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Technology

Submission + - SPAM: Europe launches free GPS system 1

dreemteem writes: The European Union have introduced a free global positioning system that it claims is almost five times more accurate than the US system currently in use.
Called the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the system uses three satellites and a ground network of about 40 ground positioning stations and four control centers.

Link to Original Source

Comment Re:Summary not quite right... (Score 1) 477

What is an "HP Linux Environment" (Does HP have its own version of Linux? What distro is HP using?)

As I posted earlier in reply to another comment, in a lot of cases, HP will attempt to bundle its http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-UX with large hardware solutions. However, if we can assume that the original article was correct that it is a Linux distro then it would most likely be RedHat Enterprise, as that is HPs preferred partner.

Comment Oh Dear Lord (Score 3, Insightful) 111

I wrote these apps for Windows Mobile, I've writtten a couple for Android, I've even written some into specialized devices using basic GPS Dongles and cellular network access for triangulation.

Now that Apple is doing it, suddenly it's going to CHANGE THE WORLD (tm). Location-based services/applications along with advertising have been looked at before, they failed then, they will fail now. People don't want adverts on their phones, they don't want bluetooth spam or to be bombarded with "Hey, come and enjoy a Pizza half-price at Hungry Joe's" everytime they walk past a pizza restaurant.

The article is poorly written, lacking in experience or significant research into previous implementations and sings the praises of Apple combining their award-winning expertise with this amazing new tech to change the marketplace forever.

Pass me a bucket, mine is full already.

Comment Re:Some information would be nice. (Score 5, Informative) 150

  • CPU: 533MHz Freescale i.MX31 ARM-based processor
  • Operating System: Google Android
  • Display: 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen (Sascha says it's not glossy, but you can see a fair bit of glare in the video)
  • RAM: 256MB
  • Storage: Up to 8GB SSD
  • I/O: 3 USB ports, mic, headphone, and 4-in-1 card reader
  • Weight: 680 grams, or about 1.5 pounds

See working video of it here

Comment Re:Wrong headline. (Score 3, Insightful) 500

I hope this isn't indicative of the general opinion that is being bred into today's society.

McDonalds are a business that relies on a appeal to families as well as adult customers. Restricting the service like this promotes their own policies as a kid-friendly establishment (ignoring for now their impact on the growth of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles), one of their major requirements as a business. If they are seen to be promoting the freedom to surf porn within their premises then they lose this reputation as kid-friendly. Gone are the families and in come the nerdverts.

Just because they restrict, monitor and flag material that they, or their customers may find offensive (before possibly even passing it onto local authorities) does not make them evildoers, stealing your freedom and liberty. If you are currently employed then don't you think that this is happening in your workplace? Don't you think if they wanted to, people could (and in some cases do) monitor your usage at home already? Ignorance is bliss.

The question that should be asked is: Are McDonalds making their patrons aware that they must adhere to these policies when using this service (ToS, T&Cs)?

Linux Business

Submission + - Linux game console ready to ship 3

unluckier writes: From linuxdevices.com : Envizions announced that it is taking orders for an open-source Linux gaming system, and will start shipping beta units to game developers, resellers, and software partners on April 10. The EVO Smart Console is based on a 2.4GHz Athlon, and includes a Fedora-based Linux distro. (...) EVO games from Envizions will be distributed on compact secure digital SD cards and be sold via its EVO online store, says Envizions. Most of the initial lineup of nine open-source games, three of which are pre-loaded on the system, cost $20 apiece.
Google

Submission + - The Five-Year Beta (blogspot.com)

TrekkieTechie writes: Though in fact the big day was April 1st, Google celebrated the five-year anniversary of the popular online email service Gmail with a post on the service's blog, saying "we want to give a big thank you to all of you who use Gmail every day, to those who've been around since the beginning, to those who were using an AJAX app before the term AJAX was popular, to those who started chatting right in your email ... we couldn't have gotten here without you." The milestone has also prompted speculation about when, if ever, Gmail will lose its beta status, and Ars Technica recently sat down with Todd Jackson, Gmail's Project Manager, to discuss the reasoning behind that nagging beta label.
The Internet

False Fact On Wikipedia Proves Itself 513

An anonymous reader writes "Germany has a new minister of economic affairs. Mr. von und zu Guttenberg is descended from an old and noble lineage, so his official name is very long: Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg. When first there were rumors that he would be appointed to the post, someone changed his Wikipedia entry and added the name 'Wilhelm,' so Wikipedia stated his full name as: Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Wilhelm Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg. What resulted from this edit points up a big problem for our information society (in German; Google translation). The German and international press picked up the wrong name from Wikipedia — including well-known newspapers, Internet sites, and TV news such as spiegel.de, Bild, heute.de, TAZ, or Süddeutsche Zeitung. In the meantime, the change on Wikipedia was reverted, with a request for proof of the name. The proof was quickly found. On spiegel.de an article cites Mr. von und zu Guttenberg using his 'full name'; however, while the quote might have been real, the full name seems to have been looked up on Wikipedia while the false edit was in place. So the circle was closed: Wikipedia states a false fact, a reputable media outlet copies the false fact, and this outlet is then used as the source to prove the false fact to Wikipedia."

Comment Re:Blackmail (Score 1) 547

If you read these articles regarding the matter then it seems that it may have been not as sinister as blackmail, but most definitely some sort of prank (and not an innocent security alert).

"He sent an e-mail to his principal saying, 'look what I have,'" DeFeciani [District spokeswoman] said. "That was at 1 [p.m.] Tuesday and within two hours we knew who he was."

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