Comment Re:Fourth Amendment (Score 1) 149
Sadly true.
If only the interstate commerce clause applied only to interstate commerce.
Submission + - Anonymous Calls For Attack On Zynga (techweekeurope.co.uk)
judgecorp writes: "Hacktivist group Anonymous has called for attacks on annoying game maker Zynga. The attacks were promoted in a video which has been pulled from Youtube for inciting law-breaking. Why is Anonymous attacking Zynga? Not for making irritating time-sucking games, but for laying off staff while making a very large profit"
Submission + - UK Petition Calls for 4G Licence Money To Go On Science And Tech (techweekeurope.co.uk)
judgecorp writes: "British celebrities in science and technology, including Brian Cox and Ben Goldacre are leading a petition calling for the proceeds of the 4G licence auction to go on science and technology. The auction, which is going ahead after years of delay, could raise billions — the petition says this money should be invested in ways to boos Britain's tech-based industry."
Submission + - There Are 26 Nuclear Power Plants in Hurricane Sandy's Path (vice.com)
pigrabbitbear writes: "Hurricane Sandy is about to ruin a bunch of people’s Mondays. In New York City alone, the storm has already shut down public transportation, forced tens of thousands to relocate to higher ground and compelled even more office jockeys to work from home. (Okay, that last part might not be so bad, especially for the folks that don’t actually have to work at all.) But if it knocks out power to any of the 26 nuclear power plants that lie directly in its path, the frankenstorm of the century will ruin Tuesday, too. Heck, a nuclear meltdown would probably screw up the entire week."
Submission + - Researchers: Your GPU's "Fingerprint" Could Lead to New Security Methods
Esther Schindler writes: "Researchers have found that each graphic processing unit (GPU) has a unique identifier that could be tied to a person or PC. This has potential upsides for security and authentication and downsides.
The Physically Unclonable Functions Found in standard PC Components Project, or PUFFIN, say that every GPU has a unique and defining set of characteristics that make each GPU as unique and individual as a snowflake or a fingerprint.
These differences are known as a physical unclonable functions (PUF); they can only be detected by software and by knowing where to look. This is how the PUFFIN group found the uniqueness to GPU memory in the first place, since it was looking for PUFs....
What this means is the 0s and 1s of SRAM have a unique arrangement to each GPU — which enables your GPU to become your authenticator. A WoW gamer won't need the separate physical authenticator any more, as her GPU can handle authentication for them.
In this article, Andy Patrizio speaks with several experts about the advantages and disadvantages of GPUs for two-factor authentication. Though, he points out, the research is still underway."
Submission + - Google announces $299 Nexus 4 smartphone and $399 Nexus 10 tablet (bgr.com) 1
TheBoat writes: Surprise, surprise. It looks like Hurricane Sandy can’t hold Google down, as the company has just gone ahead and unveiled the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet even though its press conference was canceled. Nexus 4 specs include a 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus display with 1,280 x 768-pixel resolution, an 8-megapixel camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.2. The phone starts at a shockingly affordable $299 without any contract or subsidies, and it will launch in the United States on November 3rd.
The Samsung-built Nexus 10 tablet sports a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel display with a pixel density of 300 PPI, a dual-core 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos chipset, 2GB of RAM, NFC and a 5-megapixel camera. Pricing starts at $399 with 16GB of storage and tops out at $499 for the 32GB model, and both will launch on November 3rd alongside the Nexus 4.
Both devices will be available through the Google Play store.
The Samsung-built Nexus 10 tablet sports a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel display with a pixel density of 300 PPI, a dual-core 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos chipset, 2GB of RAM, NFC and a 5-megapixel camera. Pricing starts at $399 with 16GB of storage and tops out at $499 for the 32GB model, and both will launch on November 3rd alongside the Nexus 4.
Both devices will be available through the Google Play store.
Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Next career steps for developer turning engineer
An anonymous reader writes: I currently work as a "practice lead" at a medium-sized consulting firm, which is to say I manage a team of 6-10 PHP/LAMP programmers to build enterprise CMSs and applications. While I enjoy what I do, I've recently been considering a second bachelors degree and really a new career in engineering. Specifically I'm interested in the combination of mechanics, electronics, and computing, which is currently pointing me towards the mechatronics field of engineering. My goal is to be able to understand, from start to finish, how an "electronic" product is designed, manufactured, and brought to market. My challenge is finding the right program; I have 2 masters degrees (statistics and an MBA) but lack the core math/physics knowledge that any engineering student should grasp. I have 10+ years experience programming (Perl, Python, PHP, VB, nothing in C or C++) and needless to say would like to learn more CS theory. So my question /.: What programs/disciplines do you recommend? What should I study on my own vs. what to study in the university? What skills should I expect to learn on-the-job vs. in the university?
