Follow Slashdot blog updates by subscribing to our blog RSS feed

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Robotics

Submission + - Bird sized airplane opens intelligence options (networkworld.com)

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "Look up in the sky — it's a bird, it's a plane it's...both? Researchers today introduced a very cool micro-aircraft shaped like the swift — one of nature's most efficient flyers. The RoboSwift can sweep its wings back and forth, changing the shape and the wing's surface area. The idea is to make the aircraft fly more efficiently and agilely than fixed-wing aircraft. The micro — airplane is powered by a special propeller that folds during gliding to minimize air drag. RoboSwift steers by sweeping back one wing more than the other. The difference in wing position allows RoboSwift to make very sharp turns. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/17672"
The Internet

Submission + - What makes a good home page?

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: I was just visiting one of my favourite technology sites, CNET.co.uk, and I noticed that it's had a redesign, which I like a lot. But as a fledgling Web designer just out of university, I wonder what makes a good home page, not just for technology sites but any site in general. Many people quote Google as a good home page design template because it's simple, but in my personal experience, a plain, simple design doesn't work for every site and depends greatly on the content you're trying to promote.
Space

Submission + - Dark Matter and Superconductivity (lanl.gov)

Submitted by
Philip Sargent
Philip Sargent writes: "A paper which appeared on arXiv today proposes that certain characteristics of dark matter can be detected in laboratory experiments.

Coincidentally, these tests involve the rotating superconductors much beloved by antigravity afficionados.

"Recent laboratory experiments with rotating superconductors show that three so far unexplained experimentally observed effects (anomalous acceleration signals, anomalous gyroscope signals, Cooper pair mass excess) can be physically explained in terms of a possible interaction of dark energy with Cooper pairs..."

"We show that this model can account simultaneously for the anomalous acceleration and anomalous gravitomagnetic fields around rotating superconductors measured by Tajmar et al. and for the anomalous Cooper pair mass in superconductive Niobium, measured by Cabrera and Tate. It is argued that these three different physical effects are ultimately different experimental manifestations of the simultaneous spontaneous breaking of gauge invariance, and of the principle of general covariance in superconductive materials." http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/0707.1797"
Security

Submission + - FBI used CIPAV for secret online search (heise-security.co.uk)

Submitted by
juct
juct writes: "The FBI has used PC spyware for the first time to reveal the identity of an offender who sent bomb threats to a high school in Washington state. According to heise Security a declaration from the FBI official who applied for the search warrant describes the mode of operation of the spyware which the FBI is using under the abbreviation CIPAV (Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier)."
The Media

Submission + - Study: Scientists not very Religious

Submitted by Davin
Davin writes: Study finds that top scientists are not very religious, but that is not because they studied science.
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/8732
"The first systematic analysis in decades to examine the religious beliefs and practices of elite academics in the sciences supports the notion that science professors at top universities are less religious than the general population, but attributes this to a number of variables that have little to do with their study of science."
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - Guy throws pc off his windows, cops sympathize

Submitted by
Lisandro
Lisandro writes: "Reuters reports that a German man threw his computer off the window in the middle of the night, disturbing his neighbors who called the police, which promptly excused him, sympathizing with his technical frustrations. A police spokeman was quoted saying "Who hasn't felt like doing that?" when consulted."
Biotech

Submission + - All Humans Evolved from a Single Origin in Africa (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "Researchers at the University of Cambridge have combined studies of global human genetic variations with skull measurements worldwide to conclusively show the validity of the single origin hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis contended that different populations independently evolved from Homo erectus to Home sapiens in different areas. The lead researcher explains, 'The origin of anatomically modern humans has been the focus of much heated debate. Our genetic research shows the further modern humans have migrated from Africa, the more genetic diversity has been lost within a population. However, some have used skull data to argue that modern humans originated in multiple spots around the world. We have combined our genetic data with new measurements of a large sample of skulls to show definitively that modern humans originated from a single area in Sub-saharan Africa.' The article abstract is available from Nature."
Programming

