Ptolemarch - Slashdot User

Submission + - Blizzard has cancelled Titan, its next-gen MMO

Submitted by Ptolemarch on Tuesday September 23, 2014 @02:34PM

Ptolemarch writes: Blizzard never officially announced it, but now it's gone: Titan, the next-generation MMO that had been in development for seven years, has been cancelled. Polygon adds: Everything they knew about Titan (which wasn't much).

Submission + - Perl is Undead!

Submitted by Ptolemarch on Monday June 23, 2014 @04:23PM

Ptolemarch writes: At the Yet Another Perl Conference beginning today in Orlando, the first keynote squarely blamed Slashdot for starting the "Perl is Dead" meme in 2005. He couldn't find the exact story he was thinking of, and, you know, neither can I, but let's be clear: if Perl was ever dead, it must now be undead. If you can't be at YAPC, you can still watch it live.

Submission + - The Earth is a gravitational wave detector (aps.org)

Submitted by b30w0lf on Friday March 14, 2014 @10:58AM

b30w0lf writes: Gravitational wave detection—i.e. the detection of propagating ripples in spacetime—is a hot subject these days with ground-based interferometer experiments like LIGO active, and hopes for a space interferometer like LISA. But, physicist Freeman Dyson proposed back in 1969 that the earth itself could be used as a gravitational wave detector. The idea is behind the approach is that gravitational waves impact the earth’s crust, causing potentially detectable seismic waves. Using Dyson’s approach, Physicists at Harvard and NINP, Florence were able to put an upper limit on the intensity of gravitational background radiation based on a year of observational seismic data. The upper limit they found improved currently laboratory upper limits by 9 orders of magnitude.

Submission + - Man plows car into Walmart, beats customers with metal pole. (nbcbayarea.com)

Submitted by Ptolemarch on Monday April 01, 2013 @12:36PM

Ptolemarch writes: A man drove a car through the front of a San Jose Walmart, and proceeded to beat customers with a metal pole. Video of the aftermath is available on the website of the local NBC affiliate and more details are at the San Jose Mercury News.

Comment Re:Why can't I turn off the ads? Otherwise...OK (Score 1) 384

by Ptolemarch on Thursday February 07, 2013 @02:09PM (#42822153) Attached to: Experience the New Slashdot Mobile Site

Normal Slashdot has a "disable ads" button if you have good karma. I believe that is what they are rederring to.

Indeed. That's Maker mode, as I mentioned, though Maker mode doesn't get offered for merely good karma.

I've implemented ad hiding for Maker mode, but if I can reproduce a bug with it, I'll fix it.

Comment Re:Why can't I turn off the ads? Otherwise...OK (Score 1) 384

by Ptolemarch on Wednesday February 06, 2013 @06:35PM (#42814509) Attached to: Experience the New Slashdot Mobile Site

I'm curious what you mean. I implemented the feature that disables ads for subscribers and Maker-mode users, but that doesn't sound like what you mean. How were you trying to turn off the ads?

Comment test comment (Score 1) 450

by Ptolemarch on Friday December 14, 2012 @02:31PM (#42289313) Attached to: North Korea's Satellite Is Out of Control

this comment is a test; please ignore

Comment test comment (Score 1) 450

by Ptolemarch on Friday December 14, 2012 @02:31PM (#42289309) Attached to: North Korea's Satellite Is Out of Control

this comment is a test; please ignore

Comment test (Score 1) 245

by Ptolemarch on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @11:44AM (#42250863) Attached to: FreeBSD Project Falls Short of Year End Funding Target By Nearly 50%

this is a test comment; please ignore

Comment Glad to see you again! (Score 1) 17

by Ptolemarch on Thursday December 01, 2011 @06:30PM (#38232220) Attached to: in which i am a noob all over again

We here were just today talking about you, and your old relationship with Slashdot. :-)

Comment Re:/. turns green, lifts bus over head: PATENT SMA (Score 1) 584

by Ptolemarch on Wednesday November 30, 2011 @01:58PM (#38216496) Attached to: Google Throws<nobr> <wbr></nobr>/. Under Bus To Snag Patent

I'd've been okay with more comments as well. ;-)

Comment [Test comment; ignore] (Score 1) 1

by Ptolemarch on Thursday October 13, 2011 @05:03PM (#37706378) Attached to: Mafia Wars didn't infect US drones

This is just a test comment. Ignore me please.

Comment Makes sense, but then what wouldn't? (Score 2) 114

by Ptolemarch on Thursday September 08, 2011 @12:52PM (#37341682) Attached to: Google Acquires Zagat

The acquisition makes sense, in that they obviously want ratings of restaurants (and other places) on Maps, and they've already changed tactics there once or twice. This'll pretty much take care of that problem.

I start to wonder, though, whether any acquisition by Google wouldn't "make sense". Their purchase of Motorola Mobility makes sense, too (though not to everyone). When you buy a consumer electronics company and a restaurant guide in consecutive months, what won't you buy? What acquisitions won't "make sense"?

Google buys Pacific Gas and Electric for $20B. Makes sense...

Submission + - Wicked Lasers Sells One-Watt Green Laser (wickedlasers.com)

Submitted by

cogent

on Tuesday September 06, 2011 @11:32AM

cogent writes: "Wicked Lasers, famous for last year's 1000mW handheld blue laser, and infamous for its handling of six-month-long backorders, is now selling a green version. There are three power levels, each priced at $1/mW. Since the eye is far more sensitive to green than to blue, this is pretty much the state of the art in putting-dots-on-stuff technology. Wicked Lasers sent out an email, promising to handle backorders much better this time."

Submission + - Blargh (davidhand.com)

Submitted by

cogent

on Wednesday August 17, 2011 @08:10AM

cogent writes: "This is an announcement of the impending release of Blargh 0.35. You've been warned."

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