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Science

The Proton Just Got Smaller 289

Posted by samzenpus
from the size-does-matter dept.
inflame writes "A new paper published in Nature has said that the proton may be smaller than we previously thought. The article states 'The difference is so infinitesimal that it might defy belief that anyone, even physicists, would care. But the new measurements could mean that there is a gap in existing theories of quantum mechanics. "It's a very serious discrepancy," says Ingo Sick, a physicist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, who has tried to reconcile the finding with four decades of previous measurements. "There is really something seriously wrong someplace."' Would this indicate new physics if proven?"

Google deploys SSL encrypted searches

Submitted by el-schwa
el-schwa writes "CNN is running a story about Google's deployment of SSL to it's main search page. It seems to me that this feature is 10 years overdue."
Links

Streamtu.be - HTML5/CSS3 realtime Twitter rankings->

Submitted by kjeldahl
kjeldahl writes "Monitors Twitter, looking for links mentioned in tweets and ranks destination sites by frequency. Auto-resolves shortened links etc. Site titles and ranks are collected and animated in real-time. Useful to see what links are being mentioned, or which links contain actual useful information during real-time events. Disclaimer: My site."
Link to Original Source

Ask Slashdot: Centralized Management of iPads

Submitted by yubb
yubb writes "I work with many school districts where Windows is only server and desktop OS in sight. We build networks this way so we have a centralized place for deploying apps, applying security policies and for ease of management.

With the release of the iPad, everyone suddenly realized that they needed tablets. With this "realization" comes another layer of management. I just lost all of the tools I had previously used to manage the network and its devices. There is LDAP integration for iPad, but it seems limited to mail/contacts. Without LDAP integration I lose the ability to easily give users access to their network shares and other network resources.

Another major hurdle is authenticating the iPad users with our content filter so they get the same policies as they're accustomed to on their desktop. Our content filter utilizes Active Directory and since the iPads don't login to AD, they don't get the right filtering policy.

The administrators in the school districts seem set on the iPad and not really open to any alternatives like the Archos netbook/tablet: http://www.archos.com/products/nb/archos_9/index.html?country=us&lang=en Although they claim that they want to explore the iPad because it will revolutionize education, not being open to other options seems to indicate otherwise. It seems Apple's slick advertising and the public wanting the next new thing is playing a part here as well. But for something to be able to work well for the end user it needs to be easily manageable from the IT staff side, which is why I would prefer a Windows-based tablet (remember, we're an all-Windows network).

Is there anything I can do to alleviate this management nightmare? My belief is that a Windows-based tablet is the best answer; however, I'm not so sure I'll be able to convince the decision-makers of that."
Intel

Intel Debuts Ultra-Thin Processors

Submitted by adeelarshad82
adeelarshad82 writes "Intel has announced a series of ultra-low-voltage processors aimed at "ultrathin" laptops. The company also suggested it would be following up with more processors aimed at tablets at next month's Computex show. The announcement focused on six processors aimed at the "consumer ultra low voltage" market, ranging from the Core i7 family down through versions called Core i5 (2 models), Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron. Intel said these new chips are dual-core manufactured at 32nm, and based on the Nehalem architecture, which I assume actually means the Westmere shrink of the chip. Intel will also be introducing the Core i3, i5, i7 technology in CULV processors to give the lineup a boost."
Privacy

Why Online Privacy Is Broken->

Submitted by Trailrunner7
Trailrunner7 writes "One of the more trite and oft-repeated maxims in the software industry goes something like this: We're not focusing on security because our customers aren't asking for it. They want features and functionality. When they ask for security, then we'll worry about it. Not only is this philosophy doomed to failure, it's now being repeated in the realm of privacy, with potentially disastrous effects. A quick search of recent news on the privacy front reveals that just about all of it is bad. Facebook is exposing users' live chat sessions and other data to third parties. Google is caught recording not only MAC address and SSID information from public Wi-Fi hotspots, but storing data from the networks, as well.

But the prevailing attitude among corporate executives in these cases seems to be summed up by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who famously said this not too long ago: "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
If you look beyond the patent absurdity of Schmidt's statement for a minute, you'll find another old maxim hiding underneath: Blame the user.

You want privacy? Don't use our search engine/photo software/email application/maps. That's our data now, thank you very much. Oh, you don't want your private chats exposed to the world? Sorry, you never told us that."
Link to Original Source
Google

Google keeps PacMan available for play->

Submitted by tekgoblin
tekgoblin writes "If you had fun playing PacMan on Google (Google) for the 30th anniversary (I know I did), fear not Google has kept PacMan available for play. PacMan is available at http://www.google.com/pacman permanently. Google had this to say:

        We’ve been overwhelmed — but not surprised :) — by the success of our 30th anniversary PAC-MAN doodle. Due to popular demand, we’re making the game permanently available at www.google.com/pacman.

        Thanks to NAMCO for helping to make this wonderful collaboration happen. Enjoy!

        Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP Search Products & User Experience"
Link to Original Source
Moon

Citizen Scientists Help Explore the Moon

Submitted by
Pickens
Pickens writes "NPR reports that NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is doing such a good job photographing every bit of the moon's surface that scientists can't keep up, so Oxford astrophysicist Chris Lintott is asking amateur astronomers to help review, measure and classify tens of thousands of moon photos streaming to Earth using the website MoonZoo, where anyone can log on, get trained and become a space explorer. "We ask people to count the craters that they can see ... and that tells us all sorts of things about the history and the age of that bit of surface," says Lintott. Volunteers are also asked to identify boulders, measure the craters and generally classify what is found in the images. If one person does the classification — even if they're an expert — then anything odd or interesting can be blamed on them but with multiple independent classifications the team can statistically calculate the confidence in the classification and that's a large part of the power of Moon Zoo and Lintott adds the British and American scientists heading up the LRO project have been randomly checking the amateur research being sent in and find it as good as you would get from an expert. "There are a whole host of scientists ... who are waiting for these results, who've already committed to using them in their own research.""

I can read your mind, and you should be ashamed of yourself.