Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Biotech

Submission + - Cheap Home Lead Testing - How?

Submitted by
Spinlock_1977
Spinlock_1977 writes: "I received a gift from a friend — a tea ball. It was made in China. And it's metallic. Home lead-testing kits seem to start at a hundred or two dollars and go up from there. I'm loathe to spend that much to test a five dollar item. Does the slashdot community have suggestions for how to test for lead at home, on the cheap?"
Software

Submission + - Microsoft kills off HP legacy drivers 1

Submitted by couchslug
couchslug writes: I went looking for drivers for a friend and found this proof that Microsoft can make use of older Windows versions more difficult." http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01080344&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=59270&lang=en "As of July 2007, HP will no longer be able to offer driver downloads or replacement driver CD ordering for Windows 98, 98 Second Edition (SE), or Windows Millennium (Me) for your HP printer, all-in-one, camera, or scanner. Microsoft has stopped providing and supporting certain files related specifically to Windows 98 SE, and this change affects all technology companies. HP, along with other technology companies, is no longer able to use selected components in support of Windows 98SE, which has an impact on our software strategy for Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Me. HP will continue to provide other selected HP software and applications that do not depend on Windows 98 SE components for the foreseeable future."
Announcements

Submission + - Jack Thompson Facing Disbarment Trial

Submitted by pwizard2
pwizard2 writes: Controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson faces the start of an ethics trial this morning which could get him disbarred. Have we seen the end of his shenanigans, and is he finally going to see some long-overdue comeuppance?
OS X

Journal Journal: OS X update 10.4.11: Judas Kiss from Apple?

Journal by Bartbrn

From MacNN,11-26-07:

View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/11/26/tiger.update.data.loss/

Monday, November 26,2007 @ 7:15am

Tiger update forces some to reformat
Education

Submission + - Why Are College Dorms Such Dumps?

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "'I will be paying for this overcrowded, unsanitary, fly-infested, sinking dorm with hostile doorways for what could be half my life.' So writes 'Stephan K.' of the trailer that serves as his home-away-from-home at Bard College, where students can shell out $36,534 in tuition and $10,346 for room-and-board for such luxurious digs. Which begs the bigger question: With the nation's brightest minds on their payrolls, why can't universities and colleges figure out how to provide students with something better than slumlord-level accommodations?"
Power

Submission + - A light-powered toothbrush?

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "Would you like to use a light-powered toothbrush which needs no toothpaste and no batteries? It's already available in Japan and North America and it costs about $30. Its rod contains titanium dioxide that generates a plaque-removing electrochemical reaction. This 'solar' toothbrush of the future 'works by releasing electrons that then react with the saliva in the mouth and help to breakdown plaque.' It just needs some light — so you'll be able to wash your teeth in your garden or on your balcony. And as it has no batteries, this is a very eco-friendly device. It is currently tested today by 120 students at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, but it's already available online. But read more additional references and to see how the light-powered Soladey toothbrush works."
Toys

Submission + - Apple forcing 1.1.2 updates?

Submitted by
dbizzle
dbizzle writes: "I never updated my iPhone from its original release (1.0.2) because i was afraid that it might brick my newest toy. That being said, naturally every time I'd sync with iTunes it'd ask me to update and I would just click no. Once Apple had released 1.1.2, I found my phone in "Recovery Mode" after just using it minutes before and over a month before that with not problem on its original firmware release. So, I'm curious if Apple or perhaps AT&T have somehow managed to identify the software levels of iPhones out there and are capable of putting the phone into recovery mode to force the firmware updates. Any other folks experiencing this?"
Software

Submission + - Double your disk read performance with one command (itauth.com)

Submitted by achillean
achillean writes: Under the right conditions (that is, with certain hardware configurations I'll explain later) it is possible to literally double your sequential read performance from disk. That's right, I said double. All with a single command. What is this magic you ask? How can I know the voodoo you do? Read on.
Editorial

Submission + - In Defense of Gen Y Workers (cio.com)

Submitted by
Chris Lindquist
Chris Lindquist writes: "Entitled? Spoiled? Maybe. But Gen Y workers are the future, like them or not. CIO.com has a couple recent articles defending Generation Y from the attacks generally heaped upon the group these days. One is by a 21-year-old editorial assistant who concludes "I'm different, I'm better and I'm tired of hearing otherwise. Ignore me at your peril." The other is by a reader who posted a piece noting that his own 21-year-old daughter's discarded alarm clock led to his recognition that the world has changed dramatically for the next generation — and for him."
United States

Submission + - Here come the thought police

Submitted by QuietLagoon
QuietLagoon writes: In a Baltimore Sun op-ed piece, Ralph E. Shaffer and R. William Robinson write, 'With overwhelming bipartisan support, Rep. Jane Harman's "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act" passed the House 404-6 late last month and now rests in Sen. Joe Lieberman's Homeland Security Committee. Swift Senate passage appears certain.

