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Mon, June 09, 2008 11:52:00 PMFrom:
slashdot@slashdot.org
Subject:
[Slashdot] Stories for 2008-06-10
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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Proposed Legislation Would Outlaw "Cyberbullying" in US
* Cell-based "Roadrunner" Tops Elusive Petaflop Mark
* iPhone's Game Potential As a Threat to Java Phone Games
* Scientists Surprised to Find Earth's Biosphere Booming
* Radiohead Changes Tack, Joins iTunes
* Phoenix Digs First Mars Soil Sample To Analyze
* Hans Reiser To Reveal Location of Body
* Encyclopedia Britannica to Take User Contributions
* Is Google Making Us Stupid?
* Virgin Media To Spy On & Threaten Downloaders
* Canadian Govt Victim of Cyberattacks
* Community Choice Award "Most Likely to be Shut Down By Govt"
* Warhammer Online Information by the Truckload
* Blogging Now Good for You, Still Bad for Some
* WWDC '08 Sees Slimmer, Improved, 3G iPhone
* Running Xen
* HoloVizio 3D, Holodeck 1.0 to Some, Makes Its Debut
* Games and Music, the New Book Burning
* A History of Copy Protection
* OEMs Looking to Ubuntu for Netbook Market
* US Supreme Court Limits Patent Claims
* Last "Hackers On P***t Earth" Conference In July
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| Proposed Legislation Would Outlaw "Cyberbullying" in US |
| from the keep-hands-and-arms-inside-the-handbasket dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday June 08, @20:29 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/08/2339243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]physman_wiu writes "We all remember the recent incident of
[1]13-year-old Megan Meier. Now legislation is set to be passed at least
in Missouri (and possibly through Congress) that [2]would make
cyberbullying illegal. The [3]new legislation (PDF) reads: 'Whoever
transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the
intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional
distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated,
and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not
more than two years, or both.' Now, this seems like a great piece of
legislation ?€? until I get put in jail for some kid on WOW calling the
Feds on me." [4]Eugene Volokh is not impressed.
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/08/2339243
Links:
0. mailto:physman@gmail.com
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_Meier
2. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9962375-7.html?tag=nefd.riv
3. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h6123ih.txt.pdf
4. http://volokh.com/posts/1212694919.shtml
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| Cell-based "Roadrunner" Tops Elusive Petaflop Mark |
| from the beep-beep dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday June 08, @22:02 (Supercomputing) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/0144242 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
prunedude writes "The NY times is reporting that an American military
supercomputer, assembled from components originally designed for video
game machines, is [0]more than twice as fast as the previous fastest
supercomputer, the [1]I.B.M. BlueGene/L. To put the performance of the
machine in perspective, Thomas P. D'Agostino, the administrator of the
National Nuclear Security Administration, said that if all six billion
people on earth used hand calculators and performed calculations 24 hours
a day and seven days a week, it would take them 46 years to do what the
Roadrunner can in one day."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/0144242
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/technology/09petaflops.html
1. https://asc.llnl.gov/computing_resources/bluegenel/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| iPhone's Game Potential As a Threat to Java Phone Games |
| from the your-tempest-is-boiling dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday June 09, @00:50 (Communications) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/0231227 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Ian Lamont writes "In the runup to Apple's WWDC 2008, Chris Tompkins
thinks that the [1]iPhone's gaming potential 'might finally put the
lackluster Java-based cell phone gaming market to death.' He cites the
iPhone's use of Core Animation adapted for ARM processors, which he says
allows for the advanced effects of OS X and now OpenGL-accelerated 3D
games, as well as the importance of an on-demand store and Internet
connection. Tompkins says that while certain genres lend themselves to
the iPhone's touch controls, such as real-time strategy games (think
StarCraft) the lack of physical controls will force developers to
creatively approach the multitouch and accelerometer on the iPhone. His
advice to Apple ?€? make a compelling overture to independent game
designers, and treat them like rock stars. Tompkins, incidentally, is one
of several people who have recently pointed to [2]Apple's mobile gaming
potential."
Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/0231227
Links:
0. http://www.thestandard.com/people/i-lamont550036
1. http://thestandard.com/news/2008/06/06/independent-gaming-could-flourish-iphone
2. http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/08/1811216&tid=180
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Scientists Surprised to Find Earth's Biosphere Booming |
| from the but-there's-also-the-slow-hiss-in-the-background dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday June 09, @04:03 (Earth) |
| nla_internal_3056483.jpg |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
radioweather writes "An article from the Financial Post says that recent
studies of [0] biosphere imaging from the NASA SEAWIFS satellite indicate
that the [1]Earth's biomass is booming: 'The results surprised Steven
Running of the University of Montana and Ramakrishna Nemani of NASA,
scientists involved in analyzing the NASA satellite data. They found that
over a period of almost two decades, the Earth as a whole became more
bountiful by a whopping 6.2%. About 25% of the Earth's vegetated landmass
?€? almost 110 million square kilometers ?€? enjoyed significant increases
and only 7% showed significant declines. When the satellite data zooms
in, it finds that each square meter of land, on average, now produces
almost 500 grams of greenery per year.' Their 2004 study, and other more
recent ones, point to the warming of the p***t and the presence of CO2,
fertilizing the biota and resulting in the increased green side effect."
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/050251
Links:
0. http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/surprise-earths-biosphere-is-booming-co2-the-cause/
1. http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=569586
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Radiohead Changes Tack, Joins iTunes |
| from the meeting-people-is-easy dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday June 09, @07:00 (Music) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/0420258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Joe Jay Bee writes "The British rock band [1]Radiohead, who previously
stated that they wouldn't want to have their music on Apple's iTunes
Music Store (and, indeed, were unhappy when their [2]Kid A album was
released via the store) have performed something of an about-face;
virtually their entire catalog, including singles and their B-Sides,
[3]has appeared on the store. The band previously said they only wanted
their work sold as complete albums, which Apple refused to go along with;
however their tack has apparently changed, and all their songs are
available to mix and match, including their most recent work, In
Rainbows. The albums are all available in DRM-free AAC format."
Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/0420258
Links:
0. http://joedotbaldwinatmacdotcom/
1. http://www.radiohead.com/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_A
3. http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/06/itunes-sells-ra.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Phoenix Digs First Mars Soil Sample To Analyze |
| from the sing-the-peter-gabriel-song dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @08:10 (Mars) |
| http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1111241 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader writes "Nearly two weeks after its historic landing,
the US Mars probe Phoenix has [0]scooped up its first sample of Martian
soil and begun analyzing it for water and organic compounds. The test dig
made Sunday by the Phoenix Mars Lander's 8-foot-long robotic arm
uncovered bits of bright specks in the soil believed to be ice or salt.
Mission controllers will send instructions to the lander to dump the
sample into one of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) ovens. The
TEGA ovens, which are about an inch long and the diameter of a pencil
lead, will heat up the soil samples and use a mass spectrometer to detect
the gases that come off the samples, which will shed light on some of the
materials in the soil, specifically those formed by the process of liquid
water."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1111241
Links:
0. http://www.techpark.net/2008/06/08/phoenix-digs-first-mars-soil-sample-to-analyze/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Hans Reiser To Reveal Location of Body |
| from the dark-days-almost-at-an-end dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @09:03 (News) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1155214 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
dlgeek writes "The story of Hans Reiser is well known to all Slashdotters
by now. Some still placed doubts about the conviction, stating that he
might be innocent. It now seems that all doubt has been quelled, since
Alameda County District Attorney Thomas Orloff has revealed that [0]Hans
Reiser will disclose the location of Nina's body for a reduced sentence.
The deal is not yet finalized, though. "There's been some overtures,"
Orloff said, "But everything is in its preliminary stage." The deal would
reduce his conviction from first degree to second degree murder. In
addition, an anonymous source close with the situation said that "the
only real leverage he has is if he can provide a body. He really doesn't
have any options left. Even if he won a retrial somehow, he'd likely be
convicted.""
