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IT

Submission + - Online Study for Masters/PhD in IT? 3

Submitted by scubamage
scubamage writes: After my housemate recently announced his intention to return to academics and pursue a master's degree, I have started pondering doing the same. I kind of hate knowing that I've put years into a degree (BA in Clinical Psychology) which currently does me no good. However, I can use it as a stepping stone towards a Master's Degree in my chosen field. I'm lucky to say that I enjoy IT, and I'd like the pay scale and management/job opportunities that a Master's degree would bring. However, given my work/oncall schedule, going to brick and mortar school is going to be highly difficult (irregular schedule, being on call a week at a time, etc). Online classes seem to be the right choice, but I know from speaking with numerous people in HR departments that online universities tend to be looked down upon in comparison to their traditional brethren. The best recommendation I've gotten was to pursue a traditional institution which offers online distance learning classes. I've looked at Drexel University's MSIS degree, but it seems to be more about software product development/analysis, and less about actual information systems and technology based on the curriculum they have listed. The curriculum I'd prefer to be studying is something similar to PSU Great Valley's MSIS Program(yes, I know the second one is brick and mortar). I know there have to be other options out there. Can you, the folks of slashdot, help shine some light on them? It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Wi-Fi Direct Could Be the Death of Bluetooth (pcworld.com)

Submitted by Reber Is Reber
Reber Is Reber writes: The Wi-Fi Alliance announced a new wireless networking specification which will enable devices to establish simple peer-to-peer wireless connections without the need for a wireless router or hotspot. Wi-Fi Direct has a wide array of potential uses, many of which encroach on Bluetooth territory and threaten to make the competing wireless protocol obsolete.

"Wi-Fi Direct represents a leap forward for our industry. Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a Wi-Fi access point isn't available," said Wi-Fi Alliance executive director Edgar Figueroa. "The impact is that Wi-Fi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise."

Ad hoc wireless networking has always been more complex and cumbersome than it is worth, and it maxes out at 11 mbps. Wi-Fi Direct will connect at existing Wi-Fi speeds-- up to 250 mbps. Wi-Fi Direct devices will also be able to broadcast their availability and seek out other Wi-Fi Direct devices.

Wi-Fi Direct overlaps into Bluetooth territory. Bluetooth is a virtually ubiquitous technology used for wireless connection of devices like headphones, mice, or the ever-popular Bluetooth earpiece sticking out of everyone's head. Bluetooth uses less power, but also has a much shorter range and slower transfer speeds. Wi-Fi Direct can enable the same device connectivity as Bluetooth, but at ranges and speeds equivalent to what users experience with existing Wi-Fi connections.
Portables (Apple)

Submission + - Apple Announces June 17th iPhone Version 3 Softwar

Submitted by Reber Is Reber
Reber Is Reber writes: Apple has just announced the release of version 3 of the iPhone software: the new version of the iPhone's built in software willb e available on the 17th of June. The new version was announced for general release at the Apple developer's conference, but had previously only been available for software developers. The new software includes a number of long-awaited features, including the ability to cut and paste, the ability to undo a past and a range of new APIs that allow for better access to the iPhone's hardware by applications." Check out the full article here
Robotics

Submission + - Soccerbots learn how to fall gracefully (newscientist.com)

Submitted by wjousts
wjousts writes: Up until now, most work with humanoid robotics has focused on keeping them upright and balanced, but in the real world, falling down is inevitable. So now researcher in Chile are looking at teaching their Soccerbots how to fall down gracefully to minimize damage and allow for a quick recovery.

From New Scientist:





They found that one of the main ways to minimise damage is for the robot to fold its legs underneath it. Among other things, that means the robot is much less likely to hit its head on the ground. Another good strategy is to use a fall sequence consisting of several movements, so the falling body has several points of contact with the ground, spreading the energy of the impact over a large number of joints, rather than taking it all in one disastrous crunch.
Security

Submission + - Drive-By Download Poisons Google Search Results (infoworld.com)

Submitted by
snydeq
snydeq writes: "A new attack that peppers Google search results with malicious links is spreading quickly, CERT has warned. The attack, which can be found on several thousand legitimate Web sites, exploits flaws in Adobe software to install malware that steals FTP login credentials and hijacks the victim's browser, replacing Google search results with links chosen by the attackers. Known as Gumblar because at one point it used the Gumblar.cn domain, the attack is spreading quickly in part because its creators have been good at obfuscating their attack code and because they are using FTP login credentials to change folder permissions, leaving multiple ways they can get back into the server."
Patents

Submission + - Microsoft Patents Crippling Operating Systems 1

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "On Tuesday, U.S. Patent No. 7,536,726 was granted to Microsoft for intentionally crippling the functionality of an operating system by 'making selected portions and functionality of the operating system unavailable to the user or by limiting the user's ability to add software applications or device drivers to the computer' until an 'agreed upon sum of money' is paid to 'unlock or otherwise make available the restricted functionality.' According to Microsoft, this solves a 'problem inherent in open architecture systems,' i.e., 'they are generally licensed with complete use rights and/or functionality that may be beyond the need or desire of the system purchaser.' An additional problem with open architecture systems, Microsoft explains, is that 'virtually anyone can write an application that can be executed on the system.' Nice to see the USPTO rewarding Microsoft's eight problem-solving inventors, including Linux killer (and antelope killer) Joachim Kempin, who's been credited with getting Microsoft hauled into federal court on antitrust charges."
Security

Submission + - IIS 6 Attack Could Let Hackers Snoop On Servers (infoworld.com)

Submitted by
snydeq
snydeq writes: "A flaw in the way that Microsoft's software processes Unicode tokens has been found to give attackers a way to view protected files on IIS Web servers without authorization. The flaw, exposed by Nikolaos Rangos, could be used to upload files as well. Affecting IIS 6 users who have enabled WebDAV for sharing documents via the Web, the vulnerability is currently being exploited in online attacks, according to CERT, and is reminiscent of the well-known IIS unicode path traversal issue of 2001, one of the worst Windows vulnerabilities of the past decade."

Comment Re:May I be the first to say (Score 1) 198

by Reber Is Reber (#27865717) Attached to: Virgin American In-Flight Internet Review, From In-Flight
Sitting down with the Boston Globe, AirCell chief executive Jack Blumenstein said American, Delta and Virgin America have asked his company to block VoIP calls. "People don't want to have people talking around them on their cellphones," said Bluemstein. "The nightmare of 20 people on the plane shouting, 'Can you hear me now,' all the way from Boston to LA . . . a lot of people have taken positions saying we don't want that. So we block it." Interestingly, Blumenstein revealed that AirCell also provides the ability for in-flight communications via VoIP for the cockpit crew and cabin crew for voice communications to an airline's operations center. In the future, the high-speed data service may ultimately provide a path for enhanced cabin services (one presumes this would be a combination of stored/local updating and real-time feeds) such as video, audio, television and more. http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/inventory-airline-flight-voip-0-3-4-undecided/2009-03-08

Comment Banned VOIP (Score 2, Informative) 198

by Reber Is Reber (#27865323) Attached to: Virgin American In-Flight Internet Review, From In-Flight
Joining American Airlines, Virgin America has demoed its in-flight Gogo broadband service. Official policy for Virgin Airlines is to block VoIP parts, but, rather than just let sleeping dogs lie, it seems to be a rite of passage for tech media wonks to demo work-around as they write about their experiences. From: http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/no-voip-blocking-virgin-america-beta-voip-holes-aa/2008-11-23

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