Comment Re:Things that make you go, hmmm. (Score 1) 264
more rugged than your average PC.
More rugged than your average notebook, that is. (At least, the ones that I've been lugging about)
Comment Things that make you go, hmmm. (Score 1) 264
The data are fishy. Do they fail because people buy a netbook because they can take them more places, and thus have a higher incidence of failure because they're being carried and used in more places?
My own experience with a netbook vs laptop is that the Asus EEE PC I purchased nearly two years ago is still going strong without a single hardware issue, vs the cheap Dell that lasted a year before developing critical power issues (right after my warranty expired, of course) and the Fujitsu Lifebook likewise failing with hinge death at about a year and a half, after a long run of problems.
My Asus netbook seems to just be more rugged than your average PC. Also, I take the thing everywhere, where my last laptops were left home a lot more because they weighed so much more.
Comment Re:real children + real pornongraphy = ??? (Score 1) 639
>
Statistically they are the most likely to repeat offend. So clearly, we're not dealing with the issue in any successful or meaningful way.
Please provide your sources for this information? I've seen sources higher up in the discussion directly refuting your claim.
Submission + - Learning the basics of Computational Theory
SelArom writes: "As a computer science graduate, I've always been fascinated by complex theoretical problems such as the Travelling Salesman Problem, or the Halting Problem, leading into deep theoretical stuff like Number Theory, Graph Theory, and Quantum computer theory which are so far over my head I feel like I should go back to programming little text games using BASIC in the 80s.
My college life did very little to prepare me for this high-level stuff, so I've never been able to keep up with even the simplest explanations laid out in Wikipedia or the advanced chapters of textbooks (which we always skipped!). But I've always wanted to expand my understanding of these theories, if for nothing else just to fulfill my curiousity (not to mention the advantage I would gain as a developer).
So I'm wondering, where is a good place to start? And I mean to START, at the beginning. Are there any specific reference materials that can start at a very basic level, like say set theory (which even that I only kind of formally understand) or even lower, expanding up towards some of the really high level stuff without completely overwhelming you with strange, foreign notation?"
My college life did very little to prepare me for this high-level stuff, so I've never been able to keep up with even the simplest explanations laid out in Wikipedia or the advanced chapters of textbooks (which we always skipped!). But I've always wanted to expand my understanding of these theories, if for nothing else just to fulfill my curiousity (not to mention the advantage I would gain as a developer).
So I'm wondering, where is a good place to start? And I mean to START, at the beginning. Are there any specific reference materials that can start at a very basic level, like say set theory (which even that I only kind of formally understand) or even lower, expanding up towards some of the really high level stuff without completely overwhelming you with strange, foreign notation?"
Submission + - SPAM: Virtual reality broadcast directly into eyes
destinyland writes: ""Engineers at the University of Washington have developed a contact lens that creates a virtual display superimposed over the normal field of vision." Lenses are printed with tiny circuitry and light projectors, creating the possibility of merging the real and virtual worlds. It could be the ultimate gaming interface, but it also has practical applications. Google maps could superimpose their streetview over actual streets!"
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Comment Re:What's in that paper? (Score 1) 571
Different parts of your tongue can be more or less sensitive to certain tastes. Sipping through a hole in the lid forces the coffee over the front part of your tongue where the sensitivity to sweetness is most prominent. The sides of your tongue, by contrast, are generally more sensitive to bitterness.
Bunk. Sorry, the Tongue map has been disproven for ages.
Comment Oh, but that's not the most important one! (Score 1) 8
What about my sword? I neeed that to worship properly.
Submission + - Use of Tasers
An anonymous reader writes: Tasers get used. They are a less lethal way of dealing with people who need to be apprehended or subdued by police. Occasionally people die. The manufacturer(s) pass the buck, quoting some mechanism that isn't universally believed. If there are very few mechanisms/processes whereby this obscure mechanism blamed initiates the death of someone receiving a taser shot exist, one can be pretty sure that the death was caused by taser, and not some mystery thing.
But regardless of that, injecting a person with a couple of electrodes gives a potential source of information (as long as the electrodes are still implanted). It might be a good thing for tasers to actually record physiological responses after impact and jolting, so as to provide more information to enquiries after the incident. Does any manufacturer do this? If not, why not?
But regardless of that, injecting a person with a couple of electrodes gives a potential source of information (as long as the electrodes are still implanted). It might be a good thing for tasers to actually record physiological responses after impact and jolting, so as to provide more information to enquiries after the incident. Does any manufacturer do this? If not, why not?
Submission + - The Sony PS3 Crackstation (pcworld.com)
ianare writes: Nick Breese, a security consultant at Security-assessment.com, has come up with a way of cracking encryption algorithms 100 times faster, using a Sony PS3. The speed increase relates to the use of the Cell processor's SIMD (or vector) computing, allowing him to run cryptography calculations in parallel. Breese has pushed the current upper limit of 10-15 million cycles per second on Intel-based architecture to 1.4 billion cycles per second for MD5 calculations. This discovery will unfortunately make cracking certain types of passwords much faster, hopefully it will also drive stronger and better implemented cryptography.
Submission + - In search of the next Google-like startup?
An anonymous reader writes: As 2007 dawns to a close, what are some cool startups that really excite you? If the magic genie grants you a wish to work anywhere, where would that be for 2008? Not just in terms of technology, but also in terms of corporate culture, fit and purpose as well.
