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======================================================================
Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* The End of the Gas Guzzler
* Followup: Anti-Global Warming Story Itself Flawed
* Emacs Has Been Violating the GPL Since 2009
* Beyond HDTV
* House Panel Approves Bill Forcing ISPs To Log Users
* Happy System Administrator Appreciation Day
* How Google Killing Accounts Can Leave Androids Orphaned
* Ask Slashdot: Do We Need Pseudonymous Social Networking?
* Microsoft Dilutes Open Source, Coins 'Open Surface'
* Ubisoft Considers Always-Connected DRM "A Success"
* UK Taxpayers' Money Getting Wasted On IT Spending
* Nintendo Slashes Profit Forecast and 3DS Price
* Spotify Sued For Patent Infringement
* Java 7 Ships With Severe Bug
* Analyzing Long-Term SSD Failure Rates
* TN BlueCross Encrypts All Data After 57 Disks Stolen
* Raspberry Pi $25 PC Goes Into Alpha Production
* AT&T To Start Data Throttling Heaviest Users
* Pakistan Tries To Ban Encryption
* GAO Report: DoD Incompetent At Cybersecurity
* MIT Unveils Sun-Free Photovoltaics
* Evaluating the Capabilities of Chip-Sized Spacecraft
* Microsoft Exposes Locations of PCs and Phones
* Hackers' Flying Drone Now Eavesdrops On GSM Phones
* Circuit Flaws Blamed For China Train Crash
* Australian ALDIs Sell Conficker-Infected Hard Drives
* Google Buys IBM Patents
* MPEG LA Says 12 Parties Have Essential WebM Patents
* <em>Dice Age</em> — Indie Gaming Project vs. Hollywood
* Chinese Firm Launches Cloud-Based Mobile OS
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The End of the Gas Guzzler
| from the you-overestimate-us dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @12:15 (Transportation)
| with 811 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1529258/The-End-of-the-Gas-Guzzler?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Michael Grunwald reports that President Obama
will announce today a near-doubling of fuel efficiency standards for cars
and light trucks, and the Big Three automakers ��� GM, Ford and Chrysler ���
will support it in a final deal that will [1]require vehicle fleets to
average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which will [2]reduce fuel
consumption by 40% and carbon emissions by 50%. Although
environmentalists had pushed for 60 mpg and the White House had floated a
compromise of 56.2, 54.5 is pretty close, considering that last year's
standards were only 28.3. 'I might point out that the same auto industry
that ran attack ads about how 56.2 would destroy their businesses and
force everyone to drive electric cars has embraced 54.5 as an achievable
target,' writes Grunwald. 'It almost makes you wonder if the
[3]automakers may have exaggerated the costs of compliance, the way they
always do.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1529258/The-End-of-the-Gas-Guzzler?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://swampland.time.com/2011/07/29/gas-guzzlers-be-gone-obama-makes-a-big-deal-with-the-big-three/
2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/obama-administration-auto-industry-strike-deal-on-vehicle-fuel-efficiency/2011/07/27/gIQA72mKdI_story.html?hpid=z11
3. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rhwang/as_i_blogged_about_earlier.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Followup: Anti-Global Warming Story Itself Flawed
| from the science-plus-politics-equals-news dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @15:36 (Earth)
| with 398 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1844224/Followup-Anti-Global-Warming-Story-Itself-Flawed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]The Bad Astronomer writes "As posted [1]earlier on Slashdot, a Forbes
Op/Ed claims there is a 'gaping hole in global warming' theories, based
on a recent paper. However, both the Forbes article and the paper on
which it's based [2]are themselves seriously flawed. The paper has been
excoriated by climate scientists, saying the model used is 'unrealistic'
and 'incorrect,' and the author has a track record of using bad models to
make incorrect conclusions."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1844224/Followup-Anti-Global-Warming-Story-Itself-Flawed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:thebadastronomerNO@SPAMgmail.com
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/28/2249238/New-NASA-Data-Casts-Doubt-On-Global-Warming-Models
2. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/07/29/no-new-data-does-not-blow-a-gaping-hole-in-global-warming-alarmism/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Emacs Has Been Violating the GPL Since 2009
| from the source-of-conflict dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @11:33 (GNU is Not Unix)
| with 271 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1445252/Emacs-Has-Been-Violating-the-GPL-Since-2009?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digana writes "Emacs, one of GNU's flagship products and the most famous
software creation of Richard Stallman, has been [0]discovered to be
violating the GPL since 2009-09-28 by distributing binaries that were
missing source. The CEDET package, a set of contributed files for giving
