Billy the Mountain - Slashdot User

Submission + - Bananas. Extinct. Again? (wnep.com)

Submitted by garyoa1 on Wednesday July 22, 2015 @11:10AM

garyoa1 writes: Fifty years ago, we were eating better bananas.

They tasted better, they lasted longer, they were more resilient and didn’t require artificial ripening. They were — simply put — a better fruit, because they belonged to a different species, or cultivar in banana parlance.

It was called Gros Michel and it remained the world’s export banana until 1965.

That year, it was declared commercially extinct due to the Panama disease, a fungal disease that started out from Central America and quickly spread to most of the world’s commercial banana plantations, leaving no other choice but to burn them down.

Submission + - Weyl Fermions Found, a Quasiparticle That Acts Like a Massless Electron (ieee.org) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 21, 2015 @02:36PM

An anonymous reader writes: After an 85-year hunt, scientists have detected an exotic particle, the âoeWeyl fermion,â which they suggest could lead to faster and more efficient electronics and to new types of quantum computing.

Electrons, protons, and neutrons belong to a class of particles known as fermions. Unlike the other major class of particles, the bosons, which include photons, fermions can collide with each otherâ"no two fermions can share the same state at the same position at the same time.

Whereas electrons and all the other known fermions have mass, in 1929, mathematician and physicist Hermann Weyl theorized that massless fermions that carry electric charge could exist, so-called Weyl fermions. âoeWeyl fermions are basic building blocks; you can combine two Weyl fermions to make an electron,â says condensed matter physicist Zahid Hasan at Princeton University.

Submission + - Reduce Pollution and Congestion Adjusting Parking Price (citiesofthefuture.eu)

Submitted by dkatana on Tuesday July 21, 2015 @12:39PM

dkatana writes: “There is no such thing as free parking! Free parking represents lost revenue, squandered land and polluted air. Parking garages are not more than an antisocial car subsidy,” writes Donald Shoup in his book “The High Cost of Free Parking.”

"No Free Parking – Leave Your Car At Home" analyzes the effect of pricing policies and the possibility to deter people of bringing their cars if they can't pay for curbside parking.

It is estimated that over 30% of traffic in a city is created by people looking for parking. If cities could reduce that number to about 10%, it could mean a significant reduction of overall traffic congestion and pollution. If the price of parking is high enough, there will be vacancies.

While increasing parking price would likely ignite protests by residents and visitors alike, the results would bring many benefits that people would ultimately appreciate. A reduction in traffic and pollution could be achieved in as little as a few months, and people would be more accepting after experiencing the benefits.

Submission + - Apple Pay users could be fined if their battery runs out on the train (betanews.com)

Submitted by Mark Wilson on Friday July 17, 2015 @04:25PM

Mark Wilson writes: Apple Pay caused ripples of excitement when it was announced, and just the other day it found its way across the ocean to the UK. The contactless payment method transforms iPhones and Apple Watches into cardless way to pay for low-cost items with little more than a tap.

But if you plan to use Apple Pay to pay for travel by bus, tram, or train in London, it may not all be plain sailing. Using a phone or watch to make a payment is supposed to make life easier, but it could also result in a fine. Transport for London has issued a warning to travelers pointing out that if their battery dies, their journey could prove expensive.

Submission + - Famed aircraft designer James Bede dies

Submitted by linuxwrangler on Friday July 17, 2015 @02:10PM

linuxwrangler writes: Prolific aircraft designer James "Jim" Bede has died at age 82. Although Bede designed numerous aircraft he is most commonly associated with the BD-5J, the "world's smallest jet", that was famously used to help James Bond escape in the movie "Octopussy." Bede's company currently has that aircraft for sale.

Submission + - 2014 was Earth's warmest year on record (noaa.gov)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 17, 2015 @01:45PM

An anonymous reader writes: A lengthy report compiled by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration using work from hundreds of scientists across 58 countries has found that 2014 was the hottest year on record. "he warmth was widespread across land areas. Europe experienced its warmest year on record, with more than 20 countries exceeding their previous records. Africa had above-average temperatures across most of the continent throughout 2014, Australia saw its third warmest year on record, Mexico had its warmest year on record, and Argentina and Uruguay each had their second warmest year on record. Eastern North America was the only major region to experience below-average annual temperatures." They've also published a page showing highlights of the major findings. Greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, the global sea level reached a record high, and average sea surface temperatures reached a record high.

Submission + - Antineutrino Detectors Could Be Key to Monitoring Iran's Nuclear Program (ieee.org)

Submitted by agent elevator on Friday July 17, 2015 @01:07PM

agent elevator writes: Tech that analyzes antineutrinos might be the best way to keep tabs on Iran's nuclear program. The technology, which can tell how much of and what kind of plutonium and uranium are nearby, should be ready to serve as a nuclear safeguard in less than two years, according to IEEE Spectrum. In a simulation of the Arak nuclear plant, which the Iran deal requires be redesigned to make less plutonium, a detector parked outside in a shipping container could do the job.

