Comment Features (Score 1) 52
Does anyone know anything about any new features of GF110?
Or is it just more speed?
Are there any new cool shader extensions that are 10 times faster?
Comment Recursion fail? (Score 2) 152
If they use ProFTPD for hosting the code too, why wouldn't the Hackers just use that same exploit on that? Why do they need to insert another way in?
Submission + - Grad student looking to contribute to Open Source
An anonymous reader writes: I am an Applied Math grad student who knows a bit of Mathematics and a bit of programming. C++ being my first programming language, I am decent at it. I wish to start contributing to a numerical library with two purposes — contribute to open source and develop my C++ skills at the same time. I looked at the Boost libraries and joined the developer list. However, I have no idea on how to start contributing. I'm not an expert in template programming, having written only toy programs to understand that concept. I've used some of the OOP constructs like inheritance, but that too only for very small projects.
Could slashdotters please give me tips on how to get started on the contribution? Are there any other emerging numerical libraries to which I can contribute? Are there any other avenues where I can contribute to open source and improve programming skills?
Could slashdotters please give me tips on how to get started on the contribution? Are there any other emerging numerical libraries to which I can contribute? Are there any other avenues where I can contribute to open source and improve programming skills?
Submission + - Why You See 'Free Public WiFi' In So Many Places (techdirt.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Almost anywhere you go these days (but especially at airports) if you check for available WiFi settings, you have a pretty good chance of seeing an ad hoc network for "Free Public WiFi." Of course, since it's ad hoc (computer to computer) it's not actually access to the internet. So why is this in so many places? Turns out that it's due to a bug in Windows XP (a bug in Windows!? No!). Apparently, the way XP works is that if it can't find a "favorite" WiFi hotspot, it automatically sets up a computer to broadcast itself as an ad hoc network point, using the name of the last connection the computer attempted. So... people see "Free Public WiFi" and they try to log on. Then their own computer starts broadcasting the same thing, because it can't find a network it knows. And, like a virus, the "Free Public WiFi" that doesn't work lives on and on and on...
Submission + - Framework for flying cars (sellcar-uk.com) 1
mkawick writes: The early days of the automobile saw very slow adoption from 1890-1910. Once paved roads and rules became widespread and the automobile became cheap enough that autos became popular. Flying cars face other hurdles. If a driver is bad in the real world, then the worst that can happen is that s/he crashes and kills a few people. Flying cars could become flying bombs of destruction taking out a power plant or flying sideways into a fuel tanker. Other problems are: what does a flying car do when it runs low on fuel, who has the right or way when two cars are flying at the same altitude, what would a flying car do in the case of a wreck (explode, land as safely as possible, notify the police, etc), and how do you drive such a thing (i.e. what are acceptable controls)? Most cars are simple enough but they drive in 2D; when adding a third dimension, how can you free the driver's mind from the complexity so that s/he can focus on the destination?
In light of Google's self-driving car announcement, I believe that we are on the threshold of flying cars. The Personal Flying Vehicle, the Yee, and robots that fly themselves elevate the concept to real terms. The things that I believe limit us really are a legal framework, the equivalent of roads, dealing with the crash aspect, and the robotic driver assist (RDA) to maintain altitude.
We need to face the real possibility that in the next 10 years, flying vehicles are going to be a reality. We need a framework of discussion, legality, and invention. So, how does one go about creating and being involved in such a framework? I am keenly interested, but there do not seem to be any forums for discussion and I'd like to create one. Also, flying car manufactures are coming up to speed so how would I engage them?
In light of Google's self-driving car announcement, I believe that we are on the threshold of flying cars. The Personal Flying Vehicle, the Yee, and robots that fly themselves elevate the concept to real terms. The things that I believe limit us really are a legal framework, the equivalent of roads, dealing with the crash aspect, and the robotic driver assist (RDA) to maintain altitude.
We need to face the real possibility that in the next 10 years, flying vehicles are going to be a reality. We need a framework of discussion, legality, and invention. So, how does one go about creating and being involved in such a framework? I am keenly interested, but there do not seem to be any forums for discussion and I'd like to create one. Also, flying car manufactures are coming up to speed so how would I engage them?
