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4th December 2009 Archive

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  • NASA declares Ares I-X test a success

    Still not sure about booster 'chute failure

    NASA chiefs in charge of the agency's next-generation rocket program said on Thursday that their $445 million Ares I-X test flight was a success in proving the launch vehicle's design. After poring over preliminary data, project manager of Ares I-X test flight Bob Ess said during a conference call with reporters that the …

    Space 4 Dec 2009, 00:25

  • Windows 'openness' hailed in Nintendo game defeat

    Updated Bizarro-World judge calls it

    It's a Bizarro-World indeed when Microsoft is held up by a judge in Europe as a paragon of openness, but that's apparently what happened in a law suit brought by Nintendo. The games console and software maker has lost its case against Divineo Group in a Paris suit to block the sale of Nintendo DS Flash cartridges in France. …

    Developer 4 Dec 2009, 00:34

  • Cell phones don't fry brains, boffins say

    'But don't quote us'

    In another blow to the cancer Cassandras crying out that cell phones rot your brain, a new Scandinavian study was released on Thursday indicating that cell-phone usage doesn't lead to an increased risk of brain cancer. Being scientists rather than fear-mongers, however, the researchers from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden …

    Mobile 4 Dec 2009, 06:02

  • Tech-savvy UK kids = (over)confident writers

    OMGYG2BK!

    UK children who blog or share their lives on social networking sites are better writers than those who don't. Or at least they think they are. A new study by the National Literacy Trust surveyed 3,001 English and Scottish students ages 9 through 16 and discovered that not only do wee bloggers enjoy writing more than their non …

    Music and Media 4 Dec 2009, 07:02

  • Two US men charged with running phony Cisco biz

    Fake serial numbers in alleged $1m haul

    Two Kansas men have been charged with making $1m in proceeds by buying computer networking gear in China and passing it off as products from Cisco Systems. Christopher Myers, 40, and Timothy Weatherly, 27, obtained the networking gear from a variety of sources and then slapped phony Cisco labels on them, according to documents …

    Crime 4 Dec 2009, 07:02

  • Samsung YP-R1 16GB PMP

    Review Small screen sensation

    You can argue until the cows come home about what is the minimum screen size a PMP can get away with for watching feature length video on. Most would agree that an iPod Touch-esque 3.5in is the sweet spot, but Samsung reckons there is room beneath that. Shrinking the boundaries: Samsung's YP-R1 To all intents and purposes …

    reghardware 4 Dec 2009, 08:02

  • 2009's Top Personal Media Players

    Kit of the Year Apples are not the only fruit

    Yes, Apple dominates the PMP scene - for all those who grumble about the quality of its earphones. That didn't stop other manufacturers, most notably Sony, offering some darn fine alternatives in 2009, either by fighting back on price - Philips - or sound quality - Sony. But its hard to beat the all-round, utterly slim …

    reghardware 4 Dec 2009, 10:02

  • Never mind virtual desktops - what about the apps?

    Lab When you don’t need to virtualise everything...

    Conventional wisdom says that when planning an IT project, the things to get right before you start are less about ‘the thing’, and more about what the thing has to fit into, who's going to use it and who needs convincing of its value in the first place. Somewhere along the line ‘the thing’ gets some attention, but when it comes …

    Virtualisation Lab 4 Dec 2009, 10:07

  • Who owns science? Manchester Manifesto can't answer

    Some questions are bigger than others

    Who owns science could be an interesting question: who should own science even more so. Sadly, the latest attempt at asking exactly these is less than interesting in its answers. The Manchester Manifesto (pdf) is a report from the Great and the Good over how we should change the intellectual property system so as to make it …

    Science 4 Dec 2009, 10:47

  • Zero-day IE fix stars in last Patch Tuesday of the decade

    Critical Office and Win updates also lined up

    Microsoft is lining up a fix for a zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer as part of the decade's last ever Patch Tuesday update. Tuesday is due to bring six bulletins, three of which are critical. The critical fixes address flaws in Windows and Office as well as IE. The Office update covers flaws in Project, Word and …

    Enterprise Security 4 Dec 2009, 10:49

  • Unified Comms: The inside track

    On Demand It's the way you tell 'em

    If you were unlucky enough to miss our live broadcast on Unified Comms last week you can breathe easy - we recorded it so you can watch it whenever you like. A couple of months ago we asked Reg readers to take part in a business communications survey and this webcast presents its results, along with lots of tips, techniques …

    Tech Panel 4 Dec 2009, 10:54

  • Dell offloads Polish factory to Taiwanese manufacturer

    Yes, the Polish plant they shut Limerick for

    Dell is offloading its factory in Poland to Taiwanese knock 'em out giant Foxconn, less than a year after axing most of its Irish workers and shifting their jobs to the East European facility. Hon Hai Precision, Foxconn's parent, has reportedly agreed to take over the factory in return for around $310m. A Dell Poland …

