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Censorship

Censoring a Number 1046

Posted by kdawson from the you-can't-copyright-that dept.
Rudd-O writes "Months after successful discovery of the HD-DVD processing key, an unprecedented campaign of censorship, in the form of DMCA takedown notices by the MPAA, has hit the Net. For example Spooky Action at a Distance was killed. More disturbingly, my story got Dugg twice, with the second wave hitting 15,500 votes, and today I found out it had simply disappeared from Digg. How long until the long arm of the MPAA gets to my own site (run in Ecuador) and the rest of them holding the processing key? How long will we let rampant censorship go on, in the name of economic interest?" How long before the magic 16-hex-pairs number shows up in a comment here?
United States

Submission + - US 'no longer technology king'

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6502725.stm

The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum. The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.
Education

Evolution of Mammals Re-evaluated 249

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the shaking-the-tree-to-see-what-falls-out dept.
AaxelB writes "A study described in the New York Times rethinks mammalian evolution. Specifically, that the mass extinction of the dinosaurs had relatively little impact on mammals and that the steps in mammals' evolution happened well before and long after the dinosaurs' death."
Book Reviews

GWT Java AJAX Programming 100

Posted by samzenpus from the prefix-programming dept.
simon_kehler writes "The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a Java AJAX framework that provides an easy to use programming paradigm for web developers using the Java programming language. It is one of the more recent entrants into this field, but has been gaining a lot of traction and popularity. GWT Java AJAX Programming authored by Prabhakar Chaganti and published by Packt Publishing addresses the use of GWT to build ajaxified user interfaces. The author gently introduces the reader to GWT and then leads the reader through a series of tasks, each of which shows how to perform an useful action with GWT." Read below for Simon's review.
Programming

Submission + - Poll: do you document your code?

Submitted by
raner
raner writes: "How much documenting comments (javadoc, etc.) does your code contain:

* less than 5% code/comment ratio, and that's okay
* less than 5% code/comment ratio, but I'm feeling guilty
* between 5% and 20% code/comment ratio
* more than 20% code/comment ratio
* more than 20% code/comment ratio, and that's how it should be
* I'm agile: communication instead of documentation!"
Space

Submission + - Saturn's mysterious hexagon

Submitted by jcotton
jcotton writes: Here's your chance to name something much bigger than a street after yourself. TierneyLab hereby promises to name Saturn's mysterious hexagon after the reader who comes up with the most entertaining explanation for this 15,000-mile wide feature at the planet's north pole. NASA says it looks like clouds are whipping around. The New York Times, science times and space.com all report.

Another Robotic Vehicle to Help Soldiers 154

Posted by Zonk from the johnny-five-is-alive dept.
Roland Piquepaille writes "There are many teams of U.S. scientists working on robots able to find improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq before they can kill American soldiers. Today, let's look at an effort going on at Florida State University (FSU) to build unmanned ground vehicles that could save soldiers' lives. The researchers are creating complex algorithms to control these robots who will have to integrate many different factors such as the type of ground surface or obstacles that might block the vehicle's path. Some of these robots, which also could be used for civilian missions, are currently being tested at FSU. Read more for additional references and pictures of these robots which will have to navigate among dense obstacles."

Lenovo To Shun Linux 462

Posted by Zonk from the what-did-tux-ever-do-to-you dept.
dominique_cimafranca writes "CRN reports that Lenovo will not install or support the Linux operating system on any of its PCs. Lenovo is positioning itself as an exclusive partner of Microsoft, several weeks after the companies announced they were 'reaffirming' global market development and cooperation agreements." From the article: "A Lenovo spokesman later said the non-Linux strategy is also applicable for the company's Thinkpad brand of notebooks, although Lenovo will provide advice to customers who insist on deploying desktop Linux systems in some fashion. While Lenovo and Microsoft have had a long OEM relationship that pre-dates Lenovo's takeover last year of the former IBM PC Co., IBM had been supportive of Linux throughout its product line -- including preloading it on Thinkpads -- before the sale to Lenovo."

Illumio to Launch Social Network Advice Software 132

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the putting-your-friends-to-work dept.
hdtv writes "The New York Times is reporting that Palo Alto-based Illumio will soon try to figure out the experts among your social network with a new online service." From the article: "Illumio is not a search engine, like Google or Yahoo. The system works by transparently distributing a request for information on questions like "Who knows John Smith?" and "Are Nikon digital cameras better than Olympus?" to the computers in a network of users. The questions can then be answered locally based on a novel reverse auction system that Illumio uses to determine who the experts are."

Microsoft Responds To 360 Hackers 170

Posted by Zonk from the get-off-my-lawn dept.
Microsoft would like to remind you that hacking your console most definitely voids your warranty. From the Eurogamer article: "Modified consoles, Microsoft added, 'will not be eligible for technical support, and the user's warranty will be voided ... the protection of intellectual property rights is a high priority for Microsoft and our partners, one that significantly and positively impacts economic growth, technological innovation, and most importantly, the confidence of customers who count on the integrity and quality of their products.'"

42 *IS* The answer to Life, the Universe and Zeta 316

Posted by Hemos from the douglas-adams-was-right dept.
Venusian Treen writes "In their search for patterns, mathematicians have uncovered unlikely connections between prime numbers and quantum physics. The gist is that energy levels in the nucleus of heavy atoms can tell us about the distribution of zeros in Riemann's zeta function - and hence where to find prime numbers. This article discusses this connection, and introduces two physisicts who tell us 'why the answer to life, the universe and the third moment of the Riemann zeta function should be 42.'"

RFID, Sign of the (End) Times? 843

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the sky-is-falling dept.
andy753421 writes "Wired is running an article featuring Katherine Albrecht who, with her new book 'The Spychips Threat: Why Christians Should Resist RFID and Electronic Surveillance', is warning that RFID tags may in fact be the "mark of the beast". Among her arguments are that in a futuristic world anyone who wishes to buy and sell goods would be compelled "to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads," as is foretold in the book Revelation. Others are skeptical saying that many new technologies, such as the printing press, bar-codes, and several others, have also created fears about the beginning of the end."
User Journal

Journal Journal: Science and Religion in America

Journal by jnana
I just read an article at the New York Times (free reg. blah) that mentions a Gallup pole in December which found that 46% of Americans identify themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians, and that whereas 28% of Americans believe in evolution, 48% believe in creationism. Slashdot readers, obviously, are not a representative sample, but what do you all think about these figures? Do they seem reasonable to you given the (
User Journal

Journal Journal: software art at Whitney museum

Journal by jnana
Well, I'm sick of having interesting submissions rejected, so I'm going to post to my journal every time I get a good one rejected.

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