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Developer-Friendly Banks? 158

tyen writes "Any suggestions for a 'developer-friendly' bank for small businesses? The banking world is awash in data protocols that business customers who are/have coders would find useful, like BAI to extract all the raw data from an ACH or SWIFT transfer. Unfortunately, the ones I have spoken with about this access are still stuck in the Dark Ages of computing; they price the access like only big companies still have the skills to tap into these interfaces. For example, one of the four US banks with a perfect trading record this past quarter quoted us USD five figures for access to several of our accounts via BAI format. Per year. After waiving sign-up fees. Are there any banks out there that have a more progressive attitude about letting small, entrepreneurial developers work with their business accounts in a more modern, dare we say automated, way? With big businesses demanding EFT integration from small business vendors, and globalization rewarding premiums to nimble, lean businesses that automate wherever possible, automating the retrieval of this information (which is not available in consumer-oriented access like OFX) becomes an increasingly pressing issue for the small guys."

Comment Re:Ok, but (Score 3, Insightful) 1138

I must be in the minority in America, because I never took an IQ test, and I only know of a few who had. My experience in American education: all students are encouraged to go to university. A majority either don't go or realize it's not for them within the first couple years. Of who's left, the majority realize it was a waste of their time. I could be off base though.

Comment Re:Fast way to shut down! (Score 1) 792

I didn't think it could be all that much better than XP either.

Two weeks ago I set up a new machine and installed XP. After installing all the necessary extraneous software I needed and updates and stuff the machine was a dog (like 5-10 mins to desktop) 5 days in. I never noticed this ever happening in XP before, but then again, the software was newer, so was the hardware (should make it faster, no?).

I've never used Vista, but when I decided to try Win7 RC x64 on this system, same software and hardware as the XP system before it, I thought it was a gamble I would pay dearly for. Not true. Win7 is much faster than XP. Only thing: why doesn't my 3com 905tx work in Win7? I never thought I'd find an OS that didn't support it out the box.

And before you tell me I did something wrong on my XP system: you're wrong. Ask around, Windows 7 is better than XP.

Comment Re:Work Experience (Score 1) 834

At all the college fairs at my school, the recruiters always ask me this when I state my major as Comp.E.: "do you specialize in hardware or software?". Gives me the impression that they have at least some idea of my field. The recruiters could be more than just HR drones though.

Comment Re:Methanol is toxic and reacts with metals... (Score 2, Informative) 116

you can make ethanol non-drinkable (and toxic) by adding a bit of methanol. It's called denatured alcohol. 100 percent ethanol is used as a fuel in many applications. I've used both methanol and ethanol for fueling my backpacking stoves. Ethanol has a slightly higher energy density (more joules per gram); methanol is slightly more volatile (ignites more easily). Ethanol has the edge for camping in the backcountry because I can mix it with lemonade packets for a cocktail. Methanol would make me vomit (or die if I took enough).

If I had to guess why methanol is used instead of ethanol: it's cheaper. It's also possible that the volatility of methanol (compared to ethanol) makes it a more suitable fuel for the technology (fuel cell).

Why suggest we use a fuel because it's non-toxic? Are there confused people at the gas pump trying to drink from the hose?

Biotech

Designer Babies 902

Singularity Hub writes "The Fertility Institutes recently stunned the fertility community by being the first company to boldly offer couples the opportunity to screen their embryos not only for diseases and gender, but also for completely benign characteristics such as eye color, hair color, and complexion. The Fertility Institutes proudly claims this is just the tip of the iceberg, and plans to offer almost any conceivable customization as science makes them available. Even as couples from across the globe are flocking in droves to pay the company their life's savings for a custom baby, opponents are vilifying the company for shattering moral and ethical boundaries. Like it or not, the era of designer babies is officially here and there is no going back."

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