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7th September 2012 Archive

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  • Climate denier bloggers sniff out new conspiracy

    Moon landing faked ∴ climate science faked ∴ study of conspiracy believers faked

    Climate skeptic bloggers the world over have a shiny new conspiracy to obsess about: whether a University of Western Australia psychology professor "faked" a research study. In a deliciously recursive fury, the research – which looked at correlations between belief in "climate change conspiracies" as associated with other " …

    Science 7 Sep 00:30

  • Google's stats show few Android tablets in use

    Analysis Just don't tell Amazon

    Android may have topped Apple's iOS in terms of overall global smartphone sales, but if the latest figures from Google are to be believed, it certainly isn't winning many converts among tablet users – that is, if you ignore Amazon's customers, as the Chocolate Factory's numbers do. From Google's perspective, the number of …

    Mobile 7 Sep 00:55

  • Hackers claim to have Mitt Romney's tax records

    But beware bait and switch fakery

    Various media outlets, including El Reg, have been sent a message claiming to be from a hacking group that has stolen the tax records of Mitt Romney and threatens to release them on September 28. The writer claims to have taken Romney's 1040 filings from the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Franklin Tennessee and copied …

    Security 7 Sep 01:09

  • Google snags patent on price discrimination

    A sucker found in every cookie

    You might think that the biggest brains in the USA could be put to work curing cancer, but the Chocolate Factory has bigger fish to fry: how to mine what it knows about users to “customize” content pricing. Not content with the more general practice of slugging users based on geography, Google wants the ultimate in granular …

    Business 7 Sep 01:15

  • Ex-pat IT pros have oversized packages

    Japan and India pay more, but your wage may go further in developing nations

    Ex-pat IT bosses working in Asia receive a gross pay package of more than $230,000 (£144,566) a year on average, but those fancying relocation may be better off financially if they head to less well-known parts of the region, according to new research from ECA International. The consultancy, which helps firms manage …

    Jobs 7 Sep 02:15

  • CIOs urged to take BYOD pleas with pinch of salt

    CIOs can get away with it and satisfy the meddling kids

    When it comes to implementing mobile technologies inside and outside of the company, plan, plan and then plan some more, but don’t listen too hard to your customers or users, a panel of top IT leaders has advised. Speaking at the CIO Executive Summit 2012 in Hong Kong this week, CIOs from a variety of industries explained that …

    CIO 7 Sep 04:00

  • TV Now PVR-as-a-service shut down

    Optus' fair use argument dismissed by High Court

    Australian telco Optus’s personal-video-recorder-as-a-service TV Now will be switched off, after the nation’s highest court declined to hear an appeal that would have given it a chance of appealing a decision that the service breaches copyright. TV Now was disruptive by design, as it was promoted as a way for Optus customers …

    Media 7 Sep 06:21

  • Mio Spirit 695 LM satnav review

    Map updates for life – hoorah!

    These be tough times for satnav makers when, for under £100, you can pick up a good 4in smartphone like the Huawei Ascend G300 which comes with Google’s ever-evolving and improving free navigation, and even entry-level eight grand motors, like VW’s new Up!, feature low-cost optional navigation packages. To compete satnav makers …

    reghardware 7 Sep 07:00

  • Health Dept teases suppliers with mega NHS systems cash windfall

    Holds conference on 18 Sept to discuss electronic staff record system

    The Department of Health has issued a pre-tender for a framework agreement contract to provide an electronic staff record system and pension scheme administration services. Suppliers will be bidding for a lucrative contract beginning in 2014. A notice in the Official Journal of the European Union indicates that there will be a …

    Government 7 Sep 07:34

  • Amazon pitches cheap new Kindles for Blighty

    Priced to sell

    Amazon is bringing its Kindle Fire to the UK almost a year after the 7in Android tablet's US debut. The good news for folk who've been patiently waiting: it's only 129 quid. Punters may prefer the better spec'd Fire HD. It's the obvious choice, particularly since it's only 30 quid more expensive. So, just £159 for a 7in, 1280 …

    reghardware 7 Sep 07:39

  • STORServer backup beast heads list of top tools

    Analyst's guide

    STORServer's EBA 3100 has been named as the backup appliance king by analyst firm DCIG. The appliance examiner even created a new enterprise category in its Backup Appliance Buyer's Guide for the tool. More than 60 backup appliances from 13 vendors were analysed and compared by DCIG and STORserver had four of its products take …

