Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Robotics

Submission + - DARPA Semifinalists Selected

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: DARPA has selected thirty-six teams as Urban Challenge semifinalists to participate in the National Qualification Event. Both the webcast and press release can be found on the official site: here. Dr. Tony Tether reports that only 1 of the top 5 previous teams was rated in the top 5 of teams this year and 3 of the top 5 were not in the challenge finals last year.
NASA

Submission + - Blogger finds Y2K bug in NASA global warming study 11

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: According to the article at http://www.dailytech.com/Blogger+finds+Y2K+bug+in+ NASA+Climate+Data/article8383.htm a blogger has discovered a Y2K bug in a NASA climate study by the same writer who accused the Bush administration of trying to censor him on the issue of global warming. The authors have acknowledged the problem and released corrected data. Now the study shows the warmest year on record as being 1934, not 1998 as previously reported in the media. In fact, the corrected study shows that half of the 10 warmest years on record occurred before World War II.
United States

Submission + - Forensics Expert says Al-Qaeda Images Altered

Submitted by WerewolfOfVulcan
WerewolfOfVulcan writes: Wired reports that researcher Neal Krawetz revealed some veeeeeery interesting things about the Al-Qaeda images that our government loves to show off.

From the article: "Krawetz was also able to determine that the writing on the banner behind al-Zawahiri's head was added to the image afterward. In the second picture above showing the results of the error level analysis, the light clusters on the image indicate areas of the image that were added or changed. The subtitles and logos in the upper right and lower left corners (IntelCenter is an organization that monitors terrorist activity and As-Sahab is the video production branch of al Qaeda) were all added at the same time, while the banner writing was added at a different time, likely around the same time that al-Zawahiri was added, Krawetz says." Why would Al-Qaeda add an IntelCenter logo to their video? Why would IntelCenter add an Al-Qaeda logo? Methinks we have bigger fish to fry than Gonzo and his fired attorneys... }:-) The article contains links to Krawetz's presentation and the source code he used to analyze the photos.
Announcements

Submission + - Zinc lozenges an ineffective treatment for colds 1

Submitted by ardent99
ardent99 writes: A new study (a meta-study?) shows that most of the past studies about the effectiveness of treating colds with zinc are severely flawed. The article finds that despite 20 years of research, the benefits of zinc lozenges as a therapy for the common cold have not been proven. A new study, published in the Sept. 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, currently available online, reviews the 14 placebo-controlled studies from the past two decades and finds significant fault with 10 of the studies. Of the four remaining studies, three reported no therapeutic effect from zinc lozenge or nasal spray, and one study reported positive results from zinc nasal gel.
Media (Apple)

Submission + - Apple May Track IPod Thieves & You (msn.com)

Submitted by
Ryan N. Kamfolt - ClickAway
Ryan N. Kamfolt - ClickAway writes: "Apple may begin implementing software in its I-Tunes suite to track serial numbers of I-Pods and compare them to a stolen I-Pod database. Due to the worlds most successful and popular product being on the #1 most stolen items list. This may alert the local police to come knocking on your door, if "Your" I-Pod is in question. Weather it be stolen or legit, people are not taking this to heart kindly at all. With the right to privacy walls closing in on us ever so fast, this seems to be another push to take our privacy rights away even more, or is it? Those who have had their I-Pods stolen love the idea. Others are not so happy about the idea. Some privacy right advocates have suggested implementing I-Pods or I-Phones with owner ID verification, such as a password or other forms of verification that must be entered into the devices before they will take a charge or allow you to place songs on the device. Or offer a service that is apart of Apple iCare, which allows users who feel they may become a victim of theft, to join this database, to further protect them in the even their I-Pod is stolen."
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - 37th and final Independent game review panel (gametunnel.com)

Submitted by
cyrus_zuo
cyrus_zuo writes: " Game Tunnel 's monthly Indie game review panel is no more. This month's panel, posted July 31st, will be the final panel reviewing what's new in Independent games. The monthly review panel has run just over 3 years with the July panel marking the 37th panel. Having reviewed 468 games over its life, the panel has had a variety of writers giving a plethora of opinions about what has been great and what hasn't been so great in the world of Indie games. The final panel features Derek Yu from TIGSource (and IGF winner Aquaria fame), Greg Costikyan from Manifesto Games, John Bardinelli from Joystiq, and Caspian Prince from Puppygames."
Music

Submission + - Eminem Sues Apple for iTunes Sales (macworld.co.uk)

Submitted by puk
puk writes: MacWorld UK is reporting that Eminem's publisher is suing Apple, alleging that his publisher did not have the right to authorize Apple's online sales of digital versions of Eminem's music through the iTunes Music Store and that therefore Apple is violating Eminem's copyright by doing so.

