Rabu, 02 November 2011

[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-11-02

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Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* Are Power Users Too Cool For Ubuntu Unity?
* US Defunds UNESCO After Palestine Vote
* Things That Turbo Pascal Is Smaller Than
* Rethinking the Nature of Files
* Ask Slashdot: How To Securely Share Passwords?
* Anonymous Cancels Drug-Ring Attack
* Which OSS Clustered Filesystem Should I Use?
* The Software Patent Debate Is Incorrectly Framed
* New Mac OS Trojan Produces BitCoins
* White House Responds To Software Patents Petition
* ASUS Running Out of Hard Disks
* Blow-By-Blow Account of the Fukushima Accident
* DHS Stonewalls On Public Comment About Body Scanners
* OpenBSD 5.0 Unleashed On the World
* Google Maps To Charge For API Usage
* EU Parliment To Vote On ACTA Soon; Take Action Now
* China's Cyber-Warfare Capabilities Overstated
* PROTECT-IP Makes Its Way To the Floors of Congress
* Ask Slashdot: Learning Dart Development?
* Is RIM's Centralized Network Model Broken?
* Hobby Inspired Electric Multicopter Makes Manned Flight
* NASA Wants To Make Tractor Beams a Reality
* New Algorithm Could Substantially Speed Up MRI Scans
* Rare-Earth Mineral Supply Getting Boost From California, Australia
* Ask Florian Kaps of the Impossible Project
* Spear Phishing Campaign Hits Dozens of Chemical, Defense Firms

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| Are Power Users Too Cool For Ubuntu Unity?
| from the twm-or-bust dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday October 31, @21:03 (Ubuntu)
| with 736 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0018225/are-power-users-too-cool-for-ubuntu-unity?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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darthcamaro writes "There are a lot of us that [0]really don't like Unity.
Ubuntu Founder Mark Shuttleworth defended Unity today, arguing that even
'cool' power users should like usability and ease of use. Then again
[1]he admitted that some of us are just too cool even for Unity. 'There
is going to be a crowd that is just too cool to use something that looks
really slick and there is nothing we can do for them,' Shuttleworth said.
'Fortunately in Ubuntu there are tons of options and lots of choice and
ways to skin the cat.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0018225/are-power-users-too-cool-for-ubuntu-unity?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/05/03/1516235/ubuntu-unity-the-great-divider
1. http://www.datamation.com/open-source/shuttleworth-linux-power-users-arent-too-cool-for-unity.html

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| US Defunds UNESCO After Palestine Vote
| from the in-the-case-of-politics-v-science dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @16:33 (United States)
| with 501 comments
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/201236/us-defunds-unesco-after-palestine-vote?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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gzipped_tar writes "The U.S. withdrew funding after the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Palestine membership
vote yesterday. The decision was triggered by a 1994 US law that requires
financial ties to be cut with [0]any UN agency that accords the
Palestinians full membership. As Palestine actively pursues entrance to
other UN agencies, the defunding list could grow. Interestingly, World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) could also be among Palestine's
next target, and U.S. is the big supporter of WIPO. A much more
disturbing scenario is Palestine joining the International Atomic Energy
Agency, cutting American funding to the organization that monitors
nuclear proliferation in states like Iran."

Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/201236/us-defunds-unesco-after-palestine-vote?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/1101/After-UNESCO-Palestine-vote-could-US-defund-nuclear-watchdog-IAEA-too

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| Things That Turbo Pascal Is Smaller Than
| from the celestial-emporium-of-benevolent-knowledge dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @10:05 (Programming)
| with 406 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1343241/things-that-turbo-pascal-is-smaller-than?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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theodp writes "James Hague has compiled a short [0]list of things that
the circa-1986 Turbo Pascal 3 for MS-DOS is smaller than ([1]chart). For
starters, at 39,731 bytes, the entire [2]Turbo Pascal 3.02 executable
(compiler and IDE) makes it less than 1/4th the size of the image of the
white iPhone 4S at apple.com (190,157 bytes), and less than 1/5th the
size of the yahoo.com home page (219,583 bytes). Speaking of
slim-and-trim software, [3]Visicalc, the granddaddy of all spreadsheet
software which celebrated its 32nd birthday this year, [4]weighed in at a
mere 29K."

Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1343241/things-that-turbo-pascal-is-smaller-than?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://prog21.dadgum.com/116.html
1. http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6224/6301812695_07f5ae69ec_b.jpg
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo_Pascal
3. http://www.apl2bits.net/2011/05/12/visicalc-1979/
4. http://books.google.com/books?id=8AM4AAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA41&ots=VJSIt9q3MK&dq=visicalc%20bytes&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q=visicalc%20bytes&f=false

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| Rethinking the Nature of Files
| from the files-are-inside-the-computer dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @09:23 (Data Storage)
| with 334 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1249224/rethinking-the-nature-of-files?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "Two recent papers, [0]one from Microsoft
Research and [1]one from University of Wisconsin (PDF), are providing a
refreshing take on rethinking 'what a file is.' This could have major
implications for the next-gen file system design, and will probably cause
a stir among Slashdotters, given that it will affect the programmatic
interface. The first paper has some hints as to what went wrong with the
previous WinFS approach. Quoting the first paper: 'For over 40 years the
notion of the file, as devised by pioneers in the field of computing, has
proved robust and has remained unchallenged. Yet this concept is not a
given, but serves as a boundary object between users and engineers. In
the current landscape, this boundary is showing signs of slippage, and we
propose the boundary object be reconstituted. New abstractions of file
are needed, which reflect what users seek to do with their digital data,
and which allow engineers to solve the networking, storage and data
management problems that ensue when files move from the PC on to the
networked world of today. We suggest that one aspect of this adaptation
is to encompass metadata within a file abstraction; another has to do
what such a shift would mean for enduring user actions such as "copy" and
"delete" applicable to the deriving file types. We finish by arguing that
there is an especial need to support the notion of "ownership" that
adequately serves both users and engineers as they engage with the world
of networked sociality. '"

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1249224/rethinking-the-nature-of-files?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://research.microsoft.com/apps/pubs/?id=154539
1. http://sigops.org/sosp/sosp11/current/2011-Cascais/printable/06-harter.pdf

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| Ask Slashdot: How To Securely Share Passwords?
| from the one-day-this-will-all-be-yours dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @13:00 (Privacy)
| with 333 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1414234/ask-slashdot-how-to-securely-share-passwords?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]THE_WELL_HUNG_OYSTER writes "My tech-savvy father died suddenly and
unexpectedly. He did everything online: bill-pay, banking, eBay sales
(and other auction sites), PayPal, investing, etc. When he died, he still
had online auctions up for sale, items I had no idea how to fulfill when
sold. He still had unprocessed auction refunds, people claiming they
returned items and are waiting for a refund. Fortunately, he left Gmail
open and logged in when he died, so I was able to configure his account
to forward to mine for any future emails he received. He even had his
health insurance automatically debited from his checking account (who
needs health insurance when they're dead?) I had no way to log into these
systems to cancel pending transactions. I called every institution; some
were willing to help while others required me to fax/mail death
certificates and proof of executorship (which I didn't have yet).
Meanwhile, auctions were selling for items I had no idea how to fulfill;
debits from his checking account were occurring even though they were
irrelevant; etc. You get the idea. How can I share my login credentials
with my siblings so they don't have to go through this when I'm gone? I
change my passwords every month and never use the same password on more
than one site. I don't want my siblings to be able to impersonate me
unless I'm dead, so publishing a monthly list to them won't help and
would be insecure."

Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1414234/ask-slashdot-how-to-securely-share-passwords?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://getfoxyproxy.org/

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| Anonymous Cancels Drug-Ring Attack
| from the easier-said-than-done dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @15:52 (Security)
| with 310 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1937238/anonymous-cancels-drug-ring-attack?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]snydeq writes "Anonymous supporters have [1]backed off threats to
expose Zeta drug gang collaborators, an operation launched in early
October as a retaliation for an alleged kidnapping of an Anonymous
follower by the Mexico-based drug gang. Members of Anonymous had posted a
video [2]claiming the group could identify journalists, police officers,
and taxi drivers who collaborate with the Zeta crime syndicate. Zeta has
not shied away from targeting its online critics. In September the crime
group [3]hung two people from an overpass warning bloggers and 'online
snitches' to beware. The [4]decapitated body of another social-media
reporter was found later with a similar warning. Worried about the impact
on both misidentified people and Anonymous followers, other supporters of
the Anonymous movement worked to dismantle the operation over the
weekend. In effect, the group canceled the attack, [5]according to online
news site Milenio."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1937238/anonymous-cancels-drug-ring-attack?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/t/security/anonymous-threatens-then-cancels-attack-drug-ring-177609
2. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/29/1644256/anonymous-takes-on-a-mexican-drug-cartel
3. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/mexican-cartels-hang-disembowel-internet-snitches/
4. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/cartels-snuff-social-media/
5. http://www.milenio.com/cdb/doc/noticias2011/d66c3c523c60b03240b8c4d4c4d79de4

