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Comment No Killer Apps (Score 1) 564

by flirno (#43440445) Attached to: Why PC Sales Are Declining

For the hardware out there now, outside of the niche group of high end PC Gamers, there are no killer apps to drive motivation to buy innovative hardware (or new utility software like over bloated operating sytems).

Maybe that will change when/if a new generation of high end/spec game producers figure out that focusing on anti-piracy instead of content is a losing game because in the long run you kill your entire market demographic. They poured all their energy and innovation into DRM and anti piracy tactics instead of producing entertaining games that make use of the hardware power available and now they are reaping the rewards. No market.

Submission + - Solar electric spacecraft propulsion could get NASA to an asteroid, beyond (networkworld.com)

Submitted by coondoggie
coondoggie writes: In the process of detailing its $17.7 billion 2014 budget this week, NASA highlighted a mission to snag a 500 ton asteroid, bring it back, stash it near the moon and study it. It also took the time to put in a plug for an ongoing research project it has gong called Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) that NASA says could be the key technology it needs to pull off the asteroid plan.

Submission + - Hackers Aren't Going to Hijack Planes with a Smartphone (vice.com)

Submitted by derekmead
derekmead writes: A talk given by a security consultant at the Hack In The Box conference in Amsterdam has been making waves for a couple days now, largely because it made bold claims: Hugo Teso, whos also a trained commercial pilot, said hed developed a way to hijack airplanes (as in take over their flight controls) by attacking the planes systems wirelessly using an Android app he developed.

Teso set up a framework to gain access to two aircraft systems that broadcast wirelessly: the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast(ADS-B), which communicates flight, traffic, and weather data back and forth with air traffic controllers; and the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which essentially sends standardized messages back and forth between pilots and the ground, in some cases automatically so that pilots dont have to spend their time sending in standard reports.

Now, its true that both systems are insecure, and it does have some worrisome implications–for one, perhaps someone could spoof a plane via the ADS-B to warn pilots of a mid-air collision, which would likely cause some chaos on the flight deck. Regardless, that airline systems so susceptible to attacks is certainly is certainly something that needs to be fixed. But the claim that a plane could be remotely controlled–which Teso did simulate in his talk, although the doom hype blame also lies with some media outlets–is pretty much false, for a number of reasons. For one, it's highly unlikely that a wireless attack could even access autopilot systems, which are physically isolated, and even then pilots would have no trouble taking over manual control.

Its unfortunate that the discussion has revolved around "Were all gonna die!" style headlines of hackers crashing planes with cell phones, because the exploits Teso demonstrated are worth examining on their own. Fooling around with ADS-B in particular seems like an area ripe for trouble. But no, turning a plane into a drone with a smartphone won't happen.

Submission + - IAU: No, You Can't Name That Exoplanet (discovery.com)

Submitted by astroengine
astroengine writes: The International Astronomical Union (IAU) — the official body that governs the designations of all celestial bodies — in their capacity of purveyors of all things “official” has deemed attempts at crowdsourcing names for exoplanets illegitimate. “In the light of recent events, where the possibility of buying the rights to name exoplanets has been advertised, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) wishes to inform the public that such schemes have no bearing on the official naming process,” writes Thierry Montmerle, General Secretary of the IAU in Paris, France. Although the “schemes” are not specifically named, the most popular US-based “exoplanet naming” group Uwingu appears to be the target of today’s IAU statement. Set up by Alan Stern, planetary scientist and principal investigator for NASA’s Pluto New Horizons mission, Uwingu encourages the public to nominate and vote (for a fee) on names for the slew of exoplanets steadily being discovered.

Submission + - Gigabyte's Brix mini PC could rival the Raspberry Pi (theinquirer.net)

Submitted by llebeel
llebeel writes: Gigabyte previewed a mini PC called Brix at a "tech tour" event in London last night, which could see the firm take on the Raspberry Pi.

Boasting what the firm claims is "the same power as a tower PC", the mini computer boasts a choice of Intel Celeron or Core processors as powerful as the Core i7 chip for "low to high power".

However, as yet specs are thin on the ground, but we do know it should launch in the UK within the next month or so..

