Several interesting stories on this Slashdot emailing.
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====================================================================== Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sdnews ====================================================================== Slashdot Daily Newsletter In this issue: * 2010 Ig Nobel Winners Announced * Xmarks May Not Be Dead After All * Blizzard Rolls Out Real ID Privacy Options * Code Repository Atlassian Buys Competitor BitBucket * Micro-Transactions Coming To <em>Team Fortress 2</em> Via Steam Wallet * Jaguar's Hybrid Jet-Powered Concept Car * House Democrats Shelve Net Neutrality Proposal * Google Releases New Image Format Called WebP * Senate Votes To Turn Down Volume On TV Commercials * Amazon Building Its Own Android App Market? * Amid Controversy, EA Pulls Taliban From <em>Medal of Honor</em> Multiplayer * Animal Farms Are Pumping Up Superbugs * New York To Spend $27.5 Million Uncapitalizing Street Signs * BlackBerry's Encryption Hacked; Backups Now a Risk * Microsoft To Charge Phone Makers a Licensing Fee * Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted * Linux Kernel Development 3rd Ed * Non-Embryonic Stem Cells Developed From Skin Cells * Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Android-Related Patent Infringement * 1,200 NASA Layoffs, Shuttle Fuel Tank Plant Shuts Down * SEC Blames Computer Algorithm For 'Flash Crash' * Stuxnet Analysis Backs Iran-Israel Connection * Many Top iPhone Apps Collect Unique Device ID +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 2010 Ig Nobel Winners Announced | | from the whale-snot dept. | | posted by kdawson on Thursday September 30, @21:51 (It's funny. Laugh.) | | https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/0023212/2010-Ig-Nobel-Winners-Announced | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Velcroman1 writes "Having trouble breathing? Try riding a roller-coaster. Really. A pair of Dutch researchers who discovered that the symptoms of asthma can be treated with a roller-coaster ride are among [0]this year's winners of the Ig Nobel awards, the infamous annual tribute to scientific research that seems wacky — but also has real world applications. FoxNews.com has [1]interviews with several award winners, who are all ecstatic to win, despite the fact that they're all gently being poked fun at." Discuss this story at: http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/0023212 Links: 0. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20018225-245.html 1. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/30/genius-goofball-ig-nobel-awards/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Xmarks May Not Be Dead After All | | from the call-from-the-governor dept. | | posted by kdawson on Thursday September 30, @23:49 (Businesses) | | https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/30/2321218/Xmarks-May-Not-Be-Dead-After-All | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ gatorfan sends word that Xmarks, which [0]announced its upcoming closure a few days back, may not be so dead after all. The outcry from people willing to pay for the service was so loud that the company has now posted a [1]pledge that users can sign if they are willing to pay for the service, and they say that they have fielded inquiries from several organizations who might be willing to buy the company's assets and keep the service going. Discuss this story at: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/30/2321218 Links: 0. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/09/28/1548245/Bookmark-Synchronizer-Xmarks-Hangs-Up-Their-Hats 1. http://blog.xmarks.com/?p=1945 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Blizzard Rolls Out Real ID Privacy Options | | from the step-in-the-right-direction dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @01:13 (Privacy) | | https://games.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/0330202/Blizzard-Rolls-Out-Real-ID-Privacy-Option| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ tacarat writes "The last time Blizzard mentioned their new [0]Real ID system, there was a strong backlash from users over privacy issues. Blizzard reconsidered their plans to require real names for forums, and little has been heard about it since. Now, [1]they've announced new privacy settings, allowing users to limit how their name gets shared or to disable the system entirely. Quoting: 'These options provide Real ID users with additional tools for customizing the service based on their preferences, enabling the ability to opt in or out of the Real ID "Friends of Friends" and "Add Facebook Friends" features or to turn off Real ID altogether.'" Discuss this story at: http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/0330202 Links: 0. http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/07/06/1823202/Blizzard-To-Require-Real-First-and-Last-Names-For-Official-Forums 1. http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/872085 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Code Repository Atlassian Buys Competitor BitBucket | | from the lazy-shrug dept. | | posted by kdawson on Friday October 01, @02:44 (Software) | | https://developers.slashdot.org/story/10/09/30/2336259/Code-Repository-Atlassian-Buys-Compe| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Roblimo writes "Wow. Atlassian sent press releases out about this, and [0]we're happy for them. But isn't [1]Git easy to install and use — for