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Submission + - DirectX 11 makes disappointing debut (bit-tech.net)

Submitted by mr_sifter
mr_sifter writes: Microsoft's last attempt to update Windows' gaming API, with version 10 of DirectX wasn't exactly a success — only available in Vista, with poor support in terms of drivers and games at launch, it never became a must-have technical feature for games. Its successor, DirectX 11, is finally here with the release of Codemasters' racing game Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and accompanying DX11 hardware from ATI. Bit-tech takes the game for a spin and finds that unfortunately, DX11 replicates many of the issues of DX10, with poor performance and little to show for it in terms of improved visual quality.

Submission + - Newspaper crowdsources Tony Blair investigation (guardian.co.uk)

Submitted by projector
projector writes: The Guardian are crowd sourcing an investigation into former Prime Minister Tony Blair's finances. "Since Tony Blair stepped down, he has received millions of pounds from an unusual mixture of income streams. His financial affairs have been described as 'Byzantine' and 'opaque'. Can you shed any light on them?" Documents detailing Blair's companies are being made available, readers are asked to send their remarks and observations to the newspaper.
Censorship

Submission + - Scientology Charged with Slavery, Human Traffickin (courthousenews.com)

Submitted by eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: A formal complaint was filed in California last week by John Lindstein naming David Miscavige and, most importantly, the Church of Scientology International as defendants. He claims that for sixteen years (age 8 on) he was forced to work as a slave at Gold Base, a secret CoS site run by Golden Era Productions with 'razor wire, security guard patrols, surveillance posts and three roll calls each day.' The pay was $50 a week. The allegations include 'Violations of wage and hour laws as well as unfair/illegal business practices actionable under California B&P 17200 Et. Seq.' and are laid out on Infinite Complacency's blog with members of the group Anonymous praising the summons.
NASA

Submission + - Ares Rocket Damaged on Splashdown (www.cbc.ca)

Submitted by nairnr
nairnr writes: The booster rocket used in a test flight was badly dented when it fell into the Atlantic because of a deflated parachute, NASA said Thursday.

The new Ares I-X — the precursor to NASA's planned moon rockets — completed a two-minute flight Wednesday. The launch itself went well, officials said, but one of the three parachutes on the booster failed to work properly.

The first-stage booster — similar to what's used for the space shuttles — was found to be dented near the bottom when it was recovered from the ocean. It was expected back on shore Friday.

The Ares I-X is a prototype of what's supposed to replace the space shuttles and ultimately fly to the moon. The White House, though, may nix those plans.

Submission + - 3 Strikes - Denying Physics Won't Save Video Stars (timesonline.co.uk)

Submitted by
Philip K Dickhead
Philip K Dickhead writes: "Award-winning SF author and BoingBoing co-editor Cory Doctrow has an editorial in today's Times of London. Doctrow elegantly evicerates the basic injustice posed by the imminent Mandelson "3 Strikes" law in Britain. He makes the explicit observation: "The internet is an integral part of our children’s education; it’s critical to our employment; it’s how we stay in touch with distant relatives. It’s how we engage with government. It’s the single wire that delivers freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly. It isn’t just a conduit for getting a few naughty free movies, it is the circulatory system of the information age." It is worth noting that Doctrow was influential in the creation of the Creative Commons. He has enjoyed considerable commercial success for his writings, owing in no small part on his insistence that his work be made available for unrestricted electronic distribution and copyng."

Submission + - Doom-related dreams help gamers learn (newscientist.com)

Submitted by ewenc
ewenc writes: Sigmund Freud thought dreams were a window into our unfulfilled sexual desires. But the dreams of video game players suggest they have a more practical role: helping us to learn new skills, according to a story in New Scientist.

The studies don't prove that dreaming about games makes players better. But they strongly suggest that dreaming and learning are intertwined.

That sleep can help with learning and memory is well established. What's more, the more people dream during the light sleep characterised by rapid eye movements (REM), the better they recall memories. But whether the specific content of dreams plays a role in this sleep-learning process wasn't clear.

To find out, Sidarta Ribeiro and André Pantoja of the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience of Natal in Brazil turned to the visceral, monster-filled, first-person shoot-'em-up game Doom.

Submission + - Android not for corporate market (google.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: With Apple and RIM fighting about the corporate mobile market, you would think Android would have a strong incentive on following up and preparing their platform to be ready for Enterprise usage. This does not seem to be the focus for the Android team, as described in this thread on the Android Security mailing-list. It is unfortunate since Android's open-source roots are probably its strongest argument to make a decent secure smartphone, both for corporate and consumer markets.

Submission + - Why don't I feel like gaming anymore?

Submitted by Merakis
Merakis writes: Once upon a time I remember enjoying my gaming. I would wake up on a Saturday morning, much as I do now, and even before scurrying off to have a bite to eat, I would sit down in front of the television and enjoy a delightful morning gaming session. Sure, the gaming system's varied; a Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Playstation, Nintendo 64, and finally, my first computer, an IBM Thinkpad 486 laptop with a 56k fax-modem through which I had my first taste of MMO in the form of a MUD — which I soon became quite addicted to since it was such a great adventure. Over the years as technology has improved (ie: better graphics, larger 'worlds', the prevalence of Massively Multiplayer) I have played through and enjoyed many itterations on the same theme — the fighter, the rogue, the mage, the cleric, etc. But now, I feel a sort of emptiness whenever the urge to game grips me. Where has the adventure gone? The elation of the next level is lost to me, and I feel like no matter how good the graphics get, no mater how much I keep searching, I will no longer be able to find that same feeling that I had as a child again. Have I changed, or is there something missing in today's competitive market for games? What was it that made gaming so pleasurable for me then, and how can I regain it?
Windows

Submission + - Vista, Win 7 and Ubuntu Boot Speed Compared (tuxradar.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Ubuntu 9.10 has just been released, and TuxRadar has pit it against the previous version in a boot speed comparison. The Koala is — as expected — considerably quicker than Jaunty, but even more interesting is the comparison against Windows. The worst performing OS in the test is Windows 7, often touted as having blazingly good performance.

Comment Re:Sigh (Score 1) 757

by excesspwr (#27605883) Attached to: Zombie Macs Launch DoS Attack

The truth is that a Mac is less likely to be targetted because it's a minority operating system.

I've never understood this assumption. It seems contradictory to say the minority is less likely to be targeted when IIS servers get popped a lot more than Apache when Apache is more widely distributed. Also, if I were to create a botnet, why wouldn't I target every OS I could? As a disclaimer I use NITdroid ;P

Comment Re:Does it matter... (Score 1) 628

by excesspwr (#27365977) Attached to: Study Suggests Crabs Can Feel Pain

a demand for them to be "humanely" killed prior to being cooked

Like cattle are? Lets just hit 'em in the head with a hammer. Just don't mess up the meat texture and flavour.
I want a study done into different types of death for animals and how it effects the flavour. I want to see some poor scientist testing "laughing to death" on a cow.

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