Friday, January 13, 2012

[Slashdot] Stories for 2012-01-13

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The Coming Storage Armageddon

Read the advisory brief from Frost & Sullivan's Stratecast group and learn how IBM's suite of storage solutions addresses big data challenges. You������ll also learn how you can introduce scalability and efficiency to your storage environment - avoiding the storage Armageddon.

http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sdnl/114/51419002/
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Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Do Companies Punish Workers Who Take Vacations?

* Russian Official Implies Foul Play In Mars Probe Failure

* Symantec Sued For Running Fake "Scareware" Scans

* Eric Schmidt Doesn't Think Android Is Fragmented

* LG To Pay Licensing Fees To Microsoft For Using Android

* Music Industry Sues Irish Government For Piracy

* The Coming Tech Battle Over 'Smart TVs'

* UK Green Lights HS2 High Speed Rail Line

* Astronomers Estimate Milky Way May Have 100 Billion Alien Worlds

* FreeBSD 9.0 Released

* The Future of Hi-Tech Auto Theft

* Ubuntu Tablet OS To Take On Android, iOS

* Bing Search Overtakes Yahoo

* India Mobile Handset Backdoor Memo Probably a Fake

* IBM Shrinks Bit Size To 12 Atoms

* Is AT&T Building the Ultimate Walled Garden?

* $10M Tricorder X PRIZE Kicks off

* Three Tiny Exoplanets Suggest Solar System Not So Special

* Who Goes To CES?

* Timothy Lord Checks Out Keyboards & Tech At CES

* Paul Ceglia Fined $5,000 In Facebook Case

* US Navy Developing App-Summoned Robotic Helicopter

* Major Financial Groups Share Data To Fight Online Theft

* Google Science Fair Back For 2nd Year


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| Do Companies Punish Workers Who Take Vacations?
| from the you've-been-missing-a-lot-of-work-lately dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @18:05 (Businesses)
| with 585 comments
| https://slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2059253/do-companies-punish-workers-who-take-vacations?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Chad Brooks reports that a steady stream of
research over the past year reveals that Americans aren't taking
vacations and it's because they are [1]afraid to take time off from work
for fear of appearing less than dedicated to their employer with one
survey showing that [2]70 percent of employees said they weren't using
all their earned vacation days in 2011. 'You have this kind of fear of
not wanting to be seen as a slacker,' says [3]John de Graaf, executive
director of Take Back Your Time, an organization focused on challenging
the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine facing society.
De Graaf adds that while some companies are good about encouraging
employees to use earned time off, there also are some that aren't worried
about the potential repercussions that may come from that
nose-to-the-grindstone approach. 'They think, "If I burn someone out, I
can always find someone else,"' says de Graaf. 'They think [employees]
are expendable.' Even when they do take vacation, research shows many
employees aren't leaving their work behind. In one study, [4]66 percent
of surveyed employees said they would check and respond to email during
their time off, and 29 percent expect to attend meetings virtually while
on vacation. De Graaf is not optimistic anything will ever get done to
free employees of their fear of taking time off. 'This is the [5]only
wealthy country in the world that does not guarantee any paid vacation
time,' says de Graaf. 'Every other country understands that this makes
people healthier and creates a better workforce.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2059253/do-companies-punish-workers-who-take-vacations?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.livescience.com/17829-afraid-vacation.html
2. http://www.right.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2011-press-releases/item22338.aspx
3. http://www.timeday.org/default.asp
4. http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1131-working-on-vacation.html
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statutory_minimum_employment_leave_by_country

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| Russian Official Implies Foul Play In Mars Probe Failure
| from the stop-launching-space-junk dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @10:54 (Mars)
| with 411 comments
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1529217/russian-official-implies-foul-play-in-mars-probe-failure?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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Back in November, Russia [0]launched the Phobos-Grunt probe on a mission
to return a soil sample from Mars' largest moon. Sadly, the probe
malfunctioned, and never left orbit. It's due to [1]crash into the Indian
Ocean this weekend. An anonymous reader points out some interesting
comments from a Russian official, Vladimir Popovkin, who obliquely
suggested that [2]interference from other countries was a possible cause
of the failure. Quoting: "Mr. Popovkin���s remarks to the newspaper
Izvestia were the first high-level suggestion of nefarious interference.
A retired commander of Russia���s missile warning system had speculated in
November that strong radar signals from installations in Alaska might
have damaged the spacecraft. 'We don���t want to accuse anybody, but there
are very powerful devices that can influence spacecraft now,' Mr.
Popovkin said in the interview. 'The possibility they were used cannot be
ruled out.' ... Mr. Popovkin did not directly implicate the United States
in the interview. But he said 'the frequent failure of our space
launches, which occur at a time when they are flying over the part of
Earth not visible from Russia, where we do not see the spacecraft and do
not receive telemetric information, are not clear to us,' an apparent
reference to the Americas."

Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1529217/russian-official-implies-foul-play-in-mars-probe-failure?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/09/0232218/phobos-grunt-launches-to-retrieve-a-sample-of-phobos
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16528771
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/science/space/russian-official-suggests-weapon-caused-spacecraft-failure.html?_r=4&ref=science

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| Symantec Sued For Running Fake "Scareware" Scans
| from the selling-fear dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @08:04 (Security)
| with 363 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0438226/symantec-sued-for-running-fake-scareware-scans?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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Sparrowvsrevolution writes "James Gross, a resident of Washington State,
filed what he intends to be a class action lawsuit against Symantec in a
Northern District California court Tuesday, claiming that Symantec
[0]defrauds consumers by running fake scans on their machines, with
results designed to bully users into upgrading to a paid version of the
company's software. 'The scareware does not conduct any actual diagnostic
testing on the computer,' the complaint reads. 'Instead, Symantec
intentionally designed its scareware to invariably report, in an
extremely ominous manner, that harmful errors, privacy risks, and other
computer problems exist on the user's PC, regardless of the real
condition of the consumer's computer.' Symantec denies those claims, but
it has a history of using fear mongering tactics to bump up its sales. A
notice it showed in 2010 to users whose subscriptions were ending in 2010
warned that 'cyber-criminals are about to clean out your bank
account...Protect yourself now, or beg for mercy.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0438226/symantec-sued-for-running-fake-scareware-scans?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/01/11/lawsuit-claims-symantec-scareware-warns-of-fake-threats-to-sell-upgrades/

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| Eric Schmidt Doesn't Think Android Is Fragmented
| from the trial-seperation dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @13:49 (Android)
| with 354 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/185215/eric-schmidt-doesnt-think-android-is-fragmented?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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adeelarshad82 writes "Eric Schmidt took [0]issue with the idea that the
Android mobile operating system is fragmented, arguing that it's a
differentiation between devices rather than a fragmentation. The
difference, as he explains it, is that differentiation means
manufacturers have a choice, they're going to compete on their view of
innovation, and try to convince consumers that their innovation is better
than somebody elses whereas fragmentation is quite the opposite. Not
surprisingly, some company analysts beg to differ, pointing out the ever
increasing [1]incompatibilities between OS and apps across different
Android devices and [2]other problems with Android."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/185215/eric-schmidt-doesnt-think-android-is-fragmented?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398743,00.asp
1. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398783,00.asp
2. http://parislemon.com/post/15604811641/why-i-hate-android

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| LG To Pay Licensing Fees To Microsoft For Using Android
| from the those-who-can't-do-sue dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @11:38 (Android)
| with 330 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1631244/lg-to-pay-licensing-fees-to-microsoft-for-using-android?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]PerlJedi writes "InformationWeek reports that LG is the latest in a
string of companies who have been bullied into [1]paying 'license fees'
to Microsoft for the use of Android on their products. 'Microsoft said
the deal with LG means that 70% of Android-based smartphones sold in the
U.S. are now covered by its licensing program. ... Microsoft does not
disclose how much revenue it's obtaining from Android, Chrome, and Linux
licenses, but some analysts believe it may be substantial, to the point
where the company is making significant profits from the mobile
revolution even though its own offering, Windows Phone, commands a market
share of less than 2%, according to Gartner.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1631244/lg-to-pay-licensing-fees-to-microsoft-for-using-android?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://perljedi.com/
1. http://informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/232400234

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| Music Industry Sues Irish Government For Piracy
| from the going-for-the-gold dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @00:28 (Piracy)
| with 319 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0141219/music-industry-sues-irish-government-for-piracy?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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bs0d3 writes "The music industry has initiated a [0]lawsuit against the
Irish government for not having blocking laws on the books; on the theory
that if blocking laws were in place then filesharing would go away. On
Tuesday the music industry issued a plenary summons against the Irish
government which is the first step towards making this litigation
possible. This all began in October 2010 ([1]EMI v. UPC), when an Irish
judge ruled that Irish law did not permit an order to be made against an
ISP requiring blocking of websites. Recently several ISPs across the
European Union have been [2]ordered [3]by courts [4]to block
thepiratebay.org through legal maneuvers."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0141219/music-industry-sues-irish-government-for-piracy?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://activepolitic.com:82/Outside_News/11623.html
1. http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2010/H377.html
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/09/1436203/finnish-isp-forced-to-block-the-pirate-bay
3. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/1549255/dutch-court-forces-isps-to-block-the-pirate-bay
4. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/17/000227/belgium-anti-piracy-group-expands-attack-on-access-to-the-pirate-bay

