Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Windows for refining uranium??? (Score 1) 349

by Garabito (#34573312) Attached to: Stuxnet Virus Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Program by 2 Years
No, they don't. They run an embedded real-time OS, just like any decent PLC would do.

However, the software environment to develop applications for them (Step7) does run only on MS Windows, and so does WinCC, their SCADA software (used as UI to the nuclear facility operators to control the process). Both Step7 and WinCC are developed by Siemens and targeted by Stuxnet. Replacing WinCC with other software that can run on any other plattform has its costs but is doable. Replacing Step 7 is not feasible, as it would need a lot of propietary information on Siemens S7 PLCs internals. It's like making Linux drivers for some propieary piece of hardware, but a lot harder.

Comment Re:Suck it up Zuck. (Score 1) 218

by Garabito (#34189052) Attached to: Google Asks Users To Complain Against Facebook

(While they are at it, why don't they get your emails too...)

Sadly, Facebook could do it and most people wouldn't care. They'd be excited they can see their e-mails in their inbox, without having to go to the GMail website, and be able to post their e-mails on their walls so their friends can 'Like' 'em and post comments about them... Maybe I just shut up and stop giving them ideas.

Submission + - Boeing halts 787 test flights after cabin smoke (yahoo.com)

Submitted by Garabito
Garabito writes: Boeing halted test flights of its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner on Wednesday, a day after smoke in the main cabin forced an emergency landing in Texas. Boeing Co halted test flights of its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner on Wednesday, a day after smoke in the main cabin forced an emergency landing in Texas.
The aircraft, carrying 42 crew and test technicians on a test flight from Yuma, Arizona, remained in Laredo on Wednesday while Boeing planned to evaluate data from the aircraft at its facilities in Seattle.
Google

Submission + - Nicaragua Raids Costa Rica, Blames Google Maps (searchengineland.com)

Submitted by Garabito
Garabito writes: An error on Google Maps has caused an international conflict in Central America.

A Nicaraguan military commander, relying on Google Maps, moved troops into an area near San Juan Lake along the border between his country and Costa Rica. The troops are accused of setting up camp there, taking down a Costa Rican flag and raising the Nicaraguan flag, doing work to clean up a nearby river, and dumping the sediment in Costa Rican territory.

Feed Ars Technica: Office 2011 for Mac arrives with Outlook, online collaboration (arstechnica.com)

From feed by feedfeeder

Microsoft announced Tuesday that Office 2011 for Mac is now available. The update to the ubiquitous productivity suite includes a number of major additions, including the return of Visual Basic scripting, the replacement of Entourage with a Mac version of Outlook, and integration with Microsoft's online collaboration tools.

In addition to Word, Excel, and Powerpointessentially the standards for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations in the business worldOffice 2011 also includes a brand new version of Outlook, the combination e-mail, calendar, and contact management application. Outlook 2011 is engineered to connect with Microsoft's Exchange enterprise e-mail servers, so Mac users in corporate environments will most appreciate the change.

Read the comments on this post



United Kingdom

Journal Journal: Sale of Goods Act beats AppleCare 2

Journal by TheRaven64

A little while ago, someone on Slashdot pointed me at the Sale of Goods Act in relation to purchased electronics. The act, for those unfamiliar with it, requires that goods be 'suitable for the purpose for which sold.' This is a fairly broad term, but it basically means that they must be able to do anything that the seller claims that they can do. Under this law, y
Earth

Submission + - First of 33 trapped Chilean miners reaches surface (cnn.com)

Submitted by suraj.sun
suraj.sun writes: Rescuers clap and cheer as the first miner to be rescued, Florencio Avalos, 31, leaves the capsule and steps onto the surface for the first time in about 68 days. After hugging several people, he is put on a stretcher and wheeled into a nearby triage center.

CNN: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/12/workers-begin-to-rescue-trapped-chilean-miners/

CNN Live Stream: http://www.cnn.com/video/?launchLivePlayer=true&stream=2

Submission + - University bans Facebook, Twitter for a week (cnn.com)

Submitted by Winchestershire
Winchestershire writes: Pennsylvania's Harrisburg University of Science and Technology will enact a week-long social media blackout for all students in residence.
The students will be forbidden from using Twitter,Facebook, instant messaging and any other online communication except for e-mail. University Provost Eric Darr chose to enact the temporary ban because he wants students to think about how much they're using technology in their daily lives and what kind of impact it has.
Open Source

