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[Slashdot] Stories for 2010-09-28

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Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Iris Scanning Set To Secure City In Mexico
* New Zealand Scientists Make Atom-Trapping Breakthrough
* Panasonic's 16-Finger, Hair-Washing Robot
* Apple Patents Directional Flash Tech For Cameras
* Man Gets 10 Years For VoIP Hacking
* Obama Wants Broader Internet Wiretap Authority
* Hawking Radiation Claimed Created In a Lab
* The Ancient Computers Powering the Space Race
* Selling Incandescent Light Bulbs As Heating Devices
* United Nations Names Ambassador To Aliens
* Segway UK Boss Dies After Driving Off Cliff
* Malware Running On Graphics Cards
* Twitter Hit With Second Worm In a Week
* Methane Survey Reveals Mars Is Far From 'Dead'
* Other Tech the Senate Would Have Banned
* Autotools
* This Is a News Website Article About a Scientific Paper
* Microsoft Migrating Live Spaces Users To WordPress
* Attack Targets LinkedIn Users With Fake Contact Requests
* RIM Announces BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet
* NASA Data Reveals China's Industrial Air Pollution
* Motorcyclist Wins Taping Case Against State Police

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| Iris Scanning Set To Secure City In Mexico |
| from the you-blink-you-die dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday September 26, @20:17 (Privacy) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/26/232222/Iris-Scanning-Set-To-Secure-City-In-Mexico |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

kkleiner writes "The million-plus citizens of Leon, Mexico are set to
become the first example of a [0]city secured through the power of
biometric identification. Iris and face scanning technologies from Global
Rainmakers, Inc. will allow people to use their eyes to prove their
identify, withdraw money from an ATM, get help at a hospital, and even
ride the bus. Whether you're jealous or intimidated by Leon's adoption of
widespread eye identification you should pay attention to the project ���
similar biometric checkpoints are coming to locations near you. Some are
already in place."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/26/232222

Links:
0. http://singularityhub.com/2010/09/26/iris-scanning-set-to-secure-city-in-mexico-then-the-world-video/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| New Zealand Scientists Make Atom-Trapping Breakthrough |
| from the gotta-keep-'em-separated dept. |
| posted by timothy on Sunday September 26, @23:12 (Science) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/09/26/2312230/New-Zealand-Scientists-Make-Atom-Trappi|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Mogster writes with this news from New Zealand: "'University of Otago
scientists have made a 'major physics breakthrough' with the development
of a [0]technique to consistently isolate and capture a fast-moving
single atom. A team of four researchers from the university's physics
department are believed to be the first to isolate and photograph the
Rubidium 85 atom.' Good to see Kiwis following in [1]Rutherford's
footsteps."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/26/2312230

Links:
0. http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/4170693/Kiwi-scientists-make-atomic-breakthrough
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Rutherford

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Panasonic's 16-Finger, Hair-Washing Robot |
| from the now-with-even-more-fingers dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday September 27, @02:18 (Robotics) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/09/26/2355204/Panasonics-16-Finger-Hair-Washing-Robo|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir writes "Panasonic has developed a [1]hair-washing robot
that uses 16 electronically controlled fingers to give a perfect wash and
rinse. The robot, images of which were distributed by Panasonic, appears
to be about the size of a washing machine. Users sit in a reclining chair
and lean back to place their head in the machine's open top. Two robot
arms guide the 16 fingers, which have the same dexterity as human
fingers, the company claims."

Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/26/2355204

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/362074/panasonic_robot_gives_16-finger_automated_hair_washing/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Patents Directional Flash Tech For Cameras |
| from the hey-you-in-the-corner dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday September 27, @05:12 (Input Devices) |
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/0146225/Apple-Patents-Directional-Flash-Tech-For-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

tekgoblin writes "A patent application has surfaced that shows Apple's
attempts at creating a new way for a flash to work on a camera. The way
the new flash works is very intriguing: a user can select a dimly lit
area of the photo and the camera [0]will try to illuminate just that area
with the flash. The way Apple is attempting to accomplish this is similar
to the way the autofocus works on the iPhone 4 where you can touch the
screen in certain areas to focus on that area. Instead you will be able
to light up that area with the flash. This is accomplished by the camera
flash passing through a 'redirector' so the flash can be placed other
than directly centered when a photo is taken."

