Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror

Submission + - 2 China Schools Reportedly Tied to Online Attacks (nytimes.com)

Submitted by squidwanker
squidwanker writes: Online attacks on Google and other American corporations have been traced to computers at two educational institutions in China, including one with close ties to the Chinese military, say people involved in the investigation.

Submission + - Which Linux for non-techie Windows users ? 8

Submitted by obarthelemy
obarthelemy writes: Having at last gotten Linux to run satisfactorily on my own PCs, I'd now like to start transitioning friends and family from XP to Linux instead of 7. The catch is, these guys don't understand nor care much about computers, so the transition has to be as seam- and pain-less as possible. Actually, they wont care for new things, even the upcoming upgrade to Seven would be a pain and a bother, which is a great opportunity for Linux. I'm not too concerned about software (most of them only need browser, IM, VLC, mail and a Powerpoint viewer for all those fascinating attachments). What I'm concerned about is OS look and feel and interface: system bar on the bottom with clock, trash, info on the right, menu on the left... menu items close to those of Windows...

Is it better to shoot for a very targeted distro ? Which ?
Are they themes/skins for mainstream distributions instead ?

I've been looking around the web, it's hard to gauge with distro is well-done and reasonably active, and which does not really work. Puppy Linux also looks good, different but so very easy I imagine I could 'sell' it.

I'm NOT asking whether it's good or bad for Linux to look and feel like Windows. Actually, I'm fairly convinced it is not a good thing, but I don't feel up to training handfuls of newbies and fielding tens of support calls.
The Courts

RIAA Gets Nervous, Brings In Big Gun 423

Posted by Soulskill from the headlines-that-would-be-better-if-they-were-literal dept.
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "I guess the RIAA is getting nervous about the ability of its 'national law firm' (in charge of bringing 'ex parte' motions, securing default judgments, and beating up grandmothers and children) to handle the oral argument scheduled to be heard on Monday, August 4th in Duluth, in Capitol v. Thomas. So, at the eleventh hour, it has brought in one of its 'Big Guns' from Washington, D.C., a lawyer who argues United States Supreme Court cases like MGM v. Grokster to handle the argument. This is the case where a $222,000 verdict was awarded for downloading 24 songs, but the judge ultimately realized that he had been misled by the RIAA in issuing his jury instructions, and indicated he's probably going to order a new trial. But, not to worry. A group of 10 copyright law professors from 10 different law schools and several other amici curiae (friends of the court) have filed briefs now, so it is highly unlikely the judge will allow himself to be misled again, no matter who the RIAA brings in as cannon fodder on Monday."
Communications

Swearing at Work is Bleeping Good For You 421

Posted by CmdrTaco from the now-shut-the-bleep-up-you-bleeping-bleep dept.
coondoggie writes "This is the kind of news that your HR folks don't want to hear, but researchers today said letting workers swear at will in the workplace can benefit employees and employers. The study found regular use of profanity to express and reinforce solidarity among staff, enabling them to express their feelings, such as frustration, and develop social relationships, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UES). Researchers said their aim was to challenge leadership styles and suggest ideas for best practice. "Employees use swearing on a continuous basis, but not necessarily in a negative, abusive manner. Swearing was as a social phenomenon to reflect solidarity and enhance group cohesiveness, or as a psychological phenomenon to release stress, " the study stated." I'm sure the discussion and tags on this story will be completely G Rated ;)

Feed Engadget: FCC clears low end Sirius Stratus 4 radio (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Portable Audio

Nothing too exciting here, but it looks like the FCC didn't have any problems with Sirius's latest low end offering, with the company's new Stratus 4 radio now cleared for release. This one comes complete with a vehicle docking station, and is also compatible with the company's Universal Plug and Play Home Kit, its Universal Plug and Play Vehicle Kit, and its SUBX1 Universal Boombox. Otherwise, it looks like you can expect only the most basic functionality, and the most basic price, with the radio set to pack an MSRP of just $50 when it's released sometime this fall.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Sun Microsystems

Sun Acquires CFS/Lustre, Becomes Windows OEM 138

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the new-toys-to-play-with dept.
anzha writes "Sun Microsystems announced today that they are acquiring Cluster File Systems Inc. CFS owns the intellectual property related to and develops the open source file system known as Lustre." Relatedly Sun has also signed an agreement with Microsoft to be a Windows OEM. "Sun and Microsoft will work together to ensure that Solaris runs well as a guest on Microsoft virtualization technologies and that Windows Server runs well as a guest on Sun's virtualization technologies. Sun and Microsoft will work together on a support process for customers who are using the virtualization solutions. This joint commitment to customers ensures that Windows and Solaris will provide a solid virtualization experience."

