Mondoz - Slashdot User

Microsoft Charging Royalties For Linux 286

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday October 28 2010, @12:08AM
from the that-doesn't-seem-right dept.

andydread writes "It seems Microsoft's campaign to scare manufacturers away from open source and Linux in particular is proceeding at full force. The latest news is from Digitimes out of Taiwan. Apparently Microsoft is threatening Acer and Asustek with having to pay Microsoft a license fee for the privilege of deploying Linux on their devices. This time, it's in the form of Android and Chorme OS. So basically, this campaign is spreading to PC vendors now. What are the implications of this? Does this mean that if I build PCs with Linux (Ubuntu/ChromeOS/Fedora) and sell them I am at risk of getting sued by Microsoft? "

Pay Or Else, News Site Threatens 549

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 27 2010, @06:47PM
from the good-luck-with-that dept.

WED Fan writes "The North Country Gazette, a news blog, says users who read beyond a single page of an article must pay up or they will be tracked down. They don't have a pay wall. If you go beyond page 1, you owe them. From the article: 'A subscription is required at North Country Gazette. We allow only one free read per visitor. We are currently gathering IPs and computer info on persistent intruders who refuse to buy subscription and are engaging in a theft of services. We have engaged an attorney who will be doing a bulk subpoena demand on each ISP involved, particularly Verizon Droids, Frontier and Road Runner, and will then pursue individual legal actions.'"

BP Robot Seriously Hampers Oil Spill Containment 264

Posted by Soulskill on Friday June 25 2010, @06:50PM
from the skynet-not-bothering-with-the-sky dept.

ChiefMonkeyGrinder writes "A high-tech effort by BP to slow the oil gushing from its ruptured well head led to a large accident yesterday that forced the company to remove a vital containment cap for 10 hours. Robots, known as remote operated vehicles, were performing multiple operations at the disaster site when one bumped into the 'top hat' cap and damaged one of the vents that removes excess fluid, according to the US Coast Guard. The robots weigh around four tons, and are controlled from vessels on the surface using advanced IT systems with both manual and automated functions. BP removed the cap for nearly 10 hours ... in order to assess it after a discharge of liquids was noted from a key valve. The cap's removal left the oil gushing out of the wellhead, largely uninterrupted. Admiral Thad Allen, US National Incident Commander for the response, told the media that part of the problem was the number of robots conducting simultaneous operations at an immense depth. A dozen robots are circulating the wellhead." Another factor that may hinder containment even more is the increasing potential for tropical storms in that area of the Gulf.

Using Classical Music As a Form of Social Control 721

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 04 2010, @02:34AM
from the feeling-of-dread-in-f-minor dept.

cyberfringe writes "Classical music is being used increasingly in Great Britain as a tool for social control and a deterrent to bad behavior. One school district subjects badly behaving children to hours of Mozart in special detention. Unsurprisingly, some of these youth now find classical music unbearable. Recorded classical music is blared through speakers at bus stops, outside stores, train stations and elsewhere to drive away loitering youth. Apparently it works. Detentions are down, graffiti is reduced, and naughty youth flee because they find classical music repugnant."

Netflix Will Delay Renting New WB Releases 418

Posted by kdawson on Thursday January 07 2010, @05:47PM
from the times-they-are-a-changin' dept.

DesertBlade tips the news that Netflix will delay renting new releases from Warner Brothers for 28 days, and adds "Luckily I am so far behind in my movie watching that I will probably never catch up anyway." "It's part of a strategy by several studios to create staggered releases of DVDs so that the most profitable transactions are available first and cheaper rental options take effect further down the road. The move could be copied by other studios, forcing consumers to wait nearly a month if they want to rent popular movies from Netflix. ... The studio is hoping that the four-week window will push consumers interested in watching movies at home to buy the DVDs or pay a premium to rent them from stores like Blockbuster or from Internet and cable video-on-demand services. Warner Bros. already imposes a 28-day window on $1-a-night kiosk firm Redbox."

Comment: Re:I never liked Sci Fi corridors. (Score 1) 171

by Mondoz on Thursday September 03 2009, @05:16PM (#29304799) Attached to: In Praise of the Sci-fi Corridor

Neither does the Space Shuttle. There's no hallway connecting the mid-deck and flight-deck. There's just a hole in the ceiling/floor.

There's no empty hallways on typical airline jets; you go from the passenger compartments to the door to the flight deck. No hallway.

Comment: I never liked Sci Fi corridors. (Score 0) 171

by Mondoz on Thursday September 03 2009, @11:29AM (#29300321) Attached to: In Praise of the Sci-fi Corridor

It never made any sense to have these huge waste-of-space tunnels in space craft.
When you have to carry your atmosphere with you, why create so many empty spaces that you have to then fill with air?
Use that space for something! Put labs there! Crew quarters! Something!

James Murdoch Criticizes BBC For Providing "Free News" 703

Posted by timothy on Saturday August 29 2009, @02:30PM
from the you-don't-trust-the-gov't-to-report-news-fairly? dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "News Corporation's James Murdoch says that a 'dominant' BBC threatens independent journalism in the UK and that free news on the web provided by the BBC made it 'incredibly difficult' for private news organizations to ask people to pay for their news. 'It is essential for the future of independent digital journalism that a fair price can be charged for news to people who value it,' says Murdoch. 'The expansion of state-sponsored journalism is a threat to the plurality and independence of news provision.' In common with the public broadcasting organizations of many other European countries, the BBC is funded by a television license fee charged to all households owning a television capable of receiving broadcasts. Murdoch's News Corporation, one of the world's largest media conglomerates, owns the Times, the Sunday Times and Sun newspapers and pay TV provider BSkyB in the UK and the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and Fox News TV in the US." Note that James Murdoch is the son of Rupert Murdoch.

Comment: At least it wasn't another sequel... (Score 3, Interesting) 705

by Mondoz on Monday August 17 2009, @09:44AM (#29090939) Attached to: "District 9" Best Sci-fi Movie of 09?

I think "Moon" has been the only other major sci-fi non-sequel I've seen in the theaters in a long while...

I liked D9 and hope it does well.

Comment: Re:Energy Space (Score 1) 304

by Mondoz on Sunday August 02 2009, @09:33PM (#28921719) Attached to: Panel Recommends Space Science, Not Stunts

It seems that if you keep reading the link, there's a lot more than just "THOUGHT"...

"The Moon's surface contains helium-3 at concentrations on the order of 0.01 ppm."

"each year three space shuttle missions could bring enough fuel for all human beings across the world." - Chinese Lunar Exploration Program

"In January 2006, the Russian space company RKK Energiya announced that it considers lunar helium-3 a potential economic resource to be mined by 2020,[43] if funding can be found."