Die vorberatende Kommission des bernischen Grossen Rates befürwortet als erste Etappe der Standortkonzentration der Fachhochschule Bern die Realisierung eines «Campus Technik» in Biel. Der Campus soll insbesondere die Konzentration der Bereiche Technik und Informatik ermöglichen.
Facebook-Nutzer verbringen laut einem „Focus“-Bericht im Schnitt ein Fünftel ihrer Zeit im Internet bei dem sozialen Netzwerk - mit stagnierender Tendenz. In Deutschland habe sich der Wert seit dem vergangenen Jahr bei 16 Prozent, in den USA zwischen 14 und 15 Prozent eingependelt, schreibt das Magazin unter Berufung auf Berechnungen des Marktforschungsunternehmens Comscore.
Die Leitung der Messe Frankfurt hat die "Be Connected 2012" abgesagt. Als Grund wurden die "enormen Veränderungen in der schnelllebigen Contact Center-Branche" angegeben. Die aktuelle Marktsituation mache "ein eigenständiges, auf Wachstum ausgerichtetes Veranstaltungsformat kaum möglich“, sagte Klaus Reinke, Senior Vice President für New Business bei der Messe Frankfurt.
Neue Formen von Marketing zum Leben zu bringen, ist das Ziel von Marketingnatives, einer schnell wachsenden Marketing-Community aus Wien und laut Gründer Benjamin Ruschin weltweit sogar erster Social NFC Community. Um die Marketingtrends 2020 ging es bei einer internationalen Expertenrunde vor den Marketiers von morgen.
Der anstehende Börsengang von Facebook macht Datenschützern Angst. „Es steht zu befürchten, dass der Fokus in Zukunft auf Gewinnmaximierung gerichtet wird“, sagte Johannes Caspar, der als Datenschutzbeauftragter von Hamburg für das Online-Netzwerk zuständig ist. Der Druck der Aktionäre werde wachsen und die Entscheidungen des Unternehmens möglicherweise zulasten des Datenschutzes beeinflussen, sagte er der Nachrichtenagentur DPA.
Der mutmassliche Wikileaks-Informant Bradley Manning muss sich vor einem US-Militärgericht verantworten. Dem Soldaten wird vorgeworfen, 700.000 grösstenteils geheime Dokumente an die Internet-Plattform Wikileaks weitergegeben zu haben. Unter anderem wird ihm Unterstützung des Feindes vorgehalten. Dafür könnte Manning zu einer lebenslangen Haftstrafe verurteilt werden.
Der Reiseanbieter Kuoni wechselte im Laufe des letzten Jahres auf Windows 7 und Office 2010. Für die Office-Migrations-Schulung setzte er einer Medienmitteilung zufolge auf Digicomp. In rund fünf Wochen wurden demnach gut 500 Mitarbeitende bei Kuoni vor Ort geschult und mit den Besonderheiten der neuen Office Produkte vertraut gemacht.
Das Mobilfunkunternehmen Motorola hat einen Verkaufsstopp der iPhone-Modelle 3G, 3GS und 4 sowie der UMTS-Variante des iPads im deutschen Onlinestore erwirkt. Apple hat aber mittlerweile angekündigt, die Geräte weiter verkaufen zu wollen.
Die Gegner des internationalen Urheberrechtsabkommens Acta feiern einen ersten Erfolg: Die polnische Regierung hat gestern die Ratifizierung des Vertragswerks ausgesetzt. „Ich teile die Ansicht derjenigen, die von unvollständigen Beratungen sprechen“, sagte Ministerpräsident Donald Tusk in Warschau. Die Argumente der Netzgemeinde seien berechtigt.
Swisscom und Ericsson haben eine Partnerschaft zur Entwicklung und Erschliessung des M2M-Marktes (Mensch-Maschine-Kommunikation) getroffen. Einer Mitteilung der beiden Partner zufolge wird Swisscom seinen Kunden in der Schweiz und im Ausland neue Dienste anbieten, Device Connection-Plattform von Ericsson basieren.