Submission + - Python Magazine Launches (pythonmagazine.com)

Submitted by
njcajun
njcajun writes: "The Python community now has its own magazine, available in print and digital format. The first issue is scheduled for October 1, but their website is offering discounted subscriptions and a chance to win a MacBook for those who subscribe now. They're also seeking Python authors, so if you're doing something cool with Python and want some extra cash, let them know. Visit the Python Magazine site, or view the announcement by their Editor in Chief."
Programming

Submission + - Best Web Programming Practices

Submitted by superflat
superflat writes: I often see stories on Slashdot bemoaning how web developers don't care about XSS protection and security. As I developer I know that I don't know that much about it (but I try and do what I can) but would like to have a good reference that covers the basics and some of the not so basic stuff that I should look out for. Could the folks here at slashdot suggest some good books to get me started?
Security

Submission + - How to Crack Microsoft Windows Vista in 1 Minute

Submitted by HuckleCom
HuckleCom writes: An article on F-Secure offers insight to a new vital issue with Vista security. It seems as though physical security doesn't matter anymore.

From TFA:
"Did you know that the Command Prompt tool found in Vista's System Recovery Options doesn't require a User Name or Password? And that the Command Prompt provides Administrator level access to the hard drive? For multiple versions of Windows? All you need is a Vista Install DVD and you're all set to go.",

F-Secure provides a link to detailed instructions that demonstrates how vital of an issue this really is.
Media

Submission + - Bill 'Reilly (roryoconnor.org)

Submitted by
bentietz
bentietz writes: "I wanted to talk to Michael Savage and Bill O'Reilly — but they were too busy talking to talk. I wanted to ask talk show host Michael Savage about his continuing attacks on gay parenting and LGBT people in general. And I wanted to ask Bill O'Reilly about the "white, Christian, male power structure" he says he's a part of."
Programming

Submission + - Who gets the unfinished software?

Submitted by zaunuz
zaunuz writes: What happends to unfinished software, mainly consisting of bits and pieces of perl-code, if the company you wrote it for goes bankrupt? This might be the case where i currently work. For the past year i have been in charge of a fairly big project, but due to poor economical planning higher up in the system, it is quite possible that the company will die before me and my team are finished. If this happends, we would like to continue the project on our own, since it is fairly close to completion, and it would suck to just scrap what we've invested so many hours and cups of coffee into. The creditors are most likely to be the new owners of the code, however, do the creditors care about unfinished code? Afterall, first they'd have to understand what it does. After they've done that, they'd have to finish it themselves. Has anyone else experienced a similar situation?
Windows

Submission + - Open Source Is All About Choice, Isn't It? (devx.com)

Submitted by
AlexGr
AlexGr writes: "From Allan McNaughton (DevX): If you are an open source ISV seeking to offer your customers more choices, you should seriously consider supporting Microsoft Windows as a deployment option. Allan McNaughton explores some of the reasons that make partnering with Microsoft so compelling. Developers love choice. And open source developers have choice aplenty. There is a veritable avalanche of technologies that can be used to build open source applications. Of these technologies, the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) has emerged as one of the most popular open source development and deployment platforms. Open source ISVs who embrace LAMP technologies (SugarCRM for example), have gained legions of volunteer developers who contribute time, energy, and ideas (although for every open source success story there are hundreds of projects that never gain critical mass). http://www.devx.com/MicrosoftISV/Article/34632?trk =DXRSS_ENTR"
Sci-Fi

Submission + - Israeli scientists create cyborg brains (sciam.com)

Submitted by
Roy van Rijn
Roy van Rijn writes: "Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel have demonstrated that neurons cultured outside the brain can be imprinted with multiple rudimentary memories that persist for days without interfering with or wiping out others. The israeli scientists have taken a crucial first step in showing that a network of neurons outside the body can be stimulated to create multiple memories that they sustain for days."

Slashdot Top Deals

Any circuit design must contain at least one part which is obsolete, two parts which are unobtainable, and three parts which are still under development.

Close