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======================================================================
Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Can NASA Warm Cold Fusion?
* Programming Prodigy Arfa Karim Passes Away At 16
* DHS Monitors Social Media For 'Political Dissent'
* The Pirate Bay To Stop Serving Torrent Files
* Pouring Water Into a Volcano To Generate Power
* Navy May Use Mine-Detecting Dolphins In the Straight of Hormuz
* DHS X-ray Car Scanners Now At Border Crossings
* Dropbox Founder Wants To Build the Next Google
* Apple To Release List of Companies That Build Its Products Around the World
* White House Opposes Key SOPA Provisions
* PC-BSD 9.0 Release
* Ask Slashdot: Changing Career From OLTP To OLAP Dev
* NASA Open Sources Aircraft Design Software
* Sweden Experiments With Public Twitter Takeover
* Scientists Create World's Tiniest "Ear"
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Can NASA Warm Cold Fusion?
| from the as-long-as-it's-not-on-the-moon dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 15, @08:19 (Power)
| with 424 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/0226219/can-nasa-warm-cold-fusion?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TomOfAmalfi writes "Andrea Rossi says he can provide domestic energy
sources (about 10 kW) based on his E-Cat system (a Low Energy Nuclear
Reaction or Cold Fusion energy source) for between 100 and 150 US$/kW and
begin shipping this year. Many people are skeptical about Rossi's claims
because he has not explained how his 'reactors' work (apparently the
reactors contain ingenious [0]security devices to prevent reverse
engineering), there is no theoretical basis to support his process, and
no one has supplied independent measurements to support the specs on his
black boxes. However, buried at the bottom of a NASA web page [1]there is
a comment about progress in 'cold fusion' research and a link to [2]the
slides used in a September 2011 presentation (PDF) which talks about LENR
research. NASA has also released [3]a video describing the great benefits
we will get from NASA LENR research. Could Rossi be on to something?"
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/0226219/can-nasa-warm-cold-fusion?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.e-catworld.com/2012/01/rossi-plans-for-small-10-kw-e-cats-to-cost-100-150/
1. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/sensors/PhySen/research.htm
2. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/sensors/PhySen/docs/LENR_at_GRC_2011.pdf
3. http://technologygateway.nasa.gov/media/CC/lenr/lenr.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Programming Prodigy Arfa Karim Passes Away At 16
| from the rest-in-peace dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @16:20 (Education)
| with 365 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1937259/programming-prodigy-arfa-karim-passes-away-at-16?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]quantr writes "Arfa Karim, child prodigy, youngest certified Microsoft
Professional in the world and winner of the president���s Pride of
Performance, [1]breathed her last on Saturday night at the Combined
Military Hospital in Lahore. Arfa had an epileptic attack on December 22
and had been in a coma since."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1937259/programming-prodigy-arfa-karim-passes-away-at-16?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.quantrec.com/
1. http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/14/10158059-programming-prodigy-passes-away-at-16-hear-her-philosophy-of-life
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DHS Monitors Social Media For 'Political Dissent'
| from the howdy-boys dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 14, @20:19 (Security)
| with 362 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/14/233203/dhs-monitors-social-media-for-political-dissent?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OverTheGeicoE writes "Recently, TSA's 'Blogger Bob' Burns posted a
[0]rant against a cupcake on the TSA blog. Perhaps it made you wonder if
TSA and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, really
understand what we're saying about them, especially online. Well, thanks
to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, we now know a lot more about how they monitor online
comments aside from 'Blogger Bob.' EPIC has received hundreds of pages of
documents regarding DHS's online surveillance program. These documents
reveal that [1]DHS has contracts with General Dynamics for '24/7 media
and social network monitoring.' Perhaps it will warm your heart to know
that [2]DHS is particularly interested in tracking media stories that
'reflect adversely' on the U.S. government generally and DHS
specifically. The documents include a report summary that might be
representative of General Dynamics' work. The example includes summaries
of comments on blogs and social networking sites, including quotes. Then
again, you might remember J. Edgar Hoover's monitoring of antiwar
activists during the Vietnam War, which certainly wasn't for the
protesters' benefit."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/14/233203/dhs-monitors-social-media-for-political-dissent?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://blog.tsa.gov/2012/01/cupcakegate.html
1. http://epic.org/2012/01/epic---foia-documents-reveal-h.html
2. http://epic.org/foia/epic-v-dhs-media-monitoring/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The Pirate Bay To Stop Serving Torrent Files
| from the magnets-how-do-they-work dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 14, @23:23 (Piracy)
| with 310 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/012200/the-pirate-bay-to-stop-serving-torrent-files?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader tips news that [0]The Pirate Bay is making a move
