devhen - Slashdot User

Submission + - Comet ISON: The Comet that was suppose to be 1

Submitted by BugNuker on Tuesday November 26, 2013 @12:32PM

BugNuker writes: Comet ISON has been speeding towards the sun, and while doing so, it has been getting brighter. There was hope that ISON would be 'Comet of the Century' material, but its not looking good. Recently, ISON has undergone some outbursts, making it a near naked eye object. As ISON approaches perihelion, there are reports that it might be disintegrating. For now, we can keep watching the STEREO spacecraft images for more evidence, but in the meantime, what awaits Comet ISON?

Comment Re:One word: YES. (Score 1) 749

by devhen on Friday March 22, 2013 @03:24PM (#43250107) Attached to: Can You Really Hear the Difference Between Lossless, Lossy Audio?

Good point. I was scrolling through the comments looking for this to be brought up because I think its a very important starting point. Essentially, if you are using the earbuds that came with your phone or mp3 player, or something like Beats, you're likely not going to experience a difference between any of the formats. If you want to do ABX testing to find out if you can tell a difference you're going to need to use equipment that can actually reveal those differences. Those people who use stock earbuds or cheap (though not in price) celebrity endorsed headphones plugged directly into mobile devices and laptops etc. have no need for lossless files. However, if you are using a high quality DAC and proper headphones (High-end Sennheisers, Beyerdynamics, orthodynamics like Hifiman's or Audeze, electrostatics like Stax etc) you're more likely to be concerned with using the best quality music you can find and more likely to notice those differences. I've done ABX tests between 24/96 and 320k mp3 and have been able to consistently spot the difference although not 100% of the time.

Comment Also seems to be blocking iTunes from start menu (Score 1) 570

by devhen on Thursday October 22, 2009 @12:56AM (#29831999) Attached to: Some Users Say Win7 Wants To Remove iTunes, Google Toolbar

This reminded me of something that has been puzzling me for weeks now since installing Windows 7... No matter how many times I click on iTunes from Start > All Programs it WILL NOT show up in the Start menu's main list of most commonly used programs. Its a constant reminder of M$'s evil ways as it takes several clicks to open iTunes...

$33 Million In Poker Winnings Seized By US Govt 465

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday June 10, 2009 @08:02PM from the mine-now-I-take-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A New York Times story reports that, 'Opening a new front in the government's battle against Internet gambling, federal prosecutors have asked four American banks to freeze tens of millions of dollars in payments owed to people who play poker online. ... "It's very aggressive, and I think it's a gamble on the part of the prosecutors," Mr. Rose said. He added that it was not clear what law would cover the seizure of money belonging to poker players, as opposed to the money of the companies involved.' Many players are reporting that their cashout checks have bounced."

Linux Flourishes In 200-Year-Old Gold Markets 195

Posted by timothy on Thursday April 23, 2009 @06:12PM from the neal-stephenson-themes-everyhere dept.

tbarkerload writes "H-Online [a spin off of a major German daily] reports on a gold trader managing over 15 tonnes of gold, worth $660m, with a platform built on open source tech. BullionVault operates a 24-7 electronic market in gold bullion open to both retail and professional traders. Their systems handle thousands of daily transactions from both human traders and bots operating through their API. If Linux has reached the world of hundred year old assaying firms, and Swiss vaults buried in mountains, can final world domination be too far away?"

Sink Your Balls Quickly With Pool-Cue Robots 79

Posted by timothy on Tuesday April 21, 2009 @06:49PM from the hungry-hungry-hippo-for-barflies dept.

AndreV writes "In another attempt to dehumanize our bar games, a Canadian engineer has turned the classic game of billiards on its head with his BilliardBots pet project, which consists of a series of remote-controlled mobile robots meant to replace the standard cue sticks normally used to pocket pool balls. While in his version the basic rules remain, unlike regular billiards, players in this version simultaneously rush to pocket their designated balls (they don't take turns), 'thus it's very competitive and fast,' the creator says. In order to keep tight reins on the mechatronic ball handlers' movements, he adapted a pair of Playstation controllers and says that playing 'requires dexterity, like a video game,' to control their 3.5-m/sec-maximum speeds. The 'bots are designed simply but effectively, using a 3-by-3-by-3-inch metal frame with an electronic board, two motors and rechargeable battery packs. Using a Bluetooth wireless communication protocol, its commands come from the wireless controller with single or double joystick selectable control (the other buttons are not used). Its other parameters are software programmable, such as maximum acceleration rate, maximum speed and maximum rotation speed."

How to Charge Your Cellphone Using Wasted Heat 214

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday April 20, 2009 @04:53PM from the diy-and-try-not-to-burn-the-house-down dept.

Ilya writes "Companies such as BMW are investing in Thermoelectric Generators to make their cars more efficient by replacing the alternator. Thermoelectric Generators convert wasted heat from the engine into electrical power. This green instructable shows how you can use the same technology right now at home to harvest expelled heat from home appliances to charge your cellphone and other gadgets. Also features a lego racer powered by the roaring flames of a tea candle."

Swedish Pirate Party Gains 3000 Members In 7 Hours 410

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday April 17, 2009 @05:33PM from the unintended-consequences dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Due to outrage over the verdict in The Pirate Bay trial, the Swedish Pirate Party has gained 3000 members in less than 7 hours. It is now bigger than 3 of the 7 parties represented in the Swedish parliament. 'Ruling means that our political work must now be stepped up. We want to ensure that the Pirate Bay activities — to link people and information — is clearly lawful. And we want to do it for all people in Sweden, Europe and the world, continues Rick Falk Vinge. We want it to be open for ordinary people to disseminate and receive information without fear of imprisonment or astronomical damages.'"

Ford Bets On Social Media For Fiesta 186

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday April 17, 2009 @04:04PM from the waiting-for-the-asplosions dept.

Ford is gambling on the power of social media for the new marketing campaign surrounding the Ford Fiesta subcompact. The auto giant handed over 100 new Fiestas to "agents" selected from 4,000 applicants and created YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter accounts for them to relay their experiences. "Ford is taking a hands-off approach and telling participants not to hold back their opinions, bolstering the campaign's credibility. 'We've told them to be completely honest — that's the only way it's going to work,' Monty told us. 'We won't tell them what to say, nor will we censor or edit any of their content.' So far, it's working in Ford's favor. The tweets on the FordFiesta Twitter page are generally favorable, if a bit dry, as are the posts over at The Fiesta Movement Facebook page. None of the 80 pictures on the Fiesta Movement Flickr page show broken down cars. There are a few hundred videos on the FiestaMovement YouTube account if anyone's got a few hours to kill."

Microsoft and Yahoo Discussing Search Partnership 115

Posted by Soulskill on Friday April 10, 2009 @07:05PM from the here-we-go-again dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Guardian reports that Microsoft and Yahoo are talking about a search engine partnership as they desperately try to come up with something, anything, to take on Google. 'Although there is no suggestion that Microsoft's failed bid will be resurrected, the two companies are believed to be discussing ways they can link up to combat the growing power of their chief rival, Google. Quoting sources close to the discussions, the authoritative Dow Jones All Things Digital blog said that "the talks between the pair are preliminary and wide-ranging."'"

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