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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Verizon To Throttle High-Bandwidth Users
* Hotmail Launches Accounts You Can Throw Away
* Chromeless Supplants Mozilla's Prism Project
* Egypt's Net Ruled By Phone, Not Kill Switch
* Super Mario Coming To the 3DS
* US Team Seeks To Top Steam-Car Speed Record
* PS3 Piracy Threats Cause Phone-Home DRM
* Big Brother Friends Facebook
* Senate Panel Backs Patent Overhaul Bill
* JASON Proposes a 'Library of Congress' For Pathogens
* Prison Cell Phone Smuggling Out of Control
* Senator Wyden Asks DHS To Explain Domain Seizures
* 'Invisibility Cloak' Created Using Crystals
* Next-Generation Banking Malware Emerges After Zeus
* Japan's Elderly Nix Robot Helpers
* Security Warning Over Web-Based Android Market
* Designer Tweets Egyptian Riots Due to His New Line Coming Out
* 'Dating' Site Imports 250k Facebook Profiles
* DoD Leads In Federal Open Source Usage
* Giant Archaeological Trove Found Via Google Earth
* If You Think You Can Ignore IPv6, Think Again
* Algorithm Contest Aims To Predict Health Problems
* Piracy Boosts Anime Sales, Says Japanese Government Study
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Verizon To Throttle High-Bandwidth Users
| from the joining-the-club dept.
| posted by timothy on Thursday February 03, @19:43 (Network)
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0043234/Verizon-To-Throttle-High-Bandwidth-Users?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
tekgoblin writes "Verizon has enacted a new policy today that [0]allows
them to throttle 'high' bandwidth users on their network. We're not sure
exactly what 'high' means but it is probably over 2GB of data per month.
This comes as the iPhone launches on Verizon's network. The policy is
said to only affect the top 5% of data users on the network. When these
5% of users hit the soft limit they will be throttled during peak times
of the day. From the note sent to customers: 'Verizon Wireless strives to
provide customers the best experience when using our network, a shared
resource among tens of millions of customers. To help achieve this, if
you use an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5% of
Verizon Wireless data users we may reduce your data throughput speeds
periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately
following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for
other users at locations and times of peak demand. Our proactive
management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the
remaining 95% of data customers aren't negatively affected by the
inordinate data consumption of just a few users.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0043234/Verizon-To-Throttle-High-Bandwidth-Users?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.tekgoblin.com/2011/02/03/verizon-to-throttle-high-bandwidth-users/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hotmail Launches Accounts You Can Throw Away
| from the at-last-a-feature-that-leads-gmail dept.
| posted by timothy on Thursday February 03, @20:34 (Microsoft)
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0132209/Hotmail-Launches-Accounts-You-Can-Throw-Away?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
suraj.sun writes with this excerpt from CNET: "Today, Hotmail is getting
a new feature aimed at 'e-mail enthusiasts,' which [0]lets anyone create
multiple e-mail accounts that can be read, replied to, and managed from
their everyday e-mail inbox. These additional e-mail addresses can be had
in the same manner as signing up for new accounts, but they require no
extra log-ins or upkeep. ... The idea is to give users a safe way to
provide third parties with an e-mail address, without giving up the
address they've provided to family and friends, which, if compromised,
can end the usefulness of that particular account. Each user will be able
to create up to five aliases, any of which can be deleted and replaced
with another at any time. Over time, Microsoft will increase that limit
to 15 aliases per account, making it so that the true heavy users won't
need to juggle between two or more Hotmail accounts."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0132209/Hotmail-Launches-Accounts-You-Can-Throw-Away?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20030574-75.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Chromeless Supplants Mozilla's Prism Project
| from the lookie-here-it-ain't-got-no-server-attached dept.
| posted by timothy on Thursday February 03, @23:22 (Mozilla)
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/023258/Chromeless-Supplants-Mozillas-Prism-Project?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mikejuk writes "Mozilla Labs has dumped its Prism project, that was
intended to bring web applications to the desktop, in favor of a
[0]revamped and repurposed Chromeless, a way of building experimental web
browsers, to provide yet another way to create a desktop app using web
technologies."
