[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-01-03
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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Pirate Party Founder Steps Down After 5 Years
* Samsung Set To Introduce Android-Based iPod Touch Competitor
* iPhone Alarms Hit By New Year's Bug
* Microsoft Research Takes On <em>Go</em>
* Detailing the Security Risks In PDF Standard
* <em>Super Mario Bros. 3</em> Level Design Lessons
* Some Hotmail Accounts Wiped
* Online Impersonations Now Illegal In California
* Why Published Research Findings Are Often False
* IBM Files the Patent Troll Patent
* Microsoft Patents Looks-Are-Everything Dating
* Storm Botnet Returns as Part of New Year's Attacks
* Battle Escalates Between Airlines and Online Agents
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| Pirate Party Founder Steps Down After 5 Years
| from the passing-the-parrot dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 01, @20:14 (The Internet)
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/01/01/222252/Pirate-Party-Founder-Steps-Down-After-5-Years?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ktetch-pirate writes "Five years to the day after he created the first
Pirate Party, Rickard Falkvinge has [0]stepped down as leader of
Piratpartiet, the Swedish Pirate Party. The announcement was made in a
webcast with Falkvinge and his deputy Anna Troberg, with [1]Troberg
taking on his duties effective immediately."
Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/01/01/222252/Pirate-Party-Founder-Steps-Down-After-5-Years?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-leader-rick-falkvinge-resigns-on-5th-anniversary-110101/
1. http://ktetch.blogspot.com/2011/01/5-years-of-pirate-partying.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Samsung Set To Introduce Android-Based iPod Touch Competitor
| from the touch-and-go dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 01, @23:11 (Media)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/01/2317213/Samsung-Set-To-Introduce-Android-Based-iPod-Touch-Competitor?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
blixtech writes "Virtually unchallenged in the portable media player
market, Apple's iPod Touch is set to [0]receive a pretty strong
competitor at CES 2011. Samsung has just announced they will [1]showcase
an Android-powered PMP called the Galaxy Player, featuring almost the
same hardware as the Galaxy S smartphone."
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/01/2317213/Samsung-Set-To-Introduce-Android-Based-iPod-Touch-Competitor?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-29/samsung-to-unveil-media-player-take-on-ipod-touch.html
1. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Set-to-Introduce-Android-based-iPod-Touch-Killer-at-CES-2011-174596.shtml
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| iPhone Alarms Hit By New Year's Bug
| from the wake-up-and-smell-t dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 02, @02:10 (Bug)
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0225235/iPhone-Alarms-Hit-By-New-Years-Bug?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Non-recurring iPhone alarms [0]stopped
working on January 1 for devices running iOS 4.02, 4.1, and 4.2.1.
Apparently, it will fix its self by January 3, and the current workaround
is to set the alarm to repeat. My girlfriend wasn't impressed, sleeping
in, and I wasn't either, having to race her to work!"
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0225235/iPhone-Alarms-Hit-By-New-Years-Bug?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.9to5mac.com/45310/new-years-2011-breaks-non-recurring-iphone-alarm-clocks
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Research Takes On <em>Go</em>
| from the narrowing-the-possibilities dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 02, @03:28 (Microsoft)
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0743200/Microsoft-Research-Takes-On-Go?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mikejuk writes "Microsoft Research has used F# and AI to [0]implement a
consumer-quality game of Go — arguably the most difficult two-person game
to implement. They have used an interesting approach to the problem of
playing the game, which is a pragmatic cross between tree search with
pruning and machine learning to spot moves with a 'good shape.' The whole
lot has been [1]packaged into an XNA-based game with a story."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0743200/Microsoft-Research-Takes-On-Go?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.i-programmer.info/news/105-artificial-intelligence/1773-microsoft-research-take-on-go.html
1. http://research.microsoft.com/en-US/projects/pathofgo/keyfacts.aspx
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Detailing the Security Risks In PDF Standard
| from the many-and-varied dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 02, @05:16 (Security)
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0231242/Detailing-the-Security-Risks-In-PDF-Standard?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
crabel writes with this quote from the H Online: "At the 27th Chaos
Communication Congress in Berlin security researcher Julia Wolf pointed
out numerous, previously hardly known [0]security problems in connection
with Adobe's PDF standard. For instance, a PDF can reportedly contain a
database scanner that becomes active and scans a network when the
document is printed on a network printer. Wolf said that the document
format is also full of other surprises. For example, it is reportedly
possible to write PDFs which display different content in different
operating systems, browsers or PDF readers — or even depending on a
computer's language settings."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0231242/Detailing-the-Security-Risks-In-PDF-Standard?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/27C3-danger-lurks-in-PDF-documents-1162166.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <em>Super Mario Bros. 3</em> Level Design Lessons
| from the double-whistle-to-victory dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 02, @06:36 (Classic Games (Games))
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0750225/Super-Mario-Bros-3-Level-Design-Lessons?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Significant Bits about
how the [0]early level design in Super Mario Bros. 3 gradually introduced
players to the game without needing something as blatant and obtrusive as
a tutorial: "Super Mario Bros. 3 contains many obvious design lessons
that are also present in other games, e.g., the gradual layering of
complexity that allows players to master a specific mechanic. What
surprised me during my playthrough, though, was how some of these lessons
were completely optional. The game doesn't have any forced hand-holding,
and it isn't afraid of the player simply exploring it at his own pace
(even if it means circumventing chunks of the experience)."
