Comment Re:Missing option: (Score 1) 804
slug: a lump, disk, or cylinder of material (as plastic or metal).
bullets become slugs after impact?
Comment Re:Missing option: (Score 1) 804
Capt.DrumkenBum will get a pat on the back and a $5 gift card to the nearest fast food joint.
Submission + - Revamping a College Computer Program
NeoTerra writes: "A community college that I graduated from is losing its instructors for Computer Science as well as Networking. The college is interested in revamping the program and bringing it more up-to-date. They are looking at both traditional students and non-traditional workforce students. What kinds of subjects do you think should be taught to help prepare students for the real world? What certificates, if any, would you recommend be taught?"
Comment Re:Why is the government even subsidizing this? (Score 1) 591
They did it with a senate seat, and that seems to have gone quite well.
Oh, wait.
Oh, wait.
Comment Re:Why is the government even subsidizing this? (Score 1) 591
The government sold off the old channelspace and made billions. I believe the auction netted $19B and the coupon program is budgeted around $1.3B.
This is the concept of profit.
Comment Re:RFID credit cards (Score 2, Informative) 301
I am seeing quite a few of these pop up, and I live in (relatively) rural Kansas. Several stores, especially fast food are getting them with new registers. I think there's even one at a gas pump nearby, though I was up past 2 am...
The point is, they exist, and it's not just in 'select markets'.
Submission + - KU Student Records Leaked to Media
NeoTerra writes: KU is investigating on how sensitive student data fell into the hands of the local media. Certain departments are failing to shred personal information about its students. This information contains SSNs, student grades, addresses and phone numbers.
From the article:
From the article:
"We've been informed that personal documents and records were sent to the media, along with allegations of improper handling of private information," Lynn Bretz, KU spokeswoman, said in a statement. "The protection of private data is critical, which is why we've started an investigation into where these records came from and what changes need to be made to ensure a similar breach doesn't occur again."
Submission + - How SBC (AT&T) pillaged South Africa's economy (busrep.co.za)
Kifoth writes: For 8 years, SBC and Telekom Malaysia controlled South Africa's only telecommunications company, Telkom. Telkom had a government granted monopoly in order for it to connect the large parts of South Africa which had been neglected under apartheid. Instead of helping, SBC abused their position and raised Telkom's prices to amongst the highest in the world. The billions they made here ultimately went to fund their AT&T merger.
"SBC, described as "congenitally litigious", is said to have played a major role in the failure of South Africa's telecoms policy to develop a competitive telephone service. Under SBC's control Telkom not only failed to meet its roll-out obligations but behaved "as a tax on industry and a drag on economic growth"."
"SBC, described as "congenitally litigious", is said to have played a major role in the failure of South Africa's telecoms policy to develop a competitive telephone service. Under SBC's control Telkom not only failed to meet its roll-out obligations but behaved "as a tax on industry and a drag on economic growth"."
Submission + - New X360 crack claims 100% control (xbox-scene.com)
eZtaR writes: "Finally some exciting news in the world of X360 hacking. The hacker Robinsod successfully downgraded his kernel, even though he'd blown his eFuse. Though this solution is very userUNfriendly at the time, many of the best heads are working on an easier way."
Submission + - Wordlogic Patented Predictive Interface 1
Packetl055 writes: "Have any of you heard anything about this new high tech company (Wordlogic) with a soon to be granted/issued patent with 117 claims for predictability software? They recently received the patent approval/allowance letter from the U.S. Patent Office see link. Their patent application was submitted in March 2000. If I read this correctly any software that gives you any prediction after you type something is infringing on their patent (e.g. vehicle navigation systems, cellular telephones, PDA's, Google with their "Did You Mean" when using Google for a search, the new Apple I-Phone, Blackberry, Sony Playstation-3, etc. etc.). If true, this is going to be huge. Lawsuits after lawsuits because of infringements."
Submission + - Why No High-MPG Diesels For The U.S.?
gbulmash writes: "While looking for a high-MPG minivan, wagon, or SUV, I've been finding that the pickings in the U.S. are pretty slim, but that there are plenty of fuel-efficient diesel models in Europe that get even better mileage than some of the larger hybrids for sale in the U.S. With the U.S. having so many people driving so many miles, it seems ridiculous that even Ford is offering highly fuel efficient diesels in Europe that they don't/won't offer here. Is there an actual plausible reason why these models aren't being brought to American markets aside from "marketing objectives"?"
Submission + - How much are ad servers slowing down the internet? 2
vipermac writes: Most the times I have a problem with a web page loading slow (or freezing temporarily), I look down at the status bar and see that it is waiting on an ad server, google analytics, or the like.
It seems to me on popular web sites the bottle neck is overwhelmingly on the ad servers now and not on the servers of the main web site itself. In my opinion it seems we need a better model for serving ads or else these services need to add more servers/bandwidth.
Are there any studies on the delay that 3rd party ad servers are creating, or any new models that are being introduced to serve ads?
Submission + - Scientists discover how to erase memories (pressesc.com) 1
amigoro writes: "Neuroscientists have discovered that long-term memories are not etched in a "clay tablet"-like stable form as once thought, but the process is much more dynamic, involving a miniature molecular machine that must run constantly to keep memories going, jamming the machine briefly can erase long-term memories."
Submission + - Skype leaves users hanging
NeoTerra writes: Skype, a popular VoIP client, is currently experiencing what it calls "Peer-to-peer network problems." This problem hangs the client program, and does not allow anyone to log-in.
From the article:
From the article:
"Due to peer-to-peer network issues there are problems with Skype login. This issue is being investigated. We will give new updates when the issue has been resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience," said the entry.
Since going to press Skype has issued the following statement: "UPDATED: Some of you may be having problems logging in to Skype. Our engineering team has determined that it's a software issue and hopes to have this resolved quickly.
"Meanwhile, you can simply leave your Skype client running and as soon as the issue is resolved, you will be logged in. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Submission + - Bill Gates Is Now Second Wealthiest Man
NeoTerra writes: Bill Gates is now the second wealthiest man in the world. From the article:
It was probably inevitable, with Bill Gates handing out his cash right and left, and Microsoft's stock in pretty much a holding pattern for most of the 2000's, but it's still sad to see our man Bill get knocked off the top spot on the "world's richest" list. His replacement is no stranger to tech though, Carlos Slim built his fortune in the Mexican telecom biz, and has amassed an estimated net worth of $67.8 billion, thanks to a surge in the shares of America Movil.
