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Submission + - Ask Slashdot:How to add new tech to old van? 1

Submitted by
Dslice_allstar
Dslice_allstar writes: "I have a '77 GMC Van that I would like to take into the 21st century with some good tech. I have several large LCD monitors, and I want to hook at least one up for watching movies and doing some mild PC gaming. I am concerned about power, i.e. using an inverter and not frying the computer every time the van starts/stops, and I'm worried about whether the alternator will support a computer/monitor setup as well as LEDs and the like. Would a UPC backup be a good idea? I would also like to be able to play music over the sound system, preferably off the computer. Should I be thinking mini ITX HTPC, or would a netbook better serve my purposes? How would you all pimp out an old conversion van?"

Comment advice from a graduated psychology student (Score 1) 265

by gruntkowski (#40436659) Attached to: Teaching Natural Sciences To Social Science Students?
As a graduated psychology student, I can tell you how my professor did his statistics classes: He was almost desperate because of the small percentage of students who seemed to grasp what he was teaching. I mean, a lot of psychologists are really 'out there' (I'm a psychologist myself, so I'm allowed to make this statement :-) So he used any visual aid a man can think of: puppets, jars with marbles, excellent chalking skills on a blackboard,... That worked very well! For a small percentage of the students, it was kinda infantile. But for the major part, this approach was really necessary! You have to know that lots of psychology students think there's no place for 'hard' science in psychology. They couldn't be more wrong of course (as they will also have to learn genetics and some basic neurology). Now, I don't know if they are freshmen or not ,but in the former case an extensive approach may be necessary. For senior students, well, teach like you already do. They now how to handle it, or at least they should. Oh yeah, it's already mentioned before, but please: do point out the difference between correlation and causality!
Space

Submission + - Missing Matter, Parralel Universes ? (universetoday.com)

Submitted by
Phoghat
Phoghat writes: "Could mirror universes or parallel worlds account for dark matter — the ‘missing’ matter in the Universe? In what seems to be mixing of science and science fiction, a new paper by a team of theoretical physicists hypothesizes the existence of mirror particles as a possible candidate for dark matter. An anomaly observed in the behavior of ordinary particles that appear to oscillate in and out of existence could be from a “hypothetical parallel world consisting of mirror particles,” says a press release from Springer. “Each neutron would have the ability to transition into its invisible mirror twin, and back, oscillating from one world to the other.”"
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Unveils it's own Surface tablets (bbc.co.uk) 1

Submitted by Necroloth
Necroloth writes: Microsoft has unveiled Surface — its own-brand family of tablets.

It aims to challenge the iPad with a device that can run standard applications such as its own Office programs and Photoshop.

However other hardware makers are likely to feel aggrieved by the news as Microsoft can offer a competitive price as it doesn't need to pay itself a licence for the Windows 8 software which other manufacturers will have to do.

The devices have 10.6 inch (26.9cm) displays, built-in kickstands and are housed in magnesium cases — which the company described as the first of their kind.

The ARM-based tablets are 9.3mm (0.4 inches) thick — slightly less than the iPad — and run the Windows RT version of the new system. The Verge reported that the chipset will be built by Nvidia.

The versions using Intel's x86 technology run Windows 8 Pro and are 13.5mm (0.5 inches) thick.

A variety of accompanying covers can be attached using built-in magnets. They double as keyboards with trackpads. One version is flat while the other offers keys that can be depressed.

The devices are also designed to work with a pen accessory using what the firm dubbed "digital ink". When the stylus is held close to the screen of the tablet it ignores touch-input from the users' hands.
Science

Submission + - Scientist Prove a link between IQ and heigh gene (newscientist.com) 1

Submitted by HJED
HJED writes: NewScientist is reporting that a study of fMRI scans and DNA samples from 20,000 people has shown that the gene HMGA2 can effect the size of the brain by approximately .58% and a smaller study of 1642 people has found that it also increases IQ by 1.29.

This kind of science is very interesting, but it also has some dangerous implications which could be used as justification by racists groups and individuals. It also has interesting implications for the nature vs. nurture debate, I'd be interested to know what the /. crowds take on this is?/p?
Mars

Submission + - Life on Mars found – in 1976 by Viking Lander (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by djl4570
djl4570 writes: "The USA’s Viking mission found life on Mars, says a new paper that has re-analysed data collected by the two probes." Using advanced mathematical techniques to treat the old experimental data as complex system could reveal a signal that was not previously detected. Time will tell if we actually get to see the rat-bat-spider-crab live in 1080p.
Mars

Submission + - Scientists Claim Viking Mars Missions have Proof of Life (msn.com)

Submitted by
Fluffeh
Fluffeh writes: "New analysis of 36-year-old data, resuscitated from printouts, shows that NASA found life on Mars, an international team of mathematicians and scientists conclude in a paper published this week. The new study took a different approach. Researchers distilled the Viking Labeled Release data, provided as hard copies by the original researchers, into sets of numbers and analyzed the results for complexity. They found close correlations between the Viking experiment results' complexity and those of terrestrial biological data sets. They say the high degree of order is more characteristic of biological, rather than purely physical, processes."

