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Submission + - FCC calls blocking of personal Wi-Fi hotspots "disturbing trend" (networkworld.com)

Submitted by alphadogg
alphadogg writes: The FCC on Tuesday warned http://transition.fcc.gov/Dail... that it will no longer tolerate hotels, convention centers or others intentionally interfering with personal Wi-Fi hotspots. This issue grabbed headlines last fall when Marriott International was fined $600K for blocking customer Wi-Fi hotspots, presumably to encourage the guests to pay for pricey Internet access from the hotel.

Submission + - This Temporary Tattoo Measures Glucose Levels In Blood (thescienceworld.com)

Submitted by Diggester
Diggester writes: The wretched plague of diabetes has wrought death upon this earth for many decades now and patients wrestle with the disease every day of their lives. It may sound funny to many that someone can’t eat cake or pizza or chocolate for the rest of their lives without worrying about the immediate consequences but it is hell when you can’t enjoy the bounties laid out before you. Thus endeth the sermon; on to the story. Scientists from the University of California, San Diego have invented a temporary tattoo that can read glucose levels in the blood.

Submission + - NSA Official: Supporting Backdoored Random Number Generator was 'Regrettable"

Submitted by Trailrunner7
Trailrunner7 writes: In a new article in an academic math journal, the NSA’s director of research says that the agency’s decision not to withdraw its support of the Dual EC_DRBG random number generator after security researchers found weaknesses in it and questioned its provenance was a “regrettable” choice.

Michael Wertheimer, the director of researcher at the National Security Agency, wrote in a short piece in Notices, a publication of the American Mathematical Society, that even during the standards development process for Dual EC many years ago, members of the working group focused on the algorithm raised concerns that it could have a backdoor in it. The algorithm was developed in part by the NSA and cryptographers were suspect of it from the beginning.

“With hindsight, NSA should have ceased supporting the dual EC_DRBG algorithm immediately after security researchers discovered the potential for a trapdoor. In truth, I can think of no better way to describe our failure to drop support for the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm as anything other than regrettable,” Wertheimer wrote in a piece in Notices’ February issue.

Submission + - Carnivorous pitcher plant "out-thinks" insects (discovery.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A carnivorous pitcher plant is changing its behavior in response to natural weather fluctuations, allowing it to give up its prey in order to capture more.

The pitcher plant, which has liquid-filled leaves shaped like funnels, has the ability to allow some of its prey, such as ants, to escape by “switching off” its trap."

The first ant reports back to the other ants that it found a large batch of sweet nectar, causing a large contingent of ants to descend upon it. If the trap captures the first ant, it won’t be able to capture many more ants later.

Submission + - When I Questioned the History of Muhammad ... (wsj.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: “The freedom to write history without intimidation was no longer something that I took for granted.”

A scholar on Roman history and his family were threatened with death threats when he wrote a book, followed by a television documentary, about the fall of Rome in the Middle East and how his research raised questions about the life of Mohammed.

Just a few minutes into the broadcast, my Twitter stream was going up in smoke. By the time the show ended, the death threats were coming in thick and fast—and not just against me but against my family as well. Channel 4 was also deluged with protests. A private screening scheduled for assorted movers and shakers had to be canceled after the police warned that they couldn’t guarantee the security of those attending the event. Because many of the invitees had been journalists, this naturally gave the controversy a new lease of life.

Two weeks later, I was still fielding death threats from Muslims convinced that the only plausible explanation for my having made the film was that I was in the pay of Mossad or the CIA or both. The most chilling moment of all came when Press TV, a propaganda arm of the Iranian government, aired a documentary leveling pretty much that accusation. It was the one time that I seriously imagined I might end up as the new Salman Rushdie.

Hate and violence appears to be a feature of Islam, not a bug.

Submission + - Linux database GUI application develpment question 2

Submitted by msubieta
msubieta writes: I have been developing some applications to use in small businesses using Windows and SQL Server. I would like to move on and start doing the same thing in Linux. I have looked at several Frameworks/Databases/Development environments and I really don't know what is the best/simplest/fastest to learn approach. I use VS and C# mostly, although I could easily go back to C++. I found Qt and GTK+ are the most common frameworks, but they seem to lack controls that deal with datasets and stuff (sorry, spoiled by the .net form controls), but I also know that I could use Mono in order to make the jump. I would have no problem on moving to MySQL, as I have done quite a lot of work on that side, and I would like to stick with the traditional client server application, as I find it easier to maintain, and a whole lot more robust when it comes to user interaction (web apps for POS applications don't seem to be the right way to go in my view).

Any suggestions/comments/recommendations?

