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:
* Coming Soon, Shorter Video Games
* Why PCs Trump iPads For User Innovation
* C++ 2011 and the Return of Native Code
* HP Spinning Off WebOS and Exiting Hardware Business
* UK Men Get 4 Years For Trying to Incite Riots Via Facebook
* Canada To Adopt On-Line Voting?
* Apple Patents Cutting 3.5mm Jack in Half
* DARPA To Sponsor R&D For Interstellar Travel
* Can Google Fix the Cable Box?
* New Twitter-Based Hedge Fund Beats the Stock Market
* Ask Slashdot: Ebook Reader for Scientific Papers?
* Super Scrabble Players Have Unusual Brains
* Samsung Tablet Ban Lifted For Most of EU
* ARM Is a Promising Platform But Needs To Learn From the PC
* DHS Tries To Hide Mobile Scanner Details
* Company Wants You to Visit Near-Space In Their "Bloon"
* iPhone Reportedly Coming To China This Fall
* IBM Shows Off Brain-Inspired Microchips
* DARPA Hypersonic Vehicle Splash Down Confirmed
* Appeals Court Makes It Easier To Dump Software Patents
* Canadian Government Seeking New Net Snooping Powers
* Former Popemobile Going Up For Auction
* Computer Prediction Used to Design Better Organic Semiconductors
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Coming Soon, Shorter Video Games
| from the can't-play-bored-now dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 18, @09:45 (Games)
| with 594 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1341233/Coming-Soon-Shorter-Video-Games?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Blake Snow writes that according to one expert,
[1]90% of players who start a game will never see the end of it and it's
not just dull games that go unfinished. Only 10% of avid gamers completed
last year's critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption, according to Raptr,
which tracks more than 23 million gaming sessions. 'What I've been told
as a blanket expectation is that 90% of players who start your game will
never see the end of it unless they watch a clip on YouTube,' says Keith
Fuller, a longtime production contractor for Activision. The bottom line
is people have less time to play games than they did before, they have
more options than ever, and they're more inclined to play quick-hit
multiplayer modes, even at the expense of 100-hour epics. 'They're lucky
to find the time to beat a 10-hour game once or twice a month,' says
Fuller of the average-age gamer. 'They don't feel cheated about shorter
games and will just play a longer game for as many hours as their
schedule allows before moving on to another title.' Even [2]avid gamers
are already warming to the idea of shorter games. 'Make a game worth my
time and money, and I'll be happy,' says Casey Willis. 'After all, 10
hours of awesome is better than 20 hours of boring.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1341233/Coming-Soon-Shorter-Video-Games?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/17/finishing.videogames.snow/
2. http://www.slashgear.com/which-is-better-short-or-long-video-games-04117713/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Why PCs Trump iPads For User Innovation
| from the using-the-old-tools dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 17, @22:55 (IT)
| with 502 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/019222/Why-PCs-Trump-iPads-For-User-Innovation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Bob Lewis argues that while the iPad may be
opening IT's eyes to a new way to encourage end-users to innovate new
solutions for their organizations, that [1]work will better be undertaken
on the PC. 'When the subject is PCs, the answer is to lock 'em down and
run everything in the data center. When the subject is iPads, the answer
is that there's an app for that,' Lewis writes. 'Before you decide the
iPad is your platform, though, consider the factors that favor the PC.
First, it's a sunk cost. Second, it's more capable. And third, your
end-users are already familiar with it. Which brings us to what's
particularly sad about the end-user innovation situation: Until the iPad
resurrected the subject, most IT organizations have actively discouraged
it. It goes beyond locking down the devices so that end-users can't
install software they might find helpful in their day-to-day work or
might increase efficiency in their departments.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/019222/Why-PCs-Trump-iPads-For-User-Innovation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/t/it-strategy/why-pcs-trump-ipads-innovation-169844
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| C++ 2011 and the Return of Native Code
| from the natives-are-revolting dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @14:31 (Programming)
| with 456 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/187231/C-2011-and-the-Return-of-Native-Code?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]snydeq writes with an editorial in InfoWorld about the resurgence of
native code. From the article: "Modern programmers have increasingly
turned away from native compilation in favor of managed-code environments
such as Java and .Net, which shield them from some of the drudgery of
memory management and input validation. Others are willing to sacrifice
some performance for the syntactic comforts of dynamic languages such as
Python, Ruby, and JavaScript. But C++11 arrives at an interesting time.