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| The Coming Tech Battle Over 'Smart TVs'
| from the just-like-our-phones-and-bombs dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @10:12 (Television)
| with 302 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1418233/the-coming-tech-battle-over-smart-tvs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "One persistent theme from this year's CES is
that television manufacturers are racing to establish the concept of
'Smart TVs,' sets that integrate modern browsing features, control
through voice or motion, application support, and even upgradability.
This article suggests [0]the living room will be the location of the
newest tech war. Quoting: 'To compete, the companies will have to offer
carefully curated, high-quality applications and be open to supporting
mobile devices such as tablets. Other media companies have already
started: Comcast, for example, announced that it's going to allow
OnDemand streaming not only to Samsung Smart TV's but also to the iPad.
The TV makers are hoping that the multitude of additional features will
be enough to trigger turnover like the industry saw after the
introduction of flat-panel screens, Bloomberg noted. It's a big market,
if the television makers can figure out how to crack it.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1418233/the-coming-tech-battle-over-smart-tvs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/smart-tvs-the-next-tech-war-is-in-the-living-room/2012/01/11/gIQAMFgHrP_story.html

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| UK Green Lights HS2 High Speed Rail Line
| from the rollin-all-night-long dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @03:01 (Transportation)
| with 300 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0337204/uk-green-lights-hs2-high-speed-rail-line?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "The United Kingdom has given the green light
to the first phase of its proposed [0]High Speed Two train line. In
response to environmental concerns, the route for HS2 will now include
extra tunneling in the first 90 miles, so not to disrupt the natural
beauty of the English countryside. The first phase will connect London to
Birmingham and could be functional by 2026."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0337204/uk-green-lights-hs2-high-speed-rail-line?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16478954

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| Astronomers Estimate Milky Way May Have 100 Billion Alien Worlds
| from the that's-a-lot-of-away-missions dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 11, @20:14 (Space)
| with 284 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/238248/astronomers-estimate-milky-way-may-have-100-billion-alien-worlds?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]astroengine writes "Last year, using the exoplanets discovered by the
Kepler space telescope as a guide, astronomers took a statistical stab at
[1]estimating the number of exoplanets that exist in our galaxy. They
came up with at least 50 billion alien worlds. Today, astronomers from
the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., and the
PLANET (Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork) collaboration [2]have taken
their own stab at the 'galactic exo-planetary estimate' and think there
are at least 100 billion worlds knocking around the Milky Way."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/238248/astronomers-estimate-milky-way-may-have-100-billion-alien-worlds?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.astroengine.com/
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/20/0551239/milky-way-stuffed-with-an-estimated-50-billion-alien-worlds
2. http://news.discovery.com/space/milky-way-stuffed-with-100-billion-alien-worlds-120110.html

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| FreeBSD 9.0 Released
| from the get-it-while-it's-hot dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @17:21 (BSD)
| with 222 comments
| https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2153213/freebsd-90-released?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "[0]FreeBSD 9.0 has been released. A few
highlights include: A new installer, bsdinstall(8) has been added and is
the installer used by the ISO images provided as part of this release,
The Fast Filesystem now supports softupdates journaling, and Kernel
support for Capsicum Capability Mode, an experimental set of features for
sandboxing support."

Discuss this story at:
https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2153213/freebsd-90-released?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.freebsd.org/releases/9.0R/announce.html

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| The Future of Hi-Tech Auto Theft
| from the stealing-the-car-of-the-future dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @14:33 (Crime)
| with 216 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1813202/the-future-of-hi-tech-auto-theft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NicknamesAreStupid writes "Over the past twenty years, car theft has
declined as new models incorporated electronic security methods that
thwarted simple hot-wiring. The tide may now be turning, as cars become
the next Windows PC. The Center for Automobile Embedded Systems Security
has posted an interesting paper from UCSD and UW that describes [0]how
modern cars can be cracked (PDF). Unlike the old days of window jimmies,
these exploits range from attacks through the CD or iPod port to cellular
attacks that take inventory of thousands of cars and offer roaming
thieves Yelp-like choices ('our favorite is mint green with leather')
with unlocked doors and running engines."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1813202/the-future-of-hi-tech-auto-theft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.autosec.org/pubs/cars-usenixsec2011.pdf

