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 IT: Microsoft Researchers on Stopping Spam |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @09:49PM
from the slow-treacle dept.
TheBackBencher writes "Scientific American today has a very interesting article about "Stopping
Spam" by Joshua
Goodman, David
Hackerman and Robert Rounthwaite from Microsoft Research. They talk about different types of spam -- spam with emails, spam on IMs, spamlinks
on web pages and image based spam. They mention different techniques for
spam filtering mainly fingerprinting matching techniques, n grams model,
naive bayesian approach, optical character recognition, challenge/response systems and Human Interacted Proofs (HIP) in a very lucid style. They however do not mention fingerprinting approach of using Nilsimsa Hash to
tackle addition of random words by spammers in emails or hypertextus interruptus technique used
by spammers of splitting words using HTML comments, pairs of zero width tags,
or bogus tags. Also, Spam-Research is reporting the
SplitFit
Technique that Spammers are using to fool Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard."
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30 of 39 comments
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it.slashdot.org
)
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @09:01PM
from the careful-with-that-stuff dept.
Rollie Hawk writes "This could be a huge development for the ultra-lazy (and ultra-stinky, for that matter). It seems that Yale scientists have managed to engineer a remote control system for flies. According to their study (recently featured in Cell), specific neurons can be stimulated by lasers to control basic functions in fruit flies such as jumping, walking, and flying.
The study, of course, was performed with wider ranging applications in mind than bringing new meaning to the saying, "Shew, fly!" The overall goal was to determine whether isolated-neuron stimulation could be used to control basic motor activities and even more complex behavior.
Everyone since the days of Mary Shelly has obviously known that there are connections between electrical current and muscle movement. What makes this study unique is that it does not use traditional electrodes, which lack the single-neuron specificity of lasers. Eventually, this could lead to mappings that will give humans knowledge and possibly control over not only complex movements but less-than desirable mental functions such as aggression and overeating."
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64 of 108 comments
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science.slashdot.org
) | Linux: Is Ubuntu a Compatibility Nightmare for Debian? |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @08:09PM
from the divergence dept.
An anonymous reader submits "Following Friday's release of Ubuntu Linux 5.04, Ian Murdock, founder of the Debian project, told internetnews.com: 'Ubuntu's popularity is a net negative for Debian.' He explained: 'It's diverged so far from Sarge that packages built for Ubuntu often don't work on Sarge. And given the momentum behind Ubuntu, more and more packages are being built like this. The result is a potential compatibility nightmare.' Ian suggests a method for averting crisis on his blog."
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167 of 232 comments
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linux.slashdot.org
)
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @07:23PM
from the write-a-lot-of-xs-and-os dept.
An anonymous reader asks "I am searching for a box into which I can plug a hard drive (IDE or SCSI of various flavors) and automatically begin a secure deletion process (DoD 2250 compliant or the like would be good). This is normally for dead drives which need to be RMA-ed. Because of various regulations (HIPAA for starters), we need to at least attempt to do a good job clearing the disk. I've heard from a number of places, including this Slashdot story, that degaussing isn't great. There are software solutions out there, but in general, I want to toss a replacement hard drive in and not have to hunt around for hardware to put the bad drive in in order to run the software. Given the right case, a solid state drive, some SCSI cards and one of various pieces of software, I can imagine such a beast. Has anyone seen someone selling something like this?" No case-opening is necessary to use a USB/IDE converter, which might be a good middle ground. Any other ideas?
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229 of 326 comments
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ask.slashdot.org
) | Mapping Google News |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @06:36PM
from the that-hansel-he's-so-hot-right-now dept.
CousinLarry writes "A neat project called Buzztracker.org has been mining Google News for over a year and keeping track of relationships between geographic locations mentioned in articles.
The results are some really cool maps that actually seem to reflect the "buzz" of the day - check out the Vatican clusters from earlier this month, or the global New Year's chatter. You can also dig down into the articles from which the maps were generated."
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70 of 93 comments
) | Science: The Complicated Way to Turn on a Flashlight |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @05:47PM
from the complicationism dept.
jangobongo writes "A machine built by the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers employed an outer-space theme and used steps that incorporated a bouncing water balloon, a fireman action figure fleeing a fire and weights attached to a spinning bicycle wheel to win the 18th national Purdue Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. The winning machine told the story of rocket being launched. As the rocket traveled into space, a meteor hit Earth and started a fire. While the mock fire was put out, the rocket turned on the flashlight to shine back down on Earth. A short video clip can be seen here. The contest was filmed by the Game Show Network to be featured on the network's show, 'Games Across America,' at some future date."
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85 of 110 comments
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science.slashdot.org
) | BSD: DragonFlyBSD 1.2 Released |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @05:00PM
from the live-cd-bsd dept.
vsarunas writes "The DragonFlyBSD Team is
pleased to announce
the official release of
DragonFly 1.2.0! Get it
here,
or here,
or as a torrent.
