RSA�� Conference 2011
Join us in San Francisco February 14-18, 2011 as we celebrate
the 20th anniversary of RSA�� Conference. Choose from more than
210 sessions targeting today��s security challenges. Register
by November 19, 2010 and save up to $700.
http://p.sf.net/sfu/rsa-conf
======================================================================
Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Microsoft Eyes PC Isolation Ward To Thwart Botnets
* Mission Complete! WMAP In 'Graveyard Orbit'
* French ISP Refuses To Send Out Infringement Notices
* Software Evolution Storylines, Inspired By XKCD
* US Negotiators Cave On Internet Provisions To ACTA
* Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli's AGW Witch Hunt Continues
* New Class of Malware Will Steal Behavior Patterns
* Lighthearted Facebook Friends Could Make You Join NAMBLA Group
* College Student Finds GPS On Car, FBI Retrieve
* Why Geim Never Patented Graphene
* UAE Says RIM Played Ball, Will Maintain Service
* Large, Slow Airships Could Move Buildings
* Pioneer Preps Laser Heads-Up Display For Cars
* eLEGS Exoskeleton Allows Paraplegics To Walk
* Apple Reportedly Heading Off iPhone 'Glassgate'
* New Tool Suite Helps Track Privacy Policies
* AT&T To Allow Xbox 360 As U-verse Set-Top Box
* Reuters Ends Anonymous Comments
* Mystery of the Dying Bees Solved
* Google To Shut Down 411 Service
* China Blanks Nobel Peace Prize Searches
* DMCA Takedown Notice Leveled Against Ohio Congressional Race Ad
* CBC Bans Use of Creative Commons Music On Podcasts
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Eyes PC Isolation Ward To Thwart Botnets
| from the but-you-said-no-malware dept.
| posted by timothy on Thursday October 07, @20:09 (Security)
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/006240/Microsoft-Eyes-PC-Isolation-Ward-To-Thwart-Botnets?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CWmike writes "In a [0]paper published Wednesday (PDF), Scott Charney,
who heads Microsoft's trustworthy computing group, [1]spelled out a
concept of 'collective defense' that he said was [2]modeled after public
health measures like vaccinations and quarantines. The aim: To block
botnet-infected computers from connecting to the Internet. Under the
proposal, PCs would be issued a 'health certificate' that showed whether
the system was fully patched, that it was running security software and a
firewall, and that it was malware-free. Machines with deficiencies would
require patching or an antivirus update, while bot-infected PCs might be
barred from the Internet."
Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/006240&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/F/B/7FB2F266-7914-4174-BBEF-2F5687882A93/Collective%20Defense%20-%20Applying%20Global%20Health%20Models%20to%20the%20Internet.pdf
1. http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2010/10/05/the-need-for-global-collective-defense-on-the-internet.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
2. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9189838/Microsoft_pitches_PC_isolation_ward_to_defeat_botnets
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mission Complete! WMAP In 'Graveyard Orbit'
| from the perpetual-care dept.
| posted by timothy on Thursday October 07, @23:12 (NASA)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/0251245/Mission-Complete-WMAP-In-Graveyard-Orbit?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]astroengine writes "The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)
has, quite literally, changed our view of the Universe. And after nine
years of mapping the slight temperature variations in the cosmic
microwave background (CMB) radiation, its job is done and [1]NASA has
commanded the probe to fire itself into a 'graveyard orbit' around the
sun. WMAP measured the most precise age of the universe (13.75 billion
years), discovered more evidence supporting dark energy and dark matter
theories, and found one or two mysteries along the way."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/0251245&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.astroengine.com/
1. http://news.discovery.com/space/mission-complete-wmap-fires-its-thrusters-for-the-last-time.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| French ISP Refuses To Send Out Infringement Notices
| from the finest-bureaucratic-tradition dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday October 08, @02:19 (Businesses)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/0051245/French-ISP-Refuses-To-Send-Out-Infringement-Notices?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Last month it was clear that French ISPs were
[0]not at all happy about the whole three strikes Hadopi process in
France. Now that the 'notice' process has started, with Hadopi [1]sending
out notices to 10,000 people per day, it's hit a bit of a stumbling
block. The French ISP named 'Free' has apparently figured out a bit of a
loophole that allows it to [2]not send out notices and protect its
subscribers. Specifically, the law requires ISPs to reveal user info to
Hadopi, but it does not require them to alert their users. But, the law
does say that only users who are alerted by their ISP can be taken to
court to be disconnected. In other words, even if Free is handing over
user info, so long as it doesn't alert its users (which the law does not
mandate), then those users cannot be kicked off the internet via Hadopi."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/0051245&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/03/1414215/Major-Battle-Brewing-Between-French-Govt-and-ISPs
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/24/0942227/In-France-Hadopi-Reporting-Begins-With-Only-10000-IP-Addresses-Per-Day
2. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101007/03094611323/french-isp-free-refusing-to-send-out-hadopi-notices-to-users-updated.shtml
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Software Evolution Storylines, Inspired By XKCD
| from the top-that-with-sparklines dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday October 08, @05:11 (Graphics)
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/032223/Software-Evolution-Storylines-Inspired-By-XKCD?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]jamie tips this [1]mind-blowing data visualization concept from
(naturally) data visualization researcher Michael Ogawa, who explains
that it was inspired by "[2]this XKCD comic. It represents characters as
lines that converge in time as they share scenes. Could this technique be
adapted for software developers who work on the same code?"
Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/032223&from=newsletter
Links:
0. mailto:jamie@slashdot.org
1. http://vis.cs.ucdavis.edu/~ogawa/research/storylines/
2. http://xkcd.com/657/large/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| US Negotiators Cave On Internet Provisions To ACTA
| from the difference-between-law-and-legislation dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday October 08, @08:08 (Government)
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/0241218/US-Negotiators-Cave-On-Internet-Provisions-To-ACTA?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Ars Technica reports that with the release of the
[1]'near-final' ACTA text (PDF), it is becoming clear that the [2]US has
caved on the most egregious provisions from earlier drafts (advocating
'three strikes' regimes, ordering ISPs to develop anti-piracy plans,
promoting tough DRM anticircumvention language, setting up a 'takedown'
notification system, ordering 'secondary liability' for device makers)
and has largely failed in its attempts to push the Digital Millenium
Copyright Act (DMCA) onto the rest of the world. Apparently, a
face-saving agreement is better than no agreement at all ��� but even the
neutered ACTA could run into problems, with Mexico's Senate recently
approving a nonbinding resolution asking for the country to [3]suspend
participation in ACTA, while key members of the European Parliament have
also expressed skepticism about the deal."
Discuss this story at:
http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/0241218&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/
1. http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2338
2. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/10/near-final-acta-text-arrives-big-failure-for-us.ars
3. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/06/2321203/Mexican-Senate-Votes-To-Drop-Out-of-ACTA?from=rss
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli's AGW Witch Hunt Continues
| from the time-to-mann-up dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @08:49 (Earth)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1219228/Virginia-AG-Ken-Cuccinellis-AGW-Witch-Hunt-Continues?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eldavojohn writes "A letter from Representative Edward Markey [0]outlines
Ken Cuccinelli's latest civil investigative demand targeting 39 people
instead of just [1]Michael Mann. You may recall that the original
investigation was [2]quashed by a judge, but the latest request demands
records from people seemingly unrelated to Mann, including an Indian
glaciologist. The Bad Astronomer [3]calls Cuccinelli out in a similar
manner and lists Cuccinelli's doubts about Mann's papers, including,
'Specifically, but without limitation, some of the conclusions of the
papers demonstrate a complete lack of rigor regarding the statistical
analysis of the alleged data, meaning that the result reported lacked
statistical significance without a specific statement to that effect.'
The school that hosted the research [4]announced the new investigation,
and the Union of Concerned Scientists [5]accuses him of harassing
scientists."
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1219228&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/campaign/123203-virginia-attorney-generals-new-investigation-is-just-a-form-of-intimidation-rep-edward-markey
1. http://politics.slashdot.org/story/10/05/02/2027242/Virginia-AG-Probing-Michael-Mann-For-Fraud
2. http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/08/30/2143210/Judge-Quashes-Subpoena-of-UVA-Research-Records
3. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/10/07/the-global-warming-witch-hunt-continues/
4. http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2010/10/06/cuccinelli-orders-new-investigation/
5. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ken-cuccinelli-continues-0460.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New Class of Malware Will Steal Behavior Patterns
| from the your-mojo-is-next dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @09:32 (Privacy)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1233236/New-Class-of-Malware-Will-Steal-Behavior-Patterns?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KentuckyFC writes "The information within huge, supposedly anonymized
data sets can be used to build a detailed picture of [0]an individual's
lifestyle and relationships. This data is hugely valuable, which is why
many companies already mine the pattern of links in their data to help
them build things like recommender systems. Now a group of computer
scientists say it is inevitable that [1]a new class of malware will
emerge for stealing this behavioral pattern data from social networks.
