Dagum - Slashdot User

Submission + - U.S. Military Funds Creepy Android, Felinoid Bots (deviceguru.com)

Submitted by __aajbyc7391 on Sunday March 06, 2011 @10:43PM

__aajbyc7391 writes: Robot specialist Boston Dynamics has just received a contract from the U.S. Defense Department's DARPA to develop develop two new robots. Atlas, a humanoid bot, will climb and maneuver in rough terrain [with] human-like agility, while Cheetah, a felinoid bot, will sprint faster than a human, corner like a race car, and start and stop on a dime. Am I the only one who's creeped out by this, or is it just that I've been watching too much Battlestar Galactica on my Roku box lately?

Submission + - wikipedia deletes Free Speech PS3 flag (wikipedia.org) 1

Submitted by

decora

on Sunday March 06, 2011 @10:33PM

decora writes: "Less than 24 hours after a new PS3 Free Speech flag (based on the one at Yale Law & Tech) was uploaded to wikipedia for use in the GeoHot, Illegal Number, and Playstation 3 articles, it has been deleted. No discussion occured and no reason was given, other than a mention of 'potential copyright violation' in the Playstsion 3 article history. Deletion can be confirmed by Googling the PS3 key plus the word 'flag' and looking at the Wikimedia Commons hit.

However, a similar PS3 Free Speech flag, uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by user Julyo over a month ago, NewFreeSpeechFlag.svg, remains in tact."

Submission + - Teach Your Kids To Read (betterparentinginstitute.com)

Submitted by Susan Leflock on Sunday March 06, 2011 @10:04PM

Susan Leflock writes: In order to motivate and teach kids to read, the National Education Association has designated March 2, Dr. Seuss’ Birthday, as “Read Across America Day.”

Submission + - Just bought an iPad? Apple offers you $100 cash ba (winbeta.org)

Submitted by

BogenDorpher

on Sunday March 06, 2011 @09:59PM

BogenDorpher writes: "For those of you who just recently bought an iPad and saw the announcement for the iPad 2, fear not. Apple is offering you 100 dollars cash back for your troubles."

Submission + - SurfSens brings surfing into the computer age (gizmag.com)

Submitted by cylonlover on Sunday March 06, 2011 @07:45PM

cylonlover writes: In an activity that for many of its participants is akin to a religion, the merging of surfing and technology might seem a bit like blasphemy. But while surfing is still about lifestyle for many of us, these days it's also a competitive sport offering huge amounts of prize money, so it's no surprise to see the emergence of boards packing more than just polyurethane within their fiberglass shells. With the aim of "turning feelings into facts and figures", research company Tecnalia and Spanish surfboard manufacturer Pukas have teamed up to create a surfboard that packs a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS compass, pressure sensors and strain gauges to measure the flex of the board.

Submission + - Giant Underground Chamber Discovered On the Moon (siliconindia.com) 2

Submitted by

siliconeyes

on Sunday March 06, 2011 @06:38PM

siliconeyes writes: "Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization have discovered a giant underground chamber on the moon, which they feel could be used as a base by astronauts on future manned missions to moon.

An analysis by an instrument on Chandrayaan-1 revealed a 1.7-km long and 120-metre wide cave near the moon's equator that is in the Oceanus Procellarum area of the moon that could be a suitable 'base station' for future human missions."

Submission + - Mobile Operator Sprint embeds rootkit in Android (xda-developers.com) 1

Submitted by pucko on Sunday March 06, 2011 @05:41PM

pucko writes: User "k0nane" at the forum of xda-developers.com have discovered an interesting piece of software in Android based Samsung mobiles sold by Sprint.
Apparently Sprint have embedded a secret application called Carrier IQ which have full control over the phone and everything the user does with it.
It even monitors input, which essentially means; Sprint have full access to your passwords, your banking accounts and your corporate secrets.
Encryption and SSL is a worthless defence, Sprint and Carrier IQ sees your information BEFORE it is protected.

The question is now, how many other carriers uses this rootkit? Does it exist on iPhone? Blackberry?

Comment Of course not (Score 2) 137

by Dagum on Wednesday March 02, 2011 @07:56PM (#35363628) Attached to: Making Data Centers More People-Friendly

Only in those situations where it makes for additional income.

Steampunk Con Mixes In More Maker Fun 50

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday February 15, 2010 @06:15PM from the rebuttal-of-disposable-culture dept.

California has once again been blessed with another steampunk convention, this time to be held in Emeryville, CA on March 12-14 as the "Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition." This year's event promises to mix in much more of the DIY/maker flavor for a greater hands-on feel. Steampunk has been gaining much broader appeal in recent months with the continued growth of maker communities, and the many delightful varieties of music and literature. The con will feature, among other things, a 2 day track of 2-hour how-to, hands-on, and interactive workshops gear towards makers, DIY-ers, mad scientists, and evil geniuses. Of course, if you are an evil genius you probably don't need a workshop except as a gathering for potential test subjects.

Breaking the Squid Barrier 126

Posted by timothy on Sunday February 14, 2010 @09:33PM from the calimari-for-the-5000 dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Dr. Steve O'Shea of Auckland, New Zealand is attempting to break the record for keeping deep sea squid alive in captivity, with the goal of being able to raise a giant squid one day. Right now, he's raising the broad squid, sepioteuthis australis, from egg masses found in seaweed. This is a lot harder than it sounds, because the squid he's studying grow rapidly and eat only live prey, making it hard for them to keep the squid from becoming prey themselves. If his research works out, you might one day be able to visit an aquarium and see giant squid."

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