Comment Re:Yes! (Score 0, Redundant) 316
Nitpic, it is Hans Blix.
Comment Re: There are still bugs .... (Score 1) 279
Boot from your install-dvd and run disk repair from there.
Submission + - Google to Launch Music Service, Google Audio (techcrunch.com)
suraj.sun writes: Google will soon launch a music service, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the company has spent the last several weeks securing content for the launch of the service from the major music labels. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.
We’re still gathering details, but our understanding is the service will be very different to the Google China music download service that they launched in 2008. That service, which is only available in China, allows users to search for music and download it for free.
This new service will be available for at least U.S. users, our sources confirm, although it isn’t clear if it’s a download or streaming service, or both.
TechCrunch : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/21/new-google-music-service-launch-imminent/
We’re still gathering details, but our understanding is the service will be very different to the Google China music download service that they launched in 2008. That service, which is only available in China, allows users to search for music and download it for free.
This new service will be available for at least U.S. users, our sources confirm, although it isn’t clear if it’s a download or streaming service, or both.
TechCrunch : http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/21/new-google-music-service-launch-imminent/
Submission + - SPAM: Why Our Brains Will Never Live in the Matrix
destinyland writes: Professor Athena Andreadis answers the question, "Why Our Brains Will Never Live in the Matrix," contrasting "mind uploading" predictions with "the major stumbling block to personal immortality" — namely, that our biological software is inseparable from our hardware. There's practical problems. ("After electrochemical activity ceases in the brain, neuronal integrity deteriorates in a matter of seconds.") But she also argues that what we call "the mind" is also an artifact of a specific brain, and copying it "is an excellent way to leave a detailed memorial or a clone-like descendant, but not to become immortal."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Submission + - Astronaut Group Endorses Commercial Spaceflight (wsj.com)
FleaPlus writes: Buzz Aldrin and twelve other astronauts have published a joint endorsement of commercial human spaceflight, stating that 'while it's completely appropriate for NASA to continue developing systems and the new technologies necessary to take crews farther out into our solar system, [the astronauts] believe that the commercial sector is fully capable of safely handling the critical task of low-Earth-orbit human transportation.' They are confident that commercial systems (which NASA already relies on for launching multibillion-dollar science payloads) can provide a level of safety equal to the Russian Soyuz and higher than the Space Shuttle, while strengthening US economic competitiveness. They also support the expected endorsement of the White House's Augustine Commission regarding NASA's use of commercial spaceflight — the Commission's final report will be released this Thursday.
Submission + - Sun Microsystems to cut 3,000 jobs (cnn.com)
afgun writes: Once great tech leader Sun will shed 3,000 jobs due to the delays in the Oracle acquisition; is this the first cry of the death-spiral?
Submission + - MS's Ho named as side kicker; MS dodges and weaves 1
rtfa-troll writes: In an earlier Slashdot story Microsoft claimed to have restored all sidekick data; however it turns out that only contacts and not photographs, notes, to-do lists, marketplace data and high scores have been restored for affected users; the "The Danger / Microsoft team continues to work around the clock" fixing he problem.. In the meantime, Microsoft's damage limitation strategy is to blame other vendors involved for the fault whilst claiming that it's other services such as SharePointare somehow different and failing to explain why there was no adequate backup of their user's data. Unfortunately for Microsoft, it seems that information is leaking. It's already clear that the failure must have involved doing an upgrade without an adequate backup however the implication was that this was because danger was a small company staffed by IT incompetents. In the meantime an alternative explanation has been doing the rounds. According to this story there was a backup and danger's engineers had already started to make an up to date backup before the SAN upgrade failure which destroyed all sidekick user's data. However, the backup was terminated on Microsoft Management decision (supposedly from Roz Ho, Corporate Vice President, Premium Mobile Experiences) If true then there is a common factor putting all Microsoft cloud services at risk. Microsoft Management.
Submission + - Family Guy to promote Windows 7 in special episode (cnet.co.uk) 3
CNETNate writes: A special edition of Family Guy, along with various other live-action performances from the show's creator Seth MacFarlane and pals, will air with the sole purpose of telling the world how awesome Microsoft's new OS is. The content of Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show (the current working title) is unclear. But it's essentially going to be 30 minutes of Family Guy-themed content, without any ad breaks, filled with Windows 7 product placement. But is this product placement going too far?
