stebalo - Slashdot User

Comment Re:North Korea (Score 1) 113

by stebalo on Monday October 05, 2015 @06:14PM (#50665281) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Best Country For Secure Online Hosting?

Sealand of course. That didn't work to well unfortunately.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/03/sealand-and-havenco/1/

HavenCo's failure—and make no mistake about it, HavenCo did fail—shows how hard it is to get out from under government's thumb. HavenCo built it, but no one came. For a host of reasons, ranging from its physical vulnerability to the fact that The Man doesn't care where you store your data if he can get his hands on you, Sealand was never able to offer the kind of immunity from law that digital rebels sought. And, paradoxically, by seeking to avoid government, HavenCo made itself exquisitely vulnerable to one government in particular: Sealand's. It found that out the hard way in 2003 when Sealand "nationalized" the company.

Submission + - No Sex Please, We're Microsoft 2

Submitted by theodp on Sunday December 19, 2010 @12:03PM

theodp writes: Microsoft's Kinect has been out for less than two months and already there's an adult company looking to produce a 3-D sex game for the Xbox 360 console (PG-13ish YouTube demo). But Microsoft immediately shot down any speculation that the game will pass the certification process. 'This isn't the first example of a technology being used in ways not intended by its manufacturer, and it won't be the last," a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement. 'Microsoft did not authorize or license its technology for this use. Xbox is a family friendly games and entertainment console and does not allow Adults Only (AO) content to be certified for use on its platform, and would not condone this type of game for Kinect.'

Submission + - UBS Fashion Week: 43-page Dress code (guardian.co.uk)

Submitted by Tasha26 on Sunday December 19, 2010 @06:29AM

Tasha26 writes: The HR of Swiss bank UBS AG came up with an innovative 43-page document (french) to establish fashion "dos" and "don'ts" in their retail branches. Will it nail the debate on what's acceptable corporate attire? Here's a skinny: Men: — Tie-knots should match facial bone structure; — Socks with cartoon motifs are strictly verboten. — Fingernail length of no more than 1.5mm; — Schedule barber appointments every four weeks to maintain your haircut shape; Women: — Light makeup consisting of foundation, mascara and discreet lipstick. No black nail polish or nail art — Wear flesh-coloured underwear and skirts extending to 5cm below the knee; — Have a haircut that is suitable for their age; And neither sex should "allow their underwear to appear," perhaps Dilbert was a bit ahead of them on that. The document also mentions smells and "avoid garlic and onion-based dishes."

Submission + - H.R. Giger returns to the 'Alien' franchise (shadowlocked.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 19, 2010 @04:12AM

An anonymous reader writes: Great news for 'Alien' franchise purists, as conceptual artist H.R. Giger has been confirmed as a contributor to the prequel that Ridley Scott is set to begin shooting in February. The originator of the 'xenomorph' design, Giger was left out of James Cameron's Aliens (1986), since Cameron only needed a new 'Alien queen' design, and had come up with that himself.

This article features the Swiis TV broadcast where Giger's wife broke the news, and a full gallery of Giger's conceptual work for 'Alien'.

Submission + - Intel's Atom to ship in over 35 tablets next year (techspot.com)

Submitted by nateman1352 on Sunday December 19, 2010 @02:54AM

nateman1352 writes: Intel has been trying to cut itself a slice of the mobile market for years, and it seems the company is finally making some headway. During a conference yesterday, Intel CEO Paul Otellini revealed that the company's Atom platform will ship in over 35 tablets starting early next year. The chipmaker has partnered with more than a dozen manufacturers who will launch slates running Windows, Android as well as Intel's own MeeGo operating system.

Hasbro Sues Makers of Scrabble-Like Scrabulous 395

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 24, 2008 @05:36PM from the cryin'-shame-continues dept.

Dekortage writes "As today's lawsuit indicates, Hasbro has apparently had enough of Scrabulous, the online word game remarkably similar to Scrabble. Filed in New York, Hasbro's suit is against Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla, brothers from Kolkata, India, and asks the court to remove the Scrabulous application from Facebook, disable the Scrabulous.com web site, and grant damages and attorneys fees to Hasbro. Why did Hasbro tale so long to 'protect' its intellectual property rights in court? They waited 'in deference to the fans' until EA had launched the official Scrabble Facebook app earlier this month. EA's version has netted fewer than ten thousand players, versus Scrabulous' estimated 2.3 million. This was the next logical step for Hasbro after filing DMCA takedown notices against Scrabulous in January."

