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20 June, 2013

EVERY Los Angeles school student will be given an iPad with the forging of a record $US30 million contract.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/la-schools-buy-30m-worth-of-ipads/story-e6frgakx-1226666629087

Nissan letter to customers says in part: "It has been established that the current engine control module (ECM) software version may cause the vehicle's engine to stall under certain conditions. There is a possibility of the vehicle's engine stalling when driven between 10km/h and 60km/h where there is no accelerator input."

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/nissan-pulsars-stall-without-warning-similar-to-volkswagen/story-fndbbp4c-1226666452616

The disastrous $180 million Victorian school intranet could be scrapped at the end of the month prompting fears that months of student work and reports would be lost. Mr Dixon said the Ultranet had already cost Victorian taxpayers at least $180 million – three times its original budget – despite being used by only 4 per cent of the intended 1.5 million teachers, parents and students.

http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/government-it/another-government-it-debacle-ultranet-facing-scrap-heap-20130620-2oki0.html

After years saying it doesn't reward hackers, Microsoft has announced it will pay up to $US100,000 ($93,430) to security researchers who find and report novel methods for bypassing the security built into the latest version of Windows.

http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/microsoft-to-pay-for-bugs-in-windows-20130620-2ok8f.html

Microsoft has rolled back a much-criticised requirement that its upcoming Xbox One gaming console be regularly connected to the internet and made clear that there will be no limitations on sharing games.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/microsoft-changes-xbox-one-policies-after-outcry-20130620-2ojz5.html

19 June, 2013

HFT is a form of super-fast software-driven trading underpinned by sophisticated algorithms that allow trades to be executed in microseconds, profiting from small changes in share prices. In May 2010 the so-called 'Flash Crash', when the Dow Jones Industrial dropped by almost 1000 points in half an hour, was blamed on automated HFT-style trading. As a result, the US Securities and Exchange Commission rolled out rules to pause trading when there were significant swings in share prices in a short period.

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/465164/high-frequency_trading_fears_overblown_asic/

Windows RT-hasn't been the most popular Microsoft product, but the tech giant is looking to remedy this by slashing the price of its Surface RT tablet for schools and colleges. The offer, which will reportedly run until August 31, 2013, will sell Surface RTs (without keyboards) to schools for only $199. The Surface RT retails for $499.

http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+Offering+SchoolsColleges+199+Surface+RT+Tablets/article31782.htm

German researchers have created a new DRM feature that changes the text and punctuation of an e-book ever so slightly. Called SiDiM, which Google translates to “secure documents by individual marking,” the changes are unique to each e-book sold. These alterations serve as a digital watermark that can be used to track books that have had any other DRM layers stripped out of them before being shared online. The researchers are hoping the new DRM feature will curb digital piracy by simply making consumers paranoid that they’ll be caught if they share an e-book illicitly.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/06/new-ebook-drm/

Huawei launches world's slimmest smartphone

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/huawei-launches-worlds-slimmest-smartphone-20130619-2ohq2.html

17 June, 2013

Why ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’ Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance

http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/06/why-i-have-nothing-to-hide-is-the-wrong-way-to-think-about-surveillance/

Run in Incognito Mode of CyanogenMod (coming soon) will allow users to restrict data when using apps, meaning more control over what kinds of data can be accessed. When the incognito box is checked, empty data will be returned to the app running on strict privacy,

http://www.redmondpie.com/incognito-mode-for-apps-is-coming-soon-to-cyanogenmod-for-android-image/

Able to extend the battery life of the Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II by over 2 hours each through Undervolting/overclocking (10 reasons Android beats iOS 7)

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/10-reasons-android-beats-ios-7-6C10339298

LG Australia has released a home theatre system that projects movies onto a giant 100-inch (254 cm) Laser display

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/personal-tech/lg-releases-100-inch-display-home-theatre-system-in-australia/story-e6frgazf-1226664854067