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Submission + - Full bladder improves decision making (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by
anymouse
anymouse writes: "What should you do when you really, REALLY have to "go"? Make important life decisions, maybe. Controlling your bladder makes you better at controlling yourself when making decisions about your future, too, according to a study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science."
Education

Computer Games and Traditional CS Courses 173

Posted by Soulskill from the terrible-terrible-games dept.
drroman22 writes "Schools are working to put real-world relevance into computer science education by integrating video game development into traditional CS courses. Quoting: 'Many CS educators recognized and took advantage of younger generations' familiarity and interests for computer video games and integrate related contents into their introductory programming courses. Because these are the first courses students encounter, they build excitement and enthusiasm for our discipline. ... Much of this work reported resounding successes with drastically increased enrollments and student successes. Based on these results, it is well recognized that integrating computer gaming into CS1 and CS2 (CS1/2) courses, the first programming courses students encounter, is a promising strategy for recruiting and retaining potential students." While a focus on games may help stir interest, it seems as though game development studios are as yet unimpressed by most game-related college courses. To those who have taken such courses or considered hiring those who have: what has your experience been?
Education

US Colleges Say Hiring US Students a Bad Deal 490

Posted by CmdrTaco from the talking-to-you-cliff dept.
theodp writes "Many US colleges and universities have notices posted on their websites informing US companies that they're tax chumps if they hire students who are US citizens. 'In fact, a company may save money by hiring international students because the majority of them are exempt from Social Security (FICA) and Medicare tax requirements,' advises the taxpayer-supported University of Pittsburgh (pdf) as it makes the case against hiring its own US students. You'll find identical pitches made by the University of Delaware, the University of Cincinnati, Kansas State University, the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin, Iowa State University, and other public colleges and universities. The same message is also echoed by private schools, such as John Hopkins University, Brown University, Rollins College and Loyola University Chicago."
Medicine

Beware the Perils of Caffeine Withdrawal 700

Posted by timothy from the to-make-a-grown-man-cry dept.
palegray.net writes "CNN is running an article on the notorious effects of caffeine withdrawal, a problem that seems to be affecting an increasing number of people. Citing numerous reasons why people might need to cut back on their caffeine intake (pregnancy, pre-surgery requirements, etc), the story notes a significant number of people who are simply unable to quit. I drink around eight cups of coffee a day, along with a soda or two, and I definitely suffer from nasty withdrawal symptoms without my fix."
Links

Submission + - Nine words from Science which originated in SciFi (oup.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: This is a blog post on Oxford University Press USA, listing nine words used in science and technology which were actually dreamed up by fiction writers. Perhaps Slashdot readers can come up with a few more?
Google

Google's Plan For Out-of-Print Books Is Challenged 324

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the time-for-yet-another-open-source-license dept.
Death Metal writes to tell us that a growing tide of complaints are being piled at Google's feet in response to a far-reaching settlement that some feel will grant the giant too much power over the "orphan books" they have been scanning into digital format. The settlement could give Google near-exclusivity with respect to the copyright of orphan works — books that the author and publisher have essentially abandoned. They are out of print, and while they remain under copyright, the rights holders are unknown or cannot be found. "Critics say that without the orphan books, no competitor will ever be able to compile the comprehensive online library Google aims to create, giving the company more control than ever over the realm of digital information. And without competition, they say, Google will be able to charge universities and others high prices for access to its database. The settlement, 'takes the vast bulk of books that are in research libraries and makes them into a single database that is the property of Google,' said Robert Darnton, head of the Harvard University library system. 'Google will be a monopoly.'"
Space

Submission + - New Theory Explains Periodic Mass Extinctions

Submitted by i_like_spam
i_like_spam writes: The theory that the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid impact, the K-T extinction, is well known and supported by fossil and geological evidence. Asteroid impact theory does not apply to the other fluctuations in biodiversity, however, which follow an approximate 62 million-year cycle. As reported in Science news, a new theory seems to explain periodic mass extinctions. The new theory found that oscillations in the Sun relative to the plane of the Milky Way correlate with changes in biodiversity on Earth. The researchers suggest that an increase in the exposure of Earth to extragalatic cosmic rays causes mass extinctions. Here is the original paper describing the finding.

Feed Techdirt: Elton John Wants The Internet Shut Down For Five Years... For The Sake Of The Mu (techdirt.com)

From feed by techdirtfeed
It's always fun when someone famous decides to spout off on a topic in a bizarre manner. Witness Elton John's tirade against the internet (found via News.com). Apparently, he believes that the 70s were a great time in music (no, seriously, he means it) and that today's music sucks -- and it's all the internet's fault. It's got nothing to do with downloading (though it doesn't sound like he's a fan of that either), but because he somehow thinks that the internet means that people don't communicate with each other any more -- and musicians are all producing music by themselves in their basements. I guess no one has clued him into the fact that the internet is a communications medium, and it's generally used more to connect people than to isolate them. He also is apparently unaware of a growing number of tools that actually let musicians collaborate online, such as eJamming. He admits he's a Luddite and unfamiliar with the technology -- and his quotes confirm that. Try these on for size:

  • "We're talking about things that are going to change the world and change the way people listen to music and that's not going to happen with people blogging on the internet."
  • "I mean, get out there -- communicate."
  • "Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the internet."
  • "Let's get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging."
  • "I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span."
  • "There's too much technology available."
It would be easy to refute each of these somewhat laughable points, but, honestly, why bother? Since Sir Elton John apparently doesn't recognize that most people use the internet to communicate, it's unlikely that news of how uninformed he is will ever get back to him. Either he's completely out of touch, or he's decided that trolling is about the only way to get anyone to pay attention to him any more.
United States

Submission + - Growth of e-waste may lead to national 'e-fee'

Submitted by
jcatcw
jcatcw writes: "A bill in Congress would add a recycling charge to the cost of laptop PCs, computer monitors, televisions and some other electronic devices, according to a story at Computerworld. The effort to control what's called e-waste could lead to a national "e-fee" that would be paid just like a sales tax. Nationwide the cost could amount to $300 million per year. Already, California, Washington, Maryland and Maine have approved electronics recycling laws, and another 21 states plus Puerto Rico, are considering them."

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It is masked but always present. I don't know who built to it. It came before the first kernel.

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