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+-   Proton beams sent around the LHC-> on Friday November 20, @04:01PM feldhaus

Submitted by feldhaus on Friday November 20, @04:01PM
feldhaus writes "The BBC reports that the first beams for over one year have been successfully sent around the complete circumference of the Large Hadron Collider. Engineers do not yet have a stable circulating beam but they hope to by 0600 GMT on Saturday."
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+-   Air Cars: hot idea or hot air? (hint: the latter)-> on Friday November 20, @03:33PM cheeks5965

Submitted by cheeks5965 on Friday November 20, @03:33PM
cheeks5965 writes "We've argued before over compressed air vehicles a.k.a. air cars. Air cars are an enchanting idea, providing mobility with zero fuel consumption or environmental impacts. NYTimes Green Inc. blog reports that the reality is less rosy. New research from UC Berkeley and ICF International puts a period at the end of the discussion, showing that:

* Compressed air is a very poor fuel, storing less than 1% of the energy in gasoline.
* Air cars won't get you far, with a range of just 29 miles in typical city driving.
* Despite appearing green the vehicles are worse for the environment, with twice the carbon footprint as gasoline vehicles, from producing the electricity used to compress the air.

Given these barriers, manufacturer claims should definitely be taken with a grain of salt."
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+-   Electronic Firms Support End of Conflict Minerals-> on Friday November 20, @11:53AM tburton

Submitted by tburton on Friday November 20, @11:53AM
tburton writes "The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday released the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (HR 4128) to try and end the international trade of Tungsten, Tantalum and Coltan. Minerals accused of fueling violent rape and murder in eastern Congo. Since the very same minerals power the most popular consumer electronics from HP, Verizon, Nokia, RIM and Intel, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) has quickly signed a statement of support. Advocacy groups are hopeful these commitments prove to be meaningful as consumers begin to question the end result of the supply chains powering their favorite gadget."
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+-   ICANN allows VeriSign Forced Domain Transfers-> on Thursday November 19, @05:23AM CuteSteveJobs

Submitted by CuteSteveJobs on Thursday November 19, @05:23AM
CuteSteveJobs writes "ICANN has removed price limits and controls on .com domain names. It is now possible for a registrar to charge whatever they want and to hit the owners of "desirable" domain names with premium prices, such as charging Google a billion dollars to renew Google.com. Now at VeriSign's request ICANN is now allowing registrars to transfer domains amongst themselves without the consent of the domain owner. The proposal didn't receive many public comments because it was written in bureucractese (PDF). Don't expect any help from the US Government who has surrendered control of ICANN despite Republican Protests. Given new ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom was recently caught faking his own WHOIS data can we really trust these guys?"
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+-   Flash hidden features - AEC and P2P Streaming-> on Thursday November 19, @03:56AM Emil_and_the_Detecti

Submitted by Emil_and_the_Detecti on Thursday November 19, @03:56AM
it
Emil_and_the_Detecti writes "I recently discovered two features of the Flash Player that are only available for “Premium” customers. I think it is quite strange to develop on Platform for years and finally discover that the real soup is only available for the Adobe.

Did you ever notice that this flag in the ActionScript API *useEchoSuppression* does not seem to have any effect to the behavior? (API Docs: http://livedocs.adobe.com/flash/9.0_de/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/media/Microphone.html#useEchoSuppression)
Well it is because there IS NO! This echo Cancellation is only available if you use Adobe Connect Pro. You can find a hole history of reports about this feature and people that investigated at the Adobe Bug Tracker (you have to sign up): http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FP-273 (this issue has started in August 2008, so its not really new). It seems like Adobe has the Code for the Echo Cancellation ready since SWF 9. But they refuse to include it into the Flash Player for everybody. You get an additional Add-On for this feature. Automatic Echo Cancellation (AEC) is probably the reason why users prefer using Skype instead of Flash to do their conference.

Another interesting feature can be seen live when you watch the CNN Live Broadcast:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream1

you should watch your network through-put. You will encounter after some minutes, that your upload is as big as your download rate! That means the Flash Player is able to use P2P to broadcast a Live Stream. Quite nice, unfortunately it seems the same thing here, you need a modified Version of the Flash Player for that feature.

