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Sat, December 15, 2007 10:57:23 PMFrom:
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Subject:
[Slashdot] Stories for 2007-12-16
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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* NYSE Moves to Linux
* RIAA Protests Oregon AG Discovery Request
* Saturn's Rings Are Ancient
* Follow-up on EVE's Boot.ini Issue
* Auto Mileage Standards Raised to 35 mpg
* Ohio Study Confirms Voting Systems Vulnerabilities
* Is Shawn Fanning's Snocap melting?
* What is Bill Gates Learning From Open Source?
* Beware of "Backspaceware"
* Toward On-Chip Quantum Computing
* Experience with Fighting Domain Farming
* Eat, Drink, and be Monitored
* Encryption Passphrase Protected by the 5th Amendment
* Beamed Sonic Advertising Is Coming
* World's Smallest Advent Calendar
* The Advantages of Upgrading From Vista To XP
* Cisco To Develop Third-Party APIs For IOS
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| NYSE Moves to Linux |
| from the penguins-with-dollars-in-their-bills dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Friday December 14, @20:29 (Linux Business) |
| http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/14/2312210 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
blitzkrieg3 writes "The New York Times is reporting on how the NYSE group
now feels that [0]Linux is 'mature enough' for the New York Stock
Exchange. They are using commodity x86 based Hewlett-Packard hardware and
Linux in place of their traditional UNIX machines. From NYSE Euronext CIO
Steve Rubinow: 'We don't want to be closely aligned with proprietary
Unix. No offense to HP-UX, but we feel the same way about [IBM's] AIX,
and we feel the same way to some extent about Solaris. Other reasons
cited for the switch were increased flexibility and lower cost.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/14/2312210
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18002573B100020F62.html?ex=1355288400&en=1a1c847788830aeb&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss/ru/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RIAA Protests Oregon AG Discovery Request |
| from the tough-pill-to-swallow dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Friday December 14, @22:36 (Businesses) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/0049244 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The RIAA is apparently [1]having an
allergic reaction to the [2]request by the State Attorney General of
Oregon for information about the RIAA's investigative tactics. The
request came in [3]Arista v. Does 1-17, the Portland, Oregon, case
targeting students at the University of Oregon. Not only are the record
companies [4]opposing the request (pdf), they're [5]asking the Judge not
to even read it. (pdf)"
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/0049244
Links:
0. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
1. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/2007/12/riaa-protests-oregon-ags-request-for.html
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/30/1910202&tid=123
3. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/2007/01/index-of-litigation-documents.html#Arista_v_Does1-17
4. http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?filename=arista_does1-17_071212SurreplyMemo
5. http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?filename=arista_does1-17_071212RIAAMotStrikeReply
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Saturn's Rings Are Ancient |
| from the steady-relationship dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday December 15, @00:41 (Space) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/0255240 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]gardenermike writes "Analysis of data from the Cassini probe suggests
that [1]Saturn's rings may be billions of years old, rather than the
previously surmised millions. Previous research suggested that the rings
were young, because of the lack of dark dust accumulation on their
surfaces. However, the latest data suggests that the ring surfaces are
even younger than previously thought, meaning, ironically, that the rings
themselves are much older: they are not static enough to collect dust,
but rather are continuously recycling material, with clumps continuously
forming and disintegrating."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/0255240
Links:
0. http://gardeningzone.com/
1. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-release-details.cfm?newsID=798
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Follow-up on EVE's Boot.ini Issue |
| from the that-bootini-to-you dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday December 15, @02:21 (Bug) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/0256255 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Krinsath writes "CCP, publishers of Eve Online, have posted a Dev Blog
detailing the circumstances leading up to [0]the deletion of XP's
boot.ini file, which was earlier [1]discussed on Slashdot. The blog post
has intimate details about how the mistake occurred (a new installer from
their normal one), how they responded and what CCP has learned from it.
While fairly dry, it is to the company's credit that they're being open
about one of the more serious bugs to crop up in gaming's recent
history."
Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/0256255
Links:
0. http://myeve.eve-online.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=526
1. http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/06/1312254&tid=206
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Auto Mileage Standards Raised to 35 mpg |
| from the change-of-pacing dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday December 15, @04:33 (Transportation) |
| http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/0259219 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Ponca City, We Love You writes "The Senate just passed a bill that
will [1]increase auto mileage standards for the first time in three
decades. The auto industry's fleet of new cars, sport utility vehicles,
pickup trucks and vans will have to average 35 mpg by 2020, a significant
increase over the 2008 requirement of 27.5 mpg average. For consumers,
the legislation will mean that over the next dozen years auto companies
will likely build more diesel-powered SUVs and gas-electric hybrid cars
as well as vehicles that can run on 85 percent ethanol. Automakers had
vehemently opposed legislation in June that contained the same mileage
requirements and Fortune magazine reported that American automakers were
starting the miles-per-gallon race far behind Japan and that the new
standards [2]could doom US automakers. At the time, Chrysler officially
put the cost of meeting the proposed rules at $6,700 per vehicle. The
White House announced the [3]President will sign the bill if it comes to
his desk."
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/0259219
Links:
0. http://poncacityweloveyou.com/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Congress-Energy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
2. http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/28/autos/pluggedin_taylor_fuelecon.fortune/index.htm
3. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-bush-energy-legislation.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ohio Study Confirms Voting Systems Vulnerabilities |
| from the never-thought-i'd-be-longing-for-paper dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday December 15, @06:22 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/031238 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
bratgitarre writes "A comprehensive [0]study of electronic voting systems
(PDF) by vendors ES&S, Hart InterCivic and Premier (formerly Diebold)
found that '[1]all of the studied systems possess critical security
failures that render their technical controls insufficient to guarantee a
trustworthy election'. In particular, they note all systems provide
insufficiently protection against threats from election insiders, do not
follow well-known security practices, and have 'deeply flawed software
maintenance' practices." Some of these machines are the ones
[2]California testers found fault with last week.
Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/031238
Links:
0. http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/info/EVEREST/14-AcademicFinalEVERESTReport.pdf
1. http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/info/everest.aspx
2. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/06/047246&tid=172
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is Shawn Fanning's Snocap melting? |
| from the let's-all-remember-back-in-the-day dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday December 15, @08:10 (Music) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/037234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
newtley writes "Rumors are swirling about the [0]pending demise of
Napster creator Shawn Fanning's Snocap, says former MP3.com CEO Michael
Robertson. '[1]Articles mention a sale, but more likely it will be a
shuttering and quiet bankruptcy,' he believes. 'Snocap represents a
commonplace occurrence in the music business ?€? an unprofitable retailer
which withers and eventually dies.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/037234
Links:
0. http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14340
1. http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14297
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| What is Bill Gates Learning From Open Source? |
| from the how-to-love-the-bomb dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Saturday December 15, @09:05 (Microsoft) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1252218 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]christian.einfeldt writes "In the world of Free Open Source Software
communities, Microsoft is often viewed as the very epitome of the
Cathedral-style model of software production. But is Bill Gates learning
from the software development phenomenon that he [1]once compared
[2]loosely to [3]communism? In commenting on the results of a
Microsoft-commissioned survey of approximately 500 board-level executives
about the importance of interpersonal skills versus raw IT coding skills,
Gates [4]starts to sound a bit more like a member of the Apache
Foundation than the take-no-prisoners king of cut-throat competition:
'Software innovation, like almost every other kind of innovation,
requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people,
and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and
understand their needs.'."
