Businesses

Writing Letters for Cold Canvassing (IT) Jobs? 60

jtan163 asks: "I'm trying to help a friend write job applications for cold canvassing jobs in the IT industry but we're quite stuck. His CV/Resume shows his skills and employment history and even to some extent, what he is looking for. So, what do you put in the letter for cold canvassing IT (and probably any other field) job applications? With cold canvassing, is the letter really important or is it just 'fluff' so the CV/Resume doesn't get lonely in the envelope (electronic or otherwise)? We'd love to hear about what has worked or not for you. Or, if you happen to be a job application consumer, what you look for in, or at least what would make you consider (or at least not throw out), a cold canvassed application?"
Media

A DVD Jukebox Without the DVDs? 53

Malphaedrius asks: "I'm moving into a friends house with limited storage space and small children with curious fingers. I have decided to make a DVR running Linux and MythTV for two reasons. First, I want a DVR (who doesn't). Second, I want to take our collaborative DVD collections and get them out of the living room, away from grabbing hands. The question, after such a long declaration of intent, is can one rip a DVD and compress it without losing the special features and menus? I don't mind losing them but it would be nice to not have to dig out the discs if I want to listen to the director's commentary. Granted special features and multiple tracks will greatly increase the storage space needed and may be a bad idea in retrospect, but it would be nice to have the option. Has anyone built anything remotely similar to this? If so, how well has it worked?"
Toys

Has Anyone Made an Artificial Diamond Ring? 117

DiamondRingThing asks: "I know that diamond engagement rings are a recent fabrication, and the two months salary required to obtain one is ridiculous. Diamonds are pretty however, and evil never keeps a good hacker down. I'd like to be able to give a diamond to my girlfriend that I know was forged just for her, without any blood on it, and without giving any money to DeBeers. That's why I won't buy an artificial diamond from a jeweler, as I suspect the cartel is involved at that level. Does anybody know anyone that has made their own diamond to set in a ring? How's the cost, and the quality? Thanks in advance."
First Person Shooters (Games)

Threshold for Piracy? 88

bigwayne writes "A continuing source of internal discussion, among the organizers of Zion LAN, is the topic of how strict we are to be concerning software piracy. It just seems common sense that a LAN party would be a perfect place to share music, software, movies, and do other reprehensible acts. However there isn't much, outside discouraging the act itself, that we can do to actually stop these things. One strong argument is that the legitimately obtained software we provide shares the same distribution method that the illegally obtained software does, and I wonder if this creates a double-standard far outside of any legal situation it creates. Another part of this also concerns our particular situation (our LAN is being hosted by a non-profit charitable organization), in that we'd be ethically remiss if we sat idly by and let such things happen, unmitigated. So, where do we stop passively caring about piracy, and when do we start cracking down? Are the circumstances of a LAN party such that trying to stop it is overambitious?"
Biotech

Better AI in Image Analysis Software? 19

J.P. Duke asks: "There is an excellent research article published by the Mayo Clinic in the J Ortho Sci that compares two common software-based approaches in analyzing scanned protein gels. Among other conclusions, they found that the two most popular applications for this research had different tendencies in quantifying proteins -- and that differences in AI algorithms show clearly different results for proteins that are less-separated on gels. This implies that much major scientific research that depends on these tools might be suspect to flaws very early in analysis. Being a cancer researcher at a large research institution, much of my work depends on software being able to accurately analyze scanned images of protein gels in which proteins are simply displayed as spots on the gel. Among other things, the software needs to be able to precisely calculate the density of protein in a spot as well as the number of actual proteins contained in a spot. What we choose to investigate further as potential biomarkers for cancer depends heavily on the ability of the AI built into these applications." Exactly how far has image-based AI improved in the last several years? Might some of those improvements help someone in J.P.'s situation?
Toys

The Ultimate Leatherman? 73

numbski asks: "I have long been a fan of the Leatherman tool and its act-a-likes. I have never bought one, however. I keep looking for just the right one with the tools that I would actually use on a daily basis. Sure, the pliers, knives, phillips and standard screwdrivers are nice, but there's always been a few things lacking. A t-10 and t-15 torx (security torx preferred) for the Compaq systems that torment me, or how about a USB2 Flash Drive? Hex wrenches, or a socket tool that fits machine screws (in case the phillips has been stripped out)? What would you put on a Leatherman? Even better, seen anything that matches what I'm looking for?"