certain IDE functionality related to static code analysis, has
distributed files generated from [1]bison grammars without distributing
the grammar itself. This happened for Emacs versions 23.2 and 23.3,
released during late 2009, and has just been discovered."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1445252/Emacs-Has-Been-Violating-the-GPL-Since-2009?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2011-07/msg01155.html
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnu_bison
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Beyond HDTV
| from the give-me-pixels-or-give-me-death dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @16:59 (Displays)
| with 247 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2023216/Beyond-HDTV?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]The Hub writes "The Economist writes a thoughtful article about [1]the
next generation of HDTVs and how they will provide resolutions beyond
1080p. The drive for higher resolution is driven in part by the demands
of 3D content. Also, some see streaming higher resolution content to the
home as a way to make up for declining DVD sales. This would mean the
studios would have to better embrace services such as Netflix or stream
directly to the consumer. Mind you, picture quality is driven by more
than the number of pixels."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2023216/Beyond-HDTV?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.techofthehub.com/
1. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/07/high-definition-tv
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| House Panel Approves Bill Forcing ISPs To Log Users
| from the uncle-sam-wants-to-know-you-better dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @16:18 (Government)
| with 233 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/194213/House-Panel-Approves-Bill-Forcing-ISPs-To-Log-Users?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
skids writes "Under the guise of fighting child pornography, the House
Judiciary Committee [0]approved legislation on Thursday that would
require internet service providers to [1]collect and retain records about
Internet users' activity. The [2]19 to 10 vote represents a victory for
conservative Republicans, who made data retention their first major
technology initiative after last fall's elections. A last-minute rewrite
of the bill expands the information that commercial Internet providers
are required to store to include customers' names, addresses, phone
numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and
temporarily-assigned IP addresses. Per dissenting Rep. John Conyers
(D-MI): 'The bill is mislabeled... This is not protecting children from
Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this
country for a lot of other purposes.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/194213/House-Panel-Approves-Bill-Forcing-ISPs-To-Log-Users?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20084939-281/house-panel-approves-broadened-isp-snooping-bill/
1. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/07/house-committee-approves-bill-mandating-internet
2. http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2011/07/29/online-surveillance-bill-approved-by-house-judiciary-committee/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Happy System Administrator Appreciation Day
| from the thanks-for-the-uptime dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday July 29, @10:12 (Idle)
| with 215 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1131234/Happy-System-Administrator-Appreciation-Day?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
alphadogg writes "It's the last Friday in July. [0]Have you hugged your
system administrators today? Bought a cake? Picked up the tab for lunch?
There's still time to show your thanks for the unsung heroes who keep
corporate desktops, servers and networks running. Today is [1]System
Administrator Appreciation Day, an annual event thought up by IT pro Ted
Kekatos. A company picnic and an old HP advertisement sparked the idea
for the first SysAdmin Day, now in its 12th year."
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1131234/Happy-System-Administrator-Appreciation-Day?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/072911-sysadmin-day.html?hpg1=bn
1. http://www.sysadminday.com/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| How Google Killing Accounts Can Leave Androids Orphaned
| from the changing-the-locks dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @08:54 (Android)
| with 200 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1211223/How-Google-Killing-Accounts-Can-Leave-Androids-Orphaned?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]jfruhlinger writes "As we've heard in cases of pseudonym-users in
Google+, or in [1]the case of Dylan Marcheschi that went viral last week,
Google can kill your account at any time ��� and since Google is keen on
tying your account to its entire range of services, that means you could
lose data stored everywhere from Gmail to Picasa. Blogger Dan Tynan
examined one particular aspect of this problem ��� namely, the plight of
[2]someone who's been Google-executed and who uses an Android phone."
