Penurious Penguin - Slashdot User

Submission + - DuckDuckGo - Is Google Playing Fair? (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Thursday November 22, 2012 @08:10PM

Penurious Penguin writes: Privacy-oriented search-engine and Google-rival, DuckDuckGo, is contending possible anti-competitiveness on the part of Google. MIT graduate and founder of DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg, cites several examples; his company's disadvantages in the Android mobile OS; and browsers, which in Firefox requires only a single step to set DuckDuckGo as the default search — while doing so in Chrome requires five. Weinberg also questions the domain duck.com, which he offered to purchase before it was acquired by Google. His offer was declined and duck.com now directs to Google's homepage.

Weinberg isn't the first to make similar claims; there was scroogle.org, which earlier this year, permanently shut down after repeated compatibility issues with Google's algorithms. Whatever the legitimacy of these claims, there certainly seems a growing market for people interested in privacy and objective searches — avoiding profiled search-results, aka "filter bubbles".

Submission + - Valve's Big Picture Could Be A Linux Game Console (theverge.com) 1

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Saturday November 17, 2012 @01:38AM

Penurious Penguin writes: Via LXer, a hopeful article at The Verge persuasively suggests that through Valve, Linux could soon become a formidable contender in the gaming arena, capable of holding its own against such giants as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii. With 50 million users, a growing Linux team, a caboodle of interesting experiments ("Steam Box" hardware baselines, etc.) and a strong conviction that more-open platforms are the way, Valve may actually see it through.

Submission + - Total Solar Eclipse Bedazzles Northern Australians (rawstory.com) 1

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @11:58PM

Penurious Penguin writes: Tuesday at 6.38am (2038 GMT Tuesday) thousands of Australians witnessed a solar eclipse in northern Queensland, where it was the first total eclipse in over 1000 years for the specific region. The most prominent view occurred in Cairns, while elsewhere in locations such as New Zealand, parts of Indonesia and Australia, partial eclipses were visible. Totality lasted approximately two minutes — a video (YouTube) can be seen here. Scientists are also taking the opportunity to study both land and aquatic wildlife in affected areas.

Submission + - Fully Open A13-OLinuXino Single-Board Linux Computer (pcworld.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Monday November 12, 2012 @04:21PM

Penurious Penguin writes: Via LXer, an article from PCWorld describes the A13-OLinuXino, produced by OLIMEX. Similar, but distinct from the Raspberry Pi, the Linux-powered OLinuXino is touted as "fully open", with all CAD files and source-code freely available for both personal and commercial reuse. Its specs include an Allwinner A13 Cortex A8 1GHz processor, 3D Maili400 GPU, 512MB RAM, all packed into a nano-ITX form and fit for operation in industrial environments between -25C and 85C. The device comes with Android 4.0, but is capable of running other Linux distros, e.g., ArchlinuxARM.

Submission + - Stuxnet Infected, But Didn't Affect Chevron Network In 2010 (cnet.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Friday November 09, 2012 @08:51PM

Penurious Penguin writes: CNET and the Wall Street Journal in correspondence with Chevron representatives reveal that back in 2010, Stuxnet did reach Chevron, where it managed to infect, but not significantly affect their network. The issue was, according one Chevron rep, "immediately addressed" and "without incident". Chevron's general manager of the earth sciences department, Mark Koelmel, said to the CIO Journal:

"I don't think the U.S. government even realized how far it had spread," ... "I think the downside of what they did is going to be far worse than what they actually accomplished."

Submission + - Director Of CIA, David Petraeus Resigns (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Friday November 09, 2012 @05:08PM

Penurious Penguin writes: After serving as Director of the CIA since September 2011, David Petraeus resigned from his position today, November 9. The retired four-star Army general has cited an extramarital affair as reason for the resignation. Michael Morell will now serve as Acting Director of the CIA.

Submission + - 80,000lbs Of Walnuts Purloined In Northern California (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Thursday November 01, 2012 @05:31PM

Penurious Penguin writes: While not quite as epic or bitter as losing 600 barrels of maple syrup — in two separate heists, 80,000lbs of walnuts have been stolen in Northern California since last week. The heist was discovered after the walnuts failed to reach their destinations in Miami, FL and Dallas, TX. If you happen to see a large man (approximately 6' 2") driving a white semi-trailer and munching on $300,000 worth of walnuts, it may be the villain. Officers with highly trained squirrels have yet to be posted at interstate weigh-stations.

