Comment Re:"even Windows 7" - no need to be snarky about W (Score 1) 133
I do use Cygwin occasionally, but it is slower than molasses and escaping of strings involving \ can be a nightmare. I'd be happy to learn of a better alternative.
Comment "even Windows 7" - no need to be snarky about Win7 (Score 2, Informative) 133
Sorry, but I think your "even Windows 7" swipe is silly. As much as I love *nix and like to poke fun at Microsoft (I grew up on SunOS, HP-UX, IRIX, and Linux), I find Windows 7 to be a delight to work with (I run RC1 at home on two systems, an old P4 system and a newer Core 2 Duo). I would love to see a good desktop version of Linux, but Gnome, KDE etc. are just not polished enough (yeah, yeah, Ubuntu is pretty nice and all, but the desktop is still klunky). As a developer I miss the power of the command line tools in the Linux development environment, but as a casual user (and casual gamer) I am really liking Win7.
Comment NOT surprising, misleading title (Score 1) 567
There is absolutely nothing surprising about this study - it is right in line with the large AB studies done in the past comparing AAC, WMA, MP3 etc. (Since the poster didn't bother to read up on the topic before positing to slashdot, I cannot be bothered to look up a link either) . AAC+ is a vastly superior codec for low bit-rate streaming, for which it was developed. It uses a very powerful technique called spectral replication (who would have thought something that useful would come out of Sweden - just kidding). Please don't post articles about things you know nothing about. Thank you.
Comment Re:Very clever idea. (Score 3, Funny) 465
Let me guess: This guy worked on NASA's Mars orbiter.
Comment Hello FCC & FTC! Anybody awake? (Score 1) 241
This is what happens when the lights are out at the FTC and FCC for 8 years!
Comment Matlab (Score 1) 776
'nuff said.
Comment Re:Stupid (Score 2, Funny) 317
"I can't believe this made it through a thought/mouth filter."
You must be new here:
1. PHB thinks he has a great idea.
2. Engineers hint to PHB that it is actually retarded, but have to implement it anyway.
3. Customers revolt.
4. Engineers get blamed for implementing such a ridiculous feature.
5. Goto 1.
Comment Keep your wine away from my special lady friend (Score 1) 448
She's not my special lady, she's my fucking lady friend. I'm just helping her conceive, man.
So back off, wine Dude!
RIAA, Safenet Sued For Malicious Prosecution 337
DaveAtFraud writes "Tanya Anderson, the single mother from Oregon previously sued by the RIAA — which dropped the case just before losing a summary judgement — is now suing the RIAA and their hired snoop Safenet for malicious prosecution. (Safenet was formerly known as MediaSentry.) Anderson is asserting claims under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. A reader at Groklaw has already picked up that she is seeking to have the RIAA forfeit the copyrights in question as part of the settlement (search the page for '18.6-7')."
Submission + - Is the CD Becoming Obsolete? (audioholics.com)
mrnomas writes: So, what's to blame for the declining CD sales? Is it that manufacturers are putting out more and more "safe" (read: crap) music while independent musicians are releasing online? Is it because iTunes is now the third larges music retailer in the country? Or is it just that CD's are becoming obsolete?
"Glancing at a report on Forbes.com this morning, there was an article showing that CD sales are expected to be down 20% 2008 (slightly higher than the 15% drop initially predicted). Why such a drop? What's truly happening is a gradual shift away from physical media to downloadable formats. What this indicates, so far, is that US sales of digital music will be growing at an estimated rate of 28% in 2008, however physical sales will drop even further, resulting in a net overall decline."
"Glancing at a report on Forbes.com this morning, there was an article showing that CD sales are expected to be down 20% 2008 (slightly higher than the 15% drop initially predicted). Why such a drop? What's truly happening is a gradual shift away from physical media to downloadable formats. What this indicates, so far, is that US sales of digital music will be growing at an estimated rate of 28% in 2008, however physical sales will drop even further, resulting in a net overall decline."
Submission + - Fresh Security Breaches at Los Alamos (msn.com)
WrongSizeGlass writes: MSNBC is reporting on two new security breaches at Los Alamos. Officials at the nuclear-weapons laboratory, already struggling to calm concerns over security lapses, now have two more breaches to explain. Both of these latest incidents where 'human error' on the part of employees including an e-mail containing classified material sent over the open Internet, rather than through the secure defense network and a vacationing employee's laptop containing government documents of a sensitive nature and an encryption card advanced enough that its export is government-controlled being stolen from a hotel room in Ireland. It seems we will always be our own worst enemies when it comes to IT related security.
Intelligent Design Ruled "Not Science" 1497
blane.bramble writes "The Register is reporting that the UK government has stated there is no place in the science curriculum for Intelligent Design and that it can not be taught as science. 'The Government is aware that a number of concerns have been raised in the media and elsewhere as to whether creationism and intelligent design have a place in science lessons. The Government is clear that creationism and intelligent design are not part of the science National Curriculum programs of study and should not be taught as science.'"
New York Sues Dell for Poor Customer Service 295
Phanatic1a writes "New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is suing Dell, alleging bait and switch financing tactics, false advertising, and 'numerous other deceptive business practices relating to their technical support services, promotional financing, rebate offers, and billing and collection activity.' According to Cuomo himself, 'At Dell, customer service means no service at all.'"
26 Common Climate Myths Debunked 998
holy_calamity writes to mention that New Scientist is revealing the truth behind the '26 most common climate myths' used to muddy the waters in this ongoing heated debate. "Our planet's climate is anything but simple. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events on the Sun to the growth of microscopic creatures in the oceans, and there are subtle interactions between many of these factors. Yet despite all the complexities, a firm and ever-growing body of evidence points to a clear picture: the world is warming, this warming is due to human activity increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and if emissions continue unabated the warming will too, with increasingly serious consequences."
40M Vista Licenses in 100 Days 579
Gary writes "In the first 100 days since its launch in Jan 30 Windows Vista has sold an astounding 40 million licenses. Bill Gates gives the credit to accelerating consumer shift to digital lifestyles which has made it the fastest selling operating system in history. Surprisingly the more expensive premium editions accounted for 78 percent of Vista sales. With around 400,000 licenses a day new Vista users will take 8 weeks to beat Mac users, 4 days to exceed Mac sales and 3 days to exceed Linux desktop users."
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