Thursday, August 30, 2007

Byte Into It - 29 Aug 2007

Cory Doctorow Cory Doctorow (interview available on todays podcast and  also available on Triple R's streaming archives: http://www.rrr.org.au/archive.php?archive=audio ):

http://craphound.com/

http://www.boingboing.net/

New website www.lifehacker.com.au has just gone live. There's some more info on the site here: http://www.lifehacker.com.au/overview.html
It's the Australian edition of the popular blog from the
US, and the sister site to Gizmodo and Defamer

Singapore Airlines puts a Linux PC in every seat - Network World
To make flying more enjoyable for its passengers, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is adding bigger screens, more in-flight movies and a PC, running Red Hat Inc.'s distribution of the Linux operating system, in every seat on its newest planes.

Microsoft Piracy Check Snafu Mislabels Authentic Windows Copies -- Windows Vista -- InformationWeek
Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage servers, which validate copies of Windows XP and Vista as authentic, encountered problems late Friday or early Saturday, sending Windows users into a frenzy. Users suddenly lit up Microsoft support forums with complaints that their once-validated copies of Microsoft Windows were suddenly suspected to be counterfeit.

Open source companies to watch - Network World
Open source companies to watch Newcomers focusing on everything from a Microsoft Exchange rival to server virtualization and data integration

10 virtualization companies to watch - Network World
10 virtualization companies to watch These technology innovators promise products that boost performance, make management easier or otherwise enhance your virtualization experience

Novell wins right to Unix copyrights - Network World
The judge also ruled that SCO owes Novell for SCO's licensing revenue from Sun and Microsoft. SCO is obligated to pass through to Novell a portion of those licenses, the judge said.

Vista prevents users from playing high-def content, researcher says - Network World
Content protection features in Windows Vista are preventing customers from playing high-quality video and audio and harming system performance, even as Microsoft neglects security programs that could protect users, computer researcher Peter Gutmann argued at the USENIX Security Symposium in Boston

Howard on internet porn crusade | Australian IT
JOHN Howard is going to spend $189 million on "cleaning up the internet" for Australian families, blocking pornography, upgrading the search for chat-room sex predators and cutting off terror sites. Hillsong Prime Minister John Howard addresses Hillsong christians via video link yesterday Every Australian family will be provided with a free internet filter and the federal Government will enter an unprecedented partnership with service providers to filter pornography at the source...and apparently it has been hacked by a 16 year old...

TiVo will fail, says pay TV exec | Australian IT
PAY-TV sales company Multi Channel Network has cast doubt on the future of the digital video-recording platform TiVo, which is backed by the Seven Network, telling advertisers the venture may never get off the ground. Enduring questions about TiVo were how much it would cost; whether it had an EPG -- the program that enables viewers to navigate and record television programs on DVRs more easily; whether there would be additional content; and whether Australia's current broadband structure was good enough to support it...and whether it will still have the ad-skipping feature...

HD TV tuner, PVR for PlayStation 3 | Australian IT
SONY has taken another step to lure customers to its PlayStation3, saying it would sell a device to let users record live television that can be stored on the game console or transferred to the PlayStation Portable for later viewing.

Phishers hit Monster jobs site | Australian IT
HACKERS have stolen personal details of hundreds of thousands of users of US jobs website Monster.com, according to internet security firm Symantec. Monster.com Monster.com user data has been used to launch a massive phishing attack A total of 1.6 million entries, including information such as names, postal addresses and telephone numbers were stolen, the firm said. The hackers used a Trojan to access the information from Monster.com's servers, probably using stolen login details belonging to employers, Symantec said.

Unlocked iPhones highlight DMCA absurdities
As of late 2006, cell phone unlocking became legal in the US, but don't tell that to AT&T; the company has unleashed the lawhounds on UniquePhones, a Belfast-based company that claims to have developed a software-only method to unlock the iPhone. By trying to sell the software commercially, though, the company may have ensured that it will never see the light of day.

FSF: Microsoft can't disavow GPL 3 obligations
In a statement issued today, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has responded to Microsoft's assertion that selling SUSE Linux support vouchers doesn't make the company subject to the requirements of the new version of the General Public License (GPL 3). The FSF has claimed in the past that Microsoft's sale of SUSE Linux support vouchers—which is part of the company's controversial agreement with Novell—constitutes conveyance of software, thus making Microsoft party to the license under which the software is distributed. Microsoft disagrees with this interpretation and argues that conveyance of software does not occur because the vouchers are for support services rather than software.

