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Google

Chrome EULA Reserves the Right To Filter Your Web 171

An anonymous reader writes "Recently, I decided to try out Google Chrome. With my usual mistrust of Google, I decided to carefully read the EULA before installing the software. I paused when I stumbled upon this section: '7.3 Google reserves the right (but shall have no obligation) to pre-screen, review, flag, filter, modify, refuse or remove any or all Content from any Service. For some of the Services, Google may provide tools to filter out explicit sexual content. These tools include the SafeSearch preference settings (see google.com/help/customize.html#safe). In addition, there are commercially available services and software to limit access to material that you may find objectionable.' Does this mean that Google reserves the right to filter my web browsing experience in Chrome (without my consent to boot)? Is this a carry-over from the EULAs of Google's other services (gmail, blogger etc), or is this something more significant? One would think that after the previous EULA affair with Chrome, Google would try to sound a little less draconian." Update: 04/05 21:14 GMT by T : Google's Gabriel Stricker alerted me to an informative followup: "We saw your Slashdot post and published the following clarification on the Google Chrome blog."

Comment I am a homebrewer (Score 2, Informative) 468

With regards to CO2 tanks, multiple people have already pointed out that this is CO2 that was already in the atmosphere, captured, and bottled.

But if you're really curious about how much CO2 I go through for kegs, I have a 5 pound tank of CO2. That lasts me about 5 homebrewer kegs (at 5 gallons apiece). That gets me both the initial carbonation and all of the pouring. In comparison, burning one gallon of gasoline gets you about 19 pounds of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

I've never put the fermenter on the scale before and after fermentation - I imagine that would be the best way to track CO2 emissions, as the only thing that should leave the fermenter in this time is CO2. However, let's assume the volume of the beer doesn't change that much during fermentation. I start with 5 gallons at a specific gravity (density of the beer / density of water) of 1.06. That's 42.4 pounds. I end up with about 5 gallons at a specific gravity of 1.01. That's 40.4 pounds. So assuming the volume of the beer doesn't increase, that's 2 pounds lost. In reality, since alcohol is less dense than water, there should be a larger volume in the end, and so the final weight is probably above 40.4 pounds.

So in the worst case scenario, there's 3 pounds of CO2 involved in the fermentation and serving of 5 gallons of beer. I bet that having my stove on full blast for 2 hours to boil the water emits much more CO2 than that. Heck, me driving to the homebrew store 6 miles away definitely emits more than that.

So in conclusion - I think it makes much more sense to focus on the costs involved with distributing the beer and heating the water that makes the beer, and much less on the fermentation and kegging systems.

Software

Congress Endorses Open Source For Military 145

A draft defense authorizing act in Congress includes wording plugging open source software. It seems both cost and software security were considerations. This is an important victory for open source. "It's rare to see a concept as technical as open-source software in a federal funding bill. But the House's proposed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (H.R. 5658) includes language that calls for military services to consider open-source software when procuring manned or unmanned aerial vehicles."
Hardware Hacking

Web Server On a Business Card 169

mollyhackit writes "We've seen tiny Web servers in the past, but rarely ones that are home-built. Here's a guide to building your own tiny web server with a footprint no larger than a business card. The design uses two major chips. One handles the SPI to MAC/PHY translation for the ethernet jack. The other chip is a PIC24F, which hosts a simple web server and reads files stored on a microSD card. All components run at a low 3.3 volts. Part of the compactness of the design comes from the PIC24F having programmable pins; only four jumper wires were needed. The single-sided SMD design is easy to manufacture at home. Part 1 covered many of the 24F's features and both posts have full code available."
Power

Heat Wave Shuts Down Alabama Reactor 401

mdsolar writes "In a first for the US, one of three nuclear reactors at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama has been shut down because the Tennessee River is too hot to provide adequate cooling for the waste heat produced by the reactor. This is happening as the TVA faces its highest demand for power ever, reports the Houston Chronicle. This effect has been seen in Europe in the past, forcing reduced generation, but the US has until now been immune to the problem. The TVA will buy power elsewhere and impose higher rates, blaming reduced river flow as a result of drought."
Math

Mathematician Predicts Yankees To Dominate 170

anthemaniac writes "Computerized projections in sports are nothing new, but Bruce Bukiet of the New Jersey Institute of Technology has developed a model that seems to work pretty well. He projects how many games a Major League Baseball team will win by factoring in how each hitter ought to do against each pitcher in every game. His crystal ball says the Yankees will win 110 games this year, a pretty safe bet, many might agree. But he also projects all the divisional winners. He claims to be right more than wrong in five of the past six years."
Google