DragonFlyBSD is a continuation of the stable and high-performance FreeBSD
4 branch of FreeBSD with acpica5 and updated drivers so it runs on more
and newer machines. DragonFlyBSD can execute FreeBSD 4 and Linux binaries
and uses the FreeBSD ports collection. In addition, DragonFlyBSD is also
officially supported by pkgsrc. This release represents a significant milestone in efforts to improve
the kernel infrastructure. It features a standards-conformant
SACK implementation, improvements to the VFS layer, and a multithreaded
networking stack that utilizes the DragonFly lightweight message
passing system to communicate among processors. More information can
be found on Matt Dillon's journal and the
Status page
of the DragonFly wiki."
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74 of 104 comments
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bsd.slashdot.org
)
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @04:20PM
from the google-thyself dept.
Corey Nachreiner writes "Until recently, I considered myself a Google power-user; so much so that I often call Google my "second brain." Whenever I stumble upon a computing dilemma I can't solve, I submit an advanced query to my second brain, Google, and let it supply the answers. That's why I was So There when Johnny Long released his recent book, Google Hacking for Penetration Testers. I heard Johnny's lively, light-hearted presentation to a packed house at the BlackHat Briefings last summer in Las Vegas. It was the hit of the show, but in one hour he could only present a few of his startling findings about Google hacking. After reading Johnny's book, I've learned a ton more and realized I wasn't quite as Google-savvy as I thought. As with my real brain, I've only been using about ten percent of my Google-brain's capacity." Read on for the rest of Nachreiner's review.
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62 of 117 comments
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books.slashdot.org
) | Hardware: Experimental Transistor Breaks 600 Gigahertz |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @03:35PM
from the dang-that's-fast dept.
neutron_p writes "The goal of a terahertz transistor for high-speed computing and communications applications could now be within reach. A new type of transistor structure, invented by scientists at the University of Illinois, has broken the 600 gigahertz speed barrier.
A new type of transistor - built from indium phosphide and indium gallium arsenide - is designed with a compositionally graded collector, base and emitter to reduce transit time and improve current density. With their pseudomorphic heterojunction bipolar transistor, the researchers have demonstrated a speed of 604 gigahertz - the fastest transistor operation to date."
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237 of 335 comments
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hardware.slashdot.org
) | Hardware: Keyboards are Havens for Super Bugs |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @02:46PM
from the mine-certainly-are dept.
Techguy666 writes "Gee, this is a suprise. Researchers have found that keyboards harbor bacteria and super-germs. This is particularly interesting this time because this research noted that there is a lot of computer use in hospitals and they're finding it really difficult to sterilize them."
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404 of 516 comments
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hardware.slashdot.org
) | Science: Museum Director Indicted for Stealing NASA Artifacts |
Posted by
timothy
on Monday April 11, @02:00PM
from the life-imitates-monk dept.
NBrooke271 writes "Max Ary, former Director of the Kansas Cosmosphere, has been hit with an eleven-count federal indictment, charging that he sold NASA space artifacts on loan to the museum, including an astronaut's in-flight T-shirt, a control panel from Air Force One and an Apollo 12 water valve for a personal profit of around $180,000. 'Mr. Ary, on behalf of the Cosmosphere, continued to sign documents reporting and verifying to NASA that the watch was still in its possession and collection,' said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. Ary currently serves as the Executive Director of Omniplex Science Museum in Oklahoma City, where he has taken a leave of absence. Read official statements from the Cosmosphere, the Omniplex, and Ary's attorney regarding the indictment."
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science.slashdot.org
) | Games: Xbox 2 To Be Unveiled on MTV May 12 |
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @01:22PM
from the anything-but-videos dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft confirmed this morning that the Xbox 2 will be revealed on live TV on May 12. MTV will air a half-hour long special to launch the system. 'It doesn't make sense to unveil the product behind a closed door, at a trade-only event,' according to Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore. 'We wanted to talk directly to the consumer first.'" More coverage available on GamesIndustry.biz and Press the Buttons.
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292 of 403 comments
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games.slashdot.org
) | BitKeeper Love Triangle: McVoy, Linus and Tridge |
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @12:41PM
from the can't-we-all-get-along dept.
erktrek writes "NewsForge has given a brief interview to the parties involved in the (inevitable?) BitKeeper debacle." Here is some of our previous coverage.
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483 of 653 comments
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linux.slashdot.org
) | Science: The Top Three Reasons for Humans in Space |
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @12:00PM
from the so-we-can-fight-the-aliens dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Why humans in space? The Space Review has the top three reasons: 3. To work. 2. To live. 1. To survive. 'To work' means doing stuff in space: research, explore, visit, etc. 'To live' means to have humans/life beyond Earth in colonies/settlements. 'To survive' means that putting humans/life beyond Earth is a very Good Thing in case a very Bad Thing happens to humans/life on Earth."
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514 of 638 comments
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science.slashdot.org
) | Politics: China PM Wants to Rule Global Tech With India |
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @11:18AM
from the almost-there dept.
GrumpyDeveloper writes "As reported in this Wired story, China's prime minister said Sunday that China and India should work together to dominate the world's tech industry, bringing together Chinese hardware with Indian software.
