Comment: Re:No endorsement (Score 1) 45
100%
For 3 Years, Scammers Ran Truckless Trucking Company 244
Posted
by
timothy
from the trucker-in-the-middle dept.
from the trucker-in-the-middle dept.
mikesd81 writes "Wired reports Nicholas Lakes and Viachelav Berkovich are charged with computer fraud [PDF] for a man-in-the-middle attack that allegedly let them run a profitable trucking company without the hassle of driving a truck. For over three years the Russian immigrants hacked a Department of Transportation website called Safersys.org, which maintains a list of licensed interstate trucking companies and brokers. They then went on forums where brokers advertise cargo in need of transportation and negotiate a deal, for example, to transport cargo from American Canyon, California, to Jessup, Maryland, for $3,500. But instead of transporting the load, they would outsource the job to another trucking company posing as the legitimate company whose identity they'd hijacked. They would then invoice the company and take the money. When the company that owned the actual truck tried to contact the company that needed the goods delivered, they found they knew nothing about it. Over all they made nearly $500,000."
Comment: One Ring to bind them all (Score 1, Funny) 125
Of course the are old, they were forged by the Dark Lord Sauron before his conquest of middle earth. After attempting to bind the planets to his will and failing, he figured pesky little dwarfs, elves, and humans would be a bit easier.
IBM Threatens To Leave ISO Over OOXML Brouhaha 200
Posted
by
CmdrTaco
from the brouhaha-is-a-funny-word dept.
from the brouhaha-is-a-funny-word dept.
barnackle writes "In addition to threatening to leave certain standards organizations over the OOXML shenanigans, IBM created new guidelines for its own participation in those organizations in an attempt to pressure the ISO and ECMA to be more fair in their approval procedures."
Keeping Older Drivers Behind the Wheel 260
Posted
by
timothy
from the my-dad-should-just-not-drive-ever dept.
from the my-dad-should-just-not-drive-ever dept.
Hugh Pickens writes "A new study shows the key role technology can play in extending the age at which people can drive safely and highlights the important psychological role that driving plays in older people's lives in contributing to feelings of independence and freedom and maintaining their quality of life. The study identified ideas for in-car information systems to help compensate for the reduction in reaction time that affects many older drivers. Specific recommendations included a head-up display on the windshield that displays road sign information based on GPS position so the driver doesn't have to keep watching the road side for information and a system to provide the driver with audible feedback on their current speed so the driver doesn't have to look at the dashboard so often. 'Our research highlights issues that have been overlooked by car designers and those advising older people on lifestyles,' says Dr Charles Musselwhite, who led the study. 'The current emphasis on developing technologies which take over part of the driving task may actually end up deterring older drivers. By contrast, better in-car information systems could help them drive safely and ensure they want to keep driving.'"
MySQL Founder Monty Quits Sun (Or Not) 148
Posted
by
CmdrTaco
from the who-didn't-predict-that dept.
from the who-didn't-predict-that dept.
Paul Boutin writes "A reliable source tells Valleywag that MySQL inventor Michael Widenius, better known as Monty, has resigned from Sun. Sun bought Monty's MySQL company in a billion-dollar deal last January. Brian Aker, who forked the Web 2.0-friendly Drizzle SQL database (and former Slashdot engineer!), remains at Sun." Kaj Arnö and Sheeri Cabral share their thoughts.
iGoogle Experiment Gone Wrong
Submitted
by
An anonymous reader writes "What happens when a big name search engine decides to forcefully opt-in lots of users into a "experimental" version of their new site? What if there was no opt-out and no response from the company? What if the experimental site was so ugly and bugged that it becomes unusable?
Exactly what you would expect. Waves and waves of negative feedback, mass migrations, and a few hacks to try and work around it."
Exactly what you would expect. Waves and waves of negative feedback, mass migrations, and a few hacks to try and work around it."
Infringement Case Struck Down->
Submitted
by
eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes "A CA Court has struck down a copyright infringement suite against Veoh that involved users uploading copyright protected content owned by Io Group. While YouTube praised this ruling, Viacom had something else to say about it: "Even if the Veoh decision were to be considered by other courts, that case does nothing to change the fact that YouTube is a business built on infringement that has failed to take reasonable measures to respect the rights of creators and content owners. Google and YouTube have engaged in massive copyright infringement — conduct that is not protected by any law, including the DMCA.""
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Judge in SCO vs. Novell clears the decks
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "The judge in the SCO vs. Novell case has issued a series of rulings in preparation for the beginning of the trial on the eleventh. He smacks down SCO pretty good. In particular, he denied their request for a jury trial. That means the trial will be completely carried out by the judge. It could be quite a short efficient trial followed by a loud clap of thunder. One issue is apportionment. That means the judge has to decide how much of the Microsoft/Sun licenses belongs to Novell. Any reasonable amount will immediately thrust SCO into bankruptcy. They won't get a choice of what kind of bankruptcy because there will be no hope that the company can be returned to profitibility. The trustee will walk in the door, take the keys from Darl and wind up the rest of this sorry mess as quickly as possible.
