QuickFox - Slashdot User

Submission + - a little .mac security flaw

Submitted by

deleuth

on Saturday December 15, 2007 @05:59PM

deleuth writes: "The de facto online connectivity software sold along with many Apple computers, .Mac, has a web interface through which users can check their "iDisk" whilst away from their own computer. However, there is no Log-Out button in this web interface, so most users just close the browser and walk away...not realizing that their iDisk has been cached by the browser and that anyone who wants to can open up the browser, go back to the link in History, and get into their iDisk completely logged in. From here, files can be downloaded and/or deleted. This seems like a minor security flaw via bad interface design, and podcaster Klaatu (of thebadapples.info) posted this on the discussion.apple.com site, only to have his post removed by Apple. Furthermore, feedback at apple.com/feedback has gone unanswered. The problem remains: there is NO way for the average computer user to log-out of their iDisk on public computers! The format of the link that will get you into an iDisk is this: http://idisk.mac.com/USERNAME?view=web So a quick review of any public terminal's browser history could bring up all kinds of interesting things."

Submission + - Top ten scientific discoveries of 2007 (time.com) 2

Submitted by

Josh Fink

on Tuesday December 11, 2007 @09:30AM

Josh Fink writes: "Time Magazine has a piece about the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2007. While most of the items in the top ten are interesting, I do not know if they hold much value as the best top ten to pick from what has been discovered this year. Items such as "Kryptonite", stem cell research and the brighten supernova on file made it to the list though. Check out the editorial here. Also included in the top 10 editorial are pieces on the top 10 medical breakthroughs, the top 10 man made disasters and the top 10 green "ideas"."

Submission + - Students 'should use Wikipedia' (bbc.co.uk) 3

Submitted by on Friday December 07, 2007 @09:40AM

An anonymous reader writes: The BBC has an article on these disturbing quotes from Jimmy Wales.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has said teachers who refuse students access to the site are "bad educators". Speaking at the Online Information conference at London's Olympia, he dismissed the long-running controversy over the site's authority. He said he now thinks that students should be able to cite the online encyclopaedia in their work.

Submission + - The Device NASA Is Leaving Behind

Submitted by iminplaya on Sunday December 02, 2007 @02:39AM

iminplaya writes: After years of delays, NASA hopes to launch this week a European-built laboratory that will greatly expand the research capability of the international space station. Although some call it a milestone, the launch has focused new attention on the space agency's earlier decision to back out of plans to send up a different, $1.5 billion device — one that many scientists contend would produce far more significant knowledge. "...it would be a true international disgrace if this instrument ends up as a museum piece that never is used."

Submission + - Assyrian, Babylonian, Sumerian Translator Created (marketwire.com)

Submitted by DrJackson on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @05:49AM

DrJackson writes: A new ancient languages online translator has been developed. It can translate Assyrian, Babylonian, Sumerian and the hieroglyphic script of Egyptian (1 of the 3 anyway). This is the website: virtualsecrets.com . This is the first time I ever saw a translator for cuneiform. Something like this would be great for translating interesting historical records like the Amarna Letters.

Submission + - Going to Yosemite? Get your passport ready! (cnn.com)

Submitted by rev_media on Friday August 17, 2007 @11:52PM

rev_media writes: The Real ID acts mandates all states to begin issuing federal IDs to all citizens by 2008. Costs could be as much at $14 billion, but only 40 million are currently allocated. Several states have passed legislation expressly forbidding participation in the program, while others seem to be all for it. The IDs will be required for access to all federal areas including flights, state parks and federal buildings. People in states refusing to comply will need to show passports even for domestic flights.

Journal SPAM: CIA and FBI computers used to edit Wikipedia 3

Journal by Jeremiah Cornelius on Friday August 17, 2007 @12:35PM

CIA and FBI computers are identified as sources for edited entries on Wikipedia topics, including the Iraq war and the Guantanamo prison, according to WikiScanner - a program developed by Virgil Griffith of the Santa Fe Institute. The program is the same one that identified computers

Submission + - Heat wave shuts down Alabama reactor (chron.com)

Submitted by

mdsolar

on Friday August 17, 2007 @11:45AM

mdsolar writes: "In a first for the US, one of three nuclear reactors at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama has been shut down because the Tennessee River is too hot to provide adequate cooling for the waste heat produced by the reactor. This is happening as the TVA faces it's highest demand for power ever reports the Houston Chronicle. This effect has been seen in Europe in the past forcing reduced generation, but the US has, until now, been immune to the problem. The TVA will buy power elsewhere and impose higher rates, owing to reduced river flow as a result of drought."

