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+ - Should I learn me some Erlang?->

Submitted by VoyagerRadio
VoyagerRadio writes "Last week I attended a local technology user group's monthly meeting to learn about a programming language I'm not familiar with, Erlang. Wikipedia currently describes Erlang as "concurrent, garbage-collected programming language", a fact that seemed supported by speaker Bryan Hunter's presentation at the event I attended. Mr. Hunter described the language's strengths in concurrency (specifically, shared memory and message passing), in garbage collection (each process has its own garbage collector), in reductions (which provide you with "crazy performance"), and in distribution (which is built-in). He demonstrated how the language is used to create computing clusters, setting up and connecting nodes and then demonstrating some of their unique communication protocols.

The demo impressed upon me the value of functional programming languages (of which Erlang is a member), but I'm still wondering if I should first master one of the more "popular" languages I've been exploring (such as C) or object-oriented languages (such as C++) before trying to fully wrap my mind around Erlang. One thing I picked up from the presentation is that once you learn Erlang, it may be difficult to wrap your mind around OOP once you've gotten used to programming with Erlang.

Should I, as one of the the more well-known resources on the language (http://learnyousomeerlang.com/) suggests, learn me some Erlang?"
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+ - Nintendo cuts into YouTube revenue. Will other publishers follow suit?-> 1

Submitted by VoyagerRadio
VoyagerRadio writes "With news that Nintendo will now be collecting revenue from YouTube whenever the console developer's intellectual property (IP) appears in videos uploaded to the Google-owned video distributor, will other game publishers want a piece of the pie? Mario and Luigi may be popular characters in fan-generated YouTube videos, but IP from other game publishers are just as popular, including Blizzard's World of Warcraft and LucasArts' Star Wars universe. Will game publishers such as Activision and even Microsoft pressure Google to make the same kind of deal Nintendo now has with YouTube?"
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+ - Is paying for expensive cellular service a symbol of status? -> 1

Submitted by VoyagerRadio
VoyagerRadio writes "Prepaid cellular carriers have long been perceived as providing lesser services than expensive contract carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, which tend to offer the "best" (and most expensive) smartphones and cellular services, leaving the cheapest prepaid carriers with bargain-bin devices and services. This is no longer the case, however, with services such as SIMPLE Mobile enabling consumers to use their unlocked devices over the same cellular networks as the contract carriers — and at lesser expense.

With services such as SIMPLE Mobile available, why do people continue renewing their expensive contracts? Why don't more people get their phones and other devices unlocked and migrate to a less expensive but equivalent prepaid carrier? Is the real reason because they're more afraid of losing their status than losing their service, since going with prepaid services isn't considered as "sexy" as the contract carriers' big-budgeted marketing departments make their own services out to be?"
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Comment: This book should be up-to-date for a few years (Score 4, Informative) 81

Thanks for reviewing this book, which appears to have been published in early Fall of last year. Since it's a book on the commands, editors, and shell programming, it'll probably be valid for years to come. (I've had college instructors require students to purchase texts that were "only" four years old, but already severely outdated by that point.)
Technology

+ - The Raspberry Pi Turns One->

Submitted by hypnosec
hypnosec writes "The Raspberry Pi turned one yesterday and marking the occasion the credit card-sized computer's main distributor Farnell element14 announced the month of March as the Raspberry Pi month. The company also baked a cake on the occasion. Raspberry PI was first launched on 29 February 2012 in the UK and it was received with a huge amount of enthusiasm by students and researchers alike. The Pi has had quite an eventful year with researchers building a Raspberry Pi cluster; release of an official turbo mode patch; 512 MB RAM upgrade; launch of Pi Store; sales of over a million units; and release of Minecraft Pocket Edition."
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Blackberry

+ - Nokia seeks Blackberry sales bans after patent dispute-> 1

Submitted by another random user
another random user writes "Nokia has asked courts in the US, UK and Canada to block sales of rival Blackberry smartphones.