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1155214
Links:
0. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/hans-reiser-off.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Encyclopedia Britannica to Take User Contributions |
| from the just-not-how-we'd-expect dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @09:46 (The Internet) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1257242 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Barence writes "Britannica has long been a vocal critic of Wikipedia's
user-generated content, and has repeatedly attacked the accuracy of its
articles. Surprisingly, then, it is [1]rolling out a new system allowing
readers to potentially contribute to articles, Wiki-style. But Britannica
is keen to stress that its new website will not be following the
Wiki-model, describing it "as a collaborative process but not a
democratic one." You can try out the [2]new Britannica beta site."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1257242
Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/204666/encyclopaedia-britannica-dips-toe-in-wiki-waters.html
2. http://www.britannica.com/bps/home
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is Google Making Us Stupid? |
| from the no-time-to-read-the-whole-article dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @10:21 (Google) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1332252 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]mjasay writes "[1]Is Google making us stupid? Following a growing body
of research within neuroscience, Carr argues that as we use the web "we
inevitably begin to take on the qualities of those technologies." This
sounds great: Who wouldn't want to have the "recall" capacity of Google?
But, as Carr writes: "The Internet promises to have particularly
far-reaching effects on cognition....The Internet, an immeasurably
powerful computing system, is subsuming most of our other intellectual
technologies. It's becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and
our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV.
When the Net absorbs a medium, that medium is recreated in the Net's
image." In other words, as we "go online" in increasing numbers and to an
increasing degree, are we losing our ability to think coherently and
deeply, preferring instead to process byte-sized information quickly,
regurgitate 140-character "tweets," and skim thought? Is the concern
overblown or are we becoming the Web that we created?"
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1332252
Links:
0. http://cnet.com/openroad
1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9962935-16.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Virgin Media To Spy On & Threaten Downloaders |
| from the good-luck-changing-isps dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @11:06 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1447231 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Mike writes "Virgin Media, the UK's largest cable-modem provider, has
decided that [1]it will spy on its users to protect record industry
profits. Starting next week Virgin Media will send letters to thousands
of households where they suspect music is either being downloaded or
illegally shared. The campaign is a joint venture between Virgin Media
and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which represents the major
record labels. The BPI ultimately wants internet companies to implement a
"three strikes and out" rule to warn and ultimately disconnect the
estimated 6.5 million customers whose accounts are (supposedly) used for
regular criminal activity. In other words, you download a few songs and
they'll come along and cut off the one wire that delivers freedom of
speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1447231
Links:
0. http://quicktrivia.com/
1. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/virgin-warns-illegal-downloaders-stop-or-face-prosecution-842086.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Canadian Govt Victim of Cyberattacks |
| from the i-hate-when-that-happens dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @11:51 (Security) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1524257 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]courteaudotbiz writes "Canada and all members of the U5 (United
States, Germany, United Kingdom, France and New-Zealand) state that they
all suffered [1]government-directed attacks between june and september
2007. These seemed to be Chinese government sponsored attacks." It's a
google translation, so it's a bit hard to read, but it seems to be a
recurring story these last few months.
Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1524257
Links:
0. mailto:jean***courteau@hotmail.com
1. http://translate.google.ca/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftechnaute.cyberpresse.ca%2F200806%2F09%2Fnouvelles%2Finternet%2F18725-cyberattaque-a-ottawa.php&sl=fr&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Community Choice Award "Most Likely to be Shut Down By Govt" |
| from the make-your-sarcastic-vote-heard dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday June 09, @12:44 (News) |
| http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1612250 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Last week we took nominations for a Slashdot category at the
[0]SourceForge Community Choice awards. Our category was 'Most Likely to
be Shut Down By Government Agency'. Your nominations were tallied, and we
arbitrarily selected a few that we think are the best. Today is the day
where you can at long last determine the winner, using the incredibly
scientifically accurate Slashdot Poll. Our nominees are Truecrypt, EFF
Patent Busting, GNU Software Radio, WikiLeaks, Cryptome.org, Tor,
Freenet, and CowboyNeal.
