Comment: Re:How is this worth it? (Score 2, Insightful) 242
Not to mention the commission you need to pay Amazon.
Intel Core 2 "Penryn" and Linux->
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LHoAugustus
LHoAugustus writes "Linux Hardware has posted a look at the new Intel "Penryn" processor and how the new processor will work with Linux. "Intel recently released the new "Penryn" Core 2 processor with many new features. So what are these features and how will they equate into benefits to Linux users? That's what Linux Hardware is here to unravel. In this review I'll cover all the high points of the new "Penryn" core and talk to a couple Linux projects about the impact on end-user performance.""
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Link to Original Source
First look: Firefox 3 visual refresh for Linux->
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ohrmazd
ohrmazd writes "Firefox 3 is getting a visual refresh for better integration with Mac OS X and Windows, but original plans called for Linux to be left out of the fun. That decision was reversed and Ars has a look at some of the new themes. 'A patch submitted by Michael Ventnor makes the Firefox 3 toolbar use stock GTK icons from the user's GNOME icon theme. We tested this feature extensively and found that it worked very well with Tango, the default GNOME icon theme, Ubuntu's Human icon theme, and a variety of other popular third-party icon themes downloaded from gnome-look.org.' So far, it looks very promising."
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Link to Original Source
Mario Galaxy, an indepth review->
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kfz versicherung
kfz versicherung writes "At E3, fans were promised that Super Mario Galaxy would be the "true" sequel to Mario 64, a game that many Nintendo and platforming fans speak of in hushed, respectful tones. This would likely be the only admission by Nintendo that Super Mario Sunshine wasn't exactly the game it could have been. Thus begins the extremely uninspired story: Bowser has the Princess, he has taken her to the stars, and Mario will get some new powers as he tries to rescue her. Nothing we haven't seen before, but as the crowds at the local video game store where I picked my copy up can attest, this is exactly what we want. See how ArsTechnica likes the long awaited sequel to Mario64."
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Link to Original Source
Robert Jordan Dies->
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suraklin
suraklin writes "Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time Series has died of a rare blood disease. Jordan was working on what was to be the 12th and final book of the series."
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Link to Original Source
Amarok 2 Shines Up, Jingle Contest Still Running->
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The GNU Wing in Egypt
The GNU Wing in Egypt writes "The 10th issue of Amarok Weekly Newsletter is out the door with a brief overview of development being done on Amarok 2.0, and with some hot screenshots! The upcoming 2.x series sports a more-than-major interface overhaul (making use of new Qt4 graphics features and SVG support) and integration of multiple music services among other features (currently Magnatune, Jamendo, Shoutcast and MP3Tunes Locker are in development.) A contest has been launched for a new first run theme to be included with 2.0. It should be noted that Amarok 2 will (like most KDE 4 applications) be easily portable to non-X11 platforms, most importantly Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. On Windows, you can already see the first signs of life!"
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Link to Original Source
Gamers Don't Know Their Own Consoles->
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deadmantyping
deadmantyping writes "Ars Technica reports on a survey of 6,260 responses which indicates that only 40 percent of PS3 owners knew that their console included Bluray. Apparently a large portion of gamers aren't aware of the non-gaming capabilities of their systems. Ars speculates that this might help explain Nintendo's apparent dominance in the console market since their introduction of the Wii."
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Link to Original Source
Multiformat Listening Test at 64kbps
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Anonymous
Anonymous writes "The Hydrogenaudio community is conducting a "Public, Multiformat Listening Test" (http://www.listening-tests.info/mf-64-1/) to see which codecs (AAC, WMA Pro and Vorbis) provide the best sound quality when compressing samples at 64kbps.
This test is open until the 5th of August and seems to be much, much harder than what one would expect, even for experienced developers of sound codecs, at bitrates that the public would find "too little", as the comments on the thread at the discussion forums (see: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?show topic=56397).
Do you think that you have good ears? That 64kbps is "too little"? Then try it for yourself and participate. Your participation will help us improve the codecs so that they are even closer to being "transparent" at such "low" bitrates."
This test is open until the 5th of August and seems to be much, much harder than what one would expect, even for experienced developers of sound codecs, at bitrates that the public would find "too little", as the comments on the thread at the discussion forums (see: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?sho
Do you think that you have good ears? That 64kbps is "too little"? Then try it for yourself and participate. Your participation will help us improve the codecs so that they are even closer to being "transparent" at such "low" bitrates."
Terrorists are like Starfish (?)->
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Mark D. Drapeau
Mark D. Drapeau writes "Could biological metaphors about networking and systems shed light on one of the most difficult issues of our time — terrorism? According to a new op-ed in the 31 July 2007 Washington Times, and a new book entitled The Starfish and the Spider, the answer is a resounding "Yes". An excerpt from the op-ed reads:
*** Most large institutions are organized hierarchically with centralized leadership. Corporations have CEOs, armies have generals, countries have presidents. When competing against centralized organizations, promoting diffusion and disrupting cohesion are considered progressive.
However, al Qaeda has a constantly mutating, horizontal structure composed of an inspirational catalyst in the form of Osama bin Laden and other central figures joined with numerous small groups brought together not by orders but ideology. Here, lack of structure is a strength. Little thought is given, however, to how such a decentralized terrorist network structure affects the strategy for combating it.
"The Starfish and the Spider," a new book about corporate strategy written for a business audience, has a wider application — combating terrorism — and sheds light on this issue.***
Read more here:
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070731/COMMEN TARY/107310009/1012
And here:
http://www.starfishandspider.com/"
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Plastic artificial bone->
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pnosker
pnosker writes "Researchers at Rutgers University have found a way to create artificial bone using a blend of usually immiscible plastics, both bio-compatible, where one plastic is dissolved and excreted creating an empty sponge-like region for natural bone to grow and a lattice of PMMA plastic for the growth to occur. The new material is undergoing further study and testing."
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Link to Original Source