I'm thankful for Firefox as well. I used to use it all the time. Then it started to break. The newer releases were slower than the previous releases. Websites simply wouldn't work, like Facebook, which used to work the best on Firefox.

I think the world is ready again for a browser that you actually have to pay for. That is, as long as it is worth paying for. The old saying applies to Firefox, sadly. Firefox is free, and you get what you pay for.

So if I make a 'photonic circuit'... doesn't some kind of electrical impulse have to modulate the light pathways, i.e. turning them on and off to allow light through, in order to create logic structure? i.e... doesn't this still require transistors? Or does this material actually *change* like a transistor gate when subjected to light, and change back when the light is taken away... Now that I could see making logic gates with.

This is where out US patent group, judicial branch, executive branch, I don't know who exactly, needs to step in and say "YOU DID NOT INVENT REMINDING PEOPLE TO DO STUFF!" and prevent these companies from spending (wasting) money and time on winning the patent to do it. Their struggle to win that patent is not value adding for the country in any way whatsoever, but they'll do it anyway for their own gain. It's wasted money that could better go into R&D, for example.
So tell them now, level the field... and prevent all that wasted effort.

1) These are just the ones we KNOW about.
2) The real #1 is still the human brain.

When can I get a phone with WATSON??

Or to take it even further, back in the 1300s when an engineer was someone who operated military 'engines' - aka machines like catapults.

And let's not forget the Army Corps of Engineers.

Point being, if someone goes to school to learn how to mix chemicals together and then comes out angry that other people are calling themselves engineers, too, but without the schooling, then maybe that someone should go BACK to school and learn some history.

Agreed - my initial evaluation of this 'story' was it is someone's personal experience that they are projecting as general truth.

Because, you know, the 1000+ currently open job postings for keyword "programmer" on Monster.com are just a perfect example of situations where people are already looking to fire you. After all, that's why they created the posting, just so they could waste company resources and fire someone.

/sarcasm

The difference between OS and Browser is fast shrinking. Example: WebOS.
I'm glad Microsoft is taking a stand. Nobody is forcing anyone to use Windows or IE, least of all Microsoft.
And last I checked, the competition isn't exactly hurting...

This is ridiculously stupid and simple to ask, but I'll fire away anyway...

Never stopped me before, why now?

Did they or do they have some way of sending a 'normal' light signal, like say a powerful radio wave, across the same distance and measuring the travel time? If they see it's 60ns longer than the neutrinos then I think we're getting somewhere, neh?

Then I shall have to make a webcrawler for it, and I shall have to call it BayWatch. Surely that name is available?

Well, if it's a male brain there should be some galactic-sized pr0n projection nearby... how closely have we really looked at the pulses coming out of that pulsar??

What would be more interesting than this article would be a survey on Slashdot users who come to Slashdot merely to be a part of the fanboi flamewars you so vehemently despise. At that point we would probably have a solid answer for why Slashdot, historically, decides to post news that we all decidedly agree is not "news for nerds" -- revenue.

This is a phrase I would have reserved for myself after several too many drinks... not so much for this article ;p

One of the best short stories from the master himself -- Theodore Sturgeon. This article reminds me of it. I should read it again.