Discuss this story at:
https://games.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0750225/Super-Mario-Bros-3-Level-Design-Lessons?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.significant-bits.com/super-mario-bros-3-level-design-lessons
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Some Hotmail Accounts Wiped
| from the you-didn't-need-that,-right? dept.
| posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 02, @08:21 (Microsoft)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0233231/Some-Hotmail-Accounts-Wiped?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]tomhudson writes "PC Magazine reports that [1]many Hotmail accounts
have lost all their emails. Users' entire email histories have apparently
been lost. 'Users can still log in sans issue. However, they arrive at
empty inboxes: No custom folders, no messages in "Sent" or "Deleted,"
nothing. As one might expect, the abruptness (and unexpectedness) of the
purge has left some of Hotmail's long-time users a bit in the dark.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/0233231/Some-Hotmail-Accounts-Wiped?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://barbiexmlsuckscom/
1. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2374949,00.asp
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Online Impersonations Now Illegal In California
| from the lets-pretend dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 02, @09:55 (Crime)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1232240/Online-Impersonations-Now-Illegal-In-California?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
theodp writes "TechCrunch's Michael Arrington reports that [0]a
California bill criminalizing online impersonations went into effect on
January 1st. 'There has to be intent to harm, intimidate, threaten, or
defraud another person — not necessarily the person you are
impersonating,' explains Arrington. 'Free speech issues, including satire
and parody, aren't addressed in the text of the bill. The courts will
likely sort it out.' So, [1]Fake Steve Jobs, you've got to ask yourself
one question: 'Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1232240/Online-Impersonations-Now-Illegal-In-California?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/01/california-bill-criminalizing-online-impersonations-in-effect-starting-today/
1. http://www.fakesteve.net/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Why Published Research Findings Are Often False
| from the race-to-publish dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 02, @11:27 (Science)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1244210/Why-Published-Research-Findings-Are-Often-False?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Jonah Lehrer has an interesting article in the
New Yorker reporting that all sorts of well-established, [1]multiply
confirmed findings in science have started to look increasingly uncertain
as they cannot be replicated. This phenomenon doesn't yet have an
official name, but it's occurring across a wide range of fields, from
psychology to ecology and in the field of medicine, the phenomenon seems
extremely widespread, affecting not only anti-psychotics but also
therapies ranging from cardiac stents to Vitamin E and antidepressants.
'One of my mentors told me that my real mistake was trying to replicate
my work,' says researcher Jonathon Schooler. 'He told me doing that was
just setting myself up for disappointment.' For many scientists, the
effect is especially troubling because of what it exposes about the
scientific process. 'If replication is what separates the rigor of
science from the squishiness of pseudoscience, where do we put all these
rigorously validated findings that can no longer be proved?' writes
Lehrer. 'Which results should we believe?' Francis Bacon, the
early-modern philosopher and pioneer of the scientific method, once
declared that experiments were essential, because they allowed us to 'put
nature to the question' but it now appears that nature often gives us
different answers. According to John Ioannidis, author of Why Most
Published Research Findings Are False, the main problem is that too many
researchers engage in what he calls 'significance chasing,' or [2]finding
ways to interpret the data so that it passes the statistical test of
significance—the ninety-five-per-cent boundary invented by Ronald Fisher.
