Comment As a blackberry user, I don't need a crystal ball (Score 4, Insightful) 262
I already know the future. Fail, of the epic kind.
Comment What you call optimize, they call cooking? (Score 3, Insightful) 285
I'd hate to say this, but company $A having an algorithm that might be tuned however they damn well please does not constitute cooking... unless, there is a master defined algorithm that every search provider must follow. Yes... I can see the goose-stepping algorithm enforcement brigades now.
Now, are we going to start with the "In Soviet America Jokes", or are we going to just define the algorithm Führer and get over with it?
Comment ad-hoc http encryption? (Score 1) 351
Well.... sounds like we need an adaptive add-on to the HTTP protocol for ad-hoc encryption.
Comment Hi Lazyweb! Alternatives? (Score 1) 80
I hate to say it, so instead of my bill being someplace between 2-3x of what it is presently, it will end up being around 2x..... So Anyone have a pretty gui built around one of the open source/free hypervisors with all the same basic features as vCenter (live migration, live storage migration, performance reporting)? oh, and the GUI needs to be easy for a windows person to use.
Comment Tracking? Remote data access? (Score 4, Informative) 399
Anyone else getting the vibe that since this thing will have a 3g connection on the backend, that it can be misused by others(governments) to track and remotely control/access your device. Geeeeeeeeee. This does not sound like a good idea... Well unless your the TSA.
Comment Perhaps... Perhaps not. (Score 1) 1139
I could see it working in larger areas, or between larger cities. Example, in North Carolina, If I could go from Winston-Salem, NC to Raleigh, NC, however we're talking 120 miles highway, and possibly 160 via rails, although I don't see myself driving 30-60 miles to get to a train station, to hop on a train that only runs 2 times a day, to get to a city where I would have to rent a car or get a ride from a friend because... in some cities in NC... public transportation only stops most places 2 times a day.... so I think I'll just drive the 80-100 miles to get where I need to go and do what I need to do. K THX GIVE ME MY TAX MONEY BACK BAI
Things You Drink Can Be Used To Track You 202
sciencehabit writes with an intriguing story about the potential of figuring out where people have been by examining their hair: "That's because water molecules differ slightly in their isotope ratios depending on the minerals at their source. Researchers found that water samples from 33 cities across the United State could be reliably traced back to their origin based on their isotope ratios. And because the human body breaks down water's constituent atoms of hydrogen and oxygen to construct the proteins that make hair cells, those cells can preserve the record of a person's travels. Such information could help prosecutors place a suspect at the scene of a crime, or prove the innocence of the accused." Or frame someone by slipping them water from every country on the terrorist watchlist.
Comment Re:Why does the UPS not have a fail safe that kill (Score 1) 154
You can test lead-acid batteries by measuring the resistance between the terminals. Most upses only look for voltage from the battery. This means that the battery casing can split open, leak acid, before the batter grounds out or goes kaboom, or whatnot. I had one battery in a 64 battery cabinet leak out and ground out the batteries.... The bloody APC Silcon (now discontinued) ups didn't throw an alarm at all, all we noticed that there were no lights all of a sudden when the power flickered. It was apparently a firmware bug or some sort because APC swapped out the firmware IC chips when they replaced the batteries.
Generally, with larger ups systems, you tend to have a quarterly battery inspection where a tech comes out, takes voltage and ohms readings for each battery in the unit, and visually inspects the batteries in the cabinet.
Comment Re:A: The law. (Score 1) 511
Also, anything that has to be audited/signed/checked off for process control/accountability, which relates back to regulations.
Towards Artificial Consciousness 291
jzoom555 writes "In an interview with Discover Magazine, Gerald Edelman, Nobel laureate and founder/director of The Neurosciences Institute, discusses the quality of consciousness and progress in building brain-based-devices. His lab recently published details on a brain model that is self-sustaining and 'has beta waves and gamma waves just like the regular cortex.'" Edelman's latest BBD contains a million simulated neurons and almost half a billion synapses, and is modeled on a cat's brain.
What to Do With a $99 Wall Wart Linux Server 346
Guanine writes in with a follow-up to our discussion a few months back on the SheevaPlug: 1.2-GHz ARM-compliant processor, 512 MB DDR2, 512 MB flash, USB 2.0, gigabit ethernet, in a package the size of a wall wart, for $99. Saul Hansell's Bits Blog in the NY Times talks about a few applications for such a device, whose price point Hansell claims will drop to $40 before too long. "The first plausible use for the plug computer is to attach one of these gizmos to a USB hard drive. Voila, you've got a network server. Cloud Engines, a startup, has in fact built a $99 plug computer called Pogoplug, that will let you share the files on your hard drive, not only in your home but also anywhere on the Internet. ... [Marvell's CEO said] 'Eventually you won't see the plug. We want this device to be in your TV, your stereo system, your DVD player.'"
Original Cast On Board For Ghostbusters 3 444
bowman9991 writes "Dan Aykroyd reveals that all the original cast have now signed on for Ghostbusters 3, including Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Apparently Bill Murray, who holds a one-fifth controlling interest, was very reluctant at first, not even willing to read a third draft of Aykroyd's script. Aykroyd would like to see Ivan Reitman or Harold Ramis direct, wants to introduce a 'new generation' of Ghostbusters, and believes they could be filming the new Ghostbuster movie by winter."
On iPhone, Searching For Kama Sutra = Porn 283
heychris writes "Eucalyptus, an ebook app for iPhone, has been rejected from the App Store for 'objectionable content.' What's so objectionable? The Kama Sutra, available from Project Gutenberg, which is available on other ebook readers as well. Not only that, but the screenshot shows that you would have to search for Kama Sutra to get it; it's not built in to Eucalyptus. The author is reasonable but frustrated, while Herr Gruber is more succinct." I wonder how good the now-cheap Nokia 810 is as an e-book reader.
Researchers Store Optical Data In Five Dimensions 239
Al writes "Researchers from Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria, Australia, have developed an optical material capable of storing information in five dimensions. Using three wavelengths and two polarizations of light, the Australian researchers were able to write six different patterns within the same area. The material is made up of layers of gold nanorods suspended in clear plastic that has been spun flat onto a glass substrate and multiple data patterns can be written and read within the same area in the material without interference. The team achieved a storage density of 1.1 terabytes per cubic centimeter by writing data to stacks of 10 nanorod layers."
FSF Settles Suit Against Cisco 194
Saint Aardvark writes "The Free Software Foundation has announced that they've settled their lawsuit with Cisco (reported earlier here). In the announcement, they say that Cisco has agreed to appoint a Free Software Director for Linksys, who will report periodically to the FSF; to notify Linksys customers of their rights; and to make a monetary donation to the FSF. An accompanying blog entry explains further: 'Whenever we talk about the work we do to handle violations, we say over and over again that getting compliance with the licenses is always our top priority. The reason this is so important is not only because it provides a goal for us to reach, but also because it gives us a clear guide to choosing our tactics. This is the first time we've had to go to court over a license violation.'"
