Zooka - Slashdot User

Comment Re:What's the point? (Score 1) 277

by Zooka on Monday July 25, 2011 @03:04PM (#36874216) Attached to: Public AAC Listening Test @ ~96 Kbps [July 2011].

They (at hydrogenaudio.org) have previously done AAC codec tests at 64 and 128 kb/s, so this time 96 was chosen. Conducting what they condiser to be a proper and worthwhile test takes a lot of time and effort, on the part of both the talented people who administer the tests, as well as the pool of able and willing test subjects. So these tests are not done very frequently. Expected changes in quality due to codec development is also a factor. So tests at certain bitrates are not repeated until it is deemed worthwhile.

Why don't they test 160, 192, or 256 kb/s? At bit rates above 128 kb/s, the number of willing volunteers drops greatly. Why? The number of people able to produce meaningful test results drops greatly. Why? ....

I'll leave the question of whether this speaks to the quality of lossy encoders, or the potential flaws in the test methodology, to other threads in the discussion.

MySpace to Offer Spyware for Parents 282

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 18, 2007 @01:36AM from the think-of-the-children dept.

mrspin writes "Following continuing pressure from politicians (and parts of the media), MySpace is planning to offer parents the chance to download software which will monitor aspects of their children's activities on the social networking site. From a business point of view, the move appears to be a highly risky one. The young users of social networking sites are notorious for their lack of loyalty — and history suggests that a change like this could tempt many to abandon MySpace for the 'next cool thing'."

Michigan Teen Creates Fusion Device 460

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday November 21, 2006 @03:28AM from the fire-in-the-hole dept.

Josh Lindenmuth writes "The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Thiago Olson, a 17 year old Michigan teen, was able to create a small fusion device in his parents' basement. The machine uses a 40,000 volt charge and deuterium gas to create the small reaction, which he says looks like a 'small intense ball of energy.' The teen's fusion device is obviously not a self-sustaining reactor, but it still shows how fusion technology is becoming more accessible. Hopefully this points to a future where large scale fusion reactors are both economical and widely used."

Comment Re:Can this set a precedent here in the States? (Score 2, Insightful) 272

by Zooka on Thursday September 28, 2006 @02:23AM (#16225305) Attached to: Judge Refuses To Convict Hacker

''He committed no intentional crime. He was identified a security flaw, and provided this info to the bank before asking for money. Sure, it's a little like the guy who washes your windshield at a sopt light asking for money, but it's far from dishonest.

If the bank were a computer company with the present mindset, the bank would get to work on fixing the problem, and he'd have been ignored when he asked for cash, rather than prosecuted.''

I don't want someone evaluating my security unless I ask them to, just as I don't want anyone ''washing'' my windshield unless I ask them to. Both are trespasses. That being said, I suppose that if there was a strong case that the hacker's intentions were purely honorable (if he was unlikely to be attempting extortion), then perhaps I wouldn't want to render punishment that could have a devastating impact on their life. But given this man's past criminal record, (even if his record has been clean for the past 10 years), I would not have been so lenient. The severity of the punishment I'd render would depend upon factors such as how aggressively he demanded payment. Anyhow, I don't think it's safe to say his intentions were ''far from dishonest'' after only reading the article (which is clearly light on details).

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