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Slashback: Flashmob, Currency, Verification

The first Slashback in a while, with updates and reactions to previous Slashdot stories, including a Flash-mod supercomputing reminder, the upside of microwave-tested currency, CUPS' user-interface foibles, an alternative to MD5 sums, and more. Read on for the details.

Reminder of your scheduled spontaneous appointment. Zero_K writes "As previously posted on Slashdot and the NY Times, the University of San Francisco's, Computer Science department is building a 'flash mob' supercomputer on April 3rd. On their newly updated official web-site (Main Site, ISO's) the team has now posted the ISO image of their custom morphix that will be used to boot all the computers into the cluster, documentation is on the website (under 'downloads') and on the CD (index.html). I personally plan on downloading and testing this ISO tonight. And after the cluster is taken off line, there will be a massive LAN PARTY (Possibly one of the biggest in San Francisco...) On a 10-Gigabit LAN...Oh sweetness ... So if you are in or around the SF Bay Area on April 3rd, be sure to sign up and bring your laptop or desktop to campus and help make history."

Whaddya mean, "no pun intended"? Rudiger writes "After the dust (no pun intended) has settled around the whole Operation Dust Bunny thing, McAfee updates their signature database classifying Dust Bunny as an application. To be more specific: 'This program is detected as a "potentially unwanted application."' They also say 'This is not a virus or trojan.' Should we leave it to the experts this time?"

Would you read Atlas Shrugged on this screen? An anonymous reader writes "The so-called 'electronic paper,' being a high-clarity monochrome display to become a foundation for comfortable and inexpensive 'electronic papers,' has finally shown its face. The new electronic paper, which looks a bit like an iPod, has 10MB memory, keyboard, Memory Stick PRO slot, voice recorder, speaker, and headphones output, and USB2.0 interface."

(We mentioned the device yesterday, but this link provides better images of it.)

Now they're Pragmatic Publishers as well -- much success! AndyHunt writes "As you may have heard, the Pragmatic Programmers have started their own publishing company (see Slashdot reviews here and here). We've just signed our first outside author: Mike Clark, editor of the JUnit FAQ and developer of JUnitPerf and JDepend. He'll be writing the eagerly-anticipated Pragmatic Project Automation book, the third volume in our Jolt Productivity award-winning series."

Exactly how many bits, Ma'am? And in what order, did you say? jlcooke writes "Two months (almost to the day) after getting slashdotted for an innocent post to sci.crypt - the MD5CRK project has launched. The aim is to get the thousands of applications and websites to drop MD5 for SHA-1 or SHA-256 by finding a counter-example of a security requirement in MD5. Press Release is here."

How to take criticism, by example. slashdot_commentator writes "Eric S. Raymond has recently written a wonderful piece explaining to the Linux zealot why it may not be the operating system of choice of all users. (Or what user aspects open source developers need to focus on to further Linux World Domination.) The op-ed specifically focuses on the CUPS printing system. (But it would be a mistake to dismiss it as a screed against CUPS.) The CUPS authors surprisingly acknowledged ESR's points, and he wrote a followup to the article."

Hitting them where it figuratively hurts. Ian Wilson writes with a followup to the Slashdot post earlier this month on "website thieves stealing content and designs from others, taken from silicon.com. Well, now silicon.com is reporting that it has contacted the offending site's advertisers and forced them to stop paying ad revenues - thus effectively crippling the illegal site - after all, no revenue, no reason to the run the site."

Express your appreciation with PizzaPal. Chuck writes "After you guys published the article on $20 bills exploding when microwaved, a co-worker of mine went to put his soup in the microwave and found a $20 bill in it. Too bad it was an older one, but someone around the office must have left it in there after reading your article. The co-worker then took me out to lunch. Thanks, Slashdot!"

10 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. aaaaaaaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    aa

  2. Re:Flashmobs can be fun! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You dick. I fell for it. Fortunately I caught the goat.cx link at the last second -- you should have obfuscated it. It's amazing how quickly your eyes can roll to the back of your head and you can click Back in your periphreal vision.

    The worst was once a goatsex link which opened a popup instantly, in each window, over and over and over. I had 10,000 assholes on my screen and so many being launched I couldn't stop them.

    Ugh.

  3. parent is porn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    clicked just after my boss walked by. AFTER thank god.

  4. whats a slashback !?!?!?!?!?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    im new to slashdot, what is one ?

  5. DUPLICATE STORIES!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
  6. Flashmob this! by dealsites · · Score: 0, Offtopic
  7. YOU ARE RETARDED!! dork! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
  8. Bush Campaigns Fake News Productions by ThomasFlip · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I recently submitted a story to contribute to Slashdot which they so harshly rejected. As reported by ABC News The Bush campaign is handing out pre-produced news spots for local news stations to broadcast. They give the appearance of real news segments. Of course the stations have the right to air them or not but don't you think that this is taking it a little to far? I guess however they just followed procedure by refering to their favourite reference book. Did I mention that your tax paying dollars are going towards these ?

    --
    If the dollar is an "I owe you nothing", then the Euro is a "Who owes you nothing." - Doug Casey
  9. W00t 74 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Join in especiaaly where it belongs,

  10. Blood of 911 is on AL GORE'S hands by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Gore's feeble attempt to steal the election in Florida delayed the transition of Administrations by TWO MONTHS!As Richard Clarke testified today the 2 month delay postponed the total elimination of Al Qaeda and allowed the Terror of September 11 to occur.The attack is not the fault of Bush or Clinton but lies solely with the terrorists and AL GORE!!!