sshuber - Slashdot User

Cryptol, Language of Cryptography, Now Available To the Public 140

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday December 26, 2008 @03:44PM from the new-toys-to-play-with dept.

solweil writes to mention that Cryptol, a 'domain specific language for the design, implementation and verification of cryptographic algorithms,' is now available to the public. Cryptol was originally designed for the NSA. It allows for a quick evaluation and continued revisions, and is available for Linux, OS X, and Windows.

After Columbine, Eric Holder Advocated Internet "Restrictions" 430

Posted by timothy on Friday November 21, 2008 @06:34PM from the but-that-was-then-and-this-is-now dept.

ErikTheRed writes "In an audio clip discovered by NewsBusters, then-Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder advocated federal censorship of the Internet. This was in the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings. From the clip: 'The court has really struck down every government effort to try to regulate it. We tried with regard to pornography. It is gonna be a difficult thing, but it seems to me that if we can come up with reasonable restrictions, reasonable regulations in how people interact on the Internet, that is something that the Supreme Court and the courts ought to favorably look at.'" Holder is reported to be Barack Obama's choice for Attorney General of the United States.

Comment If you're getting paid... (Score 5, Insightful) 231

by sshuber on Thursday November 13, 2008 @06:11PM (#25753629) Attached to: Job and Internship Salary Comparisons?

then take it and be happy. I'm in a paying internship myself at roughly 12.50/hour for web application development. I have a lot of friends who are also in internships required for their major and earn zip, zilch, nada. I'm not aware of any listing of standard pay rates, but anything over $10 an hour should be more than you would make jockeying a register at Radioshack and you will be earning valuable work experience which is worth much, much more than any monetary compensation. When you go for that first job interview that work experience will shine through. I'm sure any employer would want someone with experience over someone without any day of the week.

Circuit City Files For Bankruptcy 574

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday November 10, 2008 @02:11PM from the i-bet-their-execs-got-cashed-out dept.

WillDraven is just one of many who writes to tell us that Circuit City, the United States' 2nd largest consumer electronics retailer, has filed for bankruptcy under chapter 11. This news comes as no surprise as the company has been in financial trouble, recently announcing that it will be closing over one fifth of its stores and laying off 17% of its US employees in the process. "Larger rival Best Buy, which is based in Minneapolis, has said it might take over stores that distressed rivals close. Yet a flood of discounted merchandise from liquidating Circuit City stores could hurt Best Buy during this holiday shopping season, said Jefferies & Co analyst Dan Binder."

Comment Re:Padding with 0x00 bytes? (Score 1) 122

by sshuber on Friday November 07, 2008 @01:10PM (#25677127) Attached to: Old Malware Tricks Still Defeat Most AV Scanners

Security through obscurity.

Supreme Court To Rule On TV Censorship 426

Posted by timothy on Wednesday November 05, 2008 @03:16PM from the bunch-of-thespians dept.

Khashishi writes "The LA times and the Associated Press report that the FCC v. Fox Television Stations case is being heard in the Supreme Court. The FCC policy would impose a heavy fine on use of 'indecent' words on broadcast television, which Fox and others are claiming is a violation of free speech. The case was appealed after being ruled in Fox's favor in a federal appeals court in New York. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Antonin Scalia support the FCC policy of censorship." Here's a transcript (PDF) of the oral arguments.

Barack Obama Wins US Presidency 3709

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday November 05, 2008 @09:30AM from the enough-of-that-now-this dept.

Last night, around 11pm, all the major networks announced that Senator Barack Obama had won the election. Soon after, Senator McCain conceded. There were no crazy partisan court hearings, just a simple election. This is your chance to talk about it and what it means for the future of our nation.

Discuss the US Presidential Election & Health Care 1270

Posted by CmdrTaco on Friday October 31, 2008 @10:00AM from the we're-on-the-homestretch-now dept.

Yesterday we discussed the war and how foreign policy will matter in your decision next Tuesday. Today our series of election discussion pieces continues with Health Care. With an obesity epidemic, a failing economy, and ballooning health care costs, which candidate has the best answers to making sure that Americans are able to stay healthy without America being bankrupted in the process?

