Comment Re:Not in America! (Score 1) 210
Forks? What, you think we're civilized? No - we just wrap our artery-clogging fuel, ie food, in foil or wax paper and shove it in our pie-holes while driving our 6-ton SUVs with our knees 3 blocks to the gym.
Comment Re:Hmmm (Score 1) 937
Using uranium as a guide, the spot price of uranium is $85 / lb, or about $0.19 / gram. Thorium is more abundant than uranium, geologically diversified (less transport costs), and doesn't need to be radioactively treated (a la U-233) in order to be usable. It does, however, need chemically separated using sulfuric acid in a non-trival process. Even if the treatment and packaging were 100x-1000x the raw material cost, you're still way ahead of heat & pressure treated dead dinosaur guts.
Comment Re:Don't get too excited (Score 1) 80
I'll second this. I actually took classes from Dr. Davidson (lead researcher) over a decade ago, and he was shooting for the same goal back then. The approach seems to have changed - using CVD now instead of cut, polished, and etched diamond crystal (just like silicone) - but it doesn't sound like they're any closer to having solved some of the more practical or marketable problems outlined above.
Facebook To Make Facebook Credits Mandatory For Games 116
An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from TechCrunch:
"Facebook has confirmed that it is indeed making Facebook Credits mandatory for Games, with the rule going into effect on July 1 2011. Facebook says that Credits will be the exclusive way for users to get their 'real money' into a game, but developers are still allowed to keep their own in-game currencies (FarmBucks, FishPoints, whatever). For example, Zynga can charge you 90 Facebook Credits for 75 CityCash in CityVille. ... The company acknowledges that some developers may not be pleased with the news, explaining this is why it is announcing the news five months in advance, so it can 'have an open conversation with developers.' The rule only applies to Canvas games (games that use Facebook Connect aren't affected), and while it's games only at this part, Facebook says that it eventually would like to see all apps using Facebook Credits. It's a move that's been a long time coming — there has been speculation that Facebook would do this for a year now, spurring plenty of angst in the developer community."
Rupert Murdoch Claims To Own the 'Sky' In 'Skype' 186
Crudely_Indecent writes "Not content to own just news stories, Rupert Murdoch is now going after individual words! His BSkyB is fighting a legal battle with Skype, claiming that it owns the 'Sky' in 'Skype.' From the article: 'A spokesman for Sky confirmed that the company has been involved in a "five-year dispute with Skype" over trademark applications filed by the telecomms company. These are, the spokesman added: "including, but not limited to, television-related goods and services."'"
Comment Re:Article makes wrong assumption about software. (Score 1) 773
And damnit it was invented by Americans, or at least Dan Quayle, so quit fighting it and get an American name!
3rd-Grader Busted For Jolly Rancher Possession 804
theodp writes "A third-grader in a small Texas school district received a week's detention for merely possessing a Jolly Rancher. Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice. But school officials are defending the sentence, saying the school was abiding by a state guideline that banned 'minimal nutrition' foods. 'Whether or not I agree with the guidelines, we have to follow the rules,' said school superintendent Jack Ellis."
Comment Cut cut the cable this month (Score 1) 502
My wife and I just moved and decided that paying $150 for Comcast Silver + HBO + HD "Bonus" was just too much. We moved out to Portland and subscribed to Verizon ViOS and cut our "media" bill to $85/month (we got a higher tier). I got "permission" to build a sweet HTPC and hooked it up to our 46" TV.
With Hulu, Netflix, a vast library of personal DVDs on a jukebox system, and a fat pipe to the Internet, we've been doing quite well. Unfortunately we like our sports and ESPN360 isn't really there yet. When we want some background noise, Aussies rule Footie has been great, but we're really noticing the lack of NASCAR, March Madness, and are worried about actual coverage of June the World Cup. We're actually looking at satellite to at least get the World Cup without worries.
Comment Re:Microsoft Front (Score 1) 77
What the heck? You mean they're somehow pretending to NOT be a Microsoft front?
I've gone to CodePlex several times for various curiosities, such as a graphics engine or neato research oriented OS. Every time I've gone to CodePlex I've only seen Microsoft Research spinouts or code built for Microsoft stacks.
I thought it was just Microsoft's "community" site from the get go - never knew they were trying to avoid that branding.