Games Fail To Portray Gender and Ethnic Diversity 590
eldavojohn writes "A new study has found that game characters tend not to reflect cultural diversity. According to the paper from researchers across four universities (PDF): 'A large-scale content analysis of characters in video games was employed to answer questions about their representations of gender, race and age in comparison to the US population. The sample included 150 games from a year across nine platforms, with the results weighted according to game sales. ... The results show a systematic over-representation of males, white and adults and a systematic under-representation of females, Hispanics, Native Americans, children and the elderly.' The researchers also note that games 'function as crucial gatekeepers for interest in science, technology, engineering and math,' and that without these groups represented properly, 'it may place underrepresented groups behind the curve.'"
Comment Re:Whatâ(TM)s the highest version number ever (Score 2, Informative) 321
It isn't a proper version number. Many in between has been skipped, like going from 290 to 330.
Submission + - Apple to Sell WiFi-less iPhone in China
Hugh Pickens writes: "Business Week reports that the Chinese government has received an application from Apple seeking a Network Access License to sell the iPhone for officially-sanctioned use in the country however the application is for an iPhone that does not include wifi connectivity, a sticking point in negotiations with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which wants the phone to only run on the cellular networks. "Apple was hellbent on having the iPhone be wifi-enabled," says analyst Matt Mathison. "The Chinese government has been just as adament that it not be." Dan Butterfield reports that for many years now, China ministry officials told wireless consumers that WiFi would not be allowed on mobile phones for fear that consumers might be tempted to illegally load VoIP apps and make calls over the Net undermining carriers' interests. However Glenn Fleishman says that China uses WAPI, a homegrown proprietary extension to Wi-Fi that only a handful of Chinese manufacturers have access to and that equipment made and sold in China must have WAPI support, and chips made in China. Fleishman speculates that China's WAPI standard contains backdoor technology to allow China to monitor any communications sent over "secure" links."
Submission + - Americans do not agree with science (yahoo.com) 2
ZeroSerenity writes: "In a not so stunning article, it is thought by many that science is not something you have to agree with. A survey conducted by Pew Research Center states that
"...nearly 9 in 10 scientists accept the idea of evolution by natural selection, but just a third of the public does. And while 84 percent of scientists say the Earth is getting warmer because of human activity, less than half of the public agrees with that." In addition just 27% of the respondents said that the advances of the US in science are its greatest achievement, down from 44% ten years ago.
I fear for my own country's progress if people aren't this interested in science."
Submission + - MS Issues Fix for FireFox Add-on in .Net Framework
Pigskin-Referee writes: On May 6, Microsoft issued an update to .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for the .NET Framework Assistant 1.0 for Firefox. It is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=cecc62dc-96a7-4657-af91-6383ba034eab
It adds an uninstall button to the add-on. Further information is available at: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=963707
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=cecc62dc-96a7-4657-af91-6383ba034eab
It adds an uninstall button to the add-on. Further information is available at: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=963707
Submission + - New Satio Has Half The iPhone's Carbon Footprint (eweekeurope.co.uk)
judgecorp writes: "Sony Ericsson says its new Satio phone has half the environmental impact of the iPhone, as measured by Apple's figures (PDF). The difference is mainly from putting the manual on the Satio phone — no one reads it and it means the packaging can be smaller. The difference is roughly the same as the carbon emitted in a 50 mile drive. Sony Ericsson also launched two "green" phones, and added to the debate on green phones."
Submission + - Stem cells used to restore sight for corneal disea (news.com.au)
Sean0michael writes: "Australian scientists have Restored the sight of three human test subjects using stem cells cultured in contact lenses. All the patients were blind in only one eye. Two were legally blind, but can now read the big letters on an eye chart. The third could read the first few lines, but is now able to pass a driver's test. The University of New South Wales reports that these patients all had damaged corneas, and the stem cells came from each person's good eye. The best part--the procedure is inexpensive, raising hopes for being able to push this to the third world sooner than other, more expensive medications."
