w0lver - Slashdot User

Submission + - Caught in red tape, Eric De La Cruz needs a heart (weloveeric.com)

Submitted by on Wednesday May 20, 2009 @10:12AM

An anonymous reader writes: Eric De La Cruz, (@EricDLCruz on Twitter) age 27, who resides in Nevada, is in dire need of a heart transplant. He is dying. His sister, Veronica (@VeronicaDLCruz on Twitter), is doing all she can to help her brother. However, she is caught in the red-tape system in Nevada. He needs Medicare Disability.

Eric has been turned down for the heart transplant list because he is on Nevada Medicaid, and there are no transplant centers in Nevada. He needs to get to California under the Medicare Disability program. He has been rejected twice and the next appeals hearing is in one year. Eric has Severe Dilated Cardiomyopathy with an EF of 15%. His kidneys are having trouble because of his heart. His creatinine levels are high, his blood pressure is very low and he keeps retaining fluid.

$150,000 is needed to get Eric on a transplant list, and the transplant is projected to cost nearly $800,000.

http://weloveeric.com/

Media Coverage:
KTNV: http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10384977
KLAS: http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=10384960

Comment Maybe for Consumers.... (Score 1) 212

by w0lver on Tuesday August 14, 2007 @04:43PM (#20229761) Attached to: Yahoo Edges out Google in Customer Satisfaction

Try being a business customer and paying for directory inclusion, then want to cancel. Canceling via the site, removing for CC data from your profile, and sending a cancellation letter, still gets you an automatic renewal. So try to send an email that's on your Terms of Service, bounces... Try calling their various phone trees, no option for directory services. Try just hitting zero on the three phone numbers you can find, get transfered a half a dozen time sometimes to the same person. Get your credit card company to try can call with you? They get the same run around trying to talk to anyone from billing. Google it sometimes and see the dozens of stories similar to mine. So to summarize:
1) violate your own terms of service
2) provide no way to communicate
3) force credit card companies to chargeback
Priceless Customer Service

Spaceport America Takes Off 153

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @02:52PM from the hanging-on-a-vote dept.

SeaDour writes "Spaceport America, being built north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is finally becoming a reality and is set to become the world's first commercial spaceport. Governor Bill Richardson recently secured 33 million dollars from the state legislature for the final design, and a proposed 0.25% sales tax increase in Dona Ana County, where the facility is to be constructed, is expected to bring an additional 6.5 million dollars per year (if approved by voters next week). Richard Branson, the head of upstart Virgin Galactic, on Monday agreed to lease the facility for 27.5 million dollars over twenty years. If all continues to go as planned, SpaceShipTwo will make its first suborbital joy ride in two to three years."

Submission + - Advances in Robotics

Submitted by CryptoKnight on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @02:44PM

CryptoKnight writes: From: http://www.robots-dreams.com/

The practice session video we posted recently showing OmniZero.4 climbing a ladder was definitely impressive. But, what if that same robot could also dance around the ring like a professional boxer... And, what if the robot could actually jump rope — not just one lucky hop, but a whole series of jumps while managing the rope by itself...? And, what if the robot could get out a frying pan, crack some eggs, and fix your breakfast...?

Too much to expect from a robot, or for his creator? No, not for OmniZero.4 and Takeshi Maeda. For them, it's all in a day's work. Find that hard to believe? Well, just take a look at their award winning performance recorded last Saturday afternoon during the ROBO-ONE 11 demonstration phase competitions.

Submission + - Best innovations of CeBIT 2007

Submitted by

Iddo Genuth

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @02:24PM

Iddo Genuth writes: "Taking place for more than 20 years, the largest technology exhibition in the world might not have been as exciting as in previous years but still presented several interesting innovations. From GPS cameras to solar handbags, here are some of the less familiar technologies demonstrated at CeBIT 2007."

Submission + - McCain's MySpace Page Hacked...

Submitted by bje2 on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @02:15PM

bje2 writes: John McCain's e-strategy staff apparently used a free template for his MySpace site without giving creidt to the author. Additionally they were using image references directly from that author's server. So, what did he do? He decided to change McCain's stance on gay marriage.

Submission + - Matt Asay Asks - 'Are Downloads All That?'

Submitted by

sysmanman

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @02:12PM

sysmanman writes: "Matt Asay has an interesting post on the art of gaming downloads and its relevance to a healthy open source community: The "qualm is not with those who tout their download counts so much as those who a) inflate their download counts (so that they can flaunt them), b) assume that download counts substitute for community/value/revenues, c) both 'a' and 'b.' The correct answer, of course, is 'c'." The proposed solution? A "$0.00 per ounce" metric — just like at the grocery store."

Electrically Conductive Plastic Polymer 118

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @02:07PM from the shock-resistance dept.

