EMA(TM) analysts explore four use cases for Gazzang ezNcrypt deployment.
Responsible for the protection of sensitive information? Wonder which
way to turn when it comes to simple, transparent and unified data
encryption? See what EMA (TM) has to say about data security with ezNcrypt.
http://p.sf.net/sfu/gazzang-sdnews
======================================================================
Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* What's Keeping You On Windows?
* Zynga To Employees: Surrender Pre-IPO Shares Or You're Fired
* Linux Mint: the New Ubuntu?
* Valve Announces Massive Steam Server Intrusion
* Kindle Fire Will Be Hotter Than iPad This Holiday
* Sony Racing Apple To Develop 'a New Kind of TV'
* Mexican Cartel Beheads Another Blogger
* Device Detects Drug Use Via Fingerprints
* Pristine Big Bang Gas Found
* DARPA Wants To Get Rid of Password Protection
* Logitech Calls Google TV a 'Big Mistake'
* Brits Rejecting Superfast Broadband
* Firefox 9.0 Beta Available
* <em>The Elder Scrolls</em> Return With <em>Skyrim</em>
* <em>LEGO Universe</em> To Shut Down
* Will Adobe's HTML5 Strategy Help Developers?
* Universal Buys EMI's Recorded Music Unit For $1.9 Billion
* How Is Technology Changing the Brain?
* Russians Can't Make Contact With Busted Space Probe
* Linux Kernel Power Bug Is Fixed
* Heavy Duty Electric Unicycle Maker Takes On Segway
* The Transistor Wars
* <em>Star Trek Online</em> Going Free-To-Play In January
* Facebook Agrees To Make New Privacy Changes Opt-In
* 60 Years of Business Computing Started With Tea Shops
* So You Want To Be a Zero Day Exploit Millionaire?
* Helium White Dwarf Stars Bear New Quasiparticle
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| What's Keeping You On Windows?
| from the old-slippers dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday November 11, @08:09 (Windows)
| with 1585 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0233227/whats-keeping-you-on-windows?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]tearmeapart writes "It may be time again for another
discussion/flamewar on the reasons why a lot of us are (still) using
Microsoft. The [1]last big discussion on Slashdot was close to 10 years
ago, and a lot has changed since then: Windows XP and 7 have proven to be
stable (and memories of Windows ME are mostly gone.) There are many more
distributions for Linux, especially commercial options. Distributions
like Ubuntu and CentOS have made GNU/Linux more friendly. Options for
word processing, spreadsheets, etc. have grown. Apple and their products
have changed considerably, though their philosophy hasn't. Microsoft
Silverlight came and is on the way out. Wine and solutions like
Transgaming have matured. So... why are a lot of us still using Windows?
What would it take for us to switch?"
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0233227/whats-keeping-you-on-windows?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://localhost/
1. http://ask.slashdot.org/story/02/11/13/2127227/whats-keeping-you-on-windows
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Zynga To Employees: Surrender Pre-IPO Shares Or You're Fired
| from the no-trade-backs dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday November 10, @19:52 (The Almighty Buck)
| with 525 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/10/237229/zynga-to-employees-surrender-pre-ipo-shares-or-youre-fired?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ardmhacha writes "Zynga seem to think they were [0]overly generous
handing out stock to early employees. Fearing a '[1]Google Chef'
situation they are leaning on some employees to [2]hand back their
unvested stock or face termination. From the article: 'Zynga's demand for
the return of shares could expose the company to employment
litigation���and, were the practice to catch on and spread, would erode a
central pillar of Silicon Valley culture, in which start-ups with limited
cash and a risk of failure dangle the possibility of stock riches in
order to lure talent.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/10/237229/zynga-to-employees-surrender-pre-ipo-shares-or-youre-fired?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970204621904577018373223480802-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Ayers
2. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-57322150-17/zynga-to-employees-give-back-our-stock-or-youll-be-fired/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Linux Mint: the New Ubuntu?
