Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

IT: Open Source Moving in on the Data Storage World

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 26, @05:52PM

from the sowing-data-seeds dept.

pararox writes "The data storage and backup world is one of stagnant technologies and cronyism. A neat little open source project, called Cleversafe, is trying to dispell of that notion. Using the information dispersal algorithm originally conceived of by Michael Rabin (of RSA fame), the software splits every file you backup into small slices, any majority of which can be used to perfectly recreate all the original data. The software is also very scalable, allowing you to run your own backup grid on a single desktop or across thousands of machines."

gadgets, hardware (tagging beta)

Examples: humor, hardware

Games: Kingdom Hearts II Review

Posted by Zonk on Wednesday April 26, @01:36PM

from the you've-got-to-have-heart dept.

The rich IP backgrounds of Square/Enix and the Disney Corporation were thrown together for the first time in 2002. The Square-developed game, entitled Kingdom Hearts, surprised players with a story that blended two very different flavours into a compelling whole. The extent to which that game drew on the respective company's products made for a breathtakingly large world, and a storyline twisty enough to satisfy even the most jaded RPG player. Unfortunately, weak gameplay detracted from the overall experience of the unique title. The sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, picks up the pieces where the original left off and makes noticeable improvements in both story and gameplay. Read on for my impressions of a solid RPG that does fan service like no other title out there.

gadgets, hardware (tagging beta)

Examples: humor, hardware

Slashdot CSS Redesign Contest

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @12:59PM

from the at-long-last dept.

A few months back we went and redesigned Slashdot with fancy new CSS templates. The idea was that with a new clean CSS framework under the skin, we could more easily redesign the look & feel of the site. At that time I mentioned that we wanted to have a contest to redesign Slashdot. Well that time has come. Read on for the rules, instructions, and timeline. Oh, and did I mention that the top prize is a new laptop?

gadgets, hardware (tagging beta)

Examples: humor, hardware

IT: The Comedy of Scott McNealy

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @12:27PM

from the stuff-to-laugh-at dept.

Rob writes "News that Sun co-founder and long-serving CEO, Scott McNealy is stepping aside, heaps a load of pressure on incoming CEO Jonathan Schwartz - he will have to get working on his anti-Microsoft gags quick-sharp. Aside from Sun's strategy and his execution of it, McNealy's tenure as CEO will be remembered for his constant Microsoft sniping. CBR remembers some of his favourite quotes."

IT: Windows Nag Windows to Counter Piracy

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @12:03PM

from the pirate-vein-rupture dept.

Vicegrip writes "Microsoft is enhancing its Genuine Advantage program in the US, Australia, UK, Malaysia and NZ to now include persistent nag screens to remind that your version of Windows is not licensed. These nag screens will keep appearing until you license your version of Windows or, presumably, convince Microsoft they've made a mistake."

A Last Look at ApplixWare

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 26, @11:36AM

from the blast-from-the-past dept.

Linux.com (Also owned by VA) is taking a look at the once widely popular office suite, ApplixWare. From the article: "Passed to a subsidiary of Applix called VistaSource that later became independent, ApplixWare was repositioned as a combination of a basic office package and a developer's toolkit running from a common main menu. For a while, it was even renamed AnyWare. Now at version 6, ApplixWare is back to its original name, with versions available for AIX, GNU/Linux, and SPARC Solaris, with earlier versions still supported for Windows and FreeBSD. The trial download for GNU/Linux shows ApplixWare's age, but it also shows a trick or two that its newer rivals might learn from."

Hardware: Robotic Legs Instead of Wheelchairs

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @10:58AM

from the now-thats-technology dept.

smooth wombat writes "Atsuo Takanishi, an engineering professor at Tokyo's Waseda University, has demonstrated a pair of robotic legs that may one day eliminate the need for wheelchairs. At the demonstration in Tokyo, one of Takanishi's students rode the robot -- which bears some resemblance to the mechanical "Wrong Trousers" of Wallace and Gromit fame -- up and down a staircase and along a pebbly path outdoors. A picture of the demonstration may be found here " Still waiting for my Gundam but that's a good start.

