Comment Canada (Score 1) 324
They'd just take your data then apologize for it.
Comment Re:Yecch! (Score 1) 277
I read the title as referring to insect farmers who are edible. I'm not sure if that's better or worse.
Comment Re:It's like this. (Score 1) 878
"Buy all means" sounds like a new communist advertising slogan.
Comment Re:Can't you just..... (Score 1) 475
Actually, my whole car was stolen with the transponder stuck on the window. When the police recovered the car a couple of days later, the engine, wheels, and entire interior had been stripped out, but the transponder was just laying on the floor. I'm guessing that even the car thieves know the transponders make them pretty easy to track.
How Allies Used Math Against German Tanks 330
Pepebuho writes "This an article about how the allies were able to estimate the number of German tanks produced in World War 2 based on the serial numbers of the tanks. Neat! Godwin does not apply."
Comment Re:Rational decision by school administration? (Score 4, Insightful) 287
Obviously not, and there's a certain level of sarcasm there. But the underlying point is valid - you don't want to make decisions just because the irrational minority makes a lot of noise.
In this case it's probably not worth dealing with them over something as insignificant as WiFi, but figuring out when something is important enough to fight for is the difficult question.
In this case it's probably not worth dealing with them over something as insignificant as WiFi, but figuring out when something is important enough to fight for is the difficult question.
Comment Re:Rational decision by school administration? (Score 3, Insightful) 287
Then you would have them ban immunizations for children based on the same logic?
Submission + - Research discovers how the deaf have super vision
An anonymous reader writes: Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but up until now, no one has explained how and why that could be. Researchers at The University of Western Ontario, led by Stephen Lomber of The Centre for Brain and Mind have discovered there is a causal link between enhanced visual abilities and reorganization of the part of the brain that usually handles auditory input in congenitally deaf cats. The findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, provide insight into the plasticity that may occur in the brains of deaf people.
Submission + - DMCA Used to Stifle Political Speech in Ohio Race
Ponca City, We Love You writes: "EFF reports that after Ohio Congressman John Kasich put out a commercial featuring a man dressed as a steelworker discussing Governor Ted Strickland’s record, Strickland's campaign folks apparently realized that the "steelworker" was really a paid actor, and put together their own video, mixing in clips of some of the actor's other work to make fun of Kasich. Now the DMCA has been used to send a take down demand to YouTube removing Strickland's video for at least 10 days because it uses short clips from the actor's movies. First, the political video's use is transformative because it provides evidence that the supposed steelworker was actually a paid actor and as the Supreme Court explains, transformative works "lie at the heart of the fair use doctrine’s guarantee of breathing space within the confines of copyright." Second, the political ad only uses a few seconds of the original film so a fair use is particularly justifiable when it uses the minimum necessary to make its point. "What's troubling, yet again, is that this form of political speech has been removed from YouTube in the heat of an election battle," writes Mike Masnick on Techdirt. "Even if the takedown was not political, it's clearly a case of copyright law being used to stifle political speech.""
Submission + - CBC Bans Use of Creative Commons Music on Podcasts (michaelgeist.ca) 3
An anonymous reader writes: The producers of the popular CBC radio show Spark have revealed (see the comments) that the public broadcaster has banned programs from using Creative Commons licenced music on podcasts. The decision is apparently the result of restrictions in collective agreements the CBC has with some talent agencies. In other words, groups are actively working to block the use of Creative Commons licenced alternatives in their contractual language. It is enormously problematic to learn that our public broadcaster is blocked from using music alternatives that the creators want to make readily available. The CBC obviously isn't required to use Creative Commons licenced music, but this highlights an instance where at least one of its programs wants to use it and groups that purport to support artists' right to choose the rights associated with their work is trying to stop them from doing so.
Submission + - Reuters Ends Anonymous Comments (guardian.co.uk)
eldavojohn writes: In an effort to retain civility, it appears that Thompson Reuters has ended anonymous web comments. You may recall the defense of the anonymous commentator but you need look no further than Reuters' own Dean Wright (Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards of Reuters) for not one but two lengthy editorials arguing against anonymity online. After reading his complaints against anonymous readers, it almost seems like they need a moderation system to decide what is worth reading and what is trash.
Submission + - College Student Finds GPS on Car, FBI Retrieve (wired.com) 1
mngdih writes: A 20-year-old American student in California finds a GPS tracking device on his car. Shortly after, FBI agents arrive to reclaim their property and tell the student, We have all the information we needed [. . .] Don't worry, you're boring."
Comment Simpson's Did It (Score 1) 277
Mr. Burns already built the sun blocker.
http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1590099993/
HDCP Master Key Is Legitimate; Blu-ray Is Cracked 1066
adeelarshad82 writes "Intel has confirmed that the leaked HDCP master key protecting millions of Blu-ray discs and devices that was posted to the Web this week is legitimate. The disclosure means, in effect, that all Blu-ray discs can now be unlocked and copied. HDCP (High Definition Content Protection), which was created by Intel and is administered by Digital Content Protection LLP, is the content encryption scheme that protects data, typically movies, as they pass across a DVI or an HDMI cable. According to an Intel official, the most likely scenario for a hacker would be to create a computer chip with the master key embedded it, that could be used to decode Blu-ray discs."
Two-Photon Walk a Giant Leap For Quantum Computing 112
ElectricSteve writes "Research conducted at the University of Bristol means a number of quantum computing algorithms may soon be able to execute calculations of a complexity far beyond what today's computers allow us to do. The breakthrough involves the use of a specially designed optical chip to perform what's known as a 'quantum walk' with two particles ... and it suggests the era of quantum computing may be approaching faster than the scientific establishment had predicted. A random walk – a mathematical concept with useful applications in computer science – is the trajectory of an object taking successive steps in a random direction, be it over a line (with only two possible directions) or over a multi-dimensional space. A quantum walk is the same concept, but translated to the world of quantum computing, a field in which randomness plays a central role. Quantum walks form an essential part of many of the algorithms that make this new kind of computation so promising, including search algorithms that will perform exponentially faster than the ones we use today."
