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Comment Re:Clumsily worded (Score 1) 106

Well-said.

I find direct product plugs a little icky in open source software -- but the approach you outlined there wouldn't bug me, and Yes, would be useful.

Micro-rant: Breadcrumbs that lead to more information go missing all to often in the FOSS world; maybe it's because the often-correct perception is that anyone who cares enough or is likely to benefit from deeper information will also know how to find it anyhow, so why make it any easier? Doesn't take malice, and indifference might be too harsh. Just means there could be more empathy. That's why I like splashscreens, project blogs, and "About" entries under a Help menu, too.

Submission + - Researcher Uses Valve Security Bug to Upload Paint Drying Game on Steam (softpedia.com)

An anonymous reader writes: A security researcher found two bypasses in Valve's game review process that eventually allowed him to publish Steam Trading Cards and a full game on the Steam Store called "Watch Paint Dry" (reference to this case from last month involving the British film censors).

The game was supposed to be an April Fools' Day prank, but the researcher forgot to set a release date, and was published on the Steam Store last weekend. Valve has fixed the security bypass in the meantime. These were extremely dangerous since it allowed anyone to publish games on the Store (possible containing malware) without a Valve employee ever taking a look at them, or knowing they went through the review process.

Feed Google News Sci Tech: The Oculus Rift Is Here, but Virtual Reality Is Still Rough Around the Edges - New York Times (google.com)


New York Times

The Oculus Rift Is Here, but Virtual Reality Is Still Rough Around the Edges
New York Times
Microsoft Created a Twitter Bot to Learn From Users. It Quickly Became a Racist Jerk. Chip-Card Payment System Delays Frustrate Retailers. Loading... See next articles. See previous articles. Personal Tech. Site Navigation. Home Page Home Page World.
Oculus Rift VR headset review: The magical, yet unfinished birth of virtual realityPCWorld
Review: Oculus Rift Is Expensive, Complicated, and Totally WonderfulTIME
Oculus Rift Review: VR's Rising Star Isn't Ready for the MainstreamWall Street Journal
WIRED-USA TODAY-Gizmodo-The Verge
all 141 news articles

Submission + - Zero-Rating Harms Poor People, Public Interest Groups Tell FCC (vice.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The nation’s largest internet service providers are undermining US open internet rules, threatening free speech, and disproportionately harming poor people by using a controversial industry practice called “zero-rating,” a coalition of public interest groups wrote in a letter to federal regulators on Monday.

Companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T use zero-rating, which refers to a variety of practices that exempt certain services from monthly data caps, to undercut “the spirit and the text” of federal rules designed to protect net neutrality, the principle that all content on the internet should be equally accessible, the groups wrote.

The letter, which was signed by the Center for Media Justice, the Open Technology Institute, Free Press, and dozens of other groups, increases the pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to address zero-rating, which has become the latest battlefront in the decade-long war between policymakers, industry giants, and consumer advocates over how best to ensure internet openness.

Zero-rated plans “distort competition, thwart innovation, threaten free speech, and restrict consumer choice—all harms the rules were meant to prevent,” the groups wrote. “These harms tend to fall disproportionately on low income communities and communities of color, who tend to rely on mobile networks as their primary or exclusive means of access to the internet.”

Submission + - Ubuntu Tablet Is Now Available for Pre-Order

prisoninmate writes: During last month's MWC 2016 event, Canonical had the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet on display at their huge booth, along with the superb Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition smartphone, and the Sony Xperia Z1 and OnePlus One Ubuntu Phones. The company teased users last week with the availability for pre-order of the first ever Ubuntu tablet for March 28, and that day has arrived. Probably the most important aspect of the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet, which interested many users, was the price, and we can tell you now that it costs €289.90 for the Full HD version, and €249.90 for the HD model. It can be pre-ordered now from BQ's online store.

