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Businesses

Steve Jobs' Macworld Keynotes, 1998-2008 108

Ian Lamont writes "The Industry Standard has put together a collection of video highlights from Steve Jobs' Macworld keynotes since his return to Apple in the late 1990s. It's interesting to watch. Jobs was basically able to turn tech product demonstrations into convincing consumer spectacles that made even the simplest product feature — such as the handle on the clamshell iBook — seem innovative and utterly desirable. And while his appearance changed greatly over the years (compare his 1998 iMac demonstration with his "iPod Mini" keynote in 2004, when he was reportedly trying to treat cancer with a special diet), his enthusiasm never waned. Of course, he may make appearances at Apple's WWDC or other events, but a Macworld expo with Phil Schiller headlining just won't be the same."
Privacy

Real Name For Open Source Development? 262

An anonymous reader writes "Do you contribute to open source projects under your real name or a nickname? The openness of open source can be encouraging, but software patents you have never heard of can become a nightmare if a patent troll sues for implementing 'their' scroll bar. A real name also means you end up in the big index we call search engines. An assumed name could be an additional layer of protection, but what are its pros and cons and is it worth the hassle when asked to participate in a meatspace meeting?"
Math

Fun Things To Do With a Math Or Science Degree? 564

bxwatso writes "My niece just took the ACT and got a perfect score on the math section. 25 years ago, when I took the test, the kids who aced the math section were pretty special. Her score, combined with straight A's so far in high school, suggest to me that she might be able to go to a top university (MIT?) based on her math aptitude. The rub is that she doesn't like math or science, even though she finds them easy. She doesn't want to be an engineer or scientist. I thought the folks here would be a great group to ask: What are some creative, not too nerdy professions that nonetheless require a talent for math, engineering, or science?"
United States

Submission + - Why No High-MPG Diesels For The U.S.?

gbulmash writes: "While looking for a high-MPG minivan, wagon, or SUV, I've been finding that the pickings in the U.S. are pretty slim, but that there are plenty of fuel-efficient diesel models in Europe that get even better mileage than some of the larger hybrids for sale in the U.S. With the U.S. having so many people driving so many miles, it seems ridiculous that even Ford is offering highly fuel efficient diesels in Europe that they don't/won't offer here. Is there an actual plausible reason why these models aren't being brought to American markets aside from "marketing objectives"?"
Software

Submission + - Who Owns a Hosted Open Source Project? 1

An anonymous reader writes: Just over a year ago I convinced my company to release a framework we had created, under an open source license. Since then, a lot of hard work has been put in by myself and others outside of normal work hours and we've managed to turn it into a fairly substantial project with a solid user base. Now I've reached a point where I'm going to move on to something else and the company I work for is taking the typical corporate position that they own the project and everything related to it. Since it's hosted on a popular project hosting site, I'm curious who actually owns the project and it's SVN repository? I originally established the project and no one but the core developers have access to it, so can we refuse to hand over full access to the open source project? Clearly, it's within my right to fork it, but that seems like a bad solution especially since the company just wants to shut it down. I've spent sometime looking around for information on this, but it seems like this either hasn't happened before or it's happened behind closed doors. Does the slashdot community have any thoughts on this?
Google

Google Apps to Become Paid Service 273

FredDC writes "Business Week reports Google Apps is becoming a paid service soon for companies who wish to use it for their domain. Disney and Pixar are reportedly thinking about switching to Google Apps instead of using Microsoft Office. Could this be the end of a monopoly? Or the start of a new one?"
Wii

Submission + - Wii Sports Experiment

rgriscom writes: "A man known as "heysuburbia" has conducted an experiment monitoring the physical changes resulting from 6 weeks of Wii Sports training. He consistently played 30 minutes of Wii sports every day and recorded the changes in his weight, BMI, calories burned, body fat %, and heart rate. The results are surprising. This opens a new door for Nintendo to market the Wii towards gamers who want to get fit, and anyone else who just wants some exercise without leaving the house."
The Internet

Judge Rules Against Deep-Linking of Content 418

An anonymous reader writes "A Texas judge has ruled that, if a copyright owner objects to the linking of content from another web site, that link must be taken down. This case, which may have some far-reaching implications, centered around a motorcross website. The site, run by a Robert Davis, provided links directly to live feeds of 'Supercross' events streaming from the SFX Motor Sports site. The company filed suit, claiming that the direct links were denying it advertising revenue. The article cites previous cases, where sites were prohibited by judges from linking to files which violated copyright law (such as DVD decryption software). From the article: 'But in those lawsuits, the file that was the target of the hyperlink actually violated copyright law. What's unusual in the SFX case is that a copyright holder is trying to prohibit a direct link to its own Web site. (There is no evidence that SFX tried technical countermeasures, such as referrer logging and blocking anyone coming from Davis' site.)'"

Ancient Swords Made of Carbon Nanotubes 293

brian0918 writes "Nature reports that researchers at Dresden University believe that sabres from Damascus dating back to 900 AD were formed with help from carbon nanotubes. From the article: 'Sabres from Damascus are made from a type of steel called wootz. But the secret of the swords' manufacture was lost in the eighteenth century.' At high temperatures, impurities in the metal 'could have catalyzed the growth of nanotubes from carbon in the burning wood and leaves used to make the wootz, Paufler suggests. These tubes could then have filled with cementite to produce the wires in the patterned blades, he says.'"

Molecules Spontaneously Form Honycomb 106

Science Daily is reporting that University of California Researchers have discovered a new process in which molecules assemble into complex patterns without any outside guidance. From the article: "Spreading anthraquinone, a common and inexpensive chemical, on to a flat copper surface, Greg Pawin, a chemistry graduate student working in the laboratory of Ludwig Bartels, associate professor of chemistry, observed the spontaneous formation of a two-dimensional honeycomb network comprised of anthraquinone molecules."

Dvorak on Our Modern World 420

DigitalDame2 writes "If people from the 1920s suddenly landed in the here and now, they'd probably find modern technology a bit weird. Take digital cameras for instance. Nobody would have predicted that most people would now take pictures by holding the camera out in front of them and look at the preview screen to frame a shot. Then there's the iPod phenomenon. Is anyone's music collection that interesting? How many people are being deafened by these things, and what kind of a public health disaster is this? Take a stroll through our modern world with John C. Dvorak's hilarious take."

How to Avoid Mobile Phone Interference w/ Speakers 228

EnzoTen asks: "Everyone has been sitting at their desk rockin, jamming, or groovin to their favorite tunes. You are in a trance, getting work done... then... BZZZPT... BZZTP..BTT.. BZZZZZZZZPTT... the blood curdling noise of your cell phone interferes with your desktop speakers playing 4 times the volume of your music and it takes everything in you not to flip your desk upside down, or throw your mobile phone across the room. Is there anyway to avoid mobile phones interfering with speakers? Are there speakers available that are shielded from this type of interference?"

Download-to-own Films Coming Soon 335

riflemann writes "CNN is reporting that Universal Pictures will soon launch a service whereby films can be downloaded legally to own, i.e. non time-limited digital downloads. Currently most legally downloaded movies are time limited. Buyers will also receive a DVD version in the post. Is the movie industry finally listening? And how will they define 'own?'"
User Journal

Journal Journal: Now M2

And now I got M2 capabilities. W00T.

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