Bullfrog - Slashdot User

Comment: Re:$14,000 too high? (Score 2, Informative) 575

by SlashChick on Saturday June 16 2007, @02:08PM (#19533713) Attached to: Smart Car Coming To the US In Jan. 2008

The Smart "pure" model starts out at "under $12,000" according to their site. Also, to test your theory, I went to toyota.com and configured a Corolla. Once I added in an automatic transmission and power windows/door locks (which is a $500 option on the Corolla!), my MSRP was $16,325. I would imagine that the Corolla will still be a more popular car -- but it's certainly not cheaper.

big ram laptops? (beyond 4gb)

Submitted by Fubari on Sunday February 25 2007, @03:48AM

Fubari writes "Anybody know when laptops over 4gb might be coming out? Some of the devtools I want to run are just obscene ram-pigs. On the desktop I'm using now (win2003), it sucks up 1.6gb just to boot. By the time I log in and start doing work, it is stretching 2gb.

Move that to vista, add a vm-ware session or two, and I'm worried I'll be pushing 4gb.

I'm torn between buying a 4gb-max laptop now, or some mini-desktop that can fit in a set of luggage wheels. A friend of mine suggested something like this, but my first choice would be something designed to be portable."

Toshiba Touts 51GB HD DVD 236

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday January 15 2007, @06:30PM
from the i-thought-you-said-it-was-a-good-size dept.

srizah writes to mention that Toshiba plans to launch a 51 GB HD DVD, with a 1 GB advantage over Sony's Blu-ray disc. From the article: Toshiba has submitted a triple-layer, 51GB HD DVD-ROM disc to the standard's overseer in the hope the technology will be adopted as a standard by the end of the year. If approved, it allow the format to exceed the 50GB storage capacity of rival medium Blu-ray Disc. The HD DVD standard currently defines single- and dual-layer discs capable of holding 15GB and 30GB of data, respectively."

Should a new LAN be entirely wireless?

Submitted by

massysett

on Sunday December 17 2006, @05:33PM

massysett writes "I'm in the brand new public library in Rockville, Maryland. Of course there is Wi-Fi for patrons who bring their own laptops. There are also about two dozen Windows PCs throughout to provide catalog and Internet access. I was surprised to notice that all of these public access machines are connected wirelessly, using D-Link expansion cards. The Ethernet jacks on the backs of the machines aren't connected to anything. I'd understand networking the machines wirelessly in an old building, to save the cost of pulling Cat 5. However, this is a brand new building built just for this library, and there is obviously room for cables — the power cords for the computers are coming out of the floors. I would think the low bandwidth of wireless, coupled with the headache of troubleshooting interference and performance issues, would rule out a deploying wireless like this — it's relatively easy to wire a brand new building. I'd also think Cat 5 is more future-proof. Obviously library staff disagreed. How do you think the advantages of wireless would outweigh the disadvantages in a setting such as this?"

It's OK to keep AIMing 305

Posted by timothy on Monday July 31 2006, @04:23PM
from the dat's-what-u-think-lol dept.

fooby12 writes "According to the Univeristy of Toronto instant messaging does not hurt the grammar of the people who use it. From the article: "With 80% of Canadian teenagers using instant messaging and adopting its unique linguistic shorthand, many teachers and parents are concerned about the medium's potential to corrupt kids' grammar. But instant messaging doesn't deserve its bad reputation as a spoiler of syntax, suggests a new study from the University of Toronto.""

Microsoft Sued Over WGA 460

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday June 29 2006, @09:47PM
from the phoning-home dept.

Hope Thelps writes "The Seattle PI is reporting on a lawsuit being brought against Microsoft in response to their WGA spyware. Groklaw is also covering the story. Although there are a lot of similarities to Sony's rootkit, the actual harm done is less concrete. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out."

Dueling Network Neutrality Commentary on NPR 390

Posted by Roblimo on Friday June 23 2006, @12:55PM
from the cue-the-banjo-soundtrack dept.

cube farmer writes Wednesday National Public Radio featured a commentary by telecom representative Scott Cleland in opposition to Network Neutrality legislation. Thursday Craig Newmark, the Craig behind craigslist, countered that Network Neutrality is essential for consumers. Who made the stronger case?

The Rise and Fall of Corba 304

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday June 20 2006, @01:28AM
from the always-easier-in-hindsight dept.

ChelleChelle writes "Chief scientist of ZeroC, Michi Henning, has an interesting look at the story behind CORBA a once-promising distributed computing technology. Henning provides more than a brief history, in addition to several reasons pinpointing why CORBA fell short, focusing specifically on the OMG's technology adoption process itself. Most interesting is the final discussion on what we can learn from CORBA's decline, particularly in reference to web services."

Study Says Coffee Protects Against Cirrhosis 261

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday June 13 2006, @06:31PM
from the irish-coffee-all-around dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Good news for those who like both coffee and alcohol. In a recent study of more than 125,000 people an Oakland, CA medical team found that consuming coffee seems to help protect against alcoholic cirrhosis. The study was done based on people enrolled in a private northern California health care plan between 1978 and 1985." From the article: "People drinking one cup of coffee per day were, on average, 20% less likely to develop alcoholic cirrhosis. For people drinking two or three cups the reduction was 40%, and for those drinking four or more cups of coffee a day the reduction in risk was 80%."

It's No Game At Apple 175

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday June 06 2006, @12:27PM
from the would-be-nice-if-it-were dept.

Mac Observer is running a piece by John Martellaro looking at why Apple isn't into gaming. It's just one man's opinion, but he makes some interesting arguments. From the article: "The reality is that Apple has struggled for a long time to avoid the perception that Macs are toys, and so their principle emphasis is on science, small business, education, and the creative arts. All very grownup stuff. If a market doesn't appear on Apple's main page tab, you can be sure it's a secondary market."