GateGuy - Slashdot User

Taliban Demands Downtime on Afghanistan Cellphone Networks 659

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:05PM from the since-you-asked-nicely dept.

faster_manic writes "The Taliban has demanded that cellphone network providers in Afghanistan cease service between the hours of 5pm and 7am each night of the week, as they believe American troops are able to track down Taliban members using their cellphones."

Best Presidential Candidate, Republicans 1481

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday February 04, 2008 @10:27AM from the since-you-can't-build-robo-reagan dept.

A few days ago we posted a story for you to discuss the best presidential candidates for Super Tuesday, but I figured it would be an interesting idea to try that again, but split the discussion into 2 halves. This is the Republican half — please only discuss the Republican candidates in this story. Huckabee, McCain, and Romney only.

Physicist Calculates Trajectory of Tiger At SF Zoo 713

Posted by kdawson on Friday February 01, 2008 @10:41AM from the parabolic-stripes dept.

KentuckyFC writes "Is it really possible for a 350-pound tiger to leap a 12.5-foot barrier from 33 feet away? (Said another way: a 159-kg tiger, a 3.8 m barrier, and 10 m away.) A physicist at Northeastern University has done the math, a straightforward problem in ballistics, and the answer turns out to be yes (abstract on the physics arXiv). But I guess we already knew that following the death of Carlos Souza at the paws of Tatiana, a Siberian Tiger he had allegedly been taunting at San Francisco zoo at the end of last year."

Journal Journal: Mac Pro

Journal by GateGuy on Friday January 25, 2008 @03:14PM

Last Sunday (January 20, 2008) I purchased a Mac Pro (2x quad 2.8Ghz, 2G ram). I also purchased a 23" cinema display, iPod Touch (16G), iPod Nano (8G), ElGato eyeTV2, 3 applecares and an Airport Extreme card.

This puppy rocks for ripping DvDs. I use MacTheRipper to rip the DvD and then use Handbrake to transcode it into the iPod Touch format. For the Clint Eastwood movie 'A Fist Full of Dollars', the ripping took 15 minutes and the transcoding took 13 minutes.

Journal Journal: New Mac Pros

Journal by GateGuy on Wednesday January 09, 2008 @01:15PM

Yesterday, Apple released new Mac Pros. These appear to be a pretty major update to their product line. I am probably going to get the baseline (2 quad core cpus) with the upgraded video card.

I am planning on traveling to Delaware to purchase this machine as the state of Maryland has just increased the sales tax. Maryland can bite my ass.

Hopefully, I can get this machine next weekend.

Microsoft Disses Windows to Sell More Windows 407

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday December 10, 2007 @10:46AM from the last-years-model-sucks dept.

mjasay writes "I stumbled across this fascinating Microsoft tutorial entitled "How to Justify a Desktop Upgrade." It's an attempt to coach IT professionals on how to sell Windows desktop upgrades internally. Apparently the value of Vista is not readily apparent, requiring detailed instructions on how to connive and cajole into an upgrade from XP. The most intriguing thing about the tutorial is its implicit rejection of Microsoft's older technology. Just a few years ago Microsoft was pitching the world on how secure and cool XP was. Now it's telling us largely the opposite, implying that XP is a security threat, costs too much to run, and so on. With Microsoft marketing against itself, perhaps the Mac and Linux camps can simply wait for Microsoft to self-destruct?"

Dvorak Says gPhone is Doomed 454

Posted by Zonk on Friday November 09, 2007 @01:41PM from the that's-doom-ed dept.

drewmoney writes "Speaking with his usual frustrated crankiness John Dvorak rants his way through an article explaining why the gPhone will never work. 'First of all, it wants to put Google search on a phone. It wants to do this because it is obvious to the folks at Google that people need to do Web searches from their phone, so they can, uh, get directions to the restaurant? Of course, they can simply use the phone itself to call the restaurant and ask! I've actually used various phones with Web capability. They never work right. They take forever to navigate. It's hard to read the screens ... I also hope that people note the fact that the public has not been flocking to smartphones of any sort.' "

