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Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Surface Pro Review (bgr.com)

Submitted by zacharye
zacharye writes: I first laid eyes on Microsoft’s Surface tablet just about four months ago. It was a rainy Monday morning in Redmond, Washington and we were barely into the first 20 minutes of a full day of meetings when I knew the Surface was a huge, huge deal. Microsoft — the world’s largest software company, responsible for the operating system that powers roughly 92% of all personal computers on the planet — was now a hardware vendor. Microsoft's first effort was a dud but the Surface Pro is better in every way. Is it enough?...
Python

Submission + - Python Gets a Big Data Boost from DARPA (itworld.com)

Submitted by
itwbennett
itwbennett writes: "According to an ITworld report, 'DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has awarded $3 million to software provider Continuum Analytics to help fund the development of Python's data processing and visualization capabilities for big data jobs. The money will go toward developing new techniques for data analysis and for visually portraying large, multi-dimensional data sets.'"

Submission + - Motorola releases an "official" bootloader unlocker (custhelp.com)

Submitted by Nertskull
Nertskull writes: So Motorola claims to have released a tool to allow anyone to unlock the bootloader on their phone. Unfortunately, the only supported device right now is the Photon Q 4G LTE. However, other devices are supposedly on their way.
The Internet

Submission + - EU Parliament Debates their own DMCA 2

Submitted by bs0d3
bs0d3 writes: Right now, what is lacking across Europe, is a standard law to handle notice-and-take down's of illegal sites like the US' DMCA. Right now illegal content across Europe is subject to non-standard take down letters, some of which include no mention of what was allegedly infringed, nor in which jurisdiction in Europe it's infringed, or who to contact in your jurisdiction to challenge the claim, or even which company it is that is being represented by the law firm that gets in touch with he project. They need a system so that the notices would have to include information that makes them verifiable as correct. EU is holding a public consultation discussing notice-and-take down laws, which can be found here.
Networking

Submission + - Power Pwn: This DARPA-Funded Power Strip Will Hack Your Network

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Power Pwn may look like a power strip, but it's actually a DARPA-funded hacking tool for launching remotely-activated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet attacks. If you see one around the office, make a point to ask if it's supposed to be there. Pwnie Express, which developed the $1,295 tool, says it's "a fully-integrated enterprise-class penetration testing platform." That's great, but the company also notes its "ingenious form-factor" (again, look at the above picture) and "highly-integrated/modular hardware design," which to me makes it look like the perfect gizmo for nefarious purposes.
Security

Submission + - Open Source Smart Meter Hacking Framework Released (securityweek.com)

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: A researcher specializing in smart grids has released an open-source tool designed to assess the security of smart meters. Dubbed “Termineter”, the framework would allow users, such as grid operators and administrators, to test smart meters for vulnerabilities.

Termineter uses the serial port connection that interacts with the meter's optical infrared interface to give the user access to the smart meter's inner workings. The user interface is much like the interface used by the Metasploit penetration testing framework. It relies on modules to extend its testing capabilities.

Spencer McIntyre, a member of SecureState's Research and Innovation Team, is scheduled to demonstrate Termineter in a session "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Smart Meter," at Security B-Sides Vegas on July 25. The Termineter Framework can be downloaded here.
Australia

Submission + - Australia drops second Google investigation (zdnet.com.au)

Submitted by joshgnosis
joshgnosis writes: The Australian Privacy Commissioner has decided against investigating Google a second time over the collection of Wi-Fi payload data in Google's Street View cars.

Despite a damning FCC report released last month claiming that senior manager within Google were aware that a "rogue" engineer was working on the project on the side, he said a second investigation wouldn't yield any new results.

"I have decided not to open another investigation into Google Street View," he said in a statement. "In reaching this decision, I have considered the FCC's report and don't consider that a new investigation would reveal any information that would change our original finding."
Android

Submission + - Ask Slashdot- Secure Android phone? 3

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I'm in charge of getting some phones for my company to give to our mobile reps. Security is a major consideration for us so I'm looking for the most secure off the shelf solution for this. I'd like to encrypt all data on the phone and use encryption for txt and phone calls. There are a number of apps in the android market that claim to do this but how can I trust them? For example, I tested one but it requires a lot of permissions such as internet access, how do I know it is not actually some kind of backdoor? I know that Boeing is producing a secure phone which is no doubt good but probably too expensive for us. I was thinking of maybe installing Cyanogenmod onto something, using a permissions management app to try and lock down some backdoors and searching out a trustworthy text and phone encryption app. Any good ideas out there? I know that Boeing is producing a secure phone which is no doubt good but probably too expensive for us. I was thinking of maybe installing Cyanogenmod onto something, using a permissions management app to try and lock down some backdoors and searching out a trustworthy text and phone encryption app. Any good ideas out there?
NASA

Submission + - Intelsat Signs Launch Contract with SpaceX (spacex.com)

Submitted by jamstar7
jamstar7 writes: Following the success of the Falcon9/Dragon resupply test to the ISS comes the following announcement:

Washington, DC / Hawthorne, CA May 29, 2012 — Today, Intelsat, the world's leading provider of satellite services, and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), the world's fastest growing space launch company, announced the first commercial contract for the Falcon Heavy rocket.

