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Comment Re:no. it does not. (Score 3, Insightful) 405

by s.bots (#29999418) Attached to: Home Phone System That Syncs To Computer?

Not really for personal use, unless you live in an area where owning a cellphone is prohibitively expensive and a landline isn't. I think the number of geeks that would fit this niche would be very small. Other than this case, I really think the landline is slowly going the way of the dodo as far as home users are concerned.

However, being able to push something like this out to business and corporate clients may well be a viable opportunity.
The Military

Iraq Swears By Dowsing Rod Bomb Detector 652

Posted by samzenpus from the one-man's-junk-is-another-man's-junk-science dept.
jggimi writes "According to the New York Times, more than fifteen hundred remote sensing devices have been sold to Iraq's Ministry of the Interior, at prices ranging from $16,500 to $60,000 each. The devices are used for bomb and weapon detection at checkpoints, and have no battery or other power source. Sounds great, but according to a retired United States Air Force officer, Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack, they work on the same principle as a Ouija board — the power of suggestion. He described the wand as nothing more than an explosives divining rod. Even though the device has been debunked by the US Military, the US Department of Justice, and even Sandia National Laboratories, the Iraqis are thrilled with the devices. 'Whether it's magic or scientific, what I care about is it detects bombs,' said Maj. Gen. Jehad al-Jabiri, head of the Ministry of the Interior's General Directorate for Combating Explosives."
Input Devices

How To Enter Equations Quickly In Class? 823

Posted by timothy from the napkins-and-a-digital-camera dept.
AdmiralXyz writes "I'm a university student, and I like to take notes on my (non-tablet) computer whenever possible, so it's easier to sort, categorize, and search through them later. Trouble is, I'm going into higher and higher math classes, and typing "f_X(x) = integral(-infinity, infinity, f(x,y) dy)" just isn't cutting it anymore: I need a way to get real-looking equations into my notes. I'm not particular about the details, the only requirement is that I need to keep up with the lecture, so it has to be fast, fast, fast. Straight LaTeX is way too slow, and Microsoft's Equation Editor isn't even worth mentioning. The platform is not a concern (I'm on a MacBook Pro and can run either Windows or Ubuntu in a virtual box if need be), but the less of a hit to battery life, the better. I've looked at several dedicated equation editing programs, but none of them, or their reviews, make any mention of speed. I've even thought about investing in a low-end Wacom tablet (does anyone know if there are ultra-cheap graphics tablets designed for non-artists?), but I figured I'd see if anyone at Slashdot has a better solution."

Comment Re:Most people simply don't think about security (Score 1) 216

by s.bots (#29266059) Attached to: The Myths of Security

"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin

I think your sig is a more valid contribution to the discussion than your comment... You can toss as many security obstacles on a computer as you can, but if your end user is a knuckle-dragger who loves his FREE PR0N! and VI@GR4, then your attempt at security is wasted.
Cellphones

Gaming the App Store 217

Posted by kdawson from the burning-your-knees-on-astroturf dept.
space_in_your_face writes "Want to boost the popularity of your latest iPhone app? Ask Reverb Communications! 'When it comes to winning in the App Store, this PR firm has discovered a dynamite strategy: throw ethics out the window. Reverb Communications, a PR firm that represents dozens of game publishers and developers, has managed to find astounding success on Apple's App Store for its clients. Among its various tactics? It hires a team of interns to trawl iTunes and other community forums posing as real users, and has them write positive reviews for their client's applications. ... Reverb claims that their clients have sold over $2 billion of product under their watch.'"

Comment Re:Decent system (Score 1) 863

by s.bots (#29172409) Attached to: "Smart" Parking Meters Considered Dumb

Yes, ParkPlus. It is a pretty good system, but I don't know if it's achieving it's purpose - it was designed to increase the number of available parking spots since people weren't limited by the number of meters, but now some people just park like meatheads on the street.

All in all though, I give it a thumbs up.
Medicine

Swine Flu Kills Obese People Disproportionately 661

Posted by timothy from the super-size-someone-else-please dept.
Philip K Dickhead writes "Bloomberg is reporting that the World Health Organization discovered a single, surprising characteristic that's emerged among swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are all fat. Infected people with a body mass index greater than 40 suffer respiratory complications that are harder to treat and can be fatal. The virus appears to be on a collision course with the obesity epidemic. WHO officials are gathering statistics to confirm and understand this development. 'It's very likely that if we went back retrospectively and looked at people who did poorly during seasonal flu, what would shake out is that obesity would be one of the risks.' Fat cells secrete chemicals that cause chronic, low-level inflammation that can hamper the body's immune response and narrow the airways, says Tim Armstrong, a doctor working in the WHO's chronic diseases department in Geneva."
Image

Railway Workers Get Daily Smile Scans Screenshot-sm 385

Posted by samzenpus from the *_* dept.
More than 500 workers at Japan's, Keihin Electric Express Railway, must have their faces scanned each morning to determine their optimum smile. The "smile scan" analyzes a smile based on facial characteristics, from lip curves and eye movements to wrinkles. After the program scans you, it produces a smile rating that ranges from zero to 100 depending on the estimated potential of your biggest smile. If your number is sufficient, you can go about your day grinning like a maniac. If your smile number is too low the computer will give you a message such as, "lift up your mouth corners" or "you still look too serious." Every morning employees receive a printout of their daily smile which they are expected to keep with them throughout the day.
Internet Explorer

Microsoft Launches New "Get the Facts" Campaign 524

Posted by timothy from the grease-monkey-vs.-redmond-rhinos dept.
ko9 writes that Microsoft has re-launched its "'Get the facts' campaign, in an attempt to promote Internet Explorer 8. It contains a chart that compares IE8 to Firefox and Chrome. Needless to say, IE8 comes out as the clear winner, with MS suggesting it is the only browser to provide features like 'privacy,' 'security,' 'reliability.' It even claims to have Firefox beat in 'customizability.'"

Comment Re:An Ethical Quandry without an easy answer (Score 1) 847

My thoughts exactly. I frankly don't care how other people make their babies, but if/when I procreate it will be via good ol' sex. You already have the option of choosing your partner, thereby having knowledge (to a degree) of what your offspring will be like. If you don't want that kind of kid - find a new partner!

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