| from the skeptical-skylarks-and-bandwagonning-bandicoots dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @13:10 (Linux Business)
| with 522 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1752226/linux-mint-the-new-ubuntu?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]MrSeb writes "In the Linux world, a war has been raging for a couple
years. At stake are the hearts and minds of its user base. The
combatants: the various distributions of Linux itself. For some time,
Ubuntu Linux has been the clear leader in the fight, amassing more users
than any other. Canonical and its baby seemed poised to take over the
Linux desktop/laptop market completely ��� until it released Unity. Unity
has caused an uproar in the Linux community ��� especially amongst the
power users who decry its lack of customizability and inability to scale
on big- and multi-monitor setups ��� and [1]users are defecting in droves
to Linux Mint, now the [2]second most popular Debian-based distro and
gaining fast on Ubuntu. Mint has very similar commands and shortcuts to
Ubuntu, runs most apps the same as Ubuntu, and you can customize it to
look and feel exactly how you want ��� which, for most users of Linux, is
exactly what they want."
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1752226/linux-mint-the-new-ubuntu?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://mrseb.co.uk/
1. http://www.extremetech.com/computing/104581-linux-mint-the-new-ubuntu
2. http://distrowatch.com/stats.php?section=popularity
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Valve Announces Massive Steam Server Intrusion
| from the save-my-game dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday November 10, @19:02 (Security)
| with 424 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/10/2316220/valve-announces-massive-steam-server-intrusion?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SKYMTL writes "Valve has revealed that [0]hackers have gained access to
the Steam database and have pulled a variety of information. A statement
from Gabe Newell reads in part: 'Dear Steam Users and Steam Forum Users,
Our Steam forums were defaced on the evening of Sunday, November 6. We
began investigating and found that the intrusion goes beyond the Steam
forums. We learned that intruders obtained access to a Steam database in
addition to the forums. This database contained information including
user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses,
billing addresses and encrypted credit card information. We do not have
evidence that encrypted credit card numbers or personally identifying
information were taken by the intruders, or that the protection on credit
card numbers or passwords was cracked. We are still investigating. We
don���t have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you
should watch your credit card activity and statements closely."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/10/2316220/valve-announces-massive-steam-server-intrusion?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Kindle Fire Will Be Hotter Than iPad This Holiday
| from the get-them-while-they're-hot dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Thursday November 10, @22:29 (Apple)
| with 248 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0041249/kindle-fire-will-be-hotter-than-ipad-this-holiday?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zacharye writes "Amazon's upcoming [0]Kindle Fire could be the hottest
tablet on the market this holiday season, with demand that may even
surpass Apple's blockbuster slate, the iPad 2. Results from a recent
survey published by electronics shopping guide Retrevo.com suggest that
more consumers are interested in purchasing Amazon's upcoming tablet than
Apple's tried and true iPad. As a result, the site speculates that the
Kindle Fire represents Apple's first real competition in the tablet
space."
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0041249/kindle-fire-will-be-hotter-than-ipad-this-holiday?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/10/kindle-fire-could-be-hotter-than-ipad-this-holiday-season-study-finds/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Sony Racing Apple To Develop 'a New Kind of TV'
| from the how-about-one-that-doesn't-support-reality-shows dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @08:53 (Television)
| with 248 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1327220/sony-racing-apple-to-develop-a-new-kind-of-tv?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PolygamousRanchKid writes with an excerpt from SlashGear about [0]Sony's
efforts to reinvent the television set ��� a task many suspect Apple is
focused on as well. Quoting: "'There's a tremendous amount of R&D going
into a different kind of TV set,' CEO Howard Stringer told the WSJ (in a
[1]paywalled article). ... [W]hat Apple and Sony agree on is that the
traditional TV paradigm must evolve if the segment is to become
profitable again. A new model is 'what we���re all looking for,' Stringer
confirmed, suggesting that 'we can���t continue selling TV sets [the way we
have been]. Every TV set we all make loses money.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1327220/sony-racing-apple-to-develop-a-new-kind-of-tv?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.slashgear.com/sony-four-screen-revolution-to-preempt-apple-siri-tv-11194673/
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204224604577030192732123080.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Mexican Cartel Beheads Another Blogger
| from the more-effective-than-a-slapp dept.