free, even if your project is proprietary and secret, not open source and public? Whatever. Some people seem to feel better about proprietary software than about FOSS, and the majority of Atlassian's business comes from meeting the needs of behind-the-firewall, proprietary code repositories. At least Atlassian has free versions of its repository for FOSS and small-scale proprietary developers. Which is sort of nice." Discuss this story at: http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/09/30/2336259 Links: 0. http://www.devx.com/webdev/Article/45639 1. http://git-scm.com/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Micro-Transactions Coming To <em>Team Fortress 2</em> Via Steam Wallet | | from the how-many-hats-can-you-get-for-a-dollar dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @04:20 (The Almighty Buck) | | https://games.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/0338249/Micro-Transactions-Coming-To-Team-Fortres| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ whoop writes "Valve has announced that Team Fortress 2 will be getting a new [0]Mann Co. Store to buy trinkets with real money through a service called Steam Wallet. TF2 is the first game to use this new Steam Wallet, but the money can be spent on anything in Steam, including full games. This would open them up to featuring gift cards, micro-transaction games, and more." PC Gamer has an interview with Valve's Robin Walker about [1]why they're doing this. Walker says everything they're selling will still be obtainable by playing the game, other than a few cosmetic items. Discuss this story at: http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/0338249 Links: 0. http://www.teamfortress.com/mannconomy/FAQ/ 1. http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/09/30/interview-valve-on-why-theyre-selling-team-fortress-2-items-for-real-money/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Jaguar's Hybrid Jet-Powered Concept Car | | from the do-want dept. | | posted by kdawson on Friday October 01, @05:35 (Power) | | https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/0039240/Jaguars-Hybrid-Jet-Powered-Concept-Car| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ An anonymous reader writes "Jaguar has developed a [0]hybrid car that runs on gas turbines. The range extended vehicle usually uses four electric motors (one on each wheel) plus a lithium-ion battery pack for propulsion, but can achieve a performance boost from a pair of gas turbines mounted in the rear. Cnet UK reports the car can do 0-60 mph in 3.4 sec. (and 50-90 mph in 2.3 sec.) and reach 205 mph while emitting less CO2 than a Toyota Prius." Discuss this story at: http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/0039240 Links: 0. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/cartech/jaguar-c-x75-hybrid-concept-is-part-electric-part-frickin-jet-50000966/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | House Democrats Shelve Net Neutrality Proposal | | from the neutron-walks-into-a-bar dept. | | posted by kdawson on Friday October 01, @08:34 (The Internet) | | https://politics.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/0128203/House-Democrats-Shelve-Net-Neutrality-| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ crimeandpunishment writes "A compromise on net neutrality appears to be as likely as Google and China becoming BFFs. House Democrats have [0]pulled the plug on efforts to work out a compromise among phone, cable, and Internet companies. House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, who shelved the proposal late on Wednesday in the face of Republican opposition, said, 'If Congress can't act, the FCC must,' and called this development 'a loss for consumers.' Internet companies and public interest groups say the new regulations are needed to keep phone and cable companies from playing favorites with traffic, while those companies insist they need flexibility so high-bandwidth applications don't slow down their systems." The net neutrality debate seems to have fallen victim to the [1]extreme polarization evident in the larger political culture. Discuss this story at: http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/0128203 Links: 0. http://skunkpost.com/news.sp?newsId=3291 1. http://www.nnsquad.org/archives/nnsquad/msg04319.html +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Google Releases New Image Format Called WebP | | from the pixelating-the-web dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @09:15 (Google) | | https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1212246/Google-Releases-New-Image-Format-Called-We| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ An anonymous reader writes "Google has released [0]WebP, a lossy [1]image format based on the image encoding used by VP8 (the video codec used in Google's [2]WebM video format) to compress keyframes. [3]According to the FAQ, WebP achieves an average 39% more compression than JPEG and JPEG 2000 while maintaining image quality. A gallery on the WebP homepage has a selection of images which [4]compare the original JPEG image with the WebP encoded image shown as a PNG. There's no information available yet on which browsers will support the WebP image format, but I imagine it will be all the browsers which currently have native WebM support — Firefox, Chrome, and Opera." [5]Independent analysis of WebP is available [6]from a few different sources. Discuss this story at: http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1212246 