Lets see how long they can follow that route

Links/References:
http://wagner-sebastian.com/wordpress/2009/11/06/flash-player-hidden-feature-echo-cancellation-and-p2p-live-streaming/

http://www.lingolesson.com/misc/adobe-s-mysterious-systemproduct-and-connect-pro/

http://blog.flaphone.com/index.php/2008/05/31/fp10_aec_support/

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/02/cnn-p2p-video-streaming-tech-raises-questions.ars

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/05/1443206&from=rss"
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+-   Fear Mongering Against the ACTA? on Thursday November 19, @03:39AM brit74

Submitted by brit74 on Thursday November 19, @03:39AM
brit74 writes "The past few weeks have seen a lot of commentary on the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement). But, other voices are accusing Geist of using "fear mongering and misinformation" to stir-up moral outrage against the ACTA. Similarly, Doctorow claims that, under the ACTA, "it would be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger", yet Google (owner of YouTube and Blogger) has had input on the document. Given that Geist and Doctorow have been in favor of legalized filesharing and against copyright, are we being strung along by voices trying to build opposition to copyright in general?"
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Comments: 3 +-   Tech workers go nude for charity calendar -> on Wednesday November 18, @12:08PM nk497

Submitted by nk497 on Wednesday November 18, @12:08PM
idle
nk497 writes "London tech workers have stripped off to create their very own naked calendar for charity. Created by TechCrunch Europe contributing editor Milo Yiannopoulous, London Nude Tech 2010 isn't half as frightening as you'd think. It features photos (a few included at the link) of female and male tech entrepreneurs — one with strategically placed Mac — for every month of the year. It's raising funds for Take Heart India, so pick up your copy — it's for charity, right?"
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+-   Real Life Tricorder: iPhone Detects Chemicals-> on Tuesday November 17, @03:51PM kkleiner

Submitted by kkleiner on Tuesday November 17, @03:51PM
security
kkleiner writes "A researcher at the NASA Ames Center has developed a proof of concept device which can convert an iPhone into a chemical sensor capable of detecting ammonia, chlorine gas, and methane. The chem sniffing device is a small silicon chip (no bigger than a stamp) that plugs into the phone. Upon detection, the chip uses the phone to alert others. It was developed as part of Homeland Security’s Cell-All program. The US hopes that one day a small, inexpensive, and portable chip such as this one could be used to turn thousands (or millions) of mobile phones into a means of quickly detecting hazardous chemicals in public environments."
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+-   DNSSEC implemetation was held up by tech delays-> on Monday November 16, @05:59AM Jack Spine

Submitted by Jack Spine on Monday November 16, @05:59AM
Jack Spine writes "VeriSign has said that the main obstacle to DNSSEC implementation has been technical delays. The large size of the .com and .net domains would have made it impractical to deploy earlier versions of DNSSEC, according to VeriSign vice president of naming services Pat Kane.

Deployment of DNSSEC will close a major security flaw in the DNS, the internet's equivalent to a telephone directory. The problem of DNS cache poisoning was thrown into sharp relief by researcher Dan Kaminsky last year."
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+-   DNS Problem Linked To DDoS Attacks Gets Worse-> on Friday November 13, @05:43PM itwbennett

Submitted by itwbennett on Friday November 13, @05:43PM
security
itwbennett writes "The percentage of DNS systems on the Internet that are configured to accept DNS queries from anywhere, what networking experts call an 'open recursive' or 'open resolver' system, has jumped from around 50 percent in 2007, to nearly 80 percent this year, according to research sponsored by DNS appliance company Infoblox. As more consumers demand broadband Internet, service providers are rolling out modems configured this way to their customers said Cricket Liu, vice president of architecture with Infoblox. Georgia Tech Researcher David Dagon agreed that open recursive systems are on the rise, in part because of 'the increase in home network appliances that allow multiple computers on the Internet.... Almost all ISPs distribute a home DSL/cable device. Many of the devices have built-in DNS servers. These can sometimes ship in 'open by default' states.' What's worse, says Dagon, many of these devices do not include patches for a widely publicized DNS flaw discovered by researcher Dan Kaminsky last year."
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+-   Time To Ditch Cable For Internet TV?-> on Friday November 13, @03:48PM itwbennett

