Comment It's all fun and games... (Score 1) 326
...until a pixelated circle of ones in a field of zeroes shows up. In which case, you should not open snail mail letters -- they're likely to say your Dad is not your Dad.
EU Court Adviser Says Software Ideas Can't Be Copyrighted 196
bhagwad writes "The EU continues to ooze common sense as a court insists that software functions themselves cannot be copyrighted. Drawing a box or moving cursor are examples. To quote: 'If it were accepted that a functionality of a computer program can be protected as such, that would amount to making it possible to monopolize ideas, to the detriment of technological progress and industrial development.'" Note that this is a "non-binding opinion by Yves Bot, an advocate-general at the Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice,"
and that the court "will rule on the case next year."
Comment Re:Child? (Score 1) 948
My parents would beat the shit out of me if I ever stepped out of line and I still didn't turn into a sociopath.
That's highly debatable.
Comment Re:... and the problem is? (Score 1) 107
Yeah, like burglars think widespread use of faulty locks is not a problem. Just an interesting little tidbit.
Comment Re:If Kirk wasn't from Iowa, where would he be fro (Score 1) 368
Eugh. "asked FOR input". Sorry.
Comment If Kirk wasn't from Iowa, where would he be from? (Score 1) 368
Let's say you were asked from input when the writers were delineating the character way back then. What would you suggest as his origin?
Comment Re:Without remorse there is no rehabilitation. (Score 1) 161
This reply pleases me. (See #37388954 above.)
Comment Re:Sleep like a baby (Score 1) 161
Heh. Now, seriously, I hope KM's answer to that made the butthurt asker's butt hurt even more.
Comment Re:Nice summary, but... (Score 1) 804
Let's also remember the WTC terrorists weren't the first 9/11 terrorists. This guy was.
Steve Jobs: 'We Don't Track Anyone' 373
fysdt writes "There has obviously been a lot of discussion about last week's disclosure that iOS devices are maintaining an easily-accessible database tracking the movements of users dating back to the introduction of iOS 4 a year ago. The issue has garnered the attention of US elected officials and has played fairly heavily in the mainstream press. One MacRumors reader emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs asking for clarification on the issue while hinting about a switch to Android if adequate explanations are not forthcoming. Jobs reportedly responded, turning the tables by claiming both that Apple does not track users and that Android does, while referring to the information about iOS shared in the media as 'false.'"
Apple has now been hit with a class-action lawsuit over the location-tracking issue.
Comment Re:epic FAIL (Score 1) 183
No, wait, let me guess: the folder name was system32 and the AV recommended to delete it!
Comment Re:As a Freeper... (Score 1) 138
Well, now you see which site owner has balls and which one hasn't.
Facebook Images To Get Expiration Date 306
Pickens writes "BBC reports that researchers have created software that gives images an expiration date by tagging them with an encrypted key so that once this date has passed the key stops the images being viewed and copied. Professor Michael Backes, who led development of the X-Pire system, says development work began about 18 months ago as potentially risky patterns of activity on social networks, such as Facebook, showed a pressing need for such a system. 'More and more people are publishing private data to the internet and it's clear that some things can go wrong if it stays there too long,' says Backes. The X-Pire software creates encrypted copies of images and asks those uploading them to give each one an expiration date. Viewing these images requires the free X-Pire browser add-on. When the viewer encounters an encrypted image it sends off a request for a key to unlock it. This key will only be sent, and the image become viewable, if the expiration date has not been passed."
The Empire Strikes Back Added To National Film Registry 129
aztec1430 writes "Airplane!, The Empire Strikes Back, The Exorcist, and All the President's Men, were among the 25 films named by the Library of Congress to the National Film Registry on Tuesday for their cultural, historical or aesthetic significance. Now, which version was added? And will each new Lucas-a-fied version need to be resubmitted every year? ;)"
FedEx Misplaces Radioactive Rods 165
Hugh Pickens writes "A shipment of radioactive rods used in medical equipment has vanished while being sent by FedEx from North Dakota to Tennessee. Based on tracking information, FedEx is focusing its search in the Tennessee area, but as a normal precaution the company alerted all of its stations 'in the event that it got waylaid and went to another station by accident.' Dr. Marc Siegel says if someone opens the container it could pose some serious health risks. 'I don't believe it has the degree of radiation that, if it were opened, your skin would suddenly slough off. But the concern would be, if this got opened inadvertently and someone didn't know what it was and then was repeatedly exposed to it over several days, it could cause a problem with radiation poisoning,' says Siegel. 'The people that use this equipment in a hospital use protective shielding with it.' The lesson is that active medical material must always be transported in a way that ensures the general public cannot get access to it. 'Medical devices should not be FedExed. They should be sent under a special service,' adds Siegel."
