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Submission + - Reps. Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Enable Cell Phone & Wireless Device Unloc 2

Submitted by tomservo84
tomservo84 writes: It seems some people in the House of Reps have their heads screwed on straight...

http://lofgren.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=797:reps-zoe-lofgren-thomas-massie-anna-eshoo-a-jared-polis-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-enable-cell-phone-a-wireless-device-unlocking&catid=22:112th-news&Itemid=161

"This bill reflects the way we use this technology in our everyday lives," Rep. Lofgren said. "Americans should not be subject to fines and criminal liability for merely unlocking devices and media they legally purchased. If consumers are not violating copyright or some other law, there's little reason to hold back the benefits of unlocking so people can continue using their devices."

The bill would "make it permanently legal for consumers to unlock their mobile devices, and consumers would not be required to obtain permission from their carrier before switching to a new carrier."

Now, what chance does this have of actually passing??

Comment Camera != Camera in phone (Score 1) 179

by tomservo84 (#41177757) Attached to: Samsung Unveils Windows Phone 8 Device and Android-Based Camera

First is whether these cameras will have enough additional functionality to justify the added cost and weight when most people already have a serviceable camera in their phone.

UGH!! I'm getting tired of these types of comments. A camera in your phone is just not able to match an actual CAMERA for quality use. Until a phone has optical zoom and can accommodate lenses (which immediately makes it much less easily portable) this will not be possible.

P.S. Can we get rid of Timothy as an editor, or can he PLEASE take the time to fix the submissions before posting? I swear at least 95% of the time there is a story with misspellings/extra unnecessary words, etc., it's his.
Google

Submission + - Google search now "thinks more like a human" (cnn.com)

Submitted by tomservo84
tomservo84 writes: "So, let's say you're doing a Google search for "Kings." Did you mean the L.A. hockey team or the Sacramento basketball team? Maybe the TV show? Or maybe you actually wanted to know something about monarchs." Google today announced Knowledge Graph, which will Google says will make the results appear more 'human'.

Submission + - Slashdot Disable Ads Gone 1

Submitted by tomservo84
tomservo84 writes: The "Disable Ads" option is just...GONE.

Whahappen?
Transportation

Submission + - Geely McCar Features a Built-in Electric Scooter (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Zothecula
Zothecula writes: One of the most imaginative concept cars we've ever seen turned up at Auto Shanghai this week and it didn't come from Japan, Germany, France or America – it was the result of two years work in China by Geely engineers and is the synthesis of over 60 IP-protected ideas. In essence, it's an ultra compact, two-door, four-seater with a built-in, folding three wheeled electric scooter in the rear. When the scooter is docked, the car shares both its battery and electric motor to extend the all-electric range or ensure the scooter is fully charged. The McCar is proposed as having choice of gas-electric hybrid or fully electric powerplants.
Games

Submission + - FPS Gaming and the 'Just World Hypothesis' 1

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Jamie Madigan writes that when people witness someone subjected to some misfortune, they’re susceptible to suggestions that the person deserved it and thus see the misfortune as evidence of karma or justice –hence the “Just” in “Just World Hypothesis”. Now consider the controversial new first-person shooter Homefront, which has you play as an freedom fighter in an America occupied by a North Korean superpower where the introduction to the game goes to great lengths to relieve you of any moral misgivings you might have about plugging away at the enemies it’s getting ready to throw at you. "You see enemy soldiers not only brutalizing American civilians, but outright murdering a mother in front of her children and callously tossing corpses around," writes Madigan, a gamer with a Ph.D. in psychology, who writes on the psychology of successful games. "The message is clear: Hey, these guys are evil. When we give you a gun, SHOOT THEM and FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT." Madigan says that the interesting thing about Homefront is that it’s not leaving any blanks to be filled in which robs the game of some narrative depth. "Some of my favorite gaming moments over the years have been born of difficult decisions about who to let live and who to gun down. Let me decide, act, and ruminate on those actions once the smoke clears; that will keep the game with me for longer.""

Comment Re:Lawyer? (Score 1) 554

by tomservo84 (#31815888) Attached to: Comcast Disables VCR Scheduling In New Guide
It's not just VCR's that have analog tuners, though... I have a MythTV box...I've got an analog tuner in it and if I want to record anything off of the "digital tier" on my cable box, I have to tune it in on the box. Switching channels automatically is the only way to do this if I need to record several things while away.
Books

Offline Book "Lending" Costs US Publishers Nearly $1 Trillion 494

Posted by Soulskill from the oh-the-humanity dept.
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from a tongue-in-cheek blog post which puts publisher worries about ebook piracy into perspective: "Hot on the heels of the story in Publisher's Weekly that 'publishers could be losing out on as much $3 billion to online book piracy' comes a sudden realization of a much larger threat to the viability of the book industry. Apparently, over 2 billion books were 'loaned' last year by a cabal of organizations found in nearly every American city and town. Using the same advanced projective mathematics used in the study cited by Publishers Weekly, Go To Hellman has computed that publishers could be losing sales opportunities totaling over $100 billion per year, losses which extend back to at least the year 2000. ... From what we've been able to piece together, the book 'lending' takes place in 'libraries.' On entering one of these dens, patrons may view a dazzling array of books, periodicals, even CDs and DVDs, all available to anyone willing to disclose valuable personal information in exchange for a 'card.' But there is an ominous silence pervading these ersatz sanctuaries, enforced by the stern demeanor of staff and the glares of other patrons. Although there's no admission charge and it doesn't cost anything to borrow a book, there's always the threat of an onerous overdue bill for the hapless borrower who forgets to continue the cycle of not paying for copyrighted material."

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