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Comment Re:Windows 8 is terrible (Score 1) 22

But it comes with "the latest Android 4.4 KitKat® operating system" even from the shop, so quite likely the OS will not be upgraded ever after. Why would anyone buy a $400 device, which is obsolete even at time of purchase and has a built in insecurity? What kind of uninstallable crapware does it have?

Lollipop by some reports is still somewhat broken, despite being in release.

Comment Re:Luggable? (Score 1) 325

I have same problem. What is a good luggable pc? I was looking at Brix or NUCs, but from the reviews it looks like they have the same problem as laptops. Unlike the OP, I am not worried abouth throttling; I just want it to stay on and not freeze.

Sterling has been selling them for years. I had an old Pentium version that just wouldn't die that I wound up giving away.

Comment Re:Fuck the libs! (Score 1) 216

While there is a modicum of truth to this statement (Consolidation and merging to help offset costs for all parties are business considerations), a true free market would allow for the rise of a competitive entity if there was enough demand for it. As it sits right now, even if there's demand for an option, the local (and federal, with regard to wireless) government granted monopolies stop any potential uprising before they can even be considered.

That said, I do think that the vast majority of people are currently "OK" with the option they have, so perhaps there wouldn't be any real change anyway.

Comment Re:Fuck the libs! (Score 1) 216

You know, none of that can possibly happen until people vote for politicians that will write the appropriate legislation, and then, if they did, then the problem is solved. See, that's the thing, none of you people think this shit through.

As for 'limiting' the feds, screw that. The corrupt locals are no better. You will just have a bunch of battling little fiefdoms, like in middle age Europe, leading right up to another world war. Travel would be impossible with the resulting border bureaucracies. Do you really want to relive in a pre-civil war USA? Well, maybe if you're a white male, with some property, I would suppose so. For me, there's no time like the present

Shens on "Local ones are no better". The scope of the havoc they can wreak is significantly smaller and more affordable than what can be done at the federal or even state level. They may still be power grubbing jerks, but at least the scope of it is reduced to the point that it doesn't affect the pockets of someone else that they aren't beholden to.

Botnet

Ask Slashdot: What Should We Do About the DDoS Problem? 312

An anonymous reader writes: Distributed denial of service attacks have become a big problem. The internet protocol is designed to treat unlimited amounts of unsolicited traffic identically to important traffic from real users. While it's true DDoS attacks can be made harder by fixing traffic amplification exploits (including botnets), and smarter service front ends, there really doesn't seem to be any long term solution in the works. Does anyone know of any plans to actually try and fix the problem?

Comment Re:Good/BAd news for science. (Score 1) 90

The Tetravon wasn't exactly peanuts and it's been shut down.

It was in operation for almost 30 years.

Operational longevity like that isn't peanuts either.

And upgraded several times through that 30 years, including some work less than 2 years before it was shut down.
I'm not saying that "The LHC should be shut down", but claiming that "The LHC won't get shut down because it was expensive" is, in my opinion, a misnomer.
I'll point back to your original statement: "Old does not always translate into worthless", but apparently my understanding of your statement is "at some point, it does".

Communications

Military Laser/Radio Tech Proposed As Alternative To Laying Costly Fiber Cable 150

An anonymous reader writes "Californian comm-tech company Aoptix is testing new laser+radio hybrid communications technology with three major U.S. internet carriers. The equipment required can be bolted onto existing infrastructure, such as cell-tower masts, and can communicate a 2gbps stream over 6.5 miles. The system was developed over 10 years at a cost of $100 million in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the military implementation of it is called Aoptix Enhanced Air Ground Lasercom System (EAGLS). The laser component of the technology uses a deformable mirror to correct for atmospheric distortion over the mast-hop, in real-time. The laser part of the system is backed-up by a redundant radio transmitter. The radio component has low attenuation in rainy conditions with large refracting raindrops, while the laser is more vulnerable to dense fog. The system, which features auto-stabilization to compensate for cell-tower movement and is being proposed as an alternative to the tremendous cost p/m of laying fiber cable, is being tested in Mexico and Nigeria in addition to the three ISP trials.

Comment Multiple CDN contracts? (Score 1) 243

I assume there's a reason why Netflix hasn't perused the idea of load balancing across CDNs? Yes, it'd be a pain in the ass, but I know both Akamai and Limelight will read from your source to deliver bits to an end user.

It'd be a hell of a lot better than buckling to ISPs. At least you're in control of your costs at that point.

Medicine

Ebola Forecast: Scientists Release Updated Projections and Tracking Maps 294

An anonymous reader writes Scientists of the Northeastern University, in collaboration with European scientists, developed a modeling approach aimed at assessing the progression of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and its international spread under the assumption that the outbreak continues to evolve at the current pace. They also considered the impact of travel restrictions, and concluded that such restrictions may delay by only a few weeks the risk that the outbreak extends to new countries. Instead, travel bans could hamper the delivery of medical supplies and the deployment of specialized personnel to manage the epidemic. In the group's page, there's also an updated assessment of the probability of Ebola virus disease case importation in countries across the world, which was also invoked during the Congressional Ebola debate. The group also released a map with real-time tracking of conversations about Ebola on Twitter. Policy makers and first responders are the main target audience of the tool, which is able to show a series of potential warnings and events (mostly unconfirmed) related to Ebola spreading and case importation.

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