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Data Storage

Hard Drive Shortage Relief Coming In Q1 2012 205

Posted by timothy
from the better-than-alka-seltzer dept.
MojoKid writes "According to new reports [note: source article at DigiTimes], global HDD production capacity is getting ready to increase to 140-145 million units in the first quarter of 2012, or about 80 percent of where it was prior to when the floods hit Thailand manufacturing plants. HDD production was sitting around 175 million units in the third quarter of 2011 before the floods, after which time it quickly dropped to 120-125 million units. Since then, there's been a concerted effort to restore operations to pre-flood levels."
Security

The Hi-Tech Security at the Super Bowl 265

Posted by samzenpus
from the bubble-ball dept.
Hugh Pickens writes "As millions of fans sit glued to their sets next Sunday, one part of the game they will not see is the massive deployment of federal and local law enforcement resources to achieve what is being called the most technologically secure Super Bowl in history, an event that has been officially designated as a National Security Special Event (PDF). At the top of the list are gamma-ray cargo and vehicles scanners that can reportedly see through six inches of steel to reveal the contents of large vehicles. 'We can detect people, handguns and rifles,' says Customs and Border Protection Officer Brian Bell. 'You'd be a fool to bring something into that stadium that you shouldn't. We're going to catch it. Our goal is to look at every vehicle that makes a delivery inside the stadium and inside the secure perimeter.' Next is the 51-foot Featherlite mobile command center for disaster response that will support the newly constructed $18 million Regional Operations Center (ROC) for the Marion County Department of Homeland Security that will serve as a fusion center for coordinating the various federal agencies involved in providing security for the Super Bowl. One interesting security measure are the 'Swiveloc' explosion-proof manhole covers (video) that Indianapolis has spent $150,000 installing that are locked down during the Super Bowl. In case of an underground explosion, the covers lift a couple of inches off the ground — enough to vent gas out without feeding in oxygen to make an explosion bigger — before falling back into place. Finally the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI has installed a network of cameras that will be just a click away for government officials. 'If you had the right (Internet) address, you could set up a laptop anywhere and you could watch the camera from there,' says Brigadier General Stewart Goodwin."
Portables

Ask Slashdot: How Do You Choose a Windows Laptop? 898

Posted by samzenpus
from the throw-a-dart dept.
jfruhlinger writes "I'm a Mac guy. When our 2004-era Windows XP laptop, which was used primarily by my wife, died last summer, I got myself a new MacBook Pro and she inherited my still serviceable 2008 MacBook. But after about six months, she hasn't gotten used to it, and wants a Windows machine. I don't have an ideological problem with this — it'd be her computer, and we've got a bit of money stashed away to pay for it. But trying to pick one out is my job, and I find the the whole process bewildering. Apple's product differentiation is great at defeating the paradox of choice — you have a few base models, the difference between which is quite obvious, and you can customize each. The Windows world seems totally different. Even once I've settled on a vendor for a Windows laptop (something I haven't done yet), each seems to have a bewildering array of product lines with similar specs. Often models that you find in electronics or office supply stores that seem promising in terms of form factor are exclusive to those stores and can't be found online. Obviously people do navigate this process, but I'm just feeling out of my depth. How would Slashdotters go about picking a solid, basic laptop for Web surfing and document editing that won't be obsolete in two years?"

Comment: Re:I didn't buy one for the payback (Score 1) 762

by Lank (#33195760) Attached to: Just One Out of 16 Hybrids Pays Back In Gas Savings

When I bought the car in 2005 there weren't a hell of a lot of used hybrids. The Toyota dealer had a waiting list for a Prius and I needed a car ASAP so I went to the Honda dealer. My father sells cars and he always says to buy "used" car because the resale value of the vehicle drops significantly by basically driving it off the lot. Either way, in CA you pretty much need a car, though I did manage to bike to work a few times, it's not something I'd like to do every day - I'm not Lance Armstrong.

Comment: I didn't buy one for the payback (Score 5, Interesting) 762

by Lank (#33194996) Attached to: Just One Out of 16 Hybrids Pays Back In Gas Savings
Look, is it so hard to believe that someone would buy a hybrid to make a statement not to others, but to the car manufacturers making these products? I own a Honda Civic hybrid. It's not much to look at and it certainly doesn't turn heads. On the other hand, I bought it new from a Honda dealer in California when they were trying to push a lot more expensive cars on me. Why? Because I want Honda to know that I'd rather be green than cool or hip or whatever. I want Honda to know that it's important to ME so in the future they'll make cars better-suited to ME.

