MythoBeast - Slashdot User

Submission + - Top 5 Most Overrated People In The Industry

Submitted by

njkid1

on Friday March 23, 2007 @11:38AM

njkid1 writes: "Peruse any video game forum and you'll stumble across crazed fans who put their idols (in this case, game developers and corporate figureheads) on golden pedestals. There's nothing wrong with that per se, but we decided to dig a little deeper to see if theselegendary figures live up to the hype. Behold, the top five most overrated industry people. Try not to pop a blood vessel."

Submission + - SIRA back on the table

Submitted by

Mateo_LeFou

on Friday March 23, 2007 @10:55AM

Mateo_LeFou writes: "The Section 115 Reform Act, part of last year's attempt to impose a licensing regime on ephemeral copies of music (think browser cache, RAM, etc.), seems to be alive and well. The new chairman of the "Intellectual Property" subcommittee (a nd distinguished representative from Hollywood) agrees with the copyright registrar that CD sales are falling because of — you guessed it — piracy, and that this slide can be stopped by making the rules about what computers can legally do with music a lot more complicated. Video here"

Submission + - Can you make good instant coffee with laser?

Submitted by Sacir on Friday March 23, 2007 @10:37AM

Sacir writes: Did you ever wonder if you can make good instant coffee with laser? Well, take a look at this short movie for an interesting demonstration. The procedure works for tea as well! The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYvynmK0Slo /Sacir

EU Bans Sock-Puppet Blogs 393

Posted by kdawson on Sunday February 11, 2007 @11:37PM from the named-and-shamed dept.

PhilipMarlowe9000 writes in with news of a new EU directive that will take effect in the UK at the end of this year to ban "sock-puppet" reviews or websites, part of an EU-wide overhaul of consumer laws. From the article: "Businesses that write fake blog entries or create whole wesbites purporting to be created by customers will fall foul of a European directive banning them from 'falsely representing oneself as a consumer.' From December 31, when the change becomes law in the UK, they can be named and shamed by trading standards or taken to court. The Times has learnt that the new regulations also will apply to authors who praise their own books under a fake identity on websites such as Amazon."

Submission + - "Hacking" a Fake Snow Day

Submitted by

Class Act Dynamo

on Sunday February 11, 2007 @11:18PM

Class Act Dynamo writes: "Two students in Trenton, Ohio face expulsion from their school and possibly some time in juvie for posting a fake snow-related announcement on the school district website. According to the article, there was no hacking involved. The girls somehow must have gotten the password. It will be interesting to find out how that happened. We'll probably find out next week that it was on a post-it note on the principle's desk."

Submission + - Do current Copyright laws still allow for backups?

Submitted by Ka D'Argo on Sunday February 11, 2007 @08:55PM

Ka D'Argo writes: I had a conversation with a associate of mine about making backups of software or music cd's. This person says under the new laws with DRM, copyright and fair use, you as a consumer are no longer allowed to copy in anyway such things. I say, as it's been for god knows how long, you are still able to make a backup of something you legally own. Common sense even says, it's yours to do with as you please if you legally own it (aside from distributing copies for example). So what's the deal? Under current laws that may or may not have been updated lately, can a consumer make a backup copy of a piece of software or music cd?

Submission + - Girls of Engineering pin up calendar ?

Submitted by bongey on Sunday February 11, 2007 @07:21PM

bongey writes: Thought this was funny , seems some engineering students got together and talked some of the woman engineers at U of I to take some racy photos for a calendar . Needless to say the title of the calendar is smart is sexy . All I can say is where can I get a copy. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/246420,CST-NWS- calendar07.article

Submission + - UK police given power to search without cause

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 09, 2007 @12:14AM

An anonymous reader writes: Tony Blair announced today that UK police are to be given new powers to enter and search the homes of convicted sex offenders, with or without "suspicion of a crime".

The powers, which come into effect later this year, allow police to enter a property to look for evidence that a paedophile might be planning an offence.

Officers will search computers as well as looking for evidence of magazines, or the presence of children's toys or clothes.

However, unlike now when they can enter a property only if they have a reasonable belief a crime may be committed, the new power allows searches even where no such evidence exists.

What if they find virus tools on the computer? Does their unlimited search power restrict the scope of their search to children's clothing or photos?

