Comment Someone did this with their head (Score 0, Redundant) 171
Read about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski
Comment The Most Difficult Platformer... (Score 1) 107
is easily "I Wanna Be the Guy". Check it out, it is crazy http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/
Comment Comparing blindness and diabetes...RIGHT.... (Score 1) 663
If that person has that mindset about people who are disabled, then by their own logic they should be required to synthesize their own insulin from scratch. I can't believe a diabetic had the nerve to compare themselves to someone with a severe disability who cannot drive a car or get around without the assistance of others.
Submission + - Xbox 360 or PC for gaming? 1
Spamicles writes: "I'm trying to decide between purchasing a new PC gaming rig and an Xbox 360. I already have a computer for doing the basics such as word processing and web browsing, but my dated video card and processor just aren't cutting it for new games like GRAW 2 and the soon-to-be-released Halo 2 for the PC. I have been a PC gamer for 10+ years (I'm 24). I love aiming with my mouse and playing all genres of games, but I am a graduate student and the cost of purchasing a just-under-bleeding-edge is going to hurt me quite a bit in the wallet. Although Xbox 360 games are slightly more expensive than most PC games, the cost of the Xbox 360 hardware will be only a fraction of what I would spend getting a new PC. So Slashdot, can you help me decide? Will I be put off by using analog sticks instead of a Logitech gaming mouse and a WASD keyboard setup?"
Submission + - Internet Radio Will Go Silent on June 26th (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: "Thousands of U.S. webcasters plan to turn off the music and go silent this Tuesday, June 26th, to draw attention to an impending royalty rate increase that, if implemented, would lead to the virtual shutdown of this country's Internet radio industry. In March, the Copyright Royalty Board announced that it would raise royalties for Internet broadcasters, moving them from a per-song rate to a per-listener rate. The increase would be made retroactive to the beginning of 2006 and would double over the next five years. Internet radio sites would be charged per performance of a song. A "performance" is defined as the streaming of one song to one listener; thus a station that has an average audience of 500 listeners racks up 500 "performances" for each song it plays."
Submission + - Subpoenas Issued over NSA Warrantless Wiretapping (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: "The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to subpoena documents from the Bush Administration related to the government's admitted eavesdropping on Americans' overseas emails and phone calls without getting court approval. In a 13-3 vote, the Committee decided to authorize chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to issue subpoenas for documents related to the NSA warrantless surveillance program. Nearly any request is going to be met with tough resistance from the White House, and the confrontation over the documents "could set the stage for a constitutional showdown over the separation of powers.""
Submission + - Court Ruling Limits Copyright Claims (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: A federal appellate panel in Atlanta has reversed its circuit's 6-year-old opinion in a major copyright case, declaring the ruling's mandate on behalf of freelance photographers to be "moot." Until now, publishers could be forced to share with freelancers whenever they reproduce and sell those freelancers' previously published works in merchandise designed for computer access. The new ruling says that reproduction on a CD or other media is not a new use of formerly published issues. The full court decision can be read here (pdf).
Submission + - Pirate Bay Launches Uncensored Image Hosting (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: "The guys over at the Pirate Bay have launched a new, censorship-free image hosting website called BayImg. Users of the new service don't have to sign-up in order to upload images. However, they can assign a "removal code" to uploaded images, in case they want to delete the files after a while, and tags to categorize images. BayImg currently supports 100+ file formats, and supports uploading Zip and Rar archives. The maximum file size of uploads is 100MB. The article also discusses TPB's plans for launching a video streaming service that will potentially compete with YouTube."
Submission + - Bush Vetoes Popular Stem Cell Research Bill (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: President George W. Bush has vetoed legislation to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research, triggering an uphill battle in the Democratic-led Congress to override him. Critics called the presidential order a sham and said he should have signed into law the stem-cell bill, which polls show is backed by more than 60 percent of American voters who see the measure as a way combat a host of illnesses. Backers note the legislation would only permit scientists to use embryos left over from fertility treatments that would otherwise be discarded.
Submission + - Herman Munster's Identity Stolen by Online Thieves (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: Identity thieves have stolen Herman Munster's identity. Crooks in an underground chat room for selling stolen credit card numbers and personal consumer information offered stolen data purportedly about Herman Munster, the 1960s Frankenstein-like character from "The Munsters" TV sitcom. The crooks offered to sell Munster's personal details — accurately listing his home address from the television series as 1313 Mocking Bird Lane — and what appeared to be his MasterCard number.
Submission + - Homeland Security Hacked Over 800 Times (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: A House Homeland Security subcommittee is holding a hearing today into security breaches, hacking and IT security failure at the Department of Homeland Security. Senior officials acknowledged that there have been a total of more than 800 security incidents in the past two years. The Department of Homeland Security is supposed to be the lead US agency for fighting cyber threats.
Submission + - Nintedo Sued over Wii Patent Infringement (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: "A Texas company has sued Nintendo's US branch, charging that it infringed on a patent in designing the Wii video game system. Lonestar Inventions has asked for triple damages, but no specific amount, and an injunction against Nintendo using the patented technology. Lonestar appears to be a very trigger happy company. They have successfully sued several other companies over the same patent including Texas Instruments, Broadcom, and others. They have also filed suit against Kodak."
White House E-mail Scandal Widens 839
Spamicles alerts us to a report just issued (PDF) by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. At least 88 White House officials used Republican National Committee email accounts for government business. The RNC has destroyed at least some of the emails from 51 of those officials. Law requires emails sent by officials to be stored or recorded. There is evidence that White House lawyers and the (current) Attorney General knew of this but did not act to stop it. From the article: "These e-mail accounts were used by White House officials for official purposes, such as communicating with federal agencies about federal appointments and policies... Given the heavy reliance by White House officials on RNC e-mail accounts, the high rank of the White House officials involved, and the large quantity of missing e-mails, the potential violation of the Presidential Records Act may be extensive."
Submission + - Evidence found in White House E-mail Scandal (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: "According to a report issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, at least 88 White House officials used Republican National Committee (RNC) for government business. Law requires emails sent by officials to be stored or recorded. There is evidence that White House lawyers and the Attorney General knew of this but did not act to stop it."
Submission + - Ancestry.com to Add DNA Test Results (lawbean.com)
Spamicles writes: "For less than $200 and a cheek-swiped cotton swab, you will soon be able to add DNA results to family tree Web sites. Ancestry.com plans to launch the DNA testing product by the end of summer, offering customers the possibility of finding DNA matches in the site's 24,000 genealogical databases. By taking a simple cheek-swab test and comparing results against DNA profiles in a test-results database, virtually anyone can uncover genealogical associations unimaginable just a few years ago. Users can easily connect with and discover lost or unknown relatives within a few generations, as well as gain insight into where their families originated thousands of years ago."