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1211223/How-Google-Killing-Accounts-Can-Leave-Androids-Orphaned?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://joshreads.com/
1. http://www.twitlonger.com/show/bvqdos
2. http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/187543/when-google-kills-your-account-what-happens-your-android-phone
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ask Slashdot: Do We Need Pseudonymous Social Networking?
| from the just-watch-out-for-those-crafty-wiggin-kids dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @14:55 (Social Networks)
| with 186 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1752226/Ask-Slashdot-Do-We-Need-Pseudonymous-Social-Networking?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "While the idea of anonymous social networking
sounds like an oxymoron, the use of pseudonyms to mask a user's online
identity has a long history that stretches back to the earliest days of
the Internet and local bulletin board systems (BBS). Such imperfect
anonymity, which can often be unmasked with a few well-defined Google
searches, has led to abuses like the invention of 'spambots' and the
persistence of forum [0]trolls. But, as the BBC reports, [1]pseudonyms
have their place in online communities, especially where identities are a
risky commodity, under oppressive state regimes and governments where
corporate interests increasingly dominate the interests of individuals:
'Some users choose to hide their identity to avoid being found by people
they would not like to be contacted by. Others live in countries where
identification could have serious implications for those who have
expressed political views or associated themselves with others who have.'
Should Google+ and maybe even the notorious Facebook evolve into
two-tiered sites where those who choose to remain anonymous are
'identified' as such and denied access to certain site features, while
being free to post, blog, or tweet their views, without summarily getting
their accounts suspended or revoked?"
Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1752226/Ask-Slashdot-Do-We-Need-Pseudonymous-Social-Networking?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14312047
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Dilutes Open Source, Coins 'Open Surface'
| from the scientology-favors-sanity-don't-you dept.
| posted by timothy on Thursday July 28, @22:30 (Open Source)
| with 185 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0021203/Microsoft-Dilutes-Open-Source-Coins-Open-Surface?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sfcrazy writes "Now, Microsoft is coining yet another term to further
confuse users ��� 'Open Surface.' Senior Director for Open Source
Communities at Microsoft, Gianugo Rabellino, said at Oscon 2011 that
[0]customers don't care about the underlying platform as long as the
APIs, protocols and standards for the cloud are open. That's when he
threw the term '[1]open surface.'" This seems to have more than a grain
of truth to it ��� after all, programmers have been creating open-source
software with closed-source programming languages for many years, and I'm
certainly more impressed by Google's willingness to let me export my data
than I am turned off by the fact that they use a mix of open and closed
source software to run the Google circus.
