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Submission + - Snowden statue in NY (marketwatch.com)

An anonymous reader writes: A statue of Snowden showed up in Brooklyn. As quickly as it showed up, it was even more quickly removed. Apart from this, the bust was also hidden by a blue tarp so that New Yorkers do not get any ideas.
  Still, it is nice to see civil disobedience did not completely die in this nation.

Submission + - Judge Allows Divorce Papers To Be Served Via Facebook 1

An anonymous reader writes: Want to divorce your husband or wife but can’t give them the papers in person? Just use Facebook. No, apparently this isn’t a late April Fools’ joke. The New York Daily News reports Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper has allowed 26-year-old Ellanora Baidoo to serve her husband Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku divorce papers via a Facebook message. In fact, Baidoo won’t even be the one sending the message. Her lawyer has been granted permission to message Blood-Dzraku using her account. “This transmittal shall be repeated by plaintiff’s attorney to defendant once a week for three consecutive weeks or until acknowledged,” the ruling states.

Feed Techdirt: USPTO Demands EFF Censor Its Comments On Patentable Subject Matter (google.com)

As you know, last year the Supreme Court made a very important ruling in the Alice v. CLS Bank case, in which it basically said that merely doing something on a general purpose computer didn't automatically make it patentable. This has resulted in many courts rejecting patents and the USPTO being less willing to issue patents, based on that guidance. The USPTO sought to push out new "guidance" to its examiners taking the ruling into account. Soon after the Alice ruling, it issued some "Preliminary Examination Instructions." However, it then issued the so-called 2014 Interim Guidance on Subject Matter Eligibility and sought public comment through March 16 of this year.

Plenty of folks did comment, including the EFF. However, the USPTO apparently was offended at parts of the EFF's comment submission, claiming that it was an "improper protest." In response, the EFF refiled the comment, but redacted the part that the USPTO didn't like. Here's what page 5 of the document on the USPTO site looks like: However, EFF also added the following footnote (footnote 8) on page 6:

On April 2, 2015, the PTO contacted EFF to request that we remove a portion of these comments on the basis that they constituted an improper “protest.” We respectfully disagree that our comments were a protest under 35 U.S.C. 122(c). Rather, our comments discussed a specific application to illustrate our broader points about the importance of applying Alice. Nevertheless, to ensure these comments are considered by the Office, we have redacted the relevant discussion in this revised version of our comments. Our original comments remain available to the public at: https://www.eff.org/files/2015/03/18/eff_comments_regarding_ interim_eligibility_guidance.pdf.
And, of course, if you go to that link, you get the full, unredacted version of the EFF's filing.

As you can see by the full filing, the EFF filing isn't some sort of improper protest. Rather it is a clear demonstration of how the USPTO does not appear to be living up to what the courts are saying in the wake of the Alice ruling. It is difficult to see what the USPTO was thinking in trying to silence the EFF's comment. It is beyond ludicrous on multiple levels. First, it suggests a skin so thin at the USPTO that you can see right through it. Second, it suggests that the USPTO doesn't want people to recognize that its guidance is problematic in light of what actual federal courts are saying. And, finally, it suggests (still) a complete lack of understanding of how the internet and freedom of expression works, thereby guaranteeing that the EFF's complete dismantling of the USPTO's guidelines will now get that much more attention...

Has anyone patented a method and system for self-inflicted shaming for being overly sensitive to someone pointing out your flaws?

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Submission + - Seed from ancient extinct plant planted and brought back to life

schwit1 writes: Israeli scientists have successfully gotten a 2000-year-old seed of an extinct date plant to grow and now reproduce.

Methuselah sprouted back in 2005, when agriculture expert Solowey germinated his antique seed. It had been pulled from the remains of Masada, an ancient fortification perched on a rock plateau in southern Israel, and at the time, no one could be sure that the plant would thrive. But he has, and his recent reproductive feat helps prove just how well he’s doing.

For a while, the Judean date palm was the sole representative of his kind: Methuselah’s variety was reportedly wiped out around 500 A.D. But Solowey has continued to grow date palms from ancient seeds discovered in the region, and she tells National Geographic that she is “trying to figure out how to plant an ancient date grove.” Doing so would allow researchers to better understand exactly what earlier peoples of the region were eating and how it tasted.

Comment "not the best" (Score 1) 1

The OP left out key info....
Luckily for him, Sunday_Account had narrated his Craiglist and the seller guy in coffee shop episode to his colleagues back at the office. The lawyer believed him and cross checked with his colleagues. He also had PI track down the guy who had made the listing on Craiglist. It turned out that the guy who made the listing was a registered sex offender.

It took a month for all the charges against Sunday_Account to be dropped and his arrest record to be erased. The $250 lappy cost him $12,000 in legal bills for the entire fracas.

Sunday_Account made a post of his ordeal on TIFU subreddit where he advised fellow Redditors and other readers to “reformat the drive on any used computer you buy or eat bologna sandwiches with retards in jail.” [emphasis added]

Add the info, and it might be worth posting to /. -- however the clean up of a system you know nothing about is is common sense (perhaps worth retelling). As posted, it is little more than a Fox News bit.

