Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - Google Launches Service To Replace Web Ads With Subscriptions (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Everyone understands by now that ads fund most of the sites on the web. Other sites have put up paywalls or started subscription bonuses, to varying success. Google, one of the web's biggest ad providers, saw a problem with that: it's a huge pain to manage subscriptions for all the sites you visit — often more trouble than it's worth. Since so few people sign up, the subscription fees have to be pretty high. Now, Google has launched a service called Contributor to try to fix this situation.

The way Contributor works is it this: sites can sign up to participate (and sites like Imgur, The Onion, and ScienceDaily already have). Readers can then pay a fee of $1-3 per month to gain ad-free access to all participating sites. When the user visits one of the sites, instead of showing a Google ad, Google will just send a small chunk of that subscription to the website instead.

Submission + - Russia is planing a new Space Station (rbth.com)

Submitted by ptr_88
ptr_88 writes: Starting from 2017, Russia may start deploying its own high-latitude orbital station, according to sources in the space industry. The project, developed by Roskosmos will feature modules previously planned for the International Space Station.

Submission + - BitTorrent Unveils Sync 2.0 And Three New Paid Products Coming In 2015

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: BitTorrent today outlined the company's plans for its file synchronization tool Sync. Next year, the company will launch Sync 2.0, finally taking the product out of beta, as well as three new paid Sync products. Ever since its debut, Sync has provided a wide variety of solutions to various problems, BitTorrent says, from distributing files across remote servers to sharing vacation photos. BitTorrent thus believes it needs to build three distinct products for each of these separate audiences, including a Pro version for $40 per year.

Comment Re:It's an Intel cpu (Score 1) 109

by jbernardo (#48416133) Attached to: Nokia's N1 Android Tablet Is Actually a Foxconn Tablet

If anything running a Linux distro other than Android will make it less useful.

Quite the opposite. Running a fully fledged linux, with either KDE plasma netbook or unity, and having access to full desktop browsers and normal linux tools, would be a great advantage. I already have android phones and tablets, but often need to use my linux netbook for some functionality that isn't supported in android.

Comment It's an Intel cpu (Score 1) 109

by jbernardo (#48415427) Attached to: Nokia's N1 Android Tablet Is Actually a Foxconn Tablet

I really don't want a power hungry Intel CPU on a tablet, no matter how many benchmarks are faked to make it seem as fast and as low power as an equivalent Arm.
Most android apps will run without issues, that shouldn't be a problem anymore as there have been some Intel tablets out there for several months (I've seen some Asus in bargain bins at the Cora supermarket chain).
Still, the only advantage is if someone manages to run Linux on it. Might make up for the extra heat and lower battery life, to be able to run full featured Linux on it.

Submission + - Nokia Announces N1 Android Tablet with Intel Processor and iPad Looks

Submitted by SmartAboutThings
SmartAboutThings writes: Nokia has sold its phone division to Microsoft and won't be able to make Nokia-branded devices until sometime in 2016. But it seems that the hardware giant won't die just like that. Welcome the Nokia N1 tablet, a surprise launch by the company. The device has and iPad-like design but runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. There's also a 64-bit Intel processor on the inside and a Nokia Z launcher.

Submission + - NYT: Privacy Concerns for ClassDojo, Other Tracking Apps for Schoolchildren

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: The NY Times' Natasha Singer files a report on popular and controversial behavior tracking app ClassDojo, which teachers use to keep a running tally of each student’s score, award virtual badges for obedience, and to communicate with parents about their child’s progress. “I like it because you get rewarded for your good behavior — like a dog does when it gets a treat," was one third grader's testimonial. Some parents, teachers and privacy law scholars say ClassDojo (investors) — along with other unproven technologies that record sensitive information about students — is being adopted without sufficiently considering the ramifications for data privacy and fairness. "ClassDojo," writes Singer, "does not seek explicit parental consent for teachers to log detailed information about a child’s conduct. Although the app’s terms of service state that teachers who sign up guarantee that their schools have authorized them to do so, many teachers can download ClassDojo, and other free apps, without vetting by school supervisors. Neither the New York City nor Los Angeles school districts, for example, keep track of teachers independently using apps." A high school teacher interviewed for the article confessed to having not read ClassDojo’s policies on handling student data, saying: "I’m one of those people who, when the terms of service are 18 pages, I just click agree." And, if all this doesn't make you parents just a tad nervous, check out this response to the "Has anyone ran a data analysis on their CD data?" question posed to the Class Dojo Community: "I needed to analyze data in regards to a student being placed on ADHD medicine to see whether or not he made any improvements. I have also used it to determine any behavioral changes depending on if a student was with mom/dad for a custody review. I use dojo consistently, so I LOVE getting to use the data to evaluate and share with parents, or even administrators."