There's a [1]growing sentiment that the pendulum may have swung too far
away from native code, and it might be time for it to swing back in the
other direction. Thus, C++ may have found itself some unlikely allies."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/187231/C-2011-and-the-Return-of-Native-Code?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/hail-the-return-native-code-and-the-resurgence-c-170142
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| HP Spinning Off WebOS and Exiting Hardware Business
| from the there-can-be-only-one dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @16:02 (HP)
| with 403 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1948232/HP-Spinning-Off-WebOS-and-Exiting-Hardware-Business?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A number of readers submitted rumors about some announcements HP was set
to make today. Now, the announcements have actually happened, and the
news looks grim. For starters, they are [0]exiting the tablet and phone
market and repositioning webOS for use in appliances and vehicles. While
confirming [1]they are in talks to acquire [2]Autonomy, they also
announced they are considering [3]exiting the PC hardware business
entirely in order to focus on their software business.
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1948232/HP-Spinning-Off-WebOS-and-Exiting-Hardware-Business?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-08-hps-webos-tablet-foxhole-appliance.html
1. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hp-confirms-discussions-with-autonomy-corporation-plc-regarding-possible-business-combination-makes-other-announcements-2011-08-18?reflink=MW_news_stmp
2. http://www.autonomy.com/
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903596904576516403053718850.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| UK Men Get 4 Years For Trying to Incite Riots Via Facebook
| from the do-not-pass-go dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @01:58 (Cloud)
| with 386 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/0224214/UK-Men-Get-4-Years-For-Trying-to-Incite-Riots-Via-Facebook?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "In addition to [0]the 12 arrests from last
week, a judge has sentenced 20-year-old Jordan Blackshaw and 22-year-old
Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan to four years in prison for their [1]failed
attempts to use Facebook to incite riots in the UK. The judge said he
hoped the sentences would act as a deterrent. The two men were convicted
for using Facebook to encourage violent disorder in their hometowns in
northwest England."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/0224214/UK-Men-Get-4-Years-For-Trying-to-Incite-Riots-Via-Facebook?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/11/1937221/UK-Police-Arrest-12-Over-Facebook-Use-Inciting-Riots
1. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/uk-men-get-four-year-sentences-for-inciting-riots-via-facebook/2749
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Canada To Adopt On-Line Voting?
| from the click-on-democracy dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @08:05 (Canada)
| with 381 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/030252/Canada-To-Adopt-On-Line-Voting?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]belmolis writes "Here in Canada we have an old-fashioned paper ballot
voting system that by all accounts works very well. We get results
quickly and without fraud. Nonetheless, [1]Elections Canada wants to test
on-line voting. From the article: 'The head of the agency in charge of
federal elections says it's time to modernize Canada's elections,
including testing online voting and ending a ban on publishing early
election results.' Is it worth trying to fix a system that isn't broken?"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/030252/Canada-To-Adopt-On-Line-Voting?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:billposer@alu%5B%5Dit.edu%5B'm.m'ingap%5D
1. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/08/17/pol-online-voting.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Apple Patents Cutting 3.5mm Jack in Half
| from the twice-as-proprietary dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @14:50 (Patents)
| with 312 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1736235/Apple-Patents-Cutting-35mm-Jack-in-Half?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes with an article on a recent patent application
by Apple. From the article: "Apple likes thin devices and considers the
depth of the iPod, iPhone and iPad as critical component of the aesthetic
appearance of a product and has been very aggressive in finding ways to
trim fat from its portable devices: The 3.5 mm audio-connector stands in
the way of future design improvements: [0]Apple suggests to simply cut it
in half."
