Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
Google

Google Chrome Is Out of Beta 444

BitZtream writes "This morning Google announced that Chrome is out of Beta, and showing improvements for plugin support, most notably video speed improvements. It also contains an updated javascript engine, claiming that it operates 1.4 times faster than the beta version, and work has begun on an extensions platform to allow easier integration with the browser by third parties."
Image

World's Oldest Marijuana Stash Found 108

jage2 writes "Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash of marijuana in a tomb in a remote part of China. The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly 'cultivated for psychoactive purposes,' rather than as fibre for clothing, or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany. The 789 grams of dried cannabis was buried alongside a light-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian man, likely a shaman of the Gushi culture, near Turpan in northwestern China."
Image

The Science of the Lightsaber 197

Smartcowboy writes "Chances are that you have seen a lightsaber at one time or another, whether on the evening news or down at the local cantina. Therefore you know that a lightsaber is an amazing and versatile device that is able to cut through nearly anything in a matter of milliseconds. Have you ever wondered how these remarkable weapons work? Where does the energy come from, and how are they able to contain that energy in a rod-like column of glowing power? In this article, you will have a chance to look inside a lightsaber and discover the source of its incredible characteristics." I was sure the blade was made from the focused hate and disappointment of the last three movies.
Image

Oklahoma Ambulances Debut Sirens That You Can Feel 128

djupedal writes "Booming like a 1980s video game, the Howler can even make liquids ripple — Oklahoma's largest ambulance company will become the first ambulance service in the nation to outfit its entire fleet with new Howler sirens, designed to emit low-frequency tones that penetrate objects within 200 feet — such as cars — to alert drivers." This is all well and fine, but I wonder what they plan to do when their sirens call up one of the big worms from deep below?
Software

(Useful) Stupid Vim Tricks? 702

haroldag writes "I thoroughly enjoyed the recent post about Unix tricks, so I ask Slashdot vim users, what's out there? :Sex, :b#, marks, ctags. Any tricks worth sharing?"

Feed How to get your Wi-Fi working again (theregister.com)

Out with the old, in with the new

Plenty of people who link computers and other devices to the internet over a wireless network are finding they can no longer connect quite as easily as they once could. That's certainly my experience and, if the many, many emails I received after grumbling about it in public are anything to go by, it's a problem many Register Hardware readers face too.


Mars

Submission + - Mars rovers moving after long winter of inactivity

jcasman writes: "After a long winter of inactivity, NASA's Spirit rover has stirred from its slumber. The intrepid spacecraft has moved from its perch for the first time in nearly 7 months, continuing its exploration of Mars' Columbia Hills. Read more..."
Bug

Journal Journal: OpenBSD's second remote hole in the default installation

The OpenBSD project has just issued an advisory (and updated its website to reflect the change) that it now has its second remote root vulnerability in more than ten years. The exploit itself is performed with a specially crafted IPv6 ICMP packet, and is caused by a bug in the mbuf chains in the operating system kernel. The OpenBSD team have released a patch. The bug affects all versions of OpenBSD. Since

United States

Submission + - Defense Contractor Halliburton Moving HQ to Dubai

theodp writes: "Much-maligned defense contractor Halliburton is moving its corporate headquarters from Houston to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai's friendly tax laws will add to Halliburton's bottom line. Last year, it earned $2.3B in profits. Sen. Patrick Leahy called the company's move 'corporate greed at its worst.' Halliburton, once headed by VP Dick Cheney, has received contracts valued at an estimated $25.7B for its work in Iraq."
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Best wireless router for congested college area

An anonymous reader writes: I have been living close to campus at UW Madison for the past six months or so and have come across a problem. We, along with everyone else in the area, have a wireless router, both a belkin 54g and a linksys wrt54g. We have charter 3 mbit down .25 mbit up cable and 6 guys in our apartment. Just on our block about 15-20 people have routers, and when I look at available networks there is around that many. We are constantly plagued with problems connecting to the wireless, staying connected, getting connected after rebooting, hibernating, etc. We have to reset either or both the cable modem and router many times a day to get everything rolling again. I am thinking that the router is the problem, because my dad always told me that's why they have twenty dollar routers up to thirty thousand dollar routers. My question to slashdot is...what router can I purchase that will help my situation and work well in a congested college area that is already filled with wireless networks, and will still be good for use with 6-8 laptops, some land connections, two xbox 360's, and a ps3. Thanks in advance!

Feed Fetish Cafes Cater to Geeks (wired.com)

Japan's answer to workplace sexual harassment: fetish restaurants where patrons can feel up the waitresses instead of their co-workers. By Lisa Katayama.


Slashdot Top Deals

BLISS is ignorance.

Working...