Submission + - US Dirty Bomb Drill Finds Flaws in Preparedness
phobos13013 writes: The TOPOFF-4 Dirty Bomb Excercise was performed by the US Homeland Security Department last week. The scenario consisted of three radiological IEDs being detonated in two US cities and in Guam simultaneously. According to a hearing held by the Congressional Committee on Science and Technology this week the testing capabilities for radiological assessment of the nation's laboratory network would require approximately four years to completely characterize a disaster of this scale.
Submission + - Death of the Greenphone
phobos13013 writes: Trolltech announced this week that they will discontinue development on their Greenphone platform. The Greenphone was advertised to be the first phone with a user-modifiable environment. Trolltech CTO, Benoit Schilling, stated that they are not really a hardware company and so will focus it's efforts on FIC's Neo 1973, now available. However, FTA, a future wifi-enabled endeavor (possibly a VOIP phone) was hinted at by Schilling.
Submission + - Oink.cd Shutdown
phobos13013 writes: Popular, invite-only, bittorrent site Oink.cd (formerly Oink.me.uk) has been shut down by British police. Supposedly, investigations into the estimated 180,000 users are being considered. This shutdown is fast on the heels of the popular tv-links.co.uk shutdown. Seems the British authorities have been very busy recently and may well be in the future with this round of arrests; however, it is unclear what if any legal repercussions will ensue from the sites' admins or users.
Submission + - Captain America Returns
phobos13013 writes: As written in previous slashdot posts, Captain America is dead and buried. But this week, it has been revealed that Captain America will return, sort of. Apparently, it is not Captain America's alter-ego, Steve Rogers; however, a new incarnation will return, and animator Alex Ross and writer Ed Brubaker will be the creative force behind the new storyline. This news comes to the relief of some, with a few suggestions on how to proceed.
Submission + - Indian Software Firm Outsourcing Jobs to US
phobos13013 writes: "NPR is reporting Indian software maker Wipro is outsourcing positions to a development office opening in Atlanta, Georgia. Although, it sounds good for US job growth, although the implication is that firms outside the US appear to be dominating more and more in the global economy, even from developing and underdeveloped regions of the world. Similarly, salaries of IT professionals world-wide are projected to stagnant or possibly fall due to the large pool of qualified applicants in the market today. Likely another reason companies like Wipro and Cognizant see it possible to outsource to the US and still remain competitive."
