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Submission + - U.S. home electricity use declines for 3rd straight year (www.cbc.ca) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: For a third year in a row the U.S. home has used less electricity. The continuing focus on energy conservation combined with new technology has and probably will continue to show promise.

Submission + - Longest active C++ game development SDK has overdue update

Submitted by rombust
rombust writes: The longest running free Game C++ SDK in development has released its latest instalment. After 14 years, ClanLib 3.0.0 is released.

With its zlib style license, it contains code and ideas for a new generation of applications. It features a CSS2 renderer, although it doesn't compete with Google chrome, you can still render slashdot.org onto a flag carried by a cyborg running through a Martian landscape. Being now based in GitHub it encourages forks to tune the SDK for dedicated uses.

It's support for Linux is still strong, with the ability to use from OpenGL 1.3 to OpenGL 4.4 and with a dedicated SSE2 based software renderer fall-back. It was come a long way, since the classic Pingus used it many years ago. You can find ClanLib SDK here

Submission + - Are We Witnessing the Decline of Ubuntu? (datamation.com) 2

Submitted by jammag
jammag writes: "When the history of free software is written, I am increasingly convinced that this last year will be noted as the start of the decline of Ubuntu," opines Linux pundit Bruce Byfield. After great initial success, Ubuntu and Canonical began to isolate themselves from the mainstream of the free software community. Canonical, he says, has tried to control the open source community, and the company has floundered in many of its initiatives. Really, the mighty Ubuntu, in decline?

Comment Development speed (Score 1) 488

by mgf64 (#44916921) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Is iOS 7 Slow?
I couldn't help noticing that iOS development got sensibly slower: XCODE 5 is a lot slower, and debug on the simulator is a dog: takes forever to launch on a relatively fast iMac with 16 Gb and solid state hard drive. This way XCode is adding minutes every time I need to recompile, relaunch, debug. In the course of the day this adds up...

Submission + - Stranger than fiction: Julian Assange with a Mullet

Submitted by jonniesmokes
jonniesmokes writes: From The Guardian: The WikiLeaks party leader channels his inner bogan to lip synch his way through one of Australia's favourite songs – a rewritten version of John Farnham's greatest hit – in his latest pitch to be elected to the Australian Senate. Juice Rap News – a spoof internet bulletin where presenters rap the latest headlines – shot the segment at the Ecuadorian embassy in London

Submission + - Using Pulsars As GPS - A Space Navigation System Fit For A Starship? (sciencecodex.com)

Submitted by cold fjord
cold fjord writes: Science Codex reports, "CSIRO scientists have written software that could guide spacecraft to Alpha Centauri, ... Dr George Hobbs (CSIRO) and his colleagues study pulsars — small spinning stars that deliver regular 'blips' or 'pulses' of radio waves and, sometimes, X-rays. Usually the astronomers are interested in measuring, very precisely, when the pulsar pulses arrive in the solar system. Slight deviations from the expected arrival times can give clues about the behaviour of a pulsar itself, ... "But we can also work backwards," said Dr Hobbs. "We can use information from pulsars to very precisely determine the position of our telescopes." "If the telescopes were on board a spacecraft, then we could get the position of the spacecraft." Observations of at least four pulsars, every seven days, would be required. ... A paper (paywalled) describing in detail how the system would work has been accepted for publication by the journal Advances in Space Research." Related story.

Submission + - Yet another call for abolishing patents, this one from the Fed (theatlantic.com) 1

Submitted by WOOFYGOOFY
WOOFYGOOFY writes: The most recent call for curtailing patents comes not just from an unexpected source, the St. Louis Fed, but also in its most basic form- total abolition of ALL patents.

Via the Atlantic Monthly,

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/the-case-for-abolishing-patents-yes-all-of-them/262913/

a new working paper from two members of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, Michele Boldrin and David Levine:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/2012/2012-035.pdf

in which they argue that while a weak patent system may mildly increase innovation with limited side-effects, such a system can never be contained and will inevitably lead a stifling patent system such as that presently found in the U.S.

