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Education

Submission + - Trouble remembering the basics of computing

Submitted by john_malloc
john_malloc writes: I'm having a hard time trying to remember the very basics of computing and maths (algorithms, data structures, algebra). I had a master degree from an elite university, but nowadays I rely too much on Google to find answers in everyday programming. I screwed up very ridiculous in my last job hunting attempt.

The questions were not hard at all (string conversions, simple sorting, linked lists, concurrency and even basic geometry) but I was totally stuck and ashamed of not remembering the foundations, making the situation even worse. I have plans to do a PhD at the same uni in vision research.

I have one more interview in a few days in a leading company, but at the moment I have lost my confidence on my skills and even plan to drop the idea of doing a PhD in a few years.

Is this something normal that happens to everybody in the field? Should I have to worry about my memory? Or the tech interviews are bad designed? By the way, the last time I was exposed to those basic topics was on my 1st year as undergrad (about 6 years now).

Thanks
John
Republicans

Submission + - Elaine Chao: US workers are smelly complainers 1

Submitted by Tablizer
Tablizer writes: According to Parade Magazine, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao says American employees are rude and have B.O., and this is allegedly why foreign workers are preferred. "U.S. employers say that many workers abroad simply have a better attitude toward work. 'American employees must be punctual, dress appropriately and have good personal hygiene,' says Chao. 'They need anger-management and conflict-resolution skills, and they have to be able to accept direction. Too many young people bristle when a supervisor asks them to do something.'" Do we need to reshape ourselves into compliant borg?
Businesses

Submission + - Royalties for embedded Linux based products

Submitted by demiurg
demiurg writes: Is it technically possible to collect royalties for Linux based embedded product ? I'm not talking about Microsoft/Novell/SCO/etc, the company in question does not claim to have any patents on Linux code — they just created an embedded product based on Linux and are selling it for a fixed price + royalties. I believe that while it may be perfectly legal, it simply won't work because after the first copy is sold, anybody will be free to redistribute it anyway they want, with or without paying royalties to that company. Is that correct ? Any links to relevant discussions, etc ?
Microsoft

Submission + - Vista Security Still Besting Linux 6 months later (csoonline.com)

Submitted by
Martin
Martin writes: "Great report on security vunerabilities for MS/Linux/Mac OS X. A revised version of the one Jeff Jones did back on March 21, 07, Windows Vista — 90 Day Vulnerability Report, http://blogs.csoonline.com/node/218. This time he did what the linux community asked, everyone complained that he did the report based on a FULL linux distro including optional components not just a base OS install, so he did both this time, base OS and standard install, MS still comes out on top. I was shocked that Apple was even on the list as I believed all those Mac commercials stating they don't get virus's and security problems! ;)"
Enlightenment

Submission + - How Uses, Not Innovations, Drive Human Technology

Submitted by Strudelkugel
Strudelkugel writes: The NewYorker magazine has book review describing our common misunderstanding of the value of technology and its ultimate use: "The way we think about technology tends to elide the older things, even though the texture of our lives would be unrecognizable without them. And when we do consider technology in historical terms we customarily see it as a driving force of progress: every so often, it seems, an innovation — the steam engine, electricity, computers — brings a new age into being. In "The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900", by David Edgerton, a well-known British historian of modern military and industrial technology, offers a vigorous assault on this narrative. He thinks that traditional ways of understanding technology, technological change, and the role of technology in our lives, have been severely distorted by what he calls "the innovation-centric account" of technology." This is also the first /. topic I know of that is linked to the NewYorker magazine!
Microsoft

Submission + - Perceptive post compares Microsoft now to IBM then (red-bean.com)

Submitted by
kfogel
kfogel writes: "Ben Collins-Sussman wrote a very perceptive blog post after reading the "Microsoft Pleads With Consumers to Adopt Vista Now" story today. He notes that a similar situation spelled the beginning of the end of IBM's dominance in the 1980's: although IBM set the hardware standards for a while, the market eventually moved beyond them, and the day came when IBM introduced a standard and *everybody ignored it*. Ben was in high-school then, and writes: "I remember thinking to myself 'Wow, this is a big deal. It's the beginning of the end for IBM.' And I was right! ... Well, I just had that same moment again [about Microsoft]". An excellent read and a spot-on analogy, IMHO. The URL is: http://blog.red-bean.com/sussman/?p=69"
Space

Submission + - Global Cooling - The other shoe drops (canada.com)

Submitted by
fyngyrz
fyngyrz writes: "As always, there are rumbles of discontent from the scientific community with regard to global warming. This article from R. Timothy Patterson, professor and director of the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre, Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, lays the overriding mechanism of climate change squarely at the feet of the various solar cycles. In the article, he explains that solar energy impacting the earth is part of the mechanism, while the sun's solar wind drives cloud formation in a complementary cycle that enhances the effect of the actual heat input. But that's not the kicker. The interesting part is he is predicting global cooling, rather than warming."
Space

Submission + - Linux Chosen for Next-Generation Space Hardware (spacemart.com)

Submitted by EraserMouseMan
EraserMouseMan writes: WindRiver has been chosen by Honeywell to develop a Linux-based solution to run on top of Honeywell's next-generation Dependable Multiprocessor for spacecraft.

"Any material put into space is subject to variable accelerations, mechanical shock and vibration, harsh vacuum conditions, extreme temperatures, and often, intense particle and electromagnetic radiation. Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition, running in conjunction with GoAhead SelfReliant Software, which provides high availability middleware, and Honeywell''s Dependable Multiprocessing Middleware on Extreme Engineering Solutions'' XPedite6031 boards, will support the demonstration of high availability and high reliability operation for the ST8 Dependable Multiprocessor experiment."

