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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Why Apple's iPad Has Been Good For Sprint
* UAV Helicopter Flies 12 Hours Charged By Laser
* Manchester's Self-Described 'Internet Troll' Jailed For Offensive Web Posts
* How Not To Design a Protocol
* US Says Genes Should Not Be Patentable
* Calculating Environmental Damage From Space Tourism Rockets
* New York Judge Rules 6-Year-Old Can Be Sued
* HULC Robotic Exoskeleton MK II Undergoing Tests
* John Carmack On <em>RAGE</em> For iOS/Android
* Is Google Polluting the Internet?
* How the Global Seed Vault Aims To Fight Future Famine
* Intel, Toshiba, Samsung To Form Chip Alliance
* USB 'Dead Drops'
* CRTC To Allow Usage-Based Billing
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Why Apple's iPad Has Been Good For Sprint
| from the one-more-thing-to-carry dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday October 29, @23:02 (Handhelds)
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/0233203/Why-Apples-iPad-Has-Been-Good-For-Sprint?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
itwbennett writes "Today, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said in an [0]interview
with Om Malik that the iPad has been good to his company because many
people are opting for the Wi-Fi only iPad and [1]pairing it with Sprint's
3G/4G Overdrive MiFi device (which the company sells with a special
Overdrive case for the iPad) rather than choosing an iPad 3G that is
limited to AT&T's network."
Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/0233203&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://gigaom.com/2010/10/29/sprint-ceo-dan-hess/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OmMalik+(GigaOM%3A+Tech)
1. http://www.itworld.com/mobile-amp-wireless/125862/the-advantages-mifi-cards-over-built-3g-netbooks-ipads-e-readers-and-othe
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| UAV Helicopter Flies 12 Hours Charged By Laser
| from the shine-on-harvest-moon dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday October 30, @02:00 (Power)
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/29/2338256/UAV-Helicopter-Flies-12-Hours-Charged-By-Laser?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
garymortimer writes "LaserMotive (who last year won $900,000 in the NASA
Power Beaming Challenge, one of the levels of the 'Space Elevator Games')
have teamed up with Germany's Ascending Technologies to create an
[0]indoor flight record for electrically powered multicopters. The flight
took place at the Future of Flight Aviation Center in Mukilteo, WA.
LaserMotive is a Seattle-based company developing laser power beaming
systems to transmit electricity without wires, for applications where
wires are either cost prohibitive or physically impractical."
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/29/2338256&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.suasnews.com/2010/10/2620/ascending-technologies-and-lasermotive-create-a-new-record/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Manchester's Self-Described 'Internet Troll' Jailed For Offensive Web Posts
| from the is-there-an-internet-troll-registry? dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday October 30, @05:02 (Crime)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/0340202/Manchesters-Self-Described-Internet-Troll-Jailed-For-Offensive-Web-Posts?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
noob22 writes "According to BBC Online, 'An "internet troll" who posted
obscene messages on Facebook sites set up in memory of dead people [0]has
been jailed. Colm Coss, of Ardwick, Manchester, posted on a memorial page
for Big Brother star Jade Goody and a tribute site to John Paul Massey, a
Liverpool boy mauled to death by a dog. The 36-year-old "preyed on
bereaved families" for his "own pleasure," Manchester Magistrates Court
heard.'" My favorite line: "Unemployed Coss was only caught when he sent
residents on his street photos of himself saying he was an internet
'troll.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/0340202&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11650593
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| How Not To Design a Protocol
| from the sweet-morsels-of-logged-in-ness dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday October 30, @08:06 (The Internet)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/020253/How-Not-To-Design-a-Protocol?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Google security researcher Michael Zalewski
posted a cautionary tale for software engineers: [0]amusing historical
overview of all the security problems with HTTP cookies, including an
impressive collection of issues we won't be able to fix. Pretty amazing
that modern web commerce uses a mechanism so hacky that does not even
have a proper specification."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/020253&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://lcamtuf.blogspot.com/2010/10/http-cookies-or-how-not-to-design.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| US Says Genes Should Not Be Patentable
| from the roddenberry-siskel-and-simmons-agree dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @09:08 (Government)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1140235/US-Says-Genes-Should-Not-Be-Patentable?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoffrey.landis writes "A friend-of-the-court brief filed by the US
Department of Justice says that [0]genes should not be patentable. 'We
acknowledge that this conclusion is contrary to the longstanding practice
of the Patent and Trademark Office, as well as the practice of the
National Institutes of Health and other government agencies that have in
the past sought and obtained patents for isolated genomic DNA,' [1]they
wrote (PDF). The argument that genes in themselves (as opposed to, say,
tests made from genetic information, or drugs that act on proteins made
by genes) should be patentable is that 'genes isolated from the body are
chemicals that are different from those found in the body' and therefore
are eligible for patents. This argument is, of course, completely silly,
and apparently the US government may now actually realize that."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1140235&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/business/30drug.html
1. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/genepatents-USamicusbrief.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Calculating Environmental Damage From Space Tourism Rockets
| from the i-can-see-the-smog-around-my-house-from-here dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @10:15 (Earth)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1310220/Calculating-Environmental-Damage-From-Space-Tourism-Rockets?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MithrandirAgain writes "A new study from several scientists at the
Aerospace Corporation claims [0]spaceships that rely on rubber-based fuel
could help cause climate change. The fuel apparently expels a black
carbon soot into the stratosphere when burned with nitrous oxide, which
could be contributing to global climate changes, like shrinking the
icecaps. However, the authors are careful about their work being an
end-all study and are 'inviting others to take a look.' Virgin Galactic,
whose SpaceShipTwo just [1]made its first solo flight (and [2]uses the
type of fuel discussed in the study), is listening to the scientists'
concerns. CEO George Whitesides said, 'I think we and others in the
industry welcome the opportunity to talk about all of these issues.'