They've analyzed the types of strategies this malware will use to collect
information from a real mobile phone database of 800,000 links between
200,000 phones. They point out that the theft of behavioral data can be
much more serious than the theft of other personal information. If
somebody steals your credit card or computer password, for example, you
can just get another card or change your password, thereby limiting the
damage. That can't be done with behavioral data, they say. Who would be
willing or able to change their real world pattern of person-to-person
relationships, friendships and family ties?"
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1233236&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DD1F3FF93AA3575BC0A9609C8B63
1. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25859/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Lighthearted Facebook Friends Could Make You Join NAMBLA Group
| from the ground-floor dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @10:15 (Facebook)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1358232/Lighthearted-Facebook-Friends-Could-Make-You-Join-NAMBLA-Group?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mykos writes "The Facebook [0]groups feature is causing bit of a stir
with its users. TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington was allegedly
[1]added to a group about NAMBLA, and in turn, [2]he added Facebook CEO
Mark Zuckerberg. It's all in good (albeit tasteless) fun, except when a
harmless joke goes awry and you find yourself being detained by customs
when a friend decided to drag you into a mock terrorist group. Facebook
representatives are aware of the matter, but are dismissive of it. A
Facebook spokeswoman said, 'If you have a friend that is adding you to
Groups you do not want to belong to, or they are behaving in a way that
bothers you, you can tell them to stop doing it, block them or remove
them as a friend ��� and they will no longer EVER have the ability to add
you to any Group.' In somewhat related news, guillotines ensure you won't
have dandruff on your shoulders anymore."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1358232&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370386,00.asp
1. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370436,00.asp
2. http://www.sophos.com/blogs/chetw/g/2010/10/07/facebook-groups-feature-rife-abuse/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| College Student Finds GPS On Car, FBI Retrieve
| from the everybody-gets-one-in-the-tailpipe dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @10:59 (Government)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1413240/College-Student-Finds-GPS-On-Car-FBI-Retrieve?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mngdih writes with this excerpt from Wired: "A California student got a
visit from the FBI this week after he [0]found a secret GPS tracking
device on his car, and a friend posted photos of it online. The post
prompted wide speculation about whether the device was real, whether the
young Arab-American was being targeted in a terrorism investigation and
what the authorities would do. It took just 48 hours to find out: The
device was real, the student was being secretly tracked and the FBI
wanted their expensive device back ... His discovery comes in the wake of
a recent ruling by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals saying it's legal
for law enforcement to secretly place a tracking device on a suspect's
car without getting a warrant, even if the car is parked in a private
driveway. ... 'We have all the information we needed,' they told him.
'You don't need to call your lawyer. Don't worry, you're boring.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1413240&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Why Geim Never Patented Graphene
| from the makes-perfect-sense dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @11:42 (Patents)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1536242/Why-Geim-Never-Patented-Graphene?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gbrumfiel writes "As we [0]discussed on Tuesday, Andre Geim won this
year's Nobel prize in physics for [1]graphene, but he never patented it.
In an interview with Nature News, he explains why: 'We considered
patenting; we prepared a patent and it was nearly filed. Then I had an
interaction with a big, multinational electronics company. I approached a
guy at a conference and said, "We've got this patent coming up, would you
be interested in sponsoring it over the years?" It's quite expensive to
keep a patent alive for 20 years. The guy told me, "We are looking at
graphene, and it might have a future in the long term. If after ten years
we find it's really as good as it promises, [2]we will put a hundred
patent lawyers on it to write a hundred patents a day, and you will spend
the rest of your life, and the gross domestic product of your little
island, suing us." That's a direct quote.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1536242&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/05/1534213/Nobel-Prize-in-Physics-For-Discovery-of-Graphene
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene
2. http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101007/full/news.2010.525.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| UAE Says RIM Played Ball, Will Maintain Service
| from the cryptic-conclusion dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @12:23 (Cellphones)
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1454237/UAE-Says-RIM-Played-Ball-Will-Maintain-Service?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cgriffin21 writes "[0]The United Arab Emirates will not suspend services
on BlackBerry smartphones next week, following an agreement reached with
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion that is said to comply with UAE
policy. It'll be a relief for the roughly 500,000 BlackBerry users in the
UAE, a turnaround on the planned Oct. 11 service suspension. In a brief
statement, the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said that
BlackBerry services 'are now compliant with the UAE's telecommunications
regulatory framework.'" The Guardian's coverage quotes an anonymous UAE
university professor, who said, "The general opinion amongst the business
expat community, westerners at least, has been for some time now that
[the ban] wasn't going to happen. Call it a failure of imagination on
their part, but [1]no one could conceive of how the country could do
something so counterproductive to the image they are trying to present
primarily to the west. Was it posturing? To some extent."
Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1454237&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.crn.com/news/client-devices/227700384/uae-says-rim-played-ball-will-maintain-blackberry-service.htm;jsessionid=jba4dBi7K+8eagvguGNAcQ**.ecappj02
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/oct/08/blackberry-uae-ban
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Large, Slow Airships Could Move Buildings
| from the buncha-hot-air dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @12:47 (Sci-Fi)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1514230/Large-Slow-Airships-Could-Move-Buildings?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Algorithmnast writes "The Economist has a short article on [0]using big,
slow-moving airships to move large objects without the need to dismantle
them. The company mentioned, [1]Skylifter, refers to the lifting ship as
an 'aerial crane,' not a [2]Thor weapon. It could easily help move
research labs to new parts of the Antarctic, or allow a [3]Solar Tower to
be inserted into an area that's difficult to drive to, such as a mesa in
New Mexico."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1514230&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.economist.com/node/17136331
1. http://skylifter.com.au/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Pioneer Preps Laser Heads-Up Display For Cars
| from the somebody-hack-it-to-play-space-invaders dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @13:04 (Displays)
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1552237/Pioneer-Preps-Laser-Heads-Up-Display-For-Cars?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
itwbennett writes "On display at Japan's Ceatec show this week is [0]a
heads-up display from Pioneer that links with a smartphone's navigation
system. The prototype uses a laser to display bright, high-contrast,
full-color images on a screen that would be mounted above the dashboard
so drivers don't have to take their eyes fully off the road in order to
receive driving instructions from their robot overlords. The
demonstration model was hooked up to an Android-based phone and displayed
a navigation map on the left-hand side and an animated Android robot on
the right-hand side that passed on information to drivers. 'We are
currently aiming for an after-market product, but we are talking with car
manufacturers,' said Masaya Hashida, tech manager at Pioneer's smart
vision business development department." An anonymous reader points out
another gadget shown at Ceatec: a pair of augmented reality glasses that
[1]projects information to a user's peripheral vision and weighs only 20
grams.
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1552237&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.itworld.com/business/123380/pioneer-preps-laser-head-display-2012
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11494729
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| eLEGS Exoskeleton Allows Paraplegics To Walk
| from the step-by-step dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @13:47 (Medicine)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1731203/eLEGS-Exoskeleton-Allows-Paraplegics-To-Walk?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zothecula writes "At a press conference held recently in San Francisco,
California's Berkeley Bionics [0]unveiled its eLEGS exoskeleton. The
computer-controlled device is designed to be worn by paraplegics,
providing the power and support to get them out of their wheelchairs,
into a standing posture, and walking ��� albeit with the aid of crutches.
The two formerly wheelchair-bound 'test pilots' in attendance did indeed
use eLEGS to walk across the stage, in a slow-but-steady gait similar to
that of full-time crutch-users."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1731203&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/berkeley-bionics-elegs-exoskeleton/16599/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Apple Reportedly Heading Off iPhone 'Glassgate'
| from the you're-just-not-holding-it-right dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @14:25 (Iphone)
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1743251/Apple-Reportedly-Heading-Off-iPhone-Glassgate?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
alphadogg writes "Apple is reportedly [0]working behind the scenes to
address scratching and cracking of the iPhone's glass back panel by
certain third-party cases. This 'Glassgate' story got rolling with a
report in the gdgt newsletter by Ryan Block, who says he spoke with
sources inside and outside of Apple about this issue, but was unable to
get an official Apple comment. Block writes: 'Apple has apparently found
that non-bumper style cases ��� specifically those that slide onto the
iPhone 4, which are occasionally prone to particulate matter getting
caught between the rear of the phone and the case ��� [1]can cause
unexpected scratching that could quickly develop into full-on cracking or
even much larger fracturing of the entire rear pane of glass. To put it
another way: Apple is afraid you might buy a standard slide-on iPhone
case, put it on your phone, and then discover the next time you take it
off that the entire back of your device has been shattered by no fault of
your own.' Apple is said to be taking it seriously, looking to avoid the
sort of [2]backlash [3]it got when reports surfaced over the summer that
the iPhone 4's antennas didn't work correctly when users gripped the
phones in a certain (and quite natural) way."
Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1743251&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/100810-apple-iphone-glassgate.html
1. http://gdgt.com/discuss/with-antennagate-over-is-glassgate-next-iphone-ani/
2. http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/07/12/225227/Consumer-Reports-Cant-Recommend-iPhone-4
3. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/07/01/1342256/Apple-ATampT-Sued-Over-iPhone-4-Antennas
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New Tool Suite Helps Track Privacy Policies
| from the watching-the-watchers dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @15:10 (Privacy)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/190203/New-Tool-Suite-Helps-Track-Privacy-Policies?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Forbes reports that The Internet Society
[0]announced this week the availability of the [1]Identity Management
Policy Audit System, a [2]suite of tools designed to give Internet users
[3]a clearer understanding of the online usage policies of the websites
they visit. Born out of a collaboration between The Internet Society, the
University of Colorado, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the
Center for Democracy and Technology, the system consists of a free,
open-source [4]Firefox plug-in that checks a library of scraped terms of
service and privacy policies from several popular websites. If a site
changes the fine print of one of its policies, the plug-in notifies the
user when they visit the website next. According to Forbes, 'that
functionality would help users spot controversial switcheroos in sites'
legalese, such as Facebook's change last year that suddenly [5]gave the
site the right to use your photos and other content.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/190203&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=2253
1. http://www.isoc.org/projects/idm_policy_audit_system/
2. http://policymonitor.org/
3. http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/10/06/firefox-privacy-plug-in-reads-the-fine-print-so-you-dont-have-to/
4. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/194940/
5. http://www.anotherblogger.com/2009/01/22/facebook-rights-grab-terms/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| AT&T To Allow Xbox 360 As U-verse Set-Top Box
| from the convergent-evolution dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @15:27 (Television)
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1911246/ATampT-To-Allow-Xbox-360-As-U-verse-Set-Top-Box?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
suraj.sun sends this quote from Engadget about U-verse subscribers soon
[0]gaining the ability to use an Xbox 360 as a set-top box: "A so-called
Wired Release will roll out to AT&T U-verse customers next Sunday, and
it'll bring the long awaited feature with it (though you'll have to wait
until November 7th for that particular aspect). This means an AT&T
U-verse customer's Xbox 360 will have a Dashboard app, and when launched,
it'll let it function exactly like any other U-verse set-top. The only
major catch is that it can't be the only set-top ��� you'll need at least
one DVR at another TV in the house to enjoy one of the four HD streams
that could be funneled into your home."
Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1911246&from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Reuters Ends Anonymous Comments
| from the someone-is-wrong-on-the-internet dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @15:52 (Privacy)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/195252/Reuters-Ends-Anonymous-Comments?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eldavojohn writes "In an effort to retain civility, it appears that
Thompson Reuters has [0]ended anonymous web comments. You may recall the
[1]defense of the anonymous commenter, but you need look no further than
Reuters' own Dean Wright (Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News
Standards of Reuters) for two [2]lengthy editorials arguing [3]against
anonymity online. After reading his complaints against anonymous readers,
it almost seems like they need a moderation system to decide what's worth
reading and what's trash."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/195252&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/oct/03/reuters-web-comment-policy
1. http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/04/12/1152222/In-Defense-of-the-Anonymous-Commenter
2. http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/07/09/what-did-you-say-your-name-was/
3. http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mystery of the Dying Bees Solved
| from the flower-counterattack-theories-disproved dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @16:37 (The Military)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1950242/Mystery-of-the-Dying-Bees-Solved?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jamie points out news of a study attempting to [0]explain the decline of
honeybee populations across the US. As it turns out, the fungus N.