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| Ubuntu Tablet OS To Take On Android, iOS
| from the uphill-battle dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @12:21 (Handhelds)
| with 207 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/173244/ubuntu-tablet-os-to-take-on-android-ios?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]snydeq writes "Canonical CEO Jane Silber discusses the [1]Ubuntu
maker's ambitions in the mobile market, saying there is plenty of room
for a new player in tablets, TVs, and maybe even smartphones. 'There is a
real demand for an alternative platform. We believe Ubuntu has all the
characteristics that are needed to become that platform,' Silber says,
adding that she expects to see Ubuntu on tablets later this year. 'And we
think we can do that effectively because of characteristics of Ubuntu as
a platform, industry dynamics, and an increased wariness around the
walled gardens of Apple and to some extent Google and even Amazon, as
they are increasingly in this game as well.' Silber cites openness, open
governance, collaboration, and a strong developer ecosystem as key for
Ubuntu as a tablet platform, when compared with Android and iOS."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/173244/ubuntu-tablet-os-to-take-on-android-ios?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/print/183456

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| Bing Search Overtakes Yahoo
| from the climbing-to-the-top dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @05:35 (Google)
| with 155 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0351218/bing-search-overtakes-yahoo?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SharkLaser writes "Microsoft's Bing search engine has [0]overtaken Yahoo
for the first time. While both Bing, Yahoo and a bunch of meta-search
engines like the privacy-oriented [1]DuckDuckGo use Bing's back-end, it
clearly shows Yahoo's declining market share. comScore has also released
its search data for 2011 ��� overall, Bing gained 3.1% of market share
while Yahoo lost 1.5% and Google lost 0.7%. Yahoo's [2]new CEO Scott
Thompson has lots of work to do."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0351218/bing-search-overtakes-yahoo?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/11/microsoft-bing-search-queries-overtake-yahoo-for-the-first-time-in-december/
1. http://duckduckgo.com/
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/04/1651207/yahoo-names-paypal-executive-new-ceo

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| India Mobile Handset Backdoor Memo Probably a Fake
| from the upon-further-investigation dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 11, @22:18 (Apple)
| with 142 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0131239/india-mobile-handset-backdoor-memo-probably-a-fake?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

daveschroeder writes "In the wake of [0]previous coverage alleging that
Apple, Nokia, RIM, and others have provided Indian government with
backdoors into their mobile handsets ��� which itself [1]spawned a US
investigation and questions about handset security ��� it turns out the
memo which ignited the controversy is [2]probably a fake designed to draw
attention to the "Lords of Dharmaraja." According to Reuters, "Military
and cyber-security experts in India say the hackers may have created the
purported military intelligence memo simply to draw attention to their
work, or to taint relations between close allies India and the United
States." Apple has already [3]denied providing access to the Indian
government."

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/0131239/india-mobile-handset-backdoor-memo-probably-a-fake?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/08/069204/leaked-memo-says-apple-provides-backdoor-to-governments
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/10/usa-india-hacking-idUSL3E8CA35N20120110
2. http://news.yahoo.com/fake-memo-real-code-india-u-hacking-mystery-175519916.html
3. http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/01/apple-denies-providing-backdoor-access-to-indian-military.html

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| IBM Shrinks Bit Size To 12 Atoms
| from the more-on-less dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @15:53 (Data Storage)
| with 108 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/206224/ibm-shrinks-bit-size-to-12-atoms?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas123 writes "IBM researchers say they've been able to shrink the
number of iron atoms it takes to store a bit of data from about one
million to 12, which could pave the way for storage devices with
capacities that are orders of magnitude greater than today's devices.
Andreas Heinrich, who lead the IBM Research team on the project for five
years, said [0]the team used the tip of scanning tunneling microscope and
unconventional antiferromagnetism to change the bits from zeros to ones.
By combining 96 of the atoms, the researchers were able to create bytes ���
spelling out the word THINK. That solved a theoretical problem of how few
atoms it could take to store a bit; now comes the engineering challenge:
how to make a mass storage device perform the same feat as scanning
tunneling microscope."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/206224/ibm-shrinks-bit-size-to-12-atoms?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223396/IBM_smashes_Moore_s_Law_cuts_bit_size_to_12_atoms