Tech Giants In Human Rights Deal 97

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday October 29, 2008 @09:00AM from the this-can't-hurt-right dept.

Ostracus writes "Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have signed a global a code of conduct promising to offer better protection for online free speech and against official intrusion." Anyone want to know what this means for China & Australia? I bet it means even less to all of us in America where every major data center has a secret room where the government sniffs our packets.

Submission + - Fart to lower blood pressure?

Submitted by slew on Saturday October 25, 2008 @02:13AM

slew writes: Apparently there's a study that if a mouse has a genetic anomoly so it doesn't make H2S (the same chemical as stinky fart gas) it tends to exhibit hypertension (precursor to high blood pressure) and have a reduced ability for vasorelaxation. So if your blood pressure is up, maybe the solution is eat a burrito and pass some gas. I know I feel better when I do.... ;^) Strangely the study author seem to compare their finding to the ground breaking nitric oxide findings (which lead to the discovery of viagra). I'd love to see the adverts for a blood pressure reducing drug that results from this research ;^)

Submission + - Potent Greenhouse Gas Overlooked (nature.com)

Submitted by

palegray.net

on Saturday October 25, 2008 @01:20AM

palegray.net writes: "Nature reports on a potent greenhouse gas that's been overlooked in environmental studies. Nitrogen trifluoride, a gas commonly used in the etching of silicon chips found in plasma displays, has been found to be 12,000-20,000 times more effective than carbon dioxide at retaining heat from solar radiation. Atmospheric levels of this gas have increased twenty-fold in the last three decades. From the article: "Given its strong global-warming potential and estimated atmospheric lifetime of 740 years, this is equivalent to the effect of about 67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide — roughly the total annual CO2 emissions of Finland.""

$29M To Start US Satellite Protection Program 74

Posted by kdawson on Friday October 24, 2008 @04:32PM from the space-race dept.

coondoggie sends in a Network World piece that begins "The Air Force laid out $29 million in contracts this week to build space-based sensors that could detect threats or hazards and protect satellites in orbit. Assurance Technologies and Lockheed Martin Space Systems will split $20 million of the two-year contract that the Air Force says should ultimately demonstrate a viable sensing capability, as well as integration with other space systems to offer threat and hazard detection, assessment and notification ... The Air Force is looking to protect satellites from ground based lasers or anti-satellite missiles mostly."

ACLU Creates Map of US "Constitution-Free Zone" 979

Posted by kdawson on Friday October 24, 2008 @03:42PM from the stay-well-inland dept.

trackpick points out a recent ACLU initiative to publicize a recent expansion of authority claimed by the Border Patrol to stop and search individuals up to 100 miles from any US border. They have created a map of what they call the US Constitution-Free Zone. "Using data provided by the US Census Bureau, the ACLU has determined that nearly 2/3 of the entire US population (197.4 million people) live within 100 miles of the US land and coastal borders. The government is assuming extraordinary powers to stop and search individuals within this zone. This is not just about the border: This 'Constitution-Free Zone' includes most of the nation's largest metropolitan areas.'"

Researchers Developing Cancer-Fighting Beer 283

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 22, 2008 @08:15PM from the drink-your-way-to-a-better-you dept.

CWmike writes "Ever picked up a cold, frosty beer on a hot summer's day and thought that it simply couldn't get any better? Well, think again. A team of researchers at Rice University in Houston is working on helping Joe Six Pack fight aging and cancer with every swill of beer." Thank you science! Now we just need cigarettes that cure baldness.

New State of Matter Could Extend Moore's Law 329

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 22, 2008 @06:57PM from the I-miss-the-original-three dept.

rennerik writes "Scientists at McGill University in Montreal say they've discovered a new state of matter that could help extend Moore's Law and allow for the fabrication of more tightly packed transistors, or a new kind of transistor altogether. The researchers call the new state of matter 'a quasi-three-dimensional electron crystal.' It was discovered using a device cooled to a temperature about 100 times colder than intergalactic space, following the application of the most powerful continuous magnetic field on Earth."

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