Comment Re:Might read this again (Score 1) 203
I absolutely agree with this
Comment Re:Improved distance from the DSLAM? (Score 1) 110
Perhaps the answer lies in DSL repeaters. We are starting to use them here in Iceland to serve rural homes that are between 5-10 km from the DSLAM. The plan is that these homes will be able to get 2 Mbps down/512 up which is way better than crappy old ISDN.
I've seen DSL, throttled back to 512 kbps down on lines that were over 15 km long so it's not unheard of to see DSL on such long lines.
Comment Re:Google Docs really isn't ready. (Score 1) 207
The big problem with Docs is that it isn't really secure. If it's gonna be cloud computing all the way, then I as a user have to be sure that my docs aren't gonna be intercepted by a MITM or a cross-site scripting flaw. I use the Writely part of it at work as a quick repository for info I need quickly, but the company firewall recently blocked it and I when I asked why I was given links to posts from security researchers exposing big time cross site scripting flaws with it that made me rethink how I use it.
Other than that, OO all the way for me!
The Wii - Is the Magic Gone? 492
Computer And Video Games asks the tough question: is the Wii's magic gone? After the flurry of excitement around the launch, lackluster ports and a persistent inability for Nintendo to keep units on the shelves has made it hard for gamers to sustain their enthusiasm for the system. It doesn't help that most of the good games slated for this year won't be out for months. In some cases, there's doubt they'll even make it out this year: Reggie Fils-Aime appears to be backpedaling on Metroid Prime 3 by Christmas, which would be a shame. GigaGamez has additional commentary. Are you still as excited about the Wii as you were when it launched?
Halo 3 Confirmed for Fall 2007 42
The folks at Bungie share the news, via their weekly update, that Halo 3 will be coming out this fall. Not surprising, but still good to hear. The game's marketing campaign will soon be kicking into gear, and the site offers the first 'iconic' image they'll be using on billboards and bus stops. The update also includes a few words on the Crackdown/Beta offering (sometimes later this spring), and an update on where they are with Halo itself.
Submission + - Google developing AI
chonny69 writes: "Developers at search engine giant Google "are really trying to build artificial intelligence and to do it on a large scale," Google co-founder Larry Page said at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science conference Saturday. "It's not as far off as people think," he said.
Page also said that in the programming language of humans the brain's algorithms weren't all that complicated and could be approximated, eventually, with a lot of computational power."
OLPC Has Kill-Switch Theft Deterrent 138
Sid writes "Ars Technica reports that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) XO has an anti-theft daemon in the OS that can be used to remotely disable machines, much like WGA. The Project added the kill switch at the behest of a few countries concerned about laptop theft. From the report, 'OLPC has responded to such concerns by developing an anti-theft daemon that the project claims cannot be disabled, even by a user with root access. Participating countries can then provide identifying information such as a serial number to a given country's OLPC program oversight entity, which can then disable the devices in certain scenarios.'"
Fermi Paradox Predicting Humankind's Future? 854
An anonymous reader writes "The Fermi paradox says that if extraterrestrial civilizations exist, at least one of them should have colonized the entire galaxy by now. But since there is no evidence of this, humankind must be the only intelligent life in the galaxy. The Space Review has an article on how the Fermi paradox can be applied to human civilization. It says that, like the extraterrestrials, humans have three choices: colonize the galaxy, remain on Earth, or become extinct."
How A "Superbaby" Is Helping To Find Muscular Dystrophy Treatments 93
An anonymous reader writes to tell us that a baby boy with unusually big muscles — caused by a gene mutation — is helping scientists to discover new muscular dystrophy drugs. "Myostatin was discovered in mice in 1992 in Lee's Johns Hopkins lab. In 1996 he proved its importance by showing that mice without the myostatin-producing gene got twice as big. The next year he discovered that the bulging Belgian Blue cow was a myostatin mutant, the first of eight prized cattle breeds later found to have the mutation. The company he had co-founded, MetaMorphix, is working on manipulating myostatin to beef up livestock. Wyeth picked up the rights to develop a drug for humans. Its experimental antibody drug produced bulked-up mice in 2002, and results of a trial in adults with muscular dystrophy are expected as early as March."
