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Submission + - AMD's New Catalyst 13.8 Beta Drivers Enable Frame Pacing Control (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Multi-GPU configurations have been available in the market for PC gamers for years now, but the technology still has some quirks. NVIDIA SLI-based solutions generally offered smoother, more consistent frame times across the board, whereas AMD CrossFire-based solutions suffered from erratic frame pacing, which resulted in wild swings in frame times. AMD promised that it was working on a new driver that would resolve frame pacing issues with CrossFire configurations and that said driver would be made available this summer. AMD just made good on the promise. The just-released AMD Catalyst 13.8 beta drivers enable frame pacing control for DirectX 10 and 11 applications. After installing the driver, the controls are made available right in the 3D Application Settings section of the Catalyst Control Center. Frame times are much more consistent now across the board in a number of game engines. Smoother frame delivery is all well and good, but not if it causes frame rates to tank. Fortunately, frame rates are hardly affected by enabling/disabling frame pacing in the Catalyst 13.8 beta driver. Technically, performance is down ever so slightly across the board, but the deltas are tiny enough to be insignificant.

Submission + - Google 'Pressure Cookers' and 'Backpacks,' Get a Visit from the Cops (theatlanticwire.com)

Submitted by n1ywb
n1ywb writes: Michele Catalano was looking for information online about pressure cookers. Her husband, in the same time frame, was Googling backpacks. Wednesday morning, six men from a joint terrorism task force showed up at their house to see if they were terrorists. Which prompts the question: How'd the government know what they were Googling?

Submission + - Has Linus Torvalds won the long battle with Microsoft? (muktware.com)

Submitted by sfcrazy
sfcrazy writes: The father of Linux, Linus Torvalds, once said, "If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won."

Microsoft yesterday released one of its cash cows Microsoft Office for Android. Since Microsoft has a very vague idea of what users want and is suffering from lock-in, the apps is just an Android front end of Office 365 and is accessible only by the paid users. There are already quite a lot of office suites available on Android including Office Pro, QuickOffice and KingSoft so Microsoft will have to struggle there.

Still it's a Microsoft core application coming to Linux.

So, it looks like Linus has won.

Comment Good point. (Score 1) 163

Yes, the power switch is more effective. However, some phones may not actually stop transmitting until the battery is removed.

My point, which I didn't make effectively, is that it is easy to avoid transmission of electromagnetic energy.

"Totally ineffective." When the reception is extremely poor, GSM phones cannot find a provider and stop frequent transmission.

Submission + - Obama Praises Amazon at One of Its Controversial Warehouses

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: In his first term, President Obama was a big booster of indie bookstores. But on Tuesday, the President chose to deliver his speech on Jobs for the Middle Class at one of Amazon's controversial fulfillment centers in Chattanooga, TN. 'Amazon is a great example of what’s possible,' said Obama, who also toured the 'amazing facility' where workers can make $10.50-$11.50 an hour as an employee of Integrity Staffing Group, 'may also be eligible for medical and dental benefits', and 'must be able to stand/walk for up to 10-12 hours' in temperatures that 'will occasionally exceed 90 degrees.' So, are '21st century migrant workers' the new middle class?

Submission + - Liberal Saudi Web Forum Founder Sentenced to 600 lashes and 7 Years In Prison (seattletimes.com) 1

Submitted by cold fjord
cold fjord writes: Some reformers travel a harder road than others. The Seattle Times reports, "The founder of a liberal-minded website in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes after angering Islamic authorities in the ultraconservative kingdom... Raif Badawi, through his website known as Free Saudi Liberals, had urged Saudis to share opinions about the role of religion in the country, which follows a strict form of Islam that includes harsh punishments for challenging customs. A judge in the Red Sea port of Jiddah imposed the sentences but dropped charges of apostasy, which could have brought a death sentence, the Al-Watan newspaper reported. Badawi has been held since June 2012"" More at The Inquirer, and the BBC, which informs us that, "The judge ordered that the 600 lashes be administered 150 at a time. ... "The lashes could be spread out but in Sharia this is a sign that the judge wants to insult him," he said."

Submission + - Warrantless Cellphone Tracking Is Upheld (nytimes.com)

Submitted by mendax
mendax writes: The New York Times is reporting, "In a significant victory for law enforcement, a federal appeals court on Tuesday said that government authorities could extract historical location data directly from telecommunications carriers without a search warrant. The closely watched case, in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, is the first ruling that squarely addresses the constitutionality of warrantless searches of historical location data stored by cellphone service providers. Ruling 2 to 1, the court said a warrantless search was 'not per se unconstitutional' because location data was 'clearly a business record' and therefore not protected by the Fourth Amendment.'" The article pointed out that this went squarely against a New Jersey Supreme Court opinion rendered earlier this month but noted that the state court's ruling was based upon the text of the state's constitution, not that of the federal constitution.

Submission + - Asus CEO on Windows RT: "We're out." (allthingsd.com)

Submitted by symbolset
symbolset writes: AllThingsD's intrepid reporter Ina Fried has an interview up where Asus chairman and CEO Jonney Shih says they will not make any more Windows RT devices until Microsoft proves demand for the product.

This leaves Dell as the only OEM who has not sworn off Windows RT. Dell is seeking to take itself private, relying on a $2 billion loan from Microsoft.

Comment FRAUD ALERT! Ignorant person wants attention. (Score 3, Insightful) 163

"The head of police for Moscow's subway system..."

He knows NOTHING about technology, but wants to make decisions about it.

As someone said above, electromagnetic signals can be stopped by wrapping a phone with aluminum foil. People would not be able to use their phones on the subway, which is probably not possible anyway unless antennas have been installed in the tunnels.

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