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Comment Tampered EVMs may have already been used (Score 1, Troll) 179

There have been allegations in the past that political parties in India have rigged EVMs and I think that is quite likely despite the lack of "evidence". To understand that, you need to know how the voting system works in Indian elections.

The educated elite in India are apathetic to voting. They have no trust in the administrative system and have no hope that the endemic corruption will ever end. So come election time, the people who vote are mostly the poor who hope that some day, the extravagant promises made by the political parties will be kept . Before election day, the voters are bribed with free liquor and food. The women folk are given new clothes. And finally cash is also distributed to bias the voters to chose a particular candidate. The system which issues voter identification cards is broken and sometimes you can find impostors voting on behalf of actual voters.

Given the amount of money that politicians spend on rigging manual voting, tampering EVMs is just good business practice. It is cheaper and you don't need to chase around thousands of voters.

Space

Submission + - Life's Building Blocks Found on Asteroid 24 Themis

Hugh Pickens writes: "The LA Times reports that scientists analyzing of infrared light reflected by 24 Themis, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, have discovered evidence of water ice as well as organic compounds — findings that bolster a leading theory for the origins of life on Earth that the essential building blocks of life came from asteroids. "Up until now there was no sign that asteroids had any abundant organics or ice on them," says Joshua P. Emery, a planetary astronomer at the University of Tennessee. Typically, ice on the surface of an object such as 24 Themis would quickly vaporize and vanish, says planetary scientist Richard Binzel. "Seeing freshly exposed ice on the surface, now that's a surprise. It has to be replenished from below, somehow." The possibility that water could have come from asteroids adds weight to the theory that water and organic molecules may not have originated on Earth because the Earth did not become conducive to water or organic molecules until relatively recently. "In the Earth's early history, it was very hot liquid molten rock, and if the Earth had any organic molecules back then, they were burned in that stage of its evolution," says astronomer Humberto Campins. "As the crust solidifies, it is subsequent impacts with asteroids or comets that brought the building blocks of life." Beyond the scientific interest in ice on the asteroid's surface lies a practical one, adds Binzel. If asteroids rich in accessible water ice are common, they hold the potential of serving as oases for future astronauts during interplanetary trips."

Comment Re:SuddenOutbreakOf... (Score 1) 192

Caste system has been made illegal only in name, but is still practiced in a different form by the people in power. In fact it has become endemic to the entire administrative structure of the government. Pick any government office and I'll eat my shoe if you can't find caste politics at play.

Politicians do everything they can to keep people divided on caste lines so that come election time, they are guaranteed a certain percentage of votes. Instead of backing off affirmative action for under-privileged classes after they attain some economic freedom, as was originally intended at the time of writing of the Indian constitution, politicians work very hard at bringing in more people under affirmative action, to build up their voter base. Casteism is far from gone from India. It is just thriving in a different form.

Comment Re:So are you redirected to wholesome Bollywood? (Score 1) 167

There really is no sex in Bollywood. Everything upto the point of getting nude and having sex is allowed, but the line is drawn at sex. Now a days the situation is better. At least they show people kissing each other, but a decade earlier, movies used "rich" symbolisms like bees hovering over a flower, two flowers jostling each other in the wind and shots of lightning to indicate that actors are engaged in passion and sex.
Linux Business

Submission + - Michael Dell says Linux server sales are up (silicon.com)

00_NOP writes: "Linux is growing faster in the server space than Windows says the Dell CEO:

"On the server side Linux continues to grow nicely, a bit faster than Windows. We're seeing a move to Linux in critical applications, and Linux migration has not slowed down."

With Netcraft statistics in recent months showing a big increase in Windows as a webserver and with the renewed assault on Linux's legitimacy over the issue of software patents — not a problem for those of us in Europe ;-) — this is reassuring news for FOSS advocates."

Software

India Decides to Vote "No" For OOXML 120

Indian writes to mention that after an intense meeting at Delhi's Manak Bhawan the 21-member technical committee has decided to vote against Microsoft's Open Office Extensible Mark Up Language (OOXML) standard at the September meeting of the International Standards Organization (ISO). "Microsoft said it respects the government's decision. 'There were only three options "Yes", "No" and "Abstain" to be taken and we respect the government's decision,' Microsoft's legal affairs head Rakesh Bakshi said. He, however, added that India's 'No' vote will become a 'Yes' if Microsoft is able to resolve all technical issues with OOXML before the ballot resolution committee of ISO."

Comment Re:Are you *kidding* me? (Score 1) 360

The Shiv Sena and RSS are Hindu chauvinist thugs that aren't taken seriously by anyone educated.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case always. RSS and their likes have some very strong student unions who actively campaign in many colleges and people do join them. Its usually these students who are sent to do low level vandalizing (like disrupt Valentine's day celebrations, thrash Internet cafes).

Also there are many people (highly educated, mind you), who I know, support this censorship. It basically comes down to not being able to ignore badmouthing. No one is gets hurt when someone writes some inflammatory things on some website. But people chose to get insulted and they are happy that Shivsena and RSS are fighting the "fight" for them.
Supercomputing

Submission + - Using Lasers to Speed Computer Data

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes: "The start-up Lightfleet has developed an unusual way to use lasers to speed the flow of data inside a computer, hoping to break a bottleneck that can hamper machines using many microprocessors, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: ' "You don't have traffic issues and messages colliding," said Jeffrey Hewitt, an analyst at the research firm Gartner Inc. "I think it is very interesting." Convincing the market about an unfamiliar technology is a tall order, Mr. Hewitt said; fully exploiting Lightfleet's technology could require rewriting programs.'"

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