Comment And Joni Joins Him... (Score 1) 599
I see that Joni Mitchel has joined Neil Young in leaving Spotify. Is this the start of an exodus?
Comment You couldn't make this up! (Score 4, Insightful) 95
An article on PRIVACY and SECURITY and the first thing the site does is instruct you to do is disable your AdBlocker? Fact is indeed stranger than fiction...
Submission + - What's the harm in a default setting for div by zero? 2
CodeInspired writes: After 20 years of programming, I've decided I'm tired of checking for div by zero. Would there be any serious harm in allowing a system wide setting that said div by zero simply equals zero? Maybe it exists already, not sure. But I run into it ALL the time in every language I've worked with. Does anyone want their div by zero errors to result in anything other than zero?
Comment Does nobody check their facts anymore? (Score 5, Informative) 90
The computer worm was invented by the sci-fi author John Brunner in his 1975 novel "The Shockwave Rider". The first real implementation of a computer worm was published by John Shoch and Jon Hupp of Xerox PARC in 1982 (CACM Vol 25 No 3). I wrote my first one in 1985 (on BNA) but I am quite sure that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other people had written their own versions by then. Robert TAPPAN Morris only released his worm in 1988.
This is important because today we have the situation where large corporations are claiming patents on inventions that have been common knowledge for fifty years or more. We, the /. crowd, need to keep reminding people, especially the USPTO, of PRIOR ART. Otherwise the whole free/open software movement will be dead within a few years.
Survey Says To UK — Repeal Laws of Thermodynamics 208
mostxlnt writes "As we noted, the new Tory UK government has launched a website asking its subjects which laws they'd most like repealed. There are proposals up for repeal of the Laws of Thermodynamics: Second, Third, and all (discussion thread on this one closed by a moderator). One comment on the Third [now apparently deleted] elucidated: 'Without the Third Law of Thermodynamics, it would be possible to build machines that would last forever and provide an endless source of cheap energy. thus solving both potential crises in energy supply as well as solving the greenhouse gas problem in one step... simples... eh?'"
MS Design Lets You Put Batteries In Any Way You Want 453
jangel writes "While its strategy for mobile devices might be a mess, Microsoft has announced something we'll all benefit from. The company's patented design for battery contacts will allow users of portable devices — digital cameras, flashlights, remote controls, toys, you name it — to insert their batteries in any direction. Compatible with AA and AAA cells, among others, the 'InstaLoad' technology does not require special electronics or circuitry, the company claims."
Solar-Powered Flight Grounded By Equipment Bug 28
crimeandpunishment writes "If your plane is powered by the sun, it's tough to fly if your crew is in the dark. A 24-hour test flight for the world's first solar-powered round-the-world flight had to be postponed Thursday due to an equipment problem that would have left mission control out of touch with the technology on the experimental aircraft. When they're able to make this test flight, they hope by flying all day they'll be able to fully charge the batteries, then use the stored energy to power the plane all night."
New Speed Cameras Catch You From Space 351
A new kind of speed camera that uses satellites to measure average speed over long distances is being tested in Britain. The "Speedspike" system combines plate reading technology with a global positioning satellite receiver to calculate average speed between any two points in the area being monitored. From the article: "Details of the trials are contained in a House of Commons report. The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled 'number plate capture in all weather conditions, 24 hours a day.' It also referred to the system's 'low cost' and ease of installation." I can't wait to see the episode of MythBusters where they try to avoid getting a speeding ticket from a satellite.
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"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." -- Ford Prefect, _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_
