Guerilla games: thousands to hit Ikea for game of hide and seek

By Megan Levy

Thousands of Melbourne youngsters are planning to descend on Ikea in Richmond later this month for a massive game of hide-and-seek in the Swedish furniture retailer's maze-like store.

A Facebook page set up earlier this month promoting the guerilla event on August 29 has so far attracted more than 2700 participants, who are planning to dash into the store and conceal themselves among the discount furnishings.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/guerilla-games-thousands-to-hit-ikea-for-game-of-hide-and-seek-20100819-12ljq.html

Our Justice System Requires Us 
To Punish Wrongdoers. What If 
There Were a Better Way?

Is there a better way of "doing justice"? The alternative may surprise you.

The banner says "No justice. No Peace."

What exactly does this sign mean?

We think we know what it means -- that we who want justice are willing to fight for it.  The words have a deeper meaning, of course. They are intended to remind us that that it is an impossibility to have a peaceful society as long as there is injustice, because inevitably those who are oppressed will rise up.
As slogans go, this one is pretty clever, so clever, in fact, that it's easy to get caught up in the words and forget to think about what they actually mean.
What is it that we really want when we say we want justice?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/between-the-lines/201008/our-justice-system-requires-us-punish-wrongdoers-what-if-there-were-be

Tech's TV takeover: Why Hollywood should embrace Silicon Valley, not fight it

By Sam Diaz

One of the buzz topics this week has been Google TV, a product that’s not even available to consumers yet but already has news outlets issuing the warning call that technology is on the verge of doing to TV what it’s already done to the music, news and movie industries.

Some might say that technology has ruined those other industries while others might say that the influences of tech have made them better. In terms of TV, it’s hard to say what will happen. But when I see “quality” television programming.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/techs-tv-takeover-why-hollywood-should-embrace-silicon-valley-not-fight-it/38191?tag=content;feature-roto

The first and best Big M ad. 1976.

Ratings review may alter net filter: Conroy

By Sarah Collerton

Senator Conroy also says he sometimes disagrees with the board's decisions. (AAP: Julian Smith)

• 
  
  

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has conceded that a Classification Board review could "substantially" change the proposed mandatory internet filter.

The Classification Board is set to review its standards in what makes up refused classification (RC) rated content.

Senator Conroy told triple j's Hack that the review could change the filter "substantially".

"We've done the tests on speed, now we're going through a process to see what is contained within RC and we're happy to live with the outcome of that and it could change substantially," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/17/2985789.htm?section=justin

Why the NBN will fail

Malcolm Turnbull, Election 2010

All Australians understand that high-quality, reliable and affordable broadband is a critical part of the infrastructure our nation needs to prosper in coming years.

As one of the founders of OzEmail, Australia’s first big internet company, I believe passionately in broadband and the power of the internet.

But as a businessman and Member of Parliament I also believe passionately in not wasting billions of taxpayers' dollars on white elephants. Remember, every dollar of revenue diverted to Labor's national broadband network (NBN) is a dollar that can’t be spent on hospitals, schools, roads or public transport - let alone returned to you in lower taxes!

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Telstra-broadband-NBN-Labor-Gillard-Rudd-wireless-pd20100816-8D3V8?OpenDocument

77 Windows 7 Tips

Edited by Keith Ward

 

AT A GLANCE:

• Make Windows 7 faster
• Get more done with Windows 7
• The best Windows 7 shortcuts
• Securing Windows 7

  Contents

Windows 7 may be Microsoft’s most anticipated product ever. It builds on Windows Vista’s positives, and eliminates many of that OS’s negatives. It adds new functionality, too—all in a package that is less resource-hungry than its predecessor.

And whether or not you're upgrading from Vista or skipping it altogether and moving up from Windows XP, you'll need to know how to make the most of it in your environment. Here are 77 tips and tricks to get you there.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.10.77windows.aspx?ppud=4

links to other peoples stuff : find what’s out there

by rorybaust

Get the best links to the latest happening news on the web

L2OPS

New code-execution bug found in Windows and 40 apps

When 'safe' files aren't

By Dan Goodin

Microsoft Windows and about 40 applications that run on it are vulnerable to remote-code execution attacks that are "trivial" to carry out, a noted security researcher warned Wednesday.
The flaw involves the way Windows loads "safe" file types from remote network locations, and is almost identical to one that Apple excised in iTunes last week, H D Moore, CSO and chief architect of the Metasploit project, told The Register. He said the bug is “trivial” to remotely exploit, but wasn't authorized to provide additional details about techniques or other vulnerable applications.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/18/windows_code_execution_vuln/

We Need To Change Copyright Laws To Save Newspapers

Eric Clemons and Nehal Madhani, Wharton School

Copyright and patent laws were introduced to benefit society by providing authors and inventors incentives to create; by giving authors and inventors an opportunity for personal gain from their own creativity intellectual property protections create an environment that fosters the innovations that allow society to prosper.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/technology-changes-strategy-which-then-changes-the-risks-of-abuse-why-online-technology-may-require-major-revisions-in-the-law-2010-8?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsilicon_alley_insider%20%28Silicon%20Alley%20Insider%29&utm_content=Google%20Reader#ixzz0x0FKmFr4

Google Chrome Store readied for OS launch

October release on the cards

By Marc Chacksfield

Google has revealed that its Google Chrome Web Store will be released in Europe this autumn, a timing which coincides with the launch of Google Chrome OS.