    Storage 7 Sep 07:58

  • Titans of tech: Why I'll never trust 'em

    Sysadmin blog World is what it is, but I yam what I yam

    I am responsible for making decisions regarding the purchase of computer hardware, software and services. I advise others regarding the tactical and strategic implementations of technologies and IT-related services. The financial security and stability of my own company, the companies of my clients and all the associated …

    CIO 7 Sep 08:33

  • 'GNOME people are in total denial about what their problem is'

    Quotw Plus: 'We are amused here, all of us'

    This was the week when a total raving lunatic, or "nutjob" as he/she/they has come to be known, did their absolute best to extort a free Raspberry Pi from Foundation founder Eben Upton with a series of increasingly irate and always grammatically erroneous threats via IM. Things kicked off civilly enough, with "Steve" IM'ing …

    Bootnotes 7 Sep 09:03

  • Edgy penguins test-fly Ubuntu's Quantal Quetzal

    Review Beta 'bongo bird sluggish, crash prone - but it's here

    Forget colourful foliage and dropping temperatures, nothing says autumn for Linux nerds like the arrival of an Ubuntu beta. This season includes twice the fun, with Canonical plotting not one, but two betas for the coming Quantal Quetzal, or Ubuntu 12.10. The first arrived on Thursday. Quantal Quetzal comes hot on the heels of …

    Operating Systems 7 Sep 09:21

  • Why I've got a sync'ing feeling about Amazon's new Kindle Fire

    Open ... and Shut Bezos' tablet is a pocket cash-register you can't escape

    While Amazon's Jeff Bezos took the stage to show off new Kindle Fire devices, the magic of these devices isn't in hardware or software. The magic is what happens between disparate devices, and it's what continues to make Amazon the most credible competitor to Apple's iPad sync. Amazon may be a control freak in its end-to-end …

    Hardware 7 Sep 09:43

  • Windows Server 2012: Fickle pricing smacks Europe, Oz, Japan

    'Market dynamics' mean you'll cough up more

    The launch of Windows Server 2012 this week has again highlighted the pricing disparity confronting Microsoft customers across the globe, but it seems dear old Blighty has got off relatively lightly. A spotlight was shone on the firm's software costs earlier this year when Redmond aligned EU pricing to the euro, resulting in …

    Channel Register 7 Sep 10:02

  • Twitter to world: We have NO rivals, ha ha ha!

    But will Asia will have the last laugh?

    Twitter claimed today that it has no rivals on the world stage, but the US-centric tide of social network growth is being increasingly pushed back by a rising number of innovative Asian players, according to industry experts. Speaking at the Social Media Matters conference in Hong Kong, Twitter’s Japan country manager James …

    Networks 7 Sep 10:22

  • Fox to release movie downloads weeks before discs

    Prometheus launch playing with fire?

    Fox is to offer movie downloads up to three weeks before the films arrive on disc and in video-on-demand services in a bid to boost digital sales. The studio's scheme will take place in the US, and push product - starting with Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, Prometheus - through the UltraViolet cloud movie service. Prometheus …

    reghardware 7 Sep 10:29

  • Watchdog barks at EU plan to hand asylum-seeker database to cops

    Brussels says it's fighting terrorism but EDPS calls it 'erosion of rights'

    The EU's privacy watchdog has slammed plans to grant police access to Europe's database of asylum seekers' fingerprints. In an opinion [PDF] published by the EU's data protection supervisor (EDPS) on Wednesday, Peter Hustinx hit out at the European Commission's move, claiming it represented an "erosion of fundamental rights". …

    Law 7 Sep 10:43

  • Emotional baggage

    Something for the Weekend, Sir? There's nothing quite like a well-packed lunch

    Two days before my teenage son was due to begin Sixth Form this week, the school phoned up to say that he's not allowed to study ICT at A-level. This came as a bit of a shock since computing was going to be one of his principal subjects. He might not be one of those 'A-star' students that you read about on results day - …

    reghardware 7 Sep 11:02

  • Amazon to create 5,000 UK jobs in Kindle Fire hire

    Web souk can't wait for Christmas

    Amazon is to bolster the UK launch of its Kindle Fire tablet by creating 5,000 full-time and temporary jobs in Blighty. The web retailer will open three new distribution centres in Britain, and claims it will recruit 2,000 people on a permanent basis over the next two years - as well as 3,000 temporary workers during the run …

    Jobs 7 Sep 11:03

  • First Irish-speaking virus holds bloke's computer to ransom

    Póg mo thóin!

