5356069
submission
LanMan04 writes:
Apple has rejected the Google's Voice application for the iPhone saying that it duplicated features in the popular smart phone. In other words, Google Voice — one of the best things to happen to telephony services in a very long time — will have no presence at all on the App Store.
The move has called into question the control that Apple exerts over approving applications and whether the rejection and others constitute anti-competitive behavior.
507830
submission
LanMan04 writes:
When Seneca Technologies President Will White won his public records lawsuit against the state of West Virginia, he did what any Web entrepreneur would do with his newly-acquired bevy of local tax maps — he posted the information on his website. That didn't sit well with Kanawha County Tax Assessor Phyllis Gatson, who is asking a court to force Seneca to take the maps off the Web.
Gatson's biggest beef with Seneca seems to be that it is providing free access to maps (which are public documents) that West Virginia's tax assessors charge people $8 apiece for in a paper version.
285519
submission
LanMan04 writes:
From the Post-Gazette: For obvious reasons, scientists long have thought that salt water couldn't be burned.
So when John Kanzius announced he'd ignited salt water with the radio-frequency generator he'd invented, some thought it a was a hoax. "It's true, it works," Dr. Rustum Roy (Penn State University chemist) said. "Everyone told me, 'Rustum, don't be fooled. He put electrodes in there.'" But there are no electrodes and no gimmicks, he said.
The salt water isn't burning per se, despite appearances. The radio frequency actually weakens bonds holding together the constituents of salt water — sodium chloride, hydrogen and oxygen — and releases the hydrogen, which, once ignited, burns continuously when exposed to the RF energy field. An independent source measured the flame's temperature, which exceeds 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. (Video of demonstration, more information)
275797
submission
LanMan04 writes:
My wife and I are expecting our first child to be born in about 3 months, and I wanted to ask the /. crowd for any "Baby Hacking" projects/recommendations. I'd define baby hacking as any early childhood education project that can give the baby a head start (i.e. early language acquisition, accelerated learning, etc), with an emphasis unconventional ideas. This is especially important, with recent research showing that those Baby Einstein videos are actually detrimental. Also, any really "cool" projects you wish your parents could have done from day 1 (e.g. take a picture of the baby's face every day, starting at birth, to see how it changes over the years, etc) would be appreciated as well. Thanks Slashdotters!
131991
submission
LanMan04 writes:
For the first time, researchers have read the biological signature of a tyrannosaur — a signature that confirms the increasingly accepted view that modern birds are the descendants of dinosaurs. Analyzing the organic material (collagen protein) found inside the unique fossil linked the collagen to several extant species. The bottom line is that the T. rex's biological signature was most like a bird's, at least based on the first fragmentary data. "It looks like chicken may be the closest among all species that are present in today's databases for proteins and genomes," one of the scientists interviewed said.
