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Science

Submission + - SPAM: Golden ratio discovered in a quantum world

Submitted by
FiReaNGeL
FiReaNGeL writes: "Scientist have for the first time observed a nanoscale symmetry hidden in solid state matter. By artificially introducing more quantum uncertainty the researchers observed that the chain of atoms of cobalt niobate acts like a nanoscale guitar string. The first two notes show a perfect relationship with each other. Their frequencies (pitch) are in the ratio of 1.618, which is the golden ratio famous from art and architecture. The observed resonant states in cobalt niobate are a dramatic laboratory illustration of the way in which mathematical theories developed for particle physics may find application in nanoscale science and ultimately in future technology."
Link to Original Source
Space

Could Betelgeuse Go Boom? 383

Posted by timothy from the betelgeuse-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-winona dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The answer is No. In space, nobody can hear you scream. However, it might go supernova in the near future, if it hasn't already. I wanna see that, even if it would permanently disfigure Orion. Ka freaking bam!"
Internet Explorer

Microsoft Will Ship Windows 7 in Europe With IE Unbundled 578

Posted by timothy from the when-bureaucrats-slither dept.
jimmi_hendrix was one of several people to note CNET's report that 'Microsoft plans to remove Internet Explorer from the versions of Windows 7 that it ships in Europe, CNET News has learned. Reacting to antitrust concerns expressed by European regulators, Microsoft plans to offer a version in Europe that has the browser removed. Computer makers would then have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser or ship multiple browsers, according to a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers and seen by CNET News." There's also a report at Ars Technica.

Comment Re:A wikipedia that was "cool like that" (Score 2, Insightful) 439

by GuNgA-DiN (#26602293) Attached to: Edit-Approval System Proposed For English-Language Wikipedia

I agree. I've contributed to Wikipedia articles and made corrections. If I go there and see some important information is missing (or is wrong) I will make a quick edit. But, I've never learned how to do "cites". It's confusing and I don't have 10 hours of time to spend learning the subtle nuances of how Wikipedia works. Someone needs to come up with cite-wizard that does two things: 1.) Asks you for the quote you're citing and 2.) Asks you for the link. Done! I'm not going to study the "grimoire of Wikipedia" to figure out the incantation needed to do cites to make some anal-retentive asshole happy.
Government

Russia To Develop a National Operating System 374

Posted by kdawson from the cutting-the-cord dept.
Elektroschock writes "According to Russian media, the Russian Government is going to develop a National Operating System (Google translation; Russian original) to lower its dependencies on foreign software technology licensing. The Russian plan will base its efforts on Linux and expects a worldwide impact. Microsoft is also involved in the roundtable process that led to the recommendation. The Chinese government successfully lowered its Microsoft licensing costs through an early investment in a national Linux distribution. I wonder if other large markets, such as the European Union, will also develop their own Linux distributions or join in the Russian initiative."
Music

Submission + - MP3tunes: "We need your help to fight the RIAA (michaelrobertson.com)

Submitted by GuNgA-DiN
GuNgA-DiN writes: Michael Robertson (the founder of MP3.com) is appealing to the Internet for help in finding evidence to support his case in their on-going lawsuit with EMI. As usual, the record industry is up to their dirty tricks and Robertson is asking for help to uncover evidence to bolster the case. He says: "To prevail in our claims against EMI we need examples of where they use and promote MP3s and DRM-free music online. URLS for MP3s from their labels, artists and partner web sites and any comments from their executives could be helpful". You can mail any links or information directly to: MP3tunesAttorney@gmail.com. Check out his blog for more info about the pending case.
Microsoft

