Comment Re:Come on, guys... (Score 1) 229
Forget the play button. How'd they get that white text to hover in space like that?
Submission + - Oregon Senator seeks to block COICA (itworld.com)
jfruhlinger writes: The COICA copyright bill may have sailed through committee, but that doesn't mean that it's a done deal. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, calling the "wrong medicine" to block copyright violations, is threatening to put a hold on the bill, which would block its adoption through at least the end of the year.
Submission + - Bruce Schneier Vs. The TSA (schneier.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Bruce Schneier has posted a huge recap of the TSA controversy, including more information about the lawsuit he joined to ban them. There's too much news to summarize, but it covers everything from Penn of Penn & Teller and Dave Barry's grope stories, other Israeli experts who say this isn't needed and hasn't ever stopped a bomb, the four-year-old girl who was traumatized by being groped and much, much more.
Submission + - Whitehat Hacker's Laptop, Cellphones Seized (net-security.org)
Orome1 writes: The well-known whitehat hacker and security researcher that goes by the handle Moxie Marlinspike has recently experienced firsthand the electronical device search that travelers are sometimes submitted to by border agents when entering the country. He was returning from the Dominican Republic by plane, and when he landed at JFK airport, he was greeted by two U.S. Customs officials and taken to a detention room where they kept him for almost five hours, took his laptop and two cell phones and asked for the passwords needed to access the encrypted material on them.
Comment Re: Priceline for cloud! (Score 1) 114
What we really need is William Shatner pitching "name your own price" for cloud resources.
Yes, you CAN get cycles in a four-star data center located near the major metro area you've selected. I like the resources being commodities - more options, cheaper options. Yum!
Submission + - Oracle: Google 'Directly Copied' Our Java Code (itworld.com) 1
itwbennett writes: On Wednesday, Oracle amended the lawsuit it filed against Google in August, saying that 'approximately one third of Android's Application Programmer Interface (API) packages' are 'derivative of Oracle's copyrighted Java API packages' and related documents. In particular, 'the infringed elements of Oracle America's copyrighted work include Java method and class names, definitions, organization, and parameters; the structure, organization and content of Java class libraries; and the content and organization of Java's documentation,' Oracle says. 'In at least several instances, Android computer program code also was directly copied from copyrighted Oracle America code,' Oracle alleges.
Submission + - The great iPhone serial port hack (computerworld.com.au)
An anonymous reader writes: The iPhone's little know secret, a hidden serial port, is revealed. "The real benefit in all of this is that there are so many console packages for iPhone in Cydia now that you can have a fully functional computer, as useful as a linux box, but without carrying around a laptop."
Comment You still have to share some key or label (Score 1) 90
There has to be some key or label that is shared before radio users can talk to one another. If that wasn't the case, Joe Blow could pick up a radio with this technology and start talking to the local cop on the beat.
Interoperability of existing trunked systems for area-wide communications will make this work. We're doing it in Illinois with STARCOM-21. Price is an issue, but inter-departmental state-wide communications is now possible.
For tactical operations, like at the scene of a fire or police action, good ole two-way peer to peer radio works great. Low tech, grab a radio and go, put it on the right channel and you're there.
Bottom line, cool technology, might have some uses in some industries, but really nothing to see here. Keep moving people.
Submission + - Speeding: Radar Gun vs. GPS -- GPS Wins (hothardware.com) 1
MojoKid writes: "According to a release issued by Rocky Mountain Tracking, an 18-year old man, Shaun Malone, was able to
successfully contest a speeding ticket in court using the data from a GPS device installed in his car. This wasn't just any old make-a-left-turn-100-feet-ahead-onto-Maple-Street GPS; this was a vehicle tracking GPS device — the kind used by trucking fleets — or in this case, overprotective parents. The device was installed in Malone's car by his parents, and the press release makes no mention if the teenager knew that the device was installed in his vehicle at the time."
Submission + - Full Auto Floppy Disk Cannon - DataStorm V 1.0 (revver.com)
Bob Loblaw writes: "Hi there slashdotters: I ran across a huge stash of floppies at our office, and after some discussion, it became clear that rather than throw them away, we should build a gun that fires them. I had just bought a welder, so this was a challenging first project, but after about a month of work in my garage at night, the DataStorm was born. It was constructed with scrap metal, a kids bike, a weedeater motor, and an electric screwdriver. The most difficult task ended being how to add spin to the disk without significantly reducing its velocity. A stack of zip ties was found to work best after a week and a half of trying different options. Since we had so much time in it, we elected to shoot an infomercial showcasing the device, and had to learn to shoot & edit video as we went. It was basically an office joke that spiraled out of control. My wife is not amused. At all. I hope you like it."
Submission + - SPAM: A sailing robot to cross the Atlantic
Roland Piquepaille writes: "The Times of London reports that seven robotic craft will compete in a race across the Atlantic Ocean in October 2008. One of them, 'Pinta the robot sailing boat,' has been designed at Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK. Pinta is expected to sail for three months at a maximum speed of four knots (about 4.6 mph or 7.4 kilometers per hour). Its designers hope the Pinta will become the first robot to cross an ocean using only wind power. This 150-kilogram sailing robot costs only £2,500 (US $4,900 or 3,200). The transatlantic race will start between September 29 and October 5, 2008 from Viana do Castelo, Portugal. The winner will be the first boat to reach a finishing line between the Northern tip of St. Lucia and the Southern tip of Martinique in the Caribbean. But read more for additional details and a picture of a robot sailing boat."
Submission + - Stealing laptops? Don't touch a Mac (nytimes.com)
robipilot writes: "Mac stolen, Mac comes online, owner connects back to Mac using "Back to My Mac", owner takes picture of culprit, and viola, criminal caught. Okay, it wasn't that easy, but here's an interesting story of using some built-in technology on the Mac to recover a stolen laptop."
Submission + - Security flaw turns Gmail into open-relay server (arstechnica.com)
sveard writes:
More over at Ars Technica
A recently-discovered flaw in Gmail is capable of turning Google's e-mail service into a highly effective spam machine. According to the Information Security Research Team (INSERT), Gmail is susceptible to a man-in-the-middle attack that allows a spammer to send thousands of bulk e-mails through Google's SMTP service without fear of detection. This attack bypasses both Google's identity fraud protection mechanisms and the current 500-address limit on bulk e-mail.
Compounding the issue is the fact that services such as Hotmail and Yahoo "trust" Gmail. This may facilitate e-mail delivery, but it also makes it easier for spammers to reach their intended targets.More over at Ars Technica
Submission + - UC Berkeley / MS Parallel Programming Lab (eetimes.com)
kamlapati writes: "Microsoft is funding a new lab at UC Berkeley to explore improvements in parallel HW and SW models.
"Top computer science researchers have said the industry is at risk of hitting a wall if it cannot deliver a useful parallel programming model for next-generation multicore chips son. Thacker had no comment on whether the industry as a whole is doing enough to tackle what is seen as an enormously difficult problem looming on the horizon."
Submission + - Guitar Hero Patent Infringement? No way man. (google.com)
robipilot writes: "Video game publisher Activision Inc. has asked a federal court to declare that its popular "Guitar Hero" game does not violate a patent held by real-guitar maker Gibson Guitar Corp. Gibson's 1999 patent covers a virtual-reality device that included a headset with speakers and that simulated participating in a concert, according to a complaint filed on Tuesday by Santa Monica, Calif.-based Activision in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles."
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