The Future������and Present������is Virtual
Because virtualization is still a relatively young technology, challenges and opportunities are only now being recognized and addressed. Understand the issues and solutions.
http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sdnl/114/80612187/
======================================================================
Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Cop Seeks Wiretapping Charges For Woman Who Videotaped Beating
* Driver Using Two Cell Phones Gets Year-Long Driving Ban
* Paypal Founder Helping Build Artificial Island Nations
* The Post-Idea World
* C++0x Finally Becomes a Standard
* China Praises UK Internet Censorship Plan
* Microsoft Exec Responds To the Google-Motorola Deal
* Hard Truths About HTML5
* Do Spoilers Ruin a Good Story? No, Say Researchers
* Digital Tech and the Re-Birth of Product Placement
* Yahoo, Facebook Test "Six Degrees of Separation"
* Can We Fix SSL Certification?
* Samsung Hires Steve 'Cyanogen' Kondik
* IE 9 Beats Other Browsers at Blocking Malicious Content
* BART Keeps Cell Service Despite Protests
* 1 in 8 Take Fake Phone Calls to Avoid Talking to Others
* 3DS and Vita Face Tough Battle Against Smartphones
* Santa Cruz Tests Predictive Policing Program
* Floating Nuclear Power Plant Seized By Court
* Righthaven Loses Again
* A Linux Kernel More Stable Than -stable
* Aaron Barr Talks About DEFCON, Anonymous Attacks
* JooJoo Maker Is Back With a New Tablet
* Navy Bomb Squads Get a Solar Power Upgrade
* App Inventor Continues Life at MIT
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Cop Seeks Wiretapping Charges For Woman Who Videotaped Beating
| from the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday August 15, @20:06 (Crime)
| with 632 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/15/2313212/Cop-Seeks-Wiretapping-Charges-For-Woman-Who-Videotaped-Beating?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "A police officer who was disciplined for his
role in the beating of a Massachusetts man (many broken bones in his face
and permanent partial blindness) is looking to [0]bring criminal
wiretapping charges against the woman who caught much of the incident on
video. The officer received a 45-day suspension for the beating. He does
not appear to deny anything that happened in the video, but [1]he
apparently thinks it shouldn't have been filmed."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/15/2313212/Cop-Seeks-Wiretapping-Charges-For-Woman-Who-Videotaped-Beating?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110812/23525115512/police-try-to-bring-wiretapping-charges-against-woman-who-filmed-them-beating-man.shtml
1. http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/videographer_of_alleged_melvin.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Driver Using Two Cell Phones Gets Year-Long Driving Ban
| from the gt-2-run-cops-r-bug'n-me dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday August 15, @22:05 (The Courts)
| with 455 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/15/2340251/Driver-Using-Two-Cell-Phones-Gets-Year-Long-Driving-Ban?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]coondoggie writes "This guy is the poster-child for why cell phone use
in cars should be banned in more places. According to press out of the
United Kingdom, a man who was [1]driving at 70MPH while texting on one
phone and talking on another has been [2]banned from driving for a year.
