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USA TODAY
New Pluto images may reignite debate over dwarf planet status
USA TODAY
The debate over Pluto's status in the solar system never seems to end. As NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is set to fly by Pluto on Tuesday morning and provide the clearest images of the dwarf planet ever, the question still remains: Is Pluto a planet?
Why the July 14 Pluto flyby will be a spectacular event for all of usWashington Post
Pluto may reveal secret of Earth's creationTelegraph.co.uk
Pluto ROCKS! Dwarf planet's 'complex band of terrain' thrills boffinsThe Register
OregonLive.com-HeraldNet-The Northwest Florida Daily News
all 452 news articles

Comment Improper use of systems (Score 4, Interesting) 377

by pierced2x (#50044195) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How Much Did Your Biggest Tech Mistake Cost?
I used a system improperly over the course of a month. It connected to some services that ran up a $50k bill. I was mortified when my boss told me, thought for sure I'd be canned on the spot. I was only 22 and it was my first job out of college, so the amount was nearly double what I was being paid. The boss basically took the heat for not having explained it to me better, and I was not reprimanded in any way.
Games

Revisiting the "Holy Trinity" of MMORPG Classes 362

Posted by Soulskill from the or-druid-as-the-case-may-be dept.
A feature at Gamasutra examines one of the foundations of many MMORPGs — the idea that class roles within such a game fall into three basic categories: tank, healer, and damage dealer. The article evaluates the pros and cons of such an arrangement and takes a look at some alternatives. "Eliminating specialized roles means that we do away with boxing a class into a single role. Without Tanks, each class would have features that would help them participate in and survive many different encounters like heavy armor, strong avoidance, or some class or magical abilities that allow them to disengage from direct combat. Without specialized DPS, all classes should be able to do damage in order to defeat enemies. Some classes might specialize in damage type, like area of effect (AoE) damage; others might be able to exploit enemy weaknesses, and some might just be good at swinging a sharpened bit of metal in the right direction at a rapid rate. This design isn't just about having each class able to fill any trinity role. MMO combat would feel more dynamic in this system. Every player would have to react to combat events and defend against attacks."
Idle

Canadian Blood Services Promotes Pseudoscience 219

Posted by samzenpus from the type-A-negative-personality dept.
trianglecat writes "The not-for-profit agency Canadian Blood Services has a section of their website based on the Japanese cultural belief of ketsueki-gata, which claims that a person's blood group determines or predicts their personality type. Disappointing for a self-proclaimed 'science-based' organization. The Ottawa Skeptics, based in the nation's capital, appear to be taking some action."
Hardware

UK's Oldest Computer To Be "Rebooted" 153

Posted by timothy from the just-like-star-trek dept.
Smivs writes with this interesting piece of computer history, excerpted from the BBC: "Britain's oldest original computer, the Harwell, is being sent to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley where it is to be restored to working order. The computer, which was designed in 1949, was built and used by staff at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Harwell, Oxfordshire. It first ran in 1951 and was designed to perform mathematical calculations. It lasted until 1973. When first built the 2.4m x 5m computer was state-of-the-art, although it was superseded by transistor-based systems. The restoration project is expected to take a year. Although not the first computer built in the UK, the Harwell had one of the longest service lives. Built by a team of three people, the device was capable of doing the work of six to ten people and ran for seven years until the establishment obtained their first commercial computer. 'We didn't think we were doing anything pioneering at the time,' said Dick Barnes, who helped build the original Harwell computer."
Google

Google Patents Its Home Page 390

Posted by timothy from the to-advance-useful-arts-and-sciences dept.
theodp writes "A week after new USPTO Director David Kappos pooh-poohed the idea that a lower patent allowance rate equals higher quality, Google was granted a patent on its Home Page. Subject to how the design patent is enforced, Google now owns the idea of having a giant search box in the middle of the page, with two big buttons underneath and several small links nearby. And you doubted Google's commitment to patent reform, didn't you?"
PC Games (Games)

The Evolution of Multiplayer Games and Online Play 244

Posted by Soulskill from the lan-of-the-lost dept.
Ranga14 writes "The recently announced Command & Conquer 4 seems to be following the same path of Blizzard's Starcraft 2 in having no LAN/offline multiplayer. They will require users to be logged in at all times to even be able to play any facet of the game. What will this mean for LAN parties, gaming events and those who don't play online? Is this a sound business decision, or do EA & Blizzard not get that this method of attempting to thwart piracy will fail like others have?"

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Mathemeticians stand on each other's shoulders while computer scientists stand on each other's toes. -- Richard Hamming

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