"SpaceX is very proud to have the confidence of Intelsat, a leader in the satellite communication services industry," said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer. "The Falcon Heavy has more than twice the power of the next largest rocket in the world. With this new vehicle, SpaceX launch systems now cover the entire spectrum of the launch needs for commercial, civil and national security customers."

As of yet, the Falcon Heavy hasn't flown, but all the parts have been tested. Essentially an upgunned Falcon 9 with strapon boosters, the Heavy has lift capability second only to the Saturn 5. Already scheduled for 4 Falcon Heavy launches for the US Air Force this year, the Intelsat contract represents the true dawn of the commercial space age.
NASA

Submission + - Nasa team finds a (possible) new test for osteoporosis (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The BBC has an article about scientists at NASA who believe that they have found a new test that can osteoporosis earlier than existing tests. Their test involved having healthy volunteers confined to bed rest for 30 days; "the technique was able to detect bone loss after as little as one week of bed rest". Bone loss is an issue for astronauts as well as people affected by osteoporosis. They expect this test will help detect bone loss as a symptom of osteoporosis, but have not yet done a trial to confirm this. Another point against anyone who claims NASA, and going to space in general, is a complete waste of money.
Piracy

Submission + - Pirate Bay Ready For IP Address Whac-A-Mole

Submitted by jones_supa
jones_supa writes: Last week The Pirate Bay added a new IP address which allows users to circumvent the many court-ordered blockades against the site. While this proved to be quite effective, the Hollywood backed anti-piracy group BREIN has already been to court to demand a block against this new address. But that won't deter The Pirate Bay, who say they are fully prepared for an extended game of whac-a-mole using the hundreds of IP addresses they have available. Courts all around the world have ordered Internet providers to block subscriber access to the torrent site, and the end is still not in sight.

Submission + - Miners Send Drones To Work (itnews.com.au)

Submitted by aesoteric
aesoteric writes: Australia's top miners have opened a new front in their march to automation, flying unmanned aerial vehicles in increasing numbers at remote sites across the country. They've been used to inspect a fire-damaged oil rig, perform aerial photography and stockpile surveys. There is also a trend towards non US-built UAVs, due to the lag in receiving export approvals for the aircraft and spare parts.
Music

Submission + - "Open Source Bach" project completed; score and recording now online (opengoldbergvariations.org) 1

Submitted by
rDouglass
rDouglass writes: "MuseScore, the open source music notation editor, and pianist Kimiko Ishizaka have released a new recording and digital edition of Bach's Goldberg Variations. The works are released under the Creative Commons Zero license to promote the broadest possible free use of the works. The score underwent two rounds of public peer review, drawing on processes normally applied to open source software. Furthermore, the demands of Bach's notational style drove significant advancements in the MuseScore open source project. The recording was made on a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial piano in the Teldex Studio of Berlin. Anne-Marie Sylvestre, a Canadian record producer, was inspired by the project and volunteered her time to edit and produce the recording. The project was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign that was featured on Slashdot in March 2011."

Submission + - Landmark Calculation Clears the Way to Answering How Matter is Formed (scienceblog.com)

Submitted by
smazsyr
smazsyr writes: "An international collaboration of scientists is reporting in landmark detail the decay process of a subatomic particle called a kaon – information that may help answer fundamental questions about how the universe began. The calculation in the study required 54 million processor hours on the IBM BlueGene/P supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory, the equivalent of 281 days of computing with 8,000 processors. “This calculation brings us closer to answering fundamental questions about how matter formed in the early universe and why we, and everything else we observe today, are made of matter and not anti-matter,” says a co-author of the paper."
Japan

Submission + - Japan readies robot for work at crippled nuclear reactor (cio.com.au)

Submitted by
angry tapir
angry tapir writes: "A Japanese robotics lab has developed a new emergency response prototype that will soon be put to work at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan. The robot, called "Rosemary," is about the size of a lawn mower and has four extended treaded feet that swivel up and down to help it climb over obstacles."

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