Links: 0. http://code.google.com/speed/webp/ 1. http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2010/09/webp-new-image-format-for-web.html 2. http://www.webmproject.org/ 3. http://code.google.com/speed/webp/faq.html 4. http://code.google.com/speed/webp/gallery.html 5. http://x264dev.multimedia.cx/?p=541 6. http://englishhard.com/2010/10/01/real-world-analysis-of-googles-webp-versus-jpg/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Senate Votes To Turn Down Volume On TV Commercials | | from the dear-god-yes-please dept. | | posted by CmdrTaco on Friday October 01, @10:00 (Advertising) | | https://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1217245/Senate-Votes-To-Turn-Down-Volume-On-TV-Comm| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [0]Hugh Pickens writes "Ever since television caught on in the 1950s, the FCC has been getting complaints about blaring commercials but concluded in 1984 there was no fair way to write regulations controlling the 'apparent loudness' of commercials. Now the AP reports that the Senate has unanimously passed a bill to [1]require television stations and cable companies to keep commercials at the same volume as the programs they interrupt using industry guidelines on how to process, measure and transmit audio in a uniform way. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), a co-sponsor, says it's time to stop the use of loud commercials to startle viewers into paying attention. 'TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial.' The House has already passed similar legislation, so before the new measure becomes law, minor differences between the two versions have to be worked out when Congress returns to Washington after the November 2 election." Discuss this story at: http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1217245 Links: 0. http://hughpickens.com/ 1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100930/ap_on_en_tv/us_congress_loud_commercials +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Amazon Building Its Own Android App Market? | | from the rekindling-their-handheld-hopes dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @10:43 (Businesses) | | https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1335218/Amazon-Building-Its-Own-Android-App-Mark| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Thinkcloud writes "Speculation abounds that [0]Amazon is planning their own storefront for selling Android apps, one in which they, not the developers, will [1]set the price and decide which apps to feature (and which apps to exclude from the store all together). It's a shrewd move and smart strategy for Amazon, though its impact on app sellers is less certain." Discuss this story at: http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1335218 Links: 0. http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/09/amazon-building-their-own-andr.html 1. http://www.talkandroid.com/15776-amazon-android-app-store-terms-and-conditions-leak/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Amid Controversy, EA Pulls Taliban From <em>Medal of Honor</em> Multiplayer | | from the pr-departments-do-not-develop-games dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @11:24 (The Military) | | https://games.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1430256/Amid-Controversy-EA-Pulls-Taliban-From-Me| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Last month we discussed news that upcoming shooter Medal of Honor would allow players to take the role of Taliban forces in multiplayer games, causing [0]no small amount of consternation among political groups and military supporters. Now, [1]Electronic Arts and developer Danger Close have bowed to pressure and announced that [2]the Taliban side would simply be referred to as "opposing force." Quoting executive producer Greg Goodrich: "The majority of this feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. For this, the Medal of Honor team is deeply appreciative. However, we have also received feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game. This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team. This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. ... While this change should not directly affect gamers, as it does not fundamentally alter the gameplay, we are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice — this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service. Discuss this story at: http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1430256 Links: 0. http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/08/16/2012223/Controversy-Arises-Over-Taliban-Option-In-Medal-of-Honor 1. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-10-01-medal-honor_N.htm 2. http://www.medalofhonor.com/blog/2010/10/multiplayer-change +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Animal Farms Are Pumping Up Superbugs | | from the i-blame-napolean dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @12:07 (Medicine) | | https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/152212/Animal-Farms-Are-Pumping-Up-Superbugs | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ oxide7 writes "The philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once famously said, 'That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.' That may or may not be true for human beings, but it is certainly true for bacteria. The superbugs are among us and they are not leaving. Indeed, they are growing stronger. 