Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Submission + - 2016 Candidate Proposes that US Go Metric (cnn.com) 1

Applehu Akbar writes: The good news is that for the first time in years, a candidate in the next presidential cycle has proposed completing our transition to the metric system. Though unfortunately, it's Lincoln Chaffee, let's all hope that this long-standing nerd issue gets into the 2016 debate because of this.

Warning: Lame CNN autoplaying video.

Comment Re:Same as postal mail (Score 1) 224

I receive a lot of letters with sensitive informations (credit cards bills, bank communication, a mortgage contract copy once!) addressed to someone else all the time. Either because the person forgot to change their address or because the postal service made a mistake. I usually send them back with a wrong address notice but an evil person could do a lot with those.

This is not a new phenomenon at all...

Submission + - Pope Francis Declares Evolution And Big Bang Theory Are Right 4

HughPickens.com writes: The Independent reports that Pope Francis, speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, has declared that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real. “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” said Francis. “He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment." Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they “require it”. “The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.” Experts say the Pope's comments put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some argue were encouraged by his predecessor, Benedict XVI who spoke out against taking Darwin too far.

Submission + - This 'SimCity 4' Region With 107 Million People Took Eight Months of Planning

Jason Koebler writes: Peter Richie spent eight months planning and building a megacity in vanilla SimCity 4, and the end result is mind-boggling: 107.7 million people living in one massive, sprawling region.
"Traffic is a nightmare, both above ground and under," Richie said. "The massive amount of subway lines and subway stations are still congested during all times of the day in all neighborhoods of each and every mega-city in the region. The roadways are clogged at all times, but people still persist in trying to use them."

Submission + - Sony selling off VAIO computer business (theverge.com) 1

Kensai7 writes: Confirming reports from earlier in the week, Sony has announced plans to sell off its VAIO computer division to a Japanese investment fund. Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) will take control of the operation for an undisclosed fee, and Sony will "cease planning, design and development of PC products." For a variety of reasons "including the drastic changes in the global PC industry," Sony says "the optimal solution is to concentrate its mobile product lineup on smartphones and tablets and to transfer its PC business to a new company."

Submission + - Second World War code-cracking computing hero Colossus turns 70 (v3.co.uk)

DW100 writes: The Colossus computer that helped the Allies crack messages sent by the Nazis during the Second World War has celebrated its 70th birthday. The machine was a pioneering feat of engineering, able to read 5,000 characters a second to help the team at Bletchley Park crack the German's Lorenz code in rapid time. This helped the Allies gather vital information on the Nazi's plans, and is credited with helping end the war effort early, saving millions of lives.
Space

Submission + - Asteroid Apophis Just Got Supersized (discovery.com)

astroengine writes: "As the potentially hazardous asteroid makes closest approach to Earth today, astronomers using the European Herschel Space Observatory have announced something a little unsettling: asteroid 99942 Apophis is actually bigger than we thought. Herschel astronomers have deduced that Apophis is 1,066 feet (325 meters) wide. That's 20 percent larger than the previous estimate of 885 feet (270 meters). "The 20 percent increase in diameter, from 270 to 325 m, translates into a 75 percent increase in our estimates of the asteroid's volume or mass," said Thomas Müller of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, and lead scientist of the study. In addition, the space telescope has re-analyzed the albedo of the space rock, providing a valuable heat map of the object's surface — data that will improve orbital trajectory models."

Comment Re:Apologies to Lionel Richie (Score 1) 196

Sue you, sue me, sue it for always,
That’s the way it should be.
Sue you, sue me, sue it together, naturally.

I had a dream, I had an awesome dream.
People in the park,
Playin' games in the dark.
And what they played was a masquerade,
From behind the walls of doubt,
A voice was crying out.

Sue you, sue me, sue it for always,
That’s the way it should be.
Sue you, sue me, sue it together, naturally.

As we go down life’s lonesome highway,
Seems the hardest thing to do,
Is to find a friend or two.
That helping hand, someone who understands.
You’ve got someone there to sue, "I’ll show you."

Ooo-oooo.
Sue you, sue me, sue it for always,
Aw, that’s the way it should be.
Sue you, sue me, sue it together, naturally.

(So you think you know the answer, oh, no.)
Well, the whole world’s got you dancin'.
(That’s right, I’m telling you.)
(It’s time to start believin', oh, yes,)
(Believe in who you are,
(You are a shining star.)

Sue you, sue me, sue it for always,
Aw, that’s the way it should be.
Sue you, sue me, sue it together, naturally.
Sue it together, naturally.

Slashdot Top Deals

A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done. -- Fred Allen

Working...