Feed Science Daily: Hurricane Forecast: Heightened Activity For Rest Of Season (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed
Above-average hurricane activity is expected for the remaining three months of the hurricane season, the Colorado State University forecast team said September 4. The individual month of September and the two-month period of October-November are expected to experience five named storms each. In September, the forecast calls for four of the five storms to become hurricanes and two to become major hurricanes. In October-November, the team forecasts two of the five named storms to become hurricanes and one to become a major hurricane.

Feed Engadget: Switched On: The WiMAX window (Part 1) (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Features, Wireless

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment:

It's a beautiful afternoon at SeaWorld. You're walking through one exhibit when you spot a group of penguins that look like they're about to break into a number from Happy Feet III: Mumble's Bumble, which you watched with your nephew after you wirelessly downloaded it to your portable video player last week.

You shoot some video with the high-definition camcorder pulled from your shirt pocket, press a button, and the video is soon uploaded to your favorite video sharing site. By the time you're out of the exhibit, the little scamp has sent you a video response on your internet tablet asking if you managed not to spill the popcorn this time. As you head home and turn on the wirelessly streaming music service in your car, you think to yourself that he'll get his the next time you two go head-to-head in that multiplayer shooter you love to play on your PSP2 during lunch in the park. You laugh that knowing, resolved laughter that precedes the credit roll in sitcoms.

If all goes as planned with Xohm, Sprint's WiMAX service, much of this scenario could actually become reality before future presidential candidates air their negative ads targeting the next incumbent. Sprint claims that Xohm will deliver between two and four megabits per second -- between four and five times the throughput of today's 3G networks -- at a tenth of the infrastructure cost. But what's even more extraordinary than Xohm's throughput or cost efficiency is its business model. Sprint has decided that the wireless future is in some ways bigger than any operator can -- or might want to -- completely control, and is making a $5 billion bet on the limits of convergence in the cellphone.

Continue reading Switched On: The WiMAX window (Part 1)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Feed Engadget: Sony kinda denies rumble coming to the PS3 (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming

Man, Sony must really love teasing us: just a couple days after we got word that rumble-enabled SIXAXIS controllers were leaking out to developers, Sony's director of corporate communications Dave Karraker told GamePro that the company has "not added rumble [to PS3], and have no announcements regarding this feature." That's a non-denial denial, if you ask us -- way to be sly, Sony. Karraker also confirmed that updated SIXAXIS controllers with refined motion-sensing features were shipping out, but characterized that as "part of the normal development and evolution of controllers." Here's hoping the SIXAXIS evolves itself a rumble unit sooner rather than later.

[Via PC World]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Biotech

Building Artificial Bone 78

Posted by samzenpus from the I'll-take-a-femur-to-go dept.
Late-Eight writes "Researchers from the National University of Singapore, have recently developed a new way to make artificial bone from mineralised collagen. For some time scientists have tried to make nanosized artificial bone materials using various methods, And have recently turned their attention to mineralised collagen, a nanoapatite/collagen composite. This material is highly biocompatible and has the nanostructure of artificial bone. It could be used in bone grafts and bone-tissue engineering, among other applications."
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Our ATM is broken, so you go to jail? (myway.com)

Submitted by Actually, I do RTFA
Actually, I do RTFA writes: A short while ago, slashdot featured an article about possible criminal prosecution for people who took advantage of faulty slot machine software. At the time, many people drew an analogy to an ATM that dispensed too much money. Well, apparently, that too may result in criminal charges. Interestingly, although they suspect that someone may have tampered with the ATM, they are considering charging anyone who withdrew money from the ATM.

This also provides an interesting rejoinder to 'if they can build a secure ATM, why cannot Diebold build a secure electronic voting machine.'

Slashdot Top Deals

"Let every man teach his son, teach his daughter, that labor is honorable." -- Robert G. Ingersoll

Close