Comment Re:Of course it bombed (Score 1) 205
Compared to the 2012 elections. The rate started lower but it's been accelerating. You can find the details with google.
How Biostamps Can Replace Clunky Biomedical Sensors 43
An anonymous reader writes: The biostamp--a type of temporary tattoo that feels like skin, yet is laden with electronics--is just about ready for prime time. The technology has entered clinical trials for medical use, and consumer versions, costing just tens of cents, are coming soon. A visit to the University of Illinois researchers developing the technology reveals details about how biostamps work and how they are manufactured. A year from now, don't be surprised if you're wearing one--or two, or three--yourself.
Fuel Free Spacecrafts Using Graphene 265
William Robinson writes: While using a laser to cut a sponge made of crumpled sheets of Graphene oxide, researchers accidentally discovered that it can turn light into motion. As the laser cut into the material, it mysteriously propelled forward. Baffled, researchers investigated further. The Graphene material was put in a vacuum and again shot with a laser. Incredibly, the laser still pushed the sponge forward, and by as much as 40 centimeters. Researchers even got the Graphene to move by focusing ordinary sunlight on it with a lens. Though scientists are not sure why this happens, they are excited with new possibilities such as light propelled spacecraft that does not need fuel.
Netflix Is Experimenting With Advertising 318
derekmead writes: Netflix is experimenting with pre-roll and post-roll advertisements for some of its users. For now, it's just pitching it's own original programming. However, many are concerned that they plan to serve third-party ads, but the company says they have no plans to do so. They told Mashable in a statement: "We are not planning to test or implement third-party advertising on the Netflix service. For some time, we've teased Netflix originals with short trailers after a member finishes watching a show. Some members in a limited test now are seeing teases before a show begins. We test hundreds of potential improvements to the service every year. Many never extend beyond that."
Feed Ars Technica: US airport screeners missed 95% of weapons, explosives in undercover tests (arstechnica.com)
According to a report, secret test operation uncovers widespread security failures.
LEGO Launches a Minecraft Competitor On Steam 108
An anonymous reader writes: There's been plenty of rumors that LEGO was developing a competitor to Minecraft, and today they released it on Steam. "Lego Worlds enables you to populate your worlds with many weird and wonderful characters, creatures, models, and driveable vehicles, and then play out your own unique adventures," the game's Steam page explains. Unlike "Minecraft," LEGO's new game won't have multiplayer gameplay yet.
MIT Physicists Build World's First Fermion Microscope 31
Zothecula writes: Researchers working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) claim to have created a method to better observe fermions – the sub-atomic building blocks of matter – by constructing a microscope capable of viewing them in groups of a thousand at a time. A laser technique is used to herd the fermions into a viewing area and then freeze them in place so all of the captured particles can be imaged simultaneously.
Submission + - Netflix Is Experimenting with Advertising (vice.com)
derekmead writes: Netflix is experimenting with advertisements that run both before and after users watch a video. It's unclear whether or not the company will eventually push ads to everyone.
For now, the company is primarily experimenting with the HBO model of pitching its own original programming to viewers. The company is only showing trailers for shows like Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards—it has not attempted to sell third party ads, and the company told me that, for the moment, only specific users in specific markets are seeing ads.
For now, the company is primarily experimenting with the HBO model of pitching its own original programming to viewers. The company is only showing trailers for shows like Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards—it has not attempted to sell third party ads, and the company told me that, for the moment, only specific users in specific markets are seeing ads.
Comment Re:Seems to Be a Pattern of Behavior (Score 1) 384
Y'know, a "tl;dr" line for every single story would be interesting -- good idea. I'm going to put that is as a feature request. I think that would be a cool thing on many sites, actually; it would be a cool thing if more newsy/texty sites had a checkbox to turn on that feature.
And I wish idiotic clickbait image ads (the "You'll never believe which naked celebrity said you should eat this one weird vegetable
The Artificial Pancreas For Diabetics Is Nearly Here 95
the_newsbeagle writes: It's the tech that type 1 diabetics have long been waiting for: An implanted "closed-loop" system that monitors a person's blood-sugar level and adjusts injections from an insulin pump. Such a system would liberate diabetics from constant self-monitoring and give parents of diabetic children peace of mind. Thanks to improvements in glucose sensors and control algorithms, the first artificial pancreas systems are now in clinical trials.
