Comment OOXML (Score 1) 357
Does this patent cover things like OOXML and their the ISO junk?
Comment Re:I am a physician (Score 1) 289
There are people who are in it for the human aspect - usually the doctors. Then there's the people who are in it for the money: The pharmaceutical companies.
I resent this comment. I'm well on track to entering a career in drug research, either with a university or a pharmaceutical company. I couldn't care less if I made less than 80k a year (very little for the amount of education required in this field), and I'm completely in it for the benefit to humanity stemming from my work.
However, my skills are better suited towards doing research and working with computers than they are with diagnosing people and memorizing lists of symptoms. I also think that I would have more benefit to humanity by designing medications for multiple patients than if I were diagnosing one patient at a time.
I'd be very surprised if I were among a minority in this respect. People aren't as evil as you think (most of the time).
Comment Re:openDNS (Score 1) 310
Yes, openDNS does do this.
There's a couple of ways to get around the NXDOMAIN hijacking.
First, you could use another DNS server. For a list of good, free, DNS servers, I use the vivilProject. They have a bunch of scripts which can determine the fastest DNS servers for your location. http://80.247.230.136/dns.htm
The other option is to run your own BIND server and configure it to cache only. For most of you Linux guys out there, major distros will provide a package to do this. This option not only gets around the NXDOMAIN garbage, but it also gives you faster DNS resolution on your local network.
Comment Feedback form (Score 2, Informative) 310
For those of you who want to let Bell hear a bit of your mind, the comments form is here:
https://www.bell.ca/support/PrsCSrvInt_CtUs_Eform.page
https://www.bell.ca/support/PrsCSrvInt_CtUs_Eform.page
Bell Starts Hijacking NX Domain Queries 310
inject_hotmail.com writes "Bell Canada started hijacking non-existent domains (in the same manner as Rogers), redirecting NX-response queries to themselves, of course. Before opting-out, you get their wonderfully self-promoting and self-serving search page. When you 'opt-out,' your browser receives a cookie (isn't that nice) that tells them that you don't want the search page. It will still use their broken DNS server's non-NX response, but it will show a 'Domain Not Found' mock-up page that they (I surmise) tailor to your browser-agent string. During the opt-out process, they claim to be interested in feedback, but provide no method on that page (or any other page within the 'domainnotfound.ca' site) to contact them with complaints. They note that opting-in is 'recommended' (!), and that 'In order for opt-out to work properly, you need to accept a "cookie" indicating that you have opted out of this service. If you use a program that removes cookies, you will have to repeat this opt-out process when the cookie is deleted. The cookie placed on your computer will contain the site name: "www.domainnotfound.ca."' Unfortunately most Bell Internet users won't understand the difference between their true NX domain response, and Bell's injected NX response."
Comment Re:The free Internet is over! Over! (Score 1) 294
Great post. In all seriousness though, why don't people raise a bigger stink about journalists ripping stuff from wikipedia?
Did you know that the text in wikipedia is licensed under the GFDL/CC-by-SA, which is are forms of copy-left? Shouldn't these news articles then also be licensed under the GFDL/CC-by-SA, or otherwise be a license violation? They are clearly derivative works.
Did you know that the text in wikipedia is licensed under the GFDL/CC-by-SA, which is are forms of copy-left? Shouldn't these news articles then also be licensed under the GFDL/CC-by-SA, or otherwise be a license violation? They are clearly derivative works.
Mobile Phone Technology and Developing Nations 54
angry tapir writes "Mobile Operator Tata Teleservices is testing technology that allows farmers to use their mobile phones to remotely monitor and switch on irrigation pump sets in far-flung locations. The technology, called Nano Ganesh, is being tested in two villages in the Indian state of Gujarat. In India, where the electricity supply is erratic, farmers often walk several kilometers to where their irrigation pumps are located, only to find that there is no electricity available. By dialing a code number from a mobile phone to a wireless device attached to the pump, farmers can now remotely monitor the electricity supply, and also switch the pump on and off. It's just the latest example of how mobile phone technology is being employed in novel ways to solve problems in developing nations. For example in Kenya, GSM technology has been used to help tame marauding elephants."
Comment Re:Most deserving (Score 1) 829
You don't build them to use them, you build them so you don't have to use them.
And that's how the Cold War happened...
Entire Moon Added To Google Earth 109
CNETNate writes "Complete with Street View-like panoramas, 3D models of spacecraft now left abandoned on the moon's surface, and guided tours from the voices of Apollo astronauts, Google's recent update to Google Earth marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with an enormous update. It's a collaboration with NASA and other agencies, and follows the launch of Google Earth 5.0 which, amongst other things, added the ability to explore our planet's oceans. There are a number of original creations — such as the 3D mock-up of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and its astronauts — and you can download the new version from Google now."
