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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Do Slashdotters Encrypt Their Email?
* Software Bug Caused Qantas Airbus A330 To Nose-Dive
* Denver Must Prove Red-Light Cameras Improve Safety
* Firefox 9 Released, JavaScript Performance Greatly Improved
* <em>Star Wars: the Old Republic</em> Launches
* Apple Wins Injunction Banning Import of HTC Devices
* Google Working On Siri Competitor Majel
* <em>X-Men Origins</em> Pirate Draws a 1-Year Sentence
* Fatal Problems Continue To Plague F-22 Raptor
* HIV Vaccine Approval For Human Trials
* FBI Cybercrime Director Comments On Hacktivism
* Sony Sued Over PSN 'No Suing' Provision
* New Qt Based Desktop Environment
* Kim Jong-Il Was an "Internet Expert"
* IBM's Five Predictions For the Next Five Years
* Will Toys-R-Us Carry Spy Drones?
* Tech Forensics Take Center Stage in Manning Pre-Trial
* High School Reunions — Facebook's Newest Victim?
* Kepler Discovers First Earth-Sized Exoplanets
* NASA Considers Sending Telescope To the Outer Solar System
* India To Cut Out Animal Dissection
* October, November the Worst Months For Writing Buggy Code
* Superannuated Scientists Still Productive
* Ready For Your Payroll Software Update?
* MIT To Expand Online Learning and Offer Certificates
* Mozilla and Google Sign New Agreement For Default Search
* Victory For Irish File Sharers Dashed By Government Report
* Undersea Neutrino Observatory To Be Second-Largest Human Structure
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Do Slashdotters Encrypt Their Email?
| from the translate-it-to-navajo dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday December 19, @22:10 (Encryption)
| with 578 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0158227/do-slashdotters-encrypt-their-email?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Many years ago when I first heard of [0]PGP,
I found an add-on that made it fairly simple to use PGP to encrypt my
email. Despite the fact that these days most people know that email is a
highly insecure means of communication, very few people that I know ever
use any form of email encryption despite the fact that it is pretty easy
to use. This isn't quite what I would have expected when I first set it
up. So, my question to fellow Slashdotters is 'Do you encrypt your email?
If not, 'Why not?' and 'Why has email encryption using PGP or something
similar not become more commonplace?' The use of cryptography used to be
a hot topic once upon a time."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0158227/do-slashdotters-encrypt-their-email?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Software Bug Caused Qantas Airbus A330 To Nose-Dive
| from the bugs-on-a-plane dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday December 20, @00:12 (Bug)
| with 551 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0127215/software-bug-caused-qantas-airbus-a330-to-nose-dive?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]pdcull writes "According to Stuff.co.nz, the Australian Transport
Safety Board found that a software bug was responsible for a [1]Qantas
Airbus A330 nose-diving twice while at cruising altitude, injuring 12
people seriously and causing 39 to be taken to the hospital. The event,
which happened three years ago, was found to be [2]caused by an airspeed
sensor malfunction, linked to a bug in an algorithm which 'translated the
sensors' data into actions, where the flight control computer could put
the plane into a nosedive using bad data from just one sensor.' A
software update was installed in November 2009, and the ATSB concluded
that 'as a result of this redesign, passengers, crew and [3]operators can
be confident that the same type of accident will not reoccur.' I can't
help wondering just how a piece of code, which presumably didn't test its
input data for validity before acting on it, could become part of a
modern jet's onboard software suite?"
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0127215/software-bug-caused-qantas-airbus-a330-to-nose-dive?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.paulcull.org/
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/08/10/15/0225254/computer-error-caused-qantas-jet-mishap
2. http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/australia/6163633/Qantas-terror-blamed-on-computer
3. http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2008/aair/ao-2008-070.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Denver Must Prove Red-Light Cameras Improve Safety
| from the welcome-to-the-red-light-district dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @09:28 (Transportation)
| with 389 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1345254/denver-must-prove-red-light-cameras-improve-safety?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "An audit of accidents at Denver intersections
where red light cameras were installed versus increasing the length of
the yellow light shows little difference in the results. In a case of
putting the public ahead of the corporation, the Denver auditor is
[0]recommending canceling the red light camera program unless the city
can prove a public-safety benefit." I hope that private citizens offering
analysis or recommendations are [1]treated fairly.
