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Government

Submission + - E-Archiving System To Be Tested 1

Submitted by ExE122
ExE122 writes: President Bush's departure from the whitehouse will mark a new milestone in archiving as an unprecedented amount of electronic data from the Bush Library will be ingested into the new Electronic Record Archiving (ERA) system for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). They are expecting "a whopping 140TB of data from the current Bush administration, more than 50 times what it received from the Clinton years". The success of this project is being watched closely as it will eventually support congress as well as several federal agencies in the storage, indexing, preservation, and disposition of electronic data under the Federal Records Act. -=ERA's FAQ=-

Comment Doomsday! (Score 1) 439

by ExE122 (#22247720) Attached to: What is the Best Part of Being a Super Villain?
Dr Strangelove quotes on why I picked the doomsday device:

President Muffley: But this is absolute madness, Ambassador! Why should you *build* such a thing?
Ambassador de Sadesky: There were those of us who fought against it, but in the end we could not keep up with the expense involved in the arms race, the space race, and the peace race. At the same time our people grumbled for more nylons and washing machines. Our doomsday scheme cost us just a small fraction of what we had been spending on defense in a single year. The deciding factor was when we learned that your country was working along similar lines, and we were afraid of a doomsday gap.
President Muffley: This is preposterous! I've never approved of anything like that...
Ambassador de Sadesky: Our source was the New York Times.

Dr. Strangelove: The whole point of a doomsday machine is lost if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world, eh?
Ambassador de Sadesky: It was to be announced at the Party Congress on monday... as you know, the Premier loves surprises!

So why are so many /.ers voting for a villainess? Do they not realize that as the owner of a doomsday device, it would be fully within my capacity to demand first dibs on the batch of nubile women who will be set aside to repopulate the earth?

Privacy

Submission + - Verizon to Share Customer Information

Submitted by ExE122
ExE122 writes: New York Times and Washington Post have reported that Verizon plans to share it's customers' information with "affiliates, agents and parent companies" (The Washington Post article can be found here). From the NYT article, "Verizon plans to share what is known in the industry as consumer proprietary network information, or C.P.N.I, which includes how many calls a customer makes, the geographical destination of the calls and what services the customer has purchased". Customers were recently sent a letter explaining that they had 30 days to "opt out" of C.P.N.I. To opt out, customers can call 800-333-9956 and enter their telephone number when prompted.
Announcements

Submission + - Oracle offers to buy BEA Systems

Submitted by ExE122
ExE122 writes: Bloomberg reports the Oracle has put in a $6.7 billion bid for BEA Systems. The news has caused BEA's stocks jumped 33% before the market opened on friday. From the article "'We have made a serious proposal including a substantial premium for BEA,' Oracle President Charles Phillips said in a statement today. 'We look forward to completing a friendly transaction as soon as possible.'"
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Free Public Wi-Fi

Submitted by ExE122
ExE122 writes: A friend of mine works for a committe in Baltimore, MD which organizes corporations and civil leadership to make improvements throughout the region. One recent issue had to deal with Baltimore's recent addition of a free Wi-Fi network in Baltimore's inner harbor region. My friend has to put together a presentation outlining benefits, drawbacks, and risks of implementing free city-wide internet access. He asked for my opinion, but I admittedly have limited knowledge in all that's involved in wireless networks. Here's a quick rundown of what we came up with:

Benefits:
  • Crossing the "digital divide" (welcome to the 21st century)
  • Increasing business/local communication.
  • Once the technology is in place, it could be upgraded to include private secure networks for government protection services such as police, fire, and rescue.
Drawbacks:
  • Accountability for illegal activities (can't tell who the hell is sharing kiddie pr0n)
  • It's difficult to get the local ISPs to go along with the idea
Concerns:
  • Security
  • IPV6
  • Will it run Linux? (jk)
As far as getting the ISPs to go along with it, it has been suggested that the government may work with the local ISPs (the Big ones in Baltimore are Verizon and Comcast). The government could provide tax incentives and pay for equipment on government property (hotspots on lampposts, satelites on buildings, etc) that the ISPs could use and still maintain control over the Last Mile. In exchange, they would offer their service either for free, or at a significantly lower cost (I'd still pay $10/mo to have internet everywhere I go). I raised the concern that to make up for any additional loss in revenue may lead ISPs to do away net neutrality.

Security is also a big issue. The general public isn't aware of how network traffic can be monitored and knows very little about encryption. I would think the number of online identity theft cases in the area would sky-rocket.

