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Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Unsolicited RAM in the mail (imgur.com) 3

fauxhemian writes: So I went to the letterbox this morning and saw an envelope with no name, but obviously with my address.

When I opened the envelope up, I found two sticks of RAM in a plastic case.

There was no receipt or document inside — nothing to explain where it came from, or why.

I have not ordered RAM in years.

And now my brain keeps posing questions:
Why would someone do this? Why no name? Why no explanation of the source?

If it's a gift, why not include a note of explanation?

If it's a case of wrong address — why was no name placed on the envelope?

And that leads me to: Is this a really oafish & extremely clumsy attempt at gaining access to one of my machines? Could the RAM run embedded code, acting as a trojan attack vector?

But then why not just send me a USB stick badged as a promotional item?

Any ideas Slashdot?

Has this happened to any of you?

Comment I'm sure it was awe inspiring, but... (Score 4, Interesting) 146

you wouldnt find me close to a rocket launch

Here's a compilation of videos from a failed Soyuz launch - it got up off the launch pad and then came right back down, very close to the spectators. One person died.

Foton M-1 launch failure

If you hadnt guessed, the video contains lots of expletives.

Google

Submission + - Opting Out of Google Services

An anonymous reader writes: Over the years I have added on a number of Google services to my main account — sometimes accidentally (by hitting the "login" button on Youtube, etc.). Google Dashboard ( http://www.google.com/dashboard ) does not seem to have a way to close services selectively. I have found a few isolated links that allow me to close specific services (Orkut: https://accounts.google.com/DeleteService?service=orkut ); however, I can't simply swap in the name other services for them to be deleted. Others services, such as blogger.com don't seem to allow you to close your accounts at all. Is there a single page that allows me to choose which Google Account Services to shut down, and which ones to keep? I'd like to have my overall Google Service profile slimmed down by March First, leaving me with Gmail, Voice, and Groups.

Comment The guy is trying to save his own job (Score 2) 451

The guy is trying to save his own job, simple.

29 April 2011 Russia has replaced the head of its space agency, Anatoly Perminov, who was reprimanded over a failed satellite launch in December First Deputy Defence Minister Vladimir Popovkin will now head the federal space agency, Roscosmos.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13237153

It's stupid and transparent and will ultimately backfire.

Comment And the higher solar panel does better... (Score 1) 410

Looking at TFA, the pictures show the solar "tree" is a foot or two higher than the conventional solar array, which is barely a couple of inches off the ground - so is it really so surprising that it performed much better when the sun was lower?

It's a neat idea though and would love to see the kid continue with it :)

Comment HF (Score 5, Interesting) 187

I've been able to track a lot of aircraft movements on Shortwave/HF radio from Ireland - and it's surprising just how much information still goes out over unencrypted links. Friday night, there was a marked increase in French AWACS and support aircraft activity - and then on Saturday other frequencies came alive with a whole host of NATO aircraft; for instance RAF Transports, Tankers, Surveillance, Strike and Fighter aircraft. Some aircraft discussed the targets they'd hit, the ordinance they had used and their current bearings and distance from Benghazi. There have been some intriguing transmissions - for instance aircraft operating at altitudes which are beyond their published service ceilings and voices co-ordinating movements from countries whose governments voiced opposition to the NFZ. Over the years frequency hopping and encryption have reduced the number of military transmissions to be read and understood on HF, but clearly there's still interesting ones out there. On a tangent - an Israeli Numbers Station , designated E10 and famous for lending the title to a Wilco album amongst other things, stopped transmitting on March 1st of this year - given the recent events in Egypt, it's interesting timing.

Comment Actually... (Score 5, Informative) 142

JAXA is not at all certain that it is bringing a "hunk" or much at all of Itokawa back with it. The firing mechanism which was meant to fire a bullet into the asteroid malfunctioned. They're just hoping it picked up enough residue. After the various mishaps this spacecraft encountered, it's been a good effort to get it home.
NASA

NASA Astronomers To Observe Hayabusa's Fiery Homecoming 142

coondoggie writes "NASA said that a group of its astronomers will have a front row seat in Australia to watch the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa's high-speed, fiery return to Earth. It is bringing with it a hunk of the asteroid Itokawa. The spacecraft is expected to land in an unpopulated area of Australia at approximately midnight locally, or 7 am PDT, on Sunday, June 13. Some 30 NASA astronomers will be flying onboard a specially equipped DC-8 with instruments that can monitor Hayabusa's reentry."

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