thpr - Slashdot User

Submission + - Standards Bodies being lobied regarding OpenXML

Submitted by EreIamJH on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @06:30PM

EreIamJH writes: The Standards Blog reports on a complaint from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) included in its response to the MS-OpenXML draft. SABS complains that it is sick and tired of being pressured by special interest groups trying to get approval / stop approval for proposed phony standards:

The fact that some consortium has published a document that they refer to as a standard does not automatically imply that it has any sort of widespread industry acceptance. The fact that the publisher might claim international usage or acceptance is not longer a valid reason in these days of large multinationals, and the SABS has previously been approached by local branches of multinationals to vote in support of such PAS submissions, even if we have no local industry involvement or membership in the appropriate JTC
As a result SABS has dug its heels in, and will be automatically voting against all such future submissions.

Submission + - Programming the SPE's of Sony PLAYSTATION 3

Submitted by IdaAshley on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @06:27PM

IdaAshley writes: Take even greater advantage of the synergistic processing elements (SPEs) of the Sony PS3 in this installment of Programming high-performance applications on the Cell BE processor. Part 2 looks in depth at the Cell Broadband Engine processor's SPEs and how they work at the lowest level, while Part 1 showed how to install Linux on the PS3 and explored a short example program.

Submission + - Scientist make quantum encryption breakthrough

Submitted by

Madas

on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @02:50PM

Madas writes: "Scientists working in Cambridge, England have managed to make quantum encryption completely secure by putting decoy pulses in the key transmission stream. According to the story this paves the way for safe, encrypted high-speed data links. Could this allow completely private transmission of data away from snooping eyes and ears? Or will it mean film studios can stop movies from being copied when travelling on the internet?"

Vendor Intel: Open source drew us to Solaris 1

Submitted by OSTG Marketing Dept. on Thursday January 25, 2007 @11:26PM

Intel recently decided to add Solaris to its list of supported operating systems. What's behind the decision? Open source . "Under a new partnership inked with Intel, Sun Microsystems will optimize the Solaris operating system (OS) for the Intel platform, and begin shipping Xeon-based systems in the first half of 2007. Sun and Intel will also collaborate in joint marketing, design and engineering efforts."

Submission + - Boeing Cuts 787 Wireless System-Goes Wired

Submitted by

K7DAN

on Thursday January 25, 2007 @11:09PM

K7DAN writes: "It appears that state-of-the-art connectivity in Boeing's newest aircraft means a wired, not wireless network. The Seattle Times reports that Boeing has abandoned plans to bring entertainment and information to passengers through a wireless system in its 787 Dreamliner due to possible production delays and potential conflicts with other radios services. A side benefit is an actual reduction in weight using the wired system. Amazingly, the LAN cables needed to connect every seat in the aircraft weigh 150lbs less than all the wireless antennae, access points and thickened ceiling panels required to accommodate a wireless network."

Submission + - British Moon Mission

Submitted by

syguy

on Thursday January 25, 2007 @10:58PM

syguy writes: "Never ones to give up easily after their failed Mars mission, British scientists are hoping to try again with a series of robotic missions to the dark side of the moon by 2010. Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon was also themed on exploration, though of the human condition, but I digress. One mission — MoonRaker — will look for possible moon base sites. Who could resist naming a space mission after a Bond movie? Let's hope the spacecraft is more durable than the one in the movie. They are probably saving the other obvious TV show reference — Moonbase Alpha from Space 1999 — for the base itself."

Submission + - Nanotechnology podcast from the Exploratorium

Submitted by

doctorsteph

on Thursday January 25, 2007 @10:49PM

doctorsteph writes: "The Exploratorium has just released a new monthly podcast — a nanotechnology variety show called SmallTalk. In each episode, a scientist tells us about their cutting edge research in nanotechnology. Our essayist for the month gets on a soapbox and tells us what they think about the issues surrounding nanotechnology — our hopes for nanotechnology, concerns about regulation and toxicity, and public misperceptions. We cover solar energy, atomic imaging, nanomedicine, consumer products, and more. SmallTalk is released monthly. Subscribe via iTunes or visit our website at http://www.nisenet.org/podcasts . The Exploratorium is a nonprofit museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco."

Submission + - Mobile Leaders Launch LiMo Foundation

Submitted by studios on Thursday January 25, 2007 @08:38PM

studios writes: Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone established the LiMo Foundation to develop the Foundation Platform, a Linux-based, open mobile communication device software platform. A world-class Linux-based platform aims to provide key benefits for the mobile industry including lower development costs, increased flexibility, and a richer mobile ecosystem — all of which contribute to the group's ultimate objective of creating compelling, differentiated and enhanced consumer experiences.

13 Things That Do Not Make Sense 1013

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday March 17, 2005 @11:22PM from the wookies-on-endor dept.

thpr writes "New Scientist is reporting on 13 things which do not make sense. It's an interesting article about 13 areas in which observations do not line up with current theory. From the placebo effect to dark matter, it's a list of areas in need of additional research. Explanations could lead to significant breakthroughs... or at least new and different errors in scientific observations. Now there are 20 interesting problems for Slashdotters to work on, once you combine these with the seven Millennium Problems!"

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