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Comment Re:Hmmm. (Score 1) 376

by zoobaby (#28535709) Attached to: Ranchers Have Beef With USDA Program To ID Cattle

Technology isn't an issue on this. Depending on what RFID technology is used, read range wouldn't be an issue. Since cattle life is relatively short, active tags can be used which also address some of the concerns of a single person taking the readings. Also readers can be attached to a trailer, punch a button and read all tags within range (which can be large or small).

Uploading data, you are right, it is very small. A few hundred bits per cow is all that would be needed. Even a old 300 baud modem could upload all the data relatively quickly.

As you also said cost is quite low compared to the operating costs of a ranch. RFID tags are pretty cheap now, $0.10 for passive tags and $10+ for active tags. Readers are $500 to $2k, but those are a one time purchase. If a rancher can't absorb the one time cost, they are really hurting, and the USDA could always subsidize the readers.
PC Games (Games)

Age of Conan, One Year On 119

Posted by Soulskill from the still-alive dept.
One year after its rocky launch, Age of Conan has stabilized and seen a growth in its player base, reports FunCom. What's more, they say, is that players seem to be playing for longer periods of time as well. Game Director Craig Morrison said in his May letter that work on the next major update, 1.05, is nearing completion, and provided some more details about the new features. This is the same patch which, due to the sweeping stat and equipment changes, will allow players who have a character at level 50 or higher to create a brand new character already at level 50. Reader Kheldon points out a two-part interview with Morrison in which he discusses the laundry list of changes they've made in the past year to improve the game, as well as some broader thoughts about storytelling in the MMO genre. FunCom also released some early details yesterday on two new, free-to-play MMOs they're working on, one of which is browser-based and one of which is Java-based.
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - Will Wright to leave Electronic Arts (developmag.com)

Submitted by
Mark
Mark writes: "Will Wright is leaving Electronic Arts.

However Wright, the creator of The Sims, Sim City and Spore, is to start a new venure, called Stupid Fun Club, which EA will make an equity investment in, the two have announced.

Stupid Fun Club is described as 'an entertainment think tank developing new Intellectual Properties to be deployed across multiple fronts including video games, movies, television, the internet, and toys'.

'EA and Wright will own shares of Stupid Fun Club and are the principal shareholders. In addition, EA has the right to develop game concepts that spring from Stupid Fun Club projects,' the two announced in a statement.

"The entertainment industry is moving rapidly into an era of revolutionary change," said Will.

"Stupid Fun Club will explore new possibilities that are emerging from this sublime chaos and create new forms of entertainment on a variety of platforms. In my twelve years at EA, I've had the pleasure to work alongside some of the brightest and most talented game developers in the industry and I look forward to working with them again in the near future.""
Biotech

Submission + - Cracking the code of bacterial communication (ted.com)

Submitted by
TEDChris
TEDChris writes: "It's not often you get leading-edge science shared in such a dynamic way. Microbiologist Bonnie Bassler here explains her discovery of "quorum sensing" — the amazing ability of bacteria to communicate with each other and coordinate attack strategies. By cracking the communication code, she has opened up potential for a new class of drugs tackling microbial diseases. The talk got a massive standing ovation at this year's TED and has just been posted. To quote one commenter: "This is by far the most inspiring, amazing, and far-reaching talk I've seen in a very long time. " Wd love Slashdot community's insight into implications of this work."
Security

Submission + - Cyberspies Infiltrated US Electrical Grid (voanews.com)

Submitted by mytrip
mytrip writes: A U.S. newspaper is reporting that spies using the Internet have infiltrated control systems of the U.S. electrical supply network and planted computer programs that could be used to disrupt electricity service.

The report in The Wall Street Journal cites current and former national security officials as saying the spies are from China, Russia and other countries.

The report says a senior intelligence official says the computer software tools left behind could be used to destroy infrastructure components, and officials are concerned the programs would be used in times of war or crisis. The report says officials say water, sewage and other infrastructure systems were also at risk.
Businesses

Submission + - Recession Catches Up To Tech Jobs (cnn.com)

Submitted by
HangingChad
HangingChad writes: "Once thought to be somewhat recession-proof, tech jobs have been getting slashed as companies look to trim budgets. From the CNNMoney article: "After three years of at least 2.5% employment growth in the United States, tech jobs are forecast to decline by 1.2% this year, according to Forrester Research. They have already fallen by nearly 1% since their November peak, according to the Labor Department. Year to date, 8,000 tech jobs have been slashed, including 4,100 just last month."

We're not anticipating any layoffs and I'm not seeing a lot of top flight programming talent on the bench. Not even certain how noticeable a 1.2% decline would be in our industry. Anyone else feeling the pinch?"
Enlightenment

Submission + - Foot-shaped structures found in the Jordan valley (examiner.com)

Submitted by mmmscience
mmmscience writes: http://www.examiner.com/x-1242-Science-News-Examiner~y2009m4d6-Footshaped-structures-found-in-the-Jordan-valley An interesting discovery in Jordan has opened a whole realm of possibilities in biblical archaeology. The collection of large foot-shaped structures found in the Jordan valley appear to be "the first sites that the People of Israel built upon entering Canaan and they testify to the biblical concept of ownership of the land with the foot."

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