Comment It will be cracked (Score 1) 443
Just give it some time, sooner or later it will be broken. There's no working cryptographic algorithm in which the codebreaker and the intended recipient are the same person.
Comment Disc wasn't finalized (Score 5, Informative) 231
This is a very common problem that happens when a disc isn't finalized on both audio CDs and video DVDs that are recorded on direct to disc consumer recording systems. After a the actual data is written what is a essentially a "table of contents" has to be written at the beginning of the disc, otherwise you get the "blank disc" effect as describe here. That two separate data specialists couldn't figure this out is rather concerning...
Submission + - Stage6 will shut down on Feb 28th 2008
CyberZCat writes: Stage6, the popular online video-sharing site, will be shut down on Feb 28th 2008. According to the blog post by a DivX employee, it is simply a matter of the site becoming too expensive to maintain. I'm deeply saddened by this, some channels alone have so many documentaries that they've become veritable historical archives.
Submission + - Stage6 pulls the plug (stage6.com)
CrashandDie writes: I'm sure a few of us here knew Stage6, and the quality of the videos they offered. And it may come as a surprise to know that they recently decided to pull the plug. For a few days now, uploading new videos to the website was impossible, and some users were starting to lose their cool. This announcement is the answer to a lot of questions, like why there were so little bugfixes, or why there was so little support for the end user.
From the blog post:
According to a post on businesswire, Kevin Hell (DivX CEO) confirms the main idea in the blog post that Stage6 made them drift away from their main company objective. He also answers the big question content producers have been asking about what would happen to their work; even though the service will be stopped in a few days, this doesn't mean all the content will be lost :
From the blog post:
In many ways, though, the service did succeed, beyond even our own initial expectations. Stage6 became very popular very quickly. We helped gain exposure for some talented filmmakers who brought great videos to the attention of an engaged community. We helped prove that it's possible to distribute true high definition video on the Internet. [...] So why are we shutting the service down? Well, the short answer is that the continued operation of Stage6 is a very expensive enterprise that requires an enormous amount of attention and resources that we are not in a position to continue to provide. There are a lot of other details involved, but at the end of the day it's really as simple as that.
According to a post on businesswire, Kevin Hell (DivX CEO) confirms the main idea in the blog post that Stage6 made them drift away from their main company objective. He also answers the big question content producers have been asking about what would happen to their work; even though the service will be stopped in a few days, this doesn't mean all the content will be lost :
"Our core business is to work with a wide variety of partners to give consumers a high-quality digital video experience on any device or platform," said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. "By no longer expending resources on Stage6, we sharpen our focus on creating a global standard for digital video while building a business that maximizes shareholder value. We will provide more information related the Stage6.com shutdown on our fourth quarter earnings call, scheduled for March 11, 2008."
Videos on Stage6.com will be available for viewing and download through February 28, 2008. The Company will work with certain content publishers to migrate content to alternative web distribution platforms.
Proposal for UK Prisoners to be Given RFID Implants 188
Raisey-raison writes "There is a proposal in the UK to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of thousands of offenders in an effort to free up more space in British jails. The article states that uses are being considered both for home detention, as a means to enforce punishment, as well as for sex offenders after their release. Many view this as a slippery slope leading to much wider use; starting as a purely voluntary act and gradually becoming more compulsory, it would endanger human rights and privacy. There are also health questions involved, given that long-term studies have linked similar implants to cancer in lab mice and rats. Ironically, the same technology has been proposed for medical purposes as well. In the USA, some state agencies have already made decisions about this issue.
Pleo Review - A Toy Robot Triumph? 112
SkinnyGuy writes "PCMag has one of the first reviews of the new robotic dinosaur. Is it worth $350? I think this reviewer thinks so. 'What most people will have a hard time understanding is that Ugobe's Pleo is one of the most sophisticated personal home entertainment robotic devices on the market today. It easily outshines robot toys from Wow Wee and Hasbro, though both companies offer robots that cost less than half of what Pleo does. Its nearest competitor, the Wow Wee Robopanda, is a good gift for young children, but it's not nearly as adorable, animated, or intelligent as Pleo. (Yes, it can stand up and crawl, but it doesn't look very good doing it.)'"
Internal Emails of An RIAA Attack Dog Leaked 427
qubezz writes "The company MediaDefender works with the RIAA and MPAA against piracy, setting up fake torrents and trackers and disrupting p2p traffic. Previously, the TorrentFreak site accused them of setting up a fake internet video download site designed to catch and bust users. MediaDefender denied the entrapment charges. Now 700MB of MediaDefender's internal emails from the last 6 months have been leaked onto BitTorrent trackers. The emails detail their entire plan, including how they intended to distance themselves from the fake company they set up and future strategies. Other pieces of company information were included in the emails such as logins and passwords, wage negotiations, and numerous other aspect of their internal business."
