texwtf - Slashdot User

The Mechanics of Motion Sensing 119

Posted by kdawson on Monday November 20, 2006 @05:19PM from the ride-that-dragon dept.

Dr. Eggman writes, "The AP has a short technology piece on the mechanics that go into the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii and PS3 controllers. It also details some of the past uses of the technology and gives a nice overview of just how far the technology has come from the earliest missile-guidance sensor equipment."

Free Geek Robbed 275

Posted by kdawson on Monday November 20, 2006 @04:40PM from the free-as-in-ripped-off dept.

Ellen Wilson writes, "Portland, Oregon, non-profit Free Geek, which turns old PCs into Linux boxen, has been robbed of about $4500 worth of hardware. Portlanders are asked to keep an eye out for suspicious sales of Ubuntu laptops." This blog post has some details of labeling that could help to spot the stolen laptops. BoingBoing picked up the story and added that another local outfit, the Independent Publishing Resource Center, which supports Portland's zine scene, had been hit on the previous night.

Comment Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... (Score 2) 92

by EnronHaliburton2004 on Wednesday May 24, 2006 @08:53PM (#15398513) Attached to: Half-Life Episode 1 Gold, Details on 2 and 3

HL2 refused to run because too much time had passed since the last time Steam had updated.

Interesting. It's been 6 months since I last started Steam-- last week I fired up Steam to download The Lost Coast. Steam updated in less then an hour, and experienced no problems whatsoever.

I think Steam is a pretty good idea. Sure beats having to drive to Best Buy when I just want to play a game during the evening.

The CVS Cop-Out 486

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Saturday May 20, 2006 @01:30PM from the keep-the-users-happy dept.

NewsForge (also owned by VA) has a short piece attempting to call into focus one of the major complaints of end users, the "CVS cop-out". From the article: "One of my biggest pet peeves with open source software is what I call the CVS cop-out. It works like this: I criticize (accurately) some shortcoming of an open source application either in an article or in conversation, and someone responds with, 'That's not true! That feature was fixed in CVS four weeks ago!' [...] I bring up the CVS cop-out not because I have an answer for it, but to air it out. Sometimes, giving a problem a name helps to foster discussion that leads to resolution."

Apple vs Apple -- Judgment Day 310

Posted by Hemos on Monday May 08, 2006 @07:59AM from the two-man-enter-one-man-leave dept.

DaphneDiane writes "According to the Times Online Apple Computer successfully defended themselves vs the suit brought by Apple Corps." If you are looking for background on the case we had talked about it earlier. I'm just relieved that the battle of two bazillion dollar companies turned out well. Phew. And, of course, Apple Corp has filed an appeal already.

The Fedora Core 5 Install Experience 67

Posted by Zonk on Saturday May 06, 2006 @12:33PM from the feel-the-shiny dept.

daria42 writes "A detailed image gallery walks the reader through the complete Fedora Core 5 installation."

MacBook Announcement Expected on Tuesday 352

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday May 06, 2006 @12:10PM from the new-toys dept.

wwhsgrad2002 writes "Both ThinkSecret and Apple Insider are reporting that Apple could hold a press conference as early as Tuesday, May 9th, to announce their new line of MacBooks. The laptop will be the Intel-based successor to the company's popular iBook line. The 13.3-inch widescreen MacBook is expected to sport Core Duo processors from Intel Corp and pack novelties such as a completely magnetic latching system, built in iSight video camera, and MagSafe power adapter. Additionally, each MacBook is expected to come bundled with Apple's Front Row and PhotoBooth software applications. A coding glitch with Apple's Web site has all but confirmed the MacBook moniker for the new consumer laptop."

Would You Wear Video Glasses? 239

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday May 06, 2006 @10:51AM from the future's-so-bright dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "According to EE Times, an Israeli company has developed a personal video display device that looks like a simple pair of glasses. You can use these glasses with various sources, such as a portable media player or your cell phone. This technology promises to eliminate the dizziness phenomenon usually associated with this kind of display. And with these glasses weighing only about 40 grams, you'll feel that you're viewing a 40-inch screen from a distance of 7 feet." Video screens embedded into eyewear isn't that new, but the footprint of these is smaller than what I've seen before, making them cooler to wear on the subway.

