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Linux Radio 141

Posted by samzenpus from the free-traffic-report dept.
An anonymous reader writes "This might very well be the nerdiest site we'll ever encounter... Linux Radio is an online radio station broadcasting the Linux kernel! Each time someone visit the site, a random source file is selected and read loudly by a virtual speaker materialized through the open source speech synthesizer eSpeak. Will it prove useful to anyone is probably a difficult question to answer, but the excitement provided is worth experiencing at least once. However, this concept proves once more the advantages of open source over proprietary software making such achievements impossible : whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?"
Security

Submission + - Fedex Misplaces Radioactive Rods (foxnews.com)

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Fox News reports that a shipment of radioactive rods used in medical equipment has vanished while being sent by Fedex from North Dakota to Tennessee. Based on tracking information, FedEx is focusing its search in the Tennessee area but as a normal precaution the company alerted all of its stations "in the event that it got waylaid and went to another station by accident." Dr. Marc Siegel says if someone opens the container it could pose some serious health risks. "I don't believe it has the degree of radiation that, if it were opened, your skin would suddenly slop off. But the concern would be, if this got opened inadvertently and someone didn't know what it was and then was repeatedly exposed to it over several days, it could cause a problem with radiation poisoning," say Siegel. "The people that use this equipment in a hospital use protective shielding with it." The lesson is that active medical material must always be transported in a way that ensures that the general public cannot get access to it. "Medical devices should not be FedEx'ed. They should be sent under a special service," adds Siegel."

Comment Re:They did this in the 90s. (Score 1) 243

by kurtras (#34275810) Attached to: Toyota Introduces Electric RAV4, Powered By Tesla Motor

Actually, you're conflating the history of the GM EV1 and the Toyota RAV4 EV. The GM EV1s were indeed rounded up after their leases ended, and most went to the crusher (although a few ended up being sent to university research labs, and one went to the Smithsonian (where it is no longer on display, for reasons unknown)). The Toyota RAV4 EV, on the other hand, was initially only available as a leased vehicle, but in 2002 Toyota sold around 300 RAV4 EVs to purchasers in California, and those vehicles were sold with no strings attached. Many of the leased RAV4 EVs also ended up in private hands after their leases ended.
Moon

Unbelievably Large Telescopes On the Moon? 292

Posted by CmdrTaco from the thats-no-moon dept.
Matt_dk writes "A team of internationally renowned astronomers and opticians may have found a way to make "unbelievably large" telescopes on the Moon. 'It's so simple,' says Ermanno F. Borra, physics professor at the Optics Laboratory of Laval University in Quebec, Canada. 'Isaac Newton knew that any liquid, if put into a shallow container and set spinning, naturally assumes a parabolic shape, the same shape needed by a telescope mirror to bring starlight to a focus. This could be the key to making a giant lunar observatory.'"
The Courts

Yoko Ono/EMI Suit Exposes Fair Use Flaw 409

Posted by samzenpus from the I-hope-someday-you'll-sue-us dept.
Ian Lamont writes "Yoko Ono and EMI Records have backed down from their suit against the makers of a documentary film who used a 15-second fragment of a John Lennon song — but only after a Stanford Law School group got involved. Even though the use of the clip was clearly Fair Use, the case exposed a huge problem with the doctrine: It's becoming too expensive for people to actually take advantage of what is supposed to be a guaranteed right. Ironically, the song in question was Imagine."
Communications

First Nations Want Cellphone Revenue 513

Posted by samzenpus from the the-great-spirit-wants-his-cut dept.
Peacenik45 writes "The CBC is reporting that First Nations in Manitoba want compensation for every cell phone signal that passes through their land because it violates their airspace. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs recently resolved to negotiate revenue sharing with Manitoba Telecom Services. Ovide Mercredi of the Grand Rapids First Nations says "When it comes to using airspace, it's like using our water and simply because there's no precedent doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do." This move may inspire First Nations in other provinces to follow suit."

Reporter Phone Records Being Used to Find Leaks 971

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the not-so-confidential-informant dept.
jackbird writes "Brian Ross, Chief Investigative Correspondent for ABC news says a confidential source informed him that reporter's phone records are being used by the administration to track down leaks. Apparently reporters for the New York Times, ABC News, and the Washington Post are being scrutinized. The fact that ABC News journalists are even seriously wondering about whether the warning is connected to the NSA's domestic surveillance activities indicates just how anxious many people in Washington have become."

