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Comment Re:In fact..... (Score 1) 173

NPR? Why? As a non-American, it seems like NPR is somewhat akin to the BBC, despite the lack of significant financial support from the state. Given that it is propped up by funding drives, and seems to attract criticism from both sides of the US political spectrum, it seems to be doing a good job of justifying its existence and avoiding partisanship. Like the BBC, it seems NPR is also being cowed by those who are too easily offended.

Comment Re:PIN Codes (Score 4, Informative) 241

Oddly, in the UK and Europe, full service is available without having to scrawl on a piece of paper. The whole paper/pen thing is replaced by a portable device for handling the card payment. I had serious trouble using my US visa card in the UK because there was no chip, and they won't accept cards without chips in most places now.

Comment Re:The Whole Premise is Flawed (Score 2) 487

I've not yet RTFA, but your statement seems like a sweeping generalisation and overlooks other possibilities. In various industries, a doctorate is a pre-requisite for most roles (e.g. semiconductor engineering). You might just squeeze in with a Masters degree, but more often a Ph.D. is required to even get your foot in the door. Given the erosion of standards for 'regular' degrees (B.Sc., B.Eng., etc.), the demand for a higher degree is easier to understand. You'll get more applicants as a result. What I find interesting is the ability to study a highly technical field, get a Ph.D. and then find next to no employers in that field within the country. That's what I ran into in the UK - by the time I was out of the Ph.D. grind, the relevant employers had all left for greener shores. I had to follow them. As a result, the UK has benefited very little from the expenditure on my education. Even before undertaking my Ph.D., it was very clear that working in academia was not going to be my thing. The lack of resources and funds stood in stark contrast to the facilities available for similar R&D within companies. Having to fight for funding every n years was far from appealing. This is from a UK-perspective, but I hear similar concerns from those in the US.
Iphone

Submission + - Apple relaxes iOS development tool restrictions 1

An anonymous reader writes: Earlier this year Apple caused major upset among developers by updating the iPhone developer program license with clause 3.3.1. It basically stopped the use of cross-platform compilers, meaning Adobe Flash could not be used to develop an app for the App Store. The move also put into doubt which other development platforms could be used and generally caused a lot of confusion. Apple has just significantly relaxed that policy and allowed for the use of development tools, as long as "the resulting apps do not download any code".
Operating Systems

Submission + - Ubuntu vs Fedora vs OpenSuSE vs Mandriva (lugradio.org)

An anonymous reader writes: Its been a good few weeks for distro releases with Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Fedora and Mandriva all releasing new versions but which ones best? The Lugradio team talk to Adam Williamson from Mandriva then don asbestos suits and put all four through a series of real world tests. Find out which came out best and which just suck here
Power

Submission + - New 125 Miles per Gallon Toyota Prius

Iddo Genuth writes: "The Pennsylvania based Lithium Technology Corporation recently demonstrated a new type of "plug-in" Toyota Prius hybrid car. The new model is based on advanced lithium iron phosphate battery which allows the hybrid car to travel up to a distance of 125 miles per gallon of fuel — making it possibly the most efficient mass-produced car in the world."

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