Submission + - Why BART is Falling Apart

HughPickens.com writes: Matthias Gafni writes in the San Jose Mercury News that the engineers who built BART, the rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area that started operation in 1972, used principles developed for the aerospace industry rather than tried-and-true rail standards. And that's the trouble. "Back when BART was created, (the designers) were absolutely determined to establish a new product, and they intended to export it around the world," says Rod Diridon. "They may have gotten a little ahead of themselves using new technology. Although it worked, it was extremely complex for the time period, and they never did export the equipment because it was so difficult for other countries to install and maintain." The Space Age innovations have made it more challenging for the transit agency to maintain the BART system from the beginning. Plus, the aging system was designed to move 100,000 people per week and now carries 430,000 a day, so the loss of even a single car gets magnified with crowded commutes, delays and bus bridges. For example, rather than stick to the standard rail track width of 4 feet, 8.5 inches, BART engineers debuted a 5-foot, 6-inch width track, a gauge that remains to this day almost exclusive to the system. Industry experts say the unique track width necessitates custom-made wheel sets, brake assemblies and track repair vehicles.

Another problem is the dearth of readily available replacement parts for BART's one-of-a-kind systems. Maintenance crews often scavenge parts from old, out-of-service cars to avoid lengthy waits for orders to come in; sometimes mechanics are forced to manufacture the equipment themselves. "Imagine a computer produced in 1972," says David Hardt. "No one is supporting that old equipment any longer, but those same microprocessors are what we have controlling our logic systems." Right now BART needs 100 thyristors at a total cost of $100,000. BART engineers said it could take 22 weeks to ship them to the San Francisco Bay Area to replace in BART’s "C" cars, which make up the older cars in the fleet. Right now, the agency has none. Nick Josefowitz says it makes no sense to dwell on design decisions made a half-century ago. "I think we need to use what we have today and build off that, rather than fantasize what could have been done in the past. The BART system was state of the art when it was built, and now it's technologically obsolete and coming to the end of its useful life."

Submission + - Slaughter at the bridge: Uncovering a colossal Bronze Age battle (sciencemag.org)

schwit1 writes: About 3200 years ago, two armies clashed at a river crossing near the Baltic Sea. The confrontation can't be found in any history books-the written word didn't become common in these parts for another 2000 years-but this was no skirmish between local clans. Thousands of warriors came together in a brutal struggle, perhaps fought on a single day, using weapons crafted from wood, flint, and bronze, a metal that was then the height of military technology.

"If our hypothesis is correct that all of the finds belong to the same event, we're dealing with a conflict of a scale hitherto completely unknown north of the Alps," says dig co-director Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist at the Lower Saxony State Service for Cultural Heritage in Hannover. "There's nothing to compare it to." It may even be the earliest direct evidence-with weapons and warriors together-of a battle this size anywhere in the ancient world.

Submission + - Will cellphone use while walking be banned in NJ? (philly.com)

schwit1 writes: A bill proposed this week by Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt (D., Camden) would impose a fine of up to $50 and possibly 15 days in jail for pedestrians caught using their cellphones without hands-free devices while walking on public sidewalks and along roadways.

If the bill becomes law, "petextrians" — people who text while walking — would face the same penalties as jaywalkers in New Jersey.

Submission + - Microsoft made a version of Windows 10 for the Chinese government (techinasia.com) 1

AmiMoJo writes: Windows 10 Zhuangongban, or “Windows 10 Specially-provided Edition”, is a special version of Windows 10 for the Chinese government, according to a report in Chinese magazine Caixin. It features fewer of Microsoft’s consumer-targeted apps and services, while including more management and security controls, in accordance with the needs of China’s government. Microsoft didn’t divulge exactly what’s been changed or how different the system looks from traditional Windows 10, but he did say that it retains the ability to run any Windows-compatible programs.

Submission + - Fix for Sony Dash released (sony.com)

FourG writes: Not much fanfare (which is to be expected given the niche of the device now) but it looks like Sony posted a fix for the much maligned "can't download dashboard" error. It requires a USB key and can't be done over-the-air. My Dash required a factor reset afterward before it successfully downloaded the dashboard, but YMMV...

Submission + - Tribeca Film Festival, Robert De Niro Pull Anti-Vaccination Film

theodp writes: USA Today reports that one day after defending the scheduled screening of a controversial documentary linking vaccinations to autism, Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert De Niro announced that the film is being pulled from the event. The film, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, was scheduled to debut April 24. It is directed by Andrew Wakefield, known to many as the father of the anti-vaccine movement. Wakefield authored a 1998 report on vaccinations and autism that was later retracted, He also had his medical license revoked. The decision to include the film in the festival resulted in outrage from many who are upset that the film's inclusion could offer legitimacy to a study debunked by leading scientists. "My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family," said De Niro, who has a child with autism. "But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for."

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