espressojim - Slashdot User

Submission + - Cingular to give 18 months free service w/iPhone

Submitted by Blahbooboo3 on Friday January 26, 2007 @08:38AM

Blahbooboo3 writes: CNBC analyst Jim Cramer, who suggests Cingular/ATT will sidestep subsidization of the Apple handset by giving away lengthy service contracts. "In its call, the company made it very clear that it's going to use Apple's iPhone to get customers from Verizon Wireless by giving away its service for a year and a half to those customers who buy the phone," Cramer explained in his blog posting at TheStreet.com. The CNBC "Mad Money" host believes the strategy will help the wireless carrier court a flurry of new subscribers while maintaining requests from Apple not to discount the cost of the $499 and $599 mobile devices.

Submission + - isohunt taken down by ISP pending legal action

Submitted by on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @01:21AM

An anonymous reader writes: isohunt.com is down pending the outcome from their legal wrangle with the MPAA. How long before all torrent distributions are taken down?

Submission + - 10 people fired over Wii radio contest

Submitted by Skadet on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @12:49AM

Skadet writes: 10 people have been fired in the aftermath of the tragic death of one of the contestants for Sacramento radio station 107.9 The End's "Hold your Wee for a Wii" promotion (first covered on Slashdot here).

From TFA:

The hosts of KDND-FM's "Morning Rave" — who go by the on-air names Trish, Maney and Lukas — were fired a day after the station announced it was suspending the show and investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Jennifer Lea Strange. [...] John Geary, vice president and general manager of KDND parent company, Entercom/Sacramento, made the announcement Tuesday in an e-mail to reporters.

"Effective immediately, the 'Morning Rave' program is canceled and ten employees are no longer with the station."

A company spokesman, Charles Sipkins, confirmed the three DJs, as well as two other on-air personalities, "Carter" and "Fester," were among those fired. Five other employees who worked on the "Morning Rave" also were let go. All 10 were fired, the spokesman said, for violating terms of their employee agreements.

I used to work at a corporately owned radio station (full disclosure: not for Entercom, KDND's owner. I was a techie in radio in a previous life). But I can tell you from experience that most of the people fired were most likely not responsible for this event. At my station group, no events happened without the express consent of #1, the station manager, and #2, the promotions director. They're the ones ultimately responsible. So why isn't John Geary the one getting the boot? Is this just an example of Corporate America scapegoating the peons? What if you had been commissioned by your boss to write code that ended up being a danger? Would you be culpable, or your boss?

Submission + - Honda's Business Jet

Submitted by

ewoudenberg

on Monday January 08, 2007 @12:15AM

ewoudenberg writes: "Honda Aircraft Company (based in North Carolina, USA) has developed a small, fuel-efficient, 4 passenger business jet and is making flight tests of the prototype. They employ a novel engine layout, mounting the engines on pylons above the wings to avoid beefing up the fuselage for engine mounts. From one of their Technical papers (pdf):

The HondaJet is an advanced, lightweight, business jet featuring an extra large cabin, high fuel efficiency, and high cruise speed compared to existing small business jets. To achieve the high-performance goals, an over-the-wing engine-mount configuration, a natural-lamina-flow wing, and a natural-laminar-flow fuselage nose were developed through extensive analyses and wind-tunnel tests. The wing is metal, having an integral, machined skin to achieve the smooth upper surface required for natural laminar flow. The fuselage is constructed entirely of composites; the stiffened panels and the sandwich panels are cocured integrally in an autoclave to reduce weight and cost. The prototype aircraft has been designed and fabricated. Major ground tests such as structural proof tests, control-system proof test, system function tests, and ground-vibration tests have been completed. The first flight was conducted on 3 December 2003, and flight testing is currently underway.

No word on price, but they are already taking orders. Caution: a Flash-heavy website, but there is a good Specification sheet (pdf) and Announcement (12/2003) that covers it well."

Submission + - "Plentiful" non-embryonic stem cells found

Submitted by on Sunday January 07, 2007 @11:11PM

An anonymous reader writes: CNN reports that scientists at Harvard and Wake Forest have discovered a "plentiful" non-embryonic source for stem cells, as well brain, liver, and bone cell types as well. The cells, found in amniotic fluid, can be harvested without harm to the donor or the donor's unborn child. While there's no proof that amniotic stem cells are as potent as embryonic stem cells, scientists are hopeful that this will be a huge step forward for the field of stem-cell research.

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