Submission + - Yahoo censors open source suggestions (wordpress.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Someone else can write this up. I'm too lazy. Just look at the link.
Journal Journal: RFID Industry Fights Ca. Bills that Limit Crazy RFID Use. 275
California Democratic Sen. Joe Simitian has several proposals to limit RFID use, like baning employers or anyone else from requiring a person to have radio frequency identification devices implanted. Even this small measure of privacy protection is too much for the RFID makers:
CERN Announces Collider Startup Delay 98
perturbed1 writes "The 142nd session of the CERN Council saw Organizational Director General Robert Aymar announcing a delay in the activation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The installation will start up in May 2008, taking 'the first steps towards studying physics at a new high-energy frontier.' Such a delay was foreseen due to the quadrupole accident, which we've previously discussed. This gives extra time for Fermilab physicists to try to understand the latest interesting hints of the Higgs boson, as well as give much needed extra-time for the detectors at CERN to get ready for data taking. Given that it will be fall before the LHC detectors take any useful data from collisions at 14TeV, could Fermilab collect enough data for a 5-sigma discovery by then?"
Submission + - Google threatens to terminate Gmail in Germany
em8chel writes: "Back in January Peter Fleischer, Google's Global Privacy Counsel wrote "A German Threat to Anonymous Email Accounts" on his Blog:
"...Governments are particularly nervous about anonymous e-mail accounts that are offered by many online services, since they believe that such accounts are used by terrorists and other criminals. In fact, recently the German justice minister even proposed eliminating or sharply restricting such anonymous e-mail, by requiring that individuals present a passport before they are able to open a webmail account...."
Now heise is reporting (in German) that Google is threatening to terminate its Gmail service in Germany (which was renamed to GoogleMail due to patent issues) should the Parliament presses on to pass the controversial legislative initiative concerning data retention and tele-communication monitoring. The Federal Ministry of Justice plans to prohibit email service providers giving out anonymous accounts. Email service providers will be obligated to collect registrant's personal information so each and every account is identifiable. Fleischer calls the move a severe blow to privacy and says in an interview that in case of need Google will shut down its email service in Germany."
"...Governments are particularly nervous about anonymous e-mail accounts that are offered by many online services, since they believe that such accounts are used by terrorists and other criminals. In fact, recently the German justice minister even proposed eliminating or sharply restricting such anonymous e-mail, by requiring that individuals present a passport before they are able to open a webmail account...."
Now heise is reporting (in German) that Google is threatening to terminate its Gmail service in Germany (which was renamed to GoogleMail due to patent issues) should the Parliament presses on to pass the controversial legislative initiative concerning data retention and tele-communication monitoring. The Federal Ministry of Justice plans to prohibit email service providers giving out anonymous accounts. Email service providers will be obligated to collect registrant's personal information so each and every account is identifiable. Fleischer calls the move a severe blow to privacy and says in an interview that in case of need Google will shut down its email service in Germany."
Submission + - FCC requests comments on Leased Access channels (dwt.com)
websta writes: "The blog at Davis Wright Tremaine — a broadcast law firm in D.C. — published an article on the FCC's request for comments on "leased access" cable channels here: http://www.dwt.com/practc/communications/bulletins /06-07_LeasedAccess-ProgramCarriage.htm
Background: The FCC requires cable companies with more than 100 channels to open 15% of their channels for "leased access" where independent television programmers (e.g., you, your mini-DV camcorder, and a dream) could have your own commercial-supported television station, "to promote competition in the delivery of diverse sources of video programming and to assure that the widest possible diversity of information sources are available to the public from cable system in a manner consistent with growth and development of cable system."
The problem? Cable company non-compliance and exhorbitant lease fees.
The new 2/3 Commissioners at the FCC have issued statements here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/ FCC-07-18A2.pdf http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/ FCC-07-18A3.pdf
This is a big issue. A quote: "We must meet these statutory directives [to provide viable access for anyone to start their own TV stations), not only because it's our duty, but because these independent programmers provide the diversity of voices that is so central to the proper functioning of our media and, ultimately, to our democracy itself. If our rules aren't giving independent programmers the carriage opportunities to which they're entitled, we'd better fix them — and fast." — Commissioner Copps, http://tinyurl.com/ysewgf .
