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Comment Re:US Metric System (Score 1) 1387

In Australia, I usually assume my average road speed is 90km/h (100km/h on highway, 60km/h through all the little towns that get in the way). So when I convert, I either do as mentioned by hawguy for long distances (900km = 10 hours) OR I multiply by 2/3 for the number of minutes. (50 km ~ 33 minutes). Actually, I double, then divide by three.

Comment Re:Sensationalist much? (Score 1) 278

by ancienthart (#42373535) Attached to: UK Government To Spy On Computers of the Jobless
During university I was on Austudy (Which is the Australian Dole for Students) while trying to work a little to get some extra spending cash.
Sure, every $1 you earnt lost you 50c of Austudy, but once your living costs are met, the rest of what you earn is discretionary funds - the remaining 50c is more valuable because you're free to spend it on what you want.
That wasn't the issue. The issue was back then, that on every second Thursday you had to physically go into a CentreLink office to fill out a form saying "Yes, I earned this much money this fortnight in my part-time job." and then spend a few hours (kid you not) waiting in line to submit the form. Some CentreLink offices on their own initiative would send out an office worker to collect all the forms from the people in the line, but this wasn't government policy. You couldn't submit early, and if you submitted a late, "Oh that's okay, you'll still get your benefits, but we'll have to pay them to you next fortnight." Not feasible when basic support was what you were trying to live on.
In effect, the entire system discouraged you from looking for additional part-time work.

Submission + - MAGNITUDE 7.7 QUAKE HITS BRITISH COLUMBIA (usgs.gov)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Canada's Pacific coast province of British Columbia on Saturday night, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake was centered 123 miles south-southwest of Prince Rupert at a depth of 6.2 miles.
Google

Submission + - Nexus 4 Walks Into a Bar, Launches Google Manhunt

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: A little over a year ago, an iPhone 4s prototype walked into a San Francisco bar, prompting a controversial manhunt by a now-deceased Apple investigator and the SFPD. Now, Wired reports that a Nexus 4 prototype walked into a San Francisco bar last month, prompting Google to sic its security team on "Sudsy", a San Francisco bartender who notified Google that he'd found their phone, which was slated to make its debut at a since-cancelled Android event on Oct. 29. When the 'Google Police' showed up at the bar, Sudsy's co-worker sent the 'desperate' Google investigator on a wild goose chase which landed him in an under-siege SFPD Station, from which he and Sudsy's lawyer had to be escorted out of under the watch of police in full riot gear with automatic weapons so the pair could arrange a 1 a.m. pickup of the phone.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Geek Remodel

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: "What would you do to 'go geek' if you had a major remodel on your hands? My wife and I are re-modeling my in-law's 3000 sq foot single-level house, and we're both very wired, tech-savvy individuals. We will both have offices, as well as TVs in the bedroom and dining room. My question to the community is: What would you do if you had 10-20,000 to spend for this kind of remodel project? What kind of hardware/firmware would you install? I'd love to have a digital 'command center' to run an LCD wall-calendar for the family, and be able to play my PS3 from anywhere in the house (ie, if everyone wants to watch Netflix while I'm in the middle of some Borderlands). What else have geeks done/planned to do? This is a test run for a much, much nicer house down the road, so don't be overly afraid of cost concerns for really great ideas. We will be taking most of the house down to studs, so don't factor demolition into costs. For culinary-minded geeks, I'd love any ideas you have to surprise my wife with cool kitchen gadgets or designs."
Google

Submission + - To Google Friends or Not to Google, That is the Question

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Henry Alford writes that in an ideal world, we would all use Google to be better friends by having better recall and to research our new friends and acquaintances to get to know them better. “It’s perfectly natural and almost always appropriate” says social anthropologist Kate Fox. “Obviously, one is always going to have to be discreet when talking about what you’ve found. But our brains haven’t changed since the Stone Age, and humans are designed to live in small groups in which everyone knows one another. Googling is an attempt to recreate a primeval, preindustrial pattern of interaction.” But the devil is in the details. If we tell a new friend that we’ve read her LinkedIn entry or her wedding announcement, it probably won’t be perceived as trespassing, as long we bear no ulterior motives. If we happen to reveal that we’ve also read her long-ago abandoned blog about her cat, we’re more likely to be seen as chronically bored than menacing. "I’m so baffled by this idea that we’re not supposed to Google people," says Dean Olsher. "Why would there be a line? Like everyone else is allowed to know something but I’m not?” But doesn’t taking the google shortcut to a primeval, preindustrial pattern of recognition sometimes rob encounters of their inherent mystery or even get us in trouble? Tina Jordan, an executive in book publishing who has the same name as a former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, says, “I typically tell any blind dates before I meet them that they probably shouldn’t Google my name, otherwise they’ll be sorely disappointed when they meet me.”"
Android