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/023258/Chromeless-Supplants-Mozillas-Prism-Project?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.i-programmer.info/news/87-web-development/1955-chromeless-replaces-prism-a-new-way-to-create-desktop-apps.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Egypt's Net Ruled By Phone, Not Kill Switch
| from the so-when-you-shatter-some-of-the-tubes dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday February 04, @02:19 (Censorship)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0551238/Egypts-Net-Ruled-By-Phone-Not-Kill-Switch?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
schliz writes "Judging by the time it took for Egypt to go offline and
back online, the Internet Society speculates that the country's
connectivity is controlled by a [0]'series of phone calls', rather than a
[1]'kill switch'. The Government-imposed internet blackout lasted five
days, beginning [2]last Friday, and ending on [3]Wednesday."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0551238/Egypts-Net-Ruled-By-Phone-Not-Kill-Switch?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/247108,egypts-net-ruled-by-phone-not-kill-switch.aspx
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/03/0339225/No-Internet-ldquokill-Switchrdquo-For-Australia
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/01/28/0114217/Egypt-Shuts-Off-All-Internet-Access
3. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/02/1330210/Egypt-Coming-Back-On-the-net
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Super Mario Coming To the 3DS
| from the it's'a-me-in-three-dee dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @03:25 (Classic Games (Games))
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0640233/Super-Mario-Coming-To-the-3DS?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RedEaredSlider writes with news that Nintendo is [0]working on a Super
Mario Bros. title for their 3DS handheld, bringing the classic franchise
into the world of 3-D. The announcement came at the end of a lengthy
conversation about the creation of the original Super Mario Bros. for the
NES [1]with four of the game's developers. They talk about various ideas
that didn't make it into the game and show off some interesting
conceptual drawings that evolved into one of the most recognizable games
of all time.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0640233/Super-Mario-Coming-To-the-3DS?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/108503/20110203/nintendo-prepares-super-mario-bros-title-for-3ds.htm
1. http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/mario25th/vol5_page1.jsp
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| US Team Seeks To Top Steam-Car Speed Record
| from the ready-with-the-coal-ready-with-the-shovel dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday February 04, @05:09 (Transportation)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/068227/US-Team-Seeks-To-Top-Steam-Car-Speed-Record?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zothecula writes "Steam-engined vehicles are quaint, retro and obsolete
... right? Well, maybe not. The current land speed record for a
steam-powered vehicle currently sits at 148 mph (238 km/h), set by the
British car Inspiration team in 2009. Now, Chuk Williams' [0]US Land
Steam Record (USLSR) Team is hoping to steal that title in its LSR
Streamliner, powered by a heat-regenerative external combustion Cyclone
engine ��� an engine that could someday find common use in production
automobiles."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/068227/US-Team-Seeks-To-Top-Steam-Car-Speed-Record?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/us-team-attempts-steam-land-speed-record/17755/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PS3 Piracy Threats Cause Phone-Home DRM
| from the fighting-fire-with-gasoline dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @06:27 (DRM)
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0610241/PS3-Piracy-Threats-Cause-Phone-Home-DRM?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stoobalou writes "The last time game developer Capcom tried to impose
Internet-based copy protection on one of its games, it was forced to
backtrack over a storm of complaints. In that instance Final Fight:
Double Impact was hobbled with a piracy-busting scheme which phoned home
every time the game was booted, but Capcom forgot to mention that little
nugget of information to potential purchasers ��� an omission which
eventually led to the DRM scheme being hastily withdrawn. The company has
decided not to repeat the mistake with its latest release, Bionic
Commando Rearmed 2, by making it clear that [0]the game won't work unless
it gets a sign-off from the company's servers."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0610241/PS3-Piracy-Threats-Cause-Phone-Home-DRM?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/2/3/ps3-piracy-threats-cause-phone-home-drm/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Big Brother Friends Facebook
| from the it's-like-alabama-for-everyone-else dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday February 04, @08:12 (Social Networks)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0157229/Big-Brother-Friends-Facebook?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
