Comment Shrink? (Score 1) 32
Your shrink shouldn't be using a non-HIPPA compliant solution like zoom in the first place...
Comment *sigh* (Score 1) 377
The two Ubisoft games I've played recently (Assassins Creed and Prince of Persia) were both beautiful to look at but incredibly repetitive and not all that fun to play after an hour or so. Since then, on more than one occasion I've seen an awesome trailer that made me think "damn I need to go get that game"...until the Ubisoft logo comes up and I think "nevermind...there are better things to spend my $60 on"...I imagine that has more to do with their sales lag than piracy does...it's not like piracy rates have suddenly shot through the roof.
Comment *sigh* what a waste (Score 1) 303
It would be nice if more companies would spend their resources improving linux projects as a whole rather than trying to roll their own distributions. I see HP spending a lot of time reinventing several wheels here when their developers' time could be put to much better use in the community.
Xbox Live Disallows Linux, Unix As Keywords 281
shafty023 writes "The Xbox Live online service disallows screen names like LINUXRULES, L I N U X, and other variations of these kinds. Other bloggers are reporting that variants of 'Unix' also result in the message: 'Your motto contains inappropriate language. Please try again.'" If this is an extension of Microsoft's anti-Linux campaign, perhaps it's time they gave it up.
Another Way To Erase Memories 232
amigoro writes "Neuroscientists have discovered that long-term memories are not etched in a stable form, like a 'clay tablet,' as once thought. The process is much more dynamic, involving a miniature molecular machine that must run constantly to keep memories going. Jamming the machine briefly can erase long-term memories." A few months back we discussed a similar removal of rat memories by a different method.
One Failed NIC Strands 20,000 At LAX 293
The card in question experienced a partial failure that started about 12:50 p.m. Saturday, said Jennifer Connors, a chief in the office of field operations for the Customs and Border Protection agency. As data overloaded the system, a domino effect occurred with other computer network cards, eventually causing a total system failure. A spokeswoman for the airports agency said airport and customs officials are discussing how to handle a similar incident should it occur in the future.
Feed Yahoo Sued For Human Rights Violations (techdirt.com)
Last month, we noted that the wife of a jailed Chinese dissident had come to the US to sue Yahoo for handing over info that allowed her husband to be arrested. At the time, we were confused over what law she could sue under. Yahoo had performed the actions in China (where it was obviously legal) rather than the US. However, now the lawsuit has been filed, with the support of various human rights groups. They're claiming that Yahoo has violated international law concerning torture -- but, again, that seems like a stretch. Even the groups filing the lawsuit admit that they're fishing a bit, hoping to use the lawsuits to find out how involved Yahoo really was in having various dissidents arrested. While it's unclear if this lawsuit will get very far on a legal basis, it could be much more effective just in shaming Yahoo into adjusting its practices in giving up the private info of Chinese users.
Texas Lawmaker Wants To Let the Blind Hunt 647
IHC Navistar writes with a story from Reuters Oddly Enough. A Texas lawmaker has introduced a measure that would allow blind people to hunt any game that sighted people can currently pursue. The article notes that the bill may have clear sailing in the hunting-besotted state of Texas. An education outreach person from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explained it this way: "A blind person can shoot a rifle by mounting an offset pistol scope on the side of the rifle instead of on top. This allows their companion behind them to peer over their shoulder and help them sight it, but the blind person can pull the trigger."
Drivers License Swipes Raise Privacy Concerns 313
Clubs in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere are requiring patrons to give up their drivers licenses for a swipe through a card reader. Some bars do this too. The card reader displays their birth date and the establishments let it be assumed that the only purpose of the swipe is to check the customer's age. They rarely if ever disclose that the personal data stored on the license — the customer's name, address, license number, perhaps even height, weight, and eye color — go into a database and are retained, perhaps indefinitely. While a federal law forbids selling or sharing data from drivers licenses, there is no prohibition against collecting it. A few states have enacted such prohibitions — New Hampshire, Texas, and Nebraska. Privacy advocates warn that such personal data, once in a database, is bound to be misused. From the article: "'I don't see no problem,' said [a club-goer], 22. 'That happens every day on the Internet. Any hacker can get the information anyway.' [A Web media executive] said such reactions aren't surprising from a generation accustomed to sharing personal information on Web sites such as Facebook.com and Myspace.com. 'The kids don't care,' [he] said, 'because only old people like you and me suffer from the illusion of privacy these days.'"
Cingular's Free Music 86
PreacherTom writes "Music on one's mobile phone is nothing surprising: in fact, it is the entire principle of the upcoming iPhone. Downloading it for free is a different matter; both Verizon and Sprint's service directs to a proprietary store and charges up to $2.50 per song. Cingular plans on taking another route, having announced that they are gearing up to offer free music downloads to compatible phones. They hope to make up the difference through fees from the music subscription services for each new reference. The catch: a $15 per month fee."
File Sharing Ruled Legal In Spain 136
stupid_is writes "As a follow-up to a previous discussion a judge in Spain has ruled that under Spanish law a person who downloads music for personal use can not be punished or branded a criminal. This seems to be a teeny bit clearer than the first article, which points out that downloading is a civil, and not criminal, offense for individuals. The Spanish recording industry federation Promusicae is predictably a bit peeved, and says it will appeal against the decision." From the article: "The state prosecutor's office and two music distribution associations had sought a two year sentence against the man, who downloaded songs and then allegedly offered them on a CD through email and chat rooms. However, there was no direct proof he made money from selling the CDs. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopéz Aguilar says Spain is drafting a new law to abolish the existing right to private copies of material. Due to different regulatory regimes in Europe, the proceedings against file sharers differ greatly in each country. However, most European judges tend to take a harder stance on file sharing. Twenty two people in Finland were fined €427,000 last week for illegally sharing movies, music, games and software, while courts in Sweden also fined two men who had downloaded movies and music for personal use."
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