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

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Depends on the source (Score 1) 749

This.

Also the steppings at the low end of the sampling range are pretty course when you consider the energy level on the dB scale. The audio is sampled linearly, however it's energy can be interpreted as 20 * log10(iSample/iMaxVal), which you will see the stepping gets increasingly course as you get into the lower amplitudes, especially as you approach -60dB for 16-bit (relative to the 0dB maximum). The last 36dB from -60 to -96 is represented by only 32 values in 16 bit (just 5 bits). The same thing with 24 bit sampling would have 256 as many steps thanks to that extra 8 bits, so 8192 values instead of 32.

So yes, while 16-bits might theoretically have 96dB of range, in reality not all that range is really useful in terms of quality.

Australia

Submission + - Aussie Research Shows Windfarm Sickness Spreads by Word of Mouth (guardian.co.uk)

Submitted by eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: Just like the many stories surrounding alleged "wifi sickness" research is now showing that windfarm sickness spreads by word of mouth instead of applying universally to windfarms. Areas that had never had any noise or health complaints were suddenly experiencing them after 2009 when anti-wind groups targeted populations surrounding windfarms. From the article, 'Eighteen reviews of the research literature on wind turbines and health published since 2003 had all reached the broad conclusion that there was very little evidence they were directly harmful to health.' While there's unfortunately no way to prove that someone is lying about how they feel, it's likely a mixture of confirmation bias, psychosomatic response, hypochondria, greed and hatred of seeing windmills on the horizon that drives this phenomenon.

Submission + - Is it worth trying to go back to work for an ex-employer

Submitted by tw3ak
tw3ak writes: I used to a work for a global company for about 4 years as a Senior Support Analyst right after graduating from college. Amazing job, amazing people, great environment. Unfortunantely my boss and I did not see eye to eye on somethings and we decided it was best to part ways and move along. Well its been 10 years and lots of experience later and personal changes have occured to make me a different person than I was at that point ( learned to see the big picture).... I would love to apply back to this company however I am concerned that my past might create an issue. Now the company I worked for at the time was purchased by another company so I am not sure if that would play into things at all.. Looking for some advice from the slashdot community.
Security

Submission + - Multiple Security Products like UTMs, Firewalls, VPN Solutions found Vulnerable (paritynews.com)

Submitted by hypnosec
hypnosec writes: Most of the security appliances in use today ranging from software based firewalls to Unified Threat Management (UTM) systems and email and web gateways are packed with serious security vulnerabilities it has been revealed. According to Ben Williams of NCC Group, security appliances sold by different vendors and used in production environments are based on Linux with outdated or old kernel versions that are vulnerable to some or other kind of exploits. Presenting the findings at the Black Hat Europe 2013 security conference, Williams revealed that on top of the not so properly maintained Linux, even the web applications that provide the front end aka GUI for the appliance are insecure. As detailed in his whitepaper some of the common vulnerabilities found in almost all products were inability to protect against brute-force password cracking attempts; cross-site scripting flaws; cross-site request forgery; command injection vulnerabilities and privilege escalation.
Blackberry

Submission + - Blackberry gets 1 millions orders (slashgear.com)

Submitted by MiloAssum
MiloAssum writes: Blackberry just achieved a new milestone, receiving a record order of 1 million handsets from one of its partners. This is the largest order it has ever received, and is a boon for the company that has put a lot of effort into revamping itself after a string of bad luck.

Submission + - Happy Pi Day! Number Lovers Around The World Celebrate Pi

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The details are in the digits today, Thursday, March 14. Put another way, today is for pi. Math enthusiasts around the world are geeking out because today is Pi Day. When numerically writing the date in month/day format, March 14 (3/14) closely resembles the first digits of the number pi, 3.14, which is the ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle.
Microsoft

Submission + - Office 365 Requiring MX Record Changes (office365.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft Office 365 Exchange Online is requiring an MX and SPF change for domains receiving email. Our organization has been receiving bounce backs on outgoing emails because our MX records are not matching the SPF and PTR records. If you utilize Office 365 and have DNS records that do not include the word "protect" in the CNAME you should check the site http://community.office365.com/en-us/wikis/manage/update-to-mx-records-faq.aspx to get instructions on how to ensure your DNS is up-to-date and any necessary changes.

Submission + - What do you do to stay fit? 1

Submitted by Dishwasha
Dishwasha writes: What do you do to stay fit? Probably like many of you, this code monkey has lead a fairly sedentary life consisting most on fritos, tab, and mountain dew. Every time I attempt to incorporate exercise in even the most modest amount it never really seems to work out. "Just do it" or joining and going to a gym just doesn't seem to work and with time being my most precious resource at this point, I would like to incorporate exercise in to my daily work process. Our office recently switched to standing desks, which is great, and I would like to possibly bring in a flat treadmill that fits under the standing desk, but my bosses have balked unless the equipment is whisper silent. We are a small business in a traditional office park with no exercise facility. Do any other geeks out there have a similar set up and would like to share what they use to stay heart healthy and improve circulation during their work day? What other ways do you incorporate exercise in to your geeky or nerdy lifestyle?
Communications

Submission + - France Demands Skype Register As A Telco (itworld.com)

Submitted by
jfruh
jfruh writes: "Skype made a name for itself by largely bypassing the infrastucture — and the costs, and the regulations — of the legacy telecommunications industry. But now the French telecom regulator wants to change that, at least in France. At issue is not the service's VoIP offering, but rather the Skype Out service that allows users to dial phones on traditional networks. Regulators say that this service necessitates that Skype face the same regulations as other telecoms."
Bitcoin

Submission + - Major glitch in Bitcoin network sparks sell-off; price temporarily falls 23% (blogspot.fr)

Submitted by
quantr
quantr writes: "A technical glitch in the core Bitcoin software forced developers to call for a temporary halt to Bitcoin transactions, sparking a sharp sell-off. The currency's value briefly fell 23 percent to $37 before regaining much of its value later in the evening.
The core of the Bitcoin network is a shared transaction register known as the blockchain. Approximately every 10 minutes, a new block is created containing a record of all Bitcoin transactions that occurred since the previous block. Nodes in the network, known as miners, race to "discover" this next block by solving a cryptographic puzzle. The winner of this race announces the new block to the other nodes. The other nodes verify that it complies with all the rules of the Bitcoin protocol and then accepts it as the next official entry in the block chain, starting the race anew.
It's essential for all miners to enforce exactly the same rules about what counts as a valid block. If a client announces a block that half the network accepts and the other half rejects, the result could be a fork in the network. Different nodes could disagree about which transactions have occurred, potentially producing chaos."

Submission + - No Facebook Account = Employment Rejection? 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: As a computer science sophomore who is strapped for cash, I decided to submit a few job applications to various lower level technical support jobs. I received a call and got an interview (think "office supply chain store"). The interviewer looked at my CV and asked about some security-related academic interests that I have. I explained as best I could and told him that I take security and privacy issues very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that I do not have a Facebook account. The rest of the interview consisted of very standard questions. After not receiving a call back in one week, I decided to call the place and ask if I had been considered for the job. After being officially declined over the phone, I asked if there was any particular reason that I was not being considered. I was told (by the person who interviewed me, nonetheless) that he did not feel comfortable hiring somebody who did not have an online presence. Since this is a fairly large corporation, I was surprised by the response. Have any other Slashdot users encountered difficulties with employment as a result of not having a Facebook account? Does this constitute legal grounds by which to press charges against the company? What is the best course of action to deal with employers that screen candidates based on Facebook account details?

Slashdot Top Deals

All extremists should be taken out and shot.

Close