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Submission + - Intel-Powered Asus ZenFone 2 Review: A Solid, Affordable, Unlocked Android Phone (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Asus recently launched their Android Lollipop-driven ZenFone 2 and with its Intel Atom Z3580 SoC with PowerVR graphics and 4GB of RAM. It's an interesting low cost alternative to the major flagship smartphones on the market. Its 5.5-inch Full HD display looks great and build quality is surprisingly high with minimalistic styling and a rear-mounted volume rocker and power button setup much like the LG G4. It also supports dual SIM functionality and handles surprisingly well in the benchmarks and general use. Though its Atom chip doesn't break any records, it offers middle of the pack graphics performance, solid standard compute throughput but feels nimble and responsive with 4GB of RAM minimizing lag. For the price of a 16GB model at $199 and a 64GB variant at $299, it's definitely one to consider, especially for those looking for an unlocked, contract commitment-free Android smartphone.

Submission + - Rick Santorum Wants Pope to 'Leave Science to Scientists'

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: Ed Mazza writes that Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he loves Pope Francis, but he wants the pontiff to stop talking about climate change and "leave science to the scientists." Santorum's comments come as the pope, who holds a degree as a chemical technician and worked as a chemist before turning to the priesthood, has become increasingly vocal about climate change. “The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists," says Santorum, "and focusing on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality, When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, I think the church is not as forceful and credible."

"I guess the question would be, if he shouldn’t talk about it, should you?" asked Chris Wallace of Fox News. “Politicians, whether we like it or not, people in government have to make decision with regard to public policy that affect American workers,” answered Santorum, adding that while “the pope can talk about whatever he wants to talk about,” he questions the Pope’s use of his moral authority to combat the issue of climate change.. Santorum — a devout Catholic — disagrees with the Pope’s stance that climate change is a man-made and has often called climate science “political science,” arguing that a scientific consensus on climate change underscores this point. “All of this certainty, which is what bothers me about the debate, the idea that science is settled,” says Santorum. “Any time you hear a scientist say science is settled, that’s political science, not real science.”

Submission + - Mesosphere introduces free data center OS (thestack.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Mesosphere has launched its new data center operating system (DCOS) as it pushes further for a fully visualized industry. The company is delivering a free version of the software over the cloud, as well as an enterprise edition that can be deployed anywhere. The Mesosphere DCOS was released as a cloud-based public beta last year across Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The software has been designed as a unified operating system combining Apache Mesos with a selection of open source tool and some custom features. The DCOS moves away from typical visualization models to deliver a centralized provision of resources, which looks more like a consumer model rather than a traditional data center device. The Mesosphere system is described as cloud-based infrastructure for managing clustered data center workloads, with resources found at a local data center, a public cloud or in a hybrid setup.

Comment Re: Does El Capitan Fix Major Problems? (Score 1) 415

by Flavianoep (#49872923) Attached to: WWDC 2015 Roundup
The price for the OS is included in the price of a Mac computer, so you pay for it somehow. However, your comment makes me remember how things are different in different countries. In Brazil, the Macs are so more expensive that no one would ever say that anything that comes in it is free.

Comment Re:Does El Capitan Fix Major Problems? (Score 0) 415

by Flavianoep (#49870621) Attached to: WWDC 2015 Roundup

Microsoft, Apple, what's the difference? Both want to steal money from devs and control users with walled gardens.

Or you can use Linux and have more annoyances for free.

Frankly, I can't get how so many people still want to pay so much for an OS, when you can just download one for free and pay as much as you consider reasonable, if you feel uneasy with the free of charge thing.

In the end they all look the same, until you hit into problems.

Comment Re:It's actually surprising... (Score 1) 65

by Flavianoep (#49777675) Attached to: Microsoft Bringing Cortana To iOS, Android

But, honestly ... if people wanted the Microsoft stuff, they'd have bought a Microsoft phone.

I find myself thinking ... why the hell would I want Microsoft anything on an Android or iOS device?

Is there a market of people tripping over themselves for this? Unless it was a corporate device and I had no choice, I see zero value in this for anybody who didn't buy a Microsoft product to begin with.

I use Cyanogen-Mod and have chosen not to have Google Now. If I ever want some kind of personal assistant, my best option will be Cortana.

However, on a second thought, what I've said does not counter your argument.

Submission + - How to know if Iran breaks its word: Financial monitoring (thebulletin.org)

Submitted by Lasrick
Lasrick writes: This is a fascinating read from Aaron Arnold of the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard's Kennedy School. Arnold points out that the Iran Nuclear Framework Agreement specifies not only that international inspectors will have access to all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but will also gain access to Iran’s nuclear supply chain, in order to verify that components and materials are not diverted to a covert facility. 'To insure additional transparency, the preliminary framework calls for a dedicated procurement channel to approve the supply, sale, and transfer of certain nuclear-related and dual-use parts, technologies, and materials on a case-by-case basis.' Arnold points out that this is a tricky area, because Iran has shown extraordinary skill at getting around financial sanctions, and it's unclear what international body will monitor Iran's financial transactions. The article then details steps that could be taken to ensure that Iran's financial transactions are transparent and cannot be used to obtain dual-use materials, including the requirement that Iran join the international Financial Action Task Force. Great read..

Submission + - Code Injection: A New Low for ISPs

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: Beyond underhanded, Comcast and other carriers are inserting their own ads and notifications into their customers’ data streams, writes The Deep End's Paul Venezia. 'Comcast and other ISPs “experimenting” with data caps inject JavaScript code into their customers’ data streams in order to display overlays on Web pages that inform them of data cap thresholds. They’ll even display notices that your cable modem may be eligible for replacement. And you can't opt out,' Venezia writes. 'Think about it for a second: Your cable provider is monitoring your traffic and injecting its own code wherever it likes. This is not only obtrusive, but can cause significant problems with normal Web application function. It’s abhorrent on its face, but that hasn’t stopped companies from developing and deploying code to do it.'

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