ReadWriteWeb has discovered the existence of a stealth Google project, called DreamAds. It is a very ambitious project, topping even the wireless balloons which Google is also looking into. Essentially... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 10:25 am
esocid writes "Astronomers have spied a faraway star system that is so unusual, it was one of a kind — until its discovery helped them pinpoint a second one that was much closer to home. In a paper published in a recent issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters, Ohio State University astronomers and their colleagues suggest that these star systems are the progenitors of a rare type of supernova. In research funded by the National Science Foundation, they found a star system that is unusual, because it's what the astronomers have called a 'yellow supergiant eclipsing binary' — it contains two very bright, massive yellow stars that are very closely orbiting each other. In fact, the stars are so close together that a large amount of stellar material is shared between them, so that the shape of the system resembles a peanut."
"The National Data Center and Personal Privacy," an article published in the Atlantic in November, 1967, was eerily prescient in its predictions of the coming data-mining panopticon and the resulting loss of civil liberties. It was written by Arthur Miller, but not the guy who wrote The Crucible.
But such a Data Center poses a grave threat to individual freedom and privacy. With its insatiable appetite for information, its inability to forget anything that has been put into it, a central computer might become the heart of a government surveillance system that would lay bare our finances, our associations, or our mental and physical health to government inquisitors or even to casual observers. Computer technology is moving so rapidly that a sharp line between statistical and intelligence systems is bound to be obliterated. Even the most innocuous of centers could provide the “foot in the door” for the development of an individualized computer-based federal snooping system...
Any increase in the amount of recorded information is certain to increase the risk of errors in reporting and recording and indexing. Information distortion also will be caused by machine malfunctioning. Moreover, people working with the data in Washington or at a distance through remote terminals can misuse the information. As information accumulates, the contents of an individual’s computerized dossier will appear more and more impressive and will impart a heightened sense of reliability to the user, which, coupled with the myth of computer infallibility, will make it less likely that the user will try to verify the recorded data. This will be true despite the “softness” or “imprecision” of much of the data. Our success or failure in life ultimately may turn on what other people decide to put into our files and on the programmer’s ability, or inability, to evaluate, process, and interrelate information. The great bulk of the information likely to find its way into the center will be gathered and processed by relatively unskilled and unimaginative people who lack discrimination and sensitivity. Furthermore, a computerized file has a certain indelible quality — adversities cannot be overcome simply by the passage of time.
"The National Data Center and Personal Privacy," an article published in the Atlantic in November, 1967, was eerily prescient in its predictions of the coming data-mining panopticon and the resulting loss... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:31 am
Having unexpectedly become a eunuch, Richard Wassersug, a professor in the department of anatomy and neurobiology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, did not despair, says Marc Abrahams Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:30 am
Man, this seems like a hell of a good use for a kilohulahoop and a box of zip-ties:
last fall, mass studies architecture studio created a temporary installation for the 25th anniversary of storefront
for art and architecture gallery in new york city. the installation was created from about a thousand hula-hoops
zip-tied together to form a massive dome structure.
now, storefront for art and architecture gallery has teamed up with abitare magazine to bring a new version of
the ring dome to milan for the salone del mobile. this new dome will use 1,500 hula-hoops and 12,000 zip-ties
and will be installed in the galleria vittorio emanuele shopping arcade in central milan. the installation will feature
a series of events including a 100-minute dialogue between hans ulrich obrist, pierre paulin and rem koolhaas
as well as a day's worth of domino-interviews with 50 participants, starting with naoto fukasawa, gaetano pesce
and oliviero toscani.
Man, this seems like a hell of a good use for a kilohulahoop and a box of zip-ties: last fall, mass studies architecture studio created a temporary installation for the 25th anniversary of storefront... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:26 am
Hackers from the Chaos Computer Club lifted a fingerprint from German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble, printed it on plastic, and distributed it by the thousands with their magazine for anyone who wants to impersonate the Minister at a biometric checkpoint. Remember folks: short of amputation, a biometric identifier can't be revoked or changed.
Schauble is a big proponent of the use of fingerprints in passports but is not the CCC's only target. The group has called for help in obtaining the prints of other German officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The CCC's publication of the fingerprint coincides this week with the presentation of a security researcher who demonstrated a biometric keylogger that can capture digital fingerprints and other digital biometric data as its transmitted from a scanning device to the server where the information is processed. The hacker can then analyze and re-use the data to subvert biometric systems and gain entry to secured buildings.
