slappy_guru - Slashdot User

Submission + - NASA hitch a ride on Virgin Galactic

Submitted by

MattSparkes

on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:42AM

MattSparkes writes: "It recently emerged that NASA may have a gap in their launch capability between the retirement of the Shuttle and the introduction of its replacement. Now the effects of this are showing, as it has been announced that astronauts in training will take flights on commercial space flights, in return for technical knowledge from the space agency."

Submission + - New Zealand fishermen catch rare squid

Submitted by laejoh on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:28AM

laejoh writes: A fishing crew has caught a colossal squid that could weigh a half-ton and prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed, a fisheries official said Thursday.

Colossal squid, known by the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean.

Submission + - Apple and Cisco to Share iPhone

Submitted by

twofish

on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:14AM

twofish writes: "The BBC, amongst others, is reporting that Apple and Cisco Systems have agreed to share the iPhone trademark, allowing both firms to use the name. The financial terms of the agreement have not been released."

Submission + - Window Turns to Mirror with the Flick of a Switch

Submitted by chipster123 on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:14AM

chipster123 writes: 'Once again life imitates Woody Allen's Sleeper' There is an article over at TreeHugger.com about a new switchable glass that 'scientists estimate that having buildings in mirror mode could save up to 30% on air conditioning, and we can design buildings like it's 1975 again'.

Submission + - why do US citizens pay income taxes?

Submitted by on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:13AM

An anonymous reader writes: Why do US citizens pay income taxes?
There must be a law that requires them to do it, right?

Well, it seems it is not the case [google video].

The Constitution specifically forbids any direct tax on wages and salaries, and the Supreme Courts consistently ruled in the same way.
Not a single dollar of income taxes is used, as widely believed, to offer and sustain public services.

It was an interesting video to watch, and btw I am not an US citizen, have no affiliation with any of the authors or organizations cited or whatever.

Submission + - Apple & Cisco settle on iPhone name usage

Submitted by Bearhouse on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:04AM

Bearhouse writes: Looks like Apple & Cisco have finally decided to settle, perhaps in the light of the weaknesses in their repective cases, (widely discussed on /. The NYT article, here, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/technology/22app le.html, states "In addition, the companies said they would explore ways to make their identically named iPhone products work together "in the areas of security and consumer and enterprise communication." and "Representatives for Apple and Cisco said other terms of the deal would remain confidential." Predictions for what this means, if anything? Also, this looks like an extension of the patent and cybersquatting wars, where organisations register patents or domains simply as bargaining chips. What should the open source community be patenting and registering? iMail? gPod?

Submission + - Control water with electricity

Submitted by

MattSparkes

on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:04AM

MattSparkes writes: "French researchers have discovered a new way to create super-hydrophobic surfaces, which could make completely electronic control of water possible. This could replace messy pumps and valves. By passing a voltage across a water droplet on the surface, it's shape can be deformed, and when the voltage is removed, it springs back into shape. Although the distortion is small, it should be enough to push droplets around by controlling the voltage between many different surface electrodes."

Submission + - Silicon Valley Documentary Ditches DRM

Submitted by DRMwatch on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:02AM

DRMwatch writes: While Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, said that given the choice, he'd drop DRM in a heart beat; the producers behind the silicon valley documentary, In Search of the Valley, have done just that, thanks to a next-generation download service. The documentary follows three friends' pilgrimage, where against the odds, they gained access to the founders of some of the Valley's most important companies, including Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak; Adobe co-founder, John Warnock; Macromedia co-founder, Marc Canter; Tim O'Reilly of O'Reilly Media and Craig Newmark of Craigslist.

Submission + - Experimental laser smashes power record

Submitted by Obvius on Thursday February 22, 2007 @08:01AM

Obvius writes: An experimental laser has smashed its own power record, bringing closer the feasibility of a practical battlefield weapon. Link here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6380789.stm

Submission + - Apple and Cisco Settle iPhone Dispute

Submitted by Dekortage on Thursday February 22, 2007 @07:55AM

Dekortage writes: Though the terms are vague (and probably confidential), Cisco and Apple have come to an agreement: both companies will use the name "iPhone" for their products. According to the New York Times article, "Wednesday night, in a short, ambiguously worded statement, the companies said they would dismiss all legal action against each other regarding the trademark and that Apple could use the name for its device, which it plans to start selling in June."

Submission + - Network engineer a viable career?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 22, 2007 @07:48AM

An anonymous reader writes: I'm fresh out of high school and interested in getting a job in networking. One option is a degree in networking, the alternative I've considered is just getting certificates (CCNA/P, A+, MCSA). A large factor in my decision is which route is most likely to land a secure and well-paid full time job. I'm located in Melbourne, Australia and I don't have any local contacts in the industry who can advise me, and so was hoping some aussie(or international) slashdotters could share their knowledge and experience with these issues.

Submission + - What's your favourite filesystem?

Submitted by

mu22le

on Thursday February 22, 2007 @07:47AM

mu22le writes: "What's your favourite filesystem?

ext2/ext3

reiserfs

reiser4

xfs

jfs

zfs

fat32

ntfs

HFS/HFSPlus

cowboynealfs

"

Submission + - New Software Stops Mars Rover Confusion

Submitted by

MattSparkes

on Thursday February 22, 2007 @07:28AM

MattSparkes writes: "The Mars rover Spirit used to get quite confused when it came upon a rock. Because it could only plan routes of a metre or two it couldn't understand how to navigate around large objects, and frequently used to rock back and forth for hours trying to figure it out. NASA have written new software called D* for the rover Opportunity, which should allow it to autonomously plan routes up to 50 metres long. The new software still won't be able to avoid sand-traps though."

Submission + - Google to charge for web apps

Submitted by

zakkie

on Thursday February 22, 2007 @07:25AM

zakkie writes: "According to BBC News, Google is to start charging businesses for guaranteed availability and more features in the web apps like Gmail. The article suggests the timing is bad for Microsoft and their release of Office 2007, and is a "shot across their bows"."

Submission + - MMA against teaching pre-Islamic history

Submitted by on Thursday February 22, 2007 @06:20AM

An anonymous reader writes: http://dawn.com/2007/02/22/top2.htm Politicians believe that there is no point in teaching history that doesn't fit their agenda.

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