SlashdotNews for nerds, stuff that mattersCassini's Primary Mission Ends, Two-Year Extension Begins- July 5, 2008 wooferhound points out recent news that the Cassini probe has completed its original four-year mission and is beginning a two-year extended mission, which was authorized earlier this year. Cassini's first mission brought us a treasure trove of information about Saturn and its various moons. The new mission will target two of those moons in particular for further study: Titan and Enceladus. Quoting: "The spacecraft is extremely healthy and carries 12 instruments powered by three radioisotope...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/327119785/article.pl Working Towards an Eco-Friendly Fireworks Display- July 5, 2008 phobos13013 writes "Here's an article just in time for 4th of July fireworks shows! The ACS's Chemical and Engineering News provides a fairly technical discussion about the hazardous chemicals in modern fireworks displays. Perchlorate is currently the oxidizer of choice in fireworks, but it is also known to be a thyroid blocker. Since perchlorates are water-soluble anions, they dissolve into groundwater quickly. A study performed last summer over a lake in Ada, Oklahoma showed that less than a..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/327064494/article.pl Interview With Author of the First Spoof Language- July 4, 2008 An anonymous reader brings us Computerworld's interview with Don Woods, one of the creators of Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym (INTERCAL). INTERCAL and its documentation were created in 1972 as a parody of that era's languages and instruction manuals. Among other things, Woods had this to say: "We designed the language without too much trouble. Writing the manual took a while, especially for things like the circuit diagrams we included as nonsensical illustrations. The compiler..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/327003430/article.pl IE 8 To Include New Security Tools- July 4, 2008 Trailrunner7 writes "Internet Explorer has been a security punching bag for years, and rightfully so. IE 6 was arguably the least secure browser of all time. But Microsoft has been trying to get their act together on security, and the new beta of IE 8, due in August, will have a slew of new security features including protection against Type-1 cross-site scripting attacks, a better phishing filter and better security for ActiveX controls."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326973857/article.pl NC Judge Takes "A Fresh Look" At RIAA Subpoenas- July 4, 2008 NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "When some North Carolina State students recently brought to the attention of the Court the apparent illegality of the RIAA's investigations by unlicensed investigators, they also caught the attention of the judges. After reading these new papers, District Judge Louise W. Flanagan, who admits that she's been routinely signing the RIAA's ex parte discovery orders in the past, has indicated that she is now going to take 'a fresh look' at the RIAA's tactics. She issued..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326951102/article.pl Open Source Twitter Competitor Emerges- July 4, 2008 ruphus13 writes "Twitter has had a lot of public woes with Open Source technologies like Ruby on Rails, and a lot of alternatives have sprung up in the micro-blogging world, but no one has managed to dislodge twitter in its usage or appeal. Now, an Open Source alternative by Identi.ca, backed by project Laconica has emerged. From the article, 'It supports OpenID for logins, is completely free software, and is designed to apply a Creative Commons license to all the traffic that it carries. It's..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326918547/article.pl Lost Footage of "Metropolis" Found- July 4, 2008 ram.loss writes "According to a Reuters article, a long version of Metropolis has been found at a cinema museum in Argentina, by a newly appointed archivist. The reels have been authenticated by the Murnau foundation at Germany. 'Although estimates of its original length vary depending on the speed at which it is shown, Possmann said "Metropolis" was conceived as a film lasting just over 2-12 hours. Around 20 to 25 minutes of footage that fleshes out secondary characters and sheds light on the..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326894590/article.pl eBay'er Arrested for Attempting to Sell His Vote- July 4, 2008 The Associated Press reports that Max P. Sanders, 19 is charged with a felony for attempting to auction off his vote in the upcoming presidential election on eBay. From the article: '"Fundamentally, we believe it is wrong to sell your vote," said John Aiken, a spokesman for the office. "There are people that have died for this country for our right to vote, and to take something that lightly, to say, 'I can be bought.'" ... "It's a real shame"' Yes, that is a terrible shame, isn't it. Perhaps...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326866848/article.pl Prominent Mathemathicians Rebuke Recent Riemann Hypothesis Proof- July 4, 2008 Bryan writes "Xian-Jin Li's purported proof of the Riemann Hypothesis (reported on recently) has been rebuked by Fields Medalist Terence Tao. Fortunately, Dr. Li's proof fails alongside a respectable graveyard of previous attempts." Relatedly, jim.shilliday writes "The proof cites and appears to be based in part on the work of the leading French theorist Alain Connes. A few hours ago, Connes posted a comment on his blog stating that the purported proof is so badly flawed that he stopped reading.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326829280/article.pl First Results From Messenger's Mercury Flyby- July 4, 2008 Several readers noted the special section in Science, published today, with results from Messenger's flyby of Mercury last January. One conclusion is that volcanism has shaped the planet, contrary to earlier theories that Mercury had been "dead on arrival." The LA Time's coverage highlights the finding that Mercury has shrunk by a mile in diameter over its lifetime, due to shrinkage at its core.Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/326800028/article.pl |