marmoset - Slashdot User

Comment User error (Score 1) 361

by RAVasquez on Wednesday December 11, 2013 @10:31PM (#45667087) Attached to: How long do your computer mice last?

My mice would last much longer if I could resist the urge to smack them against the monitor whenever my computer slows down. I know perfectly well that the mouse is blameless, but my lizard brain needs to SMASH something.

Samsung Ups Ante In Smartphone Size Wars: 6.3 Inches 221

Posted by timothy on Monday July 15, 2013 @05:06AM from the don't-mean-to-brag-but dept.

New submitter jarold writes to note that Samsung has launched two extra-large cellphones: a 6.3 inch LTE ready version, and a 5.8 inch version. "Branded as Galaxy Mega, one would struggle to fit [either in a] pocket or use it with just one hand. The good thing, it is only 8mm thin and weighs under 200 grams. More portable than a tablet, it comes with a durable polycarbonate body. Unlike most of Samsung's latest smartphones, it does not have a super AMOLED panel. Instead, it has an HD super clear LCD display, which is bright enough to please most users. It features split screen and multitasking between video and other apps." For a phone that big, users might need to brush up on their side-talking skills.

Comment Re:Huh? (Score 1) 241

by marmoset on Sunday July 14, 2013 @10:05AM (#44276615) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Enterprise Level Network Devices For Home Use?

Cheap home routers tend to have crappy power supplies and inadequate cooling.

Heartland Institute Threatens To Sue Anyone Who Comments On Leaked Documents 517

Posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 19, 2012 @12:34PM from the stop-talking dept.

Layzej writes "Bloggers around the world have been commenting on recently leaked Heartland Institute documents that reveal their internal strategies to discredit climate science. These posters are now under threat of legal action. According to the Heartland Institute 'the individuals who have commented so far on these documents did not wait for Heartland to confirm or deny the authenticity of the documents. We believe their actions constitute civil and possibly criminal offenses for which we plan to pursue charges and collect payment for damages'"

Mitt Romney, Robotics, and the Uncanny Valley 501

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday February 01, 2012 @09:14AM from the suddenly-the-primaries-become-clear dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Brian Fung writes in the Atlantic that one of Romney's electoral problems is that he occupies a kind of uncanny valley for politicians, inexplicably turning voters off despite looking like the textbook image of an American president. Just as people who interact with lifelike robots often develop a strange feeling due to something they can't quite name, something about Romney leaves voters unsettled. As with the robotic version of the uncanny valley, the closer Romney gets to becoming real to a voter, the more his likeability declines. 'The effect is almost involuntary, considering the substantial advantages Romney enjoys from appearance alone,' writes Fung. 'But in person, his polished persona gives way to what appears a surprisingly forced and inauthentic character.' Political commentator Dana Milbanks adds that although Romney is confident and competent, in casual moments his weirdness comes through — equal parts 'Leave It to Beaver' corniness and social awkwardness. 'Romney's task now is to work his way out of the uncanny valley toward a more compelling style of humanity,' concludes Fung. 'But every day he lingers in it, the hill grows steeper.'"

Comment Re:Guess the Party (Score 4, Informative) 370

by McNally on Friday November 25, 2011 @03:39PM (#38168262) Attached to: Senator Wants 'Terrorist' Label On Blogs

Lieberman is a Democrat. Just saying, if he was a Republican, all the trolls woulld be out about "OMG Republicans are teh evil."

He once was a Democrat but the last time he ran for office he was defeated in his party's primaries by a candidate that Connecticut Democrats apparently felt better reflected the values of their party. Subsequently Lieberman ran, and was re-elected as, an independent.

Climate Change Skeptic Results Released Today 776

Posted by samzenpus on Monday October 31, 2011 @09:30AM from the on-second-thought dept.

Irishman writes "A leading climate change skeptic, Richard Muller, will release results today showing that global warming is indeed happening. He has shown that two items skeptics look to, urban heat islands and unreliable weather stations, do not skew the data. The amazing part is that this research is funded by the Koch brothers, two investors who fund climate change skeptics whenever possible."

The 147 Corporations Controlling Most of the Global Economy 572

Posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday October 24, 2011 @12:10PM from the free-markets-for-the-rest-of-us dept.

rubycodez writes "Researchers at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Zurich have identified a 'Capitalist Network' [PDF] of well-connected companies that control most of the global economy. They further identified the 147 'super-connected' companies that control forty percent or more of the global financial network. If one believes the mega-corporations have most governments of the west in their pockets, does this mean we have a global oligarchy?"