'The scientists are so eager to pass this magical test that they start
playing around with the numbers, trying to find anything that seems
worthy,'"
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1244210/Why-Published-Research-Findings-Are-Often-False?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/13/101213fa_fact_lehrer
2. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| IBM Files the Patent Troll Patent
| from the prior-troll dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 02, @13:17 (IBM)
| https://slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1534223/IBM-Files-the-Patent-Troll-Patent?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "It's all or nothing over at IBM as the
company goes for the gold and files the patent troll patent. Forget the
Hyperlink patent or the POS shutdown patent, IBM wants the patent patent.
Its idea is centered around an approach to manage patents from inventor
training to filing and protection strategies, including competitive
monitoring. At least in theory, IBM could get approval to [0]own the idea
how to manage patents and make a business out of IP. The next time you
file a patent, you may want to contact them as you may need a license to
file for filing."
Discuss this story at:
https://slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1534223/IBM-Files-the-Patent-Troll-Patent?from=newsletter#commentlisting
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Patents Looks-Are-Everything Dating
| from the electronic-eye-of-the-beholder dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 02, @15:10 (Microsoft)
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1742253/Microsoft-Patents-Looks-Are-Everything-Dating?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
theodp writes "Screw that eHarmony Compatibility Matching System
nonsense. 'Physical appearance is generally considered one of the most
important search criteria among users of online dating services,'
according to a patent granted Tuesday to five Microsoft Research Asia
inventors. Its [0]Image-Based Face Search technology not only allows
people to specify the 'gender, age, ethnicity, location, height, weight,
and the like' of their prey, explains Microsoft, it also allows them to
[1]'provide a query image of a face for which they would like to search
for similar faces.' So, even though you can't have the real Angelina
Jolie or Natalie Portman, Microsoft will fix you up with a look-alike."
Discuss this story at:
https://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1742253/Microsoft-Patents-Looks-Are-Everything-Dating?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=7,860,347
1. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-VQYa94fZpfZmZkNjI4MzYtMjMxMi00OWRmLWJiYWMtOThjZDQxYjJjMDM4&hl=en&authkey=CLCM3qMD
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Storm Botnet Returns as Part of New Year's Attacks
| from the starting-off-with-a-bang dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 02, @17:02 (Botnet)
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1935217/Storm-Botnet-Returns-as-Part-of-New-Years-Attacks?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trailrunner7 writes "A new spam campaign that appeared shortly before the
New Year is part of a new effort by the crew behind the Storm/Waledac
botnet and is using some rather elementary tactics--in combination with
fast-flux--to [0]attempt to compromise unsuspecting users. The new attack
emerged late last week and is fronted by a fairly lame spam campaign that
is sending millions of emails that appear to be holiday e-cards, one of
the older and more threadbare techniques in this particular game.
According to an analysis of the attack by the researchers at the
Shadowserver Foundation, victims who click on the link in the email are
directed to one of a number of compromised domains, which then redirect
the user to another page that displays a message asking the user to
download a fake Flash player. This, of course, installs a piece of
malware on the victim's machine."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/1935217/Storm-Botnet-Returns-as-Part-of-New-Years-Attacks?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/storm-botnet-returns-part-new-years-attacks-010211
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Battle Escalates Between Airlines and Online Agents
| from the fighting-the-booker dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday January 02, @18:51 (Businesses)
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/2215208/Battle-Escalates-Between-Airlines-and-Online-Agents?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Ponca City writes "The Epoch Times reports that online travel booking
giant [1]Expedia has removed American Airlines from its travel website
over disagreements with American's fee structure in the latest incident
in an escalating battle between airlines and online travel agents.
Although American gets roughly two-thirds of its revenues from
third-party travel agents like Expedia, American has been looking for
online agents to cut their fees as one way to lower fares — something
that Expedia was not prepared to do. Expedia released a statement that
American's action 'will result in higher costs and reduced transparency
for consumers, making it difficult to compare ticket prices and options
with offerings by other airlines,' while [2]American urged customers to
book directly on American's website for the lowest prices. Meanwhile
Google is waiting in the wings with its recent proposal to purchase ITA
Software, the developer of the Internet's leading technology to compare
flights fares. 'Though 49 percent of travelers purchase travel online, it
is still time consuming and slow to search for travel options online,'
says a statement from Google, defending the ITA acquisition which is
being [3]opposed by Microsoft on anti-trust grounds. 'We plan to work
with ITA to create a new, easier way for users to find better flight
information online.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/01/02/2215208/Battle-Escalates-Between-Airlines-and-Online-Agents?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://poncacityweloveyou.com/
1. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/48484/
2. http://aa.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=3109
3. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/12/13/businessinsider-microsoft-joins-group-trying-to-stop-google-ita-deal-2010-12.DTL
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