Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
Open Source

Submission + - Free software wins court battle (google.com) 1

Submitted by courteaudotbiz
courteaudotbiz writes: In a court battle initiated more than 2 years ago, free software activists "Savoir Faire Linux" (Litterally "Linux know-how") won for the right to submit offers when the government of the province of Quebec, Canada (original french version), goes in public requests for submissions to replace its desktop operating systems and office suites, opening future replacement of MS Windows and MS Office in favor of Linux and Open Office, or any other operating system and office productivity suite. In his judgement, the magistrate said that the government acted illegally when it discarded the proposal of "Savoir Faire Linux" for replacing Windows XP with a Linux distribution.
Idle

Submission + - Jesus, the Desciples, and Portion Control (latimes.com)

Submitted by gandhi_2
gandhi_2 writes: Comparing 52 artist's renditions of "The Last Supper" spanning the last 1000 years, a pair of sibling scholars found that:
Entrees increased by 70%, bread by 23%, and plate size by 65.6%.
The results were published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Biotech

Submission + - $350 Test Screens for 100 Single Gene Disorders (technologyreview.com)

Submitted by TechRev_AL
TechRev_AL writes: Prospective parents could soon be screened for around 100 genetic diseases that they might pass on to their children. Counsyl, a Stanford University startup based in Redwood City, CA, has developed the necessary genetic test--it costs $349 and is already covered by some major insurers. For most people, screening recommendations are currently limited to the chronic lung disease cystic fibrosis, with broader testing offered to some ethnic groups. The new technology could make this kind of screening far more common.

Submission + - DRM content drives availability on P2P networks (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by jgreco
jgreco writes: The music industry once feared that going DRM-free would drive a massive explosion of copyright-infringing music availability on P2P networks. Now, this study seems to suggest otherwise. The answer is obvious: if you can easily get inexpensive DRM-free content that works on your devices through legitimate channels, most people won't bother with the headache of P2P networks. It appears that users largely turn to P2P to acquire DRM-free versions of content that is distributed with DRM. The MPAA, of course, will not come away from this with the obvious conclusion.
Space

Submission + - Astronomers Discover the Coolest Sub-Stellar Body

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Science Daily Headlines reports that using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii, astronomers have discovered what may be the coolest sub-stellar body ever found outside our own solar system. Too small to be stars and with insufficient mass to maintain hydrogen-burning nuclear fusion reactions in their cores, "brown dwarfs" have masses smaller than stars but larger than gas giant planets like Jupiter with an upper limit is between 75 and 80 Jupiter masses. "This looks like being the fourth time in three years that the UKIRT has made a record breaking discovery of the coolest known brown dwarf, with an estimated temperature not far above 200 degrees Celsius," says Dr. Philip Lucas at the University of Hertfordshire. Due to their low temperature these objects are very faint in visible light, and are detected by their glow at infrared wavelengths. The object known as SDSS1416+13B is in a wide orbit around a somewhat brighter and warmer brown dwarf, SDSS1416+13A and the pair is located between 15 and 50 light years from the solar system, which is quite close in astronomical terms. "The fact that it is a binary companion to a warmer brown dwarf that also has an unusual spectrum is helping us to fill in some gaps in our understanding," says Dr. Ben Burningham. "It seems likely that both brown dwarfs are somewhat poor in heavy elements. This can be explained if they are very old, which also fits with the very low temperature of the faint companion.""
Power

Submission + - Hydrogen energy the way plants do it (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
plantsdoitsocanwe
plantsdoitsocanwe writes: "An international team of researchers led by Monash University has used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The breakthrough could revolutionize the renewable energy industry by making hydrogen — touted as the clean, green fuel of the future — cheaper and easier to produce on a commercial scale."
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - Game developers response to pirates (positech.co.uk)

Submitted by
cliffski
cliffski writes: "A few days ago indie PC games developer Positech publicly called for people pirating their games to explain why, in an open and honest attempt to see what the causes of gaming piracy were. Hundreds of blog posts, hundreds more emails and several server-reboots later, the developers reply is up on their site. The pirates had a lot to say, on subjects such as price, DRM, demo's and the overall quality of PC games and Positech owner Cliffski explains how this developer at least will be changing their approach to selling PC games as a result. Is this the start of a change for the wider industry? or is this the only developer actively listening to the pirates point of view?"
Image

Radioactive Charms Not So Charming 3

Posted by samzenpus from the but-they-are-lucky dept.
A Japanese couple who sold lucky charms guaranteed to glow for more than a decade were forced to stop after it was discovered that the charms were radioactive. The pair, ironically based in Hiroshima, imported tritium from Britain for the charms. Unfortunately they used 27 times more tritium than is allowed under Japanese law. It seems to me that the people who have to constantly fight Godzilla would make it harder for someone to order radioactive materials.
Censorship

Bell Canada Throttles Wholesalers Without Notice 239

Posted by kdawson from the because-it's-my-last-kilometer-that's-why dept.
knorthern knight writes "The Canadian family-run ISP Teksavvy (which is popular among Canadian P2P users precisely because it does not throttle P2P) has started noticing that Bell Canada is throttling traffic before it reaches wholesale partners. According to Teksavvy CEO Rocky Gaudrault, Bell has implemented 'load balancing' to 'manage bandwidth demand' during peak congestion times — but apparently didn't feel the need to inform partner ISPs or customers. The result is a bevy of annoyed customers and carriers across the great white north."

Slashdot Top Deals

My idea of roughing it turning the air conditioner too low.

Close