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Submission + - Link Between Weird Quantum Phenomena

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have uncovered a fundamental link between the two defining properties of quantum physics. Stephanie Wehner of Singapore's Centre for Quantum Technologies and the National University of Singapore and Jonathan Oppenheim of the United Kingdom's University of Cambridge published their work today in the latest edition of the journal Science. The result is being heralded as a dramatic breakthrough in our basic understanding of quantum mechanics and provides new clues to researchers seeking to understand the foundations of quantum theory. The result addresses the question of why quantum behaviour is as weird as it is—but no weirder.
Government

Submission + - FDA Sidesteps Cancer Concerns over TSA Body Scanne (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by suraj.sun
suraj.sun writes: The US TSA has recently come under scrutiny for, among other things, its use of X-ray full-body scanners in airports to see through clothes and to detect non-metallic explosives. But are they safe? A group of UC-San Francisco professors recently raised a number of safety concerns regarding these scanners.

Unlike a medical X-ray, the TSA X-ray machines are lower-energy beams that can only penetrate clothing and the topmost layers of skin. But according to the UCSF professors, the low-enegy rays do a "Compton scatter" off tissue layers just under the skin, possibly exposing some vital areas and leaving the tissues at risk of mutation.

When an X-ray Compton scatters, it doesn't shift an electron to a higher energy level; instead, it hits the electron hard enough to dislodge it from its atom. The authors note that this process is "likely breaking bonds," which could cause mutations in cells and raise the risk of cancer.

Dr. Holdren passed the letter on to the FDA for review. But, in the FDA's response, the agency cite five studies in response to the professors' request for independent verification of the safety of these X-rays; however, three are more than a decade old, and none of them deal specifically with the low-energy X-rays the professors are concerned about. The letter also doesn't mention the FDA's own classification of X-rays as carcinogens in 2005.

ARS technica: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/11/fda-sidesteps-safety-concerns-over-tsa-body-scanners.ars
Science

Submission + - Can Reddit Save Lives? (neontommy.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Reddit, Facebook and YouTube all have separate forums/pages/channels dedicated to suicide prevention. But can social networks actually prevent suicide?

Submission + - Report: Facebook, Skype Getting Really Friendly (crn.com)

Submitted by cgriffin21
cgriffin21 writes: Facebook and Skype are reportedly in talks over a deal that would integrate Skype calling capabilities into Facebook user accounts. Such an agreement would give both Skype and Facebook not only a leg up on rival VoIP and social networking services from the likes of Google, but also the combined force of two Internet-based services beloved by consumers. The talks, which were reported by All Things Digital Wednesday, stems from Facebook's goal of merging IP communications and social networking communities more closely together. Facebook in recent weeks had also been rumored to be developing a mobile device of its own.

Submission + - Pirate Bay ad flaw downs more servers (thinq.co.uk)

Submitted by Stoobalou
Stoobalou writes: A flaw in advertising software first exploited to spread malware on popular torrent index The Pirate Bay is now being used to attack other servers worldwide.

One of the first big sites to fall victim to the vulnerability in the open-source advertising server OpenX, the advertising server at The Pirate Bay was cracked and modified to spread malware via adverts on the site's main server.

Although The Pirate Bay has since cleaned the infection, the same security flaw is being used to attack other OpenX servers — in many cases causing sites to become inaccessible as they are blocked by anti-malware lists such as that used by Google.
Microsoft

Submission + - Windows 7 vs Ubuntu 10.04 (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by Barence
Barence writes: PC Pro has performed a comprehensive test of Windows 7 vs Ubuntu 10.04. They've tested and scored the two operating systems on a number of criteria, including usability, bundled apps, performance, compatibility and business. The final result is much closer than you might expect. "Ubuntu is clearly an operating system on the rise," PC Pro concludes. "If we repeat this feature in a year’s time, will it have closed the gap? We wouldn’t bet against it."

