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Submission + - DRM In JPGs? (eff.org)

Submitted by JustAnotherOldGuy
JustAnotherOldGuy writes: Adding DRM to JPG files is being considered by the Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG), which oversees the JPEG format. The JPEG met in Brussels today to discuss adding DRM to its format, so that there would be images that would be able to force your computer to stop you from uploading pictures to Pintrest or social media. The EFF attended the group's meeting in Brussels today to tell JPEG committee members why that would be a bad idea. Their presentation explains why cryptographers don't believe that DRM works, points out how DRM can infringe on the user's legal rights over a copyright work (such as fair use and quotation), and warns how it places security researchers at legal risk as well as making standardization more difficult. It doesn't even help to preserve the value of copyright works, since DRM-protected works and devices are less valued by users.

Comment Re:10% of the capacity of high-speed rail (Score 1) 385

by SouLShadow (#44586901) Attached to: Transport Expert Insists 'Don't Dismiss Wacky Hyperloop'

I think the BIGGEST part most people are missing is the passenger + freight option. At a slightly higher estimated build cost, this option presents a massive increase to demand that could utilize the off-peak passenger travel hours to further increase revenue. Under his proposed rough calculations he determines the ticket cost by spreading the total estimated costs over 20 years. But if you can increase revenue you could reduce the timeframe significantly. This proposal is also only focused on a single closed loop system. Now imagine several stations and interconnecting tubes. More routing options will lead to greater usage. This will also lead to a reduction of Interstate traffic. With less interstate traffic, existing lanes could be utilized for additional tubes between existing stations. Also, since we're building above the interstate, why not double the pylons and build a double-decker tube system? The point is that there are multiple options to providing increased capacity. Additionally, any real station should be built with the potential for multiple connections, meaning incoming and outgoing vehicles would be routed based on demand and efficiency. To do that you would have more of an airport type of design with loading and unloading terminals away from the main transport section.

The point is, raw maximum capacity isn't the only consideration. In fact, if you look at every other modern transportation mechanism you'll see that maximum capacity is rarely the most important factor. Profit can often be achieved with sub-optimal processes.

I actually have a lot of more detailed ideas on how such a system could work. But most people on here wouldn't read past the first sentence.
Education

NCAA to Tighten Twitter Rules 116

Posted by samzenpus from the not-until-you-turn-pro-kid dept.
theodp writes "Facebook and Twitter have made student athletes more accessible than ever, but Tweets that catch the watchful eye of the NCAA could be all that's needed to bring down a successful college athletic program. Among the allegations leveled against the Univ. of North Carolina by the NCAA is a failure to 'adequately and consistently monitor social networking activity,' which the NCAA argues would have caused the school to detect other violations sooner than they did. To cope with the daunting task of monitoring hundreds of accounts on a daily basis, some sports programs are turning to software like UDiligence, while others are opting for a simpler approach, such as having a coach frequently check on posts from the team's players."

Submission + - Skynet Becomes Aware, Launches Nuclear Attack (singularityhub.com)

Submitted by
kkleiner
kkleiner writes: "Hide ya kids, hide ya wife! According to the Terminator franchise, at 8:11 PM today (April 19th), the military-designed artificial intelligence system called Skynet will become self-aware and turn against its creators (read: us). If that doesn’t have you shaking in your boots our world will be overwhelmed by a legion of killer robots in approximately 48 hours — a time known as Judgment Day. I, for one, welcome our new robot overloads."
Power

Submission + - Any advise on a DIY nutron beam? 1

Submitted by Max Littlemore
Max Littlemore writes: I have been breeding thorium at home using lots of old smoke detectors with a view to generating my own electricity and getting off the grid. The only thing stopping me is a reliable nutron beam. Given that all the equipment I'm using is re-purposed kitchen equipment, concerns about safety mean I'm hesitant to build a uranium reactor to supply nutrons to the thorium one. So I'm putting the question out there, do any slashdotters know of a good way to make a powerful nutron beam out of things I might find around the house?
Microsoft

Submission + - MS wants laws to sue companies using pirated apps (groklaw.net)

Submitted by kaptink
kaptink writes: Microsoft seems to be trying to get its own personal unfair competition laws passed state by state, so it can sue US companies who get parts from overseas companies who used pirated Microsoft software anywhere in their business. The laws allow Microsoft to block the US company from selling the finished product in the state and compel them to pay damages for what the overseas supplier did.