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0021203/Microsoft-Dilutes-Open-Source-Coins-Open-Surface?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.muktware.com/blogs/2051
1. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/microsoft-cloud-need-only-be-open-surface-not-open-source/9308
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ubisoft Considers Always-Connected DRM "A Success"
| from the all-about-the-benjamins dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @16:38 (DRM)
| with 167 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1950213/Ubisoft-Considers-Always-Connected-DRM-A-Success?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ubisoft made headlines a couple days ago for [0]bringing back their
restrictive DRM for an upcoming racing game. Speaking with PCGamer in
response to the overwhelmingly negative feedback to this news, a Ubisoft
representative said the company has seen "a clear reduction in piracy of
our titles which required a persistent online connection," adding, "[1]from
that point of view the requirement is a success." One wonders how they
measured this, and how they compare it to sales lost due to the bad press
it's generated.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1950213/Ubisoft-Considers-Always-Connected-DRM-A-Success?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/28/0445229/Ubisoft-Brings-Back-Always-Connected-DRM-For-Driver-San-Francisco
1. http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/28/ubisoft-our-drm-is-a-success/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| UK Taxpayers' Money Getting Wasted On IT Spending
| from the dog-bites-man-over-and-over-and-over dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday July 29, @06:43 (Government)
| with 165 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/007237/UK-Taxpayers-Money-Getting-Wasted-On-IT-Spending?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hypnosec writes "A report combined by MPs has claimed the UK government
is spending 'obscene' amounts of taxpayers' money on IT. The Public
Administration Select Committee revealed in its report that some
government departments have [0]spent ��3,500 on a single desktop PC, which
can be purchased for as little as ��200. Some other examples of the
government pouring public money down the drain include buying copier
paper for ��73 when it can be purchased for ��8."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/007237/UK-Taxpayers-Money-Getting-Wasted-On-IT-Spending?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Nintendo Slashes Profit Forecast and 3DS Price
| from the adding-depth-at-the-cost-of-depth dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @08:36 (Nintendo)
| with 164 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0443238/Nintendo-Slashes-Profit-Forecast-and-3DS-Price?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daetrin writes "Nintendo has announced a [0]large loss for the first
quarter of the year and lowered its annual profit forecast. In the three
months prior to June 30th Nintendo lost 25.5 billion yen ($328 million)
and the forecast is being reduced about 80%, from 110 billion yen ($1.4
billion) to 20 billion yen ($257 million). Nintendo is blaming poor sales
of the 3DS and is responding by announcing a price cut from $250 to $170
on August 12. In order to mollify early adopters of the system Nintendo
also announced that anyone who has logged into the Nintendo eShop before
the price cut will receive [1]10 free NES games and 10 free GBA games.
The GBA games won't be available until later in the year, but Nintendo
claims they will be exclusive to the '3DS Ambassadors' and will not be
available for purchase on the store in the future." A related op-ed at
Wired suggests [2]the new price is still too high, given the rise of
cheap portable games on various app stores.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0443238/Nintendo-Slashes-Profit-Forecast-and-3DS-Price?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/technology/Nintendo-earnings.html?_r=4
1. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/07/3ds-drops-to-16999-in-august-early-adopters-given-free-games.ars
2. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/07/nintendo-3ds-op-ed/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Spotify Sued For Patent Infringement
| from the just-a-hazing-ritual-nowadays dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday July 29, @01:19 (Music)
| with 149 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0124213/Spotify-Sued-For-Patent-Infringement?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Celebrated online music player Spotify just
entered the US market a few weeks ago, and already it's [0]being sued for
patent infringement. Welcome to America! The patent in question is a very
very broad patent on [1]distribution of music in a digital form, which
basically describes how anyone would ever distribute digital music. The
company suing, PacketVideo, has no competing product. It just wants money
from the company that actually innovated."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0124213/Spotify-Sued-For-Patent-Infringement?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110728/00525815296/that-didnt-take-long-spotify-sued-patent-infringement-just-weeks-after-entering-us-market.shtml
