At this moment, there are no fewer than *seven* pending stories on the front page of Slashdot. Seven!

Before I went out for a bite, there were only four. All four of those went on to be real stories.

I suppose that April Fool's Day is a day when all the ghosts can take on corporeal form. So this journal entry is itself a bit of an April Fool's joke... there won't likely be any Ghosts of April Fool's day.

But if there were one article that could be judged "least likely", it would have to be this one from the - - dept. I don't know how it made it past the lameness filter. I hope it goes live, though... I can't wait to add my comments. I think I'll say, "."

Ghosts of Slashdot: 03/30/2005
[This is a strange one. The link gives the usual message of exorcism ("Nothing for you to see here. Please move along."), but the article is still showing up -- both on the front page and in the Hardware section. Even more strange is the article format -- normally only the first paragraph displays on the front page, but this entire article is showing up! This may be due to use of "br" tags instead of letting Slashcode do the breaking -- that also leads to some strange paragraph parsing. It's like a ghost that won't stay dead. We'll watch it and see what happens. Update: Within about 10 minutes, the article finally disappeared from both the front page and the Hardware page. Further Update: The article has returned, this time with better editing and a Slashcode-friendly paragraph structure.]

User Review of N-Charge II Laptop Battery
Posted by timothy in The Mysterious Future!
from the sometimes-they-come-back dept.

Occams Razor writes "I recently moved from using an N-Charge I (http://www.valence.com/saphion.asp) external battery to the N-Charge II external battery.
 
Let me first say that the series 1 battery was really handy and well designed. It let me work/use my laptop continuously for the 10+ hour flights that I end up taking with some regularity these day.
The series 1 is slim, maybe .5 inches thick (1.5cm?) and has the same footprint as an IBM T40 or T41 laptop (which is what I have).
This means it fit perfectly under my laptop.
Unfortunately, the Series 2 N-charge (Saphion) battery appears to be the worst kind of marketing spawn.
Here are the full details that I've written up in hopes that others will learn from my mistake (and who knows, maybe the company will listen?)
 
First and foremost, the battery simply does not last as long as the 1st generation battery did. I used both batteries on flights to Japan from the west coast of the US. That's about a 10 hour flight. The 1st gen battery lasted close to 7 hours and was consistent on showing me the strength of it's remaining charge through the whole flight.
The 2nd gen battery might have lasted 5.5 hours and the display went from showing moderate charge (two lights) to the battery dying in less than an hour. That is not at all what I expected from a display.
 
Secondly and only slightly less important are the changes in the form factor. The 1st gen battery was the perfect shape and size to fit under my laptop, even when I used it with laptops with a slightly different footprint, the battery was large enough (length & width) that the laptop was still stable resting on it. It was also thin enough that having a footprint mismatch wasn't a big problem (either in terms of ergonomics or in terms of stability for the laptop).
The 2nd gen battery is a horrible form factor. Just plain and simple, it doesn't appear to have been designed to take into account how people will use it. It is too tall to fit nicely under a laptop with a different footprint and the small size (length & width) ensure that any laptop resting on top of it will be completely off balance.
 
I don't know what their use cases were for the device but the most common ones for me are either when I am sitting somewhere with no desk or power (and hence all my devices need to be on my lap or on the floor but I have space), or when I am on an airplane and have the same scenario as the first case but also am severely limited for space in general.
 
If I have space but no desk then I need a long enough cord to get from my power supply to my laptop. That means that either the battery has to fit under the laptop (in which case it can have a short cord) or it needs to have a nice long cord (much longer than the short one they provide which can't be extended). They have failed to provide for either of these options.
 
If I am on an airplane, the battery needs to fit under the laptop. Period. I might be willing to place it in the seatback pocket but the 2nd gen battery is too thick to fit well there. I might be willing to have it in my backpack on the floor in front of me (though that is so awkward that it is almost dangerous if I have an emergency) but the cord is way too short for that.
 
Personally I think the change to three charge lights (instead of 5 in the first version) was pointless and that more information is better than less but I can accept it so long as they are accurate. Unfortunately, they aren't. They don't seem to represent 1/3 of the charge each, more like 1/6, 1/3 and 1/2 respectively.
 
