Comment Re:Octave (Score 1) 254
And there is a version that works on Android tablets. In terms of scientific computing, Matlab is the standard, and Octave is a very good work-alike.
Submission + - Scientists Produce 3D Blocks of Graphene (gizmag.com)
Zothecula writes: Imagine how limiting it would be if steel, wood or plastic only existed in the form of thin sheets. Well, that’s been the case so far when it comes to graphene. While its incredible strength and high conductivity make it very useful in things like semiconductors, batteries and solar cells, there’s no doubt that it would be even more useful if it could be produced in three-dimensional blocks. Scientists at Australia’s Monash University have now managed to do just that – by copying the structure of cork.
Comment Subpoenas/Court Order (Score 4, Informative) 122
Isn't a subpoena a court order?
Comment Learn by doing (Score 1) 98
Classes are great- they give you the deadlines and some basic knowledge, but like any other skill, it must be practiced to be fully developed. Programming can mesh well with online learning- the physical requirements (equipment) are pretty easily available. A class is great, it is only a complement to actually doing something, and that requires commitment from the student.
However, I think "programming" is just way too generic a designator. Knowing how to program is mostly about knowing syntax- it doesn't really show you how to actually do anything terribly useful- that's what the rest of your education is for. An online programming course is awesome, but only taken as part of a whole- the math, science, language, etc. education are also vital aspects to actually getting things done.
Submission + - Popular Android ROM Accused of GPL Violation (thepowerbase.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A petition has recently been started to get the developer of the popular Android "MIUI" ROM, Chinese based Xiaomi, to comply with the GPL.
While Android itself is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, and therefore does not actually require derivative works to be FOSS, the Linux kernel itself is GPL-licensed and needs to remain open.
Unless Xiaomi intends to develop a replacement for the Linux kernel, they need to make their modifications public.
While Android itself is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, and therefore does not actually require derivative works to be FOSS, the Linux kernel itself is GPL-licensed and needs to remain open.
Unless Xiaomi intends to develop a replacement for the Linux kernel, they need to make their modifications public.
Submission + - NTP glitch reverts clocks back to 2000 (sans.edu)
An anonymous reader writes: It seems a glitch of some sort wreaked havoc on some NTP servers yesterday, causing many machines to revert to the year 2000. It seems the Y2K bug that never happened is finally catching up with us in 2012.
Submission + - Inventor of IMAP terminally ill (ietf.org) 1
cras writes: Mark Crispin, the original designer of the IMAP protocol, creator of the UW-IMAP server and one of the developers of the Pine email client is terminally ill. Any last well-wishing messages to him can be posted to the IMAP5 mailing list.
Submission + - Israel Infrastructure Proves Too Strong For Anonymous (timesofisrael.com) 1
Mephistophocles writes: Ever since the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense, hackers have been working overtime to strike a blow against the Israeli government’s computer systems, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said Sunday. No fewer than 44 million attacks have been recorded since the operation began five days ago — with nearly all of them failing, thanks to the recent strengthening of computer defense systems in Israel.
Speaking at a special press conference at the Government Computing Center in Jerusalem about the cyber war against Israel that has accompanied Hamas’s rocket attacks, Steinitz said that hackers “are trying to disable the symbols of Israeli sovereignty, to enter web sites and install anti-Israel content, thus compromising information and data and damaging the government’s ability to serve the public.” Most of the attacks, he said, were against government sites, like the Prime Minister’s Office site, and security-related sites, such as that of the Home Front Command, the body charged with informing Israelis on how to protect themselves in the event of an attack.
Out of those 44 million-plus attacks on government and defense related sites, said Steinitz, only one succeeded – partially. One site, which he did not name, was “wobbly for a few minutes,” but quickly recovered. Even though the government has been successful in warding off hack attacks, Steinitz said that government sites were fully backed up and mirrored, meaning that they could be replaced by a duplicate site instantly if the original site were compromised.
Speaking at a special press conference at the Government Computing Center in Jerusalem about the cyber war against Israel that has accompanied Hamas’s rocket attacks, Steinitz said that hackers “are trying to disable the symbols of Israeli sovereignty, to enter web sites and install anti-Israel content, thus compromising information and data and damaging the government’s ability to serve the public.” Most of the attacks, he said, were against government sites, like the Prime Minister’s Office site, and security-related sites, such as that of the Home Front Command, the body charged with informing Israelis on how to protect themselves in the event of an attack.
Out of those 44 million-plus attacks on government and defense related sites, said Steinitz, only one succeeded – partially. One site, which he did not name, was “wobbly for a few minutes,” but quickly recovered. Even though the government has been successful in warding off hack attacks, Steinitz said that government sites were fully backed up and mirrored, meaning that they could be replaced by a duplicate site instantly if the original site were compromised.
