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FBI Issues Code Cracking Challenge 222

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the test-your-skillz dept.
coondoggie writes to tell us that the FBI has issued another cracking challenge for a new cipher on their site. Tens of thousands responded to a similar challenge last year. In addition to the challenge, the FBI is also offering a few primers on the subject. There are a number of sites offering cipher challenges, but it's funny to see the FBI encouraging such behavior.
It's funny. Laugh.

Gaffes That Keep IT Geeks From the Boardroom 652

Posted by kdawson from the to-say-nothing-of-the-pocket-protector dept.
buzzardsbay writes "Yes, it's all in good fun to point out the mismatched belt and shoes and the atrocious hairstyles, but honestly, I'm committing three of these errors right now! Is that why I can't get a key to the executive washroom? Or is it my rebellious attitude and pungent man-scent that's keeping me down? The shocker in here was pigtails on women... I love pigtails on women!"
Data Storage

Seagate Offers Refunds on 6.2 Million Hard Drives 780

Posted by CowboyNeal from the making-things-right dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Seagate has agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleges that the company mislead customers by selling them hard disk drives with less capacity than the company advertised. The suit states that Seagate's use of the decimal definition of the storage capacity term "gigabyte" was misleading and inaccurate: whereby 1GB = 1 billion bytes. In actuality, 1GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes — a difference of approximately 7% from Seagate's figures. Seagate is saying it will offer a cash refund or free backup and recovery software."
Education

Submission + - MIT's SAT Math Error

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "The Wall Street Journal reports that for years now, MIT wasn't properly calculating the average freshmen SAT scores (reg.) used to determine U.S. News & World Report's influential annual rankings. In response to an inquiry made by The Tech regarding the school's recent drop in the rankings, MIT revealed that in past years it had excluded the test scores of foreign students as well as those who fared better on the ACT than the SAT, both violations of the U.S. News rules. MIT's reported first-quartile SAT verbal and math scores for the 2006 incoming class totaled 1380, a drop of 50 points from 2005."
Encryption

Submission + - Open Challenge To Improve Movie Content Protection (newteevee.com)

Submitted by HarryCaul
HarryCaul writes: Now you too can make money by contributing to the improvment of DRM! The news blog NewTeeVee reports that "Motion Picture Laboratories" is offering up a number of open challenges to improve the protection of movies, both in theaters and in the home. According to the article, "Promising proposals will receive grants anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 to continue research. These are "strictly problems we think smart people want to solve," CEO Steve Weinstein told me (NewTeeVee) over the phone yesterday."

Challenges include- Remote Content Access, Theatrical Anti-Camcording, and Hiding of Cryptographic Keys, among others.

Founding members of Motion Picture Labs include Paramount, Sony, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros.
Math

Submission + - Extra time dimension could simplify physics

Submitted by
Daniel Dvorkin
Daniel Dvorkin writes: "University of Southern California physicist Itzhak Bars proposes an extra dimension of time to resolve some fundamental physics problems. According to the article, "the math with four space and two time dimensions reproduces the standard equations describing the basic particles and forces." IANAP, but this sounds to me like it might be an elegant solution to some of the ever-increasing complexity of modern physics."
Role Playing (Games)

Submission + - Blizzard sues Peons4Hire

Submitted by Jeian
Jeian writes: According to Community Manager Eyonix, Blizzard has filed a lawsuit against gold-selling site Peons4Hire. Details are sketchy, but it seems they are demanding that Peons4Hire cease advertising in-game immediately. Depending on the outcome of the suit, it could set an interesting precedent for sites that sell virtual currency.
Data Storage

Submission + - Terabyte Hard Drive Review

Submitted by
hungryhamster
hungryhamster writes: "Let's take a look at the first terabyte hard drive, the Deskstar 7K1000 from Hitachi Global Storage, and see just how it performs. For an impressive $399 ($0.39/gig), is it worth your bucks? Extreme Tech provides an in-depth review of Hitachi's first Terabyte HHD. Benchmark Tests, performance charts, and comparisons with other HHDs are included. This is an interesting read. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2131552 ,00.asp"

Feed Maker Faire 2007 - robots. Lots of robots. And other fun stuff. (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Features, Misc. Gadgets

There was a lot to see at Maker Faire 2007 -- too much, really -- but if you're obsessed with robots like we are, this was THE place for you. Seriously, the last time we saw this many robot kits, sculptures, warriors, and automatons, we woke up in a cold sweat fearing the very destruction of mankind. Anywho, being that there is literally just too much to cover at the Faire, we've gone the lazy route and put up a mammoth photo gallery. The highlights:
If you get a chance to make it out this weekend, we highly recommend!

P.S. -For last year's Maker Faire coverage, see here and here.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Robotics

Submission + - Soliders Bond With Bots, Take Them Fishing

Submitted by HarryCaul
HarryCaul writes: Soldiers are finding themselves becoming more and more attached to their robotic helpers. During one test of a mine clearing robot, "every time it found a mine, blew it up and lost a limb, it picked itself up and readjusted to move forward on its remaining legs, continuing to clear a path through the minefield." The man in charge halted the test, though- "He just could not stand the pathos of watching the burned, scarred and crippled machine drag itself forward on its last leg. This test, he charged, was inhumane." Sometimes the soldiers even take their metallic companions fishing. Is there more sympathy for Robot Rights than previously suspected?
Books

Submission + - Book as College Graduation Present?

Submitted by tigersha
tigersha writes: I am the boss of a young lad who worked for me for a few years as an intern. He is about to graduate with a degree in computer science and I would like to give him a book as present. Does not have to be CS. Any suggestions?
Movies

Submission + - Digital Media Archiving Challenges Hollywood

Submitted by HarryCaul
HarryCaul writes: Movies are moving to digital, but what about long-term archiving of the master source materials? Turns out it's harder for digital media than for contemporary analog. Data is being lost, and studios have to learn to cope. Phil Feiner of the AMPAS sci-tech division says "when he worked on studio feature films he found missing frames or corrupted data on 40% of the data tapes that came in from digital intermediate houses" How to deal with it? Regular migration from old media to new media. Grover Crisp, says Sony has put in a program of migrating every two to three years. Other studios are following suit, but wht about indie features? Will we lose films like we lost the orignals of the 20s?

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