Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
The Courts

Submission + - Warner found guilty of piracy

XSforMe writes: "After a six year long legal battle Warner Music was found guilty of plagiarism and piracy, according to a judge in Mexico. The disputed property lies in the rights of a song included in a music album produced by a popular mexican interpreter which sold over 3 million copies. The judge has ordered Warner to pay Mr. Lifshitz (claimant in the trail) 40% of the net income of said album. Warner has 15 days to either pony up the money or take the case to a higher court."
United States

Submission + - Getting out of IT, where to start?

cavtroop writes: I've been doing IT for almost 12 years now, with the typical progression: pc support, server support, network support, etc. I used to love my job, and look forward to coming into work, learning something new, and surmounting challenging obstacles. After years of doing this and that in IT, I'm now an IT Generalist, and finding a job is getting tougher and tougher — most hiring managers are looking for subject matter experts. My lack of a degree (I joined the military, and went straight to work after that) is also beginning to hinder me greatly.

I've been giving some thought to getting out of IT lately. I find I no longer enjoy my work — most of the work I do provides little challenge, and I honestly don't remember the last time I learned something new and interesting. With the recent news of IBM possibly laying of 100k people plus (and the years long trend towards out-sourcing), the prospects of ever getting a meaningful IT job again are looking dim.

I think its time to hit the eject button on my IT career. But where to begin? I tried searching for a career counselor, but most of the hits were shady fly by night places, or people that just want to sell you a book.

Has anyone out there in /. land had a similar experience? What can I expect, and where can I start? Any tips, etc would be beneficial.
Operating Systems

Submission + - Dell to again offer XP to home users

HikingStick writes: News.com is reporting that Dell will once again offer Windows XP to consumers.

From the article:

Amid significant customer demand, the computer maker said on Thursday that it has returned to offering the older Windows version as an option on some of its consumer PCs.

Like most computer makers, Dell switched nearly entirely to Vista-based systems following Microsoft's mainstream launch of the operating system in January. However, the company said its customers have been asking for XP as part of its IdeaStorm project, which asks customers to help the company come up with product ideas.
Another great example of Dell being responsive to customer needs, but how will Microsoft spin this? Sure they make their dime (okay — many, many dimes) regardless of the OEM OS, but it does demonstrate that consumers don't really want Vista, now doesn't it?
Science

Bad Math Causes Explosion at CERN Collider 270

javipas writes "The Large Hadron Collider at the CERN has suffered a big explosion deep inside that has caused a leak of hellium gas and the quick evacuation of everyone working there. The reason: a mathematical mistake that affected the design of the giant superconductive magnets made by Fermilab. Now the company will have to repair and upgrade the 24 magnets that are installed on the 27 km. circunference of one of the most important research centers on Earth." This story might seem strangely familiar to you.
Robotics

Submission + - Combined hovercraft and helicopter

An anonymous reader writes: Have British engineer Geoff Hatton brought us the best of two worlds with his UFO-looking machine? The US military thinks so and are investing in it.

The design is sturdy (as opposed to a helicopter) and can fly high (as opposed to a hovercraft). It is based on the "Coanda Effect" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coanda_Effect ).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/tec hnology/technology.html?in_article_id=447317
Privacy

Submission + - Hacker's Case May Add to Students' Privacy Rights

An anonymous reader writes: Article in Inside Higher Ed says the legal loss of a hacker in federal appeals court may result in students at public universities having MORE privacy rights. The hacker lost, but federal appeals court also said he had (generally) a right to privacy on computer in his dorm room:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/09/heck enkamp
NASA

Submission + - Hurricane Forecasts Were Dust-Busted

SeaDour writes: "A NASA study is claiming that one of the major reasons last year's hurricane season was so tame compared to the initial forecasts may have been due to increased dust storm activity in Africa's Sahara Desert. The dust particles drifted over the Atlantic, blocking sunlight to the water below which allowed it to cool significantly. "Dust concentrations may play as big a role as other atmospheric conditions, like El Nino, and offer some predictive value, so they should be closely monitored to improve hurricane forecasts," said lead author William Lau."
Censorship

Submission + - Victims fight back against DMCA abuse

Cadence writes: "The DMCA is being used a lot recently to demand takedowns of all sorts of content on the Internet. But how many of those DMCA-fueled demands are abusive? Lately, some victims of takedown demands have begun to fight back with the help of the EFF, including some against Viacom:

Finally, a Viacom executive admitted last month that less than 60 of his company's 100,000 takedown requests to YouTube were invalid. John Palfrey of Harvard's Berkman Center wonders what rights those 60 people have? We may find out. The EFF called for people who had videos pulled inappropriately to contact the group, though the EFF tells The National Law Journal that it cannot comment on its future legal plans.
...
One of the reasons companies misuse the DMCA and cease-and-desist copyright letters is that the tools can quickly accomplish what they want to have happen; stuff they don't like goes bye-bye in a hurry. When the alternative is moving slowly through the court system, letters look like an excellent alternative.
"
Operating Systems

Linux Systems and the New DST 304

An anonymous reader writes "The recent changes in the Daylight Saving Time will affect virtually all computer systems in the US one week from now. Microsoft has been busy preparing Windows users for 'Y2DST,' and all the major Linux distributions have also issued patches. How can you be sure your Linux systems are ready, and what can you do to get them ready if they're not? This how-to article at Linux-Watch answers both questions in simple language and with easy-to-follow instructions."
Education

Submission + - Sub. Teacher Vs. Porn Follow-up

Maximum Prophet writes: This is right out of a Kafka novel. The teacher went running for help. "There's no problem". "Don't turn off the machine". "We're going to put you in jail because of the problem..."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17134607/
One jurer wanted her to throw a coat or something over the machine. Let's see, he would rather she endanger the entire school buy starting a fire (yes, old fashion CRTs are fire hazards) rather than let some kids see some naked people. Won't someone think of the kids?
User Journal

Journal Journal: Idiot Moderators

People are idots. I got marked as trolling because I said WhiteHouse.COM (notice the com there) uses open orifice. WhiteHouse.com is a very well know porn site. It has nothing to do with any president. Now I have people who think I was putting their President down (don't ask me how they would think from the post WHICH President I was talking about). This was not a Troll/flamebait comment. It was supposed to be funny. There should be an IQ test to get moderator points.

Slashdot Top Deals

Top Ten Things Overheard At The ANSI C Draft Committee Meetings: (5) All right, who's the wiseguy who stuck this trigraph stuff in here?

Working...