| posted by timothy on Friday November 11, @18:55 (Crime)
| with 247 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2343221/mexican-cartel-beheads-another-blogger?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sanzibar writes "The Zetas [0]killed and beheaded an Internet blogger
Wednesday in Nuevo Laredo, the fourth slaying in the city involving
people associated with social media sites since early September. '"This
happened to me for not understanding that I shouldn't report on the
social networks," advised a note left before dawn with the man's body at
a key intersection in the city's wealthier neighborhood. The victim,
identified on social networking sites only by his nickname ��� Rascatripas
or Belly Scratcher ��� reportedly helped moderate a site called En Vivo
that posted news of shootouts and other activities of the Zetas, the
narcotics and extortion gang that all but controls the city.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2343221/mexican-cartel-beheads-another-blogger?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Device Detects Drug Use Via Fingerprints
| from the giving-it-the-finger-test dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday November 11, @05:24 (Privacy)
| with 213 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0410234/device-detects-drug-use-via-fingerprints?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cylonlover writes "Fingerprints have been used to confirm or determine
peoples' identities for over one hundred years now, but new technology is
allowing them to be put to another use ��� drug testing. Intelligent
Fingerprinting (a spin-off company affiliated with the UK's University of
East Anglia) has just unveiled a prototype [0]portable device that can
detect the presence of illicit drugs or other substances in a person's
system by analyzing the sweat in their fingerprints."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0410234/device-detects-drug-use-via-fingerprints?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/fingerprint-drug-testing-device/20465/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Pristine Big Bang Gas Found
| from the drill-baby-drill dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @12:27 (Space)
| with 200 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1632232/pristine-big-bang-gas-found?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New submitter cekerr sends this quote from Discovery News: "U.S.
scientists have found two interstellar clouds of original gas, which
[0]contain only original elements created moments after the universe's
birth ([1]abstract). Unlike everything else in the universe, the gas
clouds have never mingled with elements forged later in stars. The
existence of pristine gas that formed minutes after the Big Bang
explosion, some 13.7 billion years ago, had been predicted, but never
before observed."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1632232/pristine-big-bang-gas-found?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.discovery.com/space/big-bang-gas-stars-111110.html
1. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/11/09/science.1213581
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| DARPA Wants To Get Rid of Password Protection
| from the forget-the-words dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday November 11, @00:47 (Security)
| with 193 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/020202/darpa-wants-to-get-rid-of-password-protection?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]coondoggie writes "Researchers from the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency will next week detail a new program it hopes will develop
technology to [1]dramatically change computer system security
authorization. The program, called Active Authentication, looks to
develop technology that goes way beyond today's use of hard to remember
password protection and determine identity through 'use of software
applications that can determine identity through the activities the user
normally performs,' DARPA said."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/020202/darpa-wants-to-get-rid-of-password-protection?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://networkworld.com/
1. http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/darpa-detail-program-radically-alters-securit
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Logitech Calls Google TV a 'Big Mistake'
| from the easy-for-you-to-say dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @13:54 (Google)
| with 168 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1822240/logitech-calls-google-tv-a-big-mistake?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Logitech CEO Guerrino De Luca [0]spoke
bluntly about Google TV yesterday, referring to it as a 'beta' product
and saying that relying on it for the Revue set-top boxes was a mistake.
Logitech will stop production of the Revue, and plans to implement
significant price cuts to [1]get rid of their remaining inventory. 'He
said there are "no plans to introduce another box to replace Revue."