Comment Re:Pay them market value (Score 1) 234
I admit I haven't actually read TFA, but were these "CS professors" who left for Uber, or were they "researchers" as the summary says? Yes, tenured professors do indeed get good pay and extremely good job security, but "researchers" at universities usually are not tenured professors, they're postdocs, or maybe untenured professors. Postdocs aren't paid shit, by most accounts, and it's extremely hard to get one of these coveted tenured CS professor jobs. So if these people were a bunch of PhD students, it doesn't sound like they necessarily made a bad choice.
Submission + - New Wind Turbine Has No Blades
HughPickens.com writes: The Guardian reports that Vortex Bladeless has developed a new bladeless wind turbine that promises to be more efficient, less visually intrusive, and safer for birdlife than conventional turbines. Using the principle of natural frequency and vorticity, the turbine oscillates in swirling air caused by the wind bypassing the mast, and then builds exponentially as it reaches the structure’s natural resonance. It’s a powerful effect that famously caused the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940, footage of which inspired David Yáñez to try to build a structure to harness this energy rather than prevent it. The turbine “floats” on magnets, which as well as significantly amplifying the oscillation, also eliminates any friction and the need for expensive lubricating oils or mechanical parts. “Wind turbines now are too noisy for people’s backyard,” says David Suriol. “We want to bring wind power generation to people’s houses like solar power.”
On the minus side the oscillating turbine design will sweep a smaller area and have a lower conversion efficiency. “The best wind turbine will collect around 50% of energy from the wind,” says Suriol. “We are close to 40% with bladeless turbines in our wind tunnel laboratory.” To offset this disadvantage, "you can put four, five or six 4kW turbines in the space of one conventional turbine, which need 5 meter diameter space around them,” he says. In fact, wind tunnel tests have shown they perform even better placed closer together as they benefit from the vortices each of them creates.
On the minus side the oscillating turbine design will sweep a smaller area and have a lower conversion efficiency. “The best wind turbine will collect around 50% of energy from the wind,” says Suriol. “We are close to 40% with bladeless turbines in our wind tunnel laboratory.” To offset this disadvantage, "you can put four, five or six 4kW turbines in the space of one conventional turbine, which need 5 meter diameter space around them,” he says. In fact, wind tunnel tests have shown they perform even better placed closer together as they benefit from the vortices each of them creates.
Comment Re:Of course it bombed (Score 1) 205
You are going to have a rough time with current demographic trends plus the entire "republican party leadership seems to all be bisexual or gay" explosion taking place right now. Seriously- the republican party is starting to look like the catholic church.
Currently, conservative voters are dying over 1 million per year faster than replacement. It's a shift of almost 3 million votes for the 2016 elections.
liberals can be softheaded- but conservatives can be short sighted. Unchecked conservatism often leads to bloody revolution.
Submission + - City CCTV networks vulnerable to cyberattacks (thestack.com) 1
An anonymous reader writes: Public CCTV and security surveillance networks are vulnerable to hacking attacks, according to recent findings from cybersecurity research group Kaspersky Lab. Designed to protect civilians from crime and terrorism, city video surveillance systems could easily be misused by third parties who exploit configuration flaws to access data recorded by the security cameras said Kaspersky. CCTV systems usually connect across a mesh network through which data travels along a series of nodes to a central control center. Kaspersky warned that the majority of camera systems use no encryption at all, or if encryption tools are employed they are not being used correctly. The cybersecurity firm underlined that this means that clear data is readily sent across the mesh network and freely available for anyone with access. Consequently if a hacker is able to gain access to a single node in a network, they would be able to observe and manipulate the data travelling through it, replacing real content with a fake recording for example.
Submission + - What is your most unusual hardware hack?
An anonymous reader writes: It has been recently asked what kind of things someone can power with an external USB battery by another slashdotter. In the light of this, what kind of modifications have you made to your gadgets to do things that they were never meant to do? Consider old routers, cell phones, monitors, etc. that have absolutely no use or value anymore in their intended form. What can you do with them?
