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21st October 2009 Archive

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  • Cambridge string theorist to succeed Stephen Hawking

    And Issac Newton. And Charles Babbage

    A Cambridge physicist who revolutionized the concept of string theory has been tapped to succeed Steven Hawking in one of the world's most prestigious academic posts. String theorist Michael Green will become Cambridge University's 18th Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. The chair has been held in its 340-some year history by …

    Science 21 Oct 2009, 06:02

  • Yahoo! snuffs search-results-for-sale nonsense

    'Paid inclusion' excluded

    Yahoo! has finally put an end to the old-school "paid inclusion" programs that blurred the lines between its search engine and its search advertising. During the company's quarterly earnings call this afternoon, Yahoo! CFO Tim Morse confirmed that at the end of the year, the company will destroy its Search Submit program, …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 06:02

  • Zend's cloud of clouds PHP play drops first code

    ZendCon 09 Prepares to go native

    The first code in a cross-vendor project to make PHP applications work on different clouds - and (kinda) avoid lock in - has been delivered. Simple API for Cloud Application Services on Tuesday released code for a set of storage adaptors that should let applications written in PHP work across different providers clouds without …

    Developer 21 Oct 2009, 06:02

  • Canon Pixma MP560

    Review More than just a model refresh, apparently

    Mid-range, inkjet all-in-ones are the mainstay of most printer makers’ catalogues, so for one to stand out, it has to offer extra features, better performance or improved cost of ownership to get noticed. Canon has introduced the Pixma MP560 to build on a successful design in at least two of these three ways. Canon's Pixma …

    Hardware 21 Oct 2009, 08:02

  • Samsung buys into Fusion-io

    Some vertical integration going on

    Fusion-io has taken a cash investment from NAND chip leader Samsung, strengthening an existing chip supply relationship. Fusion-io makes the PCIe-connnected ioDrive, a NAND solid state storage module that fits inside a server and can be used as a solid state drive (SSD) to store data for a long time, or as a cache to store …

    Storage 21 Oct 2009, 08:59

  • Red Hat enjoys fruit of recession

    Hopes to dance on Microsoft's fresh interoperability grave

    Red Hat is still looking to expand beyond its traditional market of tech-savvy companies into a more mainstream world nearly a year after the open source vendor first declared its intentions to woo conservative customers away from rivals Microsoft and Oracle. According to the company's EMEA boss, Werner Knoblich, who spoke to …

    The Channel 21 Oct 2009, 09:03

  • Live today: The El Reg VoIP webcast

    Answers, advice and reader study results from 2pm

    The Register’s expert panel discusses the results from our recent VoIP mini-survey and gives the low-down on the choices, challenges and consequences of business VoIP solutions from 2pm BST today, live and online. Expect the usual cocktail of practical straight talking advice and healthy debate as panellists from The Register …

    VoIP 21 Oct 2009, 09:14

  • Court kicks YouTube rant missus into touch

    Appeal against 'inhuman treatment' divorce fails

    The New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division has sent YouTube rant (former) missus Tricia Walsh-Smith packing, ruling that her divorce from Broadway mogul Philip Smith is legit, and she'll walk away with nothing more than a prenup provision of $750,000. Walsh-Smith achieved instant internet fame with an ill-advised …

    Bootnotes 21 Oct 2009, 09:19

  • Tories to fight election on Spotify

    Eric Pickles: Coming in your ear

    In an early effort to target young voters, the Conservatives have begun advertising on Spotify. There are still almost eight months until Gordon Brown must call a general election, but Tory chairman Eric Pickles has taken to the streaming music service with an attack on Labour's economic record. DJ Pickles "Thanks to …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 09:45

  • Magpies hold funerals for fallen feathered friends

    One for sorrow

    A University of Colorado scientist has claimed that magpies hold "funerals" for fallen friends, demonstrating that they're all a lot more touchy-feely than they might appear. Dr Marc Bekoff observed four magpies alongside a fallen comrade, and recounted: "One approached the corpse, gently pecked at it, just as an elephant …

    Science 21 Oct 2009, 09:49

  • Unibody MacBook unzipped

    IFixit disassembles Apple's latest laptop

    Apple’s new unibody white MacBook was only officially unveiled a few hours ago, but US repair-and-parts shop iFixit has already taken the machine to bits. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com One of the all-new MacBook’s most notable features is its MacBook Pro-esque unibody polycarbonate enclosure, …

    Hardware 21 Oct 2009, 09:58

  • Police make a mockery of data protection

    Comment Court judgment 'forgets privacy rights of millions'

    While the police are very keen to retain as much data on the average citizen as they can "just in case" it becomes useful, they are markedly less happy when the data being collected relates to them. That is the conclusion from two otherwise unrelated stories hitting the headlines this week, as a landmark ruling by the Court of …