Initial reports said that the driver, David Secker, was apparently using
his knees to steer the car, an accusation he tried to refute in court."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/15/2340251/Driver-Using-Two-Cell-Phones-Gets-Year-Long-Driving-Ban?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:mcooney@nww.com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/driver-using-two-cell-phones-gets-12-month-dr
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-14533821
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Paypal Founder Helping Build Artificial Island Nations
| from the principality-of-sealand-declares-war dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @17:20 (Earth)
| with 426 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2032236/Paypal-Founder-Helping-Build-Artificial-Island-Nations?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MadMartigan2001 writes with a pretty crazy article on a project involving
floating libertarian paradises. From the article: "PayPal founder and
early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has [0]given $1.25 million to an
initiative to create floating libertarian countries in international
waters. Thiel has [1]been a big backer of the [2]Seasteading Institute,
which seeks to build sovereign nations on oil rig-like platforms to
occupy waters beyond the reach of law-of-the-sea treaties."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2032236/Paypal-Founder-Helping-Build-Artificial-Island-Nations?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/silicon-valley-billionaire-funding-creation-artificial-libertarian-islands-140840896.html
1. http://www.details.com/culture-trends/critical-eye/201109/peter-thiel-billionaire-paypal-facebook-internet-success
2. http://seasteading.org/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The Post-Idea World
| from the shiny-objects-trump-shiny-thoughts dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @08:12 (Editorial)
| with 346 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0142226/The-Post-Idea-World?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader sends this quote from an opinion piece in the NY
Times: "If our ideas seem smaller nowadays, it's not because we are
dumber than our forebears but because [0]we just don't care as much about
ideas as they did. In effect, we are living in an increasingly post-idea
world ��� a world in which big, thought-provoking ideas that can't
instantly be monetized are of so little intrinsic value that fewer people
are generating them and fewer outlets are disseminating them, the
Internet notwithstanding. Bold ideas are almost pass��. ... There is the
eclipse of the public intellectual in the general media by the pundit who
substitutes outrageousness for thoughtfulness, and the concomitant
decline of the essay in general-interest magazines. And there is the rise
of an increasingly visual culture, especially among the young ��� a form in
which ideas are more difficult to express. But these factors, which began
decades ago, were more likely harbingers of an approaching post-idea
world than the chief causes of it."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0142226/The-Post-Idea-World?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/opinion/sunday/the-elusive-big-idea.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| C++0x Finally Becomes a Standard
| from the c++-ain't-what-it-used-to-be dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @13:35 (Programming)
| with 319 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/178227/C0x-Finally-Becomes-a-Standard?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Samfer writes "On Friday August 12th 2011, the [0]results for the final
ISO ballot on C++0x came in, and [1]the ISO C++ Standards Committee were
unanimous in favor of [2]approving the new C++0x (for now unofficially
known as C++11) object-oriented programming language standard which is
intended to replace the existing C++ [3]standard. The new standard is to
offer [4]new and improved features such as [5]lambda functions,
concurrent programming functionality, direct data field initialization,
and an improved standard library to name but a few." Although I haven't
heavily used C++ in years, it is nice to see a decade long effort finally
come to fruition. Especially nice is the support for [6]type inference
which should save quite a few people from RSI and make refactoring code a
bit less obnoxious.
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/178227/C0x-Finally-Becomes-a-Standard?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://herbsutter.com/2011/08/12/we-have-an-international-standard-c0x-is-unanimously-approved/
1. http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/
2. http://blog.operationreality.org/2011/08/15/c-0x-aka-c-11-now-an-international-standard-with-unanimous-approval/
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_14882#Language_standard
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B0x#Core_language_usability_enhancements
5. http://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2009/08/03/hello-lambdas-c-0x-a-quick-guide-to-lambdas-in-c/
6. http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?TypeInference
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| China Praises UK Internet Censorship Plan
| from the you-know-you're-on-the-wrong-side-when dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @02:14 (Censorship)
| with 314 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0019248/China-Praises-UK-Internet-Censorship-Plan?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mormop writes "The Chinese government has [0]praised UK Prime Minister
David Cameron's plan for [1]censoring social networking sites at times
when the government feels threatened, believing it legitimizes China own
behavior. Quoting Chinese state media website Global Times: 'Britain's
new attitude will [2]help appease the quarrels between East and West over
the future management of the Internet. As for China, advocates of an
unlimited development of the Internet should think twice about their
original ideas.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0019248/China-Praises-UK-Internet-Censorship-Plan?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.zeropaid.com/news/95119/uk-pms-internet-censorship-insinuation-receives-praise-from-china/
1. http://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/08/11/1325218/UK-To-Shut-Down-Social-Networks
2. http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/670718/Riots-lead-to-rethink-of-Internet-freedom.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Exec Responds To the Google-Motorola Deal
| from the closed-is-open dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @12:50 (Businesses)
| with 258 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1645229/Microsoft-Exec-Responds-To-the-Google-Motorola-Deal?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
adeelarshad82 writes "In a statement released yesterday, Microsoft's
Windows Phone Division President Andy Lees said 'Investing in a broad and
truly open mobile ecosystem is important for the industry and consumers
alike, and Windows Phone is now the [0]only platform that does so with
equal opportunity for all partners.' What's interesting is that even
though [1]some analysts are actually expecting OEMs to switch their focus
to Windows Phone 7, past sales figures ([2]especially for Samsung) show
that the decision to do so might not come easily."
