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Government

NC Governor Allows Anti-Community-Broadband Law 356

zerocore writes "North Carolina governor Bev Perdue will not veto a bill that will limit small town municipalities' ability to create community broadband when private industry will not go there. 'The governor said there is a need to establish rules to prevent cities and towns from having unfair advantage over private companies. But she said she was concerned that the bill would decrease the number of choices available to consumers. The bill would require towns and cities that set up broadband systems to hold public hearings, financially separate their operations from the rest of government operations, and bar from them offering below cost services. They also couldn't borrow money for the project without voter approval in a referendum.'"

Comment Re:Seriously? (Score 2) 607

Same reason TechTV died - when the cable operators bought it out, they moved it to LA, it became G4, they killed much of its original programming, and they picked up crap reality shows like Cops, Campus PD, Cheaters, a pile of Japanese humiliation game shows, and endless reruns of Ninja Warrior.
News

Submission + - A sticky touch screen lets you feel the buttons (i-programmer.info)

mikejuk writes: I don't know about you but I have a problem with sticky touch screens — whenever I try to clean the jam off I activate and use a lot of apps I never intended to. However it looks as if sticky is the way of the future. A prototype screen has been shown that varies the friction as you move your finger across it. The result is that you can "feel" the buttons and notches on scroll bars. It sure beats having to build real buttons...
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion (bbc.co.uk)

An anonymous reader writes: According to BBC news "Microsoft has confirmed that it has agreed to buy internet phone service Skype. The deal will see Microsoft pay $8.5bn (£5.2bn) for Skype, making it Microsoft's largest acquisition."

What will this mean for Mac OS X and linux versions of Skype? Does this confirm the rumors that Skype is evil?

Android

Submission + - Online App generates DB Code for your Android App (appspot.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Give this web application your schema and it will generate DBAdapter source code in Java for your Android app. One less bit of tedium for Android developers
Linux

Submission + - LDR (Linux Done Right) (tommed.co.uk)

An anonymous reader writes: LDR stands for Linux Done Right. It is an Arch Linux derived GNU/Linux distro which has many software components pre-configured so you can just install and get on with it!

LDR is based on the Open Source (GPL v2) distribution Arch Linux. All modifications made are also available under the same license, so I'm sure even Rich Stallman himself would agree LDR is open and free!

Australia

Submission + - GOG will not geo track your IP ;) (rockpapershotgun.com)

sammyF70 writes: I know, it sounds like slashvertisement, but it's not.
Good Old Games had a press release a couple of days ago about the fact that they wouldn't use geolocation to figure out where their customers connected from. Sounds nice, but the reason behind it was a bit of a mystery (apparently not only to me). Rock Paper Shotgun apparently figured it out. It's all about Australia and Censorship :)

Facebook

Submission + - Microsoft agrees to buy Skype for 8.5 Billion (US) (bbc.co.uk)

KBentley57 writes: While there have been talks of both Google and Facebook entering into some sort of deal with Skype, it appears that Microsoft has swooped in and bought them before either of the two had a chance. BBC News reports that "Microsoft's aim in buying Skype is to improve its video conferencing services". There was no mention of continued compatibility between other operating systems in the article.
Canada

Submission + - Cyber Criminals Moving Operations to Canada (net-security.org)

Orome1 writes: Cyber criminals are on the move again and, this time, Canada is the prime target. IP addresses in China and Eastern Europe are highly scrutinized and undergoing intense evaluation so attackers are on a quest to move their networks to countries that have better cyber reputations. Canada saw a huge increase in the number of servers hosting phishing sites, jumping 319 percent in the last year. This tremendous increase over the last 12 months is second only to Egypt in terms of the growth of sites hosting crime ware.
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft patent details a 3D desktop interface (engadget.com)

Pigskin-Referee writes: Microsoft patent details a 3D desktop interface with a room for your windows

Many have tried and failed to bring a 3D desktop interface to an otherwise 2D operating system, but that certainly hasn't stopped others from trying. The latest example to crop up comes courtesy of none other than Microsoft, which recently received a patent for what it describes as a "method and apparatus for providing a three-dimensional task gallery computer interface." In other words, it's an interface intended to help you better manage multiple tasks, which the patent suggests could be done in a 3D environment with a floor, walls and a ceiling. Apparently, you'd be able to group multiple windows at various spots in the "room," which would let you rely on your spatial memory to easily find a given task — with the room getting deeper and deeper to accommodate more tasks. In the patent's claims, the only means described for navigating around that room is a set of icons that would adjust to suit the 3D environment, although it certainly seems like it could easily be adapted to accommodate gesture controls as well.

Comment Re:Fundamental rhetoric error on Sony's part (Score 1) 575

augh hit submit instead of continue editing ...

This isn't to say Anon's members are blameless, and legally off the hook. A case can be made they were unknowingly but maliciously contributing factors. Its the malice part that will push law enforcement and prosecutor's buttons - they knew what they were doing was wrong/criminal and did so anyway. Without malice, its simple negligence; with malice, you may have a contributory criminal violation. The law is kinda funny like that - along for a minor prank, someone does a felony act (prior unknown to you) and all of a sudden you are looking at accomplice charges. So watch out for law enforcement to answer Sony's call.

The Military

Robo-Gunsight System Makes Sniper's Life Easier 265

An anonymous reader writes "Military and police marksmen could see their rifle sights catch up with the 21st century with a fiber-optic laser-based sensor system that automatically corrects for even tiny barrel disruptions. Factors such as heat generated by previously fired shots, to a simple bump against the ground can affect the trueness a rifle barrel. The new system precisely measures the deflection of the barrel relative to the sight and then electronically makes the necessary corrections. With modern high-caliber rifles boasting ranges of up to two miles, even very small barrel disruptions can cause a shooter to miss by a wide margin."

Comment What about people who do not eat on the same sched (Score 1) 475

I eat 6 much smaller, low carb, high protein/fat meals during my awake hours, no further apart than 3 hours. This keeps my blood sugar and insulin levels fairly steady, and has helped me lose weight and get completely off the Type 2 Diabetes medications (along with daily aerobic walking and moderate weight lifting). I plan to eat this way the rest of my life, since it has my blood chemistry, cholesterol, triglycerides, A1C/Glucose, blood pressure, weight and so on in a far more healthy range. How does Joel fit that in with his "loner" theory? If I eat breakfast after my morning walk at 7:30, then "second breakfast" at 10:30, lunch at 13:30, supper at 16:30 (typically my lightest meal of the day), dinner at 19:30, and a small snack at 22:30, I guess I just don' fit into his world.

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