Comment Give it to someone else. (Score 5, Insightful) 216
Hell, send the money to Child's Play. Great cause and run by gamers.
Submission + - NY rejects e-voting, DOJ trying to force it anyway
CompaniaHill writes: Hastily passed in the wake of the 2000 election mess, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) supposedly offered funding to help states "update" their voting systems, while in reality using short deadlines to push the sale of untested and uncertified new e-voting systems. Many states continue to demonstrate that the new e-voting machines are not reliable. The New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) took the time to pass their own voting legislation with additional testing and certification standards including a voter verified paper trail, then more time to craft agency rules and procedures, all of which far exceed the HAVA standards. Of course they missed the HAVA deadlines. In March 2006, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued New York to comply with HAVA. Now, the DOJ is serving a motion to try to take away New York's right to select and acquire their own voting machine systems — in effect, to force e-voting machines on New York anyway. Too soon to say how the NYSBOE will respond yet. Hard to find good links on this developing story, but there are bits more on the DOJ motion here here and here, civil group responses here here and here.
Submission + - TSA to Contractors: Thou Shalt Encrypt Laptops (eweek.com)
eweekhickins writes: "After two laptops were lost (stolen?) containing the personal data of 3,900+ truckers who handle HAZMATs, the Transportation Security Administration has ordered its contractors to encrypt any and all data. Ann Davis, the TSA's public affairs manager, says that even though there's only "a small chance of [the data being misused], we did notify all affected individuals." Well that's a relief."
Submission + - Japanese Stealth Fighter: Return of the Zero (inventorspot.com)
reporter writes: "According to a news article by the Associated Press, Tokyo has begun developing an indigenous stealth jet-fighter that will be deployed in 2016. Mitsubishi, the prime contractor, has already developed a full-scale model, of which several pictures have been accidentally leaked to the press. The model is named "Mitsubishi ATD-X". A laboratory of the French government has evaluated the "stealthy-ness" of ATD-X.
Will ATD-X achieve air superiority over the F-22, which Washington refuses to sell to Tokyo?"
Will ATD-X achieve air superiority over the F-22, which Washington refuses to sell to Tokyo?"
DHS Injects Itself With DDoS 136
An anonymous reader writes "Here's a story about what can happen to any enterprise IT department that overestimates the intelligence of its users. Only in this case, the enterprise in question is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The spokesman says there's no Jack Bauer mentality. No kidding!"
Submission + - SAS CEO Blasts Old-School Schooling
theodp writes: "What does SAS CEO Dr. Jim Goodnight have in common with 47% of high school dropouts? A belief that school is boring. Marking the 50th anniversary of Sputnik with a call for renewed emphasis on science and technology in America's schools, Goodnight finds today's kids ill-served by old-school schooling: 'Today's generation of kids is the most technology savvy group that this country has ever produced. They are born with an iPod in one hand and a cell phone in another. They're text messaging, e-mailing, instant messaging. They're on MySpace, YouTube & Google. They've got Nintendo Wiis, Game Boys, PlayStations. Their world is one of total interactivity. They're in constant communication with each other, but when they go to school, they are told to leave those 'toys' at home. They're not to be used in school. Instead, the system continues teaching as if these kids belong to the last century, by standing in front of a blackboard.'"
Submission + - Microsoft to allow PC makers to downgrade to XP (news.com)
mytrip writes: "While Microsoft is still pushing Vista hard, the company is quietly allowing PC makers to offer a "downgrade" option to buyers that get machines with the new operating system but want to switch to Windows XP.
The program applies only to Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions, and it is up to PC makers to decide how, if at all, they want to make XP available. Fujitsu has been among the most aggressive, starting last month to include an XP disc in the box with its laptops and tablets.
"That's going to help out small- and medium-size businesses," Fujitsu marketing manager Brandon Farris told CNET News.com."
The program applies only to Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions, and it is up to PC makers to decide how, if at all, they want to make XP available. Fujitsu has been among the most aggressive, starting last month to include an XP disc in the box with its laptops and tablets.
"That's going to help out small- and medium-size businesses," Fujitsu marketing manager Brandon Farris told CNET News.com."
Submission + - Study says DRM violates privacy law (idg.com.au)
inkslinger77 writes: "Digital rights management (DRM) technology used in MP3s, DVDs, and most consumer software may be violating Canadian privacy laws, according to a new report.
The report investigated DRM systems used in 16 different digital products and services including Apple's iTunes Music Store, Microsoft's Office Visio, and Symantec's North SystemWorks 2006.
Fewer said the biggest concern stemming from this lack of disclosure came from the amount of third-party companies and marketers found linked with the DRM systems."
Submission + - Inventors Protest Patent Reform Bill (itworld.com)
narramissic writes: "A group of inventors and U.S. company execs, among them Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and the AutoSyringe, and Steve Perlman, inventor of WebTV and lead developer of Apple Inc.'s QuickTime, paid a visit to Washington to encourage Congress to defeat the Patent Reform Act, which they say will weaken the patent system, devalue patents, and encourage infringement.
A version of the act, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, is supported by several large tech vendors including Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco who say it will make it harder for patent holders to sue and collect huge damage awards when only a small piece of a tech product is found to infringe."
A version of the act, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, is supported by several large tech vendors including Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco who say it will make it harder for patent holders to sue and collect huge damage awards when only a small piece of a tech product is found to infringe."
Submission + - Habeas Corpus is GONE (senate.gov) 2
Khyber writes: "In a vote of 56 yeas to 43 nays, with one abstaining, the Cloture Motion to restore Habeas Corpus has been halted, with a 3/5 majority vote unable to be attained. Article 6 states their oath to uphold the constitution, Article 4 states that habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless in cases of rebellion and invasion when the public safety may require it. It's becoming a very dark age, indeed."
Submission + - ISPs dragged into Swedish file sharing battle
paulraps writes: Swedish internet service providers may soon be required by law to take greater responsibility for unlawful file-sharing. Although rejecting the ludicrous idea of an overarching broadband fee which would be shared out among copyright holders, a government report published on Monday called for internet providers to be "bound to contribute to bringing all copyright infringement to an end". Under the proposal, copyright holders whose material is being shared illegally would be entitled to compensation from ISPs which did not ban users. Needless to say, the country's ISPs are not happy.
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