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Submission + - New DMCA Exemptions Announced (copyright.gov)

Submitted by BlakeReid
BlakeReid writes: The Library of Congress has announced new exemptions from the DMCA's anti-circumvention measures, including:

DVDs for fair use by remixers, documentary filmmakers, and film professors
Unlocking and jailbreaking cell phones
Video games for security research
Software protected by obsolete dongles
eBooks for text-to-speech conversion

The exemptions are good until the next rulemaking, presumably in 2012 or 2013.
The Military

Submission + - WikiLeaks Defends Decision to Publish Afghan Docs

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "The Guardian reports that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange today defended his decision to publish thousands of secret US military files about the war in Afghanistan, after the White House said the leaks "could put the lives of Americans and our partners at risk, and threaten our national security". Assange rejected accusations that the leak had compromised America's national security. "We are familiar with groups whose abuse we expose attempting to criticise the messenger to distract from the power of the message," says Assange. "We have tried hard to make sure that this material does not put innocents at harm. All the material is over seven months old so is of no current operational consequence, even though it may be of very significant investigative consequence."" British military expert professor Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, says the leaked files were less damaging than the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal but would prove awkward for politicians. "There is no doubt that the leaks are politically pretty damaging. The papers give an impression of a lack of military discrimination in how operations were conducted. They are also appearing at the worst possible time, particularly in the United States, because people are looking for an exit strategy. This is old bad news at a new bad time.""
Education

Louisiana, Intelligent Design, and Science Classes 989

Posted by CmdrTaco from the oil-already-seeped-into-brain dept.
rollcall writes "The Livingston, Louisiana public school district is considering introducing intelligent design into its science curriculum. During the board's meeting Thursday, several board members expressed an interest in the teaching of creationism. 'Benton said that under provisions of the Science Education Act enacted last year by the Louisiana Legislature, schools can present what she termed "critical thinking and creationism" in science classes. Board Member David Tate quickly responded: "We let them teach evolution to our children, but I think all of us sitting up here on this School Board believe in creationism. Why can't we get someone with religious beliefs to teach creationism?" Fellow board member Clint Mitchell responded, "I agree...you don't have to be afraid to point out some of the fallacies with the theory of evolution. Teachers should have the freedom to look at creationism and find a way to get it into the classroom."'"
Space

Submission + - CERN Physicists Plans for Bigger, Linear Collider (physorg.com)

Submitted by suraj.sun
suraj.sun writes: Physicists at the European particle physics laboratory CERN are planning a straight collider 31 kilometers long to complement the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and help them explain the mysteries of the universe.

CERN's 27-kilometer ring atom smasher, the LHC, only became fully operational in March this year, but the scientists plan to start building a new International Linear Collider (ILC), at a cost of $6.7 billion, in 2012 to smash electrons and positrons together

The tunnel will use superconducting magnets to accelerate electrons and their antimatter equivalents, positrons, towards each other at near light speed. Construction is expected to take seven years. European director of the ILC project, Professor Brian Foster, said the linear collider would enable physicists to explore in more detail the findings of the LHC.

The location of the ILC is not finalized, but somewhere close to CERN's headquarters in Geneva is likely because most of the physicists who will want to use it are there. Around 700 scientists based at 300 universities and laboratories are already working on the project.

Physorg: http://www.physorg.com/news199345234.html
Games

Valve Provides Details On Left 4 Dead Survival Pack DLC 62

Posted by Soulskill from the a-new-take-on-not-dying dept.
A post on the Left 4 Dead blog shares details of the Survival Pack downloadable content due out next week. It will be free, and available for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game. "Our goals for Survival Mode are to deliver a mode of play distinct from Campaign or Versus, have games that regularly last under ten minutes, and emphasize competition with team play through leaderboards. Survival Mode draws on the planning and communication aspects of a successful Finale or Crescendo event, while taking it to another level. It rapidly hits a fever pitch that only a well coordinated team will be able to successfully survive. ... Given the extreme pace of Survival Mode, the number of zombies killed in a single round often outnumbers an entire campaign."

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I tell them to turn to the study of mathematics, for it is only there that they might escape the lusts of the flesh. -- Thomas Mann, "The Magic Mountain"

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