'The problem is that [0]the animal agriculture industry makes massive use of low-dose antibiotics for growth promotion and in place of effective infection prevention methods,' Young said, adding that the farm animal population is much larger than the human population. The low-dose antibiotics do not kill the disease. They make the disease stronger, more resistant to those and other antibiotics. The animals — the cattle, pigs and chickens — thus treated become superbug factories. The diseases stay in them and they wash off them to infect the surrounding environment." Discuss this story at: http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/152212 Links: 0. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/67393/20100930/infection-antibiotics.htm +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | New York To Spend $27.5 Million Uncapitalizing Street Signs | | from the beware-the-big-letters dept. | | posted by samzenpus on Friday October 01, @12:48 (Government) | | https://idle.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/158239/New-York-To-Spend-275-Million-Uncapitalizin| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 250,000 street signs in New York City feature street names in capital letters only, which is not the national standard. Having no other issues on the table, The New York City Department of Transportation has decided to fix the problem and [0]put up proper signs featuring both capital and lower-case letters at a cost of $27.5 million. The Transportation Department hopes to have the job completed by 2018 with 11,000 of the most important improperly capitaled signs fixed by the end of the year. Catastrophe averted. Discuss this story at: http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/158239 Links: 0. http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/09/30/New-York-to-replace-250000-street-signs/UPI-10711285863676/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | BlackBerry's Encryption Hacked; Backups Now a Risk | | from the good-news-for-india dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @12:51 (Encryption) | | https://it.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/166226/BlackBerrys-Encryption-Hacked-Backups-Now-a-R| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ GMGruman writes "InfoWorld blogger Martin Heller reveals that a Russian passcode-breaker developer has [0]broken the encryption used in BlackBerry backups. That can help recover data when passwords are lost, but also gives data thieves access to a treasure trove of corporate secrets. And the developer boasts that it was easier to crack the BlackBerry encryption than it was to crack Apple's iOS." Discuss this story at: http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/166226 Links: 0. http://www.infoworld.com/t/mobile-device-management/you-can-no-longer-rely-encryption-protect-blackberry-436 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Microsoft To Charge Phone Makers a Licensing Fee | | from the how-magnanimous-of-you dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @13:30 (Cellphones) | | https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1629205/Microsoft-To-Charge-Phone-Makers-a-Licen| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [0]angry tapir writes "Microsoft may be one of the only remaining mobile operating-system providers that [1]charges handset makers a licensing fee, but in exchange vendors get at least one important benefit: protection from intellectual property worries. 'Microsoft indemnifies its Windows Phone 7 licensees against patent infringement claims,' the company said. 'We stand behind our product, and step up to our responsibility to clear the necessary IP rights.'" In related news, [2]Windows Phone 7 will be exclusive to AT&T at launch, and it seems Microsoft is [3]counting on Xbox Live integration to be the "hook" that gets people interested in the new devices. Discuss this story at: http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1629205 Links: 0. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/ 1. http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/362876/patent_protection_key_windows_phone_license/ 2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704483004575523940577184032.html 3. http://venturebeat.com/2010/09/30/windowsphone7-xboxlive-gaming/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted | | from the lost-amid-breakfast-descriptions dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @14:13 (Social Networks) | | https://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/174243/Why-the-Revolution-Will-Not-Be-Tweeted | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ An anonymous reader writes "Social media is ill-suited to promoting real social change, argues Malcolm Gladwell in this article from The New Yorker magazine. He deftly [0]debunks conventional wisdom surrounding the impact of Twitter, Facebook and other social media in driving systemic social change, comparing them to the organizational strategies of the 1960s civil rights movement. For example, the Montgomery bus boycott, he argues, was successful because it was driven by the disciplined and hierarchically organized NAACP. In contrast, a loose, social-media style network wouldn't have sustained the year long campaign. He concludes that social media promote social 'weak ties' which are not strong enough to motivate people to take big risks, such as imprisonment or attack, for social change." Discuss this story at: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/174243 Links: 0. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Linux Kernel Development 3rd Ed | | from the read-all-about-it dept. | | posted by samzenpus on Friday October 01, @14:52 (Programming) | | https://linux.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1315233/Linux-Kernel-Development-3rd-Ed | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ eldavojohn writes "Linux Kernel Development Third Edition by Robert Love is the perfect book for the beginning or intermediate Linux kernel hacker. It provided me an excellent bridge between the high level introduction I had in college (from Operating Systems Concepts) and the actual kernel code. The best part about this book is that the chapters are — like the kernel — modular, and allow the reader to dig down in a particular part if they have a specific interest. This, in conjunction with Love's indications of which files and code snippets contain the logic, gave me confidence to clone the kernel, make tiny adjustments, compile and run. At four hundred pages, the book is a long read, but for kernel newbies like me it's a better alternative to jumping into the millions of lines of code. While you might find this information in pieces floating around online, this book balances clarity with brevity in an exceptional manner. It should also be noted that this book defaults to the x86 architecture when explaining architecture-sensitive parts of the kernel (with 64-bit differences occasionally outlined)." Keep reading for the rest of eldavojohn's review. This story continues at: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1315233/Linux-Kernel-Development-3rd-Ed Discuss this story at: http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1315233 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Non-Embryonic Stem Cells Developed From Skin Cells | | from the won't-somebody-think-of-the-epidermis dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @15:37 (Biotech) | | https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1833224/Non-Embryonic-Stem-Cells-Developed-From| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ juliangamble writes "Scientists reported Thursday they had developed a technique that can [0]quickly create safe alternatives to human embryonic stem cells, a major advance toward developing a less controversial approach for treating a host of medical problems. The researchers published a series of experiments showing they can use laboratory-made versions of naturally occurring biological signals to [1]quickly convert ordinary skin cells into cells that appear virtually identical to embryonic stem cells. Moreover, the same strategy can then coax those cells to morph into specific tissues that would be a perfect match for transplantation into patients." Discuss this story at: http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1833224 Links: 0. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/30/AR2010093003211.html?hpid=topnews 1. http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(10)00434-0#Summary +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Android-Related Patent Infringement | | from the no-license-for-you dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @16:19 (Cellphones) | | https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1936213/Microsoft-Sues-Motorola-Over-Android-Rel| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ suraj.sun writes with this excerpt from Engadget: "Microsoft has hit up the ITC over a total of [0]nine alleged patent infringements by Motorola in its Android devices, specifically relating to 'synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power.' This should be interesting — will it result in a quick cross-licensing agreement, or a protracted court battle spanning multiple years?" The ITC complaint was [1]accompanied by a lawsuit in US District Court. Microsoft's Horacio Gutierrez [2]explained the company's reasoning in a blog post. Discuss this story at: http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1936213 Links: 0. http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/01/microsoft-files-itc-complaint-against-motorola-over-alleged-andr/ 1. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20018305-56.html 2. http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2010/10/01/microsoft-sues-motorola-over-android-patent-infringements.aspx +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 1,200 NASA Layoffs, Shuttle Fuel Tank Plant Shuts Down | | from the end-of-an-era dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @17:03 (Space) | | https://science.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/1956246/1200-NASA-Layoffs-Shuttle-Fuel-Tank-Pla| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ As the space shuttle program winds down, [0]1,200 NASA workers were laid off today, and thousands more will lose their jobs in the months ahead. "Many shuttle workers held out hope that they could find new jobs in the Constellation program, which would have included two new rocket systems and a new crew module to transport astronauts into space. From the beginning, Constellation was plagued by underfunding. This year, Obama killed the program's future funding because of budget overruns and because it was behind schedule. That could affect more than 20,000 workers along Florida's space coast, according to Rice." This comes alongside news that Lockheed Martin has [1]stopped work at the production plant that supplied 136 external fuel tanks for the space shuttles since 1973. Discuss this story at: http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/1956246 Links: 0. http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/01/nasa.worker.layoffs/ 1. http://www.space.com/news/space-shuttle-fuel-tank-production-ends-101001.html +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SEC Blames Computer Algorithm For 'Flash Crash' | | from the steve-jobs-agrees dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @17:46 (The Almighty Buck) | | https://news.