Tuesday, July 26, 2011

[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-07-26

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Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Gates: Not Much To Show For $5B Spent On Education
* Massive Solar Tower Planned For Arizona
* Why IT Won't Like Mac OS X Lion Server
* Can AI Games Create Super-Intelligent Humans?
* Review: Captain America
* Is the Master's Degree the New Bachelor's?
* James Murdoch's Defense Crumbles
* Bitcoin Is Not Anonymous
* A Congressman and an Astronaut Propose a New Plan For NASA
* Ask Slashdot: Geeky Volunteer Work?
* The Oslo Massacre and Violent Video Games: the Facts
* The Internet's Age of Rage
* Getting the Latest Rover To Mars
* Iran Forced To Replace Centrifuges To Stop Stuxnet
* Blockbuster Trying To Woo Disgruntled Netflix Customers
* Amazon, Google Cave To Apple, Drop In-App Buttons
* Could the KGB Infiltrate LulzSec?
* Ubuntu 11.10 Down To 12-Second Boot
* Single Photons Do Not Exceed the Speed of Light
* Former Google CIO Suggests 'Do Dumb Things'
* Cast-off Gadgets Spy on Owners (on Purpose for a Change)
* Japanese Man Arrested For Storing Malware
* Hotspot Found On Moon's Far Side
* Rise of the Low-Power Servers
* Microsoft Extending Linux Patent Deal With SUSE
* IBM's Morphing Touchscreen Keyboard Interface

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| Gates: Not Much To Show For $5B Spent On Education
| from the i-feel-dumber dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @10:18 (Education)
| with 429 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1348228/Gates-Not-Much-To-Show-For-5B-Spent-On-Education?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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theodp writes "Since 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has
poured some $5 billion into education grants and scholarships. Ten years
into his record-breaking philanthropic push for school reform, the WSJ
reports that [0]Bill Gates is sober about the investment and willing to
admit some missteps. 'I applaud people for coming into this space,' said
Gates, 'but unfortunately it hasn't led to significant improvements.'
This understanding of just how little influence seemingly large donations
can have has led the foundation to rethink its focus in recent years.
Instead of trying to buy systemic reform with school-level investments, a
new goal is to leverage private money in a way that redirects how public
education dollars are spent. Despite the good intentions, some are
expressing concerns about how [1]billionaires and the Gates Foundation
rule our schools, including the [2]lack of transparency and [3]spotty
track record of the [4]wealthy would-be reformers. Perhaps Gates should
consider funding a skunkworks educational project for retired Microsoft
CTO Ray Ozzie, who was [5]working on networked, self-paced computer
assisted instruction in 1974 ��� 36 years before Bill and Google
[6]discovered Khan Academy!"

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1348228/Gates-Not-Much-To-Show-For-5B-Spent-On-Education?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903554904576461571362279948.html
1. http://gateskeepers.civiblog.org/blog/_archives/2011/1/19/4730235.html
2. http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2011/03/gates_foundation_to_use_newark.html
3. http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/01/back-to-school-for-the-billionaires.html
4. http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/01/grading-the-moneymen.html
5. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/business/yourmoney/01BOSS.html
6. http://www.fastcompany.com/1728471/change-generation-bill-gates-favorite-teacher-wants-to-disrupt-education

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| Massive Solar Tower Planned For Arizona
| from the i-can-see-my-house-from-here dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @14:29 (Power)
| with 367 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/182219/Massive-Solar-Tower-Planned-For-Arizona?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

inkscapee writes "It's simple, clean, low-maintenance, and
cost-effective: using hot air on a large scale to generate electricity.
No, this not a plan to use Congress to generate power, though that would
certainly be an endless supply ��� EnviroMission will [0]use air rising up
a tall tower to generate 200 megawatts of electricity. The concept is
simple: a giant greenhouse at the base of the tower warms the air. The
warmed air rises through the tower and turns turbines, which generate
electricity. The taller the tower, the faster the air moves, which
increases power output. This structure will be a monster at over 2600
feet tall. It works in all weather, and if there is a feasible water
source, food could be grown in the greenhouse."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/182219/Massive-Solar-Tower-Planned-For-Arizona?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/enviromission-solar-tower-arizona-clean-energy-renewable/19287/