The law essentially gives the police the power to "search whenever we want for whatever reason". Seeing how this is already common practice in the case of those on parole or probation, the new law clearly applies to those offenders who have completed all aspects of their sentence and are "free men" (as it were).

That is likely to raise some civil liberties concerns, but ministers believe the public will support the move.

Is the "pedophile panic" just a convienant tool on which to pass this legislation or is this new law justified to bring further reductions to child abuse?

Submission + - how to stay anonymous online?

Submitted by on Friday February 09, 2007 @12:11AM

An anonymous reader writes: With recent news about certain industries giving people problems for even legal use of torrent clients and various instances of government snooping etc, I'm wondering how one can stay anonymous and still (without being a jerk abusing the TOR system) being able to download/upload large files?

Submission + - Statistical Accuracy of Internet Weather Forecasts

Submitted by

markmcb

on Thursday February 08, 2007 @11:52PM

markmcb writes: "Brandon Hansen considers the statistical accuracy of popular on-line weather forecast sources and shows who's on target, and on who you probably shouldn't rely. Motivated by a trip to a water park that was spoiled with hail despite a 'clear sky' forecast, he does a nice job of depicting deviations, averages, and overall accuracy in a manner that stats junkies are sure to love. From the article, 'Accuweather was the clear leader in anything greater than 10 days in advance ... many of the other less accurate weather forecasts seem[ed] to be practically worthless for all but the most optimistic.'"

Submission + - Quantum computer to debut next week

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 08, 2007 @11:46PM

An anonymous reader writes: Twenty years before most scientists expected it, a commercial company has announceda quantum computer that promises to massively speed up searches and optimisation calculations. http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?news ID=7972

Submission + - Brain scanner can read people's intentions

Submitted by Vainglorious Coward on Thursday February 08, 2007 @10:21PM

Vainglorious Coward writes: Reality continues to catch up with Nineteen Eighty-Four with the announcement of the development of a brain scanner that can read a person's intentions. 'It's like shining a torch around, looking for writing on a wall,' said the leader of the project, Professor John-Dylan Haynes . Demonstrating his own mastery of doublethink, Haynes continued 'We see the danger that this might become compulsory one day, but we have to be aware that if we prohibit it, we are also denying people who aren't going to commit any crime the possibility of proving their innocence.'

Submission + - Flytech Dragonfly ships, Radio Shack has it

Submitted by

robotsrule

on Thursday February 08, 2007 @02:24PM

robotsrule writes: "WowWee's wing flapping flying insect robot is now available on Radio Shack's web site for online ordering. The $49 Flytech Dragonfly is currently exclusive to them although reports indicate that in a month shipping may open up to other retailers. Except for a tiny propeller on its tail that is used primarily for trim, the Flytech Dragonfly gets its power from flapping its wings. It is based on a design made by Sean Frawley, who at the time was a high school student and was making and selling rubber-band powered Ornithopters with a friend through their own fledgling business. Sean recently graduated Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. and is now a project manager for WowWee."

Did Gates Fib About H1-B Salaries? 345

Posted by kdawson on Thursday February 08, 2007 @02:11PM from the little-white-ones dept.

netbuzz writes "While in Washington last year lobbying for higher H1-B visa limits, Bill Gates told David Broder of the Washington Post that Microsoft starts such workers at about $100,000. An analysis by one offshoring critic suggests that's not true. If his analysis is correct, it would undermine part of the case for lifting H1-B ceilings.

Submission + - Synthetic proteins better than real ones?

Submitted by

Roland Piquepaille

on Thursday February 08, 2007 @02:02PM

Roland Piquepaille writes: "Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and Yale University have built proteins which don't exist in the natural world. They've constructed these proteins from beta-amino acids, which are distinct from the alpha-amino acids that compose natural proteins. Their synthetic proteins are as stable as natural ones, but provide a distinct advantage. As they will not be degraded by enzymes or targeted by the immune system as natural ones are, these beta-peptides could be used as the basis for future drugs that would be more effective than natural protein drugs. Still, a question remains: why don't these proteins exist naturally? In other words, will drugs based on these man-made proteins be more efficient or more dangerous? Time will tell. But read more for additional references and pictures showing these artificial proteins."

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