Oracle rings up new Netra servers

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:53
Xeon blade and rack boxes for telcos and hosters

It is not a coincidence that Oracle is paying close attention to the Netra server lineup since taking over Sun Microsystems back in January. Telecommunications companies and service providers of various sorts still have lots Sparc/Solaris iron installed, and it is here where Oracle must build a defensive perimeter and hold the line with its Netra products.…

Sarko hit by 'asshole' Googlebomb

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:40
Oh merde

Nikolas Sarkozy has become the latest high profile victim of a Google bomb, after bloggers linked his Facebook page to the phrase "trou du cul".…

Sod hedgerows and fields, build more base stations

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:37
Coverage more important than rural idyll, says quango

The Commission For Rural Communities is calling for less restrictive planning laws to encourage comms networks to build out, for the sake of the rural economy.…

Separating Hope From Hype In Quantum Computing

Slashdot - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:34
pgptag writes "This talk by Dr. Suzanne Gilbert (video) explains why quantum computers are useful, and also dispels some of the myths about what they can and cannot do. It addresses some of the practical ways in which we can build quantum computers and gives realistic timescales for how far away commercially useful systems might be."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


PARIS threatened by the bends

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:10
Careful with that dope

El Reg's Paper Aircraft Released Into Space (PARIS) team continues to work on the Vulture 1-X aircraft structure, while attempting to refine the skinning process.…

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Wikileaks caught up in Swedish police raids

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:03
Copyright coppers go after P2P servers

Swedish police raided several addresses this morning, including an ISP linked to Wikileaks, while assisting a Belgian file-sharing probe.…

Oz pedestrians fall to 'Death by iPod'

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 14:54
'Lambs to the slaughter'

Distracted Oz pedestrians are allegedly dropping like flies to "Death by iPod" - an untimely end provoked by walking out into traffic while in a "zombie trance".…

Behind the Scenes and Inside Workings of a CERT

Slashdot - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 14:51
An anonymous reader writes "Ireland's Computer Emergency Response Team differs from what you can find in most other countries, since it's not government-backed and relies mainly on the good will of several security professionals. In this interview, the founder and head of the CERT, Brian Honan, talks about how the CERT was formed, what equipment they use and what challenges they face in their daily work without having a government to back them up."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Scammers seize on tax rebates as phishing lure

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 14:38
Greedy sprats

Fraudsters have wasted no time jumping on news of a tax mix-up in the UK as a hook for scams.…

Assange under fire from Wikileakers

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 14:37
'Friends are people who tell you if your face is dirty'

Criticism of Wikileaks mouthpiece Julian Assange is growing, with more voices joining the chorus calling for him to step aside while his various Swedish legal problems are sorted out.…

Pirate Bay Down; Police Raids Across Europe

Slashdot - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 14:08
Stoobalou contributes a link to this story at Thinq.co.uk, from which he excerpts: "Torrent-tracking site The Pirate Bay is currently unavailable as reports come in of co-ordinated police raids against file sharers across Europe. Police in up to 14 countries carried out raids against suspected file-sharing servers this morning. According to file-sharing news site TorrentFreak, the bulk of police action seems to have taken place in Sweden. Swedish Internet service provider ISP, which hosts both The Pirate Bay and whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks, earlier denied rumours of a police raid, saying that officers had visited them to ask questions over two suspect IP addresses, and that no computers or other goods had been seized."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Apple's AirPlay: Bring the walled garden home

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:50
Double standards

Analysis  "You want computers to discover each other and just share stuff," I recall Steve Jobs saying back in 2002, as he personally demonstrated wireless music streaming at an Apple developer event.…

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NASA buys cutting-edge Cornish robot

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:35
To be dubbed Oooh-Arrr-2-D2, no doubt

In a triumph for West Country technical prowess and engineering knowhow, NASA has ordered a robot made in Cornwall. Here's a vid:…

DoJ focuses probe of Google flight data land grab

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:26
Two antitrust issues eyed, says report

The US Justice Department is examining two particular issues as it investigates Google's recent proposed buyout of ITA Software to see if the acquisition would be anti-competitive, according to a report citing sources familiar with the situation.…

Former HP CEO Selected As Oracle Co-President

Slashdot - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:25
theodp writes "Late on Monday, Oracle announced that ousted HP CEO Mark Hurd has joined the company as a co-president and a director. Hurd resigned from HP a month ago, after an investigation by the board into a personal relationship with a contractor turned up questionable expenses. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a personal friend of Hurd, criticized HP's board at the time, saying it was 'the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs.' 'Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he'll do even better at Oracle,' Ellison said in a statement Monday. 'There is no executive in the IT world with more relevant experience than Mark.' Stepping down to make room for Hurd was Charles E. Phillips Jr., who had some personal relationship issues of his own."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.


Spammers exploit another Facebook flaw

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:07
Share this

Spammers have taken advantage of a vulnerability in Facebook to spread auto-replicating links, a trick that makes it possible to spread crud without using social engineering.…

HPC Advisory Council unveils Cloud HPC initiative

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:06
Ready for prime time?

Webcast  Our pals at the HPC Advisory Council have been busy in the past few months and it seemed time to tap them for an update, in our September HPC Community webcast.…

Mafia II

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 13:01
Fuggedaboutit?

Review  A few hours into Mafia II and it finally happens. It's the summer of 1951 and you've just been released from an eight-year stretch in Sing Sing. You're cruising around the wide, pristine streets of Empire Bay - the game's fictional amalgam of New York, Chicago and San Fransico – when all of a sudden you hear the unmistakable pow of saxophones and horns in the intro for Ain't That a Kick in the Head.…

A series of disorderly events

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 12:47
Doomsday Weekend 2: Trevor Pott and the Domain of Fire

Sysadmin Blog  On Doomsday Weekend we completely replaced our Windows domain. It was a miserable experience. It’s hard to describe how much work is involved in replacing a mature domain; certainly more than I had anticipated. It's even harder to explain the hell to non-sysadmins.…

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DVLA says council snoopers are free to take the WEE

The Register - Tue, 09/07/2010 - 12:35
Gov officials just doing their job, ma'am

Government officials hit back at accusations last week that they were encouraging councils to break the law and snoop on local residents, claiming instead that not only are they entitled to do so, but that they are required to by law.…