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Comment Re:Structural Unemployment for Middle Men (Score 1) 443

by fraudrogic (#34199054) Attached to: UK Games Retailers Threaten Boycott of Steam Games
I think a cool feature of Steam is the ability to play your games across different PCs with only a net connection needed. I got bored with Star Trek online and gave my steam credentials to my nephew so that he can level up my character for me (He made up his own character though...lil bastard). I just gave him the name and password over email and he was off and running. Granted I probably can't play while he is playing, but that was the only steam game I own so it wasn't an issue. I think I would buy New Vegas for PS3 though because I am so sick of sitting at my desk that I'd rather play on the couch on my 50" TV (Plus my Oblivion experience was on PS3 so it would be a natural feel).
Government

Mississippi Bill Would Tax Software Sales 293

Posted by kdawson from the join-the-crowd dept.
Byzantine writes "The Mississippi Legislature has passed MS House Bill 1461 which would amend the state's tax laws specifically to charge sales tax on 'electrically transferred digital products,' including products bought via mail-order. The bill is currently on the governor's desk awaiting signature." Softpedia claims that 20 states have enacted download taxes of one sort or another — most of them for iTunes music — and that New York is considering taxing downloads of all kinds.

Comment Re:If it 'snot good enough for the feds... (Score 1) 625

by fraudrogic (#26516459) Attached to: Single Drive Wipe Protects Data

From "History of the term 'Telephone Sanitizer'":
...but there was a big swath of middle-classdom where the lady of the house would do most of the cleaning ... a trade of travelling toilet cleaners emerged. They would also fix common problems, like leaking valves.

And thus, the first porn movie plot was conceived in London, England, ca 1920.

(Dick Van Dyke Mary Poppins fictional Brit Accent) "Ehlloh ma lady! I 'ere you got yoreself a leaking valve"
Earth

More Climate Scientists Now Support Geoengineering 458

Posted by Soulskill from the this-earth-is-busted-let's-build-a-new-one dept.
ofcourseyouare writes "The Independent is a UK newspaper which has been pushing hard for cuts in CO2 emissions for years. It recently polled a group of 'the world's leading climate scientists,' revealing a 'growing support for geoengineering' in addition to cutting CO2 — not as a substitute. For example, Jim Lovelock, author of The Gaia Theory, comments: 'I disagree that geoengineering the climate is a dangerous distraction and I disagree that on no account should it ever be considered. I strongly agree that we now need a "plan B" where a geoengineering strategy is drawn up in parallel with other measures to curb CO2 emissions.' Professor Kerry Emanuel of MIT said, 'While a geoengineering solution is bound to be less than desirable, the probability of getting global agreement on emissions reductions before it is too late is very small.'"

Comment Re:I HATE WINTER!!!!!! (Score 1) 429

by fraudrogic (#26223979) Attached to: Being snowbound ...

Honestly, anyone who likes the heat is raving nuts.

I guess I'm nuts. I live in Florida. High of 81F and clear today. You guys can take your "snow drifts" (whatever the hell that is, it sounds like a nightmare) and shove[l] it. I thrive in the 95F heat here, can't stand it if it gets below 55F. Of course I guess this is because I was born and raised in this climate.
Image

Zoe's Tale 109

Posted by samzenpus from the read-all-about-it dept.
stoolpigeon writes "John Scalzi, the author of Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, has built what started as a story serialized in his blog into a series of full novels and short stories. The latest installment in the OMW universe, Zoe's Tale, is quite a departure from the previous three books. It is the first of Scalzi's sci-fi novels written intentionally as young adult fiction. In a move that I am sure will continue to fuel Scalzi/Heinlein comparisons, Zoe is a precocious young woman thrust into a world of adventure and danger. In just three years Scalzi has built an impressive resume as an author of fiction, and Zoe's Tale will be no small part of what looks to be an influential and outstanding career." Keep reading for the rest of JR's review.
Government

FTC Wants To Straighten Out IP Law 97

Posted by Soulskill from the you-and-what-army dept.
coondoggie writes with this excerpt from NetworkWorld: "What do you get when you mix the government, the court system, company lawyers and Joe Consumer? A serious mess that would send most people screaming into the night. But the Federal Trade Commission is no such entity. It wants to straighten Intellectual Property (IP) out and today said it will hold a series of hearings — the first in Washington, DC on Dec. 5 — it will use to examine IP law and the myriad issues surrounding it. Interested bigwigs from the tech industry, including Cisco, Yahoo and the Computer & Communications Industry Association are expected to testify along with professors, lawyers and other industry players. The patent system has experienced significant change and more changes are under consideration, the FTC said." The FTC held some different, but related hearings this week which addressed topics such as copyright law and DRM interoperability. Transcripts, podcasts, and summaries of the talks are available on the FTC-hosted "Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade" site.

Comment Re:No wonder it's not selling (Score 1) 454

by fraudrogic (#25487037) Attached to: Is Anyone Buying T-Mobile's Googlephone?
I just didn't understand what the problem was. He went into a store and they said "We're out of the range and the Google and things that the phone comes with, they won't work on it". Yet he said his T-mobile internet access works in that area? I think he was misinterpreting what she was saying. Either that or someone left their mentally challenged siblings in charge of the store while they went to lunch.

I mean, was it a coverage problem? And if so, why didn't he experience this same problem with his current phone?
Mozilla

FireFox 3.1 Leaves IE in the Dust 435

Posted by CmdrTaco from the i-just-want-fewer-beachballs dept.
Anonymous writes "Granted, FireFox 3.1 is just a beta and IE 8 is also in beta, but it looks like Microsoft has some ground to make up when it comes to browser performance. Given that Mozilla appears to be on a much faster cycle than Microsoft with this stuff, it's also possible that it could increase the gap even more before IE 8 is GA, no?"

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