Judge: TorrentSpy must preserve data in RAM
A federal judge has upheld a magistrate's decision forcing TorrentSpy to enable server logging so the Motion Picture Association of America can obtain the IP addresses of those connecting to BitTorrent files via the service. There's one small hitch for the MPAA, though. TorrentSpy has decided to block access by US residents, ensuring that the MPAA will find little of interest in the log files and rendering the court's decision moot—at least for this case.

Google Maps: Now With More Embedding - Lifehacker
Google Maps has (finally) added the ability to embed maps into blogs or web sites. All you do is click on the "link to this page" link, copy and paste, and you're all set. Not all maps can be embedded; Traffic maps, Street View imagery, and Mapplets are exempt.

Launch - Lifehacker
Google News is embedding YouTube videos from CBS, Reuters and others, while YouTube is officially launching overlay ads.

Launch: Google Earth Adds Sky - Lifehacker
Now you can stargaze using Google's popular desktop mapping application Google Earth. In the latest version of Google Earth, hit the "Switch between Sky and Earth" button on the toolbar to get a map of the night sky from your current location. Several Sky layers are listed on the left-hand side, including Constellations, Backyard Astronomy, Hubble Showcase, The Moon, The Planets, User's Guide to Galaxies and Life of a Star.

Microsoft Outlook Tip: Access Google Calendar Directly From Outlook - Lifehacker
Rather than syncing Google Calendar with Outlook, reader Seth uses the "homepage" feature of Outlook 2003 to access Google Calender. Here's how: 1) Right-click on your calendar in Outlook and select Properties 2) On the homepage tab, enter http://www.google.com/calendar/render 3) Check "Show Home Page by Default" 4) In the Offline Web Page Settings, de-select downloading web page option. Pressing CTRL + 2 (the keyboard shortcut to access the calendar in Outlook 2003) will bring you to Google Calendar. See also how to change Thunderbird's start page in similar fashion.

Intel's new vPro: two steps forward for x86... as well as for DRM and P2P?: Page 1
Today's launch of the latest version of Intel's vPro platform is a much bigger deal than you might think, with implications for end users that extend far beyond the enterprise arena at which vPro is initially aimed. The 2007 version of vPro represents the culmination of two of Intel's most ambitious and important plans for the PC platform: the transformation of x86 into a fully virtualizable ISA complete with virtualized I/O, and the first fully-complete implementation of all the parts of Intel's controversial contribution to "trusted computing" technology, formerly codenamed "LaGrande" but now called Trusted Execution Technology orTXT: Because your network admin (and Big Content?) needs a safe place inside your system that you can't tamper with

Digg - Samsung's First USB Monitor Reviewed!
The Samsung SyncMaster 940UX is a 19-inch standard ratio LCD that boasts a feature you probably won't find on most other monitors: it can connect to your computer using USB, without the use of a video card!

Critics urge rejection of Microsoft "open" format - Software - www.itnews.com.au
A Microsoft document format that may be adopted as an international standard this weekend is a ploy to lock in customers, who could lose control over their own data in a worst-case scenario, critics say.

Featured Download: Delete Duplicate Files with the Dupinator - Lifehacker
All platforms: The Dupinator Python script detects and deletes duplicate files in a directory.

How To: Get Wireless Working in Ubuntu Feisty Fawn - Lifehacker
Ubuntu users: Get your wireless card working with this tutorial from the I Eat Noobs weblog.

Linux Tip: Embed a Terminal in the Desktop with Compiz Fusion - Lifehacker
Linux users: You can configure Compiz Fusion to embed a terminal in the desktop.

Screenshot Tour: Avant Window Navigator (Awn) Updates - Lifehacker
Linux application dock and launcher Awn is in the process of receiving some major upgrades.

Geek To Live: Partition and Image Your Hard Drive with the System Rescue CD - Lifehacker
The System Rescue CD includes open source tools GParted and Partimage, which can create a new partition and save your fresh Windows installation as a restorable image for the price of zero dollars.

Digg - Three MythTV Linux distros compared.
Three MythTV-specific Linux distributions: KnoppMyth, MythDora, and MythBuntu.

Digg - Ubuntu-Users Social Network BETA
The Ubuntu Community continues to go from strength to strength and hopefully this new project aimed to develop a fully fledged social networking site with free email addresses, specifically for Ubuntu users, will become a busy and thriving facility. It will be a totally non profit entity for Ubuntu Users and run by Ubuntu Users.

Digg - Google is preparing its own distribution of Linux
Google has confirmed it is working on a desktop linux project called Goobuntu, in a possible bid to take on Microsoft in its core business - desktop software.

Powered by ScribeFire.

1 comment: