Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Patents

Microsoft Invents $1.15/Hour Homework Fee For Kids 580

Posted by timothy from the defining-the-edge-of-invention dept.
theodp writes "Microsoft's vision of your computing future is on display in its just-published patent application for the Metered Pay-As-You-Go Computing Experience. The plan, as Microsoft explains it, involves charging students $1.15 an hour to do their homework, making an Office bundle available for $1/hour, and billing gamers $1.25 for each hour of fun. In addition to your PC, Microsoft also discloses plans to bring the chargeback scheme to your cellphone and automobile — GPS, satellite radio, backseat video entertainment system. 'Both users and suppliers benefit from this new business model,' concludes Microsoft, while conceding that 'the supplier can develop a revenue stream business that may actually have higher value than the one-time purchase model currently practiced.' But don't worry kids, that's only if you do more than 52 hours of homework a year!"
Media

Last Major Supplier Calls It Quits For VHS 308

Posted by timothy from the one-death-after-another dept.
thefickler writes "The last major supplier of VHS videotapes is ditching the format in favor of DVD, effectively killing the format for good. This uncharitable commentator has this to say: 'Will VHS be missed? Not ... with videos being brittle, clunky, and rather user-unfriendly. But they ushered in a new era that was important to get to where we are today. And for that reason, the death of VHS is rather sad. Almost as sad as the people still using it.'" At least my dad's got the blank-tape market cornered.
Programming

Submission + - How to search usenet for programming information

Submitted by DeadlyBattleRobot
DeadlyBattleRobot writes: I've been using Usenet searches since about 1995 to get programming information, sample code, etc., mostly for those standard APIs that are never documented well enough in the official documentation. At first I used dejanews, and now Google Groups (Google bought dejanews). Over the last few years I've noticed a steady decline in the quantity of search results on programming topics on Usenet from Google, increasing difficulty with their search UI and result pages, and today I find I'm completely unable to get a working Usenet search on their advanced group search page. I'm used to searching on "microsoft.*" or "comp.*" sometimes supplemented with variations like "*microsoft*" or "comp*". As an example, try to find a post from 1996-1998 time period on "database" in either the comp.* or microsoft.* hierarchies, and if you can do it, please show your search expression. There should be thousands of results, but I'm getting the result "Your search — database group:comp.* — did not match any documents.."
Privacy

Every Email In UK To Be Monitored 785

Posted by samzenpus from the what-are-you-writing dept.
ericcantona writes "The Communications Data Bill (2008) will lead to the creation of a single, centralized database containing records of all e-mails sent, websites visited and mobile phones used by UK citizens. In a carnivore-on-steroids programme, as all vestiges of communication privacy are stripped away, The BBC reports that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith says this is a 'necessity.'"
Biotech

Single Neuron Wired To Muscle Un-Paralyzes Monkeys 180

Posted by samzenpus from the gentlemen-we-can-rebuild-him dept.
GalaticGrub writes "A pair of paralyzed monkeys regained the ability to move their arms after researchers wired individual neurons to the monkeys' arm muscles. A team of researchers at the University of Washington temporarily paralyzed each monkey's arm, then rerouted brain signals from a single neuron in the motor cortex around the blocked nerve pathway via a computer. When the neuron fired above a certain rate, the computer translated the signal into a jolt of electricity to the arm muscle, causing it to contract. The monkeys practiced moving their arms by playing a video game."

Submission + - What type of chair do you use for programming? 2

Submitted by DeadlyBattleRobot
DeadlyBattleRobot writes: One of the most neglected pieces of high-tech equipment has to be the chair you sit in for long programming sessions. I'm having some back problems probably because of the one I use now and really need to replace it. What models of desk chair should I be looking at? What is working for you?

Slashdot Top Deals

Kleeneness is next to Godelness.

Close