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Education

Submission + - Driving to shops better for planet then walking?

Submitted by apodyopsis
apodyopsis writes: The Times Online has done some research into uses of carbon, and come up with some startling research.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/a rticle2195538.ece

from TFA:

"The climate could benefit if people avoided exercise, ate less and became couch potatoes. Provided, of course, they remembered to switch off the TV rather than leaving it on standby."
Microsoft

Submission + - Weather alert: Microsoft FUD storm ahead

Submitted by
xtaski
xtaski writes: "In recent weeks, Microsoft seems to have gone out of its way to put Linux down, while boosting Linux. First, there was the bribetop scandal; then, the Wikipedia 'correction' affair. Now, the company is up to one of its oldest tricks: playing games with analyst reports. This time around, Sunbelt Software is working with the Yankee Group, a research company with a poor reputation in Linux circles, to produce its "yearly major survey comparing Windows to Linux." Here we go again."
Microsoft

Submission + - Weather alert: Microsoft FUD storm ahead

Submitted by
xtaski
xtaski writes: "In recent weeks, Microsoft seems to have gone out of its way to put Linux down, while boosting Linux. First, there was the bribetop scandal; then, the Wikipedia 'correction' affair. Now, the company is up to one of its oldest tricks: playing games with analyst reports. This time around, Sunbelt Software is working with the Yankee Group, a research company with a poor reputation in Linux circles, to produce its "yearly major survey comparing Windows to Linux." Here we go again."
Java

Submission + - Java's Greatest Missed Opportunity?

Submitted by jg21
jg21 writes: It looks like Bruce Eckel has hit the nail on the head again. No sooner did he finish stirring debate by writing about the "departure of the Java hyper-enthusiasts," previously discussed here on Slashdot, than he now rubs salt in the wound by highlighting in AJAXWorld Magazine how and why Java missed its golden opportunity to become the language undergirding Rich Internet Applications. [From the article: "We must ask why Java applets haven't become ubiquitous on the internet as the client-side standard for RIAs....This is an especially poignant question because Gosling and team justified rushing Java out the door (thus casting in stone many poorly-considered decisions) so that it could enable the internet revolution. That's why the AWT and Applets were thrown in at the last second, reportedly taking a month from conception to completion."]
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft wants to know... what's wrong with you?

Submitted by Fozzyuw
Fozzyuw writes: An article over at Gizmodo points out Microsofts new Xbox marketing campaign in Asia. From the article...

If you're in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Korea, Microsoft wants to know what's wrong with you. That's right, your tepid response to their console isn't their fault, it's yours. Which leads Microsoft to launch the website "whatswrongwithu.com" questioning what really is wrong with you. C'mon, it's got great Japanese games, blockbuster titles, and it looks cool!
Desktops (Apple)

Submission + - I Hate Macs Article

Submitted by bravo_2_0
bravo_2_0 writes: The Guardian has a column by Charlie Brooker detailing why he hates Macs and the people who use them. What is especially amusing are the comments from Mac fans that seem to prove his point.
Security

Submission + - Canadian coins with transmitters used for spying

Submitted by
James Gardner
James Gardner writes: "http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM .20070109.wlooniespies0109/BNStory/National/home

***

If you're a spy, Canadian money talks

JIM BRONSKILL

Canadian Press

OTTAWA — They say money talks, and a new report suggests Canadian currency is indeed chatting, at least electronically, on behalf of shadowy spies.

Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters have mysteriously turned up in the pockets of at least three American contractors who visited Canada, says a branch of the U.S. Defense Department.

Security experts believe the miniature devices could be used to track the movements of defence industry personnel dealing in sensitive military technology.

"You might want to know where the individual is going, what meetings the individual might be having and, above all, with whom," said David Harris, a former CSIS officer who consults on security matters.

"The more covert or clandestine the activity in which somebody might be involved, the more significant this kind of information could be."

The counterintelligence office of the U.S. Defense Security Service cites the currency caper as an example of the methods international spies have recently tried to illicitly acquire military technology.

The service's report, Technology Collection Trends in the U.S. Defense Industry, says foreign-hosted conventions, seminars and exhibits are popular venues for pilfering secrets.

The report is based on an analysis of 971 "suspicious contact reports" submitted in the fiscal year 2005 by security-cleared defence contractors and various official personnel.

"On at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006, cleared defense contractors' employees travelling through Canada have discovered radio frequency transmitters embedded in Canadian coins placed on their persons," the report says.

The report did not indicate what kinds of coins were involved. A service spokeswoman said details of the incidents were classified.

As a result, the type of transmitter in play — and its ultimate purpose — remain a mystery.

However, tiny tracking tags, known as RFIDs, are commonly placed in everything from clothing to key chains to help retailers track inventory.

Each tag contains a miniature antenna that beams a unique ID code to an electronic reader. The information can then be transferred by the reader into a computerized database.

The likely need for such a reading device means the doctored coins could be used to track people only in a controlled setting, not over long distances, said Chris Mathers, a security consultant and former undercover RCMP officer.

"From a technology perspective, it makes no sense," he said. "To me it's very strange."

Then there's the obvious problem: what if the coin-holder plunks the device into a pop machine?

"You give the guy something with a transmitter that he's going to spend — I mean, he might have it for an hour," Mr. Mathers said with a chuckle.

Mr. Harris speculates recent leaps in miniaturization could allow for a sophisticated transmitter capable of monitoring a target's extensive travels.

"I think we can be pretty darn confident that the technology is there for the sorts of micro-units that would be required to embed these things in a coin," he said.

"It's a brave new world, and greatly concerning on so many levels."

Passing the coin to an unwitting contractor, particularly in strife-torn countries, could mark the person for kidnapping or assassination, Mr. Harris said.

"You could almost, by handing a coin to somebody, achieve the equivalent of the Mafiosi's last kiss on the cheek."

The Defense Security Service report says employees of U.S. contractors reported suspicious contacts from individuals, firms or governments of more than 100 countries during the year.

Technologies that generated the most interest were information systems, lasers and optics, aeronautics and sensors.

A foreign approach often meant a simple request for information from the contractor.

But the report also underscores clandestine means of acquiring secrets from U.S. employees, particularly those travelling abroad.

"It is important to recognize copiers and shredders can contain built-in scanners to copy the data."

Other common methods include placing listening devices in rooms, searching hotel rooms, inspecting electronic equipment and eavesdropping on conversations.

The report, which first came to light in a U.S. newspaper, has since been posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization that tracks the intelligence world and promotes government openness."

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