Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Small actions en-masse make a difference (Score 1) 317

I've read all three of your comments.
You do realize that cars don't turn the alternator off right? You'd have to actually wire that up yourself. The alternator / battery is what also runs every electrical thing in the car (you realize there's a computer, and oh my, an ignition system that requires lots of juice).
Wind drag and weight are what predominately reduce mileage, you've made both of these worse with your modifications.
2-2.5% is not a significant enough change to make any claim, the wear on your tires will actually cause WAY more error than that as time goes on (more worn tires register more distance than reality).
It's much more likely that your numbers are just wrong, and that any change in your driving habits when you decided to start being "green" make up for any true change in mileage. Pull all that crap off your car and you'll probably do even better.

Comment Re:God, god, god.... (Score 1) 1328

I don't think you understand what a "theory" is. It's not proven, just like the "theist theory" you claim doesn't hold. You can't prove that God doesn't exist, just like you (or Dr. Hawking) can't prove that a Big Bang occured (or didn't occur). I might theorize that God created the earth to look like it's 100,000 (or pick a number) years old. You can't disprove my theory, just like I can't prove it.
Theories are like butts, everyone has them and they all stink.
...Now sure, some theories can be proven through testing and scientific rigor, but the origins of the universe (or species) sure as hell ain't one of them.

Comment Ebay is your friend (Score 1) 337

First, pick a realistic frequency range, decide what other stuff you care about.
Don't forget about probes, nice ones can be expensize, don't spend your budget then find out you need $500 in probes. Again, this depends on your frequency range.
Then, a good place to start is ebay, remember, old and working is the same as new and working +5lbs per decade of age. (old test equipment is heavy!)

Some of the new Agilent scopes are sweet, we've rented some at my office (esp if you pony up for the 15" LCD) personally, having one that requires a computer is a PITA.
Decent Agilents

Good luck.
Games

New WoW Patch Brings Cross-Server Instances 342

ajs writes "World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King expansion was staggered into 4 phases. The fourth and final phase, patch 3.3, was released on Tuesday. This patch is significant in that it will be the first introduction of one of the most anticipated new features in the game since PvP arenas: the cross-realm random dungeon, as well as the release of new end-game dungeons for 5, 10 and 25-player groups. The patch notes have been posted, and so has a trailer. The ultimate fight against the expansion's antagonist, the Lich King a.k.a. Arthas, will be gated as each of the four wings of the final dungeon are opened in turn — a process that may take several months. The next major patch after 3.3 (presumably 4.0) will be the release of Cataclysm, the next expansion."
Transportation

Obama Proposes High-Speed Rail System For the US 1385

fantomas writes "The BBC reports that 'US President Barack Obama has announced his "vision for high-speed rail" in the country, which would create jobs, ease congestion and save energy.' Can rail work in the land where the car is king? Would you travel on the new high speed lines?"
Supercomputing

Cray's CX1 Desktop Supercomputer, Now For Sale 294

ocularb0b writes "Cray has announced the CX1 desktop supercomputer. Cray teamed with Microsoft and Intel to build the new machine that supports up to 8 nodes, a total of 64 cores and 64Gb of memory per node. CX1 can be ordered online with starting prices of $25K, and a choice of Linux or Windows HPC. This should be a pretty big deal for smaller schools and scientists waiting in line for time on the world's big computing centers, as well as 3D and VFX shops."
Government

Obama & McCain Conflicting On Net Neutrality 427

longacre writes "For all their incessant bickering in the first two presidential debates over conflicts of interest and government regulation, PopMech columnist Glenn Derene is puzzled that the candidates have yet to be challenged on a vital issue directly related to both those topics: Net neutrality. John McCain and Barack Obama have stated elsewhere their opposing views on the issue, with McCain being opposed to Net neutrality and favoring light regulation of the Internet, while Obama is in favor of neutrality and seeks Government involvement. In any case, since there is no standard accepted definition of 'network neutrality,' until the candidates elaborate on their positions (which they both declined to do for this piece, nor anywhere else so far, for that matter), 'both sides can make a credible case that they're the ones defending freedom of innovation and open communication.'"

