Comment 140 million (Score 1) 178
Doesn't take into account the 40 accounts I have. One for each time I get tired of having too many friends and not enough inclination to actually delete them all. Create, fill, overflow, start over.
Black Holes May Not Grow Beyond Certain Limit 201
xyz writes "Do black holes increase in size indefinitely? According to an analysis by astronomers at Yale and the European Southern Observatory, the maximum size a black hole may reach is only few tens of billion of solar masses. The limit was calculated using an analysis of what may happen to the gas surrounding a black hole which has reached few tens of billions of solar masses. It is thought that black holes of such size heat the surrounding gas to a temperature where the radiation pressure begins blowing outer layers into space."
Submission + - How far would you all go with geek body art?
Kranfer writes: "Recently I got myself a nice tattoo of the logo to the United Federation of the Planets pic here and I was thinking to myself... I wonder how many other programmers/admins/tech folks out there went as far as to put symbols of geek culture permanently onto their bodies. Personally, I love Star Trek, so this tattoo was quite natural, however I have been thinking of getting Tux The Penguin on my other arm. So here I am asking all you slashdotters to share your inking experiences of geek culture. What do you have? Have you had any good/experiences from having them?"
Submission + - Shuttle's upcoming Car PC powered by your car
Mr.Tweak writes: "Aaron from Shuttle was kind enough to send us along some pictures and specs of their upcoming Car PC and it measures just 279(D) x 230(W) x 70(H)mm. Powered by your car's battery, it could become quite popular. The system will properly shutdown after turning off the ignition key without losing data."
Submission + - Why isn't there a personal data license?
reemul writes: With all of the various licenses out there for examination and debate regarding how code may be used, why is there no license describing how my personal information is used?
Current usage is for the data I am obliged to enter for transactions becoming the property of the site I am using, subject to some vague usage policy which may be altered at any time without notification. I want to be able to own all of my own data and then license the narrow use of a subset of that data under the terms of the relevant license to the site I'm working with. My info is mine and will remain so. The transaction site only gets a narrow and specific usage of the subset of my data I'm allowing them. If they use that data for any other purpose whatever, they're in violation of the terms of this not-yet-defined license and are subject to sanction.
No more wholesale surrender of rights to your own info every time you buy something online. Does this sound like something the community could stand to think about?
Current usage is for the data I am obliged to enter for transactions becoming the property of the site I am using, subject to some vague usage policy which may be altered at any time without notification. I want to be able to own all of my own data and then license the narrow use of a subset of that data under the terms of the relevant license to the site I'm working with. My info is mine and will remain so. The transaction site only gets a narrow and specific usage of the subset of my data I'm allowing them. If they use that data for any other purpose whatever, they're in violation of the terms of this not-yet-defined license and are subject to sanction.
No more wholesale surrender of rights to your own info every time you buy something online. Does this sound like something the community could stand to think about?
Submission + - serious flaw in Firefox 2.0 and Opera 9.1
crazylittlebear writes: "Firefox 2.0 and Opera 9.1 have serious bug, which allows to read disc data (e.g. directory listing, contents of text files) from any computer. If you download HTML file do disc and open it from your computer, with JavaScript turned on, your disc can be scanned by someone else. As described on http://bragoszewski.com/?page_id=36, the flaw is not present in Internet Explorer 6 or 7. It is not only possible to send a file o directory listing from computer. The exploit or backdoor that uses this bug is extremely easy to write. With more complicated code an attacker can establish a full connection to a computer and can browse victim's disc nearly as easy as with local file manager..."
Submission + - Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts?
Subie writes: "Timothy Ball, PH.D and former climatology professor at the University of Winnipegwrites:
"Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition. Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and was a climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg. For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why."
Link to the story: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming 020507.htm"
"Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition. Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and was a climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg. For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why."
Link to the story: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warmin
Submission + - Iranian scientists claim to have cured AIDS
user317 writes: "The Iranian government's boasts of "great achievements", included an announcement on Saturday that Iranian scientists have "introduced an AIDS cure". After seven long years of arduous work, Iranian scientists here on Saturday introduced a herbal medicine which cures Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). "The drug named 'IMOD' is completely effective and safe with no proven side effects," Iran's Minister of Health Kamran Bagheri Lankarani claimed during a ceremony."
Submission + - big security hole in vista
weeb0 writes: "As seen at
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/31/2421/6 1170
a big security hole has been found in "the most secure OS ever", vista.
A simple mp3 file could start anything with the new voice recognition (HAL900 like) included in vista. As seen in the article : "because Vista has its new HAL900 like voice command system, anyone with a Myspace page can trigger that command (if it's running) with an audio file set to start when the visitor clicks. This exploit was tested by ZD Net's George Ou."
Yes, the functionnality must be turned on to get this "feature"."
