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Journal Journal: A new way to catch traffic offenders - Google's YouTube

Journal by Thusi02 on Wednesday November 29, 2006 @09:00PM

I found this rather amusing. Traffic ticket from evidence of YouTube . So somebody out there wanted to test the speed limits in Norwegia, so they tapped themselves hit high speeds on the road and posted the video on YouTube. Guess what, a police officer sees that tape and nabs the guys doing it and uses YouTube as evidence. This is what you call the power of the Internet "Google".

Submission + - SCO's Objections Soundly Denied

Submitted by Pinhead6969 on Wednesday November 29, 2006 @07:05PM

Pinhead6969 writes: The judge in the SCO vs. IBM case has resoundingly rejected SCO's objections to a ruling from this summer throwing out the majority of their claims.
Groklaw Article

To quote Judge Kimball:

Having thoroughly reviewed and considered the briefing related to IBM's Motion to Limit SCO's Claims, the briefing related to SCO's objections, the underlying previous discovery orders, and the arguments made at the October 24 hearing, the court finds that, even under a de novo standard of review, the Magistrate Judge's June 28, 2006 Order is correct. The court finds that SCO failed to comply with the court's previous discovery-related Orders and Rule 26(e), that SCO acted willfully, that SCO's conduct has resulted in prejudice to IBM, and that this result-the inability of SCO to use the evidence at issue to prove its claims- should come as no surprise to SCO. In addition, the court finds that neither particularized findings on an item-by- item basis nor an evidentiary hearing is required to make these determinations. The court, therefore, affirms and adopts the Magistrate Judge's June 28, 2006 Order in its entirety.

Submission + - Linux kernel 2.6.19 released

Submitted by

diegocgteleline.es

on Wednesday November 29, 2006 @06:44PM

diegocgteleline.es writes: "After 2 months, 2.6.19 has been released. This release includes the clustering GFS2 filesystem, Ecryptfs , the first experimental version of EXT4 (aimed at developers), support for the Atmel AVR32 architecture, sleepable RCU, improvements for NUMA-based systems, a "-o flush" mount option aimed at FAT-based hotpluggable media devices (mp3), physical CPU hotplug and memory hot-add in x86-64, support for compiling x86 kernels with the GCC stack protection, vectored async I/O , the Netlabel subsystem , allow to disable compilation of the block layer, IDE Parallel-ATA drivers based in libata , Granular IPSec associations for use in MLS environments, Mobile IPv6, some new drivers, improved support for many already existing drivers...you can read the full changelog at LinuxChanges"

Submission + - PS3 or A Lifetime Of Tacos?

Submitted by ACAx1985 on Tuesday November 28, 2006 @10:25PM

ACAx1985 writes: This site http://www.junkfoodblog.com/2006/11/taco-bell-offe rs-lifetime-tacos-for.html > is reporting that if you give Taco Bell a PS3 (which will be donated for charity), they will give you a lifetime supply of Tacos.

From the article:

"The lifetime of Taco Bell food is actually the equivalent of $12,500 in Taco Bell Bucks. It's not actually a lifetime of food, though, if you ate that much Taco Bell food, you just might die before you consume it all.

To participate in this, a Playstation 3 owner must contact Taco Bell via e-mail at: tacobellnews@tacobell.com

The first person to respond, based on the time the email is received, and then sends their PlayStation 3, will be awarded the Taco Bell Bucks. Offer expires December 1, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. PST."

Submission + - Does Microsoft have an undisclosed IP liability?

Submitted by cyphercell on Tuesday November 28, 2006 @10:15PM

cyphercell writes: If the deal between Microsoft and Novell proves that Novell is afraid of patent infringement in Linux, doesn't it also prove that Microsoft is afraid of patent infringement in Windows?

I ask because there's this concept in the agreement of mutual indemnification for the benefit of both companies. Described here http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?com mand=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005462 it seems to me that this agreement fundamentally invalidates software patents, rather than invalidating the Open Source model.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like this agreement is being spun in the wrong direction. I read it as proof that software patents hurt both Microsoft and Novell. If patents hurt both of these companies doesn't it also follow that software patents hurt the industry as a whole, regardless of whether it's closed or open source software?

Submission + - MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist Named as MA Tech Advisor

Submitted by

Andy Updegrove

on Tuesday November 28, 2006 @09:44PM

Andy Updegrove writes: "For the last year and a half, Massachusetts has been a battleground between Microsoft, on the one hand, and IBM, Sun and open standards advocates on the other over the state's plans to implement ODF. That effort has sparked similar initiatives around the world that threaten to erode Microsoft's multi-billion dollar profits on Office software. Now, we have a new governor set to take office, and observers are waiting to see if he will continue to support ODF like his predecessor, or back off in favor of Microsoft Office. Last week, Governor-Elect Deval Patrick named a new transition advisory group to make recommendations on the state's IT structure, and one of the eight members he appointed was none other than the Microsoft lobbyist that has been leading the charge to not only defeat ODF in the Bay State, but to gut the power of the State's CIO and Information Technology Division as well. Not a good sign of independence from special interests for an administration that has yet to even take office.
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/articl e.php?story=20061128161343183"

Submission + - US Paper Currency Found Unfair To The Blind

Submitted by ScentCone on Tuesday November 28, 2006 @09:24PM

ScentCone writes: US District Judge James Roberston has directed the US Treasury to start working on a way for the blind to differentiate between printed denominations. He said that the government is violating the Rehabilitaion Act in discriminating against those with a disability. He cites other countries' use of varying currency sizes as evidence that there are solutions, but does not prescribe a particular approach. Possibilities include raised ink and punched holes. Newer bills already support infrared features for use with readers, but such technology gets some complaints. The vending machine industry, which has participated in previous redesign discussions, may have a lot of work to do.

Submission + - Justice Department to Review Domestic Spying

Submitted by

orgelspieler

on Tuesday November 28, 2006 @07:31PM

orgelspieler writes: "According to the NYT, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine has opened a review of his department's role in the domestic spying program. Democrats (and some Republicans) have been requesting an all out investigation into the legality of the so-called "Terrorist Surveillance Program" since it was made public. But this new inquiry stops short of evaluating the constitutional legitimacy of the program. From the article:
The review, Mr. Fine said in his letter, will examine the controls in place at the Justice Department for the eavesdropping, the way information developed from it was used, and the department's "compliance with legal requirements governing the program."
Needless to say, Democrats have their doubts about the timing of this announcement."

Submission + - Google Earth Goes After The King of Bahrain

Submitted by

tcd004

on Tuesday November 28, 2006 @07:21PM

tcd004 writes: "Mike Boyer at FP Magazine recently highlighted a novel use of Google Earth by democracy advocates in Bahrain. Local bloggers, like Elijah Zarwan, have put together huge collections (PDF) of Google's new, higher resolution satelite photos revealing the largesse of the Monarchy's estates to the general public. Some of these private golf courses, islands, and compounds — accessible by no one but the ruling class — are larger than the neighboring cities where tens of thousands of Bahranians live in crowded conditions. The Financial Times reports that Bahrain has responded by attempting to block the Google Earth service, but so far they've been unsuccessful, only drawing more attention to the images."

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