storagedude writes "Clara Shih, who created the first business app on
Facebook in 2007, is back with a new venture: Hearsay Social, which
[0]makes Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn more palatable to corporations by
adding features like SEC and FINRA monitoring and compliance and
analytics. Conversations are monitored around the clock, regardless of
where employees access pages from ��� work, home or mobile ��� and workflow
tools let companies approve or suggest content before it appears. Those
features appear to be making financial companies a little more
comfortable Facebooking, as State Farm and Farmers Insurance are two
early customers. Shih is backed in the new venture by veterans of
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/0157229/Big-Brother-Friends-Facebook?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.ecrmguide.com/article.php/3923441/facebook-pioneer-launches-social-media-management-platform.htm
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Senate Panel Backs Patent Overhaul Bill
| from the then-patented-their-support-and-demanded-licensing-fees dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @08:54 (Patents)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1321215/Senate-Panel-Backs-Patent-Overhaul-Bill?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mvar writes "A bill to reduce the likelihood of massive damage awards in
patent disputes [0]took a step forward with approval by the Senate
Judiciary Committee. The committee voted 15-0 to back the legislation
that would give judges a major role in determining how important a
particular patent is to a product, so that infringing minor patents would
not lead to huge damages. [1]The bill (PDF) also gives patents to the
first inventor to file, rather than the first to invent, making the
patent application process easier for companies who apply for patents in
multiple countries. This year, Microsoft, the Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America and the Biotechnology Industry Organization
support the patent legislation, while Dell, Cisco and others oppose it."
Microsoft's [2]blog post in support of patent reform calls for a quick
review period for newly-granted patents and the acceptance of prior art
submissions from third parties.
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1321215/Senate-Panel-Backs-Patent-Overhaul-Bill?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/108598/20110203/senate-panel-backs-patent-overhaul-bill.htm
1. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s23is/pdf/BILLS-112s23is.pdf
2. http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2011/02/02/time-to-act-on-patent-reform.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| JASON Proposes a 'Library of Congress' For Pathogens
| from the i-never-liked-that-jason-guy dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @09:37 (Biotech)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1413222/JASON-Proposes-a-Library-of-Congress-For-Pathogens?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from a blog at the Federation of
American Scientists' website: "In order to help determine the origins of
microbial threats in terrorist incidents or epidemics, it would be useful
to have [0]a deep archive of various strains of lethal bacteria, the
[1]JASON defense advisory panel told the National Counterproliferation
Center in a [2]newly released 2009 report (PDF). ... 'This library would
consist of strains collected worldwide by methods that preserve sample
properties, and capture all relevant data (e.g. geolocation, local
environmental conditions). It should include laboratory isolates, natural
isolates, and DNA sequence data.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1413222/JASON-Proposes-a-Library-of-Congress-For-Pathogens?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2011/02/microbial_forensics.html
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JASON_(advisory_group)
2. http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/jason/forensics.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Prison Cell Phone Smuggling Out of Control
| from the how-else-can-they-play-angry-birds dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @10:21 (Crime)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1449243/Prison-Cell-Phone-Smuggling-Out-of-Control?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hugh Pickens writes writes "KCRA reports that the [0]number of contraband
cell phones discovered in California state prisons has exploded as prison
guards, staff and vendors are cashing in on smuggled phones that can
fetch between $200 and $800. Although the large majority of inmates are
using the phones to stay in contact with loved ones, there have been
documented cases of escape attempts, drug deals and conference calls
coordinated via smuggled cell phones. 'The potential is there for the
worst kind of activity,' says Folsom Prison Warden Rick Hill. Even
[1]Charles Manson has been caught with a cellphone smuggled to him. 'We
know the problem is out of control,' says State Senator Alex Padilla, who
has [2]proposed making such smuggling illegal in hopes of stopping the
