======================================================================
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Slashdot Daily Newsletter
In this issue:
* Toshiba Intros Trilingual Translation App For Cellphones
* MS Issues Word Patch To Comply With Court Order
* <em>Duke Nukem 3D</em> Ported To Nokia N900
* Following In Bing's Footsteps, Yahoo! and Flickr Censor Porn In India
* OnLive One Step Closer
* Italy May Censor Torrent Sites
* Is OpenOffice.org a Threat? Microsoft Thinks So
* Why Do So Many Terrorists Have Engineering Degrees
* Midwest Seeing Red Over 'Green' Traffic Lights
* How Many Admins Per User/Computer Have You Seen?
* Ginkgo Doesn't Improve Memory Or Cognitive Skills
* 5th Underhanded C Contest Now Open
* Google Nexus Rumored To Cost $530 Or $180 w/Plan
* The Rise of Machine-Written Journalism
* IDEs With VIM Text Editing Capability?
* Impressive Robot Hand From Shadow
* Geoengineering a Snow-Free Winter Fails In Moscow
* Quantum Encryption Implementation Broken
* USPTO Awards LOL Patent To IBM
* Boost a Weak 3G Modem Signal, With a Saucepan
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Toshiba Intros Trilingual Translation App For Cellphones |
| from the like-a-liberal-arts-major-only-better dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 29, @19:04 (Cellphones) |
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/12/29/2338202/Toshiba-Intros-Trilingual-Translation-Ap|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]MojoKid writes "Shortly after hearing of a simple, two-way
Spanish-to-English [1]translator for the iPhone, Toshiba has announced
that it has developed a [2]new language translation system that requires
no server-side interaction. The app is designed to be operated
independently on a smartphone, which will eliminate costly data roaming
fees that are generally incurred using systems that require an internet
connection to retrieve translations. The system is trilingual in nature
and enables users to translate freely among Japanese, Chinese, and
English."
Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/29/2338202
Links:
0. http://hothardware.com/
1. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/10/29/0311214/Speech-to-Speech-Translator-Developed-For-IPhone
2. http://hothardware.com/News/Toshiba-Intros-Trilingual-Language-Translation-System-For-Cellphones/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MS Issues Word Patch To Comply With Court Order |
| from the wrist-slap-complete dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 29, @20:02 (Microsoft) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/0011258/MS-Issues-Word-Patch-To-Comply-With-Court-O|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
bennyboy64 writes "iTnews reports that Microsoft has begun offering what
appears to be [0]a patch for its popular Word software, allowing it to
comply with [1]a recent court ruling which has banned the software giant
from selling patent-infringing versions of the word processing product.
The workaround should put an end to a long-running dispute between
Canadian i4i and Redmond, although it has hinted that the legal battle
might yet take another turn."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/0011258
Links:
0. http://itnews.com.au/News/163608,microsoft-rolls-out-word-patch.aspx
1. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/22/1936214/Microsoft-Ordered-To-Pay-290M-Stop-Selling-Word
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| <em>Duke Nukem 3D</em> Ported To Nokia N900 |
| from the all-outta-gum dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 29, @22:03 (Cellphones) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/0249203/Duke-Nukem-3D-Ported-To-Nokia-N900 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
andylim writes "It looks as if Duke Nukem isn't [0]completely 'nuked'
after all. Someone has [1]ported the 90s classic on to a Nokia N900. As
you'll see in the video, you control Duke using the Qwerty keypad and
shoot using the touchscreen. I'm wondering how long it will take for this
to get on other mobile platforms." In other Duke news, reader Jupix
points out that 3D Realms' CEO Scott Miller recently said, "There are
[2]numerous other Duke games in various stages of development, several
due out this year. We are definitely looking to bring Duke into casual
gaming spaces, plus there are other major Duke games in production."
Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/0249203
Links:
0. http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/12/22/1335205/The-Nuking-of-emDuke-Nukemem?from=rss
1. http://recombu.com/news/duke-nukem-3d-running-on-a-nokia-n900_M11275.html
2. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/61747
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Following In Bing's Footsteps, Yahoo! and Flickr Censor Porn In India |
| from the searching-for-morality dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 29, @23:06 (Government) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/0027217/Following-In-Bings-Footsteps-Yahoo-and-Flic|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
bhagwad writes "Following recent news on how Bing decided [0]sex was too
sensitive for India, [1]Yahoo! and its associated site Flickr have
decided to do the same. While it's true that this is because of India
passing laws that [2]prohibit the publication of porn, no complaint was
ever launched (and never will be), and glorious Google still continues to
return accurate and unbiased results. So why is Yahoo! doing this? Is it
because of its tie-up with Bing? I assume this is the case. Indian ISPs
have already told the government and the courts that it's not their job
to restrict porn and it's technologically infeasible too. In the absence
of a complaint, I can only assume that Yahoo! has decided to do this of
their own volition. Given that the 'sex' search term is searched more in
India than in any other country, isn't it the duty of Yahoo! to provide
accurate results to its customers? It can always plausibly deny control
of its results and claim that filtering porn is infeasible. Since Yahoo!
already has a low search market share in India, this will drive it even
lower."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/0027217
Links:
0. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/06/06/2338233/Microsofts-Bing-Refuses-Search-Term-Sex-In-India
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/dec/28/sex-internet-india-law
2. https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/01/03/0246252/India-Sleepwalks-Into-a-Surveillance-Society
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| OnLive One Step Closer |
| from the condensing-vapor dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday December 30, @02:10 (The Internet) |
| https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/0237209/OnLive-One-Step-Closer |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
hysma writes "It looks like OnLive, the remote gaming system that streams
HD video over the Internet, is [0]one step closer to becoming reality,
according to an article on DSL Reports in response to [1]a lengthy video
presentation by founder & CEO Steve Perlman at Columbia University.
Perlman demonstrated the UI, spectating, using the service on an iPhone,
and other features."
Discuss this story at:
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/0237209
Links:
0. http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/106162
1. http://www.viddler.com/explore/gamertagradio/videos/160/169.707/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Italy May Censor Torrent Sites |
| from the giving-them-the-boot dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday December 30, @05:11 (Censorship) |
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/0240254/Italy-May-Censor-Torrent-Sites |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader writes "Following a [0]Pirate Bay block more than a
year ago, Italy continues its attempts to censor torrent sites. The
Italian Supreme Court has ruled that [1]copyright holders can now force
ISPs to block BitTorrent sites, even if they are hosted outside Italy.
The torrent sites which 'hold' copyrighted materials are accused of
taking part in criminal activity. It seems someone should enlighten
Italian jurists about technology."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/0240254
Links:
0. https://news.slashdot.org/story/08/08/10/1934231/The-Pirate-Bay-Blocked-In-Italy
1. http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-sites-may-be-censored-in-italy-091227/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Is OpenOffice.org a Threat? Microsoft Thinks So |
| from the peter-those-are-cheerios dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Wednesday December 30, @08:15 (Businesses) |
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/0352211/Is-OpenOfficeorg-a-Threat-Microsoft-Thinks|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Glyn Moody writes "Most people regard OpenOffice.org as a distant
runner-up to Microsoft Office, and certainly not a serious rival.
[0]Microsoft seems to feel otherwise, judging by a new [1]job posting on
its site for a 'Linux and Open Office Compete Lead.' According to this,
competing with both GNU/Linux and OpenOffice.org is 'one of the biggest
issues that is top of mind' for no less a person than Steve Ballmer.
Interestingly, a key part of this position is 'engaging with Open Source
communities and organizations' ��� which suggests that Microsoft's
new-found eagerness to 'engage' with open source has nothing to do with a
real desire to reach a pacific accommodation with free software, but is
simply a way for Microsoft to fight against it from close up, and armed
with inside knowledge."
Discuss this story at:
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/0352211
Links:
0. http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=2712&blogid=14
1. https://careers.microsoft.com/JobDetails.aspx?ss=&pg=0&so=&rw=1&jid=9914&jlang=EN
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Why Do So Many Terrorists Have Engineering Degrees |
| from the holy-crap-you-gotta-be-kidding-me dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @09:06 (News) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1318240/Why-Do-So-Many-Terrorists-Have-Engineering|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Socguy noted that Slate is apparently a little desperate for some traffic
as they are writing about"Why so many of the [0]terrorists have
engineering degrees, and they come to the conclusion that engineers and
engineering students are much more likely to hold strong conservative and
religious views than a general cross section of the public. Further,
engineers tend to hold a particular mind-set that disdains ambiguity and
compromise. Terrorist organizations have long recognized that engineering
departments are fertile ground for recruitment and have concentrated
their efforts there. A 2005 report from British intelligence noted that
Islamic extremists were frequenting college campuses, looking for
'inquisitive' students who might be susceptible to their message. In
particular, the report noted, they targeted engineers."
