Slashback: Livermore, Privacy, Nixieness

Slashback's amplifications and updates tonight include more on Best Buy's worst practices for data security, how the proposed Federal government restructuring will affect Lawrence Livermore labs,a long-overdue Maglev for those of us outside France or Japan, and even more on building Nixie-tube toys. Read on for the details.

Fancy titles attract bigger budgets. SeanAhern writes: "Following up on last week's Slashdot article about LLNL's role in the new Department of Homeland Security, it turns out that LLNL will not change its role or change hands. Instead, LLNL may become a 'center for excellence,' essentially taking on a research role for the new Department. More information can be found in a couple of articles around the press."

Why not just shout it cashier-to-cashier? jqcoffey writes: "A while ago it was discovered that Best Buy was using wireless LANs to transmit cash register data back to accounting servers. The problem was it was UN-encrypted data. They turned them off for a while and now, according to this Computerworld story, they are back on."

Maglev for the Maglevians! LighthouseJ writes: "The Hampton Roads Virginia paper, the Pilot recently reported that my current school, Old Dominion University, recently installed the very first maglev train in the United States on the elevated track already built the previous school year. This train won't go that fast (40 mph) compared to the bullet trains that travel at 300 mph, but at the same token, it won't be traveling that far. The service has been scheduled to start September 1st.

There is some information I have about the maglev that's not mentioned. First, the school is in a rectangle, with the maglev built in the center length-wise. It connects the main campus with the new construction happening across the major road, Hampton Rd and has 3 stations planned now with more to come as the track may extend in the future. They are building more housing, education and meeting places, and the maglev will facilitate safe transportation across that road for students and faculty."

Can this really be the first Mag-lev train in the U.S.? A nifty project regardless.

When a Rolex just isn't good enough. fixitsan2 writes: "I know this thread has been gone over before, when it appeared at the start of February, but ironically, about the same time as the thread ended a group was started on Yahoo!. Not only was it a fast-growing newsgroup, but the technical standard is extremely high. Covering all aspects of building nixie tube clocks as well as other nixie devices including safe power generation, and all display methods from direct drive to multiplexing, as well as lots of circuits and tube sources.

A quick look at the welcome page will give you a fuller idea of what gets discussed."

Comments

Backyard maglev

[CanadaDave]

I made a Maglev train in my backyard.

Check it out here

If it's down, then it's probably been slashdotted.

Best Buy isn't the only one

[jkusar]

I was amazed when my friend showed me all of the places that have unsecured networks. For example, the FedEx building next door to where he works has such a powerful broadcast that if you stand by a window in his office, you can pick up their network.

A simple drive around town, and you can pick up 15 to 20 unencrypted and unsecured networks. Not to mention all of the ones that use cheesy WEP encryption that is really not that hard to break. When are people gonna learn...?

--Jason
"I used to have a sig, but it took up too much space so I got rid of it!"

Maglev side-effects?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've always wondered what magnetic fields strong enough to levitate a train do to the watches, hearing aids, and pacemakers of passengers?

Re:Best Try is a joke

[swb]

My brother-in-law was an operations manager at a couple of the bigger stores in Minnesota (where they have their Corporate Death Star Headquarters).

Everything you said about this I've heard him say, along with a continuing battle to keep the employees from either ripping the store off themselves or doing it in cooperation with the customers. Considering most of the employees look like they were recruited from a reform school, none of it surprises me -- disgusts and insults, yes, surprises, no.

He's out and very grateful to be out.

Re:Best Try is a joke

[Anonymous Coward]

I had this happen to me at a best buy. The security guy *blocked my way* and would not let me pass out the door without seeing my reciept. I told him no, get out of my way, etc, but he would not let me pass. I finally gave in after about 2 minutes, came back the next day and returned everything, and never went back.