Comment Re:Snitch (Score 1) 457
I think the word for this is hubris.
Comment Re:Patent Trolling (Score 1) 265
You are correct about the 1 year window, but in this case, the application is a chain of continuations and divisionals, so the US filing date is November 2, 1997.
Comment Re:The words of the day are... (Score 1) 150
Here's the invention:
1. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising: reading a file comprising text representing a sentence comprising a plurality of words, wherein one or more words in the sentence represented by the text are targeted in the file with a defined tag for applying a customizable instructional font included in the file to the text of the one or more words targeted with the defined tag, the file including a tag definition referenced by the defined tag associated with the instructional font and specifying at least one event and at least one action to promote word understanding performed in response to the at least one event; displaying the sentence in a user interface of a program that aids a word understanding of a user and that allows the user to request multiple stages of informational output for interpreting meaning of a displayed word in the sentence that is targeted with the defined tag for the instructional font, wherein each stage of informational output communicates the meaning of the displayed word to the user using a different media effect to promote word understanding in multiple stages; receiving input from the user to interact with at least a portion of the text of a displayed word in the sentence that is targeted with the defined tag, the input corresponding to an event specified by the tag definition; determining whether the input comprises a request for informational output for interpreting the meaning of the displayed word; determining a stage of informational output for the request based on whether the input comprises a subsequent request for informational output; and performing at least one action specified by the tag definition in the file and corresponding to the stage of informational output to render a media effect for communicating the meaning of the displayed word to the user.
I don't remember seeing that on Sesame Street, but it's been a while.
Comment Re:Seems odd... (Score 1) 546
Ignorance is what happens. The concept will be lost over time. Eventually someone will rediscover it, create a new name for it, and be a hero to pedants around the world.
Comment Re:Too early (Score 1) 611
You aren't being cynical enough now, costing them more money is what makes the situation worse.
Comment Re:My Linksys experience (Score 1) 374
If they are using a closed source OS that isn't a derivative of GPL code, wouldn't they be compliant with the GPL?
The Psychology of Achievement In Playing Games 80
A post on Pixel Poppers looks at the psychological underpinnings of the types of challenges offered by different game genres, and the effect those challenges have on determining which players find the games entertaining. Quoting:
"To progress in an action game, the player has to improve, which is by no means guaranteed — but to progress in an RPG, the characters have to improve, which is inevitable. ... It turns out there are two different ways people respond to challenges. Some people see them as opportunities to perform — to demonstrate their talent or intellect. Others see them as opportunities to master — to improve their skill or knowledge. Say you take a person with a performance orientation ('Paul') and a person with a mastery orientation ('Matt'). Give them each an easy puzzle, and they will both do well. Paul will complete it quickly and smile proudly at how well he performed. Matt will complete it quickly and be satisfied that he has mastered the skill involved. Now give them each a difficult puzzle. Paul will jump in gamely, but it will soon become clear he cannot overcome it as impressively as he did the last one. The opportunity to show off has disappeared, and Paul will lose interest and give up. Matt, on the other hand, when stymied, will push harder. His early failure means there's still something to be learned here, and he will persevere until he does so and solves the puzzle."
Submission + - Microsoft Interns Still Feel the Love
theodp writes: "Despite layoffs and a blip in earnings, the Chicago Trib reports that Microsoft's summer interns still enjoy the VIP treatment, although there were 20% fewer of them this year. In addition to being paid $4,600-$6,000 a month, a housing stipend and relocation costs for the summer, interns enjoyed other perks, such as a police escort to speed their way to a private museum party where the 600 or so Microsoft apprentices (85% are offered full-time jobs) screened the most recent Harry Potter movie and were given a free Xbox 360. 'You feel like royalty to be escorted by police,' said Joriz De Guzman, an intern working toward his MBA at Wharton. BTW, before he got mixed up with those MBA-types, De Guzman earned some fame as the Doogie Howser of Computer Science."
Comment Re:Not terribly surprising (Score 1) 479
If you use the road more, you're likely going to use more gas, and therefore pay more for gas. Not on a per gallon basis, but in total.
New Nanotech Fabric Never Gets Wet 231
holy_calamity writes "New Scientist reports on a simple coating for polyester that renders it unwettable — even after two months underwater it emerges dry to the touch. Water cannot attach to the new fabric thanks to nanostructured filaments and a structure that traps a constant air layer. One potential use is for low-drag swim wear."
Comment Re:You can't get there from here. (Score 1) 518
MIT is about $46,350 per year, and many other top tier schools are similar. Some schools require students to live in the dorms at least part of their career. If you can make that much per year working part time, you probably shouldn't worry about being in school at the moment.