Submitted by itwbennett on Friday November 13, @03:48PM
entertainment
itwbennett writes "A flurry of announcements from YouTube, Boxee, Dell and Clicker on Thursday brought good news for anyone considering canceling their cable service in favor of internet TV. Blogger Peter Smith offers this rundown: First, YouTube announced that within the next few days it will start offering full 1080P HD streams; better than your cable company can offer. Next, Boxee announced a "Boxee Box" that promises to make it easier to get the content off your computer and onto your TV. Or you could hook up Dell's Inspiron Zino HD instead. 'This is an 8" x 8" PC running Windows 7 (with an option for Ubuntu) that you certainly could use as a desktop machine, but the form factor just screams 'Hook me up to your TV!' via its HDMI port,' says Smith. And, last but not least in this roundup of announcements is the launch of Clicker, a programming guide for internet TV that will help you find what you want, when you want it."
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+-   NASA offers $400,000 for super space glove -> on Friday November 13, @09:33AM coondoggie

Submitted by coondoggie on Friday November 13, @09:33AM
nasa
coondoggie writes "If you can build a high-tech glove that can move easily and operate effectively in the vacuum of space, NASA may have $400,000 for your effort.

That's the amount of money up for grabs in the 2009 Astronaut Glove Challenge set for Nov. 19 at the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Fla.

NASA said the competition will test gloves from at least two contestants that will measure the gloves' dexterity and strength during operation in a glove box that simulates the vacuum of space.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/47792"
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+-   Tired MMORPG Graphics Brought Back To Life-> on Friday November 13, @04:50AM Lexical_Scope

Submitted by Lexical_Scope on Friday November 13, @04:50AM
graphics
Lexical_Scope writes "Dark Age of Camelot was released just over 8 years ago and still has a relatively hardcore following. During the intervening years, it's graphics have started to look a little (okay, a lot!) dated in comparison to modern titles. Silakka has used some really innovative techniques to port some of the DAOC maps into the Crysis Graphics Engine with spectacular results. He discusses the technologies and tech used on his blog, which is well worth a read. WARNING: The videos might cause otherwise sane viewers to resub their DAOC accounts...I did :("
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Comments: 2 +-   City laws only available via license-> on Thursday November 12, @07:09PM MrLint

Submitted by MrLint on Thursday November 12, @07:09PM
MrLint writes "The City of Schenectady has decided that their laws are copyrighted, and that you cannot know them without paying for an "exclusive license" for $200. This is not really the first time things of this nature has occurred, Oregon has claimed publishing of laws online is a copyright violation (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2008/04/oregon-publishing-our-laws-online-is-a-copyright-violation.ars). As the internet continues to make inroads as the primary, or sole source of information for people, will we end up with a society where all the laws are behind a paywall? Will the inability to find out the law become a reasonable defense?"
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+-   U.S. House passes National CS Education Week-> on Thursday November 12, @01:47PM Jedi74

Submitted by Jedi74 on Thursday November 12, @01:47PM
education
Jedi74 writes "A Calvin computer science professor (and Microwulf inventor) has paired with a Calvin graduate serving in the U.S. House of Representatives to designate the week of December 7, 2009, as National Computer Science Education Week. House Resolution 558 was introduced by former Calvin physics professor Vern Ehlers, a long-serving member of Congress, because of concerns, raised to him by Calvin professor Joel Adams, about the small numbers of computer scientists that U.S. colleges are graduating. Ehlers' resolution, which passed 405-0, encourages greater exposure of students to computer science concepts and more opportunities for females and underrepresented minorities in computer science."
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Comments: 4 +-   AskSlashDot: Easing The Job of Family Tech Support on Thursday November 12, @09:25AM DarkDevil

Submitted by DarkDevil on Thursday November 12, @09:25AM
security
DarkDevil writes "Ever since I was introduced to computers at a very young age I've been the resident tech support for a household of 7 users. Life was hard when we all had to share a single computer and got much easier over the years as we started accumulating more and more computers. I've been in a cycle for the last ~8 years where something happens to my parents computer, I spend a week or two trying to non-destructively fix the problem and try to explain to the users what caused it and how to avoid it, and then if its not easily fixed I'll reformat and start from scratch. Most often the level of infection warrants a reformat which usually ends up taking more time to get the computer back to how my parents know how to use it. 4-8 months later, it happens again. Recently I found ~380 instances of malware and 6 viruses. I only realized something was wrong with their computer after it slowed down the entire network whenever anyone used my parents computer.