Submission + - You Don't Have To Be A Trademark Bully (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In an era where companies threatening anyone who does anything with a vaguely similar sounding name with trademark infringement, it's nice to see that some more progressive-thinking companies are realizing that there are other options. In two recent stories, Techdirt highlights how two hot tech startups have taken a very different approach from the norm in dealing with their main trademarks. Twitter openly and freely licenses its trademark to most users, whereas most companies would demand cash or send a cease & desist letters. The large ecosystem of apps and service built up around Twitter may have been helped along by this accepting policy. For trademark lawyers who insist you "must" send a cease & desist to defend your trademark, they often forget that an equally workable solution is licensing it. Then there's Automattic, makers of the WordPress blogging system, which recently decided to transfer its trademark to a non-profit foundation focused on furthering the open source efforts of WordPress, and moving it out of the for-profit company — thus guaranteeing that the trademark won't be abused in the future. With so much talk about open licensing for copyright and patents, it's nice to see some tech companies thinking similarly about trademarks as well.
Education

Submission + - Second Bachelor's in Engineering? 1

Submitted by CrunchyCookie
CrunchyCookie writes: Dear /.,

Having spent a good 50 hours reading local discussion threads in the hopes of absorbing the immense wisdom of the Slashdot community, I know this might've been asked before, but... what do y'all think about the idea of going back to college at age 30 to pursue engineering? It's a question I've been struggling with since this recession began (yep, that long), but despite all the reading/research I do, I still don't feel like I know enough about your world to form an answer.

First, a little background about my predicament. I graduated 8 long years ago from UC Riverside with a BS in Business Administration, and basically didn't enjoy a minute of it. In addition to the low caliber student body and teaching quality, most material in the major struck me as boring and/or a load of crap (think marketing). After two years of post-grad temp-hopping, 2004 came around and I somehow sort of achieved my dream of becoming an automotive journalist (which combined my two passions, analytical essay writing and cars). But my experience with the few employers in the field left me less than satisfied (it's either no byline, lame salary, or no creative freedom). Coupled with the fact that auto writing is a niche-within-a-niche that will only shrink further as time marches on, my practical side tells me it would be dumb to rely on. Sadly, my degree hasn't worked out to be the safety net I'd hoped, judging by the 500+ resumes I've spammed the world with since 2008, almost ZERO of which led to interviews (writing jobs, tech writing jobs, financial/data analyst jobs, market research jobs... no bites all around). Even adjusting for recessionary times, that's pathetic, and a good indication that I'm in for a lifetime of being discriminated up the ass if I keep trying to fight it alone with such petty credentials.

Naturally, that points me towards more education. I've ruled out B-school and law school: MBA just doesn't appeal to me, and while law does (the logic, justice, and philosophy aspects are cool), I've read enough articles about the epidemic JD oversupply to know the market is saturated. Plus, on top of tuition that's on the far side of ridiculous, both paths seem to lead to spending 70-hour workweeks to make fat $$$$ at the expense of doing enjoyable work — not really in line with my values.

See, I'm just a guy who wants an average income ($60K's fine) to do something, well, INTERESTING, since meaningful work equals a meaningful life. There's only one [set of] field[s] I can think of that seems to potentially provide that: engineering. My attraction's based on a lot of things. First, math/science-based stuff seems to be the only way to make a living doing something a human being could potentially enjoy (unlike equally practical fields like, say, accounting). Other pros: surrounded by smart people, no need for social skills, comes closest to being a pure meritocracy, 40-hour weeks with no dress code, get to live in my native Bay Area (Palo Alto boy here), and usually doing work whose effect on the world is net positive (I'm no humanitarian, but still).

I'm also drawn to it because I fit the profile. While I'm not a classic nerd or some math superpimp, I'm a lot of things engineers supposedly are: logical, analytical, rational, introverted, perfectionistic, obsessive, always looking to optimize efficiency, pretty good at math, enjoyed physics back in K-12, Trekkie, Digger...

But are these are good enough reasons to go for it? I don't even know what I'd really want to engineer (Blu-Ray players? Stereos? Bridges? The next Digg?), so I don't have any inherent specific motivation at the moment. Heck, I don't even know enough to choose between EE or CS (haven't totally ruled out Mech or Civil either), and I've heard many Slashdotters say engineering is something you need to have known you were born to do since age 7 (taking apart toys, programming in your spare time, etc.)

Also, the word on the street about outsourcing and ageism make me hesitant. The outsourcing panic seems to have scared enough people out of the field (circa 2002) to the point where supply and demand are in line again (right?), but ageism seems like an ongoing concern. Articles thrown around here say careers in engineering (and especially CS) die as fast as they do in the NFL, and that most people get their asses booted out by age 40. Given that I'd be 34 when I finished, does that mean I'd only have six years in the field to look forward to?

But still, given that I fit the mold, I'm assuming that if I would find something to like if I did enough exploring, and would do well. Also, I get the feeling that getting the degree could be a wise long-term move even if I don't end up staying in the field for long, since people with tech degrees seem to be at the front of the line for all substantial jobs. Math seems to be the one academic skill rewarded by the real world.

