j_schmoe - Slashdot User

Geologists Might Be Charged For Not Predicting Quake 375

Posted by timothy on Wednesday June 16, 2010 @05:05PM from the google-will-no-doubt-be-found-at-fault dept.

mmmscience writes "In 2009, a series of small earthquakes shook the region of L'Aquila, Italy. Seismologists investigated the tremors, but concluded that there was no direct indication of a big quake on the horizon. Less than a month later, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake killed more than 300 people. Now, the chief prosecutor of L'Aquila is looking to charge the scientists with gross negligent manslaughter for not predicting the quake."

Man Swallows USB Flash Drive Evidence 199

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday March 03, 2010 @12:37PM from the chew-it-up dept.

SlideRuleGuy writes "In a bold and bizarre attempt to destroy evidence seized during a federal raid, a New York City man grabbed a flash drive and swallowed the data storage device while in the custody of Secret Service agents. Records show Florin Necula ingested the Kingston flash drive shortly after his January 21 arrest outside a bank in Queens. A Kingston executive said it was unclear if stomach acid could damage one of their drives. 'As you might imagine, we have no actual experience with someone swallowing a USB.' I imagine that would be rather painful. But did he follow his mother's advice and chew thoroughly, first? Apparently not, as the drive was surgically recovered."

Adobe Download Manager Installing Software Without Consent 98

Posted by timothy on Friday February 19, 2010 @06:31PM from the plus-one-invitation dept.

"Not all is worth cheering about as Adobe turns 20," writes reader adeelarshad82, who excerpts from a story at PC Magazine's Security Watch: "Researcher Aviv Raff has found a problem in ADM (Adobe Download Manager) and the method through which it is delivered from adobe.com. The net effect of the problem is that a user can be tricked into downloading and installing software using ADM without actual consent. Tonight Adobe acknowledged the report and said they were working on the issue with Raff and NOS Microsystems, the company that wrote ADM."

Submission + - XM and SIRIUS Radio Merging

Submitted by lenny6998 on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:39PM

lenny6998 writes: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070219/ap_on_bi_ge/xm _radio_sirius

Submission + - Interview with Tiberon Studios (EA)

Submitted by

jayintune

on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:38PM

jayintune writes: "Gamerstooge had a chance to sit down with one of EA's Development Managers at Tiberon Studios to find out what it's like to work on games like Madden 2007. It's a look into one mans road to working in the video game industry as well as a window into the video game juggernaut, EA. From the article, "For you to be successful, you have to work your way up to it. Software Engineering is much more than just writing code. It's schedules, designs, cutting, resource allocation, mentoring, patience, and a slew of other things that can only be learned by working your way up.""

Submission + - Sweden to make Denial of Service attacks illegal

Submitted by paulraps on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:27PM

paulraps writes: Sweden is to pass legislation making Denial of Service attacks illegal. The offence will carry a maximum jail term of two years, and is thought to be a direct response to the attack which crashed the Swedish police's web site last summer. Nobody was charged for that, but the fact that it came shortly after a raid on the Pirate Bay's servers was thought by many to be not entirely coincidental. Sweden's move follows the UK, which is even tougher on web attackers — there the sentence can be over five years in prison.

Submission + - Can I sell my used mp3s?

Submitted by on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:26PM

An anonymous reader writes: Can I sell my used digital music that I purchased online?

Submission + - Pre-Installed Linux tops Dell customer requests

Submitted by

dhart

on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:26PM

dhart writes: "Within only a few days of opening a new customer feedback website, Dell has discovered the feature most requested (by a wide margin!) as an option on all new Dell PCs: Pre-installed Linux. I believe they'll have a harder time now with the tired old mantra "there's no customer demand for Linux"."

Submission + - US trains new ELITE Swedish anti-piracy policeunit

Submitted by soulxtc on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:18PM

soulxtc writes: Never one to let its interests anywhere in the world go unprotected, the FBI and the MPAA have teamed up with the Swedish govt to create an elite corps of Swedish anti-piracy police. In an effort to help stamp out pesky Swedish pirates, FBI agent Andrew Myers and the MPAA have given a group of six Swedish police officers extensive training on how to effectively combat piracy and catch people who engage in illegal downloading from the internet.

Couple Who Catch Cop Speeding Could Face Charges 876

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:13PM from the turnabout-isn't-fair-play dept.

a_nonamiss writes "A Georgia couple, apparently tired of people speeding past their house, installed a camera and radar gun on their property. After it was installed, they caught a police office going 17MPH over the posted limit. They brought this to the attention of the local police department, and are now being forced to appear in front of a judge to answer to charges of stalking."

Submission + - BBC launches Space Shuttle based on car

Submitted by

David Off

on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:10PM

David Off writes: "Last summer BBC Television decided to launch a space shuttle shaped motorcar, the Reliant Robin, into very very low earth orbit! Now this may not be the X-prize but it is a very very cool hack that harks back to era of MIT's Tech Model Railroad Club. Now a shuttle launch costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The Beeb built a very convincing shuttle from the Robin, a main fuel tank and two SRBs in an industrial unit in Manchester. There was very little money but all the tea the team could manage to dring. The rockets develop 8.5 tonnes of thrust and this was the most powerful private launch in Europe to date. The Robin had to be stripped from 750kg to 250kg and avionics fitted for the flight back to earth. All doesn't quite go to plan as you can see in the 20 minute film which was broadcast yesterday. It would be nice to know more about the tech behind the launch, the film is thin on details."

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