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1645229/Microsoft-Exec-Responds-To-the-Google-Motorola-Deal?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/08/15/microsoft-to-phone-makers-maybe-you-should-pick-us/
1. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391101,00.asp
2. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390518,00.asp
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hard Truths About HTML5
| from the does-not-julienne-fries dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @05:26 (Programming)
| with 244 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0248232/Hard-Truths-About-HTML5?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]snydeq writes "Peter Wayner discusses a number of [1]hard truths Web
developers must accept in making the most of HTML5 ��� especially those who
are looking to leverage HTML5 in hopes of unseating native apps. 'The
truth is, despite [2]its powerful capabilities, HTML5 isn't the solution
for every problem. Its additional features are compelling and will help
make Web apps formidable competitors for native apps, but security
issues, limitations of local data storage, synchronization challenges,
and politics should have us all scaling back our expectations for the
spec.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0248232/Hard-Truths-About-HTML5?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/print/169665
2. http://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/03/09/174210/In-Depth-Look-At-HTML5
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Do Spoilers Ruin a Good Story? No, Say Researchers
| from the maybe-researchers-are-just-jerks dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @00:10 (Books)
| with 228 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0237204/Do-Spoilers-Ruin-a-Good-Story-No-Say-Researchers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "According to a recent study at the University of
California San Diego, knowing how a book ends [1]does not ruin its story
and can actually enhance enjoyment. It suggests people may enjoy a good
story as much as a good twist at the end, and even if they know the
outcome, will enjoy the journey as much as the destination. 'It could be
that once you know how it turns out, you're more comfortable processing
the information and can focus on a deeper understanding of the story,'
says co-author Jonathan Leavitt. Researchers gave 12 short stories to 30
participants where two versions were spoiled and a third was not. In all
but one story, readers said they preferred versions which had spoiling
paragraphs written into it. Even when the stories contained a plot twist
or mystery, subjects preferred the spoiled versions. '[2]Plots are just
excuses for great writing,' says social psychologist Nicholas
Christenfeld. 'As a film director, your job isn't really to come to the
conclusion that the butler did it. A single line would do that.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0237204/Do-Spoilers-Ruin-a-Good-Story-No-Say-Researchers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14521627
2. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/us-books-spoilers-odd-idUSTRE77B46J20110812
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Digital Tech and the Re-Birth of Product Placement
| from the making-the-world-worse dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday August 16, @12:00 (Advertising)
| with 216 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1542203/Digital-Tech-and-the-Re-Birth-of-Product-Placement?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]pbahra writes "When you think of product placement on television you
tend to think of cumbersome 1950s examples where the actor would cheesily
turn to camera and hold up, say, a bar of soap���where do you think the
sobriquet soap opera came from���to deliver his line. Perhaps to save all
of us the artistic murder, the practice was prohibited in Europe, but
recently the prohibition has been relaxed and a U.K. start up is offering
digital producers the [1]chance to inject products realistically in post
production with full directorial control. The problem with existing
physical product placement is that there are no clear business plans, and
the process is incredibly slow. In Europe, legal constraints prohibit
directors from re-writing scripts to include products, so any placement
has to be done at the creative stage."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1542203/Digital-Tech-and-the-Re-Birth-of-Product-Placement?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:parminder.bahra@wsj.com
1. http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/08/16/digital-technology-and-the-re-birth-of-product-placement/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Yahoo, Facebook Test "Six Degrees of Separation"
| from the small-world dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 16, @10:24 (Facebook)
| with 210 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1337246/Yahoo-Facebook-Test-Six-Degrees-of-Separation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Yahoo has partnered with Facebook to test the
iconic social experiment known as 'six degrees of separation' (everyone
is on average approximately six steps away from any other person on
Earth). The goal of the Small World Experiment is to [0]determine the
social path length between two strangers by tapping into the world's
largest social network and its 750 million users, each of whom have an
average of 130 friends." Looks like a fun project, but not quite as
useful as [1]knowing how close you are to Kevin Bacon.
