Comment Ebay (Score 1) 125
The "final value fees" must have been enormous. I hope Andreessen didn't pay using Paypal.
Pi Calculated To Record 2.5 Trillion Digits 432
Joshua writes "Researchers from Japan have calculated Pi to over 2.5 trillion decimals using the T2K Open Supercomputer (which is currently ranked 47th in the world according to a June, 2009 report from Top500.org). This new number more than doubles the previous record of about 1.2 trillion decimals set in 2002 by another Japanese research team. Unfortunately, there still seems to be no pattern."
Comment One hell of a reality TV show (Score 1) 274
"This is the true story... of six strangers... picked to live in a space shuttle...work together and have their lives taped... to find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting real...The Real Mars." Coming to MTV, Fall of 2031.
Comment Amazon might be missing the point (Score 4, Insightful) 242
People trade their games to Gamestop because they don't want the hassle of selling them online. For instance, maybe they are just a kid, and their parents won't help, or maybe they just don't trust the internet.
If you are going to go to the hassle of putting it online and then shipping it, why not just put it on ebay and make three times what Amazon would give you? I did a quick search of a few games, and Amazon's trade in value is still about a third of what you could get on ebay.
I think Amazon is missing the point.
If you are going to go to the hassle of putting it online and then shipping it, why not just put it on ebay and make three times what Amazon would give you? I did a quick search of a few games, and Amazon's trade in value is still about a third of what you could get on ebay.
I think Amazon is missing the point.
Comment Pot calling kettle black ... (Score 1) 758
If you think 7 versions is bad, Linux has "hundreds" and apparently Torvalds likes it that way.
To quote Linus:
"I think multiple distributions aren't just a good thing, I think it's something absolutely required. We have hundreds of distros, and a lot of them are really for niche markets."
You can take that same statement and apply to Windows. So let's not be the pot calling the kettle black.
To quote Linus:
"I think multiple distributions aren't just a good thing, I think it's something absolutely required. We have hundreds of distros, and a lot of them are really for niche markets."
You can take that same statement and apply to Windows. So let's not be the pot calling the kettle black.
Comment Other ways to see it (Score 1) 235
Plenty of people are able to find the movies on torrent sites and see it before it's theatrical release. Of course that leaves Netflix with a moral dilemma: Do they let people leave reviews knowing that they saw it illegally? (well not illegal, but you know what I mean)
For example, horror movie website, bloody-disgusting.com has recently disabled the user review area for movies that have not been released yet. One example is "Let the Right One In", where many users were able to get some glowing reviews in before the mods could turn off access.
For example, horror movie website, bloody-disgusting.com has recently disabled the user review area for movies that have not been released yet. One example is "Let the Right One In", where many users were able to get some glowing reviews in before the mods could turn off access.
Comment Well, obviously (Score 0, Offtopic) 200
Well, obviously whoever smelt' it dealt it.
Comment Leave it to Apple... (Score 4, Funny) 268
Leave it to Apple to reinvent the wheel...
Comment Re:Reroute? Hmmmmm.... (Score 1) 329
Somewhere in there I see the plot of the next James Bond movie...
Comment Possible soon? (Score 3, Funny) 990
"Such a feat should be possible soon"
One top scientist was quoted as saying, "It's so easy a caveman could do it".
One top scientist was quoted as saying, "It's so easy a caveman could do it".
Comment Manhattan (Score 3, Funny) 521
Apparently residents from Manhattan will be watching closely and anxiously taking notes on how this gets resolved.
Space Money Invented For Space Tourists 296
An anonymous reader writes "The foreign exchange company Travelex has invented a unit of currency designed to be used in space commerce, the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination (QUID). The QUID is made of a space-qualified plastic, with round edges to prevent injuries in zero gravity. One QUID is equivalent to about 6.25 pounds, 12.50 dollars or 8.68 Euros. Of course, space currencies are already a staple of science fiction, with 'credits' being the most popular."
Submission + - 1300 Unopened Fry's Rebate Forms Found In Dumpster (consumerist.com) 2
blackmonday writes: "The Consumerist is reporting a find of 1,300 unopened rebate submissions in a dumpster belonging to Vastech, a rebate processor hired by Fry's Electronics. Vastech's management blames it on a bad employee."
Submission + - US DOJ Opposes Regulations for Net Neutrality
weddellharbor writes: The US Department of Justice has just issued a press release detailing its conclusions that congress should not regulate in a way that would "preclude broadband providers from charging content and application providers directly for faster or more reliable service." The DOJ went on to say that differentiating service levels and pricing is a common and often efficient way of allocating scarce resources." (Quotes from the press release).
The DOJ evidently believes that antitrust law alone is sufficient to ensure that consumers are protected and that beyond that, the marketplace should rule.
The entire filing is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr
Submission + - Failing Our Geniuses
An anonymous reader writes: TIME is running an article on how the American school system is failing our highest achieving children.
From the article:
Any sensible culture would know what to do with Annalisee Brasil. The 14-year-old not only has the looks of a South American model but is also one of the brightest kids of her generation. When Annalisee was 3, her mother Angi Brasil noticed that she was stringing together word cards composed not simply into short phrases but into complete, grammatically correct sentences. After the girl turned 6, her mother took her for an IQ test. Annalisee found the exercises so easy that she played jokes on the testers — in one case she not only put blocks in the correct order but did it backward too. Angi doesn't want her daughter's IQ published, but it is comfortably above 145, placing the girl in the top 0.1% of the population. Annalisee is also a gifted singer: last year, although just 13, she won a regional high school competition conducted by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Annalisee should be the star pupil at a school in her hometown of Longview, Texas. While it would be too much to ask for a smart kid to be popular too, Annalisee is witty and pretty, and it's easy to imagine she would get along well at school. But until last year, Annalisee's parents — Angi, a 53-year-old university assistant, and Marcelo, 63, who recently retired from his job at a Caterpillar dealership — couldn't find a school willing to take their daughter unless she enrolled with her age-mates. None of the schools in Longview — and even as far away as the Dallas area — were willing to let Annalisee skip more than two grades. She needed to skip at least three — she was doing sixth-grade work at age 7.
From the article:
Any sensible culture would know what to do with Annalisee Brasil. The 14-year-old not only has the looks of a South American model but is also one of the brightest kids of her generation. When Annalisee was 3, her mother Angi Brasil noticed that she was stringing together word cards composed not simply into short phrases but into complete, grammatically correct sentences. After the girl turned 6, her mother took her for an IQ test. Annalisee found the exercises so easy that she played jokes on the testers — in one case she not only put blocks in the correct order but did it backward too. Angi doesn't want her daughter's IQ published, but it is comfortably above 145, placing the girl in the top 0.1% of the population. Annalisee is also a gifted singer: last year, although just 13, she won a regional high school competition conducted by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Annalisee should be the star pupil at a school in her hometown of Longview, Texas. While it would be too much to ask for a smart kid to be popular too, Annalisee is witty and pretty, and it's easy to imagine she would get along well at school. But until last year, Annalisee's parents — Angi, a 53-year-old university assistant, and Marcelo, 63, who recently retired from his job at a Caterpillar dealership — couldn't find a school willing to take their daughter unless she enrolled with her age-mates. None of the schools in Longview — and even as far away as the Dallas area — were willing to let Annalisee skip more than two grades. She needed to skip at least three — she was doing sixth-grade work at age 7.