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/0146225

Links:
0. http://www.tekgoblin.com/2010/09/26/apple-patents-new-camera-flash-technology/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Man Gets 10 Years For VoIP Hacking |
| from the just-think-what-that-is-in-minutes dept. |
| posted by timothy on Monday September 27, @08:08 (The Courts) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/0539235/Man-Gets-10-Years-For-VoIP-Hacking |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]angry tapir writes "A US court has sentenced a Venezuelan man to 10
years in prison for [1]stealing and then reselling more than 10 million
minutes of Internet phone service. Edwin Pena, 27, was convicted in
February of masterminding a scheme to hack into more than 15
telecommunications companies and then reroute calls to their networks at
no charge. He must also pay more than US$1 million in restitution, and
will be deported once his sentence is served."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/0539235

Links:
0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/
1. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/362145/man_gets_10_years_voip_hacking/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Obama Wants Broader Internet Wiretap Authority |
| from the tap-this-way dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 27, @08:49 (Government) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1221213/Obama-Wants-Broader-Internet-Wiretap-Author|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "The White House plans to deliver a bill to
Congress next year that will require Internet-based communication
services that use encryption to be capable of [0]decrypting messages to
comply with federal wiretap orders. The bill will go beyond CALEA to
apply to services such as Blackberry email. Even though RIM has stated
that it does not currently have an ability to decrypt messages via a
master key or back door, the bill may require them to. Regarding this
development, James Dempsey of the Center for Democracy and Technology
commented on the proposal, saying, 'They basically want to turn back the
clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone
system used to function.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1221213

Links:
0. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/27/seeking-expand-internet-wiretaps/#content

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Hawking Radiation Claimed Created In a Lab |
| from the look-what-i-can-do dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 27, @09:26 (Education) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1256236/Hawking-Radiation-Claimed-Created-In-a-Lab|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "In 1974, a young newcomer to the Royal Society named
Stephen Hawking predicted that black holes emit [0]Hawking Radiation.
Researchers have been looking for it in space ever since. A new paper up
for publication [1]claims to have beaten searchers by observing it in a
lab. Doing it wasn't easy. They say they brought light to a standstill by
drastically increasing the refractive index of the material it was being
fired at, creating a 'white hole.' This horizon, beyond which light
cannot penetrate (event horizon), is the same between white and black
holes, which caused the team to suspect they observed Hawking Radiation
when light of a different uniform wavelength than the input laser was
emitted. But, before you rejoice, the Tech Review article notes, 'Of
course, the big question is whether the emitted light is generated by
some other mechanism such as [2]Cerenkov radiation, scattering or, in
particular, fluorescence which is the hardest to rule out.'"

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1256236

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_radiation
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25805/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Ancient Computers Powering the Space Race |
| from the abacus-in-orbit dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 27, @10:11 (Space) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1333204/The-Ancient-Computers-Powering-the-Spac|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Think that the exploration of space is a high
tech business? Technology dating back to the Apollo moon landings [0]is
still used by Nasa mission control for comms and the 1980s 386 processors
that keep the International Space Station aloft."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1333204

Links:
0. http://www.silicon.com/management/public-sector/2010/09/25/space-exploration-the-computers-that-power-mans-conquest-of-the-stars-39746245/

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| Selling Incandescent Light Bulbs As Heating Devices |
| from the a-bulb-by-any-othe-name dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday September 27, @10:35 (Power) |
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1351242/Selling-Incandescent-Light-Bulbs-As-Heatin|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Csiko writes "The European Union has banned by law trading of
incandescent light bulbs due to their bad efficiency/ecology (most of the
energy is transformed into heat). A company is now trying to bypass this
restriction by [0]offering their incandescent light bulb products as a
heating device (article in German) instead of a light device. Still,
their 'heat balls' give light as well as heating. So ��� every law can be
bypassed if you have some creativity!"

Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1351242

Links:
0. http://heatball.de/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| United Nations Names Ambassador To Aliens |
| from the sounds-like-a-cushy-job dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 27, @10:53 (Space) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1334255/United-Nations-Names-Ambassador-To-Alie|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]Shag writes "Although searches for extraterrestrial intelligence have
thus far come up empty-handed, the United Nations appears to be
[1]preparing for eventual 'first contact.' Many media outlets are
carrying the story that [2]Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist who
heads the UN's [3]Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna ��� already
charged with things like [4]keeping track of satellites to prevent
[5]Kessler Syndrome and coordinating the international response to any
earth-impacting asteroids ��� will be the first person to meet with aliens
if they do show up." Update: 09/27 16:42 GMT by [6]S : Looks like [7]this
one's too good to be true ��� in an email to The Guardian, Othman said, "It
sounds really cool but I have to deny it."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1334255

Links:
0. mailto:dan@birchalls.net
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8025832/UN-to-appoint-space-ambassador-to-greet-alien-visitors.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazlan_Othman
3. http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/
4. http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/en/SORegister/index.html
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome
6. mailto:soulskillatslashdotdotorg
7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/sep/27/un-alien-ambassador-mazlan-othman

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Segway UK Boss Dies After Driving Off Cliff |
| from the dead-mans-curve dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday September 27, @11:34 (United Kingdom) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/149212/Segway-UK-Boss-Dies-After-Driving-Off-Cliff|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

necro81 writes "Jimi Heselden, the British multi-millionaire defense
contractor and philanthropist, who bought the [0]Segway company last
December from inventor Dean Kamen, [1]died yesterday after an accident
while riding one of the machines. While using a ruggedized X2 version of
the two-wheeled balancing scooter at his estate in North Yorkshire, he
apparently [2]drove over the edge of a precipice and into the River
Wharfe. He was found later by a passerby and declared dead on the scene."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/149212

Links:
0. http://www.segway.com/
1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315518/Segway-owner-Jimi-Heselden-dies-riding-machines-cliff.html
2. http://gizmodo.com/5648709/segway-company-owner-dies-after-driving-segway-off-cliff

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Malware Running On Graphics Cards |
| from the freeing-up-the-cpu dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 27, @12:22 (Security) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1422205/Malware-Running-On-Graphics-Cards |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Given the great potential of general-purpose
computing on graphics processors, it is only natural to expect that
malware authors will attempt to tap the powerful features of modern GPUs
to their benefit. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the
[0]feasibility of implementing a malware that can utilize the GPU (PDF)
to evade virus scanning applications. Moreover, the authors discuss the
potential of more sophisticated attacks, like accessing the screen pixels
periodically to harvest private data displayed on the user screen, or to
trick the the user by displaying false, benign-looking information when
visiting rogue web sites (e.g., overwriting suspicious URLs with
benign-looking ones in the browser's address bar)."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1422205

Links:
0. http://dcs.ics.forth.gr/Activities/papers/gpumalware.malware10.pdf

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Twitter Hit With Second Worm In a Week |
| from the security-is-hard dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Monday September 27, @12:55 (Social Networks) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/166238/Twitter-Hit-With-Second-Worm-In-a-Week |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

adeelarshad82 writes "Days after a site update unleashed a Twitter
[0]cross-site scripting attack, the micro-blogging site was [1]again hit
with a bug that spread via questionable links. The offending messages
appeared on a user's Twitter feed with 'WTF:' followed by a link. If you
clicked on that link, you were taken to a blank page, but behind the
scenes, the worm would post vulgar messages on your account that
discussed, well, sex involving goats."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/166238

Links:
0. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/21/1315247/Twitter-Suffers-Web-Interface-Exploit
1. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369725,00.asp

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Methane Survey Reveals Mars Is Far From 'Dead' |
| from the mars-has-a-secret-cow-level dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @13:37 (Mars) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/177205/Methane-Survey-Reveals-Mars-Is-Far-From-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]astroengine writes "The first planet-wide studies of methane on Mars ���
incorporating billions of measurements made by NASA's Mars Global
Surveyor spacecraft ��� shows gas concentrations peak in autumn and plummet
in winter. Scientists have found significantly higher methane
concentrations in the Tharsis, Elysium and Arabia Terrae regions. Tharsis
and Elysium are home to Mars' most massive volcanoes and Arabia Terrae
has large quantities of subterranean frozen water. This indicates [1]the
gas could be generated by geological or biological activity. 'It could be
geology or biology, but it is not coming from another source. There is a
seasonal pattern, so it could only be a local origin,' Sergio Fonti, with
Italy's Universita del Salento, told Discovery News."

Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/177205

Links:
0. http://www.astroengine.com/
1. http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-methane-mystery.html

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Other Tech the Senate Would Have Banned |
| from the electricity-is-the-real-culprit dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @14:18 (Government) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1757236/Other-Tech-the-Senate-Would-Have-Banned |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "A few weeks ago, Senators Patrick Leahy and
Orrin Hatch introduced the 'Combating Online Infringement and
Counterfeits Act' (COICA) bill, which was [0]discussed here on Slashdot.
The main part of the bill would allow the Justice Department to shut down
websites that it deems are 'dedicated to infringing activities,' without
a trial (due process is so old fashioned). Of course, in reviewing the
bill, it's important to note that pretty much every new technology in the
entertainment industry over the last century was deemed 'dedicated to
infringing activities,' so here's a list of [1]all of the technologies
COICA would have banned in the past, including Hollywood itself, radio,
cable television, the photocopier, the iPod and more."

Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1757236

Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/20/212232/New-Legislation-Would-Crack-Down-On-Online-Piracy
1. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100925/12401911168/a-look-at-the-technologies-industries-senators-leahy-hatch-would-have-banned-in-the-past.shtml

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Autotools |
| from the read-all-about-it dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Monday September 27, @15:00 (Books) |
| https://books.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1612236/Autotools |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Muad writes "John Calcote is a senior software engineer in Novell's Linux
business, who after slogging up the steep learning curve the Autotools
triad poses to those packaging software according to the portable GNU
conventions for the first time, very kindly decided to make the
experience easier to newcomers by sharing his years of experience and
carefully crafted bag of tricks. His book is a welcome update to a field
that has not seen entries now for a full ten years, so long has been the
time since GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool by Gary V. Vaughn, Ben
Ellison, Tom Tromey, and Ian Lance Taylor hit the shelves. Unfortunately,
the publishing industry is driven by the need to turn a profit to fund
its endeavors, and specialist items like this book are not obvious
candidates for volume selling - which is a credit to No Starch Press'
willingness to venture down this path." Keep reading for the rest of
Federico's review.

This story continues at:
https://books.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1612236/Autotools

Discuss this story at:
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1612236

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| This Is a News Website Article About a Scientific Paper |
| from the turning-the-scientific-world-on-its-head-or-maybe-not dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @15:43 (The Media) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1913205/This-Is-a-News-Website-Article-About-a-Sci|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[0]jamie passes along a humorous article at The Guardian which [1]pokes
fun at the shallow and formulaic science journalism typical of many
mainstream news outlets. Quoting: In this paragraph I will state the main
claim that the research makes, making appropriate use of 'scare quotes'
to ensure that it's clear that I have no opinion about this research
whatsoever. ... If the research is about a potential cure, or a solution
to a problem, this paragraph will describe how it will raise hopes for a
group of sufferers or victims. This paragraph elaborates on the claim,
adding weasel-words like 'the scientists say' to shift responsibility for
establishing the likely truth or accuracy of the research findings on to
absolutely anybody else but me, the journalist. ... 'Basically, this is a
brief soundbite,' the scientist will say, from a department and
university that I will give brief credit to. 'The existing science is a
bit dodgy, whereas my conclusion seems bang on,' she or he will
continue."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1913205

Links:
0. mailto:jamie@slashdot.org
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/24/1

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Migrating Live Spaces Users To WordPress |
| from the giving-up-the-ghost dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @16:25 (Microsoft) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/1941254/Microsoft-Migrating-Live-Spaces-Users-To-W|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has decided [0]it can't compete
with the established blogging platforms out there and will instead
embrace one of them. Talking at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference,
Dharmesh Mehta, Director of Product Management for Windows Live,
announced that all existing [1]Windows Live Spaces users will be migrated
over to an account at WordPress.com. This decision is one Microsoft has
prepared for, and the CEO of Automattic, the company that runs and
develops the WordPress platform, was also present on stage with Mehta.
The two companies have worked together to [2]ensure Spaces users will
take all of their data with them when migrating and have visitors
automatically forwarded to the new URL associated with their blog."

Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/1941254

Links:
0. http://www.geek.com/articles/news/microsoft-to-migrate-live-spaces-bloggers-to-wordpress-20100927/
1. http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/27/windows-live-blogging/
2. http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/09/27/wordpress-com-and-windows-live-partnering-together-and-providing-an-upgrade-for-30-million-windows-live-spaces-customers.aspx

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Attack Targets LinkedIn Users With Fake Contact Requests |
| from the hello-sir-madam dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @17:09 (Security) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/2053243/Attack-Targets-LinkedIn-Users-With-Fake-Co|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

wiredmikey writes "On Monday morning, cybercriminals began [0]sending
massive volumes of spam email messages targeting LinkedIn users. Starting
at approximately 10am GMT, users of the popular business-focused social
networking site began receiving emails with a fake contact request
containing a malicious link. According to Cisco Security Intelligence,
these messages accounted for as much as 24% of all spam sent within a
15-minute interval today. If users click, they are taken to a web page
that says 'PLEASE WAITING.... 4 SECONDS..' and then redirected to Google,
appearing as if nothing has happened. During those four seconds, the site
attempted to infect the victim's PC with the ZeuS Malware via a 'drive-by
download' ��� something that requires little or no user interaction to
infect a system."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/2053243

Links:
0. http://www.securityweek.com/linkedin-users-targeted-fake-contact-requests-spread-malware

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| RIM Announces BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet |
| from the getting-into-the-game dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @17:52 (Handhelds) |
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/2136223/RIM-Announces-BlackBerry-PlayBook-Tablet|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

siliconbits writes "Today, at the BlackBerry Developers Conference in San
Francisco, company President and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis kicked off the
event with the widely-anticipated news that [0]RIM is developing a tablet
PC of its own. Called the BlackBerry Playbook, the device is a
'Flash-loving,' 'device-paring,' 'enterprise ready' tablet, says RIM,
with a 7-inch screen. It is 9.7 millimeters thick and features a 1024x600
widescreen display. It also supports 1080p through HDMI and has a USB
port." The tablet will run on a dual-core, 1GHz CPU and have 1GB RAM. Its
browser will be WebKit-based, and [1]the device will be running a brand
new operating system developed by QNX software. The tablet won't have 3G
access of its own when it launches, but will be able to tether to
existing BlackBerry devices via Bluetooth.

Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/2136223

Links:
0. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/meet-blackberry-playbook-a-tablet-pc-from-rim/39697
1. http://venturebeat.com/2010/09/27/rim-announces-7-inch-blackberry-playbook-tablet/

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NASA Data Reveals China's Industrial Air Pollution |
| from the red-vs-green dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @18:37 (Earth) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/2228257/NASA-Data-Reveals-Chinas-Industrial-Air-Po|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

eldavojohn writes "China's skyrocketing industrialism [0]comes at a price
to the environment, according to Canadian scientists who used NASA data
to publish [1]a report on worldwide air pollution (PDF) in the journal
Environmental Health Perspectives. The biggest problem appears to be a
bright red mass in Northeastern China around the Yangtze River Delta ��� a
rapidly developing piece of China's explosive economy. There doesn't seem
to be a lot of acknowledgment from the state media, but [2]blogs are
picking it up as one of the few sources of data on air pollution for the
area. The sad fact is that particulate matter in the air less than 2.5
micrometers in diameter is not classified as pollution by the Chinese
government, so they have no official measurements to provide. If you're
in Shanghai and looking for a breath of fresh air, you've got quite the
journey ahead of you."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/2228257

Links:
0. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/09/27/an-overhead-view-of-chinas-pollution/
1. http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1001991&representation=PDF
2. http://shanghaiist.com/2010/09/27/china_pollution_you_think_thats_air.php

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Motorcyclist Wins Taping Case Against State Police |
| from the development-on-camera-tasers-continues dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Monday September 27, @19:20 (Privacy) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/2244216/Motorcyclist-Wins-Taping-Case-Against-Stat|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

stevegee58 writes "Slashdot readers may recall the case of a Maryland
motorcyclist (Anthony Graber) arrested and [0]charged with wiretapping
violations (a felony) when he recorded his interaction with a Maryland
State Trooper. Today, Judge Emory A. Pitt [1]threw out the wiretapping
charges against Graber, leaving only his traffic violations to be decided
on his October 12 trial date. 'The judge ruled that Maryland's wire tap
law [2]allows recording of both voice and sound in areas where privacy
cannot be expected. He ruled that a police officer on a traffic stop has
no expectation of privacy.' A happy day for freedom-loving Marylanders
and Americans in general."

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/27/2244216

Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/07/27/0212232/Facing-16-Years-In-Prison-For-Videotaping-Police
1. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/story-lab/2010/09/wiretapping_charges_dropped_ag.html
2. http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/09/motorcyclist_wins_taping_case.html


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