[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-02-28
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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* New Apple MacBook Pro Reviewed
* Iran To 'Remove Fuel' From Bushehr Nuclear Plant
* Device Addresses Healthcare Language Barrier
* Windows Browser Ballot: the Winners and the Losers
* UK Gov't Says Open Standards Must Be Royalty Free
* Consumers Buy Less Tech Stuff, Keep It Longer
* Microsoft Rewarding Employees Who Phone It In
* IT Graduates Not "Well-Trained, Ready-To-Go"
* Two Planets Found Sharing One Orbit
* Apple Asks Security Experts To Examine OS X Lion
* Tolkien Estate Censors the Word "Tolkien"
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| New Apple MacBook Pro Reviewed
| from the not-yer-daddy's-laptop dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday February 26, @19:24 (Portables (Apple))
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0024231/New-Apple-MacBook-Pro-Reviewed?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
adeelarshad82 writes "As fate would have it, an Intel chipset glitch
delayed shipments of almost every laptop manufacturer, save one. Apple,
which has typically been last in transitioning to new technology, is now
among the first to launch laptops with Sandy Bridge. The Apple [0]MacBook
Pro (Thunderbolt) is the fastest laptop out there. Powered with a
Quad-core Core i7 processor and AMD Radeon HD 6750M, the MacBook Pro has
a lot of fire power to offer. Unfortunately though it is still a bit
expensive and there is a lack of Thunderbolt devices to take advantage of
the new interface."
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0024231/New-Apple-MacBook-Pro-Reviewed?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380921,00.asp
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Iran To 'Remove Fuel' From Bushehr Nuclear Plant
| from the ha-ha-biff-stuxnet-ha-ha-that's-rich dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday February 26, @20:39 (The Military)
| https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0139250/Iran-To-Remove-Fuel-From-Bushehr-Nuclear-Plant?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mangu writes "Iran said on Saturday it is [0]removing the fuel from the
reactor of a Russian-built nuclear power plant, a move seen as a big blow
to its controversial nuclear program. The plant was first launched by the
shah using contractors from Siemens. It was shelved after the Islamic
revolution and it lay unfinished through the 1980s. In the early 1990s,
Iran sought help for the project after being turned away by Siemens over
nuclear proliferation concerns. In 1994, Russia agreed to complete the
plant and provide the fuel, with the supply deal committing Iran to
returning the spent fuel. The plant has faced hiccups even after its
physical launch, with officials blaming the delays in generating
electricity on a range of factors, including Bushehr's 'severe weather.'
But they deny it was hit by the malicious Stuxent computer worm which
struck industrial computers in Iran, although they acknowledge that the
personal computers of some personnel at Bushehr were infected with it."
Discuss this story at:
https://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0139250/Iran-To-Remove-Fuel-From-Bushehr-Nuclear-Plant?from=newsletter#commentlisting
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| Device Addresses Healthcare Language Barrier
| from the babelfish-too-accurate dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday February 26, @23:20 (Communications)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0256218/Device-Addresses-Healthcare-Language-Barrier?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zothecula writes "With over 170 languages spoken in the US alone, medical
personnel attending an emergency or working in a busy hospital are no
doubt often faced with communication problems when trying to dispense
treatment. The [0]Phrazer offers a possible solution to this problem. It
is billed as the world's first multilingual communication system, where
patients provide medical background information, symptoms or complaints
with the help of a virtual onscreen doctor speaking in their own native
tongue. This information is then summarized into a medical record
compatible with all major EMR systems." All that for only 12 to 18
thousand dollars.
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0256218/Device-Addresses-Healthcare-Language-Barrier?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.gizmag.com/phrazer-handheld-medical-communicator-announced/17959/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Windows Browser Ballot: the Winners and the Losers
| from the bureaucrats-one dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday February 27, @02:07 (Firefox)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/26/2318206/Windows-Browser-Ballot-the-Winners-and-the-Losers?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Barence writes "It's a year since the Windows browser ballot came into
being in Europe — but has it made any difference? [1]PC Pro has surveyed
the minor browser makers — who theoretically had the most to gain from
the ballot — to find out what impact it's had on their business. The
answers are very mixed. One of the 12, FlashPeak SlimBrowser, claims it's
resulted in fewer than 200 downloads per day. Others claim it's
transformed their business. One thing is for certain: the big boys still
dominate."