continued rise of contraband cell phones in prison."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1449243/Prison-Cell-Phone-Smuggling-Out-of-Control?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.kcra.com/r/26737223/detail.html
1. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/02/hello-satan-charles-manson-caught-again-with-cellphone-in-prison/1
2. http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/03/5984266-lawmaker-seeks-penalties-for-prison-cell-phone-smuggling
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Senator Wyden Asks DHS To Explain Domain Seizures
| from the busting-down-digital-doors dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @11:05 (Censorship)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1528211/Senator-Wyden-Asks-DHS-To-Explain-Domain-Seizures?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "With Homeland Security continuing to [0]seize
domain names without warning and without giving site operators a chance
to respond to charges, it appears that at least some people in the US
government are quite concerned about this turn of events. Techdirt has a
copy of [1]the full letter Senator Wyden has sent to both Attorney
General Eric Holder and ICE director John Morton, asking a series of
pointed questions concerning the domain seizures and how they impact due
process, free speech and sovereign rule in foreign countries."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1528211/Senator-Wyden-Asks-DHS-To-Explain-Domain-Seizures?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/02/009214/US-Dept-of-Justice-ICE-Still-Seizing-Domains
1. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110202/23363812934/senator-wyden-asks-wtf-is-up-with-homeland-security-domain-seizures.shtml
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 'Invisibility Cloak' Created Using Crystals
| from the keep-this-discovery-away-from-the-klingons dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @11:48 (Science)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/163224/Invisibility-Cloak-Created-Using-Crystals?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zothecula writes "The quest to build a working 'invisibility cloak'
generally focuses on the use of metamaterials ��� artificially engineered
materials with a negative refractive index that have already been used to
render microscopic objects invisible in specific wavelengths of light.
Now, using naturally occurring crystals rather than metamaterials, two
research teams working independently have [0]demonstrated technology that
can cloak larger objects in the broad range of wavelengths visible to the
human eye. PDFs of the two [1]similarly named [2]research papers are
available through arXiv.org."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/163224/Invisibility-Cloak-Created-Using-Crystals?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/invisibility-cloak-hides-larger-object-without-use-of-metamaterials/17782/
1. http://arxiv4.library.cornell.edu/pdf/1012.2783v1
2. http://arxiv.org/pdf/1012.2238v3
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Next-Generation Banking Malware Emerges After Zeus
| from the survival-of-the-fittest dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @12:29 (Security)
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/178252/Next-Generation-Banking-Malware-Emerges-After-Zeus?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Batblue writes "The rumored [0]combination of two pieces of advanced
online banking malware appears to be fully underway after several months
of speculation. What appears to be a beta version of a piece of malware
that has bits of both Zeus and SpyEye is now in circulation, albeit among
just a few people, said Aviv Raff, CTO and cofounder of Seculert.
Seculert has [1]published screen shots of the new malware, which has two
versions of a control panel used for managing infected computers. One of
those control panels resembles one in Zeus, and the other resembles that
in SpyEye. Both of the control panels are connected to the same back-end
command-and-control server, he said."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/178252/Next-Generation-Banking-Malware-Emerges-After-Zeus?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9207940/Next_generation_banking_malware_emerges_after_Zeus?taxonomyId=17
1. http://blog.seculert.com/2011/01/fresh-new-hydra-head.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Japan's Elderly Nix Robot Helpers
| from the sowing-seeds-of-distrust-for-the-inevitable-uprising dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @13:14 (Robotics)
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1752229/Japans-Elderly-Nix-Robot-Helpers?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SteeldrivingJon writes with this quote from a story at the BBC: "In
Japan, robots are friendly helpers, not Terminators. So when they join
the workforce, as they do often in factories, they are sometimes welcomed
on their first day with Shinto religious ceremonies. But whether the sick
and elderly will be as welcoming to [0]robot-like tech in their homes is
a question that now vexes a Japanese care industry that is struggling
with a massive manpower shortage. Automated help in the home and
hospitals, believe some, could be the answer. A rapidly aging first world
is also paying close attention to Japan's dalliance with automated care.
