Monday, November 14, 2011

[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-11-14

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Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Is American Innovation Losing Its Shine?
* In-Vitro Muscle Cells, It's What's For Dinner
* Startup Testing Mobile Farmbots
* The Privatization of Copyright Lawmaking
* Ask Slashdot: Crowdfunding For Science — Can It Succeed?
* The IOCCC Competition Is Back
* Mac OS X Sandbox Security Hole Uncovered
* iOS App Acoustically Measures Distances Up To 25 Meters
* Army Plots Its Smartphone Strategy
* Canary Islands Eruption Could Create New Land
* Workshops Begin In Australia On WikiLeaks Opera

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| Is American Innovation Losing Its Shine?
| from the everything-used-to-be-better dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 13, @11:43 (Education)
| with 449 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1519255/is-american-innovation-losing-its-shine?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]kenekaplan writes "[1]American ingenuity and innovation, the twin
engine of the country's economy since World War II, is in danger of
losing steam and job growth potential if federal legislators allow
'automatic' spending cuts to kick in next year rather than earmarking
federal funds to advance education, research and manufacturing, according
Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Susan Hockfield."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1519255/is-american-innovation-losing-its-shine?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://freepress.intel.com/
1. http://freepress.intel.com/community/news/blog/2011/11/10/american-innovation-losing-its-shine

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| In-Vitro Muscle Cells, It's What's For Dinner
| from the just-like-mom-used-to-grow dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 13, @09:59 (Biotech)
| with 445 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1312235/in-vitro-muscle-cells-its-whats-for-dinner?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

wanzeo writes "Within the last decade, many of us have experienced the
encroachment of ethics into our mealtime. Phrases such as vegetarian,
vegan, organic, bST, GMO, etc. have become part of common grocery store
advertising. The most recent addition to the list of ethically charged
food is in-vitro meat, or [0]meat that was cultured in a petri dish, and
was never part of a live animal. The project has been brought to fruition
by Mark Post, a biologist at the University of Maastricht in the
Netherlands. Grown using animal stem-cells on a nutrient medium, the
nearly see-through strips of muscle would need to be stacked nearly 3,000
times to approach the thickness of a burger. The practice promises to be
more humane, sustainable, and efficient than conventional meats, with one
analysis suggesting it would, 'use 35 to 60 percent less energy, emit 80
to 95 percent less greenhouse gas and use around 98 percent less land.'
In a world where nearly half of all crop production is used to feed
livestock, a move towards artificial meat may be inevitable."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1312235/in-vitro-muscle-cells-its-whats-for-dinner?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/us-science-meat-f-idUSTRE7AA30020111111

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Startup Testing Mobile Farmbots
| from the robot-get-me-carrots dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday November 12, @23:12 (Robotics)
| with 202 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/0410217/startup-testing-mobile-farmbots?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "Wired reports on Harvest Automation, a
Massachusetts company developing [0]small robots that can perform basic
agricultural labor. The ones currently being tested in greenhouses and
plant nurseries are 'knee-high, wheeled machines.' 'Each robot has a
gripper for grasping pots, a deck for carrying pots, and an array of
sensors to keep track of where it is and what's around it. Teams of
robots zip around nursery fields, single-mindedly spacing and grouping
plants. Key to making the robots flexible and cost-effective is designing
them to work only with information provided by their sensors. They don't
construct a global map of their environment, and they don't use GPS. The
robots have sensors that detect boundary markers, a laser range finder to
detect objects in front of them, and a gyroscope for navigating by dead
reckoning. The robots determine how far they've traveled by keeping track
of wheel rotations.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/0410217/startup-testing-mobile-farmbots?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/11/mobile-farm-robots/