So if a company overseas uses a pirated version of Excel, let's say, keeping track of how many parts it has shipped or whatever, and then sends some parts to General Motors or any large company to incorporate into the finished product, Microsoft can sue *not the overseas supplier* but General Motors, for unfair competition. So can the state's Attorney General. I kid you not. For piracy that was done by someone else, overseas. The product could be T shirts. It doesn't matter what it is, so long as it's manufactured with contributions from an overseas supplier, like in China, who didn't pay Microsoft for software that it uses somewhere in the business. It's the US company that has to pay damages, not the overseas supplier.

Submission + - Apple removes GayCure app from App Store (edibleapple.com)

Submitted by recoiledsnake
recoiledsnake writes: Apple has removed the GayCure app after the pressure on Apple to remove the app started to snowball, culminating in an online petition initiated by Change.org which collected over 140,000 online signatures from people who wanted the app removed. Searching for the app now yields zero search results and Exodus International President Alan Chambers tweeted the following on Tuesday night. "It''(TM)s official, the @ExodusInl App is no longer in the @AppStore. Incredibly disappointing. Watch out, it could happen to you. #freedom"
Gay Cure isn'(TM)t the first app Apple has(TM) removed for touting an oeanti-homosexual philosophy. Apple back in November removed an appcalled the oeManhattan Declaration which advocated the oedignity of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Google

Submission + - Google Accuses China of Interfering with Gmail 2

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The Guardian reports that Google has accused the Chinese government of interfering with Gmail. According to the search giant, Chinese customers and advertisers have increasingly been complaining about their Gmail service in the past month and attempts by users to send messages, mark messages as unread and use other services have generated problems for Gmail customers. The announcement follows a blog posting from Google on 11 March in which the firm said it had "noticed some highly targeted and apparently politically motivated attacks against our users. We believe activists may have been a specific target." The search firm is not commenting further on this latest attack, but technology experts said it seemed to show an increasingly high degree of sophistication. "In the wake of what is happening in the Middle East I don't think China wants to be seen making heavy-handed attacks on the internet, that would draw too much attention," says one internet executive who wished to remain anonymous adding making it look like a fault in Google's system was extremely difficult to do and the fact that these attacks appear to come and go makes the attack look "semi-industrial and very, very sophisticated.""
Transportation

Submission + - Two Big Tests For Personal Rapid Transportation (technologyreview.com)

Submitted by
Al
Al writes: "A novel kind of transit system, in which cars are replaced by a network of automated electric vehicles, is about to get its first large-scale testing and deployment. Two of these Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems are being installed this year, one at Heathrow International Airport, near London, and one in the United Arab Emirates, where it will be the primary source of transportation in Masdar City, a development that will eventually accommodate 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses and is designed to emit no carbon dioxide. The article examines these two systems and includes video that includes an animation of the PRT system in action."
Security

Submission + - SPAM: FAA network hacked

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "The Federal Aviation Administration has joined the growing list of government agencies that have had their supposedly safe systems hacked. The agency this week notified about 45,000 employees that one of its servers was hacked into and employee personal identity information was stolen. The FAA was quick to say the server that was accessed was not connected to the operation of the air traffic control system or any other FAA operational system. It did say two of the 48 files on the breached computer server contained personal information about more than 45,000 FAA employees and retirees who were on the FAA's rolls as of the first week of February 2006. [spam URL stripped]"
Link to Original Source
Transportation

Submission + - MIT Team Creates Shock That Recharges Your Car

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: If you had a GenShock, you may not mind those potholes in the road any longer because this new prototype shock actually harvests energy from bumps in the road to save on fuel. A team of students at MIT have invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smooths the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his teammates say they can produce up to a 10 percent improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency by using the regenerative shock absorbers. They also already have a lot of interest in their design, specifically the company that builds Humvees for the army are already planning to install them in its next version of the Humvee.

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