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Submission + - 16-year-old researcher to expose Windows Phone 8 malware in India (networkworld.com) 1

Submitted by alphadogg
alphadogg writes: A 16-year-old security researcher from India plans to present a malware application for Windows Phone 8 at the upcoming MalCon security conference in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 24. According to a brief description of the presentation on the MalCon website, it will show approaches and techniques for infecting Windows Phone 8 devices and will demonstrate how the prototype malware can steal contacts, upload pictures, access text messages and more. The malware's author, a high school student and security researcher, last year at MalCon presented a proof-of-concept malware program capable of interacting with Xbox Kinect devices.

Submission + - Artificial Wombs in the near future? (ieet.org) 3

Submitted by
DaemonDan
DaemonDan writes: "The first successful pregnancy by IVF was accomplished over 50 years ago, essentially creating a multi-billion dollar industry. Many scientists are trying to take it one step farther with a 100% test tube baby brought to term in an artificial womb.

"Cornell University's Dr. Hung-Ching Liu has engineered endometrial tissues by prompting cells to grow in an artificial uterus. When Liu introduced a mouse embryo into the lab-created uterine lining, "It successfully implanted and grew healthy," she said in this New Atlantis Magazine article. Scientists predict the research could produce an animal womb by 2020, and a human model by early 2030s."

The author of the article seems to believe that birth via artificial wombs could become the new norm, but is it really feasible, desirable or even affordable for the majority of Earth's population?"

Submission + - McAfee Fears Torture By Belize Police

Submitted by ChristW
ChristW writes: Famous software engineer John McAfee, known for his line of anti-virus software fears for torture by the Belize police force. Last Sunday, his neighbour's body was found in a puddle of blood. Police told him that he is not a suspect, but they want to interrogate him none the less. McAfee fears that the police wil not hold back on torture methods to get him to give them any information. When his farm was raided, he dug himself into the ground and put a box over his head to keep from being found.

He tells this in interviews that are published on CNBC's and Wired Magazine's websites.
Science

Submission + - Vegetative state man "talks" by brain scan (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by c0lo
c0lo writes: Severely brain-injured Scott Routley hasn’t spoken in 12 years. None of his physical assessments since then have shown any sign of awareness, or ability to communicate, thus being diagnosed as vegetative (vegetative patients emerge from a coma into a condition where they have periods awake, with their eyes open, but have no perception of themselves or the outside world).

Scott Routley was asked questions while having his brain activity scanned in an fMRI machine. British neuroscientist Prof Adrian Owen said Mr Routley was clearly not vegetative.
"Scott has been able to show he has a conscious, thinking mind. We have scanned him several times and his pattern of brain activity shows he is clearly choosing to answer our questions. We believe he knows who and where he is."

As a consequence, medical textbooks would need to be updated to include Prof Owen's techniques, because only observational assessments (as opposed to using mind-readers) of Mr Routley have continued to suggest he is vegetative.

The professor in an earlier interview functional MRI machines are expensive (up to $2 million), but it’s quite possible that a portable high-end EEG machine, costing about $75,000, can be used at a patient’s bedside.

Phillip K Dick's world is one step closer.

Comment Tuesday of DOOOOOOOOM! (Score 1) 232

by buckadude (#41785917) Attached to: Slashdot Asks: Are You Preparing For Hurricane Sandy?
I hear it should hit us on Tuesday, as I reside near Worcester, MA. Currently I have taken care of my barn yard and two greenhouses with my brother. We intended to get a jump start on the "action". Tomorrow we will split wood (which has to happen regardless) then get gas for the generator, check and run the generator, prep the chainsaws, gas the trucks, fuel the tractor, field-strip/clean/oil our firearms, get beer, get scotch, cook dinner, yada yada. Then do whatever else is required (I think shower, but my girlfriend is currently not around... sooo if a tree falls, right?) but that really isn't much of a change of habit. I just hope my chickens and crops do ok with the 6-10 inches of rain predicted to hit.

Comment Why does Science need Religion? (Score 1) 1142

by buckadude (#41695447) Attached to: Ask Richard Dawkins About Evolution, Religion, and Science Education
My question is as follows: Agnostic vs Atheist; does one need to have a stance on god? I understand the war on science as I do see it often. I also understand your points about making a stand for science... but is it really needed to promote science? That is, why/does science need religion in someways to make distinctions between reality and fantasy? Thank you and I will take my question off-air.

Comment Re:It Depends on the Forum (Score 5, Insightful) 340

by buckadude (#34185224) Attached to: Worker Rights Extend To Facebook, Says NLRB
I believe one of the aspects the NLRB is protecting here is the right to complain and collaborate via email or other electronic means. collaboration is key here. You would not be protected in speech based on saying something like "My boss John Doe is an incompetent asshole" because there is no collaboration there... its just a statement. I could be wrong here, but as I understand it, you would need to add in something to the effect of " my boss john doe is an incompetent asshole and would anyone like to start a group or get together and talk about it?" The reason goes back to some basic things like the right to form unions with out being fired, threatened or physically stopped (this used to be very common (Pinkertons)). This is not a groundbreaking decision here... any labor lawyer could tell you that... the real headline here is that this is how it should be and soon the Congress will most assuredly do everything they can (short of blowing up the NLRB) to stomp this out of existence.

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