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Comment Re:Interesting (Score 1) 520

by newnerdyuser (#44506889) Attached to: China Has a Massive Windows XP Problem

I get so tired of this close minded reasoning. If Windows was not installed by the OEM's and if all computers were sold without an OS you can say the exact same thing for all Windows flavours.

My personal experience is, that I found Linux very easy to install and had no problems with driver issues. After supplying a password it was connected to the net via my pocket wifi. I am not some whizz-bang nerd kid, I'm an old grandfather.

I found connecting XP laptop to the wifi a real problem, I gave up.

Comment Re:Metro UI (Score 2) 467

by newnerdyuser (#44339887) Attached to: Microsoft Stock Drops 11% In a Day
I think there are a lot out here like you. In my case, I enjoyed using Microsoft products until I bought a Vista laptop, it looked great but ran very slowly. Then I had to jump through activation hoops to install XP on the laptop which improved the laptop greatly although it didn't look as nice as Vista did. A few years ago my son and grandkids visited and he said "You have to try Linux Dad, it's made me interested in computers again." I have been using it since not giving Microsoft another thought until I read about this secure boot nonsense which I believe is to force people to use only their product and not the OS we choose. With the Vista experience and knowing I have no choice but to buy a Windows machine to replace this one with a locked down BIOS was the last straw. I no longer wish to be a Microsoft customer. Thankfully my son said he can build me a computer without that nonsense and with the OS I like.
Idle

Submission + - U.K. Designer “Grows" Clothes From Bacteria (ecouterre.com) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Experimental UK designer Suzanne Lee "grows" clothes from bacteria. She has developed a method for growing clothing from yeast, a pinch of bacteria, and several cups of sweetened green tea. From this microbial soup, fibers begin to sprout and propagate, eventually resulting in thin, wet sheets of bacterial cellulose that can be molded to a dress form. As the sheets dry out, overlapping edges “felt” together to become fused seams. When all moisture has evaporated, the fibers develop a tight-knit, papyrus-like surface.
Microsoft

MS Design Lets You Put Batteries In Any Way You Want 453

Posted by timothy from the dis-orientation dept.
jangel writes "While its strategy for mobile devices might be a mess, Microsoft has announced something we'll all benefit from. The company's patented design for battery contacts will allow users of portable devices — digital cameras, flashlights, remote controls, toys, you name it — to insert their batteries in any direction. Compatible with AA and AAA cells, among others, the 'InstaLoad' technology does not require special electronics or circuitry, the company claims."

Canadian Judge Orders Disclosure of Anonymous Posters 250

Posted by timothy from the or-you'll-get-a-mountie's-hoofprint dept.
debrain writes "The Globe and Mail is reporting that Google and a newspaper called The Coast must disclose all information they have about the identity of individuals who posted anonymous comments online about top firefighters in Halifax. The story in question is titled 'Black firefighters file human rights complaint,' and there are some heated opinions in the comments."
Idle

Directed Energy Weapon Downs Mosquitos 428

Posted by samzenpus from the two-pound-hammer-and-ten-penny-nail dept.
wisebabo writes "Nathan Myhrvol demonstrated at TED a laser, built from parts scrounged from eBay, capable of shooting down not one but 50 to 100 mosquitos a second. The system is 'so precise that it can specify the species, and even the gender, of the mosquito being targeted.' Currently, for the sake of efficiency, it leaves the males alone because only females are bloodsuckers. Best of all the system could cost as little as $50. Maybe that's too expensive for use in preventing malaria in Africa but I'd buy one in a second!" We ran a story about this last year. It looks like the company has added a bit more polish, and burning mosquito footage to their marketing.
Image

Man Sues Neighbor For Not Turning Off His Wi-Fi 428

Posted by samzenpus from the have-you-never-wondered-why-I-drink-only-distilled-water-or-rain-water-and-only-pure-grain-alcohol dept.
Scyth3 writes "A man is suing his neighbor for not turning off his cell phone or wireless router. He claims it affects his 'electromagnetic allergies,' and has resorted to being homeless. So, why doesn't he check into a hotel? Because hotels typically have wireless internet for free. I wonder if a tinfoil hat would help his cause?"

Submission + - MIT's hybrid microchip to overcome silicon size ba (itnews.com.au)

Submitted by
schliz
schliz writes: "MIT researchers have successfully embedded a gallium nitride layer onto silicon to create a hybrid microchip. The method could be further developed to combine other technologies such as spintronics and optoelectronics on a silicon chip. It is expected to be commercialised in a couple of years, and allow manufacturers to keep up with Moore's Law despite today's shrinking devices."
Data Storage

Submission + - How are you backing up your data? 3

Submitted by jollyreaper
jollyreaper writes: Technology moves quickly and what was conventional wisdom last year can be folly this year. But the one thing that's remained constant is hard drives are far too large to backup via conventional means. Tape is expensive and can be unreliable, though it certainly has its proponents. DVD's are just too small. There are prosumer devices like the Drobo but it's still just a giant box of hard drives, basically RAID. And as we've all had drilled into our heads "RAID is not backup." When last this topic came up on Slashdot, the consensus was that hard drives were the best way to backup hard drives. Backup your internal HDD to an external one, and if your data is really important, have two externals and swap one offsite once a week. Is there any better advice these days?
Handhelds

Submission + - Nanowires boost laptop battery life to 20 hours

Submitted by brianmed
brianmed writes: Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, cell phones, MP3 players and other portable devices. The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces up to 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion batteries.

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