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| Is AT&T Building the Ultimate Walled Garden?
| from the you-can-checkout-any-time-you-like-but-you-can-never-leave dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 11, @19:27 (Cloud)
| with 96 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/232234/is-att-building-the-ultimate-walled-garden?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]itwbennett writes "The announcement earlier this week that [1]AT&T
joined OpenStack was greeted with much fanfare (of the 'woo hoo for open
source' variety). But dig into [2]why AT&T decided to sign up for
OpenStack and things get a lot more interesting. 'AT&T is about to take
on Amazon's EC2 and S2 cloud services, and OpenStack's technology is
going to be the engine that drives it,' writes blogger Brian Profit.
'Leaving aside the potential problems for user privacy here ��� and oh,
there are many to be addressed to be sure ��� a plan such as this would
represent a stunning coup for AT&T, since they would be able to provide
the one thing Apple and Google have not been able to have in their
respective plans to own the entire stack: the network on which all
communications must flow.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/232234/is-att-building-the-ultimate-walled-garden?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/cloud-computing/239523/att-joins-openstack
2. http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/240717/using-open-source-build-ultimate-walled-garden

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| $10M Tricorder X PRIZE Kicks off
| from the i'm-a-doctor-not-an-angry-birds-machine dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @12:01 (Handhelds)
| with 96 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1641231/10m-tricorder-x-prize-kicks-off?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in May, we heard about Qualcomm's plans to [0]hammer out details for
an X PRIZE competition to invent a Star Trek-style tricorder. Now, reader
Sven-Erik sends word that [1]the requirements have been finalized and
[2]the competition has launched. "As envisioned for this competition, the
device will be a tool capable of capturing key health metrics and
diagnosing a set of 15 diseases. Metrics for health could include such
elements as blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature.
Ultimately, this tool will collect large volumes of data from ongoing
measurement of health states through a combination of wireless sensors,
imaging technologies, and portable, non-invasive laboratory replacements.
Given that each team will take its own approach to design and
functionality, the device's physical appearance and functionality may
vary immensely from team to team. Indeed, the only stated limit on form
is that the mass of its components together must be no greater than five
pounds."

Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1641231/10m-tricorder-x-prize-kicks-off?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/05/13/2134228/invent-the-medical-tricorder-win-10000000
1. http://www.qualcommtricorderxprize.org/competition-details/overview
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16518171

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Three Tiny Exoplanets Suggest Solar System Not So Special
| from the more-exoplanets-than-we-know-what-to-do-with dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @13:04 (NASA)
| with 73 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1725223/three-tiny-exoplanets-suggest-solar-system-not-so-special?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ananyo writes "Adding to its already long roster of firsts, NASA's Kepler
spacecraft has [0]found the three smallest extrasolar planets ever
detected ��� all of them smaller than Earth, and the most diminutive no
larger than Mars. The newly discovered trio forms a miniature planetary
system orbiting a cool, dim red dwarf star called KOI-961. Because they
are so close to their star, the three exoplanets are too hot to support
life. But unlike most previously known exoplanets, the vast majority of
which are Jupiter-scale gas giants, all three are thought to be rocky
worlds like Earth and the other worlds of the inner Solar System."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1725223/three-tiny-exoplanets-suggest-solar-system-not-so-special?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.nature.com/news/three-tiny-exoplanets-suggest-solar-system-not-so-special-1.9786

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Who Goes To CES?
| from the besides-timothy-that-is dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @15:18 (Technology)
| with 72 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/195224/who-goes-to-ces?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]itwbennett writes "The Consumer Electronics Association stopped
letting actual consumers attend the gadget extravaganza years ago, but
even so, plenty of attendees [1]can't exactly be described 'industry
affiliates'. IDG News Service turned up a motorcycle stuntman, a restorer
of 8-track tapes, and a lot of folks who were there just for fun."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/195224/who-goes-to-ces?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/hardware/240913/stuntmen-8-track-collectors-and-others-check-out-gadgets-ces

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Timothy Lord Checks Out Keyboards & Tech At CES
| from the trade-shows-a-few-people-still-care-about dept.
| posted by Roblimo on Thursday January 12, @08:47 (Hardware)
| with 55 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/2359230/timothy-lord-checks-out-keyboards-tech-at-ces?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slashdot's Timothy Lord is at the International Consumer Electronics Show
([0]CES) in Las Vegas. There is no way any one person can take in the
whole show. It's just too big for that. But on Timothy's first day, he
spotted an [1]overlay keyboard for the iPad that's been [2]mentioned on
Slashdot before, an [3]invisible keyboard for your smartphone or tablet,
and a [4]crazy-interesting all-in-one computing device with a built-in
projector and built-in virtual keyboard. Watch the video and join Timothy
as he learns about these three devices. (Before you ask: Yes, we'll have
more videos from CES over the next few days.)"

