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Businesses

Submission + - Why outsourcing is fading away

Submitted by operator_root2
operator_root2 writes: This article on outsourcing to India details several reasons as to why the outsourcing boom is no longer turning attractive. The main reasons being cited are 'puffed up projections by consultants', 'high rates of attrition and low productivity', and 'operational problems'. The article further notes that most companies are predicted to go slow on expansion plans and eventually exit. Further more, the article notes that some other locations are emerging as outsourcing centres. ""Russia is where India was a few years ago. At that time, Indians worked harder, for more hours, and at low salaries. Today, Indians think they can command any price."
Biotech

Submission + - Doggie DNA Test Reveals Your Mutt's True Identity

Submitted by
LoveMyDog
LoveMyDog writes: "National news services, such as ABC TV's Good Morning America (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3193494&GMA=tr ue) and USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-23-dn a-testing-dogs_N.htm) are quickly jumping on the news about the Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed Analysis — the most comprehensive doggie DNA test available for mixed breed dogs.

Roughly half of the dog population in the U.S. is mixed breed, leaving many owners guessing their dog's breed composition and leaving important breed information such as health, appearance and behavioral characteristics to speculation. To help provide mixed breed dog owners with this important information, Mars Veterinary, the newest division of MARS® Incorporated — a world leader in pet care — is launching the most comprehensive DNA-based mixed breed test for dogs.

The Wisdom Panel MX, identifies more than 130 American Kennel Club-recognized breeds that may be present in mixed breed dogs, through analysis of more than 300 distinct genetic markers. This test will allow veterinarians to answer one of the most frequently asked questions by pet owners, "What is my dog's breed mix?" The Wisdom MX test is based on the most sophisticated and comprehensive genetic database for dogs available and proven to be on average 95% accurate. In just two to three weeks following the test, owners and veterinarians receive a unique report that includes the dog's breed analysis, and information on the appearance and behavioral characteristics of detected breeds. This will enable veterinarians to work with owners to create a care and wellness plan for their dog covering aspects such as dietary, exercise and training needs.

"The new Wisdom Panel MX test marks a major milestone in canine genetic science, by applying the results of proprietary genetic research to help identify the origins of physical and behavioral traits and ultimately, help strengthen the pet-owner bond," said Peter Markwell, veterinarian and Chief Science Officer at Mars Veterinary. "We are committed to using these diagnostics in concert with veterinarians to help promote responsible pet care."

The Science Behind Wisdom Panel MX
The Wisdom Panel MX test draws from the expertise of scientists at the internationally respected WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition in the United Kingdom, along with leading veterinarians, universities and breed organizations throughout the world.

The development of the Wisdom Panel MX test included the analysis of more than 19 million DNA markers across more than 13,000 dogs. As a result, the Wisdom Panel MX will be able to identify more than 130 breeds that may be present in mixed breed dogs, which represents 99 percent of dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC)."
Biotech

Submission + - CAVEman, an anatomically-correct VR human revealed

Submitted by MitsuMirage
MitsuMirage writes: Researchers at the University of Calgary have unveiled the CAVEman, a virtual anatomically-correct human male, as reported in the Globe and Mail. Using Java 3-D technology in a "holodeck", the simulation has 3000 body parts that can be explored to show the effects of medication on organs over time. It can also be used for surgery simulations. Slashdotters rejoice, a female version is in the works.
Security

Submission + - WordPress Bloggers in for a shock

Submitted by
BlogSecurity
BlogSecurity writes: "David Kierznowski, a security analyst shocked bloggers yesterday with a survey showing that 49 out of the 50 blogs he checked may be running exploitable versions of the famous WordPress software.

"The main concern here, is the lack of security awareness amongst bloggers with a non-technical background, and even those with a technical background," Mr Kierznowski said.

Mr Kierznowski also uncovered recent vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins that ship by default with the software. He added: "WordPress users developing plugins must be aware of the security functions that WordPress supports, and ensure that these functions are used in their code."

The following statement was taken from WordPress: "[WordPress Versions that] are safe to use... [include] 2.0 or 2.1 series, which are both actively maintained."

Users not using the latest versions of the software may be putting their blogs at risk.

