Comment Linux Voice (Score 1) 268
Have to put in my two cents for this very entertaining Linux-centric podcast out of the UK. Nicely produced and always topical.
Comment Re:PC Based Flight Simulators just dont cut it (Score 1) 70
I used FGFS to practice touch-n-goes during rainy days early in my flight training and also found the frame-of-reference to be a problem - I couldn't look out the window to see when I was abeam the numbers. So I modified my Extreme Pro joystick to use the 'twist' feature as turning the head instead of changing the rudder (since I have pedals) and find it much easier and almost natural to use now. The file I use is located on DropBox as mentioned on this thread:
http://www.flightgear.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=9635
Comment queue blender.org to get slashdotted... (Score 1) 221
and ACTION!:
500 - Internal Server Error
Jerry Brown Confiscates 48,000 Cell Phones 738
Hugh Pickens writes "The Sacramento Bee reports that California Governor Jerry Brown, in his first executive order since taking office, has ordered the collection and return of 48,000 state government-paid cell phones — half of those now in use — by June 1. 'It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all state employees must be equipped with taxpayer-funded cell phones,' says Brown in a written statement. 'Some state employees, including department and agency executives who are required to be in touch 24 hours a day and seven days a week, may need cell phones, but the current number of phones out there is astounding.' Brown's cell phone order directs state agency and department heads to retrieve the cell phones and the governor says he plans to continue reducing cell phone usage in months ahead. 'In the face of a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, a cell phone may not seem like a big expense,' adds Brown. 'But spending $20 million, and perhaps far more than that, on cell phones can't be justified.'"
Comment Re:Solution: DON'T fix it. (Score 1) 135
This is simply a preview of the real world. As someone who has just gone through the agonizing process of filling in multiple, often horrifically-designed online job applications, I wonder how perfecting a 'Common Application' for colleges serves to prepare students for the future job market.
OpenSSL 1.0.0 Released 105
hardaker writes "After over 11 years of development since the start of the OpenSSL Project (1998-12-23), OpenSSL version 1.0.0 has finally hit the shelves of the free-for-all store."
Comment How to help someone use a computer (Score 1) 902
I've found Phil Agre's tips http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html to be extremely useful. I re-read it every 6 months just to be sure I'm headed in the right direction.
OpenOffice Five Times As Popular As Google Docs 207
CWmike writes "Confirming recent comments by Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, an independent report released Friday found that OpenOffice.org's free office suite is five times more popular than Google Docs. This was according to a survey of 2,400 adult Internet users conducted between May and November. Microsoft's share was 10 times that of OpenOffice.org. Microsoft hopes to cement that lead with its upcoming Office Web, as well as online versions of its Exchange and SharePoint products to be announced on Monday. OpenOffice.org may provide some resistance, however. The latest version, OpenOffice.org 3.0, had a strong first week in October, with more than 3 million downloads. After one month, OpenOffice.org 3.0 had been downloaded 10 million times." And reader Peter Toi informs us of the open source release of yet another office suite, Softmaker Office. Its claimed advantages are its compactness and speed (making it suitable for netbooks), its excellent MS Office filters, and the fact that it can be installed to USB flash drives.
Comment Terrain-Aware Cruise Control (Score 1) 1114
I thought I'd make a bundle coming up with the idea of giving cruise-control systems awareness of hills and allowing them to back off near the crest of a hill and accelerate a bit before the base a hill, but it's already been patented. The idea has been introduced, but I'm not aware of it ever catching on.
I suspect a major drawback to a company interested in promoting this system is that by design, it would introduce speed variances between equipped cars and non-equipped cars, which opens the door for accidents and litigation.
I suspect a major drawback to a company interested in promoting this system is that by design, it would introduce speed variances between equipped cars and non-equipped cars, which opens the door for accidents and litigation.
