SlashdotNews for nerds, stuff that mattersOpen Wi-Fi May Become Illegal In India- September 17, 2008 chromoZ writes with word that because of the serial blasts in Indian cities (and terrorist outfits claiming responsibility via email, often sent via Cyber Cafes and open Wi-Fi spots), sharing unsecured wireless access may get much tougher in India: "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) after studying open Wifi networks is coming up with a set of guidelines and recommendations to secure them. 'All ISPs may be instructed to ensure that their subscribers using wireless devices must use.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/5EKR6JKC9eU/article.pl Asus Ships Cracking Software On Recovery DVD- September 17, 2008 Barence writes "Asus is accidentally shipping software crackers and confidential documents on the recovery DVDs that come with its laptops. The startling discovery was made by a PC Pro reader whose antivirus software was triggered by a key cracker for the WinRAR compression software, which was located on the recovery DVD for his Asus laptop. Along with the key cracker the disc also contained confidential Asus documents including a PowerPoint presentation that details 'major problems' identified.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/kL1cHGPZ7hI/article.pl Colfer Asked To Write Sixth HHGTTG Book- September 17, 2008 clickety6 writes "Eoin Colfer, the Irish author of a number of books (including the popular children's book series 'Artemis Fowl'), has been directly approached by Douglas Adam's widow, Jane Belson, to write a sixth book to continue the (even more) increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Yd8TUoaON90/article.pl Bill To Add Accountability To Border Laptop Search- September 17, 2008 I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) has introduced a bill that would add accountability to the DHS searches conducted upon the laptops of those crossing the border. Specifically, it would require the issue of receipts to those who had their property confiscated so that it could later be returned, would limit how long the DHS can keep laptops, would require them to keep the laptop's information secure, and would create a way to complain about abuse. Finally,.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/sfXLs2Whpu0/article.pl Peru To Be First To Put Windows On OLPC Laptop- September 17, 2008 Da Massive writes "The government of Peru will run the first ever trial of the One Laptop Per Child association's XO laptop running Windows XP. This puts the nation at the heart of a software controversy that has been raging for years between those who advocate making software and its source code free, such as Linux OS developers, and those who charge for software and keep the development recipes secret, such as Microsoft."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/HR8uJOMWiMY/article.pl Breakthrough In Use of Graphene For Ultracapacitors- September 17, 2008 Hugh Pickens writes "Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick graphene for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitors. They believe their development shows promise that graphene could eventually double the capacity of existing ultracapacitors. 'Through such a device, electrical charge can be rapidly stored on the graphene sheets, and released from them as well for the delivery of electrical current and, thus, electrical...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/V-_KLcw2PtA/article.pl City Sues To Prevent Linking To Its Website- September 17, 2008 Mike writes "In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind case, the Sheboygan city attorney ordered Jennifer Reisinger to remove a link to the city's police department from her Web site. The city went further, she claims, launching a criminal investigation of her for linking to the department on one of her sites, and in response she's suing the mayor and the city. 'The mayor decided to use his office to get back at Jennifer for her efforts in the recall and picked this to do it,' said her...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/jSFgQEEujog/article.pl Citizens Demand To See Secret ACTA Treaty- September 17, 2008 I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "One hundred groups of concerned citizens have united to demand a look at the secret ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) treaty and have drafted a letter to their representatives asking for information. We've discussed ACTA before, including what are believed to be parts of ACTA that lawmakers are trying to get a head start on."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/SWqQiRXkdAc/article.pl First Image of a Planet Orbiting a Sun-Like Star- September 17, 2008 Several readers including houbou and DigitumDei sent links to what may be the first-ever image of a planet orbiting a sun-like star (research paper). The giant planet, the mass of 8 Jupiters, orbits its star at 330 AU, or 11 times the distance to Neptune's orbit. If the imaged object does turn out to be a planet — and it's not certain it is — then theories of planet formation may have to be adjusted. "The bulk of the material from which planets might form is significantly closer to..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Ur_Tl_XVeG0/article.pl Study Finds Video Games Are Not Bad for Kids- September 16, 2008 mcgrew writes with news that a study done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found game playing is all but universal among teens, and it provides a "significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement." 97% of teens responding to the survey said they played games (75% played weekly or more often), and roughly two-thirds of teens use games as a social experience. The full report (PDF) and the questionnaire with answer data (PDF) are both available for...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/fDCn8BDkzUo/article.pl |