How Big Will the iPhone Become? 388

Posted by Zonk on Thursday June 07, 2007 @10:08AM from the crushing-tokyo-big-or-just-andre-the-giant-big dept.

palewook writes "Combine the best elements of an iPod with a BlackBerry's addictive usefulness, and you may just get Apple's Next Big Thing. Around 2009, when the lower cost version of iPhone appears, Business Week believes the yearly market for iPhones could be over 10 billion dollars a year. Its an interesting prediction; if those numbers come to pass, iPhone could become a bigger source of revenue than the traditional iPod. 'The answer may not come until 2009. By then, Apple should have begun creating lower-cost iPhone variants to reach consumers scared off by the introductory $499 price. It also will probably have moved into overseas markets and cut deals with more carriers to utilize higher-speed wireless networks. So while most analysts look for Apple to sell around 3 million units this year and 10 to 12 million in 2008, many figure that 20 million will move in 2009.'"

Feed New analysis warns of solar outbursts (pheedo.com)

From feed by nsfeed on Wednesday May 30, 2007 @10:32AM

While it was previously known that electrons precede solar flares, there were many false alarms - now a new forecasting technique offers much greater reliability

Submission + - Apple release DRM free tunes

Submitted by

IndiepoprockJesse

on Wednesday May 30, 2007 @10:31AM

IndiepoprockJesse writes: "Apple today released their announced DRM free itunes music. The new service, called iTunes Plus, let's you download DRM free music with a higher bitrate at 30 cents a piece more. Currently only EMI music is available in the DRM free AAC 256kbps format, including singles and albums from Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane and more than a dozen of Paul McCartney's classic albums. People who have EMI music on their computer can upgrade to the new DRM free format for 30 cents a song or 3 dollars for most albums.."

What is the Best Console Controller of All Time? 373

Posted by Cliff on Thursday May 24, 2007 @08:03AM from the ps2-before-anything dept.

Mateo Slovinsky asks: "Is the XBox 360's controller the best controller of all time? CNet seems to think so in its line up of the top five gamepads of all time. If you expected the Wii's controller, you will be dissapointed. It's a brilliant piece of innovation, but there simply aren't enough games to judge it against the best controllers ever." Which controller would you pick? What controllers have not left your hands cramped after a marathon session of gaming?

Journal Journal: Who says there's nothing under Antarctica? 1

Journal by irishScott on Wednesday May 23, 2007 @10:32PM

"IceCube is already the world's largest neutrino telescope although it is less than half-finished," Gaisser said. "Its purpose is to use neutrinos as a novel probe of high-energy astrophysical processes to reveal their inner workings, which are obscured for ordinary telescopes using light and other wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum."

Journal Journal: The "what's a web site?" Judge, now exonerated.

Journal by Nymz on Wednesday May 23, 2007 @02:43AM

Judge Peter Openshaw had been quoted as saying "I don't really understand what a Web site is". While the quote was accurate, it was reported out of context, and with a bit of sensationalism (judge admitted on Wednesday he was struggling to cope with basic terms like Web site) resulted in some jokes as his expense.

Journal Journal: Sparta attacks wifi user.

Journal by arbitraryaardvark on Tuesday May 22, 2007 @11:02PM

Free WiFi, the sign said. So Sam Peterson parked his car outside the ReUnion Street Cafe in Sparta Michigan and surfed the net, until a cop got suspicious and busted him for hacking. Rather than face a felony charge, he's agreed to pay $400 and do community service. woodtv.com
This is the 8th such case nationally and the first in Michigan.

Windows Media Center Restricts Cable TV 448

Posted by kdawson on Monday May 21, 2007 @05:37AM from the no-HBO-for-you dept.

PrescriptionWarning writes "With the latest Media Center Edition update from Microsoft, I and many others are finding that content available on television is now completely unwatchable from Media Center. The message states: 'Restricted Content: Restrictions set by the broadcaster and/or originator of the content prohibit playback of the program on this computer.' A simple search on the subject reveals that HBO programming and, in my case, Braveheart on AMC are among the many selections now restricted for playback or recording by Windows Media Center Edition. What's next, restricting every piece of programming on television?"

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