away from .torrent files in favor of '[1]magnet links.' On Thursday the
site [2]made magnet links the default, and TorrentFreak reports that
they'll stop serving .torrent files altogether in about a month. "The
announcement is bound to lead to confusion and uncertainty among many
torrent users, but in reality very little will change for the average
Pirate Bay visitor. Users will still be able to download files, but these
will now be started through a magnet link instead of a .torrent file. The
Pirate Bay team told TorrentFreak that one of the advantages of the
transition to a 'magnet site' is that it requires relatively little
bandwidth to host a proxy. This is topical, since this week courts in
both Finland and the Netherlands ordered local Internet providers to
block the torrent site. Perhaps even better, without the torrent files
everyone can soon host a full copy of The Pirate Bay on a USB thumb
drive, which may come in handy in the future."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/012200/the-pirate-bay-to-stop-serving-torrent-files?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-will-stop-serving-torrents-120112/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_link
2. http://thepiratebay.org/blog/197
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Pouring Water Into a Volcano To Generate Power
| from the pele-approved dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @09:40 (Power)
| with 273 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1253233/pouring-water-into-a-volcano-to-generate-power?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes writes "Until recently, geothermal power systems
have exploited only resources where naturally occurring heat, water, and
rock permeability are sufficient to allow energy extraction but now
geothermal energy developers plan use a new technology called Enhanced
Geothermal Systems (EGS) to [1]pump 24 million gallons of water into the
side of the dormant Newberrry Volcano, located about 20 miles south of
Bend, Oregon in an effort to use the earth's heat to generate power. 'We
know the heat is there,' says Susan Petty, president of AltaRock Energy,
Inc. of Seattle. 'The big issue is can we circulate enough water through
the system to make it economic.' Since natural cracks and pores do not
allow economic flow rates, the permeability of the volcanic rock can be
enhanced with EGS by pumping high-pressure cold water down an injection
well into the rock, [2]creating tiny fractures in the rock, a process
known as hydroshearing. Then cold water is pumped down production wells
into the reservoir, and the steam is drawn out. Natural geothermal
resources only account for about 0.3 percent of U.S. electricity
production, but a 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology report
projected [3]EGS could bump that to 10 percent within 50 years, at prices
competitive with fossil-fuels. 'The important question we need to answer
now,' says USGS geophysicist Colin Williams, 'is how geothermal fits into
the renewable energy picture, and how EGS fits. How much it is going to
cost, and how much is available.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1253233/pouring-water-into-a-volcano-to-generate-power?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/project-pour-water-volcano-make-power-15361407
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_geothermal_system
3. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/geothermal.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Navy May Use Mine-Detecting Dolphins In the Straight of Hormuz
| from the more-effective-than-mutated-sea-bass dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 15, @05:20 (The Military)
| with 170 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/029215/navy-may-use-mine-detecting-dolphins-in-the-straight-of-hormuz?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New submitter cervesaebraciator writes "The Atlantic Wire reports that
the Navy has a tested solution to the possible mining of the Straight of
Hormuz. The Navy has 80 dolphins in San Diego Bay [0]trained to use their
own sonar to detect mines. When they find the mines, the dolphins drop an
acoustic transponder nearby, so that human divers might return to defuse
it. [1]Retired Adm. Tim Keating cannot say, however, whether the dolphins
will be used in the Straight." The Obama administration has reportedly
warned Iran that [2]closing the Straight would provoke an American
response.
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/029215/navy-may-use-mine-detecting-dolphins-in-the-straight-of-hormuz?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/01/militarys-weapon-against-iranian-mines-high-tech-dolphins/47384/
1. http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=145051055
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/world/middleeast/us-warns-top-iran-leader-not-to-shut-strait-of-hormuz.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DHS X-ray Car Scanners Now At Border Crossings
| from the scanning-what-you-have-to-declare dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @18:12 (Security)
| with 170 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/2254211/dhs-x-ray-car-scanners-now-at-border-crossings?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OverTheGeicoE writes "CNET has a story on [0]DHS' whole car X-ray
scanners and their potential cancer risks. The story focuses on the Z
Portal scanner, which appears to be a stationary version of the older
[1]Z Backscatter Vans. The story provides interesting pictures of the
device and the images it produces, but it also raises important questions
about the devices' cancer risks. The average energy of the X-ray beam
used is three times that used in a CT scan, which could be big trouble
for vehicle passengers and drivers should a vehicle stop in mid-scan.
