Comment Re:Banking and Democrat Change (Score 2) 410
Actually, it's not just Democrats that are/were in on it. It was a bi-partisan screw up.
Submission + - Techie vibrator
An anonymous reader writes: Talk2Me is a wireless audio reactive rabbit-style vibrator. Audio is modulated for tactile feel and transmitted wirelessly! That's right- no wires.
Bass and treble are divided so you can feel the difference between the strong pumping bass and the tickle of the treble. Use it as a standard vibe or with your favorite song, your lover's voice, a podcast, or your boyfriend's video game.
Talk2Me comes with a standard audio cable to plug the small transmitter into any audio source. Use the built in mic to turn vocalizations into vibrations in talk mode or Karaoke mode. The transmitter can be up to 35 feet away from the vibe. http://www.thetalk2me.com/
Submission + - Intel working on 60-mile fixed-wifi
davidwr writes: Long-distance WiFi is nothing new, with distances over 200km possible.
Intel is working on a 60-mile version for use in rural parts of the 3rd world. Think WiMAX only a lot cheaper and no government license for the spectrum.
Assuming you can get 11Mbps, you can bring low-speed Internet plus several phone lines to rural communities that would otherwise be limited to radio. If you can get 54 or 108Mbps, the possibilities go way up. Of course, you still need electricity, something many small villages don't have.
One obvious downside: Indian programmers will now be expected to work all day in the office and all night at home, just like the American code-slaves they replaced.
Intel is working on a 60-mile version for use in rural parts of the 3rd world. Think WiMAX only a lot cheaper and no government license for the spectrum.
Assuming you can get 11Mbps, you can bring low-speed Internet plus several phone lines to rural communities that would otherwise be limited to radio. If you can get 54 or 108Mbps, the possibilities go way up. Of course, you still need electricity, something many small villages don't have.
One obvious downside: Indian programmers will now be expected to work all day in the office and all night at home, just like the American code-slaves they replaced.
Submission + - Open source cars?
Invertdna writes: Most cars today are a complex system of computer-controlled modules that determine the details of how your car runs (e.g., air/fuel mixture, spark plug firing, etc.). However, these operating systems are locked to all but those who design them; even dealerships don't have the ability to change code for the car's computer(s). In talking to a repairman about how to make my gas-powered car run cleaner, he suggested that I could change the air/fuel ratio, which would sacrifice some power for greater fuel savings and lower emissions. The problem, of course, is that I can't get to the code to do it. My question is this: has anyone thought about this problem and gotten around it? Or is there open-source code for commercially-available cars out there? This would obviously void most cars' warranties, but for older cars this might be a great way to live slightly greener (and cheaper).
Submission + - Hexagon shape at Saturn pole
Submission + - Students in Singapore Create Chameleon Suit
SpectreBlofeld writes: Taking a page from Ghost in the Shell, students in Singapore have created a soldier's suit that can blend in with its surroundings.
From the article:
"Using what is called Electrochromism, the students created a soldier's uniform that can blend into any surrounding.
They achieved this by using a material that can change colours.
This is one of the many projects by secondary and JC students under the Young Defence Scientists Programme (YDSP), which has been running successfully for the last 15 years."
Story is at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelo calnews/view/264786/1/.html
Submission + - Italy village gets 'sun mirror'
Gre7g writes: "A sun-deprived village in the Italian Alps has come up with a novel solution to fix the problem — by installing a giant mirror.
The mirror — an eight-by-five metre (26x16ft) sheet of steel — was placed on a nearby peak to reflect sunlight onto Viganella's main square below.
The computer-operated mirror will now be constantly following the sun's path."
The mirror — an eight-by-five metre (26x16ft) sheet of steel — was placed on a nearby peak to reflect sunlight onto Viganella's main square below.
The computer-operated mirror will now be constantly following the sun's path."
Why You Can't Buy a Naked PC 367
ZDOne writes "A piece up on ZDNet looks at the issue of naked PCs. ZDNet UK phoned around all the major PC vendors and not one of them would sell a machine without Windows on it. IT professionals are being forced to adopt Microsoft's operating systems — even if they tell their PC supplier they want a system free of Microsoft software. On the other hand, even if it's almost impossible to buy a PC without an operating system installed, companies like Dell and HP are now committed to supporting Linux as well. 'Murray believes there is a market for Linux in the UK but is also aware of the issues facing any large supplier who wants to make Linux boxes available. "It means diverting production lines and that is a lot of money and so we have to prove the business case," he said. However, he made it clear that he is enthusiastic about the idea and wants to make it work. "We just have to show it is worthwhile," he said.'"