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| Which OSS Clustered Filesystem Should I Use?
| from the deleting-is-so-90s dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday October 31, @22:02 (Open Source)
| with 301 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/011227/which-oss-clustered-filesystem-should-i-use?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Dishwasha writes "For over a decade I have had arrays of 10-20 disks
providing larger than normal storage at home. I have suffered twice
through complete loss of data once due to accidentally not re-enabling
the notification on my hardware RAID and having an array power supply
fail and the RAID controller was unable to recover half of the entire
array. Now, I run RAID-10 manually verifying that each mirrored pair is
properly distributed across each enclosure. I would like to upgrade the
hardware but am currently severely tied to the current RAID hardware and
would like to take a more hardware agnostic approach by utilizing a
cluster filesystem. I currently have 8TB of data (16TB raw storage) and
am very paranoid about data loss. My research has yielded 3 possible
solutions: [1]Luster, [2]GlusterFS, and [3]Ceph." Read on for the rest of
Dishwasha's question.

This story continues at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/011227/which-oss-clustered-filesystem-should-i-use?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/011227/which-oss-clustered-filesystem-should-i-use?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. mailto:ewaldo@healthetechs.com
1. http://wiki.lustre.org/index.php/Main_Page
2. http://www.gluster.org/
3. http://ceph.newdream.net/

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| The Software Patent Debate Is Incorrectly Framed
| from the through-the-looking-glass dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday November 01, @08:03 (Patents)
| with 255 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0216254/the-software-patent-debate-is-incorrectly-framed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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An anonymous reader writes "It doesn't matter [0]whether a true invention
is implemented in hardware or software, it should still be patentable,
argues Marty Goetz ��� the man who was granted the first software patent in
1965." The crux of the argument, according to the author: "Has there ever
been a controversy about whether an invention using hardware circuits is
patentable? I doubt it, even though hardware circuits are much like
software in that they can be reduced to a mathematical algorithm."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0216254/the-software-patent-debate-is-incorrectly-framed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/intellectual-property/2011/10/29/should-software-be-patentable-thats-the-wrong-question-to-ask-40094152/

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| New Mac OS Trojan Produces BitCoins
| from the why-is-my-computer-on-fire dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday November 01, @00:31 (Bitcoin)
| with 240 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/028212/new-mac-os-trojan-produces-bitcoins?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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[0]angry tapir writes about an interesting use for malware. From the
Techworld article: "A newly identified Mac OS X Trojan bundles a
component that [1]leverages the processing power of video cards to
generate Bitcoins, a popular type of virtual currency. The new Trojan was
dubbed DevilRobber by antivirus vendors and is being distributed together
with several software applications via BitTorrent sites."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/028212/new-mac-os-trojan-produces-bitcoins?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.techworld.com.au/
1. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/405849/mac_os_x_trojan_steals_processing_power_produce_bitcoins

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| White House Responds To Software Patents Petition
| from the yes-we-can-maybe dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @14:27 (Patents)
| with 229 comments
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1733220/white-house-responds-to-software-patents-petition?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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New submitter [0]obliv!on writes "As [1]previously discussed, the White
House has started to reply to petitions on their '[2]We the People'
website. They've now [3]replied to the petition asking for an end to
software patents. The response mentions the America Invents Act and
encourages the use of the USPTO's [4]open implementation website.
Quoting: 'There's a lot we can do through the new law to improve patent
quality and to ensure that only true inventions are given patent
protection. But it's important to note that the executive branch doesn't
set the boundaries of what is patentable all by itself. Congress has set
forth broad categories of inventions that are eligible for patent
protection. The courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have
interpreted the statute to include some software-related inventions.' The
response goes on to denote some open source and open data initiatives in
government. It's nice to hear that the administration understands
'concerns that overly broad patents on software-based inventions may
stifle the very innovative and creative open source software development
community.' However, the overall response redirects action to the
petitioners through participating in the open implementation site and
contacting Congress, instead of a promise to prepare additional
legislative measures for Congress to consider on behalf of the
petitioners."

Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1733220/white-house-responds-to-software-patents-petition?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. mailto:simokat.chris@gmail.com
1. http://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/10/31/0018213/the-white-house-responds-to-we-the-people-petition
2. https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions
3. https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/response/promoting-innovation-and-competitive-markets-through-quality-patents
4. http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/

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| ASUS Running Out of Hard Disks
| from the hard-disk-is-good-to-find dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @08:41 (Data Storage)
| with 185 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1235201/asus-running-out-of-hard-disks?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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The hard drive crunch continues; reader Thorfinn.au writes "ASUS has said
it only has hard disk drive (HDD) [0]inventory until the end of November.
'Substitutes for HDD are very few, so if the situation persists, not only
notebook production will be affected but also desktops, and other
component shipments will also drop,' Asustek CFO David Chang told
Reuters."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1235201/asus-running-out-of-hard-disks?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/31/small_profit_for_asus/

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| Blow-By-Blow Account of the Fukushima Accident
| from the caused-by-late-tps-reports dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @15:10 (Japan)
| with 184 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1839249/blow-by-blow-account-of-the-fukushima-accident?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "In the first few days of the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear accident, no one outside the power station knew what the
hell was happening. In the 9 months since, information has come out in
confusing bits and pieces. Now, finally, we have an authoritative account
of [0]exactly what went wrong in the first 24 hours of the accident. It's
a harrowing tale of creativity, heroism, and catastrophe. One thing I
hadn't realized was just how close workers came to averting the worst
nuclear disaster since Chernobyl."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1839249/blow-by-blow-account-of-the-fukushima-accident?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/nuclear/24-hours-at-fukushima/0

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| DHS Stonewalls On Public Comment About Body Scanners
| from the we'll-feel-for-the-answers-instead dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @10:48 (The Courts)
| with 177 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1446213/dhs-stonewalls-on-public-comment-about-body-scanners?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
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OverTheGeicoE writes "On Saturday, the [0]Electronic Privacy Information
Center announced that they filed papers in the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the DC Circuit [1]to get the Department of Homeland Security to start its
public comment process. In July the court [2]ordered DHS to take public
comment on airport body scanning, in accordance with federal law. The
court allowed DHS and TSA to continue using scanners during the comment
period. According to [3]EPIC's filing the ruling against DHS became final
on September 21 after EPIC's motion for a rehearing was denied. Since
then, DHS has done nothing to comply with the order. EPIC wants DHS to
release details for their public comment period process within 45 days.
DHS is no stranger to the kind of notice and comment rulemaking that is
being required of them. Earlier public comment on their Large Aircraft
Security Program (LASP), which would have required draconian security on
aircraft 10% of the size of a Boeing 737, [4]did not go so well. They
received 7400 comments 'vehemently opposed' to LASP in 2008 and 2009 and
are [5]still reworking the plan in response to the comments received."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1446213/dhs-stonewalls-on-public-comment-about-body-scanners?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://epic.org/
1. http://epic.org/2011/10/epic-urges-court-to-end-dhs-de.html
2. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/07/17/0143233/court-approves-tsa-body-scans-but-calls-for-public-comment
3. http://epic.org/privacy/body_scanners/EPIC-v-DHS-Motion-to-Enforce_final.pdf
4. http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=c5498fa6-123d-4482-9b2a-100e73df76bd
5. http://www.ainonline.com/?q=aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2011-10-09/tsa-reworking-maligned-lasp

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| OpenBSD 5.0 Unleashed On the World
| from the sir-this-encryption-appears-nearly-unbreakable dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @12:20 (Operating Systems)
| with 147 comments
| https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1618232/openbsd-50-unleashed-on-the-world?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First time accepted submitter [0]tearmeapart writes "A new version of the
operating system that most of us would love to love, but probably hardly
ever directly use, has been released. As scheduled, release 5.0 brings
support for more hardware, network improvements, and OpenSSH 5.9. The
links: [1]changelog; [2]download; [3]main 5.0 page; and [4]how to order
your OpenBSD products!"