Further, he predicted that the "grandchild of Google TV" might succeed
but not the current product. For now, that leaves Sony televisions with
the Google software for people looking for the Google TV experience.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1822240/logitech-calls-google-tv-a-big-mistake?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/11/logitech-says-google-tv-was-a-big-mistake.html
1. http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/10/2553406/logitech-ceo-google-tv-cost-us-dearly-no-revue-replacement-coming
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Brits Rejecting Superfast Broadband
| from the ship-it-across-the-pond-we'll-take-it dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @16:47 (The Internet)
| with 158 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2130208/brits-rejecting-superfast-broadband?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Barence writes "Britain's biggest ISPs are [1]struggling to convince
customers to upgrade to superfast broadband. Of the six million customers
who can get fiber broadband from BT, Britain's biggest ISP, only 300,000
have done so ��� a conversion rate of only 5%. Only 2.3% of Virgin Media
customers, meanwhile, have upgraded to 50Mbits/sec or 100Mbits/sec
connections. The chief of Ofcom, Britain's telecoms regulator, admits
that take-up is 'still low' and says only families with teenage children
are bothering to upgrade to fiber."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2130208/brits-rejecting-superfast-broadband?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/11/11/how-bad-is-superfast-broadband-uptake/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Firefox 9.0 Beta Available
| from the like-clockwork dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @17:51 (Firefox)
| with 143 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2222243/firefox-90-beta-available?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader tips news that, right on schedule after Tuesday's
[0]Firefox 8.0 launch, Mozilla has [1]rolled out the beta of Firefox 9.0.
This update brings a significant [2]boost to JavaScript performance, UI
improvements for the OS X Lion version, and Do Not Track opt-out
detection for developers. 9.0 beta also "supports chunking for XHR
requests so websites can receive data that���s part of a large XHR download
in progress. This helps developers make websites and Web apps faster,
especially those that download large sets of data or via AJAX."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2222243/firefox-90-beta-available?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://slashdot.org/story/11/11/08/2050206/firefox-80-released
1. http://blog.mozilla.com/futurereleases/2011/11/10/firefoxbeta9/
2. http://blog.mozilla.com/futurereleases/2011/11/10/type-inference-to-firefox-beta/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>The Elder Scrolls</em> Return With <em>Skyrim</em>
| from the my-horse-could-really-use-some-armor dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @11:11 (Role Playing (Games))
| with 130 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1524220/the-elder-scrolls-return-with-skyrim?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today marks the release of Skyrim, the fifth installment of Bethesda's
The Elder Scrolls series. The game is set about 200 years after the
events of Oblivion, at which point the province of Skyrim is embroiled in
a civil war, and dragons roam the skies. Early reviews for the game have
been largely complimentary ��� one at Rock, Paper, Shotgun artfully
[0]details all the things the reviewer hasn't yet done, despite playing
the game for over 30 hours. Quoting: "I seriously worried Skyrim would,
for all its talk of lavishness, depth and dragons, continue the
transformation into a trudging, consolified action game filled with
clunky acting. It does not. It slams on the brakes then reverses at
dangerous speed back into Morrowind territory. Some things are lost (e.g.
Persuasion is a sadly watered-down, irregular affair now mostly to do
with shopping), many things are changed (e.g. recharging magic items can
be done anywhere) and it���s certainly not as weird (no flying or
Siltstriders), but it truly reclaims that sense of being in another
world, rather than a generic soft-focus, over-familiar fantasyscape." An
addendum [1]goes into more detail on the specifics. If you're curious how
the game looks in action, Giant Bomb has posted [2]a ~52-minute
quick-look video with commentary.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1524220/the-elder-scrolls-return-with-skyrim?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/10/skyrim-review-pc/
1. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/11/wot-i-think-skyrim-addendum-1/
2. http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/17-5234/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>LEGO Universe</em> To Shut Down
| from the it-never-worked-with-my-knockoff-building-blocks-anyway dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @02:03 (Games)
| with 113 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0458205/lego-universe-to-shut-down?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CmdrStone writes "The Universe is ending in the eyes of LEGO. (Cheap pun,
I know.) From the announcement: 'We are very sad to announce that [0]
LEGO Universe will be closing on January 31, 2012. This was a very
difficult decision to make, but unfortunately LEGO Universe has not been
able to attract the number of members needed to keep the game open.' It's
too bad; I enjoyed playing this game with my kids. Open sourcing the game
would be nice."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0458205/lego-universe-to-shut-down?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://universe.lego.com/en-us/community/newsnetwork/story.aspx?id=359519&icmp=COHomeNewsUSLU
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Will Adobe's HTML5 Strategy Help Developers?
| from the i'm-sure-it's-foremost-on-their-minds dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @09:36 (Programming)
| with 113 comments
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1411253/will-adobes-html5-strategy-help-developers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister sees Adobe's shift
toward HTML5 as a boon for developers only [1]if the company secures its
place in the Web developer tools market ��� but initial signs suggest that
this won't be the case. 'The opportunity for Adobe now lies in filling
the gaps in today's IDEs, code editors, and graphics software with new
tools that can help designers and developers more easily take advantage
of the multimedia capabilities of HTML5,' McAllister writes.
