Comment: Planetary scale computing? (Score 4, Funny) 39
"enough to factor in all 7 billion people in the world, or the billions of hosts found on the Internet."
It's all fun and games until someone puts in a hyperspace bypass...
Comment: Re:Cardinal vs. Mockingbird vs. Bluejay (Score 1) 159
...someone...please...make...this...
+ - Supreme Court restricts public records requests — Help hack its decision->
Submitted
by
v3rgEz
v3rgEz writes "The Supreme Court ruled this morning that states have the right to restrict public records access to locals, meaning one more hurdle to would-be muckrakers everywhere. Even in-state requesters are harmed: It means one more bureaucratic hurdle and another excuse for agencies to respond in paper rather than electronically.
MuckRock has helped file requests in all 50 states — important for projects like the Drone Census — and we're looking for more volunteers to help ensure transparency from sea to shining sea.
States impacted:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Georgia
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Tennessee
- Virginia
If you live in one of the above, fill out a simple form and we can help ensure that sunshine isn't restricted depending on where you live."
Link to Original Source
+ - headlights that make rain invisible-> 1
Submitted
by
zlives
zlives writes "According to CNET, the headlight uses a camera housed within the headlight assembly to detect rain (and presumably snow or hail) as it falls, and then it uses a processor to anticipate the path of the rain. Finally, the actual light is created by a projector, which uses the information supplied by the processor to block out the pixels where the rain is expected to be. This technology, as you can see in the image above, should help improve visibility since there will be less light reflected back at the driver by raindrops."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Comment: Re:Interesting but... (Score 2) 112
Ahhh, waiting for the AC.
They sure upped the spawn rate on Slashdot though...
+ - DMCA Safe Harbor May Not Apply To Old Copyrighted Works
Submitted
by
tlhIngan
tlhIngan writes "On Tuesday, the New York appellate court denied Grooveshark the DMCA safe harbor protection on songs like Johnny B. Goode. What happened was due to an oddity in the law, the DMCA does not apply to state-licensed copyrighted works (those copyrighted before February 15, 1972). What happened was Congress overhauled copyright law to make it a Federal matter, but all works prior to that date still come under common-law and state statutes. The end result is that Grooveshark does not have DMCA safe harbor protection for older works and may be sued for copyright infringement (barring other agreements, e.g., UMG and YouTube), even though they fully comply with the DMCA otherwise, taking down copyrighted materials. Grooveshark is a "music locker" service allowing users to upload music for others to listen to."
+ - Diamond shows promise for a quantum Internet->
Submitted
by
ananyo
ananyo writes "A future quantum version of the Internet might be built from diamond crystals rather than silicon chips. Physicists report that they have entangled information kept in pieces of diamond 3 metres apart, so that measuring the state of one quantum bit (qubit) instantly fixes the state of the other — a step necessary for exchanging quantum information over large distances (abstract)."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
+ - An Open Letter to Google Chairman Eric Schmidt on Drones->
Submitted
by
savuporo
savuporo writes "DC Area Drone User Group has posted an open letter in response to recent comments by Eric Schmidt about banning drones from private use. Closing section:
Personally owned flying robots today have the power to change the balance of power between individuals and large bureaucracies in much the same way the Internet did in the past. And just as the military researchers who developed GPS for guiding munitions could never have imagined their technology would be used in the future to help people conduct health surveys in the world’s poorest countries or help people find dates in the world’s richest, there is a whole world of socially positive and banal applications for drones that are yet to be discovered. We should embrace this chance that technology provides instead of strangling these opportunities in their infancy. Our hope is that you and the rest of Google’s leadership will embrace this pro-technology agenda in the future rather than seeking to stifle it. We would welcome the opportunity to speak further with you about this topic."
Link to Original Source
Personally owned flying robots today have the power to change the balance of power between individuals and large bureaucracies in much the same way the Internet did in the past. And just as the military researchers who developed GPS for guiding munitions could never have imagined their technology would be used in the future to help people conduct health surveys in the world’s poorest countries or help people find dates in the world’s richest, there is a whole world of socially positive and banal applications for drones that are yet to be discovered. We should embrace this chance that technology provides instead of strangling these opportunities in their infancy. Our hope is that you and the rest of Google’s leadership will embrace this pro-technology agenda in the future rather than seeking to stifle it. We would welcome the opportunity to speak further with you about this topic."