I already talked to UC Davis, who said I'd probably get in if I applied, after spending two years at a CC. Given tuition/books ($2K + $2K + $13K + $13K), plus the opportunity costs of not temp-slaving ($30,000 x 4), I'm looking at a $150,000 journey... yikes. I'd totally go for it if I didn't already have a Bachelor's, but good god that's a steep bill to gain an incremental advantage, especially since I'm still unsure of what I want to do. Still, the increment could be huge.

Sorry this was so long, but I would much appreciate any suggestions on how to tweak, tinker, or engineer my life to improve functionality.

Feed Ars Technica: Rumor: Apple to ditch Infineon for Qualcomm in iPhone 5 (arstechnica.com)

From feed by feedfeeder

Apple has used Infineon baseband chipsets in all its iPhone models as well as the current iPad. A new report from China's Commercial Times (Google translation), however, suggests Apple will drop Infineon in favor of Qualcomm for the fifth-generation iPhone hardware.

Intel has tried to get a piece of the iPhone pie since the device was released, suggesting that its Atom platform was better suited for smartphones than ARM. However, Apple has traditionally favored its own customized ARM processors over Atom for its mobile devices. With Intel'srecent acquisition of Infineon's wireless division, Intel effectively bought its way into the iPhone and the iPad.

There's little to suggest that Apple has any issue with the merger; Intel CEO Paul Otellini told Fox Business two weeks ago that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was "very happy" with the deal.

The Infineon wireless division produces baseband hardware for UMTS-based 3G technology, as well as LTE and WiMAX, but the company doesn't produce CDMA-compatible chipsets. For the long-rumored CDMA-equipped iPhone expected to launch this January, Apple most likely turned to top CDMA baseband supplier Qualcomm.

According to the Commercial Timesreport, Apple's work with Qualcomm on a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 led it to choose the company to be the sole baseband supplier for the fifth-gen iPhone. AppleInsider noted that some analysts believe moving to Qualcomm is the right move for Apple, since it could reduce Apple's reliance on a "single supplier," but that argument doesn't make much sense if Apple is merely switching from one single supplier to another.

What may have sealed such a deal, though, is a chipset that Qualcomm first announced last year capable of connecting to LTE, CDMA/EV-DO, and GSM/UMTS wireless networks. Such a baseband chipset could allow Apple to produce a single iPhone model compatible with 4G and 3G networks practically anywhere in the world. Though the US domestic market is an obvious place where CDMA compatibility would come in handy, other markets such as China Unicom or SK Telecom in Korea would also benefit from CDMA compatibility.

The chipset is also compatible with Simultaneous Voice-Data Operation (SV-DO), which could let users on CDMA networks like Verizon to use voice and data simultaneously. That capability is currently only available to uses on UTMS networks like AT&T, though Verizon is rumored to be looking at supporting technology to do the same.

Though Qualcomm promised the chip would be available from prototyping in mid-2010, that was likely too late for Apple to adopt it for an upcoming CDMA version of the iPhone 4. If Apple decides producing separate GSM and CDMA iPhones are the best strategy for sales, it has no good reason to dump Infineon/Intel baseband chips. On the other hand, if Qualcomm can deliver on the promise of its mixed-mode chipset, Intel could once again find itself holding the short end of the iPhone stick.

Read the comments on this post



Submission + - Convert normal pictures to nude (vuvvling.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Convert normal pictures to nude. Using this mormon technique called "bubbling", you can undress in your mind to anyone.
Graphics

Submission + - NVIDIA Launches GeForce GTS 450 (hothardware.com)

Submitted by
MojoKid
MojoKid writes: "NVIDIA finally launched a new low-cost derivative of their GeForce 400 series graphics processor. As its GTS moniker denotes, NVIDIA's new GeForce GTS 450 is targeted at the mainstream market. That card's reference specifications call for a 783MHz GPU clock and 902MHz GDDR5 memory (3608MHz effective data rate). With those frequencies, stock GeFore GTS 450 cards offer 57.7GB/s of memory bandwidth with a 25.1GigaTexel/s textured fillrate. As is typically the case with mainstream NVIDIA GPU’s, however, board partners will be releasing cards clocked somewhat higher than the reference specifications recommend. Along with a $129 (give or take) price tag, the GeForce GTS 450 is more affordable than any other DX11-class GPU out there right now. Performance-wise, the cards measure up pretty well versus competitive offerings from AMD."
Apple

Submission + - Apple Engineer Told Jobs About iPhone Antenna (bloomberg.com) 1

Submitted by Garabito
Garabito writes: An anonymous source inside Apple told Bloomberg that Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may hurt reception. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation.

Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple, declined to comment. Apple plans to hold a press conference tomorrow about the device. Dowling declined to elaborate on what will be discussed. A separate person familiar with the matter said Apple doesn’t plan to announce a recall of the phone.

Slashdot Top Deals

"I've seen it. It's rubbish." -- Marvin the Paranoid Android

Close