Submission + - Magic tricks created using artificial intelligence for the first time (scienceblog.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers working on artificial intelligence at Queen Mary University of London have taught a computer to create magic tricks. The researchers gave a computer program the outline of how a magic jigsaw puzzle and a mind reading card trick work, as well the results of experiments into how humans understand magic tricks, and the system created completely new variants on those tricks which can be delivered by a magician.

Submission + - Apple cannot fire Woz because he is still reporting to Steve Jobs (bizjournals.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Last week, Steve Wozniak (http://www.woz.org/) spoke at an "Internet Summit" in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.

During his remarks, Woz said that reports of him him "hating Apple" have been taken out of context: "I am an employee of Apple still. I want to be the only person who has been on the paycheck every single day since day one of the company. I don't think they can fire me."

Woz also explained that company paperwork says that he is stil reporting to Steve Jobs. "I said, 'oh, well, at least I can't get fired,'" he said. That's good because, earlier in the month, Woz responded to a hardware bug report (http://www.willegal.net/blog/?p=6023) regarding the original Apple-I.

There was no word on if Apple has tried to confisciate his red stapler.

Submission + - Is reducing developer workspace to a minimum the new trend in Silicon Valley?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I work at an established Silicon Valley company that has undergone a "recubing" effort. The people density will be doubled: where eight people sat before, now sixteen will be seated. Where we had cube walls separating work areas, no we will face each other. We were told by management that this will be both quieter, more productive, and more "collaborative", and that we will come to appreciate it. When I asked how we are to police the noise (people on phones, people in casual conversations, etc etc), management said we should give harsh looks at the noise-makers, and that social pressure will do the rest.

My employer claims "everyone is doing this", now. I find that difficult to believe, but I'm curious what other developers think: is this really the new trend for Silicon Valley? Are postage-stamp sized desks, no privacy, and no room to even hang a picture of your own, the new trend?

Submission + - Preview 3 of Jaunt's Made-for-VR 360 3D Short Films (roadtovr.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Jaunt (http://www.jauntvr.com/), a company that's raised more than $34 million to create a platform for live-action cinematic virtual reality experiences, has set out to demonstrate their toolset by producing three made-for-VR short films that are shot in 360 degrees and in 3D. Road to VR has an exclusive preview of the films which the company says will have interactive trailers released very soon for Oculus Rift and Android (for use with Cardboard and other smartphone VR adapters).

Submission + - WhiteHouse petition to research intelligence-sapping ATCV-1 virus

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A petition was started at https://petitions.whitehouse.g... (http://wh.gov/ixUiN), asking for more to be done about the ATCV-1 virus, since it appears to be literally making us less intelligent regardless of whether you are a man, a mouse, or pond scum.

To quote an anonymous wit: "Doctors report that they have discovered a cure for apathy, however nobody has shown the slightest interest in it." With this virus, we haven't even gotten that far yet!

Submission + - Platelet-like nanoparticles that can do more than clot blood (ucsb.edu)

Submitted by Chipmunk100
Chipmunk100 writes: UC Santa Barbara researchers have turned to the human body’s own mechanisms for inspiration in dealing with the necessary and complicated process of coagulation. By creating nanoparticles that mimic the shape, flexibility and surface biology of the body’s own platelets, they are able to accelerate natural healing processes while opening the door to therapies and treatments that can be customized to specific patient needs.

Submission + - Using Wikipedia to forecast disease spread (ploscompbiol.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory have used Wikipedia logs as a data source for forecasting disease spread. The team was able to successfully monitor influenza in the United States, Poland, Japan, and Thailand, dengue fever in Brazil and Thailand, and tuberculosis in China and Thailand. The team was also able to forecast all but one of these, tuberculosis in China, at least 28 days in advance.

Slashdot Top Deals

The best things in life go on sale sooner or later.

Close