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1318240
Links:
0. http://www.slate.com/id/2240157/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Midwest Seeing Red Over 'Green' Traffic Lights |
| from the do-you-see-what-i-see dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @09:55 (Power) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1322209/Midwest-Seeing-Red-Over-Green-Traffic-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
theodp writes "Many municipalities have switched to LED traffic signals
because they burn brighter, last longer and use 90% less energy than
incandescent bulbs. But they also emit less heat, meaning [0]they
sometimes have trouble melting snow, causing problems across the Midwest.
In Wisconsin, snow blanketed LED traffic lights in some towns, leading to
crashes at intersections where drivers weren't sure whether to stop or
go. The unintended consequences of the green technology were also
identified as a 'contributing factor' in the death of an Illinois woman
hit by a driver who blamed the [1]snow-covered energy-efficient signal
for giving the appearance of a normal green light instead of a left-turn
signal. 'We can remove the snow with heat, but the cost of doing that in
terms of energy use has not brought any enthusiasm from cities and states
that buy these signals,' said the CEO of an LED traffic-signal
manufacturer. 'They'd like to be able to take away this issue, but they
don't want to spend the money and lose the savings.' In the meantime,
some towns are addressing sporadic problems by dispatching crews to
remove snow or ice from signals using poles, brooms, and heating
devices." We were discussing these recently at the office ��� several folks
in the building are red/green color blind and different street lights are
differently distinguishable.
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1322209
Links:
0. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-led-traffic-lights-29-dec29,0,3473513.story
1. http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-12/51332464.jpg
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How Many Admins Per User/Computer Have You Seen? |
| from the its-all-about-the-ratios dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @10:46 (IT) |
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/148224/How-Many-Admins-Per-UserComputer-Have-You-Se|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]miffo.swe writes "I'm trying to find the normal ratio of
technicians/support tech per user or computer in your average IT-shop.
When searching around, I can't find that many examples or any statistics.
We manage around 900 computers (mostly Windows XP) and 25+ servers
(mostly Linux). There are around 2600 users of varying knowledge, mostly
pretty low. I can't find any statistics on this, so real-world examples
are very welcome since we do this with one sysadmin (me) and two sneaker
techs. Are we seriously understaffed, or is this normal?"
Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/148224
Links:
0. http://danielatsolledotse/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ginkgo Doesn't Improve Memory Or Cognitive Skills |
| from the go-go-science dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @11:32 (Medicine) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1416227/Ginkgo-Doesnt-Improve-Memory-Or-Cogniti|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
JumperCable writes "Ginkgo biloba has [0]failed ��� again ��� to live up to
its reputation for boosting memory and brain function. Just over a year
after a study showed that the herb doesn't prevent dementia and
Alzheimer's disease, a [1]new study from the same team of researchers has
found no evidence that ginkgo reduces the normal cognitive decline that
comes with aging. In the new study, the largest of its kind to date,
[2]DeKosky and his colleagues followed more than 3,000 people between the
ages of 72 and 96 for an average of six years. Half of the participants
took two 120-milligram capsules of ginkgo a day during the study period,
and the other half took a placebo. The people who took ginkgo showed no
differences in attention, memory, and other cognitive measures compared
to those who took the placebo, according to the study, which was
published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1416227
Links:
0. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/29/ginkgo.biloba.brain/index.html
1. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/302/24/2663?home
2. http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/about/dean.cfm
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 5th Underhanded C Contest Now Open |
| from the i-c-what-you've-done-there dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @12:25 (Programming) |
| https://developers.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1446221/5th-Underhanded-C-Contest-Now-Open |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Xcott Craver writes "The next [0]Underhanded C Contest has begun, with a
deadline of March 1st. The object of the contest is to write short,
readable, clear and innocent C code that somehow commits an evil act.
