lifebouy - Slashdot User

Submission + - AMD To Develop "Open-Source Friendly" GPUs (phoronix.com)

Submitted by skaroo on Saturday December 29, 2007 @09:44PM

skaroo writes: Phoronix is reporting that future AMD GPUs will be more open-source friendly. After AMD started releasing their GPG specifications to the open-source community, questions arose whether there would be information covering their Unified Video Decoder (UVD) found on the Radeon HD 2000 graphics cards. The UVD information is needed in order for hardware-accelerated video playback, but it likely cannot be opened as it's ingrained with DRM. However, an AMD representative said that moving to a modular UVD design is a requirement for future GPUs and that they will be more open-source friendly. They will also be opening the video acceleration information for their earlier graphics cards. A win for the open-source community or too little too late?

Submission + - Parasite makes us dumber or sexier

Submitted by odie_q on Friday December 29, 2006 @03:47PM

odie_q writes: It has long been known that the Toxoplasma gondii parasite alters its host's behaviour, but now it seems the way it alters it depends on the sex of the host. From the article, "A common parasite can increase a women's attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says.", and further, "Infected men have lower IQs, achieve a lower level of education and have shorter attention spans. They are also more likely to break rules and take risks, be more independent, more anti-social, suspicious, jealous and morose, and are deemed less attractive to women. On the other hand, infected women tend to be more outgoing, friendly, more promiscuous, and are considered more attractive to men compared with non-infected controls."

So, next time you want to score with a chick, slip some... eh.. cat feces in her drink.

Slashdot's Games of the Year 364

Posted by Zonk on Friday December 29, 2006 @03:25PM from the what-we-played dept.

Not everyone who works on Slashdot plays games. Enough of us do, though, that I thought it would be interesting to tap my co-workers to see what folks would call their 'game of the year'. Below are comments on the best gaming of 2006 from Chris Nandor, CmdrTaco, Chris Brown, Scuttlemonkey, and myself. Then, once you've read that, we need your help in the comments. What was the game you couldn't put down? Perhaps it was over quickly, but you know you'll be thinking about it in the future? Was it a next-gen title, or something for the good old PlayStation 2? In your opinion, what was the best game of the year?

Submission + - What's hidden under Greenland ice?

Submitted by

Roland Piquepaille

on Friday December 29, 2006 @02:50PM

Roland Piquepaille writes: "Ice has covered Greenland for millions of years. So what's hidden under this ice cap? Mountains and valleys? Rivers and lakes? Of course, we might know it sooner than we would have liked if the ice covering Greenland continues to melt. But researchers from Ohio State University have decided that they wanted to know it next year and have developed a radar to reveal views of land beneath polar ice. Their first tests of this new radar, which helps them to catch 3-D images of the ground under the ice, took place in May 2006. The next images will be shot in April 2007. Here are some images of the new GISMO device and what it can do."

Super-Vaccine For Flu In Development 165

Posted by Zonk on Friday December 29, 2006 @02:23PM from the just-what-i-wanted-for-christmas dept.

Adam9 tipped us to a DailyMail article about the possibility of a revolutionary flu vaccine that could work against all strains of the Influenza A disease. This 'holy grail' of vaccines would work on everything from the annual 'winter flu' to the 'bird flu'. The best part is that just a few vaccinations may provide complete immunity, unlike the annual boosters are current defenses require. From the article: "The new jabs would be grown in huge vats of bacterial 'soup', with just two pints of liquid providing 10,000 doses of vaccine. Current flu vaccines focus on two proteins on the surface of the virus. However, these constantly mutate in a bid to fool the immune system, making it impossible for vaccine manufacturers to keep up with the creation of each new strain. The universal vaccines focus on a different protein called M2, which has barely changed during the last 100 years."

Submission + - The science behind the joy of the bubbly

Submitted by isabotage3 on Friday December 29, 2006 @01:50PM

isabotage3 writes: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articleArchive/dec2006 /champagnescience.php Everything you need to know about champagne in time for New Year's — From how to maximize your bubbles to why bubbles follow certain patterns and then suddenly change to when the time is right to stop studying your bubbly and drink up.

Submission + - Virtual Addiction Up For Recognition

Submitted by PreacherTom on Thursday December 14, 2006 @08:53AM

PreacherTom writes: Spawning from such cases as a recent lawsuit with IBM over employee termination due to online sex chatting at work, recent debate over whether Internet abuse is a legitimate addiction, akin to alcoholism, is heating up. Attorneys say recognition by a court — whether in this or some future litigation — that Internet abuse is an uncontrollable addiction, and not just a bad habit, could redefine the condition as a psychological impairment worthy of protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The condition could even make it into the next edition of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM, making it a full-blown neurosis. It wouldn't be a huge surprise, with a recent Stanford study showing that 14% of people state it would be "hard to stay away" from the net for even a few days in a row.

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