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Science

The Proton Just Got Smaller 289

Posted by samzenpus from the size-does-matter dept.
inflame writes "A new paper published in Nature has said that the proton may be smaller than we previously thought. The article states 'The difference is so infinitesimal that it might defy belief that anyone, even physicists, would care. But the new measurements could mean that there is a gap in existing theories of quantum mechanics. "It's a very serious discrepancy," says Ingo Sick, a physicist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, who has tried to reconcile the finding with four decades of previous measurements. "There is really something seriously wrong someplace."' Would this indicate new physics if proven?"
Censorship

Porn Sites Pop Up In China 126

Posted by timothy from the har-har-har dept.
crimeandpunishment writes "It may only be a temporary glitch, but it's one that's providing some pleasure for Internet users in China. Previously blocked websites, including ones with pornography, are suddenly accessible in China. The country has a long history of cracking down on online pornography. One analyst says it's far more likely that this is a glitch, not a change in Internet censorship policy."
IBM

IBM's Patent-Pending Traffic Lights Stop Car Engines 423

Posted by Soulskill from the even-red-lights-are-going-green dept.
theodp writes "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't let your engine idle. The USPTO has just published IBM's patent application for a 'System and Method for Controlling Vehicle Engine Running State at Busy Intersections for Increased Fuel Consumption Efficiency.' Here's how Big Blue explains the invention: 'The present disclosure is directed to a method for managing engines in response to a traffic signal. The method may comprise establishing communications with participating vehicles; responding to a stop status indicated by the traffic signal, further comprising: receiving a position data from each participating vehicles; determining a queue of participating vehicles stopped at the traffic signal; determining a remaining duration of the stop status; sending a stop-engine notification to the list of participating vehicles stopped at the traffic signal when the remaining duration is greater than a threshold of time; responding to a proceed status indicated by the traffic signal, further comprising: sending a start-engine notification to a first vehicle in the queue; calculating an optimal time for an engine of a second vehicle in the queue to start; and sending the start-engine notification to the second vehicle at the optimal time.' IBM notes that 'traffic signals may include, but are not limited to, traffic lights at intersections, railway crossing signals, or other devices for indicating correct moments to stop and to proceed.'"

Comment Re:Looking great (Score 1) 182

by PixieDust (#32226268) Attached to: Trailer For Blender Open Movie <em>Sintel</em> Ready

I've gotten a lot of pirated stuff over the years but I also buy the movies/music/games/software/etc. that I like and it being freely available makes no difference.

That sound you're hearing is a large contingent of black cars with dark tinted windows and government plates filled with suits getting ready to knock on your door.

Comment Re:We Want to (Score 4, Insightful) 731

by PixieDust (#32195676) Attached to: Adobe Calls Out Apple With Ads In NY Times, WSJ
LOL I can't stand Apple personally. But Flash? Adobe has destroyed something that was once a very cool thing. And they did it with shitty code and a development philosophy that completely ignored security concerns and opened one more door for attackers to use that requires no retardation ont he user's part.

All that's required is an adserver that doesn't do a very good job of screening ads that serves ads to a lot of sites and viola.

Instant system compromise.
United States

Supreme Court Rolls Back Corporate Campaign Spending Limits 1070

Posted by timothy from the hearken-to-the-nelson-laugh dept.
lorenlal writes "The Supreme Court of the United States must have figured that restrictions on corporate support of candidates was a violation of free speech, or something like that." From the AP story linked above: "By a 5-4 vote, the court on Thursday overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to pay for campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states."

Comment Re:Of course... (Score 1) 284

by PixieDust (#30542496) Attached to: Girl Gamers More Hardcore Than Guys
I cut my teeth on MUDs. I played EQ for quite some time as an Enchanter and quit shortly after Gates of Discord was released because WoW was going to take its place. And now I play WoW. I'm also a bit of an elitist. Guys don't tell me how to play. Usually it's me telling them why they're wrong about (insert game mechanic here), the math behind it, and several links and/or websites detailing data that shows they are wrong and I am right. I've been in Vent before chit chatting during random PuGs (most recently farming rep in ICC) and talk of mage specs came up. I was on my Disc Priest at the time, and asked a mage in the raid if they had a certain talent. This sparked a big discussion about whether or not it was something good to spent points on. The vent admin (who wasn't even in the damn raid) booted me because he was tired of listening to me, and the general consensus was that I didn't know wtf I was talking about. About 3 people came up to me after the run was finished to talk about that and had me log my mage and explain why this particular talent was useful, and the approximate uptime of the buff during boss fights in raids. All 3 of them (male) promptly went to switch the specs on their mages to include that talent. The general attitude of "girls suck at games" is rampant. It's a stereotype, and one that I take particular enjoyment in absolutely demolishing. But then people take the same attitude with guild names too. If a guild name doesn't drip testosterone, then it must be a shitty guild. We've also destroyed that one. Though I still want to find a sponser or something, and form a guild called "Pretty Pink Ponies" or something, maybe a Hello Kitty reference, and try and compete for world firsts. No real good reason other than to see the look on the faces of men who realized they have just been completely, utterly, and thoroughly destroyed.... by a GIRL!

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