Submission + - Federal Judge Approves Warrantless Covert Video Surveillance (cnet.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Wednesday October 31, 2012 @05:14AM

Penurious Penguin writes: Your curtilage may be your castle, but "open fields" are open game for law-enforcement and surveillance technology. With "No Trespassing" signs a hundred or none, your private property is public for the law, with or without a warrant. What the police cannot do, their cameras can — without warrant or court oversight. An article at CNET recounts a case involving the DEA, a federal judge, and two defendants (since charged) who were subjected to video surveillance on private property without a warrant. Presumably, the 4th Amendment suffers an obscure form of agoraphobia further elucidated in the article.

Submission + - Secret Stingray Warrantless Cellphone Sippenhaft (wsj.com) 2

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Saturday October 27, 2012 @12:08AM

Penurious Penguin writes: Last year a Slashdot story mentioned the case of Daniel David Rigmaiden, or "the Hacker". With the help of an IMSI-catcher device, law enforcement had been able to locate and arrest the elusive "Hacker", leading to U.S. v. Rigmaiden. But far more elusive than the "Hacker", is the IMSI-catcher device itself — particularly the legalities governing its use.

The secrecy and unconstitutionality of these Man In The Middle devices, e.g. "stingrays", has caught some attention. The EFF and ACLU have submitted an amicus brief in the Rigmaiden case; and EPIC, who after filing a FOIA in February and receiving a grossly redacted 67 out of 25,000 (6,000 classified) pages on the "stingray" devices, is now requesting a district judge expedite disclosure of all documents. Some Judges also seem wary of the "stingray", having expressed concerns that their use violates the Fourth Amendment; and additionally, that information explaining how the technology is used remains too obscure.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of ISMI-catchers is their several-kilometer range. When a "stingray" is used to spoof a cellphone tower, thousands of innocent users may be collaterally involved. And while the government claims to delete all gathered data unrelated to the target, it also means no one else can know what that data really was. The government claims that because only attributes of calls — but not their content — are captured in the attack, search warrants aren't necessary. The use of a pen-register (outgoing) and trap & trace (incoming) device, requires little more than a mewl of penal curiosity before a court, and no warrant or follow-up on the case is needed. The pen/trap seems unwieldy enough, as the EFF explains:

Most worrisome, we've heard some reports of the government using pen/trap taps to intercept content that should require a wiretap order: specifically, the content of SMS text messages, as well as "post-cut-through dialed digits" (digits you dial after your call is connected, like your banking PIN number, your prescription refill numbers, or your vote for American Idol). intercept information about your Internet communications as well.

Precisely what data these "stingrays" collect will hopefully be soon revealed through such efforts as those of EPIC.
It should be noted that the Stingray is one of multiple devices with the same application. The Stingray and several others are trademarks of the Harrison Corporation. Some are quite pricey ($75,000), and others are, as mentioned last year by a Slashdot reader, peculiarly affordable — and available.
For a more comprehensive overview of the subject, see the WJS article in the primary URL.

Submission + - Mother Found Guilty After Protesting TSA Pat-down of Daughter (tennessean.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Thursday October 25, 2012 @10:04PM

Penurious Penguin writes: In 2011, en route to Baltimore, Tennessee mother Andrea Abbott was arrested after squabbling with the TSA over their pat-down and "naked" body-scan process. Initially Abbott had protested a pat-down of her 14 year-old daughter, though eventually backed off. When her own turn came, she refused both a pat-down and body-scan. This week, despite having no criminal record, Abbott was found guilty of disorderly conduct and sentenced to one year of probation.

A surveillance video of the affair shows what appears an agitated Abbott surrounded by various TSA agents, but seemingly contradicts the premise by which she was convicted. In the case against Abbott it was claimed that her behavior impeded the flow security-lines and lawful activity. Beyond Abbott's confession of issuing some verbal abuse, the video does not appear to display a significant blockage of traffic nor anything noticeably criminal.

