FuzzyDaddy - Slashdot User

Submission + - Changing to a career in science?

Submitted by on Thursday January 25, 2007 @03:32PM

An anonymous reader writes: I'm a 37-year-old lawyer considering a career change into scientific research (the specific field is not relevant to my questions). I got into the legal profession for all the wrong reasons, and I would prefer a career doing something that excites and challenges me, even if the money isn't great. This will require significant educational retooling, including 5-6 years in a PhD program, so I need to look before I leap.

Have other Slashdot readers made similar transitions? For those already doing scientific research as their career, what have been the high and low points of your education and career? Do you foresee any problems for an "older" PhD candidate?

Submission + - Norway Outlaws iTunes

Submitted by haddieman on Thursday January 25, 2007 @03:31PM

haddieman writes: While many people are getting more and more annoyed at DRM, Norway actually did something about it.

FTA: "Good intentions, questionable execution. European legislators have been giving DRM considerable attention for a while, but Norway has actually gone so far as to declare that Apple's iTunes store is illegal under Norwegian law. The crux of the issue is that the Fairplay DRM that is at the heart of the iTunes/iPod universe doesn't work with anything else, meaning that if you want access to the cast iTunes library, you have to buy an iPod."

Submission + - 911 Calls Reveal Dangers of Media Consolidation

Submitted by BendingSpoons on Thursday January 25, 2007 @02:00PM

BendingSpoons writes: Five years ago, a 112-car train derailed outside of Minot, North Dakota. Over 240,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia leaked out of the car, resulting in one death and the hospitalization of hundreds. Why is this news? Because newly released 911 tapes reveal a breakdown in Minot's emergency broadcasting — a breakdown that some are attributing to media consolidation. When panicked residents called emergency dispatch, they were advised to tune into KCJB, the designated local emergency broadcaster. However, KCJB — along with Minot's five other commercial channels — was owned by Clear Channel; the music was piped in from out of state, and no one was in the station to respond to calls. 911 callers were therefore directed to radio stations that provided no emergency information. The problem of "local" news stations unable to transmit information about local emergencies is now raising concerns about both national security and media consolidation.

Dealing w/ Relocation Package Bait and Switch? 443

Posted by Cliff on Thursday January 25, 2007 @01:45PM from the dispicable-practices dept.

An anonymous reader asks: "I got a R&D job offer with a large company in Philadelphia area last week. It includes a relocation package that they told me was standard for my position. After I accepted the offer and made plans to terminate my current job, the recruiter handed me off to their relocation department, where I was told that my relocation package is significantly less than what I was promised. The relocation manager tells me that whenever there is conflict between their relocation policy and the offer, their internal relocation policy supersedes. Is this type of switch-and-bait common practice in corporate America? If you have gone through this nightmare before, any advice on how to respond to it?"

Enso Gives Keyboard Commands to Windows Users 234

Posted by Zonk on Thursday January 25, 2007 @01:43PM from the as-humane-as-cold-unfeeling-software-can-be dept.

illuminatedwax writes "The Wall Street Journal's Walter S. Mossberg's latest column is a writeup on a new software system called Enso. Enso is from a small software startup called Humanized, led by Aza Raskin. The software allows Windows users to do common tasks, like launching programs, spellchecking, or Googling for search terms, but what's interesting is that it allows you to do these tasks from within any program in Windows by use of the keyboard. From the article: 'There are two initial Enso products, which can be downloaded at humanized.com. One, called Enso Launcher, allows you to launch programs and switch among windows via typed commands. The other, called Enso Words, allows you to do spell-checking, even when the program you're using doesn't include that capability, and to look up the meaning of words. Both products also include a simple calculator and the ability to launch Google searches.' Humanized says that users will be able to program their own commands for Enso in future versions."

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