Comment Re:Bill Joy still relevent...--"relevant" (Score 1) 80
it's relevant...
Comment Bill Joy still relevent... (Score 1) 80
Comment Externalities, Monsanto, Michael Crighton (Score 4, Interesting) 435
Generally, we just don't understand all the externalities involved.
Hopefully, they don't lead to catastrophic circumstances.
Submission + - Nano safety worries scientists more than public (presscue.com)
Nanotech Coward writes: "The unknown human health and environmental impacts of nanotechnology are a bigger worry for scientists than for the public, according to a new report published today (Nov. 25) in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The new report was based on a national telephone survey of American households and a sampling of 363 leading U.S. nanotechnology scientists and engineers. It reveals that those with the most insight into a technology with enormous potential — and that is already emerging in hundreds of products — are unsure what health and environmental problems might be posed by the technology."
Submission + - U Delaware breaks solar power efficiency record (renewableenergyaccess.com) 1
mdsolar writes: "Renewable Energy Access is reporting that a consortium led by researchers at the University of Delaware has achieved 42.8% efficiency with a silicon solar cell. The method uses lower concentration (factor of 20 magnification) than the previous record holder Boeing-Spectrolab made cell (40.7% efficiency) so that it may have a broader range of applications since tolerances for pointing the device will be larger. They are now partnering with DuPont to build engineering and manufacturing prototypes under DARPA's Very High Efficiency Solar Cell program which supports work towards achieving 50% efficiency. It is expected that these cells can help improve the military battery logistics pipeline, providing "soldiers with more power at reduced weight." They expect to be in production in 2010. On a roof, such cells would require less than half the surface area to produce the same amount of power as today's standard solar panels. This might leave room for panels to power plugin hybrids for cases where roof area is too limited to do this with standard panels."
Submission + - Swarm Theory Makes National Geographic
g8orade writes: "This could have gone under several topics, but Swarm Behavior / Swarm Theory has made the pages of National Geographic. Brief but interesting article with several examples."
Submission + - Microsoft eyes Apple with virtualization stance (arstechnica.com)
Pisces writes: Over the past several days, Microsoft flip-flopped on virtualization in Vista, with one ascribing the change in policy to concerns over DRM. A piece at Ars Technica raises another, more likely possiblity: fear of Apple. Apple is technically an OEM, and could offer copies of Vista at a discounted price. 'All of this paints a picture in which Apple could use OEM pricing to offer Windows for its Macs at greatly reduced prices and running in a VM. The latter is absolutely crucial; telling users that they need to reboot into their Windows OS isn't nearly as sexy as, say, Coherence in Parallels. If you've never seen Coherence, it's quite amazing. You don't need to run Windows apps in a VM window of Vista. Instead, the apps appear to run in OS X itself, and the environment is (mostly) hidden away. VMWare also has similar technology, dubbed Unity.' Is Microsoft terrified of a world where Windows can be virtualized and forced to take a back seat to Mac OS X or Linux?
Submission + - A five-gear space rocket engine
Roland Piquepaille writes: "Georgia Tech researchers have had a brilliant idea. Rocket engines used today to launch satellites run at maximum exhaust velocity until they reach orbit. For a car, this would be analog to stay all the time in first gear. So they have designed a new space rocket which works as it has a five-gear transmission system. This space engine uses 40 percent less fuel than current ones by running on solar power while in space and by fine-tuning exhaust velocity. But as it was designed with funds from the U.S. Air Force, military applications will be ready before civilian ones. Here is how this new rocket engine works."
Submission + - Modular robot adept at wriggling
MattSparkes writes: "A modular robot that transforms itself into different shapes in order to walk, crawl and clamber up inclines has been demonstrated in the US. Each "Superbot" module is effectively a robot in its own right. The modules can move independently, flip over and rotate like wheels, and have 3D accelerometers that let them know their precise orientation.
The six sides of each module can dock with any other module. Once connected, the modules can communicate, coordinate shape changes and even transmit power."
Submission + - Selling Homeowners a Solar Dream
slugo writes: "Instead of making you spring for $25,000 or more in gear, Citizenr says it will loan you a complete rooftop solar power system, install it for free and sell you back the power it generates at a fixed rate below what your utility charges. The company hopes to make back its investment with those monthly payments, augmented by federal tax credits and rebates."
Journal Journal: DesktopLinux: Vista and Mepis Compared, Mepis Wins.
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has a very cool comparison of Mepis and Vista on a year old HP Media PC. He explains dual booting and walks away with a shocker, Mepis has better hardware support and more "wow". The biggest Vista problems, drivers and DRM, conspired to keep him from playing his CDs and getting Aero. Mepis worked everything but a Winmodem and he was able to get fancy 3D graphi
Journal Journal: F-22 Navigation Glitch: "It worked fine in the lab" 4
IFENs aren't the only computer system you can crash in flight, evidently. The shiny-new F-22 raptor arrived in Okinawa this weekend, the first overseas deployment for the USAF's most advanced and most expensive fighter. The arrival was a week late, due to a
Ruby Implementation Shootout 112
An anonymous reader writes "Ruby has an ever growing number of alternative implementations, and many of these attempt to improve the suboptimal performance of the current mainstream interpreter. Antonio Cangiano has an interesting article in which he benchmarks a few of the most popular Ruby implementations, including Yarv (the heart of Ruby 2.0), JRuby, Ruby.NET, Rubinius and Cardinal (Ruby on Parrot). Numerical evidence is provided rather than shear opinions. The tests show that Yarv is the fastest implementation and that it offers a promising future when it comes to the speed of the next Ruby version."
Submission + - Hitachi develops sand sized RFID chips
Mazadillon writes: "Hitachi has developed an RFID chip 64 times smaller than current devices. The devices, which have enough memory to hold a 38 digit identification number, are a minute 0.05mm x 0.05mm in size. Possible uses include counterfeit protection for money and tickets."
A Criticism of Race Portrayal in Games 141
Joystiq points out (and comments incitefully on) a two-part examination of African-American roles in videogames on the site Black Voice News. Series author Richard Jones takes the videogame industry to task for the numerous poor images that young black people have to compare themselves to. He singles out Carl Johnson, the protagonist of GTA: San Andreas as an example. Jones also acknowledges that 'the video game industry is all about money', pointing out the unfortunate lack of black designers and illustrators in the industry to sway the creative choices of publisheres and developers. He gives a call to arms to black players, saying they should focus some of their passion on the skills required to make games. They'd get rich, he says, and work to reverse some of the negative stereotypes that non-whites are subject to in games. The Opposable Thumbs blog takes a critical look at his argument, offering up another side to the story. While it's obvious that Mr. Jones doesn't have a great grasp on the games industry itself, he would seem to make a few valid points as well.
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