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Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft, Adobe Poised for Battle

Submitted by
David Kesmodel from WSJ
David Kesmodel from WSJ writes: "Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Inc., which usually stay off each other's turf, are poised to do battle as they introduce software aimed at handling functions like video and animation on the Web, the Wall Street Journal reports. Microsoft today plans to unveil a test version of its Silverlight software that can be used to build advanced programs that run on the Web — an area Adobe has dominated with products like Flash — while Adobe plans to preview new video software called the Adobe Media Player, the WSJ reports."
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Paid to do nothing?

Submitted by djupedal
djupedal writes: Are you paid to do nothing? Were you hired to do nothing?

Are you paid, yet you don't do any work? This is for anyone, except of course those collecting job benefits. I'm talking about those that come into work and hang out and do nothing whatsoever productive, but still receive regular performance reviews, generic corporate emails and a routine weekly/monthly salary. Maybe you don't even have to show up at the office.

I have a friend who is going on six months since he was asked to do any type of work, yet his (not meager) salary keeps being automatically deposited and the only time anyone from the office checks on him is to make sure he is still alive. How long has it been since you had an assignment or participated in an active project, etc.? What do you do with your time? How long do you think this type of ghost position can continue? Is this a dream job or an ethical burden?

Feed WD touts quieter, smoother drives for video (theregister.com)

From feed by registerfeed
Bidding for the DVR and set-top box business

Audio-video drives are back on the menu, with Western Digital bringing out a range of IDE and SATA hard disks that goes to a chunky 500GB – enough for up to 30 hours of HD video, reckons WD.
It's funny. Laugh.

Journal Journal: Stolen joke from a mostly liberal mailing list

Journal by Servo

One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replies: "I'm sorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing community service this week." The florist is pleased and leaves the shop.

Next morning when the barber goes to open his shop, there is a thank you card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
Role Playing (Games)

Submission + - Online Gamers Can Now Pay With Their Blood

Submitted by
Weather Storm
Weather Storm writes: "According to weirdasiannews.com, a game company called Moliyo, which runs multiple online games in China, has given roughly 120,000 hackers banned from one of its games, Cabal Online, the chance to play once again. The price? A pint of blood. Any banned player that shows up to a blood drive in Nanjing and donates a pint of blood will have their accounts unlock. In a response to a shortage of donors, Chinese hospitals and Moliyo developed an ingenious method of enticing gamers to give the gift that truly keeps on giving. About a hundred of the guilty have stepped forward."
Math

Submission + - Scientists solved huge theoretical problem

Submitted by BoredStiff
BoredStiff writes: The Weekend Edition of NPR Scientists have solved one of the toughest problems in mathematics, performing a calculation to figure out the symmetry of a 248-dimensional object known as the Lie group E8. The solution is so large that it would take days to download over a standard Internet connection. Lie groups were invented in the 19th century by the Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie [pronounced LEE], to express the symmetry of three-dimensional objects like spheres, cones and cylinders.
Music

RIAA Going After a 10-Year-Old Girl 510

Posted by kdawson from the winning-friends dept.
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The latest target of the RIAA's ire is a 10-year-old girl in Oregon, who was 7 when the alleged infringement occurred, and whose disabled mother lives on Social Security. In Atlantic v. Andersen, an Oregon case that was widely reported in 2005 when the defendant counterclaimed against the RIAA under Oregon's RICO statute and other laws, the defendant's mother sought to limit the RIAA's deposition of the child to telephone or video-conference. The RIAA has refused, insisting on being able to grill the little girl in person. Here are court documents (PDF)."
AMD

Submission + - Bankrupt AMD: Means Cheap Chips for Us

Submitted by bagopa
bagopa writes: Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) may be planning another round of price cuts and may be looking to tap financial markets to offset its negative cash flow, according to one research analyst. This cant be good for them, but its sure good for the consumer. I'll be picking up my heavily discounted a64 soon.
Biotech

Submission + - Nanofactories to heal you

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "Imagine yourself taking a pill that will detect a disease, build the remedy and deliver the drug where it's necessary to heal you. Even if it looks like science fiction, researchers at the University of Maryland are working on this, by building magnetic nanofactories to make and deliver drugs — at least in their labs. For example, "these ingested nanofactories, using magnetism, could detect a bacterial infection, produce a medication using the body's own materials, and deliver a dose directly to the bacteria. The drug would do its work only at the infection site, and thus not cause any side effects." Even if the results of this research project are promising, these nanofactories will not be used to heal you before a while because several problems need to be solved, such as 'disguising' these nanofactories before they're attacked by your body. Read more for additional details and a picture describing the assembly and the use of these magnetic nanofactories."
Links

Submission + - Clouded Leopard Declared new Species

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "Scientists have discovered that the clouded leopard found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra is an entirely new species of cat. The secretive rainforest animal was originally thought to be the same species as the one found in mainland Southeast Asia. Read More"
NASA

NASA Confirms Solar Storm Near 2012 344

Posted by CmdrTaco from the get-out-your-foil-hats dept.
An anonymous reader writes "`This week researchers announced that a storm is coming — the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.`

`Dikpati's forecast puts Solar Max at 2012. Hathaway believes it will arrive sooner, in 2010 or 2011.`

Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar? December 21, 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Calendar) Coincidence?"
Music

Finding an Innovation SSI 2001 Soundcard? 105

Posted by Cliff from the a-piece-of-computer-audio-history dept.
Yvan256 asks: "I've been looking for over 15 years for the Innovation SSI 2001 soundcard. It's a very old and extremely rare ISA card, based on the SID 6581 chip of the Commodore 64. Yes, I am aware of the HardSID (I've got one), but it's not hardware compatible with the SSI 2001 (different method of accessing the SID registers). The SSI 2001 is about the only card missing from my soundcards collection. I am aware of the IBM Music Feature, I have one. It's just not on the webpage yet. Please note, this collection is about the different technologies that came out at the beginning of the soundcards era, not the thousands of SoundBlaster clones that were available (including the Pro Audio Spectrum series). So, if anyone has an Innovation SSI 2001, or know where I could get one, please tell me."

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