NASA Hacker Gary McKinnon Interviewed 402

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday May 06, 2006 @09:44AM from the out-of-this-world dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A BBC article reports about an interview between Click and Gary McKinnon who in 2002 hacked into NASA and other US Military networks. In the interview he talks about how he accessed machines by using default passwords and a conversation with a NASA network engineer using Wordpad. He also talks about how he found information about anti-gravity, UFO technology, free energy and how UFOs are regularly airbrushed out from high-resolution satellite images."

Best Buy Invaded By Blue Shirt Improv Artists 399

Posted by Zonk on Friday May 05, 2006 @07:42PM from the actual-wisdom-of-the-crowds dept.

deviantphil writes "About 80 Improv Everywhere agents invaded their local Best Buy store wearing blue shirts and Khakis. Eventually they were asked to leave, but not before capturing some great photos and video." From the article: "Security guards and managers started talking to each other frantically on their walkie-talkies and headsets. 'Thomas Crown Affair! Thomas Crown Affair!,' one employee shouted. They were worried that were using our fake uniforms to stage some type of elaborate heist. 'I want every available employee out on the floor RIGHT NOW!'" Their inspired cellphone symphony from this February is also well worth checking out.

Giant Rock Growing in Mount St. Helens' Crater 144

Posted by Zonk on Friday May 05, 2006 @06:17PM from the ch-ch-ch-chia dept.

An anonymous reader writes to mention a CNN article about the huge geological formation growing in Mount St. Helens' crater. From the article: "The fin-shaped mass is about 300 feet tall and growing 4 feet to 5 feet a day, said Dan Dzurisin, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. The rock in the crater began growing last November, steadily moving west and pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes." Scientists think the mountain will eventually replace the lave dome blown out by the original 1980 eruption.

El Reg Says Google Choking on Spam Sites 234

Posted by Zonk on Friday May 05, 2006 @04:18PM from the don't-believe-everything-you-read dept.

Grubby Games writes "The Register is reporting that Google is full, and in trouble." From the article: "Recently, we featured a software tool that can create 100 Blogger weblogs in 24 minutes, called Blog Mass Installer. A subterranean industry of sites providing 'private label articles,' or PLAs exists to flesh out 'content' for these freshly minted sites. And as a result, legitimate sites are often caught in the cross fire. But the new algorithms may not be solely to blame. Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt has hinted at another reason for the recent chaos. In Google's earnings conference call last month, Schmidt was frank about the extent of the problem. 'Those machines are full,' he said. 'We have a huge machine crisis.'" James Robertson points out that's a fairly selective bit of quoting.

Oracle Patch Day Becoming Irrelevant 76

Posted by Zonk on Friday May 05, 2006 @11:10AM from the patches-on-patch-day-seems-logical dept.

mocirac wak writes "Oracle's scheduled quarterly patch day is becoming more and more irrelevant. Oracle critical patches announced in the April 2006 CPU are still not available for download and the ETA is now set for May 15. The whole idea of a patch day was to let DBAs get prepared for testing and deployment. What's the use of having a patch day when there are no patches to download?" From the article: "... Oracle's explanation that patch testing is not yet done points to serious shortcomings and an absence of a good patch development process. 'For such a big organization with a lot of financial resources, they should be ready to handle this without problems. But they are amateurs on everything security related,' Cerrudo said. 'They spend a lot of time creating these patches. Then, patch day comes around and the patches aren't available. Then, when the patches are finally released, it's normal to find that they are incomplete and fail to address the actual vulnerability,' he added."

Why is Kingdom Hearts II So Popular? 91

Posted by Zonk on Sunday April 30, 2006 @02:50PM from the two-words-sora's-hair dept.

kukyfrope writes "The long awaited sequel to the popular RPG Kingdom Hearts finally hit North America late last month, and in just those few days easily outsold all other games in March. GameDaily examines why nobody can resist the magic of Disney and Square together in Kingdom Hearts II and why the Kingdom Hearts series has been so successful."

Spam King to Sing For Feds? 202

Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 29, 2006 @11:29PM from the chirp-chirp dept.

Vainglorious Coward writes "Infoworld is repeating the rumours that Alan 'spam king' Ralsky has been arrested by the Feds. With the file sealed for 72 hours, the article claims the underworld is abuzz with concern that, faced with enough evidence to put him in jail, Ralsky will squeal on his associates. We should know in the next couple of days whether any of the roaches scurrying for cover are going to get stomped."

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