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Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Is Crowd Funding the Future of Sci-Fi?

Submitted by TBNZee
TBNZee writes: Mainstream TV has has for a long time under-served the sci-fi loving viewers, but with declining production costs there seem to be two potential sources of alternative production/distribution: digital content (e.g. netflix, hulu) and crowd funded projects. There's still not a lot of sci-fi shows that are being produced by the major streaming services, but we'll probably see more with the success of Hulu's exclusive U.S. distribution of Misfits or Netflix's success with Buffy and Doctor Who. On the other hand, you have many enthusiastic upstarts on kickstater that look novel and engaging, while having a surprisingly professional look to them. Which do you think will ultimately be more successful? Will either be able to replace network content? Do you have any recommendations for other good materials out there?
Security

Anti-Government Hackers Hit Jay-Z's Android App 95

Posted by timothy from the maybe-they-just-like-jay-z-at-ft.-meade dept.
judgecorp writes "Jay-Z's Android app has been hit by hackers who created a clone of the software. The app was supposed to deliver a copy of the rapper's single and provide footage and other goodies. The rogue app is a ringer for the real one, but has a time-based trigger to deliver anti-Government propaganda on 4 July. The app, and its service name NSAListener, appears to suggest be a protest against U.S. surveillance."
AI

How Could Swarms of Robots Help Humanity? 67

Posted by timothy from the terrible-secret-of-space dept.
ceview writes "Researchers at Sheffield Centre for Robotics have demonstrated that a swarm of 40 robots can carry out simple fetching and carrying tasks. This is done by grouping around an object and working together to push it across a surface. They believe that this could provide opportunities for us mere humans to harness such power to do all sorts of things like safety — what like catching falling workers perhaps? Youtube action here."
Patents

Jury In Apple v. Samsung Case May Have to Agree on 700 Points 111

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the vexing-jury-members-for-fun-and-profit dept.
puddingebola writes "Jurors in the Apple v. Samsung case will receive a 100 page 'instructions to the jury' document. They will also receive a multi-page form with numerous questions to come to a verdict. From the article: 'The document, which both sides have yet to agree on, is still in its draft stage. In Samsung's case, it's 33 questions long, and stretched across 17 pages. For Apple, it's 23 questions spread over nine pages.' Perhaps this is standard in patent trials? Perhaps road sobriety tests will soon include hopping on one foot while juggling?" As usual, Groklaw has the juicy details on the battle over writing the jury instructions.
Math

Algorithm Solves Rubik's Cubes of Any Size 139

Posted by timothy from the gordian-knot-sledgehammer dept.
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from New Scientist: "Only the most hardcore puzzle-solvers ever go beyond the standard 3x3x3 Rubik's cube, attempting much larger ones. Now an algorithm has been developed that can solve a Rubik's cube of any size. It might offer clues to humans trying to deal with these tricky beasts. Erik Demaine, a computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found that the maximum number of moves that will ever be required for a cube of side n is proportional to n/log n. 'It gives me a couple of ideas how to solve this thing faster,' says Stewart Clark, a Rubik's cube enthusiast who owns an 11x11x11 cube."
Cellphones

Startup Wants To Put 64-Cores In Your Smartphone 142

Posted by samzenpus from the bejewel-faster dept.
angry tapir writes "Startup chip design company Adapteva has announced the multicore Epiphany processor, which is designed to accelerate applications in servers and low-power devices such as smartphones and tablets. The RISC-based processor is scalable to thousands of cores on a single chip, and can sit alongside CPUs to provide real-time execution of diverse applications. Epiphany chips are currently scalable up to 64 cores in smartphones and up to 4,000 cores in servers. The processor can accelerate tasks like hand gesture recognition, face matching or face tracking, but is not designed to be a full-fledged CPU."

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