Submission + - Microsoft's SmartGlass for Android Reviewed (thepowerbase.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft has released their much anticipated SmartGlass application for Android, allowing the Linux-based mobile OS to act as an input device for their Xbox 360 game console.

While the app has its share of annoying problems, it does offer a glimpse into a possible future where consumer electronics are no longer crippled by the artificial barriers of manufacturer or operating system.
Linux

Submission + - Valve Steam for Linux Beta Survey (valvesoftware.com)

Submitted by
hawkeyeMI
hawkeyeMI writes: "Valve has moved one step closer to releasing Steam for Linux, and they want beta testers that have a lot of experience with Linux. Knowing Slashdot, many of you probably fit the bill. So, if you'd like to try to get into the beta, go fill out the survey! You will need a Steam account to do so."
Government

Submission + - Cash-Strapped States Burdened by Expensive Data Security Breaches (darkreading.com)

Submitted by
CowboyRobot
CowboyRobot writes: "As budgets are pinched by reduced tax collection, many U.S. states are facing a possibility of not being able to handle the ever-increasing number of data breaches. 70% of state chief information security officers (CISOs) reported a data breach this year, each of which can cost up to $5M in some states. "82 percent of the state CISOs point to phishing and pharming as the top threats to their agencies, a threat they say will continue in 2013, followed by social engineering, increasingly sophisticated malware threats, and mobile devices." The full 2012 Deloitte-National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Cybersecurity Study is available here (PDF)"
IBM

Submission + - What is the real version number of Windows 8? (ocmodshop.com)

Submitted by
antdude
antdude writes: "This seven/7 pages OCModShop article look into the past and the current Windows versions — "Today Microsoft launched its latest version of its iconic Operating System (OS): Windows 8. There have been many version of Windows over the years, and one can't help but wonder what justifies this version number. Microsoft and other technology companies have over-written and re-named their product history before, so we take a good hard look at all the previous operating systems to see if the numbers add up.

Microsoft Windows started as version 1.0 as an add-on to its disk operating system (DOS). The product was a simple graphical user interface (GUI) program that was little more than a visual file manager. Windows 2.0 was released to take advantage of the features offered by Intel’s 286 processor. Windows 3 is the version that really started Microsoft on its current path of success.

All of these versions numbers are very logical and can be easily counted. Where things start to get a little ambiguous is when Windows NT is thrown into the mix..."

Seen on Blue's News."
Your Rights Online

Submission + - Canadian Police Need New Internet Surveillance Tools (www.cbc.ca)

Submitted by danomac
danomac writes: Police agencies in Canada want to have better tools to do online surveillance. Bill C-30 was to include new legislation (specifically Section 34) that would give police access to information without a warrant. This can contain your name, your IP address, and your mobile phone number.

This, of course, creates all sorts of issues with privacy online. The police themselves say they have concerns with Section 34. Apparently the way it is worded it is not just police that can request the information, but any government agent. Would you trust the government with this kind of power?

Comment Re:Hopefully another 25 years or more (Score 1) 455

by ancienthart (#41749217) Attached to: Wayland 1.0 Released, Not Yet Ready To Replace X11
True. I was using KDE3, and then KDE4 came out ... with all the nicest usability features removed. "Uh, I don't think so Tim." and became a Gnome2/Compiz user. Then they "modernised" Gnome to Gnome 3. "Aaaaagghhhh".
Didn't update my computer for a year, which is ages for me.
Thankfully KDE has listened enough to users to re-implement some of my favourite features (desktop folder view specifically) and I'm now back on KDE. Just wish panel icons were dragable by default, rather than having to enter panel settings first, and that I could drop and drag from menu favourites directly into the panel.
Have tried some lighter desktops but I do admit I like my wibbly windows too much. :D

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