Julius X - Slashdot User

Quantum Physics For Everybody 145

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @05:11PM from the this-time-without-the-math dept.

fiziko writes in with a self-described "blatant self-promotion" of a worthwhile service for those wishing to go beyond Khan Academy physics: namely Bureau 42's Summer School. "As those who subscribe to the 'Sci-Fi News' slashbox may know, Bureau 42 has launched its first Summer School. This year we're doing a nine-part series (every Monday in July and August) taking readers from high school physics to graduate level physics, with no particular mathematical background required. Follow the link for part 1."

How To Build a Winscape 161

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday April 15, 2010 @09:39AM from the well-that's-pretty-cool dept.

hoagaboom writes "You take your plasma TVs, mix them with a healthy dose of OpenGL and a dash of Wii Remote. Bake for a year and enjoy something called a Winscape." Although I'm not sure I'm quite willing to wear a special necklace to make the effect work, it's a super sweet little project, although they want $10 for the software and then $10 for many of the actual video loops.

Journal Journal: a return which is long overdue (plus achievements!) 17

Journal by CleverNickName on Friday September 11, 2009 @04:08PM

I've lurked at /. without posting for ages, mostly because I just don't have the time to interact like I used to.

Comment Re:Wash your hands! (Score 1) 374

by CleverNickName on Friday September 11, 2009 @03:32PM (#29392669) Attached to: Swine Flu Outbreak At PAX

This is good advice, and gives me an opportunity to speak to the community at large: some of us who go to cons and are in a position to shake tons of hands politely decline. It's not because we're being dicks, it's because we know it's a good way to substantially decrease our chances of catching and spreading any germs.

Comment Oh, cruel irony (Score 2, Interesting) 374

by CleverNickName on Friday September 11, 2009 @03:30PM (#29392641) Attached to: Swine Flu Outbreak At PAX

I played the PAX Pandemic game, where the Enforcers handed out stickers to attendees that read [Carrier] [Infected] or [Immune] (There was also a [Patient Zero].

I got the [Immune] sticker, and by the time I got home on Monday, it was clear that I had the flu. I've had a fever between 100 and 104 all week that finally broke last night, but I'm going to the doctor today because I think whatever I had settled into my lungs. I'll tell him about the H1N1 outbreak and get tested if he wants to run the test, but at this point I think it's safe to assume that I was [Immune] to the Pig Plague, but definitely [Infected] with the damn PAX pox.

Even though it's been a week of misery, it was entirely worth it, and I don't regret going to PAX for a single second.

Comment don't be a dick, in other words (Score 2, Insightful) 158

by CleverNickName on Saturday February 28, 2009 @01:39PM (#27023693) Attached to: Doctorow Suggests Simple EULA Solution

This is why my motto (and fundamental rule for life) is Don't be a dick: it's simple to understand, and reasonable people can agree on what it means.

Comment John Scalzi on why it won't work (Score 1) 370

by CleverNickName on Tuesday January 08, 2008 @06:24PM (#21961464) Attached to: Sony's Idea of DRM-Free Music

John Scalzi wrote a hilarious exchange on his blog the sums up perfectly why this idea is made of fail:

Sony BMG spokesperson: We're pleased to announce we are the final major music corporation to release electronic tracks without that pesky DRM! All you have to do is leave your house, go to a selected retail outlet, buy a special card there, go back to your house, scratch off the back of the card to find a code, go to our special MusicPass Web site, enter said code, and download one the 37 titles we have available, from Celine Dion to the Backstreet Boys!

Kid #1: Or, in the time it takes me to jump through all those hoops, I could just download all 37 of those albums off of Pirate Bay.

Kid #2: Or, I could just scratch off the back at the store, record the pin number, go home and download the album through a Tor connection, so you can't trace my IP number.

Kid #1: Also, what's with this first slate of artists? Celine Dion? Backstreet Boys? Kenny Chesney? Barry Manilow? Are you high?

There's much more, but I didn't want to jack his entire post.

Journal Journal: Announcing the release of my new book 22

Journal by CleverNickName on Friday October 12, 2007 @11:22PM

This feels like a mega-spam entry, and I'm very self conscious about posting it, but I'm excited about this and I wanted to share . . .

Submission + - The Google Phone is a Reality.

Submitted by

MrCrassic

on Friday October 12, 2007 @11:01PM

MrCrassic writes: "It appears that Google is initiating talks with well-known PDA/smartphone manufacturer HTC to make the Google phone a reality. With impressive tech specs and an already impressive concept underway , could Google be the next company to make a mark in the wireless device industry? From the main article:

However, a recent report by CrunchGear states that its own sources at mobile handset provider HTC have tipped the site off to multiple gPhone handsets being prepped for launch in the first quarter of 2008 and that the handsets will be coming out of Taiwan. There will supposedly be over 20 different handsets to choose from — some with GPS — and they will carry special versions of Google Maps, Google Calendar, Gmail, and VoIP-enabled Google Talk. Speaking of software, Google is rumored to be developing its own operating system for the gPhone. According to reports by Engadget, the OS has been in development since 2005 after Google's acquisition of a mobile software company called Android. The Android team has since developed a Linux-based mobile OS while at Google — a detail that is corroborated by the CrunchGear report — which of course comes with tight Google integration. Both sites appear to agree that their sources indicate Google isn't currently looking to develop the hardware... for now.
"

Simon Pegg to Play Scotty 233

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday October 12, 2007 @06:15PM from the take-ship-go-to-mum's-kill-phil-sorry dept.

