bigpaperbag - Slashdot User

The Science of the Lightsaber 197

Posted by samzenpus on Monday November 17, 2008 @12:08PM from the the-force dept.

Smartcowboy writes "Chances are that you have seen a lightsaber at one time or another, whether on the evening news or down at the local cantina. Therefore you know that a lightsaber is an amazing and versatile device that is able to cut through nearly anything in a matter of milliseconds. Have you ever wondered how these remarkable weapons work? Where does the energy come from, and how are they able to contain that energy in a rod-like column of glowing power? In this article, you will have a chance to look inside a lightsaber and discover the source of its incredible characteristics." I was sure the blade was made from the focused hate and disappointment of the last three movies.

Submission + - 'Bong Hits for Jesus' case tightens student speech (cnn.com)

Submitted by jriding on Monday June 25, 2007 @11:52AM

jriding writes: The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the "Bong Hit 4 Jesus" banner case — a split decision that limits students' free speech rights. Interesting free speech issue

Submission + - Isaac Newton Religious?

Submitted by Snydley Whiplash on Wednesday June 20, 2007 @09:54AM

Snydley Whiplash writes: In this day and age where Science is our religion and God is relegated to fairy tale status, I find it incredibly interesting that many of the people who laid the foundation for modern science were in fact religious people. More amazing is the fact that thier religion and thier science did not conflict, but instead thier efforts to figure out the workings of the world were driven by thier belief in God.

So Slashdot readers; why can't religion and science co-exist? Is there a real reason, or is this just another Mac vs. PC, Linux vs. Windows, Audi vs. BMW style argument where it's "my way or the highway"??

Manuscript Shows Isaac Newton Calculated Date of Apocalypse

Submission + - McCain shows leadership in 2008 Presidential Race

Submitted by

Tanaris

on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:57PM

Tanaris writes: "I previously wrote that the reasons for going to war in Iraq now seem bogus and certainly the Bush Administration has failed miserably in successfully prosecuting this war. Isnt that the real issue though? People are against the war for one main reason were not winning it! Lets take a moment of intellectual honesty and remember that after 9-11 we were a wounded nation and we wanted pay back against those who attacked us. We were also scared and werent even sure who those people were. Barely anyone had even heard of Osama bin Laden or Al Quada, the Talilban, or probably Saddam Hussein for that matter despite the first Gulf War. So whether unseating Saddam was the right thing to do or not we all overwhelming supported it. We supported it and we thought itd be a cake-walk 30 days of shock and awe and a welcoming Iraqi public. Of course, it wasnt easy and it still isnt. If it was wed all support it, wouldnt we? Now John McCain is betting his presidential campaign on the idea that we can and must still win despite the reasons why or why not we went in. His argument is were there now and have to win. Hard to define win maybe but if we left tomorrow somehow I think it would look like a huge defeat the worst in American history. The al Jazeera network will be buzzing with images of American flag burning and clerics claiming they defeated the infidels and tossed them out of Iraq. It will make our departure from Saigon look like a military parade. McCain is the only candidate in the field who is looking at Iraq in historical perspective due to his Vietnam experience. Hes arguing that if we leave before some kind or order is established the perception of defeat will cause serious damage to America as a super power. After all, if they werent afraid of us on 9-11 what will they think now? The Muslim extremists took the best the U.S. military could offer and defeated it, just like they did the Soviets in Afghanistan. That is not a message to support. So while candidates on the Democrat side are kowtowing to the anti-war crowd and are even trying to pull front runner Hillary Clinton there and the Republicans are distancing themselves from the radio active Bush Administration, McCain is displaying leadership his line, Id rather lose an election than lose a war. That is a message worth thinking about do you support it? Have you supported a message today? Neil Hare, Founder, IsupportThisMessage.com"

Submission + - H1-B Abuse: the smoking gun (dailykos.com)

Submitted by

MsGeek

on Monday June 18, 2007 @03:30PM

MsGeek writes: "Ever gotten suspicious about IT want ads? Ever thought that they aren't really looking for IT workers in good faith, but are looking to justify hiring people from Russia or India or China via the H1-B program? Guess what: you're right! The Programmer's Guild has released a video from a seminar held by an immigration law firm about how to game the job search process to make sure that no American IT worker can ever be qualified enough to fill the sham position.

This makes it possible for the firm to go to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and say, "Gosh, we ran an ad for a month and we got no qualified applicants...can we look for H1-B workers to fill this position?" H1-B visas are being abused. This is the smoking gun. They don't want qualified American IT workers to fill the position, they want foreign slave labor that they can pay peanuts to and bully around.

IT jobs are not going begging. IT jobs are not being offered to American IT professionals in good faith, so that companies don't have to pay prevailing American wages. Write your congresscritter and senators. This is an outrage."

Submission + - British break global, web-based, pedophile ring

Submitted by

westlake

on Monday June 18, 2007 @12:26PM

westlake writes: "In a breaking news story, the AP is reporting that the British police with the help of U.S. and Canadian investigators, have broken a web-based global pedophile ring, with 700 arrests world-wide. The ring was traced to an Internet chat room called "Kids the Light of Our Lives" that featured images of children being subjected to horrific sexual abuse including streaming live videos. Police rescued 31 children, some of them only a few months old. More than 15 of the children were in the United Kingdom. Authorities said they used surveillance tactics normally used against terrorism suspects and drug traffickers to infiltrate the ring at its highest level. The host of the chat room, Timothy David Martyn Cox, 27, of Buxhall, who used the online identity "Son of God," admitted to nine counts of possessing and distributing indecent images. Cox was given an indeterminate jail sentence Monday at a court in eastern England. That means he will remain in prison until authorities determine he is no longer a threat to children. 700 held as pedophile ring smashed, Police Smash Global Pedophile Ring"

Submission + - The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer (nytimes.com)

Submitted by The-Bus on Monday June 18, 2007 @12:25PM

The-Bus writes: Julian Dibbell has written a great article for the New York Times Magazine on the life of Chinese gold farmers. It's a great read and has a lot of very interesting tidbits, from comparing the potential size of the economy of MMO games and the GDP of Bolivia, to a Stanford scholar who found similarities between contemporary anti-gold-farmer rhetoric and 19th-century U.S. literature on immigrant Chinese laundry workers.

