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Submission + - Studying the Slashdot effect

Submitted by
Emmanuel Cecchet
Emmanuel Cecchet writes: "We are just starting a study of the Slashdot effect with my research group. By clicking on the previous link, we are going to fully record the impact of this post on our system. We are also interested in people who would like to share experiences or traces of Slashdot effects on their systems so that we could better understand its impacts.
What kind of results do you expect from this study? Would Digg or Fark effects exhibit similar patterns? What tools would you like to have to evaluate /. effect (Slashdot distributed load simulator, ...)?"
Robotics

Submission + - Tumbleweed Juggling Robot Art

Submitted by emblem
emblem writes: Shaun Slifer and Stuart Anderson have constructed a tumbleweed juggling robot for the Rossum's robot arts collective show, "Mechanosphere", at the Three Rivers Arts Festival gallery in Pittsburgh. It uses an infrared security camera modified with a IR long-pass filter and retroreflective tape to track the tumbleweed. Position and velocity data from the vision system are processed into motor commands and sent to an Arduino and Sabertooth that control the motion of a gimbal mounted platform built from recycled bike drive trains, EMT conduit, and canvas.
Security

Submission + - Electronic Door Locks

Submitted by zentigger
zentigger writes: I work for an ISP that supports internet in several dozen remote areas. Our POPs are typically fairly small shed-like structures with a couple racks of equipment. For the most part we can manage this stuff in-band, but frequently we need to have a local agent physically access the equipment for some minor maintenance work or adjustments. As time goes on the shuffle of keys is becoming farcical and expensive. What we need is an electronic lock of some sort that can be reprogrammed remotely (preferrably from a remote console via serial or directly via ethernet) that will stand up to extreme weather. Google certainly turns up lots of glossy brochures — although I don't see how they can all be "The heaviest duty lock you can buy!" Does anyone have good experiences with any particular products or perhaps other means of dealing with the key shuffle?
User Journal

Journal Journal: Local warming 3

Journal by Alioth

Whatever your views on global warming, the change in the local climate in these parts over the past few years has been quite spectacular.
Communications

Submission + - DoD to Put Internet Router in Space

Submitted by
narramissic
narramissic writes: "ITworld is reporting that the Department of Defense plans to launch in the first quarter of 2009 a satellite-based router to deliver military communications. Satellite operator Intelsat will manage the three-year Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) project, while Cisco will provide IP networking software for the on-board router. After testing, the satellite will be available for commercial use. From the article:

Potential nonmilitary benefits of the IRIS program include the ability to route IP (Internet Protocol) traffic between satellites in space in much the same way packets are moved on the ground, reducing delays, saving on capacity and offering greater networking flexibility, Lloyd Wood, space initiatives manager in the Global Defense, Space & Security division of Cisco, said Thursday.
"
IBM

Submission + - IBM Develops Chip-Stacking Technique

Submitted by
oxide7
oxide7 writes: "IBM has found a way to connect chips inside products ranging from cell phones to supercomputers, an advance that promises to prolong battery life in wireless devices and eventually speed data transfers between the processor and memory chips in computers, the company said Thursday. The manufacturing technique outlined by IBM Corp. eliminates the long metal wires that are currently used to transfer information and electrical charge between chips. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20070412/ibm-chip- stacking.htm"
IBM

IBM Heralds 3-D Chip Breakthrough 99

Posted by kdawson from the more-moore dept.
David Kesmodel from WSJ writes to let us know about an IBM breakthrough: a practical three-dimensional semiconductor chip that can be stacked on top of another electronic device in a vertical configuration. Chip makers have worked for years to develop ways to connect one type of chip to another vertically to reduce size and power use. The IBM technique of "through-silicon vias" offers a thousand-fold reduction in connector length and a hundred-fold increase in connector density. The new chips may appear in cellphones and other communication devices as soon as next year. PhysOrg has more details.

Feed Arctic Atmosphere Very Clean This Year (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed
Scientists are examining the Arctic atmosphere, specifically, small suspended particles, so-called aerosols, and clouds in order to improve our understanding of the radiation dynamics in the atmosphere, and their impact on climate. Aerosols represent minute airborne substances which, through absorption or reflection of solar radiation have a direct influence on the climate.
Space

Submission + - How to save NASA

Submitted by N8F8
N8F8 writes: For the baby boomer generation space was an adventure. They fantasized about adventures traveling to other planets and stars. Kids today are bored with the idea. NASA is in rapid decline and new proposals are met by a "so what" shrug from the public. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and potential 2008 US Presidential contender, has proposed a solution to excite Americans and drive space exploration by having the US Government sponsor a $20 billion, 21st Century America's Cup race modeled after the X-Prize competition.
Privacy

Submission + - Hacker's Case May Add to Students' Privacy Rights

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Article in Inside Higher Ed says the legal loss of a hacker in federal appeals court may result in students at public universities having MORE privacy rights. The hacker lost, but federal appeals court also said he had (generally) a right to privacy on computer in his dorm room:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/09/heck enkamp
PHP

Submission + - Command-line PHP? Yes, you can!

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Learn how to debug PHP code from the command line and examine the strengths of PHP as a shell scripting language unto itself. Give PHP a chance on the command-line interface, and you may find that it has become your new favorite shell-scripting tool. There's really nothing stopping you from using PHP as your Swiss Army knife for almost any given programming project.

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"It says he made us all to be just like him. So if we're dumb, then god is dumb, and maybe even a little ugly on the side." -- Frank Zappa

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