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Comment Wouldn't this cut both ways? (Score 1) 794

by writermike (#25818925) Attached to: Should You Get Paid While Your Computer Boots?

Ok, so maybe I'm not paid for the time my computer boots up. But what about the boss? Is she working non-stop from entrance to exit?

When the spouse calls to complain about the imported ottoman that's off by 17cm than what was advertised?

When she goes to the bathroom?

When the VP comes in to ask a question about yesterday's meeting then digresses onto that awesome play he saw last night on TV?

When the boss spends 15 minutes looking for a binder she knows she "put right here?"

What if she eats lunch at her desk and works the entire time? Does that mean the time can be taken later? Is she docked per chew?

This is all just a little ridiculous.

Comment Re:Continuity problems already (Score 1) 320

by writermike (#25741361) Attached to: First Trek Film Footage Unveiled

And as others have mentioned in comments to previous stories here, Chekov wasn't on the Enterprise until later on well after Kirk took command. He really doesn't fit into this movie.

True. But, then again, why did Kahn recognize him in ST2? I recall reading somewhere the explanation that Chekov wasn't a bridge officer during Space Seed. Well, ah, whatever.
Operating Systems

Linux Kernel Surpasses 10 Million Lines of Code 432

Posted by timothy from the nice-round-figures dept.
javipas writes "A simple analysis of the most updated version (a Git checkout) of the Linux kernel reveals that the number of lines of all its source code surpasses 10 million, but attention: this number includes blank lines, comments, and text files. With a deeper analysis thanks to the SLOCCount tool, you can get the real number of pure code lines: 6.399.191, with 96.4% of them developed in C, and 3.3% using assembler. The number grows clearly with each new version of the kernel, that seems to be launched each 90 days approximately."
Games

Spore Expansion Announced, Another Coming In 2009 105

Posted by Soulskill from the evolving-content dept.
EA announced this week what many suspected for a while, now: Spore expansions are on their way. The first, due out in November, will be an addition to the creature creator, offering more parts for players to use. The next, due in Spring 2009, will provide new gameplay: "The expansion will give space-faring species the ability to beam down from their ships to explore other worlds and complete missions. And along with this, the expansion will include an Adventure creator, in which players can build — and then share — their own customized missions."
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Pico-ITX goes "stackable" (linuxdevices.com)

Submitted by nerdyH
nerdyH writes: Via's Pico-ITX motherboard form factor is looking more and more like the heir apparent to PC/104, a stackable motherboard form factor widely used in industrial computing. That's because pico-ITX has been adopted by the Small Form Factor SIG (special interest group), an industry standards group planning to add a stackable high-density expansion interface called "SUMIT" to it. The result: a board that's smaller than PC/104 but with modern expansion options that include low-speed USB as well as "ExpressCards" — PCMCIA cards that connect via PCI Express.
The Internet

The Semantics of File Sharing 506

Posted by Soulskill from the you-say-tomato-i-say-cease-and-desist dept.
ethericalzen writes "The LA Times has published an opinion article about the legal semantics and analogies of file sharing. The article includes arguments from those who believe file sharing is theft and those who strongly disagree. As it points out, the common analogies to theft are often incomplete or inaccurate. The author states, "balancing the interests of content creators against the public's ... is a much more complicated task than erecting a legal barrier to five-fingered discounts." He recognizes that it is not a trivial concept, and that the clamoring from both camps about definitions and moral boundaries will dictate how businesses and users function in the future."
Security

Submission + - Google's Research on Malware Distribution (blogspot.com)

Submitted by GSGKT
GSGKT writes: Google's Anti-Malware Team has made available some of their research data on malware distribution mechanism while the research paper is under peer review. The lead author, Niels Provos, wrote, "It has been over a year and a half since we started to identify web pages that infect vulnerable hosts via drive-by downloads, i.e. web pages that attempt to exploit their visitors by installing and running malware automatically. During that time (Jan 07 to Oct. 07) we have investigated billions of URLs and found more than three million unique URLs on over 180,000 web sites automatically installing malware. During the course of our research, we have investigated not only the prevalence of drive-by downloads but also how users are being exposed to malware and how it is being distributed." The technical report [PDF] is available. Salient points in this report are: (1) 4% of chance a URL might direct you to one of the 180 thousand malicious sites, with an average about 1.3% actually getting hit with a malicious result. (2) The distribution sites are concentrated to a few nations: China (67.0%), US (15.0%), Russia (4.0%) and Malaysia and (South) Korea (~2%). (3) The likelihood of a web page harboring malwares has no strong correlation to its contents. Visiting adult web pages is no more dangerous than visiting website about games, finance, online communities, etc. (4) Malware delivery is like by mis-directing ads on web pages during ads synchronization to malware distribution sites.
Quickies

Submission + - Molecule 'triggers allergy attack'. (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by
Ant
Ant writes: "BBC News reports that the discovery of a molecule which appears to play a key role in allergies may lead to new therapies, experts say. The researchers from Barts and the London School of Medicine managed to stop allergic attacks in mice by targeting the molecule, P110delta. They say it may offer the chance to prevent allergies, not just relieve symptoms. The Journal of Immunology reported that the method did not interfere with the rest of the body's immune defences... Seen on Blue's News."
Television

Submission + - Toshiba to give up on HD DVD, end format war

Submitted by techniscope
techniscope writes: Reuters is reporting that Toshiba indicate they will soon exit the HD-DVD buisness.

"We have entered the final stage of planning to make our exit from the next generation DVD business," said the source, who asked not to be identified. He added that an official announcement could come as early as next week.
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - Interview with Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: He's quickly become an Internet sensation and a celebrity in the gaming world, known as much for his spitfire sardonic delivery as for his blunt, biting reviews. Geek.com was fortunate enough to interview Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, the man famous for Zero Punctuation reviews on The Escapist. These are the fastest, funniest, more pointed videogame reviews you've ever seen.
Intel

Submission + - SPAM: Intel scientist says enough of Moore's Law

Submitted by
circleddots
circleddots writes: "An Intel scientist says enough to core and transistor expansion, he'd rather see a change in chip technology through atomtronics, carbon nanotubes and quantum computing. NSF is pouring money to fund research that could kill the concept of Moore's Law, ironically a concept paraded by Intel cofounder Gordon Moore."
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