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Businesses

Woz: Apple almost sold out to Commodore->

Submitted by hoagiecat
hoagiecat writes "At a panel where early computer innovators reminisced, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak outlined an interesting scenario: he says that he and Steve Jobs tried to sell the prototype Apple II to Commodore. "Steve [Jobs] started saying all we want to do was offer [Apple II] for a few hundred thousand dollars, and we will get jobs at Commodore, we'll get some stock and we'll be in charge of running the program," Woz said. Instead, Commodore went out on its own with the C64, Jobs and Woz sold the Apple II themselves — and the rest is history..."
Link to Original Source
Security

Bank Card Company violates their own rules

Submitted by
FnH
FnH writes "Bank Card Company, the Belgian branch of Atos Worldline, the European leader in the processing of high-volume electronic transactions violates basic security guidelines.
They are advertising for a contest where, in order to sign up, you have to input your personal information and credit card number into a flash application on an unsecured web page. This might be excused if the flash application sent the data back over a secure channel, but this isn't the case. A quick capture using wireshark reveals that the data is sent back using a soap call over an unsecured http connection.
One would hope that the flashy registration wizard ends with a load wav berating the user for inputting such confidential data into a website without checking for the padlock or colored address bar, but alas.
How do they expect mom and dad to learn to shop safely on the internet when they are setting such a bad example themselves?"
Windows

Antivirus: A waste of 50% of your HD throughput?->

Submitted by dwalsh
dwalsh writes "Are we wasting our (Windows) computers performance on a placebo? Jeff Atwood seems to think so:

"The performance cost of virus scanning (lose 50% of disk performance, plus some percent of CPU speed) does not justify the benefit of a 33% detection rate and marginal protection."

"Ask yourself this: why don't Mac users run anti-virus software? Why don't UNIX users run anti-virus software? Because they don't need to. They don't run as administrators."

The article is a criticism of AV as a blacklist approach, that mostly protects against last months viruses. How many Slashdot Windows users rely solely on a firewall, a decent web browser, and good common sense (like Momma used to make it) when it comes to attachments?"
Link to Original Source
PlayStation (Games)

Harmonix: Activision Is Preventing Rock Band Patch-> 1

Submitted by
XueCast
XueCast writes "Many gamers have asked for guitar controller compatibility between Guitar Hero and Rock Band, because of that, Harmonix had developed a patch that can make that happen. The compatibility patch has allegedly been approved by Sony Computer Entertainment, and is ready to be released. But Activision, the publisher of the Guitar Hero series is not very happy with the patch at all, and the patch's release is currently being blocked by the Santa Monica based video game publisher company."
Link to Original Source
Encryption

New way to build unhackable quantum encryptor->

Submitted by Bergkamp10
Bergkamp10 writes "Researchers at the Australian National University have built an unhackable, completely secret Quantum cryptographic system (QKD) out of common telecommunications electronics and optics, marking a dramatic decrease in the cost of quantum encryption devices. The researchers also claim their system is much more robust than the two main commercial companies developing Quantum encryption devices; MagiQ in the US, and idQuantique in Switzerland. Both of these companies use specialised single photon sources and detectors in their QKD's, which can cost upwards of US$100,000 and are extremely delicate. The ANU researchers have not only developed a completely unhackable quantum encryption device using off-the-shelf components that is much cheaper, but also much more durable than the current market offerings. Quantum cryptography works by using laser beams that are encoded in a way that makes interception physically impossible. The article includes a step by step guide from ANU physicist and Stanford Sloan Fellow Vikram Sharma, who details exactly how Quantum encryption works, as well as suggestions for its future implementation in areas such as personal banking."
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Television

PBS tells the story of the Ron Paul Revolution->

Submitted by
clamothe
clamothe writes "Despite lacking major media coverage, the Ron Paul presidential campaign has gained attention of many Americans. It's supporters have attracted more supporters for it, primarily using various new-media on the internet. This friday PBS will be the first major old-media network to feature a comprehensive, fair & balanced account of the Ron Paul "Revolution"."
Link to Original Source

Comment: Shirow Masamune / robotic control software (Score 1) 203

by Karl the Pagan (#21613769) Attached to: Toyota Unveils Violin-Playing Robot
Perhaps as in the "Ghost in the Shell" fiction series each function of a robot or cyborg's abilities will be linked to specialized software tailor made for that application. The power users will combine and tweak their control software, hackers could inject viruses, or feedback in cybernetic systems could drive users mad.

It's all been predicted... now we just need to show that the alternative (AI) is possible and test if it is more desirable.

In like a dimwit, out like a light. -- Pogo