Submission + - Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro (adafruit.com)
ptorrone writes: "Open-source hardware company Adafruit released a Linux Raspberry Pi distro for hardware hackers and teaching electronics. This distro comes with SPI, I2C, & OneWire WiFi. It also has some things to make overall hacking easier such sshd on startup (with key generation on first boot) andBonjour (so you can simply ssh raspberrypi.local from any computer on the local network. It's called Occidentalis v0.1. Rubus occidentalis(the black raspberry) derived fromRaspbian Wheezy and available for download here."
Submission + - Cortana: IRC-style Scripting for Armitage and Metasploit (strategiccyber.com)
An anonymous reader writes: I'm the developer of Armitage, a Metasploit Framework GUI that allows a team of hackers to collaborate on an engagement. Inspired by my days on IRC in the 1990s, I wondered what would happen if I added bots to this collaborative hacking setup. At DEFCON 20, I announced Cortana, a scripting language to write red team bots and extend Armitage with new features. Cortana is a glue language for security practitioners. With Cortana, you may automate the use of Metasploit Framework modules, integrate external tools, respond to events, and modify the Armitage user interface to reflect your hacking process. I look forward to seeing what the community does with this.
Submission + - New facts about Civilization V (amazines.com)
smecenalimanu writes: One of the vital points in Civilization 5 is cooperation with other empires . It is wise choice to trade with resources and luxuries and to make research pacts with other nations . Second important thing is to have good contacts with city-state . There are 3 kinds of them : Militaristic city — they have big armies . If you are their friend or partner , you will receive military unit every few turns .
Submission + - Apple comes clean, admits to doing market research (networkworld.com)
colinneagle writes: In an interview with Fortune a few years ago, Steve Jobs explained that Apple never does market research. Rather, they simply preoccupy themselves with creating great products.
On Monday, Apple's Greg Joswiak — the company's VP of Product Marketing — submitted a declaration to the Court explaining why documents relating to Apple's market research and strategy should be sealed.
Every month, Apple surveys iPhone buyers and Joswiak explains what Apple is able to glean from these surveys. And as you might expect, Apple conducts similar surveys with iPad buyers.
Apple wants all of these tracking studies sealed. Joswiak explains that if a competitor were to find out what drives iPhone purchases — whether it be FaceTime, battery life, or Siri — it would serve as an unfair competitive edge to rival companies. Further, competitors, as it stands today, have to guess as to which demographics are most satisfied with Apple products.
On Monday, Apple's Greg Joswiak — the company's VP of Product Marketing — submitted a declaration to the Court explaining why documents relating to Apple's market research and strategy should be sealed.
Every month, Apple surveys iPhone buyers and Joswiak explains what Apple is able to glean from these surveys. And as you might expect, Apple conducts similar surveys with iPad buyers.
Apple wants all of these tracking studies sealed. Joswiak explains that if a competitor were to find out what drives iPhone purchases — whether it be FaceTime, battery life, or Siri — it would serve as an unfair competitive edge to rival companies. Further, competitors, as it stands today, have to guess as to which demographics are most satisfied with Apple products.
Submission + - US Missile Defense Staff Told To Stop Watching Porn
An anonymous reader writes: John James Jr., director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and is responsible for the nation's missile defense system, recently sent out a one-page memo warning employees and contractors to stop using agency computers to visit pornographic Web sites. That's right; apparently they were watching the wrong type of bombshells.
Submission + - Windows 8 Pro upgrade announced for less than $50 (bit.com.au)
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft has announced that upgrading to Windows 8 Pro will cost $39.99 until January 31 next year, meaning upgrade pricing for new OS will initially be a good deal cheaper than Windows has cost in years past. The $39.99 price will apply if you’re upgrading from Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, according to this post on the Windows blog. The post says the price will apply in 131 countries. There is one catch — when Windows 8 Pro is available, you’ll need to upgrade via the Windows.com site to get it for $39.99. If you want the software on DVD, it will cost $69.99. As this article notes, the price is reasonably less than what Windows users have been charged in years past.
Submission + - World's Thinnest Screen Created From Soap Bubble (gizmocrazed.com)
Diggester writes: For most people, when you think of bubbles you remember the childhood joy of seeing those floating, shimmering spheres you desperately want to pop, but for a group of researchers at the University of Tokyo, they see a new medium for 3rd dimensional displays.
Now this isn't your average soap, it's a special mixture that creates more of a "tough bubble" that can withstand the high frequency vibrations used to form the colloidal display. The initial applications of this technology are imagined as the world's thinnest 3D screen or flexible display.
Now this isn't your average soap, it's a special mixture that creates more of a "tough bubble" that can withstand the high frequency vibrations used to form the colloidal display. The initial applications of this technology are imagined as the world's thinnest 3D screen or flexible display.
Submission + - Apple patents "Method and apparatus for executing program code". (uspto.gov)
spiracle writes: Apple has been granted patent number 8,209,525 for the execution of vector instructions for unwinding a loop. (As far as I can tell).
