Comment Grace Park has my vote. (Score 1) 394
I'm with you on that.
Comment The Movie Hackers (Score 1) 384
Been wanting one since the movie Hackers came out back in the mid-90s - which Zero Cool used. Loved the idea, have looked for years yet nothing has ever quite done it.
Submission + - FTC settles with adware company
narramissic writes: In a settlement with the FTC, adware distributor Zango Inc., formerly known as 180solutions Inc., will give up $3 million in 'ill-gotten gains' for deceptive downloads that displayed billions of unwanted pop-up ads. In addition, Zango is barred from loading software onto consumers' computers without their consent and is required to provide a way for consumers to remove the adware.
Submission + - UK report proposes changes to IP laws
NKJV writes: A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, a UK think tank, has some concrete suggestions on how to reform the UK's dated intellectual property laws. The starting point for its deliberations is the notion that knowledge is both a commodity and a public good, and it recommends that the UK move from a model where knowledge is "an asset first and a public resource second" to one where knowledge is primarily a public resource and secondarily an asset. Is that an anti-business attitude? The report's authors don't think so: '"the goal of a policy framework that suits business in general is illusory." Business is not a monolith; while certain approaches to intellectual property might be better for certain types of businesses, companies can thrive even under the fourth model [knowledge is only a public resource] (think of open source firms like Red Hat). Furthermore, the authors believe that making knowledge a social good first will actually foster increased innovation and therefore more money for UK businesses.'
Submission + - Barrage of SMS text spam planned for US cellphones
TCPALaw writes: Prepare for it... an Ohio paper is reporting on a plan by an advertiser to deluge people with SMS text message spam, claiming it is "perfectly legal." He claims to have more than 17.5 million cell phone numbers (won't say how he got them) covering every major U.S. metropolitan area including 3 million college students' numbers from an internet gambling portal. Perhaps he should read this court decision first or this report on FCC rulings in 2004 that declared this practice illegal. Is the threat of a multi-million dollar class action not enough to disuade such lunacy?
Submission + - Microsoft and Novell in Partnership
Jon Kotek writes: "Nov. 2, 2006
Microsoft is entering into an unusual partnership with Novell that gives a boost to the Linux operating system, a rival to the software giant's Windows software. The companies are set to announce details of the plan, which includes development of technology for running Linux and Windows on the same computer, later today.
For more information, see: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116249026689311557 .html?mod=djemalert"
Submission + - Tool builds fresh Service Packs for XP/2000/2003
An anonymous reader writes: German magazine c't has developed a tool to autmatically build a fresh Service Pack for Windows XP / 2000 & Server 2003. The download skript grabs all available security updates via wget from Microsofts servers and creates Up-To-Date ISOs for Update-CDs/DVDs that automatically patch as many system as you like — no internet connection or dreaded WGA necessary to install all security updates.
http://www.heise.de/ct/ftp/projekte/offlineupdate/
The tool has english GUI and works for US anf german versions.
Submission + - Microsoft to Announce Linux Partnership
Carl Bialik from WSJ writes: "Microsoft is entering into an unusual partnership with Novell that gives a boost to Linux, people familiar with the companies tell WSJ.com. From the article: 'Under the pact, which isn't final, Microsoft will offer sales support of Suse Linux, a version of the operating system sold by Novell. The two companies have also agreed to develop technologies to make it easier for users to run both Suse Linux and Microsoft's Windows on their computers. The two companies are expected to announce details of their plan today at a press conference in San Francisco. In addition, Microsoft won't assert rights over patents over software technology that may be incorporated into Suse Linux, the people said. Businesses that use Linux have long worried that Microsoft would one day file patent infringement suits against sellers of the rival software.'"
Submission + - Paypal Remains Online Despite Explosion
feamsr00 writes: "from Netcraft: An explosion at online payment processor Paypal caused property damage, but resulted in no injuries. The company's web site, one of the Internet's busiest e-commerce sites, remained online throughout the incident.
The explosion Tuesday night at Paypal's network operations center in San Jose shattered a window and forced the evacuation of 26 employees, according to local media reports. Law enforcement officials said they "have suspicions" about what may have caused the blast, but did not detail them. The investigation team included members of the local police bomb squad."
The explosion Tuesday night at Paypal's network operations center in San Jose shattered a window and forced the evacuation of 26 employees, according to local media reports. Law enforcement officials said they "have suspicions" about what may have caused the blast, but did not detail them. The investigation team included members of the local police bomb squad."
Submission + - Classified Wiki for U.S. Intelligence Community
CortoMaltese writes: The U.S. intelligence community has unveiled their own classified wiki, the Intellipedia. From the Reuters article:
Intellipedia uses MediaWiki as the wiki engine. Wikipedia also has a page on Intellipedia.The office of U.S. intelligence czar John Negroponte announced Intellipedia, which allows intelligence analysts and other officials to collaboratively add and edit content on the government's classified Intelink Web much like its more famous namesake on the World Wide Web.
A "top secret" Intellipedia system, currently available to the 16 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, has grown to more than 28,000 pages and 3,600 registered users since its introduction on April 17. Less restrictive versions exist for "secret" and "sensitive but unclassified" material.
Submission + - Dual booting cellphones
An anonymous reader writes: DoCoMo has published the first revision of its OSTI (open and secure terminal initiative) specification, allowing for the dual booting of operating systems on handsets. telecoms.com has the story [reg.req.]. "The platform uses a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) to allow one domain to run in the background and the other to run in the foreground, while allowing instant switching between the two." Each domain could be installed with a different OS. Looks like it may only run on Intel hardware though.
Submission + - E-Voting machines suspect in early Florida poll
QuatermassX writes: "With less than a week to go until elections in the United States, it seems like
electronic voting machine weirdness is already afoot in Florida according to the Miami Herald. Is this the canary in the coal mine we all need to prevent chaos on Election Day — or is it inevitable at this point?
From the article: Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to recalibrate them on the spot — essentially, to realign the video screen with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in the poll-workers manual.
I take it these 'poll workers' who 'correct' faulty machines are trained and explicitly non-partisan technicians? Or not."
From the article: Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to recalibrate them on the spot — essentially, to realign the video screen with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in the poll-workers manual.
I take it these 'poll workers' who 'correct' faulty machines are trained and explicitly non-partisan technicians? Or not."
