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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.""
Worms

Submission + - Substitute convicted of exposing kids to porn

Submitted by flaming error
flaming error writes: According to the AP, a substitute teacher with apparently little knowledge of computers claims she used a classroom PC to send an email to her husband, went to the restroom, and returned to find a couple girls browsing a hairstyle site on the web. She sent them away, and later, during class, pornographic images started popping up on the PC. The school administration admits the PC was completely open, unpatched, and unprotected. But the prosecution didn't buy the idea of porn popping up all by itself, nor apparently, did the jury. She is now a convict, and facing jail time.
Announcements

Submission + - New report to "end the debate" on climate

Submitted by duh P3rf3ss3r
duh P3rf3ss3r writes: The Toronto Star has obtained a section of the fourth report of the UN's International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due to be released February 2. The article refers to the section as a "final draft" of the "Summary for Policy Makers" and says that the report will indicate that "It is very likely that (man-made) greenhouse gas increases caused most of the globally average temperature increases since the mid-20th century." The report also says that "Research since the third report was released in 2001 increases the certainty about climate change and the likely scale of most of its effects, including warmer temperatures and severe weather."

According to the Star article, "One crucial prediction has been made a bit less worrying: Although sea level is rising — for now, mainly because the oceans are warming to a depth of at least 3,000 metres, and expanding — the estimates for how much it will go up have been lowered."
Software

Submission + - What tax software do you use?

Submitted by r_jensen11
r_jensen11 writes: I know this topic has been asked at least once before, but seeing as how 6 years have passed, I figured the question is due again. It's about that time of the year again when we find out how much we owe Uncle Sam (Or as in my case, how much Uncle Sam owes me.) Software has changed drastically in the past 6 years since the previous query I found on Slashdot, as well as many tax rules. Does anyone here use tax software other than TurboTax and TaxCut? I know that there are also online forms I can fill out, but which ones are accessable to people that use OS's other than Windows and OSX? I'd preferably use a program that I can use off-line and store my information locally instead of using eforms, but if I have to resort to eforms, which ones should I investigate and which ones should I stay far away from?
Communications

Submission + - Cell Phone in Pocket Badly Burns California Man

Submitted by westlake
westlake writes: Computerworld and USA TODAY are reporting a cell phone fire that has a California man in hospital with second and third degree burns over 60% of his body. The cell phone was in his pants pocket when he fell asleep while sitting in a plastic bathroom chair, apparently leaning against a button. The phone overheated, igniting his polyester pants, nylon shirt and jacket, spreading the fire to the chair. It's likely he survived only because his apartment had sprinklers. Fire investigators are calling it a freakish accident, the man had four times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. But still you have to wonder about a product that ignites before it shuts down. Even an ordinary household iron has that much protection these days.
Media

Submission + - Second Life land-owner regrets DMCA complaint

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Guntram Graef, who along with his wife runs Anshe Chung Studios (Second Life's biggest land owner) says that he regrets filing the DMCA complaint which looked to challenge the right of the press to publish images originating from the virtual world. The take-down notice was first filed after a video surfaced on YouTube depicting a 'griefing attack' in which Ailin Graef's avatar (Anshe Chung) was attacked by animated flying penises while being interviewed by CNET news in their Second Life bureau last month. Now Graef says that the take-down notices were never really about copyright but were intended to stop the humiliation and alleged defamation of his wife Ailin.
IBM

Submission + - Bankrupt or not, SCO case is 'boring'

Submitted by OSS_ilation
OSS_ilation writes: Is SCO bankrupt or isn't it? The question was raised on Slashdot last week when Novell asserted as much in a court filing, but it could all be a moot point. One Boston-based IP attorney (among many) thinks the case is well past its prime, especially as bigger and more important topics like GPv3 loom on the horizon. The SCO case, in a word, has become a tired affair that IBM will ultimately end with a strong case and deep legal coffers. From the article: 'If there is no Chapter 11 filing, then the trial goes on [and] SCO suffers a slow and painful death rather than a quick one,' said Tom Carey, an IP attorney for Bromberg & Sunstein LLP.
The Internet

Submission + - Dear Senator Feinstein: please don't PERFORM

Submitted by
tcahill
tcahill writes: "tcahill thinks Senator Feinstein's new PERFORM act requires some audience participation. The Senator's Website is set up to receive email (1), perhaps slashdot readers might want to send her some appropriate audience feedback. Most politicians are more impressed by individually written letters than mass mailings. For example, here is what tcahill sent:

Regarding the PERFORM Act, it fundamentally offends the principle of free speech that you would contemplate mandating that only certain forms of communication (those using approved DRM) would be permitted for those broadcasting over the Internet. You can only do harm by persisting in seeking to impose controls over — not what information — but how information itself is disseminated. Beyond the constitutional offense inherent in what you contemplate, there are anti-market and anti-innovation assumptions inherent in your assumption that you can dictate exclusively which forms of technology are to be used. Finally, you clearly endanger the principle of fair use by mandating all internet broadcasts must be protected by DRM, which, by law, may not be circumvented. As I know you to be a progressive I am confident you will see the error in your approach and stand down.

Links

1. http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html"
Biotech

Submission + - Skull implies humans-neanderthal interbreeding

Submitted by Homr Zodyssey
Homr Zodyssey writes: The AP is reporting about a fossil skull that exhibits Neanderthal features as well as human ones. Science Daily ran a similar story back in November. From TFA:

Some scientists argue Neanderthals were slaughtered or out-competed by ancestors of modern humans, but NGN said the new research, suggests a more intimate relationship, with Neanderthals becoming absorbed into the human race through interbreeding.
Caldera

Submission + - SCO Group Denies Its Demise Is Imminent

Submitted by Rob
Rob writes: The chief executive of controversial Unix vendor SCO Group Inc has written to its partners and customers in an attempt to reassure them that it is not about to go out of business. To paraphrase a line from Mr Twain, the rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated, wrote Lindon, Utah-based SCO's Darl McBride in a letter that was recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While McBride's letter did not mention any suggestions of its demise directly, it can be seen as a reference to recent claims made by Novell Inc in their ongoing battle of the Unix copyrights. Waltham, Massachusetts-based Novell recently declared in a court paper that SCO's bankruptcy was both "imminent" and "inevitable."

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