Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:GPL requires no DRM? (Score 2, Informative) 717

FTFA:
http://www.fsf.org/news/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-gpl-enforcement

Basically:

Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein.

In short, I think there are problems beyond DRM with GPL software being distributed through the app store.

Biotech

Open Source Software Meets Do-It-Yourself Biology 113

destinyland writes "This article profiles a growing movement — DIY biology — that's made possible in part by open source tools. Using programs like BioPerl and BioPython, DIY biologists write their own code (computer and genetic), designing their own biological systems and altering the genome. A protein-folding simulator, Folding@home, is now the most powerful distributed computing cluster in the world, and as the movement evolves, cooperatives are also springing up where hobbyists pool resources and create 'hacker spaces' to reduce costs and share knowledge. 'As the shift to open source software continues, computational biology will become even more accessible, and even more powerful,' this article argues — while intellectual property and other bureaucracies continue to hobble traditional forms of research."
It's funny.  Laugh.

Submission + - Berlin "sex academy" offers tips for visit (reuters.com)

suraj.sun writes: "Finally — an exhibition for those who always have to touch everything."

BERLIN (Reuters) — Wannabe Latin lovers can improve their technique by playing with the erogenous zones of naked mannequins at a new interactive exhibition that has now opened in Berlin.

The "Amora sex academy" that opened in Berlin on Thursday welcomes visitors with the wry slogan, "Finally — an exhibition for those who always have to touch everything."

More than 50 interactive displays guide visitors through the intimate areas of the male and female bodies, offering helpful tips on everything from striptease to oral sex and how to achieve a perfect orgasm.

A voice shrieks "That's it!" when the visitor manages to put his finger on the elusive G-spot.

Next to it is what the museum called its "Spank-o-meter." It measures the level of pleasure a mannequin receives when spanked with a leather whip.

Founded by Frenchman Johan Rizki, the sex academy opened in London earlier this year and is also due to come to Barcelona.

Reuters : http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE56952420090712

Government

Submission + - Cheney Is Linked to Concealment of C.I.A. Project 1

archatheist writes: The Central Intelligence Agency withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, the agency's director, Leon E. Panetta, has told the Senate and House intelligence committees, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Saturday.
Security

Submission + - Hackers' Next Target - Your Brain? 2

Hugh Pickens writes: "Wired reports that as neural devices become more complicated — and go wireless — some scientists say the risks of "brain hacking" should be taken seriously. "Neural devices are innovating at an extremely rapid rate and hold tremendous promise for the future," said computer security expert Tadayoshi Kohno of the University of Washington. "But if we don't start paying attention to security, we're worried that we might find ourselves in five or 10 years saying we've made a big mistake." For example, the next generation of implantable devices to control prosthetic limbs will likely include wireless controls that allow physicians to remotely adjust settings on the machine. If neural engineers don't build in security features such as encryption and access control, an attacker could hijack the device and take over the robotic limb. "As these medical devices start to become more and more complicated, it gets easier and easier for people to overlook a bug that could become a very serious risk," says Kohno. "Because the internet was not originally designed with security in mind, it is incredibly challenging — if not impossible — to retrofit the existing internet infrastructure to meet all of today's security goals" but until now, few groups have considered how neural devices might be hijacked to perform unintended actions. "The first thing is to ask ourselves is, 'Could there be a security and privacy problem?'" Kohno says. "Asking 'Is there a problem?' gets you 90 percent there, and that's the most important thing.""
Privacy

Montana City Requires Workers' Internet Accounts 836

justinlindh writes "Bozeman, Montana is now requiring all applicants for city jobs to furnish Internet account information for 'background checking.' A portion of the application reads, "Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.' The article goes on to mention, 'There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords.'"
Biotech

Submission + - Human Language Gene Changes How Mice Squeak 2

archatheist writes: Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have engineered a mouse whose FOXP2 gene has been swapped out for (different) human version. This is interesting because the gene is implicated in human language, and this has changed how mice squeak. Forget planet of the apes... get your tiny paws off me, you darn dirty mouse!

