Comment Re:Identify Issues then candidates (Score 1) 1481
Surely you meant "bona fide." None of these candidates are arousing enough to get me bonified.
China Treats Internet Addiction Very Seriously 249
eldavojohn writes "China has taken new extremes in preventing internet addiction in youths and is even offering boot camps to parents who want their child weaned from the electric teat. The article notes that 'no country has gone quite as far as China in embracing the theory that heavy Internet use should be defined as a mental disorder and mounting a public crusade against Internet addiction.' The article mentions the story of Sun Jiting who 'spends his days locked behind metal bars in this military-run installation, put there by his parents. The 17-year-old high school student is not allowed to communicate with friends back home, and his only companions are psychologists, nurses and other patients. Each morning at 6:30, he is jolted awake by a soldier in fatigues shouting, "This is for your own good!"' Sun found himself spending 15 hours or straight on the internet. Thanks to his parents' intervention and the treatment, he now has life mapped out until he's 84. "
Submission + - NASA Scientist: Stop Building Coal Power Plants
eldavojohn writes: "Yesterday speaking as a private citizen & without authority from the U.S. space agency, James Hansen from NASA told Washington to stop building coal plants. From the article, "In his briefing to leaders of the press corps, entitled "Global Warming: Connecting the Dots from Causes to Solutions", Hansen said that evidence in the international scientific community shows global warming is occurring at a much faster pace than earlier forecasts predicted and that the burning of coal is a leading cause of elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which traps heat via the so-called greenhouse effect. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, coal-fueled power plants produce about half of the electricity consumed in America. Plans currently call for the construction of some 160 new coal-based facilities to meet future energy needs over the next decade." Hansen is a controversial but high ranking scientist at NASA who is a well known outspoken opponent of the Bush administration's handling & policies of environmental issues."
Submission + - Global Warming No Big Deal for Earth
anthemaniac writes: Officials from 113 nations meeting in Paris have reportedly agreed to language that says global warming was "very likely" caused by human activity and is causing stronger hurricanes. Meanwhile, Scientists say Earth will survive just fine, as it has in the past when biology drove even more dramatic changes in climate. The question, they ask, is whether humans will make it.
Submission + - BBC considers catering for Microsoft users only
pthompson writes: In a public consultation at [1] the BBC is asking for views on whether its on-demand services should be made available only to those who use Microsoft software (Question 5). I'm sure the Slashdot community won't be shy in giving their opinion of that idea...
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/open-consult ations/ondemand_services.html
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/open-consul
Submission + - Open source portal for grassroots carbon reduction
SAF writes: "Some volunteers in Cornwall, Ontario have gotten together this week to start a local carbon reduction initiative that will encourage the entire community to work together to fight climate change.
I sit on the technical committee and was asked to look into the details on creating a web portal that would keep the community up-to-date and allow them to log in and record what they are doing to reduce their CO2 output (example: I bike to work, I've purchase a hybrid car, etc).
I think that we're on the verge of seeing many concerned citizens come together to form these grassroots organizations and I see a need for an open source project that would provide them with a template to quickly and easily set up a carbon reduction information and tracking web portal.
This web portal template would have to:
*Be easily customizable to allow any group to add their organization's name, logo, local projects, etc, etc.
*Allow non-techies to easily update the website's information.
*Allow members of the community to log in and track what they are doing to reduce their CO2 output.
*Somehow connect to a back-end database to record this information.
Does anyone at Slashdot know if this currently exists? If not, is anyone interested in teaming up and creating one."
I sit on the technical committee and was asked to look into the details on creating a web portal that would keep the community up-to-date and allow them to log in and record what they are doing to reduce their CO2 output (example: I bike to work, I've purchase a hybrid car, etc).
I think that we're on the verge of seeing many concerned citizens come together to form these grassroots organizations and I see a need for an open source project that would provide them with a template to quickly and easily set up a carbon reduction information and tracking web portal.
This web portal template would have to:
*Be easily customizable to allow any group to add their organization's name, logo, local projects, etc, etc.
*Allow non-techies to easily update the website's information.
*Allow members of the community to log in and track what they are doing to reduce their CO2 output.
*Somehow connect to a back-end database to record this information.
Does anyone at Slashdot know if this currently exists? If not, is anyone interested in teaming up and creating one."
iPods Becoming Entrenched In Major League Baseball 115
DreadfulGrape writes "ESPN.com reports on how video iPods are being used increasingly by baseball players to study opponents' game footage. In fact, Houston Astros' pitcher Jason Jennings credits the device with improving his game last summer." Jennings says,
"Eventually, more than two-thirds of the roster had piled on and turned this team into baseball's official iSquad. Every player gets his own custom set of videos loaded onto his personal iPod, sorted by date, hitter, pitcher and opponent — and updated every week or so."
Submission + - BBC's public consultation on new on-demand service
ico2 writes: "The bbc are taking suggestions for their new on-demand tv service.
Questions include "How important is it that [This service] is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?"
