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Books

Philip K. Dick's Exegesis To Be Published In 2011 82

Dynamoo writes "The NYT reports that a two-part edition of PKD's Exegesis will be published next year. This huge work, a combination of journal and philosophical treatise, has been published in part before, but this is the first time that the whole version will be made generally available."

Comment Re:Perfect explanation (Score 1) 231

If you could not refute any argument whatsoever by simply refusing to use deductive reasoning because "this is a special case", refusing to use analogies because "this is a special case", and surely refusing to use inductive reasoning because "this is a special case", you might have a point.
Media (Apple)

Apple's "iPad" Out In the Open 1713

Reader oxide7 is one of the many to note that the heaviest speculation is mostly over (still waiting on the price, though) about Apple's anticipated new device (though there are surely plenty of questions about the device's hardware capabilities and the scope of its software and content marketplace): "At an event in San Francisco Apple released its anticipated iPad.'[It's] Way better than a laptop, way better then a phone. You can turn it any way you want. To see the whole page is phenomenal,' said Jobs." The (0.5") skinny: 1.5 lbs, multitouch, up to 64GB of flash, 9.7" screen, and a 1Ghz "Apple A4" chip (more about the A4 in Engadget's developing story). The iPad is closer in concept to an expanded iPhone (OS and all) than a miniaturized laptop, though it doesn't have quite as much connectivity as you might expect, with no 3G connection built in. (You'll have to make do with 802.11n, Bluetooth, and tethering.) Live coverage is ongoing at gdgt live, Engadget, and Gizmodo, as well as various others. Update by timothy, 19:58 GMT: Got the 3G part wrong; 3G is indeed an option. Prices run from $499 (16GB flash, WiFi but no 3G) to $829 (WiFi and 3G, 64GB flash). Should start shipping in 60 days (WiFi only), in 90 days for 3G. Surprsingly, no built-in camera.

Comment Re:the parental model (Score 1) 473

The most important reason is: why not? I suppose you're one of those guys thinking private property is a god given right. It is not. If the government would not stop me, I could just come with a bunch of well-armed guys and take what's yours. Private property right is given to you by government because it has been shown to be beneficial for economy. Also, market economy is not a god chosen system, as opposed to planned economy. It just works better. Copyrights, patents and trademarks are also government provided rights, and it is done because it is thought it is beneficial for the economy if author receives due compensation for his work.

Now, you see, while material goods are constantly produced, consumed and destroyed in this society in necessary quantities, having limited use and limited lifetime, useful information is not destroyed. Accumulating information forms certain concepts called "culture" and "science", and this process is called "progress of human civilization". Everything we do is based on ever-growing heap of information, and if the cost of using this information grows together with the size of the heap, our progress will eventually grind to a halt. However, appropriate compensation for creation of this information is necessary to stimulate production of this information, so some middle ground must be found here. Middle ground, and not perpetual government enforcement of some weird god-given right you say you have.

You could say "don't buy my book if you don't agree with my license", but the government could as well just say "don't distribute this book if you don't agree with my copyright enforcement rules". And if not for government there would be no protection.

Microsoft

Visual Studio 2010 Forces Tab Indenting 390

An anonymous reader writes "For years, Microsoft has allowed Visual Studio users to define arbitrary tab widths, often to the dismay of those viewing the resultant code in other editors. With VS 2010, it appears that they have taken the next step of forcing tab width to be the same as the indent size in code. Two-space tabs anyone?"
NASA

NASA To Cryogenically Freeze Satellite Mirrors 47

coondoggie writes "NASA said it will soon move some of the larger (46 lb) mirror segments of its future James Webb Space Telescope into a cryogenic test facility that will freeze the mirrors to -414 degrees Fahrenheit (~25 K). Specifically, NASA will freeze six of the 18 Webb telescope mirror segments at the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility, or XRCF, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in a test to ensure the critical mirrors can withstand the extreme space environments. All 18 segments will eventually be tested at the site. The test chamber takes approximately five days to cool a mirror segment to cryogenic temperatures."
Microsoft

Cygwin 1.7 Released 203

jensend writes "The 1.7 branch of Cygwin, the Unix-like environment for Windows, has reached stable status after about 3 1/2 years of effort. Among many other changes, this release drops support for Windows 9x. Since the NT API and NT-based versions of Windows are more capable and somewhat less of a mismatch with POSIX (for instance, they include a security model), this has allowed for code path simplifications, better performance (particularly noticeable with pipe I/O), better security, and better POSIX compatibility."

Comment Re:Bad deal for AT&T (Score 1) 220

As you suggest, unrestricted free VoIP over 3G might cause your web and e-mail mobile experience to suffer

If you compare the average bandwidth of a youtube video with the average bandwidth of a voice call, you will understand that's rather unlikely.

Microsoft

Microsoft Pushes For Single Global Patent System 495

Xerolooper writes "What would the world be like if everyone could enjoy the same patent system we use in the USA? From the article: 'A senior lawyer at Microsoft is calling for the creation of a global patent system to make it easier and faster for corporations to enforce their intellectual property rights around the world.' They have already attracted opposition from the open-source community and the Pirate Party. According to the article, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will be meeting in Geneva on the 17th and 18th of September."
Power

Printable, Rollable Solar Panels Could Go Anywhere 187

Al writes "A startup based in Toledo, Ohio, has developed a way to make large, flexible solar panels using a roll-to-roll manufacturing technique. Thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells are formed on thin sheets of stainless steel, and each solar module is about one meter wide and five-and-a-half meters long. Conventional silicon solar panels are bulky and rigid, but these lightweight, flexible sheets could easily be integrated into roofs and building facades."
Censorship

Lie Detector Company Threatens Critical Scientists With Suit 367

An anonymous reader writes "The Swedish newspaper DN reports that the Israeli company Nemesysco has sent letters to researchers at the University of Stockholm, threatening legal action if they do not stop publishing findings (Google translation). An article called 'Charlatanry in forensic speech science: A problem to be taken seriously' was pulled by the publisher after threats of a libel lawsuit." Online translations can be a little wonky; if your Swedish is as bad as mine, this English-language article describes the situation well.

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