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Submission + - Pi computed to 10 trillion digits: new record (calico.jp)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A Japanese programmer that goes by the handle JA0HXV announced 16 October that he has computed Pi to 10 trillion digits. This breaks the previous world record of 5 trillion digits. Computation began in October of 2010 and finished yesterday after multiple hard disk problems, he said. Details in English are not fully available yet, but the Japanese page http://ja0hxv.calico.jp/pai/pietc.html gives further details. JA0HXV has held computation records for Pi in the past.
Businesses

Groupon Deal Costs Photographer a Year's Free Work 209

Posted by timothy from the just-sign-this-dotted-line dept.
Andy Smith writes "One professional photographer in Somerset, UK, thought he was drumming up lots of extra business with a special deal on the Groupon group-buying site. Sadly he has ended up committing himself to nearly a year of unpaid work, plus he has to give out over 3,300 free prints." This analysis seems to be based only on the author's observations (rather than the photographer's experience), but the numbers are interesting. It can't work against everyone, though, or I bet there'd be fewer repeat advertisers on the daily-coupon sites.

Comment Re:The Real Real problem (Score 1) 1306

by Dragooner (#35615642) Attached to: US Contemplating 'Vehicle Miles Traveled' Tax

I agree with this one, the axle loading on trucks is significantly more impact to the roadway surface and sub-grade then the personal vehicle. Hopefully taxing them more would move them back onto rail and not pass the increased costs onto the consumers.

Another comment that I notice is that many people assume vehicles will continue using gas into the foreseeable future. I think that we will be using gas for a while longer, but personal vehicles will only get lighter and more efficient and eventually move onto electric/battery/solar/alternative form of energy consumption.

Rail was and is great and I would argue that roads and rail (either commercial or passenger) are both needed for an overall efficient transportation system.

Submission + - Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory at South Pole (wisc.edu)

Submitted by Scryer
Scryer writes: Construction of the Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory was completed on 18 Dec at the South Pole. It's now the world's largest neutrino detector, with 5,160 optical sensors on 86 strings embedded two kilometers below the National Science Foundation’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. It has been gathering data since construction started, and will be fully operational after the last strings freeze in March 2011.
Google

Submission + - Google TV Suffers Setback (zacks.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Google TV has now been around long enough for the geeks to play around with it. And they have come back with disappointing reviews. While most were excited at the concept of wedlock between the TV and Internet, the marriage itself looks destined to be challenging.
PC Games (Games)

Top Final Fantasy XIV Devs Replaced, PS3 Version Delayed 89

Posted by Soulskill from the bad-news-bears dept.
After Final Fantasy XIV's troubled launch and subsequent attempt to placate angry fans, Square Enix has decided that the game's leadership needs to be replaced. They've asked players to patiently stick around until they're ready to unveil their new plans for the game, extending the free trial period to compensate. Square also announced bad news for PS3 owners who were still somehow interested in the game: "Regarding the PlayStation 3, it is not our wish to release a simple conversion of the Windows version in its current state, but rather an update that includes all the improvements we have planned. For that reason, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of the PlayStation 3 version beyond the originally announced date of March 2011."
Censorship

Submission + - Google blocks pirated content (pcmag.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Google is making changes in the way it presents web search results to try to exclude links that may be tied to pirated content. In a move enthusiastically praised by the RIAA, Google says it will not include terms closely associated with piracy from appearing via autocomplete. The company acknowledged that it can be hard to know what terms are being used to find infringing content, but "we'll do our best to prevent Autocomplete from displaying the terms most frequently used for that purpose,"
Facebook

The Queen Joins Facebook 155

Posted by samzenpus from the royal-farmville dept.
H3xx writes "The Queen is set to have an official presence on Facebook when a British Monarchy page launches on the internet-based social networking site. Buckingham Palace says it is not a personal profile page, but users can 'like' the service and receive updates on their news feed. The Queen has reportedly embraced the web and sends e-mails. A British Monarchy Twitter feed is also available. The Facebook page is due to go live from Monday morning. The page will also feature the Court Circular, recording the previous day's official engagements."
Power

Looking To Better Engines Instead of Electric Vehicles 570

Posted by Soulskill from the electrons-are-overrated dept.
hlovy writes "Don Runkle thinks it's engines, not batteries, that will make automobiles cleaner and more efficient. 'We unabashedly say that we have the best solution,' says Runkle, the CEO of Allen Park, MI-based engine developer EcoMotors International. The startup, which brought in $23 million in Series B financing this summer from Menlo Park, CA-based Khosla Ventures and Seattle billionaire Bill Gates, has designed an opposing piston, opposing cylinder engine that uses fewer parts than traditional motors do and generates more power from each stroke of the engine, CEO Runkle says. He says the 'opoc' engine is smaller, lighter, and less expensive than the motors already out there, and a more viable option than switching automobile fleets over to electrical power."
Google

Submission + - Google Sues The US For Only Considering Microsoft (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Late last week, Google sued the US government for putting out a Request For Quotation for the messaging needs of the Department of the Interior that specified only Microsoft solutions would be considered. Google apparently had spent plenty of time talking to DOI officials to understand their needs and make sure they had a solution ready to go — and were promised that there wasn't a deal already in place with Microsoft... and then the RFQ came out. Google protested, but the protest was dismissed, with the claim that Google was "not an interested party."
Transportation

Denver Airport Overrun by Car-Eating Rabbits 278

Posted by samzenpus from the night-of-the-lepus dept.
It turns out the soy-based wire covering on cars built after 2002 is irresistible to rodents. Nobody knows this better than those unlucky enough to park at DIA's Pikes Peak lot. The rabbits surrounding the area have been using the lot as an all-you-can-eat wiring buffet. Looks like it's time to break out The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.
Medicine

Research Shows How Deaf Cats' Brains Re-Purpose Auditory Centers 100

Posted by Soulskill from the heard-that dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but up until now, no one has explained how and why that could be. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario, led by Stephen Lomber of The Centre for Brain and Mind, have discovered there is a causal link between enhanced visual abilities and reorganization of the part of the brain that usually handles auditory input in congenitally deaf cats. The findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, provide insight into the plasticity that may occur in the brains of deaf people."

Comment Re:What a waste (Score 1) 322

by Dragooner (#33761722) Attached to: New York To Spend $27.5 Million Uncapitalizing Street Signs

It's true, they even did research on things like font size and how visible you want/need them to be from certain distances. They also look at how many characters and text are too much information.

There is some fairly extensive research on signage. I am part of the small handful of others that are interested in things like this.

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