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Comment Re:Missing option: (Score 1) 887

by pcnetworx1 (#26439423) Attached to: How do you get to work?
I would like to point out that the Pittsburgh T is a disgrace of a public light rail system; a poster child of the corrupt Allegheny County Port Authority here.

It shouldn't even be on the list because the line is far too small - it only has 3 stops actually in the city of Pittsburgh, and extends to a pointless end in Library, PA. And it completely misses the northern area of Pittsburgh.

And I have been to and used Portland, NYC, Chicago, Boston, and even Philadelphia's light rail system. All of them certainly smoke the unmitigated disaster of the public transportation of the Port Authority.
Biotech

Submission + - Scientists discover how to erase memories (pressesc.com) 1

Submitted by
amigoro
amigoro writes: "Neuroscientists have discovered that long-term memories are not etched in a "clay tablet"-like stable form as once thought, but the process is much more dynamic, involving a miniature molecular machine that must run constantly to keep memories going, jamming the machine briefly can erase long-term memories."
Announcements

Submission + - Speed of Light Broken? (telegraph.co.uk)

Submitted by tammad
tammad writes: According to the Telegraph and New Scientist, German Scientists have transmitted microwave photons faster than the speed of light- in violation of Einstein's theory of Special Relativity. From the Telegraph: "The scientists were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunneling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws." The experiment apparently involved shooting the photons through prisms to detectors, and that at up to one meter apart, the some of the photons were transmitted "instantaneously" between the space. No word yet about submission to a peer reviewed journal, but the discovery, if verified, no doubt shakes much of what we know about physics.
Space

Submission + - We have broken the speed of light

Submitted by maththaios
maththaios writes: A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light — an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time. According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second. However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory.
Biotech

Submission + - Singapore Pumps Tons of Money Into Nanotechnology

Submitted by SoyChemist
SoyChemist writes: While politicians in the United States are busy bickering about stem cell ethics and whether creationism should be taught in public schools, other countries are pumping so much money into biotech and nanotechnology that researchers can practically light their Bunsen Burners with $1000 bills. Video of a speech by Foreign Minister George Yeo shows just how aggressive Singapore is in its approach to grow economically through huge investments in biotech and nanotechnology. When the United States began the National Nanotechnology Initiative, it became clear to a number of small countries including Singapore, Taiwan, and Israel that it was time to invest heavily in similar frontier areas of science. With a level of decisiveness and determination comparable to the efforts of the United States after the launch of Sputnik, Singapore quickly became a global player in nanotechnology.
Windows

Submission + - Hacking kiosks and ATMs with Windows sticky keys

Submitted by
pestilence669
pestilence669 writes: "An alarming number of kiosks and ATMs (like the V-Com units in 7-11) run Windows XP. I've recently made it a hobby to play minesweeper and surf the web on these units. Most, if not all, are connected to the Internet. BitTorrent from an ATM? It's easier than you think! Gaining control is as simple as five keystrokes.

The companies that build ATMs and kiosks seem to know nothing about keyboard shortcuts. If there's a keyboard attached, you can bet that they removed the TAB key to prevent ALT+TAB abuses. Little do they know, ALT+TAB is not the only way to lose focus for an application.

If you're a fast typer like me, you've probably been greeted with the Microsoft sticky keys dialog. It asks you if you want to enable "sticky keys." It's a usability feature that helps disabled individuals type with one hand. Sadly, it's pseudo-enabled by default since this dialog box appears. Most people don't know it, so it's ready to be abused on just about every production XP-based kiosk or ATM (with keyboard).

All that needs to be done: hit the SHIFT key five times. SHIFT is guaranteed to be included in even the most restrictive keyboard layouts. In almost every instance, the sticky keys dialogs appears. As the kiosk or ATM application looses focus, you'll be presented with the XP start menu in the background. Many of these machines use a complete install with Minesweeper, Hearts, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Fun!!!

I've made it a regular habit to browse Slashdot, send email, and surf blogs from just about any kiosk that I find. Whenever my wife uses the bathroom at Dave & Busters, I'm reading blogs in the lobby. Whenever I'm at 7-11, I'm surfing with the ATM.

What's really scary about all of this is how easy it is to install executable code onto these devices. They're on the Internet and they have local storage. As far as I can tell, in my own experience, there are no restrictions in place. What's to stop someone from installing their own COM/ActiveX "helper" object and intercepting all HTTP/bank traffic?"
Links

Submission + - Massive lift system recovers sunken oil platforms (youtube.com)

Submitted by
bigzigga
bigzigga writes: "The 4000-ton capacity lift system, affectionately known as the "Bottom Feeder", was used to salvage oil platforms destroyed by hurricanes in recent years. The Bottom Feeder, consisting of of twin 1,250 ton steel truss frames and four 200-ton winches, brought four such topsides to the surface in its successful June 2007 debut."
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Saskatchewan networks 4 cities, university

Submitted by
davecb
davecb writes: "The Globe and Mail reports that permanently free wireless Internet service is now available in Saskatchewan's four biggest cities, making it the first province to launch a widespread, publicly funded network. Saskatchewan, just north of Montana, is the surprising home of numerous innovations, ranging from public health insurance to commercial ATM machines. And they just did it again!"
Space

Submission + - Skynet Means More Bandwidth for British

Submitted by pcnetworx1
pcnetworx1 writes: A new £3.6bn project to upgrade the space communications network for British forces including the Army, Royal Navy, and RAF has gone underway. The first craft, Skynet 5A was launched from Kourou in French Guiana on 11 March 2007. There will be a constellation of three satellites in total.

This system is also not an exclusive project for the armed forces, it is actually outsourced to a company called Paradigm Secure Communications. They work with Nato, France, Germany, Canada, Portugal and the Netherlands. They are also seeking new business in the US, Australia and the Middle East.

BBC link here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6645987. stm

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