They argue: "...strong patent systems retard innovation with many negative side-effects. and ..political demand for stronger patent protection comes from old and stagnant industries and firms, not from new and innovative ones. Hence the best solution is to abolish patents entirely through strong constitutional measures and to find other legislative instruments, less open to lobbying and rent-seeking".

They acknowledge that some industries could suffer under a such a system, they single out pharma, and suggest that other legislative measures be found to foster innovation whenever there is clear evidence that laissez-faire under-supplies it.
Biotech

Submission + - First mammals observed regenerating tissue (nature.com)

Submitted by
ananyo
ananyo writes: "Two species of African spiny mouse have been caught at something no other mammal is known to do — completely regenerating damaged tissue. The work could help improve wound healing in humans.
The species — Acomys kempi and Acomys percivali — have skin that is brittle and easily torn, which helps them to escape predators by jettisoning patches of their skin when caught or bitten. Researchers report that whereas normal laboratory mice (Mus musculus) grow scar tissue when their skin is removed, African spiny mice can regrow complete suites of hair follicles, skin, sweat glands, fur and even cartilage (abstract). Tissue regeneration has not been seen in mammals before, though it is common in crustaceans, insects, reptiles and amphibians."
Microsoft

Submission + - EU set to charge Microsoft over ruling breach (reuters.com)

Submitted by
quippe
quippe writes: "Microsoft Corp will be charged for failing to comply with a 2009 ruling ordering it to offer a choice of web browsers, the European Union's antitrust chief said on Thursday, which could mean a hefty fine for the company

U.S.-based Microsoft's more than decade-long battle with the European Commission has already landed it with fines totaling more than a billion euros ($1.28 billion).

The Commission, which opened an investigation into the issue in July, is now preparing formal charges against the company, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said."
Privacy

Submission + - Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have 'Nothing to Hide' (chronicle.com)

Submitted by zer0point
zer0point writes: When the government gathers or analyzes personal information, many people say they're not worried. "I've got nothing to hide," they declare. "Only if you're doing something wrong should you worry, and then you don't deserve to keep it private."

"The nothing-to-hide argument pervades discussions about privacy. The data-security expert Bruce Schneier calls it the "most common retort against privacy advocates." The legal scholar Geoffrey Stone refers to it as an "all-too-common refrain." In its most compelling form, it is an argument that the privacy interest is generally minimal, thus making the contest with security concerns a foreordained victory for security."

Excellent article that highlights why Mark Zuckerberg's "end of privacy" mandate will never be the norm.
Linux

Submission + - Linus Torvalds awarded the Millenial Technology Prize (technologyacademy.fi)

Submitted by Karrde712
Karrde712 writes: In a first for the Millenial Technology Prize, both Laureates were awarded the prize. Linus Torvalds was recognized for the creation of the Linux kernel and its continuing impact on enhancing scientific progress throughout the world. Dr. Shinya Yamanaka was recognized for his work in the development of induced pluripotent stem cells for medical research.
Google

Submission + - UK reopens investigation into Google Street View (msn.com)

Submitted by Pigskin-Referee
Pigskin-Referee writes: Britain's data regulator has reopened its investigation into Google's Street View, saying Tuesday that an inquiry by authorities in the United States raised new doubts about the disputed program.

Steve Eckersley, enforcement chief of the British Information Commissioner's Office, said Google Inc. had questions to answer about Street View, an attention-grabbing project which sent camera-toting vehicles across the globe to create three-dimensional maps of the world's highways and byways.

But the cars weren't just taking pictures: They were scooping up passwords, Web addresses, emails, and other sensitive data transmitted over unsecured wireless networks.

There was outrage on both sides of the Atlantic when the data-slurping was exposed in early 2010, and the Information Commissioner's Office was one of several European agencies which investigated Street View in the aftermath of the scandal. But in November of that year, the ICO gave Google a mere slap on the wrist, saying that while Google had violated British data protection laws it would escape any fines so long as it pledged not to do it again.

At the time, Google insisted that the breach was an accident.

"We did not want this data, have never used any of it on our products and services, and have sought to delete it as quickly as possible," the company claimed back then.

Evidence made public earlier this year by the Federal Communications Commission has since punctured Google's "oops-I-took-your-data" defense.

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