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| Why IT Won't Like Mac OS X Lion Server
| from the sounds-oxymoronic-to-me dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @13:09 (OS X)
| with 297 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1630205/Why-IT-Wont-Like-Mac-OS-X-Lion-Server?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]snydeq writes "InfoWorld's John Rizzo sees [1]Mac OS X Lion Server as
a downgrade that may prompt a move to Windows Server. 'Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
Server adds innovative features and a new low price tag, but cuts in
services and the elimination of advanced GUI administration tools may
force some enterprise departments to think twice about the role of Mac
servers on their networks,' Rizzo writes. 'Looking more deeply inside
Lion Server, it's impossible to avoid the conclusion that Lion Server is
not built for those of us in IT. The $50 price tag ��� down from $500 ��� is
the first clue that Lion Server trying to be a server for the consumer.
But the ironic part for IT administrators is that Lion Server actually
requires a greater degree of technical knowledge than its predecessors.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1630205/Why-IT-Wont-Like-Mac-OS-X-Lion-Server?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/d/networking/why-it-wont-mac-os-x-lion-server-167787

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| Can AI Games Create Super-Intelligent Humans?
| from the they-already-have dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday July 24, @23:03 (AI)
| with 288 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0144209/Can-AI-Games-Create-Super-Intelligent-Humans?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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destinyland writes "A technology CEO sees game artificial intelligence as
the key to a revolution in education, predicting a synergy where [0]games
create smarter humans who then create smarter games. Citing lessons drawn
from Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, Alex Peake, founder of Primer
Labs, sees the possibility of a self-fueling feedback loop which creates
'a Moore's law for artificial intelligence,' with accelerating returns
ultimately generating the best possible education outcomes. 'What the
computer taught me was that there was real muggle magic ...' writes
Peake, adding 'Once we begin relying on AI mentors for our children and
we get those mentors increasing in sophistication at an exponential rate,
we're dipping our toe into symbiosis between humans and the AI that shape
them.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0144209/Can-AI-Games-Create-Super-Intelligent-Humans?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.acceler8or.com/2011/07/from-gamification-to-intelligence-amplification-to-the-singularity/

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| Review: Captain America
| from the first-avenger-or-something dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @11:01 (Movies)
| with 281 comments
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/144239/Review-Captain-America?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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If you have been living under a rock, you might not be aware that the
next in the ongoing series of Avengers prequel movies came out this
weekend: Captain America follows Steve Rogers origin, and sets him up for
next summer's kajillion dollar Whedonesque mega blockbuster. But how is
it as a movie in its own right? Hit the link to read my 2 cents. Standard
spoiler warnings apply.

Discuss this story at:
https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/144239/Review-Captain-America?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

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| Is the Master's Degree the New Bachelor's?
| from the controlling-the-rate-of-eduflation dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @15:51 (Education)
| with 270 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1941229/Is-the-Masters-Degree-the-New-Bachelors?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Laura Pappano writes that the master's degree,
once derided as the consolation prize for failing to finish a Ph.D., or
as a way to kill time waiting out economic downturns, is [1]now the
fastest-growing degree, with 657,000 awarded in 2009, more than double
the level in the 1980s. Today nearly two in 25 people age 25 and over
have a master's, about the same proportion that had a bachelor's or
higher in 1960. 'Several years ago it became very clear to us that
master's education was moving very rapidly to become the entry degree in
many professions,' says Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of
Graduate Schools. 'There is definitely some devaluing of the college
degree going on,' adds Eric A. Hanushek, an education economist at the
Hoover Institution. 'We are going deeper into the pool of high school
graduates for college attendance,' making a bachelor's no longer an
adequate screening measure of achievement for employers. But some wonder
if a master's is worth the extra effort. 'In some fields, such as
business or engineering, a graduate degree typically [2]boosted income by
more than enough to justify the cost,' says Liz Pulliam Weston. 'In
others ��� the liberal arts and social sciences, in particular ��� master's
degrees didn't appear to produce much if any earnings advantage.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1941229/Is-the-Masters-Degree-the-New-Bachelors?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/education/edlife/edl-24masters-t.html?pagewanted=all
2. http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/what-is-a-masters-degree-worth/