Of course, if this turns out to be the case, Universal may also be on the hook for the damages, if indirectly. Looks like another more case of trying to figure out whether old contracts authorize new activities...
Networking

Submission + - Linksys brand not going anywhere says Cisco (freedomblogging.com)

Submitted by
Mav
Mav writes: "To follow up with http://slashdot.org/articles/07/07/27/0044202.shtm l, Cisco announced that it won't be doing away with the Linksys name. http://ocbiz.freedomblogging.com/2007/07/30/linksy s-staying-put-and-keeping-its-name/ Karen Sohl, a spokeswoman for Irvine's Linksys, says, "Linksys consumer and (small-medium business) products will continue to be marketed under the Linksys brand and co-exist in the market with Cisco branded connected home products over the near term""
Privacy

ACLU Protests Police Scanning License Plates 821

Posted by kdawson from the drift-net-fishing-expedition dept.
dustman81 writes "The ACLU is objecting to the practice of police in Springdale, Ohio using an automated license-plate scanner on patrol cars to locate stolen vehicles or those whose owners are wanted on felony warrants. The scanner can read 900 license plates an hour traveling at highway speeds. So far, the scanner has located 95 stolen cars and helped locate 111 wanted felons. The locations of the license plates scanned are tagged with GPS data. All matches are stored (with no expiration date given) and can be brought up later and cross-referenced on a map. If the plate is wanted, the times and locations of where it was scanned can be referenced. The Springdale police department hopes to begin using the system soon to locate misdemeanor suspects. This system is also in use in British Columbia."
Movies

Submission + - Canadian Theatre Chain Sued for Abusive Search

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A Canadian theater chain has been sued for an abusive search for camcording equipment. A Montreal woman is seeking $60,000 in damages for the search, which comes after the Canadian government caved to U.S. pressure and enacted anti-camcording legislation.
Announcements

Submission + - Gorbachev says U.S. is sowing world disorder (reuters.com)

Submitted by
mr_musan
mr_musan writes: "It seems that not every one is over joyed at the USA's new push for power.

As Reuters is reporting from Moscow, "(The) Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev criticized the United States, and current President George W. Bush in particular, on Friday for sowing disorder across the world by seeking to build an empire."

red all about it righ here http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2755 110420070727?sp=true"
The Courts

Submission + - ACLU objects to police scanning license plates (ap.org) 1

Submitted by dustman81
dustman81 writes: The ACLU is objecting to the Springdale, Ohio police department using an automated license plate scanner on their patrol cars to locate stolen vehicles or those who's owners are wanted on felony warrants. The scanner can read 900 license plates an hour traveling at highway speeds. So far, the scanner has located 95 stolen cars and helped locate 111 wanted felons. The locations of the license plates scanned are tagged with GPS data so when the data is downloaded, it can cross-referenced on a map. If the plate is wanted, the times and locations of where it was scanned can be referenced. This system is also in use in British Columbia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENGY1CD9y_4
Censorship

Submission + - NASA Contractors Censoring Saturn V Info 1

Submitted by cybrpnk2
cybrpnk2 writes: Get ready to surrender your data sheets, study reports and blueprints of the Saturn V to stay in compliance with ITAR. Armed guards are reportedly enforcing a takedown and shredding of old Saturn V posters from KSC office walls that show rough internal layouts of the vehicle, and a website that is a source for various digitized blueprints has been put on notice it may well be next. No word yet if the assignment of a Karl Rove protege to oversee NASA has any connection...
GNU is Not Unix

Microsoft Seeks Open Source Certification 220

Posted by kdawson from the guess-who's-climbing-into-the-bed dept.
eldavojohn writes "Microsoft is applying for OSI certification for its Shared Source Initiative. The move is described in a blog post by an MS OSS lab worker: 'Today, we reached another milestone with the decision to submit our open licenses to the OSI approval process, which, if the licenses are approved, should give the community additional confidence that the code we're sharing is truly Open Source. I believe that the same voices that have been calling for Microsoft products to better interoperate with open source products would voice their approval should the Open Source Initiative itself open up to more of the IT industry.' According to PC World, reaction from the community has been mostly positive."
The Courts

Web Contracts Can't Be Changed Without Notice 169

Posted by kdawson from the late-binding dept.
RZG writes "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled on July 18th that contracts posted online cannot be updated without notifying users (PDF of ruling). 'Parties to a contract have no obligation to check the terms on a periodic basis to learn whether they have been changed by the other side,' the court wrote. This ruling has consequences for many online businesses, which took for granted their right to do this (see for example item 19 in Google's Terms of Service)."

Slashdot Top Deals

This file will self-destruct in five minutes.

Close