OblongPlatypus - Slashdot User

Comment More likely (Score 5, Interesting) 625

by OblongPlatypus on Wednesday February 12, 2014 @09:54AM (#46227907) Attached to: Majority of Young American Adults Think Astrology Is a Science

The decrease in astrology's visibility (people no longer read magazines, and "horoscope blogs" don't seem to have become a thing) may just have led to most young people not having a clue and assuming astrology = astronomy.

Submission + - Yahoo Advertising Serves Up Malware for Thousands

Submitted by wjcofkc on Sunday January 05, 2014 @09:20AM

wjcofkc writes: CNN and CNET News report that thousands of users have been affected by malicious advertisements served by ads.yahoo.com. The attack, which lasted several days, exploited vulnerabilities in Java and installed malware. The Netherlands based Fox-IT estimates that the infection rate was at about 27,000 infections per hour. In response to the breach in security, Yahoo issued the following statement, "At Yahoo, we take the safety and privacy of our users seriously. We recently identified an ad designed to spread malware to some of our users. We immediately removed it and will continue to monitor and block any ads being used for this activity." While the source of the attack remains unknown, Fox-IT says it appears to be "financially motivated." For an in depth analysis of the attack, check out this Fox-IT blog post. The Washington Post cites this incident as an reminder that Java has become and Internet security menace.

Comment Why so negative? (Score 4, Insightful) 385

by OblongPlatypus on Friday January 03, 2014 @05:32PM (#45860661) Attached to: Isaac Asimov's 50-Year-Old Prediction For 2014 Is Viral and Wrong

Sure, "spot on" is obviously stretching it, but considering the time scale I think he did really well - I doubt anyone today would be able to predict 2064 equally well. Some good examples from the original article:

State of robotics: "Robots will neither be common nor very good in 2014, but they will be in existence."

State of space exploration: "By 2014, only unmanned ships will have landed on Mars, though a manned expedition will be in the works."

Smartphones: "Communications will become sight-sound and you will see as well as hear the person you telephone. The screen can be used not only to see the people you call but also for studying documents and photographs and reading passages from books."

Fiberoptics for data transmission: "Laser beams will have to be led through plastic pipes, to avoid material and atmospheric interference."

Flatscreens: "As for television, wall screens will have replaced the ordinary set."

Slightly too optimistic on the proliferation of programming skills, but remarkable considering the state of computers in 1964: "All the high-school students will be taught the fundamentals of computer technology will become proficient in binary arithmetic and will be trained to perfection in the use of the computer languages that will have developed out of those like the contemporary "Fortran""

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