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Games

Have I Lost My Gaming Mojo? 418

Posted by Soulskill from the blame-dr.-evil dept.
danabnormal writes "Increasingly I'm being frustrated in my attempts to find a game I want to play. In an effort to catch up, I've been using my bog standard Dell laptop to dig out treasures I have missed, such as American McGee's Alice, Grim Fandango and Syberia. I don't often get the time to play games, so I like to have the opportunity to dip in and out of a title without feeling like I'm losing something by not playing it for periods of time. But when I find a title I like, I make the time. Heavy Rain is the last game that gripped me, that truly engaged me and made me want to complete it in a single sitting. I'm tired of the GTA formulas, bored of CoDs and don't have the reaction time to think on my feet for AOE III. Is it about time I tossed in the controller and resigned myself to the fact that the games I want only come out once in a blue moon? Or have I just not found that one great title that will open me up to a brand new genre? Lords of Ultima is going OK at the moment — is there anything of that ilk I've missed? What are your thoughts? Do you stick to a particular genre? Are you finding it harder, as you get more mature, to find something you want to play?"
Security

Submission + - Android holes allow secret installation of apps

Submitted by CheerfulMacFanboy
CheerfulMacFanboy writes: According to The H Security researchers have demonstrated two vulnerabilities that allow attackers to install apps on Android and its vendor-specific implementations without a user's permission. During normal installation, users are at least asked to confirm whether an application is to have certain access rights. Bypassing this confirmation request reportedly allows spyware or even diallers to be installed on a smartphone.

One vulnerability was identified when a security specialist analysed HTC devices and found that the integrated web browser has the right to install further packages (used to automatically update its Flash Lite plug-in). Attackers can exploit this if they have found another browser hole.

Android specialist Jon Oberheide demonstrated another hole which involved misusing the Account Manager to generate an authentication token for the Android Market and obtaining permission to install further apps from there. However, this initially requires a specially crafted app to be installed on the smartphone. Nothing could be easier: Oberheide released the allegedly harmless "Angry Birds Bonus Levels" app intothe Android Market and, upon installation, this app downloaded and installed three further apps ("Fake Toll Fraud", "Fake Contact Stealer" and "Fake Location Tracker") without requesting the user's permission.
Robotics

Submission + - Robot Actress Makes Stage Debut In Japan (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Robotron23
Robotron23 writes: The BBC reports that a robot named Geminoid-F has made it's acting debut in Japan. The short play in which it appeared was a sellout with the Japanese public who were curious to see the robot's performance. However an actress who co-starred pointed out that the lack of human presence made the droid difficult to act alongside.
Government

Submission + - National Opt-Out Day Called Against Body Scanners (wired.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Air travelers, mark your calendar. An activist opposed to the new invasive body scanners in use at airports around the country just designated Wednesday, Nov. 24 as a National Opt-Out Day. He’s encouraging airline passengers to decline the TSA’s technological strip searches en masse on that day as a protest against the scanners, as well as the new “enhanced pat-downs” inflicted on refuseniks.
The goal of National Opt-Out Day is to send a message to our lawmakers that we demand change,” reads the call to action at OptOutDay.com, set up by Brian Sodegren. “No naked body scanners, no government-approved groping. We have a right to privacy, and buying a plane ticket should not mean that we’re guilty until proven innocent.”

The U.S. Airline Pilots Association and other pilot groups have urged their members to avoid the scanners and have also condemned the new pat-down policy as humiliating to pilots. They’ve advised pilots who don’t feel comfortable undergoing pat-downs in front of passengers to request they be conducted in a private room. Any pilots who don’t feel comfortable after undergoing a pat-down have been encouraged to “call in sick and remove themselves from the trip.”
Canada

Plastic Chemical BPA Declared Toxic In Canada 168

Posted by Soulskill from the good-thing-it's-not-toxic-here dept.
Julie188 writes "The Canadian government has formally declared bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used to create clear, hard plastics, as well as food can liners, to be a toxic substance. Does this mean that you'll be tackled by the Canadian Mounties if you stroll around with some bottled water? Not exactly. Being a toxic chemical doesn't mean you can't get a little love. The government will at first try and set limits on how much BPA can be released into the air or water by factories that use the compound."

Comment but there's Australia election in only 3 days! (Score 0) 438

by Bielenberg (#33282046) Attached to: Wikileaks Now Hosted By the Swedish Pirate Party

I do wonder which Australian party would offer to host WikiLeaks in parliament and get radical on improving (read "creating") free speech in Australia.

My first thought was The Greens, but they have too many other issues on their agenda to risk their political future on this where the legal system is not conducive to free speech, not even in parliament.

Pirate Party of Australia were free enough from other issues to put everything into such issues, but they are in their infancy and unprepared to run in this election. Sociallist Alliance are crazy and altruistic enough to do so, but are equally unelectable.