1. http://www.google.com/patents?id=ue8GAAAAEBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=5,636,276&hl=en&ei=oxExTrLlAsLjiALKnqG6Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Java 7 Ships With Severe Bug
| from the meeting-expectations dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @13:13 (Java)
| with 149 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1639233/Java-7-Ships-With-Severe-Bug?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lisandro writes "Lucid Imagination just posted [0]an announcement about a
severe bug in the recently released [1]Java 7. Apparently some loops are
mis-compiled due to errors in the HotSpot compiler optimizations, which
causes programs to fail. This bug affects several Apache projects
directly ��� Apache Lucene Core and Apache Solr have already [2]raised a
warning, noting that the bug might be present in Java 6 as well."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1639233/Java-7-Ships-With-Severe-Bug?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.lucidimagination.com/blog/2011/07/28/dont-use-java-7-for-anything/
1. http://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/07/28/1758221/Oracle-Announces-Java-SE-7
2. http://lucene.apache.org/solr/#28+July+2011+-+WARNING%3A+Index+corruption+and+crashes+in+Apache+Lucene+Core+%2F+Apache+Solr+with+Java+7
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Analyzing Long-Term SSD Failure Rates
| from the we'll-always-find-new-ways-to-break-new-technology dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @09:32 (Data Storage)
| with 138 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1219211/Analyzing-Long-Term-SSD-Failure-Rates?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
wintertargeter writes "It looks like Tom's Hardware has posted the first
[0]long-term study of SSD failure rates. The [1]chart on the last page is
interesting ��� based on numbers, it seems SSDs aren't more reliable than
hard drives. "
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1219211/Analyzing-Long-Term-SSD-Failure-Rates?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-reliability-failure-rate,2923.html
1. http://media.bestofmicro.com/4/A/302122/original/ssdfailurerates_1024.png
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| TN BlueCross Encrypts All Data After 57 Disks Stolen
| from the best-practices-are-best-practice dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday July 29, @08:14 (Businesses)
| with 132 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0521247/TN-BlueCross-Encrypts-All-Data-After-57-Disks-Stolen?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucas123 writes "After dozens of hard disk drives were stolen from a
leased facility in Chattanooga, potentially exposing the personal data of
more than 1 million customers, BlueCross decided to go the safe route:
[0]they spent $6 million to encrypt all stored data across their
enterprise. The health insurer spent the past year encrypting nearly a
petabyte of data on 1,000 Windows, AIX, SQL, VMware and Xen server hard
drives; 6,000 workstations and removable media drives; as well as 136,000
tape backup volumes."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0521247/TN-BlueCross-Encrypts-All-Data-After-57-Disks-Stolen?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Raspberry Pi $25 PC Goes Into Alpha Production
| from the perhaps-not-vaporpi dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @11:53 (Education)
| with 118 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1523225/Raspberry-Pi-25-PC-Goes-Into-Alpha-Production?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Game developer David Braben caused geeks to
get excited back in May when he announced plans [0]to develop and release
a $25 PC. It is called the Raspberry Pi and takes the form of a USB stick
that can be plugged into the HDMI port of a display ready to act as a
fully-functional PC. Two months on and [1]the spec of the PCB layout has
been finalized and an [2]alpha release has been sent to manufacture. Any
doubts this PC wasn't going to happen should now disappear as this alpha
board is expected to be almost the same as the final production unit.
Although we don't know a release date as of yet, the Raspeberry Pi
Foundation is promising images of the alpha boards in a couple of weeks."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1523225/Raspberry-Pi-25-PC-Goes-Into-Alpha-Production?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/05/06/122233/A-25-PC-On-a-USB-Stick
1. http://www.raspberrypi.org/?p=28
2. http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/raspberry-pi-25-pc-goes-into-alpha-production-20110728/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| AT&T To Start Data Throttling Heaviest Users
| from the sounds-like-a-martial-arts-demonstration dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday July 29, @18:55 (AT&T)
| with 117 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2247215/ATampT-To-Start-Data-Throttling-Heaviest-Users?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]greymond writes "AT&T has announced that starting on Oct. 1 it will
[1]throttle the data speeds of users with unlimited data plans who exceed
bandwidth thresholds on its 3G network. AT&T is following in the tracks
Verizon and Virgin Mobile in reducing data throughput speeds of its
heaviest mobile data users."