Konqueror Passes the Acid2 Test Too 372

An anonymous reader writes "A month after Safari , and after a lot of controversy, Allan Sandfeld Jensen announced today that Konqueror passes the Acid2 test too. Half of the patches could be merged from Apple's Webcore, the rest needed to be rewritten from scratch."
Linux Business

Distributing Windows Programs to Linux Desktops? 95

prell asks: "Our company has approximately 250 Linux desktops, and an array of Linux servers. Recently, we've been presented with the possibility of migrating all or most of these machines to Windows to support one industry-specific application, and we do not want this to happen. Coming to mind immediately were: Wine and CrossOver Office; some sort of multi-user VNC setup; Ndiyo; and VMWare. Keeping in mind that the desktop machines are low-spec (~350MHz CPUs on average), what are our options? How can we preserve our Linux install-base in the presence of a non-canonical Windows program?"
Input Devices

True Bluetooth Trackballs? 26

danaris asks: "I've been using a Logitech Cordless TrackMan with my PowerBook for some time now, and I'm very happy with it, except for one thing: I still have to plug it in. Not the trackball itself, of course, but the receiver. Now that I have a laptop with built-in Bluetooth, I'd really like to be able to use a trackball that doesn't -have- a receiver. However, after hours of searching, I found exactly one trackball (from MacMice) that uses Bluetooth, and it's not exactly what I'm looking for. It looks very awkward for someone used to the TrackMan, and (the killer) it only has 2 buttons. If I'm getting a brand-new Bluetooth trackball, I'm not settling for anything less than 4-5 buttons (the TrackMan has 8). So, has anyone else have better luck than me in finding such a thing?"
Networking

New TLDs - Is There Any Real Benefit? 66

pigdawg writes "What is the purpose? What is the real benefit of new top level domains like .travel, .biz and .xxx? I don't believe these new TLDs will free up more names in .com or .org. Do they really think that orbitz.com will exchange their domain name to become orbitz.travel? Is the mostfrequenttypo.com porn site going to go legit and register under some new .xxx name? Again and again I keep coming to the same conclusion: given that many people/companies register their name in every TLD, it's all about generating more revenue for the registrars. What are your opinions on this subject?"
The Almighty Buck

Who Should Help LinuxFund Distribute $126,155.29? 380

Roblimo writes "The LinuxFund Web site was down for several months, and the project has essentially been out of business since last year. But MBNA kept the LinuxFund MasterCard going, and kept depositing money in LinuxFund's account -- to the tune of $126,155.29 when NewsForge reporter Jay Lyman finally caught up with the current and former project leaders and found out what was going on -- namely nothing. So does anyone have an idea what to do with this money? Want to suggest an individual or group to take over LinuxFund and run it right?"
PC Games (Games)

Will Next-Gen Consoles Kill Off PC Gaming? 1214

An anonymous reader writes "CNET is predicting that next-generation consoles will drive the final nails into the already half-closed coffin of mainstream PC gaming. The root of their argument isn't one of power, but of price: 'The bottom line is that console manufacturers often heavily subsidize their new machines, swallowing huge losses up front in hopes that they'll make it all back selling games... Other things being equal, the DIY-heavy PC gaming industry can't hope to compete in that kind of market.' Which is to say that once the 18-34 demographic starts buying $400 PS3s instead of $400 video cards, developers may have no choice but to follow suit." Will there still be a market for PC games, or are the graphics of the next generation of consoles going to make PC games unnecessary?

Internships for Talented High School Students? 178

xeon4life asks: "I'm an Austin, Texas area high school senior with a slight dilemma: I need a job, I don't want what's offered at my age, and internships are not quite open for kids like me. I've recently been reading essays by Paul Graham about creating your own startup and have been motivated enough to convince two of my good friends to go into business with me later, during college. Thus, an internship at this point would be the ideal solution for me now, but nobody is willing to take me as an intern because I'm still in high school. What am I to do?"
Hardware

Whose Burden is it to Recycle Computers? 553

bostons asks: "California places the financial burden of dealing with the electronic waste on consumers, charging a $6 to $10 disposal fee on every computer and television purchased. Maine puts the onus on manufacturers, demanding they pay the full cost of recycling their computers or televisions and pick up a share of the recycling tab for products of unknown origin. Starting next year, Maryland will require manufacturers to offer free computer take-back programs or pay the state a fee. Which do you think is the most effective and appropriate option?"
Software

PC Accessibility Options for the Blind? 33

Kevlar Gorilla writes "I've had the privilege of working over the summer as a night time security guard and computer tech resident for the CNIB Lake Joseph Centre way up north in Muskoka, Ontario. There are many blind and visually impaired guests that find their way around computers efficiently using programs such as ZoomText, JAWS, and Window Eyes as well as memorizing plenty of keyboard shortcuts. Given a small budget, I've been charged with updating some software and perhaps some hardware too. What newfangled, affordable and recommended text-reading software should we invest in? What new hardware would be a welcome addition? Is there any decent Linux or Mac stuff? What are your experiences with helping the blind or visually impaired with computing and the internet?"

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