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Comment: Lock in? What lock in? (Score 1) 132

by dhaines (#43504193) Attached to: Did B&N Pass On the 6.8" E-ink Screen That Kobo Snapped Up?

I have a Kobo Glo with lots of legitimately purchased ebooks from Amazon and BN on it.

All it takes is the Calibre open source library manager and a couple third-party DRM-stripping plugins. Rarely, converting from AZW, you'll need a bit of CSS skill and a text editor to track down a conversion glitch.

Of course this entails an account at each vendor to buy the books. Downloading is handled by the Amazon and/or Adobe Digital Editions (BN/Kobo) apps used by those accounts. Just don't let the apps fondle your ereader -- that's what Calibre is for.

This technique probably works for Nooks as they're epub-native like Kobo. Not sure how easy or effective converting into AZW/Mobi/etc would be for Kindlers, but these same tools might well do it.

+ - KickStarter continuing to be abused, despite new TOS?->

Submitted by ElementOfDestruction
ElementOfDestruction writes "Seemingly every week or two, there is a new story about how the once-great KickStarter is being taken further and further down a path — fake projects, continually pushed-back dates, etc. The ACME Corporation Poster has effectively turned KickStarter into a glorified shopping cart. KickStarter makes $1.50 for every poster sold, the Project Founder doesn't have to print a single poster extra. Does KickStarter have enough to lose by allowing projects to do this? At this point, they stand to make $4500 on this project alone."
Link to Original Source

Comment: Re:I Completely Agree With the Outrage! (Score 1) 215

by dhaines (#41019973) Attached to: BitTorrent Tries To Appease Users By Making Torrent Ads Optional

>>>I've gotten to the point where I won't rely on anything offered for free because then you're just one corporate re-org, acquisition, etc away from being booted out in the cold.

Reminds me... Anyone have some AOL discs they could send? I only have 9,000 hours left.

Security

+ - "Printer Bomb" Malware Spread Via Compromised .htaccess Files-> 2

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes "In late June, security researchers discovered malware that had been launching junk print jobs that waste paper until the printer runs out. Symantec calls the printer malware Milicenso, or the “Printer Bomb”, and code examination marks it as a variant of a malware delivery system discovered in 2010.

Today, after conducting additional research on Trojan.Milicenso, researchers determined that the threat is propagated by a compromised .htaccess file that launches a redirection Web attack. So far, Symantec has been able to count at least 4,000 websites that have been compromised by the cybercriminal(s) behind the attacks.

Research shows that the attack dated back to at least 2010, and the attacker(s) used different domain names to prevent them from being blocked or blacklisted. According to Symantec, “In 2010 and 2011, the gang moved to a new domain every few months. But in 2012, they changed domains almost every day.""
Link to Original Source

Comment: We're growing apart, Google. (Score 5, Funny) 329

by dhaines (#40538261) Attached to: Google Killing Off Mini, Video, and iGoogle

You seem really withdrawn and distant. It's that gossipy jerk Facebook, isn't it?

Our iGoogle times were great. Remember how we discovered new things with Reader, how we built our lives around Calendar? And wow, you were really good in search!

But you've changed, Google. I don't mind that you're heavier, but this diet is like cutting off your legs to lose weight. And frankly, you're kind of clingy.

So let's just be friends. I'll still see ya around Maps, and maybe we can catch an image search sometime. Your tracking will always be with me.

Sorry I missed you at Plus, I came by but no one was there.

Comment: Re:bad idea (Score 1) 376

by dhaines (#40247809) Attached to: Could Cops Use Google As Pre-Cogs?

It'll hit its heights when the local dragnet, noticing a 'criminal' query, tries to step up its game, and catch the pre-suspect in the act by infiltrating and enticing someone to go through with the act...

Sounds sort of like what the FBI is doing now -- throwing fuel around until a "terrorist plot" flickers, fanning the spark with props and drama, then rushing in, press release in hand, to extinguish the evildoers' villainous plan.

Advertising

+ - Sony Patent To Stop Your Gaming To Try And Sell You Products?->

Submitted by
TheGift73
TheGift73 writes "Sony, have a patent that would allow them to stop your gaming in its tracks to try to sell you products.

The patent was filled on 22nd July 2011 and published on 10th November 2011 and would, without a doubt, be the most annoying thing imaginable when it come to immersing yourself into a game. People pay quite a bit of money these days for the latest games, so having those interrupted by dumb advertising would be a game killer. Here’s a more detailed description of how it would be implemented.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an advertisement scheme for use with interactive content, such as for example video games, entertainment software, or any other type of interactive content. In some embodiments, during game play, the game slows down, then stops, and a commercial is played. The user may be given an indication or other warning that a commercial is coming. By way of example, the indication may comprise a slowing down of the game play. This way, when the game slows down, the user knows to get ready for a commercial, the game then stops, and the commercial is played. After the commercial, the game resumes (i.e. starts again). In some embodiments the game may resume by slowly starting again, which allows the user to remember where he or she was in the game.

Abstract:

“A method for use in advertising includes initiating playing of interactive content, suspending playing of the interactive content, displaying an advertisement, and resuming playing of the interactive content. A computer program product includes a medium embodying a computer program for causing a computer to perform these operations, and a system for use in advertising includes a display and a processing system configured to perform these operations.”

Now, the good news is, is that not all patents are forthcoming, but still, what idiot though it would be a good idea?"
Link to Original Source
Security

+ - XML Encryption Broken, Need to Fix W3C Standard->

Submitted by gzipped_tar
gzipped_tar writes "Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum demonstrated the insecurity of XML encryption standard at ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Chicago this week. "Everything is insecure", is the uncomfortable message from Bochum.

As pointed out by the Ars Technica article, XML Encryption is used widely as part of server-to-server Web services connections to transmit secure information mixed with non-sensitive data, based on cipher-block chaining. But it is apparently too weak, as demonstrated by Juraj Somorovsky and Tibor Jager. They were able to decrypt data by sending modified ciphertexts to the serve by gathering information from the received error messages. The attack was tested against a popular open source implementation of XML Encrytion, and against the implementations of companies that responded to the responsible disclosure — in all cases the result was the same: the attack worked.

Fixing the vulnerability will require a revision of the W3C XML encryption standard, Somorovsky said. The researchers informed all possibly affected companies through the mailing list of W3C, following a clear responsible disclosure process."
Link to Original Source

The sight of death frightens them [Earthers]. -- Kras the Klingon, "Friday's Child", stardate 3497.2

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