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1337246/Yahoo-Facebook-Test-Six-Degrees-of-Separation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/yahoo-facebook-test-8220six-degrees-of-separation-8221-idea/2678
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Can We Fix SSL Certification?
| from the security-through-insecurity dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @15:03 (Security)
| with 193 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1816223/Can-We-Fix-SSL-Certification?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Em Adespoton writes "At DEFCON this year, Moxie Marlinspike gave an
excellent presentation showing how [1]broken the current SSL
certification model is and proposing a replacement. Naked Security adds
to the issue, asking: [2]does it even matter if you can trust your
certificate notaries?"
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1816223/Can-We-Fix-SSL-Certification?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:slashdotonly.1.adespoton@spamgourmet.com
1. http://blog.thoughtcrime.org/ssl-and-the-future-of-authenticity
2. http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/08/16/defcon-2011-ssl-and-the-future-of-authenticity/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Samsung Hires Steve 'Cyanogen' Kondik
| from the get-the-best dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday August 16, @09:39 (Android)
| with 171 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1341221/Samsung-Hires-Steve-Cyanogen-Kondik?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some nameless reader noted a surprising twist in the tale of Cyanogen, an
android modder [0]once cease and desisted by Google. "[1]Samsung Mobile
has hired one of the homebrew market's most notorious and successful
Android hackers, Steve 'Cyanogen' Kondik, best known as the creator of
the CyanogenMod for Android."
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1341221/Samsung-Hires-Steve-Cyanogen-Kondik?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/09/25/1417208/Google-Serves-a-Cease-and-Desist-On-Android-Modder
1. http://www.telecoms.com/31956/samsung-hires-android-hacker-cyanogen/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| IE 9 Beats Other Browsers at Blocking Malicious Content
| from the slid-into-the-wrong-universe dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @16:33 (Internet Explorer)
| with 163 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/200209/IE-9-Beats-Other-Browsers-at-Blocking-Malicious-Content?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orome1 writes with an article in Net Security. From the article:
"Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 has proved once again to be [0]the best
choice when it comes to catching attacks aimed at making the user
download Web-based malware. This claim was made by NSS Labs in the
[1]recently released results (PDF) of a test conducted globally from May
27 through June 10 of the current year, which saw five of the most
popular Web browsers pitted against each other. Windows Internet Explorer
9, Google Chrome 12, Mozilla Firefox 4, Apple Safari 5, and Opera 11 were
tested with 1,188 malicious URLs ��� links that lead to a download that
delivers a malicious payload or to a website hosting malware links."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/200209/IE-9-Beats-Other-Browsers-at-Blocking-Malicious-Content?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=1803
1. https://www.nsslabs.com/assets/noreg-reports/2011/nss%20labs_q3_2011_browsersem%20GLOBAL-FINAL.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| BART Keeps Cell Service Despite Protests
| from the be-glad-dissent-is-permitted dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @15:51 (Censorship)
| with 161 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1931241/BART-Keeps-Cell-Service-Despite-Protests?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okian Warrior writes "After taking heat from the ACLU and being [0]hacked
by Anonymous for shutting down cellphone service to four stations last
week, BART kept cell service on during Monday's protests. Officials at
Bay Area Rapid Transit decided Monday that cutting cellphone service to
[1]thwart another planned protest would cause more trouble than the
protests themselves. Instead, four stations were temporarily closed,
creating a chaotic rush-hour commute."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1931241/BART-Keeps-Cell-Service-Despite-Protests?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/articles/197972/20110815/bart-network-hacked-anonymous-passenger-data-leaked.htm
1. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0816/BART-backs-off-tactic-of-cutting-cellphone-service-to-thwart-protests
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1 in 8 Take Fake Phone Calls to Avoid Talking to Others
| from the quiet-please-I'm-pretending-to-have-a-conversation dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 16, @13:15 (Handhelds)
| with 143 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/141204/1-in-8-Take-Fake-Phone-Calls-to-Avoid-Talking-to-Others?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that
[0]people are lying 13% of the time when they say they have to take a
cell phone call around you. That number jumps to an inconsiderate 30% in
the 18- to 29-year-old age group. The survey also found that 42% of the
18-to-29 group "have had trouble doing something because [1]they did not
have their phone nearby." More than a quarter of survey
respondents...sorry, I have to take this call.
