Comment ohnosecond rediscovered (Score 1) 110
And, in the 10th second, someone rediscovered the very long ohnosecond.
https://foldoc.org/ohnosecond
Comment protection scheme (Score 1) 422
"That's a nice web site you have, it would be a shame if something happened to your packets. For a reasonable fee we can make sure they arrive in good shape."
Comment Re:iPhone also? (Score 2) 192
a channel that was completely unrelated to that type of music
This is too often my experience with Pandora.
Comment value of diversity / UI design (Score 1) 479
Selecting candidates from a broader range of experiences and viewpoints adds value to a company by allowing it to create a product that appeals to a larger portion of consumers. In this regard, the most technically qualified candidate may have equal or less value than a less qualified candidate who can lend a different perspective to development.
Dilbert’s user interface design is an amusing example of monoculture and the need for diversity. (If you haven’t seen a terrible UI, consider taking some design classes.)
Comment Re:Lawsuit is totally baseless (Score 3, Informative) 238
Doesn't matter if it's baseless and would get tossed out of court -- eventually. The former database maintainer didn't have the budget to fight back.
If you want to blame someone, blame the "justice" system that allows frivolous lawsuits to be filed in the first place.
EFF is representing Arthur D. Olson (the former database maintainer).
Comment In many college towns⦠(Score 1) 447
It means looking both ways before crossing one-way streets.
Comment Re:Andre Resende (Score 1) 227
At first I didn't see the "g" in the Google variation, it looked like an abstract 3-color blobs on the left. André's, I think, is much better; simple, clear and instantly recognizable.
Comment William Patry. (Score 1) 174
William Patry comes from the same general compass direction as Lawrence Lessig (he recently ended his blog, partly for reasons that he felt that copyright has become broken). Patry has 26 years of legal practice in the field, has written one of the major treatises, has international copyright chops, and currently is counsel for Google. Not sure that he would let Google go.
Submission + - New Asimov movies (sffmedia.com)
bowman9991 writes: "Two big budget Isaac Asimov novel adaptations are on the way. New Line founders Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne are developing Asimov's 1951 novel 'Foundation', the first in Asimov's classic space opera saga, which has the potential to be 'Lord of the Rings' in space, while New Regency's recently announced they were adapting Asimov's time travel novel 'The End of Eternity'. Despite having edited or written more than 500 books, it's surprising how little of Isaac Asimov's work has made it to the big screen. 'Isaac Asimov had writer's block once,'fellow science fiction writer Harlan Ellison said, referring to Asimov's impressive output. 'It was the worst ten minutes of his life.' Previous adaptations include the misguided Will Smith feature 'I, Robot', the lame 'Bicentennial Man' with Robin Williams, and two B-grade adaptations of 'Nightfall'."
Scientists Identify a Potentially Universal Mechanism of Aging 359
cybergenesis2008 points us to a summary of research out of Harvard Medical School in which a set of genes known to affect aging in yeast was found to affect aging in mice as well. The genes, called sirtuins, perform two particular tasks; regulating which genes are "on" and "off," and also helping to repair damaged DNA. As an organism ages, the frequency of damage to DNA increases, leaving less time for the sirtuins' regulatory tasks. The increasingly unregulated genes then become a significant factor in aging. Realizing this, the researchers "administered extra copies of the sirtuin gene [to the mice], or fed them the sirtuin activator resveratrol, which in turn extended their mean lifespan by 24 to 46 percent." We discussed the plans for this research a few years ago.
Comment it's 10 a.m. (Score 1) 594
... do you know where your lawyers are?
Submission + - Building A Data Center in 60 Days - Online
miller60 writes: "The facilities team at Australia's Pipe Networks is down to the wire in its bid to complete a data center in 60 days. And in an era when many major data center projects are shrouded in secrecy, they're putting the entire effort online, with daily updates and photos on the company blog, a live webcam inside the facility, a countdown timer and a punch-list of key tasks left to finish. Their goal is to complete the job by Friday morning."
The Argument For F/OSS In Schools 193
pfaffman sends us word of a two-part article in LinuxInsider that lays out to an audience of non-tech educators a cogent argument for using F/OSS in schools. The piece was written by a University of Tennessee professor for the education journal TechTrends. It makes the case that proprietary software is inconvenient and that when schools choose to use proprietary products they spend their constituents' money. The article won't contain a whole lot of surprises for Linux initiates (save perhaps some software recommendations for educational use), but it's interesting to see these ideas presented so clearly to a wider, and influential, audience."
Submission + - Closed source on Linux and BSD?
An anonymous reader writes: I want to start (very small) software/hardware business.
The code in question will be a closed source.
I won't modify or use any GPL code or any 3-d party sources.
It will be my own handwritten C/C++ code from start to finish.
I am planning to sell embedded-like boxes with an OS (Linux or BSD) and this code.
I am more familiar with Linux but I am scared a little bit of Linux licensing (and quite a bit of Linux fanboism: I personally got "go to hell with your @#$ closed code" slur on ./).
My questions:
1. Can I do it with Linux today (GPL2) and tomorrow (GPL3)?
2. Can I statically link the code with Linux libraries? (My own experience shows that dynamic linking is too much to bear. Your mileage may vary)
3. Can I obfuscate my code (e.g. encode it)?
4. Could I be forced to publish this code by some 3-d party?
5. Am I correct that programming in and selling BSD-based box won't have any above problems?
As you can see, I am not a GPL guru and not a software freedom fighter.
I just want to do my job and make some living.
The code in question will be a closed source.
I won't modify or use any GPL code or any 3-d party sources.
It will be my own handwritten C/C++ code from start to finish.
I am planning to sell embedded-like boxes with an OS (Linux or BSD) and this code.
I am more familiar with Linux but I am scared a little bit of Linux licensing (and quite a bit of Linux fanboism: I personally got "go to hell with your @#$ closed code" slur on
My questions:
1. Can I do it with Linux today (GPL2) and tomorrow (GPL3)?
2. Can I statically link the code with Linux libraries? (My own experience shows that dynamic linking is too much to bear. Your mileage may vary)
3. Can I obfuscate my code (e.g. encode it)?
4. Could I be forced to publish this code by some 3-d party?
5. Am I correct that programming in and selling BSD-based box won't have any above problems?
As you can see, I am not a GPL guru and not a software freedom fighter.
I just want to do my job and make some living.
Is Videotaping the Police a Felony? 622
AtomicSnarl writes "When Carlisle, PA, police noticed their traffic stop was being videotaped, they arrested the fellow with the camera for felony wiretapping. From the story: 'Kelly is charged under a state law that bars the intentional interception or recording of anyone's oral conversation without their consent... An exception to the wiretapping law allows police to film people during traffic stops.. [An assistant DA] said case law is in flux as to whether police can expect not to be recorded while performing their duties.'"