Submission + - Nuclear power losing steam after Fukushima (worldnuclearreport.org)

Submitted by The Real Dr John on Friday July 17, 2015 @08:58AM

The Real Dr John writes: Japan has been without nuclear power for a full calendar year for the first time since the first commercial nuclear power plant started up in the country 50 years ago. New reactor construction around the world is down, and most plants under construction have been delayed, often by years. Renewable energy including wind and solar have surpassed nuclear generation in many developed countries without posing the threat of radioactive disasters. Nuclear power looks like it will be around for decades to come, but its time is over.

Submission + - Google Self-Driving Car Read-Ended In First Injury Accident (go.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 17, 2015 @08:44AM

An anonymous reader writes: Google's autonomous car project, as of June, hadn't been in any accidents that involved an injury. That changed on July 1st, thought it wasn't the car's fault. A Lexus SUV that was self-driving while carrying three Google employees was rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light in Mountain View, California. All three employees had minor cases of whiplash, and were quickly checked out and released from the hospital. The other driver had minor neck and back pain as well. Chris Umson, head of the autonomous car project, said, "Other drivers have hit us 14 times since the start of our project in 2009 (including 11 rear-enders), and not once has the self-driving car been the cause of the collision. Instead, the clear theme is human error and inattention. We’ll take all this as a signal that we’re starting to compare favorably with human drivers." He also posted a short video of how the self-driving car was tracking other vehicles at the time of the crash — including the one that hit it.

Submission + - 3-Year-Old with Huge Head Has Groundbreaking Skull Replacement Surgery (3dprint.com)

Submitted by ErnieKey on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @06:00PM

ErnieKey writes: Doctors in China have just successfully performed a groundbreaking surgery on a 3-year-old little girl named Han Han. Han Han was suffering from congenital hydrocephalus which caused her head to grow to four times the normal size. If something wasn't done, she probably wouldn't have lived much longer. This is when surgeons at the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province elected to remove a large portion of her skull and replace it with a 3d printed titanium mesh skull. The results were truly amazing, and Han Han is expected to make a full recovery.

Submission + - Dozens arrested in international crackdown on Darkode crime forum (arstechnica.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @05:47PM

An anonymous reader writes: The FBI and its counterparts in Europe, Brazil, and elsewhere have arrested more than 60 people suspected of carrying out hacking crimes associated with a secretive online forum known as Darkode, according to media reports.

Submission + - Wi-Fi Aware could be what the Internet of Things has been waiting for (betanews.com) 1

Submitted by Mark Wilson on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @01:40PM

Mark Wilson writes: The Internet of Things — or IoT if you will — is much more than just a buzzword. It's also much more than 'the next big thing'; it could be fundamental to the future of technology and how we interact with it. When we talk about the Internet of Things, we tend to do so in reference to the home and business — but there is more to it than that.

There's a lot to consider when it comes to working with data gathered by various sensors built into smart devices, and the most recent game-changer has been unveiled by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi Aware certification has just been opened up with a view to enabling the creation of smart devices that can wirelessly exchange data directly, react to location, and discover other devices. This, rather than a connected fridge or oven, is what is exciting about the Internet of Things.

The difference with Wi-Fi Aware is that data can be transferred without the need for a separate wireless network. There's no need to have a router sitting there waiting to intercept one device's signal and pass it to another — the two devices can communicate directly without the need to set anything up. It's something that is set for inclusion in mobile phones, but there are plenty of other applications.

Comment Re:Slashdot dream team posting (Score 1) 143

by Billy the Mountain on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @11:54AM (#50117117) Attached to: Does Elon Musk's Hyperloop Make More Sense On Mars?

You forgot mention the other missing part:

* funded with Bitcoins

Comment Suddenly it all makes sense (Score 1) 143

by Billy the Mountain on Wednesday July 15, 2015 @11:42AM (#50116997) Attached to: Does Elon Musk's Hyperloop Make More Sense On Mars?

The hyperloop is the next new national travel phenomenon. Here's why:

1. Hyperloop uses electricty and can work fine without fossil fuels.
2. Because hyperloop cars can be made an arbitrary size, security demands are much less of an issue for a vehicle carrying, say, 10 people.
3. Because the cars travel in a tube as the technology advances they can travel at artbitrary speeds like 2k, 3k, 4k? M.P.H. With no noise impact.

So what if it costs 6 billion per route? The cars will probably be way cheaper to make than airplanes.

Submission + - SpaceX rocket failure cost NASA $110 million (latimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 10, 2015 @02:32PM

An anonymous reader writes: On June 28th, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded just over two minutes into its attempt to reach the International Space Station. It was a contracted mission from NASA to resupply the astronauts living there. Today, NASA associate administrator William Gerstenmaier said the price tag to taxpayers for that failed launch is $110 million. SpaceX is leading the investigation into the cause of the failure, and NASA officials faced tough questions about whether private companies should be allowed to direct investigations into their own failed launches. A similar inquiry is underway at Orbital ATK. NASA inspector general Paul Martin said his office is looking into it. Gerstenmaier added that NASA is thinking about making these companies take out insurance policies that would cover the cost to taxpayers in the event of another failure.

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