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Comment Re:Did they mention the yummy GMOs (Score 1) 320

by Gazzonyx (#49498503) Attached to: Columbia University Doctors Ask For Dr. Mehmet Oz's Dismissal
Just, for what it's worth...
Thanks for this (from what I can tell - I don't know the subject matter) reasonably objective, unbiased explanation.

It was actually kind of refreshing and will probably in no way get the appreciation it deserves. I would have modded it up, but my mod points expired before I got to this story/comment section. So all I can give you is a 'kudos'.

Submission + - Is This Justice? EFF pushes Pasco County to be sensible with 8th Grade "Hacker" (eff.org) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A 14-year-old eighth grader in Florida, Domanik Green, has been charged with a felony for “hacking” his teacher’s computer. The “hacking” in this instance was using a widely known password to change the desktop background of his teacher’s computer with an image of two men kissing. The outrage of being charged with a felony for what essentially amounts to a misguided prank should be familiar to those who follow how computer crimes are handled by our justice system.

Charging decisions and punishment should be proportional to the harm a person causes. The only thing that “making an example” out of Domanik Green accomplishes is to make an example of how out of whack our computer crime laws—and the prosecutorial discretion that accompanies it—are. We call on Pasco County to do the sensible thing and not ruin Domanik Green’s life. This is not justice.

Now what do you think?

Submission + - Google Ready To Unleash Thousands Of Balloons In Project Loon (itworld.com)

Submitted by jfruh
jfruh writes: Google has figured out how to produce an Internet-broadcast balloon in a few hours, and is on the verge of unleashing Project Loon onto the world. The project, which will work with ISPs to beam LTE cellular signals to remote regions that don't have Internet access, will be working with local ISPs rather than selling broadband directly to customers.

Submission + - Japan's Maglev Train Breaks World Speed Record (sky.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A magnetic levitation (maglev) train in Japan has broken the world speed record by hitting 366mph. It beat the previous record of 361mph set in 2003 — but the new record could be smashed within days. Another test run is scheduled for Tuesday during which the train's speed could reach 373mph.

Submission + - Iris Scanner Identifies a Person 40 Feet Away (discovery.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: For several years now, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab Biometrics Center have been testing an iris recognition system that can be used to identify subjects at a range of up to 40 feet.

In the realm of law enforcement, iris recognition could be used to identify suspects at long range in various lighting conditions. The system can even be used to capture images through reflections in a mirror.

Submission + - The origin of the first light in the Universe

Submitted by StartsWithABang
StartsWithABang writes: Before there were planets, galaxies, or even stars in the Universe, there really was light. We see that light, left over today, in the form of the Cosmic Microwave Background, or the remnant glow from the Big Bang. But these photons outnumber the matter in our Universe by more than a-billion-to-one, and are the most numerous thing around. So where did they first come from? Science has the answer.

Submission + - John Gruber on third-party Apple Watch apps: They suck and are really slow (bgr.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: During this week’s episode of John Gruber’s podcast, The Talk Show, Gruber sat down with Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal to talk all things Apple Watch.

About two hours and 9 minutes into the podcast, both Gruber and Stern began lamenting the poor performance they saw with third-party Apple Watch apps. “It makes me question whether there should be third party apps for it at all yet,” Gruber noted.

The pair also took umbrage with what they perceived to be a poor design choice for the Apple Watch app screen, with both noting that the app icons were far too small to be practical.

Submission + - Dark matter becomes less ghostly (bbc.com)

Submitted by Camembert
Camembert writes: Interesting article : dark matter has been caught interacting with the visible universe. Though it would need a new kind of particle that does not fit the standard model.

