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Biotech

Submission + - Doctors say placebo use common (reuters.com)

Submitted by The Madd Rapper
The Madd Rapper writes: According to the survey, 45% of respondents have prescribed placebos in actual practice (as opposed to clinical trials). They disclosed this with varying specificity, e.g, this "may help and will not hurt" or is "a medicine with no specific effect." Only 12% said placebos should never be used.

http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USN0323176620080103
Databases

Submission + - Amazon Takes on Oracle and IBM With SimpleDB 1

Submitted by BoredStiff
BoredStiff writes: Amazon has just added an enterprise-class database called SimpleDB to it's cloud-based IT infrastructure suite, which also includes storage (S3) and computation (EC2). Today, Amazon announced it is taking limited sign-ups for the SimpleDB beta. As it points out on the new Simple DB page: Amazon SimpleDB is a web service for running queries on structured data in real time. Can companies can now go ahead and fire their expensive DBA's who keep the Oracle/IBM databases humming?
Databases

Submission + - Amazon creates database as a service (amazon.com)

Submitted by
BryanA
BryanA writes: "Amazon has started a limited beta of their new SimpleDB web service. SimpleDB automatically indexes your data, no need to pre-define a schema or change a schema if new data is added later. The service runs within Amazon's high-availability data centers. This is not free, $0.14 per Amazon SimpleDB Machine Hour consumed plus $0.10 per GB transfered, plus $1.50 per GB-month for data storage. This is not a RDBMS however. With SimpleDB you can store, process, and query data through their API. Here is the getting started guild with more details of the new service. Is this a solution to a growing problem, or is this a solution without a problem?"
Databases

Submission + - Amazon Launches SimpleDB Database Service (informationweek.com)

Submitted by
Dotnaught
Dotnaught writes: "Amazon Web Services is getting a on-demand database called SimpleDB, upping the company's ante on its bet that it can sell on-demand computing. Adam Selipsky, VP of Product Management and Developer Relations describes it as a lightweight relational database that's ideal for storing metadata about objects or files such as those stored with Amazon's S3 service. Amazon's Alexa uses the service already. Sign-ups for the beta are being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis."
Databases

Submission + - Amazon launches structured storage service

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Amazon has posted details about SimpleDB, a new companion service to their popular EC2 and S3 services. SimpleDB is a 'database-in-the-sky' and will move to a limited beta launch soon. Priced at similar rates to EC2 and S3, it supports data access through REST and SOAP APIs. Its data model is different from a traditional relational database model (no joins, indices, etc) and more like Google's BigTable in terms of being a large hash table. However, unlike BigTable, it supports limited query operations.

For more, see the Information Week article and a technical overview
The Internet

Submission + - MySpace Hacked Using Simple HTML Exploit (centernetworks.com) 1

Submitted by babooo404
babooo404 writes: It appears a new hack and exploit has appeared on MySpace — Alicia Keys profile is affected along with a variety of others to-date. The hack and exploit is pretty simple but very "deadly". Basically a user puts a link to the infected ste with just a simple href tag (no script tag) using some css to position the element anywhere that an element doesn't already live. So if you mis-click, you get sent to the infected site and it prompts you to install a codec to listen to Alicia's music. Of course it's not a codec, it's some sort of virus. Roger Thompson from Exploit Prevention Labs found the exploit.
The Media

Submission + - Canadian RCMP's abandon the Music piracy fight ! (ledevoir.com) 1

Submitted by
Laindraug
Laindraug writes: "The 'Le Devoir' French canadian Montreal Newspaper had a front page title today ( november 8) that said (once traduced) : 'Pirates can sleep well' : RCMP'S is abandoning the fight against music piracy because 'its just too big to fight against' ` The newspaper also shows the difference between Canada and USA, stating that in october, Jammie Thomas in USA was condemned to a 220 000$ dollar fine for having downloaded 24 mp3's..and in Canada, there will just be no more police to look at this kind of piracy. 'Today, its so simple to copy, everybody is clueless on how to fight this' , as stated by Canadian RCMP's. Canadian Pirates, rejoice."
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - RIPE 55 meeting ending in surprise