Submission + - NY Police Officer Arrested For Cannibal Plot (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by

Penurious Penguin

on Thursday October 25, 2012 @03:51PM

Penurious Penguin writes: "From the BBC To Serve and Savor Dept., comes strange news of a New York City police-officer whose plot to kidnap, rape, torture and eat female victims has been thankfully foiled. Gilberto Valle, the aspiring cannibal, had been mining police databases for information on more than 100 potential victims. Email and instant-message conversations between Valle and another deranged companion lead to the arrest. In a quote from the BBC article, Valle is reported to have said:

"I was thinking of tying her body onto some kind of apparatus... cook her over low heat, keep her alive as long as possible,"
"

Submission + - Hiring Smokers – Banned In South Florida City (huffingtonpost.com) 3

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Friday October 05, 2012 @04:55PM

Penurious Penguin writes: On October 2, City Commissioners of Delray Beach finalized a policy which prohibits agencies from hiring employees who use tobacco products. Delray Beach isn't alone though; other Florida cities such as Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, require prospective employees to sign affidavits declaring themselves tobacco-free for 12 months prior to the date of application. Throughout the states, both government and businesses are moving to ban tobacco-use beyond working hours. Many medical facilities, e.g. hospitals, have already, or intend to implement similar policy. In some more-aggressive environments referred to as nicotine-free, employee urine-samples can be taken and tested for any presence of nicotine, not excluding that from gum or patches. Employees testing positive can be terminated.

The primary rationale behind these policies has been frugality, citing greater insurance-costs for smokers, and the savings implied by eliminating them from the workforce. In some less aggressive situations, persistent smokers are imposed a "Tobacco User Surcharge" of $20 per paycheck and offered waived co-payments for smoking-cessation drugs.

Efforts to cut expenses and encourage better health seem perfectly normal. Policy prohibiting activities otherwise legal, but unbefitting a workplace environment also seem normal. However, employers or government defining employee's domestic lifestyles is a relatively new concept, especially when nothing illegal is involved. It would be difficult, if not impossible to argue that smoking is without consequences; but is breeching the boundaries of the household inconsequential?

Times do change, and adaptation is often a necessary burden. But have they changed so much that we'd now postpone the Manhattan project for 12 months because Oppenheimer had toked his pipe? Would we confine our vision to the Milky Way or snub the 1373 Cincinnati because Hubble smoked his? Would we shun relativity, or shelve the works of Tolkien because he and C. S. Lewis had done the same? If so, then where will it stop? Will we soon scan employees for signs of excessive sugar, trans-fats and cholesterol? Will we have authenticated and logged aerobics classes? I, for one, welcome answers from our new salubrious overlords.

Submission + - Eight Arrested In Russian High-Tech Export Scandal (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Thursday October 04, 2012 @07:11AM

Penurious Penguin writes: Millionaire Alexander Fishenko, owner of US-based Arc Electronics Inc, and seven others have been arrested in Houston Texas, with a total of 11 indicted in a conspiracy to smuggle advanced microelectronics from the US to Russia. The technology allegedly involves components of radar, weapons guidance, and detonators. Amongst the evidence are accounting records indicating notable similarity between the revenue of Arc Electronics and the Russian Federation's defense spending; intercepted phone calls and emails; and a letter to Arc Electronics from a Russian domestic intelligence lab complaining of defective microchips .
A Russian foreign ministry spokesman has denied there were any intelligence connections in the affair.

Submission + - Nabi Tablet-Maker, Fuhu Inc., Suing Toys R Us (zdnet.com)

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Tuesday September 25, 2012 @03:46PM

Penurious Penguin writes: Fuhu Inc., maker of the $199 children-tailored Nabi tablet, is suing Toys R Us. The lawsuit arises after a legal agreement (ended in January) between Fuhu and Toys R Us went awry and Toys R Us released a similar product of their own, the $150 Tabeo. The dispute alleges that Toys R Us may have intended from inception to eventually abandon the Nabi for their own future variation, the Tabeo, presumably after gathering sufficient understanding of Fuhu's design concepts and business strategies.
A ZDNet article quite thoroughly covering the story notes some of the formidable investors behind Fuhu, including Acer Inc., Kingston Digital, and Foxconn Digital Inc. Fuhu also sells through retail stores such as WalMart, Target, Best Buy, GameStop and Amazon.com.
Another more-recent ZDNet article further analyzes the story here.

Submission + - Arch Linux For Newbies? Manjaro is here! (muktware.com) 2

Submitted by Penurious Penguin on Friday August 24, 2012 @12:25AM

Penurious Penguin writes: Well within the top ten Linux distros, Arch Linux has a strong following for sure. But with an installation process requiring a little more involvement than the average distro, not every prospective user is ready to embrace the Arch Way, and understandably so. This is where Manjaro steps in. With a 100% compatibility with Arch, uncompromising adherence to principia KISS and a pre-configured Xfce, — or alternatively available GNOME & KDE — those who've been hesitating to explore Arch now have a few less excuses.

And a little side-note for those still bitter about the lack of package-signing: You'll be glad to know that Arch fully implemented package-signing in June of 2012.

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