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1345254/denver-must-prove-red-light-cameras-improve-safety?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19576425?source=rss
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/03/2044211/nc-official-sics-license-police-on-computer-scientist-for-too-good-a-complaint
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Firefox 9 Released, JavaScript Performance Greatly Improved
| from the and-they-say-functional-programming-is-useless dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday December 20, @06:11 (Firefox)
| with 309 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0032250/firefox-9-released-javascript-performance-greatly-improved?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]MrSeb writes "Firefox 9 is [1]now available ��� but unlike its previous
rapid release forebears where not a lot changed, a [2]huge feature has
landed with the new version: the JavaScript engine now has [3]type
inference enabled. This simple switch has resulted in a [4]20-30% JS
execution speed increase (PDF), putting [5]JaegerMonkey back in line with
Chrome's V8 engine, and even pulling ahead in some cases. If you switched
away from Firefox to IE or Chrome for improved JS performance, now is
probably the time to give Firefox another shot."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0032250/firefox-9-released-javascript-performance-greatly-improved?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://mrseb.co.uk/
1. http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/9.0/releasenotes/
2. http://www.extremetech.com/computing/109707-firefox-9-released-javascript-performance-improved-by-20-30
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_inference
4. http://people.mozilla.org/~lmesa/ti-draft.pdf
5. https://wiki.mozilla.org/JaegerMonkey
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>Star Wars: the Old Republic</em> Launches
| from the fully-operational dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @15:10 (Star Wars Prequels)
| with 307 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1951241/star-wars-the-old-republic-launches?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today marks [0]the official launch of Star Wars: the Old Republic, a new
MMOG from BioWare, EA, and LucasArts. The game's population has been
building throughout the week as players who pre-ordered were [1]granted
early access, but now the gates have been thrown open to everyone. By
using the Star Wars universe and a 'story-driven' approach to MMO
gameplay, BioWare hopes to draw in a new group of players [2]who don't
typically consider themselves MMO gamers. Since the game is still largely
unexplored, comprehensive reviews have yet to be written, but Shack News
has [3]a write-up about the early game. An article at Eurogamer discusses
whether this sort of game launch marks [4]the end of an era for the MMOG
industry ��� the game's budget is estimated to be as high as $100 million,
and it relies on a traditional subscription model when many games are
making the switch to free-to-play.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1951241/star-wars-the-old-republic-launches?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111220005330/en/EA-BioWare-LucasArts-Usher-Force-Online-Games
1. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-12-19-bioware-takes-star-wars-the-old-republic-queues-seriously
2. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/12/star-wars-old-republic/all/1
3. http://www.shacknews.com/article/71641/star-wars-the-old-republic-first-look
4. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-12-15-star-wars-the-old-republic-the-end-of-an-era-preview
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Apple Wins Injunction Banning Import of HTC Devices
| from the apple-knows-best dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday December 19, @19:09 (Android)
| with 303 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/12/19/2329243/apple-wins-injunction-banning-import-of-htc-devices?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newly accepted submitter squish18 writes "All Things D reports that Apple
has won an injunction [0]banning the import of some HTC phones starting
in April 2012. The [1]ruling by the ITC stems from two claims of the
[2]'647 patent concerning software used to enter personal data in mobile
devices. It is interesting to note that the ITC has also reversed
previous rulings regarding regarding infringement of two other '647
claims, as well as [3]patent '263 claims." It looks like [4]Apple's
victory is relatively minor. They lost claims on all patents except for
one, and HTC/Google can work on implementing similar functionality in a
non-infringing way.
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/12/19/2329243/apple-wins-injunction-banning-import-of-htc-devices?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://allthingsd.com/20111219/trade-body-says-htc-violating-apple-patents-bans-some-imports/
1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/76088394/Usitc-Ruling-Apple-Htc
2. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5,946,647.PN.&OS=PN/5,946,647&RS=PN/5,946,647
3. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,343,263.PN.&OS=PN/6,343,263&RS=PN/6,343,263
4. http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/12/apple-wins-itc-ruling-of-narrow.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google Working On Siri Competitor Majel
| from the what-are-you-doing-gene dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @12:45 (Android)
| with 302 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/177218/google-working-on-siri-competitor-majel?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]judgecorp writes "Google is [1]working on a competitor to Apple's Siri
voice input system. It's an extension to its existing Voice Actions
offering with a name that should ring bells. Majel is named after
[2]Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who was the voice of most of the Star Trek
on-board computers, as well as playing Nurse Christine Chapel in the
first series and being Gene Roddenberry's wife."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/177218/google-working-on-siri-competitor-majel?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/
1. http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/google-working-on-siri-alternative-majel-50416
2. http://news.slashdot.org/story/08/12/19/0221211/majel-roddenberry-dies-at-76
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>X-Men Origins</em> Pirate Draws a 1-Year Sentence
| from the pre-fx-version-would-make-good-bonus-content dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @13:03 (Piracy)
| with 289 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1736238/x-men-origins-pirate-draws-a-1-year-sentence?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from geek.com: "In 2009, a
copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine found its way on to Megaupload a month
before it was due to appear in movie theaters. The so-called 'workprint'
copy was unfinished ��� so unfinished in fact, anyone viewing this copy saw
green screens and wires attached to actors used to help with the more
acrobatic movements during action scenes. Hugh Jackman even commented on
the leak, describing it as like getting a 'Ferrari without a paint job.'