Request: Here are the questions the FCC Commissioners are looking to answer:
"It would be helpful to the Commission for commenters to submit comments in response to the following questions:
What rates do the cable operators charge for full-time and part-time leased access? What are the average maximum
leased access rates? How do cable operators justify any variances in rates? Are the rates reasonable in light of the
fact that cable operators have larger channel capacity than they did in 1997, and thus perhaps there is less scarcity?
Has the rate formula decreased anticompetitive practices? Has the rate formula increased use of leased access
channels which promote diversity? Do the current rates established by cable operators under the Commission's
regulations deter non-affiliated programmers who otherwise would seek access? Is the method for calculating the
maximum rate appropriate for digital cable, VOD, and IPTV?"
Versions of the leased access rules, with commentary, may be found http://tinyurl.com/22h7th and http://tinyurl.com/2hws9z . There is also a commentary here: http://tinyurl.com/24o633 .
So, write/email your cable company and ask for a quote for your own leased access channel, and send your experiences/comments to the FCC here: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ . Note that you are responding to "Leased Commercial Access; Development of Competition and Diversity in Video Programming
Distribution and Carriage (MB Docket No. 07-42).""
Background: The FCC requires cable companies with more than 100 channels to open 15% of their channels for "leased access" where independent television programmers (e.g., you, your mini-DV camcorder, and a dream) could have your own commercial-supported television station, "to promote competition in the delivery of diverse sources of video programming and to assure that the widest possible diversity of information sources are available to the public from cable system in a manner consistent with growth and development of cable system."
The problem? Cable company non-compliance and exhorbitant lease fees.
The new 2/3 Commissioners at the FCC have issued statements here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch
This is a big issue. A quote: "We must meet these statutory directives [to provide viable access for anyone to start their own TV stations), not only because it's our duty, but because these independent programmers provide the diversity of voices that is so central to the proper functioning of our media and, ultimately, to our democracy itself. If our rules aren't giving independent programmers the carriage opportunities to which they're entitled, we'd better fix them — and fast." — Commissioner Copps, http://tinyurl.com/ysewgf .
Request: Here are the questions the FCC Commissioners are looking to answer:
"It would be helpful to the Commission for commenters to submit comments in response to the following questions:
What rates do the cable operators charge for full-time and part-time leased access? What are the average maximum
leased access rates? How do cable operators justify any variances in rates? Are the rates reasonable in light of the
fact that cable operators have larger channel capacity than they did in 1997, and thus perhaps there is less scarcity?
Has the rate formula decreased anticompetitive practices? Has the rate formula increased use of leased access
channels which promote diversity? Do the current rates established by cable operators under the Commission's
regulations deter non-affiliated programmers who otherwise would seek access? Is the method for calculating the
maximum rate appropriate for digital cable, VOD, and IPTV?"
Versions of the leased access rules, with commentary, may be found http://tinyurl.com/22h7th and http://tinyurl.com/2hws9z . There is also a commentary here: http://tinyurl.com/24o633 .
So, write/email your cable company and ask for a quote for your own leased access channel, and send your experiences/comments to the FCC here: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ . Note that you are responding to "Leased Commercial Access; Development of Competition and Diversity in Video Programming
Distribution and Carriage (MB Docket No. 07-42).""
First Quantum Computing Gate on a Chip 166
An anonymous reader writes "After recent success in using quantum computing for superconducting qubits, researchers from Delft have formed the first Controlled-NOT quantum gate. 'A team has demonstrated a key ingredient of such a computer by using one superconducting loop to control the information stored on a second. Combined with other recent advances, the result may pave the way for devices of double the size in the next year or two--closer to what other quantum computing candidates have achieved, says physicist Hans Mooij of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Unlike today's computers, which process information in the form of 0s and 1s, a quantum computer would achieve new levels of power by turning bits into fuzzy quantum things called qubits (pronounced cue-bits) that are 0 and 1 simultaneously. In theory, quantum computers would allow hackers to crack today's toughest coded messages and researchers to better simulate molecules for designing new drugs and materials.'"
Submission + - Carbon Nanoscrolls for Hydrogen Storage (justchromatography.com)
peacephila writes: Researches from Greece demonstrated that hydrogen can be successfully stored in recently synthesized carbon nanoscrolls — the carbon material that shows a spiral form and can be obtained by a twisting of a graphite sheet. When doped with alkali metals, the nanoscrolls can make very promising materials for hydrogen storage application, reaching 3 wt % at ambient temperature and pressure.