The new power adapter tips are easier to lose and don't fit my laptop port as well as the 1st gen plugs. This has caused my laptop to end up being disconnected from the battery spontaneously and it appears to be slowly damaging the socket in my laptop, possibly due to wiggling.
 
At this point I am planning on trying to return the 2nd gen battery and add-on battery and go find someone who will sell me one of the 1st gen batteries on e-Bay.
 
I'm tremendously disappointed and hope that their 3rd generation shows better design."

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...

Ghosts of Slashdot: 03/25/2005
[For the second time in two days, I and my fellow Subscribers helped excorsise a Ghost. This one is a dupe of an item from yesterday's front page. One big difference: the original article was filed under "Security" and "Technology", while this one would have been under "Linux Business" and "Privacy". Slightly different spin, I guess.]

Linux Being Offered To Secure Online Banking
Posted by Zonk in The Mysterious Future!
from the can't-be-too-careful dept.

TheWanderingHermit writes "Australian company Cybersource says it's currently talking to two banks in Australia about providing Linux-based bootable CDs to consumers to ensure Internet banking security. They are considering using a modified Knoppix for online banking users as a way to make it more secure. They are in 'reasonably serious' discussions with some banks over this idea." From the article: "We don't expect too much action at this point from the major banks...We'd probably expect some of the more regional ones or some of the providers of other financial services to be the first onboard with something like this."

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...

Ghosts of Slashdot: 03/24/2005
[Whine if you must about duplicate articles, but sometimes, I think, it sounds too good to hold back. That's where we Subscribers come in. This article is a dupe of an article that was still on the front page, but I and (I hope) other Subscribers helped send it to its final reward. Additional satisfaction: this submission isn't nearly as well-written as the original, possibly because it's from a guy pushing his own blog!]

Jeff Hawkins Takes a Crack at the Brain
Posted by CmdrTaco in The Mysterious Future!
from the ai-oh-ai dept.

Alan writes "Jeff Hawkins, the handheld pioneer behind the Palm and Handspring companies, has decided to start using his head. He is hours from introducing his new company, Numenta, to the world. Its mission statement is to create machines that function like the human brain. From anyone else, this would be a prelude to drooling on castle towers while trying to catch lightning to rule mankind, but this is the man who invented the handheld and pushed the wireless revolution, so the world is listening."

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...

Obligatory whine about a rejected submission. There were probably several submissions of this news item, and mine stayed in "Pending" status for several hours, so I think I was given a fair shot.

The winner, Texas Attorney General Sues Vonage over 911, has a better subject than mine (no abbr's), is under the more popular (if inaccurate) "Your Rights Online" category, and doesn't stoop to including a Simpsons reference. "You selected Regicide. If you know the name of the king or queen being murdered, press 1."

Texas AG Sues Vonage over VOIP 911
from the rejected-submissions dept.
RobertB-DC writes "It sounds like something from The Simpsons, but it happened in Texas: when 17-year-old Joyce John tried to call 911 during a burglary, she got a recording telling her to use another line. The state's Attorney General is now suing Vonage, citing this incident as proof that the company failed to inform customers that their "just like a regular phone" VOIP service doesn't come with traditional 911 access. Just coming clean won't be enough, either: the state wants $20k per customer in civil penalties."

Ghosts of Slashdot: 02/25/2005
[This one was a dupe of an article from the previous day. I helped exorcise this ghost myself -- I sent a note to the "daddypants" address alerting the editors to the condition. (And yes, I would like a cookie!) Too bad it's a dupe, though, because there are several very good links.]

New Evidence Raises Possibility of Life on Mars
Posted by Zonk in The Mysterious Future!
from the for-real-this-time dept.

MJ writes "From a CNN article, "A U.S. scientist claims to have thawed out a new life form, which he said raises questions about possible contemporary life on Mars. The organism froze on Earth some 30,000 years ago, and was apparently alive all that time and started swimming as soon as it thawed, said Richard Hoover from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama... This discovery, coupled with research released this week by the European Space Agency, makes it more likely that life could be found on Mars, Hoover said." Mr. Hoover has made a name for himself searching for life in places like Mono Lake, Antarctica and even inside meteorites as well." More available on the martian gasses available at ABC and the BBC. This is subtly different research than that discussed earlier this month on Slashdot.