    Channel Register 4 Dec 2009, 10:56

  • Smut is OK, says Montreal prof

    'We looked for men who hadn't seen any pr0n. Found none'

    A Canadian prof, after a great deal of painstaking research, has found that looking at porn has no measurable negative effects on men's psychology. "We started our research seeking men in their twenties who had never consumed pornography. We couldn't find any," says Simon Louis Lajeunesse of the Université de Montréal. "The …

    Bootnotes 4 Dec 2009, 11:09

  • MS Jingle Bell bus rattles past Reg Towers

    Sugababes sweeten the Windows 7 experience

    Having decided that Family Guy wasn't exactly the right way to punt Windows 7, Microsoft has decided to get down wiv da kidz by sponsoring the The Jingle Bell Ball - a musical extravaganza this weekend featuring luminaries such as Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Miley Cyrus and the Backstreet Boys. To prove just how happening and …

    Bootnotes 4 Dec 2009, 11:49

  • Lord Carlile: Police are taking the proverbial on terror

    Snap-unhappy cops really do over-use powers, says gov advisor

    The government’s own anti-terror advisor, Lord Carlile of Berriew, believes that the police are over-using and misusing anti-terror laws to crack down on photographers. Speaking to the Independent this week, he warned that officers who make use of Section 44 powers to stop and search anyone in a designated "authorisation zone …

    Policing 4 Dec 2009, 11:53

  • MPs to go clubbing in cocaine inquiry

    Cross-party effort to ruin your Christmas night out

    MPs are to go nightclubbing in London to get the bottom of the cocaine trade and how it's affecting Britain. The Home Affairs Select Committee, led by Keith Vaz, want to see "everything in action" and according to the Telegraph have taken advice on the "best club to go to in London". This follows the committe's recent jaunt …

    Government 4 Dec 2009, 12:12

  • Nokia to halve its smartphone portfolio in 2010

    Sends R&D a maemo

    Handset competition used to be all about releasing hundreds of models, many just slight variations on one another. Now, at the high end at least, it is all about cutting R&D and production costs by focusing on a smaller number of (hopefully) high impact smartphones. If Apple can get a 3% global share with, effectively, just …

    Mobile 4 Dec 2009, 12:35

  • Copenhagen forest-saving plans to create 'carbon refugees'

    Treehugger scheme may mean 'humanitarian crisis'

    Climate-change reduction measures to be debated at the imminent Copenhagen UN climate conference could cause a "humanitarian crisis" and create huge numbers of starving, homeless "carbon refugees" in poor nations, according to an Earth-sciences prof in Leeds. The measures which concern Dr Simon Lewis - of the Earth and …

    Environment 4 Dec 2009, 12:37

  • Spyware threat haunts squeaky-clean iPhones

    Research finds rogue app privacy risks to regulation models

    Apple's line that iPhone users who toe the line and resist any temptation to jailbreak, unlock or otherwise desecrate their smartphone are protected from threats has been called into question by new research. Swiss iPhone developer Nicolas Seriot has published research on security shortcomings that could create a mechanism for …

    Mobile 4 Dec 2009, 12:40

  • Pig plague alert: Avoid missionary position

    Adopt reverse cowgirl, Cosmopolitan urges

    Cosmpolitan has done its bit to fight the terrifying advance of the H1N1 pig plague by advising its readers to avoid the missionary position during sex and instead adopt the reverse cowgirl. According to the handy guide (spotted by Gawker, which has a grab here) explaining how not to die as a result of human contact, gals …

    Biology 4 Dec 2009, 12:43

  • Intel to intro next-gen netbook Atom on 10 January?

    Stepping onto the 'Pine Trail'

    Expect a raft of new netbooks based on Intel's next-generation 'Pine Trail' Atom chippage after 10 January - the day the products will be formally launched, it seems. That date is slap-bang in the middle of the Consumer Electronics Show. CES, which kicks off in Las Vegas on 7 January, has long expected to host Pine Trail's …

    reghardware 4 Dec 2009, 12:58

  • Nikon D300s DSLR

    Review Quality stills workhorse gets HD video

    The Nikon D300s is the successor to the original D300 that appeared in the UK almost two years ago. Sharing the same 51-point autofocus and 12.3Mp sensor, it’s the cheaper DX format alternative to the top of the range Nikon D3 DSLR, and sits neatly next to the full frame D700. Nikon's D300s: still for stills, but with video …

    reghardware 4 Dec 2009, 13:02

  • Camel carcasses menace Outback water supplies

    Drought does for Oz dromedaries, with poisonous results

    The carcasses of wild Oz camels who've succumbed to drought pose a serious threat to water supplies in the country's arid central desert, authorities have warned. The Central Land Council says that thousands of "pools, creeks and other water supplies for local indigenous tribes" have been poisoned by the rotting animals. The …

    Biology 4 Dec 2009, 13:31

  • PayPal mistakes own email for phishing attack

    'You're right, it does look suspicious'

    Banks and financial institutions are fond of lecturing customers about the perils of phishing emails, the bogus messages that attempt to trick marks into handing over their login credentials to fraudulent sites. Yet many undo this good work by sending out emails themselves that invite users to click on a link and log into their …

    Crime 4 Dec 2009, 13:32

  • Google UK boss: Think of us as a newsagent

    With schoolkids allowed in all the time?

