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Comment Re:Not a robot conspiracy (Score 1) 235

by illuminatedwax (#26225473) Attached to: Software-Generated Paper Accepted At IEEE Conference

Nope, 1 sentence is really all it takes, because the first sentence has this gem:

"based entirely on the assumption that the Internet and active networks are not in conflict with object-oriented languages"

This is like saying, "The American highway system is based entirely on the assumption that roads are not in conflict with CD players."
Networking

Submission + - How reliable is FTP?

Submitted by NetKidoo
NetKidoo writes: Hi Slashdot Community, I am a software engineer. Recently there was an incident at my work regarding FTP. When we release our final work product to our clients the usual procedure is as follows: 1. Test the final work product 2. Upload this to an FTP server 3. Download this from FTP Server 4. Do a validation of this downloaded work product. It happened that one of my colleagues objected to my way of doing this. He was of the opinion that this is redundant effort which I was putting to validate the downloaded work product from FTP server. What does the community feel about this? Though logically it appears there can be nothing wrong with this, Can there be any issues if I do not do this so called 'redundant' validation? I would be very interested to hear from the Geeks of slashdot community. Thanks ~Netkidoo
Censorship

Submission + - Livejournal Bans 500+ Journals for "Pedophliia

Submitted by
illuminatedwax
illuminatedwax writes: "When online watchdog group Warriors For Innocence began reporting journals and communities whose content involved pedophilia or incest to LiveJournal, they responded that the communities were not breaking any actual Terms of Service and therefore couldn't be deleted. The watchdog group then sent LiveJournal an open letter. LiveJournal then deleted over 500 communities whose listed interests could be related to pedophilia (such as "incest"). Some of the deleted groups include accounts for role-playing characters that were entirely fictional, fandom communities for fictional pedophilia (e.g. Harry Potter slash), support groups for survivors of incest or child abuse, and even a Spanish journal devoted to the discussion of the Russian novel Lolita by Nabokov. There were also a handful of what legitimately appeared to be predatory journals shut down as well. LiveJournal users have responded by warning fellow users, writing the Warriors of Innocence (reply), and moving to other journal hosting sites such as GreatestJournal. The Warriors of Innocence are maintaining that they did not intend for most of these journals to be deleted, and LiveJournal is already replying to some users. What should LiveJournal's responsibility be in keeping their site free from predators?"
IBM

SCO Relies On IBM-donated Servers With Groklaw 100

Posted by Zonk from the come-together-right-now dept.
Technician writes "It appears that SCO and Groklaw have the exact same tie to IBM: the ibiblio service. 'An eagle-eyed Groklaw ninja, sk43, has spotted an ftp site where you can get binary copies of Linux libraries needed by SCO's OpenServer and UnixWare customers who use lxrun. But you can't get the source code from that sco.com ftp site. SCO directs their customers to .... sunsite.unc.edu. Why bless my stars, sunsite.unc.edu is the old name for what is now ibiblio!'"
Microsoft

Teacher Avoids Getting Sent to Siberia For Piracy 252

Posted by CowboyNeal from the off-the-hook dept.
Piracy Support Line writes "Russian principal Alexander Ponosov will not be visiting Siberia any time soon, at least not for the allegedly illegal Microsoft software that were preloaded on the computers they bought and Microsoft supported the reseller's story. Although Bill Gates rejected Mikhail Gorbachev's personal appeal for mercy on behalf of the teacher, the judge was kinder. Judge Elvira Mosheva decided to dismiss the case because 'Microsoft's financial damage is too insignificant for a criminal investigation.'"
Anime

Submission + - The Academic Anime Convention

Submitted by
illuminatedwax
illuminatedwax writes: "The University of Chicago Japanese Animation Society is having its third annual Uchicon, a mini-anime convention, this Saturday. But what makes this convention different from the countless others is that it looks at anime from an academic perspective rather than as a consumer. Graduate and post-grad students as well as artists are invited to speak about sociological and artistic issues regarding anime, making it a blend between a conference and a convention. This year the main speakers are Deborah Shamoon, who will discuss how The Rose of Versailles has been altered over the years, and how that relates to issues such as homosexuality and cross-dressing; and Christopher Bolton, who will talk about vampirism as a metaphor for postwar politics in Blood: The Last Vampire. And like any convention, there will be a panel of local artists, video game tournaments, screenings, and other events."
Science

Doomsday Seed Vault Design Unveiled 293

Posted by Zonk from the any-room-for-humans-in-there dept.
in2mind writes "The BBC News is reporting on the completion of a design for a 'doomsday' vault ... that will house seeds. All known varieties of food crops will be represented in the structure, which will be constructed by the Norwegian government. The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes by building into the side of a mountain. On a remote island. Near the North pole. The Svalbard International Seed Vault will house the seed samples at a preservative -18C (0F), and could be used by post-apocalyptic people to feed a hungry planet."
Science