It follows a patent dispute between the Finnish company and Blackberry's parent, Research In Motion (RIM).

Nokia says an earlier ruling means RIM is not allowed to produce devices that offer a common type of wi-fi connectivity until it agrees to pay licence fees.

All current Blackberries would be affected. RIM had no comment. It is the latest legal distraction for the Canadian company as it prepares to launch an operating system that could determine its survival."
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Books

+ - Here's Why Digital Rights Management Is Stupid And Anti-Consumer->

Submitted by
concealment
concealment writes "Yesterday, I tried to download an ebook I paid for, and previously put on my Nook, a few months ago. When I tried, I got an error message stating I could not download the book because the credit card on file had expired. But, I already paid for it. Who cares if the credit card is expired? It has long since been paid for, so the status of the card on file has nothing to do with my ability to download said book. I didn’t see anything in the terms of service about this either, but it’s possible I missed it.

        This is just one more reason to either not buy ebooks, or strip the drm off of the ones you purchase so you can [use] the book you BUY on all your devices without having to purchase multiple copies for no reason and have access to something you already bought when you want it."
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Space

+ - Europe sets modest goals for space->

Submitted by
ananyo
ananyo writes "Europe’s space chiefs are hailing the two-day meeting at which research ministers hammered out Europe’s priorities in space as a success, despite them getting less money than they had hoped. At the 20–21 November meeting in Naples, Italy, the ministers agreed to give the European Space Agency (ESA) €10.1 billion (US$13 billion) over the next several years, somewhat less than the total €12 billion cost of the project proposals considered at the meeting.
With flat funding of about €500 million per year for 2013–17, the scientific programme takes a cut in real terms, although it is not yet clear which missions will be affected as a result.
But ministers did agree on a way forward for the Ariane program. Germany argued that ESA should continue to develop an upgraded version of the rocket known as Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution (5ME), which can carry payloads 20% heavier than its namesake and could put satellites in higher orbits. But France believed it was better to start building a new Ariane 6 rocket that would be cheaper to launch and therefore more competitive. In the end it was agreed that both projects should be developed over the next couple of years — with funding of about €600 million — and then both will be reviewed in 2014, with the goal that Ariane 5ME will launch in 2017 or 2018.
For robotic exploration, meanwhile, there is mixed news. On 19 November, ESA’s ruling council approved the involvement of Russia in the agency’s twin ExoMars missions to measure trace gases in Mars' atmosphere and search for signs of life on the planet's surface, scheduled for launch in 2016 and 2018. The Russian space agency Roscosmos will provide two Proton rockets for the lift-off and so plug some of the funding gap left when NASA pulled out of the mission last year. But just ahead of the Naples meeting, Germany announced that it would abandon plans for a lunar lander because it could not gather enough support from other member states to pay for the €500-million mission."
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Android

+ - iOS Consumers Tend to Put Their Money Where Their Mouths Are->

Submitted by
VoyagerRadio
VoyagerRadio writes "I've encountered Android users complaining when apps are introduced exclusively for iPhones and iPads. Yet once developers do turn their attention to their platform of choice, Android users seem reluctant to put their money where their mouths are and purchase the app(s).

There seems to be a general reluctance within the Android community to financially support the efforts of app developers, while iOS users tend to recognize the value of paying apps and services for their devices.

Is this simply because Apple consumers tend to have more disposable income than Android consumers?"
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Science

+ - Scientists Reveal Single Gene Is the Difference Between Humans and Apes->

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "What makes us human? Some say that it is the development of language, though others argue that animals have language as well. Some say that it is our ability to use tools, though many animals are able to use rocks and other objects as primitive tools. Some say that it is our ability to see death coming.
Now, researchers believe that they have found the definitive difference between humans and other primates, and they think that the difference all comes down to a single gene.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland attribute the split of humanity from apes to the gene miR-941. They say that the gene played an integral role in human development and contributed to humans' ability to use tools and learn languages."
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Science