My question for slashdot is, are there any resources out there that explain computer viruses, malware, adware, and general safe computer practices to non-technical people in an easy to digest format? The security flaws in my house are 9, 26, and ~50 years old with no technical background aside from surfing the internet. Something in video format would be ideal as they are perfectly happy with our current arrangement and so it'll be hard to get them reading pages and pages of technical papers.

Thanks /.."
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+-   Making carriers shoulder smartphone security-> on Wednesday November 11, @11:51AM alphadogg

Submitted by alphadogg on Wednesday November 11, @11:51AM
security
alphadogg writes "Georgia Tech researchers have received a $450,000 NSF grant to boost security of iPhones, BlackBerries and other smartphones and the wireless networks on which they run. And it’s those networks where the researchers are really zeroing in. The researchers are looking into ways wireless carriers such as AT&T and Verizon can detect malware on devices and clean up the devices before they do further damage. "While a single user might realize that a phone is behaving differently, that person probably won’t know why," says Patrick Traynor, assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Computer Science. "But a cell phone provider may see a thousand devices behaving in the same way and have the ability to do something about it." Georgia Tech is going to build out a cellular network test bed to try out its remote repair techniques."
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Comments: 2 +-   Lucid Logix Hydra Multi-GPU Performance Unveiled-> on Wednesday November 11, @09:31AM MojoKid

Submitted by MojoKid on Wednesday November 11, @09:31AM
graphics
MojoKid writes "About a year ago, semiconductor startup Lucid Logix began making waves in the graphics space with claims of being able to revolutionize multi-GPU computing, promising consumers the ability to pair any graphics card, unrestricted by model or vendor, to another card and achieve highly efficient load balancing with near linear performance increases. This option presumably provides consumers the flexibility to buy an ATI graphics card, install it next to an NVIDIA model on the same motherboard, and see a boost in graphics rendering performance close to the sum of both individual components. Today Lucid Logix has taken the wraps off initial pre-production product with a quick performance evaluation at HotHardware that shows the potential with the technology. The benchmark numbers look promising though reportedly there are still a few compatibility issues to wring out."
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+-   SFLC Finds One New GPL Violation Per Day-> on Tuesday November 10, @04:59AM eldavojohn

Submitted by eldavojohn on Tuesday November 10, @04:59AM
linux
eldavojohn writes "In July, the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) leveled the finger at Microsoft for a GPL violation but how often does this actually happen? Sunday, Brad M. Kuhn (tech director at the SFLC) stated in his blog that since August of 2009 he has been finding about one per day. So why is it that we have only covered a handful of these cases in the news? Brad offers sage wisdom surprisingly recommends, "Don't go public first. Back around late 1999, when I found my first GPL violation from scratch, I wanted to post it to every mailing list I could find and shame that company that failed to respect and cooperate with the software freedom community. I'm glad that I didn't do that, because I've since seen similar actions destroy the lines of communication with violators, and make resolution tougher." Public shame is evidently not always the best answer. Ars has a few more details and notes that (in accordance with Brad's advice) lawsuits are usually a dead last resort."
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+-   WIPO Complaint: Glenn Beck Meets Internet, Loses-> on Tuesday November 10, @04:53AM CuteSteveJobs

Submitted by CuteSteveJobs on Tuesday November 10, @04:53AM
CuteSteveJobs writes "Glenn Beck fought the law and the law won. Parody website DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com attacked Beck using the same straw man arguments Beck himself is famous for: "We're not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990 — in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder ... Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?" Beck didn't see the humour and tried to have the site shut down. He sued the creator on the grounds the site "violated his name as a trademark." But in a sudden outbreak of common sense, WIPO rejected Beck's complaint finding the site "can be said to be making a political statement," which is a "legitimate non-commercial use" of Beck's name. But after winning the owner voluntarily handed Beck the domain anyway. Still, it's comforting to know that satire — the only weapon politicians and talking heads fear — is still safely in the hands of the public where it belongs. And now that the trademark dispute is settled, will Beck answer the allegations?"
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