Link to Original Source
+ - McAffe Patents another way to slow your computer down.
Submitted
by
Nyder
Nyder writes "McAffe Patents http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013055564A1?cl=en “Detect and prevent illegal consumption of content on the internet”. Deciding that their anti-virus software didn't slow your computer down enough, they developed new tech to hijack your URL access and compare them to others on their servers. Check out the flowchart: http://torrentfreak.com/mcafee-patents-technology-to-detect-and-block-pirated-content-130424/ .
Seems like whitelist/blacklist tech to me, plenty of prior art."
Seems like whitelist/blacklist tech to me, plenty of prior art."
Comment: Re:root cause hasn't been found (Score 2) 32
"Before the planes can fly, they must be fitted with a "containment and venting" system for both lithium-ion batteries on the 787, the FAA said. That includes a stainless-steel enclosure to prevent heat, fumes or fire from spreading if a battery overheats in flight. Batteries and battery chargers must also be replaced with different components, the FAA said"
I suspect replacing the batteries and chargers is the intended solution, with the enclosure and venting system being a 'just in case it happens again anyway...' bit of layered prevention.
+ - When Does Conciousness Begin?-> 2
Submitted
by
sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes "For decades, neuroscientists have been searching for an unmistakable signal of consciousness in electrical brain activity. Such a sign could determine whether minimally conscious or anesthetized adults are aware—and when consciousness begins in babies. Now researchers says they've found a brain signal that seems to correlate with conciousness--one that comes online around 5 monhts old."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
+ - Emory University seeks to patent a nanotech treatment for osteoporosis
Submitted
by
RandomFactor
RandomFactor writes "The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that Emory University is seeking a patent on a nanotechnology treatment for osteoporosis. The treatment uses silica based fluorescent nano-particles which have the capacity to increase bone density."
Comment: We could call it Project Pluto! (Score 1) 171
Seems like an appropriate name for a very fast nuclear powered vehicle where we don't have to worry about disposing of the exhaust left in its wake right?
Comment: Re:So? (Score 1) 599
The isotopes with the 250K year half-life do not produce much heat. You can hold uranium in your hand and it is not radiologically dangerous nor is it any warmer than than any other rock. The reason why freshly discharged spent fuel needs to be cooled in a pool is because of all of the short-lived isotopes. After 1 year the fuel is safe for dry cask storage, though it is often kept in the pool for at least 5 years just to be safe.
The great thing about the dry cask storage is that the casks do include shielding and you can stand right next to them, give them a hug, and be just fine. There is no possible way for any animal or insect near the cask to pick up any contamination and transport it. The waste at Hanford is not contained in storage casks plus there is contamination in the dirt. This contamination is what the animals pick up and transport.
Spent fuel is actually quite stable and does not readily disperse in the environment. Combine that with the insane engineering that is incorporated into the casks and there is little danger of contamination spreading from the spent fuel.
The great thing about the dry cask storage is that the casks do include shielding and you can stand right next to them, give them a hug, and be just fine. There is no possible way for any animal or insect near the cask to pick up any contamination and transport it. The waste at Hanford is not contained in storage casks plus there is contamination in the dirt. This contamination is what the animals pick up and transport.
Spent fuel is actually quite stable and does not readily disperse in the environment. Combine that with the insane engineering that is incorporated into the casks and there is little danger of contamination spreading from the spent fuel.
Comment: Re:It takes 20+ years to build a nuclear plant (Score 1) 599
Here is a good article that covers mortality rate by power source. The comment section is also insightful. The numbers that are included in the survey do include TMI, Chernobyl, and Fukushima. Part of what keeps the death rate so low is how heavily regulated the industry is. Just to use a ladder to change a light bulb you have to go through training and be a certified ladder operator.