Submission + - Has CNET UK designed the perfect cell phone?

Submitted by Bob Trilweed on Monday June 18, 2007 @10:43AM

Bob Trilweed writes: CNET.co.uk's mobile phone editor claims to have a designed the perfect cell phone. It's codenamed DUB — design, usability, battery life — and it's the fruit of years of observations. All the technology I mention in this article is available to use now and the specs aren't outlandish — I've tried to balance them relative to what I think most people want. I think Andrew might be on to something, what do you think?

Submission + - PopCap Games Praise EA's Casual Division

Submitted by

Anonymous Coward

on Monday June 11, 2007 @12:47PM

Anonymous Coward writes: "CEO of PopCap Games, Jason Kapalka, has praised EA's recently announced casual division stating it will help to expand growth in the causal videogames market. "When EA and Ubisoft announce they are going to have casual divisions it increases the legitimacy and visibility of the whole casual field", Kapalka told Gamesindustry.biz "It helps people to see that it's a real and serious form of gaming and part of the gaming business.""

Submission + - Church wants to censor shootout in Cathedral (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by

eggdeng

on Monday June 11, 2007 @08:09AM

eggdeng writes: "Church of England officials threatened legal action against Sony for using Manchester Cathedral as a backdrop for Resistance: Fall of Man. Apparently they are afraid that using a cathedral as a background for a shootout might give people ideas, especially in view of the rise in gun crimes in Manchester. How many masterpieces would they have to ban if they applied this principle across the board to film and literary works?"

Submission + - Second Life Arbitration Clause Unenforceable

Submitted by

NewYorkCountryLawyer

on Friday June 08, 2007 @01:51PM

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "In a decision that could have far-reaching implications, a federal court in Pennsylvania has held that the California arbitration clause in the "take it or leave it" clickwrap agreement on the "Second Life" website is unconscionable, and therefore unenforceable. In its decision (pdf) in Bragg v. Linden Research, Inc., No. 06-4925 (E.D. Pa. May 30, 2007), the Court concluded that the Second Life 'terms of service' seek to impose a one-sided dispute resolution scheme that tilts unfairly, "in almost all situations," in Second Life's favor. As a result, the case will stay in Pennsylvania federal court, instead of being transferred to an arbitration forum in California."

Submission + - The decline and fall of Infinum

Submitted by Samty on Wednesday June 06, 2007 @01:35PM

Samty writes: Just when you thought Infinium's shenanigans were over (/. coverage of their most famous stunt), Ars dug up a load of dirt on the company's continued questionable dealings. Phantom Entertainment, as they are now called, hasn't been able to pay its bills for years, its CEO is embroiled in a pump and dump fax scheme, and they keep issuing more stock to fund the operation despite having no real revenue. The company has blown $73 million and has nothing to show for it.

Submission + - Jericho Cancellation Reconsidered

Submitted by Barkmullz on Wednesday June 06, 2007 @01:11PM

Barkmullz writes: Fans trumpeting the cause of CBS' canceled drama "Jericho" have caught the network's ear (covered previously by Slashdot).CBS, deluged with calls, messages and shipments of nuts signifying viewer displeasure, is reconsidering its decision. A decision on whether to bring the show back, probably for a midseason run, is imminent.

Submission + - Teacher Julie Amero gets a new trial (norwichbulletin.com)

Submitted by

LazloHollyfeld

on Wednesday June 06, 2007 @11:20AM

LazloHollyfeld writes: "A New London Superior court judge this morning granted a defense request seeking a new trial for Julie Amero, the former Norwich middle school substitute teacher convicted of exposing her middle school students to Internet porn. Acting on a motion by Amero's attorney, William Dow III, Judge Hillary Strackbein placed the case back on a trial list. Amero had faced 40 years on the conviction of four counts of risk of injury to a minor. State prosecutor David Smith confirmed that further forensic examination at the state crime lab of Amero's classroom computer revealed "some erroneous information was presented during the trial. Amero and her defense team claimed she was the victim of pop-up ads — something that was out of her control. Judge Strackbein said because of the possibility of inaccurate facts, Amero was "entitles to a new trial in the interest of justice." After the brief court appearance, a smiling Amero stood next to her attorney. "I feel very comfortable with the decision," Amero said. Dow commended the state for investigating the case further. A new court date has yet to be scheduled. Amero has reentered a not guilty plea."

How Private Are Sites' Membership Lists? 265

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday June 06, 2007 @11:19AM from the private-enough-most-of-the-time dept.

Slashdot contributor Bennett Haselton has written an essay on a subtle privacy issue affecting many websites (including Slashdot!) He says "Suppose your girlfriend called up Match.com and said, "I think my boyfriend might be cheating on me. His e-mail address is joeblow - at - aol - dot - com. Can you tell me if he's a member?" And Match.com phone support told her, "Why, yes, he is a member. You'd better have a talk with him." After you had gotten over the guilt of getting caught -- I mean, the guilt of cheating -- would you not feel like Match.com had violated your privacy by telling a third party that you were a member?" Keep reading to see what he's getting at and to decide if and when it's a problem.

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