Hackers from the Chaos Computer Club lifted a fingerprint from German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble, printed it on plastic, and distributed it by the thousands with their magazine for anyone who... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:23 am
Flickr user Switthoft cast this metal Boba Fett Pez head and documented the process online. I made this using the lost wax casting process with an organic burnout. The material is silicon bronze. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:19 am
Artist Elizabeth LeCourt has produced a lovely line of art in the form of clothing made from detailed maps of the world (it's meant to be hung on the walls and not worn). Shown here: dresses based on... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:16 am
Artist Elizabeth LeCourt has produced a lovely line of art in the form of clothing made from detailed maps of the world (it's meant to be hung on the walls and not worn). Shown here: dresses based on maps of London and Paris.
Link
(Thanks, Marilyn!)
Korean artist Choi Jung Hyun made this viper sculpture out of keyboard keys for a gallery show -- it's meant to promote awareness of recycling. And snakes.
Link
(Thanks, Marilyn!)
Korean artist Choi Jung Hyun made this viper sculpture out of keyboard keys for a gallery show -- it's meant to promote awareness of recycling. And snakes. Link (Thanks, Marilyn!) ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:11 am
By Evan Ackerman They say everyone's life has a soundtrack. Or something. The geniuses at ThinkGeek have just released a t-shirt with a working speaker on the chest. Use the wired remote to select the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:10 am
This year marks the 45th anniversary of Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room, the birthplace of animatronics and one of my all-time favorite Disney attractions. Some of my earliest memories are of being dandled on my grandfather's knee at the Tiki Room while we sang and whistled together to the birds' songs and jokes.
Former Disney designer Kevin Kidney and Jodi have been commissioned to make a run of limited-edition items based on the Tiki Room for a special event at Disneyland on June 22 and the schwag is awesome -- every nerve in my body just stood on end and shouted "WANT!" (Oh, if only I still lived in LA!)
For years, I've harbored a fantasy of putting together a punk/alternative tribute disc for the Tiki Room, with the parrots voiced by Shane McGowan, Nina Hagen, Cheech Marin and Jean Reno, and the songs performed as follows: "In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room," the Ramones; "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing," Shonen Knife; "Hawai'ian War Chant," the Breeders; and "Heigh-Ho" by Tom Waits.
Yes, I know, many of these people are dead. But a fella can dream.
We’ve been waiting 5 years to make this item, and it’s finally happened.
Rongo, the Tiki God of Agriculture, is at long last a beautiful green-glazed ceramic drinking vessel for your Tiki bar. His very unusual size and shape makes him an equally suitable fruit bowl, cereal bowl, or whatever-you-like-bowl. He’s even clutching his spool of kite string, just as he’s been doing at Disneyland for 45 years.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room, the birthplace of animatronics and one of my all-time favorite Disney attractions. Some of my earliest memories are of being dandled... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:09 am
Bonnie sez, "Craftster Sammi Resendes from Geekcentralstation.blogspot.com
recently created Star Wars Amigurumi dolls of Admiral Ackbar, Princess Leia, Yoda, Chewbacca and Han Solo. There's even a Slave Leia! Sammi talks here about Star Wars Amigurumi and how fans can get started making their own."
Link
(Thanks, Bonnie!)
