Comment Re:It's like this. (Score 4, Insightful) 878
Probably none of them, but if one were, it would be the one between "these" and "ellipsis", but you probably wanted "ellipses" there anyway.
Comment Re:Since it's not by Packt... (Score 1) 33
I can't figure out if you used "for all intensive purposes" ironically, or if you really don't realize it's "for all intents and purposes".
Argh.
Comment Re:I'm so (NOT!) surprised.. (Score 1) 487
Isn't sunlight radiation?
Comment Re:Deja Vue-Meaning You're Wrong Again (Score 1) 391
Subtle!
Comment Re:why not use it in space? (Score 1) 196
He winced because vacuum doesn't have a temperature. You have to have something to heat up before you can measure its heat.
A telescope in Earth's orbit would receive just as much solar radiation when not eclipsed by the Earth's shadow as some point directly beneath the Sun on the Earth's surface -- more, because Earth's atmosphere scatters and reflects a lot of the radiation.
Invisibility Cloak Created In 3-D 113
An anonymous reader writes "Scientists have created the first device to render an object invisible in three dimensions. The 'cloak,' described in the journal Science (abstract; full text requires login), hid an object from detection using light of wavelengths close to those that are visible to humans. Previous devices have been able to hide objects from light travelling in only one direction; viewed from any other angle, the object would remain visible. This is a very early but significant step towards a true invisibility cloak." The "object" hidden in this work was a bump one micrometer high. The light used was just longer than the wavelengths our eyes detect. To get a visible-light cloak, the features of the cloaking metamaterial would need to be reduced in size from 300 nm to 10 nm.
Comment Re:Government should not compete (Score 1) 269
Blue Oyster Cult sigs FTW. That's all.
Comment Re:I Don't Even Care Anymore (Score 1) 585
... and it had about as much to do with its parent story as "Blade Runner" did to "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".
Comment Re:Put George W. Bush in charge of Apple (Score 0, Flamebait) 399
And he's had plenty experience getting rid of jobs already!
Comment What we need is a Rebuttal-pedia (Score 2) 428
Here's the million-dollar idea. Make Rebuttal-pedia, a place where Jason Lanier and people like him can post their side of the story, and it can then be used a source for Wikipedia articles.
Submission + - Cop's RADAR vs Driver's GPS - which is right? (arstechnica.com) 5
martyb writes: ars technica has a story up about a driver who claims his speeding ticket should be thrown out because his GPS proves the police officer's radar was wrong. (AP version of the story here.)
The accused 17-year-old, Shaun Malone, has an ace up his sleeve: his step-dad is retired deputy Roger Rude. Rude encouraged Shaun to fight the ticket after the log he downloaded using software provided by the GPS unit's Colorado-based supplier showed Shaun was going the speed limit within 100 feet of where a Petaluma officer clocked him speeding.
"Radar is a pretty good tool, but it's not an infallible tool," said Rude, who spent 31 years in law enforcement. "With the GPS tracker, there is no doubt about it. There is no human interference."
Petaluma police Lt. John Edwards said he could not discuss Shaun's case but disputed Rude's contention that GPS is more accurate than a speed gun."GPS works on satellite signals, so you have a delay of some type," Edwards said. "Is it a couple-second delay? A 30-second delay? Because in that time people can speed up, slow down."
Which would YOU believe? Any suggestions on what Shaun could do to help defend himself?
Submission + - LOTR Actor Slays Amazon 1-Click Patent
theodp writes: "A reexam initiated by Lord of the Rings motion capture performer Peter Calveley's do-it-yourself legal effort has prompted the USPTO to reject 21 of the 26 Amazon 1-Click Patent claims. A USPTO Examiner found a 1995 Newsweek article on Digicash submitted by Calveley sufficient to quash a number of the claims, while many others were rejected in light of an e-shopping patent flagged by Calveley. Interestingly, additional claims were rejected by the Examiner in light of a TV remote control patent that was deemed to be unsuitable 1-Click prior art (for not being specific to the Web) in a contest run by the Tim O'Reilly and Jeff Bezos-bankrolled BountyQuest (Amazon last year testified to Congress that the contest failed to find prior art for Bezos' patent). Unfortunately, the action is non-final, so Amazon's high-priced law firm will get another chance to crush Calveley's PayPal-financed effort."
Submission + - New currency on its way (more than worldwide)
Paolo DF writes: Foreign exchange company Travelex by scientists from the National Space Centre and the University of Leicester came up with a new currency, and new coins, too!
The QUID BBC reports is perfect for deep space usage, and it exchanges at nearly 10 euros. Be sure to take a few QUIDs with you on your next trip to the Moon!
The QUID BBC reports is perfect for deep space usage, and it exchanges at nearly 10 euros. Be sure to take a few QUIDs with you on your next trip to the Moon!
Submission + - 50th anniversary of Sputnik I is today
gevmage writes: "Fifty years ago today, the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, into orbit. This action heightened the tensions of the Cold War and launched the technological space race betweeen the two countries. The United States won the first incarnation of that race by putting six two-man crews on the surface of the moon and returning them to the earth. Since then, the Soviets (now Russians) have had many more successes with orbital space stations than the US. However, the societal implications of the space race (including the creation of NASA) cannot be overestimated. Time has a "Top 50 highs and lows" in the space race, which provides an interesting overview of space travel events.
A recent interview with Boris Chertok, aide to the father of Soviet space flight Sergei Korolov, brings up some interesting points, including the claim that the whole exercise was put together at the last minute. He also points out that the "object" that people on the ground could see wasn't Sputnik I at all, but its upper booster stage, which was in roughly the same orbit.
The Houston Chronicle has an interesting article about the buildup to the space race. It points out that the US under President Eisenhower had been sending bombers into Soviet air space for years, and the Soviet ICBM buildup that led to the Sputnik launch was started to counter that threat."
A recent interview with Boris Chertok, aide to the father of Soviet space flight Sergei Korolov, brings up some interesting points, including the claim that the whole exercise was put together at the last minute. He also points out that the "object" that people on the ground could see wasn't Sputnik I at all, but its upper booster stage, which was in roughly the same orbit.
The Houston Chronicle has an interesting article about the buildup to the space race. It points out that the US under President Eisenhower had been sending bombers into Soviet air space for years, and the Soviet ICBM buildup that led to the Sputnik launch was started to counter that threat."
Submission + - Security software patents a boon for criminals (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Groklaw.net news posted an excerpt from an Ars Technica interview with Barracuda Networks CEO Dean Drako, who discusses how software patents impact the security software industry.
"...when patents limit the availability of free and open security software and stifle the development of new security software technologies, the negative impact is felt by all. "[By] making it harder for people to adopt security measures, it basically encourages criminals by making it easier for them to commit crimes — because people are unable or unwilling to deal with the costs of deploying security measures," [Drako] says."
Drako goes on to say the compromised computers can be used to wreak even more havoc on additional targets. "That has a cascading effect that impacts everyone on the Internet in a detrimental fashion. And that, I believe, is just wrong."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071002-barracuda-networks-joins-the-open-invention-network.html