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2247215/ATampT-To-Start-Data-Throttling-Heaviest-Users?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.michaelghurston.com/
1. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/att_to_start_data_throttling_how_will_it_affect_us.php
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Pakistan Tries To Ban Encryption
| from the shh-don't-tell-the-other-countries dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday July 29, @19:34 (Encryption)
| with 110 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2328225/Pakistan-Tries-To-Ban-Encryption?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Pakistan has a new Telecoms Law going into
effect, which requires widespread monitoring of internet usage. In
response, new reports are saying that [0]the country is banning
encryption, including VPNs, because it would interfere with the ability
of ISPs to monitor internet usage."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2328225/Pakistan-Tries-To-Ban-Encryption?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| GAO Report: DoD Incompetent At Cybersecurity
| from the you-have-been-called-out dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @12:55 (Government)
| with 96 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1633231/GAO-Report-DoD-Incompetent-At-Cybersecurity?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]itwbennett writes "According to a [1]scathing report from the GAO
(PDF) released July 25, the Department of Defense only started to take
cyberwar seriously during the past two or three years, after ignoring
warnings for about 2 decades. And when we say, 'take it seriously' we
mean [2]'throw gobs of money at it' ��� to little effect. 'According to
DoD, a large number of intelligence agencies and foreign militaries are
actively trying to penetrate our military networks. These networks are
scanned millions of times a day and probed thousands of times a day. Over
the past several years, DoD has experienced damaging penetration to these
networks...[including] blueprints of weapons systems that have already
been compromised,' the report said. Even for an organization with the
budget and security awareness of DoD, the prospect of having to keep pace
with the steady increase in threats from smaller countries and stateless
terror organizations is 'daunting,' GAO concluded."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1633231/GAO-Report-DoD-Incompetent-At-Cybersecurity?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1175.pdf
2. http://www.itworld.com/security/187699/it-time-pentagon-turn-cyberwar-over-someone-else
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MIT Unveils Sun-Free Photovoltaics
| from the channeling-dark-power dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @15:12 (Power)
| with 92 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1755206/MIT-Unveils-Sun-Free-Photovoltaics?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at MIT just unveiled [0]a new
solar power generator that doesn't need sunlight to function. The
[1]button-sized power generator can tap energy from heat, the sun's rays,
a hydrocarbon fuel, or a decaying radioisotope, and it can run three
times longer than a lithium-ion battery of the same weight. It is hoped
that the technology may one day be used to generate power for spacecraft
on long-term missions where sunlight may not be available."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1755206/MIT-Unveils-Sun-Free-Photovoltaics?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/sun-free-photovoltaics-0728.html
1. http://inhabitat.com/mit-unveils-solar-power-system-that-doesnt-need-sunlight/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Evaluating the Capabilities of Chip-Sized Spacecraft
| from the remember-when-we-had-people-sized-spacecraft dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @13:37 (Space)
| with 88 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1651244/Evaluating-the-Capabilities-of-Chip-Sized-Spacecraft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kgeiger writes "The Sprite project is [0]testing the feasibility of
chip-sized spacecraft. 'Rather than hand building one-of-a-kind
spacecraft, we envision constructing spacecraft on wafers in much the
same way that common integrated circuits are made today. During
fabrication, solar cells and other components would be incorporated with
microelectromechanical systems techniques. Instead of exhaustively
testing each part, as is done with current spacecraft, engineers will be
able to monitor Sprite quality in a less labor-intensive fashion by using
statistical process control, testing a few chips from each batch to make
sure they meet specifications.' The project's goal is to deploy true
'smart dust,' comprised of 5- to 50-mg single-sensor spacecraft capable
of forming deep-space sensor arrays."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1651244/Evaluating-the-Capabilities-of-Chip-Sized-Spacecraft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/satellites/exploring-space-with-chipsized-satellites/0
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Exposes Locations of PCs and Phones
| from the keeping-up-with-the-googses dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @14:15 (Microsoft)
| with 85 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1658230/Microsoft-Exposes-Locations-of-PCs-and-Phones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
suraj.sun sends this excerpt from CNET: "Microsoft has collected the
locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices
around the world and [0]makes them available on the Web without taking
the privacy precautions that competitors have, CNET has learned. The vast
database available through Live.com publishes the precise geographical
location, which can point to a street address and sometimes even a corner
of a building, of Android phones, Apple devices, and other Wi-Fi enabled
gadgets. Unlike Google and Skyhook Wireless, which have compiled similar
lists of these unique Wi-Fi addresses, Microsoft has not taken any
measures to curb access to its database."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1658230/Microsoft-Exposes-Locations-of-PCs-and-Phones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20085028-281/microsofts-web-map-exposes-phone-pc-locations/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hackers' Flying Drone Now Eavesdrops On GSM Phones
| from the it-slices-it-dices-it-makes-juilenne-fries dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @10:53 (Robotics)
| with 83 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1338253/Hackers-Flying-Drone-Now-Eavesdrops-On-GSM-Phones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sparrowvsrevolution writes "At the Black Hat and Defcon security
conferences in Las Vegas next week, Mike Tassey and Richard Perkins plan
to show the crowd of hackers a year's worth of progress on their Wireless
Aerial Surveillance Platform, or WASP, the second year Tassey and Perkins
have displayed the 14-pound, six-foot-long, six-foot wingspan unmanned
aerial vehicle. The WASP, built from a retired Army target drone
converted from a gasoline engine to electric batteries, is equipped with
an HD camera, a cigarette-pack-sized on-board Linux computer packed with
network-hacking tools, including the BackTrack testing toolset and a
custom-built 340 million word dictionary for brute-force guessing of
passwords, and eleven antennae. On top of cracking Wi-Fi networks, the
upgraded WASP now also performs a new trick: [0]impersonating the GSM
cell phone towers used by AT&T and T-Mobile to trick phones into
connecting to the plane's antenna rather than their carrier, allowing the
drone to record conversations and text messages on 32 gigs of storage."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1338253/Hackers-Flying-Drone-Now-Eavesdrops-On-GSM-Phones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Circuit Flaws Blamed For China Train Crash
| from the rest-in-peace dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @17:38 (Bug)
| with 77 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/212238/Circuit-Flaws-Blamed-For-China-Train-Crash?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hackingbear writes "The Xinhua news agency reports that [0]a signaling
equipment circuit design flaw and lack of safety alertness in railway
management caused a high-speed train [1]to ram into a stalled train near
the city of Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday,
leaving 40 people dead and 191 injured. A lightning strike triggered the
malfunction, which resulted in a green alert light failing to turn red,
leaving railway personnel unaware of the stalled train, the official
said. The Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of
Signal and Communication Co., which was responsible for designing and
building the signaling system, has posted an apology letter on its
website, offering condolences and promising to 'shoulder any due
punishments that may result from the investigation.' Domestic media has
raised more questions over the explanation. 'Why was such seriously
flawed equipment in use for nearly two years without being detected? Why
was it installed in as many as 76 rail stations across the country? Are
there other problems with the railway apart from equipment flaws?'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/212238/Circuit-Flaws-Blamed-For-China-Train-Crash?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-07/29/c_131018337.htm
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/23/1547240/Bullet-Train-Derails-In-China
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Australian ALDIs Sell Conficker-Infected Hard Drives
| from the wish-american-aldis-sold-electronics-at-all dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday July 29, @04:01 (Australia)
| with 74 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0444245/Australian-ALDIs-Sell-Conficker-Infected-Hard-Drives?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]mukimu writes "Supermarket ALDI has been [1]selling malware-infected
hard drives in Australian stores, prompting the country's Computer
Emergency Response Team (AusCERT) to issue a security alert to users on
behalf of the government. ALDI has had to issue a recall on the products,
which contained components of Conficker, and remove the product from its
stores. AusCERT noted that the worm should be picked up by antivirus
given it is extremely old and past its heyday when it [2]infected
Australian Banks and [3]transport infrastructure."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/0444245/Australian-ALDIs-Sell-Conficker-Infected-Hard-Drives?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:michael.lee@cbsinteractive.com
1. http://www.zdnet.com.au/aldi-sells-hard-drives-with-malware-inside-339319481.htm
2. http://www.zdnet.com.au/conficker-worm-strikes-anz-bank-339296289.htm
3. http://www.zdnet.com.au/railcorp-wrestles-with-conficker-339298913.htm
