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Comment Didn't RTFA (Score 1) 849

by douglasdoughty (#31093886) Attached to: Subversive Groups Must Now Register In South Carolina
but, if the description can be trusted: "every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States" Then, members of political parties, local and state representatives, and lobbyists all have to register on this list as well...unless they are actually not trying to control or conduct the government...

Comment Re:Sounds expensive. (Score 1) 2

by douglasdoughty (#29421501) Attached to: ISPs asked to cut off malware-infected PCs
I work for an local ISP around Baton Rouge, LA. When we see that PCs showing malware/virus-like behavior, we cut the customer off. It is as simple as remotely disabling the port on the ONT (fiber) or, if need be, remove the pvc from the cisco router. Doesn't cost much (I don't get paid any more to do it!), and it boosts network reliability.

Cox already has implementations which effectively cut off the customer by disabling all but http traffic, which is rerouted to a static page with information on how to remove spyware/malware.

My point is: I don't think this would cost much, and if you are referring to calls we would receive: most people who call in after being cut off thank us for (round-aboutly) letting them know they have a issue with their computer--or at least they understand why it has been done.
Education

Submission + - All-You-Can-Eat College for $99-a-Month

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "Writing in Washington Monthly, Kevin Carey has seen the future of college education. It costs $99-a-month, and there's no limit on the number of courses you can take. Tiny online education firm StraighterLine is out to challenge the seeming permanency of traditional colleges and universities. How? Like Craigslist, StraighterLine threatens the most profitable piece of its competitors' business: freshman lectures, higher education's equivalent of the classified section. It's no surprise, then, that as StraighterLine tried to buck the system, the system began to push back, challenging deals the company struck with accredited traditional and for-profit institutions to allow StraighterLine courses to be transferred for credit. But even if StraighterLine doesn't succeed in bringing extremely cheap college courses to the masses, it's likely that another player eventually will."
Government

Submission + - 3 charges against Terry Childs dropped (sfexaminer.com)

Submitted by phantomfive
phantomfive writes: Terry Childs, who was arrested nearly a year ago for refusing to turn over the passwords to the San Francisco's FiberWAN network has been cleared for three of the four charges against him. The charges that were dropped referred to the attachment of modems to the network. The remaining charge is for refusing to turn over the password. The prosecutor has vowed to appeal, to have the charges reinstated. We have the original story, and the story where Childs tells his side, for those who want a refresher.
Input Devices

Submission + - Brainport lets Blind "See" with Their Tong 3

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Scientific American reports that a new device called "Brainport" aims to partially restore the experience of vision for the blind and visually impaired by relying on the nerves on the tongue's surface to send light signals to the brain. BrainPort collects visual data through a small digital video camera and converts the signal into electrical pulses sent to the tongue via a "lollipop" that sits directly on the tongue where densely packed nerves at the tongue surface receive the incoming electrical signals. White pixels yield a strong electrical pulse and the electrodes spatially correlate with the pixels so that if the camera detects light fixtures in the middle of a dark hallway, electrical stimulations will occur along the center of the tongue. Within 15 minutes of using the device, blind people can begin interpreting spatial information. "At first, I was amazed at what the device could do," says research director William Seiple. "One guy started to cry when he saw his first letter.""
IBM

Submission + - IBM Post-Doctoral Hires Second-Class Employees?

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "If you're brilliant, work really hard, and earn a world-class doctorate from a U.S. university, IBM has a job for you at one of its U.S. research sites. As a 'complementary worker,' that is. But be prepared to be shipped out to India or China after you've soaked up knowledge for 13 months as a 'long-term supplemental worker.' Not too surprising — Newsweek reports that IBM, HP, Accenture and others are finding it profitable to detach from the United States (even patenting the process), and suggests the U.S. should be appreciative that they still contribute something to the economy."
Enlightenment

Submission + - Obstacles Near Emergency Exits Speed Evacuation (physicscentral.com)

Submitted by
BuzzSkyline
BuzzSkyline writes: "Despite fire codes that require emergency exits be clear of obstacles, some types of obstacles actually speed evacuation. The counterintuitive conclusion resulted from a series of experiments performed at a TV studio in Japan. Researchers from the University of Tokyo asked 50 volunteers to exit the studio through a narrow door. Video tapes of the experiments show that that people made it out quickest when a pole was placed about 30 degrees to one side of the exit. The lead researcher believes an obstacle reduces jamming and friction among people in crowds by decreasing conflicts as the crowd presses toward the exit. A paper describing the researcher is schedule to appear in the journal Physical Review E in September, but a preprint is available on the Physics Arxiv."

Comment Good News? (Score 1) 1

by douglasdoughty (#29127965) Attached to: The decline of the landline
I work for a telcom, and we are feeling the pinch from this exact issue. Management tells us to try to sell as many phone lines as possible, which I believe is keeping their heads in the sand. To stay competitive, telcoms must evolve to produce varied and intriguing products, and I am sad to say that our company has recently invested in a voicemail system upgrade to lure more people into purchasing a landline.

Though, the main reason that the company wants landlines: government subsidies. If we lose landlines, we lose revenue from the customer and from the government.

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