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Linux

Ubuntu 9.10 Officially Released 744

Posted by samzenpus from the get-it-while-it's-hot dept.
palegray.net writes "The latest version of Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) has been released. Offering numerous enhancements for both desktop and server environments, this release includes notable features like Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud images, the Ubuntu One 'personal cloud,' and Linux kernel version 2.6.31. Please be sure to use a release mirror close to your geographic location to help reduce the stress on Ubuntu's primary servers; using BitTorrent for downloads can help alleviate the load even more. If your organization has adequate network and server resources, please consider hosting a mirror as well."

Comment Re:Government at its finest (Score 1) 294

by aerowrench (#29703309) Attached to: Open Source Could Have Saved Ontario Hundreds of Millions
Ironically, the province of Ontario has also privatized its motor vehicle office. My friends tell me that their kids are having the same type of experience with the testing that you described. Long wait times, abysmal customer service, and everyone fails the first test which automatically doubles the business for the testing company. My own experiences with them have been variable. The little franchise in the town to the west of me is very friendly, helpful and efficient. The franchise in the larger town to the east of me is a nightmare of hours long lineups, belligerent counter staff and complete ineptitude. Selling off government services to for-profit franchisees not the answer. Private owners will slash services down to the absolute bare minimum they can get away with, and walk off with our money in their pockets.
Graphics

Nvidia Discloses Details On Next-Gen Fermi GPU 175

Posted by samzenpus from the getting-the-skinny dept.
EconolineCrush writes "The Tech Report has published the first details describing the architecture behind Nvidia's upcoming Fermi GPU. More than just a graphics processor, Fermi incorporates many enhancements targeted specifically at general-purpose computing, such as better support for double-precision math, improved internal scheduling and switching, and more robust tools for developers. Plus, you know, more cores. Some questions about the chip remain unanswered, but it's not expected to arrive until later this year or early next."
Government

Scientists Decry "Horrifying" UK Border Test Plan 515

Posted by kdawson from the genetic-papers-please dept.
cremeglace writes "Scientists are dismayed and outraged at a new project by the UK border agency to test DNA, hair, and nails to determine the nationality of asylum seekers and help decide if they can enter the UK. 'Horrifying,' 'naive,' and 'flawed' are among the words geneticists and isotope specialists have used to describe the 'Human Provenance pilot project.' The methods being used to determine ancestry include fingerprinting of mitochondrial DNA and isotope analysis of hair and nails. ScienceInsider blog notes that it is 'not clear who is conducting the DNA and isotope analyses for the Border Agency,' and that the agency has not 'cited any scientific papers that validate its DNA and isotope methods.' There is also a followup post with more information on the tests that are being used, and some reactions from experts in genetic forensic analysis. This story was first reported in The Observer on Sunday."
Security

Schneier On Un-Authentication 336

Posted by CmdrTaco from the gimme-back-my-keys dept.
Trailrunner7 writes "Bruce Schenier writes on Threatpost.com: 'In computer security, a lot of effort is spent on the authentication problem. Whether it is passwords, secure tokens, secret questions, image mnemonics, or something else, engineers are continually coming up with more complicated — and hopefully more secure — ways for you to prove you are who you say you are over the Internet. This is important stuff, as anyone with an online bank account or remote corporate network knows. But a lot less thought and work have gone into the other end of the problem: how do you tell the system on the other end of the line that you are no longer there? How do you un-authenticate yourself? My home computer requires me to log out or turn my computer off when I want to un-authenticate. This works for me because I know enough to do it, but lots of people just leave their computer on and running when they walk away. As a result, many office computers are left logged in when people go to lunch, or when they go home for the night. This, obviously, is a security vulnerability.'"
Google

Google Data Liberation Group Seeks To Unlock Data 167

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the people's-front-of-liberation dept.
Several sources are reporting that The Data Liberation Front, a new engineering group within Google, is trying make it easier for users to move their data in and out of Google products. They have already "liberated" about half of Google's offerings (including Blogger and Gmail) and have plans to liberate Google Sites and Google Docs in the near future. "In a blog post this morning, Data Liberation engineering manager Brian Fitzpatrick, uses a good analogy to explain why the company sees this is an important step: 'Imagine you want to move out of your apartment. When you ask your landlord about the terms of your previous lease, he says that you are free to leave at any time; however, you cannot take all of your things with you - not your photos, your keepsakes, or your clothing. If you're like most people, a restriction like this may cause you to rethink moving altogether. Not only is this a bad situation for you as the tenant, but it's also detrimental to the housing industry as a whole, which no longer has incentive to build better apartments at all. Although this may seem like a strange analogy, this pretty accurately describes the situation my team, Google's Data Liberation Front, is working hard to combat from an engineering perspective.'"
Education

How To Make Science Popular Again? 899

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the push-church-and-state-apart-again dept.
Ars Technica has an interesting look at the recent book Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future, a collaboration between Chris Mooney, writer and author of The Republican War on Science, and scientist Sheril Kirshenbaum. While it seems the book's substance is somewhat lacking it raises an interesting point; how can science be better integrated with mainstream culture for greater understanding and acceptance? "We must all rally toward a single goal: without sacrificing the growth of knowledge or scientific innovation, we must invest in a sweeping project to make science relevant to the whole of America's citizenry. We recognize there are many heroes out there already toiling toward this end and launching promising initiatives, ranging from the Year of Science to the World Science Festival to ScienceDebate. But what we need — and currently lack — is the systematic acceptance of the idea that these actions are integral parts of the job description of scientists themselves. Not just their delegates, or surrogates, in the media or the classrooms."
Education

Students Take Pictures From Space On $150 Budget 215

Posted by Soulskill from the i-can-see-my-house-from-here dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Two MIT students have successfully photographed the earth from space on a strikingly low budget of $148. Perhaps more significantly, they managed to accomplish this feat using components available off-the-shelf to the average layperson, opening the door for a new generation of amateur space enthusiasts. The pair plan to launch again soon and hope that their achievements will inspire teachers and students to pursue similar endeavors."
Image

Engineer Makes Classic Cars From Beer Cans 5

Posted by samzenpus from the drinking-and-classic-driving dept.
55-year-old engineer Sandy Sanderson has come up with a series of classic car models that are made out of old beer cans. After he was badly injured in a motorcycle accident Sandy started the empty can project. So far he has made buggies, vans, roadsters and sports cars. Mr Sanderson said, "While I was off work, after the accident, I had the time to try making a racing car from drinks cans. I have always looked at the bottoms of cans and thought 'That would make a really neat half wheel.' The plans for each car take around three or four weeks to complete and then around 80 hours to build each one depending on how detailed they are. I actually don't drink much because I spill most of it."

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...when fits of creativity run strong, more than one programmer or writer has been known to abandon the desktop for the more spacious floor. - Fred Brooks, Jr.

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