r_jensen11 - Slashdot User

Submission + - ATI Catalyst 8.1 released (akamai.net)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Friday January 18, 2008 @12:11PM

r_jensen11 writes: AMD have released their Catalyst 8.1 drivers for Linux yesterday, which now supports REHL 4.6 and 5.1, as well as Gusty. AMD notes four resolved issues: Corruption will no longer be noticed in the lower right corner of the display or on the mouse pointer after the system is running for a long period of time

Custom mode lines in xorg.conf will no longer be ignored by the fglrx driver Suspending to RAM or DISK on kernel version 2.6.23 or later no longer fails Connecting a display device that supports 1680x1050 to a system running Linux will no longer result in a maximum display resolution of 1280x1024 only being available
The only major catch?

On workstation hardware 3D applications will be corrupted if the screen width is not an integer multiple of 64 pixels, for example with a 1680x1050 wide screen display.

Submission + - 1st Gen Blu-ray players already obsolete. (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Monday January 14, 2008 @02:07PM

r_jensen11 writes: The BBC reports that a new wave of movies being released for Blu-ray are including features, such as picture-in-picture, that require bluray players to support the current profile 2.0 (BD Live). Apparently, some people are not terribly concerned that many people will find that they've dropped some $2,000 on a device that is no longer fully supportive. Alastair Upham's (from DVD Review) opinion of the matter is:

"The guys that bought the first Blu-ray players are the guys who bought the first laser discs. They know the risks."
And for all of you out there that bought a PS3 because it's a cheap blu-ray player, well, you're in luck:

But because internet functionality is not a mandatory requirement in current players, none on the market today will be able to access the feature.

The only Blu-ray player which can upgraded to use all the features is Sony's PlayStation 3, because it comes with the right hardware built-in and online access.

Submission + - Demonoid shut down for good? (demonoid.com)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Saturday November 10, 2007 @06:10PM

r_jensen11 writes: It appears that the CRIA is at it again. According to their website, Demonoid may be down for good. The only message the crew have left is the following:

The CRIA threatened the company renting the servers to us, and because of this it is not possible to keep the site online. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding.
What do you think, is this the end of Demonoid? Or will they move to another country, yet again? Or maybe someone could revive them again?

Submission + - Can the PS3 be the new TiVO? (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Wednesday August 22, 2007 @06:13PM

r_jensen11 writes: According to the BBC, European consumers will be able to add on DVR capabilities to their PS3's. FTFA:

Sony has unveiled a TV tuner which plugs into the PS3 and turns it into a personal video recorder like Sky+. The company has held a press conference at the Leipzig games show in which it highlighted key multimedia capabilities for the PS3 and handheld PSP... PlayTV for PS3 is a twin TV tuner that will launch in early 2008 in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain with other countries to follow.

Submission + - Stem Cells + Existing Body Fat = Breast Implants (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Monday July 09, 2007 @09:37PM

r_jensen11 writes: According to a recent BBC article, using a combination of existing body fat from either the belly or the butt, along with stem cells, is providing a more 'natural' breast implant. Some possible uses discussed are augmentation and reconstructive surgury. FTFA:

Scientists say they are not sure quite how it works, but suspect that the stem cells emit signals that encourage blood vessels to grow and nurture new tissue.

Submission + - Social sites reveal class divide - Or do they? (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Monday June 25, 2007 @08:00PM

r_jensen11 writes: According to a BBC article, PhD student Danah Boyd (Berkeley) claims that there is a social divide between Facebook and Myspace users. FTFA:

A six-month research project has revealed a sharp division along class lines among the American teenagers flocking to the social network sites. The research suggests those using Facebook come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college. By contrast, MySpace users tend to get a job after finishing high school rather than continue their education.
Now, the article doesn't mention that Facebook originated as a College-only network, but they might still have a point. This could also be interesting as many view Facebook as becoming more and more like Myspace.

Submission + - Vatican to build solar panel roof (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Tuesday June 05, 2007 @11:33PM

r_jensen11 writes: FTA:

The deteriorating cement roof tiles of the Paul VI auditorium will be replaced next year with photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity.

The cells will generate enough power to light, heat or cool the hall, the Vatican engineers say.

Given its size, would this then make the Vatican the most energy-efficient country in the world?

Submission + - What tax software do you use?

Submitted by r_jensen11 on Tuesday January 16, 2007 @05:50PM

r_jensen11 writes: I know this topic has been asked at least once before, but seeing as how 6 years have passed, I figured the question is due again. It's about that time of the year again when we find out how much we owe Uncle Sam (Or as in my case, how much Uncle Sam owes me.) Software has changed drastically in the past 6 years since the previous query I found on Slashdot, as well as many tax rules. Does anyone here use tax software other than TurboTax and TaxCut? I know that there are also online forms I can fill out, but which ones are accessable to people that use OS's other than Windows and OSX? I'd preferably use a program that I can use off-line and store my information locally instead of using eforms, but if I have to resort to eforms, which ones should I investigate and which ones should I stay far away from?

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