XL70E3 - Slashdot User

Submission + - Patent for Denying Rebate Money

Submitted by resistant on Saturday December 09, 2006 @09:49PM

resistant writes: The business of denying if possible your hard-earned rebate money for power supplies, cases, and whatnot has reached a new level with a patent. This is orthogonal to a Slashdot thread from last year.

How to Protect a Home When Away in Winter? 433

Posted by Zonk on Saturday December 09, 2006 @09:03PM from the i-suggest-unseen-servant dept.

kidMike writes "I have just accepted a new job in another state, requiring me to relocate. I'm going to keep my house in New England. As I watch the winter storm problems and electrical outages across the country, how do Slashdotters protect their houses (or cabins) when they are away in the winter? Is there a device that will call me if the temp in the house drops below a certain level? How about a broken pipe flooding the house? How can I keep advised of problems happening hundreds of miles away? (There will still be broadband at the house.)"

Submission + - The Perfect General Lab

Submitted by

wdhowellsr

on Saturday December 09, 2006 @08:33PM

wdhowellsr writes: "I am currently setting up a lab that will need to provide me with the ability to test equipment for electronic systems from low voltage dc to super high voltage ac. I'm currently getting a Fluke 43b meter to be the primary testing equipment and will be wiring the entire lab to every possible variation of ac and dc voltage. My question to you is what would you consider the perfect lab not just for electronics but for computers, chemistry, and biology. I've tried to find resources on the web that would give me information regarding this but have been unable to find anything. Hold Nothing Back, William D. Howell"

Submission + - Interlink sues Nintendo on Wiimote

Submitted by

Patent-Monkey

on Saturday December 09, 2006 @08:28PM

Patent-Monkey writes: "Dvorak reports on his blog that Nintendo is being sued by Interlink on its Wiimote using US patent 6,850,221. Interlink has successfully partnered with Microsoft on XBox. While this may be stresful for Nintendo, Interlink's claims cover "a housing for location at least partly between a first finger and a thumb of a user's hand...a contoured step having a first face for generally providing a rest location for the first finger of the user's hand..."."

Submission + - Google not in bed with CIA

Submitted by

shadowmage13

on Saturday December 09, 2006 @07:56PM

shadowmage13 writes: "Slashdot previously reported on claims that Google has secret involvement with the CIA. Opposing these claims that Google is "in bed" with the CIA, a blog post from Matt Cutts' blog says that the statements are completely untrue in the classic lighthearted Google defense fashion. How much reason is there to still worry or is it pretty clear that this blog post is true?"

Submission + - NASA fears for Shuttle computers at year rollover

Submitted by dm6079 on Saturday December 09, 2006 @07:52PM

dm6079 writes: It appears that they've never had a shuttle in space on December 31. According to this NY Times article, the shuttle computer systems would have to be reset on January 1st. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/08/science/space/08 shutscrub.html?_r=1&oref=slogin They are rather hesitant to do that while the craft is in the middle of a mission. Are the systems that archaic or is NASA just hyper-paranoid ?

Submission + - CPUShare pays for spare CPU cycles

Submitted by sylvainsf on Saturday December 09, 2006 @07:44PM

sylvainsf writes: Beta project CPUShare [cpushare.com] is putting together a framework that pays users for spare CPU cycles much like Folding@Home. While details like whether this would even cover the increased energy costs of running the CPU at 100% haven't been determined, the concept is interesting and could provide a competitor for IBM's Blue Gene [ibm.com] capacity on demand services.

Journal Journal: Wikipedia declares all-out war on GNAA 1

Journal by britneys 9th husband on Saturday December 09, 2006 @07:42PM

Wikipedia declares all-out war on GNAA
Article deleted following closely contested vote; GNAA president banned

Submission + - 50% Of North American PCs Cannot Run Windows Vista

Submitted by

the_recipe_2k6

on Saturday December 09, 2006 @07:04PM

the_recipe_2k6 writes: "From http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2068351,00.as p

"About half of the average business PCs in North America are unable to meet the minimum requirements for Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, while 94 percent do not meet the system requirements for Vista Premium."

