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Apple

Submission + - Apple's Retail Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on Pay (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
raque
raque writes: "The NYTimes is reporting on just how badly Apple Retail employees are being paid. Apple is exploiting it's fan base for cheep labor. This is one reason I don't go to Apple Stores if I can avoid it. Stores like NY's Tekserve offer a great shopping experience without so exploiting their workers"

Submission + - Cyanide-producing GM grass linked to Texas cattle deaths (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by Peristaltic
Peristaltic writes: Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are trying to determine if an unexpected mutation in a popular GM grass, Tifton 85, is responsible for the sudden deaths of a small herd of cattle in Elgin, Texas three weeks ago. The grass has been used for grazing since 1992 without incident, however after a severe drought last year in Texas, the grass started producing cyanide in sufficient quantities to kill a small herd of cattle in Elgin, Texas. Testing has found the cyanide-producing grass in nearby fields as well.

This latest incident once again highlights the debate regarding the benefits vs. the risks of using gmo in agriculture
Science

Submission + - Sexy Female Scientist Video Draws Fire (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: A new video released by the The European Commission--ostensibly aimed at getting girls interested in science--is drawing widespred condemnation from around the web for its depiction of female scientists as sexy models strutting into the frame in high heels and short skirts. A male scientist watching them from behind his microscope doesn't seem to mind that none of them are wearing safe lab attire—he just pops his glasses on for a better look. The rest of the video is a mish-mash of heels, nail polish, lipstick, and sexily smoldering Erlenmeyer flasks, arbitrarily punctuated by girly giggles.
 
The Internet

Submission + - Sociologists Rule Wikipedia a "War Zone" not a collaborative Project (msn.com) 1

Submitted by
horselight
horselight writes: "A new study by sociologists studying social networking have determined that Wikipedia is not an intellectual project based on mutual collaboration, but a war zone. The study finds that although the content does end up being accurate as a rule, it's anything but neutral or unbiased. The study includes extensive data on access and editing patterns of users related to major events, such as the death of Michael Jackson and the edit storms that ensued."

Submission + - Low cost way to maximize SQL Server uptime? 2

Submitted by
jdray
jdray writes: "My wife and I own a mid-sized restaurant with a couple of Point of Sale (POS) terminals. The software, which runs on Windows and .NET, uses SQL Server on the back end. With an upgrade to the next major release of the software imminent, I'm considering upgrading the infrastructure it runs on to better ensure uptime (we're open seven days a week). We can't afford several thousand dollars' worth of server infrastructure (two cluster nodes and some shared storage, or somesuch), so I thought I'd ask Slashdot for some suggestions on enabling maximum uptime. I considered a single server node running VMWare with a limp-mode failover to a VMWare instance on a desktop, but I'm not sure how to set up a monitoring infrastructure to automate that, and manual failover isn't much of an option with non-tech staff. What suggestions do you have?"
Android

Submission + - Android 4.0 Tablet Selling Under £100 in UK (dcemu.co.uk)

Submitted by YokimaSun
YokimaSun writes: Today Android News has posted details of the first 10inch Android Tablet running 4.0 of Googles OS in the UK for less than £100. With a Vimicro 1.2GHz Frequency processor , 4G NandFlash HDD , 1GB DDR3 RAM & 2D/3D Graphics Hardware Acceleration it may not be a genuine rival for the iPad but at a quarter of the price of an iPad 2 would you consider it?
Linux

Submission + - Nvidia loses huge order due to binary blob (phoronix.com)

Submitted by
David Gerard
David Gerard writes: "Phoronix reports: The Chinese, who also developed the Loongson MIPS CPU, were looking to order at least ten million graphics processors. The problem is that the GeForce/Quadro driver from NVIDIA is only available for Linux x86 and x86_64 architectures, not MIPS or even ARM (only the Tegra driver is for ARMv7). NVIDIA refused to release the source-code to their high-performance feature-complete cross-platform driver to the Chinese, and it would cost them millions of dollars to port the code-base, so they went to AMD for their GPU order."
Intel

Submission + - Intel Releases Ivy Bridge Programming Docs Under CC License (phoronix.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Ivy Bridge graphics processor from Intel is now fully documented under the Creative Commons. Intel released four volumes of documents (2400+ pages) covering their latest graphics core as a complete programming guide with register specifications. Included with the graphics documentation is their new execution unit and video engine.

