Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
The Internet

Vista a Threat to Internet Freedom? 479

BBC columnist Bill Thompson warns readers that new DRM technology, especially that found in Vista, is damaging the freedoms that the internet was based on. "The freedom of expression that was once available to users of the Internet Protocol is being stripped away. Our freedom to play, experiment, share and seek inspiration from the creative works of others is increasingly restricted so that large companies can lock our culture down for their own profit. [...] governments and corporations around the world are making a concerted effort to dismantle the open internet and replace it with a regulated and regulable one that will allow them to impose an 'architecture of control.'"
XBox (Games)

Microsoft Extends 360 Warranty to One Year 68

Gamasutra reports that Microsoft has extended the warranty on the Xbox 360, giving consumers one year from their date of purchase to receive essentially free repairs. This is being done to put the U.S. and Canada in line with the warranty offered in other parts of the globe, and is retroactive. From the article: "... [C]onsumers who may have already paid for an out-of-warranty Xbox 360 repair within one year of purchase will be eligible for reimbursement of their console repair charges. Microsoft notes that those who have already paid for such repair charges within their first year of ownership can expect reimbursement checks for the amount of their console repair in approximately 10 weeks. The company adds that reimbursements will be automatically distributed, so customers do not need to contact Microsoft directly."

Comment Interesting (Score -1, Troll) 480

I have a Kroger Plus card. It has a magnetic stripe on the back that when you check out or get gas it adds points to your acct which then get traded for discounts, cash back, etc..

So one day a friend of mine who a few years ago paid off some debts selling Credit card info he got from customers in a restaraunt let me use his reader. Its a small black piece of plastic with a mag reader and basic electronics that dump the info to a Compact flash card. You had to manually enter the 3 digit SFF number on the back of the card with a keypad on the bottom. ANYWAY...

I used it to read my Kroger Card... I was shocked at the discovery..

It had name, address, phone, and gender.

That was it. Frankly I was confused that there was no Unique ID#, but whatever...

I have a screen capture of the video here: Capture

I'd be okay with the idea of a National ID card for the US if it was proven that It was safe and helped catch the terrorists.

User Journal

Journal Journal: Ya

back bitches

Comment Episode 13: The Lucky Number (Score -1) 794

I settled into the therapeutic leather seat, watching the road as our vehicle pushed through the fog, soft blue low beams charging forth into the night. Off the cool concrete before us there lay an occasional abandoned farm, overgrown grass swaying softly in the darkness. In the moonlight, run-down trailer homes sat unoccupied, windows shattered and doors boarded. A harsh flicker as lightning struck far to the south.

A soft, synthesized female voice spoke to us as the navigation console suddenly came to life. "Left turn ahead," it said. I turned my head briefly to a sleeping Robert as I committed the turn. The screen returned to its overhead perspective. A red triangle set against a simulation of a map indicated our current position. I looked up, biting my tongue to avoid falling asleep, and watched carefully for deer.

My throat felt swollen as I thought of Paul Cryer, whose lifeless body was floating aimlessly in the black waters of Steinhagen Lake. My throat felt swollen, but I could never pity him. Nor could I afford to lament his demise. Hundreds like him were searching for me, searching for me in order to avenge his death.

The harsh railroad track shook Robert awake. "Where are we?" he asked, eyes half-shut. What seemed like a river of blood ran through one, perhaps the result of sleep deprivation. In that case, mine probably resembled cherries.

The navigation system instructed us to turn right onto a dirt road that led into a darkened alley. At the end of the road, two faint taillights beckoned. As we drove nearer, the car's well maintained jet-black paint glistened with the reflection of our headlights. My eyes were drawn to the silver three-pointed star attached to its trunk. A man dressed in an expensive suit approached our vehicle as we slowed.

He looked inside as I retracted the automatic window. "Are you Cryer?"

"Yes," I said, with a slight hesitation. "I am Cryer. That's me."

"All right," he said. "Blake told me not to give it to you tonight. Said he'd hold it until you saw him. I made an appointment for you. It's at 10:30. Be there tomorrow morning."

"Be where?"

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I keep forgetting to give away the new address. It's the thirteenth location in two years. Guy's a nomad, man." He handed me a creased piece of plain copy paper, which I refolded promptly and placed on my lap.

The man then walked silently to his car. Robert and I sat together, alone and exhausted, watching as the lights became faint, then finally disappear altogether. "Peter," he said, "unfold the paper. I thought that I saw something. A logo, maybe."

As I opened the document, I shuddered with fright. I stared at the paper, and our corporate logo stared back into my eyes...
The Matrix

Journal Journal: Episode 13: The Lucky Number

I settled into the therapeutic leather seat, watching the road as our vehicle pushed through the fog, soft blue low beams charging forth into the night. Off the cool concrete before us there lay an occasional abandoned farm, overgrown grass swaying softly in the darkness. In the moonlight, run-down trailer homes sat unoccupied, windows shattered and doors boarded. A harsh flicker as lightning struck far to the south.

Lord of the Rings

Journal Journal: Episode 12: Reciprocity

And there I lay quietly on the rain-soaked concrete, stunned by the events that had just transpired before my eyes. I listened to the soft rain falling and the SUV speeding away, the sound of its engine fading away like an ascending space shuttle. I wanted to fall asleep, to believe that the bullets had indeed struck my chest, and that everything was lost - that my purpose in life had become forfeit.

Star Wars Prequels

Journal Journal: Episode 11.3: Adversary

To be honest, I had expected a storybook ending. In the end, I hoped desperately for one. I hadn't yet accepted that the man was dead. Perhaps I would never accept that his crimson blood stained the very ground that I stood upon. Yet I couldn't seem to resist embracing the truth. The truth satisfied me.

Star Wars Prequels

Journal Journal: Episode Eleven: Blindsided (Part 2/3)

The hail had worsened, and my entire body felt as though it were being slashed by a razorblade. I shivered with repulsion as the terror before me continued to edge closer. I watched as lightning flickered in the distance, and then turned to the creature.

The Matrix

Journal Journal: Episode Eleven: Blindsided 1

There was a hint of lightning and a slight rumble of thunder in the distance. I turned from the horizon to face Robert, who was standing to my right. We stood before the luminous Wal-Mart banner. A noisy cluster of insects swarmed the fluorescent light nearby, their innumerable buzzing and clicks penetrating the silence.

âoeThere is a storm approaching,â I whispered to Robert. âoeWe should prepare the store for an emergency situation.â

Christmas Cheer

Journal Journal: Episode Ten: Situation Report

The aroma of premium Samâ(TM)s Choice coffee infiltrated my nose as I sipped a cup delicately. Robert would be arriving momentarily, and I would request a situation report. He and I are, of course, the guardians of a Walmart Supercenter located inside of the prosperous community of Jasper, Texas.

Encryption

Journal Journal: Episode Nine: The Two Madnesses

Walmart Security
Chapter 9: The Two Madnesses

Robert sat nearby on one of the visitor chairs, his face decorated lightly with bandages. The chair was but a silhouette against the fulgent morning sun.

"I dreamt," he said, his eyes narrowing, "of thousands of unchained rabid monkeys." Robert sunk lower into the well-cushioned chair.

"Doing what?" I replied.

Slashdot Top Deals

Physician: One upon whom we set our hopes when ill and our dogs when well. -- Ambrose Bierce

Working...