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1612250
Links:
0. http://sourceforge.net/community/cca08
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Warhammer Online Information by the Truckload |
| from the massively-goes-to-war dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @13:17 (Role Playing (|
| http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1323205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Last week Massively.com got the chance to head over to EA Mythic's
Virginia lab to clock some [0]hands-on time with Warhammer Online: Age of
Reckoning. As a result they were pumping out loads of review content,
everything from hardcore PvP info to dungeon crawling to crafting. The
culmination of all this hard work was a summary post with clickable
navigation to all of their review resources. Definitely worth a look if
you are at all curious about this upcoming behemoth.
Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1323205
Links:
0. http://www.massively.com/2008/06/06/massively-goes-to-war-wrap-up/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Blogging Now Good for You, Still Bad for Some |
| from the join-the-eggs-and-cholesterol-club dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @14:01 (Communications|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1614221 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Several users have alerted us to a May Scientific American article that
has been getting some [0]attention more [1]recently. Apparently,
[2]blogging is now good for you and, at least in this context, is the
suggested reason for the explosion of blogging. This is quite the
departure from some of the results we have [3]seen in practice for more
prolific bloggers.
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1614221
Links:
0. http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/placebobloggers-by-digby-from-lambert.html
1. http://www.correntewire.com/blogging_is_good_for_you
2. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-healthy-type
3. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/06/1359243&tid=188
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| WWDC '08 Sees Slimmer, Improved, 3G iPhone |
| from the newer-hawtness dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @14:46 (Communications|
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1839218 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Many of us have been watching Apple's [0]WWDC 2008 keynote unfold live.
There are many exciting tidbits, but most of all is the announcement of
the 3G iPhone. Featuring an even thinner profile, black plastic back,
metal buttons, flush headphone jack, improved audio, GPS support, and
improved battery life, this is bound to make quite a few people stand up
and take notice. Update 18:54 GMT by SM: Best of all it looks like they
really took the price point to heart, 8GB iPhones are now $199 and a 16GB
model will be available for $299, coming to an Apple store riot near you
on July 11,2008.
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1839218
Links:
0. http://www.macrumorslive.com/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Running Xen |
| from the read-all-about-it dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday June 09, @15:29 (Book Reviews) |
| http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1413220 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]David Martinjak writes "Running Xen: A Hands-On Guide to the Art of
Virtualization was published by Prentice Hall, and authored by Jeanna N.
Matthews, Eli M. Dow, Todd Deshane, Wenjin Hu, Jeremy Bongio, Patrick F.
Wilbur, and Brendan Johnson. The book, which will be referred to as
simply Running Xen, was a great resource on Xen and virtualization from
the administration side. A wide range of topics was covered from
installing Xen all the way up to managing virtual resources, including
migrating guest environments. Overall, the explanations were concise and
understandable; while the information was presented in a straightforward
manner. Running Xen was definitely a useful resource for administering
systems with Xen." Keep reading for the rest of David's review.
This story continues at:
http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1413220
Discuss this story at:
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1413220
Links:
0. mailto:david.martinjak@gmail.com
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| HoloVizio 3D, Holodeck 1.0 to Some, Makes Its Debut |
| from the getting-there dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @16:07 (Displays) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1821211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]TaeKwonDood writes to tell us that another step towards Star Trek's
Holodeck technology has been taken with the advent of [1]HoloVizio 3D.
Allowing users to see and manipulate objects in 3D without the assistance
of goggles, this distributed system shows a lot of promise. "The
HoloVizio is a 3-D screen that will allow designers to visualize true 3-D
models of cars, engines or components. Better yet, gesture recognition
means that observers can manipulate the models by waving their hands in
front of the screen. The function offers enormous scope for collaboration
across the globe."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1821211
Links:
0. mailto:perfectommy@yahoo.com
1. http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/star_trek_holodeck_1_0_holovizio_3d_makes_its_debut
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Games and Music, the New Book Burning |
| from the someone-needs-to-reread-fahrenheit-451 dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @16:52 (Music) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1340243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
It seems that a Newport News, VA Reverend finally got around to reading
Fahrenheit 451 and has decided that it was a [0]good idea. Despite
[1]several studies [2]claiming the contrary, Rev. Richard Patrick is
blaming violent video games and music for crimes that he say has affected
90% of his congregation in one way or another.