Submitted by dysfunct
dysfunct writes: The closing plenary of the RIPE 55 meeting in Amsterdam held a big surprise for the participants: A secret working group had formed to perform a very emotional parody of the song "American Pie" about the future of IPv4 and IPv6. A video of the performance is available on youtube.com and currently making its rounds through mailboxes.
Caldera

Submission + - SCO Threatens to Sue Itself (groklaw.net)

Submitted by
Groklaw Reader
Groklaw Reader writes: "SCO's bankruptcy is nothing if not interesting. In trying to explain why it gave away one of its patents to a subsidiary right before filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection and why this isn't "fraudulent" it has offered an interesting legal filing to explain itself. Apparently, SCO wants to force the Court's hand in approving their plan to weasel out of this, otherwise SCO will be forced to sue itself. One can only hope."
Portables

Submission + - Not a Thinkpad 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: As a very happy Thinkpad T20 user (still working after 7 years) I always planned on replacing it with another Thinkpad T-series. However, Thinkpads are now produced by Lenovo, a Chinese company, and I can't quite bear to buy Chinese while the Burmese military are shooting at monks with the Chinese Government as their biggest backer. Maybe this is silly, as whatever I buy is likely to be made (at least in part) in China... but still, what are my options for something as well built as the Thinkpad T-series?
United States

Submission + - Parts of Patriot Act ruled Unconstitutional (cnn.com)

Submitted by neapolitan
neapolitan writes: Parts of the Patriot Act have been ruled unconstitutional. This is in response to the FBI wrongly spying on an attorney, with subsequent legal action and criticism of the law that allowed the incorrect surveillance. The summary judgment of Justice Aiken is available.

From the text:
Aiken ruled that FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act], as amended by the Patriot Act, permits the government to conduct surveillance and searches targeting Americans without satisfying the probable-cause standard in the Fourth Amendment.
"Prior to the amendments [to FISA], the three branches of government operated with thoughtful and deliberate checks and balances — a principle upon which our nation was founded," Aiken wrote. But the Patriot Act, she said, eliminated "the constitutionally required interplay between executive action, judicial decision and Congressional enactment."
Google

Submission + - Google sued for $5b for crimes against humanity (theregister.co.uk) 2

Submitted by
mytrip
mytrip writes: "A Pennsylvania crusader has slapped Google with a $5bn lawsuit, claiming that the world's largest search engine is endangering his personal safety.

With a suit filed in federal court, Dylan Stephen Jayne insists that the company is guilty of "crimes against humanity" because its name turns up when his social security number is scrambled and turned upside down.

By calling itself Google, Jayne argues, Google has exposed him to attack by an army of culturally diverse, net-savvy terrorists. "A person regardless of race or religion that wishes to cause acts of terrorism would look for social security numbers that are made readily available on the public use databases," his suit reads.

And he's adamant that if Google claims ignorance, many people could end up dead or buck naked. "The 'I don't know' defense obviously is a waste of money, time, and puts the lives of Americans and illegal aliens at risk of death or serious undress.""
Google

Google Video Store Shutting Down 155

Posted by CowboyNeal from the calling-it-quits dept.
babbling writes "Google is going to close the Google Video Store, leaving users who bought videos that used Digital Restrictions Management without their purchases. The users of Google Video Store will be compensated with Google Checkout credit, but it seems they will be out of luck if they don't happen to be Google Checkout users."
Security

Submission + - Quantum Network Hacked

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Quantum cryptography uses quantum mechanics to foil eavesdroppers, and it's supposed to be nigh unbreakable. But A team of MIT researchers has successfully hacked a quantum cryptographic network, according to this story on Nature's website. The researchers beat the network at its own game by using the quantum mechanical principle of entanglement.

The technique isn't really practical because it requires the eavesdropper to share equipment with the receiver. Still, it proves that even quantum networks have vulnerabilities.

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