Some studies show [2]the risk for cancer from CT scans can be quite high.
Worse still, the DHS estimates of the Z Portal's radiation dosage are
likely to be several orders of magnitude too low. 'Society will pay a
huge price in cancer because of this,' according to one scientist."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/2254211/dhs-x-ray-car-scanners-now-at-border-crossings?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57358146-281/dhs-x-ray-scanners-could-be-cancer-risk-to-border-crossers/
1. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/18/215259/DHS-Tries-To-Hide-Mobile-Scanner-Details
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126082398582691047.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Dropbox Founder Wants To Build the Next Google
| from the get-crackin dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 14, @19:13 (Businesses)
| with 153 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/14/2247239/dropbox-founder-wants-to-build-the-next-google?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]ColdWetDog writes "The Dropbox file storage and synchronization
service has managed to attract 50 million users and $250 million in
venture capital. The founder of [1]Dropbox, Drew Houston, says [2]he is
determined to build the next Google or Apple, not to sell out to them.
Even for a guy whose paper valuation is around $600 million, it seems
like the best he could hope for is another Facebook-level company ��� file
storage isn't that sexy. I wish him luck in his bid to remain
independent. I'd rather see Dropbox remain fairly agnostic with regard to
other Internet services."
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/14/2247239/dropbox-founder-wants-to-build-the-next-google?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:rgolub@lostrange.com
1. http://www.dropbox.com/
2. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dropbox-20120115,0,6541893.story?track=icymi
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Apple To Release List of Companies That Build Its Products Around the World
| from the knowing-the-source dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @13:41 (China)
| with 134 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1657256/apple-to-release-list-of-companies-that-build-its-products-around-the-world?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mathfeel writes "Indulge me in some post hoc reasoning here: After last
week's episode of This American Life "[0]Mr. Daisey and the Apple
Factory", a very interesting show, Apple announced that 'For the first
time, [1]Apple has released a list of companies that build its products
around the world. In another first, the company also announced that it
will allow an independent third party to check on working conditions at
those factories, and to make its findings public.' But before you
celebrate Apple's gesture (or complain about the potential increase in
electronic price): 'It doesn't appear that Apple's partnership with the
[2]FLA will increase transparency in this regard either. The FLA will
audit 5% of the factories that make Apple products, but like Apple, it
will not name which ones it checks or where it finds violations.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1657256/apple-to-release-list-of-companies-that-build-its-products-around-the-world?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/454/mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory
1. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2012/01/a-response-to-the-news-from-apple
2. http://www.fairlabor.org/fla/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| White House Opposes Key SOPA Provisions
| from the we-beg-to-differ dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @17:44 (Your Rights Online)
| with 124 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/2138231/white-house-opposes-key-sopa-provisions?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]twdorris writes "Is this an example of our 3-part government actually
working as intended? It seems [1]the executive branch doesn't agree with
the legislative on a key piece of SOPA. From the article: '"While we
believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that
requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation
that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or
undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet," the White House said
in a blog post.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/2138231/white-house-opposes-key-sopa-provisions?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. mailto:twdorris@ecmtuning.com
1. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/471520c6-3f9f-11e1-ad6a-00144feab49a.html#axzz1jZ0XCREQ
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PC-BSD 9.0 Release
| from the two-bsd-stories-in-one-week-alright dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 14, @22:53 (Open Source)
| with 99 comments
| https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/018239/pc-bsd-90-release?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PuceBaboon writes "It's worth noting that, in addition to the main
FreeBSD release [0]covered here recently, [1]PC-BSD has also released
their 'Isotope' edition, based on FreeBSD 9.0. Why would you be
interested? Well, PC-BSD, while not the first, is certainly the most
current version of FreeBSD aimed squarely at the desktop user.
Pre-configured for the desktop and using a graphical installer, the 9.0
release includes KDE, GNOME, XFCE and LXDE desktop environments, an
update manager, WiFi 'quick connect,' BootCamp support and
auto-configuration for most common hardware. Live-CD, VirtualBox and
VMware release images for 32- and 64-bit architectures also make it
easier than ever for users to test the release before committing to a
full install. Check out the [2]torrents (scroll down), [3]main download
page and the [4]PC-BSD 9.0 manual pages."