'Not since the "Patriot Act" of 2001 has any bill so threatened our constitutionally guaranteed rights.

'The historian Henry Steele Commager, denouncing President John Adams' suppression of free speech in the 1790s, argued that the Bill of Rights was not written to protect government from dissenters but to provide a legal means for citizens to oppose a government they didn't trust. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence not only proclaimed the right to dissent but declared it a people's duty, under certain conditions, to alter or abolish their government....

'Ms. Harman's proposal includes an absurd attack on the Internet, criticizing it for providing Americans with "access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda," and legalizes an insidious infiltration of targeted organizations. The misnamed "Center of Excellence," which would function after the commission is disbanded in 18 months, gives the semblance of intellectual research to what is otherwise the suppression of dissent.'
Microsoft

Submission + - Sysinternal Tools going Bye Bye...? 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Recently I have tried to download the source codes for some Sysinternal tools, namely pskill.exe, to incorporate it into my program to help kill a spawned process when it is not behaving properly. Since Microsoft have purchased sysinternal.com, us administrators have have become worried that these cool tools, that are necessary for our day to day needs, might vanish into thin air. The Source codes have disappeared from the website during migration, and now all their download links no longer works. Is this the end of Sysinternal tools?
Announcements

Submission + - Best Buy

Submitted by
MJay
MJay writes: "On April 13, 2003 I ordered a plasma TV with a four year extended warranty from the Best Buy Store in North Olmsted, Ohio. I was on a six month travel order with the Department of Defense. I was assured that it would not be a problem when I received the unit as I was planning a renovation when I returned home to San Diego, CA. The clerk told me the dates did not matter. The TV was delivered September 13, 2003 and the Best Buy installers attached it to my wall hiding all the wires on Sept 17. The TV operated fine until Sept 4, 2007, suddenly the TV went out. Although I thought I still had a few more days left on the warranty, Best Buy informed me that the warranty had started 5 months before I received it. Best Buy prorated the extended warranty refunding me $41.62, which I did not cash. I found out from Samsung that the TV was manufactured in Korea 17 days after Best Buy said the warranty started. Samsung also showed that their 24 month warranty started from the date I received it, Sept 13, 2003 and that was also the date of purchase. I went to small claims court November 1, 2007. The judge ruled in my favor. The judge ruled that I am entitled to costs of Best Buy repair service visit of $100 and have the TV fixed or replaced. I am now waiting for the court papers. I can only imagine what Best Buy will do next. I would be happy to help in any way I can for others. There were a number of things they told me that were not true. There are too many to make it boring, but in one instance I have a witness, my brother a licensed plumber. During my renovation in 2003 their installer told me that I needed to replace my copper plumbing with plastic. I immediately called my brother who then spoke with their installer. It was decided that it was unnecessary. Their installer wanted to steal my copper. I find I cannot believe anything Best Buy tells me. I wish to help others in anyway I can because I feel Best Buy misrepresented the facts but got caught on a technicality. I was lucky but they said they can fix the TV four times before replacing it. I do not trust them and expect there will be more problems when I should be getting an apology."
Biotech

Submission + - Extracing Oil and Gas From Everything (popsci.com) 2

Submitted by BlaineZilla
BlaineZilla writes: Popular Science has an article about a new invention that extracts oil and gas from just about everything you place in it. Add an old tire, hit it with a few microwaves and couple seconds you have oil. It sounds too good to be true, but if it is I think this guy might make a couple bucks.
Math

Submission + - Open Source Mathematical Software

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The American Mathematical society has an opinion piece about open source software vs propietary software used in mathematics. From the article : "Increasingly, proprietary software and the algorithms used are an essential part of mathematical proofs. To quote J. Neubüser, 'with this situation two of the most basic rules of conduct in mathematics are violated: In mathematics information is passed on free of charge and everything is laid open for checking.'"

Slashdot Top Deals

Force needed to accelerate 2.2lbs of cookies = 1 Fig-newton to 1 meter per second

Close