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Science

Could Global Warming Make Life on Earth Better? 923

Posted by Zonk from the makes-for-lots-of-swimming-opportunities dept.
mikee805 writes "A lengthy article in Spiegel explores the possibility that global warming might make life on Earth better, not just for humans, but all species. The article argues that 'worst-case scenarios' are often the result of inaccurate simulations made in the 1980s. While climate change is a reality, as far as the article is concerned, some planning and forethought may mean that more benefits than drawbacks will result from higher temperatures. From the article:'The medical benefits of higher average temperatures have also been ignored. According to Richard Tol, an environmental economist, "warming temperatures will mean that in 2050 there will be about 40,000 fewer deaths in Germany attributable to cold-related illnesses like the flu." Another widespread fear about global warming -- that it will cause super-storms that could devastate towns and villages with unprecedented fury -- also appears to be unfounded. Current long-term simulations, at any rate, do not suggest that such a trend will in fact materialize.'"
The Internet

Submission + - Book: End of Dayz

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: End Of Dayz is an eclectic collection of underground text files compiled from Soljo Publishing's full 1992 to 2006 run — a snapshot of creativity and opinion from the digital jilted generation, right from the ASCII edge and onto your bookshelf. Hacking, politics, science, fiction and humour from the group that brought you The Soljo, The Discordant Opposition Journal, SPACT and the RWM Collective. A must read for any self respecting old school geek, or indeed any geek interested in the history and traditions of underground geekdom. Internet counter culture at it's best. Available from lulu.com or read Cult Of The Dead Cows review of the book here
Patents

Microsoft Getting Paid for Patents in Linux? 377

Posted by CmdrTaco from the now-wait-a-minute dept.
kripkenstein noted an Interview with Jeremy Allison where the interviewer asks 'One of the persistent rumors that's going around is that certain large IT customers have already been paying Microsoft for patent licensing to cover their use of Linux, Samba and other free software projects.' and Jeremy responds "Yes, that's true, actually. I mean I have had people come up to me and essentially off the record admit that they had been threatened by Microsoft and had got patent cross license and had essentially taken out a license for Microsoft patents on the free software that they were using [...] But they're not telling anyone about it. They're completely doing it off the record."
Encryption

Decryption Keys For HD-DVD Found, Confirmed 473

Posted by kdawson from the house-of-cards dept.
kad77 writes "It appears that, despite skepticism, 'muslix64' was the real deal. Starting from a riddle posted on pastebin.com, members on the doom9 forum identified the Title key for the HD-DVD release 'Serenity.' Volume Unique Keys and Title keys for other discs followed within hours, confirming that software HD-DVD players, like any common program, store important run-time data in memory. Here's a link to decryption utility and sleuthing info in the original doom9 forum thread. The Fair Use crowd has won Round One; now how will the industry respond?"
Biotech

Submission + - Vaccine for flu to be tested on humans

Submitted by Adam9
Adam9 writes: British scientists are on the verge of producing a revolutionary flu vaccine that works against all major types of the disease. Described as the 'holy grail' of flu vaccines, it would protect against all strains of influenza A — the virus behind both bird flu and the nastiest outbreaks of winter flu. Just a couple of injections could give long-lasting immunity — unlike the current vaccine which has to be given every year.
Google

Firefox Creator No Longer Trusts Google 528

Posted by CowboyNeal from the watching-the-watchmen dept.
watashi writes "Blake Ross the man whose scratched itch became the Firefox browser explains on his blog why he has a problem with Google's policy of promoting their own products over competitors' in search results. His main gripe is that the tips (e.g. "Want to share pictures? Try Google Picasa") result in an inability for other products (perhaps even Parakey?) to compete for the top slot on Google."

Another Sony Format Bites the Dust 425

Posted by CowboyNeal from the end-of-the-road dept.
Lam1969 writes "Reuters is reporting that Universal Media Disc, Sony's PSP-only movie format, is about to kick the bucket. While the discs' novelty factor resulted in strong sales shortly after the PSP's May 2005 launch, interest rapidly dropped and movie companies are no longer interested in producing titles. From the article: "Universal Studios Home Entertainment has completely stopped producing UMD movies, according to executives who asked not to be identified by name. Said one high-ranking exec: 'It's awful. Sales are near zilch. It's another Sony bomb -- like Blu-ray."'"

Microsoft to Acquire ProClarity 79

Posted by CowboyNeal from the changing-hands dept.
Gosalia writes "In order to increase its presence in the business intelligence market, Microsoft announced its plan to acquire business analytics software developer ProClarity. 'This acquisition advances our (business intelligence) strategy and our ability to deliver performance management applications to customers,' Jeff Raikes, Microsoft business division president, said in a statement."

Apple Begins Fixing MacBook Pro Issues 410

Posted by CowboyNeal from the help-on-the-way dept.
Hack Jandy writes "For those of you who bought one of the first generation Macbook Pros, a new replacement may be in your future. Flickering LCDs, overheating and intermittent WiFi connections are all common place for many of these first generation machines, but apparently Apple is fixing the problem. The article claims 'According to Apple, it has begun replacing the mainboard inside its MacBook Pros with a new revision. It calls the updated product "revision D," which is identifiable by product serial number.' If you have a reservation at an Apple Store, they may even replace your MBP with a new one."

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