Submission Summary: 0 pending, 38 declined, 15 accepted (53 total, 28.30% accepted)
Submission + - "First Base" in Greek Courts for ISP-level Blocking (news.in.gr)
arisvega writes: At a first level (the lowest court level in the Greek judiciary system) an order has been issued (article in Greek, Google translation is fair enough) for a "plan on behalf of Internet Service Providers regarding he implementation of technological measures to deny access to internet users for webpages through which illegal copies of copyrighted work are being distributed". The order seems to be general and descriptive, and is a manifestation of the implementation process for an even more general and vague larger-scale EU directive, which is the common source that caused the rulings recently posted on slashdot regarding the UK, the Netherlands and Finland. This appears to be one of the reasons that prompted Anonymous to launch defacing attacks on Greek government websites some three months back.
Submission + - How Likely Am I To Be Hit By A Meteoroid? (bbc.com)
arisvega writes: With the recent meteor sighting (video) over UK and the smoking fall (video) in Israel, that sounds more and more like a fair question. Even though the author of the main article has yet to acquire a grasp on the distinction between asteroids, meteoroids, meteors and meteorites (see definitions) he still makes an easy to read popular article with some number-crunching, car analogies, and he even uses the new buzzword "micromort". From the article: "Working out the chances of an Earth-asteroid collision and the damage it would cause is not like an insurer dealing with a collision between two cars: there is almost no direct historical data, so astronomers create equations relating to the size of an asteroid, how many there are around, how often they might hit the Earth and what the explosive force of any impact would be. These estimates are continually being revised and are subject to some esoteric disputes."
Submission + - Bioterror Fears Halt Research On Mutant Bird Flu (bbc.co.uk)
arisvega writes: You probably remember the story about a month ago on a debate regarding the publication of a paper on a super bird flu strain. Now the debate is over, since fear has prevailed and the team of scientists who created this potentially more deadly bird flu strain have themselves temporarily stopped their research.
In a letter published in Science and Nature, the team calls for an "international forum" to debate the risks and value of the studies.
US authorities last month asked the authors of the research to redact key details in forthcoming publications, since a government advisory panel suggested the data could be used by terrorists.
The new buzzword seems to be "Biosecurity", a field that apparently already features experts who fear an altered, more contagious form of the virus could spark a pandemic deadlier than the 1918-19 Spanish flu outbreak that killed up to 40 million people.
Be that as it may, where does the slashdot crowd stand on the issue of reducing, censoring, or even halting research results in the name of potential misuse by terrorists, or anyone else for that matter? And who gets to decide what branches of research are to be "allowed"? If we start going down that road, will we ever return?
In a letter published in Science and Nature, the team calls for an "international forum" to debate the risks and value of the studies.
US authorities last month asked the authors of the research to redact key details in forthcoming publications, since a government advisory panel suggested the data could be used by terrorists.
The new buzzword seems to be "Biosecurity", a field that apparently already features experts who fear an altered, more contagious form of the virus could spark a pandemic deadlier than the 1918-19 Spanish flu outbreak that killed up to 40 million people.
Be that as it may, where does the slashdot crowd stand on the issue of reducing, censoring, or even halting research results in the name of potential misuse by terrorists, or anyone else for that matter? And who gets to decide what branches of research are to be "allowed"? If we start going down that road, will we ever return?
Submission + - NEOShield to assess Earth Defence (bbc.co.uk)
arisvega writes: NEOShield is a new international project that will assess the threat posed by Near Earth Objects (NEO) and look at the best possible solutions for dealing with a big asteroid or comet on a collision path with our planet.
The effort is being led from the German space agency's (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin, and had its kick-off meeting this week.
It will draw on expertise from across Europe, Russia and the US.
It's a major EU-funded initiative that will pull together all the latest science, initiate a fair few laboratory experiments and new modelling work, and then try to come to some definitive positions.
Industrial partners, which include the German, British and French divisions of the big Astrium space company, will consider the engineering architecture required to deflect one of these bodies out of our path.
The effort is being led from the German space agency's (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin, and had its kick-off meeting this week.
It will draw on expertise from across Europe, Russia and the US.
It's a major EU-funded initiative that will pull together all the latest science, initiate a fair few laboratory experiments and new modelling work, and then try to come to some definitive positions.
Industrial partners, which include the German, British and French divisions of the big Astrium space company, will consider the engineering architecture required to deflect one of these bodies out of our path.
Submission + - The Last Sikh (not 'Sith') Warrior (bbc.co.uk)
arisvega writes: Technology radically changes warfare. There have been times where the determinant factor of the outcome would be a subtle technological advancement in folding steel, or a defecting martial artist. Nowadays war is so remote-controlled that whole schools of thought on martial arts, that have been an inspiration for science-fiction weaponary are in danger of extinction- and desperately on the lookout for students.
