iceZebra - Slashdot User

Square Enix Facing Class Action Suit Over FFXI "Hidden Fees" 76

Posted by Soulskill on Friday June 26, 2009 @11:01PM from the maybe-read-the-box dept.

A class action lawsuit has been initiated against Square Enix over the fees they charge for subscription-based MMO Final Fantasy XI. The court filing alleges "deceptive advertising, unfair practices, and fraudulent concealment" of information about the game's pricing model, essentially saying Square Enix doesn't clearly advertise that there is a monthly fee, and that failure to pay can result in late fees and account termination. The plaintiff is seeking a settlement in excess of $5,000,000 and including "all persons who purchased or played the online games four years prior to the filing of this lawsuit."

Comment Christ, this poll has made me realise... (Score 1) 504

by iceZebra on Thursday January 29, 2009 @08:16AM (#26651751) Attached to: How many phones do you have? Count wired phone extensions, cell phones, smartphones, and installed VoIP apps on all computers th

I have:
Personal mobile phone.
Business mobile phone.
Personal landline.
Business landline.
2nd Personal Mobile Contract for mobile broadband (not strictly for phone calls, but is capable of and can be used as such if required).
Skype installed on home pc (x2? - Both linux and windows builds).
TeamSpeak installed on home pc (both linux and windows builds).
Skype installed on personal laptop.
NetMeeting VoIP app on business pc.

I'm not sure how many exactly conform to the poll requirements, but what I am sure of is that I'm far too contactable. I'm missing some sort of basement to frontdoor intercom still though.

Flash Cookies, a Little-Known Privacy Threat 225

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday October 14, 2008 @02:43PM from the flashblock-considered-mandatory dept.

Wiini recommends a blog posting exploring Flash cookies, a little-known threat to privacy, and how you can get control of them. 98% of browsers have Macromedia Flash Player installed, and the cookies it enables have some interesting properties. They have no expiration date; they store 100 KB of data by default, with an unlimited maximum; they can't be deleted by your browser; and they send previous visit information and history, by default, without your permission. I was amazed at some of the sites, not visited in a year or more, that still had Flash cookies on my machine. Here's the user-unfriendly GUI for deleting them, one at a time, each one requiring confirmation.

Do Nerds Have Better Sperm? 178

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday October 14, 2008 @02:31PM from the better-how dept.

mcgrew writes "The question of how we loveless nerds managed to not be bred out of the species genome may have been answered. According to New Scientist, we have better sperm. According to the article, men who scored high on a battery of intelligence tests boasted high counts of healthy sperm, while low scorers tended to have fewer and more sickly little guys. ... Though the connections between brains and sperm were 'not awesome, they're there and highly significant.' All things held equal, good sperm and good brains go together." Don't start gloating yet. Another recent study found that the gene that makes you good at Halo also makes you a premature ejaculator. A study of 200 Dutch men found that those with a premature ejaculation problem all had a version of a gene that controls the release of serotonin. These men seem to "have very quick reflexes. They may be excellent at playing tennis or computer games." Remember, if you smoke after sex you're doing it too fast.

Now Even Photo CAPTCHAs Have Been Cracked 340

Posted by timothy on Tuesday October 14, 2008 @11:14AM from the given-enough-eyeballs dept.

MoonUnit writes "Technology Review has an interesting article about the way CAPTCHAS are fueling AI research. Following recent news about various textual CAPTCHAs being cracked, the article notes that a researcher at Palo Alto Research Center has now found a way crack photo-based CAPTCHAs too. Most approaches are based on statistical learning, however, so Luis von Ahn (one of the inventors of the CAPTCHA) says it is usually possible to make a CAPTCHA more difficult to break by making a few simple changes."

Comment Re:Wait a minute... (Score 1) 435

by iceZebra on Thursday August 28, 2008 @09:16AM (#24778159) Attached to: Changing Customers Password Without Consent

Website or high-street branch, if it's a bank in the UK, we have plenty of rights.
See: FSA.

In most cases like this though, a "one off" (hopefully), complaints would be forwarded to the FOS. Simple maladministration - coupled with the obvious security implications of employees playing with passwords should net him a good £300 ($600) compensation at least. And Lloyds would be charged approximately £700 ($1400) for the privilege of having the ombudsman review the complaint - regardless of the outcome.

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