IT: Vista Firewall to be Crippled

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @10:30AM

from the no-surprises-here dept.

UltimaGuy writes "The firewall in Windows Vista will, by default, have half its protection turned off because that is what enterprise customers have requested, according to the software giant. The firewall will be set to only block incoming traffic even though it will be capable of blocking outgoing traffic. Microsoft also claims that configuring the Vista firewall to block outgoing connections from rogue applications and malware will require a varying degree of technical knowledge, depending on each user's security requirements."

IT: Perils of DNS at RIPE-52

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @10:06AM

from the don't-ping-me-there dept.

An anonymous reader wrote in to say that " The RIPE meeting got off to a good start yesterday (for those of you outside Europe, RIPE is the European counterpart to ARIN). Emin Sirer from Cornell presented his study of DNS vulnerabilities. The results are staggering: the average name depends on four dozen nameservers, 30% of domains are vulnerable to domain hijacks by simple script kiddies, 85% of domains are vulnerable to hijacks by attackers that can DoS two hosts. The lesson: DNS must be managed by professionals, and the pros have to pay attention to the DNS delegation graph when they set up name servers."

Science: Google Staff MD on Carpal Tunnel & RSI

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @09:34AM

from the wrists-to-sore-to-make-sarcastic-quip dept.

bariswheel writes "Every older and some younger Slashdotters have been subject to that tingling feeling in your wrist after countless hours of hacking, cracking, or playing CS. This Google Blog, posted by the Staff MD addresses this serious symptom that could potentially lead to "compression of the nerve which can cause numbness or tingling and eventually weakness if the nerve is damaged severely." Didn't think hard work would hurt anybody right?"

New MythTV Based PVR Available

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 26, @09:00AM

from the everyone-needs-a-rack-mountable-pvr dept.

aotea_Joe writes "OpenMedia is putting together a mad crazy Linux based home media pc. It's DVB-T and HDTV capable, network ready (streaming, control, sharing). Has all the standard PVR features (real time pause, scheduling, listings etc). Plus you own the hardware, get support and get updates/maintenance. Is it too good to be true?"

Politics: Oklahoma Senate OKs Violent-Games Bill

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 26, @08:17AM

from the where-is-their-judge-to-vote-it-down dept.

CNet is reporting that the Oklahoma Senate unanimously approved a new violent-games bill on Monday that makes it a crime to sell violent video games to children under 18. From the article: "The bill passed 47-0 in the state Senate, but is being held on a motion to reconsider the vote within three legislative days before being sent back to the House to vote on Senate amendments."

IT: Internet2 Gets a New Backbone

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 26, @05:34AM

from the where-and-through-whom dept.

wrong_fuel writes "A few of you know that Internet2 and NLR (National Lambda Rail) have been in talks for some time regarding a merger of the two networks. Those talks have fallen apart and Internet2's contracts with Qwest communications had already been allowed to lapse. Internet2 has now reached an agreement with an unnamed carrier for its next generation backbone. The new network will likely be named later this year (the old one was referred to as "Abilene") and current member Universities will be migrated off of Abilene by September 2007."

Hardware: Low Emission Cars Continue to Gain Popularity

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 26, @02:36AM

from the choosing-which-end-to-pay-on dept.

Rio writes "A company may soon offer American motorists a new option to save on high gas prices -- vehicles powered by lithium batteries. From the article: 'Just plug in these cars for about five hours or so and you'll get about 300 miles on a single charge.' The vehicles cost about $35,000 or about double what buyers would pay for a gas-powered model." Relatedly acidrain writes to tell us The BBC is reporting that a prototype of the new "Clever car" (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport) is starting to make the rounds on European test tracks. The car is one meter wide and less polluting than normal vehicles. It has a top speed of 100 km/h (60mph) and uses a novel tilting chassis to make it safe and maneuverable.

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