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1252218
Links:
0. mailto:einfeldt@digitaltippingpoint.com
1. http://www.news.com/Gates-taking-a-seat-in-your-den/2008-1041_3-5514121-4.html?tag=st.num
2. http://www.news.com/Bill-Gates-and-other-communists/2010-1071_3-5576230.html
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4155085.stm
4. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6222828.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Beware of "Backspaceware" |
| from the we-hates-it-so-much dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Saturday December 15, @10:00 (Developers) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1332207 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]SubLevel writes "Since conception in 2004, Paint.NET has been
generously been offering the software community the taste of successful
freeware, by allowing anyone to download and decipher the entire working
of their extremely popular photo editing program. As posted in the
Official Paint.NET blog by Rick Brewster, [1]"Backspaceware" as he has so
coined has become a tremendous issue. "Paint.NET's license is very
generous, and I even release the source code. All free of charge.
Unfortunately it gets taken advantage of every once in awhile by scum who
are trying to profit from the work of others. I like to call this
backspaceware*. They download the source code for something, load it up
in to Visual Studio (or whatever), hit the backspace key over the
software's name and credits, type in a new name and author, and
re-release it. They send it to all the download mirror sites, and don't
always do a good job covering up their tracks.""
Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1332207
Links:
0. mailto:lightmotion@msn.com
1. http://blog.getpaint.net/2007/12/04/freeware-authors-beware-of-%E2%80%9Cbackspaceware%E2%80%9D/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Toward On-Chip Quantum Computing |
| from the a-laudable-goal dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Saturday December 15, @10:55 (Science) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1342206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Darum writes "Researchers are working to create devices built on the
rules of quantum mechanics. These would allow quantum computers which can
do certain problems such as prime number factorization for decryption and
simulation of complex systems (such as protein folding) in a tiny
fraction of the time required on classical computers. Two papers
appearing in this week's Nature raise the possibility of developing such
quantum devices by manipulating light signals by semiconductor quantum
dots. [1]One of the approaches bases on photonic crystals, which seem
pretty ideal for on-chip integration of a full set of computation
components. One of the study's authors put up a good [2]background story
of this work on CVitae. The author discusses the potential simplicity and
microchip scalability of these two quantum-dot 'light switch' systems.
This could be good news for quantum information processing and
ultra-secure long-distance communication applications. It could also
allow all-optical signal processing, which has long been a holy grail for
optical communications and could allow extremely fast and low-power
optical interconnects."
Discuss this story at:
nla_internal_2202684.jpg 0. http://cvitae.org/englund/
1. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v450/n7171/full/nature06234.html
2. http://cvitae.org/content/view/193/869/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Experience with Fighting Domain Farming |
| from the gimme-malda-dot-com-dangit dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Saturday December 15, @11:47 (Ask Slashdot)|
| http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/149221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Lost_my_regs writes "I had a .com domain name relevant only to me, no
legal trademark, registered and hosted at a provider that went bust. When
attempting to re-host the domain I discovered, to my unpleasant surprise,
that the domain is now registered by a domain farming company (name
removed). My question is: Is there any way to claim back my domain?"
Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/149221
Links:
0. mailto:florian.otel@gmail.com
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Eat, Drink, and be Monitored |
| from the sacrifice-your-privacy-for-science dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Saturday December 15, @12:39 (Privacy) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1420228 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Ponca City, We Love You writes "A new restaurant has opened at
Wageningen University in the Netherlands, fitted with a control center
and two dozen hidden cameras devoted to exploring the question of [1]what
makes people eat and drink the way they do. Over the next 10 years, a
team of more than 20 scientists will use the research facility to watch
how people walk through the restaurant, what food catches their eye,
whether they always sit at the same table and how much food they throw
away. Researchers will examine environmental influences on eating
behavior by [2]making small changes in the color of the lights, in
accompanying sounds, in the scents or the furniture. "We want to find out
what influences people: colors, taste, personnel," said one researcher.
