Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Technology

Submission + - Space Archaeology Uncovers Lost Pyramids (bbc.co.uk)

krou writes: A new technique dubbed "space archaeology" using satellites and infra-red imaging has helped uncover 17 new pyramids in Egypt, as well as some 1,000 tombs, and 3,000 ancient settlements. The mud bricks used to build Egyptian structures means it has a different density to the surrounding soil, and thus shows up in the images. Dr Sarah Parcak, who pioneered the technique, said that "Indiana Jones is old school, we've moved on from Indy, sorry Harrison Ford."

Comment Re:Facebook discovers HTTPS (Score 1) 273

I would guess that it's likely that the photos they choose will be based on when someone has been tagged in the photo. They could even make sure they only choose from photos that you yourself tagged someone else in, or perhaps photos where you've been tagged along with some other people. Taking it a step further, if they used some sort of algorithm to determine if it's a person that's been tagged (some people tag images with people's names to get their attention), that would help eliminate errors. However, it's not going to eliminate all of them.

Comment Re:Everyone here should go see (Score 1) 201

I wouldn't say a rock solid script and good acting make a film worth the money to see on the big screen (at least, not any more). A film like Inception, which has the visuals to match, sure, but the vast majority are just as good, and far more cost-effective, in the comfort of your own home. I stopped watching films in the cinema years ago because it's just way too expensive here in the UK. For just a bit more than the price of a single ticket (less, if it's a 3D film), I can buy the DVD brand new if I wait a few months. Since I'm married, and that means two tickets, the DVD is always way, way cheaper, and that's before even considering buying popcorn etc. (Never mind the fact that the cinemas almost always run the same garbage week after week, unless you're lucky enough to live near an independent cinema). It's a pity, because going to the cinema was one of my greatest joys as a kid. And I just wish those damn kids would get off my lawn.

Comment Re:Its really (Score 1) 760

Right, so because of the messenger, the message is obviously false?

According to the Guardian:

Many of the 1,600 leaked documents – drawn up by PA officials and lawyers working for the British-funded PLO negotiations support unit and include extensive verbatim transcripts of private meetings – have been independently authenticated by the Guardian and corroborated by former participants in the talks and intelligence and diplomatic sources.

Also, in case you hadn't noticed, this leak made the Palestinian Authority look terrible, possibly as much as Israel, because they're the ones trying to sell the Palestinians down the fucking river, so I don't quite buy your claim that only Israel look bad. I would go as so far to say that this leak demonstrates just how useless they all are - the US, the UK, Israel, PA, the lot.

Comment Re:Pshaw (Score 1) 270

Urm, to be fair to DuckDuckGo, they don't just scrape Bing. From their FAQ:

How do you get your results?

From many sources, including DuckDuckBot (our own crawler), crowd-sourced sites, Yahoo! "BOSS", "embed.ly", "WolframAlpha", "EntireWeb" & "Bing".

Also, the reason people (like myself) promote DuckDuckGo is because they're getting better success using it.

Comment Re:"can't really do much damge"? (Score 4, Insightful) 123

I recently submitted a story to /. that is related to this very topic. Chief of defence staff in the UK, General Sir David Richards, argued a little while ago that the UK should have a cyber command, and that the UK faces what he called a 'horse verses tank moment' in coping with modern warfare, saying the the rules of war had changed as a result of the success of insurgents in Iraq/Afghanistan, and the threat of non-state actors. In particular, he said that 'We must learn to defend, delay, attack and manoeuvre in cyberspace, just as we might on the land, sea or air and all together at the same time. Future war will always include a cyber dimension and it could become the dominant form. At the moment we don't have a cyber command and I'm very keen we have one. Whether we like it or not, cyber is going to be part of future warfare, just as tanks and aircraft are today. It's a cultural change. In the future I don't think state-to-state warfare will start in the way it did even 10 years ago. It will be cyber or banking attacks — that's how I'd conduct a war if I was running a belligerent state or a rebel movement. It's semi-anonymous, cheap and doesn't risk people.'"

Comment Re:Only Tax Evaders and Criminals to Be Named (Score 5, Informative) 783

Indeed. The UK Observer had more info direct from Elmer:

'What I am objecting to is not one particular bank, but a system of structures. I have worked for major banks other than Julius Baer, and the one thing on which I am absolutely clear is that the banks know, and the big boys know, that money is being secreted away for tax-evasion purposes, and other things such as money-laundering – although these cases involve tax evasion. I agree with privacy in banking for the person in the street, and legitimate activity, but in these instances privacy is being abused so that big people can get big banking organisations to service them. The normal, hard-working taxpayer is being abused also. Once you become part of senior management, and gain international experience, as I did, then you are part of the inner circle – and things become much clearer. You are part of the plot. You know what the real products and service are, and why they are so expensive. It should be no surprise that the main product is secrecy ... Crimes are committed and lies spread in order to protect this secrecy.'

Comment Re:Hit them back (Score 4, Informative) 783

Actually, it's more interesting than that. Julius Baer, the bank Elmer worked at, is the same bank that, in 2008, tried to take down the Wikileaks domain. From here:

Assange is now talking: he is explaining how Julius Baer, Elmer's former bank, tried to use a US court in 2008 to take down the WikiLeaks.org domain. He said it was then WikiLeaks realised that the techniques it had developed to deal with Chinese censorship would be needed for operating in western countries too.

The bank lost their injunction on first ammendment (freedom of speech) grounds with WikiLeaks supported in the case by US campaigners and media organisations, Assange tells the conference. He compares this to what he calls the "McCarthyist" state of play today.

Karma's a bitch ...

Image

Florida Man Sues WikiLeaks For Scaring Him 340

Stoobalou writes "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been accused of 'treason' by a Florida man seeking damages for distress caused by the site's revelations about the US government. From the article: 'David Pitchford, a Florida trailer park resident, names Assange and WikiLeaks as defendants in a personal injury suit filed with the Florida Southern District Court in Miami. In the complaint filed on 6th January, Pitchford alleges that Assange's negligence has caused "hypertension," "depression" and "living in fear of being stricken by another heart attack and/or stroke" as a result of living "in fear of being on the brink of another nuclear [sic] WAR."' Just for good measure, it also alleges that Assange and WikiLeaks are guilty of 'terorism [sic], espionage and treason.'"

Comment Re:attorneys (Score 1) 973

Uh, sorry? Could you please give a citation for you accusation of Chavez conducting genocide? Please tell me it's not Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's accusations that are your source, because that would be quite incredible if you're actually serious.

Slashdot Top Deals

If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders. -- Hal Abelson

Working...