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...

Well, it looks like a rejected submission wasn't enough to get me out of Slashdot's good graces. I have 5 points again -- but this time, they expire over the weekend, so I've got to use them TODAY! Suggestions welcome. My default plan will be to follow previous suggestions, and use them to steer the conversation of a new story in a constructive direction.

I haven't tried my hand at a submission in a while, so I guess it's no surprise that I got rejected. It was dicey anyway -- for one thing, it's not like the bill has been approved by both houses and is waiting for Gov. Perry's signature. And more importantly, it's Texas, so the signal-to-noise ratio in the comments would be abysmal.

Your Rights Online: Texas Says "Black Box" Info Belongs to Drivers

RobertB-DC writes "The first bill to be passed by Texas' House of Representatives mandates that the information recorded by your car's event recorder (aka "Black Box") belongs to you. What's more, it can't be retrieved without your permission or a court order. The text of the bill doesn't include any backdoors, either -- and even requrires that dealers disclose the existence of the device to potential buyers. Of course, the bill still has to be approved by the Senate and the Governor before it takes effect on September 1, 2006."

I have absolutely no time, and 5 more mod points. It's been every three or four days since the start of 2005! I'll do my best, but they expire tomorrow, so help me out or else I'll go blow them in the Politics section. :o

Update: Good thing I blew 3 points yesterday on pseudo-random posts, because today they're gone. We'll see by next Monday whether my failure to use all my mod points leads to their being revoked. If not, we'll play again soon!

Further update: It's Monday, and I have 5 more mod points (they expire tomorrow, which means I actually "got" them on Sunday). Guess that means I'm still in the good (?) graces of the Slashcode. I'm going to follow some suggestions in the replies to this posting...

Another day, another point: It's Monday again, and 5 more mod points. I blew four steering the Linux Robots article towards embedded devices, and #5 went to a redundant AC (I wimped out and used "Overrated" whining about the inaccurate Slashdot summary text (now corrected) about Ice on Mars. See you next week!

Update 2/1: 5 more mod points! I'll just add it all here. But that makes 30 mod points since 1/4, still averaging a point a day. Did I die and become an Editor, or something?

Yep, I got 5 more mod points today, expire on 1/28. That makes 25 mod points since 1/4 -- about a point a day, averaged out.

The problem is that there's a huge crisis at work -- not a deathmarch, just a lot of work to do. There's no way to spend time on Slashdot and find good posts. So someone please point me in the right direction -- feel free to plug your own worthy posts!

Update: I added an "Insightful" to a child of this already +5 post. It's actually funny, but I think it's worthy of a Karmic boost.

Here's one: It's only freakish weather if your lifespan is less than a few hundred years. Unfortunately for those trying to determine the threat posed by global warming, we humans tend to come in on the short end of that range. When my 14-year-old asked whether tsunamis, South Texas snow, and California mudslides were harbingers of The End, I pointed out that the early 1800's saw A Year Without a Summer... and Armageddon didn't come then, either.

The story was a dupe, but the use of the Digital Electric Corporation's logo on an article about Digital Satellite Radio brought howls of disdain from old-school IT pros like myself. I up-modded a couple of replies in the thread (and added that second one as a Friend, 'cause of his cool journal entries).

I gave away a mod point from the second batch (!) to one of the folks kind enough to reply to this posting -- see comments for details.

Time to put on the evil moderator hat. I was going to mod down some replies by people who just didn't get the joke -- carbon monoxide isn't really that much of a problem in space, nor is dihydrogen monoxide for that matter. But I ended up up-modding a couple of replies from folks that did get it: the original poster and a funny disclaimer (modded as insightful to give karma). Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball!

Another funny informative post. I'm getting desperate.

Last one. I'm the "insightful" mod among the "funny". At this rate, though, I should have mod points again on Monday. See you then!

Ghosts of Slashdot: 01/24/2005
[I haven't found it, but I suspect this must be a dupe. The ifsmodel.org site has a note dated 1/17/05 saying "Since the release... the increased volume of users has uncovered some instability in the newly-developed web version..." That sounds like a Slashdotting to me.]

