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Education

Hacked Review System Leads To Fake Reviews and Retraction of Scientific Papers 67

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the too-good-to-review dept.
dstates writes "Retraction Watch reports that fake reviewer information was placed in Elsevier's peer review database allowing unethical authors to review their own or colleagues manuscripts. As a result, 11 scientific publications have been retracted. The hack is particularly embarrassing for Elsevier because the commercial publisher has been arguing that the quality of its review process justifies its restrictive access policies and high costs of the journals it publishes."
The Almighty Buck

If Tech Is So Important, Why Are IT Wages Flat? 660

Posted by Soulskill from the all-about-the-benjamins dept.
dcblogs writes "Despite the fact that technology plays an increasingly important role in the economy, IT wages remain persistently flat. This may be tech's inconvenient truth. In 2000, the average hourly wage was $37.27 in computer and math occupations for workers with at least a bachelor's degree. In 2011, it was $39.24, adjusted for inflation, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute. That translates to an average wage increase of less than a half percent a year. In real terms, IT wages overall have gone up by $1.97 an hour in just over 10 years, according to the EPI. Data from professional staffing firm Yoh shows wages in decline. In its latest measure for week 12 of 2012, the hourly wages were $31.45 and in 2010, for the same week, at $31.78. The worker who earned $31.78 in 2010 would need to make $33.71 today to stay even with inflation. Wages vary by skill and this data is broad. The unemployment rate for tech has been in the 3-4% range, but EPI says full employment has been historically around 2%."
DRM

Richard Stallman: 'Apple Has Tightest Digital Handcuffs In History' 515

Posted by Soulskill from the taking-applications-for-digital-houdini dept.
jrepin points out a discussion with Richard Stallman in which he talks about how the Free Software movement is faring in light of companies that have been successful in the long term with very different principles, like Microsoft and Apple. Stallman had this to say: "I would say the free software movement has gone about half the distance it has to travel. We managed to make a mass community but we still have a long way to go to liberate computer users. Those companies are very powerful. They are cleverly finding new ways to take control over users. ... The most widely used non-free programs have malicious features – and I’m talking about specific, known malicious features. ... There are three kinds: those that spy on the user, those that restrict the user, and back doors. Windows has all three. Microsoft can install software changes without asking permission. Flash Player has malicious features, as do most mobile phones. Digital handcuffs are the most common malicious features. They restrict what you can do with the data in your own computer. Apple certainly has the digital handcuffs that are the tightest in history. The i-things, well, people found two spy features and Apple says it removed them and there might be more. When people don’t know about this issue they choose based on immediate convenience and nothing else. And therefore they can be herded into giving up their freedom by a combination of convenient features, pressure from institutions and the network effect."
Biotech

Submission + - Paralyzed Dogs Walk Again After Cell Transplant (singularityhub.com)

Submitted by
kkleiner
kkleiner writes: "British researchers successfully restored the ability to walk in paralyzed dogs. Special cells taken from the dogs’ noses and transplanted to injured areas caused regrowth of neurons. Within six months the dogs amazingly regained used of their hind legs and were able to use a treadmill, some without a harness. The researchers hope the procedure might one day lead to a cure for humans with spinal cord injury."
Intel

Submission + - OEMs Confirm Intel's Broadwell CPU Won't Be Sold In Interchangeable Sockets (muktware.com)

Submitted by sfcrazy
sfcrazy writes: PC enthusiasts which like to buy separate processor and motherboards are in for a surprise from Intel, the microprocessor manufacturer. Newer versions of the Intel "Core" Processor will be soldered onto the motherboard. This means that 2014's Broadwell chip, the successor to 2013's Haswell, will be sold only in a non-socket version. Although Intel has not confirmed this story, motherboard OEMs have confirmed the story. What we don't have is a complete picture of Intel in 2014. This means that the story has properties of a rumor.
The Courts

Apple Claims New Infringement After Being Ordered To Tell Samsung HTC Secrets 287

Posted by samzenpus from the circle-of-litigation dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Ordered to tell Samsung all of the company's HTC secrets, Apple throws a tantrum and adds a bunch of new products to the never-ending list of products Samsung has infringed on. Apple's tantrum stems from a ruling on Thursday that could have a large effect on the Apple lawsuit. The Apple lawsuit, which was filed in February, alleges that Samsung violated Apple patents related to user interface, technology and style. The first decision was found in favor of Apple to the tune of $1 billion, but Samsung is trying to get that ruling thrown out. But as the Apple lawsuit has gone on, the Apple lawsuit has gotten fiercer, and because of a ruling on Thursday, Apple throws a tantrum and is trying to add even more products into the lawsuit."

Comment TuL .5mm (Fine) Retractable Gel Pens (Score 1) 712

by virtualXTC (#41839555) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: The Search For the Ultimate Engineer's Pen
I stumbled upon this brand while signing my motorcycle repair bill. Started ranting to the repair tech about how nice it was, and he let me have it. When I got home and looked up the cost I couldn't belive they weren't more expensive than Cross pens and was just blown away that they were cheap enough to buy by the pack:
DRM

Feds Continue To Consider Linux Users Criminals For Watching DVDs 423

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the don't-watch-that-movie-you-paid-for dept.
An anonymous reader sent in a link to an article in Wired about the latest DMCA loophole hearing. Bad news: the federal government rejected requests that would make console modding and breaking DRM on DVDs to watch them legal. So, you dirty GNU/Linux hippies using libdvdcss better watch out: "Librarian of Congress James Billington and Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante rejected the two most-sought-after items on the docket, game-console modding and DVD cracking for personal use and 'space shifting.' Congress plays no role in the outcome. The regulators said that the controls were necessary to prevent software piracy and differentiated gaming consoles from smart phones, which legally can be jailbroken. ... On the plus side, the regulators re-authorized jailbreaking of mobile phones. On the downside, they denied it for tablets, saying an 'ebook reading device might be considered a tablet, as might a handheld video game device.'" So you can jailbreak a phone, but if it's 1" larger and considered a "tablet" you are breaking the law.

Comment Re:What they are actually reporting an Issue. (Score 1) 320

by virtualXTC (#41399983) Attached to: Stubborn Intel Graphics Bug Haunts Ubuntu 12.04
I tried that; but my wireless-N drivers don't work on anything less than 12.04; so I'm F-ed either way. Given the choice between patchy (and almost useless) wireless and patchy suspend, I'll choose the suspend issue, since really I'd rather fully shutdown to conserve battery anyway. It's good to hear that things are fine on other distros; I'll happily go back to OpenSUSE.

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interlard - vt., to intersperse; diversify -- Webster's New World Dictionary Of The American Language

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