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Submission + - Slashdot Gems 1

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "In the years I have read Slashdot, I have often enjoyed the cleverness and humor of some of the readers replies to the various stories. Take for instance one of the stories posted today about Iran building a supercomputer with 216 AMD processors, one wit quipped that 'Not only can they never be allowed to have nukes but it will be a cold day in hell before they are allowed to get the processing power to run Windows Vista!!!!!'

For the benefit of posterity, I recommend that these 'gems' should be collected and published in a book entitled 'Slashdot Gems.' However, if you feel this task would be quite an undertaking, a simplier way of sharing the mirth would be ask your readers for a list of their memorable Slashdot moments, and then post them in a story thread entitled 'The Best of Slashdot Humor'."
Privacy

Submission + - Rogers Inserts Content Into Users' Webpages (bit-tech.net)

Submitted by geekmansworld
geekmansworld writes: It seems that Canadian ISP Rogers is inserting data into the HTTP streams returned by the websites requested by it's customers. Probably intended as a "feature", the unsolicited intrusion is nonetheless unsettling.
Windows

Submission + - What Windows 7 Needs to Be Successful (osweekly.com) 1

Submitted by
WINMSFT
WINMSFT writes: "Microsoft needs to do a number of things correctly in order to succeed with Windows 7. This article lists, "Even as a Linux user, I will admit that Windows continues to have its familiarity and OEM options working in its favor. The single smartest thing Microsoft could do with Windows 7 would be to give users actual control over Windows managers. Seriously, let's connect some dots."
Government

Submission + - Icelandian calls White House, labelled a terrorist (go.com) 3

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A 16-year-old boy in Iceland called a secret government phone number, which he thought was Bush's private number, and posed as the president of Iceland. After passing some impromptu security questions, such as President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson's birth date (which he answered with Wikipedia), Bush's secretary told him to expect a call back. Instead, police surrounded his house and interrogated him on where he got the number, threatening to put him on a no-fly list if he didn't tell. He claims he can't remember where he got the number, but says "I must have gotten it from a friend when I was about 11 or 12."
Education

Submission + - Long-Eared Jerboa Caught On Film for the First Tim (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by
MQDuck
MQDuck writes: "Footage of the long-eared jerboa, rodents who call the deserts of China and Mongolia their homes, has been captured for the first time. TFA:
"These creatures hop just like a kangaroo; it is amazing to watch. Little hairs on their feet, almost like snow shoes, allow them to jump along the sand," [Dr Baillie] explained.
"And in terms of mammals, they have one of the biggest ear-to-body ratios out there.""
Microsoft

Submission + - The Microsoft Book that doesn't exist! (ebay.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: There is an internal marketing handbook for sale on eBay titled "Microsoft Confidential", at http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Competitive-Handbook-Microsoft-Confidential_W0QQitemZ200180511584QQihZ010QQcategoryZ29223QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem What is particularly intriguing is that Google has zero hits on a search of this title.
Privacy

Submission + - Should we have the right to breed? 11

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: I just finished reading Garret Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons and I'm having a little trouble coming to grips with it. In the essay Hardin argues that in a world with finite resources we must stabilize the population at less than the carrying capacity in order to maintain quality of life. However, "Confronted with appeals to limit breeding, some people will undoubtedly respond to the plea more than others. Those who have more children will produce a larger fraction of the next generation than those with more susceptible consciences. The differences will be accentuated, generation by generation." Hardin therefore suggests that we must legally restrict freedom to breed.