Vista - iPod Killer? 557
JMB wrote us with a dire warning, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News. Apple is cautioning its Windows-using iTunes customers to steer clear of Vista until the next iTunes update. The reason for this is a bit puzzling. Apparently, if you try to 'safely remove' your iPod from a Vista-installed PC, there's a chance you may corrupt the little music player. They also claim that songs may not play, and contacts may not sync with the device. Apple went so far as to release a detailed support document on the subject, which assures users that a new Vista-compatible version of the software will be available in a few weeks. Is this just some very creative FUD? If it is not who do you think is 'at fault' here, Microsoft or Apple?
Submission + - Fastest Internet! 100 Mbps by Cisco and Videotron
The Ace writes: "The fastest internet yet.. currently being testing in Canada.
Whatch'a think \.ers?
From the article:
"Positive tests results
For more than a month Videotron customers have been successfully experimenting with increased speeds based on the Cisco Wideband solution deployed on the existing, proven Videotron Internet Protocol Next Generation Network (IP NGN). Videotron and Cisco are projecting they will reach the 100 Mbps objective in the next few months while maintaining the recognized high stability of the Videotron IP NGN."
Check it out here."
From the article:
"Positive tests results
For more than a month Videotron customers have been successfully experimenting with increased speeds based on the Cisco Wideband solution deployed on the existing, proven Videotron Internet Protocol Next Generation Network (IP NGN). Videotron and Cisco are projecting they will reach the 100 Mbps objective in the next few months while maintaining the recognized high stability of the Videotron IP NGN."
Check it out here."
Submission + - Alex Ionescu blog suspended after Vista DRM crack
An anonymous reader writes: http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1289.html 4 days ago security researcher Ionescu described how he had managed to crack DRM protection in Vista by accident. Today his blog and domain account are suspended. Has pressure been applied by Microsoft to censor the truth?
Submission + - Windows VIsta corrupts iPods! says Apple.
morpheus83 writes: "Apple Computer has just announced to customers who use the Windows version of its iTunes software to not upgrading to Windows Vista until it releases the next version of iTunes to fix a number of serious compatibility issues with iTunes 7.0.2 and earlier versions. The knows issues include iTunes Store purchases not playing, Cover Flow animations slowing down, contact and calenders sync problems and the most serious of all where iPods with "Enable Disk Use" option turned off may be unable to update or restore iPod software, and make changes to iPod settings."
Submission + - The Aqua team hunger force of Puppets
Marco S. writes: "TORONTO — Puppets are no longer restricted to reciting the ABC's and the 123's. Today's crop of puppets spit, they use crude language, they smoke or drink and they are attracting a large audience hungry for more.
It was the ever popular adult puppet show Puppets Who Kill that was deemed the "vanguard of a certifiable new trend, a movement even, that liberated puppetry from the realm of children's shows."
What a liberation it has been! People from across the world are aching for more blasphemous puppets. The more controversy, the more vulgarity, the more they represent raw human emotions, the better.
Despite the increasing public interest in puppets who reside on the wrong side of the street, there are those out there who do not support this unshackling of the adorable puppet stereotype.
Various research projects carried out by www.puppettelevision.com proves that not all puppet fans are supporters of puppets with a mean streak.
A 29 year old from Toronto, Ontario writes "I think people who make videos of puppets that use profanity think that the idea of a profane puppet is a great joke...the novelty has since worn off." A 22 year old female concurs with this idea stating "That (puppets who swear) gets boring very easily and can be regarded as offensive."
The emergence of "dark comedy" in puppetry is not a trend that is going away. It is traveling down a route familiar to cartoon characters that have since garnered massive cult-like status on their own such as Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. With the demand for puppets with an edge sharpening, the future for crude puppets looks bright. As one avid fan writes, "I don't mind (puppets) swearing one ******* bit!""
Submission + - Apple tells iTunes users to stay away from Vista
An anonymous reader writes: From the article:
Beta users of Vista have long reported problems running version 7.02 of iTunes, the most recent release. Apple has now formally acknowledged that issue on its site, posting the following recommendation: "iTunes 7.0.2 may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs. Apple recommends, however, that customers wait to upgrade Windows until after the next release of iTunes which will be available in the next few weeks." Problems which Vista users can experience include an inability to play tracks purchased from the iTunes store, inability to synchronise calendars, random changes to iPod settings and occasional complete corruption of the device.
Beta users of Vista have long reported problems running version 7.02 of iTunes, the most recent release. Apple has now formally acknowledged that issue on its site, posting the following recommendation: "iTunes 7.0.2 may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs. Apple recommends, however, that customers wait to upgrade Windows until after the next release of iTunes which will be available in the next few weeks." Problems which Vista users can experience include an inability to play tracks purchased from the iTunes store, inability to synchronise calendars, random changes to iPod settings and occasional complete corruption of the device.