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604 of 923 comments
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politics.slashdot.org
) | Linux: Tux Enlisted for U.S. Defense Program |
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @10:37AM
from the free-as-in-bombs dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Linux is a key part of the Army's massive $200B FCS (Future Computing System) initiative, it seems. RTOS vendor LynuxWorks was chosen to provide the OS for 18 weapons platforms under development, because its LynxOS-178 real-time OS can run Linux binaries -- including the "common operating environment" that Boeing is developing for FCS."
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188 of 288 comments
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linux.slashdot.org
)
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @10:00AM
from the kill-the-lag-beast dept.
VL writes "Ping times suck? Too much lag? If your loved ones are hogging all your bandwidth with P2P and torrents, you'll want to check out the D-Link DGL-4300 Wireless 108G Gaming Router. This is a router designed for gamers that also happens to be a great router for regular folks."
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266 of 336 comments
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hardware.slashdot.org
) | IT: AOL and XM Joining Forces for Online Radio |
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @09:25AM
from the refresh-my-station dept.
Josh writes "BetaNews is reporting that AOL and XM are joining forces to make available 20 XM music channels plus 130 of its own available to anyone on the internet for free starting this summer. AOL members will have free broadband access to 70 XM channels, although apparently there are plans for a $5/month option for non-subscribers. The deal means AOL Music specials will make it onto XM's channels, and XM promos will be heard across AOL Music's properties."
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113 of 154 comments
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it.slashdot.org
)
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @08:43AM
from the stop-stealing-children dept.
misterpies writes "Of the many jobs robots could be put to use, here's one I'll bet not many slashdotters have considered - camel jockeys. According to the BBC, from next year racing camels in the United Arab Emirates will be ridden by robots. And for once, the folks put out of work won't be complaining - mostly children (some as young as four) who are reportedly abducted or sold by their families to unscrupulous racing-camel owners. How long until we see robots take over from humans in other sports?"
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130 of 202 comments
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hardware.slashdot.org
)
Posted by
samzenpus
on Monday April 11, @08:02AM
from the level-playing-field dept.
daria42 writes "IBM has called for tighter regulation of patents and a review of intellectual property ownership issues in collaborative software development. The company is one of the largest patent-holders in the United States. IBM executive Jim Stallings said examining patents for prior art should not only be the job of the patent office but that the wider community should be involved. Stallings also called on the industry to stop what he calls "bad behaviour" by companies who either seek patents for unoriginal work or collect and hoard patents."
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203 of 267 comments
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yro.slashdot.org
) | Revenge of the Sith Officially Rated PG-13 |
Posted by
Zonk
on Monday April 11, @06:45AM
from the power-of-the-dark-side dept.
Bobert@flixnjoystix.com writes "On May 19th, fans of all ages will see the final installment of the Star Wars saga with Revenge of the Sith. However, for the first time ever a Star Wars film will be officially rated PG-13. Over the weekend the Daily Herald newspaper confirmed that George Lucas' conclusion to his nearly 30 year epic Space Opera received a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA is expected to release an official statement or press release sometime this week." This confirms the rumor we reported on back in March.
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299 of 420 comments
) | IT: People are More Accepting of Spam |
Posted by
Zonk
on Monday April 11, @04:45AM
from the yuck dept.
twitter writes "Many news organizations are reflecting the opinion of Pew Internet and American Life Project staffer Deborah Fallows that '...email users say they are receiving slightly more spam in their inboxes than before, but they are minding it less.' I think that's an odd conclusion to draw. You would expect the number of people using email less because of spam to decrease to zero quickly when 25% of the population say they avoid email! To their credit, they point out that CAN-SPAM has done nothing to help." The Reuters blurb about this study has a syopsis of their findings.
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198 of 266 comments
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it.slashdot.org
) | Caltech Pranks MIT's Prefrosh Weekend |
Posted by
Zonk
on Monday April 11, @02:20AM
from the our-nations-youth-at-work dept.
doughnuthole writes "Caltech students ventured to Massachusetts this past Wednesday to unleash a series of pranks at MIT's prefrosh weekend. They distributed shirts with MIT on the front and '...because not everyone can go to Caltech' on the back. They placed inflatable palm trees in the infamous Tomb of the Unknown Tool and around the great dome and floated Caltech balloons in building seven. A banner transformed Massachusetts Institute of Technology into That Other Institute of Technology. Saturday night a LASER spelling the letters C-A-L-T-E-C-H was directed at the top of the Green building. A full account of the pranks is located at www.caltechvsmit.com."
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328 of 498 comments
)
Posted by
Zonk
on Monday April 11, @12:36AM
from the whirrr-stomp-whirrr-stomp dept.
FalconZero writes "For those of you with superhuman aspirations, your dream may be a step closer; New Scientist (recently) and the Japan Times (last year) covered Yoshiyuki Sankai's work at
the University of Tsukuba in Japan developing powered exoskeletons
with commercial versions expected soon costing between $14,000 and $19,000
(£7,500-£10,000). Other work with exoskeletons previously covered
here(1),
here(2) and
here(3)."
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hardware.slashdot.org
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