google study of hdd failure
Submitted
by
lobro1
Password Malpractice: Are You Guilty?
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "The explosion of passwords in today's enterprise has created a sea of holes in the security infrastructure. Some CIOs have responded to the challenge by bringing in the lifeboats, figuratively speaking, but in many cases the password-related security risk remains largely unchecked and even ignored."
Anti-DRM Petition Response From Downing Street
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "Downing Street have released a statement in response to a petition on their website.
It states that all products with DRM should be labelled on how the product can be used or not used.
It also references the Gowers Report [PDF warning] published December 2006 and the recommendations proposed in the report.
It states that all products with DRM should be labelled on how the product can be used or not used.
It is clear though that the needs and rights of consumers must also be carefully safeguarded. It is reasonable for consumers to be informed what is actually being offered for sale, for example, and how and where the purchaser will be able to use the product, and any restrictions applied.
It also references the Gowers Report [PDF warning] published December 2006 and the recommendations proposed in the report.
Recommendations include introducing a limited private copying exception by 2008 for format shifting for works published after the date that the law comes into effect. There should be no accompanying levies for consumers. Also making it easier for users to file notice of complaints procedures relating to Digital Rights Management tools by providing an accessible web interface on the Patent Office website by 2008 and that DTI should investigate the possibility of providing consumer guidance on DRM systems through a labelling convention without imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens
"
Free 3D tool even I can use
Submitted
by
CowardICE
CowardICE writes "There is a new release of Blender (free 3d animation and modeling tool) that has way a way cool sculpting tool that even the totally artistically retarded (ie me) can use to create realistic looking monster heads. The new blender also has a lot of other improvements and lots of nice videos showing the new features."
Cold Fusion Scientist Exonerated 171
Posted
by
ScuttleMonkey
from the cold-hearted dept.
from the cold-hearted dept.
Icarus1919 writes "New Scientist reports that the scientist who discovered a possible cold fusion reaction by bombarding a solvent with neutrons and sonic waves has recently been exonerated of accusations of scientific misconduct following the verification of his results by another scientist."
The Wii - Is the Magic Gone? 492
Posted
by
Zonk
from the do-the-clowns-always-cry-when-you-pack-up-the-paper-sky dept.
from the do-the-clowns-always-cry-when-you-pack-up-the-paper-sky dept.
Computer And Video Games asks the tough question: is the Wii's magic gone? After the flurry of excitement around the launch, lackluster ports and a persistent inability for Nintendo to keep units on the shelves has made it hard for gamers to sustain their enthusiasm for the system. It doesn't help that most of the good games slated for this year won't be out for months. In some cases, there's doubt they'll even make it out this year: Reggie Fils-Aime appears to be backpedaling on Metroid Prime 3 by Christmas, which would be a shame. GigaGamez has additional commentary. Are you still as excited about the Wii as you were when it launched?
Study Indicates Autism is Mostly Genetic
Submitted
by
Old Man Kensey
Old Man Kensey writes "A study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the nonprofit foundation Autism Speaks has found multiple verifiable genetic links to the development of autism, including a gene involved in glutamate metabolism, a process implicated in other childhood neurological disorders like epilepsy. One researcher went so far as to say the findings indicate that autism may be as much as 90% genetic."
Ruby Implementation Shootout 112
Posted
by
ScuttleMonkey
from the always-with-the-shooting dept.
from the always-with-the-shooting dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Ruby has an ever growing number of alternative implementations, and many of these attempt to improve the suboptimal performance of the current mainstream interpreter. Antonio Cangiano has an interesting article in which he benchmarks a few of the most popular Ruby implementations, including Yarv (the heart of Ruby 2.0), JRuby, Ruby.NET, Rubinius and Cardinal (Ruby on Parrot). Numerical evidence is provided rather than shear opinions. The tests show that Yarv is the fastest implementation and that it offers a promising future when it comes to the speed of the next Ruby version."
Broken Daylight Savings Patch?
Submitted
by
lys1123
lys1123 writes "Windows Update on our work computers automatically installed an update over the weekend and now the NUnit testing on our current project has gone from all green to all red. The reason? Our test data includes data that was inserted on 11/01/2005 and this is now being treated as Daylight Savings Time instead of Standard time. Has anyone else run into this problem? Have you found any fixes that actually work?"
Dell crowdsources innovation
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "Last week, Dell launched 'IdeaStorm', a Digg-style customer feedback site which invites users to submit and vote on ways to improve the company's product line and service. Creating such a public and transparent feedback-loop is brave move by a company that is too often associated with exploding laptops and poor customer support. But, argues ZDNet's The Social Web, beyond generating some possitive PR, the pay-off could be signicant: "The 'IdeaStorm' Terms of Service makes it clear that Dell has the right to use any of the ideas "royalty-free" and without compensation. This is obviously a legal necessity, but effectively means that the company isn't just accepting feedback on its own ideas but is in fact crowdsourcing innovation — for little or no cost." Ideas submitted so far, include a Linux-based Dell, ditching software trials and add-ons, and offering a line of eco-friendly PCs. Is crowdsourcing a good strategy for Dell? And should other companies follow suit?"