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

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Google

Submission + - Google offers its own changes to MySQL

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Google long has been known to be a user of the open-source MySQL database software, but the search powerhouse this week published its own changes to the project.

"We think MySQL is a fantastic data storage solution, and as our projects push the requirements for the database in certain areas, we've made changes to enhance MySQL itself, mainly in the areas of high availability and manageability," Google software engineer Mark Callaghan said on the company's Google Code blog on Monday.

High availability refers to the idea of keeping computing services working even if the server they're running on fails. Switching a service to a backup machine is called failover, and although the technology is decades old, it's difficult to implement.

The changes haven't been accepted into the mainstream MySQL project, but Google would like them to be, Callaghan said.

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9712307-7.html?ta g=nefd.aof
Programming

Virtues of Monoculture, Or Why Microsoft Wins 703

Posted by kdawson from the nice-tools-in-the-cathedral dept.
blackbearnh writes to ask, "Why does Microsoft win the development environment war so often, when we all know it's a lifetime lock-in to Windows? Perhaps it's because the open source community offers too much choice." From the post: "Microsoft offers the certainty of no choices. Choice isn't always good, and the open source community sometimes offers far too many ways to skin the same cat, choices that are born more out of pride, ego, or stubbornness than a genuine need for two different paths. I won't point fingers, everyone knows examples... The reality is that there are good, practical reasons that drive people into the arms of the Redmond tool set, and we need to accept that as a fact and learn from it, rather than shake our fists and curse the darkness."
Television

Submission + - TV and video games promote violence but raise IQ

Submitted by
DavidHumus
DavidHumus writes: "The cover story of the current New Scientist magazine is titled Mind Your Head, subtitled What the electronic age is doing to our brains.

The lead editorial (http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg194 26003.600-editorial-in-denial-about-onscreen-viole nce.html — requires subscription) makes the case that most researchers on the subject "see a clear link between media consumption and aggression, and also mounting evidence for an increased risk of attentional, behavioural and educational problems with extended exposure to TV and computer games."

It goes on to note the inevitable rebuttals provoked by a criticism of a multibillion-dollar business and compares the tactics of the film industry to those of the tobacco companies.

To put the evidence in perspective, the editorial quotes meta-analysis showing "that the statistical correlation between exposure to media violence and aggression is not quite as strong as that linking smoking to an increased risk of lung cancer. It is, however, double the strength of the correlation between passive smoking and lung cancer, twice as strong as the link between condom use and reduction in the risk of catching HIV, about three times the strength of the idea that calcium increases bone strength, and more than three times as strong as the correlation between time spent doing homework and academic achievement."

The meat of the cover story (http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/m g19426001.900-mindaltering-media.html — subscription required) also brings up the idea that, at the same time, facets of popular culture, including video games and TV, may also be increasing our IQs."
Power

Submission + - New reactor to recycle nuclear waste

Submitted by w42w42
w42w42 writes: This article details a $405-million DOE project to develop a process that can use what is now considered nuclear waste to generate electricity. It is supposed to "...transform nuclear leftovers into fuel for a new breed of reactors. The new reactor/fuel combo, GNEP officials say, could produce up to 100 times as much energy as conventional reactors and could generate 40 percent less waste"
Announcements

Submission + - Wikipedia releases offline CD

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "WikipediaOnDVD, with cooperation with the Wikipedia community, has released its first offline test version. The articles were selected by Wikipedians and reviewed for accuracy, vandalism, and importance. Nearly 2,000 core Wikipedia articles will be sold on compact disc to give people without a net connection access to highlights of the popular web resource. The CD can be purchased or downloaded online via http or torrent for free."
Communications

Submission + - Rescuers often can't find 911 callers

Submitted by Radon360
Radon360 writes: A new report by a public safety group throws into question the ability of police and firefighters to locate people through their cell phones when they dial 911 in an emergency. The study is believed to be the first independent evaluation of wireless location technology and sends a clear message: Do not assume rescuers will know where you are if you call 911 from a cell phone.
Power

Submission + - The Truth about Plug-in Hybrids

Submitted by
FloatsomNJetsom
FloatsomNJetsom writes: "Forget hydrogen — bring an extension cord instead. Popular Mechanics has an exhaustive survey on electric cars, including a special report on plug-in hybrids, such as the (not yet built) GM Volt. From the article: "Garage tinkerers have been turning hybrids into plug-ins for years, but somehow no one paid attention. Other clean-car alternatives (like those below) got all the love. But, really — hydrogen? Maybe, someday. Now, the carmakers say plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are coming, if the engineers can get the batteries right. They will. Because it's hard to argue with 100 mpg." Plus, lots of video test drives..."

Feed Wii Sports: Future of Fitness? (wired.com)

From feed by wiredfeed
Fitness experts from the International Sports Sciences Association say that "exertainment" such as Wii Sports combines fun and fitness in a way that could provide a lifetime of benefits. In Game|Life.


Security

Submission + - 70% of sites hackable? A grand says 'no way'

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes: "A security vendor today is flogging a survey that claims 7 out 10 Web sites it checked have vulnerabilities that pose a medium- to high-level risk of a personal-data breach. Network World Lab Alliance member Joel Snyder says that percentage is "sensationalist nonsense" — and he's willing to back that judgment with $1,000.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1147 7"
Programming

Submission + - Making the transition to parallel

Submitted by inverselimit
inverselimit writes: Intel today announces an 80-core chip consuming 62W. As Moore's law gives way to parallelism, do developers need to rethink their approach to software? Some progress has been made at places like Google, with their MapReduce framework, GFS, etc. Some claim that functional languages, or some other technology, will be the key to effectively utilizing parallelism. What new ideas, abstractions, or technologies do we need to use parallelism effectively?

Slashdot Top Deals

Those who can, do; those who can't, write. Those who can't write work for the Bell Labs Record.

Close