... The country's biggest robot maker, Tmsuk, created a life-like
one-meter tall robot six years ago, but has struggled to find interested
clients. Costing a cool $100,000 a piece, a rental program was scrapped
recently because of 'failing to meet demands of consumers' and putting
off patients at hospitals. 'We want humans caring for us, not machines,'
was one response."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1752229/Japans-Elderly-Nix-Robot-Helpers?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12347219
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Security Warning Over Web-Based Android Market
| from the convenience-vs-security dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @13:54 (Android)
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/181204/Security-Warning-Over-Web-Based-Android-Market?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Security researcher Vanja Svajcer is warning
that cybercriminals may be particularly interested in stealing your
Google credentials, after discovering a way of installing applications
onto Android smartphones with [0]no interaction required by the phone's
owner. The new web-based Android Market retrieves the details of Android
devices registered to the Google address, and automatically installs
software onto the associated smartphones with no user interaction
required on the phone itself. Svajcer summarizes: 'Google should make
changes to the remote installation mechanism as soon as possible. As a
minimum, a dialog should be displayed on the receiving device so that the
user must personally accept the application that is being installed.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/181204/Security-Warning-Over-Web-Based-Android-Market?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/04/android-market-web-store-backdoor-phone-hackers/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Designer Tweets Egyptian Riots Due to His New Line Coming Out
| from the foot-in-mouth dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday February 04, @14:29 (The Internet)
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1247251/Designer-Tweets-Egyptian-Riots-Due-to-His-New-Line-Coming-Out?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Famous shoe designer Kenneth Cole [0]stuck his fabulously shod foot into
his mouth by tweeting, "Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they
heard our new spring collection is now available online..." After an
uproar from people who don't think revolution jokes are funny, he issued
the following tweet: "we weren't intending to make light of a serious
situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment."
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1247251/Designer-Tweets-Egyptian-Riots-Due-to-His-New-Line-Coming-Out?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.cnbc.com/id/41410463
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 'Dating' Site Imports 250k Facebook Profiles
| from the privacy-is-so-2005 dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @14:37 (Facebook)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1854231/Dating-Site-Imports-250k-Facebook-Profiles?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mark72005 sends this snippet from Wired: "How does a unknown dating site,
with the absurd intention of destroying Facebook, launch with 250,000
member profiles on the first day? Simple. You [0]scrape data from
Facebook. At least, that's the approach taken by two provocateurs who
launched Lovely-Faces.com this week, with profiles ��� names, locations and
photos ��� scraped from publicly accessible Facebook pages. The site
categorizes these unwitting volunteers into personality types, using a
facial recognition algorithm, so you can search for someone in your
general area who is 'easy going,' 'smug' or 'sly.' ... [The creators] say
they will take down a user���s profile if a person asks, and the site
doesn���t have any indication they are actually trying to make any money.
Instead, it���s part of a series of prank sites, the first two of which
aimed at Google and Amazon, intended to [1]make people think more about
data in the age of internet behemoths. Moreover, it���s a bit funny hearing
Facebook complain about scraping of personal data that is quasi-public."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/1854231/Dating-Site-Imports-250k-Facebook-Profiles?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/02/facebook-dating/
1. http://www.face-to-facebook.net/theory.php
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DoD Leads In Federal Open Source Usage
| from the what-do-you-pick-when-it's-important dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @15:18 (Open Source)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2011212/DoD-Leads-In-Federal-Open-Source-Usage?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GMGruman writes "A new [0]open technology report card shows that [1]only
a third of federal agencies get a passing grade on open source usage and
contribution, with the Defense Department leading the way. Savio
Rodrigues explains what both government and business can learn from the
DoD's open source prowess."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2011212/DoD-Leads-In-Federal-Open-Source-Usage?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://opensourceforamerica.org/reportcard/point-distribution-and-results
1. http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source/only-one-third-agencies-pass-the-federal-open-technology-report-card-418
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Giant Archaeological Trove Found Via Google Earth
| from the who-needs-to-go-outside-anyway dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @16:03 (Earth)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2027255/Giant-Archaeological-Trove-Found-Via-Google-Earth?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Using detailed satellite imagery available
through Google Earth, Australian researchers have discovered what may be