I was wondering what insight the /. community could provide about these issues and if they see any more plusses/minuses/concerns that should be mentioned.
Security

Staged Hack Causes Generator to Self-Destruct 258

Posted by Zonk from the tick-tick-tick-boom dept.
An anonymous reader writes "It has been revealed that in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security exercise codenamed 'Aurora' conducted in March of this year, researchers were able to cause a power generator to self-destruct remotely via a hack which changed the operating cycle of the generator. 'Government sources said changes are being made to both computer software and physical hardware to protect power generating equipment. And the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it is conducting inspections to ensure all nuclear plants have made the fix. Industry experts also said the experiment shows large electric systems are vulnerable in ways not previously demonstrated.'"
Toys

Lego Millennium Falcon Goes On Sale 87

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the does-it-come-with-a-forklift dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Lego just released its ultimate Millennium Falcon model for pre-order. This item should make any SW fan jump with joy. Some of its features include; over 5,000 pieces, 33" long, 22" wide and 8" tall, and it includes 5 minifigures: Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa."
Censorship

MMO Bans Men Playing As Women 616

Posted by CmdrTaco from the nice-legs-bob dept.
jkcity writes "In a bizarre move Aurora Technology the owners of the King of the World MMORPG has taken the unusual step of banning men who play women characters but the ban itself does not stretch to women playing men. If you want to play as a woman now in game you have to prove you are a women via web cam. This is something that people ask for in many mmorpgs I myself have seen people say people who play women in EVE online as being some kind of degenerate but how long can a policy of verification by web cam last since its so easy to get around it doesn't seem to solve much and is an insult to many."
Privacy

Submission + - DHS Ends Data-Mining Program (google.com)

Submitted by ExE122
ExE122 writes: The Department of Homeland Security has "scrapped an ambitious anti-terrorism data-mining tool." The tool, called ADVISE, was being tested with live data rather than test data without having proper security in place. This program had already been under criticism by privacy advocates and members of Congress. However, according to the article, a DHS spokesman assures that the program will be restarted once the security and cost are re-evaluated.
The Internet

University Taps Sewers for Internet Access 204

Posted by CmdrTaco from the thats-where-we-breed-the-super-crocs dept.
Stony Stevenson writes "A web connection via the toilet bowl may sound like Google's most recent April Fool, but the University of Aberdeen plans to welcome students back with a high bandwidth internet network connected via the sewers. The university tapped H2O Networks to provide a high capacity link for the next 10 years, enabling students to access the internet from their halls of residence. H2O Networks is a deploying dark fibre in the UK's waste water network to enable connectivity to those who have limited access. The network is known as 'fibre via the sewer'."
Security

Server with Top-Secret Data Stolen 142

Posted by Zonk from the don't-walk-around-with-that-stuff dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Usually missing information stories are fairly low key; the loss of a few thousand student records is cause for concern for those involved, but hardly national security. This one is slightly different. The company Forensic Telecommunications Services has announced that a server containing 'thousands of top-secret mobile phone records and evidence from undercover terrorism and organized crime investigations' has been stolen. From the article: 'The company — whose clients include Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service — has assured the public that the server is security protected, and the breach will not compromise ongoing police operations. The information is made up of either old cases that have passed through the judicial process, or cases that are already in the judicial system and so subject to full disclosure to both defense and prosecution teams.'"
Space

Submission + - Fat Planet Discovered

Submitted by ExE122
ExE122 writes: Scientists have discovered an unusually fat planet approximately eight times the size of Jupiter. The planet, HAT-P-2b, is the largest planet discovered to date. This new discovery contains "so much gravity a 150-pound person would weigh in at more than a ton".

Is Computer Science Still Worth It? 434

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the was-it-ever dept.
prostoalex writes "Is it a good idea to go into Computer Science? Yes, there are certainly pending labor shortages as Indian companies outsource to the United States, but speakers of Stanford Computer Forum generally agree that it's a good career choice. From the article: 'To ensure job security, students must learn business, communication and interpersonal skills, Vardi recommended. The personal touch will become as important as technological expertise, he said. "There are jobs galore," agreed Suzanne Bigas, assistant director of the Stanford Computer Forum.'"
Operating Systems

Submission + - Install your own OS on DoCoMo devices

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: NTT DoCoMo's OSTI (open and secure terminal initiative) specifications, jointly developed with Intel, detail how a user might go about installing their OS of choice alongside the phone's default OS. The specs cover the addition of an open domain, separate from the phone's default domain containing the preinstalled operating system and applications, in which apps or a whole new OS could be installed. Windows Mobile running alongside Linux anyone?

Stem Cells Generated From Adult Cells 190

Posted by Zonk from the all-growed-up dept.
DrJay writes "Scientist report that introducing only four genes to adult cells is sufficient to convert them to something that looks and acts remarkably like an embryonic stem cell. Although some of the details need to be worked out, if this technique is generally applicable, it may allow the production of an essentially unlimited supply of stem cells. There is a subscription-only report, and Ars Technica's science journal describes the results in some detail for those without subscriptions."

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