Submission + - ACTA in Europe - The beginning of the end? (computerworlduk.com)

Submitted by
WhyNotAskMe
WhyNotAskMe writes: "the European Parliament's INTA committee gets it. Last week, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliment came out with its draft opinion (short pdf) of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). It was an eye opener. Its conclusion was that it feels compelled to call on the Committee on International Trade to withhold its consent to the agreement.

Glyn Moody of ComputerWorld UK sums it up his latest ACTA update. This is the clearest and most rational analyses of the problems with ACTA that I have seen to date. It is like a breath of fresh air.

Did you know that ACTA is so worrysome that even Amesty International has felt compelled to weigh in on the issue? They urged the EU to reject international anti-counterfeiting pact. "Implementing the agreement could open a Pandora's box of potential human rights violations. Worryingly, ACTA’s text does not even contain references to safeguards like ‘fundamental rights’, ‘fair use’, or ‘due process’, which are universally understood and clearly defined in international law,”.

In the USA, Senator Wyden has demanded that ACTA go Before Congress. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, MPAA Chief Dodd Hints At Talks To Revive SOPA

There is an election coming up in the USA. Is there some way these issues can be pushed to the fore? A way to force every candiddate to take a stand on copyright issues? In the Chris Dodd discussion linked to in the paragraph above, people are so angry the tone is scary. The question is, are they angry enough to show up with pickets at every candidate rally? Can internet freedoms be made into The single biggest issue of election?

Politicians are skilled at discerning the will of the people when their attention is properly focused and they are encouraged to do so. We must give them that encouragement and focus, by whatever means we have at our disposal. We must demand a moratorium on secret and fast-tracked negotiations while governments consult the people they represent. It's the democratic way.The power of the corporate lobbies needs to be curbed and their voices muted. The people must be heard. Legislation crafted to respect the will of the majority will garner their respect and consequently, will be easier to enforce. Please see our manifesto."
Earth

Submission + - Elgin Gas Leak: who's paying attention? (newscientist.com)

Submitted by
cedarhillbilly
cedarhillbilly writes: "New Scientist has been doing a bang up job of covering a major drilling 'accident' in the North Sea where a drilling rig operated by France's Total has released a pool of natural gas into the atmosphere. Because it's not on CNN's doorstep and no one's been killed so far, the Elgin leak has received scant attention in US media. Still it's huge and raises some interesting questions about drilling safety. In today's installment of the coverage, New Scientist shows the 'purple haze' (great graffix) hovering over the site of the leak. Look at the photo, then drill down (ouch) thru the links to get the rest of the story!"
Hardware

Submission + - Scientists create quantum computer in a diamond (extremetech.com)

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes: "A new experiment out of the University of Southern California (USC) might have solved one of the toughest problems in quantum computing, and it did so by building a computer inside a diamond. This new computer isn’t going to be doing your taxes any time soon, but it shows the viability of solid-state quantum computers to lessen decoherence. Put simply, decoherence is a loss of observable information, which is the last thing you want in a computer. The diamond computer developed at USC makes use of the impurities in the crystalline structure to make up its two quantum bits, or qubits. The researchers were able to prove that they had indeed built a solid-state quantum computer by supplying it with a simple data set, and applying Grover’s algorithm, which is a mathematical proof demonstrating the potential power of quantum computers. Grover’s algorithm states that a quantum computer will be able to find a specified entry in an unsorted list on the first try, every time. A human trying to do this would have to go down the list checking each entry to see if it was the right one. Going this route, you would on average check half the list before finding the right entry. USC's diamond-encrusted computer was able to find the correct choice on the first try 95% of the time, thus proving that the researchers successfully built a functional quantum computer."
Windows

Submission + - How to stop files from opening in Windows 8 Metro style apps (pureinfotech.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: If you are testing Windows 8, you might have noticed that a lot of file formats (music, images and videos) by default open in Metro style apps, which by the way these apps are in beta as well, and if you still are a desktop user and you aren’t ready to fully embrace Metro, you may want to stop files from opening in Metro.

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