Windows 7 Benchmarks Show Little Improvement On Vista 369

Posted by kdawson from the second-verse-same-as-the-first dept.
snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Randall Kennedy examines Windows 7 from the kernel up, subjecting the 'pre-beta' to a battery of benchmarks to find any signs that the OS will be faster, more responsive, and less resource-intensive than the bloated Vista, as Microsoft suggests. Identical thread counts at the kernel level suggest to Kennedy that Windows 7 is a 'minor point-type of release, as opposed to a major update or rewrite.' Memory footprint for the kernel proved eerily similar to that of Vista as well. 'In fact, as I worked my way through the process lists of the two operating systems, I was struck by the extent of the similarities,' Kennedy writes, before discussing the results of a nine-way workload test scenario he performed on Windows 7 — the same scenario that showed Vista was 40 percent slower than Windows XP. 'In a nutshell, Windows 7 M3 is a virtual twin of Vista when it comes to performance,' Kennedy concludes. 'In other words, Microsoft's follow-up to its most unpopular OS release since Windows Me threatens to deliver zero measurable performance benefits while introducing new and potentially crippling compatibility issues.'"
United States

Discuss the US Presidential Election 1912

Posted by CmdrTaco from the end-of-the-road dept.
We made it. It's election day. Tomorrow we'll know. So for today's election discussion story, I'm throwing it wide open: let's discuss the election itself. Who are your picks and why. And also what about your actual experience voting today? Did Diebold eat your vote or did everything go off without flaw?
Image

Programming .NET 3.5 Screenshot-sm 224

Posted by samzenpus
lamaditx writes "The world of the .NET framework is taken to the next level by the release of .NET 3.5. The intended audience of this book are experienced .NET programmers. There are no sections that tell you details about C#, SQL servers or anything like that. I don't recommend this book if you never worked on a .NET project and don't know how to set up a SQL database. You should be aware that the code is written in C#. You might use one of the software code converters if you prefer Visual Basic instead. I think the code is still readable even if you do not know C#. I appreciate the fact that the authors decided to use one language only because it keeps the book smaller. The authors assume you are using Visual Studio 2008. You don't necessarily need to update to 2008 if you are working with an older edition because you can use the free Express Edition to get started." Keep reading for the rest of Adrian's review.
Movies

Netflix Extends "Watch Instantly" To Mac Users 205

Posted by kdawson from the instant-grats dept.
CNet is reporting that Netflix has opened up its "Watch Instantly" feature to Mac users (here is Netflix's blog entry). They accomplished this by using Microsoft's Silverlight technology on both platforms, abandoning the Windows Media Player solution that had been employed in the first, Windows-only, version. Silverlight's DRM capabilities meet Netflix's needs, apparently. Netflix warns that this is beta software. Mac users can opt in here, then watch instantly with Safari or Firefox 2+, with the Silverlight plugin in place. Movie selection is somewhat limited.
Portables

Asus To Phase Out Sub-10" Eee PCs 497

Posted by Soulskill from the taking-the-sub-out-of-subnotebook dept.
jeevesbond writes "The Register reports that Asus president Jerry Shen has revealed his company will be phasing out all sub-10" Eee PCs. According to Shen, the 'standard' netbook next year will be a 10" model with a hard drive running XP. Shen also said XP is outselling GNU/Linux on netbooks by a ratio of 7:3. This is somewhat contrary to news from the UK earlier in the year that GNU/Linux units were out of stock while XP machines sat unsold. Are Brits more open-minded than the rest of the world when it comes to choosing an OS?"

Comment We'll fix it in post production (Score 3, Insightful) 461

by GuNgA-DiN (#25066955) Attached to: Graduate Student Defends Right To Own Chicago2016.com

Dear Marketing Wonks:

The next time you come up with some brilliant idea or name the FIRST thing you should do is perform a domain name lookup to see if your name is already taken. If it isn't then you should register it immediately! Do not wait until you make the presentation. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Trying to retroactively take a domain name from some guy who snatched it up because you were too lazy to register it makes no sense. If you have some brilliant idea then chance are there are about 2,000 people out there with the same idea. Cover your ass and do your homework. That is all.

Signed,

The Internet

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