Critiquing Claims of an Open Source Jobs Boom 134

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 24, 2008 @04:46PM from the join-us-now-and-free-the-software dept.

snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Bill Snyder examines what appears to be an open source job market boom, as evidenced by a recent O'Reilly Report. According to the study, 5 to 15 percent of all IT openings call for open source software skills, and with overall IT job cuts expected for 2009, 'the recession may be pushing budget-strapped IT execs to examine low-cost alternatives to commercial software,' Snyder writes. But are enterprises truly shifting to open source, or are they simply seeking to augment the work of staff already steeped in proprietary software? The study's methodology leaves too much room for interpretation, Savio Rodrigues retorts. 'That's why the 5% to 15% really doesn't sit well with me,' Rodrigues writes. 'I suspect that larger companies are looking for developers with a mix of experience with proprietary and open source products, tools and frameworks,' as opposed to those who would work with open source for 90 percent of the work day."

Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks 555

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 24, 2008 @03:03PM from the stick-it-in-your-ear dept.

RevWaldo contributes a link to an AP story carried by Google, according to which "The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration." RevWaldo continues: "One possible solution offered? 'Use a wireless headset.' No risk of EM exposure from one of them, no sirree!"

Apollo 14 Moonwalker Claims Aliens Exist 1268

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 24, 2008 @12:48PM from the truth-is-out-there dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Former NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell — a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission — has stunningly claimed aliens exist. And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions — but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades. Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.'"

Mars In 3D 62

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 24, 2008 @12:05PM from the next-lets-blow-bubbles dept.

xaositects writes "Now I know all of you have your 3D glasses from 1985 still, so don them once again to check out these cool 3D images of Mars's Arctic landscape from the Phoenix Lander's stereoscopic imager. There are also a few close-ups of the parts of Phoenix that are in view and a link to more pictures on the Phoenix Image Gallery."

The Death of Nearly All Software Patents? 731

Posted by kdawson on Thursday July 24, 2008 @11:25AM from the we-can-only-hope dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Patent and Trademark Office has now made clear that its newly developed position on patentable subject matter will invalidate many and perhaps most software patents, including pioneering patent claims to such innovators as Google, Inc. In a series of cases including In re Nuijten, In re Comiskey and In re Bilski, the Patent and Trademark Office has argued in favor of imposing new restrictions on the scope of patentable subject matter set forth by Congress in article 101 of the Patent Act. In the most recent of these three — the currently pending en banc Bilski appeal — the Office takes the position that process inventions generally are unpatentable unless they 'result in a physical transformation of an article' or are 'tied to a particular machine.'"

Next Generation CPU Refrigerators 154

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 23, 2008 @08:50PM from the just-a-little-cold dept.

Iddo Genuth writes "Researchers at Purdue University are developing a miniature refrigeration system, small enough to fit inside laptop computers. According to the researchers, the implementation of miniature refrigeration systems in computers can dramatically increase the amount of heat removed from the microchips, therefore boosting performance while simultaneously shrinking the size of computers."

Apple Laptop Upgrades Costing 200% More Than Dells 935

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 30, 2008 @09:46AM from the pay-the-apple-tax dept.

An anonymous reader writes "C|net is highlighting the astonishing cost of Apple laptop hardware upgrades, compared to Dell — in some instances, Apple is charging 200% more for upgraded components, such as memory and hard disks. Either there's a serious difference in the quality of components being used, or Apple is quite literally ripping off those who aren't able to upgrade hardware themselves."

Your Online Profile Actually Tells a Lot About You 272

Posted by timothy on Sunday June 29, 2008 @09:43PM from the explains-my-dating-life dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Despite all the media reports that your Facebook profile is giving the wrong impression, a psychological study shows people really can understand your personality from your online profile. Turns out you're not giving the wrong impression with your profile; you're giving the right impression to the wrong people. You can actually learn more about someone's Agreeableness from their online profile than from a first date."

Anti-Evolution "Academic Freedom" Bill Passed In Louisiana 898

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday June 28, 2008 @05:09AM from the facepalm dept.

Ars Technica is running a story about recently enacted legislation in Louisiana which will allow school board officials to "approve supplemental classroom materials specifically for the critique of scientific theories" such as evolution and global warming. The full text of the Act (PDF) is also available. Quoting: "The text of the [Louisiana Science Education Act] suggests that it's intended to foster critical thinking, calling on the state Board of Education to 'assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories.' Unfortunately, it's remarkably selective in its suggestion of topics that need critical thinking, as it cites scientific subjects 'including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.'"

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