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Domain: du.edu
Stories and comments across the archive that link to du.edu.
Stories · 5
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Metadata On How You Drive Also Reveals Where You Drive
chicksdaddy writes "Pay-as-you-drive programs are all the rage in the auto insurance industry. The (voluntary) programs, like Progressive Insurance's Snapshot use onboard monitoring devices to track information like the speed of the automobile, sudden stops, distance traveled and so on. Safe and infrequent drivers might see their rates drop while customers who log thousands of miles behind the wheel and/or drive recklessly would see their insurance rates rise. GPS data isn't generally collected, and insurance companies promise customers that they're not tracking their movement. No matter. A study (PDF) by researchers at the University of Denver claims that the destination of a journey can be derived by combining knowledge of the trip's origin with the metrics collected by the 'pay-as-you-drive' device. The data points collected by these remote sensing devices are what the researchers call 'quasi-identifiers' – attributes that are 'non-identifying by themselves, but can be used to unique identify individuals when used in combination with other data.' In one example, researchers used a strategy they called 'stop-point matching,' to compare the pattern of vehicle stop points from a known origin with various route options. They found that in areas with irregular street layouts (i.e. 'not Manhattan'), the pattern will be more or less unique for any location. The study raises important data privacy questions for the (many) 'pay-as-you-drive' programs now being piloted, or offered to drivers – not to mention other programs that seek to match remote sensors and realtime monitoring with products and services." -
The Art, Music And Computer Science Of DNA
Build6 writes "As part of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA's double-helix structure, many news publications are writing about what has been done with the discovery so far; The Economist has a very interesting one about DNA's use in art and music. ... You can read all about it either by picking up a copy of The Economist (it's well worth the money, I've subscribed for over a decade), or online." And Clint Harris writes "As part of its series commemorating the 50th anniversary of 'the first scientific description of DNA' NPR recently aired a story comparing DNA to software (RealAudio or Windows Media). 'For many, the best analogy for the way DNA works is that it's like a computer program at the heart of every cell. Some of its programming tricks bear an uncanny resemblance to ones the human brain has dreamed up...DNA is [like] spaghetti code because nature has been tinkering with the system for billions of years like a bad programmer.'" -
Can You LGPL an Application?
Tim writes "Can you really use the LGPL for an application--that is, code that isn't part of a library? I've been reading over the LGPL again in preparation for licensing an application of my own, and I feel that the LGPL would best fit my needs/wants. However, section 2a of the LGPL makes it very clear that a work 'based on the Library' must 'itself be a software library.' Section 0 also makes it clear that a 'library' means 'a collection of software functions and/or data prepared so as to be conveniently linked with application programs (which use some of those functions and data) to form executables.' So, given all this, why is it taken for granted that you can release an application/executable under the LGPL?" It must be stated that applications link to libraries and are not based on them. I may be splitting a few hairs here, however. What do you think? -
Laser Printer Recommendations?
Mighty Sorcerer Tim asks: I might be in the market for a new printer, and I am interested in personal laser printers. I was wondering if anyone in the /. world has a suggestion for good, inexpensive ($300 or less) laser printers which work well with Linux. Click below for more. My criteria:- 1. Decent text output (300 dpi or greater). 2. Direct PostScript support, or a printer that works well with Ghostscript. 3. Good quality - I HATE printers that consistently misfeed paper.
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South Park Deal
Tim writes "Apparently the guys who make South Park just got a ton of money to continue making the show through 2000, and to make a South Park Movie. Read about it at wired " I know a lot of you hate SP, but most readers seem to dig it, so I figured I'd mention the Y2k thing. That, and I'm sick of studying.