FBI Seeks To Restrict University Student Freedoms 593
amigoro writes with a link to the Press Escape blog, which is discussing new guidelines suggest by the FBI for university administrations. The Federal Bureau, worried about the possibility of international espionage via our centers of learning, now sees the need to restrict the freedoms of university students for national security. "FBI is offering to brief faculty, students and staff on what it calls 'espionage indicators' aimed at identifying foreign agents. Unexplained affluence, failing to report overseas travel, showing unusual interest in information outside the job scope, keeping unusual work hours, unreported contacts with foreign nationals, unreported contact with foreign government, military, or intelligence officials, attempting to gain new accesses without the need to know, and unexplained absences are all considered potential espionage indicators."
Underfunded NSA Suffers Brownouts 198
An anonymous reader writes "Almost ten years after the an internal report, and a year after a Baltimore sun story warned that the electrical system at the fort Meade NSA HQ couldn't keep up with the growing electricity demand ... the problem has got worse. The 'NSA has had to resort to partial, rolling brownouts at its computer farms and scheduled power outages and some offices are experiencing significant power disruptions'. NSA director Alexander testified to congress about this problem. It is suggested he wanted to add more than $800 million to the 07 budget. A recent public powerpoint presentation suggested 70% of of all intelligence spending goes to contractors. It also included a graph, without numbers, of this spending. It suggests that US intelligence spending is around $60 billion. An internal survey that showed NSA employees have problems trusting each other."
Submission + - 10 Great Looking Racks
tr3p0r writes: Custom installers pride themselves on the clean, tidy wiring of the A/V rack — and they should. But while the back of the A/V rack gets a lot of attention, CE PRo wanted to see what they are doing to make the front of the rack unique. They asked their readers to submit their innovative, unique and just plain cool racks for a Great Looking Racks collection.
Fiber Optic Table Illuminates Your Dining 90
Deepa writes "We highly doubt LumiGram's Luminous Fiber Optic Tablecloth was designed with power outages in mind, but why hook up a boring string of lamps or fiddle with half melted candles when you can plug this bad boy into the generator? The cloth, which has fiber optics woven throughout, cotton borders, and a Europlug mains adapter, proves most useful when the lights are dimmed, and should prove quite the centerpiece at your next get-together. The illuminating device is available in a trio of sizes, comes in a variety of color schemes."
Submission + - NVIDIA Graphics Compared Under Linux & Solaris (phoronix.com)
Monte writes: In what appears to be the first-ever comparison between Linux and Solaris for the NVIDIA binary GPU drivers, Phoronix has tested and compared Fedora 7 with two versions of Solaris Express. In the Phoronix article they had used SPECViewperf 9.0.3 for the comparison. With all of the results shown, Linux had outperformed Solaris when using the NVIDIA drivers, but the performance results were remarkably close.
Quantum Dots Might Be Key For Teleportation 221
prostoalex writes "Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have created a model teleportation system using quantum dots. PhysOrg reports that 'tiny clusters of atoms known as quantum dots may be excellent media for quantum teleportation, a physics phenomenon in which information — in the form of a quantum state, a very specific mathematical signature of an atom — can be transmitted almost instantaneously to a distant location without having to physically travel through space.'"
YouTube To Share Revenue With 20-year-old Filmmaker 72
destinyland writes "YouTube just has signed a deal to share ad revenue with 20-year-old Brandon Fletcher. YouTube had already said they'd implement revenue sharing this summer, but this indicates they're willing to put their money where their mouth was. 10 Zen Monkeys has a funny chronicle of Brandon's enviable march to YouTube money. 9 weeks ago he flew to California to demand YouTube feature his video on their front page. A security guard refused to let him off the elevator — but he made crucial contacts which helped seal the deal 9 weeks later. Taking this business to the next level makes sense in the here and now, when some 70 percent of internet users are streaming video."
Submission + - Emails Have 4th Amendment Protections
taoman1 writes: It isn't just judges who define the protections of the 4th Amendment's ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. So do ordinary citizens, with the way they live their lives. A federal appeals court has reaffirmed that principle by ruling that e-mail messages stored by an Internet service provider deserve the same privacy protections as the contents of telephone calls. In both situations, the legal touchstone is the same: whether users of a communications service have a "reasonable expectation of privacy."