Submission + - Craigslist sent Cease and Desist to PadMapper (techcrunch.com)

Submitted by Autumnmist
Autumnmist writes: Craigslist has sent a Cease and Desist to PadMapper, a site that does a mashup of Craigslist (as well as Rent.com, Apartments.com) apartment listings and Google Maps. Craigslist is great, but apartment hunting through Craigslist has always been a needle in a haystack proposition, because all apartments for an entire city area are shown in a giant list. PadMapper made Craigslist better by locating each listing on a Google Map of the area.

From PadMapper:
I recently received a Cease and Desist letter from Craigslist, and wasn’t able to get a meeting or convince Craigslist’s lawyer that PadMapper was beneficial to Craigslist and apartment hunters in general. They allow mobile apps to display their listings if you buy a license from them, but not websites.

Submission + - Laser Treatment for Earth-bound Asteroids (bbc.com)

Submitted by arisvega
arisvega writes: A recent publication (for the math-versed) proposing the deployment of a Solar-powered, space-borne fleet of LASER cannons that would deflect Earth-bound asteroids caught the attention of international news agencies.

Do you think this ambition can in reasonable time turn into a fair-priced, life-saving (or indeed Biosphere-saving!) project, that will be to the benefit of all mankind? How threatened would you feel from the possibility of this proposed array being hijacked by extremely depraved individuals, ones capable or guilty of great crimes? And, are you not glad that now someone has published a paper on it, so Megacorp cannot 'patent' this Earth-saving idea?
Google

Submission + - Google CEO says "nothing seriously wrong" (yahoo.com)

Submitted by Pigskin-Referee
Pigskin-Referee writes: Google Inc Chief Executive Larry Page has reassured employees about his health, but the company on Friday shed little additional light on an unspecified condition affecting his voice that will sideline him from two high-profile events in the coming weeks.

Page told employees in an email on Thursday that there was "nothing seriously wrong with me," according to a source who had seen an internal staff memo.

The 39-year-old Google co-founder sat out his company's annual shareholders' meeting on Thursday because he had "lost his voice," according to Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, who informed attendees of the news at the start of the event.
Android

Submission + - Build a mobile app in 36 hours; HOW TO? (apps-foundry-contest.org)

Submitted by gef7
gef7 writes: Together with another 2 fellows, I recently had the chance to participate in a hackathon for building mobile applications; the experience was great and we even got one of the winning spots. It is a good moment to probe some collective geek knowledge though. The question for slashdot folks follows hereby: If you had to participate in such a contest, which approach would you take if you wished to have an app across multiple platforms and why? hint: smartphones are the particular target but, adding web access in the mix would broaden the horizons.
Google

Submission + - Google Doodle - A Turing Machine Puzzle (i-programmer.info)

Submitted by mikejuk
mikejuk writes: The Google Doodle is often a masterpiece of design but this time it is a masterpiece of computer science. The doodle is a complete Turing Machine that you can interact with in an attempt to solve a puzzle. You have to select which logical elements are needed to convert one number on the tape into a target number. The article explains the increasingly difficult steps of the puzzle but then lets you solve it — but there is a YouTube video that simply gives you the answers if you really get stuck.
Google

Submission + - How satnav maps are made (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by
Barence
Barence writes: "PC Pro has a feature revealing how the world's biggest satnav firms create their maps. Nokia's Navteq, for example, has a huge database of almost 24 million miles of road across the globe. For each mile of road there are multiple data points, and for each of those positions, more than 280 road attributes.

The maps are generated from public data and driver feedback, not to mention its own fleet of cars with 360-degree cameras on the top.There’s an IMU (inertial measurement unit) for monitoring the pitch of the road, and the very latest in 3D surface-scanning technology too. This light detection and ranging (LIDAR) detector captures 1.3 million three-dimensional data points every second, mapping the world around Navteq’s field vehicles in true 3D.