Submission + - Giant Boxing Robots Reality Show Unveiled (ew.com)
An anonymous reader writes: It looks like the next generation of "Battle Bots" is here:
Syfy has greenlit and shot the first season of a new show where eight-foot-tall state-of-the-art humanoid robots will rock ‘em and sock ‘em in a boxing cage until one is defeated. The future-shock new series is called Robot Combat League and the project has been kept under wraps until today. The action resembles a real-life version of last year’s hit movie Real Steel, with large menacing robots pounding away at each other in a satisfying shower of sparks and gushing hydraulic fluid.
There's pics with the story.
Syfy has greenlit and shot the first season of a new show where eight-foot-tall state-of-the-art humanoid robots will rock ‘em and sock ‘em in a boxing cage until one is defeated. The future-shock new series is called Robot Combat League and the project has been kept under wraps until today. The action resembles a real-life version of last year’s hit movie Real Steel, with large menacing robots pounding away at each other in a satisfying shower of sparks and gushing hydraulic fluid.
There's pics with the story.
Submission + - World's First 3D Printing Photo Booth Set for Scan (gizmag.com)
Zothecula writes: Ever wanted a life-like miniature of yourself or loved ones? Now's your chance, thanks to Omote 3D, which will soon be opening what's described as the world's first 3D printing photo booth in Harajuku, Japan. There, visitors will have their bodies scanned into a computer, a process which takes about 15 minutes. Then the company prints your statuette on their 3D color printer in one of three sizes.
Submission + - iPhone 5S production reportedly kicks off ahead of launch in the first half next (bgr.com)
zacharye writes: Is Apple’s annual mobile device launch schedule accelerating? The fourth-generation iPad launched in September this year after the third-generation model was released in March, and now a report on Monday from Chinese newspaper Commercial Times claims Apple’s manufacturing partners will begin trial production of the next-generation “iPhone 5S” in December after the iPhone 5 just launched less than two months ago. Initial volumes are said to be in the range of 50,000 to 100,000 units...
Submission + - Supersymmetry theory dealt a blow (bbc.co.uk)
Dupple writes: Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have detected one of the rarest particle decays seen in Nature.
The finding deals a significant blow to the theory of physics known as supersymmetry.
Many researchers had hoped the LHC would have confirmed this by now.
Supersymmetry, or SUSY, has gained popularity as a way to explain some of the inconsistencies in the traditional theory of subatomic physics known as the Standard Model.
The new observation, reported at the Hadron Collider Physics conference in Kyoto, is not consistent with many of the most likely models of SUSY.
Prof Chris Parke, who is the spokesperson for the UK Participation in the LHCb experiment, told BBC News: "Supersymmetry may not be dead but these latest results have certainly put it into hospital."
The finding deals a significant blow to the theory of physics known as supersymmetry.
Many researchers had hoped the LHC would have confirmed this by now.
Supersymmetry, or SUSY, has gained popularity as a way to explain some of the inconsistencies in the traditional theory of subatomic physics known as the Standard Model.
The new observation, reported at the Hadron Collider Physics conference in Kyoto, is not consistent with many of the most likely models of SUSY.
Prof Chris Parke, who is the spokesperson for the UK Participation in the LHCb experiment, told BBC News: "Supersymmetry may not be dead but these latest results have certainly put it into hospital."
Submission + - Haiku R1 Alpha 4 has been released! (haiku-os.org)
kallisti5 writes: "The Haiku project released their 4th alpha release today. A year and four months have passed since the 3rd alpha release. Haiku R1A4 includes several enhancements such as a large number of bug fixes, early IPv6 support, better drivers, improved file system support, better localization, and a wide variety of new features and applications."
Submission + - Next Microsoft Gaming System May Be The 7-Inch "Xbox Surface" (idigitaltimes.com)
amkkhan writes: The Xbox 720 may have to wait. Rumors are now swirling that the next Microsoft gaming system won't be the Xbox 720, rumored to be the name of the successor to the immensely popular Xbox 360, but that the next Microsoft gaming platform will be a 7-inch tablet called the Xbox Surface.
If the Xbox 720 is put on hold for the Xbox Surface, it would mark a foray into the world of legitimate mobile gaming — the likes of which have not yet been seen. Hardware finalization for the Xbox Surface is currently underway, according to The Verge, and early rumored specs were leaked back in June.
If the Xbox 720 is put on hold for the Xbox Surface, it would mark a foray into the world of legitimate mobile gaming — the likes of which have not yet been seen. Hardware finalization for the Xbox Surface is currently underway, according to The Verge, and early rumored specs were leaked back in June.
Submission + - Surface sales 'modest' so far said Ballmer (theregister.co.uk)
hcs_$reboot writes: Sales of Microsoft’s Windows RT-based Surface tablet are off to a “modest” start according to chief executive Steve Ballmer.
Given the general dropping sales in the PC business coupled with Microsoft’s relatively small inventory of Surface machines, it’ll be interesting to see how soon Surface can hit Microsoft’s million milestone.
(Update originally from French Le Parisien)
(Update originally from French Le Parisien)