    The head of Google UK reassured MPs yesterday that the massive ad broker does not steal content from impoverished publishers, and should be thought of more as a kindly local newsagent with a massive server farm at the back of the shop. Matt Brittin gave the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee the impression that he was …

    Music and Media 4 Dec 2009, 13:48

  • Open sourcers aim selves at US gov

    'Misconceptions' battle

    Advocates who helped shape a major US government department's policy paper on using open-source in IT projects are stepping up their lobby. Open Source for America plans to push for clear statements on the rules around using open source in government IT across a number of federal departments next year. The idea is to dispel …

    Software 4 Dec 2009, 14:02

  • Norwegians plan to harpoon Twitter

    Wailing on fail whale imminent

    A battling consumer group has pledged to take on Twitter, accusing it of breaching privacy laws. The Norwegian Consumer Council, which has a legal battle with Apple under its belt, said social networking sites' terms and conditions are unfair. "None of the international social networks adhere to even the most basic …

    Law 4 Dec 2009, 14:05

  • LG has 23in 3D LCD to sell, right now

    Commercial launch

    LG's Display division has begun pitching 3D screens to TV and monitor makers, the company said this week. It's product catalogue consists of a single, 23in liquid crystal display, but LG wasn't too keen to go into detail about the screen's specifications. LG 3D TV: future's so bright, we gotta wear shades It did say the …

    reghardware 4 Dec 2009, 14:17

  • RIM joins queue for Qi

    Just behind the Energizer bunny

    Research in Motion and Energizer are the latest to sign up to the Wireless Power Consortium and endorsed its Qi standard. That puts membership of the Consortium up to 21, including Nokia and Duracell. Handset manufacturers tend to be full members; able to influence the standard, while Duracell and Energizer just stumped up €10 …

    Mobile 4 Dec 2009, 14:32

  • Physicists assemble world's smallest snowman

    Very short, and just 10 µm wide

    The National Physical Laboratory has deployed a range of techniques to create the world's smallest snowman - a diminutive fellow just 10 µm across, or "1/5th the width of a human hair". The NPL explains: "The snowman was made from two tin beads used to calibrate electron microscope astigmatism. The eyes and smile were milled …

    Physics 4 Dec 2009, 14:33

  • Georgia cops cuff terrorist elf

    Threatened Santa with dynamite in shopping mall drama

    Georgia cops earlier this week cuffed a man in an elf suit on the not unreasonable grounds that he told a shopping mall Santa he was packing dynamite. William C Caldwell III, 45, reportedly "got in line Wednesday evening to get his picture taken with Santa Claus" at the Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta. When he finally got …

    Bootnotes 4 Dec 2009, 15:09

  • Zero-day Adobe bug overshadows impending Flash fix

    Illustrator illin'

    Fears over a reportedly unpatched flaw in Adobe Illustrator have been heightened by the release of exploit code. A zero-day flaw in the vector graphics editor means that users tricked into opening maliciously manipulated Encapsulated Postscript Files (.eps) files are liable to find themselves hacked. Successful exploitation of …

    Enterprise Security 4 Dec 2009, 15:41

  • The unrealised potential of ERP and CRM

    Poll Results Digging up that buried treasure

    With all of that money, time and effort expended on ERP and CRM systems over the years, you would expect organisations to have paid a lot of attention to getting the most from them, but a recent poll of Reg readers (including 66 ERP users and 65 CRM users) suggests that many implementations have some way to go before they …

    Evolving Apps 4 Dec 2009, 15:52

  • 'Doctor Dark Energy': The Ultimate LHC eccentric?