The person who decided to share the movie illegally was tracked down,
however. He is a 49-year-old New Yorker by the name of Gilberto Sanchez,
and he's [0]just been prosecuted." The [1]New York Times' 2010 interview
with Sanchez is a good read, too.
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1736238/x-men-origins-pirate-draws-a-1-year-sentence?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.geek.com/articles/news/one-year-in-federal-prison-for-x-men-origins-pirate-20111220/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/nyregion/13wolverine.html?pagewanted=all
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Fatal Problems Continue To Plague F-22 Raptor
| from the let's-keep-throwing-money-at-it-until-it-works dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @15:53 (The Military)
| with 286 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2041235/fatal-problems-continue-to-plague-f-22-raptor?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "The LA Times reports that even though the Air
Force has used its F-22 Raptor planes only in test missions, [1]pilots
have experienced seven major crashes with two deaths, a grim reminder
that the U.S. military's most expensive fighter jet, never called into
combat despite conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, continues to
experience equipment problems ��� notably with its oxygen systems. New
details from an Air Force report last week drew attention to a crash in
November 2010 that left Capt. Jeff Haney dead and raised debate over
[2]whether the Air Force turned Haney into a scapegoat to escape more
criticism of the F-22. Haney 'most likely experienced a sense similar to
suffocation,' the report said. 'This was likely [Haney's] first
experience under such physiological duress.' According to the Air Force
Accident Report, Haney should have leaned over and with a gloved hand
pulled a silver-dollar-size green ring that was under his seat by his
left thigh [3]to engage the emergency system (PDF). It takes 40 pounds of
pull to engage the emergency system. That's a tall order for a man who
has gone nearly a minute without a breath of air, speeding faster than
sound, while wearing bulky weather gear, says Michael Barr, a former Air
Force fighter pilot and former accident investigation officer. 'It
would've taken superhuman efforts on the pilot's behalf to save that
aircraft,' says Barr. 'The initial cause of this accident was a
malfunction with the aircraft ��� not the pilot.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2041235/fatal-problems-continue-to-plague-f-22-raptor?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fighter-jet-down-20111220,0,3566553.story
2. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/air-force-blames-oxygen-deprived-pilot-22-crash/story?id=15162509
3. http://www.airforce-magazine.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Reports/2011/December%202011/Day16/AIB_F-22A_111610.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| HIV Vaccine Approval For Human Trials
| from the who's-feeling-lucky dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @17:18 (Canada)
| with 263 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2135254/hiv-vaccine-approval-for-human-trials?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes with news that [0]researchers from the
University of Western Ontario have been given approval from the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration to [1]begin testing an HIV vaccine in humans.
