Comment Re:small sample size :-) (Score 1) 259
Really? Why would 49 be a problem? Include statistical tests in your answer.
3 Rugged Notebooks Take a Beating 119
bsk_cw writes "Brian Nadel got a chance to try to destroy three 'fully rugged' notebooks and get paid for it — Computerworld had him drop, spray, drown, bake, shake, and freeze notebooks from General Dynamics Itronix, Getac, and Panasonic. All three suffered some damage, but only the Getac M230 actually died as a result. Brian made videos of the tests (which were apparently done in his home, including his kitchen)."
US To Shoot Down Dying Satellite 429
A user writes "US officials say that the Pentagon is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March. We discussed the device's decaying orbit late last month. The Associated Press has learned that the option preferred by the Bush administration will be to fire a missile from a U.S. Navy cruiser, and shoot down the satellite before it enters Earth's atmosphere. 'A key concern ... was the debris created by Chinese satellite's destruction -- and that will also be a focus now, as the U.S. determines exactly when and under what circumstances to shoot down its errant satellite. The military will have to choose a time and a location that will avoid to the greatest degree any damage to other satellites in the sky. Also, there is the possibility that large pieces could remain, and either stay in orbit where they can collide with other satellites or possibly fall to Earth.'"
Visual Basic on GNU/Linux 383
jeevesbond writes "The Mono Project announced that it has developed a Visual Basic compiler that will enable software developers who use Microsoft Visual Basic to run their applications on any platform that supports Mono, such as Linux, without any code modifications."
Submission + - Where Should I Get My Job Interview Code Samples?
crlove writes: "I'm preparing for an upcoming job interview and my interviewer will want to see some code samples. Unfortunately, all of the coding I've done work-wise since college is not only proprietary, but often classified. And to be honest, with long days at work and a busy life outside of it, I haven't had much time to code on my own.
So, what should I show my interviewer? Should I start working up some code samples? And if so, what would be considered sufficiently complex to take to an interview?"
So, what should I show my interviewer? Should I start working up some code samples? And if so, what would be considered sufficiently complex to take to an interview?"
Submission + - Turtles Immortal?
fatduck writes: "This just in: turtles, left to their own devices, may live forever. Turtles are unique in the animal kingdom for their ability to stop aging altogether. A turtle's organs do not gradually break down over time, nor do they become less efficient. In fact, a 100-year old turtle's organs are virtually indistinguishable from a teenager's. In addition, a turtle's heart does not require constant neural stimulation to beat, and can be shut off for periods of time at will. Scientists are now looking at the turtle genome for potential longevity genes.
FTA:
"Turtles don't really die of old age," Dr. Raxworthy said. In fact, if turtles didn't get eaten, crushed by an automobile or fall prey to a disease, he said, they might just live indefinitely.
"
Submission + - The Pirate Bay blocks Swedish ISP
Scarblac writes: "Swedish political party Pirate Byran (Bureau of Piracy) and torrent siteThe Pirate Bay today launched a campaign to force the swedish ISP Perspektiv Bredband to resume connectivity to the net and stop blocking their users access to the Russian music site allofmp3.com. Perspektiv notes in its own press release that their blocking of allofmp3 is a moral move, not a legal one, since allofmp3 is legal in Sweden. The Pirate Bay want to put pressure on them to stop censorship and hopes others will join their campaign."
Collecting - The Disease 69
An anonymous reader writes "Gamers With Jobs has an interesting piece this morning on the nature of collectibility in games. While primarily a personal account of one man's journey into the hell that is Magic: the Gathering, it raises interesting questions about the difference between real-world and virtual-world collecting, and the economic motivations behind both." From the article: "I sit down. I play. I get schooled by a 12-year-old for two hours as he teaches me the ropes with a condescension reserved for teenagers with grownups by the throat. Each game is a bet — loser gives the winner the top card off his deck: Ante. I leave a dozen cards short. I had discovered a great game, and people to play it against. But that's not why the night sits burned into my brain with razor sharp clarity. No, it's because that Tuesday night in San Francisco, I became a collector."
The Real Issue With Net Neutrality 239
An anonymous reader writes "TechDirt brings into focus one of the largest problems in the net neutrality debate, not the issues themselves, rather it's the people involved and the lies they like to sling. An example of this is certainly the number of lobbyists that are being looked to as 'experts' and getting their opinions published as such. One specific example was a recent piece published in the Baltimore Sun by Mike McCurry, a lobbyist working for AT&T who claimed that with new legislation working for net neutrality Google wouldn't have to pay a dime. In response, TechDirt has suggested that McCurry should swap telco bills with Google, somehow I doubt it will happen."