Submission + - Southern California Edison Lays off 500 workers- replaces with H1B Visa workers. (computerworld.com)

Maxo-Texas writes: California Edison workers are being laid off and replaced with Infosys H1B visa workers. They will be required to train their Infosys replacements in order to receive their severance pay and they will be required to sign NDA's in order to receive their full payment.

This violates the premise of H1B visa's-- that the workers are needed to fill jobs for which employees cannot be found. The story is being widely reported on conservative talk radio as well so this event may actually bridge the political gap and bring about bipartisan corrections to the H1B programs

Full details:
http://www.computerworld.com/a...

Submission + - Jupiter destroyed 'super-Earths' in our early solar system (sciencemag.org)

sciencehabit writes: If Jupiter and Saturn hadn’t formed where they did—and at the sizes they did—as the disk of dust and gas around our sun coalesced, then our solar system would be a very different and possibly more hostile place, new research suggests. Computer models reveal that in the solar system’s first 3 million years or so, gravitational interactions with Jupiter, Saturn, and the gas in the protoplanetary disk would have driven super-Earth–sized planets closer to the sun and into increasingly elliptical orbits. In such paths, a cascade of collisions would have blasted any orbs present there into ever smaller bits, which in turn would have been slowed by the interplanetary equivalent of atmospheric drag and eventually plunged into the sun. As Jupiter retreated from its closest approach to the sun, it left behind the mostly rocky remnants that later coalesced into our solar system’s inner planets, including Earth.

Comment Re:I voted "+" ..... (Score 1) 4

P.S. ... to monitor water/temp might consider something like a "APC AP9340 -- Environmental Manager Sensor Monitor" (or something similar). This particular model has a built in network switch, and can connect to a remote alarm and {Warning} light. There are others (more "modern" versions available); based on your need/budged.

Comment I voted "+" ..... (Score 1) 4

#1: this is a good question (topic), worthy of discussion -- if it is kept on topic.

#2: In case it doesn't make it... my thoughts:
You talk about a concrete slab. That would act as a great thermal break -- keeping the head down. Unfortunately, as noted -- water is a concern (pipes). I had a crawlspace that I opened to a basement. (Note: DO NOT do as I do, just buy a house with a basement if you need one). In my "Basement" ...it is opened to the outside. I've had a couple servers down there for about 5 years, with no problems (located in Seattle, WA) with moisture. Dependent on humidity in your area, you millage will very. I would recommend a full on "server" - rack mount. You can get one for a decent price (eBay / craigslist) and if you spend a little extra, get one that still has support. Will full server... that would (potentially) include redundant everything. Run the OS with the manufactures diagnostic software, and if you have remote access (Dell DRAC for example) you can power the system up remotely. Raise the unit off the "floor" (vermin, water and the like). Floor thickness & insulation will impact chose of surround (white noise from the fans running). If the system is to loud for you, adding insulation (rocksol insulation wold be a good candidate). If vermin a concern, creating a custom "box" (with rocksol insulation) and a door / vents might be an option [Consider placing rat poison to keep those vermin that might attempt to enter at bay]. Might consider using this as a place to mount other appliances -- such as router, modem, net work switch -- for example. Make sure you can replace any wiring ... rats EAT the shielding on network (and TV) cable (First hand experience here -- they also eat the metal shielding on the @$%@ cables!).

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Building a Home Media Center/Small Server in a Crawlspace 4

An anonymous reader writes: I've decided it's time for me to build a separate machine specifically for use as a Media Center/Small Home Server.
My wife and I haven't had cable TV in years, instead relying entirely on Netflix, other streaming sites, and hard copies we've bought over the years. Having just finished ripping our entire media collection (CDs, DVDs, and even our Vinyls and VHS with the help of a capture card and some sweet digital voodoo) to a couple HDDs, I'm feeling froggy. Up until now we've been using WDTV Live, and it's been pretty snazzy, but I want to upgrade to a dedicated media machine instead of piggybacking off of my office computer. It'll be a Windows based machine utilizing Plex, and it's going in the crawlspace of the house.

The crawlspace in question is unfinished, but I do have a dry concrete slab down there where I can put/mount/assemble something. Cooling won't be an issue obviously, and I am keeping a close eye on hardware specs with regards to moisture. It is still a crawlspace though...

My Question(s) being:
* What would be a good setup to to house the hardware? Priorities being to safeguard against moisture, vermin, and dirt.
          — Modified PC Tower?
          — Rack?
          — Build an enclosure?
          — Something I haven't considered?

Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the "best" place to put a media machine. Any advice or ideas are very much appreciated, Thank you /.

Submission + - Drone operator caught flying between two news helicopters at above 1500 feet

Bomarc writes: KIRO TV news in Seattle, WA is reporting an incident where a person was flying a drone above 1,500 feet, and near (between) two news helicopters. There is video footage of the drone and of the person flying his drone above and between the two news helicopters (reporting on a local fire). The 10 minute video includes clear images of the drone, the operator recovering it.

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