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1736235/Apple-Patents-Cutting-35mm-Jack-in-Half?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DARPA To Sponsor R&D For Interstellar Travel
| from the bring-lots-of-water dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @12:09 (Space)
| with 303 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/168238/DARPA-To-Sponsor-RampD-For-Interstellar-Travel?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apocryphos writes "The government agency that helped invent the Internet
now wants to do the same for travel to the stars. In what is perhaps the
ultimate startup opportunity, DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, plans to award some lucky, ambitious and star-struck
organization roughly $500,000 in seed money to begin studying what it
would take ��� organizationally, technically, sociologically and ethically
��� to [0]send humans to another star, a challenge of such magnitude that
the study alone could take a hundred years."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/168238/DARPA-To-Sponsor-RampD-For-Interstellar-Travel?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/science/space/18starship.html?_r=1
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Can Google Fix the Cable Box?
| from the die-comcast-die-die-die dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday August 18, @08:55 (Google)
| with 210 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1251212/Can-Google-Fix-the-Cable-Box?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
theodp writes "In purchasing Motorola Mobility, Slate's Farhad Manjoo
reports that Google will also come into possession of one the nation's
biggest suppliers of set-top boxes. So, [0]can Google work some of its
do-no-evil magic on the loathsome cable box? Don't bet on it, says
Manjoo. For one thing, there's no evidence that Google would be very good
at remaking the set-top box ([1]Google TV, anyone?). But even if Google
managed to dramatically improve set-top boxes, it's doubtful that cable
and satellite companies would buy in. First, they'd lose all those
ridiculously lucrative cable-box rental fees. More importantly, they'd
have to give up control of the main entertainment device in most homes,
and with it the opportunity to slow or stymie competing sources for
entertainment. After the merger, notes Manjoo, Google could get several
billion dollars by selling off Motorola Mobility's set-top-box division ���
a much surer payday than taking on Big Cable."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1251212/Can-Google-Fix-the-Cable-Box?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.slate.com/id/2301856/pagenum/all
1. http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/30/0528205/No-Set-Top-TV-Device-Market-Domination-For-Google
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New Twitter-Based Hedge Fund Beats the Stock Market
| from the how-to-become-rich-in-142-trades dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @10:32 (The Almighty Buck)
| with 197 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1417230/New-Twitter-Based-Hedge-Fund-Beats-the-Stock-Market?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
nonprofiteer writes "Derwent Capital, a new hedge fund that [0]makes
trades and investments based on Twitter sentiment, beat the market ��� and
other hedge funds ��� in its first full month of trading. From the
Atlantic: 'Using an algorithm based on the social media mood that day,
the hedge fund predicted the market to make the right trades. Sounds
unbelievable that something cluttered with mundane musings and media
links could have anything smart to say about the market. But it's working
so far.' Blind luck?"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1417230/New-Twitter-Based-Hedge-Fund-Beats-the-Stock-Market?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ask Slashdot: Ebook Reader for Scientific Papers?
| from the digital-science-is-fun dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @19:00 (Books)
| with 146 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/2154203/Ask-Slashdot-Ebook-Reader-for-Scientific-Papers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "I love the idea of getting an ebook reader
primarily for reading research journal papers. However I've heard bad
things about the handling of PDFs on the major ones. I don't particularly
care for color, but having an e-ink display and the ability to handle
PDF/PS docs without conversion would be a major plus. I'd even be open to
a hacked Kindle running Linux if it were practical. Does any good
solution exist?" A few months ago I found the Asus [0]Eee Note (some
folks even [1]figured out how the software works and got it to run other
Qt apps), but my hopes were dashed when I learned they had killed it
before it even arrived in the U.S. It seems right now that this
particular niche is not being served: or is it?
Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/2154203/Ask-Slashdot-Ebook-Reader-for-Scientific-Papers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Note/Eee_Note_EA800/
1. http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/asus-eee-line/37789-asus-eee-note-peek-within.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Super Scrabble Players Have Unusual Brains
| from the Timothy-explained dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 17, @20:47 (Games)
| with 139 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/17/232208/Super-Scrabble-Players-Have-Unusual-Brains?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Being [0]a competitive Scrabble player
apparently warps your brain, in a good way, according to researchers at
the University of Calgary in Canada. At the high level of the game,
players quickly judge whether words, or possible words are real based in
large part on their visual stimuli ��� not an inherent knowledge of the
word or its meaning. 'These findings indicate that Scrabble players are
less reliant on the meaning of words to judge whether or not they are
real, and more flexible at word recognition using orthographic
information. ... Competitive Scrabble players are visual word recognition
experts and their skill pushes the bounds of what we previously
considered the end-point of development of the word recognition system.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/17/232208/Super-Scrabble-Players-Have-Unusual-Brains?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Samsung Tablet Ban Lifted For Most of EU
| from the buy-while-you-can dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @05:08 (EU)
| with 135 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/0234233/Samsung-Tablet-Ban-Lifted-For-Most-of-EU?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]jkcity writes "The [1]ban on sales of Samsung's 10.1 tablet in the EU
has been lifted everywhere except Germany. [2]The new ruling is in effect
until August 25th while it is decided whether the original court had the
power to enforce an EU wide ban. With allegations that submitted evidence
was not 100% accurate, [3]the case could be bogged down in the court for
years."
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/0234233/Samsung-Tablet-Ban-Lifted-For-Most-of-EU?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.funs.co.uk/
1. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/09/1832254/Sale-of-Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-Blocked-in-the-EU
2. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/compliance/2011/08/16/court-lifts-samsung-tablet-ban-for-most-of-eu-40093701/
3. http://www.funs.co.uk/fp/p58.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| ARM Is a Promising Platform But Needs To Learn From the PC
| from the becoming-model-ctizens dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @13:43 (Linux)
| with 135 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1728227/ARM-Is-a-Promising-Platform-But-Needs-To-Learn-From-the-PC?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]jbrodkin writes "Linux and ARM developers have clashed over what's
been described as a '[1]United Nations-level complexity of the forks in
the ARM section of the Linux kernel.' Linus Torvalds addressed the issue
at LinuxCon this week on the 20th anniversary of Linux, saying the [2]ARM
platform has a lot to learn from the PC. While Torvalds noted that 'a lot
of people love to hate the PC,' the fact that Intel, AMD, and hardware
makers worked on building a common infrastructure 'made it very efficient
and easy to support.' ARM, on the other hand, 'is missing it completely,'
Torvalds said. 'ARM is this [3]hodgepodge of five or six major companies
and tens of minor companies making random pieces of hardware, and it
looks like they're taking hardware and throwing it at a wall and seeing
where it sticks, and making a chip out of what's stuck on the wall.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1728227/ARM-Is-a-Promising-Platform-But-Needs-To-Learn-From-the-PC?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/
1. http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/06/20/2039229/The-Ugly-State-of-ARM-Support-On-Linux
2. http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/linus-torvalds-arm-has-lot-learn-pc
3. http://www.linux.com/news/enterprise/biz-enterprise/485159-a-conversation-with-linus-torvalds
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DHS Tries To Hide Mobile Scanner Details
| from the the-new-black dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @18:15 (Security)
| with 124 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/215259/DHS-Tries-To-Hide-Mobile-Scanner-Details?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OverTheGeicoE writes "The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a
[0]Freedom of Information Act request last year (PDF) with the US
Department of Homeland Security, whose Transportation Security
Administration has been investigating the use of x-ray scanning
technology for covert use in more public places, like train stations and
even ordinary city streets. TSA has tested interesting devices like the
[1]Z Backscatter Vans both privately and [2]on members of the general
public. EPIC recently received [3]new documents from DHS. Some of the
documents are [4]almost completely black from redactions."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/215259/DHS-Tries-To-Hide-Mobile-Scanner-Details?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://epic.org/foia/transitfoia.pdf
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2010/08/24/full-body-scan-technology-deployed-in-street-roving-vans/
2. http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/03/09/tsa-never-tested-full-body-scans-for-mass-transit-except-when-it-did/
3. http://epic.org/2011/08/dhs-refuses-to-disclose-detail.html
4. http://epic.org/foia_notes/foia_note_20_august_15_2011.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Company Wants You to Visit Near-Space In Their "Bloon"
| from the more-up-than-up dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @11:25 (Space)
| with 123 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1345223/Company-Wants-You-to-Visit-Near-Space-In-Their-Bloon?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cylonlover writes "While space tourism efforts by the likes of Space
Adventures and Virgin Galactic are relying on the tried and true
technology of rockets to launch paying customers into space,
Barcelona-based company [0]zero2infinity proposes a more leisurely and
eco-friendly [1]ride into near-space using a helium balloon called the
bloon. Designed to carry passengers to an altitude of 36 km (22 miles),
an unmanned scale prototype bloon was flown to an altitude of 33 km (20
miles) last year and the company is already [2]taking bookings for
passenger flights that are expected to lift off sometime between 2013 and
2015."
