halsver - Slashdot User

IAU Classifies Pluto & Eris As "Plutoids" 192

Posted by timothy on Wednesday June 11, 2008 @03:21PM from the once-and-for-all-or-maybe-not dept.

Kligat writes "The International Astronomical Union has decided that Pluto and Eris should be classified as "plutoids," alongside their 2006 classification as dwarf planets. Under the definition, the self-gravity of a plutoid is enough for it to achieve a near-spherical shape, but not enough for it to clear its orbit of its rocky neighbors, and the plutoid orbits the Sun beyond Neptune." Reader FiReaNGeL links to a similar story at e! Science News.

Submission + - Get Your XP! Top-four Outline Cutoff Dates (computerworld.com)

Submitted by

CWmike

on Wednesday June 11, 2008 @02:43PM

CWmike writes: "Three of the top four PC sellers worldwide plan to sell systems with Windows XP right up to the Microsoft-mandated deadline of June 30. Of the four, only Dell plans to call it quits before the last day of this month, on June 18. A clause in Microsoft's guidelines for OEMs lets computer makers install Windows XP Professional — but not Windows XP Home — on new when those machines are ordered with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate. Dell was the first to say it would use the downgrade clause to offer buyers XP Professional pre-installed long after the June 30 deadline, but has not said how long it would offer the downgrade option. Not so with HP. 'HP has been offering business desktops, notebooks and workstations with the option to downgrade to Windows XP Pro from Vista since August 2007, and will continue to offer this option on its business systems through at least July 30, 2009,' said an HP spokesman. Lenovo: Jan. 31, 2009. Acer did not comment on how it will address downgrades. Smaller 'system builders' can still get their hands on XP past June 30 and Microsoft has also extended the availability of XP Home to a subset of computer manufacturers who are, or plan to, build small, cheap notebooks and desktops, such as the Asus Eee PC."

Submission + - Judgement Day is upon us! (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by daub84 on Tuesday June 05, 2007 @09:37AM

daub84 writes: Call out Arnold!! Skynet has placed their first robotic snipers in gaza. Both Jane's Defence Weekly and Defence News reported last week that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have begun deploying automated gun stations in pillboxes along the Gaza border. The robot systems are said to mount cal-fifty (12.7mm) machine guns, protected by "armoured folding shields" until ready to fire. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/05/israel_rob o_sniper_gaza/

Submission + - Global Warming on Neptune (investors.com)

Submitted by

corbettw

on Monday June 04, 2007 @04:02PM

corbettw writes: "According to this article at Investor's Business Daily, Neptune has been experiencing warming from 1980 to 2004. One wonders if this is at all related to the warming on earth during the same period?"

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