mrycar - Slashdot User

New Xbox 360 S Uses Less Power, Makes Less Noise 176

Posted by Soulskill on Thursday June 24, 2010 @06:32AM from the slices-dices-etc dept.

Vigile writes "Microsoft unveiled a new Xbox 360 S console at E3 this month, and without delay the new machine has been dissected and tested. The most dramatic change is the move to a single-chip CPU/GPU hybrid processor that is apparently being built on the 45nm process technology from GlobalFoundries, AMD's spun-off production facilities. With the inclusion of the new processor, the Xbox 360 S uses much less power (about 30-40%) compared to previous generation machines, and also turns out to be much quieter as a result of a single, larger fan. This article has photographic evidence of the teardown, with comparisons between this Valhalla platform and the older Falcon system, along with videos of the reconstruction process and noise comparisons." The new console also takes measures to protect itself from overheating, so RRoDs shouldn't be a problem with this revision.

Geologists Might Be Charged For Not Predicting Quake 375

Posted by timothy on Wednesday June 16, 2010 @05:05PM from the google-will-no-doubt-be-found-at-fault dept.

mmmscience writes "In 2009, a series of small earthquakes shook the region of L'Aquila, Italy. Seismologists investigated the tremors, but concluded that there was no direct indication of a big quake on the horizon. Less than a month later, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake killed more than 300 people. Now, the chief prosecutor of L'Aquila is looking to charge the scientists with gross negligent manslaughter for not predicting the quake."

Publishing Company Puts Warning Label on Constitution 676

Posted by samzenpus on Friday June 11, 2010 @02:11PM from the inappropriate-founding-fathers dept.

Wilder Publication is under fire for putting warning labels on copies of historical US documents, including the Constitution. The label warns "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today." From the article: "The disclaimer goes on to tell parents that they 'might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.'"

Motorola Planning 2GHz Android Phone For Later This Year 183

Posted by Soulskill on Friday June 11, 2010 @01:17PM from the soon-we-can-expand-crysis-jokes-to-phones dept.

rocket97 writes "On Wednesday, at the Executives Club of Chicago, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha reportedly decided to chat about the relatively near future of the mobile landscape as he sees it — which, in part, includes the ultimate demise of mobile computers in favor of highly-capable smartphones. This being his vision, Jha discussed Motorola's plans for a smartphone with a 2GHz processor — by the end of this year. While Jha did not want to divulge any further information, Conceivably Tech cites another anonymous Motorola executive who was a little more chatty, talking up a device intended to 'incorporate everything that is technologically possible in a smartphone today.'"

New Handheld Computer Is 100% Open Source 195

Posted by kdawson on Friday June 04, 2010 @10:46AM from the small-wonder dept.

metasonix writes "While the rest of the industry has been babbling on about the iPad and imitations thereof, Qi Hardware is actually shipping a product that is completely open source and copyleft. Linux News reviews the Ben NanoNote (product page), a handheld computer apparently containing no proprietary technology. It uses a 366 MHz MIPS processor, 32MB RAM, 2 GB flash, a 320x240-pixel color display, and a Qwerty keyboard. No network is built in, though it is said to accept SD-card Wi-Fi or USB Ethernet adapters. Included is a very simple Linux OS based on the OpenWrt distro installed in Linksys routers, with Busybox GUI. It's apparently intended primarily for hardware and software hackers, not as a general-audience handheld. The price is right, though: $99."

New Evidence Presented For Ancient Fossils In Mars Rocks 91

Posted by Soulskill on Friday May 07, 2010 @05:47PM from the hope-the-protectors-leave-them-alone dept.

azoblue passes along a story in the Washington Post, which begins: "NASA's Mars Meteorite Research Team reopened a 14-year-old controversy on extraterrestrial life last week, reaffirming and offering support for its widely challenged assertion that a 4-billion-year-old meteorite that landed thousands of years ago on Antarctica shows evidence of microscopic life on Mars. In addition to presenting research that they said disproved some of their critics, the scientists reported that additional Martian meteorites appear to house distinct and identifiable microbial fossils that point even more strongly to the existence of life. 'We feel more confident than ever that Mars probably once was, and maybe still is, home to life,' team leader David McKay said at a NASA-sponsored conference on astrobiology."

Puzzle In xkcd Book Finally Cracked 90

Posted by kdawson on Wednesday March 10, 2010 @04:49AM from the be-there-or-be-somewhere-else dept.

An anonymous reader writes "After a little over five months of pondering, xkcd fans have cracked a puzzle hidden inside Randall Munroe's recent book xkcd: volume 0. Here is the start of the thread on the xkcd forums; and here is the post revealing the final message (a latitude and longitude plus a date and time)."

xkcd, Devotion To Duty 167

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday February 22, 2010 @12:39PM from the a-different-breed dept.

xkcd really hit the nail on the head today.

Fable III Announced For 2010 52

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @02:10PM from the a-boy-and-his-dog-and-his-empire dept.