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| The Privatization of Copyright Lawmaking
| from the outsourcing-a-job-nobody-wants dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday November 13, @05:08 (The Internet)
| with 175 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/0437250/the-privatization-of-copyright-lawmaking?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from TorrentFreak: "The
biggest misperception about [the Stop Online Piracy Act] is that it is
somehow unprecedented or extraordinary. It is not. SOPA represents just
the latest example of [0]copyright law defined and controlled not by the
government but by private entities. Copyright owners will deploy SOPA in
the same way they have behaved in the past: to extend out their rights.
They will disrupt sites that do not infringe a copyright, interfere with
fair uses of copyrighted works, and take other steps that evade the
limits that the Copyright Act sets on a copyright owner's actual rights."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/0437250/the-privatization-of-copyright-lawmaking?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://torrentfreak.com/the-privatization-of-copyright-lawmaking-111112/

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| Ask Slashdot: Crowdfunding For Science — Can It Succeed?
| from the i-will-pay-you-a-quarter-to-invent-time-travel dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday November 12, @19:29 (The Almighty Buck)
| with 134 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/11/12/2052238/ask-slashdot-crowdfunding-for-science-can-it-succeed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]jearbear writes "Can crowdfunding work for science? Having raised
nearly $40,000 for scientific research in 10 days for projects as diverse
as [1]biofuel catalyst design to the [2]study of cellular cilia to
[3]deploying seismic sensor networks (that attach to your computer!) to
[4]robotic squirrels, the [5]#SciFund Challenge is taking off like a
rocket. Might this be a future model for science funding in the U.S. and
abroad? What would that mean?"

Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/11/12/2052238/ask-slashdot-crowdfunding-for-science-can-it-succeed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://scifund.wordpress.com/
1. http://www.rockethub.com/projects/3775-pennies-instead-of-petroleum
2. http://www.rockethub.com/projects/3792-c-cilia-in-motion
3. http://www.rockethub.com/projects/3744-every-blip-counts-low-cost-seismic-sensors
4. http://www.rockethub.com/projects/3804-squirrel-snake-face-off
5. http://www.rockethub.com/projects/scifund

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The IOCCC Competition Is Back
| from the welcome-back dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 13, @13:22 (Programming)
| with 111 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1546218/the-ioccc-competition-is-back?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Rui Lopes writes "After a [1]5 year hiatus, the [2]IOCCC
(International Obfuscated C Code Contest) is back! This marks the 20th
edition of the contest. Submissions are open between 12-Nov-2011 11:00
UTC and 12-Jan-2012 12:12 UTC. Don't forget to check this year's [3]rules
and [4]guidelines."

Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1546218/the-ioccc-competition-is-back?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.ruidlopes.com/
1. http://www.ioccc.org/years.html
2. http://www.ioccc.org/
3. http://www.ioccc.org/2011/rules.txt
4. http://www.ioccc.org/2011/guidelines.txt

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| Mac OS X Sandbox Security Hole Uncovered
| from the protect-ya-neck dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 13, @18:30 (Security)
| with 106 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/2152232/mac-os-x-sandbox-security-hole-uncovered?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gunkerty Jeb writes "Researchers at Core Security Technologies have
uncovered a security hole that could allow someone to [0]circumvent the
application sandbox restrictions of Mac OS X. The report of the
vulnerability, which affects Mac OS X 10.7x, 10.6x and 10.5x, follows
Apple's announcement earlier this month that all applications submitted
to the Mac App store must implement sandboxing as of March 1, 2012.
Sandboxing, Apple has argued, limits the resources applications can
access and makes it more difficult for malware to compromise systems.
Researchers at Core however revealed Nov. 10 that they had warned Apple
in September about a vulnerability in their sandboxing approach.
According to Core's advisory, several of the default predefined sandbox
profiles fail to 'properly limit all the available mechanisms.' As a
result, the sandboxing restrictions can be circumvented through the use
of Apple events."

