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Comment Ion Infused (Score 4, Funny) 323

by BluePeppers (#30494552) Attached to: First Look At Latest Ion-Infused Asus Eee PC

What is up with the names?! Ion infused?? Definition of Infused: An infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with a desired flavour in water or oil. Defenition of an Ion: An ion is an atom or molecule where the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons. Right...

So, saying they get their ions from a sensible source, such as salt, and use a plant with salt on it, such as seaweed, then what we actually have is a laptop that has been dipped in seaweed oil? No wonder people don't trust major companies any more... all this sounds very fishy.
Censorship

Sharp Rise In Jailing of Online Journalists; Iran May Just Kill Them 233

Posted by timothy from the your-ethics-may-vary dept.
bckspc writes "The Committee to Protect Journalists has published their annual census of journalists in prison. Of the 136 reporters in prison around the world on December 1, 'At least 68 bloggers, Web-based reporters, and online editors are imprisoned, constituting half of all journalists now in jail.' Print was next with 51 cases. Also, 'Freelancers now make up nearly 45 percent of all journalists jailed worldwide, a dramatic recent increase that reflects the evolution of the global news business.' China, Iran, Cuba, Eritrea, and Burma were the top 5 jailers of journalists." rmdstudio writes, too, with word that after the last few days' protest there, largely organized online, the government of Iran is considering the death penalty for bloggers and webmasters whose reports offend it.
Space

Submission + - Chinese Rocket Pioneer Died at 98 (xinhuanet.com)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: Dr. Tsien Hsue-shen, also known as the Father of Chinese Rocketry, died at 98 in Beijing. (Announcement in Chinese by Xinhua News Agency.) During the 1940s Tsien was one of the founders of Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. During the red scare of the 1950s the United States government accused Tsien of having communist sympathies. Tsien and his family were wrongfully imprisoned. Undersecretary of the Navy Dan Kimball tried to keep Tsien in the U.S. commenting "It was the stupidest thing this country ever did...he was no more a Communist than I was and we forced him to go." The Chinese government later exchanged him with American POWs captured in Korean War. Tsien deliberately left his research papers behind when he left the United States. He later kicked start the Chinese missile and rocket program, which has successfully developed products ranging from ICBMs to manned spacecraft. Tsien was also invited to visit the US after the normalization of Sino-US relationship. But he refused the invitation because the US government only offered a compensation without apology for his detainment. He has received numerous state honors in China before his death.

Comment Mirror (Score 3, Interesting) 83

by BluePeppers (#29506231) Attached to: <em>ASCIIpOrtal</em> Has Been Released

If people want a link to a mirror, one for the 64 linux binaries is: http://download566.mediafire.com/b2wsmldgy9gg/yzdneznfujo/asciiportal-1.0-linux-x64.tar.gz

However, I'm getting an error, stating "Error - No map files found.

You must place all level files in a directory with the same base name.
The default should then be in \maps\maps001.txt"

I've tried renaming them, but it doesn't seem to work. And what's going on with the backslashes?
Businesses

Submission + - The Case Against Apple

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Last month Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo, wrote that Apple's anti-competitve behavior and closed platform on the iPhone is setting the stage for the fight for the next desktop: the mobile desktop and if Apple wins the fight it will set the industry back decades. Calacanis highlighted five reasons that Apple is an "anti-competitive monster": It doesn't make iTunes or iPod compatible with other Mp3 players, highlighting what Calacanis called its "inexcusable lack of openness"; it locks iPhone users into AT&T as a carrier; it makes iPhone developers go through an "unclear" approval process; it blocks other browsers from being installed on the iPhone; and it blocks applications like Google Voice from iPhones. The WSJ reports that Calacanis debated former Apple marketing executive Guy Kawasaki at Startup2startup, a monthly event for Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors and Calacanis made the case that the iPhone is not a phone, it's a computer and "the application layer on a computer should not be controlled by anybody." Kawasaki responded that he may not agree with the approval process for iPhone apps, but that doesn't mean Apple is evil and instead merely shows that the company is successful at its business. Calacanis argued that the more open technology is, the more everyone benefits. "Everyone has benefited from the open Internet. The open Internet is the reason why all these VCs will invest in your companies," said Calacanis adding that "I think there should be an iPhone bill of rights.""
The Internet

Submission + - Musicians oppose anti-piracy measures in the UK

Submitted by
BluePeppers
BluePeppers writes: "The Guardian has a story, primarily about a deal that allows YouTube to broadcast music videos again, but also covers a story about a coalition of artist unions that are opposing new legislation in the UK that would punish file sharers harder. From the article: "A coalition of bodies representing a range of stars including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and Damon Albarn attacks the proposals as expensive, illogical and "extraordinarily negative". The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (Basca) and the Music Producers Guild (MPG) have joined forces to oppose the proposals to reintroduce the threat of disconnection for persistent file sharers, which was ruled out in the government's Digital Britain report in June.""
Announcements

Submission + - Opera 10 (codejustin.com)

Submitted by
CodeJustin
CodeJustin writes: "Opera Software today unveiled the final version of Opera 10. In a world of ordinary Web browsers, Opera 10 stands out from the crowd with innovative new features wrapped in an elegant, fresh interface. Opera 10 is absolutely free, comes in 43 languages, and works on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms."
Netscape

Submission + - eBay sells Skype to Netscape founder

Submitted by
Julefrokost
Julefrokost writes: "Computerworld has a story about eBay selling Skype. Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape along with a group of investors, are reported to have paid $2 Billion for Skype. According to New York Times, Google was also a potential buyer. Also the original founders of Skype are said to have placed a bid, but Marc Andressen & Co was the highest bidder."
Cellphones

Nokia Leaks Phone With Full GNU/Linux Distribution 621

Posted by kdawson from the rocket-in-your-pocket dept.
An anonymous reader writes "It is now clear why Nokia has been so slow with S60 updates: the upcoming N900 just left everything else in the dust. Unlike Google's Linux platform, Nokia is not intentionally breaking compatibility with real distros, choosing instead to bring you the unmatchable power of GNU/Linux on your phone. This is the most awesome device I have ever seen: MAP3 CPU/GPU, 3,5" 800x480 touchscreen, keyboard, Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS; 5-MP camera, CZ lens, 32 GB storage, SD slot; X11, VT100 terminal emulator, APT package manager. Estimated price without credit: $780 (N.5800: $390, iPhone 3GS: $750). Developers should note that even though the current desktop is still GTK+, Qt will be standard across all Nokia platforms in the near future (less powerful phones will use Qt on the Symbian kernel). Users can download flashing software from Nokia, and patches can be submitted at the Maemo site."

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