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1345223/Company-Wants-You-to-Visit-Near-Space-In-Their-Bloon?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.inbloon.com/en/index.php
1. http://www.gizmag.com/bloon-space-balloon/19553/
2. http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/16192/bloon-balloon-for-near-space-travel.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| iPhone Reportedly Coming To China This Fall
| from the making-china-less-free dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @12:58 (China)
| with 92 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1649246/iPhone-Reportedly-Coming-To-China-This-Fall?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Executives from China Mobile have reportedly
[0]met with Apple CEO Steve Jobs a number of times to discuss introducing
an iPhone model compliant with China Mobile's [1]proprietary network
standard." Moments after posting, China Mobile [2]confirmed they are in
talks with Apple, but have yet to reach a firm agreement.
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1649246/iPhone-Reportedly-Coming-To-China-This-Fall?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.edibleapple.com/steve-jobs-has-met-with-china-mobile-executives-several-times-to-discuss-iphone-deal/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TD-SCDMA
2. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20094108-248/china-mobile-confirms-talks-with-jobs-for-iphone/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| IBM Shows Off Brain-Inspired Microchips
| from the works-better-with-coffee dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday August 18, @11:19 (AI)
| with 87 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1458202/IBM-Shows-Off-Brain-Inspired-Microchips?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at IBM have [0]created microchips
inspired by the basic functioning of the human brain. They believe the
chips could perform tasks that humans excel at but computers normally
don't. So far they have been taught to recognize handwriting, play Pong,
and guide a car around a track. The same researchers previously modeled
this kind of neurologically inspired computing using supercomputer
simulations, and claimed to have simulated the complexity of a cat's
cortex ��� a claim that sparked a firestorm of controversy at the time. The
new hardware is designed to run this same software much more
efficiently."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1458202/IBM-Shows-Off-Brain-Inspired-Microchips?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/38367/
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| DARPA Hypersonic Vehicle Splash Down Confirmed
| from the you-win-this-time-robotnik dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @19:45 (The Military)
| with 85 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/235203/DARPA-Hypersonic-Vehicle-Splash-Down-Confirmed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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dtmos writes "DARPA has announced that its [0]Falcon Hypersonic
Technology Vehicle 2 flight on Thursday, 11 August, '[1]experienced a
flight anomaly post perigee and into the vehicle's climb. The anomaly
prompted the vehicle's autonomous flight safety system to use the craft's
aerodynamic systems to make a controlled descent and splash down into the
ocean.' 'According to a preliminary review of the data collected prior to
the anomaly encountered by the HTV-2 during its second test flight,' said
DARPA Director Regina Dugan, 'HTV-2 demonstrated stable aerodynamically
controlled Mach 20 hypersonic flight for approximately three minutes. It
appears that the engineering changes put into place following the
vehicle's first flight test in April 2010 were effective. We do not yet
know the cause of the anomaly for Flight 2.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/235203/DARPA-Hypersonic-Vehicle-Splash-Down-Confirmed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/TTO/Programs/Falcon_HTV-2.aspx
1. http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2011/2011/09/11_DARPA_HYPERSONIC_VEHICLE_SPLASH_DOWN_CONFIRMED.aspx
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| Appeals Court Makes It Easier To Dump Software Patents
| from the your-thoughts-are-infringing dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @15:16 (Patents)
| with 79 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1822255/Appeals-Court-Makes-It-Easier-To-Dump-Software-Patents?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "While software patents are still legal, it
appears that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, sometimes
known as the nation's 'patent court' has just made a decision that will
[0]make it much easier to reject software patents for being mere
