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Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Acoustic sensors make any surface interactive

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Using cheap acoustic sensors the surface of any 3D object can be instantly made into a touch-sensitive interface capable of tracking two objects at once. Its creators are planning to make hospitals more hygienic — keyboards and mice will be replaced by desks wired to perform as keyboards and touchpads. A video shows it in action [.wmv].
Security

Submission + - First true AJAX password manager

Submitted by
Passlet
Passlet writes: "An online password manager has to overcome a fundamental problem of trust before it is deemed secure to use: as a user, how do I know that the web site will not steal my information? Passlet (http://www.passlet.com) is the first online password manager to address this issue with technology rather than language. It uses AJAX to perform all encryption and decryption operations within the browser itself. The user's master password is never sent to the server and the information stored on the Passlet server is completely worthless to an attacker or to Passlet itself. The encryption used is AES. The user's master password is converted into a 128-bit key by means of the key derivation function PBKDF2 (c.f. RFC 2898). This is all done in JavaScript, client-side. The disadvantages of JavaScript as a security language are part of folklore. The critical advantage, however, is that a human can read all the code before it is executed, so she knows exactly what is going to be done."
Sci-Fi

Submission + - Polonium-210 Available Through Mail Order

Submitted by Knutsi
Knutsi writes: InformationWeek is reporting that Polonium 210, the radioactive material used to poison former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is not as hard to get hold of as some have previously stated. American family business United Nuclear is actually selling the stuff, and other equaly exotic materials, on their company website. Could come in handy for the xmas shopping season.
The Courts

Submission + - Hans Reiser Pleads Not Guilty

Submitted by jsaxton
jsaxton writes: The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Hans Reiser has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Hans Reiser's wife, Nina Reiser, disappeared nearly three months ago. She has not been heard from or seen since. The Reiser's two children remain in protective custody. Hans Reiser claims ignorance, suggesting that Nina may have fled to Russia. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 11th.
The Internet

Submission + - Opera Mini 3.0 now available

Submitted by
E IS mC(Square)
E IS mC(Square) writes: "Opera Mini 3.0 is out of beta. Feature list includes (very good) RSS integration, (very helpful) user-interface geared towards mobile devices and small screen size, and its (really) fast for relatively slower mobile data connections (with picture upload/sharing if you are into it). Requirement for using it: You must have a phone capable of running Java mobile applications and are using an Internet connection (Officially supported devices are listed). I have been using Opera Mini 3.0 Beta for a while on Blackberry Perl — its pretty fast, and I have stop looking for and remembering "mobile" sites/pages (i.e. http://bbc.co.uk/mobile) because this browser optimizes all web content very well — and all this compared to BB's own browser which is not bad in itself. I have not been a big fan of the Opera (full) browser, but this one is a winner."
Slashdot.org

Submission + - Big Magnet ready to face the Big Questions ...

Submitted by
Hans Bausewein
Hans Bausewein writes: "Big Magnet ready to face the Big Questions of the Universe

The largest superconducting magnet ever built has successfully been powered up to its operating conditions at the first attempt. Called the Barrel Toroid because of its shape, this magnet is a vital part of ATLAS, one of the major particle detectors being prepared to take data at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the new particle accelerator scheduled to turn on in November 2007.

http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Nw/toroid.asp

(No topic like physics? )"
Slashdot.org

Submission + - Websense blocking slashdot YRO

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I have encountered the problem of websense blocking slashdot YRO
Biotech

Submission + - Cancer

Submitted by
sylvester22
sylvester22 writes: "Dr. Julie Saba of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute has made a breakthrough which could help fight cancer growth. Known by her staff as `Queen of the Lyase,` for ten years Saba has been studying an intestinal enzyme called sphingosine phosphate lyase (SPL), which can regulate cell growth. According to Saba, SPL naturally decreases cancer cell growth but is de-activated when cancerous cells are present, thus allowing cancer to thrive. `The cancer cells are very smart` said Saba, noting that `cancer cells stop anything` in the way of their progression. http://cancernewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2006/11/rese archers-at-oakland-research.html"
Programming

Submission + - Malicious Injection: Its Not Just for SQL Anymore

Submitted by
nywanna
nywanna writes: "When most people think of malicious injection, they think of SQL injection. The fact is, if you are using XML documents or an LDAP directory, you are just as vulnerable to a malicious injection as you would be using SQL. Bryan Sullivan looks at the different types of malicious code injections and examines the very basics of preventing these injections."
Microsoft

Submission + - Vista GUI critique by "Joel On Software" S

Submitted by
A. Bosch
A. Bosch writes: "Joel Spolsky of Fog Creek software examines the choices to turn off your computer in Vista. This item ran on the "Joel on Software" homepage on Tuesday, November 21, 2006. From the article: "I'm sure there's a whole team of UI designers, programmers, and testers who worked very hard on the OFF button in Windows Vista, but seriously, is this the best you could come up with?"

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/11/21.htm l"
Announcements

Submission + - UK Police to get roadside fingerprinting tools

Submitted by mormop
mormop writes: According to the BBC, British Police will soon be given the tools and permission to finger print people stopped for driving offences using a hand held scanner by the side of the road. As usual the criteria for being scanned is limited but on every prior occasion these things always end up being put to widespread use a year or so down the line. Look at a Police Officer in a funny way and win a free trip onto the National Criminal Records Database.
The Internet

Submission + - GoogleOS Scenarios

Submitted by
ReadWriteWeb
ReadWriteWeb writes: "Read/WriteWeb offers 3 scenarios for a GoogleOS and suggests it could be less than 6 months away. They say it may be a web based desktop (aka WebOS), a full featured Linux distribution, or a lightweight Linux distro and/or BIOS. They predict that once Microsoft's Vista rolls out, it will present a direct threat to Google's Web properties and so therefore Google will start a more punchy strategy — pushing Firefox and some form of Google OS in order to nullify Vista's potential impact."
Novell

Submission + - Novell: Linux does not violate Microsoft patents

Submitted by
Azul
Azul writes: "Ron Hovsepian, Novell's CEO, has posted an open letter to the Community, where he explicitly states Novell disagreement with Steve Ballmer's claims of Linux infringuing Microsoft's intellectual property:
We disagree with the recent statements made by Microsoft on the topic of Linux and patents. Importantly, our agreement with Microsoft is in no way an acknowledgment that Linux infringes upon any Microsoft intellectual property. When we entered the patent cooperation agreement with Microsoft, Novell did not agree or admit that Linux or any other Novell offering violates Microsoft patents.
"
Announcements

Submission + - FreeGeek Robbed

Submitted by
Ellen Wilson
Ellen Wilson writes: "Portland, Oregon, non-profit Free Geek, which turns old PCs into Linux boxen, has been robbed of about $4500 worth of hardware. Portlanders are asked to keep an eye out for suspicious sales of Ubuntu laptops.

http://www.freegeek.org/news.php#breakin
http://kiloseven.blogspot.com/2006/11/freegeek-rip off.html
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/11/20/portland_free geek_ri.html"
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Canadians Smash PS3

Submitted by frostilicus2
frostilicus2 writes: The Register is reporting that a pair of Canadian students have waited in line for two days to purchase a PS3, before promptly smashing it with a sledgehammer outside of the store. When questioned by local media, they described the act as a "Social Experiment".

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