    Law 21 Oct 2009, 10:01

  • UK telly in coke blizzard shock

    Charlie abuse rife, says former producer

    A former BBC producer has claimed that the UK's TV industry is snowed under with charlie, and the "off-the-wall" brilliance of many stars is down to prodigious intake of nose ajax. That's according to Sarah Graham, a BBC Radio 5, Children's BBC and Channel 4's The Big Breakfast vet, who has recounted the scale of the abuse to …

    Bootnotes 21 Oct 2009, 10:32

  • Kanye West death prank used to sling scareware

    But Beyonce had one of the best hoaxes of all time

    Rumours of the death of rapper Kanye West in a car crash became fodder for fake anti-malware scams on Tuesday. Users searching for more info on the fictitious fatality are liable to get redirected to sites distributing scareware, security researchers warn. The rumour itself reportedly originated on notorious image board 4chan …

    Security 21 Oct 2009, 10:35

  • Google-branded Android smartphone inbound?

    An analyst writes...

    Google is poised to make the jump from smartphone OS developer to smartphone supplier, an industry analyst has claimed. Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Northeast Securities, claims to have spoken to Google's design partners about the online advertising giant’s plans to pair up with a smartphone manufacturer and develop a …

    Phones 21 Oct 2009, 10:38

  • Stallman calls on EU to set MySQL free

    Tear down this wall, chants free software guru

    Richard Stallman demanded the EU cut MySQL loose from Oracle yesterday in an open letter to Brussels' competition supremo Neelie Kroes. The self-described software freedom activist's intervention came just a day after MySQL founder Monty Widenius made a similar call, saying that Oracle could offset the EU's go-slow examination …

    Developer 21 Oct 2009, 10:39

  • Black Wii will come to Blighty, says Nintendo

    About time!

    The black Wii will finally arrive in Europe next month, Nintendo has pledged. The black Wii hits Blighty next month Despite launching in Japan back in August, the all-black Wii will now finally be available to UK and Republic of Ireland-based Wii lovers on 6 November. Mainland Europe will get the machine on 20 November, …

    Games 21 Oct 2009, 10:47

  • Denver website seeks dope critic

    Nice work if you can get it

    Denver's Westword newspaper has unsurprisingly received more than 120 applications for the post of marijuana reviewer, many of whom are offering to do the job for nothing. The site is seeking a permanent critic for its "Mile Highs and Lows" column, AP reports, who'll become "the first professional newspaper critic of medical …

    Bootnotes 21 Oct 2009, 11:02

  • Leaf battery rental scheme unveiled

    Leccy Tech Buy the e-car, rent its battery

    The Leaf e-car’s purchase price could be similar to that of a similar size petrol car, maker Nissan has promised, thanks in-part to an innovative battery rental scheme. Nissan wants you to buy the Leaf, but then rent its battery Under the terms of the deal, customers will buy the Leaf outright and then lease the battery for …

    Science 21 Oct 2009, 11:09

  • Paramagnetic nanodot smartstuff offers 1TB micro-SD cards

    And super-hot, super-efficient pottery car engines

    Boffins in America say they have developed a new material which will mean terabyte-capacity micro format data cards. Intriguingly, the same wonder-stuff could also be employed in building super-high-temperature, super-efficient ceramic car engines. Smart-structures wiz Dr Jagdish Narayan, who is fortunate enough to be "John C …

    Hardware 21 Oct 2009, 11:09

  • Japanese algorithm 'can tell if you're about to die'

    Doomware marks users for death

    Apparently respectable programmers in Japan claim to have developed an algorithm which can tell, merely by listening to a person briefly, whether or not they are about to die. The revolutionary doomsniffer software was developed by Kenji Ohshige and a crack team of boffins at the Yokohama City University. It was developed not …

    Applications 21 Oct 2009, 11:32

  • Securing the remote estate

    Workshop Lock ‘em down or set ‘em free?

    One of the challenges of managing a remote desktop estate is security. It’s not a new problem, but it has been raised higher in the collective consciousness in the last few years, thanks to the proliferation of smaller, cheaper and more portable devices. Its not enough to blame human nature - although sitting here as I type I …

    PC Management 21 Oct 2009, 11:50

  • HTC Touch 2 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone

    Review Going too far back to basics?

    Windows Mobile 6.5 is now with us but its reception has been far from ecstatic. The general view is that Microsoft is playing catch-up and will have to do something spectacular with Windows Mobile 7, due to debut next year, if it's to really challenge its rivals. HTC's Touch 2: aspiring to touchphone greatness However, that …

    Phones 21 Oct 2009, 12:02

  • Windows 7 - the Reg reader verdict

    Windows 7 They got their copies early - what do they think?