An anonymous reader writes "'Some people remember Sealab as being a classified program, but it was trying not to be,' says Ben Hellwarth, author of the new book Sealab: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor, which aims to 'bring some long overdue attention to the marine version of the space program.' In the 1960s, the media largely ignored the efforts of America's aquanauts, who revolutionized deep-sea diving and paved the way for the underwater construction work being done today on offshore oil platforms. It didn't help that the public didn't understand the challenges of saturation diving; in a comical exchange a telephone operator initially refuses to connect a call between President Johnson and Aquanaut Scott Carpenter, (who sounded like a cartoon character, thanks to the helium atmosphere in his pressurized living quarters). But in spite of being remembered as a failure, the final incarnation of Sealab did provide cover for a very successful Cold War spy program."
An anonymous reader writes "Google is at daggers end with a law firm it's been using since 2008, after discovering that lawyers in the law firm, named Pepper Hamilton LLP, were representing a patent licensing business that sued Google's Android partners last month. Google has claimed that Pepper Hamilton LLP never provided notice that it was hired by Digitude Innovations LLC, the firm that filed patent infringement complaints against Google's business allies."
An anonymous reader writes "The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is sponsoring an online, open innovation challenge to search for creative answers to the question: 'How might we design an accessible election experience for everyone?' The goal is to develop ideas for how to make elections more accessible to everyone, especially people with disabilities."
New submitter KA.7210 writes "I am an employed mechanical engineer, having worked with the same company since graduation from college 5 years ago. I am looking to increase my credentials by taking more engineering courses, potentially towards a certificate or a full master's degree. Going to school full time is not an option, and there is only one engineering school near me that offers a program that resembles what I wish to study, and also has the courses at night. Therefore, I have begun to look at online options, and it appears there are many legitimate, recognizable schools offering advanced courses in my area of interest. My question to Slashdot readers out there is: how do employers view degrees/advanced credentials obtained online, when compared to the more typical in-person education? Does anyone have specific experience with this situation? The eventual degree itself will have no indication that it was obtained online, but simple inference will show that it was not likely I maintained my employment on the east coast while attending school in-person on the west coast. I wish to invest my time wisely, and hope that some readers out there have experience with this issue!"
wiredmikey writes "A hacker who tried to land an IT job at Marriott by hacking into the company's computer systems, and then unwisely extorting the company into hiring him, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison. The hacker started his malicious quest to land a job at Marriott by sending an email to Marriott containing documents taken after hacking into Marriott servers to prove his claim. He then threatened to reveal confidential information he obtained if Marriott did not give him a job in the company's IT department. He was granted a job interview, but little did he know, Marriott worked with the U.S. Secret Service to create a fictitious Marriott employee for use by the Secret Service in an undercover operation to communicate with the hacker. He then was flown in for a face-to-face 'interview' where he admitted more and shared details of how he hacked in. He was then arrested and he pleaded guilty back in November 2011. Marriott claims the incident cost the company between $400,000 and $1 million in salaries, consultant expenses and other costs."
sciencehabit writes "Petroleum geologists have long used air guns in their search for oil and gas deposits. Sudden blasts from the devices generate seismic waves that they use to map underground rock formations. Could the same technique be used to study earthquakes? A team of Chinese scientists thinks so. The researchers have designed an air gun that could be useful in monitoring changes in stress buildup along fault zones."
tsu doh nimh writes "Two months after authorities shut down a massive Internet traffic hijacking scheme, the malicious software that powered the criminal network is still running on computers at half of the Fortune 500 companies, and on PCs at nearly 50 percent of all federal government agencies. Internet Identity, a Tacoma, Wash. company that sells security services, found evidence of at least one DNSChanger infection in computers at half of all Fortune 500 firms, and 27 out of 55 major government entities. Computers still infected with DNSChanger are up against a countdown clock. As part of the DNSChanger botnet takedown, the feds secured a court order to replace the Trojan's DNS infrastructure with surrogate, legitimate DNS servers. But those servers are only allowed to operate until March 8, 2012. Unless the court extends that order, any computers still infected with DNSChanger may no longer be able to browse the Web. The FBI is currently debating whether to extend the deadline or let it expire."
alphadogg writes "Former FCC chairman Reed Hundt made waves when he called the House spectrum auction legislation 'the single worst telecom bill' he's seen. The legislation, which would severely restrict the FCC's ability to place conditions on spectrum auctions, is seen as a non-starter in the Senate where a bipartisan group of senators including John Kerry (D — Mass.) and Jerry Moran (R — Kan.) have signaled strong opposition to the House approach to authorizing spectrum auctions. In this interview, Hundt outlines his major objections to the House bill and describes what he would do differently to make more spectrum available."
