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======================================================================
Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Windows 8 To Natively Support ISO and VHD Mounting
* Publicly Shaming Laptop Thieves Catches Bystanders in the Crossfire
* Microsoft Wants Your Feedback On Its New Python IDE
* Only Idiots Don't Give Back To Free Software
* Scientists Sequence Black Death Bacteria
* A Look Back At the Career of Steve Jobs
* Pakistan Bans Encryption
* Another CA Issues False Certificates To Iran
* New USB 3.0 Flash Drive Has 2 TB of Storage
* One Final Manufacturing Run of Touchpads
* US Gov't Lobbied EU To Approve Oracle-Sun Merger
* Turning Chinese Piracy Into Revenue
* Diginotar Responds To Rogue Certificate Problem
* The Pirate Bay Founders Go Legit With <em>BayFiles</em>
* Google Explores Re-Ranking Search Results Using +1 Button Data
* Google and OpenDNS Work On Global Internet Speedup
* Verizon Kills Free FTP Access
* A Talk With Syllable OS Lead Developer Kaj de Vos
* Making Fuel With Newspapers and Bacteria
* Novell Wins Against SCO Again
* Cornell's Creative Machines Lab Lets Chatbots Interact
* Mario Gets a Portal Gun In New Indie Game
* EPIC Files For Rehearing In Body Scanner Case
* Spammers Bribe Russian Officials
* Baby Red Dwarf Found Just 27 Light Years Away
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Windows 8 To Natively Support ISO and VHD Mounting
| from the new-tools dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @10:58 (Microsoft)
| with 581 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/142250/Windows-8-To-Natively-Support-ISO-and-VHD-Mounting?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]MrSeb writes "With a masterful nail in the optical disc coffin,
Microsoft has announced that its new operating system will [1]natively
mount ISO disc images. On the slightly more enterprisesque side of the
equation, VHD files will also be supported by Windows 8. Both new
features will be smoothly integrated into [2]Windows 8 Explorer's ribbon
menu, and mounting an ISO or VHD is as simple as double clicking the
file. This is obviously an important addition with Windows 8 being
available on tablets ��� and in a year or two, it wouldn't be surprising if
all software is made available as an ISO on a USB drive which can be read
by tablet and PC alike."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/142250/Windows-8-To-Natively-Support-ISO-and-VHD-Mounting?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://mrseb.co.uk/
1. http://www.extremetech.com/computing/94370-windows-8-explorer-will-support-native-mounting-of-iso-and-vhd
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/29/2037223/Microsoft-Ribbonizes-Windows-8-File-Manager
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Publicly Shaming Laptop Thieves Catches Bystanders in the Crossfire
| from the proprietary-software-watches-you-sleep dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @16:38 (Crime)
| with 308 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/204241/Publicly-Shaming-Laptop-Thieves-Catches-Bystanders-in-the-Crossfire?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
nonprofiteer writes "Embarrassing thieves by exposing them using laptop
recovery software makes for fun tech stories, but what about a case of a
person being [0]literally exposed after cops and a software company got
their hands on naked photos she exchanged with her long-distance
boyfriend, not realizing the machine was stolen? (She bought it for $60
so she should have known, but still). The case is going to trial in Ohio
in September. The plaintiffs argue that the software company had the
right to get the computer's location in order to recover it, but that it
[1]should not have intercepted the nude photos and shared those with the
cops. Seems like a legitimate complaint and the plaintiffs are especially
sympathetic in not realizing the device was stolen."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/204241/Publicly-Shaming-Laptop-Thieves-Catches-Bystanders-in-the-Crossfire?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/08/30/reminder-the-embarrassing-naked-photos-on-your-stolen-laptop-may-not-belong-to-the-thief/
1. http://blog.internetcases.com/2011/08/29/using-lojack-to-find-stolen-laptop-may-have-violated-federal-wiretap-statute/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Wants Your Feedback On Its New Python IDE
| from the is-the-embrace-part-of-the-python? dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 30, @08:10 (Microsoft)
| with 284 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0627206/Microsoft-Wants-Your-Feedback-On-Its-New-Python-IDE?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter phoolishcyrus writes "Dear Slashdot: would
you kindly take a look at our little project, PTVS ��� Python Tools for
Visual Studio? It helps you develop Python (using any interpreter, not
just IronPython) and comes with a few other goodies. [0]Spare no punches."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0627206/Microsoft-Wants-Your-Feedback-On-Its-New-Python-IDE?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://pytools.codeplex.com/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Only Idiots Don't Give Back To Free Software
| from the contribute-or-die dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @14:29 (Open Source)
| with 255 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1739247/Only-Idiots-Dont-Give-Back-To-Free-Software?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Julie188 writes "Downstream projects who take without contributing
back to the upstream project [1]defeat the benefit of open source and
sooner or later, all organizations developing on top of open source code
will realize this, contends [2]Jim Zemlin, executive director of the
nonprofit Linux Foundation. So the time for cajoling those users ��� even
commercial projects like Canonical ��� into participating is over.