In response to yesterday's casting news about Chris Pine possibly taking the captain's chair for the new Star Trek movie, apparently Simon Pegg will be playing the role of Scotty. Simon Pegg is known for his role as Shaun in Shaun of the Dead and more recently for his leading role in Hot Fuzz. "Pegg joins Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu and Zachary Quinto as Spock in the film which reportedly, and logically, 'chronicles the early days of the Enterprise crew.' Leonard Nimoy will also put in an appearance, while Eric Bana signed up this week as the movie's villain, Nero."

Journal Journal: Confronting pseudoscience in advertising

Journal by Daniel Dvorkin on Friday October 12, 2007 @02:42PM

The Scientist reports that UK group Sense About Science is confronting advertisers about pseudoscientific claims in health products such as "Aerobic Oxygen," "Salt Lamps," and "Activ8." They called the advertisers' customer service numbers and grilled the unfortunates on the other end of the phone about their misuse of scientific language to sell products. The project,

Submission + - Serious XSS vulnerability discovered in Facebook (virginia.edu)

Submitted by on Saturday July 28, 2007 @06:53PM

An anonymous reader writes: A new XSS vulnerability was found in Facebook, allowing executable code to be injected in a user's profile; this compromises the security of both the profile owner and all profile viewers. The article includes a sketch of the attack, a white paper that gives a detailed explanation of how such an attack can be used, and a video demo. Facebook is set up so that once a single hidden value has been obtained, any form can be submitted with that user's credentials. One would think that XSS vulnerabilities are common and serious enough that Facebook would have set up their site so that the entire site is not laid open by a single attack. (The article does not disclose the location of the XSS hole since it has not yet been patched.)

Comment Other factors... (Score 5, Informative) 428

by Julius X on Thursday June 28, 2007 @03:23PM (#19679829) Attached to: The Man Who Went Through 11 Xbox 360s

I troubleshoot home theater electronics all day, every day. I have to wonder if something else is at work here. At least one person asked, what do these eleven units all have in common? The same working environment. There are plenty of Xbox 360s out there, and they certainly all aren't failures, and the chance that this one person has received every part from the 1-2% of doomed 360s out there that are failures would be nearly statistically impossible.

More likely is that some other factor is causing this, perhaps the powerstrip he's plugged it into has a badly grounded outlet, or perhaps the main outlet itself - or possibly any of another hundred or so electrical issues there could be - such issues tend to plague complex electronics in very odd ways, and not the same way every time.

If I were at Microsoft, I'd replace his unit, but advise this guy he needs to get some help looking for what other factors could be causing these malfunctions.

Jon Stewart, Lorne Michaels Come Out In Favour of YouTube 114

Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 14, 2007 @03:14AM from the somebody-has-to-right dept.

techdirt writes "Viacom employee Jon Stewart recently announced that he believes his bosses are making a mistake in taking Viacom content off of YouTube. Today, NBC employee and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels has stated he can't understand NBC's position on YouTube. The interview with Michaels is especially interesting, because it was a Saturday Night Live clip of the infamous 'Lazy Sunday' music video that is often credited with putting YouTube on the map. At the same time, however, almost everyone admitted that it did wonders in revitalizing SNL's reputation (as well as boosting Andy Samberg's reputation to new heights). Yet, NBC's lawyers shot it down, limiting the benefit to SNL. It appears that Michaels understands that, and says he wishes they could put more of the show on YouTube."

Submission + - Questioning the Value of an IT Degree

Submitted by

jerbenn

on Saturday March 03, 2007 @02:17PM

jerbenn writes: "The following article appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education: "With interdisciplinary training all the rage in the IT industry, computer-science degrees just don't seem to carry the weight they once did. According to a new survey, three out of five British employers don't care whether applicants for high-tech jobs have IT-specific degrees. The survey — completed by E-Skills UK, a government agency — also found that only two of every five IT workers in Britain possess tech-related degrees. Karen Price, chief executive of E-Skills UK, told CNET News that applicants without IT degrees are often perceived as better entrepreneurs and communicators than their tech-trained counterparts."

What's this world coming to??? It's starting to sound like companies would rather hire someone who can't differentiate between a semaphore and a hole-in-their-ass as long as they have so called 'soft-skills'. Yes, those soft skills are important, but they can be developed much easier than learning the theory and skills needed for innovation and development, not to mention maintaining existing technology!"

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