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1340243
Links:
0. http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/06/09/game-burning-it039s-new-book-burning
1. http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/07/226235&tid=192
2. http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/07/1226241&tid=206
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A History of Copy Protection |
| from the you-can-never-have-too-many-secret-decoder-rings dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @17:30 (Software) |
| http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1927205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]GamerGirll1138 writes to tell us Next-gen has an amusing walk down
memory *** with their [1]history of copy protection. There have been
some crazy schemes over the years to ensure that you paid for your
software, everything from super-secret decoder rings to ridiculous
document checks. "With bandwidth expanding and more and more games
publishers exploring digital distribution, there's little doubt that
we're entering a new phase in the history of copy protection and those
who would defeat it. What's more, the demand for games as a chosen form
of entertainment has never been higher. All this considered, it's
impossible to believe that the cat-and-mouse game of piracy and copy
protection will not reach new levels of intensity, with new technologies
deployed on each side, and that some of them will surely create new
hurdles for even those who simply wish to purchase and play the newest
games. Ah, for the heady days of the code wheel."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1927205
Links:
0. mailto:ngfreelancer@gmail.com
1. http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10800&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=3
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| OEMs Looking to Ubuntu for Netbook Market |
| from the big-bad-microsoft-gets-left-behind dept. |
| posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday June 09, @18:11 (Portables) |
| http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/1945258 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Anon writes "Mark Shuttleworth provides much more detail today about
development of the [0]Ubuntu netbook platform, and says OEMs are calling
Canonical when they want to start building netbooks. Channelweb notes:
'It's actually a big deal. For example, Dell CEO Michael Dell has been
carrying around an early version of a Dell mini-notebook, and referring
to it as the device for the [1]next billion Internet users [...] Asus has
become an industry rock star by using GNU Linux to power its Eee PC. HP's
niche Mini note runs SLED 10 Linux. The iPhone, of course, doesn't run
Microsoft software. Is anyone paying attention in Redmond?'"
Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/1945258
Links:
0. http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/151
1. http://www.crn.com/software/208402747
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| US Supreme Court Limits Patent Claims |
| from the handing-down-common-sense dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday June 09, @19:03 (Patents) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/2243211 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Aire Libre and other readers noted a unanimous Supreme Court decision
that [1]denied LG Electronics's attempt to evade the first-sale doctrine
by use of "business method" patents. LG licensed patents to Intel, then
attempted to dictate what use Intel's customers could make of the Intel
products incorporating LG patents. The [2]decision (PDF) notes how easily
patents can be written up as "business methods" to nullify the first-sale
doctrine ("exhaustion") and to give the patent owner perpetual control
downstream. Aire Libre adds, "That reasoning bodes well for copyright
freedom as well, in light of the growing number of copyright holders who
seek to nullify the Copyright Act's limitation on the distribution right
by claiming the goods are 'licensed, not sold,' or subject to some
restrictive EULA."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/2243211
Links:
0. http://interactionlaw.com/
1. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h4Vh3UWrNfmfYpUBTTUUy7nsQj-gD916MQ682
2. http://supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/06-937.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Last "Hackers On P***t Earth" Conference In July |
| from the springs-eternal dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday June 09, @19:55 (Programming) |
| http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/09/2347205 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The Last H.O.P.E. ('Hackers on P***t
Earth') Conference is set for July 18-20, 2007, at the Hotel Pennsylvania
in New York City. The organizers have announced their [1]supplemental
speaker list, adding on to the [2]initial list. Topics will include
'Crafting a Security-Enhanced Wikipedia,' 'VoIP (in)security: Italians Do
It Better,' 'AntiSocial Networking: Vulnerabilities in Social Nets,' 'SWF
and the Malware Tragedy,' 'Simulating the Universe on Supercomputers,'
and my personal favorite, 'RIAA Litigations: How the Tech Community Can
Help.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/06/09/2347205
Links:
0. http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
1. http://www.thelasthope.org/news_additional-speakers-announced.php
2. http://www.thelasthope.org/news_speakers_announced_levy_savage_mitnick_more.php
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