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Comment Re:so what? (Score 1) 812

Quite the opposite happened to me: We were crossing at the Thousand Islands Bridge to do some sight-seeing on the Canadian side and were detained for 2 hours while the Canadians tore the back seat out of the car, pulled the spare tire, grilled us about our criminal records (none), demanded to know about any sealed juvenile records (we told them to ask the Attorney General if they wanted to know about that). When we finally got our car back, we were escorted to it by armed guards wearing bullet-proof vests, to find that nothing had been put back the way it belonged.

When we returned to the US side, the agent asked us to pop the trunk, didn't even look in it, but shut it for us and said to have a nice day.

All of our paperwork was in order--the only reason we can come up with is that I'm brown-skinned and have a beard. Except that my ancestry is English, Irish and Native American.

Submission + - An App so You'll Never Forget - Smart.fm (technologyreview.com)

An anonymous reader writes: A language-learning application that's already big in Japan is coming to the U.S. in the form of a new iPhone app. Smart.fm, based in Tokyo, says that the adaptive-learning algorithms behind its software can help users memorize all kinds of information. Those algorithms determine how often to present a piece of information to the user and in what context.

Unlike other memory applications, Smart.fm takes a social approach, letting users share their lists and add comments to other lists. And in the future, Lewis says, there will be more ways to pull information into the system. The company is working on integrating with Freebase, a site that collects user-generated databases.

Submission + - Anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss dies

An anonymous reader writes: One of the most influential intellectuals of the XX century just passed away at the age of 100. He revolutionised anthropology by introducing the structural approach pioneered by linguistics into his field, analysing belief systems and social interactions as complexly interrelated entities.
Role Playing (Games)

New Fable II DLC Coming May 12th 26

Lionhead Studios today announced that their next section of downloadable content for Fable II, called See the Future, will be available on May 12th. The new content will include new quests, monsters and items, a Colosseum, and alter egos for the player's dog. Peter Molyneux also hinted at a connection to the next Fable game, saying, "... it would be pretty poor to say See the Future if it didn't have some connection." Further details are available in the latest in Lionhead's series of developer diaries.

Comment Re:That would be really weird... (Score 1) 341

In your example, Mr. Y is offering testimony regarding his own actions, but is not, presumably, offering testimony to incriminate Mr. X. Also, I think you've slightly misunderstood the GPs intent. In your example, Mr. Y has directly heard Mr. X say "your mother is a whore," making his testimony admissible. If, however, Mr. Y were to offer that "Mr. Z told me he was calling my mother a whore," the testimony becomes hearsay. IANAL, etc
Technology (Apple)

Submission + - Apple, AT&T sued over iPhone restrictions (msn.com)

Serzen writes: MSNBC may not be the most popular website for hordes of Slashdotters, but they are running a story about two new lawsuits filed against Apple and AT&T as a result of the use restrictions and recent updates to the iPhone's soft/firmware. From the article:

Two separate lawsuits were filed in San Jose on Oct. 5 — one in federal court and the other in state court and both seeking class-action status. Both cases accuse the companies of unfair business practices and violations of antitrust, telecommunications and warranty laws.
The suit also alleges that: "The companies are unlawfully restricting consumer choice by preventing users from 'unlocking' their iPhones, and Apple intentionally disabled unofficial third-party programs or rendered unlocked phones useless with its software update..."

Announcements

Submission + - Space Plasma Mimics Life (space.com)

Serzen writes: Space.com has an article describing how gas in space mimics life. A new computer model shows what happens when dust is injected into plasma. According to the article:

The new computer simulations suggest that in the gravity-free environment of space, the plasma particles will bead together to form string-like filaments that then twist into corkscrew shapes. The helical strands resemble DNA and are themselves electrically charged and attracted to one another.
The authors are quick to point out that no one is calling the filaments "life" just yet, but also are willing "to start the discussion ... once more of what exactly do we mean by life."

Sony

Submission + - Sony Celebrates God of War 2 with Decapitated Goat

Serzen writes: In what can only be called a puzzling move, Sony's launch party for God of War II featured topless women, at least one dead goat and an "offal" eating competition. Almost entirely too strange for words, the Daily Mail covers some of it here. Even with the goat censored out, the woman is only wearing body paint for a top, so use some caution if viewing at work.

Apparently photos from the event can be seen in subscriber's editions of PlayStation magazine, but copies bound for retail have been recalled.
Input Devices

Submission + - Blind Pedestrians Say Hybrids Pose Safety Threat

Radon360 writes: From the WSJ:

For blind people, crossing the street is becoming even more of a challenge. Michael Osborn, a blind marketing consultant from Laguna Beach, Calif., and his guide dog, Hastings, were in the middle of an intersection one morning last April when the yellow Lab stopped short. Mr. Osborn took the cue and halted — just in time to feel the breeze from a car passing right in front of them. "Half an inch and it would have hit us ... it wasn't making any noise," says Mr. Osborn, 50, who has been blind for 12 years. Witnesses say the car was a Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle.
Movies

Submission + - Canadian Government Says No to New Camcorder Law

canwaf writes: "The Canadian Government has rejected calls by the Canadian equivalent of the MPAA to bring in new tougher laws to combat film piracy in the cinemas. Citing an already stiff copyright law in Canada, Canada's Minister of Justice said there was no need to go after people with camcorders in Canadian movie theatres, "I do point out to people that the country is not completely bereft of laws in this area." The article states that currently "the maximum fine under the federal Copyright Act is $1-million and five years in jail for cam-cording a movie for commercial distribution." And with a recent articles blaming Canada for 50% of movie piracy, it can't help but hurt the CMPDA's claims that it has now been downgraded to twenty percent by one of their member's CEOs. Commentary, as always, on Michael Geist's blog."
Portables

Submission + - Nokia N800 review

Clement writes: Nokia has just released the N800 Internet Tablet, the follow-up to the flawed 770. The 800x480 screen still kicks ass, still runs Linux,and still features WiFi and Bluetooth. Nokia even added a video camera for good measure. But how's the total experience? A new review argues that it's pretty good. From the review: "My experience with the 770 in 2005 was mixed. It was like getting to know a popular but empty-headed cheerleader in high school — very nice to look at, but not a lot going on upstairs. Stretching that analogy a bit, using the N800 is like finding out that the cheerleading captain is also a straight-A student. The best compliment that I can pay the Nokia N800 is that it feels like using a really small computer rather than a smartphone or PDA."

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It's a naive, domestic operating system without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption.

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