AustinSlacker writes to mention Fox news is reporting that a Dutch researcher is announcing a breakthrough in plastics. A new way of rebuilding plastics could allow them to conduct electricity just as well as the silicon wafers currently used in electronic gadgets. "Prins discovered that in plastics, the movement of electric charges was mainly hindered by the shape of the polymer, the chain-like molecular structure [that is] the basis of each kind of plastic. Prins extended the work of a German group that had reshaped a polymer to form a ladder-like structures. By bombarding the specially developed plastic with electrons from a particle accelerator, she was able to study rapid electrical reactions and demonstrate the new plastic's ability to conduct electricity much better than regular plastic and as well as silicon chips."

Submission + - Fodor's Iraq: Strolling Baghdad with John McCain

Submitted by

rmwest2001

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:59PM

rmwest2001 writes: "I really wonder about McCain. The so-called straight-talk express seems to have run off the road and crashed into a ditch. McCain is seemingly wandering around, injury to head, babbling incoherently. On Monday, McCain was a guest on Bill "Doubling Down on Morality" Bennett's radio show where he said:

There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today.

Hmmm. Well, Sadr City would be a good choice — you might get to see a Katusha Rocket attack.

Or, you could go to the Doura (Dora?) District to dodge roadside bombs.

Wait, how about going to the Abu Dsheer neighborhood? Mortar attacks are the thing to see. If you dare.

I wouldn't got to Mustansiriyah University where a policeman was killed and three wounded in a suicide car bomb attack.

I would avoid the Zayouna district of eastern Baghdad. Gunmen killed a police lieutenant working in the Serious Crimes Unit. No, I wouldn't stroll there.

And, I would seriously avoid the al-Maalif district of western Baghdad. Gunmen opened fire on a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding two others.

Oh. Uh. Do also avoid the Ghazaliya district in eastern Baghdad. An Iraqi soldier was killed and two wounded in a roadside blast.

Do avoid the Bayaa district. A car bomb killed two civilians and wounded ten others at a major intersection.

Unless you can stomach floating bodies, I would suggest avoiding a stroll along the famed Tigris River.

Alright, so you don't want to go strolling around Baghdad. How about the Green Zone. Everyone knows the Greeen Zone is safe. Right?

Uh, not really. Insurgents have been bombarding the Green Zone with mortar attacks. Nine people were wounded and two killed in three mortar or rocket strikes since Monday. On Tuesday a U.S. contractor and a U.S. soldier were killed, and one U.S. state department employee was wounded.

Maybe McCain was talking about some other part of the country. Nah — mortar attacks, car bombs, suicide bombers, chlorine gas attacks, sectarian reprisals, and tortured bodies are everywhere. No, I'm not citing it — read the gosh danged front page of your newspaper.

Senator McCain, I strongly suggest you burn your particular version of Fodor's. We don't want you going and getting kidnapped out on the streets of Baghdad. Do we?"

Submission + - Become a Head Hunter from Home with JobTonic.com.

Submitted by

Nick Goldstein

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:58PM

Nick Goldstein writes: "Edinburgh, 28th March 2007, JobTonic invites you to refer a friend for a job and earn up to £1000 if they're successful! The UK's only home grown job referral website is growing fast with over 600 jobs now online, most offering a substantial reward to the person referring the right candidate. JobTonic's revolutionary approach offers an alternative to the recruitment agency, passing a reward to the referrer. With some agencies charging up to 30% of first year salary for placing candidates, JobTonic believes a referral from a friend is as good and deserves a cash reward. The site also allows jobseekers to perform a job search and apply directly for jobs online. People up and down the country are already referring friends for jobs, ready to take advantage of this new way to making money online. Referring a friend for a job is as simple as finding a job that meets their needs, completing a short registration form and entering the friend's email address. They will then receive a short email letting them know about the website and JobTonic's innovative web technology will track the application and pay the referrer if the applicant is successful. Nick Goldstein, General Manager, JobTonic commented "Never again do you have to listen to your mates moaning about their boss in the pub. Drop them some recommendations for new jobs and enjoy peace and quiet once they're in their dream matching." Jobseeker testimonials are available for the press upon request. The JobTonic website can be found at http://www.jobtonic.com./ About JobTonic JobTonic is the UK's first website to reward individuals for matching candidates with positions. JobTonic allows forward-looking employers to directly target passive candidates, considered the holy grail of recruitment. Chosen keyword: Job, jobs, job search, money, referral, bounty, employment, career, recruitment, vacancies PRESS CONTACT DETAILS Website: http://www.jobtonic.com/ E-mail: alasdair@jobtonic.com Contact: Alasdair Bailey Telephone: +44 (0) 870 165 0904."

Submission + - Websites that require a specific OS?!?!