Global Trends In 2020
Posted by Hemos in The Mysterious Future!
from the just-like-shadow-president dept.

wiredog writes "From the National Intelligence Council of the US Central Intelligence Agency comes the report, Mapping the Global Future on Global Trends in 2020. From the report:' The nation-state will continue to be the dominant unit of the global order, but economic globalization and the dispersion of technologies, especially information technologies, will place enormous new strains on governments. Growing connectivity will be accompanied by the proliferation of virtual communities of interest, complicating the ability of states to govern. The Internet in particular will spur the creation of even more global movements, which may emerge as a robust force in international affairs.' You can read the Executive Summary. You can also play with the online and downloadable models!"

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...

Just when I thought that the New Year's moderation giveaway was over... I get more mod points! I figured it was just a matter of holiday absenteeism among the Slashdot population, causing the code to spread X mod points among (Y-Z) active Slashdotters. But now I wonder if I've done something right, at least in the eyes of the Slashcode.

This makes a total of 20 mod points assigned to me since 1/4/05. This is better than the Slashdot Beta Test! Happy birthday to me!

But as usual, help would be appreciated. Please post any suggestions of worthy postings.

Updates: Upmodded one of the few relevant posts to a Science section story.

See comments for the second point.

I'm running out of time, so I threw out a funny mod.

And I blew the last two on a story in Politics. Moderating in the Politics section is like throwing pennies in a fountain: it's better than throwing them away, but it doesn't do anyone any good, except for the little kiddies that reach in and grab a handful of change when their parents aren't looking.

Ghosts of Slashdot: 01/13/2005
[I almost missed this one -- I'm pretty excited about the Mars Rock. But this one is a dupe of an article from sometime late last week. Spelling note: it's "sensitive". Watch those tricky schwas.]

Cracker Reads E-mails of Investigating Agent
Posted by CmdrTaco in The Mysterious Future!
from the they're-everywhere-they're-everywhere dept.

l2718 writes "A Secret Service agent kept sensetive information on his PDA which was accessed by a cracker. Now this wouldn't be funny except that he was investigating a T-Mobile break-in, and that he was a T-Mobile customer. In addition to secret government documents the cracker had also obtained customer records and Social Security numbers of 400 other customers."

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...

It's time to go home, and I'm refreshing Slashdot to see if any new Ghosts have appeared (see other journal entries). No Ghosts, but I did get... 5 more mod points! What have I done to deserve such a bounty? It sure hasn't been my previous moderation, which looking back borders on the insane.

Help me out, folks! What can I mod for you today?

Update: This one looked Insighful to me, probably because it was the first of several hundred to come up with the same "solution".

This one is another good one. I modded it "Insightful", as had the previous poster, instead of "Funny", because Slashdot doesn't include a "+1, Ha Ha Only Serious" mod.

Ghosts of Slashdot: 01/11/2005
[After a long stretch without hauntings, the first ghost of 2005 has appeared. This one was quickly exorcised, as it was a dupe of an article that was still on the front page at the time! I think the editors may be suffering from post-holiday stress... I've sent four messages to the "Daddypants" address regarding typos and grammar problems in the past two days (all of which were addressed before the articles went live). The eds could have justified this dupe, by the way... it contains IBM.com links instead of links to NYTimes.com]

IBM Opens 500 Patents to Open Source
Posted by CmdrTaco in The Mysterious Future!
from the well-thats-nice dept.

allanj writes "IBM has opened 500 of its many patents to Open Source developers. A direct link to the list of patents covered by this can seen in this large PDF."

What are the Ghosts of Slashdot?
As a Slashdot Subscriber, I get to see stories before they're posted to the general public. This means that I get to see the mistakes -- the articles that almost made it, but got sent to the cutting room floor at the last minute. They become the Ghosts of Slashdot, a URL that points to nothing.

Note that this is NOT the same as whining about article submissions that didn't get accepted! These stories were accepted, posted for subscribers, and then pulled from the site. Their brief existence gives us a glimpse into the Slashdot post-submission process, for those who are interested in what's going on behind the curtain.

Other Subscribers have joined the Ghost Hunt!
Here's a partial list:

morcheeba

more to come...