Comment iPhone/Android apps (Score 3, Insightful) 257
You can always develop iPhone and Android apps. Of course, you might not end up making any money. But you could get lucky and strike it big. Even if not, you'll be having fun.
Comment Re:so before Sandy Point, they were idiots? (Score 1) 528
What about extreme weather conditions? In many places around the country, these come without much warning. A patch of thick fog or a sudden torrent of rains can easily drops visibility around a section of the highway or curve. If you slow down too much, you may cause accidents where drivers behind you rear end your car. Same with black ice or animals on the road. There are some situations where you can't just blame the driver for negligence.
Driving is inherently risky. You take on that risk and responsibility for driving safely when you apply for a license. That is why you're required to have car insurance.
Comment Re:Kick start my analysis of kick starter (Score 1) 192
All, Please invest in my kick starter project to determine when the kick starter bubble will burst. There is no timeline and no deliverables. Budget is $10 million. First 100 people to invest get an autographed copy of the report. Thanks.
Sadly, projects like this already exists in kickstarter. Exhibit A: http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/ribwt/step_1_get_money_from_kickstarter_step_2_abandon/
Too bad there's really no way to give feedback. I wish kickstarter would work more similar to a traditional VC. You receive rounds of funding based on performance goals and deliverables instead of a lump sum to spend on whatever you want.
Comment Re:This would also be useful on tropical islands.. (Score 1) 227
That would be really cool. Thought I imagine the maintenance costs (especially due to corrosion from the salty air and tropical storms) may make it a little less attractive than conventional means.
Comment Re:riiiight (Score 3, Informative) 192
They're saying there is no market for investing in new expensive launch vehicles with all the quadruple redundancies and fail-safes imposed by the government. There's already a crop of old but reliable Soviet technology that does the same.
Submission + - Synchronize data between Linux, OS X, and Windows? 2
aaaaaaargh! writes: I'm using a laptop with Ubuntu 8.04 for work, a netbook with Ubuntu 9.10 when I'm outside, Mac OS X 10.5 for hobby projects, and Windows XP for gaming. For backups I'm currently using Jungledisk and Apple Timemachine and I use a local svn repository for my work data. Now I need to frequently exchange and synchronize OpenOffice and Latex files and source code in various cross-platform programming languages between one machine and another.
Options range from putting everything online (but Jungledisk disks seem to be too slow for anything else than backup), storing my data on external medias like USB sticks or SD cards, or working with copies by synchronizing folders over the network. I don't want to give my data away to some server outside without strong encryption (controlled by me, including the source code) and external media like USB sticks are a bit too fragile according to my taste. The solution should be reliable, relatively failsafe, as simple as possible, and allow me to continue to use Jungledisk for backup.
So what would you recommend?
Options range from putting everything online (but Jungledisk disks seem to be too slow for anything else than backup), storing my data on external medias like USB sticks or SD cards, or working with copies by synchronizing folders over the network. I don't want to give my data away to some server outside without strong encryption (controlled by me, including the source code) and external media like USB sticks are a bit too fragile according to my taste. The solution should be reliable, relatively failsafe, as simple as possible, and allow me to continue to use Jungledisk for backup.
So what would you recommend?
Comment Re:Software engineering is not a new concept. (Score 1) 436
Umm no. I made $60K living outside the DC in NoVA suburbs and I got along just fine. WIth $1200/month payment for shitty condo.
I wouldn't count DC as a major US city. That said, I think only NYC, SF, and parts of LA and Chicago have such ridiculous high costs of living to make 80K only marginally above-average pay. I enjoyed a fairly well-off lifestyle in the midwest before moving moving out here to silicon valley. My monthly rent for my tiny hole-in-the-wall apartment is more than my spacious luxurious condo in the Midwest. Add in the utilities and higher cost of groceries, gas, etc, the 30% jump in salary just doesn't cut it.
Microsoft To Offer Free Anti-Virus Software 448
Dynamoo writes "The good news is that Microsoft have announced free anti-virus software for consumers, dubbed Morro, available late next year. The bad news is ... well, exactly the same. Although Microsoft's anti-malware products are pretty good, this move could drive many competitors out of business and create a dangerous security monoculture; major rivals will be lawyering up already. On the other hand, many malware infections could be prevented even by basic software. So is this going to be a good or bad thing overall?"
