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+ - NOVA special to examine tech's role in capturing bombers->

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes "NOVA and PBS have announced that they will air an hour-long special May 29 dedicated to examining the roles played by technology and science in the investigation that led to the capture of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. From a press release: “Given hundreds of hours of surveillance and bystander videos, how did agents spot the suspects in a sea of spectators? Why couldn't facial recognition software I.D. the criminals? How much could bomb chemistry analysis, cell phone GPS, infrared imagery, and crowdsourcing reveal about the secrets behind this horrific crime?”"
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+ - Boston replacing Microsoft Exchange with Google Apps->

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes "The city of Boston, which employs 20,000 people, has become the latest large organization to switch from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps. The city estimates that the move will save it $280,000 a year. Microsoft’s reaction? “We believe the citizens of Boston deserve cloud productivity tools that protect their security and privacy. Google’s investments in these areas are inadequate, and they lack the proper protections most organizations require.” More and more customers aren’t buying that FUD."
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+ - EMC to lay off another 1,004 employees->

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes "As the EMC World 2013 customer conference is under way this week in Las Vegas, we learn that the host company will be laying off an additional 1,004 employees as part of its latest round of cost-cutting. “The actions will impact positions around the globe covering our Information Storage, RSA Information Security and Information Intelligence Group segments, and is expected to result in a total charge of approximately $80.0 million, with total cash payments associated with the plan expected to be approximately $73.0 million,” the company says in an SEC filing. EMC dismissed another 1,163 workers last year and employs about 60,000 worldwide."
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+ - IT pro has a hair-raising hobby: competitive bearding->

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes "Chad Roberts, founder of the RVA Beard League in Richmond, Va., takes “competitive bearding” as seriously as he does his day job, which is Windows Server/Exchange administrator in the network/systems group of the Berkshire Hathaway Media Group. “Day to day having a big beard is no problem,” he says. http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/it-pro-has-hair-raising-hobby-competitive-bearding “If I need to open up a server and take a look inside, I'll just tuck my beard into my dress shirt between the buttons, like a tie at a luncheon. It stays put and out of the way.” Winner of numerous awards, here’s a collection of some of Roberts’ greatest beard hits. http://www.networkworld.com/slideshow/96116/a-competitive-beardsmiths-greatest-hits.html"
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+ - Not even investors know what Google Glass is for->

Submitted by bdking
bdking writes "Google says it plans to ship its Google Glass Explorer Edition by the end of April to developers and consumers who paid $1,500 to test the computer-enabled eyewear, with vague plans for a general release (at a lower price) by year's end. But what will you really be able to do with Google Glass, beyond having information presented before your eyes? Even investors who are set to spend millions funding apps development for Google Glass have no clue. Is Google Glass being overhyped as a "transformational" device?"
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+ - EFF urges court to protect privacy of text messages->

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes "The police in Washington state arrested a suspected drug dealer, rummaged through the text messages on his phone, responded to one message while pretending to be the suspect, arranged a meeting, and then arrested the recipient of the text — all without a warrant. The state argues – and an appeals court majority agreed – that both suspects had neither a legal expectation of privacy nor Fourth Amendment protection because both considerations evaporate the moment that any text message arrives on any phone. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is urging the state’s Supreme Court to overturn that decision and recognize that “text messages are the 21st Century phone call.”"
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+ - How that 'extra 9' could ward off a Zombie Apocalypse->

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes "The questioner on Quora asks: “When is the difference between 99% accuracy and 99.9% accuracy very important?” And the most popular answer provided cites an example familiar to all of you: service level agreements. However, the most entertaining reply comes from a computer science and mathematics student at the University of Texas, Alex Suchman. Here’s his answer: “When it can stop a Zombie Apocalypse.”"
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Patents

+ - Texas judge tosses out patent claim against Linux->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "A federal judge in Texas, presiding over a district notorious for favoring patent trolls, has summarily dismissed all claims relating to a case brought by Uniloc USA against Rackspace for allegedly infringing upon Linux patents. Red Hat defended Rackspace in the matter and issued a press release saying: “In dismissing the case, Chief Judge Leonard Davis found that Uniloc’s claim was unpatentable under Supreme Court case law that prohibits the patenting of mathematical algorithms. This is the first reported instance in which the Eastern District of Texas has granted an early motion to dismiss finding a patent invalid because it claimed unpatentable subject matter.”"
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Twitter

+ - Twitter API changes lead to demise of Twit Cleaner->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "Twit Cleaner, a four-year-old web app reportedly used by hundreds of thousands of people to clear inactive or overactive tweeters from their Twitter accounts, is the latest victim of Twitter’s controversial API changes, as the site’s sole proprietor, Si Dawson says: “It's simply technically impossible for me to continue, due to the radically tightened limits that Twitter introduced with v1.1.” While Dawson says he understands Twitter’s need to do what’s best for the company and its community, “Unfortunately, it limits developers to largely trivial applications (although I'm sure they'd disagree). Any of us who were doing more intense analysis are in some kind of pain.”"
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+ - White House urges reversal of ban on cell-phone unlocking->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "In a dramatic call for action directly prompted by 114,000 signatures on a “We the People” petition, the Obama Administration moments ago urged the reversal of a federal regulatory decision that had rendered the act of unlocking a cell phone illegal. From the reply: “The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties. In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs.” Statements from the FCC and Library of Congress indicate that they back the administration’s position."
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Privacy

+ - Hospital unresponsive to multiple alerts about stolen data ->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "Security experts trying to tell a rural hospital that sensitive data belonging to its staff and possibly patients sits exposed on the Internet have been stymied since last week by the fact that no one at the medical facility will respond to their repeated warnings. “This is more commonplace than you might suspect,” says a healthcare professional who volunteers for the Open Security Foundation and blogs about privacy issues under the pseudonym Dissent Doe. “I've gone through hoops trying to notify various city agencies at times, and have gotten no responses to attempts to alert a major Canadian newspaper, a major U.S. health insurer where patient info was available on the web if you knew where to look, and a number of small businesses. And those are just the ones I can recall offhand.”"
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Security

+ - Notification of server breach mistaken for phishing email->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "Educause members and 7,000 university websites are being forced to change account passwords after a security breach involving the organization’s .edu domain server. However, some initially hesitated to comply because the Educause notification email bore tell-tale markings of a phishing attempt. “Given what is known about phishing and user behavior, this was bad form,” says Gene Spafford, a Purdue University computer science professor and security expert. “For an education-oriented organization to do this is particularly troubling.”"
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Google

+ - Oxford temporarily blocks Google Docs to fight phishing->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "Fed up with phishers using Google Forms to commandeer campus email accounts as spam engines, Oxford University recently blocked access to Google Docs for two-and-a-half hours in what it called an “extreme action” designed to get the attention of both its users and Google. “Seeing multiple such incidents the other afternoon tipped things over the edge,” Oxford explains in a blog post. “We considered these to be exceptional circumstances and felt that the impact on legitimate University business by temporarily suspending access to Google Docs was outweighed by the risks to University business by not taking such action.” The move generated widespread complaints from those affected, as well as criticism from outside network professionals."
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Space

+ - Calif. scientists push plan to 'evaporate' asteroids->

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "While a good-size asteroid gives Earth a fly-by today and hundreds of Russians are being treated for injuries caused by an exploding meteor, two California scientists are proposing a plan that would, among other envisioned benefits, “evaporate” potentially dangerous space rocks using an array of lasers. “This system is not some far-out idea from Star Trek,” says Gary Hughes, a researcher and professor from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. “All the components of this system pretty much exist today.”"
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Since we're all here, we must not be all there. -- Bob "Mountain" Beck

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