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Comment Chainsaw Hands (Score 1) 225

They grafted the implants directly into the bone and fused the skin around them. When are we going to see this technology come to human prosthetics? If I lose my arm in a car accident, I don't want a fake arm attached to my stump with a suction cup, I want a universal mount embedded in what is left of my arm bones! I want to be able to adapt the attachments for whatever job I need (hand, grinder, chainsaw, soldering iron) using a quick release mechanism.

Comment Re:Replace their PC's with Mac Mini's (Score 1) 369

I installed Deep Freeze on my parent's computer years ago after they proved themselves unable to handle the responsibility of a computer. It turned out to be a godsend and took much of the burden off of both of us. They no longer fear damaging their computer with their ignorance - they are one reboot away from a fresh machine, and I no longer fear their phone calls. Deep freeze is extra handy in that it doesn't stop them from using their computer; it just resets it back to "factory" condition each time they reboot. All the windows functionality remains and it stays out of the way. If they really need to make a permanent change, they just have to reboot in defrost mode. I spent years futilely trying to teach my parents to safely use a computer. But since I couldn't take the knife away from them, I could only make sure it wasn't sharp enough to hurt anybody.
Security

Human Ear Could Be Next Biometric System 154

narramissic writes "A team of researchers at the University of Southampton, UK, has received funding from the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to learn whether otoacoustic emissions (OAE), the ear-generated sounds that emanate from within the spiral-shaped cochlea in the inner ear, can be used as a viable biometric technology like fingerprints and IRIS recognition. According to a report in New Scientist, someday instead of asking for passwords or pin numbers, a call center or bank would simply use a device on their telephone to produce a brief series of clicks in the recipient's ear to confirm the person is who they say they are." Try faking that with gummy bears.

Comment Re:Resources (Score 1) 440

I work in federal government and what they tell me is simple. It any line of code was written on a government machine or on government time, the whole system is owned by the government. Period. I don't know the fine details about the law, but they make it clear enough at work: keep your personal projects personal and your government projects government. Don't mix work and play.

Second Life Database Intrusion via Web 48

Jim writes "A major security exploit has been discovered by Linden Labs, the company that operates Second Life. It turn out that on September 6th, an intruder gained access to the Second Life database. They have since closed the exploit. Today, September 8th, they finally announced this to residents and have cancelled all passwords. They have asked everyone to use the reset password form to make a password. This has resulted in mass confusion amongst residents on the forums who cannot remember their security question. Many more details below.

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