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Crime

Mom Arrested After Son Makes Dry Ice "Bombs" 571

Posted by samzenpus from the mr.-terrorist-wizard dept.
formfeed writes "Police were called to a house in Omaha where a 14-year-old made some 'dry ice bombs' (dry ice in soda bottles). Since his mom knew about it, she is now facing felony charges for child endangment and possession of a destructive device. From the article: 'Assistant Douglas County Attorney Eric Wells said the boy admitted to making the bomb and that his mother knew he was doing so. The boy was set to appear Tuesday afternoon in juvenile court, accused of possessing a destructive device.'" She's lucky they didn't find the baking soda volcano in the basement.
IBM

Submission + - IBM Announces Onshoring Plans

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: In an early morning press conference, Sam Palmisano announced a fresh new IBM strategy where focus will be placed on hiring U.S. workers to service U.S. based accounts. "It's time we return to recognizing our most important asset: our people. No longer will we strive to generate profit by reducing headcount and lowering labor costs. Instead, through retention of talent and training, we will build a work force worthy of the IBM name and return IBM to its status of a company its employees are proud to work for" Palmisano told reporters. Additionally, he stated that IBM will return to its previous policy of announcing employee count by country rather than a single, global number. "How can we continue to hold our hand out for government money if we aren't willing to show the government and taxpayers that we are using their funds to employ the very ones who provided the funds in the first place" Palmisano stated.

In related news, Bob Moffett has been found innocent of all charges related to the insider trading scam, and will return to his post at IBM to continue his grooming to be the next CEO.

Comment Re:I Hope They Get Anti-Piracy to Work This Time (Score 1) 403

by MongooseKY (#27888283) Attached to: Windows 7 Anti-Piracy Plans

You do realize that a normal copy of Windows XP Home is $199 for full, $99 for upgrade but you can get a 3pack OEM for $264 right?

The problem with that, at least as I understand it (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), is that the OEM license is only good for a single installation (installation = unique hardware combination). If you upgrade your entire computer, or upgrade "too many components", you have to pay the Microsoft tax again because the OEM copy you have already paid for once cannot be validated against your new hardware.

I've been using the same XP license since XP was released, and within that time period I've done about 4 complete system rebuilds. I'm not at all interested in buying the same OS 3 extra times simply because I like to keep a current computer.

I like the idea of a lower priced family pack - big business gets a break on their per-copy licensing, why shouldn't the home user? I normally loathe Apple's business practices, but in this case it sounds like they have the right idea. Microsoft should follow their lead and make their OS more attractive to the multi-computer homes out there, which I am sure there are more of these days.
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - IBM to Laid Off Employees: Offshore Yourself! (infoworld.com) 1

Submitted by
snydeq
snydeq writes: "IBM has been offering employees some rather objectionable layoff choices as it continues its quiet layoff of thousands of employees, according to various insider reports. Employees considered 'satisfactory performers' are being given the option to relocate to 'growth markets where your skills are in demand.' Those who choose to offshore themselves to India, China, Russia, or beyond do so in lieu of severance, and must agree to work on local terms and conditions, including pay. 'If you take the job, IBM won't pay severance but will pay "a portion" (undefined) of your relocation expenses, including tax and visa services," said one IBM'er who declined a job in Malaysia due to the accompanying two-thirds paycut. 'Not a good deal for many of my colleagues who have 20-25 weeks of severance under their agreement.' Meanwhile, some IBM workers who still have jobs are being given a very tough choice: Move across the country at your own expense, or get fired with no severance package. The cuts at IBM are being done amid strong financial results."
Earth

The Environmental Impact of Google Searches 516

Posted by timothy from the compounding-wild-ass-guesses dept.
paleshadows writes "The Times Online reports that researchers claim that each query submitted to Google has a quantifiable impact. Specifically, two queries performed through a desktop computer generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a cup of tea. From the article: 'While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 [whereas] boiling a kettle generates about 15g [...] Google is secretive about its energy consumption and carbon footprint. It also refuses to divulge the locations of its data centers. However, with more than 200m Internet searches estimated daily, the electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused by computers and the Internet is provoking concern. A recent report [argues that] the global IT industry generate[s] as much greenhouse gas as the world's airlines — about 2% of global CO2 emissions.'" Google makes an interesting focus for such claims, but similar extrapolations have been done before about, for instance, the energy costs of sending a short email.

Comment Re:Pussies (Score 1) 401

by MongooseKY (#25119353) Attached to: Defusing the Threat of Disgruntled IT Workers
That's a good approach if you don't work for an IT company that considers any outside work using any skill you possess to be competition, thus rendering you useless outside their four walls. Not only do they hang the constant threat of offshoring over your head, cut your pay, and refuse to give you raises, they also refuse to let you moonlight with your skills to make up the difference! Guess which big three letter company I work for?
Windows

Vista Named Year's Most Disappointing Product 842

Posted by kdawson from the foregone-conclusion dept.
Shadow7789 writes "No surprise here, but to complete its humiliation, PC World has declared that Windows Vista is the most disappointing product of 2007. Quoting: 'Five years in the making and this is the best Microsoft could do?... No wonder so many users are clinging to XP like shipwrecked sailors to a life raft, while others who made the upgrade are switching back. And when the fastest Vista notebook PC World has ever tested is an Apple MacBook Pro, there's something deeply wrong with the universe.'"
Windows

90% of IT Professionals Don't Want Vista 619

Posted by CmdrTaco from the oh-so-sad dept.
A survey by King Research has found that Ninety percent of IT professionals have concerns using Vista, with compatibility, stability and cost being their key reasons. Interestingly, forty four percent of companies surveyed are considering switching to non-Windows operating systems, and nine percent of those have already started moving to their selected alternative. "The concerns about Vista specified by participants were overwhelmingly related to stability. Stability in general was frequently cited, as well as compatibility with the business software that would need to run on Vista," said Diane Hagglund of King Research.

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