dannyof47 - Slashdot User

Submission + - FBI: Wacky nicknames nab bank robbers (networkworld.com)

Submitted by

coondoggie

on Tuesday June 26, 2007 @10:22AM

coondoggie writes: "So can a nutty, wacky or amusing moniker really help the FBI and other police officials more quickly catch bank robbers? There seems to be some anecdotal evidence from the FBI that says it is so. At least the FBI never seems to be at a loss for calling a bank robber by another name. For example here is a very short list of FBI-named bank bandits the agency has caught or is currently looking for: Ponytail Bandit, Goofy Hat Bandit, Irreconcilable Differences Bandit...The FBI says that these monikers plus the liberal use of still photos and video surveillance and the Web helps that catch bank robbers who last year swiped some $72 million. http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1679 2"

Submission + - Apple announces iPhone plans, activation details

Submitted by Happy Eggs on Tuesday June 26, 2007 @09:44AM

Happy Eggs writes: Apple and AT&T announced this morning both plan details for the iPhone as well as how to activate it. To start off, there are three separate plans for the iPhone starting at $59.99 and 450 anytime minutes all the way up to $99 and 1,350 minutes. ALL plans come with visual voicemail and unlimited data, but only 200 SMS messages.

Secondly, though, is most interesting. Customers won't have to wait in line for each and every person to activate their iPhones, because activation can be done at home through iTunes. From the Ars article:

This means you won't have to wait those extra 10-15 minutes for each and every person in line to get an iPhone activated — just walk right in, buy the darn thing, and leave. "Users will be able to activate their new iPhone in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated," said Steve Jobs in a statement issued today. Well, sort of. You still have to get a credit check in the store, and so that will still take some time.
There's also a video demoing how all the activation stuff works, and it even shows you how to transfer your old number from another carrier.

Submission + - Oregon mother sues the RIAA

Submitted by

newtley

on Monday June 25, 2007 @06:46PM

newtley writes: "Tanya Andersen, the disabled Oregon mother who for three years has been living a nightmare, is suing RIAA and its so-called settlement center for malicious prosecution, says Recording Industry vs The People. "They made life horrible and did a lot of damage," she told p2pnet. "People need to fight back. It's really wrong they can abuse their power like this. It was three years — two years for the lawsuit and a year when they were harassing me. It's really important for me to tell people what they've done and I'm really thankful that I'm able to do that.""

Submission + - Diane Feinstein vs. The First Amendment

Submitted by CodeBuster on Monday June 25, 2007 @05:55PM

CodeBuster writes: United Press International reports that, "U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., said Sunday she is "looking at" the possibility of reviving the fairness doctrine for U.S. broadcasters. Feinstein, speaking on "Fox News Sunday" with Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said talk radio in particular has presented a one-sided view of immigration reform legislation being considered by the Senate. U.S. talk radio is dominated by conservative voices."

Submission + - FDA Considering Allowing Fake Chocolate

Submitted by

Anonymous Coward

on Monday June 25, 2007 @04:55PM

Anonymous Coward writes: "First, they replaced our cane sugar with icky, fattening high-fructose corn syrup. Now, the "great American chocolate bar" may soon be made of fake fillers so big candy companies can shave more profit off the cocoa bean.

This New York Times Op-Ed (registration maybe required) describes how "Industrial confectioners have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to be able to replace cocoa butter with cheaper fats and still call the resulting product 'chocolate.' The reason: the substitution would allow them to use fewer beans and to sell off the butter for cosmetics and such."

The issue is not whether it would be legal for them to make it this way... this is America — they can do what they want. The issue is whether it would be legal for them to package the fake chocolate AS chocolate (and not something like "diluted chocolate substitute — contains 10% actual chocolate") so that consumers wouldn't know the difference (before tasting it). Kids would ultimately be eating this stuff. Could Corporate America really go so far just to squeeze more out of a buck?"

Submission + - Backdoor in Quicken?

Submitted by

sehlat

on Monday June 25, 2007 @04:39PM

sehlat writes: "Robert X. Cringley's blog has an entry entitled Quicken's secret backdoor? According to the article, Elcomsoft claims to have discovered and cracked a backdoor built into Quicken 2003 through 2007. The announcement is here."

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