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Comment Re:Paging Ray Beckerman (Score 1) 272

by Apu (#27970897) Attached to: ASCAP Starts To Act Like the RIAA

No, it's more important get people out of danger first. You don't discuss how to put out a fire while people are burning inside.

Who taught you how to fight fires? You not might discuss INSTEAD of acting but you definitely discuss BEFORE you run in and get trapped yourself. "Hey, Chief, this wall looks like its going to collapse! Let's go through the back door instead."

Plus a little discussion can lead to a great benefit overall: the firefighters & bystanders stay safe. Some go in to do the rescue of those already in danger, some stay back in case the rescues get trapped, still other fight the fire so it doesn't spread and put the neighbors in danger, etc.
Media

Submission + - Amazon Gives in on Text-To-Speech

Submitted by Apu
Apu writes: CNET is reporting that Amazon "announced late Friday that the company is modifying systems to allow authors and publishers to decide whether to enable Kindle's text-to-speech function on a per-title basis." Slashdot previously covered the Authors Guild President who believes "royalty-free text-to-speech" on the Kindle creates a derivative work and Amazon has apparently decided its better to make the authors (or publishing houses) happy at the consumer's expense.
Security

Submission + - iPhone reported vulnerable via WiFi

Submitted by Apu
Apu writes: Reuters is reporting 'The iPhone and Apple Inc.'s desktop computers may be vulnerable to hackers due to a flaw in their Web browser, according to a security firm, which said it found a way to hack into the iPhone. Baltimore-based Independent Security Evaluators, which tests its clients' computer security by hacking it, said on Monday that three employees found a way to take control of iPhones through a Wi-Fi link or by tricking users into going to a Web site.'
Privacy

Submission + - Walmart Employee Eavesdrops on Cell Communications

Submitted by Gr8Apes
Gr8Apes writes: CNN is reporting that Walmart "fired a systems technician for intercepting text messages of non-Wal-Mart employees and recording telephone conversations with a New York Times reporter without authorization". The story further goes on to state that the recordings were in violation of their policy since they did not have authorization from their legal dept. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't wiretapping illegal without court authorization as shown by the HP scandal?
Robotics

Submission + - Carmakers Adding High-Tech Perks

Submitted by Good
Good writes: When friends check out Aaron Priest's new Acura TL sedan, the oohs and aahs start on the inside. Forget the powerful 3.5-liter, 286-horsepower engine; they're more enthralled with the car's rearview video camera and the in-dash voice-command system. "The technology is what gets people the most," said Priest, a 23-year-old lab technician at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. "They don't really care anymore about what's under the hood. It's all about what's in the car now."
Google

Vint Cerf on Net Security, Hacking, and Acting 45

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the internet-hams dept.
ancientribe writes "Father of the Internet Vint Cerf talks candidly in an article on Dark Reading about his being a Googler, and the biggest problems with Internet security and what he sees as the most promising solutions. He says that he's only done a little casual hacking, and that the term 'hacker' no longer comes with the honor it once did. Cerf also reveals in this personal look at the Internet icon that his real dream was to be an actor."
Communications

Submission + - Diebold Weighs Strategy for Voting Unit

Submitted by Victory
Victory writes: Diebold Inc. saw great potential in the modernization of elections equipment. Now, analysts say, executives may be angling for ways to dump its e-voting subsidiary that's widely seen as tarnishing the company's reputation. Though Diebold Election Systems — the company's smallest business segment — has shown growth and profit, it's faced persistent criticism over the reliability and security of its touch-screen voting machines. About 150,000 of its touch-screen or optical scan systems were used in 34 states in last November's election.
Slashdot.org

Submission + - The 50 Most Important People on the Web

Submitted by sas-dot
sas-dot writes: In the pcworld.com article on The 50 Most Important People on the Web CmdrTaco is ranked at 44. Slashdot is credited with pioneering techblogs, but what caught my eye is the comment that "other sites have stolen a bit of slashdot's thunder", is slashdot not a frontrunner anymore? Who are the competitors to slash dot? given below is the original comment
44. Rob MaldaFounder, Slashdot.org In 1997, Rob Malda (aka CmdrTaco) created Slashdot, the original blog with prioritized news content discussed in posts by snarky (and often highly technical) readers. In fact, the original news story often serves as a mere jumping off point for the site's meaty comments and discussions (fodder for links to more news stories). Even if you prefer Digg (see #32), Techmeme (see #38), Technorati, or some other news aggregation blog, don't forget that it all started with Slashdot. Authors and editors still consider it a badge of honor when their news story is "slashdotted," though increased competition from other sites has stolen a bit of Slashdot's thunder.
Democrats

Submission + - Who to thank for the Daylight Savings Time Change

Submitted by steverar
steverar writes: If you're in IT and having "fun" making sure everything's (OS, phone system, patient monitors, Blackberries, etc. ) updated/patched for the new Daylight Saving Time change coming March 11th, please thank Rep. Ed Markey. He sponsored and attached the amendment to the Energy Act of 2005. Read about him here http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_conte nt&task=view&id=2624&Itemid=141
Security

Submission + - Guess he should have used PGP

Submitted by
gkearney
gkearney writes: "A man is suing Microsoft because the FBI was able to read his "secure" hard drive. He was arrested for selling an air rifle with silencer (Why an air rifle would need a silencer is another story.) when the ATF seized his porn ladened computer which he had secured with various software. When the FBI computer lab was able to read his drive he file d suit. Interesting that HP and Circuit City settled with him. Now about those silencer equipped air rifles...

http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle .jhtml?articleID=197700861&cid=RSSfeed_TechWeb"
Desktops (Apple)

Submission + - Microsoft Wanted To Drop Mac Office To Hurt Apple

Submitted by Overly Critical Guy
Overly Critical Guy writes: More documents in the Iowa antitrust case have come out. This time, it's revealed that Microsoft considers Mac users its "guinea pigs" for new Office features, and they once considered dropping Mac Office entirely, "as doing so will do a great deal of harm to Apple immediately." This case has become a treasure trove of internal memos describing Microsoft's internal business practices of the last ten years.
Google

Submission + - Google Adsense may be penalizing popular sites

Submitted by Bryan
Bryan writes: This first paragraph from the article pretty much sums it up:
'Data on several sites maintained by the operators of Texxors.com suggests that Google may be manipulating the profits webmasters receive from Google's Adsense program. Our analysis shows statistical evidence that as a website becomes more popular, it receives less earnings per click (EPC) from Google Adsense. Since the EPC is determined by Google's algorithms prior to the ad being served to a page, this suggests that Google may be intentionally or unintentionally manipulating EPC to increase their profit and/or Adsense participation. The method appears to be similar to the "throttling" practices that landed online movie retailer Netflix in legal hot water last year.'
Full article

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