Submission + - Anonymous, Offline, Peer To Peer File-Sharing... (npr.org)
KarmaRundi writes: Like a glory hole for laptops. Wait, that's backwards...make it a glory hole for USB drives.
Comment Damn, I just installed Ubuntu 10.10 (Score 2, Insightful) 1348
Really, like two weeks ago I bought a new laptop and installed Ubuntu over Window 7 and love it. Now you're telling me it's dead? S*!t.
DocBook 5
68
frisket writes "Definitive guides by the authors or maintainers of software systems tend to have the edge over other documentation because of the insight they provide. DocBook 5 — The Definitive Guide comes well up to scratch. DocBook has long been the de facto standard for computer system documentation in XML (and SGML before that), and Norm Walsh has revised and updated both the language and the documentation in a concise and valuable form, usable both by beginners and by tech doc experts." Read on for the rest of frisket's review.
Comment Re:From the No Duh Dept. (Score 1) 801
Ok, I think you miss the point (and there's more research than is summarized in TFA)...when roads feel safe, drivers are more careless and so traffic accidents per passenger mile go up. When roads feel more dangerous, drivers are more careful and traffic accidents per passenger mile go down. This is the same reason all the tech in cars has not saved as many lives as projected...drivers compensate for the added safety of anti-lock brakes by driving more aggressively.
Comment Is it programmed to die after four years? (Score 1) 233
I guess after four years you'll be ready for a new phone anyway.
Let's see...in the book they were programmed to die as a failsafe. In the movie, it was a technological/biological limitation...wonder which plot they'll follow. And there are three versions of the movie. This could get confusing.
Comment The superintendent will feel really dumb when... (Score 1) 621
it turns out that the aliens have a cure for cancer.
Comment Oh, Facebook's lack of security (Score 1) 205
From the title, I thought it exposed the social anxiety and fears of users (which in many cases it might end up doing, but that's not what the original post is about).
Comment Re:Free Energy, woo! (Score 1) 92
Just have them send you a pdf.
Printable Batteries Should Arrive Next Year 92
FullBandwidth writes "Paper-thin batteries that can be printed onto greeting cards or other flexible substrates have been demonstrated at Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems in Germany. The batteries have a relatively short life span, as the anode and cathode materials dissipate over time. However, they contain no hazardous materials."
Something May Have Just Hit Jupiter 299
The blog of Anthony Wesley, an Australian amateur astronomer, has what may be the first photos of a recent comet or asteroid impact on Jupiter, near the south pole. These photos are 11 hours old. The ones at the bottom of the page show three small dark spots in addition to the main dark mark. The Bad Astronomy blog picked up the story a few hours later — but cautions that what we're seeing may not be an impact event. This is all reminiscent of the closely watched impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter in 1994.
Comment Use otherinbox for unlimited disposable email adrs (Score 1) 268
Cats "Exploit" Humans By Purring 503
An anonymous reader notes a BBC report on research recently published in the journal Current Biology, indicating that cats manipulate humans by adding a baby-like cry to their purring. "Cat owners may have suspected as much, but it seems our feline friends have found a way to manipulate us humans. Researchers at the University of Sussex have discovered that cats use a 'soliciting purr' to overpower their owners and garner attention and food. Unlike regular purring, this sound incorporates a 'cry,' with a similar frequency to a human baby's. The team said cats have 'tapped into' a human bias — producing a sound that humans find very difficult to ignore."
Symantec Exec Warns Against Relying On Free Antivirus 459
thefickler writes "Clearly, the rise of free antivirus is starting to worry Symantec, with one of their top executives warning consumers not to rely on free antivirus software (including Microsoft's Security Essentials). 'If you are only relying on free antivirus to offer you protection in this modern age, you are not getting the protection you need to be able to stay clean and have a reasonable chance of avoiding identity theft,' said David Hall, a Product Manager for Symantec. According to Hall, there is a widening gap between people's understanding of what protection they need and the threats they're actually facing."
A Mathematician's Lament — an Indictment of US Math Education 677
Scott Aaronson recently had "A Mathematician's Lament" [PDF], Paul Lockhardt's indictment of K-12 math education in the US, pointed out to him and takes some time to examine the finer points. "Lockhardt says pretty much everything I've wanted to say about this subject since the age of twelve, and does so with the thunderous rage of an Old Testament prophet. If you like math, and more so if you think you don't like math, I implore you to read his essay with every atom of my being. Which is not to say I don't have a few quibbles [...] In the end, Lockhardt's lament is subversive, angry, and radical ... but if you know anything about math and anything about K-12 'education' (at least in the United States), I defy you to read and find a single sentence that isn't permeated, suffused, soaked, and encrusted with truth."
Comment Re:New military branch needed (Score 1) 131
These positions are never officially called czars. That's just a name the media gives them.
