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Programming

Worst Working Conditions You Had To Write Code In? 1127

Posted by samzenpus from the 150-of-us-in-a-shoebox-in-the-middle-of-the-road dept.
sausaw writes "I recently had to write code in a hot dusty room for 20 days with temperatures near 107F (~41C); having nothing to sit on; a 64 Kbps inconsistent internet connection; warm water for drinking and a lot of distractions and interruptions. I am sure many people have been in similar situations and would like to know your experiences."

Comment 1 step forward, 2 steps back (Score 4, Insightful) 652

by martinw89 (#27557895) Attached to: Tesla CEO Says Gov't Loan Is 99% Sure and Deserved

The thing is, alternative energy DOES have a long way to go.

I was a big fan of the Tesla until Top Gear's review. It seemed like the perfect electric car: it can smoke most internal combustion cars off the line, AND it can run for more than 200 miles on a single charge. Plus, there are the benefits of less emissions due to economies of scale and a cheaper running cost. But Top Gear pointed out that once you deplete the battery, you have to charge it all night before you can use it again (I think the exact time was 14 hours).

So, awesome, I can go for a Sunday drive in a fun car and feel good about it. Except that I only have a few hours for this drive (if I'm driving cautiously), and once I'm done, I'm done for the day. So it's one step forward, but two steps back. The car doesn't adapt to us, we have to adapt to it. This isn't right, the next alternative fuel needs to fit our lifestyles or people are unlikely to change for it. That's why we need something that can be refueled quickly, which the Tesla certainly is not.
Microsoft

Why Windows Must (and Will) Go Open Source 555

Posted by timothy from the lacks-the-ring-of-inevitability dept.
Attila Dimedici writes "Charles Babcock of Information Week published an interesting article suggesting that Microsoft will have to at least to some degree take Windows open source if they want to stay in business. He suggests that the money to be made from the things MS builds on top of Windows (Office, Server, SQL Server, Exchange, Sharepoint, etc.) is so much greater than what can be made from Windows itself that MS will have to give up the revenue stream from Windows in order to maintain these other, more valuable, revenue streams."
Biotech

Doctors Will Test Gene Editing On HIV Patients 263

Posted by kdawson from the importing-mercenaries dept.
Soychemist writes "Some people have a mutation that makes them highly resistant to HIV, and scientists think that they can give that immunity to anyone with a new type of gene therapy. The first human trials will start at the University of Pennsylvania this week. Researchers will draw blood from people with drug-resistant HIV, clip the CCR5 gene out of their T-cells with a nuclease enzyme, grow the modified cells in a dish, and then return 10 billion of them to the patient's bloodstream. Those cells will be immune to the virus, and they will keep the patient's T-cell count up even if the rest are destroyed. 'We will see if it is safe and if those cells inhibit HIV replication in vivo,' said the lead researcher. 'We know they do in the test tube.'"

Comment FTA (Score 1) 526

by martinw89 (#26715771) Attached to: Comcast Apologizes For Super Bowl Porn Glitch

FTA:

In light of the incident, Comcast says it will issue a $10 credit to any customers who say they viewed the 30-second clip, which featured full male nudity. (SEE BOX)

I was unfortunately disappointed to find that the BOX did not have 30 seconds of free porn, but instead an offer for $10.

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