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/26/2318206/Windows-Browser-Ballot-the-Winners-and-the-Losers?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/
1. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/365485/the-windows-browser-ballot-the-winners-and-the-losers
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| UK Gov't Says Open Standards Must Be Royalty Free
| from the does-the-queen-still-use-red-hat? dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday February 27, @05:12 (Government)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0218241/UK-Govt-Says-Open-Standards-Must-Be-Royalty-Free?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "The H reports on an interesting development
in the United Kingdom's procurement policy. From the article: 'New
procurement guidance from the UK government has defined open standards as
having "[0]intellectual property made irrevocably available on a royalty
free basis." The [1]document, which has been published by the Cabinet
Office, applies to all government departments and says that, when
purchasing software, technology infrastructure, security or other goods
and services, departments should "wherever possible deploy open
standards."'"
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/0218241/UK-Govt-Says-Open-Standards-Must-Be-Royalty-Free?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/UK-Government-defines-open-standards-as-royalty-free-1197607.html
1. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/PPN%203_11%20Open%20Standards.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Consumers Buy Less Tech Stuff, Keep It Longer
| from the that-doesn't-sound-like-a-bad-plan dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday February 27, @08:27 (The Almighty Buck)
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/26/2332243/Consumers-Buy-Less-Tech-Stuff-Keep-It-Longer?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]Hugh Pickens writes writes "The NY Times reports that there are
indications that a sea change is taking place in consumer behavior as a
result of the great recession: [1]Americans are buying less tech stuff
and making it last longer (reg. may be required). Although in many cases
the difference is mere months, economists and consumers say the approach
may outlast a full recovery and the return of easy credit, because of the
strong impression the downturn has made on consumers. For example Patti
Hauseman stuck with her five-year-old Apple computer until it started
making odd whirring noises and occasionally malfunctioning before she
bought a new computer for Christmas — actually, a refurbished one. 'A
week later, the old one died. We timed it pretty well,' says Hauseman,
adding that it was not so much that she could not afford new things, but
that the last few years of economic turmoil had left her feeling that she
could be stealing from her future by throwing away goods that still had
value. [2]Consumers are holding onto new cars for a record 63.9 months,
up 4.5 months from a year ago and 14 percent since the end of 2008,
according one research firm. Industry analysts also report that people on
average are waiting 18 months to upgrade their cellphones, up from every
16 months just a few years ago. 'We're not going back to a time of [3]our
grandmothers' tales of what they kept and how they used things so
carefully,' says Nancy F. Koehn, a professor at the Harvard Business
School and a historian of consumer behavior. 'But we'll see a consistent
inching or trudging towards that.'"
Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/26/2332243/Consumers-Buy-Less-Tech-Stuff-Keep-It-Longer?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://poncacityweloveyou.com/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/business/26upgrade.html&OQ=_rQ3D4&OP=24cd3c52Q2FWbNAWQ5EMB4Q5CMMdfWf2IIW2fWfQ3BWAm4SPN44WfQ3Bm)Q25Q5CQ27Q5ENjQ5DdQ20e
2. http://usedcars.about.com/b/2010/11/08/consumers-now-holding-onto-a-new-vehicle-for-63-9-months.htm
3. http://knol.google.com/k/hugh-pickens/deloris-pickens-writes-remembering-the/hub5zounu2wt/209#
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Microsoft Rewarding Employees Who Phone It In
| from the have-a-couple-bucks dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 27, @10:18 (Microsoft)
| https://slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/133228/Microsoft-Rewarding-Employees-Who-Phone-It-In?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
theodp writes "For developers who are all about the Benjamins, Microsoft
has come up with an intriguing alternative to [0]Google's vaunted 20%
time. To boost the number of Windows Phone 7 apps, Microsoft has relaxed
a strict rule and will [1]let employees moonlight and keep the resulting
intellectual property and 70% of the revenue, as long as that second job
is writing apps for WP7-based devices. The rule change offers an option
for employees who don't want to leave for the insecurity of a start-up,
but still want a shot at recognition and rewards for their own ideas."