Link to ColonelZen's site"
Link to ColonelZen's site"
New cellphone bill will clarify contracts->
Submitted
by
theorem4
theorem4 writes "From
TFA:
"Washington, D.C. — Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today unveiled legislation aimed at empowering the 200 million cell phone customers nationwide to make informed choices about a wireless service that best fits their needs and their budget.
The Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act of 2007 will require wireless service providers to share simple, clear information on their services and charges with customers before they enter into long-term contracts; a thirty-day window in which to exit a contract without early termination fees; and greater flexibility to exit contracts with services that don't meet their needs."
It goes on to explain that the bill will tell the FCC to inquire about the practice of "locking" phones."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Best practices to avoid Ajax security threats
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "This article discusses some common types of Ajax attacks and the results that attackers can obtain from them. Finally, it concluded with a best Ajax security practices section, which you can use to avoid some of the most common Ajax application attacks."
Soft Drinks Not a Major Cause of Childhood Obesity->
Submitted
by
speda1
speda1 writes "A large UK study found that intake of sugar and soft drinks is only weakly associated with obesity in children. Much stronger correlations were found for total caloric intake, activity levels, and high fat and protein intake."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Toddlers are smarter than chimps->
Submitted
by
Lucas123
Lucas123 writes "The journal Science just posted the findings of a study today that showed two-year-old children are naturally more intelligent than chimps of vastly greater age. In one experiment, chimps tasked with opening a plastic tube to retrieve food or a toy inside bit it and tried to break it, while the children watched an example and copied it. "Children and chimpanzees had very similar cognitive skills for dealing with the physical world but ... the children had more sophisticated cognitive skills than either of the ape species for dealing with the social world.""
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Microwave Popcorn Responsible for Illness->
Submitted
by
EE_Philosopher
EE_Philosopher writes "The New York Times is reporting on a man who suffered respiratory issues allegedly resulting from eating microwave popcorn up to twice a day. They believe the condition arose from the heated diacetyl used in creating the artificial butter flavoring. The condition is common among workers in popcorn plants.
From the article:
"'I said to him, 'This is a very weird question, but bear with me. But are you around a lot of popcorn?' " Dr. Rose asked. "His jaw dropped and he said, 'How could you possibly know that about me? I am Mr. Popcorn. I love popcorn.' "
The man told Dr. Rose that he had eaten microwave popcorn at least twice a day for more than 10 years.
"When he broke open the bags, after the steam came out, he would often inhale the fragrance because he liked it so much," Dr. Rose said. "That's heated diacetyl, which we know from the workers' studies is the highest risk."
Dr. Rose measured levels of diacetyl in the man's home after he made popcorn and found levels of the chemical were similar to those in microwave popcorn plants. She asked the man to stop eating microwave popcorn."
After he stopped eating the popcorn, his respiratory problems stabilized and eventually improved slightly.
Also from the article:
"The case will most likely accelerate calls on Capitol Hill for the Bush administration to crack down on the use of diacetyl. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been criticized as doing little to protect workers in popcorn plants despite years of studying the issue.""
Link to Original Source
From the article:
"'I said to him, 'This is a very weird question, but bear with me. But are you around a lot of popcorn?' " Dr. Rose asked. "His jaw dropped and he said, 'How could you possibly know that about me? I am Mr. Popcorn. I love popcorn.' "
The man told Dr. Rose that he had eaten microwave popcorn at least twice a day for more than 10 years.
"When he broke open the bags, after the steam came out, he would often inhale the fragrance because he liked it so much," Dr. Rose said. "That's heated diacetyl, which we know from the workers' studies is the highest risk."
Dr. Rose measured levels of diacetyl in the man's home after he made popcorn and found levels of the chemical were similar to those in microwave popcorn plants. She asked the man to stop eating microwave popcorn."
After he stopped eating the popcorn, his respiratory problems stabilized and eventually improved slightly.
Also from the article:
"The case will most likely accelerate calls on Capitol Hill for the Bush administration to crack down on the use of diacetyl. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been criticized as doing little to protect workers in popcorn plants despite years of studying the issue.""
Link to Original Source
Race to Mars
Submitted
by
smightyducks
smightyducks writes "300 scientists and space-experts contributed to what's billed as "a realistic vision of the first Human Mission to Mars" — Race to Mars. Discovery Channel Canada used Hollywood special effects, but for added realism rather than ray-guns and aliens. On the website, you can argue about whether they got it right. Is there a movement to get accurate science in the movies (or, in this case, on TV), and does it still make for good entertainment? This uses Serious Games as part of education, too: www.racetomars.ca"