Discuss this story at:
https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/018239/pc-bsd-90-release?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://bsd.slashdot.org/story/12/01/12/2153213/freebsd-90-released
1. http://blog.pcbsd.org/2012/01/pc-bsd-9-0-released/
2. http://www.gotbsd.net/
3. http://www.pcbsd.org/get-it/download-pc-bsd-isotope
4. ftp://ftp.pcbsd.org/pub/handbook/9.0
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ask Slashdot: Changing Career From OLTP To OLAP Dev
| from the switching-teams dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @15:01 (Programming)
| with 97 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/185217/ask-slashdot-changing-career-from-oltp-to-olap-dev?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter xby2_arch writes "After spending over 12
years writing OLTP applications (Java EE/JDBC/ORMs), I decided to dabble
in the OLAP world. I had decent DB skills, considering most of my
previous projects had involved data modeling and coding using Stored
Procs etc. Yet I hadn't designed or implemented any dimensional
databases. Luckily for me, I had enough relevant domain knowledge to land
a developer job in a data warehousing project. The work was enjoyable
enough that it motivated me to spend that extra time and effort I needed
to cope with the different dynamics of coding in the OLAP realm. In my
past life, data volumes weren't the primary concern (instead, transaction
volumes were), here, everything was about data. ETL/Integrations present
another set of problems you generally skirt in a typical web/app-tier
developer role. All in all, it turned out to be a non-trivial, yet
worthwhile transition.
I am certain that there are plenty of seasoned developers out there who
plan to make a similar move (or have made already), who see data as the
next chapter in their careers evolving toward becoming Enterprise
Architects. I want to hear what's holding them back, or what helped them
move forward. What should be considered a prerequisite to make this
switch, and what are the risks etc.?"
Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/185217/ask-slashdot-changing-career-from-oltp-to-olap-dev?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| NASA Open Sources Aircraft Design Software
| from the build-a-plane dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @12:21 (NASA)
| with 96 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1513228/nasa-open-sources-aircraft-design-software?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First time accepted submitter sabre86 writes "At the American Institute
for Aeronautics and Astronautics [0]Aerospace Sciences Meeting in
Nashville, NASA engineers unveiled the newly open sourced [1]OpenVSP,
software that allows users to construct full aircraft models from simple
parameters such as wing span and fuselage length, under the [2]NASA Open
Source Agreement. Says the website, 'OpenVSP allows the user to create a
3D model of an aircraft defined by common engineering parameters. This
model can be processed into formats suitable for engineering analysis.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1513228/nasa-open-sources-aircraft-design-software?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=1964
1. http://www.openvsp.org/
2. http://www.opensource.org/licenses/nasa1.3
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Sweden Experiments With Public Twitter Takeover
| from the reality-tv-in-140-characters dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 15, @02:29 (Twitter)
| with 58 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/0218214/sweden-experiments-with-public-twitter-takeover?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
revealingheart writes "BBC reports that Sweden is allowing one citizen
per week to take control of its [0]official Twitter feed, in what's been
described as '[1]the world's most democratic Twitter experiment.' Adam
Arnesson, a 21-year-old organic sheep farmer, is said to be the biggest
star of the project so far, uploading photos and videos of life on his
family's farm; while a female minister in the Church of Sweden and a
Bosnian immigrant have also posted on the feed. The Swedish Institute and
VisitSweden launched the experiment in December, which has helped to
double Sweden's Twitter followers in the past month."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/0218214/sweden-experiments-with-public-twitter-takeover?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://twitter.com/sweden
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16534090
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Scientists Create World's Tiniest "Ear"
| from the for-the-little-voices dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 15, @11:01 (Science)
| with 53 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1353251/scientists-create-worlds-tiniest-ear?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sciencehabit writes "If you've ever wondered what a virus sounds like, or
what noise a bacterium makes when it moves between hosts, you may soon
get your chance to find out. [0]Scientists have created the world's
tiniest ear. The 'nano-ear,' a microscopic particle of gold trapped by a
laser beam, can detect sound a million times fainter than the threshold
for human hearing. Researchers suggest the work could open up a whole new
field of 'acoustic microscopy,' in which organisms are studied using the
sound they emit."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/12/01/15/1353251/scientists-create-worlds-tiniest-ear?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/01/scientists-create-worlds-tiniest.html?ref=hp
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