Contributing is 'not the right thing to do because of some moral issue or
because we say you should do it. It's because you are an idiot if you
don't,'" he says." Update: 08/30 21:40 GMT by [3]S : Reworded summary to
clarify that Zemlin wasn't referring to end users.
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1739247/Only-Idiots-Dont-Give-Back-To-Free-Software?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:jbort@nww.com
1. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/083011-zemlin-250234.html
2. http://www.linux-foundation.org/weblogs/jzemlin
3. mailto:soulskillatslashdotdotorg
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Scientists Sequence Black Death Bacteria
| from the what-could-go-wrong? dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @12:20 (Biotech)
| with 230 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1522206/Scientists-Sequence-Black-Death-Bacteria?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter Quince alPillan writes "The bacteria behind
the Black Death has a very unusual history. Its ancestor is an unassuming
soil bacterium and the current strains of Yersinia pestis still infects
thousands of people annually, but no longer causes the suite of
horrifying symptoms associated with the medieval plagues. The radical
differences, in fact, had led some to suggest that we had been blaming
the wrong bacteria. Now, researchers have [0]obtained DNA from some of
London's plague victims, and confirmed that Y. pestis appears to be to
blame. But the sequences also suggest that the strains of bacteria we see
today may be different from the ones that rampaged through Europe."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1522206/Scientists-Sequence-Black-Death-Bacteria?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| A Look Back At the Career of Steve Jobs
| from the remember-when-he-wasn't-evil dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @17:20 (Businesses)
| with 218 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2052213/A-Look-Back-At-the-Career-of-Steve-Jobs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zothecula writes with a rather extensive piece in Gizmag about Steve
Jobs's various business endeavors. From the article: "Revered by many,
hated by some, but respected by most, the indisputable fact remains that
Steve Jobs is the [0]most successful business leader of his generation
and quite possibly of all time. The numbers are impressive in themselves
but the most remarkable aspect of his success is how it was achieved.
Though he remains at Apple, the [1]end of his tenure as CEO is the end of
an era and an opportunity to try and grasp just exactly what it is he did
and what lessons there are for all of us 'trying to make a dent in the
universe.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2052213/A-Look-Back-At-the-Career-of-Steve-Jobs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/the-business-legacy-of-mr-jobs/19638/
1. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/24/2251249/Steve-Jobs-Resigns-As-Apple-CEO
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Pakistan Bans Encryption
| from the for-undecipherable-reasons dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 30, @18:44 (Encryption)
| with 218 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2228214/Pakistan-Bans-Encryption?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "After [0]some rumors of this last month,
Pakistan has now officially told all of the country's ISPs that they
[1]need to block all encrypted VPNs since content running over such
services [2]cannot be monitored by the government."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2228214/Pakistan-Bans-Encryption?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/29/2328225/Pakistan-Tries-To-Ban-Encryption
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/30/pakistan-bans-encryption-software
2. http://tribune.com.pk/story/240736/virtual-watchdog-internet-users-banned-from-browsing-privately-for-security-reasons/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Another CA Issues False Certificates To Iran
| from the bad-juju dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday August 29, @23:41 (The Internet)
| with 211 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0253254/Another-CA-Issues-False-Certificates-To-Iran?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
arglebargle_xiv writes "Following on from Comodogate, we have another
[0]public CA issuing genuine false certificates to Iran, [1]this time for
Google. There's speculation that it's a MITM by the Iranian government,
but given the existing record of CAs ready to sell certs to anyone whose
check clears, it could just be another [2]Comodogate." Another
(anonymous) reader says, "What might be worrying is that the CA behind
the forgery is the official supplier of most Dutch Government
certificates, diginotar.nl. They are supposed to be very stringent in
their application process. As a Dutchman, I'm very interested to see how
this one plays out."
