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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Venezula Producing Its Own Linux PCs
* Maine Passes a Net Neutrality Resolution
* The Fallacy of Hard Tests
* Microsoft Bends To Norwegian Pressure
* Piracy More Serious Than Bank Robbery?
* Facebook Apps Facing Delays and Uncertainties
* Apple Picking a Fight it Can't Win With Safari
* Nuke-Proof Bunker Turns Out Not Waterproof
* The Impossibility of Colonizing the Galaxy
* Closed Captioning In Web Video?
* Microsoft Moves To Change NY State Election Law
* Getting the Best Deal From Dell — Or Not
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Venezula Producing Its Own Linux PCs |
| from the another-stick-in-the-eye dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday June 16, @21:49 (Linux Business) |
|
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/16/1922232
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]christian.einfeldt writes "The Venezuelan Government announced the
roll-out of [1]four different models of Linux-powered consumer computers,
three desktop models and one notebook. Branded 'Bolivarian Computers,'
they will be will be produced by a joint venture of the Venezuelan
Ministry of Light Industry and Commerce and a Chinese company named Lang
Chao. The goal of the project is to jump-start a domestic IT industry and
become an IT exporter to the rest of Latin America. At the ceremony
introducing the program, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez claimed that
the Bolivarian Computers cost 40% less than other commercially available
models and come with a 3-year warranty."
Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/16/1922232
Links:
0. mailto:einfeldt@digitaltippingpoint.co
1. http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2326
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Maine Passes a Net Neutrality Resolution |
| from the nice-gesture-anyway dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Saturday June 16, @23:49 (The Internet) |
|
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/16/2041247
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Spamicles writes "Maine has become the [0]first state in the US to pass
legislation on net neutrality. The resolution, LD 1675, recognizes the
importance of 'full, fair and non-discriminatory access to the Internet'
and instructs the Public Advocate to study what can be done to protect
the rights of Maine Internet users. A 2005 decision by the Federal
Communications Commission put in jeopardy net neutrality principles that
had been in place since the inception of the Internet." Maine's
resolution may be more symbolic than effective. This isn't [1]the first
time Maine has been out in front of other states on a controversial
issue.
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/16/2041247
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/26/0136221&tid=158
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Fallacy of Hard Tests |
| from the do-the-math dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @02:47 (Math) |
|
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/16/2248238
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Al Feldzamen writes in with a blog post on the [1]fallacious math
behind many specialist examinations. "'The test was very hard,' the
medical specialist said. 'Only 35 percent passed.' 'How did they grade
it?' I asked. 'Multiple choice,' he said. 'They count the number right.'
As a former mathematician, I immediately knew the test results were
meaningless. It was typical of the very hard test, like bar exams or
medical license exams, where very often the well-qualified and
knowledgeable fail the exam. But that's because the exam itself is a
fraud."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/16/2248238
Links:
0. mailto:alfeld@twcny.rr.com
1. http://unexpectedtruths.blogspot.com/2007/06/fallacy-of-hard-tests.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Bends To Norwegian Pressure |
| from the keeping-competitors-out dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @05:23 (Microsoft) |
|
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/16/2330251
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Martin writes "Microsoft has agreed to [0]change the terms of its school
agreement contract with Norwegian regional municipalities, following a
complaint by Norwegian open-source software company Linpro to the
Norwegian Competition Authority. Microsoft 'introduced two kinds of
flexibility in the agreement, that were previously missing,' the head of
the company's Norway operations said. One of these 'kinds of flexibility'
involved Microsoft not getting paid a license fee for each Linux and Mac
computer in schools."
Discuss this story at:
http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/16/2330251
Links:
0. http://www.linpro.no/en/nyheter_og_events/2007/linpro_vant_frem_mot_microsoft
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Piracy More Serious Than Bank Robbery? |
| from the copyright-trumps-all dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @08:09 (Businesses) |
|
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/009218
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader writes sends us to Ars Technica for a dissertation on
how [0]detached and manipulative the discussion about copyright is
becoming. "NBC/Universal general counsel Rick Cotton suggests that
society wastes entirely too much money policing crimes like burglary,
fraud, and bank-robbing, when it should be doing something about piracy
instead. 'Our law enforcement resources are seriously misaligned,' Cotton
said. 'If you add up all the various kinds of property crimes in this
country, everything from theft, to fraud, to burglary, bank-robbing, all
of it, it costs the country $16 billion a year. But intellectual property
crime runs to hundreds of billions [of dollars] a year.'" Ars points out
how completely specious that "hundreds of billions" is.
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/009218
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Facebook Apps Facing Delays and Uncertainties |
| from the it-could-happen dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday June 17, @09:28 (The Internet) |
|
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/1228259
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]NewsCloud writes "After reading about the [1]Facebook platform launch,
I spent the next week learning the API and building my application.
[2]Facebook's platform has been pretty successful despite complaints of
poor documentation, instability and outcries over its application
approval process. [3]I've been waiting two weeks for my application to be
approved for their directory and had my account disabled (temporarily)
after I invited a large number of colleagues. While I'm impressed with
the potential of the platform, the experience has made me more concerned
about the lack of transparency in privately held social networks and the
risks we take as developers when we invest time in a company's platform.
Facebook's home page advertises itself as "a social utility that connects
you with the people around you." My concern with Facebook is that there's
no one regulating the utility."
Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/1228259
Links:
0. http://www.newscloud.com/
1. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/25/0424255&tid=156
2. http://developers.facebook.com/
3. http://www.idealog.us/2007/06/thanks_for_deve.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Apple Picking a Fight it Can't Win With Safari |
| from the those-who-can-and-will-upgrade-already-have dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday June 17, @10:55 (The Internet) |
|
http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/147255
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Ian Lamont writes "Mike Elgan has [1]an analysis of Apple's successes
and concludes that the release of the Safari browser for Windows not only
goes against the Apple success formula, but is doomed to a vicious
failure: 'The insular Apple universe is a relatively gentle place, an
Athenian utopia where Apple's occasional missteps are forgiven, all
partake of the many blessings of citizenship, and everyone feels like
they're part of an Apple-created golden age of lofty ideas and superior
design. But the Windows world isn't like that. It's a cold, unforgiving
place where nothing is sacred, users turn like rabid wolves on any
company that makes even the smallest error, and no prisoners are taken.
Especially the Windows browser market. ... While security nerds were
ripping Apple for a buggy beta, the UI enthusiasts started going after
Apple for the look and feel. Here's a [2]small sample. Apple can expect
[3]much more of this in the future. The problem? Safari for Windows just
isn't Windows enough.' Elgan also expects that the Firefox faithful will
fight the Safari influx ��� a theory that has been supported by comments
from Mozilla executive John Lilly, who [4]criticized Steve Jobs' 'blurry
view of real world' just after Jobs announced Safari for Windows."
Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/147255
Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/lamont
1. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9024799&intsrc=hm_list
2. http://blog.spunlogic.com/index.php/2007/06/14/6-reasons-why-you-should-not-switch-to-safari-for-pc/
3. http://www.thepcspy.com/blog/has_apple_tripped_up_with_safari#1443
4. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9024941&intsrc=hm_list
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Nuke-Proof Bunker Turns Out Not Waterproof |
| from the maybe-send-it-to-cuba dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @12:50 (It's funny. Laugh.)|
|
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/1642250
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader writes "The AP reports on the opening of a vault in
Tulsa, OK which was designed to withstand a nuclear attack by the
Russians. 50 years ago they [0]put a Plymouth Belvedere in the vault to
preserve it so that we could get a good look at it in the (for that time)
magical year of 2007. Unfortunately it turns out that the vault wasn't
even waterproof. The once beautiful car is now a literal rust bucket."
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/1642250
Links:
0. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/15/buried.classic.ap/index.html
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Impossibility of Colonizing the Galaxy |
| from the let's-settle-the-gobi-desert-first dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @14:13 (Space) |
|
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/183242
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
OriginalArlen writes "The science fiction writer [0]Charlie Stross has
written an excellent and comprehensive explanation of why, thousands of
SF books, movies, and games notwithstanding, [1]human colonization of
other star systems is impossible. Although interstellar colonization
seems common-sensical to many, Charlie makes a clear-headed and
unarguable case, so far as I can see, that it ain't gonna happen without
a 'magic wand' or two. Nevertheless it would be interesting to see
reasoned responses from the community who believe that colonization is
not merely possible, but inevitable ��� and even, as Hawking has said,
[2]vital for the survival of the species. So, who's right ��� Hawking or
Stross?"
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/183242
Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Stross
1. http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2007/06/the_high_frontier_redux.html
2. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/13/1522243&tid=160
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Closed Captioning In Web Video? |
| from the obvious-improvement dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @15:35 (Television) |
|
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/1830242
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]mforbes writes "Like many geeks, I enjoy watching TV, movies, and
streamed video. However, in company with 2%-3% of the population, I
suffer from a problem known as [1]Central Auditory Processing Disorder,
which essentially means that I have difficulty separating the sounds of
human voices from various background noises. When watching TV and when
watching movies at home, this isn't a problem, as I can simply turn on
the closed captioning. (I find radio to be simply an annoyance.) How much
effort would it take the major purveyors of Internet video (the
broadcasting majors, etc.) to include an option for CCTV? I doubt the
bandwidth required would be more than 1% of that required for the video
already being presented. As a social libertarian, I would never ask for
government regulation of such an enterprise; I ask only that the major
studios be aware of the difficulties that those of us with auditory
disorders face. If it's rough for me, how much more difficult can it be
for someone who can't hear at all?"
Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/1830242
Links:
0. mailto:mforbes21@yahoo.com
1. http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/spring00/centralauditory.htm
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Microsoft Moves To Change NY State Election Law |
| from the taking-a-page-from-the-telcos dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @16:54 (Microsoft) |
|
http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/2011226
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
myspace-cn sends us to Bo Lipari's blog where it is revealed that
Microsoft has moved forcefully into New York State with [0]proposed
changes to NY state election law drafted by Microsoft attorneys. A
[1]document has been circulating (PDF) among the legislators for a while
now. The proposed changes would gut the source-code escrow and review
provisions in current law that were hard-fought-for and passed in New
York in 2005. Microsoft is siding with the makers of voting machines that
run on Windows ��� the company doesn't want its code inspected by
outsiders. From the article: "Now the software giant has gone a step
further, not just saying 'we won't comply with your law' but actively
trying to change state law to serve their corporate interests... Adding
insult to injury, these changes are being slipped into a bill that may be
voted on Monday or Tuesday, June 18 or 19."
Discuss this story at:
http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/2011226
Links:
0. http://nyvv.org/blog/bolipariblog.html
1. http://www.nyvv.org/newdoc/MSProposedAmendment.pdf
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Getting the Best Deal From Dell — Or Not |
| from the consumer-advice-or-proprietary-information dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Sunday June 17, @18:16 (Censorship) |
|
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/17/2036249
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Nom du Keyboard writes "When The Consumerist published [0]22 tips for
getting the best deal from Dell Computers, according to a self-described
former Dell sales manager, Dell [1]fired back with a take-down notice.
You might want to look quickly, in the event it does get taken down. The
Consumerist's lawyer's initial response was to deny the takedown
request."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/06/17/2036249
Links:
0. http://consumerist.com/consumer/insiders/22-confessions-of-a-former-dell-sales-manager-268831.php
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