Bonnie sez, "Craftster Sammi Resendes from Geekcentralstation.blogspot.com recently created Star Wars Amigurumi dolls of Admiral Ackbar, Princess Leia, Yoda, Chewbacca and Han Solo. There's even a Slave... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:05 am
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (NYSE:RDY) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) to acquire a portion of Dowpharma Small Molecules business associated with its United Kingdom sites in Mirfield and Cambridge. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Mohd Yaakob Yusof CITY police have arrested 13 Africans believed to be members of a `black money' syndicate who conned 37 Malaysians out of millions of ringgit. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Trowbridge, John Abstract. Profiling landforms actively involves students in measuring the topography of landforms such as beaches, hillsides, and stream embankments. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Lauren McSherry San Bernardino County has pushed back the deadline for the public to weigh in on a proposed wind farm near Apple Valley. Under the proposal, the Granite Mountain Wind Energy Project would be constructed 11 miles east of Apple Valley in the Granite Mountains. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Joe Orso, La Crosse Tribune, Wis. Apr. 1--Curtiss and Sandy Hartley, the new leaders at The Salvation Army of La Crosse, arrived in the Coulee Region from Virginia in early March, when snow covered the ground. "I am not excited about being in the cold weather," Sandy said. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Anne Jungen, La Crosse Tribune, Wis. Apr. 1--Authorities await results from the December 2007 exhumation of a town of Barre woman whose body was left burning and decapitated in a Vernon County ditch 23 years ago. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Paul Eakins CONTEST: Water department is soliciting short videos designed to discourage water-wasting. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Molly McMillin and Dan Voorhis, The Wichita Eagle, Kan. Apr. 1--Cessna Aircraft wants $25 million in cash from the state to build an assembly plant in Wichita for its new Citation Columbus business jet, a move that company officials said would add about 1,000 jobs to the area's economy. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Milius, Susan Humanity's extra CO2 could brew a new kind of sea Terrie Klinger is starting to wonder about the future of kelp sex. It's a delicate business in the best of times, and the 21st century is putting marine life to the acid test. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Dolbeck, Andrew The industrial and commercial machinery industry includes establishments engaged in manufacturing machinery and equipment for commercial and industrial use. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
Comments from our readers A HUGE RAVE for Heartsong Spay and Neuter Clinic for providing a tremendous community service by offering expert sterilization procedures at discounted prices. More than 2,608 dogs and cats have been spayed and neutered since the clinic opened. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
THE BID After two years of on-and-off talks and speculation, Microsoft Corp. has pounced on slumping Internet icon Yahoo Inc. with an unsolicited takeover offer of $44.6 billion - $31 per share. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Wes Woods II POMONA - Sacred Heart Catholic Church had more than $1,000 and a laptop computer stolen last week in separate incidents. Lt. Joann Crabb said about $1,500 was stolen from the church at 1215 S. Hamilton Blvd. sometime between March 21 and 23. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Joan Burnie Q I AM a happily married man with a family. I was made redundant last year which left me with a lot of free time. I began looking at porn on the internet. I now have a part-time job but it's boring so I have been logging on to some of the porn sites at work. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Matt Wrye Are you in? That's what Apple Valley native Ethan Eyre wants to know. He might never ask you that question in person, but he's still pushing for your answer. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Adamy, Dave Communications EW - Part 10 A NARROWBAND SEARCH EXAMPLE This month, we will consider a narrowband search example. We want to find a 25-kHz-wide communication signal that is between 30 and 88 MHz. We will assume that the signal is up for 0.5 sec. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Anonymous Alpha bird(s) There is a detail not explicit in the article "Birds network too" (SN: 2/23/08, p. 725) that fits the computer network analogy. By its flight path, each bird adds its personal input and helps guide the course of the flock. DON BURNAP, RAPID CITY, S.D. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Annette John-Hall, The Philadelphia Inquirer Apr. 1--For more than fortysomething years, you've been just about able to set your watch by where I'll be sitting at 11 on any given Sunday morning. No, not in front of the TV watching bodies fly and helmets crunch. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of UK-based distributor Azzurri Technology Ltd. Azzurri is one of Europe's leading design--in distributors of high technology semiconductors and embedded systems products. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
Homeless people flock to London's Heathrow airport by the dozen, camouflaging themselves with Hawai'ian shirts and bum-bags and pretending to be stranded tourists so that they can sleep a warm night on an airport bench:
When TIME joined the outreach worker and police officers this week, the homeless people contacted included a man sleeping under his coat, another conspicuously hiding behind an open newspaper, and a woman clutching a duty free bag who insisted she was waiting for a flight, only to whisper when police were out of earshot: "I can't afford electricity; it's warm here; please, let me stay."
These men and women may seem to embody the English tradition of the plucky Dickensian Dodger, but it would be wrong to mistake their ingenuity for anything other than desperation, social workers say. Like those to whom the travel ads all around the airport appeal, Heathrow's homeless are also in search of escape: from debts, legal problems, family responsibilities. They often have mental health or substance abuse problems, and they often refuse help. During the day, some travel by public transport into London to beg, busk or take drugs, while others remain in the airport, sometimes scrounging food off sympathetic restaurant and cafe workers.
theodp writes "IBM has been temporarily banned from receiving future contracts with federal agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed on Monday. The suspension went into effect last Thursday due to 'concerns raised about potential activities involving an EPA procurement,' the agency said in an e-mailed statement. Under a reciprocal agreement among federal agencies, when one issues a ban, the others follow it. The EPA said it will not comment further on the matter. An IBM spokesman said he had no immediate comment. 'You don't see this very often, particularly for large companies,' commented a stunned industry analyst, mentioning a bankrupt MCI as a notable exception. IBM earned an estimated $1.5 billion in revenue from federal prime contracts in fiscal 2007."