References "
Links

Submission + - Legal Action Against Students By their University

Submitted by FSM_follower
FSM_follower writes: I have recently read on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6 686619.stm about legal action being take against students writing on private friends linked site such as myspace. Surely it is for private use and expression of oppinions in a free and open way. How can you possibly take legal action when it is a private oppinion expressed to friends over a private linked site between friends. Please read the link and comment, someone will know the full story and explain.
Movies

Submission + - First Pirated HD-DVD Hits BitTorrent

Submitted by
eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: "In light of recent events, the first pirated HD-DVD has been torrented. From the article, "The movie, Serenity, was made available as a .EVO file and is playable on most DVD playback software packages such as PowerDVD. The file was encoded in MPEG-4 VC-1 and the resulting file size was a hefty 19.6 GB." In more positive news for HD-DVD, it will be the only HD format to offer adult film as Sony has stated it will not allow porn to be released on Blu-ray."
Censorship

Submission + - HD-DVD key censorship revolt at digg.com

Submitted by
earthforce_1
earthforce_1 writes: "It looks like the founders at digg.com have received and complied with a takedown notice regarding the HD-DVD master keys, and blocking accounts of some users attempting to repost the keys. Subscribers have revolted en-masse and have reposted the keys in at least a dozen story threads and thousands of comments in countless ways. They also modded up all stories about the censored keys until at one point, every single front page story was about the HD-DVD keys! Until the original story was taken down, it was modded up over 15,000 times, an all time record.

This has been a totally unprecedented subscriber revolt against the website moderators, and at least one story thread suggests one of the founders had taken promotional money from the HD-DVD consortium."
United States

Submission + - RIAA files lawsuit against 18 at Vanderbilt Univ

Submitted by
SonicSpike
SonicSpike writes: "The Tennessean is reporting "The Recording Industry Association of America today filed 18 "John Doe" lawsuits against Vanderbilt University network users in Nashville, TN. The action is the second step in a process being used on college campuses across the country by the RIAA on behalf of the recording industry. On March 21, the RIAA sent 20 pre-litigation settlement letters to Vanderbilt, informing the school of a forthcoming copyright infringement lawsuit against one of its students or personnel and requested that university administrators forward that letter to the appropriate network user. The lawsuits filed today are against those individuals who did not settle in the pre-litigation period, when individuals can resolve copyright infringement claims against them at a discounted rate before a formal lawsuit is filed."
Story here: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AI D=200770501035"
Education

Submission + - Cheating is widespread among graduate students

Submitted by sas-dot
sas-dot writes: Thirty-four first-year business graduate students at Duke University cheated on a take-home final exam, a judicial board has found, in what officials called the most widespread cheating episode in the business school's history. Nine of the students face expulsion, according to the ruling, which was distributed within the business school on Friday. Fifteen students were suspended for a year and given a failing grade in the course; nine were given a failing grade in the course, and one got a failing grade on the exam. Four students accused of cheating were exonerated. National surveys have suggested that cheating is widespread among graduate students. In a survey released last September by a Rutgers University professor, 56 percent of business graduate students admitted having cheated, compared with 54 percent in engineering, 48 percent in education and 45 percent in law school. More than 5,300 students at 54 universities were surveyed from 2002 to 2004.
Censorship

Submission + - Get Sued for Linking to Cingular.com

Submitted by
Desktop Nexus
Desktop Nexus writes: "The official Terms and Conditions of Cingular now restrict the anchor text you can use to link to Cingular's homepage. Harry Maugans discovered a paragraph of the TOS that states:

You are granted a limited, nonexclusive right to create a hypertext link to the homepage of the Sites, provided such link does not portray Cingular Wireless or any of its products and services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. [...] This limited right may be revoked at any time.
I'm sure this is not legally standing, however it is amusing they'd attempt to restrict your links."
Businesses

Submission + - Day-Timers Enters Partnership with SCO

Submitted by
myrdos2
myrdos2 writes: "It looks like someone feels SCO is worth dealing with — Day-Timers Inc. has entered a partnership with SCO to provide a time-management and calendering system designed to run on mobile devices and PCs. Meanwhile, SCO's stock seems unaffected, stubbornly remaining well below the one-dollar mark. Are companies willing to work with SCO despite their reputation as "the most hated company in IT", or could it be that SCO's pariah status is simply unknown outside of geek society? Surely Day-Timers must at least realize that their new partner is on the verge of financial ruin?"
Microsoft

Supreme Court Sides With Microsoft Over AT&T 122

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the fluent-in-loopholeanese dept.
The Supreme Court today sided with Microsoft in another important patent case filed by AT&T. The case centered around whether selling Windows overseas infringed on AT&T's patents that are in Windows. Microsoft argued [PDF] that the copies being sold in Asia were "...not technically supplied from the United States because overseas manufacturers of its computers made copies of the software from a master disk and installed those copies into the operating system. Microsoft said it could not be considered a supplier since the copies, not the original software, were in the computers built abroad." Now, while I support the weakening of software patents in general, by this logic, would that mean that MS's patents don't apply to those that use pirated copies of Windows?
Software

Submission + - How much is Free Software Worth on eBay?

Submitted by jked
jked writes: The great thing about free and open source software is that you can get it whenever you want without paying a thing. Well, at least that is how it is supposed to be. As CyberNet just pointed out there are users on eBay selling free and open source software like Paint.NET, OpenOffice, NVu, and even Ubuntu. The people who are selling the software (yes, it actually sells) even have perfect feedback!

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