Discuss this story at:
https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1618232/openbsd-50-unleashed-on-the-world?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://localhost/
1. http://www.openbsd.org/plus50.html
2. http://www.openbsd.org/ftp.html
3. http://openbsd.org/50.html
4. http://www.openbsd.org/orders.html

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| Google Maps To Charge For API Usage
| from the 25k-oughtta-be-enough-for-the-likes-of-you dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @10:27 (Google)
| with 127 comments
| https://search.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1424207/google-maps-to-charge-for-api-usage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RdeCourtney writes "The BBC is reporting that from 1 January 2012, Google
[0]will charge for the Google Maps API service when more than the limit
of 25,000 map "hits" are made in a day. Google is rumoured to be charging
$4 per 1,000 views in excess of the limit. Google maintains the high
limit of 25,000 free hits before charging 'will only affect 0.35% of
users.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://search.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1424207/google-maps-to-charge-for-api-usage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15523050

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| EU Parliment To Vote On ACTA Soon; Take Action Now
| from the only-criminals-need-free-speech dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday November 01, @03:34 (The Internet)
| with 114 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0256221/eu-parliment-to-vote-on-acta-soon-take-action-now?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sTeF writes "Laquadrature du Net releases 3 videos on ACTA: Every citizen
can help [0]defeat ACTA by spreading this video across the Internet,
urging their fellow citizens to mobilize, and contacting their elected
representatives. ACTA is a threat to Internet users' fundamental freedoms
and to EU Internet companies' competitiveness and free competition. The
European Parliament will soon decide whether to give its consent to ACTA,
or to reject it once and for all."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0256221/eu-parliment-to-vote-on-acta-soon-take-action-now?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. https://www.laquadrature.net/en/video-acta-get-informed-take-action

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| China's Cyber-Warfare Capabilities Overstated
| from the but-aren't-we-supposed-to-be-afraid dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @17:58 (China)
| with 112 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2156206/chinas-cyber-warfare-capabilities-overstated?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "A new paper argues that [0]China's
cyber-warfare capability is actually pretty poor. '[China has] evinced
little proficiency with more sophisticated hacking techniques. The
viruses and Trojan Horses they have used have been fairly easy to detect
and remove before any damage has been done or data stolen. There is no
evidence that China's cyber-warriors can penetrate highly secure networks
or covertly steal or falsify critical data,' [1]the paper reads (PDF).
'They would be unable to systematically cripple selected command and
control, air defense and intelligence networks and databases of advanced
adversaries, or to conduct deception operations by secretly manipulating
the data in these networks.'"

Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2156206/chinas-cyber-warfare-capabilities-overstated?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/405767/china_minimal_cyber_security_threat_paper/?fp=16&fpid=1
1. http://www.securitychallenges.org.au/ArticlePDFs/vol7no2Ball.pdf

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PROTECT-IP Makes Its Way To the Floors of Congress
| from the they-call-him-bill dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @19:23 (Government)
| with 102 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2314244/protect-ip-makes-its-way-to-the-floors-of-congress?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New submitter trunicated writes "Everyone on Slashdot seems to know about
PROTECT-IP Act ��� how it will [0]push responsibility for the contents of
the internet onto the search engines that index it, how it will give even
more power to the *IAA industries, and, worst of all, how it will provide
the U.S. government with a kill switch they can use at their discretion.
However, this write up may provide you with a bit more information and
help you explain the issues to those that won't be able to get around the
poisoned DNS entries that this bill will allow."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2314244/protect-ip-makes-its-way-to-the-floors-of-congress?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/01/kill-switch/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ask Slashdot: Learning Dart Development?
| from the oh-dartlang-we-can't-go-on-like-this dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @09:44 (Programming)
| with 95 comments
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1317214/ask-slashdot-learning-dart-development?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First time accepted submitter gmikeska07 writes "I have no computer
science degree, but I took a Java class in college and greatly enjoyed
it. I have some experience with Javascript and have done some perl
programming as well. I would like to learn [0]Google's forthcoming Dart
language. My question is in three parts: a) Is there any chance that if I
self-teach Dart, I can get a job in development without a CS degree, once
companies begin using the language? b) Is it really worth installing
Virtual Studio as per the dartlang docs, or should I wait for a dedicated
IDE like the rumored 'Brightly'? Alternatively, are there any solid open
development environments that are adding support? c) Do you know of any
books that are out or on the way that I could buy? What programming
series do you guys recommend? Hopefully I can learn in my spare time, and
if I can't get a job in development I can at least have fun with it, and
maybe make a few libraries for the Dart community!"