Free speech just isn't valued here by the people nor the law, not even in parliament. Should a person, even an elected official make a statement in parliament which the other politicians don't like : they will be asked three times to recant their words before they are officially recorded in the hansard.

It's time to get angry Australians! Do it now, before the issue of free speech is put to rest 1984 style once "the filter" is put in place.

Comment Don't blame me I voted for Kodos? (Score 0) 98

by Bielenberg (#32060726) Attached to: Australian Gov't Claims Internet Filter Legislation Still In Play

Election soon make your choice giant douche or turd sandwich. Whoever wins we get censorship like china mark my words.

Under the guise of humor or cynicism you Sneakily present a false dichotomy... suggesting the options Labour (left) and Liberal (right) are mutually exhaustive. This is not the case and our choice for an open or shut internet is not the catch-22 many dread! The above exaggeration -however amusing- perpetuates dangerous ignorance.

Admittedly some third-party candidates will -through preference deals and coalitions- support the election of one of two potential prime ministers. Also lower-house elections -having such small electorates where only one candidate can victor- does favor a two party system : even coalitions will continue the drive for mediocrity to win over the median voter.

On the other hand : the Senate is more proportionally representative of society's diverse views because whole states and territories are the electorates or so to speak. Minority views, parties and independents have a decent chance there. Take the Greens senators for example, who happen to be opposed to the filter. Huzzah for democracy! I still want more of it only the demoralizing two-party fallacy restricts true proportional representation.

The current Labour government relies upon the Greens (+ 1 more senator) to pass much legislation the Lib's don't condone (because KRudd does not wield a majority in the upper-house). To be my own devils advocate, one may worry the Greens could 'sell out' on the issue to achieve a higher strategic objective (e.g. save the world - perhaps through a reduction in carbon emissions targets). The Lib's could also make bargains. Such flip-flops are unheard of in the federal Australian senate.

But would any man suggest the Pirate Party of Australia would compromise and vote in such threats to liberty? Tell him he's dream'n!

Image

New Speed Cameras Catch You From Space 351

Posted by samzenpus from the no-place-to-run-or-speed dept.
A new kind of speed camera that uses satellites to measure average speed over long distances is being tested in Britain. The "Speedspike" system combines plate reading technology with a global positioning satellite receiver to calculate average speed between any two points in the area being monitored. From the article: "Details of the trials are contained in a House of Commons report. The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled 'number plate capture in all weather conditions, 24 hours a day.' It also referred to the system's 'low cost' and ease of installation." I can't wait to see the episode of MythBusters where they try to avoid getting a speeding ticket from a satellite.
Censorship

Chinese Root Server Shut Down After DNS Problem 91

Posted by timothy from the need-a-new-source-of-ginseng dept.
itwbennett writes "After a networking error first reported on Wednesday last week caused computers in Chile and the US to come under the control of a system that censors the Internet in China, the 'root DNS server associated with the networking problems has been disconnected from the Internet,' writes Robert McMillan. The server's operator, Netnod, has 'withdrawn route announcements' made by the server, according to company CEO Kurt Lindqvist."
Image

One Quarter of Germans Happy To Have Chip Implants 170

Posted by samzenpus from the identified-coward dept.
justice4all writes "If it means shorter lines at the supermarket, a quarter of Germans would be happy to have a chip implanted under their skin. The head of Germany's main IT trade body told the audience at the opening ceremony of the CeBIT technology exhibition that one in four of his countrymen are happy to have a microchip inserted for ID purposes."
Security

GoDaddy Wants Your Root Password 236

Posted by samzenpus from the seems-fair dept.
Johnny Fusion writes "The writer of the Securi Security Blog had an alarming awakening when a honeypot on port 22 on a GoDaddy-hosted VPS recorded login attempts using his GoDaddy username and password and even an attempt to login as root. It turns out the attempt was actually from within GoDaddy's network. Before he could 'alert' GoDaddy about the security breach, he got an email from GoDaddy Demanding his root login credentials. There is an update where GoDaddy explains itself and says they will change policy."
Graphics

DirectX 11 Coming To Browser Games 200

Posted by Soulskill from the see-the-stubble-on-your-stick-figure's-chin dept.
arcticstoat writes "Forget Farmville, Flash puzzlers and 8-bit home computer emulators. The next generation of browser games will be able to take advantage of DirectX 11 effects, not to mention multi-core processing and both Havok and PhysX physics effects. A new browser plug-in called WebVision will be available for Trinergy's new game engine, Vision Engine 8. This will enable game developers to port all the advanced effects from the game engine over to all the common browsers. Of course, any budding 3D-browser-game dev will face the problem that not every PC has a decent graphics card that can handle advanced graphics effects. Not only that, but limited bandwidth will also limit what effects a developer can realistically implement into a browser game. Nevertheless, this is an interesting development that could result in some tight 3D programming, as well as some much more interesting browser games."

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