Comment Re:Excellent!! (Score 5, Informative) 194

This is in the FAQ. From TFA:

Q: But what if an attacker takes over all paths to the destination?

A: There are two answers to that. Please see our academic paper for a detailed security analysis.

1) Perspectives actually keeps a record of the keys used by a service over time. Thus, even if a powerful adversary is able to take over the whole Internet (scenario L_server in the paper), clients can still detect the key as suspicious because the key has recently changed. If the attacker is able to compromise all paths for a long time, then you are in trouble, but then again such a powerful adversary could also fool the so-called "verification procedures" of many certificate authorities, which often consist of a one-time email verification.

2) Even though a powerful adversary can defeat the system, it makes man-in-the-middle attacks much harder. Today an attacker must only be on the path between you and the destination, which isn't very hard. Think about an open wireless network, or the recent DNS attacks which compromise a targeted DNS resolver. Being on all links is much harder, and in the end security is nothing but making an attack harder.

The Courts

FSF Reaches Out to RIAA Victims 329

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In what has been termed the ''RIAA's worst nightmare', the Free Software Foundation has announced that it is coming to the aid of the victims of RIAA lawsuits, by establishing an Expert Witness Defense Fund to assist defendants in RIAA cases. The purpose of the fund is 'to help provide computer expert witnesses to combat RIAA's ongoing lawsuits, and to defend against the RIAA's attempt to redefine copyright law.' The funds will be used to pay fees and/or expenses of technical expert witnesses, forensic examiners, and other technical consultants assisting individuals named as defendants in non-commercial, peer-to-peer file sharing cases brought by the RIAA, EMI, SONY BMG, Vivendi Universal, and Warner Bros. Records, and their affiliated companies, such as Interscope, Arista, UMG, Fonovisa, Motown, Atlantic, Priority, and others."
Math

Open Source Math 352

An anonymous reader writes "The American Mathematical society has an opinion piece about open source software vs propietary software used in mathematics. From the article : "Increasingly, proprietary software and the algorithms used are an essential part of mathematical proofs. To quote J. Neubüser, 'with this situation two of the most basic rules of conduct in mathematics are violated: In mathematics information is passed on free of charge and everything is laid open for checking.'""
Biotech

Submission + - Norman Borlaug: The Greatest Man You Never Heard O (associatedcontent.com)

MarkWhittington writes: "Recently the greatest human being living received a special Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his achievements. This man has previously been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is very likely responsible for saving the lives of over a billion people in the Third World from starvation. Yet his name is unknown to the general public. His name is Norman Borlaug, an American agricultural scientist and father of what has become known as the Green Revolution."
Communications

Submission + - iPhone Price Slash Forces $100 Rebate (thestreet.com) 1

ExE122 writes: Steve Jobs, facing criticism for a drastic $200 slash in iPhone prices, has agreed to give early customers a $100 rebate. According to the article, "the move came just hours after Jobs was dismissing complaints and implying that the customers wouldn't get a penny." Jobs has apparently been making the same dismissive comments to angry customers and the press alike before the compromising decision to offer a rebate was made.
Biotech

Submission + - Laser zaps viruses in blood (pressesc.com)

amigoro writes: "Lasers can be used to zap viruses in blood, making the process of disinfecting blood for transfusions more efficient, a father-son team reported in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. The researchers aimed a low-power 425 nm wavelenghth visible laser with a pulse lasting 100 femtoseconds (10-13 second) into glass tubes containing saline-diluted viruses that infect bacteria, also known as bacteriophages and the amount of infectious virus within each cube plummeted 100- to 1000-fold after the laser treatment."

Slashdot Top Deals

"Protozoa are small, and bacteria are small, but viruses are smaller than the both put together."

Working...