This year's challenge: write a luggage routing program that mysteriously
misroutes a customer's bag if a check-in clerk places just the right kind
of text in a comment field. The prize is a gift certificate to
ThinkGeek.com."
Discuss this story at:
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1446221
Links:
0. http://underhanded.xcott.com/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Google Nexus Rumored To Cost $530 Or $180 w/Plan |
| from the it-better-be-good dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @13:16 (Google) |
| https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1447220/Google-Nexus-Rumored-To-Cost-530-Or-180-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
wkurzius writes "The new Google phone, the Nexus One, is [0]rumored to
cost $530 unlocked and will work on any GSM network. A subsidized version
is also available for $180 and will get you a T-Mobile Even More
Individual 500 Plan for 2-years with a $350 termination fee. Access to
the phone is supposed to be invite only at first, with January 5th being
the supposed release date."
Discuss this story at:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1447220
Links:
0. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/rumor-google-nexus-one-530-unlocked-180-with-plan/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Rise of Machine-Written Journalism |
| from the hey-that's-my-job dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @14:08 (The Media) |
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1559214/The-Rise-of-Machine-Written-Journalism |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Peter Kirwan has an interesting article in Wired
UK on the emergence of software that [1]automates the collection,
evaluation, and even reporting of news events. Thomson Reuters, the
world's largest news agency, has started moving down this path, courtesy
of an intriguing product with the nondescript name NewsScope, a
machine-readable news service designed for financial institutions that
make their money from automated, event-driven trading. The latest
iteration of NewsScope '[2]scans and automatically extracts critical
pieces of information' from US corporate press releases, eliminating the
'manual processes' that have traditionally kept so many financial
journalists in gainful employment. At Northwestern University, a group of
computer science and journalism students have developed a program called
[3]Stats Monkey that uses statistical data to generate news reports on
baseball games. Stats Monkey identifies the players who change the course
of games, alongside specific turning points in the action. The rest of
the process involves on-the-fly assembly of templated 'narrative arcs' to
describe the action in a format recognizable as a news story. 'No doubt
Kurt Cagle, editor of XMLToday.org, was engaging in a bit of provocation
when he recently suggested that an intelligent agent [4]might win a
Pulitzer Prize by 2030,' writes Kirwin. 'Of course, it won't be the
software that takes home the prize: it'll be the programmers who wrote
the code in the first place, something that Joseph Pultizer could never
have anticipated.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1559214
Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-12/16/the-rise-of-machine-written-journalism.aspx
2. http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/financial/financial_products/event_driven_trading/newsscope_archive
3. http://infolab.northwestern.edu/projects/stats-monkey/
4. http://www.semanticweb.com/features/journalism_the_semantic_web_and_nude_partygoers_139921.asp
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| IDEs With VIM Text Editing Capability? |
| from the one-keybinding-to-rule-them-all dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday December 30, @14:30 (GUI) |
| https://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1911204/IDEs-With-VIM-Text-Editing-Capability |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader writes "I am currently looking to move from text
editing with vim to a full fledged IDE with gdb integration, integrated
command line, etc. Extending VIM with these capabilities is a mortal sin,
so I am looking for a linux based GUI IDE. I do not want to give up the
efficient text editing capabilities of VIM though. How do I have my cake
and eat it too?"
Discuss this story at:
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1911204
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Impressive Robot Hand From Shadow |
| from the more-dextrous-than-me dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday December 30, @15:00 (Biotech) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/1730241/Impressive-Robot-Hand-From-Shadow |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
kkleiner writes "The [0]Shadow Dextrous Hand is a robotic arm that allows
for fine motor control and precise movements. It's accurate enough to
pick up an egg, screw in a light bulb, or thread a needle. Even cooler,
researchers can control it with a 'Cyber glove,' allowing for 24 distinct
human movements that mimic the user's own hand. A British based company,
Shadow, has been displaying the hand for several years now, and recently
[1]demonstrated its latest model at IREX 2009. The hand, toted as the
world's most advanced, is available for sale to researchers (pricing has
not been made public)."
