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Encryption

Submission + - BitLocker might not be broken, but it's dented (h-online.com)

Submitted by garg0yle
garg0yle writes: A group of German researchers have discovered a way around Microsoft's BitLocker drive encryption. The attack is non-trivial, but could be used by a determined attacker to subvert the boot process and capture the PIN in an unencrypted form, allowing later unauthorized access to the hard drive. The attack does require the attacker to access your system twice, the first time without detection.
Google

Submission + - Google is starting to act like monopoly 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Fortune Magazine) — What was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa. — Charles E. Wilson, president of GM, 1953 What is it about powerful companies that makes them conflate their own selfish interests with those of their customers, their industry, and even the world at large? This is especially true in high tech. You could plug the name of any prominent Fortune 500 tech company into Charles Wilson's famous quote, and the result would sound like a mission statement for some of our most notorious corporate bullies. "What's good for Microsoft is good for the Internet." Oops, that's how Gates & Co. ran afoul of federal trustbusters as they trampled Netscape underfoot Seriously, when a company attains extreme market domination, hubris and a sense of infallibility can't be far behind. It's only a matter of time before said market dominator tries to tell everyone else how to run their businesses. The latest example is Google (Charts, Fortune 500), which lobbied hard in Washington to dictate the terms of an upcoming FCC auction of radio spectrum. The frequencies, currently used for UHF television, are to be sold next January. In 2009 the winning bidders will take their swaths of spectrum and unleash a new and (they hope) profitable era of data-intensive wireless devices — smartphones, media players, car computers and gizmos no one's thought of yet. Why would the Google guys bother themselves with this auction? After all, the company isn't even in the big-time telecom biz ... yet. The answer is simple. Google wants to take its breathtakingly profitable targeted advertising beyond PCs and inject it into any other medium it can find, whether it be radio or TV or even newspapers and magazines. But the biggest prize of all may be cellphones. Why? Because there are so damn many of them, and they're behaving more and more like pocket-sized, full-blown computers (e.g. the iPhone). Now we come to the hubris part. Google promised the FCC it would bid at least $4.6 billion to purchase spectrum rights — but only if the FCC met all of Google's terms. Specifically, the FCC must ensure that all networks using the new parcels of spectrum be "open platforms." That means four things: (1) The new networks must allow consumers to use any device they desire; (2) they would support standard software like Internet browsers and e-mail; (3) network operators would be required to lease some capacity to other providers; and (4) the new networks would all have to be mutually compatible. In other words, Google wants this spectrum to behave a lot like the Internet. Sounds reasonable. Wouldn't it be nice to use your cellphone on any network you wanted? But traditional telecom powers like Verizon (Charts, Fortune 500) and AT&T (Charts, Fortune 500), which run tightly controlled wireless networks, felt blindsided when they first heard of Google's demands. Allow any old device to plug into their new networks to run any old software? That's giving away the store! Even more galling was the notion of being forced to lease out capacity to all comers. If they pay billions for spectrum, shouldn't they be entitled to use it as they see fit? What are we, communists? http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/06/technology/google_ schlender.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2007080706
Power

Submission + - 5 Ways To Have High Standards With Women (blogmackin.com)

Submitted by Bachelor
Bachelor writes: Ok, we all want to be with attractive women. Haven't you always wondered about those guys who are always hanging out with beautiful women at the gym or the guy walking around town with the hottest group of women. Someone broke this down to me "in order to achieve your optimum level of success with women you have to be able to attract 9's and 10's." At first, I was like yeah it's not always about the looks but I started thinking about it maybe he was right. So for an entire month I approached very attractive women. The results were superb. I came up with my own theory that super attractive women approached as much as us men like to think.
Operating Systems

Submission + - In re gaming on linux

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Open question: Is there a reason we can't fully implement DirectX in Linux? Is it a matter of documentation of the API or what? Could eg a monopoly suit in the EU force this information into the open?
Microsoft

Submission + - Bill Gates Is Now Second Wealthiest Man

Submitted by NeoTerra
NeoTerra writes: Bill Gates is now the second wealthiest man in the world. From the article:


It was probably inevitable, with Bill Gates handing out his cash right and left, and Microsoft's stock in pretty much a holding pattern for most of the 2000's, but it's still sad to see our man Bill get knocked off the top spot on the "world's richest" list. His replacement is no stranger to tech though, Carlos Slim built his fortune in the Mexican telecom biz, and has amassed an estimated net worth of $67.8 billion, thanks to a surge in the shares of America Movil.
Businesses

Submission + - My company's website was plagiarized: what next? (ripstyles.com) 1

Submitted by
Anonymous
Anonymous writes: "After a recent design revamp, I discovered that my company's website (www.ripstyles.com) has had a large portion of its content "ripped off." After digging through this other site (I am purposefully leaving out the URL) I have discovered that they have taken quite a bit of content from multiple other websites besides my own. A few calls and emails have been disregarded on their part ("Sorry....my boss is out sick...), and I'm trying to avoid legal action for as long as possible. It seems inevitable though, and I have to ask: do I owe it to the other companies to show them that their content has been plagiarized, or is it their own problem? If so, should I take this on alone? What would you Slashdot readers do in this situation?"
Censorship

Submission + - ISP Deletes Your Audio & Video Files Nightly (exetel.com.au)

Submitted by
Mike
Mike writes: "Australian ISP Exetel automatically deletes ALL of your hosted audio and video files every single night in a ham-handed attempt to fight piracy. All mp3, mpg, mpeg, avi, wma and "any other multi media file type" is deleted by their robot scanner script. To prevent this you have to email them and "request to be excluded from the scan script". The presumption is that you're guilty by default if, for example, you dare to upload an AVI of your child's first steps. Is this insane, or what? How long will Exetel stay in business treating their paying customers this way?"
Censorship

Submission + - No Taste Buds for you!!

Submitted by homey of my owney
homey of my owney writes: The NY Times has a story today on a very interesting use of intellectual Property law.

"A lawsuit by the owner of Pearl Oyster Bar in Manhattan may be the most aggressive use of intellectual property concepts by the owner of a small restaurant.

The suit, which seeks unspecified financial damages from Ed McFarland, chef and co-owner and the restaurant itself, charges that Ed's Lobster Bar copies "each and every element" of Pearl Oyster Bar, including the white marble bar, the gray paint on the wainscoting, the chairs and bar stools with their wheat-straw backs, the packets of oyster crackers placed at each table setting and the dressing on the Caesar salad."

Wow, that's some tasty IP.
Censorship

Submission + - UK to Criminalise Possession of "Extreme" 2

Submitted by mdwh2
mdwh2 writes: The UK Government has published a bill which includes plans to criminalise possession of "extreme pornography". This would include fictional depictions of violence, and cover private images of S&M acts between consenting partners. Taking a screenshot from a legal film, if done for erotic purposes, could also fall under the law.

The bill has been promoted by groups such as mediawatch-uk. Backlash opposes the law. The plans were previously discussed on Slashdot when first announced.
Privacy

Submission + - Protect Privacy Online Using Secret Identity (akacard.com)

Submitted by
techna
techna writes: "A new credit card is in the works that offers users an alternative identity, including name, address, credit card number, CVV and exp date to protect their privacy online. Several racy uses have been suggested for the card but generally it's best for avoiding new account fraud- the bad kind where the carders take your name, SSN, bday and start a new life in FL. The card is launched but under the radar for now. There are a few blogs on it and a few articles on the website too. http://www.akacard.com/"
Power

Submission + - Install Solar Panels, get foreclosed (myfoxdfw.com)

Submitted by
gambit3
gambit3 writes: "According to the Dallas Fox affiliate, the exclusive Valley Ranch subdivision outside of Dallas is threatening to foreclose on a homeowner. His crime? Installing solar panels. They claim it is an eyesore, even though the panels can be seen only from the lawn of one neighbor, and he has no problems with the panels."
Businesses

Submission + - Harrassment online for the uninitiated (mulley.net)

Submitted by
Brendan Kehoe
Brendan Kehoe writes: "Customer service has reached a new low: if you complain enough on your blog about lost luggage and poor customer service, adolescent employees in the company you describe will decide to show you who's boss — by trying to harrass you with "anonymous" subscriptions to gay dating services. It might work unless you happen to be a prominent blogger in Ireland who is also technically savvy and can read an IP address. The company even served him with papers to remove his blog posts — putting free speech at the fore and keeping the odds firmly in favor of the friend and not the foe."

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