    Crooks have created what's reckoned to be the first computer virus featuring the Irish language. The malware – dubbed Gaeilge – is a strain of ransomware that locks up an infected computer and attempts to extort €100 from the user for an unlock code. The demand for cash reportedly appeared in poorly written Gaelic, and the …

    Security 7 Sep 11:21

  • Huawei Enterprise's Muscles-from-Brussels Vanhamme scrams

    Exit sparks hunt for new Europe channel chief

    Huawei Enterprise is already operating with a caretaker in the UK, and now an interim boss is about to take control of the European channel after the current chief Dominique Vanhamme leaves today. Back in May Simon Culmer upped sticks after 10 months as veep of Huawei UK. As he left to head up Avaya's local operation, Culmer …

    Channel Register 7 Sep 11:25

  • Judge: Apple not liable for dropped, broken iPhone screens

    Lawsuits a pain in the glass

    A US judge has ruled that punters who drop their iPhones, smashing the smartphone's glass screen in the process, can't blame Apple for it. Judge Edward Davila of the San Jose District Court this week rejected a local man's attempt to sue the Cupertino giant over a cracked iPhone 4 panel, stating "it is a well known fact of …

    reghardware 7 Sep 11:39

  • New broadband minister snubs 'ugly' fibre cabinet gripes

    UK.gov 'cuts red tape' to speed up cabling rollout

    Brits will no longer be able to object to the arrival of "ghastly" fibre optic cabling cabinets outside their homes: Blighty's new broadband minister has stamped her authority on moves to upgrade the nation's internet infrastructure that sidestep local councils. Maria Miller, who replaced Jeremy Hunt earlier this week during …

    Broadband 7 Sep 11:45

  • SSL BEASTie boys develop follow-up 'CRIME' web attack

    Ill Communication

    The security researchers who developed the infamous BEAST attack that broke SSL/TLS encryption are cooking up a new assault on the same crucial protocols. Online shops, banks and millions of other websites rely on SSL/TLS to encrypt sensitive information sent by punters from their web browsers. The new attack is capable of …

    Security 7 Sep 12:20

  • Facebook seals Instagram buyout for roughly $715m

    Despite sub-$1bn price, photo-sharing founder is 'psyched' ... bitch

    Instagram founder Kevin Systrom is totally "psyched" to see his company merge with Facebook, even after the deal ended up being much lower than the initial $1bn price tag initially offered by Mark Zuckerberg. The value of the buyout has tumbled because when Systrom agreed to Facebook's acquisition proposal back in April this …

    Financial News 7 Sep 12:31

  • Sparkfun punts bonkers banana-piano kit at hardware hackers

    Pics Probes turn grub and other stuff into USB keyboard

    Sparkfun - a supplier of components, widgets, doohickeys and other frivolities - is now making its own hardware in the form of the Makey Makey, which turns just about anything into a keyboard. The Makey Makey started out as a Kickstarter project from a couple of MIT Medialab types, who used the money raised to commission …

    Hardware 7 Sep 12:42

  • Hold the chips: Apple axes Samsung RAM order for iPhone 5

    Thanks for the memories

    Apple has cut down its order of memory chips from Samsung, reducing its reliance on its smartphone rival for components, say supply chain sources cited by Reuters. The iPhone 5, widely expected to be announced next week, will feature fewer Samsung components than its predecessors, say the sources. The newswire speculated that …

    Hardware 7 Sep 13:07

  • FCC to TV broadcasters: Ready, set ... give your spectrum up

    Methods to the madness – and the money – go live today

    The FCC is poised to publish the mechanism by which US TV broadcasters will be able to swap some of their allocated radio spectrum – which they mostly received for free – for a little cold, hard cash come 2014. The move of asking broadcasters to give some spectrum up was expected, but The Washington Post reckons the FCC will …

    Broadband 7 Sep 13:28

  • Beyond the relational database

    Tech Panel Advanced data storage, access and analytics

    The ‘Big Data’ Bandwagon is now in full flow and IT professionals are already being swamped with marketing explaining why they cannot afford to leave information unmined. Once again, we are being bombarded with terms and messages that are ambiguous at best, meaningless at worst and simply confusing most of the time. So in true …