Discuss this story at:
https://slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/133228/Microsoft-Rewarding-Employees-Who-Phone-It-In?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/jobs/21pre.html&OQ=_rQ3D4&OP=944f8ffQ2FTvQ25pT(dQ3BrRddi6T6Q3EQ3ElTQ2BQ3ET6Q2BThdprT6Q2BORQ25uQ3FiQ23N
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/business/27novel.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| IT Graduates Not "Well-Trained, Ready-To-Go"
| from the welcome-to-the-real-world dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 27, @12:06 (Security)
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1530247/IT-Graduates-Not-Well-Trained-Ready-To-Go?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[0]coondoggie writes "There is a [1]disconnect between students getting
high-tech degrees and what employers are looking for in those graduates.
Employers agree that colleges and universities need to provide their
students with the essential skills required to run IT departments, yet
only 8% of hiring managers would rate IT graduates hired as
'well-trained, ready-to-go,' according to a survey of 376 organizations
that are members of the IBM user group Share and Database Trends and
Applications subscribers."
Discuss this story at:
https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1530247/IT-Graduates-Not-Well-Trained-Ready-To-Go?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://networkworld.com/
1. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/022511-it-graduates.html?hpg1=bn
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Two Planets Found Sharing One Orbit
| from the Theia's-cousin dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 27, @13:52 (Space)
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1557256/Two-Planets-Found-Sharing-One-Orbit?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dweezil-n0xad writes "Buried in the flood of data from the Kepler
telescope is a planetary system unlike any seen before. [0]Two of its
apparent planets share the same orbit around their star. If the discovery
is confirmed, it would bolster a theory that Earth once shared its orbit
with a Mars-sized body that later crashed into it, resulting in the
moon's formation."
Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1557256/Two-Planets-Found-Sharing-One-Orbit?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20160-two-planets-found-sharing-one-orbit.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Apple Asks Security Experts To Examine OS X Lion
| from the kick-the-tires dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 27, @15:35 (Security)
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1820224/Apple-Asks-Security-Experts-To-Examine-OS-X-Lion?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "For as much as Mac OS X has a reputation for
being safer than Windows, security researchers won't hesitate to point
out that the opposite is, in fact, true. But Apple's looking to change
that. This past Thursday, Apple [0]doled out a beta of OS X Lion to
developers. In conjunction with that, Apple is also [1]reaching out to
noted security experts and offering them free previews of OS X 10.7 so
that they can take a look at Apple's new security measures and reach back
to Apple with any thoughts and concerns they might have. Indeed, Apple is
becoming a lot more security conscious these days, not only in terms of
reaching out to security researchers but also in its personnel hires."
Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1820224/Apple-Asks-Security-Experts-To-Examine-OS-X-Lion?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/02/24/1920242/Mac-OS-X-107-Lion-Developer-Preview-Available
1. http://www.edibleapple.com/apple-asks-security-experts-to-examine-os-x-lion/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Tolkien Estate Censors the Word "Tolkien"
| from the keep-my-name-out-of-your-mouth dept.
| posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 27, @17:23 (Censorship)
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1940241/Tolkien-Estate-Censors-the-Word-Tolkien?from=newsletter
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An anonymous reader writes "Following their [0]recent attempt to censor a
work of historical fiction containing Tolkien as a character, the estate
have now issued a [1]takedown notice to someone making buttons with the
words '[2]While you were reading Tolkien, I was watching Evangelion' on
them, claiming 'intellectual property right infringement.' Predictably, a
new store has appeared offering a range of [3]censored Tolkien items, and
the 'offending' product has had vastly increased exposure as a direct
result of the removal."
Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/27/1940241/Tolkien-Estate-Censors-the-Word-Tolkien?from=newsletter#commentlisting
Links:
0. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/22/0021222/Tolkien-Estate-Says-No-Historical-Fiction-For-JRR?from=rss
1. http://www.giro.org/2011/02/23/the-jrr-tolkien-estate-can-go-fuck-itself/
2. http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/25/tolkien-estate-censo.html
3. http://www.zazzle.com/harpocrates/gifts
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