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/141204/1-in-8-Take-Fake-Phone-Calls-to-Avoid-Talking-to-Others?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/15/survey-1-in-8-fake-using-their-cell-phone-to-avoid-talking-to-others/
1. http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3DS and Vita Face Tough Battle Against Smartphones
| from the all-about-the-benjamins dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @03:29 (Cellphones)
| with 129 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0257248/3DS-and-Vita-Face-Tough-Battle-Against-Smartphones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An article at the Opposable Thumbs blog looks at [0]the struggle between
portable gaming devices and smartphones with access to a plethora of
inexpensive games. "...most games simply have to be 'good enough' and
convenient. If you already have a smartphone and an hour to kill, plenty
of top-notch games can be downloaded in a minute for a dollar. With the
3DS or Vita, you're being asked to buy expensive hardware and then feed
it with games that cost $40 and up. Smartphones also present a compelling
deal for small, adventurous developers: it's inexpensive to create a game
for these platforms, and developers don't have to worry about physical
storefronts, packaging design, or cartridge manufacturing. Sony is now
pushing for a digital platform that relies heavily on downloads with the
Vita, but Nintendo still seems to believe the future rests with
expensive, physical carts. Trying to buy one of the few digital games
available on the 3DS via the system's e-shop is a slow, frustrating
process."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/0257248/3DS-and-Vita-Face-Tough-Battle-Against-Smartphones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Santa Cruz Tests Predictive Policing Program
| from the tom-cruise-goes-missing dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @19:28 (Crime)
| with 123 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2231211/Santa-Cruz-Tests-Predictive-Policing-Program?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The police department of Santa Cruz, California is testing a new method
for apprehending criminals: [0]beating them to the crime scene. No, they
haven't harnessed a group of pre-cogs; they're relying on a computer
program that analyzes past crime statistics. "Based on models for
predicting aftershocks from earthquakes, it generates projections about
which areas and windows of time are at highest risk for future crimes by
analyzing and detecting patterns in years of past crime data. The
projections are recalibrated daily, as new crimes occur and updated data
is fed into the program. ... For the Santa Cruz trial, eight years of
crime data were fed into the computer program, which breaks Santa Cruz
into squares of approximately 500 feet by 500 feet. ... Officers are
given a list of the 10 highest-probability 'hot spots' of the day at roll
call. They check those areas during times that they are not out on
service calls. Before the program started, they made such 'pass through'
checks based on hunches or experience of where crimes were likely to
occur."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2231211/Santa-Cruz-Tests-Predictive-Policing-Program?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/us/16police.html?_r=2
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Floating Nuclear Power Plant Seized By Court
| from the smokers-sighted-nearby dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @15:21 (Power)
| with 112 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1853241/Floating-Nuclear-Power-Plant-Seized-By-Court?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "The world's first nuclear barge has been
[0]impounded while still under construction ��� but not because of looming
safety or [1]environmental concerns. The shipyard's parent companies are
embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings, and Russia's state nuclear
corporation, Rosatom, was worried that a creditor would end up with this
valuable nuclear asset, and asked the bankruptcy court to seize the barge
to protect it."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1853241/Floating-Nuclear-Power-Plant-Seized-By-Court?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/energy/nuclear/russias-first-floating-nuclear-plant-seized-by-court-order
1. http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2009/four_new_floating_reactors
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Righthaven Loses Again
| from the nuke-them-from-orbit dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @14:19 (The Courts)
| with 110 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1750228/Righthaven-Loses-Again?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Righthaven, the Las Vegas copyright troll, won't
be collecting any damages from a man it once branded as a copyright