SpaceShipTwo does use a hybrid engine 'because of its significantly lower
environmental impact than other designs,' and Whitesides stresses, 'I
think as we look at this more, we'll find the impact will be far smaller
than that set out in the paper. In any case, I welcome the
conversation.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1310220&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/space-tourism-climate-change/
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/10/2013258/SpaceShipTwo-Flies-Free-For-the-First-Time
2. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/4256017
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New York Judge Rules 6-Year-Old Can Be Sued
| from the court-is-more-interesting-than-kindergarten-anyway dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @11:21 (United States)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1435222/New-York-Judge-Rules-6-Year-Old-Can-Be-Sued?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
suraj.sun sends this snippet from Reuters: "A girl can be sued over
accusations she ran over an elderly woman with her training bicycle when
she was 4 years old, a New York Supreme Court justice has ruled. The
ruling by King's County Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten stems from an
incident in April 2009 when Juliet Breitman and Jacob Kohn, both aged
four, struck an 87-year-old pedestrian, Claire Menagh, with their
training bikes. Menagh underwent surgery for a fractured hip and died
three months later. In a ruling made public late Thursday, the judge
dismissed arguments by Breitman's lawyer that the case should be
dismissed because of her young age. He [0]ruled that she is old enough to
be sued and the case can proceed."
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1435222&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69S4ZE20101029
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| HULC Robotic Exoskeleton MK II Undergoing Tests
| from the i-know-what-i'm-getting-grandma-for-christmas-this-year dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @12:25 (The Military)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1558203/HULC-Robotic-Exoskeleton-MK-II-Undergoing-Tests?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fergus07 writes "Lockheed Martin is putting an updated, [0]ruggedized
version of its HULC Robotic Exoskeleton through lab evaluation tests. The
hydraulic 'power-suit,' which enables the wearer to carry up to 200 lbs
and run at 10 mph, now boasts better protection from the elements,
improved fitting and easier adjustment, increased run-time and new
control software."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1558203&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/lockheed-martin-lab-testing-hulc-exoskeleton/16768/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| John Carmack On <em>RAGE</em> For iOS/Android
| from the lines-starting-to-blur dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @13:29 (First Person Shooters (Games))
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1647207/John-Carmack-On-RAGE-For-iOSAndroid?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Andrew Smith writes "John Carmack has an article up on the Bethesda
blog [1]discussing the iPhone/iPad version of RAGE, which is [2]said to
run at an impressive 60fps. 'Managing over a gig of media made dealing
with flash memory IO and process memory management very important, and I
did a lot of performance investigations to figure things out. Critically,
almost all of the data is static, and can be freely discarded. iOS does
not have a swapfile, so if you use too much dynamic memory, the OS gives
you a warning or two, then kills your process. The bane of iOS developers
is that "too much" is not defined, and in fact varies based on what other
apps (Safari, Mail, iPod, etc) that are in memory have done. If you read
all your game data into memory, the OS can���t do anything with it, and you
are in danger. However, if all of your data is in a read-only memory
mapped file, the OS can throw it out at will.' And a tweet by Carmack
yesterday suggests that [3]an Android version of RAGE is on the way too."
Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1647207&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.meejahor.com/
1. http://bethblog.com/index.php/2010/10/29/john-carmack-discusses-rage-on-iphoneipadipod-touch/
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keu4GiTGQ6M
3. http://twitter.com/ID_AA_Carmack/status/29099781035
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Is Google Polluting the Internet?
| from the hippie-talk-two-point-oh dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @14:37 (Advertising)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1735244/Is-Google-Polluting-the-Internet?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Pickens writes "In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin made a promise:
'We believe the issue of advertising causes enough mixed incentives that
it is crucial to have a competitive search engine that is [1]transparent
and in the academic realm.' Now, Micah White writes in the Guardian that
the vast library that is the internet is flooded with so many
advertisements that [2]this commercial barrage is having a cultural
impact, where users can no longer tell the difference between content and
advertising, and the omnipresence of internet advertising constrains the
horizon of our thought. And at the center of it all, with ad space on 85%
of all internet sites, is Google. In the gleeful words of CEO Eric
Schmidt, '[3]We are an advertising company.' The danger of allowing an
advertising company to control the index of human knowledge is too
obvious to ignore, writes White. 'The universal index is the shared
heritage of humanity. It ought to be owned by us all. No corporation or
nation has the right to privatize the index, commercialize the index,
censor what they do not like or auction search ranking to the highest
bidder.' Google currently makes nearly all its money from practices its
founders once rightly abhorred. 'Now it is up to us to realize the dream
of a non-commercial paradigm for organizing the internet. ... We have
public libraries. We need a public search engine.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1735244&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/30/google-polluting-internet
3. http://techcrunch.com/2009/03/07/eric-schmidt-tells-charlie-rose-google-is-unlikely-to-buy-twitter-and-wants-to-turn-phones-into-tvs/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| How the Global Seed Vault Aims To Fight Future Famine
| from the betting-our-future-on-a-hole-in-the-ground dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @15:45 (Earth)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1744220/How-the-Global-Seed-Vault-Aims-To-Fight-Future-Famine?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lanxon writes "The Global Seed Vault opened in 2008 after engineers spent
a year drilling and blasting through the sandstone, siltstone and
claystone of the Norwegian Plat��berget Mountain to create a system of
subterranean chambers on the Advent Fjord's southern flank that could
store 4.5 million seeds. It's a $9 million bet against climate change.
But [0]can it save us from the threat of worldwide famine? An article at
Wired explores its current state and its future: '... it operates as a
secure storage space for samples of other collections that are at risk.
The samples remain at all times the property of the depositors, the only
proviso being that the originals must be freely available to researchers
and breeders under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources. There have been deposits from every continent: 3,710 species
in total, from 29 crop institutes representing 226 countries. Over the
past few years the need for a secure storage facility has become ever
more urgent. A typhoon in the Philippines in 2006 caused a flood that
left the national crop gene bank under two meters of water.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1744220&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2010/11/features/natures-backup?page=all
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Intel, Toshiba, Samsung To Form Chip Alliance
| from the teaming-up-to-fight-doritos dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @16:50 (Intel)
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/1925204/Intel-Toshiba-Samsung-To-Form-Chip-Alliance?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucas123 writes "According to a report from a Japanese news agency,
semi-conductor leaders Intel, Samsung and Toshiba [0]are forming a
development alliance to halve the size of chip circuitry in order to
create more dense NAND flash chips and more powerful processors. The
vendors would not confirm the news report, but the Nikkei Daily said they
hope to reduce lithography technology from the 20 nanometer size used
today to something below 10nm. The news agency also said Japan's Ministry
of Economy, Trade and Industry may fund up to half the project's cost, or
roughly $61 million."
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/1925204&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9194022/Intel_Toshiba_Samsung_aim_to_halve_chip_circuitry_size
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| USB 'Dead Drops'
| from the peer-to-peer-sneakernet dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @17:56 (Privacy)
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/2035243/USB-Dead-Drops?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okian Warrior writes "Aram Bartholl is [0]building a series of USB dead
drops in New York City. Billed as 'an anonymous, offline, peer to peer
file-sharing network in public space,' he has embedded USB sticks as file
cache devices throughout the city. Bartholl says, 'I am "injecting" USB
flash drives into walls, buildings and curbs accessible to anybody in
public space. You are invited to go to these places (so far 5 in NYC) to
drop or find files on a dead drop. Plug your laptop to a wall, house or
pole to share your files and data.' Current locations (more to come)
include: 87 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (Makerbot), Empire Fulton Ferry
Park, Brooklyn, NY (Dumbo), 235 Bowery, NY (New Museum), Union Square, NY
(Subway Station 14th St), and West 21st Street, NY (Eyebeam)"
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/2035243&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://datenform.de/blog/dead-drops-preview/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| CRTC To Allow Usage-Based Billing
| from the silly-canuckleheads dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 30, @19:07 (Canada)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/30/2215251/CRTC-To-Allow-Usage-Based-Billing?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Idiomatick writes "The CRTC [0]ruled in favor this week for usage-based
billing. Bell Canada was given a monopoly on lines in Canada, and in
exchange they were made to resell to competitors at cost in order to have
a functional market. The new CRTC ruling will allow Bell to charge their
competitors more money based on individual customer usage. They are now
able to implement a 60GB cap on a competitor's highest speed lines
(charging $1.12/GB for overages). The effect on the market seems clear."
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/30/2215251&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/28/crtc-usage-based-billing-internet.html
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