Comment Vim tips (Score 5, Informative) 702
Why bother asking slashdot when all the best Vim tips have been collected and compiled?
http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Best_Vim_Tips
Team Fortress 2 Stats Confirm Every Suspicion 110
Valve has released another round of stats, this one concerning all that Team Fortress 2 playing we've been doing. They have things broken out along a couple of different metrics, including lifespan, kills, assists, captures, and even just damage dealt. As Rock, Paper, Shotgun's commentary notes, the stats confirm every suspicion you've had about your fellow players. "Yes, there are more rushy-bastard Scouts than any other class. Yes, campy-bastard Snipers earn the most points. Yes, hitpointy-bastard Heavies get the most kills. Yes, hidey-bastard Engineers live longest. And so on. What's slightly odder is the breakdown of which side wins most frequently on each map. BLU has the edge in every killing field except Dustbowl and Gravelpit. Why? How? I thought we were all the same! Damn you for not being neater, demographics." We previously discussed Valve's stats release on Half-Life 2: Episode 2 .
Submission + - FTC: payment processor schemes took millions (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: "The Federal Trade Commission and seven states have charged a payment processor with violating federal and state laws by debiting, or attempting to debit from consumers' bank accounts on behalf of numerous fraudulent telemarketers and Internet-based merchants.Between June 23, 2004 and March 31, 2006, the payment processing company, Your Money Access, processed more than $200 million in debits and attempted debits to consumers' bank accounts and more than $69 million of the attempted debits were returned or rejected by consumers or their banks for various reasons, indicating the lack of consumer authorization, the FTC complaint alleges.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22935"
Submission + - Ohio caves to encryption after massive data breach (computerworld.com) 1
Lucas123 writes: "After a backup tape containing 106,821 pieces of sensitive information on Ohio residents and businesses was stolen from the car of a government intern in June, the state government just announced it has purchased 60,000 licenses of encryption software for state offices to use to protect data. Ohio's missing backup tape featured the names and Social Security numbers of 47,245 individuals; the names and Social Security numbers of 19,388 former state employees; and banking information on less than 100 businesses. It's estimate that the data loss will cost the state $3 million. In September, the state docked a state government official about a week of future vacation time for not ensuring that the data would be protected."
Submission + - SPAM: Microbes churn out hydrogen at record rate 1
FiReaNGeL writes: "By adding a few modifications to their successful wastewater fuel cell, researchers have coaxed common bacteria to produce hydrogen in a new, efficient way. Using starter material that could theoretically be sourced from a salad bar, the researchers have coaxed microbes to generate hydrogen. "We achieved the highest hydrogen yields ever obtained with this approach from different sources of organic matter, such as yields of 91 percent using vinegar (acetic acid) and 68 percent using cellulose"."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Feed Engadget: iPod gets exploded, trapped in resin (engadget.com)
Filed under: Portable Audio
Sure, your iPod is portable, lightweight, and easy to use -- but it's not exactly special is it? Perhaps you should be thieving a page from a young man named Billy Chasen, who has decided to rip apart his 4G player and encase it in a brick of translucent resin. Here's the best part: it still works. By also including the dock internals in the project, he's able to charge and control the exploded device. Practical? Not really, but that's art for you. Damien Hirst would be proud... or is suing.[Thanks, Sam]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Submission + - Facial recognition vending machine debut in Japan (japanesecustomer.com)
Peter Hanami writes: "Yesterday in Japan, a facial recognition vending machine went on sale that can tell the age of the buyer based on a range of features including number of wrinkles, bone structure and how the skin sits on the face. Developed as a way to stop minors from buying cigarettes from vending machines.In Japan, cigarette vending machines are a common feature on the street and presently few safeguards exist to stop younger users from purchasing. This new machine is seen as a positive step to reduce under age smoking. If the machine doesnt deem the buyer to be of suitable age, 20 years old in Japan. The buyer must provide further identification such as a drivers licence."
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