Comment Re:Ummm (Score 1) 74
Seems one of those annoying sites. Am I downloading the pdf or a FREE Video Conversion Tool (bound to work like a lucky charm on Linux) or FREE Download Manager... (ooh, I want one, I can't manage my own downloads...)!
Anyone got a link to the pdf that DOESN'T involve all this nonsense?
Comment Re:Raspberry Pi it! (Score 1) 212
I have two, and a free t-shirt! You've just got to get up early enough :-D
Comment Raspberry Pi it! (Score 1) 212
The Raspberry Pi http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs would seem to be a good match as it's tiny, is portable, has very low power requirements, dissipates very little heat, costs next to nothing, and is powerful enough to run full-HD video!
Comment If you're not enjoying it, don't do it (Score 1) 516
It would be worth checking out whether you are depressed, especially if you've lost interest in other things you've previously enjoyed.
Perhaps you can find some enjoyment in contributing to one of the many open source projects out there, or maybe you should consider a change of job environment and just go for a few interviews. You can always practice your interview technique with a friend.
I don't see anything wrong in always trying to do a better job than the one expected, but be careful that your code isn't so advanced it becomes a maintenance nightmare. I always try to 'sneak in' code that goes beyond the basic scope of the task assigned, so I generally look to make generic, parameterisable code. Even as an experienced programmer, I still like to learn new stuff, for example I've just used annotations and reflection in java to make a self-documenting command parser. For me the fun part is knowing that you've written something that you can re-use and re-purpose but if you're really not enjoying programming any more for its own sake, perhaps it's time to become a salsa instructor, bricklayer, accountant, b&b proprietor or whatever else it was you once dreamed of becoming :-)
Submission + - Cancer Cured by HIV (msn.com)
bluefoxlucid writes: Apparently cancer has been cured, by injecting people with HIV. From the article, "As the white cells killed the cancer cells, the patients experienced the fevers and aches and pains that one would expect when the body is fighting off an infection, but beyond that the side effects have been minimal." Nifty. Poorly edited run-on sentence, but nifty.
Submission + - How Mac OS X, 10 Today, Changed Apple's World (computerworld.com)
CWmike writes: "Ten years ago today, Apple's first full public version of Mac OS X went on sale worldwide to a gleeful reception as thousands of Mac users attended special events at their local computer shops all across the planet. What we didn't know then was that Apple was preparing to open up its own chain of retail outlets, nor had we heard Steve Jobs use the phrase, "iPod". Windows was still a competitor, and Google was still a search engine. These were halcyon days, when being a Mac user meant belonging to the second team, writes Jonny Evans. We're looking at the eighth significant OS X release in the next few months, Lion, which should offer some elements of unification between the iOS and OS X. There's still some bugs to iron out though, particularly the problem with ACL's (Access Control Lists) inside the Finder. Hopefully departing ex-NeXT Mac OS chief, Bertrand Serlet, will be able to fix this before he leaves."
Lizard Previously Unknown To Science Found On Vietnam Menu 133
eldavojohn writes "A lizard long served on the menu in the Mekong Delta has recently caught the attention of scientists when it was noted that all animals in the species appeared identical as well as female. The species appears to be a hybrid of two other species (like a mule or liger). But the curious thing is that this hybrid isn't sterile — it reproduces asexually. The species, known for some time in Vietnam, has now officially been named Leiolepis ngovantrii."
Submission + - Name That Element - Think Heavy (nytimes.com)
mr crypto writes: A team of Russian and American scientists has discovered a new element that has long stood as a missing link among the heaviest bits of atomic matter ever produced. The element, still nameless, appears to point the way toward a brew of still more massive elements with chemical properties no one can predict.
Submission + - After 27 Years, Asteroids Gets a New High Score (wired.com)
blair1q writes: John McAllister, of Portland, Oregon, following a marathon 3-1/2 day session, has broken the 27-year-old high score for Asteroids, set in 1982 by Scott Safran. The attempt was broadcast via webcam, which may still be operational.
Geomagnetic Storm In Progress 110
shogun writes "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports a strong geomagnetic storm is in progress. The shuttle, ISS and GPS systems may be affected."
They think this storm was caused by a weak solar flare on April 3rd. As you may expect, this has caused some unusually impressive northern lights since it started. What you may not expect is a photograph from Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi aboard the International Space Station showing the aurora from orbit. He apparently tweets a lot of pictures from space. He and his crewmates have taken over 100,000 pictures since coming aboard the ISS.
Planned Nuclear Reactors Will Destroy Atomic Waste 344
separsons writes "A group of French scientists are developing a nuclear reactor that burns up actinides — highly radioactive uranium isotopes. They estimate that 'the volume of high-level nuclear waste produced by all of France’s 58 reactors over the past 40 years could fit in one Olympic-size swimming pool.' And they're not the only ones trying to eliminate atomic waste: Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin are working on a fusion-fission reactor. The reactor destroys waste by firing streams of neutrons at it, reducing atomic waste by up to 99 percent!"
Heavy Rain Previews Show Promise 84
As the February release date for Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain nears, several publications have gotten a chance for some hands-on time with the game and seem to be intrigued by what they saw. Quoting the Opposable Thumbs blog: "The game grabs you during the quiet moments where nothing 'happens.' When you look at a picture your child drew. When you're questioning someone about a crime. When you're trying to figure out how to react to a violent situation. The preview we were sent put me in different situations as I played a small handful of characters, and each one provided a few tiny moments that were surprising in terms of storytelling or subtlety." Eurogamer's previewer had a similar reaction: "To my great delight as well — Heavy Rain isn't a mature game because it has unhappy families and moody lighting, it's a mature game because it anticipates an adult response from the player and is prepared to receive it."
Comment Another project for you, small team with mentoring (Score 1) 195
I have a project or 2 that I've been looking for help with. We're a small team (maximum 3 coders right now) just doing things for the fun of it.
Come on over to www.dragoncontroller.org and introduce yourself.
Comment Little late but... (Score 2, Interesting) 437
... isn't this just what the Iranians are looking for? This kind of democratic peer to peer communication removes the need to rely on central social networking sites and puts the internet back in the hands of the people.
