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Submission + - Suggested Programming Books for Young Kids

Submitted by sydsavage
sydsavage writes: I've been tasked with recommending some good books for the child of a friend who is interested in learning to program. He's just shy of 13 years old, and is an avid Minecrafter. Last year I built a server for him, and he has shown real aptitude managing and customizing various plugins, managing permissions, and creating redstone circuits and command blocks. So what would you recommend for a young person to begin learning to program? And what languages would you recommend? Java is an obvious choice, due to his interest in Minecraft, but I'd like to hear reasoning for other languages with which to get started.

Submission + - Knight Capital fined a measly $12M for a software bug that cost $460M (networkworld.com)

Submitted by Mark Gibbs
Mark Gibbs writes: Knight monumentally fouled up a software update and, according to the SEC, "Knight did not have supervisory procedures to guide its relevant personnel when significant issues developed." In other words, not only was Knight's code management inadequate but their human management processes were just as bad. The fine for what could have been a biblical financial disaster? A measly $12 million.

Comment Re: How to tell the difference (Score 2) 267

by RevDobbs (#43976617) Attached to: Are You a Geek or a Nerd?
You do not have to be a genius (or a geek or nerd) to realize that firearms are just tools, but important ones. Not everyone is as intelligent and logical as you, Hazy. Some people only know violence, and have spent a lifetime mastering the use of their bodies to perpetrate violence. When push comes to shove having a violent means of self defense is a Good Thing.
Programming

Ask Slashdot: Web Site Editing Software For the Long Haul? 545

Posted by timothy from the when-tripods-collapse dept.
MouseR writes "It seems we can't rely on software, in particular Web site editing software, to exist for the long haul. Every time I rely on something, it takes only a couple of years before it gets trashed. I have used GoLive's CyberStudio before it got engulfed as GoLive from Adobe. Both got trashed. I eventually used Apple's .Mac HomePage. It got trashed and replaced with iWeb. I then used iWeb, hosted on MobileMe, and Apple just killed it again, along with the hosting. So, as I'm preparing to move my stuff on various web sites, onto my own hosting server (outsourced), I'm wondering what kind of visual web site editor(s) I could use, for the long haul. I'm rather sick of changing tools every other year and as a software developer, would rather spend my time editing my web site rather than code it. Any suggestions?"
Google

Google Ready To Rule NFC-Based Mobile Payments? 87

Posted by samzenpus from the one-payment-method-to-rule-them-all dept.
itwbennett writes "Google may seem like an odd pioneer for mobile payments, says blogger Ryan Faas, but according to recent reports, the company is developing its own NFC payment solution. Here's why Faas thinks Google has a leg up in this emerging market: 'Google does have a lot of clout when it comes to NFC because the recent launch of the Nexus S and Gingerbread (the most recent Android release) offer the first truly widespread smartphone/NFC integration. That could give Google significant bargaining power. It also makes a certain sense to expect Google to try to lead in this area when you consider that the company is hyping mobile search and recommendation features.'"
Cellphones

Submission + - National Park Service Says Tech Enabling Stupidity 2

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: The National Park Service is finding technology to be a double-edged sword. While new technologies can and do save lives, the NPS is also finding that unseasoned hikers and campers are now boldly going where they never would have gone before, counting on cellphones, GPS, and SPOT devices to bail them out if they get into trouble. Last fall, a group of hikers in the Grand Canyon called in rescue helicopters three times by pressing the emergency button on their satellite location device. When rangers arrived the second time, the hikers complained that their water supply tasted salty. 'Because of having that electronic device, people have an expectation that they can do something stupid and be rescued,' said a spokeswoman for Grand Teton National Park. 'Every once in a while we get a call from someone who has gone to the top of a peak, the weather has turned and they are confused about how to get down and they want someone to personally escort them. The answer is that you are up there for the night.'
Biotech

1000 Genomes Project Releases Pilot Genome Data 55

Posted by Soulskill from the see-what-they're-made-of dept.
eldavojohn writes "Three pilot projects have been completed for the 1000 Genomes Project and as a result, the pilot data has been released. This makes the data of nearly 700 people available for analysis via FTP (Americas mirror, European mirror). Dr. Eric D. Green of the National Human Genome Research Institute said, 'The 1000 Genomes project has a simple goal: peer more deeply into the genetic variations of the human genome to understand the genetic contribution to common human diseases. I am excited about the progress being made on this resource for use by scientists around the world and look forward to seeing what we learn from the next stage of the project.' There's not a whole lot of information on their site about this data, but the repositories have many readme files explaining the data layout."
Idle

Drunk History Presents Nikola Tesla *NSFW* 91

Posted by samzenpus from the putting-on-your-history-goggles dept.
Amazingly accurate for someone so plastered. I think all history should be taught at this level of intoxication.
Image

Facebook Leads To Increase In STDs in Britain Screenshot-sm 270

Posted by samzenpus from the friends-and-really-good-friends dept.
ectotherm writes "According to Professor Peter Kelly, a director of Public Health in Great Britain: 'There has been a four-fold increase in the number of syphilis cases detected, with more young women being affected.' Why the increase? People meeting up for casual sex through Facebook. According to the article, 'Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex. There is a rise in syphilis because people are having more sexual partners than 20 years ago and often do not use condoms.'"
Image

Prolonged Gaming Blamed For Rickets Rise Screenshot-sm 254

Posted by samzenpus from the don't-let-the-scurvy-get-you-down dept.
superapecommando writes "Too many hours spent playing videogames indoors is contributing to a rise in rickets, according to a new study by doctors. Professor Simon Pearce and Dr Tim Cheetham of Newcastle University have written a paper in the British Medical Journal which warns of the rickets uptake – a disease which sufferers get when deficient in Vitamin D. The study boils down to the fact that as more people play videogames indoors they don't get enough sunlight and this has meant the hospitals are now having to combat a disease that was last in the papers around the time Queen Victoria was on the throne." At least the kids are eating enough snacks with iodized salt that we don't have to worry about goiters.
Power

Submission + - So What's the Bad Wiring Advice?

Submitted by Residentcur
Residentcur writes: The popular press is full of stories about a recall of Sunset DIY books on home wiring. The recall is based on supposed bad advice contained in these books and going back three decades, but neither the government body responsible for it nor the publisher is willing to say what the problem is. In my view, it defies logic that this should be kept secret, since presumably many will fail to turn in these dangerous books and may well continue to follow their guidance going forward. No doubt someone in possession of such a book could scour it for at least a likely explanation for the recall. So far I have been unable to find even a speculation about the nature of the bad advice, amongst all the "this will teach you not to try to do it yourself" drivel. Can anyone enlighten this avid home electrician what to look out for in these books?

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