From the article: "The vaccine is the first based on a genetically
modified killed whole virus, [researchers said.] ... a clinical trial on
40 HIV-positive volunteers will begin next month. That phase will last a
year, after which 600 HIV-negative volunteers will see how the vaccine
impacts their immune systems. A final phase, which will take about three
years, will involve about 6,000 HIV-negative volunteers."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2135254/hiv-vaccine-approval-for-human-trials?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://communications.uwo.ca/media/hivvaccine/
1. http://www.torontosun.com/2011/12/20/canadian-universitys-aids-vaccine-wins-approval
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| FBI Cybercrime Director Comments On Hacktivism
| from the please-don't-blow-up-parliment-thanks dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday December 19, @19:58 (Crime)
| with 233 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/005227/fbi-cybercrime-director-comments-on-hacktivism?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bdcny7927 writes "In an exclusive interview with CIO.com, the [0]FBI
official in charge of cybercrime speaks for the first time with the media
specifically about hacktivism. Here, Assistant Executive Director Shawn
Henry describes the [1]threats hacktivists pose, the challenges
associated with investigating them, and the FBI's success disrupting
these groups. He also delivers a special message to hacktivists." The
so-called special message: "My organization is a believer in civil rights
and civil liberties, and the first amendment is something I hold very
dear personally and professionally. I have no problem with people
picketing and protesting in the street. I get all that. But the freedom
for me to swing my arm ends where your nose begins. If you are impinging
on others' rights, that's illegal."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/005227/fbi-cybercrime-director-comments-on-hacktivism?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/executives/Henry
1. http://www.cio.com/article/696793/FBI_Warns_Hacktivists_You_re_Breaking_the_Law_
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Sony Sued Over PSN 'No Suing' Provision
| from the had-to-see-that-coming dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @18:01 (Sony)
| with 227 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2224229/sony-sued-over-psn-no-suing-provision?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from the Examiner: "In a
grand dose of irony today, [0]Sony was sued over a term in the
PlayStation Network's End User Agreement that states that users cannot
sue Sony. [1]These terms were added in September, after a long string of
Sony hacks (the official count is that Sony got broken into 17 times in a
space of about 2 months), which included a massive outage of the
PlayStation Network itself. [2]The suit that was filed today is a class
action suit for all of those who bought a PS3 and signed up for the PSN
before the September update to the EULA. The suit also claims that this
is a unfair Business practice on Sony's part, and requires users to forgo
their rights in order to use the device that they purchased."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2224229/sony-sued-over-psn-no-suing-provision?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.examiner.com/computers-in-denver/sony-sued-over-psn-no-suing-provision
1. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37262/Sony_Amends_Online_Terms_To_Block_Class_Action_Lawsuits.php
2. http://uk.gamespot.com/news/sony-sued-over-terms-of-service-update-6347852
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New Qt Based Desktop Environment
| from the this-is-not-the-gnome-you-were-looking-for dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday December 20, @08:22 (GUI)
| with 217 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0430210/new-qt-based-desktop-environment?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
aglider writes "Phoronix has an interesting piece of news about a [0]new
emerging desktop environment. And it's Qt based! From the project home
page: 'Razor-Qt is an advanced, easy-to-use, and fast [1]desktop
environment based on Qt technologies. It has been tailored for users who
value simplicity, speed, and an intuitive interface. Unlike most desktop
environments, Razor-Qt also works fine with weak machines.' Someone has
already tagged Razor-Qt as 'a KDE ripoff.' What we have so far is
[2]version 0.4, ... and ... a number of [3]easy ways to install and test
it on a few main Linux distributions. Maybe time has come for something
really new in the desktop environment arena almost completely occupied by
GNOME and KDE." The project site has a [4]few screenshots, and the source
is available [5]under a mixture of the GPL and LGPL. It looks pretty
pedestrian in its current form, but then [6]XFCE wasn't much to look at
in its early stages either.
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0430210/new-qt-based-desktop-environment?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTAyOTg
1. http://razor-qt.org/
2. http://yarpen.cz/rants/?p=43
3. http://razor-qt.org/install/
4. http://razor-qt.org/screenshots/
5. https://github.com/Razor-qt/razor-qt
6. http://xfce.org/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Kim Jong-Il Was an "Internet Expert"
| from the sent-from-planet-xiron-to-conquer-the-earth dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday December 20, @09:45 (The Internet)
| with 211 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/141209/kim-jong-il-was-an-internet-expert?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]pigrabbitbear writes "[1]The late Kim Jong Il made many [2]bizarre
claims and bestowed upon himself many extravagant titles during his
iron-clad rule over North Korea. But here's one that's particularly
interesting in light of the recent SOPA debate ��� '[3]Internet expert.'
The DPRK's Dear Leader fancied himself as such during an international
summit in 2007. Seven years prior, he had asked U.S. Secretary of State
Madeline Albright for her email address, indicating that the North Korean
[4]internet black hole was perhaps not as thoroughly opaque as we made it
out to be ��� at least not for those at the top."