Discuss this story at:
https://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1317214/ask-slashdot-learning-dart-development?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.dartlang.org/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Is RIM's Centralized Network Model Broken?
| from the packet-switching-will-never-catch-on dept.
| posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday November 01, @05:18 (Blackberry)
| with 90 comments
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0335256/is-rims-centralized-network-model-broken?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

wiredmikey writes "Is RIM's centralized network model broken? Andrew
Jaquith thinks so, and provides an interesting analysis on why RIM should
move to a decentralized model. After [0]two long outages this month, many
believe that the end is drawing near for Research in Motion, maker of the
BlackBerry. But is Research In Motion in trouble? Financially, RIM
continues to be a healthy company, throwing off billions in profit each
year. [1]But if it doesn't 'think different' about its network strategy,
its customers may think different about their choice of handset vendor,
Jaquith argues. Jaquith says RIM should dismantle its proprietary
centralized delivery network, something that has been a key strength for
the company. Data plans that provide TCP/IP over wireless carrier
networks are now ubiquitous, nullifying a key RIM advantage. Does
BlackBerry need to rethink its network model to effectively compete
moving forward?"

Discuss this story at:
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/0335256/is-rims-centralized-network-model-broken?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/12/151229/blackberry-outage-spreads-to-north-america
1. http://www.securityweek.com/it-will-take-more-few-blackberry-outages-kill-rim

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hobby Inspired Electric Multicopter Makes Manned Flight
| from the you-want-me-to-fly-in-what-now? dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 01, @12:49 (Robotics)
| with 88 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1547207/hobby-inspired-electric-multicopter-makes-manned-flight?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]garymortimer writes "A German team has managed to [1]fly its
super-sized hobby inspired platform with a man on-board! A one-hour
flight would cost something near to 6 Euro for electricity. In addition,
the device holds few parts that could wear out, making maintenance
intervals and cost low and far between. The control firmware can be
integrated with a sophisticated integrated GPS system or obstacle
detection. As such, automated flight for predetermined points on a 3D map
is possible."

Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1547207/hobby-inspired-electric-multicopter-makes-manned-flight?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.suasnews.com/
1. http://www.suasnews.com/2011/11/9691/german-multicopter-makes-first-manned-flight/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| NASA Wants To Make Tractor Beams a Reality
| from the check-with-wil-wheaton dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @17:14 (NASA)
| with 75 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2022243/nasa-wants-to-make-tractor-beams-a-reality?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

intellitech sends this quote from a NASA news release: "Tractor beams ���
the ability to trap and move objects using light ��� are the stuff of
science fiction, but [0]a team of NASA scientists has won funding to
study the concept for remotely capturing planetary or atmospheric
particles and delivering them to a robotic rover or orbiting spacecraft
for analysis." Reader Bob the Super Hamste adds, "The article along with
[1]the BBC's coverage discuss briefly three methods of how this can be
done with lasers. The first method called 'optical tweezers,' in which
[2]a molecule is trapped where two beams cross (PDF). However, it
requires an atmosphere to work. The second method using solenoid beams
[3]has already worked in the laboratory (PDF). The third method using
[4]Bessel beams has yet to be experimentally proven."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2022243/nasa-wants-to-make-tractor-beams-a-reality?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/tractor-beam.html
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15535115
2. http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1102/1102.4905.pdf
3. http://www.opticsinfobase.org/view_article.cfm?gotourl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.opticsinfobase.org%2FDirectPDFAccess%2FC7C1737F-E683-7A94-95CA5392F623B0E2_196738.pdf%3Fda%3D1%26id%3D196738%26seq%3D0%26mobile%3Dno&org=
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessel_beam

