Comment Re:wait (Score 1) 362
It costs a few thousand dollars to file a patent. How many people have that lying around?
Comment Re:OMG save the children (Score 4, Interesting) 541
My husband's cousin had a bad reaction to the polio vaccine and is in a wheelchair because of it. But I still vaccinated my children.
If you actually read the info sheet the nurse gives you with each vaccine, you'll see there are risks. Some small percentage of the population has a bad reaction to some vaccines, and the info sheets describe what they are and what symptoms to watch for. I weighed the risks and decided in favor of vaccination.
Comment Re:Noooooooooo!!!!!!1111!11! (Score 1) 541
You're a Clemson fan, aren't you? Trying to convice people Garnets are dangerous. Hmph!
Comment Re:Systematic Error (Score 1) 115
It's not exactly a bubble, it's more like a void. Peter Hamilton was prescient.
Comment Hooray for meetings! (Score 1) 494
I suppose I can thank our weekly team meetings for helping keep my handwriting skills up to snuff. I always take notes at the meetings so I can remember what we talked about and make to-do lists. Sometimes, the meetings become long and tedious, but now when I feel myself itching to look at the clock I can just remember that I'm practicing an important skill: writing on paper with a pen. And I'll know it's all worth it.
Comment Re:I for one... (Score 1) 236
No kidding. I'm thinking of the notification systems the research group I work for developed back in the 90's - the way they worked was very similar to this patent. And we were not by any means the only player in the business of notification software.
Submission + - FT article on open publishing
An anonymous reader writes: James Boyle has an article in the Financial Times http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b46f5a58-aa2e-11db-83b0-00 00779e2340.html describing experiments in "open publishing" — publishers who make the text freely available online. Lots of links to free digital texts — fiction and non — from Doctorow to Lessig to O'Reilly.
MySpace Sues Spam King 118
Harry Maugans writes to mention a lawsuit filed by MySpace against Scott Richter, the 'Spam King'. Filed under California's harsh anti-spam laws, the suit alleges that Richter sent millions of unsolicited 'bulletins' to MySpace users over the past few years. From the article: "The suit is aiming for monetary damages and an injunction that would permanently ban Richter and his affiliates from MySpace. The amount of money sought by MySpace has not been disclosed. Richter was already ordered to pay $7 million in a 2003 lawsuit filed by Microsoft after initially refusing to settle the dispute for $100,000. Microsoft announced in 2005 that it would be using the money from the settlement to fuel further antispam operations."
Submission + - That box on the left side in the new Slashdot UI
Morten Hustveit writes: "Who uses that damn box on the far left of the new article view? What is it for? Why can't I configure it to be hidden permanently?"
Submission + - As of today, Canadian require passport to enter US
boxlight writes: As of today, Canadians require a passport to enter the US. We only required a photo id before this. Meanwhile, Canadians — who have waited until the last minute — are going nuts, lining up in droves at passport offices.
Nokia Developing Diamond-Like Gadget Casing 122
space_pingu writes "In the future, all gadgets could be coated with tough, diamond-like material. A patent from Nokia — featured in the latest patent round-up from New Scientist — describes a way of infusing plastic cases with a material, structurally similar to diamond, made from coal. Not only is it more scratch and grime-resistant, but it's also cheap and biodegradable. Apparently it also shines like a metal. The article also touches on a technique for welding with 'ice bullets', and an airport scanner that protects the dignity of travelers."
Submission + - Blogger gets millionaire to pay up!
Daphne writes: "Gert Verhulst, a Belgian actor & writer, gradually became famous ever since he started the television series 'Samson en Gert' back in 1989. In 1991, he recorded a children's song in which he sang something like: "If I would have 10 million, I would buy gallons of lemonade and a hundred kilos of chocolate. I would throw a party, host a fair, and everyone would be invited."
Bert, a 21-year old student in Communication Sciences, remembered the song and created the website Gertje.info, in which he presented the 'evidence' in order to persuade the television millionaire to keep true to his promise.
Well, guess what? The 21-year old has done it. Millionaire Gert Verhulst announced he will be hosting a fair for over 1500 people on February 2nd. The power of one person and the internet keeps amazing me!"
Submission + - Google Antiphishing Site Exposes Private User Data
Juha-Matti Laurio writes: "Google has removed a few user names and passwords posted inadvertently to a phishing blacklist it compiles and makes publicly available on the Web. This information was submitted to Google by Firefox users with browser's internal antiphishing toolbar. This feature developed in co-operation with Google enables users to report potential phishing sites to Google's blacklist database. Google has reportedly implemented a new mechanism detecting login data in submitted URL's to prevent sensitive information from getting posted to the list."
Submission + - All Air Travel To/From U.S. Now Requires Passport
s31523 writes: "It may come as a surprise to some, but in previous years travel to/from the United States to/from neighboring countries did not require a passport for re-entry into the U.S. Not anymore, as new regulations go into effect today that will require a passport for travelers entering the U.S. from neighboring countries like Canada, Mexico, and various Caribbean islands. U.S. territories are the only exception. The new rule even applies to children, as noted on the U.S. Dept. of State website."
Submission + - Could a white-on-black Google save power?
Kris_J writes: "Rising Phoenix Design's BlackBack theory says that since white costs more power to display than black on a CRT, web pages should be light text on a dark background. One idea then is that since Google is the most popular website on the planet, would there be a significant global power usage reduction if they changed their design to white text on a black background? At the very least, I reckon they should try it for three days and find out."