Submission + - Online study shows Japanese to be 'least friendly' (bbc.co.uk)
An anonymous reader writes: A new survey about global online behavior has been released by TNS, the world's biggest custom research company. One particuarly interesting finding is that Malaysians have the most online friends in the world, with an average of 233 'online' friends each. At the other end of the spectrum, the Japanese only average a paltry 29 e-mates. Other findings can be accessed for free, at http://discoverdigitallife.com/ which has been designed to show the information in a fun, and easily digestible way.
Comment Re:Passtimes with PI, number 419 (Score 1) 299
Unless the seeding number is as large (which is very plausible actually).
Comment Re:I've played a bit (Score 1) 80
You failed the turing test
Comment Cost? (Score 3, Interesting) 88
What's the cost?
Every feature in the world for infinite cost doesn't make a good product...
Comment Obligatory (Score 1) 251
But does it run Linux?
Comment Re:Rock, Scissors, Paper (Score 1) 362
The problem as I see it here is more about getting strategy into the game, and there just happens to be such genre called just that, strategy games.
I'm mostly thinking of Rome total war, where there was a rock, paper, scissors element in.
It worked like this if I can remember correctly:
Phalanx spearmen beats everything head on.
Cavalry beats everything while charging (except charging into spears).
Swordsmen beats everything in melee.
Axemen beats heavily armored units.
Slingers, bowmen beats everything at a distance.
Artillery beats everything at a even grater distance.
Skirmishers beats non-ranged infantry on open ground.
Light cavalry beats lightly armored enemies.
Heavy cavalry beats everything in melee.
Cavalry archers beats everything except light cavalry on open ground.
Elephants beats everything (even heavy cavalry and swordsmen) in melee, except phalanxes.
And then one has to consider the terrain, morale and lots of other things.
And this isn't even strategy, just the rules of the strategy.
Comment Re:Linked list (Score 1) 477
The code finds the last element in a linked list...
Isn't that useful?
For example concat:
void concat(s,x){
for(ss = s->ss; ss; ss = ss->ss);
s->ss = x;
}
Although as the article describes it, the semicolon is a typo...
Isn't that useful?
For example concat:
void concat(s,x){
for(ss = s->ss; ss; ss = ss->ss);
s->ss = x;
}
Although as the article describes it, the semicolon is a typo...
Asterisk Vishing Attacks "Endemic" 141
Ian Lamont writes "Remember the report last year that the FBI was concerned about a 'vishing' exploit relating to the Asterisk IP PBX software? Digium played down the report, noting that it was based on a bug that had already been patched, but now the company's open-source community director says that attacks on Asterisk installations are 'endemic.' There have been dozens of reported vishing attacks in recent weeks, says the article: 'The victims typically bank with smaller regional institutions, which typically have fewer resources to detect scams. Scammers hack into phone systems and then call victims, playing prerecorded messages that say there has been a billing error or warn them that the bank account has been suspended because of suspicious activity. If the worried customer enters his account number and ATM password, the bad guys use that information to make fake debit cards and empty their victim's bank accounts.'"
jQuery Dev Bemoans Overwhelming Spam On Google Groups 251
angryrice tips a blog post by John Resig, lead developer for jQuery, about the failure of Google Groups to manage spam, declaring attempts to use it as a public discussion system "completely futile." Quoting:
"The final straw was placed upon my patience with the Google Groups system a few weeks ago. Spammers are now spoofing the email addresses of existing group participants to sneak their messages through. Previously you would've seen a delightful 'FREE MOVIE DOWNLOADS' spam from 'freemovies123@gmail.com' — but now you'll see it coming from existing group users — or even the group moderators themselves. This cheat completely bypasses the moderation system since the spammers are pretending to be pre-moderated users. The Google Groups system is completely fooled. The spam message comes in claiming to be from an existing group participant — and according to the Google Groups interface there is no difference. If you click the user's name you'll be taken to a full listing of that user's posts (with the spam messages delightfully interspersed)."
Comment Re:From what I've discovered... (Score 1) 579
He actually has a point:
name need = if need
then "Betty"
else ""
Since an invariant for name is that need must be true, then "" will never be reached:
prop_name_invariant need = need==True ==>
name need /= ""
But this is only for those programmers who have programmed too much in lazy programming languages...
name need = if need
then "Betty"
else ""
Since an invariant for name is that need must be true, then "" will never be reached:
prop_name_invariant need = need==True ==>
name need
But this is only for those programmers who have programmed too much in lazy programming languages...