Finnish new wavers The Leningrad Cowboys and the Red Army Chorus teamed up to perform this rousing rendition of Sweet Home Alabama, all booming, brassy and high-hair. Musical highlight of the week, for sure.
Link
(Thanks, Jinny!)
Researchers are surprised to find that giving hypertension drugs to the over-80 set is not only not risky, but that it can sharply reduce heart attacks, strokes and deaths. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 7:00 am
Astronomers from Queen's University have helped to discover 10 new planets. A team of experts from the Belfast institution used special cameras located in the Canary... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 6:56 am
Blowfishie writes "Rambus has won a major case they've been fighting since the late 90's. Rambus worked its technology into the standards for SDRAM and DDR data transfer, then waited for the major players (Hynix, Micron and Nanya) to be heavily committed before revealing that it had patents on the technology. 'At issue is whether the developer of a speedy new memory technology deserved to be paid for its inventions, or whether the company misled memory chip makers. "I think they (the jurors) misapprehended what the standards-setting organizations are about and the absolute need for good faith," said Jared Bobrow, an outside attorney for Micron. Wednesday's verdict comes after a judgment against Hynix in 2006 that resulted in a $133 million award to Rambus, Lavelle said, and potentially clears the way for Rambus to collect on that verdict.'"
Special prosecutors probing alleged corruption at Samsung Group plan to summon the wife of the conglomerate's chairman for questioning, news reports said Tuesday. The mass-circulation... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:48 am
Hoping to offset its losses in the U.S. newspaper market, McClatchy Co. will sharpen its focus on the rapidly growing Hispanic community by sharing articles and other content with a major publisher of... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:43 am
Hoping to offset its losses in the U.S. newspaper market, McClatchy Co. will sharpen its focus on the rapidly growing Hispanic community by sharing articles and other content with a major Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:42 am
It was bigger than a pencil eraser and irregular in shape. That put the odds against her. But it had smooth edges; that was in her favor. From four seats away, in the diffuse light of the bookshop, it... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:36 am
Nasa has shut down a massive air-safety survey project without properly evaluating, explaining or publicising its purpose and results, losing a chance for valuable insight into... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:20 am
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AZZ incorporated (NYSE: AZZ), a manufacturer of electrical products and a provider of galvanizing services,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:00 am
CAMBRIDGE, England and SAN FRANCISCO, April 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ovum, the independent analyst and consulting company, has recognized Autonomy (LSE: AU. or AU.L),... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 4:00 am
Nasa's next space shuttle launch has been delayed by nearly a week after a new fuel tank arrived late. Discovery had been scheduled to blast off on May 25, but the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 3:50 am
Once a golden promise in the fight against climate change, biofuels are fast losing their lustre as high demand for essential crops drives land clearing and pushes up the price of food. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 3:43 am
Cybercrime has very quickly become a booming industry worth an estimated $100 billion a year. In this extract from Zero Day Threat, a new book about the complicity of big corporations in online crime, USA Today reporters Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz explain the mechanisms of a notorious online scam.
Smivs writes "The BBC are getting set to fund a dig at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. The two-week dig will try to establish, once and for all, some precise dating for the creation of the monument. An article from the BBC news website explains how the dig will investigate the significance of the smaller bluestones that stand inside the giant sarsen pillars. 'Researchers believe these rocks, brought all the way from Wales, hold the secret to the real purpose of Stonehenge as a place of healing. The researchers leading the project are two of the UK's leading Stonehenge experts — Professor Tim Darvill, of the University of Bournemouth, and Professor Geoff Wainwright, of the Society of Antiquaries. They are convinced that the dominating feature on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire was akin to a "Neolithic Lourdes" — a place where people went on a pilgrimage to get cured. Modern techniques have established that many of these people had clearly traveled huge distances to get to south-west England, suggesting they were seeking supernatural help for their ills.'"
FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstRain(R) vice president of business development, David A. Frankel is a featured panelist at Reinventing Research -- Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 3:00 am
Hundreds of kangaroos at an Australian naval defence site have won a reprieve from death, after officials said they have halted a proposed cull, and will instead move them off the land by... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 2:57 am
Fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan meant that polio eradication did not go well in those countries in 2007, a World Health Organization report said last week. They are two of the last four nations... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 2:36 am
An iMac owner sued Apple Inc. Monday claiming the 20-inch iMac desktop computers can't display the "millions of colors" Apple promises in promotional materials. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 2:36 am
Not only has Comcast been slowing down Internet users exchanging files with the BitTorrent protocol, it has been quietly reducing the quality of some high definition television networks it carries as well... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 1:36 am
Vivaty, the company I wrote about in Mondays paper, represents the fulfillment of a 14-year-old dream to bring 3-D images to the Web. The company, which will begin a private test of its service on Facebook... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 1:36 am
billybob2 writes "PolishLinux.org has an extensive screenshot review and commentary on the development version of the Free and Open Source KDE desktop. Highlights include the ability to run any desktop applet prepared for Mac OS X inside Plasma, on-the-fly annotation and rating of files from within the Dolphin file manager. It also has an improved GUI for the Amarok music player, flexible 3D eye candy configuration in KWin, and improved support for both accessing digital cameras via the Solid hardware layer and the DigiKam photo manager."
New Zealander accused of leading international hacker ring which skimmed millions of dollars from bank accounts Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 12:49 am
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) Dell Inc. said Monday that it was undertaking a strategic assessment of ownership alternatives for its Dell Financial Services division, which has ties to the CIT Group, a commercial... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Apr 2008 | 12:37 am
The American Heart Association says skip the mouth-to-mouth breathing for CPR. Just call 911 and press rapidly and deeply on the victim's chest until help arrives.
An anonymous reader writes "Norway's yes-to-OOXML may tip the vote in favor of accepting it as an ISO-standard, but the committee chairman just faxed a formal protest to the ISO. 'I am writing to you in my capacity as Chairman (of 13 years standing) of the Norwegian mirror committee to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34. I wish to inform you of serious irregularities in connection with the Norwegian vote on ISO/IEC DIS 29500 (Office Open XML) and to lodge a formal protest. You will have been notified that Norway voted to approve OOXML in this ballot. This decision does not reflect the view of the vast majority of the Norwegian committee, 80% of which was against changing Norway's vote from No with comments to Yes.'"
In this exclusive video, Wired.com visits Potenco's headquarters to check out the latest version of their pull-cord power generator, which promises to bring off-grid electricity to the developing world for powering clean lighting and charging gadgets.
katterjohn writes "After almost 10 years of work, Wireshark 1.0 has been released. Wireshark is the award-winning protocol analyzer, formerly known as Ethereal. The release features several security fixes and an experimental package for Max OS X Intel."
Lev Grossman writes to tell us that Neal Stephenson, author of greats like Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon, has another novel due for release in September. The catalogue copy gives us a small glimpse at what may be in store: "Since childhood, Raz has lived behind the walls of a 3,400-year-old monastery, a sanctuary for scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians--sealed off from the illiterate, irrational, unpredictable 'saecular' world that is plagued by recurring cycles of booms and busts, world wars and climate change. Until the day that a higher power, driven by fear, decides that only these cloistered scholars have the abilities to avert an impending catastrophe. And, one by one, Raz and his cohorts are summoned forth without warning into the Unknown."
Without saying why, the Environmental Protection Agency suspends IBM's right to bid for contracts. Since other agencies typically follow suit, the company is essentially prevented from accepting government work for an unspecified period of time.
apostle5406 writes to mention that the "Freenet" project (a global peer-to-peer publishing network) has unveiled their first release candidate. "Freenet 0.7 is a ground-up rewrite of Freenet. The key user-facing feature in Freenet 0.7 is the ability to operate Freenet in a "darknet" mode, where your Freenet node will only talk to other Freenet users that you trust. This makes it much more difficult for an adversary to discover that you are using Freenet, let alone what you are doing with it. 0.7 also includes significant improvements to both security and performance."
Roland Piquepaille writes "According to Haaretz, an Israeli team of computer scientists has developed software that ranks facial attractiveness of women. Instead of identifying basic facial characteristics, this software has been designed to make aesthetic judgments — after training. The lead researcher said this program 'constitutes a substantial advance in the development of artificial intelligence.' It is interesting to note that the researchers focused on women only. Apparently, men' faces are more difficult to grade."
Creative Labs' sound cards won't work on Windows Vista machines, due to a malfunctioning driver -- and the company is zeroing in on a customer who has fixed the problem.
Schauble is a big proponent of the use of fingerprints in passports but is not the CCC's only target. The group has called for help in obtaining the prints of other German officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.
