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Submission + - The Weak Force does more than just cause radioactive decays

Submitted by StartsWithABang
StartsWithABang writes: There are four known fundamental forces: gravitation, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. But while we often speak of gravitation as an attractive force between masses (or anything with energy), of the electric force as charged particles attracting or repelling, of quarks and gluons attracting one another and keeping nuclei bound together, we describe the weak force as “responsible for radioactive decay.” Is this right? Shouldn’t the weak force, you know, be a force? Shouldn’t there be a weak charge and attraction or repulsion based on that charge? As it turns out, there ought to be one, but due to the fact that it’s less than one-millionth the strength of the electromagnetic interaction, we were unable to measure it. Until 2013, that is, when we did for the first time!

Comment unintended non acceleration (Score 1) 258

by louden obscure (#49827895) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Your Most Unusual Hardware Hack?

Two different vehicles, two different hacks/hillbilly engineering solutions. An old Chevy Van 108 (the ones with the engine between the two front seats, solid front axle, three on the tree) where the gas pedal had broken free of the rotating rod that moved the linkage. A 6" pipe wrench adjusted just right was affixed to the rod and performed just as well as the pedal.

An old Beetle's accelerator cable broke near the pedal assembly...in morning rush hour traffic... in an effin snow storm. I barely was able to pull into a strip mall parking lot on the carb's fast idle cam. I rummaged through the glove box. A small key chain and a pink balloon were all I could find that looked helpful. It was enough. I forget exactly what I did other than the balloon got tied and knotted about the remaining cable end piece and the key chain which was looped around where the cable hooked up to the back of the pedal. As with any good hillbilly solution I left the "fix" in place as it held up to daily use for close to a year till It was decided I should just part with the three bucks and

replace the cable.

Submission + - PayPal will robo-text/call you with no opt-out starting July 1 (yahoo.com)

Submitted by OutOnARock
OutOnARock writes: When eBay cuts PayPal loose this summer, users of the new digital money giant will find they've agreed to new terms of service that take effect July 1. Those terms include PayPal giving itself the right to robocall or robo-text members at any phone number the firm can find, for just about any reason — from debt collecting to advertisements to opinion polling.

The fine print also says PayPal can pass along the same rights to its affiliates. Here's the language, in black and white, from the company's website:

You consent to receive autodialed or prerecorded calls and text messages from PayPal at any telephone number that you have provided us or that we have otherwise obtained . . . . (PayPal) may share your phone numbers with our Affiliates or with our service providers, such as billing or collections companies, who we have contracted with to assist us in pursuing our rights.

If I can only use PayPal on eBay, it'll probably mean an end of eBay for me, what about you?

Submission + - Hunt for the Dangerous Defecator—company demands DNA swabs, employees sue (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by THE_WELL_HUNG_OYSTER
THE_WELL_HUNG_OYSTER writes: Who left offensive fecal matter throughout an Atlanta warehouse that stored and delivered products for grocery stores?

Two employees, who were forced to give a buccal cheek swab to determine if their DNA matched the poop, are suing in what could be the first damages trial resulting from the 2008 civil rights legislation Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which generally bars employers from using individuals' genetic information when making hiring, firing, job placement, or promotion decision.

Although there was no DNA match, the two were offered a combined $200,000 settlement. The plaintiffs rejected it and "said the offer was a load of doo doo".

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Who's Going To Win the Malware Arms Race? (wikipedia.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: We've been in a malware arms race since the 1990s. Malicious hackers keep building new viruses, worms, and trojan horses, while security vendors keep building better new detection and removal algorithms to stop them. Botnets are becoming more powerful, and phishing techniques are always improving — but so are the mitigation strategies. There's been some back and forth, but it seems like the arms race has been pretty balanced, so far. My question: will the balance continue, or is one side likely to take the upper hand over the next decade or two? Which side is going to win? Do you imagine an internet, 20 years from now, where we don't have to worry about what links we click or what attachments we open? Or is it the other way around, with threats so hard to block and DDoS attacks so rampant that the internet of the future is not as useful as it is now?

Submission + - BIOS Rootkit Implant To Debut at CanSecWest (threatpost.com)

Submitted by msm1267
msm1267 writes: Research on new BIOS vulnerabilities and a working rootkit implant will be presented on Friday at the annual CanSecWest security conference. An attacker with existing remote access on a compromised computer can use the implant to turn down existing protections in place to prevent re-flashing of the firmware, enabling the implant to be inserted and executed.

The devious part of the exploit is that the researchers have found a way to insert their agent into System Management Mode, which is used by firmware and runs separately from the operating system, managing various hardware controls. System Management Mode also has access to memory, which puts supposedly secure and privacy focused operating systems such as Tails in the line of fire of the implant.

Their implant, the researchers said, is able to scrape the secret PGP key Tails uses for encrypted communication, for example. It can also steal passwords and encrypted communication. The implant survives OS re-installation and even Tails’ built-in protections, including its capability of wiping RAM.

Submission + - In 1998, I told the major labels to create their own iTunes. They laughed at me. (musicbusinessworldwide.com)

Submitted by journovampire
journovampire writes: "I started to believe that there a simple solution of how record companies could take back some control as the internet age dawned: let’s make... a digital download store owned by all of the major labels, with some independent equity if we can manage it, that can service the market just as we do successfully in the physical world. I brought the idea to the NVPI and raised it. The first response was laughter. Lots of laughter."

Submission + - Is 10 Years in Jail the Answer to Online Pirates? (torrentfreak.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Physical counterfeiters can receive up to 10 years in jail under UK copyright law but should online pirates receive the same maximum punishment? A new report commissioned by the government reveals that many major rightsholders believe they should, but will that have the desired effect?

A new study commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) examines whether the criminal sanctions for copyright infringement available under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988) are currently proportionate and correct, or whether they should be amended.

While the Digital Economy Act 2010 increased financial penalties up to a maximum of £50,000, in broad terms the main ‘offline’ copyright offenses carry sentences of up to 10 years in jail while those carried out online carry a maximum of ‘just’ two.

Submission + - Raising tax revenue in California from Medical Cannabis Sales (potvalet.com)

Submitted by bobmerly
bobmerly writes: With the latest in Cannabis News, Colorado, the first state to legalize marijuana, has shown other doubting states that this new industry – allowing for medical marijuana and casual Pot use provides an added additional source of medical supply and revenue. State governments should be interested because medical cannabis can help with national development through income obtained from taxation. Since Colorado made that epic move it has taken in $53 million in tax revenue. California can look to redeem similar benefits if it makes the step into the marijuana industry.

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What ever you want is going to cost a little more than it is worth. -- The Second Law Of Thermodynamics

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