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/2048222/SEC-Blames-Computer-Algorithm-For-Flash-Cr| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Lucas123 writes "The US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission today issued [0]an 87-page report (PDF) on the results of a months-long investigation into the May 6 'flash crash' that sent the Dow tumbling almost 1,000 points in a half hour. The Commissions are [1]holding a single trading firm's automated trade execution platform responsible for the crash, saying it [2]dumped 75,000 sell orders into the Chicago Mercantile Exchange over a period of minutes causing an already volatile market to come crashing down. The SEC has already enacted some quick rules to pause trading if a stock price should rise or fall by 10% in a five minute period, but the regulators said they expect the results of the investigation to prompt additional rules limiting the functions of automated computer trading systems." Discuss this story at: http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/2048222 Links: 0. http://www.sec.gov/news/studies/2010/marketevents-report.pdf 1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9189179/Regulators_blame_computer_algorithm_for_stock_market_flash_crash_ 2. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/10/regulators-finger-dumb-algorithm-in-flash-crash/63931/ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Stuxnet Analysis Backs Iran-Israel Connection | | from the my-god-has-a-bigger-firewall-than-your-god dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @18:32 (Security) | | https://it.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/212242/Stuxnet-Analysis-Backs-Iran-Israel-Connection| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Trailrunner7 writes "Liam O'Murchu of Symantec, speaking at the Virus Bulletin Conference, provided the first detailed public analysis of the worm's inner workings to an audience of some of the world's top computer virus experts. O'Murchu described a sophisticated and highly targeted virus and demonstrated a proof of concept exploit that showed how the virus could cause machines using infected PLCs to run out of control. Though most of the conversation about Stuxnet is still based on conjecture, O'Murchu said that Symantec's analysis of Stuxnet's code for manipulating PLCs on industrial control systems by Siemens [0]backs up both the speculation that Iran was the intended target and that Israel was the possible source of the virus. O'Murchu noted that researchers had uncovered the reference to an obscure date in the worm's code, May 9, 1979, which, he noted, was the date on which a prominent Iranian Jew, Habib Elghanian, was executed by the new Islamic government shortly after the revolution. Anti-virus experts said O'Murchu's hypothesis about the origins of Stuxnet were plausible, though some continue to wonder how the authors of such a sophisticated piece of malware allowed it to break into the wild and attract attention." Symantec has also issued [1]a lengthy and detailed dossier on Stuxnet (PDF). Discuss this story at: http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/212242 Links: 0. http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/stuxnet-analysis-supports-iran-israel-connections-093010? 1. http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/media/security_response/whitepapers/w32_stuxnet_dossier.pdf +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Many Top iPhone Apps Collect Unique Device ID | | from the your-computer-is-broadcasting-a-UDID dept. | | posted by Soulskill on Friday October 01, @19:19 (Iphone) | | https://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/10/01/2154231/Many-Top-iPhone-Apps-Collect-Unique-Devic| +----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ An anonymous reader writes "It looks like iPhone users are not immune to the types of data leaks [0]recently discovered on the Android platform. Researchers looked at the top free applications available from the App Store and discovered that '[1]68% of these applications were transmitting UDIDs to servers under the application vendor's control each time the application is launched.' The iPhone's Unique Device ID, or UDID, cannot be changed, nor can its transmission be disabled by the user. The [2]full paper is available in PDF form." Discuss this story at: http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/10/01/2154231 Links: 0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/09/30/1640223/Many-More-Android-Apps-Leaking-User-Data 1. http://www.pskl.us/wp/?p=476 2. http://www.pskl.us/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/iPhone-Applications-Privacy-Issues.pdf Copyright 1997-2009 Geeknet, Inc.. All rights reserved. ====================================================================== You have received this message because you subscribed to it on Slashdot. 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