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Databases

Security Fix Leads To PostgreSQL Lock Down 100

Posted by samzenpus from the shut-it-down dept.
hypnosec writes "The developers of the PostgreSQL have announced that they are locking down access to the PostgreSQL repositories to only committers while a fix for a "sufficiently bad" security issue applied. The lock down is temporary and will be lifted once the next release is available. The core committee has announced that they 'apologize in advance for any disruption' adding that 'It seems necessary in this instance, however.'"

Comment EDDE (Score 3, Interesting) 105

by anti11es (#37291938) Attached to: Report Warns of Space Junk Reaching a Tipping Point
It looks like they've worked out a possible solution to clearing out debris in LEO.

A small fleet of net-flinging spacecraft could clear every big piece of space junk out of low-Earth orbit within a dozen years, according to a researcher working on the concept. Each spacecraft, known as an ElectroDynamic Debris Eliminator (EDDE), would capture orbital debris in a net, then drag the junk down out of harm's way. The EDDEs would draw their power from the sun and from Earth's magnetic field rather than rely on costly chemical propellants, helping keep costs down, said Jerome Pearson, president of Star Technology and Research, Inc.

Privacy

Submission + - Scotland Yard IS using facial recognition tech (cbsnews.com) 2

Submitted by nonprofiteer
nonprofiteer writes: Scotland Yard confirms that it's using facial recognition technology to identify rioters in London. "A law enforcement official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said that facial recognition is one of many tools police are using to hunt suspects still at large."

Meanwhile, the vigilante group trying an amateur stab applying facial recognition to the riot photos abandoned the project because the results sucked: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/08/11/london-riots-facial-recognition-vigilantes-abandon-their-project/

This is the big test of the surveillance state that London has become. Are all those cameras effective, or just taking a toll on privacy without bringing added security? http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/london-is-the-surveillance-societys-biggest-test-yet/243445/
Power

Submission + - US Energy Panel Cautiously Endorses Fracking

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The Christian Science Monitor reports that a US Energy Department advisory panel has endorsed fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a promising technology that injects a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals underground to fracture rock and release shale gas previously thought unretrievable paving the way for tens of thousands of new wells. If fracking can be done safely, it could be a major source of domestic energy over the next century. Shale gas makes up about 14 percent of the US natural gas supply today but is expected to reach 45 percent by 2035. But first, serious environmental concerns must be addressed. Earlier this year, a Duke University study of 68 private groundwater wells in Pennsylvania and New York state found evidence that shale-gas extraction has caused them to become contaminated with methane. One key recommendation by the panel is a call for transparency regarding the use of chemicals in the extraction process. Drillers say they would like to keep the exact formula of the chemicals they use secret because it represents a competitive advantage. "Shale gas represents a bright hope for America’s energy future" concludes CSM's editorial staff. "But only if its benefits don’t bring along an environmental disaster with them."
Firefox

Submission + - Why Google needs Firefox (extremetech.com)

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes: "Almost the entirety of Mozilla's income — 97% of $104 million — arrives in the form of royalties from the Firefox search box, and the lion's share (86%, $85 million) of those royalties are paid by the default search engine: Google. In November 2011, however, Mozilla's contract with Google will expire. Will Google renew it? A better question to ask, though, is whether Mozilla wants Google as its primary search engine."
Government

Submission + - Obama Reverses Again, Closing Datacenters (smartertechnology.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: After quadrupling the number of government datacenters over his first three years, Obama's Administration is reversing course and closing the most recently opened datacenters. With one datacenter reportedly the size of three football fields, my question is what happens to all those recently purchased servers? Will the government hold a server fire sale? Count me in!

Comment Re:...And one generation behind on HTML5 (Score 1) 341

by anti11es (#33289174) Attached to: Firefox 4 Will Be One Generation Ahead

> There's "fat-val", "tracer JIT" and "method JIT". Just curious, given all these advances in JS speed, are there technical reasons why stuff like Python, Ruby and Perl aren't getting similar improvements in speed?

Python, Ruby, and Perl are all server side scripts as opposed to Javascript which is run inside the client's browser. I'm sure the run speed of the other languages is improving over time, it just isn't in the spotlight that the browsers get.
Crime

Geologists Might Be Charged For Not Predicting Quake 375

Posted by timothy from the google-will-no-doubt-be-found-at-fault dept.
mmmscience writes "In 2009, a series of small earthquakes shook the region of L'Aquila, Italy. Seismologists investigated the tremors, but concluded that there was no direct indication of a big quake on the horizon. Less than a month later, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake killed more than 300 people. Now, the chief prosecutor of L'Aquila is looking to charge the scientists with gross negligent manslaughter for not predicting the quake."

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