Submission + - man arrested for refusing to stop filming police (cnet.com)

Submitted by the simurgh
the simurgh writes: A man who claims to be an independent journalist films has been arrested by New Jersey police officers for his refusal to give in to their demands for his video camera. In most cases such as this, the authorities immediately jump to defend the outrageous behavior of the officer. In this case, however, it is different. the citizen and his camera were released. Moreover, Ocean County prosecutor told the local NBC affiliate: "It would be my opinion that we'll probably be dismissing the charge."

Submission + - Writers Say They Feel Censored by Surveillance (nytimes.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A survey of writers around the world by the PEN American Center has found that a significant majority said they were deeply concerned with government surveillance, with many reporting that they have avoided, or have considered avoiding, controversial topics in their work or in personal communications as a result.

The findings show that writers consider freedom of expression to be under significant threat around the world in democratic and nondemocratic countries. Some 75 percent of respondents in countries classified as “free,” 84 percent in “partly free” countries, and 80 percent in countries that were “not free” said that they were “very” or “somewhat” worried about government surveillance in their countries.

The survey, which will be released Monday, was conducted anonymously online in fall 2014 and yielded 772 responses from fiction and nonfiction writers and related professionals, including translators and editors, in 50 countries.

Comment Re:A wish from an American (Score 1) 114

by RoknrolZombie (#48726843) Attached to: The 5 Cases That Could Pit the Supreme Court Against the NSA

The Authors did the majority of their initial political work under pseudonyms, because anonymity was the only way that they could protect themselves. Pretty sure they'd disagree with you.

http://www.law.ou.edu/ushistor...

The Freedom to speak without fear of persecution is the cornerstone of our Bill of Rights and was absolutely necessary for the Founding of our Nation.

Submission + - Sony Sends DMCA Notices Against Users Spreading Leaked e-Mails (freezenet.ca)

Submitted by Dangerous_Minds
Dangerous_Minds writes: Last week, Sony threatened legal action against users spreading leaked information obtained through the e-mails that were leaked as a result of the Sony hack. Freezenet is now pointing to an Arstechnica article saying that Sony has begun carrying through with those threats. Twitter, after resisting demands that a user account be suspended for publishing leaked e-mails, has received a DMCA notice saying that the e-mails are, weirdly enough, copyrighted. Freezenet notes that other media outlets have been publishing the leaked information and wonders if Sony would begin targeting other outlets for similarly publishing leaked information online. Citing Wikileaks as an example of previously leaked information, if Sony were to target others, it is unlikely that the information will ever be fully removed, but it won't likely be without casualties that the information remains online.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Good Money Management Software with Phone Component?

Submitted by hejman08
hejman08 writes: I am looking for a money-manager software that I can use to track my credit card, a joint checking account with my wife, and a few other accounts. Currently this is accomplished by a rudimentary spreadsheet I pulled out of an unmentioned orifice a few weeks ago that has frankensteined itself into a somewhat manageable workbook. It works for what I need it to, and with my Dropbox account, I can edit it both at work and at home. The thing is, I'd really like something that's a) a little more professional than an Excel file and b) able to be edited with my Android. For example, if I go to Chipotle right now, I have to take a receipt home and enter in the spreadsheet when I remember I have a backlog of 10+ receipts, but I'd like something that I can just pull out my phone, enter it in, and have it synced to software (be it browser or installation based) that I use at work and home. It would also be extremely helpful if it can categorize purchases, but in a way that if I don't like its category or want to change it, or to not "count" a transaction such as bank transfers, I have the control to customize that aspect of it. Bonus points if it can create pretty charts a la Excel. My question is, does the almighty Slashdot know of such a software, preferably no more than say, 30 bucks US?

Comment Re:The Pirate Bay (Score 1) 302

by RoknrolZombie (#48606943) Attached to: The Pirate Bay Responds To Raid

Anyone who is creative enough to make something worth reading is creative enough to do it without wholesale copying. Plagiarism is stigmatized even beyond what is protected by copyright.

Plagiarism is only stigmatized when people recognize it as plagiarism. Plenty of times someone will come up with an original idea - maybe it was bad timing or bad marketing or whatever - and the idea doesn't do shit. A couple of years later someone else takes that exact same idea - sometimes downright copying it - and because of luck or better marketing hits it big. Now, we all know that the world isn't fair - but don't you think the originator should have some protection in place?

Now, I'm not in love with the current incarnation, but it's a damned sight better than "nothing".

Submission + - Stealthy Linux trojan may have infected victims for years (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from Moscow-based Kaspersky Labs have uncovered an extremely stealthy trojan for Linux systems that attackers have been using to siphon sensitive data from governments and pharmaceutical companies around the world.

The malware may have sat unnoticed on at least one victim computer for years, although Kaspersky Lab researchers still have not confirmed that suspicion. The trojan is able to run arbitrary commands even though it requires no elevated system privileges.

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