Submission + - CudaTel (Barracuda Networks) ballsy marketing move (youtube.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Barracuda Networks's CudaTel division creates excellent Office Space parody as a ballsy marketing move.
Submission + - Google Enemies Must Be Scrutinized (muktware.com)
sfcrazy writes: Now we have the Nortel patents being sold out of the bankruptcy estate. And who are the buyers? Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion, and Sony. And their common enemy? Google.
This deal has got to attract more scrutiny than this. The question is, will anyone stand up with Google to question it? FOSS community and consumers, time to speak up.
This deal has got to attract more scrutiny than this. The question is, will anyone stand up with Google to question it? FOSS community and consumers, time to speak up.
Submission + - Scientists Play World's Oldest Commercial Record (sciencemag.org)
sciencehabit writes: The scratchy, 12-second audio clip of a woman reciting the first verse of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star doesn't sound like much. But the faint, 123-year-old recording—etched into a warped metal cylinder and brought back to life after decades of silence by a three-dimensional (3D) optical scanning technique—appears to belong to the first record intended for sale to the public. Made for a talking doll briefly sold by phonograph inventor Thomas Edison, the early record is the oldest known American recording of a woman's voice and may be the oldest known record produced at Edison's laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey.
(Sound file in story)
(Sound file in story)
Submission + - Facebook Announces Video Calling, Powered By Skype
An anonymous reader writes: As rumored and anticipated, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg today announced video calling, powered by Skype. The company also revealed other chat improvements, including an option to see the friends you message most and group chat, and confirmed that it now has 750 million users.
Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Easiest Linux Distro 3
anymooseposter writes: My mom is taking a computer class at the local Community College. she asks:
"Hi So,.............what do you know about Linux. I need to download a Linux OS and try it out for class. The assignment is to use an OS different from what you normally use. Well, since I use Windows and OS X, the assignment suggests Linux. But, my question is, what is the easiest version based on Linux for me to put on CD and try? I saw several on the web. Any thoughts off the top of your head."
Her only computers are a new iMac, and a recent HP laptop. What Linux Disto would be easiest to set up without having to resort to dual booting and/or driver issues?
"Hi So,.............what do you know about Linux. I need to download a Linux OS and try it out for class. The assignment is to use an OS different from what you normally use. Well, since I use Windows and OS X, the assignment suggests Linux. But, my question is, what is the easiest version based on Linux for me to put on CD and try? I saw several on the web. Any thoughts off the top of your head."
Her only computers are a new iMac, and a recent HP laptop. What Linux Disto would be easiest to set up without having to resort to dual booting and/or driver issues?
Submission + - Jailbreakme.com 3.0 Activated (jailbreakme.com)
Beardydog writes: Jailbreakme.com has been officially updated, providing the first public method for jailbreaking the iPad 2, and the easiest method for jailbreaking most other iOS devices. The jailbreak works with iOS 4.3.3, and it is recommended that users update before a new release from Apple closes the vulnerability exploited by the jailbreak.
Submission + - TSA Warns of Implanted Body Bombs (latimes.com)
cosm writes: Apparently after the string of bad publicity the TSA is really reaching to justify their existence (when were they not?) FTA:
The government has warned airlines that terrorists are considering surgically implanting explosives into people in an attempt to circumvent screening procedures, according to U.S. officials. There is no indication of an immediate plot, but the new information could lead to additional screening procedures at the nation’s airports. Existing scanners would not necessarily detect bombs implanted under a person’s skin, experts said.
Submission + - Patent Troll Goes After Notebook Cooling (conceivablytech.com)
An anonymous reader writes: If you are manufacturing notebooks and you are using hardware that needs to be cooled down occasionally, you may be in the crosshairs of IPventure, which claims patent rights to an approach that is common in all notebooks today. For now, the company appears to be establishing its case by suing Fujitsu and Lenovo over the use of its invention in the Lifebook and Thinkpad series of products.
Comment VoIP Security Matters Now More Than Ever (Score 1) 1
With governments wanting back doors and master decryption keys for voice traffic there is ever more reason to be vigilant. How many of us really believe that Microsoft *won't* be happy to let any government spy on Skype users? I doubt the patent they've applied for is "just for defense" in the patent wars...
-MC
Submission + - Why VoIP Security Matters To You (voipsupply.com) 1
anthm writes: "VoIP use is becoming more and more prevalent meaning businesses are at risk to lose real money from hacker attacks. Even though VoIP can be used over secure, encrypted networks sometimes businesses focus more on functionality than security."
Submission + - Barracuda Networks Connects FLASH To SIP for FREE (freeswitch.org)
anthm writes: "Barracuda Networks Inc. Has donated the new mod_rtmp for FreeSWITCH http://www.freeswitch.org/ an open source telephony platform. Using the module, you can connect a web page to your server and make phone calls that can gateway to and from SIP or other protocols or just call a conference or other voice app on the FreeSWITCH server. The module is licensed under the MPL and is freely available as part of the FreeSWITCH source tree."
Comment Re:Who will all just plug their ears (Score 1) 361
Free will is indeed at the core of the issue. If we're uncreated - simply a wonderful cosmic accident in a small corner of the universe - then we are just fancy robots. If we were created with some sort of predetermined outcome then we are just fancy robots. However, if we were created AND we have free will then the issue is a lot more interesting. Life would definitely have more meaning if we were more than the product of mere chance.
The question I recommend we all consider is why. If we're just the fancy robots, why do we react with such revulsion to things like the Holocaust or the recent tsunami in Japan? Why do we hate to see other people suffer and die? In short, why do we have a conscience? Does it serve an evolutionary purpose, and if so, from what is it and from what did it evolve?
I'm open to reasonable answers to these questions from all sides of the debate...
The question I recommend we all consider is why. If we're just the fancy robots, why do we react with such revulsion to things like the Holocaust or the recent tsunami in Japan? Why do we hate to see other people suffer and die? In short, why do we have a conscience? Does it serve an evolutionary purpose, and if so, from what is it and from what did it evolve?
I'm open to reasonable answers to these questions from all sides of the debate...
Program Uses GPS To Track Sex Offenders 338
43 sex offenders in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County are wearing GPS monitoring devices as part of a pilot program designed to keep track of their movements. If the offender moves into an "exclusion zone," police are called. “Exclusion zones for example [are] schools, daycares, playgrounds, facilities where children congregate for those sex offenders,” John Hudson, a security consultant, said. “We’ve identified in their red zones. If an offender with a device goes into one of the red zones, an exclusion zone, we’ll be notified immediately.”
Comment Re:Well, duh. (Score 1) 207
Agreed. The patents that i4i has are dangerous. They never should have been granted and certainly should have been revoked based on obviousness alone. It's easy to root against Microsoft's bad corporate behavior and also against just about anything Ballmer says. However, this is one of those rare instances where MS is actually on the right side and if they win then we all benefit.
That all being said, I have no confidence in the SCOTUS or the USPTO. The former is full of smart people who don't have even a rudimentary grasp of technology issues and the latter is full of total retards.
-MC
That all being said, I have no confidence in the SCOTUS or the USPTO. The former is full of smart people who don't have even a rudimentary grasp of technology issues and the latter is full of total retards.
-MC
Woman Trademarks Name and Threatens Sites Using It 273
An anonymous reader writes "Be careful mentioning Dr. Ann De Wees Allen. She's made it clear that she's trademarked her name and using it is 'illegal... without prior written permission.' She even lists out the names of offenders and shows you the cease-and-desist letter she sends them. And, especially don't copy any of the text on her website, because she's using a bit of javascript that will warn you 'Copyright Protect!' if you right click on a link."
