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Submission + - Create Your Own Apple Rumor!

Submitted by
Michael
Michael writes: "Often time our readers ask where we (and others) get Apple rumors from. We have decided to share our ultimate weapon — the 'Create your own Apple Rumor' Chart. You too can be an "inside source" with this amazing new handy dandy Apple Rumor creation tool."
Patents

Submission + - Orphan 70-Year-Old Plane Data = 'Trade Secrets'?

Submitted by Anonymous Flyboy Coward
Anonymous Flyboy Coward writes: The Experimental Aircraft Association is taking on the Federal Aviation Administration, which has denied a FOIA request for access to construction data to the owner of 70+ year old antique Fairchild F45 aircraft. The FAA sided with a company that was formed in 1990 (and which didn't even know the airplane type existed until the FAA's inquiry) that claims it "owns" the design and manufacturing data to the aircraft, calling the data a "trade secret". The company failed to register with the FAA (as required by law) yet the FAA is standing by it's assertion that they "own" this data, which was turned over to the public domain in the 1950s. Many vintage aircraft owners face a Catch-22 situation: they are required by law to perform maintenance to the manufacturer's specs, but much of this data is unavailable because the FAA refuses to release it without the data's owner's permission... even if there is no such owner. The decision in this case will likely have wide-ranging implications on FOIA requests, as well as affect whether historical antique aircraft will remain flyable or lost forever to a pointless bureaucratic death. The full story is available here.
Software

Submission + - RIAA's "Expert" Witness Testimony Now Onl

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "The online community now has an opportunity to see the fruits of its labor. Back in December, the Slashdot ("What Questions Would You Ask an RIAA "Expert"?") and Groklaw ("Another Lawyer Would Like to Pick Your Brain, Please") communities were asked for their input on possible questions to pose to the RIAA's "expert", Dr. Doug Jacobson of Iowa State University, who was scheduled to be deposed in February in UMG v. Lindor, for the first time in any RIAA case. Ms. Lindor's lawyers were flooded with about 1400 responses. The deposition of Dr. Jacobson went forward on February 23, 2007, and the transcript is now available online (pdf). For those who would like an ASCII text version they can cut and paste, go here. Ray Beckerman, one of Ms. Lindor's attorneys, had this comment: "We are deeply grateful to the community for reviewing our request, for giving us thoughts and ideas, and for reviewing other readers' responses. Now I ask the tech community to review this all-important transcript, and bear witness to the shoddy "investigation" and 'junk science' upon which the RIAA has based its litigation war against the people. The computer scientists among you will be astounded that the RIAA has been permitted to burden our court system with cases based upon such arrant and careless nonsense.""
Power

Submission + - Sanyo blamed in Lenovo battery recall

Submitted by ukhackster
ukhackster writes: Those overheating laptop batteries are back. Lenovo is recalling 205,000 "extended" batteries which shipped with its ThinkPad machines, or were bought as replacements.

Slashdot readers will doubtless remember the flak which Sony attracted last year, after it was blamed for exploding Dell notebooks and several massive recalls. This time, the batteries were made by Sanyo. Could this be the start of another recall franzy?
Programming

Submission + - When a CGI script is the most elegant solution

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Writing local Web applications can be quick, easy, and efficient for solving specific Intranet problems. Learn why a Web browser is sometimes a better interface than a GUI application and why experienced Web developers find themselves struggling to learn a GUI toolkit, and descover that a simple CGI script would serve their needs perfectly well, if not better.
Patents

Submission + - EC: Microsoft patents aren't innovative

Submitted by ukhackster
ukhackster writes: The EC is threatening Microsoft with yet more fines. This time, it's over the interoperability protocols that Microsoft has been ordered to open up to its rivals. The EC has examined 1,500 pages of information about the protocols, and concluded that they "lack significant innovation".

This is pretty damning for both Microsoft and the patent system, as it has been awarded 36 patents covering this technology and has another 37 pending. Could this encourage someone like the EFF to start pushing to get these patents overturned?
Announcements

Submission + - Take-Two Loses $185 Million in 2006

Submitted by
njkid1
njkid1 writes: "With the investigation into stock options practices (hopefully) in the rear-view mirror, Take-Two revealed a loss of around $185 million for fiscal 2006. The company believes it can break even in fiscal 2007 and that its 2K Sports operation will become profitable. More within... http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=1538 3&ncid=AOLGAM000500000000001"
Displays

Submission + - Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP (Review)

Submitted by
luna6
luna6 writes: "Dell's 24" UltraSharp 2407WFP is one of the finer computer monitors around and it now retails for only $687. We take a look at what this monitor can do and it can do quite a few different things very well. Screenshots of the monitor in action are provided. http://lunapark6.com/?p=3202"
Sun Microsystems

Submission + - Sun joins the Free Software Foundation

Submitted by Cheeto
Cheeto writes: Sun Microsystems has joined the FSF! Arstechnica is reporting that Sun has joined the corporate patron program, and will be in the same club as other giants such as IBM, Intel, and Google. With Sun releasing Java under the GPL, and the possibility of releasing OpenSolaris under the GPLv3 — do we see Sun now holding the flag of free software instead of Redhat and IBM?
Security

Submission + - New Free Data Privacy Tool Download

Submitted by
JC
JC writes: "Scentric has announced the availability of the Data Privacy Assessment Tool, giving users a proactive assessment of potential data privacy risks. Available as a free download at http://www.scentric.com/ for a 30 day period following user registration on the site, the application provides on-demand classification of files on laptops, desktops, filers and file servers. In the last two years, over 100 million private data records have been lost or stolen, according to the Privacy Rights Clearing House. The Ponemon Institute estimates the average cost of a data breech in 2006 at $182 per record, but the impact of a privacy breech on an enterprise goes beyond the dollar costs involved to include damage to a company's brand image, potential fines, and lost customers."
Oracle

Submission + - SPAM: Oracle will buy Hyperion for $3.3 billion

Submitted by
alphadogg
alphadogg writes: "Oracle has agreed to acquire business intelligence software vendor Hyperion Solutions for $3.3 billion in cash, it said Thursday. Oracle said it will combine Hyperion's software with its own business intelligence (BI) and analytics tools. The deal is the latest big purchase by Oracle, following its acquisitions of applications vendors PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems. [spam URL stripped]l e-will-buy-hyperion-for.html?page=1"
AMD

Submission + - Atom-thick carbon transistor could succeed silicon

Submitted by
Matthew Sparkes
Matthew Sparkes writes: "Transistors more than four times smaller than the tiniest silicon ones — and potentially more efficient — can be made using sheets of carbon just one-tenth of a nanometre thick. The transistors are made of graphene, a sheet of carbon atoms in a flat honeycomb arrangement. Graphene makes graphite when stacked in layers, and carbon nanotubes when rolled into a tube. "This new material has properties that suggest it could have a range of powerful applications.""
Windows

Submission + - Consumer Vista support slashed by Microsoft

Submitted by
Mytob
Mytob writes: "Microsoft is to limit support for three versions of Windows Vista, including its most expensive, to five years rather than the usual 10 years. The company defended the difference by noting that the clock just started ticking. "End of life-cycle support for Windows Vista is still five years out," a spokesperson said. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=8 550"

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