From one of the linked articles, "Translation: The kinds of people who buy Toyota Prius hybrids in the U.S. may indulge themselves in private, where no one else will see them, but want to be seen in public with less luxurious, greener products to bolster their reputation."

I call bullshit. I didn't do it to bolster my reputation. I put my money where my mouth is and instead of getting on a soapbox and telling everyone to go out and buy a hybrid, I actually bought one.

I don't care that I probably spent more than I'll recoup from the fuel-efficiency. For me, it wasn't about that.

Comment: This is why I'm OK with AT&T (Score 1) 370

by Lank (#32632234) Attached to: Verizon Makes Offering Service Blocks a Fireable Offense

Not that I believe AT&T has no problems, because it absolutely does. But I figure I use my iPhone more for data services than phone calls anyway and that's one of AT&T's strong areas. But at least I'm not giving my money to Verizon no matter how good their coverage is -- they're basically jackasses.

Biotech

Sugar-Sensitive Tattoos Could Make Life Easier For Diabetics 5

Posted by timothy
from the why-come-you-don't-have-a-tattoo? dept.
mbstone writes "Aside from ending painful daily fingerpricking for millions, the invention of the color-changing blood sugar tattoo should also reduce the vast amount spent on glucose test strips ($1/test). Next, I want to see artistic diabetic tattoos that morph according to the wearer's blood sugar."

Comment: Re:Time Travel (Score 1) 903

by Lank (#29360805) Attached to: Which Breakthrough Is Most Likely?

I most certainly can. Time slows down as your approach the speed of light. This is very well-understood by relativistic effects. Where an hour passes for you, a minute may pass for me depending on how fast I am going relative to the speed of light. So while one day may pass for me, I may effectively jump 100 years into the future. Einstein wasn't kidding when he said all of this stuff.

Comment: Time Travel (Score 1) 903

by Lank (#29336299) Attached to: Which Breakthrough Is Most Likely?

I travel into the future all the time! :) Seriously, though, if you can accelerate to close to the speed of light (perhaps 1/10th) which I believe WILL be achievable at some point, time will slow down (for you). At which point, people will be able to effectively travel into the future. Therefore, time travel into the future is probably the most likely choice, and I'd venture to say we'll be there in less than 50-100 years.

Communications

Navigating a Geek Marriage? 1146

Posted by kdawson
from the waiting-for-taco-to-weigh-in dept.
JoeLinux writes "I am soon to marry my true love (a girl! yes! they do exist!). She is a literary geek, whereas I am a gaming/Linux geek. Being the RTFM-style geeks that we are, we have been reading up on marriage, making things work, etc. Unfortunately, all of the references seem to be based around an alpha-male jock and a submissive cheerleader-style wife. A lot of the references to incompatibility in the books don't apply to us (neglect due to interest in sports, etc.). What are some of the pitfalls and successes learned in the course of a more geek-oriented marriage?"

Comment: One less "feature" (Score 2, Interesting) 361

by Lank (#28276097) Attached to: Apple Removes Nearly All Reference To ZFS

With most of the emphasis on performance and stability, this was probably the one "feature" I was looking forward to with Snow Leopard. At $29 I'll still upgrade. Grand Central and OpenCL sound fairly impressive but I was really looking forward to a file system that never needed to be upgraded... I guess I'll keep on waiting.

The Courts

Jack Thompson Spams Utah Senate, May Face Legal Action 319

Posted by Soulskill
from the get-some-popcorn dept.
eldavojohn writes "Yesterday, GamePolitics ran an interesting story about the Utah Senate President threatening Jack Thompson with the CAN-SPAM Act. You might recall Utah being Jack's last hope and hold-out after being disbarred in Florida and more or less made a mockery everywhere else. Well, from Utah's Senate Site, we get the picture of what Jack is up to now: spamming his last friends on the planet. The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting on Senate President Michael Waddoups' statements: 'I asked you before to remove me from your mailing list. I supported your bill but because of the harassment will not again. If I am not removed, I will turn you over to the AG for legal action.' The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Waddoups confirmed on Tuesday that he would attempt to pursue legal action under the federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 against Jack Thompson."

Solutions are obvious if one only has the optical power to observe them over the horizon. -- K.A. Arsdall