However such restrictions would require a invasion of our privacy to a degree that strikes me as simply intolerable. But I'm curious, what do slashdot readers think? Is Hardin's logic sound? If it is, is controlling the population important enough that we should give up what we have long accepted as some of our most basic rights in order to achieve it?
Games

Jack Thompson Facing Disbarment Trial 258

Posted by Zonk from the facing-the-music dept.
pwizard2 writes "Gamepolitics reports that controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson faces the start of an ethics trial this morning, a process which could ultimately see him disbarred. The review board has set aside the entire week to hear details on the case. 'Over the weekend, Thompson turned to the Florida Supreme Court in an apparent effort to block this morning's trial from moving forward. In one court filing Thompson asserted that he was willing to accept a 90-day suspension of his license to practice law. The embattled attorney claimed that such an offer had been on the table, but that the Florida Bar was now seeking his permanent disbarment.'"
Security

Submission + - Man hacks 911 system, sends SWAT on bogus raid. 5

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Orange County Register reports that a 19 year old from Washington state broke into the Orange County California 911 emergency system. He randomly selected the name and address of a Lake Forest, California couple and electronically transferred false information into the 911 system. The Orange County California Sheriff's Department's Special Weapons and Tactics Team was immediately sent to the couple's home. The armed officers surrounded the home.Inside the home lived a couple with two toddlers who were asleep and unsuspecting of what was going outside the home. The SWAT team handcuffed the husband and wife before deciding it was a prank.
Security

Submission + - New scam or just a really bad work policy? 4

Submitted by greymond
greymond writes: I recently received an email from a recruiting company for a Graphic Design / Desktop Publishing position. While I have my resume available online as well as pieces of my portfolio I didn't find it at all strange to receive this initial email. I hadn't responded by the afternoon when I received a call from a lady named Pyra who asked me to send her my latest resume because they were very interested in hiring me. I asked about the positions pay since the job title and position seemed like it would be a lot lower pay grade than my current Art Director position I now hold. She said she would inquire about it, but to please send my resume.

Now here is where it gets strange...I sent my resume off (note: my resume has only my name, number and email listed in it — no address) I then received this email asking for my Social Security Number. I found this to be VERY odd as no one ever has asked me for that, save the human resource manager of a company who has already hired me. When I told her I would wait until the interview to give it to them, I was then sent this email which had this letter attached to it. I responded with the same response and needless to say I haven't heard back from them.

Oh and in case my bandwidth gets blown up, the recruiting company was Agneto and the company they were hiring for was supposedly AT&T. So, is this really just a new elaborate scam or just a really bad new business policy?
United States

The Soldier of the Future 289

Posted by samzenpus from the phased-plasma-rifle-in-40-watt-range dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Land Warrior, the Army's wearable electronics package, was panned earlier this year by the troops who were testing it out. They were forced to take the collection of digital maps and next-gen radios to war, anyway. Now, Wired's Noah Shachtman reports from Iraq, those same soldiers are starting to warm up to their soldier suits of the future."
Education

GameStop Manager Suspended After "Games for Grades" 539

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the remember-you-still-work-for-someone-else dept.
mikesd81 writes "A manager at a GameStop has been suspended for instituting a 'games for grades' policy. 'Brandon Scott says he started a unique new policy in his store to promote good grades in school but now his employer has sent him to detention for speaking out of turn. Scott says he's been suspended by GameStop in the wake of his unconventional "games for grades" policy at an Oak Cliff store.' Apparently, on his own, Scott decided to stop selling video games to any school-age customer unless an adult would vouch for the student's good grades."
Microsoft

Submission + - Windows Updates without users' permission/knowledg (microsoft-watch.com) 1

Submitted by
javipas
javipas writes: "A recent discovery on Windows Secrets and Microsoft Watch has revealed a new tactic used by Microsoft. The Windows Update component acts even when automatic updates are turned off, and without users' knowledge or permission. The study's conclusion: though the programs updated do not pose a risk for users, Microsoft behaviour shows a potential danger for IT professionals. But this is not the important fact. What about users rights? Windows' EULA doesn't reflect this, but Windows Update Privacy Statement gives explicit permission to such tasks."
The Courts

Judge Strikes Down Part of Patriot Act 673

Posted by samzenpus from the but-what-about-the-terrorists dept.
Shining Celebi writes "U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled in favor of the ACLU and struck down a portion of the revised USA PATRIOT Act this morning, forcing investigators to go through the courts to obtain approval before ordering ISPs to give up information on customers, instead of just sending them a National Security Letter. In the words of Judge Marrero, this use of National Security Letters 'offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers.'"

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