Google Launches Free Wireless Broadband 116

SlashRating©
600673
slashdottit! tm
Ashish Kulkarni writes "Google has just announced the launch of Google TiSP (BETA)(TM), a free in-home wireless broadband service that delivers online connectivity via users' plumbing systems. All the dark fibre that google has supposedly laid out is now fully operational! Check out the description of how it works."
The Internet

Game Theory Computer Model Backs Net Neutrality 315

Stu writes "'A world without net neutrality is one devoid of intellectual development' said Sir Tim Berners Lee in a presentation to congress last week. Well, now there's a computer model that uses game theory to back that forecast up. Developed at the University of Florida, the model shows that everyone loses if the IPs get their way — even, eventually, the IPs."
Linux Business

Submission + - Helping Dell to Help Open Source

Glyn Moody writes: "Dell's IdeaStorm is turning into a fiasco — for Dell, and for open source too. Instead of just shouting at the company to sell pre-installed GNU/Linux systems, how about helping them find a way to do it? Here's a suggestion that I've posted on the same site, about setting up an independent business unit for GNU/Linux systems, just like The Innovator's Dilemma tells us to do when faced by a disruptive technology. So, what do people think?"
Programming

Submission + - What's it like for a developer to go into sales?

An anonymous reader writes: I've worked for a single, very large technology company since graduating from college in '89. My degree is in Computer Science, and I wrote everything from embedded machine code for big iron to applications with Smalltalk. I'm still in development, but since'99 my programming tasks have been replaced by project management, some customer-facing work (technical-ish presentations, demonstrations, training, etc), helping our marketing people position my team's work, and other things that programmers generally don't like to do.

I find that I enjoy the broad, technical perspective that comes from working in the field, and I'm thinking about moving out of development and into technical sales. Moreover, I've interviewed several techies in my company who are now in sales and all tell them they love it. Several have reported that a techie can make more money in sales. But I have several reservations: I am an introvert and a full day of face-time can really sap my energy, many sales people I've worked with are "sharks" (which I simply cannot be), and I don't like the idea of putting part of my salary at-risk.

Are you a former developer who went into sales? If so, what were your experiences like from a professional and personal perspective? What advise would you give to a developer considering a new career in sales?
United States

Submission + - Nielson Results Reveal Consoles on the Rise

eldavojohn writes: "Nielson ratings are in and the results are that gaming is continuing its steady trend upward. From the article, "In a study released on Monday entitled, "The State of the Console," Nielsen Media Research found that 41.1 percent of households with televisions in the U.S. now have gaming consoles. That number represents an 18.5 percent increase since 2004, according the research firm, who used a sample of 12,000 TV-viewing households for its report." More ammo for Jack Thompson or simply proof that game consoles are universally enjoyed?"
XBox (Games)

Submission + - Microsoft Patches Xbox 360

mjdroner writes: ZDNet reports that Microsoft has patched the Xbox 360 to disallow users from running their own apps or OSs on the platform. The article states that the patch fixes a hole in the tamper protection mechanism. It also notes that Microsoft did not describe the update as a security fix, but rather, an 'operating system update.'
United States

Submission + - Will the US have to conduct more nuclear tests?

Matthew Sparkes writes: "The US has selected the design for a controversial new nuclear warhead to replace the Cold War era weapons currently deployed in its submarines. However, critics say the existing bombs are good enough, and that developing new warheads gives entirely the wrong message at a time when the US is trying to control nuclear proliferation. Questions also remain about whether or not the new warhead will require nuclear tests."
Businesses

Submission + - Can the free market develop sustainable energies?

Basile Schaeli writes: "Jeff Vail provides an interesting take on why free markets may not solve the world's addiction to energy. From the article:

'Is free-market innovation the best way to develop viable, sustainable energy alternatives?
The free market will ignore solutions that can't turn a profit. Any firm that fails to follow this simple maxim won't be in business for long. The corollary to this maxim is that the free market will ignore any solution that cannot be controlled, either through property interests (enforceable intellectual property, monopoly licenses, etc.) or because economies of scale demand centralized operation. This means that free market innovation is structurally incompatible with a huge portion of the universe of possible energy solutions.'"

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