First time accepted submitter creativeHavoc writes "Forbes author Tomio Geron takes a look at data accrued by mobile app monitoring startup Crittercism. After looking at normalized data of crashes over the various mobile operating system versions he compares crash rates of apps on the two platforms. He also breaks it down further to look how the top apps compare across the competing mobile operating systems. The results may not be what you expect."
Hugh Pickens writes "Ken Gaebler discusses a new way of hiring called 'employment simulations,' which are gaining popularity among high-tech firms that are seeking data from prospective employees that you can't get from sit-down interviews. In a typical employment simulation, candidates participate in online 'video games' that leverage simulation software to determine how well candidates perform in actual job situations. 'There are no questions about your former work experience and office habits. There's simply a computer game. If you win, you get the job. If you lose, game over.' As one example, call centers are very amenable to simulations because the work environment (a series of computer programs and databases) is relatively easy to replicate and the tasks that make up job performance are easy to measure (data entry speed and accuracy, customer service, multitasking, etc). Other employment simulation programs have been written for healthcare, insurance, retail sales, financial services, hospitality and travel, manufacturing and automotive, and telecom and utilities. But skeptics say employment simulators and other computer-based hiring models have some drawbacks. 'Like any technology, the effectiveness of employment simulations is limited to the quality of the software and its accessibility to users,' says Gaebler."
An anonymous reader writes "Google has just made some interesting changes to their developer pages. As of today, all of the documentation, source code, and firmware images pertaining to CDMA Android devices (including the Verizon Galaxy Nexus) have been removed. A statement from Google explains that the proprietary software required to make these devices fully functional got in the way of Android's open source nature, so CDMA devices are no longer supported as developer hardware. What does this mean for the Galaxy Nexus, which is only available as CDMA in the U.S.?"
An anonymous reader writes "The NY Times recently ran a story on the discovery of a cache of wax cylinder records, recorded in Europe in the 1880s, of Otto von Bismarck, Helmuth von Moltke, and various musicians. 'In June 1889, Edison sent Wangemann to Europe, initially to ensure that the phonograph at the Paris World’s Fair remained in working order. After Paris, Wangemann toured his native Germany, recording musical artists and often visiting the homes of prominent members of society who were fascinated with the talking machine. Until now, the only available recording from Wangemann’s European trip has been a well-known and well-worn cylinder of Brahms playing an excerpt from his first Hungarian Dance. That recording is so damaged "that many listeners can scarcely discern the sound of a piano, which has in turn tarnished the reputations of both Wangemann and the Edison phonograph of the late 1880s," Dr. Feaster said. "These newly unearthed examples vindicate both."'"
An anonymous reader writes "While America had offered the F-16, F-18 and now the stealth F-35 fighter, India picked for its new multi-role attack jet a low cost, older French plane. Why? For one, it's cheaper, and two, if American/Indian relations go bad, can they get the parts and equipment to keep the planes in the air? It seems prudence beat out the latest in technology."
Plugh writes "In a victory for transparency and openness in government, and saving tax dollars, New Hampshire has passed HB418. State agencies are now required by law to consider open source software when acquiring software, and to promote the use of open data formats."
An anonymous reader writes "Saad Allami likely never expected that a simple text message of encouragement would have turned his life upside down. But as seen in a similar case of absurd overreaction by authorities, a simple text message is all it takes to have yourself branded as a terrorist. From the article: 'The Quebec man says he was arrested by provincial police while picking up his seven-year-old son at school. A team of police officers stormed into his home, telling his wife she was married to a terrorist. And his work colleagues were detained for hours at the U.S. border because of their connection to him.'"