Of course, an education from a top tier school may or may not be worth that much more than a decent state school, but there are still plenty of kids fighting to get into the big name schools.
I think the universities in Canada receive considerably more funding from the government than most US (even state) schools.
Of course, an education from a top tier school may or may not be worth that much more than a decent state school, but there are still plenty of kids fighting to get into the big name schools.
I think the universities in Canada receive considerably more funding from the government than most US (even state) schools.
Rollable E Ink Displays Get Real 116
An anonymous reader writes "Two years ago Philips unveiled a prototype of a functional electronic-document reader, called the Readius, which could unroll its display to a scale larger than the device itself. Unfortunately, that was only a prototype. According to Cnet, however, Polymer Vision, which spun out from Philips in 2006, has redesigned the Readius and turned it into a real product that it is going to be available by the end of this year. There are some notable differences between this Readius and the prototype version, in particular, the ability to display 16 shades of grey instead of just 4 and the connectivity options. What doesn't make sense though, is given the energy efficiency and easy-to-read high contrast functionality of E Ink, why other than Motorola with its Motofone, has no other cell phone manufacturer incorporated E Ink technology into its handsets?"
Submission + - Einstein's twin paradox resolved
slashthedot writes: "An Indian American scientist Subhash Kak from Louisiana State University has resolved the 100+ years old Einstein's twin paradox.
"The fact that time slows down on moving objects has been documented and verified over the years through repeated experimentation. But, in the previous scenario, the paradox is that the earthbound twin is the one who would be considered to be in motion — in relation to the sibling — and therefore should be the one aging more slowly. Einstein and other scientists have attempted to resolve this problem before, but none of the formulas they presented proved satisfactory.
Kak's findings were published online in the International Journal of Theoretical Science, and will appear in the upcoming print version of the publication."
"The implications of this resolution will be widespread, generally enhancing the scientific community's comprehension of relativity. It may eventually even have some impact on quantum communications and computers, potentially making it possible to design more efficient and reliable communication systems for space applications."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/lsu -lpr021407.php"
"The implications of this resolution will be widespread, generally enhancing the scientific community's comprehension of relativity. It may eventually even have some impact on quantum communications and computers, potentially making it possible to design more efficient and reliable communication systems for space applications."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/ls
Submission + - Google Search Screws Over SomethingAwful.com
An anonymous reader writes: You may have heard of the humour website SomethingAwful.com. Apparently, for all of their long history they've been having a problem where their website is listed far down Google's results (often last) for searches related to the site (such as the names of features and articles on the site). For example, when I google for "Photoshop Phriday", the site isn't in the first ten pages of results, despite the fact that Google has indexed the relevent page. In fact, the first result is a noproxy.us proxied version of the relevant page, and the rest of the results are blog and forum entries referring to Something Awful. (Results are apparently better on many non-English versions of Google, however.)
It's far from clear what's causing this; the site's PageRank is apparently fine. Attempts to contact Google have fallen on deaf ears and dumb autoresponders. The site was even recently redesigned in the hope of fixing the problem, with no luck so far. Is the world's most popular search engine really this broken, and how much money are people bringing in from knowing the black magic to work around it?
It's far from clear what's causing this; the site's PageRank is apparently fine. Attempts to contact Google have fallen on deaf ears and dumb autoresponders. The site was even recently redesigned in the hope of fixing the problem, with no luck so far. Is the world's most popular search engine really this broken, and how much money are people bringing in from knowing the black magic to work around it?
Submission + - Geek Toys for Kids
Edis Krad writes: An CNN Money article reviews the Hot Toys for 2007. From the article:
"Industry leaders have accepted that kids are becoming more technology savvy at a younger age, and therefore are more inclined to discard their Barbie dolls and Power Ranger action figures for the cool MP3 player or camera cell phone."
Among those, I was particularly impressed with the Video Journal (blogging for kids?), the virtual bicycle (apparently, riding a real bicycle isn't cool enough anymore), and last but not least, the robotic parrot , that oddly reminds me of the replicant owl in Blade Runner
As technology becomes cheaper and more available, is it true that kids prefer cool gadgets rather and soccer balls and baseball gloves?
"Industry leaders have accepted that kids are becoming more technology savvy at a younger age, and therefore are more inclined to discard their Barbie dolls and Power Ranger action figures for the cool MP3 player or camera cell phone."
Among those, I was particularly impressed with the Video Journal (blogging for kids?), the virtual bicycle (apparently, riding a real bicycle isn't cool enough anymore), and last but not least, the robotic parrot , that oddly reminds me of the replicant owl in Blade Runner
As technology becomes cheaper and more available, is it true that kids prefer cool gadgets rather and soccer balls and baseball gloves?
