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Comment Re:Stuff that matters (Score 1) 48

by paintballer1087 (#50707373) Attached to: See the Sketches J.R.R. Tolkien Used To Build Middle-Earth
I seem to see these types of comments more and more, and all by users with such a short time on the site. As someone who has spent over 10 years as a member of this site, it is disappointing to see what it has become in terms of both what users think Slashdot is
"How is Tolkien related to technology"
and to see the quality of the articles go downhill. To me this is Stuff that Matters. Endless posts about the release of a new iDevice, or politics don't interest me. I can read about those topics on any other site. It's ones like this that keep me coming back.

It's funny, I still see myself as a new user with a high UID, though there have been at least 3.5 million new signups since mine.
I'm not sure where I was going with this, I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic and missing the "good old days" of Slashdot.

Comment Re:Please no... (Score 2) 570

by paintballer1087 (#48870037) Attached to: Microsoft Reveals Windows 10 Will Be a Free Upgrade

"*Hardware and software requirements apply. No additional charge. Feature availability may vary by device. Some editions excluded. More details at http://www.windows.com./" This basically let's them downgrade the "free version" into shitty "limited edition" and then ask for sub money for "full edition".

Not sure how you got that interpretation from the disclaimer. This is how it reads to me:

Feature availability may vary by device

Don't expect your Windows Phone to get all of the features that your laptop has.

Some editions excluded:

The limited netbook versions of 7 (Home Basic, I believe), and Windows 8 RT can't be upgraded to Windows 10. (Just a guess, I'm not sure if RT can or can't be upgraded, or if Home Basic is excluded).

Microsoft has made some stupid mistakes in the past, but I'm a fan of their new direction, and I can't see them bricking an OS right now. They are trying to get back some of their marketshare, and taking away features really isn't the best way to do that. Take off the tin foil hat, and read through the article again, this time with a little less FUD, and it sounds like it'll just be similar to the limited time $40 Windows 8 upgrade, only this time free for a year.

Comment RFTA before submitting... (Score 2) 103

by paintballer1087 (#41312955) Attached to: Injured Bald Eagle Gets New 3-D Printed Beak

I emailed Birds of Prey Northwest for an update on Beauty and received this reply yesterday from Ms Fink (Cantwell):

Beauty continues to thrive under our care without her upper beak. The new growth pushed out the hardware which anchored the prosthetic beak. Recently the small amount of new growth has allowed Beauty to do something she has not been able to do since her injury-eat independently. We have constructed a special feeding platform for her and she now feeds herself! We are looking to the future as we measure her minute growth and construct a new plan of attachment. Construction of the beak is the easy part, it is the attachment that is the challenge. Recently, her 2008 procedure videoed by a Seattle news team, was made available on Vimeo and we have had lots of inquiries. Some have suggested that Beauty has a much greater educational impact WITHOUT her beak. When the prosthetic was in place, her story is lost at first glance. Time will tell whether she goes through life with or without a beak. In the meantime, she will remain in north Idaho under my care where she is cherished and well cared for.

Old news, and completely out of date now. The 3D printed beak happened in 2008, and it will no longer work due to growth that pushed out the mounting brackets. Beauty does not have an upper beak now, though the growth is allowing her to eat without the prosthetic.

Comment Re:Dinosaurs (Score 1) 288

by paintballer1087 (#40489947) Attached to: Exxon CEO: Warming Happening, But Fears Overblown

If I am correct, during Pangaea, the temperature was warmer than it is right now. The dinosaurs died off while the earth was cooling down. Does that mean if scientists want to revive dinosaurs (ftfy) and other *really old* creatures, then the world needs to heat up so they can survive/live?

I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter!

Comment Re:Not outsourcing (Score 2) 282

by paintballer1087 (#40006169) Attached to: Photographers, You're Being Replaced By Software

Not to be semantic, but this is not outsourcing. Outsourcing would suggest that they'd hire a photographer overseas to do the job at a lower rate. This is elimination of the job by technological advance (not sure if there is a buzzword synonym or not).

Not to be semantic, but this is not outsourcing and neither is your definition. Outsourcing would suggest that they'd hire a a 3rd party company to do the work instead of doing it in house. Offshoring would suggest that they'd hire a photographer overseas to do the job at a lower rate.

Comment Re:Validity? (Score 2) 370

by paintballer1087 (#39288461) Attached to: For Windows 8 Users, Stardock Revives the Start Menu

Exploding menus are quick. Stopping to click on a scroll bar while navigating the start menu is a clear regression.

If only someone would create some type of wheel on a mouse to allow scrolling without clicking on the scroll bar. I think this could be handled on touchpads with a section on the side dedicated to scrolling... Just a thought. Maybe I should patent this idea!
Open Source

Submission + - Canonical puts Ubuntu on Android smartphones (pcpro.co.uk) 1

Submitted by
nk497
nk497 writes: "Canonical has revealed Ubuntu running on a smartphone — but the open source developer hasn't squashed the full desktop onto a tiny screen. Instead, the Ubuntu for Android system runs both OSes side by side, picking which to surface depending on the form factor. When a device — in the demo, it was a Motorola Atrix — is being used as a smartphone, it uses Android. When it's docked into a laptop or desktop setup, the full version of Ubuntu is used. Files, apps and other functionality such as voice calls and texting are shared between the two — for example, if a text message is sent to the phone when it's docked, the SMS pops up in Ubuntu, while calls can be received or made from the desktop."
Space

Submission + - Electric Rockets Are Set to Transform Space Flight (txchnologist.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The spectacle of a booster rocket lifting off a launch pad atop a mass of brilliant flames and billowing smoke is an iconic image of the Space Age. Such powerful chemical rockets are needed to break the bonds of Earth’s gravity and send spacecraft into orbit. But once a vehicle has progressed beyond low-earth orbit (LEO) chemical rockets are not necessarily the best way to get around outer space. That’s because chemical propulsion systems require such large quantities of fuel to generate high speeds, there is little room for payload.

As a result rocket scientists are increasingly turning to electric rockets, which accelerate propellants out the back end using solar-powered electromagnetic fields rather than chemical reactions. The electric rockets use so much less propellant that the entire spacecraft can be much more compact, which enables them to scale down the original launch boosters.

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