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google Buys IBM Patents
| from the something-borrowed-something-blue dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @09:51 (Google)
| with 65 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1257249/Google-Buys-IBM-Patents?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]pbahra writes "Google said Friday that it has [1]purchased technology
patents from IBM as the Web-search giant stocks up on intellectual
property to defend itself against lawsuits. 'Like many tech companies, at
times we'll acquire patents that are relevant to our business,' a Google
spokesman said in a statement. The purchase was reported earlier by the
blog SEO by the Sea, which said Google in mid-July recorded the
acquisition of more than 1,000 patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office. The patents involve the 'fabrication and architecture of memory
and microprocessing chips,' computer architecture including servers and
routers and online search engines, among other things. The Google
spokesman declined to comment on the purchase price. It wasn't
immediately clear which of the patents might be useful to Google to
shield against lawsuits."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/1257249/Google-Buys-IBM-Patents?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:parminder.bahra@wsj.com
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904800304576475663046346104.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MPEG LA Says 12 Parties Have Essential WebM Patents
| from the dirty-dozen dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @18:17 (Google)
| with 65 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2129214/MPEG-LA-Says-12-Parties-Have-Essential-WebM-Patents?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
suraj.sun tips this report from the H Online: "The hopes that the VP8
codec at the heart of Google's open source WebM video standard would
remain unchallenged in the patent arena are diminishing after the MPEG LA
says [0]12 parties hold patents that its evaluators consider essential to
the codec. ... No [1]VP8 patent pool has been formed yet; the MPEG LA
says it met with the patent holders in late June and is 'continuing to
facilitate that discussion' but the decision to form a pool is up to the
patent holders. ... Google responded to [2]the MPEG LA's interview saying
it is 'firmly committed to the project and establishing an open codec for
HTML5 video' and noting the April launch of the [3]WebM CCL, a community
cross-licencing agreement for essential WebM related patents."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2129214/MPEG-LA-Says-12-Parties-Have-Essential-WebM-Patents?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/MPEG-LA-says-12-parties-have-essential-WebM-patents-1288232.html
1. http://slashdot.org/story/11/02/11/1536257/MPEG-LA-Attempts-To-Start-VP8-Patent-Pool
2. http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/News/Featured-News/WebM-Patent-Fight-Ahead-for-Google-76781.aspx
3. http://www.webm-ccl.org/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>Dice Age</em> — Indie Gaming Project vs. Hollywood
| from the we-own-all-the-words dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @18:00 (It's funny. Laugh.)
| with 27 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2114234/Dice-Age-mdash-Indie-Gaming-Project-vs-Hollywood?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]ArrowBay writes "[1]Dice Age, a independent game project that raised
nearly $35K through Kickstarter, is apparently facing some scrutiny from
a certain movie studio that has produced movies with a similar name. From
the latest [2]project update: 'As if the Ice Age was exclusively the name
of a movie, or if Dice Age was a movie itself, the 20th century fox has
just asked for an extent of time (till 10-26-2011) to oppose to the
registering of our beloved Dice Age game name. My point of view, as a
scientist, is the Ice age is a geological era before it is a movie.""
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2114234/Dice-Age-mdash-Indie-Gaming-Project-vs-Hollywood?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.arrowbay.net/
1. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1536325846/dice-age-the-new-era-of-dice
2. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1536325846/dice-age-the-new-era-of-dice/posts/101705
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Chinese Firm Launches Cloud-Based Mobile OS
| from the and-now-for-something-completely-different dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday July 29, @18:36 (China)
| with 21 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/217253/Chinese-Firm-Launches-Cloud-Based-Mobile-OS?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "China-based company Alibaba looks to take on
the might of Apple and Google with a cloud-based operating system.
According to the company, its Aliyun OS will be based on the Linux
kernel, and will also be compatible with Android apps. Launched alongside
the K-Touch Cloud-Smart Phone W700, Alibaba is hoping that [0]a 0% slice
of developer profits will encourage adoption, and says it hopes
manufacturers will take the platform to global markets."
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/217253/Chinese-Firm-Launches-Cloud-Based-Mobile-OS?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/368989/china-mobile-os-takes-aim-at-smartphone-giants
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