I get a cross-site challenge; it usually switches over to my bank site where I have to reply to a challenge. A SMS sounds like an ok backup solution (two-factor).

Actually I found gaming on the big screen ("TV") with surround sound quite comfortable. Having a problem with my back, the laptop seems to make it slightly worse. Neck is definitely in a better position with the big screen. That said, I've been gaming on the laptop for years before I upgraded my gaming rig to a decent standard again.

I don't know what it is with the self-sacrificial slashdotters telling OP to grow up and stop gaming either. I don't think you should give up your hobbies. Even better would be to share them - I game with my significant other. (And we've been sharing space for about 10 years.)

I have a MSI GS70 gaming laptop. It's seriously un-silent when gaming.

I also have an Asus ultrabook. It's whiny just from running firefox.

Not sure what laptops you have, but I haven't encountered any lately that's silent under any sort of load (>5%). It does bother me, so if you have any pro tips...?

18mm MDF. The stuff you build heavy, DIY speakers out of. Density slightly lighter than water. And glass. And heavy 20mm foam. (Plus heavy components like a 8x 3.5" disks, copper waterblocks...)

You want heavy stuff though. It dampens noise and vibrations just because it's heavy.

I was also quite surprised how heavy it ended up, although I thought it would be closer to 30kg. I put wheels and handles on it to be able to lug it around.

I just measured (it's on an UPS): It's using a little over 400W at top effect (Valley benchmark). It peaks at only 55 degrees water temperature.

An alternative solution is of course steam stream. I'm surprised noone mentioned this. Then a NUC or so in the livingroom would be enough.

10 years ago I built a box using MDF and glass for my computer, using noise dampening foam and watercooling, space for two motherboards. (I had a lot of problems with headaches - noise made it worse, and I wanted to game.)

It was upgraded this summer to a GTX 780 hydro copper, new motherboard (z97) and the latest i7 that fitted, M.2 disk and windows 8.1. The other motherboard is running my Linux server, XBMC and the RAID.

It's about as big as a small fridge (55x70x50cm) and it weights about 55kg (10 liters of water) (it has wheels), but the noise level is below 10dB(A) (@1m); the pump and the disks are the loudest. It's more silent than the cats' water fountain - and it's more silent than this laptop on idle (well, firefox is heating it up as usual).

It's not impossible. It just takes some effort. The expensive part of watercooling is the water blocks, which you need a new one or two for every upgrade since CPU and GPU changes shape. (This time I went for the hydro copper so I wouldn't have to do the GPU watercooling myself.) Building a case is fun and will allow you to buy nice tools, useful for any craft.

Later on Zalman came out with the Reserator, allowing people to cool any system passively and very quietly. Are they still around? That is, I hear, a rather good solution.

I'd been using computers for around 15 years before I learned to touch type in the late 90s, and that only happened because I explicitly learned to do so. I'd got pretty good at "hunt and peck" (**), but I would never have picked up touch typing skills from that alone."

Interestingly enough, I started with computers and piano at about the same time, which led to the interesting style of typing that's crossing the "middle line" used in touch typing (you do that when you play the piano). It frustrated my touch typing teacher quite a bit.

That said, in the 80s Swedish schools had touch typing and programming in 7th grade, as well as "advanced" math. I wonder what happened after that. Probably budget cuts.

Like Sweden did in the 70s, inventing a horrible new handwriting ("SÖ-stilen"); people of that generation can't read the old handwriting, and the new handwriting is really, really ugly. 10 years after forcing that handwriting they let other styles be taught as well, again.

I'm surprised Finland still did cursive handwriting. I'm sure you can add it as extra credit still, and not all schools give it up.

Thanks. This needs to be upmodded.

Exactly this. See the Barbie spectactle recently...

I'm male. Interesting attack.

I guess I'm lucky, I haven't been in environments where "cheating" were a possibility - I assume you mean copying stuff and modifying it. The last years I've been doing embedded programming (ECU software, etc), which the few girls I worked with are really good at.

You seem to have had really bad experiences, if you drop the swearing for a bit it would be interesting to hear the stories and in which environments those people are.

So when are you switching to chip+pin so it's at least less meaningful to steal data?

My experience is that girls are more commonly better programmers than boys (I've worked with programming for 30+ years). The solutions are more thorough and well-thought in general, and they tend to be better at teamwork, and better at seeking help when they are stuck (instead of being stuck for four weeks until someone pokes them about it).

I've always been sad there are so few girls in programming, since they would do an excellent job.

And, for that matter, engineering in general.

That said, not sure what this study was about and if it gives any conclusion on the matter other than what we already knew - girls and boys have similar brains that can solve complex, abstract problems, and gender difference is overlapped by individual difference...?

Anyway, girls, if you want to become a programmer, please become a programmer.

So, what have they found that emits less than diesel?

Modern diesels (= last 20 years) with particle filters doesn't emit much.
HIgh compression gasoline motors is starting to generate the same particles. It seems like you will get those particles if you have an efficient motor.

Any pure fuel will emit less, since it's easier to optimize the engine for it.

But can France produce enough ethanol (and the needed E100 cars) for that?

Or are they hoping for electrical cars?

Dear Slashdot, this has been known for almost 200 years.

And I wouldn't be surprised if Newton also knew this 350 years go but forgot to write it down.