longobord - Slashdot User

Noisebridge Attempts to Teach Science To Juggalos 198

Posted by samzenpus on Monday June 21, 2010 @02:44PM from the so-that's-how-a-magnet-works dept.

Working on the assumption that the Insane Clown Posse's song Miracles was indeed a tribute to the wonder of nature and not the cleverest troll ever, some folks from the hackerspace Noisebridge decided to try and educate ICP fans. Surprisingly, most of the fans seemed to enjoy the science lesson, but representatives of the band didn't seem to think it was funny.

Comment I interpreted it quite the opposite... (Score 2, Insightful) 97

by longobord on Tuesday November 11, 2008 @12:09PM (#25716593) Attached to: Obama's Election Means a Return of Vampire Flicks

The way I interpret the popularity of one type of horror movie over another has more to do with what people fear. People who tend to vote for republicans fear the throngs of poor huddled teaming masses coming to eat their brains (and their hard-earned cash). People who tend to vote for democrats find it more fear-inspiring to think about some powerful unseen force swooping in and draining them from above. So zombies would represent fears of tax and spend while vampires would represent corporate greed.

Linux Devicemaker Sued In First US Test of GPL 315

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday September 20, 2007 @08:06PM from the running-it-up-the-flagpole dept.

An anonymous reader writes "For the first time in the U.S., a company is being taken to court for a GPL violation. The Software Freedom Law Center has sued Monsoon Multimedia over alleged GPL violations in the Hava, a place- and time-shifting TV recorder similar to the SlingBox. Interestingly, Monsoon Multimedia is run by a highly experienced international lawyer named Graham Radstone. According to his corporate biography, Radstone has an MA in Law from the University of Cambridge, England, and held the top legal spot at an unnamed "$1 billion private multinational company." He also reportedly held top management positions with Philip Morris, Pfizer, and DHL. Sounds like the makings of a good old legal Donnybrook ahead."

GPhone Still In the Works At Google 106

Posted by Zonk on Thursday September 20, 2007 @07:09PM from the i-wish-goog-411-worked-better dept.

Technical Writing Geek writes "According to sources at a Taiwanese manufacturer, Google will definitely be launching its own branded phone. An article at DigiTimes states that the company has yet to finalize the handset's specifications, OS, production contractor and operating partners. 'TI's handset chipsets will find their way into the Google phone should the company decide to roll out an EDGE-compliant handset, but Qualcomm could turn out to be the winner if Google decides to bet on a 3G model ... However, the choice of a 3G platform might force Google to postpone the launch of the so-called Gphone to the first half of 2008 instead of the latter half of this year as expected due to the change of platform and problems related to licensing of patented technologies ...'"

Feed Engadget: Apple fesses up to faulty iPod touch screens (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed on Thursday September 20, 2007 @02:52PM

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

It looks like those complaining of problems with the iPod touch's screen weren't seeing things, as Apple has now reportedly confirmed that at least some early units did indeed ship with defective screens. That bit of news comes at the tail end of a review of the player by none other than Walt Mossberg, who reports that Apple says the problem affected a "small number of units" and that it is "being remedied." Exactly what that remedy entails, however, is unclear, as is the exact number of units affected. In related news, there's also been a few unconfirmed reports cropping up of similarly dim screens on newer iPhones, with the problem seemingly traced to units released after the now infamous price cut. No word from Apple on that, but if your new iPhone's display looks a little off, feel free to let us know.

Read - Walt Mossberg's review
Read - Apple forum discussion of iPod touch / iPhone screens

[Via AppleInsider]

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

Gartner Says Open Source "Impossible To Avoid" 167

Posted by kdawson on Thursday September 20, 2007 @01:24PM from the there-they-go-again dept.

alphadogg writes in with a Network World article that covers a Gartner open source conference, in which VP Mark Driver seems to be going out of his way to be provocative. "You can try to avoid open source, but it's probably easier to get out of the IT business altogether. By 2011, at least 80% of commercial software will contain significant amounts of open source code..." After this lead-in, in which open source seems to be regarded as some kind of communicable disease, the rest of the article outlines a perfectly rational plan for developing an open source strategy.

US Senate Fails To Reinstate Habeas Corpus 790

Posted by kdawson on Thursday September 20, 2007 @12:45PM from the bound-by-oath-or-affirmation dept.

Khyber notes that yesterday a vote in the US Senate fell four votes short of what was needed to restore habeas corpus — the fundamental right of individauls to challenge government detention. Here is the record of the vote on the Cloture Motion to restore Habeas Corpus. Article 4 of the US Constitution states that habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless in cases of rebellion and invasion when the public safety may require it.

12 Year Old Gets $6.5M for Gaming Company 180

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday September 20, 2007 @05:39AM from the that's-a-lot-of-candy dept.

Bayscribe writes "A Silicon Valley company co-founded by a 12-year-old has just raised $6.5 million in venture capital. PlaySpan, based in Santa Clara, Calif. says it offers game publishers a technology that lets users make payments and shop for other items. It calls itself the first "publisher-sponsored in-game commerce network." Arjun Mehta, a 6th grader, says on his Web site that he is passionate about software that can make the game experience more "rewarding," and that he started the company last year in his garage. He paid for it from earnings made from selling online game items he won."

Headband Gives Wearer "Sixth-Sense" 234

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday September 19, 2007 @03:32PM from the use-the-force dept.

An anonymous reader writes "New Scientist reports on a headband developed at the University of Tokyo that allows the wearer to feel their surroundings at a distance — as if they had cats whiskers. Infrared sensors positioned around the headband vibrate to signal when and where an object is close. There are also a few great videos of people using it to dodge stuff while blindfolded."

Is id Abandoning Linux? 339

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday September 19, 2007 @10:14AM from the can't-believe-they-stuck-it-out-this-long dept.

edv writes "In a news posting dated 10th of September, Beyond3D is reporting of an article in a German publication in which id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead discusses the upcoming id title Rage and the engine it runs on, codenamed 'id Tech 5'. Amongst other things Todd mentions that no Linux version of the game is planned at the moment, and that it will run on Direct3D on Windows platform. OpenGL version is planned for the Mac however. If true, this would be a serious blow for Linux gaming (insert jokes here) as id and Carmack have been strong proponents of OpenGL and openness in the past."

US Register of Copyrights Says DMCA Is 'Working Fine' 224

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday September 18, 2007 @04:26PM from the i-feel-a-lot-better-now dept.

Linnen writes "CNET News.com writer Anne Broache reports that the head of the US Copyright Office considers the DCMA to be an important tool for copyright owners. '"I'm not ready to dump the anticircumvention," [Register of Copyrights Marybeth Peters] said in response to a question from an audience member who suggested as much. "I think that's a really important part of our copyright owners' quiver of arrows to defend themselves." The law also requires that the Copyright Office meets periodically to decide whether it's necessary to specify narrow exemptions to the so-called anticircumvention rules. (Last year, the government decided it's lawful to unlock a cell phone's firmware for the purpose of switching carriers and to crack copy protection on audiovisual works to test for security flaws or vulnerabilities.)'"

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