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/2359230/timothy-lord-checks-out-keyboards-tech-at-ces?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.cesweb.org/
1. http://www.touchfire.com/
2. http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/12/06/1514239/an-ipad-keyboard-you-can-type-on-and-swipe-through
3. http://www.snapkeys.com/
4. http://www.ctxtechnologies.com/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Paul Ceglia Fined $5,000 In Facebook Case
| from the slap-on-the-friends-list dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 11, @19:04 (Facebook)
| with 45 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/2248211/paul-ceglia-fined-5000-in-facebook-case?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Foschio has
sanctioned Paul Ceglia, [0]a man that claims he owns half Facebook, and
[1]ordered him to pay $5,000 to the court. The judge also ordered Ceglia
to pay for part of Facebook's attorney fees and expenses, an amount which
will likely be much higher. The social networking giant [2]hopes to have
Ceglia's lawsuit dismissed early this year."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/11/2248211/paul-ceglia-fined-5000-in-facebook-case?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/08/17/147238/paul-ceglia-facebook-is-doing-the-forgery-not-me
1. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/paul-ceglia-fined-5000-plus-legal-fees-in-facebook-case/7175
2. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/facebook-paul-ceglia-contract-was-forged-in-2009/6418

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| US Navy Developing App-Summoned Robotic Helicopter
| from the johnny-copter dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @18:59 (Robotics)
| with 43 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2141244/us-navy-developing-app-summoned-robotic-helicopter?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zothecula writes "We may be closer to the day when United States Marines
will, within a matter of minutes, use a handheld app to summon robotic
helicopters to deliver battlefield supplies. On Tuesday, the Office of
Naval Research (ONR) announced its five-year, US$98 million [0]Autonomous
Aerial Cargo Utility System (AACUS) program, with the specific aim of
developing 'sensors and control technologies for robotic vertical
take-off and landing aircraft.'" Last month we covered [1]NATO's robotic
helicopter, the K-MAX.

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2141244/us-navy-developing-app-summoned-robotic-helicopter?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/aacus-autonomous-helicopter/21088/
1. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/21/2040214/troops-in-afghanistan-supplied-by-robot-helicopter

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Major Financial Groups Share Data To Fight Online Theft
| from the dogs-and-cats-living-together dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 12, @09:29 (Security)
| with 37 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1346205/major-financial-groups-share-data-to-fight-online-theft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

smitty777 writes "The Wall Street Journal is reporting on some
[0]unprecedented steps being taken by major financial institutions to
combat online theft. The initiatives include a new type of data center
that would be used to analyze bank data for potential security threats.
Additionally, a quarterly round-table between the rivals to attack
security issues was proposed. The article notes that 'security threats
are pushing the big banks to do something that doesn't come naturally for
these secrecy-steeped institutions: share information with one another.'
A video at MarketWatch [1]digs into it a little bit more, and points out
that the banks will spend an estimated $1 billion on protection this
year, which represents a 12% increase. Technologically, there has been
much discussion of two-factor authentication to improve security. In
fact, security officials in Singapore are even hinting at biometric
solutions."

Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/1346205/major-financial-groups-share-data-to-fight-online-theft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203436904577151230598919896.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews
1. http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/banks-unite-to-battle-online-theft-2012-01-10/07BA8A4B-9A23-43B9-9712-D9E4FA6E5336#!07BA8A4B-9A23-43B9-9712-D9E4FA6E5336

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google Science Fair Back For 2nd Year
| from the fire-up-the-volcano dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, @16:37 (Google)
| with 31 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2015247/google-science-fair-back-for-2nd-year?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

alphadogg writes "Google, joining forces with CERN, The LEGO Group,
National Geographic and Scientific American, has announced [0]the 2012
Google Science Fair, an online competition open to 13-to-18-year-olds
around the world. Prizes include a $50,000 college scholarship, a 10-day
trip to the Galapagos Islands and more. Judges include Google VP and
Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf, CERN Director Steve Myers, oceanographer
Sylvia Earle and others."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2015247/google-science-fair-back-for-2nd-year?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/google-science-fair-back-2nd-year


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