Flea of Pain writes "Fable III is finally in the works! 'Peter Molyneux revealed that his team is working on Fable III, which will arrive in late 2010, two years after the release of Fable II. The game will give you the primary task of becoming Albion's king and leading the people to happiness and the kingdom to glory. Fable III will be something bold and different, Molyneux promises, stating that story and drama will play a major part in it. New things will be done with the dog and the bread-crumb-trails mechanic, which were present in the second game, and you will be offered complete control of your actions and your people's actions, as you will be the king of Albion. ... [Y]ou will need to balance many things, including poverty and greed, tyranny and compassion or progress and tradition, all in order to keep your subjects happy. Furthermore, you will be able to set taxes and decide how you will rule your subjects. Your spouse, be it a king or a queen, will also point you into various directions over the course of the game. It seems that you will start as a son or daughter of the hero from Fable II and then progress until the halfway point of the game when you will be named king or queen of Albion. This means that you need to keep your save data from Fable II in order for a higher degree of customization.'"

Xbox Gaming Platform To Span Web, Console, Mobile 33

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 11, 2009 @11:02PM from the triple-threat dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Ars Technica: "According to a job posting from August 10, 2009, Microsoft is looking for a LIVE Community Director in the Entertainment & Devices Division. The job posting seems to suggest that Microsoft is looking to bring the Xbox Live, Windows Mobile, and other similar properties closer together. More specifically, there's talk of a 'casual and social gaming platform' that would be available via more than just one device: 'The LIVE Engagement Team is looking for a LIVE Community Director to manage its LIVE community strategy and execution across a range of properties, from Xbox LIVE to Windows Mobile. This senior position will play a vital role in the community space as the LIVE Engagement team builds and program's Microsoft's next-generation, LIVE-enabled casual and social gaming platform across the Web, the console, mobile and beyond.' The first key responsibility listed in the job posting is to '[d]evelop a community strategy that leverages all parts of the LIVE Services team to deliver scenarios and engagement across three screens.'"

Comment Re:Vaporware (Score 1) 1006

by mrycar on Tuesday August 11, 2009 @06:35PM (#29031017) Attached to: Chevy Volt Rated At 230 mpg In the City

4 wheels and a bumper.

I love motorcycles a lot, but refuse to drive one to work, due to the speedbump factor. Motorcycles are neraly invisible on the roads. Avoided many accidents that nearly occured because driver didn't see me.

Got tired of it, after witnessing too many friends become speedbumps because they weren't as agile at dodging the merging Dodge as me.

I'd rather be alive and able then not, so my mode of transportation to work is a car.

When I ride motorcycles, now, I do it away from cities on roads that little traffic.

Comment Re:Vaporware (Score 1) 1006

by mrycar on Tuesday August 11, 2009 @06:29PM (#29030953) Attached to: Chevy Volt Rated At 230 mpg In the City

The volt is in Yuma, AZ doing high temp testing as we speak. Will see how it does.

Comment Re:Vaporware (Score 1) 1006

by mrycar on Tuesday August 11, 2009 @06:27PM (#29030915) Attached to: Chevy Volt Rated At 230 mpg In the City

If you watch the web cast that GM had, they addressed this question in the Q&A. Cold weather testing has been going on and the 40 mile range on battery alone already had this factored in. Plus there is a really cool display that shows power utilization. Don't forget that it has a generator to kick in if there is a less than 40mile range.

Submission + - Amazon delists music after battle with MI (spiegel.de)

Submitted by Opportunist on Saturday December 22, 2007 @09:17PM

Opportunist writes: It all started with Amazon buying music cheaply abroad and selling it expensively in the EU. Now, the music industry did not like that of course, deemed those imports "illegal" and sent a cease and desist letter. Amazon decided to bend to the MIs will. And do more than that. They not only delisted the CDs required, they pulled almost everything from Sony and Warner (and a few topsellers of Universal and EMI) from their range of products. In the meantime, after a quick talk, it seems the problem has been resolved. For now. Neither side really considers it settled, it just seems both agree that such a battle should not be fought right now, in the week before the big spending event. Though one has to wonder: Who is actually in the stronger position when they canot find an agreement?

Submission + - Star Trek: Of Gods And Men - Part1 Released (myspace.com) 1

Submitted by

stonedcat

on Saturday December 22, 2007 @09:12PM

stonedcat writes: "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men is a three-part unofficial Star Trek fan mini-series, part one (http://www.startrekofgodsandmen.com/) has been released today in flash format, higher quality versions should follow. Directed by Tim Russ (Tuvok from Voyager) and featuring several former cast members from various Star Trek series this mini-series should be a fresh look at the Trek universe especially with the lack of any Star Trek series or Movies on the horizon. This mini-series has been compared by fans to Duke Nukem Forever with its many delays and it was thought to never see the light of day. With this release we can be assured that the film is no longer vapor ware or a pipe dream."

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