'Unfortunately, however, it sounds like Adobe is going to drop the ball.
In this week's [2]meeting with financial analysts, the company said its
emphasis is not on building great tools but on subscription pricing,
[3]Web-based content creation software, and ��� most important of all ���
growing its digital marketing, advertising, and analytics businesses.
That's right: Adobe wants to be Google. It's too bad because Web
developers could really use an Adobe right now.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://developers.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1411253/will-adobes-html5-strategy-help-developers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.infoworld.com/
1. http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/will-adobes-html5-strategy-really-help-developers-178568
2. http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/201111/110811AdobeFinancialAnalystMeeting.html
3. http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/adobe-launches-cloud-services-content-creators-174841
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Universal Buys EMI's Recorded Music Unit For $1.9 Billion
| from the all-you-need-is-love-and-a-monopoly dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @11:45 (Businesses)
| with 111 comments
| https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1624236/universal-buys-emis-recorded-music-unit-for-19-billion?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "The 'Big Four' music labels are about to
become the 'Big Three.' Universal Music Group is [0]buying the recorded
music unit of EMI for $1.9 billion. It's expected that a consortium led
by Sony will soon [1]purchase EMI's publishing unit for upwards of $2
billion. 'Although the enlarged Universal will now account a third of all
music sales worldwide, company executives believe they can persuade
regulators to allow it to swallow the business whole because the music
industry is in such decline. Nevertheless, Universal will respond by
selling record labels or catalogs if the European Commission were to
demand disposals.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1624236/universal-buys-emis-recorded-music-unit-for-19-billion?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fiw-citigroup-emi-20111111,0,4778383.story
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/11/universal-to-buy-emi-music-division?newsfeed=true
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| How Is Technology Changing the Brain?
| from the resistance-is-futile dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @10:18 (Technology)
| with 101 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1459258/how-is-technology-changing-the-brain?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "An article at silicon.com explores [0]how the
use of technology might be changing the brain ��� including interviews with
Nicholas Carr and Susan Greenfield. 'The research suggests the brain acts
almost like a muscle - bulking up in regions required to perform
oft-repeated mental tasks but diminishing in regions used for less common
types of thinking. Or to put it another way, for example: do a lot of
mental arithmetic, and your brain will get better at doing mental
arithmetic. ... [Carr] goes on to suggest there is now a body of evidence
that indicates the human brain adapts to suit how we use it. The question
that follows is whether our technologies are making the best use of our
grey matter.' The article makes an interesting point about how skill-loss
is only part of the picture: 'When we look at technology we can't just
look at loss, we also have to look at gain, and we also have to look at
skillsets in the context of the modern world ��� our grandparents' skillset
is not the skillset that will serve us the best.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1459258/how-is-technology-changing-the-brain?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Russians Can't Make Contact With Busted Space Probe
| from the expensive-fireworks dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @15:20 (Mars)
| with 101 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1959212/russians-cant-make-contact-with-busted-space-probe?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New submitter benfrog writes "Despite repeated attempts over the past few
days, Russia [0]is unable to make contact with Phobos-Grunt, the probe
that was supposed to make it to Mars and [1]never left Earth's atmosphere.
[2]Estimates now vary widely on the time left to contact the probe, but
it is descending toward Earth and will likely turn into scrap before it
can be reached." Official information is still hard to come by, but the
Planetary Society Weblog has been [3]keeping up with the story.