Submitted by zastard on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:54PM

zastard writes: I hate dealing with web hosting companies. Occasionally, though, I'll make an exception for the purposes of helping out my mom. Her site is hosted by Homestead.com. She wanted me to add another email address for her, right? No problem. So I go to this site, attempt to log in and I receive the following error message:

Please Use a Compatible Computer. You are using a computer that is not compatible with Homestead. To access the Homestead website, please return to www.homestead.com with a computer running:

* Windows 98, 2000, Me, NT, or XP.

* Mac OS X running Firefox 1.0 and above

My questions: What year is it, 1997? How do people get away with this still? What other sites are out there (besides MSFT) that REQUIRE a particular OS? I thought we invented W3C Standards for a reason.

Submission + - Google Map updated

Submitted by gurps_npc on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:51PM

gurps_npc writes: For those of you that have not recently used Google Maps, at the beginning of this month, Google updated it's mapping service.

For major metropolitan areas in the US, they show both light rail/subways stops (as little stylized M with a blue background) and traffic warnings (red for less than 25 mph, yellow for 25-50 mph, and green for 50 mph+).

This is a great improvement, well worth it. Bravo.

Submission + - Sunglasses changing color in a second

Submitted by

Roland Piquepaille

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:48PM

Roland Piquepaille writes: "Wouldn't it be nice to wear sunglasses that change colors according to the weather or to your new skiing suit? According to the American Chemical Society (ACS), scientists at the University of Washington have developed a new lens material that makes this possible. Their 'smart' sunglasses can change color on demand almost instantly. The key to this improved eyewear technology is an electrochromic polymer that has the ability to change levels of darkness and color in the presence of an electric current. By pushing a button on the frame, your glasses will become red, green, blue or virtually any color. Still, you might have to wait a couple of years before buying such sunglasses. Read more for additional references and pictures showing how these lenses work."

Submission + - Microsoft Fixes "iPod Bug" In Vista

Submitted by

Torodung

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:48PM

Torodung writes: "Well, some more grist for the mill in the Apple iPod/Vista story. ComputerWorld reports that Microsoft just released a patch to keep Windows Vista from scrambling users' iPods and addressed some similar issues with Cannon cameras as well. From the article:

Earlier this month, Apple updated iTunes to Version 7.1.1 to patch several Vista-related problems, but left others — including the Safely Remove Hardware bug — unfixed. At the time, Apple said it was "actively working with Microsoft to resolve a few remaining known issues." It had also recommended that users select the Eject iPod option on the iTunes Controls menu to remove an iPod from a Vista PC's USB port.
(Be the first to tag this "defectivebydesign" and win a free lollipop!)"

Submission + - Dan Verssen Games (DVG) - Company News

Submitted by

Dan Verssen Games (DVG)

on Wednesday March 28, 2007 @01:46PM

Dan Verssen Games (DVG) writes: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (3-22-2007)
FROM: Dan Verssen Games (DVG) www.dvg.com

Dan Verssen Games (DVG) is pleased to announce the company's expansion from game design house to game publisher.

The newly launched DVG commercial website supports the new line of strategy games as well as the previously digitally published Vassal/PDF games.

DVG is using the proven player driven pre-order system to determine when a game is published. When a game reaches 500 pre-orders, its files are sent to the printer. All pre-order status games are fully designed and artwork has started at the time the game is placed on the pre-order list. As pre-orders accumulate, the artwork is finalized, allowing the game to immediately enter production. This system makes it possible for games to be shipped to pre-ordering customers within two months of reaching 500 pre-orders.

The DVG site makes it easy for players to check their order history, and the games they currently have on pre-order. Credit cards are charged when a game enters production, not before.

The first two games on the pre-order list are Modern Naval Battles — Global Warfare, and Field Commander — Rommel.

Modern Naval Battles — Global Warfare is a complete redesign of the company's first published game. The MNB card game features 110 Ship Cards, 110 Action Cards, and new game mechanics that maximize player options and decision-making. Players get to command the ships from 9 nations (USA, Japan, UK, France, USSR, Norway, Argentina, Taiwan, and China) in Cold War through modern day battles.
Pre-Order price: $31.99, Normal Price: $39.99

Field Commander — Rommel is the first of a new line of solitaire strategy board games. The game includes 176 5/8" counter and three 11" x 17" maps. Players get to command the legendary general's forces in his most heroic campaigns: 1940 France, 1941 North Africa, and 1944 Normandy. The built-in game mechanics control the Allied force's movement, battles tactics, and logistics.
Pre-Order price: $31.99, Normal Price: $39.99

Dan Verssen has designed such well respected, award-winning, games as: Modern Naval Battles, Down In Flames, Hornet Leader, 7th Sea CCG, Lightning Midway and D-Day, and Naval Battles.

Additional details can be found on the DVG website:
www.dvg.com"

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