Thursday, July 15, 2004

Hawking cracks black hole paradox. On New Scientist [NewsIsFree: Popular Items] 9:35:54 PM    comment []

Hacker source code shop closes its doors. An online shop that was selling the source code for two computer programs has abruptly suspended its operations, citing a "redesign" of its "business model." [InfoWorld: Top News] 6:04:12 PM    comment []

More Roomba hacking Another group of hardware hackers have at a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner: "For higher level control, we've attached a Virgin Webplayer. The Webplayer was sold as a loss leader for Virgin's internet service in the late 90s, and thus can be found on ebay for under $100. It has two serial ports, a 200MHz Geode processor, 64M ram, and a miniPCI port. Thus, we can give it an 802.11b card, a webcam, and a usb-serial adapter." Link (via MetaFilter) [bOing bOing] 8:42:23 AM    comment []

Lynda Barry: Say it loud! [Salon.com] 8:39:32 AM    comment []

Two from Salon.com: G.I. Joe critics. How I talked four Army infantrymen from Fort Benning, Ga., into seeing "Fahrenheit 9/11." And telling me what they really think of Michael Moore. On the phone with Ralph Nader. Salon editor David Talbot and the presidential contender have a frank and honest exchange of views. (I'm told by someone in the Salon offices that the Talbot side of the conversation was stirring in itself.) 8:38:33 AM    comment []

Quantum Cryptography Network Unveiled. Quantum cryptography has reached another big step towards potentially perfect secure communications. BBN Technologies, Harvard University and Boston University researchers have built a six-node quantum cryptography network in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The network, which is operational since December 2002, "operates continuously to provide a way to exchange secure keys between BBN and Harvard, which is about 10 kilometers away," providing a totally secure virtual private network. In "Quantum crypto network debuts," Technology Research News (TRN) reports that this network uses existing Internet protocols including the secure Internet Protocol (IPsec). In other words, this technology is ready for practical applications as soon as today. For more details, references and pictures, please read this overview. [Smart Mobs] 8:37:28 AM    comment []

Documenting Moore's Oscar Chances. A strangely worded rule covering the Oscar eligibility of documentaries could spell trouble for Michael Moore, thanks to illegal Internet downloads. Then again, it may not. By Staci D. Kramer. [Wired News] 8:36:25 AM    comment []

BBC: "While the FastTrack network (which carries Kazaa) still accounts for 24% of all P2P traffic, the lesser known Bittorrent and eDonkey together account for 72% of file-sharing, according to CacheLogic's report." [Scripting News] 8:36:19 AM    comment []

Can Odd Alliance Beat Pirates?. Several movie studios and technology companies say they are working together to protect upcoming high-definition video formats from piracy, while letting customers share the video among many home devices. By Katie Dean. [Wired News] 8:36:18 AM    comment []