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Submission + - DIY project crowdfunds "open source spectrometry" X-Prize (spectralchallenge.org)

jywarren writes: Public Lab (http://publiclaboratory.org), which brought us the DIY Balloon Mapping Kit (http://kck.st/x5vsyA) and the highly successful DIY Spectrometry Kit (http://kck.st/PI9XOq) has launched a prize pool for identifying contaminants in your neighborhood — using only low cost, open source spectrometry. Phase 1 is open for submissions — you can enter or simply contribute to the prize pool.

Comment Old technology, already done in the 1970's (Score 1) 338

I worked on a related project in the 1970's.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrwetzel/7585494254/in/set-72157630609076830

In the words of the product description:

The iJohn digitizes both liquid and solid waste products and sends them electronically to a central facility for processing and disposal. Because of the high level of redundancy in the waste stream it can be compressed to a small fraction of its original size resulting in transport costs far lower than with traditional methods. And because the waste products are in digital form they can be easily routed to alternate destinations based on available capacity, labor costs, and the regulatory environment.

Comment Are highways and public storage facilities next? (Score 1) 428

Are the MPAA and RIAA next going to target highway administrators (e.g. NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway) to control what is carried on their roads? Are they going to target public storage facilities to control what is stored therein? Safe Harbor must be protected. And while we're at it let's protect all linking.

Comment Follow Cory Doctorow's Lead (Score 0) 987

The easiest way to avoid any piracy is to GIVE your book away. Cory Doctorow did this with his novel "Little Brother". It was on the NY Times bestseller list for weeks, if not months, and has a sales rank of 1800 at Amazon. All that despite the fact that it was available for free online. To quote Cory: "For me -- for pretty much every writer -- the big problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity (thanks to Tim O'Reilly for this great aphorism)."

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