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Submission + - GA Tech PhD students create open-sourced & mind-controllable Dildo (clatl.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Alternative weekly newspaper Creative Loafing reports (http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2015/02/11/how-a-sex-toy-startup-is-revolutionizing-atlantas-tech-landscape) that a crowdsourced startup has begun production on a "game-changing dildo" called the Mod. "Built on an open-source platform, it gives users the ability to customize functions by hacking away to their hearts’ delight.

The company founders (two Georgia Tech Ph.D students, a GA Tech grad and a Georgia State University grad) view the Mod as way to build a sex-positive DIY community by turning tech play into the new foreplay: "Sex and DIY have always gone hand-in-hand. We want to maintain that relationship as technology begins to play a greater role in the bedroom. The open-source software and hardware movements have provided excellent examples of how to make great, accessible, and customizable programs and products that encourage exploration. By applying the principles and practices of open-source to sex tech, we can encourage hackers to explore sexuality and people interested in sexuality to explore technology."

The Mod's website even has instructions (https://www.comingle.io/howto/mind-controlled-dildo) on how the dildo can be controlled by your --or your partner's-- mind.

Comment Interviewing (Score 1) 323

Recently I went through a couple of job interviews in MNCs, SMEs and start-ups alike. All of them grilled my CS theory or Java knowledge. Almost no interviewer asked me about my other skills (or past experiences) that could be helpful in the developer position

nerdyalien,

The secret of job interviewing is telling the interviewer about your skills and past experiences -- and explaining how relevant those are to the position you are interviewing for --without sounding like a self-centered jerk.

Submission + - David Carr dies after moderating event with Edward Snowden & Glenn Greenwald (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: David Carr, the New York Times media columnist who overcame numerous battles with addiction to become one of the nation’s most recognizable and respected journalists, died on Thursday after collapsing in the newsroom, the New York Times announced on Thursday evening. He was 58.

On Thursday evening, Carr moderated "Citizenfour — New York Times Talk at The New School" [http://events.newschool.edu/event/new_york_times_talk_at_the_new_school_citizenfour#.VN2BFPk7tcY] a panel conversation that included Edward Snowden, filmmaker Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald to discuss last year’s National Security Agency surveillance revelations. Afterward, he collapsed at his office around 9 p.m., NY Times spokesman Eileen Murphy said.

Submission + - Georgia State Univ. Art Project causes 2nd Evacuation & Bomb Squad Call (ajc.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The same Georgia State University art project responsible for Monday’s shutdown of Atlanta's Downtown Connector (Interstates 75 & 85) [http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/02/03/2052232/art-project-causes-atlanta-police-to-close-highway-and-call-bomb-squad], caused authorities in the south Fulton County, Georgia town of Hapeville to evacuate businesses and call in a bomb squad Tuesday.

According to Georgia State University spokesman Don Hale, the devices are pinhole camera being used in a solargraphy project to track the rising and setting of the sun over a three-month period. “Students were instructed to take their cameras home and to place them in locations that would provide interesting scenes with bright sunlight,” Hale said. “The locations were selected by the students.”

It was up to each of the 18 students in the class to find a spot for their own project, the university said. The university was made aware of the art project Tuesday morning and, through its police department, immediately informed the Atlanta Police Department, Hale said.

Submission + - Art Project causes Atlanta Police to close Highway & Call Bomb Squad (ajc.com) 2

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Yesterday, a ridiculously huge commotion and massive traffic jam occurred when Atlanta Police closed the downtown connector (Interstates 75 & 85) and called out the bomb squad to detonate a "suspicious device" taped to a bridge. Today, Georgia State University officials announced that the suspicious device was a student camera, "one of 18 used by students in an art project and deployed at various locations in the city.” (http://www.ajc.com/news/news/georgia-state-student-project-closed-downtown-conn/nj3xc/)

PetaPixel has (http://petapixel.com/2015/02/02/looks-like-someones-solargraphy-camera-just-got-blown-atlanta-bomb-squad/) additional information about Solargraphy, the style of pinhole photography apparently being done by the Georgia students.

Submission + - CEO of Cybersecurity firm ScienceLogic & family unaccounted for after house (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: County police and fire officials are investigating a four alarm fire at the Annapolis, MD home owned by Donald Pyle, chief operating officer at ScienceLogic, a Reston, Virginia based cybersecurity company that monitors networks for private and government clients, including the Department of Defense. ScienceLogic last year announced a partnership with McLean-based L-3 Data Tactics to bring “big data” monitoring to the U.S. intelligence community and government.

The Pyle family of six was unaccounted for hours after the fire, investigators said.

Comment Re:Where's this desire for "nice" coming from? (Score 1) 361

by McGruber (#48840199) Attached to: Linus On Diversity and Niceness In Open Source

How about "STEEM" (with an extra E for English)?

You should learn about the STEAM (with an 'A') movement. The idea is to add Art + Design to the equation, so that STEM is transformed into STEAM.

The idea makes sense to me, but I also see that there is an advantage of leaving the 'A' out of STEM -- having 'art' in the acronym would make it more obvious that the plutocrafts' real goal with STEM is to turn all the workers into starving artists.

Submission + - Tesla vs. Car Dealers: The lobbyist went down to Georgia (ajc.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) newspaper's Jim Galloway has an update on the behind-the-scenes battles over who can sell you a new car:

"Traditional car dealers are in the midst of a legal fight to push Tesla, the fledgling California electric car company, out of Georgia. Never mind that metro Atlanta is one of the hottest markets for electric vehicles in the nation. Signs point to a parallel battle in the General Assembly. Last week, the National Automobile Dealers Association began trolling for sympathetic lawmakers. While Georgia dealers say they have “no plans” to revisit an anti-Tesla bill that failed last year, Tesla is preparing a defense. It has already hired one of the top lobbying firms in Atlanta."

The Georgia Automobile Dealers Association wields considerable influence in the state Capitol; the AJC determined that the Georgia Auto Dealers Association (GADA) had made over $600,000 in recent campaign contributions to state lawmakers. Despite those contributions, a bill to boot Tesla from Georgia mysteriously died during last year's legislative session. While no legislator would claim credit for killing the bill, Galloway noted that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who presides over the Senate, drives a Nissan Leaf.

Utility company Georgia Power has invested significantly in charging stations for electric vehicles. The word at Tesla headquarters in California is that Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers drives a Tesla. Georgia Power Spokesman Jacob Hawkins wouldn’t confirm that, but said "if you come to our parking deck, you’ll see a variety of EVs. All models."

Article: http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2...

Comment Re:Yahoo and HP (Score 1) 332

by McGruber (#48696111) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: What Tech Companies Won't Be Around In 10 Years?

But, as you astutely point out, so much of the enterprise business simply can't be moved for legal reasons, or the cost to move the stuff is so immense, it would take many years of active, focused effort (and billions and billions of dollars) to move it. In my Data Center, we had a lot of the major airlines as clients as well as some of the financial and regulatory clients, so I know exactly what you mean.

You're a goner. An airline (or another of your major clients) will take over your firm.

The only way US airlines can continue being profitable is to keep lowering their costs. If taking over a supplier is what they need to do to lower their costs, then they'll do just that.

Back in 2012, Delta Airlines spent $150 million to buy the Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania. Delta then focused the refinery on making jet fuel, which flooded the marketplace with supply, lowering Delta's fuel costs by $240+ million each year!

I suspect it would be a lot easier for a Airline, which already has an extensive IT dept and CTO, to take over an IT provider than a refinery!

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