infringer but instead [1]must pay the man's legal fees of $34,045. US
District Judge Philip Pro awarded the fees in the case of Kentucky
message board poster Wayne Hoehn, finding that Righthaven didn't have
standing to sue him due to the Review-Journal maintaining control of the
column [and that] Hoehn was protected by the fair use doctrine. This is
the [2]second attorney's fee award against Righthaven. These are likely
just the tip of the iceberg, with [3]prevailing defendant Thomas DiBiase
asking for $199,250 while the Democratic Underground will likely seek a
fee award of many hundreds of thousands of dollars after Righthaven was
dismissed from that suit for lack of standing. The bottom line for
Righthaven is that so far it has not won a single lawsuit of 275 filed
since 2010."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1750228/Righthaven-Loses-Again?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/aug/15/righthaven-defendant-wins-second-attorneys-fee-awa/
2. http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/jul/06/righthaven-ordered-pay-defendants-legal-fees/
3. http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/aug/15/righthaven-critics-take-shots-each-other/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| A Linux Kernel More Stable Than -stable
| from the linux-gets-a-day-job dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @18:04 (Software)
| with 96 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2135217/A-Linux-Kernel-More-Stable-Than--stable?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]jfruhlinger writes '-stable' is the term for the current Linux release
most suitable for general use; but as Linux moves into more and more
niches, there's a [1]need for a kernel more stable than -stable, which is
updated fairly regularly. Both enterprise and embedded systems in
particular need a longer horizon of kernel stability, which prompted Greg
Kroah-Hartman, then at SuSE, to establish a -longterm kernel, which will
remain stable for up to two years. Now there are moves to [2]get this
schedule formalized ��� moves that are a good sign of Linux's long-term
health."
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2135217/A-Linux-Kernel-More-Stable-Than--stable?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://joshreads.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/194203/longterm-kernel-proposal-signals-ongoing-linux-growth
2. http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/longterm-proposal-08-2011.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Aaron Barr Talks About DEFCON, Anonymous Attacks
| from the between-the-barrs dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday August 16, @08:51 (Security)
| with 72 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1242238/Aaron-Barr-Talks-About-DEFCON-Anonymous-Attacks?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trailrunner7 writes "Finding Aaron Barr at this year's DEFCON hacker
conference in Las Vegas was like a giant game of 'Where's Waldo.' Given
the events of the past year, you can hardly blame him for keeping a low
profile. First there was the attack on him and his then-employer, HBGary
Federal, his decision to part ways with HBGary, his work to rehabilitate
his image and turn his personal misfortunes into a 'teaching moment' for
the industry, and then the legal wrangling in recent weeks that threw
cold water on his plans to take part in a panel discussion about
Anonymous at DEFCON. Barr was courted by numerous news outlets at the
show, including the mainstream media. But he preferred, for the most
part, to keep his own counsel. But he offered his thoughts to Threatpost
on the experience of being at the conference, [0]what the attack by
Anonymous has done to him and whether it's possible for the group to turn
its attentions to more constructive pursuits."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1242238/Aaron-Barr-Talks-About-DEFCON-Anonymous-Attacks?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/aaron-barrs-defcon-aaron-barr-081511
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| JooJoo Maker Is Back With a New Tablet
| from the some-kind-of-immortal dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday August 16, @11:17 (Android)
| with 69 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1437259/JooJoo-Maker-Is-Back-With-a-New-Tablet?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]itwbennett writes "I bet you forgot all about the [1]JooJoo, the
tablet that started life as CrunchPad and sparked a [2]bitter fight
between Michael Arrington and Fusion Garage. Well, Fusion hasn't
forgotten and 'they are [3]back in the news with a new line of products,'
writes blogger Peter Smith. 'The Grid4 is a smartphone and the Grid10 is
a tablet, both of them running the new GridOS, a custom OS built on the
Android [kernel],' says Smith. Fusion calls GridOS 'stunning, smart,
social and transportable,' whatever that may mean."