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/141209/kim-jong-il-was-an-internet-expert?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://motherboard.tv/
1. http://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/12/19/0334244/north-korean-dictator-kim-jong-il-dead-at-70
2. http://idle.slashdot.org/story/10/06/07/1437259/north-korea-develops-anti-aging-super-drink
3. http://motherboard.vice.com/2011/12/19/kim-jong-il-was-an-internet-expert
4. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/technology/23link.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| IBM's Five Predictions For the Next Five Years
| from the ok-but-let's-revisit-in-5-years dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @10:15 (IBM)
| with 205 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1459248/ibms-five-predictions-for-the-next-five-years?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PolygamousRanchKid writes "In each of the past five years, IBM has come
up with a list of five innovations it believes will become popular within
five years. In this, the sixth year, IBM has come up with the following
[0]technologies it thinks will gain traction: (1) People power will come
to life. Advances in technology will allow us to trap the kinetic energy
generated (and wasted) from walking, jogging, bicycling, and even from
water flowing through pipes. (2) You will never need a password again.
Biometrics will finally replace the password and thus redefine the word
'hack.' (3) Mind reading is no longer science fiction. Scientists are
working on headsets with sensors that can read brain activity and
recognize facial expressions, excitement, and more without needing any
physical inputs from the wearer. (4) The digital divide will cease to
exist. Mobile phones will make it easy for even the poorest of poor to
get connected. (5) Junk mail will become priority mail. "In five years,
unsolicited advertisements may feel so personalized and relevant it may
seem that spam is dead."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1459248/ibms-five-predictions-for-the-next-five-years?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ibms-five-predictions-for-the-next-five-years-12192011.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Will Toys-R-Us Carry Spy Drones?
| from the when-alabama-gets-the-bomb dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @11:38 (Privacy)
| with 172 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1628236/will-toys-r-us-carry-spy-drones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter TomOfAmalfi writes "People are [0]concerned
about government use of domestic surveillance drones, but how is that
different than what happens when [1]people make their own drones, or
[2]buy them at a toy store? These units don't have the endurance or
performance of the 'professional' models, but they can be useful and will
get better. I can hear the police now when they realize the protesters
are tracking them with toys."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1628236/will-toys-r-us-carry-spy-drones?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/19/1925208/domestic-surveillance-drones-could-spur-tougher-privacy-laws
1. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/04/helicam-combines-toy-helicopter-and-camera-for-hd-videos/all/1
2. http://www.amazon.com/3-5CH-Metal-helicopter-Camera-memory/dp/B005QSONW2
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Tech Forensics Take Center Stage in Manning Pre-Trial
| from the next-time-use-a-better-passphrase dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday December 20, @08:04 (Security)
| with 165 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0417226/tech-forensics-take-center-stage-in-manning-pre-trial?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
smitty777 writes with some updates from [0]Bradley Manning's Article 32
hearing: "Wired has been reporting all [yester]day on the prosecution's
technological evidence against Bradley Manning. The first is on [1]the
technology and techniques used by Manning. In the second, the
[2]examiners admit they didn't find any matching cables on Manning's
computer. And finally, [3]evidence that Manning chatted directly with
Assange himself." The prosecution was able to access chat logs and other
bits of evidence (which had been deleted, but not scrubbed from the disk)
thanks to PFC Manning's use of the same password for his OS login and
encryption passphrase. Oops.
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/0417226/tech-forensics-take-center-stage-in-manning-pre-trial?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/21/2041230/bradley-mannings-court-date-finally-set
1. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/cables-scripts-manning/
2. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/cables-match-laptop-manning/
3. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/manning-assange-laptop/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| High School Reunions — Facebook's Newest Victim?
| from the would-rather-dine-with-old-friends dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @08:47 (Facebook)
| with 163 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1332231/high-school-reunions-facebooks-newest-victim?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "For sheer social awkwardness, it's hard to beat
finally seeing those people in person that you never liked in high school
but are 'friends' with on Facebook. The NY Times reports that both
attendance and the number of high school reunions held have dropped in
recent years ��� thanks, some say, to Facebook and similar sites, [1]nobody
really has to lose touch anymore. 'There was a Facebook page for my
20-year college reunion, which took place this May,' says Deborah
Dietzler. 'I looked at it a couple of times and it didn't seem like
anyone I knew would be there, so I lost interest.' 'Social networking has
robbed us of our nostalgia,' adds Michael Fox, who attended his 20-year
high school reunion in November at a bar in Larchmont, NY to see the
adult version of his classmates but was disappointed to find there was
little he didn't already know because of Facebook. Others say [2]the
familiarity bred by social networking enhance the high school reunion
experience. 'It's enticing. It's like a little preview, seeing everyone's
life online,' says Holly Goshin. 'And whether [3]you're happy that
someone is not doing as well as you or you're happy that they look
amazing, you get to see it all in person. Then you can move on with your
life.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1332231/high-school-reunions-facebooks-newest-victim?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/fashion/social-media-reduce-allure-of-high-school-reunions.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
2. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1904565,00.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Kepler Discovers First Earth-Sized Exoplanets
| from the romulus-and-remus dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @13:46 (NASA)
| with 144 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1825200/kepler-discovers-first-earth-sized-exoplanets?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ananyo writes "NASA's Kepler telescope has reached one of its major
mission milestones: [0]finding an Earth-sized planet outside the Solar
System. What's more, it has [1]done it twice in the same star system.