This story continues at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0253254/Another-CA-Issues-False-Certificates-To-Iran?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0253254/Another-CA-Issues-False-Certificates-To-Iran?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=682956
1. http://www.google.co.uk/support/forum/p/gmail/thread?tid=2da6158b094b225a&hl=en
2. http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00002128.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New USB 3.0 Flash Drive Has 2 TB of Storage
| from the thumb-drive-of-holding dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @09:35 (Hardware)
| with 196 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1233214/New-USB-30-Flash-Drive-Has-2-TB-of-Storage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter Dr Max writes "During Display Taiwan,
Transcend and Taiwan's ITRI displayed [0]a finger-long USB stick that
reportedly offers 2 TB of storage. That's no typo. It somehow holds up to
2 terabytes worth of information. So far neither company has released
anything official in regards to specs or a simple introduction, nor does
the high-capacity USB 3.0 stick appear on Display Taiwan's website. But
as seen in the video below, the 'Thin Card' thumb drive is even smaller
than a thumb, measuring slightly thicker than a penny. It offers a
minimum of 16 GB and a maximum of 2 TB."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1233214/New-USB-30-Flash-Drive-Has-2-TB-of-Storage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ITRI-Display-Taiwan-USB-3.0-2TB-Thin-Card,13320.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| One Final Manufacturing Run of Touchpads
| from the this-is-too-painful-to-watch dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @15:30 (HP)
| with 177 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1910240/One-Final-Manufacturing-Run-of-Touchpads?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accepted on the first attempt, lochnessie writes "HP has announced a
limited manufacturing [0]run of Touchpads to be available in the next few
weeks. The HP employee making the announcement posted 'I think it's safe
to say we were pleasantly surprised by the [1]response' to their
[2]massively discounted, sold-at-a-huge-loss tablet."
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1910240/One-Final-Manufacturing-Run-of-Touchpads?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/The-Next-Bench-Blog/More-TouchPads-on-the-Way/ba-p/68749
1. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/08/24/204234/What-HPs-TouchPad-Fire-Sale-Teaches-iPad-Rivals
2. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/20/1633239/HP-TouchPad-To-Be-Liquidated-At-Fire-Sale-Prices
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| US Gov't Lobbied EU To Approve Oracle-Sun Merger
| from the how-could-george-bush-do-such-a-thing dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 30, @05:25 (Java)
| with 161 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0422224/US-Govt-Lobbied-EU-To-Approve-Oracle-Sun-Merger?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
littlekorea writes "Cables leaked by Wikileaks have revealed that the
[0]U.S. Government actively pressured the EU Competition Commissioner to
approve Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems. The cable reveals that
the U.S. went to great lengths to discover how the competition
commissioner felt about the 'pro-competitive' nature of open source
software and whether this would represent a threat to the US$7.4 billion
deal."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0422224/US-Govt-Lobbied-EU-To-Approve-Oracle-Sun-Merger?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/268523,cable-us-pressured-eu-to-approve-oracle-sun-merger.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Turning Chinese Piracy Into Revenue
| from the we-call-this-the-photoshop-model dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday August 29, @20:50 (China)
| with 158 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/29/2326222/Turning-Chinese-Piracy-Into-Revenue?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]itwbennett writes "Weak penalties and a lack of enforcement have made
China a hotspot for software piracy, but it is possible to [1]turn some
pirated software into sales, says Vic DeMarines, vice president of
products for V.i. Labs, a company that helps makers of engineering and
design software track the unlicensed use of their products. Forty of V.i.
Labs' clients use code to track when an installed application shows signs
it's a pirated copy. The data collected makes a record of what
organizations in China are using unlicensed copies across how many
different PCs. They can then use the data to reach out to those
organizations, who might not be aware they are using unlicensed software.
'We think that's a better way to reduce piracy overall,' says DeMarines.