    Nutjob Friday Only Osama can stop 'collaptic devil particle'

    There are many interesting questions to be asked regarding the Large Hadron Collider, most powerful matter-rending machine ever assembled by the human race. Will it discover the elusive Higgs Boson? Will it open up an interdimensional portal into some mysterious continuum beyond our own? Will it, perhaps, destroy the world and/ …

    Physics 4 Dec 2009, 16:16

  • Lots of young adults still sexting shock

    Strong and warm and wild and contract-free

    Another survey of US teenagers has shown an unprecedented proportion are sending nudie pictures of themselves to each other. The latest figures come from a poll organised by the Associated Press and MTV, which questioned around 1200 youths and semi-youths aged from 14 to 24. What they discovered, among other things, is that …

    Mobile 4 Dec 2009, 16:31

  • VW unveils slippery four-seat hybrid

    Leccy Tech Light as a feather and with very little drag

    Volkswagen has given the world a glimpse at its 2011 small car line-up with the unveiling of its Up! Lite concept at the LA Auto Show. Heralded as the world's most fuel-efficient four-seater, the Up! Lite's power train consists of an 800cc two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine which produces 38kW (51bhp), and a 10kW (13.4bhp) …

    reghardware 4 Dec 2009, 17:03

  • Copan moves to indirect sales channel

    Comment The MAID lays many people off

    Copan Systems is moving to an indirect sales model, sparking closure rumours as many people were laid off. Several people contacted The Reg on Tuesday saying that Copan was closing down. David Dew, Copan's VP for engineering and quality and thus in charge of the company's MAID (Massive Array of Idle Disks) technology product …

    Storage 4 Dec 2009, 17:55

  • Bing dies (briefly) after Microsoft hits wrong button

    Test config kills search site

    Bing was hit by a widespread outage Thursday evening after Microsoft accidentally updated the live site with changes intended for a test environment. While the search site was offline for only a half hour, it embarrassingly was ankled the same day Microsoft was parading about new Bing features and updates to woo market share …

    Music and Media 4 Dec 2009, 18:59

  • Attack exploits just-patched Mac security bug

    Fix my browser, fan pleads

    If you haven't installed the latest security update for Mac OS X, now would be a good time. A security researcher has released a proof-of-concept attack that exploits critical vulnerabilities that Apple patched on Thursday. The vulns stem from bugs in the Java runtime environment that allow attackers to remotely execute …

    Security 4 Dec 2009, 19:12

  • Ellison compromises on MySQL control?

    So much for "vigorous"

    Larry Ellison is reported to be considering a compromise with the European Union over MySQL, having recently vowed to "vigorously" fight regulators. The New York Post has reported that to help close the deal, Ellison is willing to create a separate entity within the combined Oracle and Sun Microsystems that's home to MySQL. …

    Applications 4 Dec 2009, 20:17

  • Cisco says Tandberg borging underway

    Resistance was, indeed, futile

    When the Cisco mothership is at your door, you have one of two choices: be assimilated quickly or slowly. After looming over the Norwegian video conferencing equipment maker Tandberg for the past two months, Cisco Systems said Friday it now has scooped up enough shares and shareholder commitments to take the company over. …

    Data Networking 4 Dec 2009, 20:25

  • FCC eyes 'over' 150MHz of TV airwaves for broadband

    What if everyone had AT&T's crap network?

    The US Federal Communications Commission says it wants to reclaim "over" 150 MHz of spectrum from television broadcasters as part of its plan to beef the country's wireless broadband. The FCC is scheduled to deliver its national broadband plan to Congress and the president in mid-February, and the man in charge of the plan - …

    Networks 4 Dec 2009, 20:56

  • Motorola's banana-mutilation ad disses iPhone

    ¿Que es muy macho? ¡El Moto Droid!

    Motorola's latest ad for its Droid smartphone could reveal the company's choice of target market: men insecure about their virility. In fast-cutting music-video style, the "Pretty" ad shows the Jaws of Life tearing through sheet metal, a missile thrusting towards its target, and a bandanna-masked faux gang-banger pelting a …

    Mobile 4 Dec 2009, 21:57

  • Accused phone thief snared after phone sends pic to victim

    (Self)-portrait of the suspect as a dumb man

    A Philadelphia teenager turned himself into police after his self-portrait was captured on a cell phone he's accused of stealing during an armed robbery. Cook turned himself after this self-portrait was sent to police The incriminating photo showed 18-year-old Kadeem Cook holding a large handgun to his head, according to …

    Crime 4 Dec 2009, 22:07

  • Microsoft and Yahoo! finally finalize search pact

    And now for closure

    Microsoft and Yahoo! have finalized the web search pact they announced to the world in July, a deal that would see Redmond's technology drive Yahoo!'s search engine. In announcing the deal, the two web giants had said that some details still needed to be worked out. Originally, they expected to finalize the deal in late …

    Business 4 Dec 2009, 22:49

  • Intel condemns tardy Larrabee to dev purgatory

    Umpteen-core beast de-productized

    Intel's Larrabee many-core CPU-GPU mashup is so far behind schedule it will not be released as a standalone product. An Intel spokesman told The Reg on Friday afternoon that both hardware and software work on the much-anticipated part is tardy, and this means the chip won't be released into the wild as anything other than a …

    HPC 4 Dec 2009, 23:32