[0]tombs that are thousands of years old in remote stretches of Saudi
Arabia ([1]abstract). 'Kennedy scanned 1240 square kilometers in Saudi
Arabia using Google Earth. From their birds-eye view he found 1977
potential archaeological sites, including 1082 "pendants" ��� ancient
tear-drop shaped tombs made of stone. According to Kennedy, aerial
photography of Saudi Arabia is not made available to most archaeologists,
and it's difficult, if not impossible, to fly over the nation. "But,
Google Earth can outflank them," he says. Kennedy confirmed that the
sites were vestiges of an ancient life ��� rather than vegetation or shadow
- by asking a friend in Saudi Arabia, who is not an archaeologist, to
drive out to two of the sites and photograph them. By comparing the
images with structures that Kennedy has seen in Jordan, he believes the
sites may be up to 9000 years old, but ground verification is needed."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2027255/Giant-Archaeological-Trove-Found-Via-Google-Earth?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/02/giant-archaeological-trove-fou.html
1. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WH8-5223Y7H-1&_user=4200739&_coverDate=01%2F28%2F2011&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000000593&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4200739&md5=1dfbdfd35d982ffd3b47eae4d6c0e84f&searchtype=a
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| If You Think You Can Ignore IPv6, Think Again
| from the that-presupposes-thinking dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @16:49 (Networking)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2143224/If-You-Think-You-Can-Ignore-IPv6-Think-Again?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
wiredmikey writes "Now that the last IPv4 address blocks have been
allocated, it's expected to take several months for regional registries
to consume all of their remaining regional IPv4 address pool. The IPv6
Forum, a group with the mission to educate and promote the new protocol,
says that enabling IPv6 in all ICT environments is not the endgame, but
is now a critical requirement for continuity in all Internet business and
services. Experts believe that the move to [0]IPv6 should be a
board-level risk management concern, equivalent to the Y2K problem or
Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. During the late 1990s, technology companies
worldwide scoured their source code for places where critical algorithms
assumed a two-digit date. This seemingly trivial software development
issue was of global concern, so many companies made Y2K compliance a
strategic initiative. [1]The transition to IPv6 is of similar importance.
If you think you can ignore IPv6, think again."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2143224/If-You-Think-You-Can-Ignore-IPv6-Think-Again?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.securityweek.com/ipv6-part-your-risk-management-framework
1. http://www.securityweek.com/its-official-ipv4-out-time-transition-ipv6
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Algorithm Contest Aims To Predict Health Problems
| from the math-of-health dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @17:37 (Math)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/228224/Algorithm-Contest-Aims-To-Predict-Health-Problems?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
databuff writes "The April 4 launch of the $3 million [0]Heritage Health
Prize has been announced by the Heritage Provider Network, a network of
doctors. The competition challenges data hackers to [1]build algorithms
that predict who will go to the hospital in the next year, so that
preventative action can be taken. An algorithm might find that somebody
with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol is a 90 per cent risk
for hospitalization. Knowing this, it might be cheaper for an HMO to
enroll them in an exercise program now rather than pay the likely
hospital bill. The competition takes the same approach as the $1 million
[2]Netflix Prize, but solves a far more significant problem."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/228224/Algorithm-Contest-Aims-To-Predict-Health-Problems?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.heritagehealthprize.com/
1. http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/02/algorithm-healthcare-challenge.html
2. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/28/1932247/Netflix-Prize-Contest-Ends-Down-To-the-Wire
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Piracy Boosts Anime Sales, Says Japanese Government Study
| from the eyes-bigger-than-stomach dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday February 04, @18:23 (Japan)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2240221/Piracy-Boosts-Anime-Sales-Says-Japanese-Government-Study?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "A new study seems to confirm what a lot of
the Slashdot crowd thinks, and the opposite of what the **AAs say: 'A
prestigious economics think-tank of the Japanese government has published
a study which concludes that [0]online piracy of anime shows actually
increases sales of DVDs. The conclusion stands in sharp contrast with the
entertainment industry's claims that "illicit" downloading is leading to
billions of dollars in losses worldwide. It also puts the increased
anti-piracy efforts of the anime industry in doubt.' More specifically,
'(1) YouTube viewing does not negatively affect DVD rentals, and it
appears to help raise DVD sales; and (2) although Winny [a popular P2P
program in Japan] file sharing negatively affects DVD rentals, it does
not affect DVD sales.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/04/2240221/Piracy-Boosts-Anime-Sales-Says-Japanese-Government-Study?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://torrentfreak.com/internet-piracy-boosts-anime-sales-study-concludes-110203/
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