From the site:
The BBC Trust is carrying out its first Public Value Test (PVT) — a new procedure that must be applied when the Trust considers applications from BBC management for the approval of new BBC services.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/open-consult ations/ondemand_services.html"
Questions include "How important is it that [This service] is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?"
From the site:
The BBC Trust is carrying out its first Public Value Test (PVT) — a new procedure that must be applied when the Trust considers applications from BBC management for the approval of new BBC services.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/open-consul
Submission + - Bomb Hoax Regarding Aqua Teen Hunger Force
wpcvenom writes: "Associates for Aqua Teen Hunger Force plant fake bombs through-out Boston, MA to obtain more publicity.
FULL STORY:
http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/local_story_03113 5507.html"
Submission + - Cartoon Network publicity stunt zings Boston
davidwr writes: In a publicity stunt gone awry, Homeland Security and Boston police shut down part of the Charles River and diverted traffic all over Boston. At least 8 Cartoon Network Hunger Force advertisements in the form of circuit boards sporting a lighted Mooninite design. The ad campaign is running in 10 other cities and the Cartoon Network is now cooperating with officials to avoid further panic. When asked why he put the Boston police to so much trouble, one of the circuit boards is reported to have said "Cause I'm badass." Need news links? Try Google News.
Journal Journal: Its now M.S.Science Vs.M.B.A
I am completing my Engineering Degree on Electronics and Instrumentation from one of the leading Engineering colleges.I am now confused about my future course of action.Many of my friends advise me to go for GRE to take up M.S.Science in any of the US Universities.Others stress that I should take up M.B.A as this will lead me to better career prospects.
Dear Market stalwarts,can you please advise which course of action will be ideal in the present scenario to persue.
Thanks
Journal Journal: Books to Go Digital this decade
Have you ever considered that this decade may be the end of main stream paperback and hard cover books?
As we have seen in the last couple of years physical music sales have gone down at a rapid speed. But on the otherhand Digital music sales are taking a good share of the loses on physical copies of songs.....
This story is at http://digitaljournal.com/article/101247/Will_this_decade_b
Submission + - Mass Manufacturing of Defective Products
LostIt1278 writes: "Companies have been selling less than quality software for years and they have been getting paid for it. It seems that worked out so well that now manufacturing and selling defective hardware is common place. Every time I drive the 20 miles to get to the "city" to buy anything I have to drive back 2 days (give or take a week) to return at least half the items I bought because it has a manufacturer's defect. Example (TRUE!!) I received an XBOX 360 as a gift for the holiday season in December. It has already been returned because it decided that it wasn't an XBOX 360. When inserting a game (any of them!) it told me to please place the disc in an XBOX 360 to play it. I know, no big surprise there, everyone has been having problems with the poorly made 360. I have also had to return a $60 wireless Guitar Hero guitar controller (the yellow button didn't work), an original XBOX controller (made by Pelican that just made you spin in game), a PSP with a scratch on the backside of the LCD screen, 2 Mad Catz racing wheels for the original XBOX (I was told they shipped a whole batch of defective ones and not to buy anymore from that store), 2 Toshiba laptops (1 hard drive failure in the first month, the other a defective touch pad I noticed out of the box), an iPaq Pocket PC that refused to acknowledge any SD card, and that's just what I've returned recently. I have my own IT business and I spend a lot of money on technology. I, personally, am sick of having to drive 40 miles round trip every time I buy something just because some manufacturer wants to shave a few more pennies off of their costs by making their products cheap. Am I the the only one seeing this trend grow? It's getting a bit ridiculous and it's only getting worse. I literally have to return half of the items I buy. When will it end or won't it? How do we stop such a wide spread trend?
I haven't even mentioned the some what often "less than helpful" customer service I've received while returning defective products. That's a topic all to itself but maybe another article eh Best Buy?"
Journal Journal: Great new addicitve online puzzle game: Bloktonik
Quite possibly the next Bejeweled, a very addicitive online puzzle game by Robotube Games: Bloktonik http://robotubegames.com/play_game.php?gameid=33
The latest puzzle game addiction has arrived. Bloktonik, already available around the world on Mobile Phones, is now playable online in this new, deluxe version! Bloks come raining in from 4 directions, and it's your job to land them on the central cluster, based on the direction they
Submission + - Anyone else confused by AMD?
Alfius writes: "I'm the proud owner of an high end Nvidia590 skt AM2 motherboard which I bought last summer, I furnished it with the rather low end single core Athlon 3800+ on the understanding that AMD would be releasing a conroe beating quadcore chip sometime in 2007. Since then I've read many seemingly conflicting reports about how/when/what AMD will actually be producing quad core wise. I find this whole 4x4 or should I say 2x2 business exceedingly confusing to say the least, and then there's socket F which I thought was supposed to be a server socket, and what really is AM3 anyway? Does anyone have the facts, can I look forward to quad core goodness on my AM2 board anytime this year? Or should I just forget all about it and buy an x2?"
