Comment Re:Why the magnetics? (Score 1) 132
All Ethernet interfaces must have magnetics. Having the magnetics in connector saves board space. Otherwise you would need a separate module between the Ethernet PHY chip and the connector.
Comment Re:Silly questions ... number of items irrelevant (Score 1) 497
Most power outlets are rated lower than what the circuit breaker can provide since circuit breaker usually supplies to a bunch outlets instead of just one. most power outlets in India are rated at 6A / 16A with both circuits isolated so you have the bigger 16A outlets powering heaters ACs etc and the smaller 6A outlets powering smaller loads. Always remember not to exceed say 80% of the current rated for the outlet 6A/16A. Because the switches are design to handle only the rated current. Higher current will cause the switch contacts to generate more arcs, which then leads to oxidation on the contact surface, increasing contact resistance which in turn generates more heat and degrades in the runaway cycle. This is how most outlets fail.
Comment Er.. (Score 1) 54
shouldn't it be "universe" wide search? I know, doesn't have the same ring to it... but still..
Comment Re:But we are already running out of Indium... (Score 3, Insightful) 83
I hate it when people post links to articles which require me to login or subscribe to read. Could you atleast tell me whats the "single material" he's talking about?
Crazy Taxi Arrives For PSN, XBLA Version Coming Soon 56
Today a remake of the Dreamcast classic Crazy Taxi launched on the PlayStation Network, with the Xbox Live Arcade release coming November 24th. The graphics have been updated to 720p, but licensing issues for the soundtrack and some in-game locations resulted in noticeable changes. Quoting the Opposable Thumbs blog:
"The Offspring, along with Bad Religion, provided the game's soundtrack in the original release. These songs, along with the sound of that announcer, went a long way toward creating the game's mood. In the new version, they have been replaced by completely forgettable pop-punk tracks, and it's a downgrade. ... That's not the only thing that's missing. The game originally featured licensed locations. Customers would need to be dropped off at the Pizza Hut, for instance. These companies didn't spring for the advertising in the game's rerelease, but the buildings weren't updated to look like anything else; the result is a game that looks like its filled with closed-down fast food restaurants. ... this is an interesting look at what went on to become a cult classic. Still, this is no replacement for my original copy."
Sony Gets Nasty With PSBreak Buyers 246
YokimaSun writes "The war between hackers and Sony over the PlayStation 3 has now taken an even more sinister turn, with Sony going after not just shops but actual buyers of the PSBreak dongle, threatening them with fines of many thousands of Euros and forcing them to sign cease-and-desist letters. It seems Sony will use any means necessary to thwart both homebrew and piracy on the PS3."
Comment Great err what about the antennae (Score 1) 187
Great my next wifi laptop will come with a 1 foot yagi uda array antenna!
The Best Video Games On Awful Systems 272
Buffalo55 writes "For the most part, classic games manage to reappear on different systems. Just look at Nintendo. The publisher has done an excellent job bringing NES, SNES, Genesis and even old school Neo Geo titles to the Wii's Virtual Console, while Microsoft's Game Room brings the best of Atari's 2600 into the living room. Of course, not every console was a success. The '90s, in particular, saw quite a few flops from companies like Panasonic, Sega and Atari. Just because a system is a failure, though, doesn't mean all of its games suck. On the contrary, most of these machines have a few gems that fell between the cracks once the console croaked."
What overlooked game on a failed platform would you like to see revived?
NASA Creates First Global Forest Map Using Lasers 55
MikeCapone writes "Scientists, using three NASA satellites, have created a first-of-its-kind map that details the height of the world's forests. The data was collected from NASA's ICESat, Terra and Aqua satellites. The latter two satellites are responsible for most of NASA's Gulf spill imagery. The data collected will help scientists understand how the world's forests both store and process carbon. While there are many local and regional canopy maps, this is the very first global map using a uniform method for measure."
Comment Re:glow, baby, glow! (Score 2, Insightful) 415
If only we could combine the atoms instead of splitting...
Comment Re:Human brain != computer (Score 1) 206
Let me correct that for you, When you say "different things" its means things computers cant do, like doing research, figuring out how to build complex things etc.automation is done to things which are routine so that the brain can spend time doing what computers cannot.
Comment Hail MS for what they're doing (Score 1) 287
Actually this was done purposefully. Their intention is to provide a trigger so that relationships with trust issues fall apart sooner instead of wasting time with people who don't trust you or people who are cheating behind your back. If anything they should be appreciated for the service they're doing. We all the people were open[WARNING Does not apply to M$!] and good willed, humanity wouldn't have to waste time and money on these petty issues instead could concentrate on science. I bet if 1% of the earths population were astronomers or space engineers, we would've already had a colony in Mars.
Comment what would you call this resolution? (Score 2, Funny) 54
If we could build giant LCD with 38,400x38,400 resolution, what would you call it, UUUQSXGA+++ ?
Comment Re:That's a lot of pixels (Score 2, Informative) 54
No, they wont be snapping an image every second, They'll be taking long exposure pics to gather enough light. so you'd be snapping just a few pics every day. That being said analyzing all those pics could take lot longer, unless they have image analysis softwares which scan, analyze them all and and flag anything unusual.
WordPress 3.0 Released 79
An anonymous reader writes "WordPress 3.0, the thirteenth major release of WordPress and the culmination of half a year of work by 218 contributors, is now available for download and comes with 1,217 bug fixes and feature enhancements. Major new features in this release include a new default theme called Twenty Ten. Theme developers have new APIs that allow them easily to implement custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, menus (no more file editing), post types, and taxonomies."
