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Networking

Game Publishers Using Stealth P2P Clients 149

Posted by Soulskill from the eula-doesn't-count dept.
An anonymous reader writes "TorrentFreak has shed some light on the dark practice of installing stealth-mode P2P clients during game downloads and using unsuspecting gamers' PCs as 'bandwidth slaves.' The clients operate in the background and largely go unnoticed until problems arise that are caused by overactive uploading/seeding. While the Akamai NetSession Interface and Pando Media Booster are specifically called out, there appear to be other offenders as indicated in the comments left by TorrentFreak readers. A publisher called Solid State Networks is putting out a call for an industry-wide 'best practices' effort to promote transparency, control and privacy on behalf of gamers who are otherwise being abused for their bandwidth without their consent."

Comment Who else is disappointed? (Score 1) 473

by valeo.de (#33384836) Attached to: Making Ubuntu Look Like Windows 7

Am I the only one who was disappointed upon visiting the linked "story" only to find a desktop that doesn't look anything like Windows 7? Windows 7 doesn't (by default) use dark UI elements, there's no transparency for the task/menu bar, I could go on... I use Windows way more that I'd like, alas, and to me that just looks like Gnome with an (admittedly quite nice) gtk-engine theme.

Slow news day?

Submission + - US soldiers plotted to kill Afghan civilians (nwsource.com)

Submitted by gauharjk
gauharjk writes: In one of the most serious war-crimes cases to emerge from the Afghanistan war, five soldiers from a Stryker infantry brigade based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord are now charged with murder for their alleged roles in killing three Afghan civilians.

Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs formed a "kill team" with a close group of US soldiers to carry out random executions of Afghans.

Gibbs, of Billings, Mont., is a veteran of two previous war-zone tours — one in Afghanistan and a second in Iraq. In the fall, he joined the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, replacing a squad leader who had been injured by an explosion.

He allegedly boasted about "stuff" he had gotten away with in Iraq and discussed plans for killing Afghans with a small circle of soldiers, according to statements by other soldiers.

All five soldiers are awaiting court-martial proceedings. If convicted, they face the possibility of life imprisonment or death.
Google

Submission + - What Is Google's Stance On Software Patents? (blogspot.com)

Submitted by FlorianMueller
FlorianMueller writes: In a recent Slashdot discussion, a Linux evangelist from Google, Jeremy Allison, said that "Google submitted an anti-software patent brief in the Bilski case." He disclosed his affiliation and encouraged double-checking. I have performed a detailed analysis of Google's amicus curiae brief in re Bilski. While it cites some patent-critical literature, the document stops far short of advocating the abolition of software patents. The brief supports the idea that patent law should expand according to technological progress. It complains about some software patents being too abstract and others making only a "conventional" use of a computer, but under patent law, that doesn't mean that all software is conventional by definition. Google's own patents, such as the PageRank patent, are (at least intended to be) non-abstract and non-conventional. Is anyone aware of Google ever having spoken out against the patentability of all software, including the software Google itself patents every day?

Comment Re:Formulas? (Score 1) 294

by valeo.de (#33365104) Attached to: Lexmark Sues 24 Companies Over Toner-Cartridge Patents
Everyone? I agree (in spirit), but if everyone gets a license to use such patents, then companies like, for example, Apple or Microsoft or Oracle would get (pooled?) open source patents for free whilst still being able to use their own patent portfolios to do harm. Which is like the worst of both worlds... or something.

Submission + - Ovulating Women Buy Sexier Clothing

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In an unconscious attempt to outdo female rivals, ovulating women buy sexier clothing, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Not unlike the chimps featured on the Discovery Channel, women become more competitive with other females during the handful of days each month when they are ovulating. The desire for women at peak fertility to unconsciously choose products that enhance appearance is driven by a desire to outdo attractive rival women," write authors Kristina M. Durante, Vladas Griskevicius (both University of Minnesota), Sarah E. Hill (Texas Christian University), Carin Perilloux (University of Texas at Austin) and Norman Li (Singapore Management University).
Medicine

Submission + - Swine influenza vaccine linked to narcolepsy (google.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
Technology

Submission + - Samsung Galaxy Tablet Coming in September 1

Submitted by adeelarshad82
adeelarshad82 writes: The rumors are now reality, Samsung showed the world its first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the company's new 7-inch tablet. Samsung Mobile will release more information about the Galaxy Tab on September 2 in advance of IFA Berlin 2010. Tab will run on Android 2.2 and feature full Web-browsing and video calling. The information given by the company implied that the Galaxy Tab will sport an HD screen for video, Flash support, support for e-books, possible GPS navigation, and PC linking.

Submission + - Samsung Announces the Galaxy Tab (reghardware.com)

Submitted by valeo.de
valeo.de writes: Samsung today announced their tabled offering, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, due to be released September 2, 2010. The 7 inch tablet will "run Android 2.2, do video calls — though the only apparent camera is on the back — support Adobe Flash for a 'full web' experience, have e-book reading software and do 'HD movie playback' (presumably 720p)."

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