Submission + - How Mission Creep Killed a Gaming Studio (dice.com)

Submitted by Nerval's Lobster
Nerval's Lobster writes: Over at Kotaku, there’s an interesting story about the reported demise of Darkside Game Studios, a game-development firm that thought it finally had a shot at the big time only to collapse once its project requirements spun out of control. Darkside got a chance to show off its own stuff with a proposed remake of Phantom Dust, an action-strategy game that became something of a cult favorite. Microsoft, which offered Darkside the budget to make the game, had a very specific list of requirements for the actual gameplay. The problem, as Kotaku describes, is those requirements shifted after the project was well underway. Darkside needed more developers, artists, and other skilled tech pros to finish the game with its expanded requirements, but (anonymous sources claimed) Microsoft refused to offer up more money to actually hire the necessary people. As a result, the game’s development imploded, reportedly followed by the studio. What’s the lesson in all this? It’s one of the oldest in the book: Escalating and unanticipated requirements, especially without added budget to meet those requirements, can have devastating effects on both a project and the larger software company.

Submission + - BeeRaider keyboard (beeraider.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Here is yet another keyboard layout, but this one is so different from what we're used to that I thought it would be worth talking about.

Submission + - Schneier on 'really bad' IoT security: 'It's going to come crashing down' (networkworld.com)

Submitted by alphadogg
alphadogg writes: Security expert Bruce Schneier has looked at and written about difficulties the Internet of Things presents — such as the fact that the “things” are by and large insecure and enable unwanted surveillance– and concludes that it’s a problem that’s going to get worse before it gets better. After a recent briefing with him at Resilient Systems headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., where he is CTO, he answered a few questions about the IoT and what corporate security executives ought to be doing about it right now.

Submission + - Valve Offering Free Games To Larger Amount of Developers

Submitted by jones_supa
jones_supa writes: Last year, Valve made it possible for Debian developers to get free subscription to all Valve games. In the dri-devel mailing list, Daniel Stone informs that now the game company is expanding the offer to Mesa developers as well. If you have 25 or more commits to Mesa in the past 5 years, read the post for instructions on how to get VIP access to the Valve catalogue.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Recommendations for Home Surveillance Systems?

Submitted by Chewbacon
Chewbacon writes: At the repeated recommendations of a friend and rise of theft in my area, I have been looking around for a home surveillance system. I have researched doing a DIY system with Zoneminder and POE cameras as I have a home server for backup and media storage that could get the job done, but that seems to be an expensive route compared to the packaged systems. Some of these packaged systems are linux based and would lead me to believe I could add my own touch to the configuration and add my own offsite redundancy. I at least need HD video, weather proof/very resistant cameras, infrared at night, and only about 4 cameras. We already have a monitored home security system, but I'm not interested in their products or increase in monitoring fees. What is the community's experience and recommendations for this?

Submission + - Where is the Linux dev environment in a VR headset? (tumblr.com)

Submitted by michaelcole
michaelcole writes: I'm a digital nomad, and I'm tired of carrying 15-20 kilos of screens.

Can I please have a linux distro on a small-form PC or NUC, with a USB keyboard/mouse and a VR headset?
  • Is it Augmented or Virtual Reality? I don't know. I'd prefer to see things (keyboards), and people around me.
  • How is the Reality setup as a dev environment? I don't know.

Is anyone working on this already? How do we get involved? It's not my wheel-house, but I have $100 for a kickstarter.

Submission + - Stars Formed Near Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole - How? (discovery.com) 3

Submitted by Aspiring Astronomer
Aspiring Astronomer writes: Scientists reported that stars have formed near the supermassive black hole in the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. How could this be if a black hole exerts so much gravitational force that not even light can escape? Many astronomers believe that this may actually be what is facilitating the formation of these stars. According to Yusef-Zadeh, the gases and dusts constantly flowing towards black holes compress and heat up, creating enough disturbance to cause the materials to collapse and then form a star. Yusef — Zadeh now speculates that in addition to stars forming near black holes, that planets may, too. The disk around a protostar (a mass of gas and materials that form early in star formation) breaks off into clumps of matter, and when paired with the extreme force of a black hole, may cause the formation whole planets.

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