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1959212/russians-cant-make-contact-with-busted-space-probe?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15698439
1. http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/09/0232218/phobos-grunt-launches-to-retrieve-a-sample-of-phobos
2. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/11/phobos_grunt_silent/
3. http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003254/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Linux Kernel Power Bug Is Fixed
| from the another-one-bites-the-dust dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @16:21 (Bug)
| with 91 comments
| https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2036245/linux-kernel-power-bug-is-fixed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "The [0]Linux kernel power bug that caused
high power usage for many Intel Linux systems has finally been addressed.
Matthew Garrett of Red Hat has devised [1]a solution for the ASPM Linux
power problem by mimicking Microsoft Windows' power behavior in the Linux
kernel. [2]A patch is on LKML for this solution to finally restore the
battery life under Linux."
Discuss this story at:
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2036245/linux-kernel-power-bug-is-fixed?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/10/07/237222/kernel-bug-means-linux-power-usage-remains-high
1. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_aspm_solution&num=1
2. https://lkml.org/lkml/2011/11/10/467
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Heavy Duty Electric Unicycle Maker Takes On Segway
| from the battle-of-the-ages dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday November 11, @15:05 (Transportation)
| with 75 comments
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1623216/heavy-duty-electric-unicycle-maker-takes-on-segway?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
formaggio writes "Designer Chris Hoffmann developed the Ryno, a [0]heavy
duty electric unicycle with a top speed of 25 mph, a range of up to 30
miles and an impressive 25-inch thick tire. The cost for a pre-production
Ryno is a whopping $25,000, and Hoffmann already has five orders, but he
expects the [1]market model to cost about $3,500."
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1623216/heavy-duty-electric-unicycle-maker-takes-on-segway?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://inhabitat.com/the-ryno-electric-unicycle-is-a-one-wheeled-muscle-machine/
1. http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/02/ryno-motors-self-balancing-single-wheeled-scooter-test-ride/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The Transistor Wars
| from the not-so-long-ago-in-a-galaxy-that-looks-pretty-familiar dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @18:13 (AMD)
| with 68 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2226257/the-transistor-wars?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "This article has an interesting round-up of
[0]how chipmakers are handling the dwindling returns of pursuing Moore's
Law. Intel's about four years ahead of the rest of the semiconductor
industry with its new 3D transistors. But not everyone's convinced 3D is
the answer. 'There's a simple reason everyone's contemplating a redesign:
The smaller you make a CMOS transistor, the more current it leaks when
it's switched off. This leakage arises from the device's geometry. A
standard CMOS transistor has four parts: a source, a drain, a channel
that connects the two, and a gate on top to control the channel. When the
gate is turned on, it creates a conductive path that allows electrons or
holes to move from the source to the drain. When the gate is switched
off, this conductive path is supposed to disappear. But as engineers have
shrunk the distance between the source and drain, the gate's control over
the transistor channel has gotten weaker. Current sneaks through the part
of the channel that's farthest from the gate and also through the
underlying silicon substrate. The only way to cut down on leaks is to
find a way to remove all that excess silicon.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2226257/the-transistor-wars?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/transistor-wars/0
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>Star Trek Online</em> Going Free-To-Play In January
| from the you-mean-you-don't-get-paid dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @17:09 (PC Games (Games))
| with 57 comments
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2153252/star-trek-online-going-free-to-play-in-january?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]tekgoblin writes "Cryptic Studios, the developer of the Star Trek
Online MMO, announced that they are [1]switching to a Free-to-Play model
on January 17th. Free subscribers to the game will be able to play, but
[2]will not get the same benefits as paying subscribers still get. Free
accounts will be Silver, while paid accounts will be called Gold. Silver
accounts will be able to pay for features that Gold members will get as
part of their paid subscription. These features include but are not
limited to respecs and extra character slots." EverQuest II is [3]jumping
on the free-to-play bandwagon as well.
