Comment Re:Next steps (Score 2, Funny) 79

by duckbillplatypus on Friday May 14, 2010 @01:39AM (#32204132) Attached to: Apple A4 Processor Teardown

i prefer u.s. letter size.

Own Your Own Fighter Jet 222

Posted by samzenpus on Saturday January 16, 2010 @03:02PM from the only-one-on-the-block dept.

gimmebeer writes "The Russian Sukhoi SU-27 has a top speed of Mach 1.8 (more than 1,300 mph) and has a thrust to weight ratio greater than 1 to 1. That means it can accelerate while climbing straight up. It was designed to fight against the best the US had to offer, and now it can be yours for the price of a mediocre used business jet."

The FBI Wants To Know About Your IT Skills 211

Posted by Soulskill on Sunday January 10, 2010 @10:09AM from the and-how-you-take-your-coffee dept.

AHuxley writes "The FBI, via the Office of Management and Budget, would like to find out more about your information technology expertise if you are part of InfraGard. Terms like 'practical utility' have been included in a 60-day emergency notice of information collection via the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Is your boss or cubicle colleague part of InfraGard? It's a private, non-profit organization run as a public-private partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Are they passing info back about you or your company?"

The Murky Origins of Zork's Name 70

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 09, 2010 @11:44PM from the murky-enough-for-a-grue dept.

mjn writes "Computational media researcher Nick Montfort traces the murky origins of Zork's name. It's well known that the word was used in MIT hacker jargon around that time, but how did it get there? Candidates are the term 'zorch' from late 1950s DIY electronics slang, the use of the term as a placeholder in some early 1970s textbooks, the typo a QWERTY user would get if he typed 'work' on an AZERTY keyboard, and several uses in obscure sci-fi. No solid answers so far, though, as there are problems with many of the possible explanations that would have made MIT hackers unlikely to have run across them at the right time."

Comment Being Pro Dinosaur (Score 1) 746

by duckbillplatypus on Sunday November 22, 2009 @01:59PM (#30194888) Attached to: New Research Forecasts Global 6C Increase By End of Century

I welcome the return of the Mesozoic temperatures. A worldwide reptile paradise.

Comment Microsoft Innovation.... (Score 1) 249

by duckbillplatypus on Friday February 20, 2009 @09:31PM (#26937469) Attached to: Microsoft Secret Prototype Phone Stolen

Maybe their version of an app store will be as wildly popular as their ipod killing zune.

Comment i am not replacing my 30" lcd with a touchscreen (Score 1) 329

by duckbillplatypus on Wednesday May 28, 2008 @08:44PM (#23579509) Attached to: Windows 7 Multitouch Demonstration

yeah, great, just what i want to do, constantly wipe fingerprints off of my glossy screen. also, i dont want to replace my 30" lcd with a 30" touchscreen. and if i did, i dont think i would want to lay it down flat. however, my arms would probably get tired with the screen mounted in front of me. geesh. i like apple's approach with the wide multitouch, touchpad. much easier to keep clean.