Submission + - Russian Officials Support US - Russia Rail Tunnel (bbc.co.uk) 1
arisvega writes: Russian officials have backed the idea of a rail tunnel linking Russia and the US.
It would run under the Bering Strait for 105km (65 miles) — twice the length of the UK-France Channel Tunnel.
The tunnel itself has been estimated to cost $10-12bn and to take 10-15 years to build.
But an additional 4,000km (2,485 miles) of new track would be needed to link it to Russia's rail network, plus another 2,000km (1,243 miles) to connect to existing services on the US side.
It would run under the Bering Strait for 105km (65 miles) — twice the length of the UK-France Channel Tunnel.
The tunnel itself has been estimated to cost $10-12bn and to take 10-15 years to build.
But an additional 4,000km (2,485 miles) of new track would be needed to link it to Russia's rail network, plus another 2,000km (1,243 miles) to connect to existing services on the US side.
Submission + - New Images of Tumbling US Satellite (perso.sfr.fr)
arisvega writes: An amateur astronomer has recorded images of the out-of-control US satellite as it tumbles back to Earth. Theirry Legault, from Paris, captured the video as the satellite passed over northern France on 15 September. The six-tonne, 20-year-old spacecraft has fallen out of orbit and is expected to crash somewhere on Earth on or around 24 September. The US space agency says the risk to life from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is 1 in 3,200. Mr Legault, an engineer, used a specially designed camera to record the tumbling satellite through his 14-inch telescope, posting the footage on his Astrophotography website.
UARS could land anywhere between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator — most of the populated world. Nasa says that most of the satellite will break or burn up before reaching Earth. But scientists have identified 26 separate pieces that could survive the fall through the atmosphere. This debris could rain across an area 400-500km (250-310 miles) wide. Robust, spherical satellite components such as fuel tanks are often most likely to survive the fiery plunge to Earth, say space experts. Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite The "productive scientific life" of UARS ended in 2005 when it ran out of fuel. Nasa said scientists would only be able to make more accurate predictions about where the satellite might land two hours before it enters the Earth's atmosphere.
UARS could land anywhere between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator — most of the populated world. Nasa says that most of the satellite will break or burn up before reaching Earth. But scientists have identified 26 separate pieces that could survive the fall through the atmosphere. This debris could rain across an area 400-500km (250-310 miles) wide. Robust, spherical satellite components such as fuel tanks are often most likely to survive the fiery plunge to Earth, say space experts. Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite The "productive scientific life" of UARS ended in 2005 when it ran out of fuel. Nasa said scientists would only be able to make more accurate predictions about where the satellite might land two hours before it enters the Earth's atmosphere.
Submission + - Nasa satellite UARS 'could land anywhere' (bbc.co.uk)
arisvega writes: A five tonne, 20-year-old satellite has fallen out of orbit and is expected to crash somewhere on Earth on or around 24 September, according to Nasa.
Nasa says the risk to life from the UARS — Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite — is just 1 in 3,200.
Hurtling at 5m (8km) per second, it could land anywhere between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator — most of the populated world.
Members of the public are not allowed to keep pieces of the satellite that may fall to Earth, or sell them on eBay, as they remain the property of the US government.
I would like to know how the US is planning to enforce this, especially if it damages property (or worse) of say Russia, or China.
Nasa says the risk to life from the UARS — Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite — is just 1 in 3,200.
Hurtling at 5m (8km) per second, it could land anywhere between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator — most of the populated world.
Members of the public are not allowed to keep pieces of the satellite that may fall to Earth, or sell them on eBay, as they remain the property of the US government.
I would like to know how the US is planning to enforce this, especially if it damages property (or worse) of say Russia, or China.
Submission + - Supercomputer Predicts Revolution (bbc.co.uk)
arisvega writes: Feeding a supercomputer with news stories could help predict major world events, according to US research.
A study, based on millions of articles, charted deteriorating national sentiment ahead of the recent revolutions in Libya and Egypt.
While the analysis was carried out retrospectively, scientists say the same processes could be used to anticipate upcoming conflict.
The system also picked up early clues about Osama Bin Laden's location.
Kalev Leetaru, from the University of Illinois' Institute for Computing in the Humanities, Arts and Social Science, presented the findings in the journal First Monday.
A study, based on millions of articles, charted deteriorating national sentiment ahead of the recent revolutions in Libya and Egypt.
While the analysis was carried out retrospectively, scientists say the same processes could be used to anticipate upcoming conflict.
The system also picked up early clues about Osama Bin Laden's location.