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/1437259/JooJoo-Maker-Is-Back-With-a-New-Tablet?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/11/11/1932235/JooJoo-Tablet-Dies-Fusion-Garage-Continues-On
2. http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/89752/joojoo-vs-arrington-round-four-fight
3. http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/194053/joojoo-dead-long-live-grid10
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Navy Bomb Squads Get a Solar Power Upgrade
| from the let's-hope-nobody-plants-bombs-at-night dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 16, @18:45 (The Military)
| with 42 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2214244/Navy-Bomb-Squads-Get-a-Solar-Power-Upgrade?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from TPM's Idea Lab: "The U.S.
Navy's bomb squads have a weight problem. To keep their field gear
powered up, the typical explosive ordnance disposal unit has to haul
fifty pounds of specialized chargers and related devices around, creating
an unwieldy and potentially dangerous drag on the operation. Now help is
coming from an unexpected source: the sun. The Navy's Explosive Ordnance
Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit 2 in Virginia has been [0]testing
five prototype lightweight field power kits that include solar cells as a
key component. The kits replace fifty pounds of equipment with a compact
system that weighs only about nine pounds."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2214244/Navy-Bomb-Squads-Get-a-Solar-Power-Upgrade?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/navy-bomb-squads-get-a-solar-power-makeover.php
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| App Inventor Continues Life at MIT
| from the it-was-all-for-the-best dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 16, @17:05 (Android)
| with 16 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2048207/App-Inventor-Continues-Life-at-MIT?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes with a press release on the App Inventor
Weblog. From the release: "MIT announced the launch of the new [0]Center
for Mobile Learning, with a first activity being to [1]take over and
refine App Inventor for Android. The center will be [2]led by App
Inventor mastermind Hal Abelson, Mitch Resnick of Lego Mindstorms and
Scratch fame, and Eric Klopfer, the director of teacher education at MIT
and an expert in games and simulation. This news boomerangs the
[3]negativity surrounding Google's discontinuation announcement last
week. To the many teachers whose curriculums have been energized by App
inventor, and to the thousands of newly empowered app builders: Rejoice!
The fun has just begun!" Personally I see this as a great thing. By axing
App Inventor as a Google Project and releasing the source there is
finally a real world example of using [4]Scheme to write [5]Android
applications that others can inspect.
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/16/2048207/App-Inventor-Continues-Life-at-MIT?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://web.mit.edu/press/2011/mit-launches-new-center-for-mobile-learning.html
1. http://appinventorblog.com/2011/08/16/best-app-inventor-news-ever-mit-launches-new-center-for-mobile-learning/
2. http://googleresearch.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-mit-center-for-mobile-learning-with.html
3. http://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/10/1615234/Google-Pulls-Plug-On-Programming-For-the-Masses
4. http://www.gnu.org/s/kawa/
5. http://per.bothner.com/blog/2010/AndroidHelloScheme/
Copyright 1997-2010, Geeknet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
======================================================================
You have received this message because you subscribed to it
on Slashdot. To stop receiving this and other
messages from Slashdot, or to add more messages
or change your preferences, please go to your user page.
http://slashdot.org/prefs/messages
You can log in and change your preferences from there.
No comments:
Post a Comment