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NASA

Submission + - NASA Chief attacked for Global Warming Stance (npr.org)

Submitted by
bagsc
bagsc writes: "NASA Administrator Michael Griffin did an interview for NPR's Science Friday, saying "I have no doubt that ... a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with." Then, the media attacks. Sure, he's a political appointee, and NASA released a study this week that the Earth is within 1.8 degrees of the safe maximum standard. But aren't government Administrators supposed to say when they don't have good policy options to implement, or should we just spend on anything (like corn ethanol) to make people feel better until we analyze the options better?"
NASA

Submission + - NASA Chief: Who says global warming is bad?

Submitted by guanxi
guanxi writes: In an NPR interview NASA chief Michael Griffin, a rocket scientist, put the reputation of his famous research organization (not to mention the United States) behind this statement: "I have no doubt that ... a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with." I was going to add commentary, but there's little you can add to statements like this one: "To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change. First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown. And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings." To most people, of course, the words of the head of NASA are authoritative.
Software

Submission + - Microsoft is using Linux for their Servers!

Submitted by jhepoy
jhepoy writes: http://pinoygeek.org/2007/05/27/microsoft-is-using -linux-for-their-servers/ Yahoo.com is a consistent FreeBSD on their servers. Apple.com which is known for OSX as based in Unix is not surprising to see MacOSX and Linux running on their servers. The most surprising part is when I looked for Microsoft.com statistics and found out that they are running Linux on some of their web servers. The irony is that Microsoft is attacking Linux as an insecure OS which can be found on their Get The Facts campaign.
Patents

Submission + - Life Imprisonment for Copyright Infringement

Submitted by
ronadams
ronadams writes: "P. Parameswaran writes in his AFP article:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he proposed comprehensive legislation to Congress Monday against copyright thieves, including raising the maximum penalty to life imprisonment and seizing the illicit profits of offenders.
Nick Ferrel at the Inquirer confirms the reports and adds a few interesting insights of his own. Good to know RIAA is a vital part of the US Government. I must have been asleep when my Government & Law professor glossed over that one."
Media

Submission + - Cinemas use night goggles to nab pirates

Submitted by
fluffman86
fluffman86 writes: "Reuters reports that movie theaters in Malaysia are cracking down on movie piracy by giving military style night vision goggles to ushers. According to the article, after cinema staff seat patrons, they don the NVGs in order to catch people who are recording the film with hand held camcorders. The article also mentions that Malaysia has purchased two DVD sniffing dogs — Lucky and Flo, in order to find large quantities of burned and pirated DVDs. There are some reports that there is a bounty for killing the dogs."
Privacy

Submission + - No charges for chatroom suicide observers

Submitted by
Benjamin Fox
Benjamin Fox writes: "The BBC reports that chatroom participants who apparently "watched" a man commit kill himself will not face charges for the comments made up to and during the suicide. A crown prosecution spokesman said, "We examined all the evidence passed to us by the police and have concluded that none of the comments made in the chatroom amounted to a criminal offense." What could this mean for electronic witnesses of other meatspace crimes and tragedies in the UK?"
Software

Submission + - British Conservative 'Gets it' on OSS

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "George Osborne, the Conservative Shadow Chancellor, seems to "Get it" in surprising depth on the potential of OSS in government IT and in general. He gave a speech http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.stor y.page&obj_id=135408&speeches=1 in which he correctly identifies not only what OSS and community-driven resources are about, but also seems to understand that open standards are _really_ the key to unlocking some of the benefits. Perhaps he is treading carefully, but he's not yet mentioned the corruption and bribery that seems to determine quite a lot of public sector IT spending (Research Machines IT monopoly in UK education, for example) but that may come in time. If this really translates into future Govt policy, we might be seeing the start of a real change in the IT landscape, with some of our favourite software getting the exposure and appreciation it deserves. Why not let Mr. Osborne know that we appreciate his approach, and tell him that he's on the right track. A bit of voter approval of something like this is just what it needs to confirm his position. contact@georgeosborne.co.uk might appreciate a few messages of support!"
The Courts

Submission + - Why the Copyright Office disappoints on Fair Use

Submitted by Paranoid Mandroid
Paranoid Mandroid writes: Ars Technica has an eye-opening article on Fair Use that explains why the Register of Copyrights in the US continually refuses to authorize things like DVD ripping. The reasons are complex, but basically boil down to the fact that the Register agrees with the industry that if you need a backup, you should buy it. Need to rip content? Just buy VHS (no joke). Beyond that, the article discusses the Copyright Office's narrow reading of the Betamax case.
Networking

Submission + - A Linux Computer in Every Garage?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A U.S. government- and industry-led coalition aiming to equip every car and roadside in America with wirelessly connected computers has tapped Linux for the design of a system that aims to lower driver death rates, reduce traffic jams, and media-enable cars. The project, which is under the auspices of the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Consortium (VII-C) and funded by the Department of Transportation (DOT), ten state departments of transportation, and seven vehicle manufacturers, has adopted an Linux and open source strategy, at least at the prototype level.
Puzzle Games (Games)

Submission + - Checkers has been Solved

Submitted by
r55man
r55man writes: "The Chinook project recently announced that checkers has been solved. Perfect play from both sides results in a draw. From their website:

On May 8, 2007, we were pleased to announce that checkers is now solved. From the standard starting position, Black (who moves first) is guaranteed a draw with perfect play. White (moving second) is also guaranteed a draw, regardless of what Black plays as the opening move. Checkers is the largest game that has been solved to date.
"
Communications

Submission + - Mobile phone call made from Everest

Submitted by
Chris Paton
Chris Paton writes: "The BBC reports that a British climber has set a world record by making a mobile phone call from the top of Mount Everest. The climber also claimed the record for sending the highest text message. The article goes on to say that the call and SMS were made possible by a base station set up by the Chinese, talking to a regular Motorola handset (albeit with the batteries strapped to the climber to keep them warm). With mobile phone coverage now available on Everest, is there anywhere that we are free from the seemingly unstoppable march of the mobile telephone?"
The Internet

Submission + - Groupthink in Digg: A Suggested Solution

Submitted by
Bob Caswell
Bob Caswell writes: "Think digg doesn't have a severe case of groupthink? And article on the subject, was 'groupthinked' (i.e. buried) off the home page within four minutes of having enough diggs to make it there. Bottom line: diggers don't like articles on digg and groupthink, even if offering a solution to the problem... http://www.computers.net/2007/02/groupthink_in_d.h tml"
Music

Submission + - Study finds P2P has no effect on legal music sales

Submitted by
MBrichacek
MBrichacek writes: "A new study in the has found that illegal music downloads have had no noticeable effects on the sale of music, contrary to the claims of the recording industry. Analyzing data from the final four months of 2002, the researchers estimated that P2P affected no more than 0.7% of sales in that timeframe. The study reports that 803 million CDs were sold in 2002, which was a decrease of about 80 million from the previous year. The RIAA has blamed the majority of the decrease on piracy, and has maintained that argument in recent years as music sales have faltered. Yet according to the study, the impact from file sharing could not have been more than 6 million albums total in 2002, leaving 74 million unsold CDs without an excuse for sitting on shelves."
Republicans

Submission + - Congress Wants ISPs to Log Your Online Life

Submitted by
walmartshopper67
walmartshopper67 writes: "Crooks and Liars is reporting that Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) has introduced a bill that would require ISPs to "record all users' surfing activity, IM conversations and email traffic indefinitely". The bill would impose heavy fines and jail time on ISPs that do not save the required information. Not that this will pass, but come on, how can anyone think this is a good idea?"

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