jvollmer - Slashdot User

Cell Phones Aren't Killing Bees After All 253

Posted by Zonk on Friday April 27, 2007 @02:34PM from the most-reassuring dept.

radioweather writes "A couple of weeks ago, there was a nutty idea discussed in The Independent that claimed the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones was causing bees to become disoriented, preventing them from returning to the hive. The flimsy cell phone argument was used to explain Colony Collapse Disorder. Today the LA Times reports that researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered what they believe to be the real culprit: a parasitic fungus. Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country."

Feed Acer acquisition will be bigger than a breadbox, smaller than Gateway (theregister.com)

From feed by registerfeed on Friday April 27, 2007 @02:32PM

Oh, you tease ...

Acer still won't say which PC vendor it plans to acquire, but it will give us a few hints.

Submission + - SPAM: Xerox technology responds to 'colorful' language

Submitted by

alphadogg

on Friday April 27, 2007 @02:26PM

alphadogg writes: "Xerox researchers are developing a way to change the colors in a computer document using natural language commands such as "make the background carnation pink" or "make the blues slightly less purple." Color control systems tend to be complex, so most consumers who need color images and documents have trouble making adjustments, Xerox Innovation Group research scientist Geoff Woolfe notes in a paper that describes prototype "natural language color editing" technology and will be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the Inter-Society Color Council in Kansas City, Mo. [spam URL stripped]x .html"

Submission + - Fragmentation in EXT2

Submitted by

disklace

on Friday April 27, 2007 @02:20PM

disklace writes: "The Fragmentation Measurement algorithm we have developped is being used by 170,000 users and distributed as a Google's Gadget to Windiows users. We have been challanged by Linux users, saying that there is no Fragmentation in EXT2 devices "by definition". We are being asked, why is it so important to measure the fragmentation level of a storage device? Based on our experience, if you are waiting for a defrag until the measured value of your fragmentation is too high, the chance that any fragmentation program will improve your situation is very low. Every one agrees that fragmentation reduces the throughput of your computer. If you want to try it Windows environment, please do. It is free from our site (For partitions up to 80GB). For Linux EXT2 users, we have completed the first stage of the free program we distribute to Windows users. It extracts the directory information we need to calculate the fragmentation level. Yet, the second part of the program has not been ported to Linux, so you'll have to send the output file to us for further analysis. Please fill free to try our Windows program, but if you want to participate in the EXT2 project, you are invited. Please send an e-Mail to info@disklace.com, and we'll send to you the stage1 program. Our EXT3 project is depended on your cooperation. Koby biller Disklace"

Feed Plant Protein That May Aid Biofuel Production Discovered (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed on Friday April 27, 2007 @02:13PM

In a breakthrough that could make the production of cellulosic ethanol less expensive, scientists have discovered a class of plant enzymes that potentially could allow plant materials used to make ethanol to be broken down more efficiently than is possible using current technologies.

Feed Whales Entangled In Fishing Lines: What Can Be Done? (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed on Friday April 27, 2007 @02:12PM

Since 2002 there have been at least 21 reports of right whales entangled in fishing lines, and scar analyses indicates as many as 45-60 right whales become entangled each year. A sinking line can reduce the risk of entanglement of whales, but they are not mandated in more than a few localities.

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