Submission + - Google, Apple Lead Massive List Of Companies Supporting CISPA (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by redletterdave
redletterdave writes: TechNet, the trade association representing and led by dozens of prominent technology companies including Google, Apple and Facebook, has formally come out in support of CISPA, sending a letter to the US House of Representatives. The letter said: "We commend the committee for providing liability protections to companies participating in voluntary information-sharing and applaud the committee's efforts to work with a wide range of stakeholders to address issues such as strengthening privacy protections. As the legislative process unfolds, we look forward to continuing the dialogue with you and your colleagues on further privacy protections, including discussions on the role of a civilian interface for information sharing."

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Which PHP framework is quickest start and most HIPAA-compliant?

Submitted by edjubenville
edjubenville writes: I have been approached by a medical equipment delivery company to develop an online system to manage customer data, delivery schedules and inventory. I am a solo developer with some LAMP stack experience, but no experience with any particular PHP framework.
First question: Which PHP framework (e.g., CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Zend) would you recommend for a job like this if my focus is on showing them a bare bones prototype as soon as possible? There are implications of security related to HIPAA that I fully don't appreciate yet. The customer requirements are fuzzy because they are replacing an off-the-shelf system that was never a good fit for their business model. I anticipate needing to make a few iterations on the prototype, so I'd like to hit the ground running, and minimize the time per iteration.
Second question: How afraid should I be of liabilities under HIPAA? The database would hold patient contact information and identify medical supplies associated with those patients. I am wondering if a PHP application with conventional logins, session management, session timeouts and user access restrictions would be considered "best practice". Perhaps the liabilities wouldn't fall on me at all, but onto the client if this job is done as a work for hire.

Submission + - Investigation: IT Job Applicants May Be Victims of "Live Polling" Trend (ultratechlife.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Investigation finds contract agencies in major cities are engaging in a practice called "live polling" literally saying and doing anything to get IT Resumes and sell their database info. The investigation showed agencies were posting fake job listings, engaging in unauthorized recruiting, and even holding interviews for positions that didn't actually exist. Names of offending companies were withheld until the Florida Attorney General's Office responds further. Imagine going on a job interview or handing over personal information when no job exists, or even better, the recruiter isn't authorized to hire for the company.

Submission + - If you could send a message to aliens, what would it say? These guys may let you (economist.com)

Submitted by backabeyond
backabeyond writes: These guys want to let anyone submit messages that they'll start broadcasting into space in hopes that extraterrestrials will hear them. It looks like they're serious about it — they applied for an experimental license from the FCC. And what's cool is that they're planning to use the Jamesburg Earth Station, which was used to receive images from the first steps made on the moon.

Submission + - Crick Nobel medal goes under the hammer (nature.com)

Submitted by ananyo
ananyo writes: Francis Crick’s Nobel medal fetched US$2.27 million at an auction in New York yesterday. The proud new owner is Jack Wang, chief executive of 'Biomobie' that intends to sell walnut-sized, flying-saucer-shaped electromagnetic devices that it claims have medically regenerative powers.
The closely watched sale featured a range of Crick memorabilia that the family had kept in storage for many years. Up for auction along with the medal — awarded for Crick’s role in the 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA — were his lab coat, sailing logbooks and garden journals. Expectations were high because the day before, auctioneer Christie’s had brokered the sale of a letter from Crick (PDF) to his 12-year-old son for $6 million, more than triple the pre-sale estimate. The letter went to an anonymous bidder.
The new owner of the Crick medal is a a Chinese-born American who says that his motivation for purchasing the medal was to stimulate research into the “mystery of Bioboosti”, which, he says, produces electromagnetic stimulation that can “control and enable the regeneration of damaged organs”. Those benefits are, needless to say, so far unproven.
Crick's family has said it will donate at least 20% of the proceeds from the sale of the medal and other items to the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research centre scheduled to open in London in 2015.

Submission + - Who won the retro gaming battle this generation? (goozernation.com)

Submitted by kube00
kube00 writes: This gaming generation will be known for quite a few things. One of them will be the resurgence and interest in retro gaming; an idea Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft took an interest in. Gamers saw remakes, ports, and other forms of retro games from the past make it to their favorite consoles. The big question is which one of them handled retro gaming better this generation?

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