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/1730241
Links:
0. http://singularityhub.com/2009/12/30/robot-hand-from-shadow-continues-to-impress-video/
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMHvziAikok&feature=player_embedded#
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Geoengineering a Snow-Free Winter Fails In Moscow |
| from the anthropogenic-warming-is-hard dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday December 30, @15:48 (Earth) |
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/204244/Geoengineering-a-Snow-Free-Winter-Fails-|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
dinoyum writes "Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov's promise of a [0]winter
without snow in the capital city has [1]fallen short. While [2]cloud
seeding is not a new concept for Russia, often used on major holidays,
[3]geoengineering snow has never been done to that magnitude. Carrying
off the $6 million procedure required jets to spray silver iodide into
coming clouds, ensuring that all precipitation fell before it reached the
capital. However a combination of disrupted radar, wind control, and
faulty weathermen have been blamed by Luzhkov for his failed attempt at
playing with mother nature. For now, Russia can go back to enjoying
snow."
Discuss this story at:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/204244
Links:
0. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1930822,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo
1. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/russia/091228/moscow-snow
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoengineering
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Quantum Encryption Implementation Broken |
| from the but-this-was-a-quantum-drawing-board dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday December 30, @16:37 (Encryption) |
| https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/2118250/Quantum-Encryption-Implementation-Broken |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Professor Johannes
Skaar's Quantum Hacking group at [1]NTNU have [2]found a new way to break
quantum encryption. Even though quantum encryption is theoretically
perfect, real hardware isn't, and they exploit these flaws. Their
technique relies on a particular way of blinding the single photon
detectors so that they're able to perform an intercept-resend attack and
get a copy of the secret key without giving away the fact that someone is
listening. This attack is not merely theoretical, either. They have built
an eavesdropping device and successfully attacked their own quantum
encryption hardware. More details can be found in their [3]conference
presentation."
Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/2118250
Links:
0. http://www.eff.org/support
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_University_of_Science_and_Technology
2. http://www.iet.ntnu.no/groups/optics/qcr/
3. http://events.ccc.de/congress/2009/Fahrplan/events/3576.en.html
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| USPTO Awards LOL Patent To IBM |
| from the wtf-industries dept. |
| posted by samzenpus on Wednesday December 30, @17:33 (IBM) |
| https://idle.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/166220/USPTO-Awards-LOL-Patent-To-IBM |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
theodp writes "Among the last batch of patents granted in 2009 was one
for IBM's [0]Resolution of Abbreviated Text in an Electronic
Communications System. The invention of four IBMers addresses the
hitherto unsolvable problem of translating abbreviations to their full
meaning ��� e.g., [1]'IMHO' means 'In My Humble Opinion' ��� and vice versa.
From the patent: 'One particularly useful application of the invention is
to interpret the meaning of shorthand terms ... For example, one database
may define the shorthand term "LOL" to mean "laughing out loud."' USPTO
records indicate the patent filing was made more than a year after Big
Blue [2]called on the industry to stop what it called 'bad behavior' by
companies who seek patents for unoriginal work. Yet another example of
what USPTO Chief David Kappos called [3]IBM's apparent schizophrenia on
patent policy back when he managed Big Blue's IP portfolio."
Discuss this story at:
http://idle.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/166220
Links:
0. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=7,640,233
1. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4225941130_c68b39924a_o.jpg
2. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/soa/IBM-calls-for-patent-reform/0,139023165,139187609,00.htm
3. http://ipbiz.blogspot.com/2007/10/ibms-apparent-schizophrenia-on-patent.html
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Boost a Weak 3G Modem Signal, With a Saucepan |
| from the raid-the-kitchen dept. |
| posted by timothy on Wednesday December 30, @18:19 (Hardware Hacking) |
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/231217/Boost-a-Weak-3G-Modem-Signal-With-a-Sau|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
modeca writes "Using only commonly available kitchen equipment this guy
demonstrates the amazing powers of an [0]ordinary metal pan to boost the
3G reception of his USB modem. It really seems to work, check the right
hand side of the graph in the video." It's not that crazy: cheap antenna
boosting (for USB WiFi dongles, Bluetooth, and more) has been [1]elevated
to a fine art in New Zealand.
Discuss this story at:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/12/30/231217
Links:
0. http://mobilebroadbandblog.co.uk/2009/12/the-craziest-way-to-boost-your-mobile-broadband-signal/
1. http://www.usbwifi.orconhosting.net.nz/
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