucks Gift Cards Have Security Flaw (ottawa.ctv.ca)

Submitted by

SandwaveTech

on Friday November 25, 2011 @10:16AM

SandwaveTech writes: "It seems there is a flaw in Starbuck's gift card system which is just in time for the holidays. The flaw requires the iphone app to add arbitrary amounts to gift cards.

From the article: " "Obviously Starbucks wants you to put money on them (the cards) but there's nothing stopping anyone from going in there and looking at the card and taking the numbers off," said Chris Ewing.

Ewing says all it takes is someone walking into the coffee shop, copying the 16-digit number on the back of the card, downloading the Starbucks mobile application and generating a bar code to use the money eventually loaded on the card. "

I wonder how many geeks will get Starbucks gift cards for the holidays!"

Submission + - Siri Enslaved by Proxy (i-programmer.info)

Submitted by mikejuk on Friday November 25, 2011 @08:07AM

mikejuk writes: Since the Siri protocol was cracked (Slashdot ) things have been moving fast. A proxy server that sits between Siri and the Apple servers that do the voice recognition now makes it easy to extend what Siri can do. Now she is controlling thermostats, starting cars, switching TVs and even tweeting.
The big problem for Apple is how to stop this take over of their flagship product otherwise Siri might become the voice controller of everything on the internet....

Submission + - Divorcing couple ordered to share Facebook passwor (theverge.com)

Submitted by PolygamousRanchKid on Saturday November 12, 2011 @04:53AM

PolygamousRanchKid writes: A judge recently ordered a divorcing couple to disclose their Facebook and online dating passwords, but Courtney and Stephen Gallion won't be snooping around each other's accounts: only the attorneys will get the information. The order came after the husband found "useful" information on a shared computer and suspected more was online. It's an unusual application of a fairly standard evidentiary principle to our new ways of interacting online — and although the couple won't actually swap passwords, the Judge still ordered them not to try and impersonate each other online. New technology, same old crazy.

Submission + - X-ray facility to study conditions at Earth's core (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by

Diggester

on Saturday November 12, 2011 @03:27AM

Diggester writes: "The ID24 beam line at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) will use X-ray beams to subject iron and other materials to extraordinary temperatures and pressures. How the X-rays are absorbed should give insight into the mysterious processes going on at and near the Earth's core. For example, the work could unravel why the Earth's magnetic field can "flip"."

Submission + - IE 10 breaks Javascript compliancy record (blogspot.com) 1

Submitted by Billly Gates on Friday November 11, 2011 @11:15PM

Billly Gates writes: No hell did not freeze over. Microsoft released its latest preview of IE 10 last September which included improvements in HTML 5 and Javascript support. Sputnik which is an acid test suite which focuses on javascript conformance and was used against the latest pre-release of IE 10 as well as other popular browsers. Shockingly, IE 10 won by a large significant margin when it was benchmarked with Sputnik with only 6 errors. FF 8/9 had only 164 errors, while Chrome 15 had well over 400 errors. After MS decided to discontinue silverlight they seem to be serious on making HTML 5 and AJAX the new standard by vastly improving IE and not sitting still in the new browser wars 2.0. Even for IE haters this is good news as open standards will innovate the web and make webmasters lives easier.

Submission + - A Laser to Rip a Hole in Spacetime? (discovery.com) 2

Submitted by

astroengine

on Thursday November 03, 2011 @06:19PM

astroengine writes: "Those pesky physicists are at it again; they want to build a laser so powerful that it will literally rip spacetime apart. Why? To prove the existence of virtual particles in the quantum vacuum, potentially unravel extra dimensions and possibly find the root of dark matter. The $1.6 billion Extreme Light Infrastructure Ultra-High Field Facility (known as ELI) will be built somewhere in Europe by the end of the decade and physicists are hoping the ten high-powered lasers — delivering 200 petawatts of power at a target for less than a trillionth of a second — will turn up some surprises about the very fabric of the Universe."

Submission + - Anonymous takes on a Mexican drug cartel (chron.com) 1

Submitted by NarcoTraficante on Saturday October 29, 2011 @01:47AM

NarcoTraficante writes: After one of their members was kidnapped in Veracruz, Mexico by the Zetas drug cartel, Mexican Anonymous members have issued an ultimatum to the Zetas in a recently posted YouTube video (Spanish). The video demands release of the kidnapped member and threatens to publish information of cartel members and affiliates in Veracruz if the victim is not released by November 5. The Houston Chronicle article warns that there will be bloodshed if Anonymous publishes information on the Zeta's operations, either perpetrated by rival cartels or reprisal attacks by the Zetas themselves.

Submission + - Big Buddha statue found in Cambodian 'Tomb Raider' (reuters.com)

Submitted by

GoogleMarketingGuru

on Friday October 28, 2011 @05:13PM

GoogleMarketingGuru writes: "(Reuters) — A 2.4 meter (8 foot) headless Buddha statue estimated to be 800 years old was found in the Cambodian temple featured in the Angelina Jolie film, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," officials involved in restoration work said Friday."

Submission + - Time Warner Employee Dies: supervisor ordered her (woio.com)

Submitted by

wwbbs

on Friday October 28, 2011 @04:45PM

wwbbs writes: "A sixty-seven year old Time Warner Cable Ohio call center employee is dead and Time Warner Cable is facing significant criticism from local Ohio news affiliates for negligence. According to a co-worker who was trying to save the woman, Time Warner Cable managers told her to stop CPR and "get back on the phone and take care of customers." Despite Good Samaritan laws in the state, the manager expressed concern the company could be "held liable if something goes wrong." Time Warner Cable isn't commenting on specifics, but did offer the following statement:
"Time Warner responded appropriately to a medical emergency. Our company has procedures in place to respond to emergencies. We are saddened by the loss of one of our employees who was a co-worker and a friend. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.""

Comment Image Source (Score 4, Informative) 61

by josh washington on Sunday August 14, 2011 @07:39PM (#37089758) Attached to: Astronaut Photographs Perseid Meteor — From Space

At the risk of being modded off-topic, here's the higher-resolution image mentioned by rts008 and JavaBasedOS for anyone interested.

It's actually sunset, as NASA mentions here. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look.

I agree that, for all the advancements in knowledge that NASA and ESA develop, images such as these are what best capture children's imaginations and inspire them. This is what fuels dreams and fosters a desire to contribute to our* space program. Hopefully the image of this meteor inspires someone to pursue studies in a space-related career!

* - our = humanity's collective space program as a whole, because it doesn't matter if a child is from the US, the UK, the EU, China, India - we're all in this together, alone here on this rock.

Submission + - Phone can detect what you are doing by vibration (i-programmer.info)

Submitted by mikejuk on Saturday July 30, 2011 @10:31AM

mikejuk writes: In another of those "we have ways to monitor you" type stories a group of researchers have been looking it to using the accelerometer inside most phones to work out what the user is doing. At the moment is is limited to the categories — resting, walking and running — but the accuracy is high and other categories could be added. Is this another step too far? If it is you can be sure that the accelerometer will detect it...

Submission + - Researchers Design Memory-Strengthening Implant (nytimes.com)

Submitted by

Antipater

on Friday June 17, 2011 @04:08PM

Antipater writes: "Researchers at Wake Forest University have created a brain implant that can imitate signals through the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory retention. Rats implanted with the device were able to remember information even after their hippocampus was shut down, reports the New York Times. Though still in its infancy, this technology could hopefully be used to help treat dementia or stroke victims."

Submission + - ICANN to allow .brandname top-level domains (reuters.com)

Submitted by

AndyAndyAndyAndy

on Friday June 17, 2011 @03:42PM

AndyAndyAndyAndy writes: "Brand owners will soon be able to operate their own parts of the Web — such as .apple, .coke or .marlboro — if the biggest shake-up yet in how Internet domains are awarded is approved.
After years of preparation and wrangling, ICANN, the body that coordinates Internet names, is expected to approve the move at a special board meeting in Singapore on Monday.
Today, just 22 generic top-level domains (gTLDs) exist -- .com, .org and .info are a few examples — plus about 250 country-level domains like .uk or .cn. After the change, several hundred new gTLDs are expected to come into existence.
The move is seen as a big opportunity for brands to gain more control over their online presence and send visitors more directly to parts of their sites — and a danger for those who fail to take advantage."

Submission + - A Piece of Internet History Lost: IO.com Sold (prismnet.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 31, 2011 @10:03PM

An anonymous reader writes: The former Illuminati Online domain, IO.com, has been sold, and all existing customers will lose all services associated with the domain. A 1990 Secret Service raid on Steve Jackson Games, then owner of the Illuminati Online BBS and later the IO.com domain led to the creation of the EFF and was an important milestone in the fight for online rights. While the domain has been sold in the past, the services offered to customers always remained unchanged. However, this most recent sale, to an unnamed party, will result in all services being dropped on July 1, and people will lose email addresses, web pages, and shell accounts that many have had for 15+ years.

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