    CIO 7 Sep 14:08

  • Phone hack cops nick journo over data taken from pinched mobes

    Op Tuleta officers arrest suspect #12

    Scotland Yard officers arrested a 33-year-old man this morning on suspicion of theft offences, computer misuse and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The unnamed suspect is a journalist, the Met said, who attended a south London police station by appointment. He remains in custody. "The arrest relates to a suspected …

    Law 7 Sep 14:28

  • Listen up, Nokia: Get Lumia show-offs in pubs or it's game over

    Analysis Lumia verdict: People, not pundits, will make or break this mobe

    Nokia has a couple of mountains to climb. There's the real mountain: in the marketplace it's starting from scratch, a newcomer that just happens to have a large distribution business in place, and a couple of billion euros in capital. Then there's the metaphorical mountain, which is a mountain of cliches. For Nokia to survive …

    Windows 8 7 Sep 14:58

  • NASA's spy sat snaps Curiosity rover burning tracks on Mars

    Life-hunting nuke tank's trail visible from space

    Curiosity Rover has left a mark on Mars that is visible from space. The rover's maiden journey across the Red Planet has left tire tracks that have been photographed by the high resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconaissance Orbiter. The snap released by NASA today shows where the tyres have scuffed the red surface dust off …

    Science 7 Sep 15:27

  • Dredd movie review

    Review Chin up

    I haven't seen The Raid, the skirmish-in-a-skyscraper flick so many Dredd reviewers have compared with this latest attempt to bring 2000AD's favourite anti-hero to the big screen. But I have been reading the comic on and off since 1977 - more on than off; it went a bit crap in the 1990s - and Judge Dredd remains a weekly joy, …

    reghardware 7 Sep 15:50

  • Intel rolls eyes at flaccid PC biz, cuts $1bn off expected sales

    Wall St warned of Q3 revenue downsize

    Well, it looks like the Intel Developer Forum might be a bit more subdued next week than usual, with the chipmaker cutting its revenue projections for the third quarter, which ends this month. In a statement announced before Wall Street opened this morning, Chipzilla warned investors that its sales in the third quarter would …

    Financial News 7 Sep 16:02

  • Google beefs up security portfolio with VirusTotal buy

    Promises to play fair with anti-virus vendors

    Google has bought online malware-scanning firm VirusTotal and is pledging to keep the service open to support security software vendors. "We've worked hard to ensure that the services we offer continually improve. But as a small, resource-constrained company, that can sometimes be challenging," the security firm said in its " …

    Security 7 Sep 18:04

  • Microsoft: 'Update your security certs this month – or else'

    October update to block sites using weak crypto

    The good news is that Microsoft's next Patch Tuesday, due on September 11, should be a breeze, bringing just two security updates. The bad news is that October's Patch Tuesday will be a game changer, and Microsoft has cautioned Windows admins to take advantage of the lull to make sure their security houses are in order. …

    Security 7 Sep 18:49

  • Why is the iPhone so successful? 'Cause people love 'em

    Sorry, haters: iPhone tops J.D. Power user satisfaction poll – again

    Apple's iPhone may have its detractors, but they don't appear to include many folks who actually own one – yet another survey has shown that Apple's überpopular handset is beloved by a strong percentage of its users. "For the eighth consecutive study, Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones in customer …

    Mobile 7 Sep 20:20

  • Cash-strapped Sharp puts HQ, factories in hock

    Seeks $3.8bn to get iPhone screen plant up to speed

    With negotiations stalled on a hoped-for equity investment from Taiwan's Hon Hai, Sharp has set in motion a contingency plan that will see it put up nearly all of its domestic real estate as collateral for up to $3.8bn in bank loans. On Thursday, a representative for the embattled TV and smartphone component maker confirmed to …

    Business 7 Sep 20:59

  • UK ice boffin: 'Arctic melt equivalent to 20 years of CO2'

    Older, more stable ice melting as well

    A prominent British Arctic scientist and researcher says that the continued and accelerated melting of the polar sea-ice cap is not only a result of climate change, but is also a massive contributor to it. To explain in an overly simplistic nutshell, sea ice is reflective, bouncing solar energy back into space. When it melts, …

    Science 7 Sep 23:42

  • Airbus predicts catapult takeoffs and formation flying by 2050

    Futuristic free thinking to save both money and space

    Airbus has detailed its plans for the future of air travel in 2050, when megacities and rising fuel costs will make flying a very different kettle of (flying) fish. The company's "Smarter Skies" report has been two years in the making, using interviews within the aviation industry and with designers to come up with radical new …

    Science 7 Sep 23:47