ceranae that was [1]thought to be killing off bee colonies had a partner
in crime ��� a DNA-based virus that worked in tandem with N. ceranae to
compromise nutrition uptake. From the NY Times: "Dr. Bromenshenk's team
at the University of Montana and Montana State University in Bozeman,
working with the Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center northeast of
Baltimore, said in [2]their jointly written paper that the virus-fungus
one-two punch was found in every killed colony the group studied. Neither
agent alone seems able to devastate; together, the research suggests,
they are 100 percent fatal. 'It's chicken and egg in a sense ��� we don't
know which came first,' Dr. Bromenshenk said of the virus-fungus combo ���
nor is it clear, he added, whether one malady weakens the bees enough to
be finished off by the second, or whether they somehow compound the
other's destructive power. 'They're co-factors, that's all we can say at
the moment,' he said. 'They're both present in all these collapsed
colonies.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1950242&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html?_r=1
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/04/24/214230/Scientists-Isolate-and-Treat-Parasite-Causing-Decline-in-Honey-Bee-Population
2. http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0013181
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google To Shut Down 411 Service
| from the guess-we're-back-to-calling-the-ghostbusters dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @17:21 (Google)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/1955224/Google-To-Shut-Down-411-Service?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
taco8982 writes "After three years of providing free directory assistance
in exchange for voice samples, Google has [0]announced plans to shut down
the GOOG-411 service, in order to focus on 'speech-enabling the next
generation of Google products and services across a multitude of
languages.' The service will close on November 12th."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/1955224&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/goodbye-to-old-friend-1-800-goog-411.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| China Blanks Nobel Peace Prize Searches
| from the par-for-the-course dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday October 08, @18:08 (Censorship)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/2120240/China-Blanks-Nobel-Peace-Prize-Searches?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 a bee writes "CNN is reporting that [0]China is attempting to block all
communication regarding [1]Peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo. Even texting is
affected: 'Text-messaging on mobile phones is not immune from censors,
either. A Shanghai-based netizen, @littley, tweeted his unfortunate
experience: "My SIM card just got de-activated, turning my iPhone to an
iPod touch after I texted my dad about Liu Xiaobo winning the Nobel Peace
Prize."' Might as well add Slashdot to the censored list." [2]Further
coverage is available from NBC.
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/2120240&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/08/china.internet/
1. http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/870490--chinese-dissident-tipped-for-nobel-peace-prize
2. http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/08/5258370-in-china-citizens-find-ways-to-learn-of-nobel-prize
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DMCA Takedown Notice Leveled Against Ohio Congressional Race Ad
| from the jeff-gannon-is-my-stage-name dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday October 08, @18:54 (Advertising)
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/2252229/DMCA-Takedown-Notice-Leveled-Against-Ohio-Congressional-Race-Ad?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Ponca City, We Love You writes "EFF reports that after Ohio
Congressman John Kasich put out a commercial featuring a man dressed as a
steelworker discussing Governor Ted Strickland's record, Strickland's
campaign folks apparently realized that the 'steelworker' was really a
paid actor, and put together their own video, mixing in clips of some of
the actor's other work to make fun of Kasich. Now the DMCA has been used
to send a takedown [1]demand to YouTube that it remove Stricrkland's
video for at least 10 days because it uses short clips from the actor's
movies." The video has since been restored, some of the reasons for which
are listed below.
This story continues at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/2252229/DMCA-Takedown-Notice-Leveled-Against-Ohio-Congressional-Race-Ad?from=newsletter
Discuss this story at:
http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/2252229&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://poncacityweloveyou.com/
1. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/10/copyright-abuse-ohio-governor-election
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| CBC Bans Use of Creative Commons Music On Podcasts
| from the but-that's-un-canadian dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday October 08, @19:47 (Canada)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/08/2346236/CBC-Bans-Use-of-Creative-Commons-Music-On-Podcasts?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "The producers of the popular CBC radio show
Spark have [0]revealed (see the comments) that the public broadcaster has
banned programs from using Creative Commons licenced music on podcasts.
The decision is apparently the [1]result of restrictions in collective
agreements the CBC has with some talent agencies. In other words, groups
are actively working to block the use of Creative Commons licenced
alternatives in their contractual language. It is enormously problematic
to learn that our public broadcaster is blocked from using music
alternatives that the creators want to make readily available. The CBC
obviously isn't required to use Creative Commons licenced music, but this
highlights an instance where at least one of its programs wants to use it
and groups that purport to support artists' right to choose the rights
associated with their work is trying to stop them from doing so."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/08/2346236&from=newsletter
Links:
0. http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2010/10/spark-122-october-3-6-2010/#IDComment102867146
1. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5357/125/
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