Ancient Village Unearthed Near Stonehenge 186

Posted by kdawson from the for-the-living dept.
cityhunter007 writes to point out coverage on CNN.com about an ancient village discovered two miles from Stonehenge that may have housed workers building the monument, or perhaps visitors after it was constructed. The village, at a site known as Durrington Walls, dates from about the time Stonehenge was built, 2600 BCE. The article says: "The researchers speculated that Durrington Walls was a place for the living and Stonehenge — where cremated remains have been found — was a cemetery and memorial... Stonehenge was oriented to face the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, while the wooden circle at Durrington Walls faced the midwinter sunrise and midsummer sunset."
Software

Submission + - Enso Humanizes Windows

Submitted by
illuminatedwax
illuminatedwax writes: "The Wall Street Journal's Walter S. Mossberg's latest column is a writeup on a new software system called Enso. Enso is from a small software startup called Humanized, led by Aza Raskin. The software allows Windows users to do common tasks, like launching programs, spellchecking, or Googling for search terms, but what's interesting is that it allows you to do these tasks from within any program in Windows by use of the keyboard. From the article:
There are two initial Enso products, which can be downloaded at humanized.com. One, called Enso Launcher, allows you to launch programs and switch among windows via typed commands. The other, called Enso Words, allows you to do spell-checking, even when the program you're using doesn't include that capability, and to look up the meaning of words. Both products also include a simple calculator and the ability to launch Google searches.
Humanized says that users will be able to program their own commands for Enso in future versions."
The Almighty Buck

The Grassroots Blogging Provision's Real Purpose 227

Posted by Zonk from the been-had dept.
ICantFindADecentNick writes "The Register carries a report on the defeat of Section 220 of the reform bill (the grassroots provision). In an all-too-familiar scene, bloggers, Slashdot readers and several news outlets were taken in by the hype surrounding a provision in the Senate ethics reform bill that would have required grassroots lobbying firms to register with the US Congress. To be fair, some commenters did see through the deception but the campaign, organized by Richard Viguerie, still succeeded. From the article: 'Viguerie, for those not familiar with the tarnished panoply of backroom players in American politics, pioneered the use of direct mail techniques for conservative causes, and has been called the "funding father" of the modern conservative movement. His ad agency currently handles direct mail campaigns for non-profits seeking to stimulate grassroots activity or raise funds from the general public.'" This is, of course, The Register. Still interesting to look back at the news from another point of view.

Listening Robot Senses Snipers 303

Posted by CowboyNeal from the careful-what-you-say dept.
Dr. Eggman writes "Popular Science has a brief piece on the RedOwl, a brainy-looking flightless robot that can 'read a nametag from across a football field and identify the make and model of a rifle fired a mile away simply by analyzing the sound of the distant blast.' For a paltry $150,000, the machine utilizes robotic hearing technology originally developed by Boston University's Photonics Center to improve hearing aids to sense a shot fired and pinpoint its source, identify it as a hostile or friendly weapon, and illuminate the target with a laser visible only with night vision. The RedOwl, built on an iRobot packbot platform and controlled via a modified Xbox videogame controller, can figure out the location of a target 3,000 feet away, allowing troops to call in a precision air strike."
Portables

Submission + - Aid org accuses MIT, Negroponte of exploiting poor

Submitted by Tookis
Tookis writes: Scandinavian-based aid organisation FAIR has accused the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, orchestrated by Nicholas Negroponte and MIT, of exploiting poor countries and misleading them into taking a high investment risk for a new type of technology, the success of which is very uncertain. FAIR reckons using recycled PCs is much better. http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8721/53/
Editorial

Submission + - An Underdog Story: How the Wii Became Number One

Submitted by
John Misak
John Misak writes: "GWN have published a thought-provoking editorial piece on the past, present and future of the Wii and PS3. From the article:

"Has the world gone mad? At this time last year Sony was sitting comfortably on top of the gaming console hill. Nintendo rolled the dice with the Wii and it seems to have come up seven for the company, while Sony is constantly betting the hard eight and losing chips by the handful.

Sony still sits atop the gaming heap, but may not be resting all that comfortably these days. It's interesting that the first few PS3 consoles sold in the US came with a Blu-Ray copy of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby because Sony is now a bit like Will Ferrell's Ricky, seeing that competitor coming up fast from behind. Instead of a gay French NASCAR driver, it's an Italian plumber coming by way of Japan, Sony's home turf.

An in-depth look at exactly how it happened."

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