Submission + - Will positioning IE9 as the underdog really help Microsoft? (networkworld.com)
colinneagle writes: Hating Microsoft has been fashionable for years, so getting people to consider IE9 won't be easy, but Microsoft deserves some credit for trying. Its new marketing approach is to acknowledge the dislike, through a Microsoft-operated Tumblr site called "The Browser You Loved to Hate," which is replete with Tweets and quotes from bloggers singing the praises of IE, mixed with some humor as well.
But don't think Microsoft is going soft. A new blog post by Roger Capriotti, director of Internet Explorer product marketing, picks apart the latest usage stats and questions the methodologies used and whether or not Chrome’s numbers are inflated. Numbers from Net Applications show that IE9 is the most popular browser on Windows 7 and growing, which means as Win7 grows and XP fades, IE9 will increase its presence.
All of which still amuses me to no end, given this is all free software.
But don't think Microsoft is going soft. A new blog post by Roger Capriotti, director of Internet Explorer product marketing, picks apart the latest usage stats and questions the methodologies used and whether or not Chrome’s numbers are inflated. Numbers from Net Applications show that IE9 is the most popular browser on Windows 7 and growing, which means as Win7 grows and XP fades, IE9 will increase its presence.
All of which still amuses me to no end, given this is all free software.
Submission + - The New iPad Gets 10 Degrees Hotter Than iPad 2 (ibtimes.com) 1
redletterdave writes: "To power all of the features in "the new iPad" and maintain a solid 10 hours of battery life, Apple upgraded the iPad 2's rechargeable lithium-ion battery and made it substantially bigger — about 70 percent. But at what cost? Dutch website Tweakers.net ran two GL Benchmarks on a new iPad and an iPad 2 for five minutes each, and then looked at both devices with an infrared camera. The company discovered that the new iPad reached 33.6C (92.5 Fahrenheit), with the hottest region nearby the device's motherboard towards the bottom of the device, while the second-generation model only reached 28.3C (82.9 Fahrenheit). That means on average, the new iPad gets 10 degrees hotter than its predecessor. Now, users worry if the new iPad has the same risks as laptops, which are believed to cause testicular and reproductive dysfunction when they get too hot."
Submission + - Super-Earth Unlikely Able to Transfer Life to Other Planets (scienceworldreport.com)
An anonymous reader writes: While scientists believe conditions suitable for life might exist on the so-called "super-Earth" in the Gliese 581 system, it's unlikely to be transferred to other planets within that solar system.
"One of the big scientific questions is how did life get started and how did it spread through the universe," said Jay Melosh, distinguished professor of earth and atmospheric sciences. "That question used to be limited to just the Earth, but we now know in our solar system there is a lot of exchange that takes place, and it's quite possible life started on Mars and came to Earth. There's also been a great deal of discussion about the possible spread of life in the universe from star to star."
"One of the big scientific questions is how did life get started and how did it spread through the universe," said Jay Melosh, distinguished professor of earth and atmospheric sciences. "That question used to be limited to just the Earth, but we now know in our solar system there is a lot of exchange that takes place, and it's quite possible life started on Mars and came to Earth. There's also been a great deal of discussion about the possible spread of life in the universe from star to star."
Submission + - Who Invented the Airplane? The Answer Depends on Your Nationality (txchnologist.com)
Kelkhatib writes: As Brazil moves further and further into the international spotlight (Olympics, World Cup) — there's growing interest in their history as it relates to their current invesment in innovation. This article uncovers the country's history with aviation. Ask an American who invented the airplane and the response will be “the Wright brothers.” Ask a Brazilian the same question and the answer you get back will be “Alberto Santos-Dumont.” The different answers stem from a controversy that stretches back to the dawn of the age of aviation.
Comment Re:The problem. (Score 2) 140
Actually its even older than that, according to the article:
"Wang credits German engineer Adolf Busemann for the original concept. In the 1950s, Busemann came up with a biplane design that essentially eliminates shock waves at supersonic speeds."
The real breakthrough is in minor modifications to the wing design that cut down drastically in drag, reducing necessary fuel burn. While it may not be a field-able concept yet, they are gradually breaking down the barriers to a more efficient supersonic transport design.
"Wang credits German engineer Adolf Busemann for the original concept. In the 1950s, Busemann came up with a biplane design that essentially eliminates shock waves at supersonic speeds."
The real breakthrough is in minor modifications to the wing design that cut down drastically in drag, reducing necessary fuel burn. While it may not be a field-able concept yet, they are gradually breaking down the barriers to a more efficient supersonic transport design.
Comment Re:Here's an idea (Score 1) 146
Hey, someone needs to protect American jobs with tariffs, because that worked so well in the 1930's.
Submission + - Teenage Sextet Charged With Cell Phone 'Sexting' (wpxi.com)
Corpuscavernosa writes: Three teenage girls who allegedly sent nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of themselves, and three male classmates in a Greensburg high school who received them, are charged with child pornography.
Police said the girls are 14 or 15, and the boys charged with receiving the photos are 16 or 17.
These kids being charged (especially the girls) just feels wrong for some reason. What do you think?
Police said the girls are 14 or 15, and the boys charged with receiving the photos are 16 or 17.
These kids being charged (especially the girls) just feels wrong for some reason. What do you think?
Submission + - Congress bans video game consoles!?
Xerolooper writes: In the latest move by our representatives in congress. What some are calling a more 'ecologically friendly' Fahrenheit 451 or just Cultural Genocide.