Comment Re:Did I miss something? (Score 2, Insightful) 846

It's not there. As mentioned in all of the comments above, the "hacker" was disappointed by not finding anything. You can find all the email online, there's nothing illegal there.
The assertion that there is something illegal has been created in a sort of slashdot liberal love-fest, that ignores facts.
The Courts

Oregon Judge Says RIAA Made 'Honest Mistake,' Allows Subpoena 175

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In Arista v. Does 1-17, the RIAA's case targeting students at the University of Oregon, the Oregon Attorney General's motion to quash the RIAA's subpoena — pending for about a year — has reached a perplexing conclusion. The Court agreed with the University that the subpoena, as worded, imposed an undue burden on the University by requiring it to produce 'sufficient information to identify alleged infringers,' which would have required the University to 'conduct an investigation,' but then allowed the RIAA to subpoena the identities of 'persons associated by dorm room occupancy or username with the 17 IP addresses listed' even though those people may be completely innocent. In his 8-page decision (PDF), the Judge also 'presumed' the RIAA lawyers' misrepresentations were an 'honest mistake,' made no reference at all to the fact, pointed out by the Attorney General, that the RIAA investigators (Safenet, formerly MediaSentry) were not licensed, rejected all of the AG's privacy arguments under both state and federal law, and rejected the AG's request for discovery into the RIAA's investigative tactics."
Government

Can Static Electricity Generate Votes? 377

artgeeq writes "A recent local election in Washington, DC resulted in 1500 extra votes for a candidate. The board of elections is now claiming that static electricity caused the malfunction. Is this even remotely possible? If so, couldn't an election be invalidated pretty easily?"
Censorship

Debunking the Google Earth Censorship Myth 294

waderoush writes "There's a persistent Web meme to the effect that Google obscures sensitive or top-secret locations in Google Maps and Google Earth at the insistence of national governments. A July IT Security article promoted on Digg, 'Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren't Allowed to See on Google Maps,' revived this notion. But the article has been widely criticized, and I did some fact-checking this week on the six Boston-area locations mentioned in the IT Security list. As it turns out, not one of the allegedly blurred locations has degraded imagery in Google Maps, as my screen shots demonstrate. My post looks into the sources of the misleading IT Security piece, and of other mistaken rumors about Google Maps."
Democrats

Obama's Evolving Stance On NASA 941

mknewman writes "The Houston Chronicle is reporting a change in Obama's stance on NASA, saying his position on space exploration continued to evolve Sunday as the Illinois Democrat endorsed a congressional plan to add $2 billion to NASA's budget and agreed to back at least one more space shuttle mission."
Wireless Networking

Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters? 558

GonnaBRichYeahYeah! writes "My dad lives down a dirt road 500 meters off the main road. The cable company will not put cable down his lane for any less than the ridiculous sum of $10,000. And he cannot get phone line DSL since he is so far away from the central terminal, so he relied on painful 22k/sec dial-up for access to the Internet. He got sick of it and relies on Hughes satellite Internet, at $60/month, but he still has to be connected to a phone line to upload to the Internet. It's not a good solution, but better than dial-up. His friend lives on the corner of the main drag with his lane and has cable, thus hi-speed Internet. I suggested that he get a wireless access point, and put it at his friend's house and then get a wireless card for access. The problem is that no wireless routers go that far (max range of -N is 200 feet) and WiMax is too complex for a 70-year old man. Any suggestions from Slashdot crowd would be helpful." Plenty of people make wireless links over longer distances, but often they're not suited for people who want simplicity and reliability. What's the best out there right now?
Power

US Data Centers Wary of Sharing Energy Data With Feds 101

1sockchuck writes "The EPA has been seeking at least 100 data center operators willing to share data about their energy usage to help the government develop an Energy Star program for data centers. Thus far, only 54 data centers have signed up, which suggests that few data center operators are eager to tell the government exactly how much energy they are using. The EPA issued a report to Congress last year on data center power usage, and is already developing an Energy Star program to rate servers. Can a program designed to rank the energy efficiency of appliances and computer monitors be a useful tool in addressing the enormous energy consumption of data centers?"
Space

The Universe Is 13.73 Billion Years Old 755

CaptainCarrot writes "Phil Plait, aka The Bad Astronomer has summarized for his readers the new results released by NASA from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which has been surveying the 3K microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang. Some of the most interesting results: The age of the universe is now known to unprecedented accuracy: 13.73 billion years old, +/- 120 million. Spacetime is flat to within a 2% error margin. And ordinary matter and energy account for only 4.62% of the universe's total. Plait's comment on the age result: 'Some people might say it doesn't look a day over 6000 years. They're wrong.'"

Slashdot Top Deals

I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was capable of reasoning. -- Plato

Working...