Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Re:Nuclear dangers... (Score 0) 125

No, you're not welcome to go live in Fukushima. First, it's almost impossible to get a residency visa to live in Japan, unless you are being sponsored for a job that nobody in Japan can do. There aren't any of these jobs in Fukushima. Second, even if you do manage to get a visa, the government has forcibly evacuated the area around Fukushima and is not allowing residents to return. The odds of a new resident being allowed to move into the area are zero.

All up, even well informed people, who are willing to accept the risks (if any) of low level radiation exposure, are not allowed to live in Fukushima. It must really suck for the people who were forced to leave their lives behind.

Comment Re:the androidness of it all (Score 1) 303

I followed a similar path to you when my n900 died, but one thing that I've never managed to get android to do well is multitasking. I loved that on my n900 I could leave any application actually running in the background for as long as I wanted, but on Android it will be tombstoned after a while if I'm using a different app. For example, I haven't found a way to keep Firefox from reloading all of it's tabs after a long pone call. Have any of your mods to Android made a difference with this?
DRM

4 Microsoft Engineers Predicted DRM Would Fail 10 Years Ago 142

An anonymous reader writes "Ars is running an article about a paper written just over a decade ago by four engineers at Microsoft. In it, they talk about the darknet, and how it applies to distributing content online. They correctly predicted the uselessness of DRM: 'In the presence of an infinitely efficient darknet — which allows instantaneous transmission of objects to all interested users — even sophisticated DRM systems are inherently ineffective.' The paper's lead author, Peter Biddle, said he almost got fired over the paper at the time. 'Biddle tried to get buy-in from senior Microsoft executives prior to releasing the paper. But he says they didn't really understand the paper's implications — and particularly how it could strain relationships with content companies — until after it was released. Once the paper was released, Microsoft's got stuck in bureaucratic paralysis. Redmond neither repudiated Biddle's paper nor allowed him to publicly defend it.' The paper itself is available in .DOC format."

Submission + - Lasers to replace sparkplugs in engines? (scienceblog.com) 2

An anonymous reader writes: For more than 150 years, spark plugs have powered internal combustion engines. Automakers are now getting close to being able to replace this long-standing technology with laser igniters, which should enable cleaner, more efficient, and more economical vehicles. Price and size have been issues holding up such an advance, but a Japanese team is set to announce they've overcome those hurdles.
Science

Submission + - Graphene Super Paper is 10x Stronger Than Steel (inhabitat.com) 1

Elliot Chang writes: The University of Technology in Sydney recently unveiled a new type of graphene nano paper that is ten times stronger than a sheet of steel. Composed of processed and pressed graphite, the material is as thin as a sheet of paper yet incredible durable — this strength and thinness gives it remarkable applications in many industries, and it is completely recyclable to boot.
News

Submission + - Nokia - no more Symbian phones after 2012 (i-programmer.info) 1

mikejuk writes: After the decision to go with Windows Phone 7 it has been obvious that the fate of the Symbian Phone — the phone that sold more than iPhone or Android — wasn't good. However where there is life there is hope and some developers and users clung to the hope that there might be more Symbian phones in the future. Perhaps they could coexist with Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices. Now, in a open letter to developers Nokia have made it clear that they will create no more Symbian phones after 2012 and they will just wait for the old phones to fade way while trying to sell Windows Phones to the existing users.
Games

Submission + - Madden picked the packers before the season starts (wired.com)

Just_Say_Duhhh writes: Before the NFL Season started, the guys at EA Sports simulated the entire season using Madden 2011. The sim told them the Packers would win the Super Bowl. If only we had listened. What's even more interesting is that according to the article, they've picked the winner 6 of the last 7 years. Make that 7 out of 8!
Android

Submission + - Android Tablets Were Born Too Soon

adeelarshad82 writes: When you look at the Apple iPad's sales figures, it's not hard to see why every technology company on the planet is jumping on the tablet bandwagon, alot of which are Android tablets. Unfortunatley though, some of these Android tablets were born way too early. They are haunted with a series of problems including flimsy hardware, low-quality resistive touch screens, serious display resolution issues, and old Android versions with limited or non-existent access to apps. Even the Samsung Galaxy Tab came well before it's time. Even though it's fast, well-designed, and comes with a decent Android implementation, it's functionalities are limited to those of an Android smartphone. So here's to hoping that Honeycomb's functionalities make up for the lost ground.
Google

Submission + - Hulu, NBC, and other sites block Google TV (vortex.com)

padarjohn writes: Imagine the protests that would ensue if Internet services arbitrarily blocked video only to Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers! Or if Hulu and the other networks decided they'd refuse to stream video to HP and Dell computers because those manufacturers hadn't made deals with the services to the latter's liking.
Science

Immaculate Conception In a Boa Constrictor 478

crudmonkey writes "Researchers have discovered a biological shocker: female boa constrictors are capable of giving birth asexually. But the surprise doesn't end there. The study in Biology Letters found that boa babies produced through this asexual reproduction — also known as parthenogenesis — sport a chromosomal oddity that researchers thought was impossible in reptiles. While researchers admit that the female in the study may have been a genetic freak, they say the findings should press researchers to re-think reptile reproduction. Virgin birth among reptiles, especially primitive ones like boas, they argue may be far commoner than ever expected."
Oracle

Submission + - OpenOffice declare their independence from Oracle (theregister.co.uk)

Google85 writes: The OpenOffice.org Project has unveiled a major restructuring that separates itself from Oracle and that takes responsibility for OpenOffice away from a single company.
From now on, OpenOffice's development and direction will be decided by a steering committee of developers and national language project managers.
Driving home the changes, OpenOffice.org project is now The Document Foundation while the OpenOffice.org suite has been given the temporary name of LibreOffice.

Slashdot Top Deals

Whoever dies with the most toys wins.

Working...