Comment Re:Have you tried the alternative store? (Score 1) 509
I unlocked my phone within minutes of getting it home. I then proceded to take a look at the apps available via the Cydia store, which is unencumbered by the Apple review process. Pretty much everything I tried was garbage
I know you're not really trying to make this argument, but it will probably come up in the thread so I'll address it here. The argument about locking a store the quality of apps isn't very valid.
Linux distros regularly deal with open source app quality fluctuations and have no problem keeping quality high. Repos are a standard way of keeping tested, high quality apps and lower quality minimally (or un-) tested apps separated. Take CentOS for example: You want stable? Keep the base and update repos only. You want more cutting edge? Try RPMForge.
Apple could easily open up another store with untested apps and give the standard 'caveat emptor' line. The decision to not provide an open store probably was more of a business decision than a technical quality one.
Shiny New Space Fence To Monitor Orbiting Junk 76
coondoggie writes "Some work has begun on tracking and detecting the overabundance of space junk which has become a growing priority as all manner of satellites, rockets and possible commercial space shots are promised in the coming few years. Today Northrop Grumman said it grabbed $30 million from the US Air Force to start developing the first phase of a global space surveillance ground radar system. The new S-Band Space Fence is part of the Department of Defense's effort to detect and track what are known as resident space objects (RSO), consisting of thousands of pieces of space debris as well as commercial and military satellites. The new Space Fence will replace the current VHF Air Force Space Surveillance System built in 1961."
Canadians Find Traffic Shaping "Reasonable" 291
gehrehmee writes "A recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll on ISPs' use of traffic shaping suggests that 60% of survey respondents find the practice reasonable as long as customers are treated fairly, while 22% believe Internet management is unreasonable regardless. The major Canadian Internet and phone service provider Rogers, meanwhile, compared 'person-to-person file-sharing to a car that parks in one lane of a busy highway at all times of the day or night, clogging the roadways for everyone unless someone takes action.' Is there a lack of education about the long-term effects of traffic shaping on free communication? Or are net neutrality advocates just out of touch?" The poll found that only 20% of respondents had ever heard of traffic shaping. The article is unclear on whether the "60%" who found the practice "reasonable" are 60% of all respondents — most of whom don't know what they are talking about — or 60% of the minority who know. If the former, then the exact phrasing of the question is the overwhelming determinant of the response. At the CTRC hearings, which wrapped up today, Bell Canada executives revealed that the company "slows certain types of downloads [P2P] to as little as 1.5 to 3 per cent of their advertised speed during 9-1/2 hours of the day."
Microsoft Launches New "Get the Facts" Campaign 524
ko9 writes that Microsoft has re-launched its "'Get the facts' campaign, in an attempt to promote Internet Explorer 8. It contains a chart that compares IE8 to Firefox and Chrome. Needless to say, IE8 comes out as the clear winner, with MS suggesting it is the only browser to provide features like 'privacy,' 'security,' 'reliability.' It even claims to have Firefox beat in 'customizability.'"
Making a Child Locating System 1092
celtic_hackr writes "Well, I never thought I'd be an advocate for placing GPS devices on people. However, since it took less than three days for my local school district to misplace my daughter, I have decided that something needs to be done. By the school district's own admission it has a recurring problem of placing children on the wrong buses. Fortunately, my daughter was located, with no thanks to the local school district. Therefore, I would like input on a way to be able to keep track of my child. I know there are personal tracking devices out there. I have nothing against these systems. But I want more than this. My specification are: 1) a small unobtrusive device I can place on my daughter, 2) an application to pull up on any computer, a map with a dot indicating the real-time position of my child, 3) a handheld device with the equivalent information, 4) [optional] a secure web application/plug-in I can install on my own domain allowing me to track her from anyplace in the world, 5) a means of turning it all off, 6) a Linux based solution of the above. I believe all the pieces for making such a system are out there. Has anyone built anything like this? Is there an open source solution? How would I go about building my own? Has anyone hacked any of these personal trackers before, to serve their own purposes? How does a tinfoil hat wearer engineer such a device to make sure Big-Brother isn't watching too? Can these devices be locked down so only certain devices can pick up the GPS location of an individual locator? What other recommendations do you have?"
Comment Re:and make all (Score 2, Informative) 712
That's a moot point. It's easy to paint silhouettes of predatory birds onto the wall. The science center in my home town did this for as long as I can remember.