Submission + - German Military Braces for Peak Oil (nytimes.com)

Submitted by myrdos2
myrdos2 writes: A study by a German military think tank leaked to the Internet warns of the potential for a dire global economic crisis in as little as 15 years as a result of a peak and an irreversible decline in world oil supplies. The study states that there is "some probability that peak oil will occur around the year 2010 and that the impact on security is expected to be felt 15 to 30 years later. ... In the medium term the global economic system and every market-oriented national economy would collapse". The report closely matches one from the US military earlier this year, which stated that surplus oil production capacity could disappear within two years and there could be serious shortages by 2015 with a significant economic and political impact.
Security

Submission + - Adobe Warns Of Attack Exploiting Zero Day Flaw (crn.com)

Submitted by cgriffin21
cgriffin21 writes: Adobe warned Wednesday that a zero day vulnerability in both Reader and Acrobat is being actively exploited for attacks in the wild. The exploit, which Adobe categorized with the highest severity rating of "critical," was distributed via a phishing attack, indicated by the e-mail subject line "David Leadbetter's One Point Lesson."
Displays

Submission + - Nanoresonators create ultra-high-res displays (linuxfordevices.com)

Submitted by TuurlijkNiet
TuurlijkNiet writes: Eat your heart out, 'Retina display'. A new technology unveiled yesterday will allow creating pixels eight times smaller than the ones on Apple's iPhone 4, eliminate the need for polarizer layers, and allow screens to make much more efficient use of available light, say University of Michigan researchers. The pixels in the nanoresonator displays are about ten times smaller than those on a typical computer screen, and about eight times smaller than the pixels on the iPhone 4, which are about 78 microns, according to Guo. Such pixel densities could make the technology useful in projection displays, as well as wearable, bendable or extremely compact displays, according to the researchers.

Submission + - h264 permanent royalty moratorium announced. (arstechnica.com) 1

Submitted by vistapwns
vistapwns writes: MPEG LA has announced that free h264 content (vs. paid h264 content which will still have royalties) will be royalty free forever. With ubiquitous h264 support on mobile devices, personal computers and all other types of media devices, this assures that h264 will remain the de facto standard for video playback for the foreseeable future.
Spam

Submission + - Rustock botnet responsible for 40% of spam (goodgearguide.com.au)

Submitted by
angry tapir
angry tapir writes: "More than 40 percent of the world's spam is coming from a single network of computers that computer security experts continue to battle, according to new statistics from Symantec's MessageLabs' division. The Rustock botnet has shrunk since April, when about 2.5 million computers were infected with its malicious software that sent about 43 billion spam e-mails per day. Much of it is pharmaceutical spam."
Displays

Submission + - DIY Pixel Qi screens available (pixelqi.com)

Submitted by 16384
16384 writes: MAKE and Pixel Qi announced today the availability of a revolutionary LCD display technology from Pixel Qi — the 3Qi display. This one-of-a-kind, plug-and-play 10.1-inch display offers two modes: an easy-to-read, real color, multi-media mode or a crisp, low power e-reader mode. Indeed, the sunlight-ready, e-reader mode makes it easy to use outdoors. The 3Qi display is on sale now at makershed.com.

Submission + - Increasing Solar Efficiency to 66% 3

Submitted by dptalia
dptalia writes: Scientists at the University of Texas have discovered a way to up solar cell's efficiency to about 66%. Using quantum dot technology the scientists can capture the sun's energy that is transmitted as heat, which could dramatically change solar technology.
Transportation

Submission + - New Reaction Doubles Fuel Cell Efficiency in Cars (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by greenrainbow
greenrainbow writes: Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new highly efficient technique for making hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles. The technology has the potential to be twice as effective as current fuel cells at around half the temperature, and instead of requiring pressures of 5,000 psi like most hydrogen fuel cells today, this process requires a measly 200 psi. Dubbed hydrothermolysis, the new process uses a high hydrogen-content powdered chemical called ammonia borane and combines two hydrogen generating processes — hydrolysis and thermolysis — to achieve conditions appropriate for use in vehicles.
Entertainment

Submission + - Jessica Simpson Lands Lead in Metroid Movie (rumormiller.com) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Hollywood keeps reaching. Actress Jessica Simpson is rumored to have secured the role of Space Bounty Hunter Samus Aran in a Hollywood version of a Nintendo game. It appears that Jessica Simpson will be the next headliner to ruin a video game franchise.

Despite the success of "Prince of Persia"- history has shown that even the best actors have had less than stellar success with video game adaptions. Dennis Hopper was cast as Bowser in the flop Mario movie to bring it an experienced actor. Instead his role is remembered as one of the worst of his career..

It is unclear when Nintendo signed off on the movie or production. It is clear that legendary game designer Makoto Kanoh's work will likely be changed dramatically to fit a 2 hour run time.

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