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Comment It could be so much better. (Score 1) 221

With NFC phones you could make an almost crack proof system. Since the phone has a second line of communication it could use NFC to generate an an encrypted transaction with the merchant terminal and then use it's cellular connection to verify that transaction with the bank, and at last the merchant terminal would use it's network connection to the bank to finalize that transaction. Yes that means both devices need a working network connection to make the transaction work, but it would be super secure since there would be no CC number. Each transaction would be unique and unrepeatable. The bank would get verification from both the merchant and the customer for each transaction.

Comment The original is still the best. (Score 3, Interesting) 425

After trying many options over the years I still find the tried and true paper version works the best. I recommend a small netbook + real notepad. There is just no real substitute for paper yet. I love das blinkinlights as much as anyone but when it comes to a classroom environment, a paper and pencil just works. Especially for math formulas. The only college classes where I used a computer to take notes were programming ones. A laptop or netbook works better because you can use VI or other editor of your choice to copy code examples much more quickly. Also doesn't hurt to be able to actually compile and test something right then and there.

Comment Re:Where's the beef? (Score 1) 7

Web hosting is one thing. What we're doing is clustering, virtualization, NAS, databases, almost everything. We're going to run the entire company backbone off of this system. If it goes down, we go down. Out of my depth? Not really. I've been doing the GNU/Linux sysadm gig for a while now and I'm RH certified, but I am the only one. Having a support contract means that not only do I have backup if I do get in over my head, the support techs could probably walk one of the junior admins through fixing a problem if I'm unreachable. You'd think that statement alone would be enough to convince someone to purchase support, but no. If I where to be hit by a truck and they had to fix a problem they would spend whatever it took to hire a consultant and get it fixed. If that meant spending more than the cost of years of a support contract then so be it. They would be fine with that because they have no choice. My issue is that, according to what my superiors tell me, if CentOS didn't exist they would gladly purchase Red Hat. The rational is that we could instead invest the software budget in more hardware, except my hardware budget didn't go up, the money just vanished.
Red Hat Software

Submission + - How can I justify using Red Hat when CentOS exists (centos.org) 7

Bocaj writes: I recently spec'd out a large project for our company that included software from Red Hat. It came back from the CIO with everything approved except I have to use CentOS. Why? Because "it's free Red Hat." Personally I really like the CentOS project because it puts enterprise class software in the hands of people who might not otherwise afford it. We are not those people. We have money. In fact I questioned the decision by asking why the CIO was willing to spend money on another very similar project and not this one. The answer was "because there is no free alternative." I know this has come up before and I don't want to beat a dead horse, but this is still a very persistent issue. Our CIO is convinced that technical support for any product is worthless. He's will to spend money on "one-time" software purchases, but nothing that is an annual subscription. There is data to support that the Red Hat subscription is cheaper that many other up-front paid software products but not CentOS. The only thing it lacks is support, which the CIO doesn't want. Help?

Submission + - Hybrid technology could bring 'quantum information (scienceblog.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers at Purdue say the merging of plasmonics and nanophotonics is promising the emergence of new 'quantum information systems' far more powerful than today's computers. "Plasmons are quasiparticles that combine electrons and photons. And by using them in place of the simple electrons of today's computers, they could overcome limitations in the operational speed of conventional integrated circuits.The technology hinges on using single photons for switching and routing in computers that would harness the exotic principles of quantum mechanics.

Comment Re:What? (Score 3, Insightful) 770

From TFA:

Why stop at June 2010?
I’m not going to. I do think that having 15 months or so of history gives a good perspective on how a phone has been treated, but it’s also just a labor issue - it takes a while to dredge through the various sites to determine the history of each device. I plan to continue on and might also try to publish the underlying table with references. I also acknowledge that it’s possible I’ve missed something along the way.

Submission + - 1 MW LENR plant supposedly to come online tommorow (e-catworld.com)

Jherico writes: "Andrea Rossi (covered here a few times before) is scheduled to bring his 1MW plant online tomorrow. This will likely either be the point where 'unexpected technical difficulties' unmask this for the scam it is, or the presence of an actual 1MW plant with no chemical fuel source will silence a lot of skeptics. What would you do if it were real?"

Comment We'll just have to see how this goes. (Score 1) 244

You never know the full effect of legislation until it hits the courts. We'll see if this has any improvement. Personally I feel that new copyright law for software is needed and then limit patents to only physically producible items. No software patents, no business practice patents. If it can't be manufactured, you can't patent it. Patent infringement should be handled first by submitting documentation of a product that is actually being sold and your patent number to the patent office. If an examiner finds that the product matches your patent you may file with the court system. If not, you're out of luck.

Comment Clean vs. Dirty (Score 1) 238

Any just how am I suppose to discern which of my clothes are good-to-go that morning? Seriously though, this could be huge for outdoor clothing used by hikers and the like. No more smelling ripe after a week in the bush. It could also allow clothing to last longer because most of the damage it takes these days is from the washing machines. We often wash clothing that has very little actual dirt on it, but a little sweat and oil with bacteria that smells.

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