145446982
submission
kackle writes:
I just received an email telling me that "Popular Science" magazine is
no more. That is, it is to be delivered to readers from now on only via ones and zeros. I can't say I had a subscription since it's
beginnings in 1872, but I did learn much from the rag and will sincerely miss it.
121664630
submission
kackle writes:
If you cut your teeth on 8-bit computers during their explosion into the mainstream, beginning in the 1970s, you were likely aware of and/or influenced by the work of electrical engineer Charles "Chuck" Peddle, who died this week. The general public may not know his name today, but his efforts had a big impact on the cost and availability of computing to the average person at the beginning of the personal computer era.
24435110
submission
kackle writes:
I received a from letter from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority saying that my first-generation "IPASS" transponder needs to be replaced because the battery is old. I called them for clarification since the first-generation transponders obviously have user-replaceable batteries, and I wanted to keep this version because it beeps when a toll is paid. (This notifies drivers that their battery is still good, unlike the silent second-generation version which has informed them of a dead battery by sending a ticket in the mail.) The woman on the phone explained that they were replacing them just because the electronics are old. This uninformed answer made me research the device. I found that the manufacturer has recently filed a patent application for a new transponder that a has a camera in it-a camera pointed inward at the occupants. How long before they make it illegal to cover that camera with tape?