Submission + - New Zealand rejects Office for Macs.

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 28, 2007 @03:38PM

An anonymous reader writes: The NZPA is reporting that the New Zealand Ministry of Education has declined to renew a licensing deal for MS Office on 25,000 Macintosh computers in the countries schools. The Education Minister, Steve Maharey, has even gone to suggest schools use free alternative NeoOffice. However a school Principal has spoken out against the decision, claiming the NeoOffice website warned users to expect problems and bugs, saying: "That's not the sort of software we should be expecting kids in New Zealand to be using."

Journal Journal: Alzheimer's and Vasectomies Linked? New Research 2

Journal by cogno64 on Tuesday February 13, 2007 @12:49AM

Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who are cognitively normal. Certain organs including the testes and the brain exist in what is the equivalent of a gated community in the body. Tiny tubes within the testes (in which sperm are produced) are protected by a physical barrier of Sertoli cells. The tight

Journal Journal: Larval Stage 1

Journal by Zarf on Monday February 12, 2007 @11:32PM

They used to say you were a geek in "larval stage" if you pulled more than one all nighter in a row. It was a sign that you were gestating some major hackage. I've noted that "larval stage" symptoms have recurred at different times in my life. Each time I learn a new programming language I kind of geek-out for a while, up late, up early, forget to eat, forget about a lot of things while I hyper focus on learning the new technology in front of me. I'm coming out of the longest "larval stage" I've

Submission + - Getting in to a Top Tier College

Submitted by on Monday February 12, 2007 @08:36PM

An anonymous reader writes: I'm currently a senior at a top rated public school and I look forward to majoring in electrical engineering. I've already been accepted into Carnegie Mellon University, so I don't need to worry about any "safety" schools. However, I still have my sights set on getting into a school such as MIT or Caltech. My grades are high (95.6 on a 100 scale) and I have several leadership positions in clubs. But I'm pretty sure that's not enough. So I ask Slashdot: What else can I do to improve my chances of being accepted there? I've already been deferred from early action at both institutions and I'm afraid it's too late to do much at this point. However, I'm sure there are other Slashdot users wondering just what it takes to go in a top college today.

Submission + - Study finds P2P has no effect on legal music sales

Submitted by

MBrichacek

on Monday February 12, 2007 @07:52PM

MBrichacek writes: "A new study in the has found that illegal music downloads have had no noticeable effects on the sale of music, contrary to the claims of the recording industry. Analyzing data from the final four months of 2002, the researchers estimated that P2P affected no more than 0.7% of sales in that timeframe. The study reports that 803 million CDs were sold in 2002, which was a decrease of about 80 million from the previous year. The RIAA has blamed the majority of the decrease on piracy, and has maintained that argument in recent years as music sales have faltered. Yet according to the study, the impact from file sharing could not have been more than 6 million albums total in 2002, leaving 74 million unsold CDs without an excuse for sitting on shelves."

Submission + - VeriSign implants 222 people with RFID chips

Submitted by

cnet-declan

on Monday February 12, 2007 @07:40PM

cnet-declan writes: "Anyone remember VeriChip, a company that came up with the idea of implanting chips in humans for tracking them? They've been behind ideas like RFID tagging immigrant and guest workers at the border, and they've persuaded a former Bush Health Secretary to get himself chipped. In this CNET News.com article, we offer an update on how successful the idea has been. It turns out that, according to IPO documents, 222 people have been implanted, with sales revenue of $100,000."

Submission + - Flu pandemic could lead to Internet usage limits

Submitted by

PetManimal

on Monday February 12, 2007 @06:36PM

PetManimal writes: "If a pandemic were to occur, many companies and organizations would ask their staffs to work from home. The impact of millions of additional people using the Internet from home might require individuals and companies to voluntarily restrain themselves from surfing to high-bandwidth sites, such as YouTube. If people don't comply, the government may step in and limit 'Net usage. The scenario is not far-fetched: Last year at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, a group of telecom and government officials conducted a pandemic exercise based on a hypothetical breakout of bird flu in central Europe. The results weren't pretty:

"We assumed total absentees of 30% to 60% trying to work from home, which would have overwhelmed the Internet," said participant Bill Thoet, vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton. "We did not assume that the backbone would be gone, but that the edge of the network, where everyone was trying to access their office from home, would be overwhelmed. The absence of maintenance was also a factor. The person who brought up the problem was himself a CEO of an Internet service provider. "The conclusion [of imminent collapse] was not absolute, and the situation was not digitally simulated, but the idea of everyone working from home appears untenable," Thoet said.
"

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