Kalev Leetaru, from the University of Illinois' Institute for Computing in the Humanities, Arts and Social Science, presented the findings in the journal First Monday.
Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Wikipedia's Frustrating Citations (wikipedia.org) 6
arisvega writes: Wikipedia is a great idea, really. Ideally, a healthy and neutral way to "ask the internet" for information. From a scientific point of view it is going very well; more than often I see students, staff and professors using it in all seriousness and professionalism as a starting point for a project, following the references, learning a lot, even ending up editing something themselves. Those are lucky; usually access behind paywalled refereed journal articles is covered by the institution they work at, and is transparent- but for others, or in the case one just ends up with an ISBN code reference, there really is not a simple way to get the information needed. Either you buy the book, or swarm your local library with a list (and with a hope they would have most items) and stay over for days. As if that was not enough, the www wikipedia references (which provide the only access to folk with no scientific journal or library access) are more than often circular or just plain wrong. So I ask you, Slashdot-prowling beings, a) how frequently do you need to look at the references because the article itself is not good enough, b) how do you treat paywalled / ISBN / bad / circular www references and c) do you believe that there will EVER be such a thing as a free, non-greed driven, public, electronic and global library that people can access ISBN books that "normally cost money to buy", on the same grounds that you do not buy books from libraries, but still have access to them? After all, this is the information age, right?
Submission + - Fusion Anytime Now, Again, Said UK (bbc.co.uk) 1
arisvega writes: The National Ignition Facility (Nif) in the US is drawing closer to producing a surplus of energy from the idea, buy beefing up the laser power needed for ignition.
The UK company AWE and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have now joined with Nif to help make laser fusion a viable commercial energy source.
Part of the problem has been that the technical ability to reach "breakeven" — the point at which more energy is produced than is consumed — has always seemed distant. Detractors of the idea have asserted that "fusion energy is 50 years away, no matter what year you ask", said David Willetts, the UK's science minister. "I think that what's going on both in the UK and in the US shows that we are now making significant progress on this technology," he said. "It can't any longer be dismissed as something on the far distant horizon."
The UK company AWE and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have now joined with Nif to help make laser fusion a viable commercial energy source.
Part of the problem has been that the technical ability to reach "breakeven" — the point at which more energy is produced than is consumed — has always seemed distant. Detractors of the idea have asserted that "fusion energy is 50 years away, no matter what year you ask", said David Willetts, the UK's science minister. "I think that what's going on both in the UK and in the US shows that we are now making significant progress on this technology," he said. "It can't any longer be dismissed as something on the far distant horizon."
Submission + - Chinese authorities find 22 fake Apple stores (bbc.co.uk)
arisvega writes: Authorities in Kunming began searching out the copycats after pictures of one convincing replica were circulated on the web.
An early search found five fake stores, two of which were shut down for trading without a licence.
Now, according to Chinese trade officials, 22 have been found unlawfully using Apple's brand and logo.
The investigation into unauthorised Apple stores in Kunming was brought about when an American living in the city published a blog post describing a visit to one such shop.
Describing it as a "beautiful rip-off", [the blogger] BirdAbroad revealed how far the owners had gone to copy the decor and ambience of a real Apple store.
Staff also wore the same colour T-shirts as real Apple staffers, and sported lanyards of the same design.
An early search found five fake stores, two of which were shut down for trading without a licence.
Now, according to Chinese trade officials, 22 have been found unlawfully using Apple's brand and logo.
The investigation into unauthorised Apple stores in Kunming was brought about when an American living in the city published a blog post describing a visit to one such shop.
Describing it as a "beautiful rip-off", [the blogger] BirdAbroad revealed how far the owners had gone to copy the decor and ambience of a real Apple store.
Staff also wore the same colour T-shirts as real Apple staffers, and sported lanyards of the same design.
Submission + - DARPA lost second Mach 22 vehicle (darpa.mil) 1
arisvega writes: DARPA attempted to fly the fastest aircraft ever built; the Agency’s Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is designed to fly anywhere in the world in less than 60 minutes. This capability requires an aircraft that can fly at 13,000 mph (~21000kph), while experiencing temperatures in excess of 3500F (~2000C). Program manager Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz does not see it as a failure; “We know how to boost the aircraft to near space. We know how to insert the aircraft into atmospheric hypersonic flight. We do not yet know how to achieve the desired control during the aerodynamic phase of flight. It’s vexing; I’m confident there is a solution. We have to find it.”
Submission + - China Launching Own Space Station Soon (spaceflightnow.com)
arisvega writes: It seems like what will comprise the Chinese Space Station's first module has been moved to its final testing location, and will soon be launched into orbit- two manned missions are scheduled to follow after an unmanned mission checks out. The best part? A movie about China in space is already premiering.
