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Submission + - Big 'Ocean' Discovered Beneath Asia

Submitted by anthemaniac
anthemaniac writes: Seismic observations reveal a huge reservoir of water in Earth's mantle beneath Asia. It's actually rock saturated with water, but it's an ocean's worth of water ... as much as is in the whole Arctic Ocean. How did it get there? A slab of water-laden crust sank, and the water evaporated out when it was heated, and then it was trapped, the thinking goes. The discovery fits neatly with the region's heavy seismic activity and fits neatly with the idea that the planet's moving crustal plates are lubricated with water.
XBox (Games)

Submission + - XBOX360 Hypervisor Security Protection hacked

Submitted by
ACTRAiSER
ACTRAiSER writes: "A recent Post on Bugtraq claims the hack of the XBOX360 Security Protection Hypervisor. It includes sample code as well. "We have discovered a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor that allows privilege escalation into hypervisor mode. Together with a method to inject data into non-privileged memory areas, this vulnerability allows an attacker with physical access to an Xbox 360 to run arbitrary code such as alternative operating systems with full privileges and full hardware access.""
The Internet

Submission + - Wikipedia bureaucrat with bogus PhD

Submitted by keyero
keyero writes: The New Yorker has posted an Editor's note, correcting for a story they published in July about Wikipedia and expertise. In the article, they quoted User:Essjay who is a a bureaucrat, arbitrator, and other roles including checkuser. He was described as "a tenured professor of religion at a private university" with "a Ph.D. in theology and a degree in canon law." Turns out, he is twenty-four and holds no advanced degrees, and that he has never taught. Nonetheless, Jimmy Wales has brushed this aside and recently appointed Essjay to the Arbitration committee. He also hired Essjay to serve as "Community Manager" on Wikia.
Software

Submission + - MPAA Fires Back at AACS Decryption Utility

Submitted by RulerOf
RulerOf writes: The AACS Decryption utility released this past December known as BackupHDDVD originally authored by Muslix64 of the Doom9 forums has received its first official DMCA Takedown Notice. It has been widely speculated that the utility itself was not an infringing piece of software due to the fact that it is merely "a textbook implementation of AACS," written with the help of documents publicly available at the AACS LA's website, and that the AACS Volume Unique Keys that the end user isn't supposed to have access to are in fact the infringing content, but it appears that such is not the case. From the thread:

"...you must input keys and then it will decrypt the encrypted content. If this is the case, than according to the language of the DMCA it does sound like it is infringing. Section 1201(a) says that it is an infringement to "circumvent a technological measure." The phrase, "circumvent a technological measure" is defined as "descramb(ling) a scrambled work or decrypt(ing) an encrypted work, ... without the authority of the copyright owner." If BackupHDDVD does in fact decrypt encrypted content than per the DMCA it needs a license to do that.
Movies

Submission + - Matt Groening On Futurama and Simpsons Movie

Submitted by
keenada
keenada writes: "Though The Simpsons has declined in popularity in recent years, it still has a cult and popular following worldwide. Matt Groening (rhymes with raining) sits down with Crave to discuss his new movie, and the future of Futurama."
VA

Submission + - DOT gets Between Airline Passangers and Doom

Submitted by
JonLesser
JonLesser writes: "On Dec. 8, 2005, Virgin America filed an application with the DOT to provide air service in the US. Shortly after the application was filed, Continental, American, United, and Delta filed the first of a wave of opposition briefs and legal motions to try to stop or slow down the DOT approval process.

VA set up a website in an effort to mobilize a grass-roots campaign to support their application. A key selling point for the public is the linux-based in-flight entertainment system. In a video on the website Charles Ogilvie, Director of In-Flight Entertainment and Partnerships, demos Doom and claims VA is planning to reach out to Linux game developers in search of more games for the system."

Feed Lawmaker Probes TSA Website Gaffe (feedburner.com)

From feed by wiredfeed
A service intended to help innocent travelers get off the No Fly List sends their personal info unencrypted to a Virginia company. Following a post on the Wired News blog 27B Stroke 6, a congressman asks the TSA to explain. By Ryan Singel.


NASA

Golf-Ball Sized Hail Damages Shuttle 118

Posted by CmdrTaco from the don't-make-me-stop-this-thing dept.
MattSparkes writes "The Shuttles March launch has been delayed to late April after golf-ball sized hail caused 7000 pits and divots in the foam that shields the fuel tank. NASA say it's the worst damage of its kind that they have ever seen, but hail is not a new problem for the agency. In 1982, a hailstorm damaged the sensitive heat shield tiles on the Columbia's wings. The damaged tiles then absorbed about 540 kilograms of rain. Once in space, the orbiter faced the Sun to allow the tiles to dry out."
United States

Submission + - CompUSA Closing More Than 50 Percent of Stores

Submitted by
Zurbrick
Zurbrick writes: "CompUSA, the computer and gadget retailer owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, said on Tuesday it would close more than half of its U.S. retail locations over the next two to three months to focus on top performing locations.

CompUSA said in a statement it would close 126 of its stores and would receive a $440 million cash capital infusion, but it was not specific as to the source of the cash. The company also said it would cut costs and restructure.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2099068 ,00.asp"
Businesses

Submission + - Tell your friends about Geek Squad's shenanigans!

Submitted by
Kevin_Torvalds
Kevin_Torvalds writes: "Yes, I'm sure everyone here knows about this, but someone doesn't... otherwise they wouldn't still be in business. Geek Squad, the well-known Best Buy tech support guys, are basically just an everyday, run-of-the-mill scam. They claim that they'll fix your computer, but at what cost? Well, it seems "O" found out. In this article, http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/27/142 3220 Geek Squad is shown to have a bit of a criminal element about them. They will tell customers that certain parts need to be replaced and this and that, when all that might need to be done is, say, a repair installation of Windows, and then they charge far more than a small repair shop would, and that without actually doing the job. Spread the word. The unknowing, vulnerable public needs to know. Friends don't let friends go to Geek Squad!"
Businesses

Submission + - New technique for recycling PCBs

Submitted by
MattSparkes
MattSparkes writes: "PCBs from discarded computers, cellphones and other devices could be recycled less harmfully using a technique developed by researchers in China. Unlike current methods, it can be used to reclaim metals such as copper without releasing toxic fumes into the air. Only a small numbers of PCBs are currently recycled."
Microsoft

Submission + - Ballmer To India: Cut Piracy, Create 50,000 Jobs

Submitted by Pranjal
Pranjal writes: In an interview in Tuesday's edition of the Times Of India, Ballmer says piracy is having "a huge negative impact" on economic growth in India. He also cites an unnamed study indicating that 70% of all software used in the country is pirated. Reducing that number by 10% would lead to the creation of 50,000 new jobs in India, Ballmer says in the interview. InformationWeek.com has a commentary on the news item — "...the concern, of course, is that a larger Microsoft presence in India would come at the expense of programming jobs in the U.S. Microsoft employees in Redmond may be hoping that India doesn't take its piracy problem too seriously — it may be the best job protection they have."
United States

Submission + - Gore accused of energy hypocrisy

Submitted by ems2004
ems2004 writes: Former US Vice-President Al Gore has been accused of hypocrisy for apparently guzzling energy while he lectures the world on climate change. A Tennessee-based free market think-tank said Mr Gore's home used more than 20 times the national average of gas and electricity.

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