Looks like the pretty aggresive numbers Redmond's putting forth (20% Vista adoption in 2007) might be hampered by a small problem... actually getting machines to *run* Vista."

First Company Logo Visible From Space 436

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday November 14, 2006 @07:33PM from the fast-food-for-aliens dept.

Albert Sandberg writes, "KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) has created the first logo that is visible from space. The construction was made by 65,000 1x1-foot tiles and covers about 2 acres. The logo was built and assembled over about a month and is located in the Nevada desert near Area 51. The article also has a short video showing the construction in time-lapse. Now the aliens know where to get their slimy food :-)"

Submission + - Vista gold but cracked already

Submitted by

Tim

on Tuesday November 14, 2006 @07:29PM

Tim writes: "Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 only just went gold, and their anti-piracy measures have already been cracked. Various pirate websites have a version of Vista available to download, called "Vista BillGates". It comes supplied with a product key, allowing users to install the operating system on their computers unhindered. A second patch — a separate download, called an "activation crack" — must also be applied. This bypasses the activation process used by Vista to ensure that each installation is legitimate. The same pirate sites also have Office 2007 Enterprise editions available for download. Users simply need to enter a supplied product key, since this version of Office does not require product activation. Vista and Office 2007 went gold only last week, meaning that the code for their initial release has been finalised and released to manufacturing. Mass-licence or business users of Vista will be able to buy a copy from November 30, while the release of the consumer edition is scheduled for January 30 next year. Office 2007 will be available for purchase by consumers at the same time as Vista. Microsoft declined comment for this story, but it will no doubt work quickly to stamp out the piracy of its products, which it should be able to do fairly easily. Microsoft is capable of deactivating pirated copies by sending a patch through Windows Update, and it can also invalidate certain product keys. The software giant has taken similar measures previously with Windows XP, preventing users that it had identified as using pirated versions from downloading certain updates such as Internet Explorer 7. http://www.theage.com.au/news/biztech/vista-gold-b ut-cracked-already/2006/11/14/1163266532925.html"

Submission + - Corporate Propaganda Still On the News

Submitted by

mofomojo

on Tuesday November 14, 2006 @07:27PM

mofomojo writes: "Democracy Now! reports that a new study by the Center for Media and Democracy says Americans are still being shown corporate public relations videos disguised as news reports on newscasts across the country. In April, the Center identified 77 stations using Video News Releases in their newscasts. The findings led to an investigation by the FCC. A followp-up study has found 10 of those stations are still airing VNRs today for a total of 46 stations in 22 states.""

Submission + - Playstation 3 won't really play old games!

Submitted by

iuvasago

on Tuesday November 14, 2006 @07:05PM

iuvasago writes: "The U.S. launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 game console is just over two days away. And that's apparently soon enough for some gamers waiting in line at stores that look to offer the eagerly awaited system. That comes despite fresh word that some older games don't work with the new system. Tuesday in Japan, a Sony spokesman revealed some compatiblity problems with older PlayStation software titles. Sony said the console won't run some of the thousands of older games despite having been billed as compatible."

Submission + - Borland announced the establishment of CodeGear

Submitted by

piprog

on Tuesday November 14, 2006 @07:04PM

piprog writes: "Breaking News: A New Baby Is Born
November 14th, 2006

Borland announced the establishment of CodeGear, a wholly owned subsidiary expected to come to life early in 2007. Read the press release here (http://www.borland.com/us/company/news/press_rele ases/2006/11_14_06_borland_forming_codegear.html).

The original plan (from early this year) called for an investor buying the Developer Tools Group. It seems to me this did not work out, so Borland is executing Plan B. Fingers crossed...

Good luck CodeGear!"

Submission + - Report Blasts 'Peak Oil' Theory

Submitted by

Rei

on Tuesday November 14, 2006 @06:56PM

Rei writes: "Today, the prestigious Cambridge Energy Research Associates released a report dismissing the Peak Oil theory, suggesting that world oil production will continue to increase for the next 24 years, and then only level into a plateu. The report, which suggests that world reserves are enough to last 122 years at our current rate of consumption, also blasts Peak Oil theorists for repeatedly making unscientific predictions and then shifting them whenever their predictions fail to materialize."

Slashdot Top Deals