The feature also investigates whether commercial mapping firms will be replaced by open-source maps."
Education

Submission + - Wet Hot Microsoft Summer 2

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: If you're on a budget, GeekWire notes that Microsoft is offering free Summer Camps for kids aged 8-13 at multiple Microsoft Stores across the country. The 2-hours-a-day, week-long mini-camps include Digital Movie Madness, Digital Art Smarts, Game Masters, and Office Unleashed. Tickets appear to be going fast (Microsoft World Wide Events site is currently down for maintenance).
Patents

Submission + - Posner Dismisses Apple/Motorola Case, With Prejudice (engadget.com)

Submitted by whisper_jeff
whisper_jeff writes: Judge Posner has dismissed the case between Apple and Motorola, with prejudice (meaning they can't refile), putting an end to this patent dispute between the two companies. Adding my personal opinion, I know many on Slashdot will be happy to hear Apple's lawsuit failed, I am happier to hear that Motorola has been prevented from abusing FRAND patents, a situation I feel could set a very bad, very dangerous precedent for the entire industry.
Displays

Submission + - Optical Displays Made of Nothing But Air And Water (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Finnish scientists have developed a new optical display that works using using nothing more than air and water. Based out of Aalto University, the researchers took their inspiration from the superhydrophobic properties of the lotus leaf and fabricated a surface with structures in two size scales: microposts that have a size of ten micrometers and tiny nanofilaments that are grown on the posts. This two-level surface allowed the air layer to exist in two different shapes, or wetting states, while corresponding to the two size scales. The team also found that they could easily switch between the two states locally using a nozzle to create over- or under-pressure in the water

Submission + - MIT Researchs Ampilfy Invisible Detail in Video (mit.edu) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: MIT researchers have invented an algorithm which is able to amplify motion in video that is invisible to the naked eye — such as the motion of blood pulsing through a person's face, or the breathing of an infant. The algorithm — which was invented almost by accident — could find applications in safety, medicine, surveillance, and other areas.

Submission + - Making renewable energy work: Storing what we don't use (fastcoexist.com)

Submitted by tanujt
tanujt writes: As is a major issue with every energy source, so do renewables suffer from it: what happens to the energy that we don't make use of but are still supplied? Well, it goes to waste. Danielle Fong of LightSail (a Berkley-based company) has a potential solution for wastage of solar energy: store it and return it to the grid when needed. And she does it without batteries: "Just use the electricity generated by your solar panel and/or windmill to power a compressor, pushing air into a tank. When you want your energy back, you release the air out of the tank, and use it to drive a generator, creating electricity."


What about the heat loss in compression/expansion? Fong says: "It became clear that what you wanted to do for maximum efficiency was keep the temperature as close to constant as possible in compression and expansion. It turned out nobody had figured out how to do that, and I read a Wikipedia article saying it was impossible to do it, and I said, ‘My god, that’s not true. You can just spray water in.’ And then I was like, ‘Wait. I could just spray water in.’ And thus the company and core idea was born."


So how does it work? : "Instead of wasting the heat, we collect it by spraying water into the air during the compression process. That keeps the temperature down, and it keeps the pressure down, so you have to put less energy in to compress the same amount of air. During expansion, spraying water sends heat back into the air, which keeps the pressure high, and increases the amount of energy you get back.” Science aside, the numbers don’t lie: LightSail’s process recovers 70% of the energy it puts out, pretty much doubling the efficiency of the standard compression method. "
Their website has more information about the technology they've developed, including some experimental calculations. This sounds like an innovative idea, although past experience has made me cynical about actual practicality or implementability of innovative ideas.
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft stops shipping Office Starter with new PCs (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by
nk497
nk497 writes: "Microsoft has killed off Office 2010 Starter edition, ahead of the arrival of Windows 8. Office Starter was included in the OEM pre-installation kit (OPK) of software sent to manufacturers, and included ad-supported versions of Word and Excel, but not Outlook or PowerPoint. That will be replaced with an Office 2010 Transition OPK, which will instead push users to download a trial of the Office suite and offer a link to buy the full version. The free Office Web Apps will also be available for users not wanting the full version."

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