Timo_UK - Slashdot User

Submission + - @sshole Drivers Reduce Traffic Jams (physicscentral.com) 3

Submitted by

BuzzSkyline

on Wednesday July 29, 2009 @01:20AM

BuzzSkyline writes: "Traffic jams are minimized if a significant fraction of drivers break the rules by doing things like passing on the wrong side or changing lanes too close to an intersection. The insight comes from a cellular automata study published this month in the journal Physical Review E. In effect, people who disregard the rules help to break up the groups that form as rule-followers clump together. The risk of jamming is lower if all people obey the rules than if they all disobey them, according to the analysis, but jamming risk is lowest when about 40 percent of people drive like jerks."

Panasonic Begins To Lock Out 3d-Party Camera Batteries 450

Posted by timothy on Wednesday June 24, 2009 @03:17PM from the humbly-meeting-customer-demands dept.

OhMyBattery writes "The latest firmware updated for Panasonic digital cameras contains one single improvement: it locks out the ability to use 'non-genuine Panasonic' batteries. It does so for safety reasons, it says. It seems to indicate that this is going to be the norm for all new Panasonic digital cameras. From the release: 'Panasonic Digital Still Cameras now include a technology that can identify a genuine Panasonic battery. For the protection of our customers Panasonic developed this technology after it was discovered that some aftermarket 3rd party batteries do not meet the rigid safety standards Panasonic uses.' The firmware warning is quite clear as to what it does: 'After this firmware update your Panasonic Digital Camera cannot be operated by 3rd party batteries (non genuine Panasonic batteries).'"

Comment This is so stupid it hurts (Score 2, Insightful) 404

by Timo_UK on Thursday June 18, 2009 @03:14AM (#28370447) Attached to: English Market Produces Energy With Kinetic Plates

As many other commented, the energy comes off course from the petrol engine of the cars. 1. The efficiency of this system from petrol to electricity must be really low 2. It creates pollution right where you don't want it, in the city: Exhaust fumes plus tire wear

One-Tweet Wonders 170

Posted by kdawson on Wednesday June 10, 2009 @08:13AM from the like-snowflakes-on-a-hot-beach dept.

theodp writes "TIME has seen-the-future-and-it-is-Twitter. Slate, on the other hand, is more fascinated with the phenomenon of orphaned tweets, the messages left by people who sign up for Twitter, post once, then never return (not unlike one-blog-post wonders). While some orphan tweets betray skepticism about microblogging ('I don't get it... what's the point of this thing?'), other one-and-done Twitterers demonstrate keen enthusiasm before disappearing ('I'm here!'), and some tweets hint that tragedy has cut a promising Twittering-life short ('it hurts to breathe. should I go to the hospital?'). Slate notes that studies of Twitter accounts by Harvard and Nielsen suggest the service has been better at signing up users than keeping them, including the one-tweet wonders."

Comment Unfortunately he gave it all away to his family (Score 1) 590

by Timo_UK on Saturday March 14, 2009 @04:36PM (#27195173) Attached to: Feds Demand Prison For Guns N' Roses Uploader

and friends. And because this is not the West Bank, communal punishment is not an option.

Comment Done a lot around here (Score 4, Interesting) 215

by Timo_UK on Sunday January 18, 2009 @03:52PM (#26508637) Attached to: Tapping the Earth For Home Heating and Cooling

Here in South Germany about 25% of the new houses built in our neighborhood have it. Old hat. If you use your garden as the storage medium your plants will flower later than your neighbor's....

Comment What a waste of energy (Score 4, Insightful) 327

by Timo_UK on Friday August 22, 2008 @02:03PM (#24704265) Attached to: Intel Claims an Advance In Wireless Power

25% of wasted power and goal achieved? Plus a nice pulsating magnetic field in the house? No thank you.

Submission + - DivX is offering their pro version free right now

Submitted by

John McNeil

on Thursday June 07, 2007 @02:23PM

John McNeil writes: "You can download the pro version of DivX for free. All that seems to be required is a valid e-mail address to e-mail the serial number to, and you're set. I got a serial for Windows and it works fine, looks like they also have Mac offered for free as well. Make sure you watch for the defualt checked newsletter subscription option on the screen where you enter your e-mail if you don't want to get their monthly mailbox food. Get this while you can.
Windows Link: http://www.divx.com/dff/
Mac Link: http://www.divx.com/dff/?version=mac"

Submission + - Top 20 Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked

Submitted by

crazyeyes

on Thursday June 07, 2007 @12:01PM

crazyeyes writes: "Hilarious and informative. How many articles are like that? I did think about putting it under It's Funny, Laugh.... until I saw two myths I thought was true. Yeah, I'm laughing at myself now.

This guide was written in response to the numerous fallacies about the hard disk that are still being propagated in many forum discussions. Although many articles have covered these topics, it is apparent that hard disk urban legends are still more popular than the simple truth. So, let's get down to basics and examine some of these common fallacies or myths and debunk them!
Take a look and see how many of these top 20 HDD myths you actually believed to be gospel?"

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