Some companies marketing products for children say this will cripple them. 'The CPSIA(Consumer Produce Safety Improvement Act) was passed in August 2008 and goes into effect on February 10, 2009. It was passed in response to recent lead paint scares involving imported toys. While all good parents wants safe toys and other products for their children, the unfortunate truth is that this law was written FAR too broadly. Because this over-reaching law mandates expensive ($400 — $4,000 per test) testing on every part of every batch of everything made for children 12 and under, the ramifications are terrible.'
One result is the banning from libraries at schools and otherwise of children under 12 or removing the books.
From CPSC FAQ: 'To the extent that video game hardware is intended primarily for children 12 years and younger, it would be subject to the lead limits. The Commission is currently evaluating whether certain electronic devices, including devices that contain batteries, must comply with the lead limit.' I would like to know what impact will this have on the Video Game Industry?
Some companies marketing products for children say this will cripple them. 'The CPSIA(Consumer Produce Safety Improvement Act) was passed in August 2008 and goes into effect on February 10, 2009. It was passed in response to recent lead paint scares involving imported toys. While all good parents wants safe toys and other products for their children, the unfortunate truth is that this law was written FAR too broadly. Because this over-reaching law mandates expensive ($400 — $4,000 per test) testing on every part of every batch of everything made for children 12 and under, the ramifications are terrible.'
One result is the banning from libraries at schools and otherwise of children under 12 or removing the books.
From CPSC FAQ: 'To the extent that video game hardware is intended primarily for children 12 years and younger, it would be subject to the lead limits. The Commission is currently evaluating whether certain electronic devices, including devices that contain batteries, must comply with the lead limit.' I would like to know what impact will this have on the Video Game Industry?
Submission + - Gaming & Justice
oldwindways writes: "An Ohio teen was found guilty of murdering his Mother and shooting his Father in the head after they took away his copy of Halo 3. One has to wonder if this is going to have any effect on the games industry. Clearly the AP thought they could stir up something controversial by asking the IP owner for a statement:
Microsoft, which owns the intellectual property for the game, declined to comment beyond a statement saying: "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."
I suppose the good news is they did not accept his insanity plea, so no one can claim that Halo 3 drove him insane. Even so, I don't think anything good can come out of this for gamers."
Microsoft, which owns the intellectual property for the game, declined to comment beyond a statement saying: "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."
I suppose the good news is they did not accept his insanity plea, so no one can claim that Halo 3 drove him insane. Even so, I don't think anything good can come out of this for gamers."
Comment Re:remote learning (Score 4, Interesting) 317
Is this going towards a future where students do not need to be physical present on the campus?
Actually, the TEAL approach that replaced the large freshman physics lectures at MIT places a heavier emphasis on attendance. In a traditional lecture the professor doesn't know most of the students, and doesn't really care if 50% of them stop showing up after the first week. With TEAL there are interactive portions of the class (such as answering multiple choice questions with a personal remote) which are tracked and factored into the student's grade. In other words, if you don't show up, you can't get an A (no matter how well you have mastered the material).
Personally I don't think this is the best approach, but it certainly isn't forgiving of a student's absence from class.
As a side note, when I was a freshman, many of my classmates did not find the TEAL lectures to be terribly effective in teaching the material. Frequently they would go back into the video archive after class and watch recordings of the "traditional" lectures from years past to actually learn what was being taught. They just went to the TEAL lectures because they didn't want to loose their participation credit.
Submission + - Is a 9/80 work schedule a good thing? 4
cellocgw writes: "My company is in the process of implementing a version of "9/80," a work schedule which squeezes 80 hours' labor time into 9 business days and provides every other Friday off. I was wondering how this has been implemented in other companies, and how it's worked out for other Slashdot readers. Is your system flexible? Do you find time to get personal stuff done during the week? Is Friday good for anything other than catching up on lost sleep? And perhaps most important, do your managers respect the off-Fridays or pull people in on a regular basis to handle "crises"?"
Submission + - Carbon researcher never mentioned Google (itpro.co.uk) 1
nk497 writes: "Does every two searches on Google release as much carbon emissions as boiling a kettle of water? No — according to the author of the report everyone is citing as evidence of Google's destruction of the world. Harvard University physicist Alex Wissner-Gross told TechNewsWorld that he never mentioned Google in the study, and that the media reports were misleading readers.
He said: "Our work has nothing to do with Google. Our focus was exclusively on the web overall, and we found that it takes on average about 20 milligrams of CO2 per second to visit a website."
Wissner-Gross added that there was no mention of a kettle in his research."
He said: "Our work has nothing to do with Google. Our focus was exclusively on the web overall, and we found that it takes on average about 20 milligrams of CO2 per second to visit a website."
Wissner-Gross added that there was no mention of a kettle in his research."
Submission + - Lord of the Rings: Conquest - First Review (gameplayer.com.au)
SlappingOysters writes: "The exciting new action game from Pandemic Studios based on the Lord of the Rings books and films is released today for the PC, X360 and PS3 and the first online review has just gone live at gameplayer. The gameplay acts to mimic what was seen in the Battlefield and Star Wars: Battlefront game series, with the guns and vehicles replaced with swords and oliphaunts. You can play as both the good, and evil, sides of Middle-Earth."
Submission + - Brits get tough on copper thieves disrupting comms
Celeriac writes: The British government is planning a crackdown on rogue scrap metal dealers because of the rise of copper phone cable theft — a frequent thorn-in-the-side for countries in the developing world. According to telco BT around a thousand of its customers in the south of England were recently left without a phone line after crooks made off with cables by ripping them out of man-holes in the street.