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| James Murdoch's Defense Crumbles
| from the and-in-the-alternative-no-one-saw-me-do-it dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @08:01 (Cellphones)
| with 261 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/058218/James-Murdochs-Defense-Crumbles?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Brian Cathcart writes that whatever happens to
News Corp., it will surely happen without James Murdoch, the clever,
dashing heir apparent to his buccaneer father, Rupert, who has [1]become
a liability with little hope of survival. James Rupert told members of
Parliament that when he approved a payment of about $1.1 million in 2008
to settle the first lawsuit brought by a phone-hacking victim, he was not
shown an email that suggested phone hacking was more widespread at the
News of the World, and not limited to one 'rogue' reporter. 'He is saying
one thing���that in briefing him they gave an "incomplete picture" ��� and,
remarkably, in a statement Thursday, [2]they publicly denied that,'
writes Cathcart. All the News Corp. executives used to tell the same
story but one by one as the pressure has grown these people have been
cast off or have drifted away and now as the little group has splintered
and scattered, and they all need to save their own skins. 'It's not just
James who is done,' writes David Carr in the NY Times. 'Rupert Murdoch,
as we have long known him, is [3]done as well.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/058218/James-Murdochs-Defense-Crumbles?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/22/james-murdoch-s-news-of-the-world-scandal-defense-crumbles.html
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904772304576466363853321254.html
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/business/media/scandal-splinters-the-murdoch-family-business.html

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| Bitcoin Is Not Anonymous
| from the yup-its-bitcoin dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @08:47 (Bitcoin)
| with 255 comments
| https://slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1239210/Bitcoin-Is-Not-Anonymous?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "Researchers from University College Dublin
have conducted an analysis of anonymity on Bitcoin, and found [0]it is
not inherently anonymous, and that in many cases, users and their
transactions can be identified. They use techniques such as context
discovery and flow analysis to investigate and visualize an alleged theft
of Bitcoins, which, at the time of the theft, had a market value of
approximately half a million U.S. dollars."

Discuss this story at:
https://slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1239210/Bitcoin-Is-Not-Anonymous?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://anonymity-in-bitcoin.blogspot.com/2011/07/bitcoin-is-not-anonymous.html

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| A Congressman and an Astronaut Propose a New Plan For NASA
| from the can't-we-involve-bruce-willis-somehow? dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @05:05 (NASA)
| with 207 comments
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0517258/A-Congressman-and-an-Astronaut-Propose-a-New-Plan-For-NASA?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]MarkWhittington writes "Reflecting a rising discontent with the state
of the U.S. space program in the wake of the last space shuttle mission,
Rep. Pete Olson, R-Texas, and Apollo astronaut Walt Cunningham have
[1]proposed a new space plan that addresses space exploration, the role
of commercial space, and reform of NASA."

Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0517258/A-Congressman-and-an-Astronaut-Propose-a-New-Plan-For-NASA?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. mailto:mwhittingt@sprynet.com
1. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59647.html

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| Ask Slashdot: Geeky Volunteer Work?
| from the lend-a-hand dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @12:21 (News)
| with 199 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1552214/Ask-Slashdot-Geeky-Volunteer-Work?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "I plan to be in-between jobs for 1-2 months
later this year and use part of this time to do some volunteer work in
Africa. My naive question: what to do and where to go? Is it possible to
make good use of the skill-set of a typical geek? Any interesting
projects worth supporting on-site?"

Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1552214/Ask-Slashdot-Geeky-Volunteer-Work?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

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| The Oslo Massacre and Violent Video Games: the Facts
| from the broken-record dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @18:09 (The Media)
| with 190 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2120248/The-Oslo-Massacre-and-Violent-Video-Games-the-Facts?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "[0]Media hysteria is once again blaming a
real life massacre on violent video games. But looking at [1]every single
gaming reference in the Oslo killer's manifesto shows that such
accusations are ridiculous. He played games to unwind from plotting and
used them to mask his activities."

Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2120248/The-Oslo-Massacre-and-Violent-Video-Games-the-Facts?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/from-fantasy-to-lethal-reality-breivik-trained-on-modern-warfare-game-20110725-1hw41.html
1. http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2011/07/25/3277688.htm

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| The Internet's Age of Rage
| from the none-of-us-are-as-obnoxious-as-all-of-us dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @18:27 (The Internet)
| with 187 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2132238/The-Internets-Age-of-Rage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]RackNine sends this excerpt from an editorial at the Guardian: "The
worldwide web has made critics of us all. But with commenters able to
hide behind a cloak of anonymity, [1]the blog and chatroom have become
forums for hatred and bile. ... The psychologists call it
'deindividuation.' It's what happens when social norms are withdrawn
because identities are concealed. The classic deindividuation experiment
concerned American children at Halloween. Trick-or-treaters were invited
to take sweets left in the hall of a house on a table on which there was
also a sum of money. When children arrived singly, and not wearing masks,
only 8% of them stole any of the money. When they were in larger groups,
with their identities concealed by fancy dress, that number rose to 80%.
The combination of a faceless crowd and personal anonymity provoked
individuals into breaking rules that under 'normal' circumstances they
would not have considered. ... One simple antidote to this seems to rest
in the very old-fashioned idea of standing by your good name. Adopt a
pseudonym and you are not putting much of yourself on the line. Put your
name to something and your words are freighted with responsibility."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2132238/The-Internets-Age-of-Rage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.racknine.com/blog/
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/24/internet-anonymity-trolling-tim-adams

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| Getting the Latest Rover To Mars
| from the ftd-take-note dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @02:11 (Mars)
| with 184 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0151214/Getting-the-Latest-Rover-To-Mars?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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derGoldstein writes "New Scientist has a great video up detailing every
step of [0]how the latest Mars rover will reach its target and get
deployed. It's drastically different than the bouncing air-bag delivery
system [1]previously used (YouTube video)."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0151214/Getting-the-Latest-Rover-To-Mars?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/video/1067126778001-Latest%20rover%20set%20to%20explore%20Mars.html
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_9BYSDtwRc

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| Iran Forced To Replace Centrifuges To Stop Stuxnet
| from the going-to-have-to-amputate dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @13:48 (Power)
| with 180 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1712252/Iran-Forced-To-Replace-Centrifuges-To-Stop-Stuxnet?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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Trailrunner7 writes "Reports that Iran had recovered from the infection
of the Stuxnet worm may have been overblown, as a new report suggests the
country is being forced to replace thousands of expensive centrifuges
[0]damaged by the worm. The report from the website DEBKAfile cites
'intelligence sources' in claiming that [1]Stuxnet was not purged from
Iran's nuclear sites and that the country was never able to return its
uranium enrichment efforts to 'normal operation.' Instead, the country
has said in recent days that [2]it is installing newer and faster
centrifuges at its nuclear plants and intends to speed up the uranium
enrichment process, according to the country's foreign ministry."

Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1712252/Iran-Forced-To-Replace-Centrifuges-To-Stop-Stuxnet?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://it.slashdot.org/story/10/11/16/0347231/Stuxnet-Was-Designed-To-Subtly-Interfere-With-Uranium-Enrichment
1. http://debka.com/article/21133/
2. https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/report-iran-resorts-rip-and-replace-kill-stuxnet-072211

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| Blockbuster Trying To Woo Disgruntled Netflix Customers
| from the come-on-baby-remember-how-good-we-had-it dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @17:09 (Movies)
| with 174 comments
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2049227/Blockbuster-Trying-To-Woo-Disgruntled-Netflix-Customers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]jfruhlinger writes "'Netflix Customers, Say Hello to Blockbuster' is
the subject line of an email making the rounds [1]trying to convince
customers to switch services in the wake of Netflix's [2]contentious
price hike. The bankrupt video store chain is now owned by DirectTV and
has its own streaming service. How did Blockbuster even get these email
addresses? Are its services really going to be cheaper and/or better than
Netflix's in the long run? Is 'You'll hate us less than Netflix' really a
viable business model?" Relatedly, reader assertation asks, "Can anyone
suggest a streaming movie service that has a selection comparable to
Netflix and will run on a computer using GNU/Linux?"

Discuss this story at:
https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2049227/Blockbuster-Trying-To-Woo-Disgruntled-Netflix-Customers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://joshreads.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/186207/blockbuster-begins-campaign-poach-angry-netflix-customers
2. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/12/1934215/Netflix-Announces-Streaming-Only-Plans-and-Higher-Prices-for-DVDs

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| Amazon, Google Cave To Apple, Drop In-App Buttons
| from the you-wanna-play-in-our-hothouse dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @19:01 (Apple)
| with 173 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2243242/Amazon-Google-Cave-To-Apple-Drop-In-App-Buttons?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]CWmike writes "Amazon bowed on Monday to Apple's newest App Store
rules, and [1]removed a link in its iPhone and iPad Kindle apps that took
customers directly to its online store. The move was required to comply
with new rules designed to block developers from evading the 30% cut that
Apple takes from in-app purchases. In February, Apple CEO Steve Jobs
[2]laid down the law. 'Our philosophy is simple ��� when Apple brings a new
subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30% share,' said Jobs in a statement
released Feb. 15. 'When the publisher brings an existing or new
subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100% and Apple earns nothing.'
Rhapsody updated its iPhone app last week to, among other things, remove
the in-app subscribing link. Also on Monday, Google complied with Apple's
new rules when it re-released Google Books ��� which had been yanked from
the App Store ��� minus an in-app purchasing button."

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2243242/Amazon-Google-Cave-To-Apple-Drop-In-App-Buttons?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://twitter.com/mikeatcw
1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218629/Amazon_caves_to_Apple_drops_Kindle_s_in_app_button
2. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9209580/Apple_s_new_App_Store_rules_affect_Amazon_s_Kindle

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| Could the KGB Infiltrate LulzSec?
| from the sure-why-not dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @09:25 (Security)
| with 155 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1315249/Could-the-KGB-Infiltrate-LulzSec?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]Barence writes "[1]Foreign powers could try to infiltrate hacktivist
networks in order to manipulate their actions, according to a security
expert who advises governments and businesses on internet issues.
Likening the emergence of the hacktivist movement to the arrival of
militant groups such as the Red Brigade during the 1970s, government
advisor and chair of the International E-crime Congress, Simon Moores,
said that hacker groups could eventually be swayed by outside influences.
'If you have a LulzSec or an Anonymous that is perhaps being manipulated
by a foreign actor, it takes us back to the days of the Stasi and the
KGB, which were manipulating [anti-nuclear campaign group] CND quite
easily from Moscow,' he said."

Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1315249/Could-the-KGB-Infiltrate-LulzSec?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/368851/foreign-spy-masters-could-infiltrate-hacker-groups

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| Ubuntu 11.10 Down To 12-Second Boot
| from the faster-than-a-speeding-ocelot dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @17:50 (Stats)
| with 136 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2118234/Ubuntu-1110-Down-To-12-Second-Boot?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

deadeyefred writes "Even though it's still only in alpha, it appears as
though the forthcoming version of Ubuntu, version 11.10, [0]will be much
faster than earlier versions, according to this story. Quoting: 'After
installing the OS onto a PC with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 at 3.00 GHz
and a hard disk drive, we stop-watched boot-up time at 12 seconds ��� more
than three seconds faster than the previous best time we���ve measured.' It
looks as if the switch from GDM to LightDM will have a significant impact
as Ubuntu gets closer to 'instant on' status."

Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2118234/Ubuntu-1110-Down-To-12-Second-Boot?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.crn.com/news/applications-os/231002339/ubuntu-11-10-fast-and-friendly.htm

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Single Photons Do Not Exceed the Speed of Light
| from the not-quite-as-tautological-as-it-sounds dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @17:31 (Science)
| with 131 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2054252/Single-Photons-Do-Not-Exceed-the-Speed-of-Light?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GhigoRenzulli writes "A group of physicists at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology (HKUST) led by Prof Shengwang Du reported the
direct observation of optical precursor of a single photon and [0]proved
that single photons cannot travel faster than the speed of light in
vacuum. HKUST's study reaffirms Einstein's theory that nothing travels
faster than light and closes a decade-long debate about the speed of a
single photon. ... Discovery of superluminal propagation of optical
pulses in some specific medium 10 years ago has evoked the world's dream
of time travel, but later scientists realized that it is only a visual
effect where the superluminal 'group' velocity of many photons could not
be used for transmitting any real information. Then people set their hope
on single photons because in the strange quantum world nothing seems
impossible ��� a single photon may be possible to travel faster than the
speed limit in the classical world. Because of lack of experimental
evidence of single photon velocity, this is also an open debate among
physicists. To tackle the problem, Prof Du's team measured the ultimate
speed of a single photon with controllable waveforms. The study, which
showed that single photons also obey the speed limit c, confirms
Einstein's causality; that is, an effect cannot occur before its cause."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2054252/Single-Photons-Do-Not-Exceed-the-Speed-of-Light?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.ust.hk/eng/news/press_20110719-893.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Former Google CIO Suggests 'Do Dumb Things'
| from the not-all-things-are-dumb-in-the-same-way dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @19:44 (Businesses)
| with 110 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2327200/Former-Google-CIO-Suggests-Do-Dumb-Things?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]itwbennett writes "Speaking at the CA Expo in Sydney, Australia,
former Google CIO Douglas Merrill shared some management tips he learned
during his tenure at the search giant. At the top of the list: '[1]Don't
be afraid to do dumb things.' Merrill recalls that 'most of the early
Google hardware was stolen from trash and as the stuff they stole broke
all the time they built a reliable software system. Everyone knew we
shouldn't build our own hardware as it was 'dumb', but everyone was
wrong. Sometimes being dumb changes the game.' Another pearl of wisdom
from Merrill: 'the more project management you do the less likely your
project is to succeed.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2327200/Former-Google-CIO-Suggests-Do-Dumb-Things?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/
1. http://www.itworld.com/software/186241/former-google-cio-says-business-misses-key-people-marks

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Cast-off Gadgets Spy on Owners (on Purpose for a Change)
| from the i-see-what-you-did-there dept.
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday July 25, @11:41 (News)
| with 72 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1512258/Cast-off-Gadgets-Spy-on-Owners-on-Purpose-for-a-Change?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Eric Smalley writes "For the project, dubbed Backtalk, researchers
[1]sent refurbished Netbooks to developing countries via nonprofit
organizations. They set up the computers to record location and pictures,
and send the data home to MIT--with their new owners' consent... The MIT
team used the data to build visual narratives about the computers' new
lives."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1512258/Cast-off-Gadgets-Spy-on-Owners-on-Purpose-for-a-Change?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. mailto:esmalley@ernmag.com
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20081527-1/cast-off-gadgets-peek-into-new-owners-lives/?tag=mncol;1n

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Japanese Man Arrested For Storing Malware
| from the intent-to-distribute dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @16:31 (Crime)
| with 63 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/204236/Japanese-Man-Arrested-For-Storing-Malware?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orome1 writes "38-year-old Yasuhiro Kawaguchi is the [0]first person in
Japan to get arrested for storing malware on his computer after the upper
house's Judicial Affairs Committee has confirmed [1]the new anti-malware
law passed by the Japanese parliament. The law considers the creation,
distribution and storage of malware [2]a crime punishable with up to
three years in prison and a fine that could reach the sum of 500,000 yen
($6,200)."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/204236/Japanese-Man-Arrested-For-Storing-Malware?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110721005341.htm
1. http://thenextweb.com/asia/2011/06/17/japan-enacts-criminalization-of-computer-virus-creation/
2. http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=1782