The store will play host to a multitude of web apps which, once downloaded, will be made into shortcuts on your Chrome browser.

http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/google-chrome-store-readied-for-os-launch-710558#ixzz0x03a5bxU

Fox Drives a Stake Through ‘Vampires Suck’ Workprint

Written by Ernesto 

An unfinished copy of the upcoming Vampires Suck movie has been making the rounds on BitTorrent recently. Despite’s efforts from Fox to prevent people from taking a sneak peak at this upcoming Twilight parody, a leaked and possibly unfinished workprint version has been downloaded tens of thousands of times already.

http://torrentfreak.com/fox-vampires-suck-workprint-100817/

Android phones can bug you

Your robot could spy on you with Russian tech

By Inquirer staff

A RUSSIAN SPYING TOOL could find its way on to your Android handset thanks to an app, insecurity firms have announced.

Called the Tap Snake application, it looks like a clone of the 1970s game Snake, but once installed it runs a piece of Russian surveillance software called GPS SPY. The software updates a central server with the user's position every 15 minutes and can't be turned off.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1728451/android-phones-bug

Google CEO: Change Your Name to Escape Our Watchful Eye

By Brennon Slattery, PC World

Artwork: Chip TaylorGoogle is often accused of behaving like Big Brother, and Google's CEO Eric Schmidt isn't doing much to dispel those perceptions. In fact, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Schmidt dropped an interesting -- and frightening -- tidbit: perhaps people should change their names upon reaching adulthood to eradicate the potentially reputation-damaging search records Google keeps.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/203450/google_ceo_change_your_name_to_escape_our_watchful_eye.html

Court Says California Mall Can't Ban Customers From Talking To Each Other

By Chris Walters 

(Caitlinator)

The Westfield Galleria in Roseville, California takes the comfort of its patrons seriously--so seriously, in fact, that it wants them to shut up and focus on shopping, or else ask for permission first if they want to talk about any topic that's not mall related. Last week, the state's 3rd District Court of Appeal found that the rule violated the state's constitution, so now mall shoppers can gab as much as they want to each other.

The rule seemed designed to protect patrons from unwanted sermons or pitches; it prevented a person from "approaching patrons with whom he or she was not previously acquainted for the purpose of communicating with them on a topic unrelated to the business interests." In fact, it was used by the mall's security guard to make a citizen's arrest of a youth minister who was proselytizing at the mall, which is what led to the lawsuit.

http://consumerist.com/2010/08/court-says-california-mall-cant-ban-customers-from-talking-to-each-other.html

U2 Band Manager: Piracy Has Made Tech Companies, ISPs Rich

 by Jared Moya

Paul McGuiness says that the free content illegal file-sharing has made possible is part of an overall “commercial agenda of powerful technology and telecoms industries” who are making “vast profits” at the expense of copyright holders.

For years now Paul McGuiness, longtime band manager for the famed rock group U2, has argued that ISPs share in the blame for the damage illegal file-sharing has done to the music industry, and that more importantly, they’ve been rewarded handsomely over the years at the music industry’s expense.

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/90304/u2-band-manager-piracy-has-made-tech-companies-isps-rich/

Newly detected SQL injection attack snags Apple in wide net

By Chris Foresman 

A new series of mass SQL injection attacks has planted links to malware sites and hidden iframes in over a million webpages, including parts of Apple's website. The technique is similar to a standard SQL injection attack, but uses obfuscation to disguise the data in hopes of routing around any rudimentary input checking.

The attack was detailed earlier this week by security researcher Manuel Humberto Santander Peláez. The attacks rely on a series of SQL commands stored as hexadecimal data preceded by a CAST command. When decoded, it attempts to inject iframes into data tables, which then end up being rendered in webpages that use the tables to build its HTML code dynamically. The attacks lead to Russian top-level domains that appear to be sources of malware.

http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/08/newly-detected-sql-injection-attack-snags-apple-in-wide-net.ars

Microsoft makes a return to Flight

by Ina Fried

One of the casualties of last year's layoffs at Microsoft was the Aces game studio responsible for the company's long-running Flight Simulator game.

At the time, Microsoft promised that the flight simulation franchise would continue in one form or another. This week, Redmond confirmed that it is indeed following through with a new title: Microsoft Flight.

The game is in its early development stages, with an alpha version nearly ready for internal testing, according to Kevin Unangst, a senior director in Microsoft's game unit.

The company is offering few details on Flight, but Unangst said that it is looking to appeal to flying enthusiasts with the realism, accuracy, and fidelity they expect, but also imagines including other types of gameplay that might appeal more to novices.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20013915-56.html?tag=topImage2

Prosecutor: No Charges in Webcam Spy Scandal

• By David Kravets

Federal authorities announced Tuesday they will not prosecute administrators connected to a webcam spying scandal at a suburban Philadelphia school district.

Prosecutors and the FBI opened an inquiry following a February privacy lawsuit accusing Lower Merion School District officials of spying on students with webcams on the 2,300 district-issued MacBooks. The lawyers who filed the lawsuit claim the district secretly snapped thousands of webcam images of students, including images of youths at home, in bed or even “partially dressed.”

Zane David Memeger, the United States attorney for the Easter District of Pennsylvania, said he found no criminal intent in the alleged surveillance.

Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/08/webcamscandal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20wired27b%20%28Blog%20-%2027B%20Stroke%206%20%28Threat%20Level%29%29#ixzz0wxJaikmS

7-inch Apple iPad readied for Christmas launch?

Manufacturing for the iPad 2 is hotting up

By Marc Chacksfield

A seven-inch version of the Apple iPad is to hit shops before Christmas, according to a report by Taiwanese media.

The Economic Daily News, a Chinese newspaper-language newspaper based in Taiwan, is claiming that a smaller version of the Apple iPad (we are going out on a limb and calling it the iPad 2) is already in pre-production and could be this year's surprise Christmas hit.

Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/7-inch-apple-ipad-readied-for-christmas-launch--710658#ixzz0wwFJktxK