MankyD - Slashdot User

Crowdsourcing JavaScript Testing 41

Posted by timothy on Tuesday March 24, 2009 @07:31PM from the isn't-that-what-slashdot-is-for dept.

snitch writes "John Resig, creator of the jQuery JavaScript library, has released Test Swarm, a platform for distributed continuous integration testing for client-side JavaScript. Frustrated with traditional JavaScript testing environments that don't scale, John's new project, which is currently in private alpha, aims to provide a system for outsourcing browser-related testing to large groups of people or communities."

Mississippi Passes Law To Ban Traffic Light Cameras 629

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday March 24, 2009 @10:50AM from the guess-i-know-where-i'll-go-to-run-red-lights dept.

DaGoatSpanka writes with news that Mississippi Governer Haley Barbour signed a bill into law on Friday which instituted a ban on automated cameras that would snap pictures of motorists when they ran red lights. "The new law says the two cities that already have the cameras, Jackson and Columbus, must take them down by Oct. 1. Other cities and counties are banned from starting to use them." We've discussed situations in the past where cities looked at such cameras as "profit centers," and even tampered with their traffic light timing to catch more motorists. Now, in Mississippi, the contractors who installed the cameras are unhappy, since they received a cut of the ticket revenue generated by the cameras. However, lawmakers overwhelming voted to get rid of them (117-3 in the House, 42-9 in the Senate), because "the cameras were an invasion of privacy and their constituents thought they had been unfairly ticketed."

Scientists Reverse Muscular Dystrophy In Dogs 143

Posted by Soulskill on Monday March 23, 2009 @12:58PM from the barking-up-the-right-tree dept.

Al writes "Scientists have taken a step toward developing a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by successfully treating the condition in dogs using a novel genetic technique. The scientists used a method called exon skipping, which involves adding a genetic 'patch' to block transcription of a portion of the gene involved in DMD. This puts the remaining genetic sequence back in order, essentially creating a much less severe version of the condition. The scientists recorded some remarkable video footage showing the resulting improvements in several dogs with naturally-occurring DMD. More work is needed before the treatment can be given to humans, however, because DMD sufferers often have different genetic mutations."

GrandCentral Reborn As Google Voice 206

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday March 12, 2009 @09:39AM from the probably-should-try-that-out-again dept.

Some anonymous person wrote in to say that Google has relaunched and rebranded GrandCentral as "Google Voice." The article says it will "revolutionize telephones. It unifies your phone numbers, transcribes your voice mail, blocks telemarketers and elevates text messages to first-class communication citizens." Sadly, the voicemail didn't integrate very nicely w/ my phone back in the day, so I guess I should give it a shot.

Submission + - New Theory Explains Periodic Mass Extinctions

Submitted by i_like_spam on Thursday August 02, 2007 @02:07PM

i_like_spam writes: The theory that the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid impact, the K-T extinction, is well known and supported by fossil and geological evidence. Asteroid impact theory does not apply to the other fluctuations in biodiversity, however, which follow an approximate 62 million-year cycle. As reported in Science news, a new theory seems to explain periodic mass extinctions. The new theory found that oscillations in the Sun relative to the plane of the Milky Way correlate with changes in biodiversity on Earth. The researchers suggest that an increase in the exposure of Earth to extragalatic cosmic rays causes mass extinctions. Here is the original paper describing the finding.

Submission + - Massachusetts adopts Open XML (networkworld.com)

Submitted by

willdavid

on Thursday August 02, 2007 @01:44PM

willdavid writes: "By John Fontana, NetworkWorld.com: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has added Open XML to its list of approved open documents formats. Critics of Open XML adoption, such as Andy Updegrove, a lawyer, Linux Foundation board member and Massachusetts resident, said Microsoft should not be "rewarded for launching a competing, self-serving standard as a next-best defense against erosion of its dominant position." Massachusetts officials acknowledged the criticism, but said the importance of open formats could not be denied. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/080107-massa chusetts-open-xml.html?page=1"

Submission + - Google wins and loses in its 700 MHz wireless bid (salon.com)

Submitted by

fmanjoo

on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @04:09PM

fmanjoo writes: "The FCC just handed down rules for its auction of the 700 MHz band of wireless space. My Salon story describes how Google won its bid to let people use whatever devices and applications (Skype!) on the network. But the FCC denied Google's request for the FCC to mandate that carriers lease space to other wireless companies — meaning that it's unlikely the 700 MHz band will become a true alternative to DSL and cable Internet service."

Submission + - Amazon enters DRM-free online music biz

Submitted by frdmfghtr on Wednesday May 16, 2007 @04:16PM

frdmfghtr writes: E-Commerce reports that Amazon.com is getting into the DRM-free music business.

