WhiteRider - Slashdot User

Submission + - Black hole seen swallowing star (and belching)

Submitted by

mcgrew (sm62704)

on Wednesday August 08, 2007 @11:24AM

mcgrew (sm62704) writes: "New Sceintest reports that the Swift satellite has detected GRB 070610. From the article:

A black hole has been spotted belching out a burst of gamma rays after gulping down part of a nearby star, something never seen before. Such violent burps may actually be the most common type of explosive "gamma-ray burst" in the universe.

Astronomers led by Mansi Kasliwal of Caltech in Pasadena, US, traced the burst to a star system in our own galaxy, where a black hole and a star slightly less massive than the Sun are orbiting each other.

Observing this black hole outburst from nearby would be a risky prospect. "If you were as close to the black hole as the [companion] star, things wouldn't be pretty," Kasliwal told New Scientist. "I don't think you'd want to be near it."
Raise shields, Mr. Sulu!"

Submission + - How to turn a Mini Maglite into a powerful laser (lifehacker.com) 3

Submitted by

Lucas123

on Wednesday August 08, 2007 @11:20AM

Lucas123 writes: "Using the laser from a DVD burner, this instructional video shows you how to create a hand-held laser that is powerful enough to light a match and pop a balloon. There's some soldering involved and the Maglite's bulb housing needs to be drilled out to fit the new laser diode, but with some basic skill, most people could do this. Just plain cool."

Submission + - Finaly we get new elements in HTML 5

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 08, 2007 @10:28AM

An anonymous reader writes: Pure HTML enhancements grew hardly at all in the last eight years. It basicaly stopped in 1999 with HTML 4. Now the future looks bright. Recently, HTML has finaly came back to life. Eight years is a long time to wait for new features, especially in the fast-moving world of the Web. Take a look at how HTML 5 is restoring some of the excitement of the early days of the web with its new enhancements.

Submission + - Wireless USB Coming to Laptops Soon

Submitted by

kbrimington

on Wednesday August 08, 2007 @09:26AM

kbrimington writes: "USA Today reports that Dell and Lenovo are in the works of introducing wireless USB support to new laptops. What makes this new technology so great? It provides greater throughput than WiFi, with lower energy demands. All this comes at the cost of distance, of course. Wireless USB only reaches about 30 feet. Sounds perfect for a regular home network."

Submission + - Migrating from Windows to Linux (linuxlinks.com)

Submitted by

Steve Emms

on Monday August 06, 2007 @02:01PM

Steve Emms writes: "There are many articles written about the reasons why users may wish to convert to Linux. Frequently cited reasons include the favorable licensing terms, the freely distributable software (with source code), support from the Linux community, improved security, open file formats, the fact that Linux can run on a wide variety of platforms, etc. However, unless a desktop user is provided with real alternatives to the existing software he or she currently uses, migration to a different operating system is going to be very difficult.

This collection of articles aim to dispel the myth that Linux isn't really ready for the desktop user seeking to move away from the Microsoft world. If you are thinking about switching from Windows to Linux, bear in mind that many of your favorite desktop applications have Linux equivalents, often with a comparable feature set.

For each Linux application, we have compiled a portal page providing an overview of the software, a screenshot of the application in action, a comprehensive list of its features, and links to sites offering information and support on the software such as forums, tutorials, and reviews.

Read on ..."

Submission + - New water-cooled hard drives coming (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by CoolHandLuke on Friday August 03, 2007 @03:26PM

CoolHandLuke writes: NEC and Hitachi are teaming up on a liquid cooling system for hard drives. The goal is to cut down on noise levels while providing more efficient cooling. 'Hitachi and NEC are developing the water-cooled hard drive systems for desktop computers mainly to reduce noise levels to 25 decibels, 5 decibels quieter than a whisper. To do this, NEC and Hitachi actually wrap the hard drive in "noise absorbing material and vibration insulation." According to Hitachi and NEC, the cooling cold plate they're planning to use is the most efficient plate ever used for heat conduction, which means they'll be able to cool the hard drives quicker and more efficiently.'

Submission + - Firefox Focus Means New Home for Thunderbird (mozillazine.org)

Submitted by on Thursday July 26, 2007 @02:56PM

An anonymous reader writes: MozillaZine is reporting that Mozilla Thunderbird is to find a new home. The Mozilla Foundation's increasing focus on Firefox and the "open Web" means that Thunderbird has been neglected and the decision has been made that a more autonomous arrangement would be suitable, allowing the Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation to concentrate on Firefox. Three options are proposed for Thunderbird: a entirely new foundation, a new Mozilla Foundation subsidiary or a SeaMonkey-style community project backed by a "small independent services and consulting company". Currently option three seems to be the favourite among the Thunderbird team.

Submission + - Google Changes Background Color To Save Energy 6

Submitted by i_like_spam on Thursday July 26, 2007 @02:51PM

i_like_spam writes: Commentary at Nature Climate Change describes an on-going debate about the energy savings associated with the background colors used by high-traffic websites such as Google and the NYTimes. Some back of the envelope calculations have suggested energy savings of 750 Megawatt hours per year if Google switched their background from white to black. Google responded by creating Blackle. Other calculations by the Wall Street Journal, however, suggest minimal energy savings. Who is right in this debate? And, should designers also consider potential energy savings when choosing colors for their websites?

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