MrMunkey - Slashdot User

Comment Re:From the article (Score 1) 190

by MrMunkey on Monday January 05, 2009 @03:53PM (#26334007) Attached to: LG High-Def TVs To Stream Netflix Videos

Roku also announced today that it'll have a software update allowing all boxes access to the Video on Demand content at Amazon: http://www.contentinople.com/author.asp?section_id=450&doc_id=169871

The movies there aren't free, but it's even more content on my Roku box, which I say is a great idea. Now if they'd just get the TV station's online content I'd be all set.

Comment Double Whammy (Score 1) 465

by MrMunkey on Saturday December 20, 2008 @02:15PM (#26184947) Attached to: Hardware Is Cheap, Programmers Are Expensive

Sometimes the work of the programmers end up making the system requirements increase. I work at a hospital, and we've been using the same DEC Alpha server for 14 years. Last year we upgraded our hospital registration and billing software, and ever since then we've been having huge performance issues.

We got an initial quote (I'm not sure where from) of $400k to $500k to upgrade the hardware. I'm not sure what was in that quote, but I hope that included some really fancy stuff. We're far from ready to close the deal, but at those prices more programmers start looking better.

Comment Re:Why not stick with flash? (Score 1) 165

by MrMunkey on Wednesday December 17, 2008 @05:38PM (#26151227) Attached to: Is JavaScript Ready For Creating Quality Games?

Another glaring problem (at least right now) with JavaScript is the lack of sound support. I wrote a little game in JavaScript, but I had to resort to Flash to handle the sounds. It was a fun experience, since it was the first game I've ever written. I was also trying to push my limits in JavaScript at the time, so that probably added to the intrigue of it all.

Submission + - Farmers Ask Federal Court To Dissociate Hemp & (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by MrMunkey on Monday November 12, 2007 @10:04PM

MrMunkey writes: These farmers are trying to get the DEA to dissasociate hemp from marijuana. They aren't expecting any subsidies and are not trying to legalize marijuana (note I speak from my personal exprience with the individuals, not necessarily from the article). It's a shame that we have to import the hemp products that are used in different products since the government won't allow it to be grown here.

Hemp, a strait-laced cousin of marijuana, is an ingredient in products from fabric and food to carpet backing and car door panels. Farmers in 30 countries grow it. But it is illegal to cultivate the plant in the United States without federal approval, to the frustration of Hauge and many boosters of North Dakota agriculture.

"Some people call me up with the idea that my clients and myself are some sort of marijuana legalization effort," Purdon said. "My clients are farmers. They are looking for a crop they can make money on in the tough business of being a family farmer."

Submission + - Salt Water Fuel (post-gazette.com)

Submitted by MrMunkey on Tuesday September 11, 2007 @09:53PM

MrMunkey writes: For obvious reasons, scientists long have thought that salt water couldn't be burned. So when an Erie man announced he'd ignited salt water with the radio-frequency generator he'd invented, some thought it a was a hoax.

John Kanzius, a Washington County native, tried to desalinate seawater with a generator he developed to treat cancer, and it caused a flash in the test tube. Within days, he had the salt water in the test tube burning like a candle, as long as it was exposed to radio frequencie. His discovery has spawned scientific interest in using the world's most abundant substance as clean fuel, among other uses.

Submission + - ND Farmers Sue DEA (forbes.com)

Submitted by MrMunkey on Sunday June 17, 2007 @07:50PM

MrMunkey writes: There is an article about two farmers from the US state of North Dakota suing the DEA. Earlier this year they underwent background checks and were granted state licenses to grow Hemp, a non-narcotic cousin of marijuana, and then the applications were sent to the DEA for approval at the federal level. The state's agriculture commissioner, Roger Johnson, hand delivered those applications, along with the required yearly application fees, to the DEA in February of this year. He asked for a decision by April so that the farmers would have time to plant the crops, but the DEA has failed to come to a decision.

Johnson repeatedly has said he is upset that [the] DEA refers to industrial hemp as marijuana and won't distinguish between the two.

Submission + - Interspace travel mathematically possible (physorg.com)

Submitted by

Argos Avatar

on Sunday June 17, 2007 @05:47PM

Argos Avatar writes: "In a recently posted slashdot article, the science fiction author Charlie Stross argued against the possibility of colonizing the galaxy, because, among other reasons, the difficulties of interspace travel. In other (somewhat older) news, at least mathematically, there are already solutions for accelerating to velocities close to c, without being gravity-smashed in the process. It involves getting a boost from an atomic explosion to deploy a large mass, which then generates a gravity field that would pull the spaceship along. From the article: Dr. Franklin Felber has proposed a new antigravity solution that will enable space travel near speed of light by the end of this century, he predicts. From physorg.com: http://www.physorg.com/news10789.html/ The math is sound and Dr. Felber is no sci-fi author. It seems that the only problem left is how to de-accelerate once we get to the our target. — Mario Von Schwarz Oximoric Engineer(TM) "Hoc Volo, Sic Jubeo, Sit pro Ratione Voluntas!"®"

Submission + - FollowUp Student Financial Aid Database is Misued

Submitted by MrMunkey on Thursday April 26, 2007 @02:19PM

MrMunkey writes: On 04/17/2007 the National Student Loan Data System posted this message and denied all non-education/borrower access to the system. Even people who were not abusing the system can no longer help students consolidate their loans. I work for a consolidation firm, and lenders and servicers can no longer accurately verify the borrwoers' loan amounts. So far it has created a very tricky situation for the industry.

04/17/2007 Access to NSLDS Effective immediately, access to information in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by all participants in the student loan program except students, borrowers and institutions of higher education is temporarily suspended. During this temporary suspension of access, the Department will more fully examine the specific usage of NSLDS by those entities for which access has been suspended to determine if there was unauthorized usage. Upon completion of this examination we will consider options for providing NSLDS access to these entities. Note that postsecondary educational institutions as well as individual students/borrowers will continue to have access to NSLDS information.

Christian Group Prepares To Mark Wii as 'Porn Portal' 565

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday February 27, 2007 @04:59PM from the overstating-things-a-bit dept.

Citing the Wii's ability to browse the internet via the Opera browser, a Christian group based out of California is planning on targeting the console with a smear campaign, Kotaku reports. The site has gotten ahold of a leaked press release from the upcoming 'Porn Talk' media event. From the release: "Like many new gaming technologies, the Wii's wireless internet capabilities make it a portal to porno. 'Parents think the computer is the only way for their kids to get porn on the internet. Unfortunately, they are dead wrong,' says Mike Foster, founder of ThePornTalk.com. 'Gaming devices like the Wii and the PSP aren't just for fun games anymore. You're able to surf the net, chat with friends, email, and view porn because of its internet access. Kids know this but parents don't!'"

Submission + - Star Trek To Return Christmas 2008

Submitted by

Tycoon Guy

on Tuesday February 27, 2007 @04:29PM

Tycoon Guy writes: "Paramount today announced the new 'Star Trek' film is scheduled for release on Christmas Day 2008. The studio also confirmed the film will be directed by J.J. Abrams, who said the film will "embrace and respect" Trek canon, but will also "chart its own course." Also today, rumors are out claiming Matt Damon, Adrien Brody and Gary Sinise will play Kirk, Spock and Scotty, respectively."

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