The relevancy and robustness of Linux is being recognized by the biggest players in industry for their mission critical needs. Is Linux finally being recognized as suitable for everything from putting men on Mars to defending our country?
Programming

Submission + - Joining an existing Open Source Project

Submitted by Tathagata
Tathagata writes: I have been using GNU/Linux for quite sometime now. Though I'm from Computer Science background, getting into a project that really involves you into programming was not possible, as people(read teachers) run away, if you utter the word "linux". Being least bothered about mentoring an exciting project, they would suggest you to get settled with visual basic, .NET, — and would prefer a 24 hour solution when it comes to programming.(I'm a student in my final year, from a West Bengal, India). So my programming endeavours have remained limited to writing few lines of C/C++, Java. For last few days I've been googling, and trying to read how to join an existing open source project, and avoid reinventing the wheel by starting yet another. I read people suggesting to start by submitting patches, fixing bugs, becoming package maintainer — but most are overloaded with jargon like upstream/downstream, nightly builds, etc. Added to that how does joining the mailing list, or irc channel help when you don't even understand their slangs, forget about the tech discussion? Distributed/centralised scm, track, bugzilla, launchpad, with sourceforge or freshmeat laden with an unlimited number of projects regarding everything you have ever come across — it quite an overwhelming world to step in. Could you suggest a road map, links to essential tools or a few projects, for people like me, who would want to improve their skills by contributing FOSS?
Businesses

Submission + - Is cash no longer legal tender? (uic.edu)

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: I attend the University of Illinois at Chicago. Last semester my housing arrangements went smoothly. I put down my application fee, and my deposit just fine, got a room for the semester and life went on. This semester, because there was supposedly a large number of students who did not check into their rooms last semester, we were required to make a $100 prepayment, in addition to the application fee and deposit. No problem, I think, I see the university is trying to make a quick buck off people who don't follow through with their plans. Now I do NOT have a checking account, a credit card, or anything. I am one of the few people who do EVERYTHING in cash. I don't trust the banks, I don't trust credit card companies. I also had a trip planned for out of the country, so I get my cash, and on my way to the airport, I stop by the housing office to make my prepayment. They refuse to take cash. They will not charge my university account (so I can pay the bursar or whoever I need to) in cash, and they want a check or money order. Nowhere in their letter did they say that. I fear out of technicality I am going to loose my housing since I cannot get them their money on time because they do not take cash. Is it legal for a state-owned university, let alone any business to not take legal tender?
Censorship

Submission + - Flickr Censorship Debate Rages On (thomashawk.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Beginning last Wednesday, Flickr users in Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea all had their accounts downgraded to "safe viewing" only by Yahoo's popular photo sharing site Flickr. What followed was a loud backlash, particularly from Germans, against the site. Their main photo explore page was flooded with protest photos and now over 3,000 comments have been left in a popular forum on the topic. Flickr denies the censorship charges and cites instead local laws that are preventing them from allowing these 3 countries and city complete access to photos on Flickr. Flickr Photographer Thomas Hawk provides an update on the status of this issue as well as a YouTube video reporting in more depth about what has gone on. http://thomashawk.com/2007/06/update-on-censorship -problem-on-flickr.html
Sony

Submission + - Cell SPU at 4Ghz and ~25% smaller (beyond3d.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Beyond3D reports that Toshiba has migrated the Stream Processing Units found on the Cell processors away from its previously custom design towards a synthesizable design that can be easily integrated into new processors. The new design created an SPU that 20-30% smaller than the SPUs found in the Cell, although it is 10% slower at the same frequency. However, the new design is capable of hitting 4Ghz, much faster than current SPUs.
Linux Business

Submission + - Venezula to produce its own Linux PCs (digitaltippingpoint.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "The Venezuelan Government announced the roll-out of four different models of Linux-powered consumer computers, consisting of three desktop models and one notebook model. Brand-named "Bolivarian Computers", these computers will be will be produced by a joint venture of a Chinese company named Lang Chao and the Venezuelan Ministry of Light Industry and Commerce. The goal of the project is to jump start a domestic IT industry and become an IT exporter. According to Chris Carlson of Venezuelanalysis.com,

'Until now Venezuela has always imported computers both from well-known brands and generic brands from the developed world. With this new venture the Venezuelan government hopes to diversify national production, integrate national productive chains, and work towards technological independence for the country.'
The computers will first be assembled in Venezula out of Chinese-built parts, but the joint venture plans on substituting domestic-made parts by the end of the year."
Power

Submission + - science: fuel technology

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward Rides Again
Anonymous Coward Rides Again writes: "Someone please debunk this (from wykc tv news):

John Kanzius discovered that his radio frequency generator could release the oxygen and hydrogen from saltwater and create an incredibly intense flame. "Just like that. If that was in a car cylinder you could see the amount of fire that would be in the cylinder." The APV Company Laboratory in Akron has checked out John's amazing invention. They were amazed. "That could be a steam engine, a steam turbine. That could be a car engine if you wanted it to be." Imagine the possibilities. Saltwater as the ultimate clean fuel.

i googled this and didn't come up with too much; i hardly look to tv news stations for science... does the 2nd law of thermodynamics not apply because the energy released in salt water is so much greater than that being input by the radio waves and that being used to power the radio wave generator?"
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - MGs Now Made in China (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by kernspaltung
kernspaltung writes: According to BCC News: "Nanjing Automobile has unveiled the first MG cars to be built in China. It bought the bankrupt UK firm MG Rover for £53m ($104m) in 2005." Also of interest is the hint that MGs will be available in the US again: "Nanjing Auto acquired MG Rover's assembly lines and engine technology. It plans to set up an assembly line in Oklahoma next year to supply the US market." Will the classic British sports car marque, now owned by a Chinese company and being manufactured in Oklahoma, mean anything to new car buyers?

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