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The Internet

Submission + - UK ISPs Granted Judicial Review of Anti-Piracy Act (ispreview.co.uk) 1

Submitted by Mark.JUK
Mark.JUK writes: Two of the United Kingdom's largest internet service providers (ISP), BT and TalkTalk, which account for approximately 10 Million of the country's broadband users, have today won a critical Judicial Review of the controversially rushed UK Digital Economy Act 2010 (DEA). The Act seeks to identify those "suspected" of unlawful ("illegal") copyright P2P File Sharing to Rights Holders for legal action and could lead to the blocking of legitimate websites, connection speed restrictions, limits on public/open Wi-Fi usage or even account disconnection from your ISP.

However under UK law a Judicial Review is no guarantee that any changes will be made. It would force a significant part of the act back for debate and amendment, though this could just as easily make the situation worse instead of better because many of those who voted in favour are still present. The court agreed that the act had not be given enough debate.
Science

Submission + - Whales get sunburns too (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: In these ozone-depleted times, most of us reach for a T-shirt or a bottle of sunscreen to protect us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. Whales don't have those luxuries—and they're paying the price. Researchers have found numerous cases of sunburned and blistered skin on whales in the wild, sparking concern that the thinned ozone layer may be causing skin cancer in these animals.
News

Submission + - Soc Gen trader on trial for HFT algorithm theft (computerworlduk.com)

Submitted by DMandPenfold
DMandPenfold writes: The trial of a former Societe Generale trader, who stands accused of stealing the bank’s secret algorithms, has begun in New York.

Samarth Agrawal, a 27-year old man who worked for two years at Soc Gen’s Manhattan offices, is accused of copying thousands of lines of algorithmic code into word processing documents and printing them off to take elsewhere. He denies the charges.
The Military

Submission + - US Army Develops tooth cleaning gum (cosmeticsdesign.com) 1

Submitted by pryoplasm
pryoplasm writes: To help deal with some of the hygenine issues on the battlefield, the US Army worked on a gum to take the place of brushing your teeth. This might be eventually released and marketed to the public. While there are many gums out there which aren't as detrimental to your teeth, this one promises to actually help them out.
Earth

Submission + - Sniffer Rats Trained To Detect Land Mines (telegraph.co.uk)

Submitted by
Pickens
Pickens writes: "The Telegraph reports that with an acute sense of smell and easily motivated by food rewards, giant African pouched rats are being trained in Tanzania to detect the TNT in landmines through behavioral psychology: a click sound to signal a food reward whenever they make the correct detection. Training begins at four weeks old when the baby rats are exposed to humans to rid them of their fear of people and new surroundings, after which they are taught to associate a click sound with food. Rats trained under the this scheme, which takes nine months to complete, have already helped clear large swathes of land in neighbouring mine-infested Mozambique and trainers say the next frontier is to train rats to sniff out narcotics or to search for survivors of disasters such as earthquakes or collapsed buildings. "This work is not easy," says trainer Abdullah Mchomvu. "You have to be patient. Sometimes I get frustrated, but then again I tell myself these are animals, but this work saves lives.""
NASA

Submission + - Bubbles of Energy Are Found in Galaxy Core (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Something big is going on at the center of the galaxy, and astronomers are happy to say they don’t know what it is.

A group of scientists working with data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope said Tuesday that they had discovered two bubbles of energy erupting from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The bubbles, they said at a news conference and in a paper to be published Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal, extend 25,000 light years up and down from each side of the galaxy and contain the energy equivalent to 100,000 supernova explosions.

“They’re big,” said Doug Finkbeiner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, leader of the team that discovered them.

The source of the bubbles is a mystery. One possibility is that they are fueled by a wave of star births and deaths at the center of the galaxy. Another option is a gigantic belch from the black hole known to reside, like Jabba the Hutt, at the center of the Milky Way. What it is apparently not is dark matter, the mysterious something that astronomers say makes up a quarter of the universe and holds galaxies together.
Google

Submission + - Google Lures To Chrome With Free Inflight Wi-Fi (eweekeurope.co.uk) 1

Submitted by jhernik
jhernik writes: Chrome users will be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi at 30,000 feet thanks to the latest promotion from search engine giant Google

In an effort to drive up market for its Chrome web browser, Google is offering free Wi-Fi Internet access on US flights

Google joined forces with airlines AirTran, Delta and Virgin America to offer free Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi Internet access on every domestic flight from 20 November through 2 January, 2011.

The news marks a change from and expansion of Google’s free holiday Wi-Fi offer last year.

Comment Re:Who is responsible for limiting my cable choice (Score 2, Interesting) 265

by TheDawgLives (#33240636) Attached to: Google Responds To Net Neutrality Reviews
Usually the cable companies make a deal with the city wherein the cable company lays the wire in exchange for an exclusivity contract (state sponsored monopoly) for a specified time period which the city can extend. Complaining to the city counsel or is your best bet as they usually make these determinations, but don't be surprised when these complaints fall on deaf ears as these contracts usually come with nice amenities for the people who negotiate them (read "free unlimited everything packages for the city counsel.")

Comment We need to publicly mock them for their stupidity. (Score 1) 989

by TheDawgLives (#33030064) Attached to: Louisiana, Intelligent Design, and Science Classes
If these school board members want to revel in their ignorance, then that's fine, but to try to force that ignorance on their children is nothing short of child abuse. The Texas and Louisiana school board members should read these articles and try to grasp that every educated person in the world thinks they are morons... http://www.theonion.com/articles/evangelical-scientists-refute-gravity-with-new-int,1778/ http://www.theonion.com/articles/sumerians-look-on-in-confusion-as-god-creates-worl,2879/

Comment Re:DUPE (Score 1) 187

by TheDawgLives (#31566654) Attached to: Coming Soon, Smartphone-Based Banking

From TFA: "In most cases, funds are in the customers account immediately."

in the customers account != available for withdrawal.
You may get credit for the funds when interest is paid, but you can't remove the funds until the issuing bank clears the check.

See USAA's information on deposit@mobile
Specifically the FINE print: "Deposits may not be available for immediate withdrawal."

Comment Re:DUPE (Score 1) 187

by TheDawgLives (#31535474) Attached to: Coming Soon, Smartphone-Based Banking
You have to read the fine print! The funds show in your account immediately, but are not available for withdrawal. Your bank will not allow you to withdraw those funds until they have been cleared by the check writer's bank. It's the same as if you walked the check into the bank and deposited it. Your bank will always cover it's own behind. That's why banks won't let you cash a check unless a) the check writer's account is with said bank, or b) you have an account with said bank that has enough funds to cover the check. If both cases are false, then they make you deposit the check.

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