Comment My question for the ACLU (Score 1) 761
What I want to know is if I find a device attached to my car, can I sell it on eBay?
What can they charge me with if I put it on someone else's car?
Comment When do we get to add...? (Score 1) 531
When do we get to add high powered lasers to alert deaf people to the oncoming Priapus?
Comment Re:Linux (Score 3, Insightful) 130
In my experience Windows admins require *MUCH* more training than Linux admins. There is much more "black magic" that they need to know to be good at their jobs.
A Windows admin needs to know all the secret registry hacks to make things run well. They need to know all the non-intuitive places that Microsoft hides the settings for whatever services need to be configured. They also need to know how to recover things when it all goes horribly wrong.
Most Linux systems have text files to configure things. The files are in a predictable place. Updates are pretty easy and clear.
But Microsoft has scammed people into believing that leaving it harder than just putting up with the same old crap. In this case I just wish that people did get what they pay for...
Comment Sounds like the HP iPAQ (Score 1) 163
This sounds like the motion sensors in the HP iPAQ from around 2000.
Patents like this show why the patent system needs to be dismantled.
Comment Phrenotherapy tool (Score 1) 490
Also known as the bludgeon.
Comment Rituals help focus the mind (Score 3, Insightful) 233
I can fully understand using such rituals. It helps you get in the right head space for writing code. It gets you focused on the task and flush out all the other crap trying to get your attention.
I have found that if I am not in the right frame of mind before starting, the code takes much longer or is just plain wrong. If I am in the right head space, the task is quick and done before you know it.
Submission + - Nouveaudriver: OSS Nvidia driver?
cowbud writes: Nouveaudriver (http://www.pledgebank.com/nouveaudriver) is an effort to reverse engineer the closed source Nvidia linux drivers. They are asking for a $10 donation and need only 377 more people to sign up (623 have already pledged their $10 dollars). Is $10 worth the freedom of having an open source nvidia driver?
Submission + - Microsoft Withdraws Four Patch Day Bulletins
wine0 writes: Microsoft has suddenly yanked four bulletins from next Tuesday's Patch Day batch, a clear sign that the company continues to struggle with the patch testing process. Redmond originally planned to release eight bulletins on January 9 but four were pulled late Friday without explanation. Three critical updates for Microsoft Word — most likely to cover several known code execution flaws — are still on tap.
Submission + - Inventor of Ramen Noodles dies at 96
LinuxGeek writes: "Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant Ramen noodles has died at age 96. Slashdoters will surely mourn his passing, and also note the coolest japanese name I've ever heard."
Submission + - Nokia's New N800 Linux Tablet Arrives
An anonymous reader writes: Nokia has quietly begun delivering an upgrade to its Linux-based 770 Internet Tablet. Nokia N800 Internet Tablet is available now from at least two retail stores in the U.S., priced at $399.99, CompUSA's Chicago "superstore" has confirmed. Key changes reportedly include: microphone moved to more phone-friendly position; two miniSD slots, instead of a single RS-MMC slot; scroll rocker for web page scrolling; redesigned top-mounted buttons and 5-way cursor pad; built-in stand; and a few mechanical tweaks. CompUSA part number is 344047.
Submission + - Parents Stunt Growth of Disabled Daughter
theodp writes: "The parents of a severely disabled girl have elected to give their daughter high-dose estrogen therapy to keep her child-sized, sparking an ethics debate. The Ashley Treatment also involved surgery to block breast growth and remove the girl's uterus and appendix, which the parents believe will improve their daughter's quality of life."
