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Government

The Shortage of Women In IT 678

Posted by samzenpus
from the equal-opportunity dept.
CIStud writes "The IT industry is hurting for women. Currently only 11% of IT companies are owned by women. The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program requires 5% of all IT jobs to go to female-owned integration companies, but there must be at least 2 female bidders. There are so few female bidders that women-owned IT firms are ineligible for the contracts. From the article: 'Wendy Frank, founder of Accell Security Inc. in Birdsboro, Pa., wishes she had more competitors. It's not often you hear any integrator say that, but in Frank's case, she has good reason. The current Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program authorizes five percent of Federal prime and subcontracts to be set aside for WOSBs. While that might sound fair on the surface, in order to invoke the money set aside for this program, the contracting officer at an agency has to have a reasonable expectation that two or more WOSBs will submit offers for the job. “We could not participate in the government’s Women-Owned Small Business program unless there was another female competitor,” says Frank. “Procurement officers required that at least two women-owned small businesses compete for the contracts, even in the IT field, where women-owned businesses are underrepresented.”'"

Comment: Mayfair Games already did this with DC Heroes RPG (Score 3, Informative) 130

by JoshDM (#38895087) Attached to: DC Comics Announces "<em>Before Watchmen</em>"
Back in the 80's, Mayfair Games licensed the DC characters to create the DC Heroes RPG. There were three Watchmen products made (the direct contents of which I am paraphrasing and cannot recall exactly offhand): Watchmen Sourcebook, Who Watches the Watchmen, and Taking out the Trash. Here is an interview with the authors.
Censorship

SOPA Goes Back To the Drawing Board, PIPA Postponed 267

Posted by Soulskill
from the gone-but-not-forgotten dept.
New submitter rivin2e writes "SOPA has been sent back to the drawing board. 'The move came shortly after the Senate postponed a key vote on the companion PIPA bill scheduled for next week and amid calls for consensus before Congress moves forward on any legislation to address the problem of foreign piracy websites,' as written by the Los Angeles Times today. Hopefully the next draft of this bill will create a better foundation to stop piracy and not just assert control over the internet." Support for the bill eroded on Wednesday as several of its co-sponsors withdrew their support. The issue is not over, however; statements were issued by both Senator Patrick Leahy and Rep. Lamar Smith indicating that they still want to find solutions to online piracy, and Smith also wrote an editorial piece for CNN to explain why he thinks such legislation is necessary. The SOPA issue was raised at the recent GOP debate, and all four candidates spoke against it.

Comment: What I learned from my Red Light ticket... (Score 1) 433

by JoshDM (#38435612) Attached to: Denver Must Prove Red-Light Cameras Improve Safety
My wife got a red light ticket in South Florida. She ran a red light in a 40 mph zone. The rule is for every 10 miles, the amber (yellow) light stays on for 1 second, rounded up. This would mean the amber would lit and noticeable for 4 seconds.

Most normal people drive 5mph over the limit because police will never pull you over for going 5 miles over and many counties don't even have a fee for that amount, it's just a citation.

That would mean the amber should realistically be on for 5 seconds for a 36-40 mph zone. Had it been on, I think my wife would have noticed it. 4 seconds is too short for a 40 mph zone. Change the equation and you will see fewer red light runners.

Comment: Rename this article, IMMEDIATELY! (Score 2) 284

by JoshDM (#38408324) Attached to: Rare Earth Magnets Pose Threat To Children
The title is misleading. It makes one believe Rare Earth Magnets might pose a tactile toxic or radiative concern.

Rename it to "Rare Earth Magnets pose threat to children who ingest them" because otherwise you are wasting my time. My kid doesn't eat magnets and I've known about this hazard for a couple years.

This is not only OLD news, this is IRRELEVANT news to me that you misled me into re-reading.

Comment: Buy JumpSmart Trampoline instead! $42 on Amazon (Score 1) 292

by JoshDM (#38400442) Attached to: The Most Dangerous Toys of 2011
The article should offer alternatives. My kid has had the Diggin JumpSmart Trampoline since he was 2 and we have bought 3 for our friends since. They're not that expensive and they all love it. It doesn't tip over easily and it appears safer than any other trampoline. Here is where to buy it on Amazon: Diggin JumpSmart Trampoline.

It's freaking $42. I just bought one for $60 for my nephew 2 weeks ago. :/
Government

California Going Ahead With Bullet Train 709

Posted by Soulskill
from the not-an-actual-bullet dept.
An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from the NY Times: "[California state leaders] have rallied around a plan to build a 520-mile high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco, cutting the trip from a six-hour drive to a train ride of two hours and 38 minutes. And they are doing it in the face of what might seem like insurmountable political and fiscal obstacles. The pro-train constituency has not been derailed by a state report this month that found the cost of the bullet train tripling to $98 billion for a project that would not be finished until 2033, by news that Republicans in Congress are close to eliminating federal high-speed rail financing this year, by opposition from California farmers and landowners upset about tracks tearing through their communities or by questions about how much the state or private businesses will be able to contribute."
The Internet

Schools Buy .xxx Domains In Trademark Panic 231

Posted by samzenpus
from the keep-them-off-the-pole dept.
bs0d3 writes "Schools nationwide, including The University of Missouri and Washington University, are snapping up .xxx domain names to avoid people making porn sites with their names in the url. The new .xxx domain will be launched later this year, and before that, everyone with a trademark will have the opportunity to reserve names during what's called a "sunrise period". Someone is promoting the possible horrors of what could happen as a way to sell these domains, which cost up to $200 dollars per domain per year. Even though these schools may already be protected from defamation and trademark infringement, they still feel compelled to buy these names."

Comment: Forget about Jobs; RTA and check out the comments! (Score 1) 579

by JoshDM (#37859514) Attached to: Steve Jobs' Missing License Plate
Bunch of people are ragging on the first poster because they didn't understand that he's quoting Seinfeld (and also angry that the poster quoted Richardson's character because of Richardson's public outburst, not realizing he might not have even written those lines). Granted, Seinfeld is 22 years old now, but the reactions are astonishingly dense. Ouch, I just aged myself.

A small town that cannot support one lawyer can always support two.