"This restaurant is a playground of possibilities. We can ask the staff
to be less friendly and visible or the reverse." University staff who
want to eat at the new restaurant will have to sign a consent form
agreeing to be watched."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1420228
Links:
0. http://poncacityweloveyou.com/
1. http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3974602
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/world/europe/26dutch.html?_r=1&ex=1353819600&en=b43e2eadff5fcd4b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Encryption Passphrase Protected by the 5th Amendment |
| from the my-password-is-password dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Saturday December 15, @13:46 (The Courts) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1459243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Takichi writes "A federal judge in Vermont has ruled that prosecutors
[0]can't force the defendant to divulge his PGP passphrase. The ruling
was given on the basis that the passphrase is protected under the [1]5th
amendment to the United States Constitution (protection against
self-incrimination)." The question comes down to, is your password the
contents of your brain, or the keys to a safe.
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1459243
Links:
0. http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9834495-38.html
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Self-Incrimination
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Beamed Sonic Advertising Is Coming |
| from the told-you-i-was-hearing-voices dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday December 15, @14:57 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1846234 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]newtley writes in with a story from Ad Age a few days back.
"Advertisers are determined to get into your head by one means or
another, and Holosonic Research Labs has found yet another way of
[1]invading your privacy in the name of forcing you pay attention. You're
walking down a street in New York when all of a sudden, a woman's voice
whispers 'Who's that? Who's There?' No, you weren't having a psychotic
episode; you were being subjected without your permission to [2]'sound in
a narrow beam, just like light.' It was coming at you from a rooftop
speaker seven stories up."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1846234
Links:
0. mailto:jon@p2pnet.net
1. http://adage.com/article?article_id=122491
2. http://www.holosonics.com/PR_AE.htm
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| World's Smallest Advent Calendar |
| from the small-measure-of-christmas-cheer dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday December 15, @16:09 (Christmas Ch|
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1834232 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader passed us this article from RSC about a unique
holiday decoration. Quoting:"A group of nanotech specialists in Germany
have got into the Christmas spirit by making what they believe is the
[0]smallest ever Advent calendar. It would take about five million of the
miniature calendars to cover a postage stamp. The doors for 1 December
through to 6 December are open, with six different images including Santa
Claus, a bell, a snowman and a church. The team needed two attempts to
make the calendar. 'The whole process lasted about two hours,' Neumaier
said."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1834232
Links:
0. http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/December/14120701.asp
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Advantages of Upgrading From Vista To XP |
| from the open-and-shut-case dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday December 15, @17:20 (Windows) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/1944206 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader passes us a blog posting, which may be just a bit
tongue-in-cheek, about the pros and cons of [0]upgrading from Vista to XP.
"...there is only one conclusion to be made; Microsoft have really
outdone themselves in delivering a brand new operating system that really
excels in all the areas where Vista was sub-optimal. From my testing,
discussions with friends and colleagues, and a review of the material out
there on the web there seems to be no doubt whatsoever that that upgrade
to XP is well worth the money. Microsoft can really pat themselves on the
back for a job well done, delivering an operating system which is much
faster and far more reliable than its predecessor. Anyone who thinks
there are problems in the Microsoft Windows team need only point to this
fantastic release and scoff loudly."
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/1944206
Links:
0. http://dotnet.org.za/codingsanity/archive/2007/12/14/review-windows-xp.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Cisco To Develop Third-Party APIs For IOS |
| from the letting-a-little-light-in-on-the-crown-jewels dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday December 15, @18:30 (Networking) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/15/2016241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
MT628496 tips a Computerworld article on Cisco's announcement that it
plans to build IOS on a UNIX kernel, in modules, and [0]allow third-party
developers to access certain parts of it. IOS has traditionally been a
closely guarded piece of software without any way for anyone to add
functionality. No timetable was given for when APIs will be available. A
Forrester analyst said, "...the network is one of the least programmable
pieces of the infrastructure. The automation and orchestration market is
far more oriented towards servers, storage and desktop environments. The
ability to dynamically change the network is a missing component." The
article mentions that Juniper Networks had announced on Monday its own
[1]developer platform for Juniper routers, and it's available now.
Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/12/15/2016241
Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/121207-cisco-ios.html
1. http://www.crn.com/networking/204800583
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