Slashdot Design Changes for Wider Appeal 854

Posted by CmdrTaco from the omg-i-heart-ponies-lol dept.
Our marketing department has done extensive research over the last 3 quarters and discovered that our audience is strangely disproportionately skewed towards males. Like, 98.3% males to be precise. To correct this oversight, we have decided to subtly tweak Slashdot's design and content to widen our appeal to these less active demographics. Don't worry! We'll still continue to serve our core audience, but we hope you'll work with us as we try to find a balance that will work for all.

Homeland Security Okays Closed Proceedings 281

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the removing-accountability-is-always-fun dept.
CNet is reporting that a newly created branch within the Homeland Security Department that brings together many different federal agency employees and private sector players has been given the go-ahead to disregard a law requiring meetings to be open and proceedings public. From the article: "The 1972 law generally requires such groups to meet in open sessions, make written meeting materials publicly available, and deliver a 15-day notice of any decision to close a meeting to the public. The last is a particular point of concern for Homeland Security officials, who anticipate that private emergency meetings may need to be scheduled on short notice."

Where are the Boundaries to Open Source? 175

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the continually-evaluating-our-position dept.
Andy Updegrove writes "In the last several days there have been several stories in the news that highlight the increasing tension between ownership of intellectual property rights (IPR) and the opportunities that become available when broader, free access to those rights is made available. The three articles that struck me as best proving this point were the announcement by Sun Microsystems that it had released the design for its new UltraSPARC processor under the GNU GPL, a speech by Tim Berners-Lee to an Oxford University audience in which he challenged the British government to make Ordnance Survey mapping data available at no cost for Web use, and reports that a Dutch court had upheld the validity of the Creative Commons license. Each of these stories demonstrates a breach in traditional thinking about the balance of value to an IPR owner between licensing those rights for profit, or making those same rights freely and publicly available. They also raise the question: where - if anywhere - are the natural boundaries for 'open IPR?'."

RFID & Viral Vulnerability 136

Posted by CmdrTaco from the alliteration-is-fun dept.
Arleo writes "Student Melanie Rieback and others, part of a Tannenbaum research group in Amsterdam, have proven that RFID-tags are vulnerable for infection with viruses. In a research paper titled "Is Your Cat Infected with a Computer Virus?" is shown how an altered RFID tag can be used to send a SQL injection attack or a buffer overflow. They describe on the rfidvirus.org website possible exploits of this types of viruses: from altering the backoffice of a supermarket to spreading RFID viruses by infected bags on airports."

Symantec Rethinks Firefox vs IE Vulnerabilities 214

Posted by Zonk from the double-think dept.
chill writes "Last September security software vendor Symantec issued a report claiming IE had fewer critical flaws than Firefox and thus was more secure. Well, it seem they have now rethought that position. 'How we did it before wasn't a fair comparison,' said Oliver Friedrichs, the senior manager of Symantec's security response group. 'It wasn't an apples to apples comparison.' The key was vendor acknowledged critical vulnerabilities. Thus, if Microsoft (or the Mozilla Foundation) didn't agree it was critical, then it didn't get counted."

Vonage Files Regulatory Complaint Over QoS Premium 160

Posted by CowboyNeal from the not-gonna-take-it dept.
xoip writes "A Recent CBC report says that Vonage Canada has filed a complaint with Federal Regulators over a New $10.00 per month Quality of Service Premium that Broadband Internet provider, Shaw Cable has begun charging customers of VoIP. Noted Internet Legal expert Michael Geist has written an excellent review of the complaint Vonage made to the CRTC and highlights the point made in the Vonage filing, 'that not enough is known at this point about the Shaw service in order to formulate an appropriate regulatory response.'"

Microsoft Origami Unfolds 469

Posted by Zonk from the still-wish-it-played-games dept.
College Student writes "Microsoft has officially unveiled 'Origami', a paperback-book sized portable hybrid (laptop & PDA). From article: 'The new machines will connect wirelessly to the Internet and carry full-sized hard drives, but they are not intended to replace current PCs....The new PCs are expected to sell for between $599 to $999, but Microsoft said it is possible to sell one for $500 if the manufacturer selects components carefully.'" More details at the official Microsoft site, and via Channel 9 a look at the system with the UMPC general manager.

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