Comment Re:Idiots (Score 1) 120
Oh, give them a break.
The FBI is just doing its job: ensuring that government of the money, by the money and for the money, shall not perish from this earth.
Combining Two Kinects To Make Better 3D Video 106
suraj.sun sends this quote from Engadget about improving the Kinect 3D video recordings we discussed recently:
"[Oliver Kreylos is] blowing minds and demonstrating that two Kinects can be paired and their output meshed — one basically filling in the gaps of the other. He found that the two do create some interference, the dotted IR pattern of one causing some holes and blotches in the other, but when the two are combined they basically help each other out and the results are quite impressive."
Debt Collectors Using Facebook To Embarrass Those Who Owe 266
Not even the tranquility of FarmVille can save you from the long arm of debt collectors. Melanie Beacham says that a collector from MarkOne Financial contacted her relatives about her past due car note via Facebook. She is filing suit alleging that the company is harassing her family. Tampa based consumer attorney Billy Howard of Morgan & Morgan says, "Now Facebook does a debt collectors work for them. Now it's not only family members, it's all of your associates. It's a very powerful tool for debt collectors to use."
Comment I think I'll pass... (Score 1) 322
There's more than just autoplay and malware to worry about.
How long before some jerk sets one of these up that's not connected to a hidden USB drive, but to the AC power lines?
*POOF* No more laptop.
Comment Re:Conservative Gene (Score 1) 841
To find a conservative gene, they'd have to look at the other end.
Songbird Fossil Virus May Help Predict Pandemics 42
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers announced they found a fossil virus hiding in the most unexpected place: the chromosomes of several songbird species. This ancient virus resembles human hepatitis B virus. Finding this ancient virus will catalyze new lines of inquiry that may help scientists predict and prevent future human viral pandemics that originate in birds."
Doctors Save Premature Baby Using Sandwich Bag 246
Born 14 weeks early, Lexi Lacey owes her life to some MacGyver inspired doctors and a sandwich bag. Lexi was so small at birth that even the tiniest insulating jacket was too big, but she fit into a plastic sandwich bag nicely. ''The doctors told us they had never known a baby born as prematurely as Lexi survive. She was so tiny the only thing they had to keep her body temperature warm was a sandwich bag from the hospital canteen — it's incredible to think that saved her life," says her mom.
Selling Incandescent Light Bulbs As Heating Devices 557
Csiko writes "The European Union has banned by law trading of incandescent light bulbs due to their bad efficiency/ecology (most of the energy is transformed into heat). A company is now trying to bypass this restriction by offering their incandescent light bulb products as a heating device (article in German) instead of a light device. Still, their 'heat balls' give light as well as heating. So — every law can be bypassed if you have some creativity!"
In Case of Emergency, Please Remove Your Bra 123
An anonymous reader writes "Caught in a disaster with harmful airborne particles? You'd better hope you're wearing the Emergency Bra. Simply unsnap the bright red bra, separate the cups, and slip it over your head — one cup for you, and one for your friend. Dr. Elena Bodnar won an Ig Nobel Award for the invention last year, an annual tribute to scientific research that on the surface seems goofy but is often surprisingly practical. And now Bodnar has brought the eBra to the public; purchase one online for just $29.95."
Today's Children Are Officially Potty Mouths 449
tetrahedrassface writes "When the Sociolinguistics Symposium met earlier this month swearing scholar Timothy Jay revealed that an increase in child swearing is directly related to an increase in adult swearing. It seems that vulgarity is increasing as pop culture continues to popularize vulgarities. The blame lies with media, public figures, politicians, but mostly ourselves. From the article: 'Children as young as two are now dropping f-bombs, with researchers reporting that more kids are using profanity — and at earlier ages — than has been recorded in at least three decades.'"
Comment Re:It's a good thing too because (Score 2, Funny) 175
I used a spade on one I found in my garage last month.
Comment Re:Sounds like 1984 again (Score 1) 489
Most of the weather websites are delayed enough that they are worthless at times. When they're telling me a storm is approaching, it's already passed. Plus in many rural areas, getting a web connection is next to impossible.
The local TV stations broadcast a live feed of the weather radar and cover a wide area with their signal.
Comment Re:Sure and maybe (Score 1) 489
Don't forget the horseshoe lobby!
Comment Re:Sounds like 1984 again (Score 3, Interesting) 489
Personally, I'd rather have a digital TV in my phone. Several of the local stations broadcast weather radar and alerts on one of their sub channels. It would be very useful when out and about.
Comment Re:Lots of good memories :) (Score 4, Interesting) 110
The magnets don't move and they aren't exectly hidden but TZ is a fun game. If you want to talk about taunting your dreams, try repairing one of them, that will give you fits. TZ is one of the hardest machines to keep running. Medeival Madness and Addams family run a close second and third.
But I find it interesting that two of the three games in the final round are from a company no longer making pinball games. Truly the era of pinball is coming to a close.