'You need to target the organizations that should have the ability to pay
license versus going after individual users or the people who crack the
software.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/29/2326222/Turning-Chinese-Piracy-Into-Revenue?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/197955/software-tracking-could-turn-chinese-piracy-revenue
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Diginotar Responds To Rogue Certificate Problem
| from the our-bad dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @11:38 (The Internet)
| with 149 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1431211/Diginotar-Responds-To-Rogue-Certificate-Problem?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Vasco, the owner of the DigiNotar CA
implicated in [0]the MITM attacks on Iranian Google users has responded
to their fraudulently issued certificate problems. The press release
reads: 'On July 19th 2011, DigiNotar detected an intrusion into its
Certificate Authority (CA) infrastructure, which resulted in the
[1]fraudulent issuance of public key certificate requests for a number of
domains, including Google.com. Once it detected the intrusion, DigiNotar
has acted in accordance with all relevant rules and procedures. At that
time, an external security audit concluded that all fraudulently issued
certificates were revoked. Recently, it was discovered that at least one
fraudulent certificate had not been revoked at the time. After being
notified by Dutch government organization Govcert, DigiNotar took
immediate action and revoked the fraudulent certificate'. It is not clear
whether the latter certificate is the one used in Iran, or whether other
certificates remain at large. I guess removing the root certificate from
browsers is the correct response."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1431211/Diginotar-Responds-To-Rogue-Certificate-Problem?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0253254/Another-CA-Issues-False-Certificates-To-Iran
1. http://www.vasco.com/company/press_room/news_archive/2011/news_diginotar_reports_security_incident.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The Pirate Bay Founders Go Legit With <em>BayFiles</em>
| from the now-with-90%-less-stuff dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @10:15 (Piracy)
| with 142 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1248227/The-Pirate-Bay-Founders-Go-Legit-With-BayFiles?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "The founders of The Pirate Bay, possibly the
best-known BitTorrent tracking service in existence, are [0]going legit
with a new file-sharing site which they claim will adhere to all
copyright rules and takedown requests. [1]BayFiles, as the new service is
named, isn't BitTorrent powered. Instead, the site borrows its method of
operation from the likes of Megaupload and RapidShare: a user selects a
file and uploads it to the site via their web browser, after which it
becomes available for anyone to download, assuming they have the link."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1248227/The-Pirate-Bay-Founders-Go-Legit-With-BayFiles?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/8/30/pirate-bay-founders-go-legit-bayfiles/
1. http://bayfiles.com/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google Explores Re-Ranking Search Results Using +1 Button Data
| from the circle-search dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @08:53 (Google)
| with 125 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/127240/Google-Explores-Re-Ranking-Search-Results-Using-1-Button-Data?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]tekgoblin writes "Google plans to [1]use data from its +1 button to
re-order search results and keep spammers at bay. While this would bring
Google���s search engine into the social networking era, it would also
create a new avenue for blackhats to [2]manipulate search results. From
the article: '"Google will study the clicks on +1 buttons as a signal
that influences the ranking and appearance of websites in search
results," a spokesman wrote. "The purpose of any ranking signal is to
improve overall search quality. For +1's and other social ranking
signals, as with any new ranking signal, we'll be starting carefully and
learning how those signals are related to quality."'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/127240/Google-Explores-Re-Ranking-Search-Results-Using-1-Button-Data?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.twitter.com/tekgoblin
1. http://www.tekgoblin.com/2011/08/29/google-explores-1-button-to-influence-search-results/
2. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/08/google-studying-re-ranking-search-results-using-1-button-data-but-its-touchy/
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| Google and OpenDNS Work On Global Internet Speedup
| from the greased-lightning dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @13:02 (The Internet)
| with 125 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1635232/Google-and-OpenDNS-Work-On-Global-Internet-Speedup?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many users have written in with news of Google and OpenDNS working
together on [0]The Global Internet Speedup Initiative. They've reworked
their DNS servers so that they forward the first three octets of your IP
address to the target web service. The service then uses your geolocation
data to make sure that the resource you���ve requested is [1]delivered by a
local cache. From the article: "In the case of Google and other big CDNs,
there can be dozens of these local caches all around the world, and using
a local cache can improve latency and throughput by a huge margin. If you
have a 10 or 20Mbps connection, and yet a download is crawling along at
just a few hundred kilobytes, this is generally because you are
downloading from an international source (downloading software or drivers
from a Taiwanese site is a good example). Using a local cache reduces the