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| New Algorithm Could Substantially Speed Up MRI Scans
| from the algorithms-what-can't-they-do dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @19:01 (Medicine)
| with 64 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2216224/new-algorithm-could-substantially-speed-up-mri-scans?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "In a paper to be published in the journal
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, researchers detail an algorithm they have
developed to [0]dramatically speed up the process of producing MRI scans.
The algorithm uses information gained from the first contrast scan to
help it produce the subsequent images. In this way, the scanner does not
have to start from scratch each time it produces a different image from
the raw data, but already has a basic outline to work from, considerably
shortening the time it takes to acquire each later scan."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2216224/new-algorithm-could-substantially-speed-up-mri-scans?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/better-mri-algorithm-1101.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rare-Earth Mineral Supply Getting Boost From California, Australia
| from the don't-fall-into-the-sea-just-yet dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday November 01, @18:40 (Businesses)
| with 53 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2211212/rare-earth-mineral-supply-getting-boost-from-california-australia?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "In recent times, the world's supply of
rare-earth minerals has suffered from both increased demand, due to their
use in modern technological devices, and uncertain supply, as China
[0]restricts the flow of exports. Now, [1]Molycorp's mine in California
has re-opened, and another in Australia is set to open later this year,
easing ��� but not erasing ��� worries about skyrocketing costs. '[The mine
had closed] in 2002 following radioactive wastewater spills and price
competition. The largest spills, from a pipeline to Nevada, occurred in
the late 1990s, in protected lands in the Mojave Desert. The company has
since changed its ownership structure. ... It's being rebuilt to produce
up to 40,000 metric tons of rare-earth elements by 2013, which would be a
700 percent increase from its production target for the end of this
year."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/2211212/rare-earth-mineral-supply-getting-boost-from-california-australia?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/19/2347234/China-Now-Halting-Shipments-of-Rare-Earth-Minerals-To-US
1. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/242892/supply_of_critical_rareearth_elements_about_to_expand.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ask Florian Kaps of the Impossible Project
| from the quixotic-project-was-taken dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @13:45 (Media)
| with 50 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/140202/ask-florian-kaps-of-the-impossible-project?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]The Impossible Project, first [1]mentioned here in 2009, has a goal
that might be quixotic, but (despite the name) is looking ever more
possible, after all: to bring back film for the millions of Polaroid
instant cameras that have mostly become paperweights in the wake of the
near-total discontinuation of instant film. This takes a sort of modern
alchemy; the chemistry of instant film is tricky, and the knowledge had
been dying out quickly. The Impossible team members didn't start from
nothing, though: besides hiring a core of former Polaroid employees, they
bought part of the former production facility in Enschede, the
Netherlands, as well as production equipment. Now you can ask project
founder Dr. Florian Kaps about the technical hurdles the project faces,
as well as the motivations that led him to take on such a task. Note;
though it's not all in stock right now, the project has [2]successfully
created various kinds of instant film, both monochrome and color. (If you
have multiple unrelated questions, [3]please post them separately.)

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/140202/ask-florian-kaps-of-the-impossible-project?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.the-impossible-project.com/
1. http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/09/05/26/1727240/polaroid-lovers-try-to-revive-its-instant-film
2. http://shop.the-impossible-project.com/shop/film/sx70/fi_sx70_1_px100
3. http://slashdot.org/faq/interviews.shtml

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Spear Phishing Campaign Hits Dozens of Chemical, Defense Firms
| from the if-you'd-just-please-open-your-loading-dock dept.
| posted by timothy on Tuesday November 01, @11:34 (Security)
| with 44 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1527225/spear-phishing-campaign-hits-dozens-of-chemical-defense-firms?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orome1 writes "Nearly 50 (and quite possibly more) companies in the
chemical, defense, and other sectors [0]have been hit with a spear
phishing campaign carrying a backdoor Trojan with the ultimate goal of
exfiltrating R&D and manufacturing information, revealed Symantec in a
newly released report. The attacks against these companies started in
late July 2011 and lasted until the middle of September 2011, but the
attackers are thought to be the same ones who targeted human rights
related NGOs and companies in the motor industry in May." Here's a link
to [1]the report itself (PDF).

Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/01/1527225/spear-phishing-campaign-hits-dozens-of-chemical-defense-firms?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://net-security.org/secworld.php?id=11871
1. http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/media/security_response/whitepapers/the_nitro_attacks.pdf


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