The company announced today it plans to launch a digital music store where people can buy and download songs. The files will be in the MP3 format, and they will not contain digital rights management (DRM) coding that limits the number of times users can copy downloaded music and which devices can play the songs.
The article goes on to say that there are over 12,000 labels will be represented, including some offerings from EMI. No other major labels are following in EMI's footsteps, but one analyst has pointed out that the big labels could team up to offer their own DRM-free online storefront.

"That would be a heck of a competitive advantage right there," [Alan] Chapell told MacNewsWorld. "But even if the record companies were to do that, they would horribly mess it up."

Submission + - Another Ocean in Space?

Submitted by

Riding with Robots

on Wednesday May 16, 2007 @03:59PM

Riding with Robots writes: "A new study concludes that the strange and intriguing water geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus may not result from pools of liquid water near the surface. However, the fractures they spew from might point to an entire ocean deep inside the icy moon. If confirmed, this would be at least the second world in the Solar System thought to have a hidden ocean beneath its surface."

Submission + - Building will repair itself during an earthquake

Submitted by Kate Seamer on Sunday May 13, 2007 @09:00AM

Kate Seamer writes: A US$18.6 million "self-healing" house will be able to resist earthquakes by sealing cracks in its walls and monitoring seismic vibrations. The walls of the house contain nano-polymer particles designed to convert into liquid when under pressure, flow into cracks, and solidify. This would theoretically stabilize the structure after severe seismic trauma. Funded by the European Union, and using technology from Leed University's NanoManufacturing Institute, the house is to be constructed in Greece by 2010.

Submission + - Medical Devices to get Unified USB Format

Submitted by entrepreneur.md on Wednesday April 04, 2007 @02:52PM

entrepreneur.md writes: Medgadget.com is reporting that the USB-IF is developing an industry standard USB format to expedite the integration of various medical technologies: "The USB Implementers Forum, Inc. (USB-IF) today announced the formation of the Personal Healthcare Device Working Group. The group's initial goal is to define a USB Personal Healthcare Device Class specification. The new specification will enable health-related devices, such as blood pressure cuffs and exercise watches, to connect via USB to consumer electronic products, such as PCs and health appliances. Interoperability of health-related devices and consumer electronic products will facilitate the communication between patient and doctor, individual and fitness coach, or elderly person and a remote caregiver."

Submission + - Sony Cuts PSP Prices

Submitted by CHaN_316 on Wednesday April 04, 2007 @02:21PM

CHaN_316 writes: Sony has announced that they will cut the price of the Playstation Portable (PSP) from $199.99USD to $169.99USD. The move is intended to better compete against the Nintendo DS. The article reports, "In February, Nintendo's DS outsold every other console in the U.S., with about 485,000 total units sold. The prices of the DS vary among online and brick-and-mortar retailers, but a consumer can usually expect to pay from $130 to $160." This is the first price cut of the PSP since its launch in March 2005. Now when are we going to see a PS3 price cut?

Submission + - Vista loophole allows for cheap install

Submitted by

PetManimal

on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @11:59AM

PetManimal writes: "A loophole in Vista's activation scheme that lets users install an upgrade version of Vista on Linux machines and save up to $140 is spreading over the Internet and causing Microsoft a fair amount of embarrassment. The trick involves installing Vista twice but not entering the product key the first time, which effectively fools Vista into upgrading itself. While most home users are unlikely to try this, it may appeal to some PC DIYers and other power users:

The type of person most likely to benefit from this workaround are power users and hobbyists who own multiple computers running Windows as well as Linux and Mac OS X. Indeed, one concrete scenario would be someone with a used PC that's just one or two years old running either Linux or OS X who decides to convert it to Vista and buys the upgrade version of the OS to do so.
According to the last article, Microsoft is aware of the scheme and says it violates the Vista EULA."

Submission + - Crooked Exec Wrestles to Retrieve Smoking Laptop

Submitted by

darkreadingman

on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @11:53AM

darkreadingman writes: "First-person account of how a penetration testing company caught an executive stealing data from his company. After discovering that the pen testers were making off with his laptop, this executive attacked two security experts, wrestled his laptop away, and tried to delete the incriminating data before the guards arrived. A real lesson in what happens when insiders are caught red-handed, with the smoking gun (or in this case, a smoking laptop) in their hands. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=117 531&WT.svl=column1_1"

Gaming Skills Directly Linked to Surgical Skills 54

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday February 20, 2007 @10:31AM from the all-that-trauma-center-paid-off dept.

Orinthe writes "According to Reuters, a new study involving 33 surgeons at a New York hospital shows 'a strong correlation between video game skills and a surgeon's capabilities'. A statement by the senior author of the study even suggests the use of video games as a training tool for surgeons. Another of the study's authors cautions parents to curb excessive gaming, however: 'spending that much time playing video games is not going to help their child's chances of getting into medical school'."

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