strain on international connections, but it also makes better use of
national networks which are both lower-latency and higher-capacity."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1635232/Google-and-OpenDNS-Work-On-Global-Internet-Speedup?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.afasterinternet.com/howitworks.htm
1. http://www.extremetech.com/internet/94408-does-your-web-feel-faster-today-thank-the-global-internet-speedup
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Verizon Kills Free FTP Access
| from the would-you-like-to-check-a-bag dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 30, @08:38 (Verizon)
| with 121 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0620243/Verizon-Kills-Free-FTP-Access?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter JP205 writes "Verizon recently [0]disabled
FTP access for its Internet customers who use its proprietary service to
build their personal websites. It turns out that if you want FTP access
restored, Verizon is happy to grant it to you for an extra $6 a month."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0620243/Verizon-Kills-Free-FTP-Access?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.businessinsider.com/verizon-ftp-2011-8
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| A Talk With Syllable OS Lead Developer Kaj de Vos
| from the why-isn't-monosyllabic? dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday August 30, @02:33 (Open Source)
| with 117 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0245218/A-Talk-With-Syllable-OS-Lead-Developer-Kaj-de-Vos?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]angry tapir writes "I recently had a chance to interview Kaj de Vos,
the lead developer of [1]Syllable: An open source desktop operating
system that's not based on Linux nor one of the BSDs. There's a
[2]write-up of the interview here, which includes some background on the
project. I have also posted [3]the full Q&A, which is very long but
definitely worth a read."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0245218/A-Talk-With-Syllable-OS-Lead-Developer-Kaj-de-Vos?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.techworld.com.au/
1. http://web.syllable.org/pages/index.html
2. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/398891/syllable_os_developer_interview_building_better_operating_system/
3. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/398892/developer_q_syllable_os/
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| Making Fuel With Newspapers and Bacteria
| from the finally-a-use-for-newspapers-in-the-internet-age dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 30, @19:29 (Biotech)
| with 110 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2324243/Making-Fuel-With-Newspapers-and-Bacteria?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debuting on the front page, Lifyre writes "Scientists at Tulane have
found a natural bacteria (dubbed TU-103) that produces butanol. While
butanol-producing bacteria aren't new, there are a few important points
about this particular bacterium. It is the first natural bacteria that
converts cellulose directly to butanol without the cellulose needing to
be processed into sugar first, and it can do this in the presence of
oxygen, which kills other butanol-producing bacteria. The simplification
of the process could significantly decrease the production costs of
butanol. This bacteria could allow virtually any plant product, such as
newspaper or grass clippings, [0]to be used to produce fuel for
conventional vehicles."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2324243/Making-Fuel-With-Newspapers-and-Bacteria?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_082511.cfm
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Novell Wins Against SCO Again
| from the case-finally-closed dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @18:03 (Novell)
| with 106 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2138240/Novell-Wins-Against-SCO-Again?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
duh P3rf3ss3r writes "The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has just
[0]affirmed the District Court ruling in SCO v Novell (PDF) in its
entirety. The decision is quite a good read and lays out the reasons why
the court has [1]rejected, in toto, SCO's attempt to re-argue the case
before the Court of Appeals. Is this the last gasp for SCO or will they
try to appeal this to the Supreme Court? The betting lines open at 11..."
Realistically this is the end of the line for the case.
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/2138240/Novell-Wins-Against-SCO-Again?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.groklaw.net/pdf3/SCOvNovell10-4122.pdf
1. http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20110830170454743
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Cornell's Creative Machines Lab Lets Chatbots Interact
| from the not-quite-there-yet dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday August 30, @10:27 (AI)
| with 101 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1410211/Cornells-Creative-Machines-Lab-Lets-Chatbots-Interact?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mikejuk writes "When Cornell's Creative Machines Lab got [0]two chatbots
to settle down for a short interaction the result was surreal, to say the
least. Is one of them the future winner of the [1]$100,000 Loebner prize
or a future TV show host? From the article: 'This years Loebner prize is
on the 19th of October and as a sort of curious run up activity Cornell's
Creative Machines Lab pointed two chatbots, Cleverbots, at each other and
let them talk. You can see and hear the result in the video and it is
both hilarious and some how very disturbing. It this the future of AI?'"
It's funny how quickly they become aggressive towards each other, and
what the male claims to be instead of a bot is priceless.