    Microsoft takes the wraps off Windows 7 tonight, but thanks to the UK's looming postal strike Reg readers have been playing with the final, shrink-wrapped product for days. So before you go out and spend money on the new OS and/or a new PC, you might be interested in our what ad hoc panel of real readers has to say. First up …

    Operating Systems 21 Oct 2009, 12:03

  • GCHQ outsources net snooping... to EDS

    Exclusive We weren't consulted about these consultants

    The government has outsourced parts of its biggest ever mass surveillance project to the disaster-prone IT services giant formerly known as EDS, The Register has learned. HP contractors are busily helping GCHQ build systems to allow data mining of every communication online, even though the government's response to a limited …

    Government 21 Oct 2009, 12:04

  • RIM revamps BlackBerry Bold with Bold 2

    Out with the (B)old?

    Research in Motion has unveiled the Bold 9700 smartphone - aka the Bold 2. RIM's old BlackBerry Bold 9000 (left) and the new Bold 9700 (right) RIM’s marketing fluff describes the 9700 as “compact”, “highly refined” and a device bound to appeal to both men and women for both professional and personal use. All things to all …

    Phones 21 Oct 2009, 12:22

  • Quantum downsizes DXi deduplication boxes

    Five for the channel

    Quantum has downsized its enterprise DXi7500 deduplication product to the mid-range DXi6500, and given it Nehalem processing power and solid state storage. The DXi7500 is a high-end deduplication product offering both in-line deduplication as data lands on the device or post-process deduplication after data has landed. The …

    Storage 21 Oct 2009, 12:34

  • Geeks Guide2 Windows 7

    Save 40% on Windows 7 Books

    To coincide with the launch of Windows 7, Geeks Guide2 is offering readers 40% off some of the best Windows 7 books available and forthcoming. With an abundance of titles landing between now and 2010, we’ve selected a few key favourites that may interest you. Windows 7 Resource Kit This isn’t just a book; it’s a 1,760 page …

    Operating Systems 21 Oct 2009, 12:48

  • The Register joins The Pirate Party

    ...in a mass debate

    It's the most controversial choice of guest for years - not the BNP on the BBC, but something that caused almost as much controversy. The Pirate Party founder Rik Falkvinge made his first UK address at the In The City music festival convention and conference this weekend. And I took part in the panel that followed. Yvette …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 12:57

  • Republican men hormonally emasculated by US election

    Obama win sees GOP testosterone plunge, 'submissiveness'

    American neuroscientists say that men who voted for Republican candidate John McCain in the recent presidential elections suffered a serious loss of testosterone as a result of the Obama victory. The hormone, produced by one's wedding-tackle, is considered essential for basic manliness. WARNING: Voting Republican can …

    Science 21 Oct 2009, 13:12

  • Seagate pushes SSDs as part of recovery drive

    Revenues slump, but profits rise in Q1

    Seagate's first 2010 fiscal quarter brought cheering news and a better outlook as its numbers continue to recover and it beings sampling its solid state drive with OEMs. Revenue for the quarter, which featured improving demand, was $2.66bn compared to the year-ago quarter's $3.033bn. Despite the $370m lower revenues Seagate …

    Storage 21 Oct 2009, 13:58

  • ASA to probe drowning dog climate ad

    Think of the children

    The Advertising Standards Authority will investigate the Government's £6m TV spine-tingler designed to change our behaviour. 357 complaints have been made to the ASA, a self-regulatory body. The first tasteless ad features a girl watching a cartoon dog drown, engulfed by a flood - with the advice that only by reducing " …

    Science 21 Oct 2009, 13:59

  • Japanese bloke gets arsey over artificial rectum

    Updated Bummed out about unnecessary surgery

    A Japanese chap is a bit browned off after a hospital wrongly diagnosed him with rectal cancer, whipped out the offending section of digestive tract and fitted an articial replacement. According to the Mainichi Daily, the poor bloke had surgery back in March at a university hospital in western Miyazaki prefecture to remove a …

    Bootnotes 21 Oct 2009, 14:21

  • QLogic gets another CNA kiss from IBM

    Feel the power

    IBM is double-dating with QLogic and its Fibre Channel over Ethernet adapters, in contrast to its less enthusiastic affair with Emulex. Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) has Fibre Channel data packets transmitted across an Ethernet network with the server using a Converged Network Adapter (CNA) which combines the functions of …

    Storage 21 Oct 2009, 14:46

  • IEEE drops support for rival standard from powerline LAN spec

    1901 won't be G.hn compatible after all

    The IEEE-backed attempt to define a universal standard for powerline networking has dropped plans to ensure compatibility with rival world home LAN standard G.hn. Late last year, members of the IEEE P1901 working group voted to include G.hn, a standard being developed under the auspices of the International Telecom Union (ITU …