Boot Sector Virus Shipped on German Laptops 79
Juha-Matti Laurio writes "A consignment of laptops from German manufacturer Medion, sold through German and Danish branches of giant retail chain Aldi, have been found to be infected with the boot sector virus 'Stoned.Angelina', first seen as long ago as 1994. The affected notebook models (German language) Medion MD 96290 have been pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium and Bullguard anti-virus, which reportedly is unable to remove it. A special removal tool was released to clean the laptops. Aldi has shared the same warning as well. Two years ago several thousands of Creative Zen Neeon MP3 players were shipped with a Windows worm Wullik.B."
Jeremy Allison On Microsoft, OOXML and Standards 102
An anonymous reader writes "OOXML is already Microsoft's "de facto" standard as implemented in Office 2007, so when would any changes arising from the Comments Resolution meeting in February 2008 be put in place? According to Jeremy Allison's latest column, when last minute changes were suggested for the CIFS standard, which Samba exists to disentangle, "the response came back from Microsoft that although the fixes were valid, unfortunately the code was already written and was going to be shipped in the next service pack. End of discussion. It wasn't even in a shipping product yet, but the specification was determined to be unchangeable as they didn't want to change their existing code.""
OLPC Cost Rises To $188 Per Laptop 270
Arathon writes "The amazing '$100 laptop' designed by the 'One Laptop Per Child' program isn't going to make it out the door for that price. CNN reports that the laptops are now expected to cost $188 apiece when they come out later this fall. This is expected to make the program's appeal potentially much smaller, since the developers were relying on the mind-bogglingly low-price to hook governments into the concept of buying laptops for their people. OLPC's spokesman guarantees that the price won't rise further, to 'above $190'. The price differential is being blamed on raw materials costs and currency fluctuation. Is this the end of the OLPC's newsworthiness, or should we continue to hope that it will make the difference that so many have said it will?"
Science vs. Homeopathy 686
Mr. E writes "Ars Technica has an interesting look at pseudoscience as it applies to homeopathy. While most discussions about what science is get derailed by the larger controversies surrounding them, Ars chose a relatively uncontroversial pseudo-science to examine so that they could examine the factors which make homeopathy a psuedo-science: ignoring settled issues in science, misapplication of real science, rejection of scientific standards, claims of suppression, large gaps between the conclusion and evidence, and a focus only on the fringes of what we currently understand."
Submission + - The energy problem, and what we can do to solve it
notyou2 writes: "Steve Chu, Nobel prize winner and Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, recently presented a talk at Google. It's a balanced look at all aspects of the energy problem and its effects, from global warming to emerging technologies, and well worth viewing. 'Among America's most serious concerns are (i) national security, which is intimately tied to energy security, (ii) economic competitiveness, and (iii) the environment. These issues transcend our national boundaries and have serious implications for the world. At the core of these problems is need to secure clean, affordable and sustainable sources of energy. Solutions must come from a combination of improvements on both the demand and supply side, and science and technology will be an essential part of the solution. After briefly describing the energy problem, the remainder of the talk will describe areas of research that may lead to transforming technologies.'"
Vonage Loses VoIP Case With Verizon 150
cdrudge writes "A federal jury on Thursday said Vonage Holdings Corp. violated 3 of 5 patents of Verizon Communications Inc. and ordered the upstart Internet-phone company to pay $58m in damages as well as 5.5% in royalty fees per month per customer. Verizon said it would seek an injunction to block Vonage from using its patented technology. The jury did reject Verizon's claim of $200m in damages and that Vonage deliberately violated Verizon's patents. As you might expect, Vonage said it would appeal the decision and seek a stay if an injunction is granted. Judge Claude Hilton set a hearing for March 23 on whether to grant an injunction."
Submission + - Windows Vista for free for portuguese students
macnet writes: "Microsoft is offering 100 thousand copies of their latest operative system to the Portuguese college students and teachers in technology related courses. This offer is part of the educational program signed between the Portuguese government and Microsoft. Microsoft Portugal as included Windows Vista on the Microsoft Development Network Academic Alliance (MSDN-AA) just one month after its release. More info can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/portugal/universidade/pro gramas/univ_msdnaa.mspx."
Submission + - Vonage Ordered to Pay Verizon $58M
An anonymous reader writes: A jury ordered Internet phone provider Vonage Holdings Corporation to pay $58 million for infringing on three patents owned by Verizon Communications Inc. Thursday. The eight-member federal jury also said Vonage must pay a 5.5 percent royalty rate on Vonage sales going forward. Jurors concluded that Vonage infringed on two patents covering technology to connect Internet calls to the traditional phone system and also infringed on a third patent involving wireless Internet phone calls.
U.S. Judge Claude Hilton set a March 23 hearing on whether he should issue an injunction barring Vonage's use of the technologies covered by the patents.
U.S. Judge Claude Hilton set a March 23 hearing on whether he should issue an injunction barring Vonage's use of the technologies covered by the patents.
