Submission + - Robots, space technology run Australia's mining (physorg.com)
davaguco writes: Robotic mining on Australia gets some of its technology shared with space exploration programs.
Comment Re:Money Transfers (Score 1) 102
Last time I picked a Western Union, they required me to show my ID-card.
Comment Re:$25 to transfer money to a friend?! (Score 1) 494
I'm afraid UK banking system is now where spanish banking system was 15 years ago... US banking system is what spanish banking system was 50 years ago... I think my parents don't remember how to write a cheque... I only had to write a cheque when I spent one year on the US.
Comment Re:Too short a window (Score 1) 454
I think if I were an advanced civilisation I would use neutrinos to communicate, at the very least (or possibly some other thing we haven't discovered yet). Very easy to get these light particles across a galaxy without them being stopped by other matter or energy.
Learning JQuery 1.3 153
Michael J. Ross writes "Of all Web technologies, JavaScript may have the most checkered past — first heralded as a powerful object-oriented language for jazzing up Web pages, but later condemned as a source of spammy pop-up windows and horrid animations polluting websites everywhere. Yet during the past several years, Web designers and developers are increasingly using JavaScript unobtrusively, for client-site interactivity — as a supplement to server-side functionality, not a replacement, and built upon standards-compliant (X)HTML and CSS. As a result, the once-derided language is now enjoying a true resurgence in interest and use. This has been bolstered by the proliferation of JavaScript libraries, of which jQuery is clearly the front runner. Web programmers seeking to get up to speed on this exciting resource can turn to Learning jQuery 1.3: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques." Keep reading for the rest of Michael's review.
Man Charges Phone Using a Solar Panel and His Dog 2
andylim writes "It's really annoying when your phone runs out of battery power but what if you could charge it up using your dog? According to recombu.com, a Swiss man called Erik Schiegg has created a "solar dog" charger that combines a solar panel with a dog for the ultimate portable charging solution. Shiegg explains that the charger works in cloudy weather conditions and it's at a better angle to the sun than if he was wearing it, 'My Android phone is charged in no time.' He also adds that it would be interesting if farmers used this idea and put solar panels on their animals."
Technology Changes To Kill Netbooks? 394
The BBC is reporting that the netbook craze may already be nearing the end of its run. Citing rising netbook prices and many other evolving technologies that can potentially fill that gap, some critics think that the limited power of netbooks will ultimately bring about the quick demise of the once popular device. "Ian Drew, spokesman for chip designer Arm, also believes netbooks are in for a shake-up. Consumers, he said, were chafing against the restrictions that using a netbook imposed on them. 'We have failed the consumer because we have imposed constraints on them,' he said. Changing web habits and greater use of social media will mean consumers will be looking for gadgets that are tuned to specific purposes. 'It will be a lot of different machines for a lot of different people,' he said. 'This whole market will be exploding in the next couple of years.' Impetus for this change will come, he believes, from the phone world where many, many types of gadgets are already blooming."
Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2009 57
Wired has posted their favorite scientific breakthroughs of the past year. The feats include things like the confirmation of element 114, a cancer-detecting breathalyzer, the power of jellyfish and more. What other discoveries should have made the list and what might we look forward to in 2010? "Also this year, researchers at the University of Washington cured two adult monkeys of colorblindness by giving them injections of a gene that produces pigments necessary for color vision. After the treatment, the animals scored higher on a computerized color blindness test. In the coming years, gene therapy will be tested as a remedy for all sorts of inherited diseases, cancer, viral infections and even high cholesterol."
Comment Re:Let the community finish it (Score 1) 325
Cause they don't want to admit that they only produced a few petabytes of stripper motion captures.
Comment Weapons on boats (Score 1) 666
In Spain, and in many other the european countries, they are now including armed personnel on fishing boats. Some countries allow military soldiers to go with them, some others just allow private security with heavy weapons.
Comment Re:Why Microsoft isn't worried about this (Score 2, Interesting) 863
I have to agree with this. I tried to switch to some Linux and Open Office distribution a few years ago, and the kind of things I had to learn to do to get that machine running, and then to fix several driver problems, were a bit too much for anybody without a lot of technical expertise.
I have several friends that are in love with Linux and Open Office, but they all happen to be software engineers, and when I complain about something not being user-friendly, they tell me that it's really very easy, you just have to "mount this drive and then ...." do you really think users are going to consider introducing linux commands, ever?
If you believe users should know this stuff, then you just don't live in the real world.
Comment Re:Misconceptions.... (Score 1) 234
I can't log into the account management section of their website with my battle.net username, now. It seems the battle.net server login servers are now.
I hope this never happens with the game login.
Jammie Thomas Moves To Strike RIAA $1.92M Verdict 392
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Jammie Thomas-Rasset has made a motion for a new trial, seeking to vacate the $1.92 million judgment entered against her for infringement of 24 MP3 files, in Capitol Records v. Thomas-Rasset. Her attorneys' brief (PDF) argues, among other things, that the 'monstrous' sized verdict violates the Due Process Clause, consistent with 100 years of SCOTUS jurisprudence, since it is grossly disproportionate to any actual damages sustained. It further argues that, since the RIAA elected to offer no evidence of actual damages, either as an alternative to statutory damages, or to buttress the fairness of a statutory damages award, the verdict, if it is to be reduced, must be reduced to zero."
Comment It is unavoidable (Score 1) 847
First, it was blue eyes.
But I didn't care, since I could afford blue eyes for my son, and it wasn't that important, anyway.
Then, it was higher people.
But I didn't care, since I was tall and my daughter would probably be tall, too.
Then, it was higher IQ.
At that time, it was too late and expensive for my niece. He would belong to the "untouchable" caste and his offspring too...
(note: I believe this future is unavoidable)