    Broadband 21 Oct 2009, 14:49

  • Former FBI agent slams defence tactics in McKinnon case

    Updated Suggests hacker should have taken his medicine

    A former FBI legal officer who handled controversial plea bargaining negotiations with Gary McKinnon has attacked the tactics adopted by the hacker’s defence team. Ed Gibson, who moved from his role as the FBI’s assistant legal to work as Microsoft’s chief security advisor in the UK back in 2005, said that if the self- …

    Security 21 Oct 2009, 15:09

  • Google 'music service' imminent, says rumor mill

    Chocolate Factory linked to labels

    Multiple sources are reporting that Google is on the verge of launching some sort of "music service." The rumors began with a TechCrunch story Tuesday night that claimed Google had spent "the last several weeks securing content" from the major record labels in the run-up to this alleged launch. But other sources say this …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 16:45

  • Crypto spares man who secretly video taped flatmates

    Police can't crack code

    An Australian man who set up an elaborate network of hidden cameras to spy on his flatmates has escaped jail time after police were unable to crack the encryption scheme protecting his computer. When police raided the residence of Rohan James Wyllie, they found found a series of peepholes drilled into the walls and doors of …

    Security 21 Oct 2009, 17:48

  • Microsoft thinks it can sell one copy of Windows 7 for every four people

    Windows 7 How relevant will MS be by time Windows 8 arrives?

    Microsoft hopes to sell 14 million copies of Windows 7 to UK consumers next year. The software vendor has set itself an ambitious target with its latest operating system, which will hit stores in a few hours from now. Blighty's population is roughly 60 million. Microsoft said it had been buoyed by the response from its 15 …

    Operating Systems 21 Oct 2009, 18:02

  • PC World punts Windows 7 £100 trade-in promotion

    Windows 7 Struggling High Street retailer hopes customers will take bait

    DSGi is betting big on Windows 7 sales with a special promotion clearly designed to convince more customers to visit the firm’s not exactly bustling PC World stores. From tomorrow PC World will be offering up to £100 off to anyone who trades in an old, working laptop for a Windows 7 machine. The High Street retailer’s …

    The Channel 21 Oct 2009, 18:02

  • Barnes & Noble mulls Android SDK for Nook reader

    Blasts Kindle's 'clumsy' text-to-speech

    Barnes & Noble.com president William J. Lynch has hinted the American bookseller will one day open up its Android-based ebook reader to third-party developers. But you have to wonder how far off such a move might be. "We haven't announced anything regarding putting out an SDK or setting up a developer environment, but we do …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 19:11

  • IBM revs server control freak tool

    VMControl system pool splash

    As a maker of a diverse line of systems, supporting a number of homegrown and third-party operating systems and server virtualization hypervisors, IBM can either control all of these platforms and make some money or do the job itself. Which is why its Systems Director VMControl V2.1 tool was created and launched in July. With …

    Servers 21 Oct 2009, 19:25

  • Microsoft inks Bing pacts with Twitter, Facebook

    Redmond gets Web2.0rhea

    Microsoft is adding "real-time" search results from Facebook and Twitter to its Bing decision engine search engine, after inking deals with both social networking outfits. Redmond senior vice president for online audience business Yusuf Mehdi announced the deals today at a mini-conference in San Francisco, The Wall Street …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 20:33

  • Citrix ekes out revenue, profit growth

    Product license crunch

    Citrix Systems managed to squeeze out a tiny bit of both revenue and profit growth in the third quarter, despite a big dip in product license revenues. For the quarter ended September 30, product license sales were down 18 per cent to $129.1m. But updates and support for products already sold into Citrix accounts rose by 7 per …

    Financial News 21 Oct 2009, 21:43

  • eBay halts nine months of revenue shrinkage

    Profits? That's another matter

    eBay's revenues are on the rise again, thanks to the continued growth of its PayPal and Skype operations. But in the third quarter, the online tat house saw profits plummet nearly 30 per cent. The news sent its share price tumbling more than five per cent in after hours trading on Wednesday. In the quarter ending September 30 …

    Financial News 21 Oct 2009, 21:49

  • Google apes Microsoft's Twitter pact in real-time

    Web2.0rhea arms race

    Google has announced a pact to feed Twitter's Web2.0rhea straight into its search engine, hours after Microsoft unveiled a similar deal. "We are very excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results," reads a blog post from Googirl Marisa Mayer. "We believe that …

    Media 21 Oct 2009, 22:05

  • Judge shoots down challenge to Craigslist erotic services

    Web 2.0 immunized

    A federal judge has summarily dismissed a lawsuit Chicago's sheriff brought against Craigslist, ruling that the website can't be sued for prostitution ads posted by its users. The decision is a blow to Thomas Dart, the sheriff of Illinois's Cook County, who argued the erotic services section of Craigslist violated prostitution …

    Law 21 Oct 2009, 23:30