Submission + - An autonomous anti-cancer drug
Roland Piquepaille writes: "As you probably know, researchers have been working for a while to find more efficient ways to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to their targets. But instead of finding a new drug carrier, why not focusing on a drug that knows its path to the target and which delivers itself to the tumor? This is what University at Buffalo (UB) scientists have done by developing a solution in which the delivery system is the drug itself by using nanocrystals of a hydrophobic drug. But this research work needs to be confirmed before this drug can be approved by the medical regulators. And it will take time... But read more for many additional references and pictures showing these nanocrystals in action."
Submission + - Wii in-game friend lists won't be universal
John writes: "As reported on Tuesday, GameSpy are assisting Nintendo in implementing Wi-Fi driven features into future Wii games.
Rather than provide one friend list applicable for all Wii online games though, as is the case with many of the other formats, Nintendo has decided to stick with the current set up: users still have to make their friends list for every game played.http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id= 106333"
Submission + - Enormous amount of water ice found on Mars
schweini writes: Space.com is reporting that the Mars Express probe's MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding) experiment has detected and measured an enormous amount of water ice near mars' south pole, which would be sufficient to submerge the whole planet's surface underneath aprox. 10m of water on average.
Submission + - Can Wikipedia's People Power out-search Google?
gondwannabe writes: Is Wikipedia a threat to Google and Yahoo?
Gord Hotchkiss, President of Enquiro (a search engine marketing firm), takes on JIMMY WALES, co-founder of Wikipedia, and his claim that people can trump technology in the search engine game According to a recent report in Yahoo, Wales is putting $4 million (of other people's money) plus an undisclosed "large amount" from Amazon on the line, betting that he can steal 5% of the total search market away from Google with his new project. Hotchkiss isn't so sure that the Wiki culture's highly parallel (but also highly-politicised) world view can replace the cool, brute force power of search.
Gord Hotchkiss, President of Enquiro (a search engine marketing firm), takes on JIMMY WALES, co-founder of Wikipedia, and his claim that people can trump technology in the search engine game According to a recent report in Yahoo, Wales is putting $4 million (of other people's money) plus an undisclosed "large amount" from Amazon on the line, betting that he can steal 5% of the total search market away from Google with his new project. Hotchkiss isn't so sure that the Wiki culture's highly parallel (but also highly-politicised) world view can replace the cool, brute force power of search.
Submission + - Would a Wikipedia-like solution work for Youtube?
Mike Hulsebus writes: "As recently reported by the Times, Viacom brought a lawsuit against Youtube for $1 billion dollars. They say, among other things, that Youtube is violating copyright, that Viacom's clips helped Youtube build a brand, and that Viacom has to spend unnecessary amounts of time finding their content to earmark it for removal by site moderators.
If Youtube really wants to fix its problems, it needs to go the route of Wikipedia, whose articles are policed by an army of volunteer moderators. Youtube currently has restrictions on the quality, size, and length of content that can be hosted on their site. If it offered certain Youtubers benefits that superceded these restrictions, they too could have an army of mods keeping their site out of trouble. And for free.""Every day we have to scour the entirety of what is available on YouTube, so we have to look for our stuff," Mr. Dauman [of Viacom] said. "It is very difficult for us and places an enormous burden on us."
Submission + - RIAA sues paralyzed stroke victim
Stangger writes: Just when you thought they couldn't do any worse, the RIAA is suing a paralyzed Stroke victim for alleged copyright infringment in Michigan. Of course, he lives in Florida, but that shouldn't be more than a minor glitch in the lawsuit.
Article: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/riaa-boycott/riaa-tires -of-suing-babies-and-elderly-moves-on-to-paralyzed -stroke-victims-244108.php
Submission + - 911 Suspect Confesses Guilt
General Melchett writes: According to the BBC: 'Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 11 September attacks, has admitted responsibility, a court transcript says'
'The court is not open to the public. Transcripts of testimony have been translated from Sheikh Mohammed's Arabic and edited by the Pentagon to remove sensitive intelligence material'
The article can be found here.
'The court is not open to the public. Transcripts of testimony have been translated from Sheikh Mohammed's Arabic and edited by the Pentagon to remove sensitive intelligence material'
The article can be found here.