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hotspot Found On Moon's Far Side
| from the thermal-exhaust-port dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @18:48 (Moon)
| with 63 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2146216/Hotspot-Found-On-Moons-Far-Side?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

derGoldstein tips this news from Discovery.com: "Scientists have found
[0]evidence of volcanoes on the far side of the moon. The new discovery,
reported in the journal Nature Geoscience ([1]abstract) is a rare example
of volcanism on the lunar surface not associated with asteroid, meteor or
comet impact events. ... They focused on an area containing numerous
domes, some more than six kilometers high. The domes featured steeply
sloping sides which Jolliff and colleagues interpret as, 'volcanic in
origin and formed from viscous lava.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2146216/Hotspot-Found-On-Moons-Far-Side?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://news.discovery.com/space/moon-far-side-volcanoes-110725.html
1. http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1212.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rise of the Low-Power Servers
| from the not-exactly-skynet dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @19:25 (Mozilla)
| with 60 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2324214/Rise-of-the-Low-Power-Servers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1sockchuck writes "Low-power many-core processors are gaining traction st
some of the largest web sites. Facebook recently [0]test-drove servers
using Tilera processors, which provided three times the
performance-per-watt of x86 servers when running key-value store
applications like memcached. Meanwhile, Mozilla has begun using
[1]SeaMicro servers powered by Intel Atom processors, which were brought
online for the launch of Firefox 4. Both Tilera and SeaMicro are
harnessing dozens of low-power processors in servers to help manage
soaring power use in data centers."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/2324214/Rise-of-the-Low-Power-Servers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/07/25/facebook-tilera-boosts-memcached-efficiency/
1. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/05/13/seamicro-servers-power-launch-of-firefox-4/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Extending Linux Patent Deal With SUSE
| from the shades-of-gray dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @15:09 (Microsoft)
| with 51 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1854205/Microsoft-Extending-Linux-Patent-Deal-With-SUSE?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

darthcamaro writes "No big surprise, but Microsoft has now [0]officially
extended their patent, interoperability and Linux resale deal with SUSE.
This was the deal that Novell had originally signed. Now, with the
[1]Attachmate sale, Microsoft is [2]bringing the deal back to SUSE. The
deal is being extended until 2016 and Microsoft is set to invest another
$100 million into SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certificates. This is on
top of the $300-million-plus they've already brought since 2006."

Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/1854205/Microsoft-Extending-Linux-Patent-Deal-With-SUSE?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/jul11/07-25MSSUSEExtensionPR.mspx
1. http://linux.slashdot.org/story/10/11/22/1421208/Attachmate-To-Acquire-Novell-For-22B-Cash
2. http://www.internetnews.com/blog/skerner/microsoft-extends-patent-deal.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| IBM's Morphing Touchscreen Keyboard Interface
| from the touch-me-where-you-can dept.
| posted by timothy on Monday July 25, @08:22 (IBM)
| with 42 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0527254/IBMs-Morphing-Touchscreen-Keyboard-Interface?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

cylonlover writes "While most people prefer using physical keyboards and
only tolerate virtual keyboards on their mobile devices for the sake of
portability, onscreen keyboards do potentially offer a flexibility that
can't be matched by physical keyboards. It's this flexibility that IBM is
looking to take advantage of with the company recently filing a U.S.
patent application for a [0]morphing touchscreen keyboard interface that
would automatically resize, reshape and reposition keys based on a user's
typing style."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/07/25/0527254/IBMs-Morphing-Touchscreen-Keyboard-Interface?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/ibm-morphing-touchscreen-keyboard/19313/


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