+ - Mysterious substance found in human brain

Submitted by
Velcroman1
Velcroman1 writes "A mysterious molecule that turns people into modern-day Rip Van Winkles has been discovered in the brain, and it may be responsible for a rare disorder that has some sufferers sleeping more than 70 hours a week. The strange molecule, called a "somnogen," is believed to be at the root of the sleeping disorder, which in some cases also makes it difficult for people to wake up from their marathon sleep sessions. The somongen is made up of amino acids, just like a protein, and may keep sufferers bedridden for years, said David Rye, professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine and director of research for Emory Healthcare’s Sleep Center Clinic. “They feel as if they’re walking around in a fog – physically, but not mentally awake,” Rye said."
Piracy

+ - Microsoft accidentally gifts pirates with a free Windows 8 Pro license key-> 1

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes "In an amusing twist that undoubtedly spells the end of some hapless manager’s career, Microsoft has accidentally gifted pirates with a free, fully-functioning Windows 8 license key. As you have probably surmised, this isn’t intentional — Microsoft hasn’t suddenly decided to give pirates an early Christmas present (though the $40 upgrade deal from Windows 8 Release Preview is something of a pirate amnesty). In fact, it’s probably just a case of poor testing and a rushed release by Microsoft. The bug involves the Key Management Service, which is part of Microsoft's Volume Licensing system. Pirates have already hacked the KMS to activate Windows 8 for 180 days — but this is just a partial activation. Now it turns out that the free Media Center Pack license keys that Microsoft is giving out until January 31 2013 can be used on a KMS-activated copy of Windows 8 to turn it into a fully licensed copy of Windows 8 Pro. The massive irony, of course, is that Microsoft originally intended to strip Media Center from Windows 8 Pro — and then, in the face of consumer backlash, decided to offer it as a free upgrade until January 31 2013. Presumably, instead of taking the time to deliver the upgrade properly, Microsoft pushed it out the door as quickly as possible — and this is the result."
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Music

+ - One Musician's Demand From Pandora: More Data->

Submitted by
jfruh
jfruh writes "Most Slashdotters have been following the debate among the various players in the music industry about how much money artists (and their labels) get from traditional music outlets like radio and newer services like Pandora or Spotify. But Zoë Keating, a professional cellist who has a professional interest in the outcome of this argument, thinks there's one thing missing from all the proposals: more data on who her audience is. Even digital services can't tell her how many people heard her songs or where they're most popular. "How can I grow my business on this information?" she asks. "How do I reach them? Do they know I’m performing nearby next month? How can I tell them I have a new album coming out?""
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Technology

+ - What will it take for gesture-based navigation to go mainstream?->

Submitted by colinneagle
colinneagle writes "This article highlights a startup entering the gesture-based computing market with a technology that enables touch-less interaction with a television that resembles touchscreen navigation on a tablet. The idea is that internet TV will bring more apps and content to the TV screen, and a more intuitive method of navigation will be needed.

While reporting and researching the topic, the question I kept asking was what it will take to get everyday consumers to use hand gestures to control their PCs and TVs and whatever other devices they'll use. All the experts seem to agree it's inevitable, but some kind of breakthrough will need to happen to persuade people to ditch the mouse, TV remote and keyboard. Will it be quality of gesture recognition? Simplification of the product? Enhancements to user interface that accommodate gestures? Price?"
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+ - iConji's Pictorial Language Enables Cross-Culturnal Communication->

Submitted by
VoyagerRadio
VoyagerRadio writes "Kai Staats, known for his work with Yellow Dog Linux, the PowerPC-based distro of Linux, has been developing a new system of communication called iConji. The pictorial language is intended for people to be able to communicate across cultural divides in a potentially more efficient way than the text messaging systems we've become accustomed to using. Though iConji is currently a digital form of communication, one can imagine it also extending beyond the web. iConji is also an open system, inviting anyone to compose their own symbols to share and use with others."
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They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps. -- William Shakespeare, "Love's Labour's Lost"

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