[1]'mental processes'" rather than an actual invention. This could allow
the Patent Office and the courts to reject many software patents."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1822255/Appeals-Court-Makes-It-Easier-To-Dump-Software-Patents?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110817/03120415557/court-ruling-opens-door-to-rejecting-many-software-patents-as-being-mere-mental-processes.shtml
1. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/08/appeals-court-says-only-complicated-math-is-patentable.ars
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Canadian Government Seeking New Net Snooping Powers
| from the security-above-all dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @16:48 (Canada)
| with 63 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/199216/Canadian-Government-Seeking-New-Net-Snooping-Powers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "A [0]bill being considered by the Canadian
federal parliament includes two clauses specifically to reduce the 'due
process' imposed when the police need information from ISPs. Under the
proposed bill, law enforcement officers will [1]not require a warrant to
acquire information about internet subscribers from Canadian ISPs ...
Paul Ducklin has criticized the bill saying that it 'doesn't even seem to
propose that the requests be based on any sort of specific identifier,
such as a name or an email address ... This suggests, in the worst case,
that an ISP might be compelled simply to hand over information about all
subscribers. No warrant needed, and thus no proactive oversight by the
judiciary.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/199216/Canadian-Government-Seeking-New-Net-Snooping-Powers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=4753163&file=4
1. http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/08/18/canada-mulls-warrantless-internet-info-gathering-powers-for-police/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Former Popemobile Going Up For Auction
| from the but-officer-my-car-is-infallible dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @15:46 (Transportation)
| with 52 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1930241/Former-Popemobile-Going-Up-For-Auction?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zothecula writes with an amusing article in Gizmag. From the article:
"The greater share of the value of any significant collector car is in
the provenance ��� who sat in the seat before you, and experienced the same
vehicle, can make a massive difference to the price the car commands.
What then of a car that was [0]built for and used by Pope Paul VI? It was
subsequently the centre of numerous other ticker tape parades with dozens
of dignitaries, most notably the first astronauts to orbit the moon
(Apollo 8's Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders), the first
astronauts to set foot on the moon (Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin, plus Command Module Pilot Michael Collins) plus Apollo 13's
Lovell, Mattingly and Haise and Apollo 15's Scott, Worden and Irwin,
President Lyndon LBJ Johnson and VP Hubert Humphrey."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/1930241/Former-Popemobile-Going-Up-For-Auction?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/popemobile-auction/19440/
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| Computer Prediction Used to Design Better Organic Semiconductors
| from the check-out-my-computer-pants dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 18, @17:31 (Hardware)
| with 29 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/2058200/Computer-Prediction-Used-to-Design-Better-Organic-Semiconductors?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Creating a flexible display requires finding
an organic material that's both durable and capable of carrying an
electric signal fast enough. To create such a material requires choosing
the right compound and combining it with an organic base material. It's a
hit and miss affair that can take years of synthesis to get right, but
even then the final material may not be good enough. Stanford and Harvard
researchers have come up with a much faster solution: [0]use computer
prediction to decide on the best compound before synthesizing begins.
They also proved it works by [1]developing a new organic semiconductor
material 30x faster than the amorphous silicon used in LCDs."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/2058200/Computer-Prediction-Used-to-Design-Better-Organic-Semiconductors?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v2/n8/full/ncomms1451.html
1. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/august/fast-organic-semiconductor-081611.html
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