Wikileaks Suspends Publishing Of Cables Due To "Financial Blockade" 316

Posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday October 24, 2011 @10:50AM from the gotta-pay-for-dem-oracle-licenses-somehow dept.

lee1 writes "Wikileaks has had to cease publishing classified files due to what the organization calls a 'blockade by US-based finance companies' that, according to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has 'destroyed 95% of our revenue.' Assange also opined that 'A handful of US finance companies cannot be allowed to decide how the whole world votes with its pocket.' According to Assange the group was taking 'pre-litigation action' against the financial blockade in Iceland, Denmark, the UK, Brussels, the United States, and Australia. They have also filed an anti-trust complaint with the European Commission."

Microsoft Now Collects Royalties From Over Half of All Android Devices 241

Posted by Unknown Lamer on Monday October 24, 2011 @08:48AM from the where-can-i-get-me-some-patents dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has inked a deal with Compal Electronics, which pumps out gadgets that run Android and Chrome OS, for an undisclosed sum." Microsoft has an explanatory weblog post; with this deal over half of all Android devices are licensing patents from Microsoft. Notably refusing to cooperate and instead opting for the court battle route are Motorola and Barnes and Noble.

New Vaccine Halves Malaria Risk 147

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday October 19, 2011 @08:13AM from the hard-work-paying-off dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to a report in Reuters, scientists are celebrating the end of a clinical trial which found a malaria vaccine reduces infection risk by half in children. From the article: 'While scientists say it is no "silver bullet" and will not end the mosquito-borne infection on its own, it is being hailed as a crucial weapon in the fight against malaria and one that could speed the path to eventual worldwide eradication. Malaria is caused by a parasite carried in the saliva of mosquitoes. It kills more than 780,000 people per year, most of them babies or very young children in Africa. Cohen's vaccine goes to work at the point when the parasite enters the human bloodstream after a mosquito bite. By stimulating an immune response, it can prevent the parasite from maturing and multiplying in the liver. ... Cohen said that if all goes to plan, RTS,S could be licensed and rolled out by 2015.'"

iOS 5 Update Available 473

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 12, 2011 @02:38PM from the new-and-improved dept.

tekgoblin writes "Apple has released the iOS 5 update. To update to iOS 5 just open iTunes with your iDevice connected to your computer and press update. I recommend doing a manual backup of your iDevice and make sure all your apps are transferred."

Mazda Stops Production of the Last Rotary Engine Powered Car 359

Posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday October 11, 2011 @04:54PM from the ever-twirling-toward-speed dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "After a 45-year production run, Mazda Motor Corp announced that the latest edition of the Mazda RX-8 will end production in June 2012. The Japanese automaker ... introduced its first rotary engine car in 1967 and is the only automaker in the world that makes rotary engine vehicles, once the darling of the automotive industry. Such engines have fewer moving parts and are quieter than comparable piston engines but are more expensive to manufacture and consume more fuel. Cumulative sales of Mazda vehicles with rotary engines total about 1.995 million but Mazda sold only 2,896 RX-8 cars last year, with 1,245 of them in North America and 963 in Japan. 'Although R-X production is ending, the rotary engine will always represent the spirits of Mazda, and Mazda remains committed to its ongoing development,' says Mazda Chief Executive and President Takashi Yamanouchi recalling the victory of Mazda's rotary engine at Le Mans 20 years ago... Mazda does not have flashy green technologies in its lineup that its bigger Japanese rivals do — such as the hybrids at Toyota Motor Corp. or electric vehicles at Nissan Motor Co. The fading away of its prized rotary engine — although largely symbolic — is yet another blow."

Ask Slashdot: How Do You View the Wall Street Protests? 1799

Posted by Soulskill on Monday October 10, 2011 @02:34PM from the all-about-the-benjamins dept.

__roo writes "The New York Times reports that the Occupy Wall Street movement has inspired hundreds of Facebook pages, Twitter posts, and Meetup events, and that 'blog posts and photographs from all over the country are popping up on the WeArethe99Percent blog on Tumblr from people who see themselves as victims of not just a sagging economy but also economic injustice.' What do Slashdotters think? Do you relate to the 99% stories? Do they make you angry — either at the system, or at the protesters? If it's at the protesters, is it rational or a just-world effect?"

Facebook Forming a PAC 217

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday October 04, 2011 @07:45PM from the politics-is-the-worst-kind-of-social-networking dept.

DougDot writes "According to a recent SFGate article, 'Social networking giant Facebook is expanding its political footprint, confirming that it has filed the necessary paperwork to open a political action committee in advance of the 2012 elections. The move is the latest in a series of maneuvers boosting the Palo Alto company's political profile in recent years, joining a steady rise in lobbying spending, several high-profile fundraisers and the failed statewide candidacy of one of its key officers for attorney general last year.' With 800 million users in its social network, and with very deep pockets, we could have a new, powerful Congress-influencing entity steering American politics."

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