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2153252/star-trek-online-going-free-to-play-in-january?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.tekgoblin.com/
1. http://startrekonline.com/node/2683
2. http://www.tekgoblin.com/2011/11/11/star-trek-online-goes-free-to-play-starting-january-17th/
3. http://stationblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/everquest-ii-producers-letter/#more-3307
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Facebook Agrees To Make New Privacy Changes Opt-In
| from the what-to-choose? dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Friday November 11, @03:15 (Facebook)
| with 56 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0422225/facebook-agrees-to-make-new-privacy-changes-opt-in?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Facebook has reached an agreement with the
FTC to [0]make all future changes to privacy settings opt-in, presumably
including new features with their own privacy controls. The Wall Street
Journal wrote that the social network was nearing a settlement on the
issue and now its Marketplace editor Dennis K. Berman says that
settlement is for new privacy controls to be opt in. The agreement could
limit Facebook's ability to drive adoption of new features, as they won't
be able to immediately go viral. Users rarely visit their privacy
settings, so Facebook will need to devise a way to get them to do so."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/0422225/facebook-agrees-to-make-new-privacy-changes-opt-in?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 60 Years of Business Computing Started With Tea Shops
| from the at-a-steep-price dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @17:30 (Businesses)
| with 48 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2216219/60-years-of-business-computing-started-with-tea-shops?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
theshowmecanuck writes "The Telegraph has an article talking about the
60th anniversary of [0]The Lyons Electronic Office I (LEO I), complete
with an old video from the mid '50s about LEO II. The LEO I was [1]the
first major computer business system. It was installed at a large
catering company in the U.K. named [2]J. Lyons and Co. that operated a
chain of tea shops among other business interests. So, blame them or
praise them, November 17, 2011 will mark 60 years since the day in 1951
that the Brits started the age of business computing. All hail our tea-
and biscuit-powered computer overlords."
Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2216219/60-years-of-business-computing-started-with-tea-shops?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEO_(computer)
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8879727/How-a-chain-of-tea-shops-kickstarted-the-computer-age.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Lyons_and_Co.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| So You Want To Be a Zero Day Exploit Millionaire?
| from the good-luck-with-that dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @16:03 (Security)
| with 26 comments
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2045236/so-you-want-to-be-a-zero-day-exploit-millionaire?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]gManZboy writes "There's a thriving trade in zero-day vulnerabilities,
predicated on keeping knowledge of these vulnerabilities out of the
public domain. For security researchers with knowledge of a bug that's
not worth much, or for researchers who question the ethics of selling any
bug information, there are alternatives. Vulnerability information
service Secunia launched its Secunia Vulnerability Coordination Reward
Program, which formalizes what Secunia says it's been doing informally
for some time: It acts as a go-between for security researchers that have
discovered a vulnerability in a product, and the vendor of that product.
Do such practices [1]jeopardize security for the many, while safeguarding
just the few? It's still unclear whether Stuxnet's authors discovered the
zero-day vulnerabilities themselves, procured them from a legal market,
or bought them on the black market. If you're going to cash in, you face
some tough ethical questions."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/2045236/so-you-want-to-be-a-zero-day-exploit-millionaire?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.informationweek.com/
1. http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/231902813
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Helium White Dwarf Stars Bear New Quasiparticle
| from the reported-in-a-chipmunk-voice dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, @14:37 (Space)
| with 25 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1911207/helium-white-dwarf-stars-bear-new-quasiparticle?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eldavojohn writes "Helium white dwarf stars are now [0]theorized to
produce a new kind of quasiparticle that would explain a known
temperature anomaly between helium white dwarfs and vanilla white dwarfs
(lumps of charcoal). Since helium can form a [1]Bose-Einstein condensate
and there are extra constraints inside such a dense object, a new
quasiparticle emerges. Researchers' models claim it 'reduces the specific
heat of the white dwarf core by two orders of magnitude compared to a
crystalline core.' But even with that figured in, measurements of some
nearby ancient helium white dwarfs show that they don't fit the specific
temperature curve exactly. So, some questions remain, with the possible
explanation that these stars undergo internal transition late in their
age. The heavy reading is [2]available on the prepublication site arXiv."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/11/11/1911207/helium-white-dwarf-stars-bear-new-quasiparticle?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27331/
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose%E2%80%93Einstein_condensate
2. http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.1343
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