Whizzing around the star Kepler-20, about 290 parsecs (946 light-years)
from Earth, is not only an Earth-sized planet, but also something just a
touch smaller ��� a Venus."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1825200/kepler-discovers-first-earth-sized-exoplanets?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nature.com/news/kepler-discovers-first-earth-sized-exoplanets-1.9688
1. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/kepler-20-system.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| NASA Considers Sending Telescope To the Outer Solar System
| from the research-base-on-ganymede dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday December 20, @05:01 (NASA)
| with 135 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/023231/nasa-considers-sending-telescope-to-the-outer-solar-system?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nancy_A writes "A mission that astronomers and cosmologists have only
dreamed about ��� until now. A [0]team at JPL and Caltech has been looking
into the possibility of [1]hitching an optical telescope to a survey
spacecraft on a mission to the outer solar system. Light pollution in our
inner solar system, from both the nearby glow of the Sun and the [2]hazy
zodiacal glow from dust ground up in the asteroid belt, has long stymied
cosmologists looking for a clearer take on the early Universe."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/023231/nasa-considers-sending-telescope-to-the-outer-solar-system?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://zebra.caltech.edu/
1. http://www.universetoday.com/91947/nasa-considers-sending-a-telescope-to-the-outer-solar-system/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_light
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| India To Cut Out Animal Dissection
| from the use-every-part-of-the-computer dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @12:24 (Science)
| with 129 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1659221/india-to-cut-out-animal-dissection?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ananyo writes "Squeamish science students in India might not have to
grapple with cutting up rats or frogs for much longer. The University
Grants Commission (UGC), the national body in New Delhi that funds and
governs Indian universities, announced new rules earlier this month that
[0]would phase out almost all animal dissection and replace it with
teaching using computer simulations and models."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1659221/india-to-cut-out-animal-dissection?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nature.com/news/india-to-cut-out-animal-dissection-1.9680
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| October, November the Worst Months For Writing Buggy Code
| from the blame-the-halloween-candy-coma dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @16:35 (Bug)
| with 113 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2050219/october-november-the-worst-months-for-writing-buggy-code?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]chicksdaddy writes "Data from application testing firm Veracode
suggests that the quality of application code submitted for auditing is
pretty much constant throughout the year ��� except for the months of
October and November, when [1]the average density of vulnerabilities in
the code jumps considerably. But why? Is it the pressure of deadlines?
The stress of developers' lives (kids back to school, etc.)?"
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2050219/october-november-the-worst-months-for-writing-buggy-code?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://threatpost.com/
1. https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/quality-coding-takes-break-holidays-why-122011
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Superannuated Scientists Still Productive
| from the anonymous-ice-floe-pictures-help dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @10:53 (Science)
| with 112 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1515228/superannuated-scientists-still-productive?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Modern corporations seem to have devalued
older scientists. They are all to happy to have their veteran employees,
scientists included, take an early retirement so that they can be
replaced by younger people who expect fewer benefits and will work for
lower pay. Thomas Kuhn, philosopher of science and author of the
influential book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, believed that
revolution in science was forged only by younger scientists. Some older
studies of small academic groups seemed to show that scientific
productivity peaks at middle age and declines thereafter. A newer study
of 13,680 university professors found that [0]scientific productivity
still increases up to age 50, and it then stabilizes from age fifty to
retirement for the more industrious researchers. When 'high impact'
publications are considered, researchers older than 55 still hold their
own. A recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences shows that the majority of Nobel Laureates in Chemistry from
1901 to 1960 did their prize-winning work by age 40. After 1960,
chemistry laureates were more likely to have done their prize-winning
work after age 40."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1515228/superannuated-scientists-still-productive?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://tikalon.com/blog/blog.php?article=2011/older_scientists
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ready For Your Payroll Software Update?
| from the open-wide dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday December 20, @08:23 (Businesses)
| with 100 comments
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1317251/ready-for-your-payroll-software-update?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEWilco writes "A federal payroll tax reduction for two months is being
pushed by the President. Paying less money to the government seems good,
but if the law is changed it will [0]change the payroll taxes in January
and February. Many of us can well imagine what that will do to the many
payroll systems which are already programmed with the 2012 tax rates."
Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1317251/ready-for-your-payroll-software-update?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MIT To Expand Online Learning and Offer Certificates
| from the expanding-the-internet-of-learning dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @14:28 (Education)
| with 80 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/198231/mit-to-expand-online-learning-and-offer-certificates?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mikejuk writes "MIT has [0]announced an online learning initiative that
will offer its courses [1]through a new interactive learning platform
that will enable students to participate in simulated labs, interact with
professors and other students and [2]earn certificates. Is this just a
reaction to the Stanford experiment in running courses complete with
exams and informal statements of accomplishment? (The first AI course has
just finished and the exam results are in.) If so let's hope it spurs
other educational establishments to do the same!"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/198231/mit-to-expand-online-learning-and-offer-certificates?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/mitx-education-initiative-1219.html
1. http://www.i-programmer.info/news/150-training-a-education/3504-mit-to-expand-online-learning.html
2. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/mitx-faq-1219
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mozilla and Google Sign New Agreement For Default Search
| from the much-ado-about-nothing dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @15:33 (Firefox)
| with 78 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/206208/mozilla-and-google-sign-new-agreement-for-default-search?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "It appears Google will not [0]cut their
default search arrangement with Mozilla. From the [1]official blog post:
'We're pleased to announce that we have negotiated a significant and
mutually beneficial revenue agreement with Google. This new agreement
extends our long term search relationship with Google for at least three
additional years.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/206208/mozilla-and-google-sign-new-agreement-for-default-search?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://search.slashdot.org/story/11/12/05/1717201/will-firefox-lose-google-funding
1. http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2011/12/20/mozilla-and-google-sign-new-agreement-for-default-search-in-firefox/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Victory For Irish File Sharers Dashed By Government Report
| from the protect-revenue-at-any-cost dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday December 20, @03:35 (Censorship)
| with 74 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/19/2350225/victory-for-irish-file-sharers-dashed-by-government-report?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2phar writes "The Irish Government is 'to publish an order early in the
new year to allow music publishers, film producers and other parties to
go to court to [0]prevent ISPs from allowing their customers access to
"pirate" websites.' The government has 'written to music publisher EMI
Ireland confirming the order will be published and incorporated into
existing legislation in January ... EMI Ireland recently warned the
Government that it would take legal action against the State if the
Government did not address the problem.'" This is a response to a ruling
that Eircom's [1]current "three strikes" rules were illegal due to
[2]privacy issues.
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/19/2350225/victory-for-irish-file-sharers-dashed-by-government-report?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/1219/1224309259318_pf.html
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/05/24/0059232/large-irish-isp-to-enact-three-strikes-rule-for-copyright-violation
2. http://torrentfreak.com/file-sharing-3-strikes-killed-in-ireland-government-promises-site-blocking-111219/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Undersea Neutrino Observatory To Be Second-Largest Human Structure
| from the original-xbox-controller-still-king dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, @18:43 (Science)
| with 66 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2337213/undersea-neutrino-observatory-to-be-second-largest-human-structure?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cylonlover writes "An audacious project to construct a vast
infrastructure housing a [0]neutrino observatory at the bottom of the
Mediterranean Sea is being undertaken by a consortium of 40 institutes
and universities from ten European countries. The consortium claims that
[1]KM3NeT, as it is known, will 'open a new window on the Universe,' as
its 'several' cubic kilometer observatory [2]detects high-energy
neutrinos from violent sources in outer space such as gamma-ray bursts,
colliding stars and supernovae. On the scale of human constructions, it
will be second only to the Great Wall of China."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/2337213/undersea-neutrino-observatory-to-be-second-largest-human-structure?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/km3net-mediterranean-neutrino-observatory/20872/
1. http://www.km3net.org/news.php
2. http://www.popsci.com/node/59071/?cmpid=enews121511
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