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1410211/Cornells-Creative-Machines-Lab-Lets-Chatbots-Interact?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.i-programmer.info/news/105-artificial-intelligence/2967-two-chatbots-chat-to-each-other-hilarious-and-weird.html
1. http://www.loebner.net/Prizef/loebner-prize.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mario Gets a Portal Gun In New Indie Game
| from the princess-is-a-lie dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 30, @01:22 (Games)
| with 80 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0153248/Mario-Gets-a-Portal-Gun-In-New-Indie-Game?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]jjp9999 sends word of [1]a game in development that mashes up Super
Mario Bros. and Portal. [2]Dubbed Mari0 by its developer, the game is
being built on the [3]L��ve framework and will be released for free. The
original Super Mario Bros. levels will be included, as well as some
puzzle-style maps and a level editor. They also plan to include
simultaneous multiplayer.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/0153248/Mario-Gets-a-Portal-Gun-In-New-Indie-Game?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://techzwn.com/2011/08/mario-gets-a-portal-gun-in-new-indie-game/
1. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2011/08/super_mario_bros_x_portal_is_f.php
2. http://stabyourself.net/
3. http://love2d.org/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| EPIC Files For Rehearing In Body Scanner Case
| from the movement-is-a-privilege-peon dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @15:11 (Security)
| with 80 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1835258/EPIC-Files-For-Rehearing-In-Body-Scanner-Case?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OverTheGeicoE writes "The [0]Electronic Privacy Information Center has
[1]filed for a rehearing in their case against DHS regarding airport body
scanners. In [2]their latest court filing (PDF), EPIC argues that [3]last
month's ruling requiring a public comment period but no other changes was
based on incorrect information. From TFA: '"The court overstated the
effectiveness of the body scanner devices and understated the degree of
the privacy intrusion to the travelling public," stated EPIC President
Marc Rotenberg. EPIC's petition challenged the Court's finding that the
devices detect "liquid and powders," which was never established and was
not claimed by the government. EPIC also argued that the court wrongly
concluded that the TSA is not subject to a federal privacy law that
prohibits video voyeurism. The panel found that TSA body scanner
employees are "engaged in law enforcement activity," contrary to the
TSA's own regulations.' Note that this is a request for a rehearing with
the same court that rejected their request to stop TSA's use of body
scanners. It is not an appeal to a higher court. Is EPIC likely to obtain
a more favorable ruling from the same court?"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1835258/EPIC-Files-For-Rehearing-In-Body-Scanner-Case?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://epic.org/
1. http://epic.org/2011/08/epic-files-for-rehearing-in-ai.html
2. http://epic.org/privacy/body_scanners/Petition%20for%20Rehearing.pdf
3. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/17/0143233/Court-Approves-TSA-Body-Scans-But-Calls-For-Public-Comment
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Spammers Bribe Russian Officials
| from the ten-thousand-volleyballs dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @13:45 (Spam)
| with 74 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1715236/Spammers-Bribe-Russian-Officials?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hellkyng writes with a transcript of interesting chat logs in Krebs on
Security. From the article: "Leaked online chats between the co-owners of
the world's [0]largest pharmacy spam operation reveal the extent to which
[1]illicit organizations in Russia purchase political protection, and
bribe public officials into initiating or stalling law enforcement
investigations."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1715236/Spammers-Bribe-Russian-Officials?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/03/04/1819238/Russian-Payment-Processor-Runs-Massive-Scareware-Operation
1. http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/08/pharma-wars-purchasing-protection/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Baby Red Dwarf Found Just 27 Light Years Away
| from the think-i'll-swing-by-for-lunch dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday August 30, @15:55 (Space)
| with 61 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1855255/Baby-Red-Dwarf-Found-Just-27-Light-Years-Away?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bazzalunatic writes "Astronomers have found an infant red dwarf star 27
light years away from Earth, and it's just 40 million years old. 'The
star has been known about and studied for the past 15 years, but it
wasn't [0]realized it was so young and so close, until now,' co-author
Simon Murphy, a PhD student from the Australian National University said
in the story. More accurate measurements from telescopes have [1]aided
the revised distances of the star dubbed 'AP Colombae.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08/30/1855255/Baby-Red-Dwarf-Found-Just-27-Light-Years-Away?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/baby-star-found-close-to-earth-ap-columbae.htm
1. http://arxiv.org/abs/1108.5318
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