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Comment It's in the wiring... (Score 3, Interesting) 550

by gatorBYTE (#42639277) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How Do I Get My Spouse To Start Gaming With Me?

Dude, I've been married for over thirty years and have never been able to get my wife into gaming... unless it was "Bubbles" on her iPhone or a simple solitary type game. She just has no desire to play and/or sees it as too much work. It is not fun for her at all; needless to say I am the exact opposite.
Medicine

Medical Papers By Ghostwriters Pushed Hormone Therapy 289

Posted by timothy from the just-keep-a-positive-attitude dept.
krou writes "The New York Times reports on newly released court documents that show how pharmaceutical company Wyeth paid a medical communications firm to use ghost writers in drafting and publishing 26 papers between 1998 and 2005 backing the usage of hormone replacement therapy in women. The articles appeared in 18 journals, such as The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and The International Journal of Cardiology. The papers 'emphasized the benefits and de-emphasized the risks of taking hormones to protect against maladies like aging skin, heart disease and dementia,' and the apparent 'medical consensus benefited Wyeth ... as sales of its hormone drugs, called Premarin and Prempro, soared to nearly $2 billion in 2001.' The apparent consensus crumbled after a federal study in 2002 'found that menopausal women who took certain hormones had an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.'"

Feed Xbox 360 Spring 2007 Dashboard update (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming

Well, here we have it. Microsoft's Xbox 360 spring Dashboard update really will do everything it's been reported to (and then some). Unfortunately, those waiting for a sea change update intended to knock the PS3 on its ass may be a bit disappointed, but here's what you need to know:
  • The update hits the beginning of the week of May 7th
  • Your contact list will now integrate Windows Live Messenger, and show joinable session status
  • Messenger contacts can see what game you're playing, and your gamertag
  • Marketplace will now have its own blade, which will be skinned independent of your theme
  • Users will now get inline achievement updates (i.e. see what achievement you just unlocked and how much it's worth).
  • Low-power download mode and auto-shutdown
  • Progressive download: watch, fast-forward, and rewind partially downloaded movies
  • You can text chat messenger six friends playing games watching movies
  • Multiple tweaks on the user interface
We got a hands-on with the update, so there are plenty of shots for you to gorge yourself on in the gallery.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Feed Xbox 360's QWERTY thumb keyboard is official (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

The years old rumors of a QWERTY Xbox controller are true. Microsoft is finally launching a QWERTY thumb keyboard for the Xbox 360, a welcome addition for those of us who don't want yet another keyboard sitting around in our living room. Unfortunately, this officially marks the point where the Xbox 360 just has too freaking many peripherals, and starts to look a bit like it's grubbing. Still, if you want to use the Dashboard's new chat features you'll probably want to snap one of these up right quick. The details you need to know:
  • The thumb keyboard plugs into the headphone / data jack on the bottom of the controller. It comes bundled with its own headset, since it doesn't pass the signal through, and cannot work with current peripherals.
  • The keyboard is backlit; the chat bubble icon in the photos will be an MSN icon.
  • It will be released in the summer. No word on how much, though.
  • We got a chance to check it out. The tactility is nice, but it's a bit heavy with all the rest of the weight of the 360 controller.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Comment Re:Circuit Switching (Score 2, Interesting) 92

by gatorBYTE (#6085094) Attached to: VoIP, WiFi and the Future of Traditional Telecom
Death may well be in the future, but it will not happen in a year or two. VoIP still has some maturing to do... lots in fact. Voice demands just aren't the same as data.

On top of that, you just don't replace a Central Office or a large business PBX overnight. Tons (more than you can even imagine) of planning is required even before the first circuit is swapped out. Implementation of that plan is still another time intensive issue. A press release is only the begining of the process.

The packet switching announced may not even look like you expect. It can take many forms. If it works too much different (from the subscriber's point of view) than the current system in place, it will be a tough adjustment. Most people never know if they are talking over fiber or copper. How can you tell? As long as your call sounds clear and gets through, no one cares. The Technology behind that has been changing for decades, most are cluesless about how a call is connected or what technology is behind it. When that change comes, you are not going to know if you are on a Circuit or Packet switch.

Technology evolves, there is not question about that, but the Telecom industry is not the like the computer industry, though. One Central Office supplies service to thousands of lines. Even if VoIP was mature enough today, it will take traditional circuit switching years to be swapped out - it may well be many many years before you can declare traditional circuit switching a corpse.

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