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Comment: Why spread the data around? (Score 5, Insightful) 93

Ok, Google has it...

They said they will destroy it, either they do or they don't, it doesn't matter because they will do what they choose. But why go handing a copy over to every state who asks for it?

Really, if you're concerned about privacy, you want this information in the LEAST number of hands possible.

Transportation

Inventor Demonstrates Infinitely Variable Transmission 609

Posted by Soulskill
from the clutch-discovery dept.
ElectricSteve writes with this excerpt from Gizmag: "Ready for a bit of a mental mechanical challenge? Try your hand at understanding how the D-Drive works. Steve Durnin's ingenious new gearbox design is infinitely variable — that is, with your motor running at a constant speed, the D-Drive transmission can smoothly transition from top gear all the way through neutral and into reverse. It doesn't need a clutch, it doesn't use any friction drive components, and the power is always transmitted through strong, reliable gear teeth. In fact, it's a potential revolution in transmission technology."

Comment: Re:Did they try to work it out or just FILE FILE F (Score 2, Interesting) 183

by Alpha232 (#32094766) Attached to: One Year Later, USPS Looks Into Gamefly Complaint

From the original complaint, the USPS apparently does treat them differently as far as machine handling... it would be interesting to see what happens.

The issue here is why does GameFly have to jump through hoops and spend alot more on packaging to survive automation even when the class of service they used allows for non-machine sorts, while the other companies get separated for special treatment.

Comment: Did they try to work it out or just FILE FILE FILE (Score 3, Insightful) 183

by Alpha232 (#32094556) Attached to: One Year Later, USPS Looks Into Gamefly Complaint

Alot of the questions go to what effort did GameFly invest into research, planning and execution, of the shipping and return process.
Things from the material the mailer is produced from to simply how the dvd is secured inside the envelope to prevent shifting through the sorting process.

And the really big question, are you sure they really were "stolen" and not just kept.

I think pretty much all of the questions are valid and while written in legaleze, quite understandable given the severity of the complaint. If GameFly worked with the USPS in planning the mailing portion of their service and co-operated in tracking down these "thefts" before filing this case, then they should have no problems answering every one of them honestly and fully.

United States

One Year Later, USPS Looks Into Gamefly Complaint 183

Posted by Soulskill
from the good-luck-answering-in-less-than-a-year dept.
Last April, we discussed news that video game rental service GameFly had complained to the USPS that a large quantity of their game discs were broken in transit, accusing the postal service of giving preferential treatment to more traditional DVD rental companies like Netflix. Now, just over a year later, an anonymous reader sends word that the USPS has responded with a detailed inquiry into GameFly's situation (PDF). The inquiry's 46 questions (many of which are multi-part) cover just about everything you could imagine concerning GameFly's distribution methods. Most of them are simple, yet painstaking, in a way only government agencies can manage. Here are a few of them: "What threshold does GameFly consider to be an acceptable loss/theft rate? Please provide the research that determined this rate. ... What is the transportation cost incurred by GameFly to transport its mail from each GameFly distribution center to the postal facility used by that distribution center? ... Please describe the total cost that GameFly would incur if it expanded its distribution network to sixty or one hundred twenty locations. In your answer, please itemize costs separately. ... Does the age of a gaming DVD or the number of times played have more effect on the average life cycle of a gaming DVD?"
SuSE

Why Microsoft Can't Afford To Let Novell Die 215

Posted by kdawson
from the dark-knight dept.
geek4 sends in an analysis indicating that Microsoft may have the most to lose if hedge-fund operator Elliot buys Novell. (The eWeekEurope piece is based on a longer and geekier writeup by Andy Updegrove on how the mechanics of unsolicited tender offers can play out in the tech world.) To avoid meltdown or asset-stripping, Novell can try and find a preferred bidder — a company with some interest in running Novell as a business, and preferrably a tech company. Or another company may make a move independently. But who might that be? A couple of analysts have suggested IBM, Oracle, or SAP. These all have problems... Microsoft is in a similar category, with one added problem. ... Microsoft has staked any open source credibility that it has on Novell's SUSE distribution. If Novell falls to bits, then Microsoft's efforts to gain open source cred pretty much disappear with it. It's something that would have been impossible to imagine a few years back, but if we're looking for someone to prop Novell up, Microsoft would now be a prime candidate."

A sinking ship gathers no moss. -- Donald Kaul