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/2152232/mac-os-x-sandbox-security-hole-uncovered?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/mac-os-x-sandbox-security-hole-uncovered-111211

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| iOS App Acoustically Measures Distances Up To 25 Meters
| from the new-tool-for-the-box dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 13, @15:07 (Iphone)
| with 98 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1841204/ios-app-acoustically-measures-distances-up-to-25-meters?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

n01 writes "A [0]recently published app for the iOS platform uses the
propagation of sound waves to measure distances of up to 25 meters in a
dual device mode. The technique works through repeatedly sending a chirp
signal from the master device to which the other (reflector) device
synchronizes itself and then replies in a similar fashion. A novel
combination of techniques has been engineered to enhance the robustness
in noisy environments, such as using an optimum-autocorrelation-signal
and semi-automatic frequency calibration together with an averaging over
multiple cycles."

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1841204/ios-app-acoustically-measures-distances-up-to-25-meters?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://iqtainment.wordpress.com/acoustic-ruler/

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| Army Plots Its Smartphone Strategy
| from the angry-army-birds dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday November 13, @16:50 (Android)
| with 86 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1923254/army-plots-its-smartphone-strategy?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]gManZboy writes "[1]What kind of smartphone should a soldier have?
Ahead of the impending expiration of two communications contracts, the
Army's 5th Signal Command is prepping for the possibility of buying
thousands of mobile devices. An RFI asks for BlackBerrys, 'emerging
smartphones included but not limited to 4G devices such as Androids [and]
iPhones,' tablet computers, and wireless broadband access devices. Also
in the Army mobile vision: an apps marketplace."

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/1923254/army-plots-its-smartphone-strategy?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.informationweek.com/
1. http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/mobile/231902877

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| Canary Islands Eruption Could Create New Land
| from the i-call-dibs dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday November 13, @08:19 (Earth)
| with 71 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/055206/canary-islands-eruption-could-create-new-land?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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wanzeo writes "[0]An undersea volcano is erupting off the coast of the
[1]Canary Islands, bringing the potential for new land formation. The
lava peak has [2]grown 100 meters from the ocean floor, and is now just
70 meters from the surface. It has been seen ejecting rocks from the sea
and producing jets of water 20 meters high. Increasing seismic activity
has been monitored since July, an indication that magma is rapidly moving
toward the surface. Local residents have been evacuated because of the
potential danger from falling rocks or violent steam explosions if the
lava gets too close."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/055206/canary-islands-eruption-could-create-new-land?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,796612,00.html
1. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Canary_islands#Geology
2. http://abcnews.go.com/International/canary-islands-eruption-undersea-volcano-now-70-meters/story?id=14933744&singlePage=true#.Tr9PhcNrLEY

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| Workshops Begin In Australia On WikiLeaks Opera
| from the this-is-a-thing-people-are-doing dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday November 13, @02:13 (Australia)
| with 39 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/0430249/workshops-begin-in-australia-on-wikileaks-opera?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Betrayal, lust, secrecy, power: there's no
shortage of dramatic intrigue in the story of Julian Assange and
WikiLeaks. Perhaps that's why [1]work has begun on an opera based on the
life of Julian Assange in Melbourne. Opera Australia held ��� with Julian
Assange's approval ��� a series of in-house workshops last month after its
artistic director, Lyndon Terracini, came up with the idea and asked
composer Jonathan Dreyfus to write the music. 'It's got everything that a
dramatic musical work needs,' says Eddie Perfect, who played Assange in
the initial process. 'It's got heroes and villains. In fact, [2]it's got
a hero and villain combined in one.' The company has not yet committed to
a full production, but if the opera goes ahead it will be the second time
the WikiLeaks story has been presented on stage in Assange's native
Australia. [3]Stainless Steel Rat played at the Seymour Center in Sydney
last June."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/13/0430249/workshops-begin-in-australia-on-wikileaks-opera?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/led-on-by-wikileaks-opera-has-a-song-in-its-art/story-fn9d2mxu-1226167165716
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/nov/09/julian-assange-the-opera?newsfeed=true
3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/26/wikileaks-julian-assange-stage


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