NOTJafo - Slashdot User

Zombie Ants and Killer Fungus 125

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 18, 2010 @07:59PM from the level-1-random-encounter dept.

nibbles2004 writes "An article in the Guardian newspaper shows how parasitic fungi evolved the ability to control ants they infect, ultimately leading the ant to its death. The fungus controls the ant's movements to a suitable leaf and causes the ant to grip onto the leaf's central stem, allowing the fungus to spore, which will allow more ants to become infected."

The "King of All Computer Mice" Finally Ships 207

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday June 29, 2010 @09:41AM from the there's-a-button-for-that dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The much-anticipated, much-mocked 18-button joystick mouse from WarMouse is now shipping. The press release features an impressive set of user quotes from game designer Chris Taylor, new SFWA president John Scalzi, and a doctor who runs a medical software company. Crazy or not, it's obviously more than just a gaming mouse."

Dinosaur Feather Color Discovered 219

Posted by timothy on Wednesday January 27, 2010 @05:28PM from the horsefeathers-still-a-mystery dept.

anzha writes "Do you remember being a kid and told we'd never know what colors the dinosaurs were? For at least some, that's no longer true. Scientists working in the UK and China have closely examined the fossils of multiple theropods and actually found the colors and patterns that were present in the fossilized proto-feathers. So far, the answer is orange, black and white in banded and other patterns. The work also thoroughly thrashes the idea that fossils might not be feathers, but collagen fibers instead. If this holds up, Birds Are Dinosaurs. Period. And colorful!"

The Perfect Way To Slice a Pizza 282

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday December 15, 2009 @01:09PM from the equal-distribution-of-the-pie dept.

iamapizza writes "New Scientist reports on the quest of two math boffins for the perfect way to slice a pizza. It's an interesting and in-depth article; 'The problem that bothered them was this. Suppose the harried waiter cuts the pizza off-center, but with all the edge-to-edge cuts crossing at a single point, and with the same angle between adjacent cuts. The off-center cuts mean the slices will not all be the same size, so if two people take turns to take neighboring slices, will they get equal shares by the time they have gone right round the pizza — and if not, who will get more?' This is useful, of course, if you're familiar with the concept of 'sharing' a pizza."

Organic LED Could Replace Light Bulbs? 254

Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 15, 2006 @06:32AM from the heard-that-before dept.

egrinake writes to mention a BBC article about a 'natural' replacement for lightbulbs. From the article: "The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) emits a brilliant white light when attached to an electricity supply. The material, described in the journal Nature, can be printed in wafer thin sheets that could transform walls, ceilings or even furniture into lights. The OLEDs do not heat up like today's light bulbs and so are far more energy efficient and should last longer."

OMG WIRELESS EXTENSION CORDS!!! LOL!!! 182

Posted by CmdrTaco on Friday March 31, 2006 @10:19PM from the now-thats-what-i'm-talking-about dept.

True ChAoS writes "Using the latest in microwave energy transmission technology, the Wireless Extension Cords (WECs) 'beam' power right where you need it. Broadcasting in the 7.2GHz range, the WECs will not interfere with wireless networks, phones, or Bluetooth components. Be sure to heed all the warnings in the instruction manual; the microwaves used are relatively safe, but you don't want to cook your computer (or coworkers) by mistake." ThinkGeek is also owned by OSTG.

Comment Re:Another day, another batch of applications (Score 1) 1010

by NOTJafo on Monday January 26, 2004 @07:37PM (#8094072) Attached to: Joel Rants About Resumes

About two years ago, I got laid off. During my search, I learned the power of the cover letter. I got the Knock'Em Dead series of job hunting books and used the "executive" briefing style of cover letters. It really paid off. The cover letter alone allowed the prospective employer to review my qualifications as compared to their listed requirements. Of over 200 resumes I sent out, each one went out with a custom cover letter. It took a lot of time, but paid off. Of about 200+ resumes I sent out, I got over 20 first line interviews, 10 second level interviews, and three job offers. I actually had people say that they were so impressed with my cover letter, they just had to interview me (even though they already knew I wasn't quite qualified for the job, they just wanted to give me a chance).

Slashdot Top Deals