rabugento - Slashdot User

Euler's Partition Function Theory Finished 117

Posted by Soulskill on Friday January 21, 2011 @04:29PM from the that-was-quick dept.

universegeek writes "Mathematician Ken Ono, from Emory, has solved a 250-year-old problem: how to exactly and explicitly generate partition numbers. Ono and colleagues were able to finally do this by realizing that the pattern of partition numbers is fractal (PDF). This pattern allowed them to find a finite, algebraic formula, which is like striking oil in mathematics."

Ubuntu Replaces F-Spot With Shotwell 361

Posted by timothy on Sunday June 13, 2010 @08:37PM from the such-pretty-pictures dept.

climenole writes "Finally! The much discussed F-Spot vs. Shotwell battle is over. The new default image organizer app for Ubuntu Maverick 10.10 is going to be Shotwell. This is a much-needed change; F-Spot was simply not enough. Most of the times when I tried F-Spot, it just keeps crashing on me. Shotwell on the other hand feels a lot more solid and is better integrated with the GNOME desktop. Shotwell is also completely devoid of Mono."

NHS Should Stop Funding Homeopathy, Says Parliamentary Committee 507

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday February 23, 2010 @01:57PM from the how-am-I-going-to-align-my-chakras-now dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Homeopathic remedies work no better than placebos, and so should no longer be paid for by the UK National Health Service, a committee of British members of parliament has concluded. In preparing its report, the committee, which scrutinizes the evidence behind government policies, took evidence from scientists and homeopaths, and reviewed numerous reports and scientific investigations into homeopathy. It found no evidence that such treatments work beyond providing a placebo effect." Updated 201025 19:40 GMT by timothy: This recommendation has some people up in arms.

Comment Re:Biofuels (Score 1) 355

by rabugento on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @09:22PM (#31163674) Attached to: Cellulosic Biofuel Finally Ready For the Road

You've got some bad numbers. Brazil is the sixth largest auto producer in the world, with a production close to 3.2 million units last year (source ANFAVEA, http://www.anfavea.com.br/tabelas.html). The total fleet exceeds 58.5 million (source: Wikipedia, http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lista_de_estados_do_Brasil_por_frota_de_ve%C3%ADculos). Most of the new cars are flex-fuel, capable of using anything from 20 to 100% ethanol.

And, please, don't mix ethanol production and deforestation, at least not directly. Ethanol production is centered in the southeast, thousands of kilometers from the amazon. You will find grasslands and soybean in the amazon, and you can associate that (though it is debatable) with the recent expansion of sugarcane over old grasslands.

Porsche Unveils 911 Hybrid With Flywheel Booster 197

Posted by timothy on Friday February 12, 2010 @09:10PM from the yeah-well-I-get-better-mileage dept.

MikeChino writes "Porsche has just unveiled its 911 GT3 R Hybrid, a 480 horsepower track vehicle ready to rock the 24-hour Nurburgring race this May. Porsche's latest supercar will use the same 911 production platform available to consumers today, with a few race-ready features including front-wheel hybrid drive and an innovative flywheel system that stores kinetic energy from braking and then uses it to provide a 160 horsepower burst of speed. The setup is sure to offer an advantage when powering out of turns and passing by other racers."

Directed Energy Weapon Downs Mosquitos 428

Posted by samzenpus on Friday February 12, 2010 @03:36PM 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.

One Variety of Sea Slugs Cuts Out the Energy Middleman 232

Posted by timothy on Wednesday January 13, 2010 @02:04PM from the would-never-leave-the-house dept.

dragonturtle69 writes with this story, short on details but interesting: "These sea slugs, Elysia chlorotica, have evolved the ability to gain energy via photosynthesis. Forget about genetic modifications for sports enhancements. I want to be able to never need to eat again — or do I?"

Build a BoxeeBox and Wean Yourself From Cable 335

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday February 11, 2009 @08:52AM from the but-what-about-chuck dept.

Since I've been having serious problems with satellite all week, DeviceGuru's submission was really interesting to me. He says "Inspired by Roku's awesome Netflix video download box and impressed with Boxee's free A/V media center platform, it was merely a matter of time before DeviceGuru blogger Rick Lehrbaum would create the BoxeeBox, an Ubuntu-powered HTPC with Boxee serving as its primary media center UI. Based on a 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, the BoxeeBox has the look and feel of consumer A/V equipment and packs 2GB RAM, 1TB HDD, CD/DVD drive, USB, Firewire, HDMI, DVI-D, RGB, and 8-channel surround sound audio."

Comment Re:Fuel economy (Score 1) 1114

by rabugento on Sunday October 12, 2008 @07:18PM (#25349173) Attached to: Fuel Efficiency and Slow Driving?

Not usual, perhaps something very specific with your car.

A similar question popped up on econbrowser a few months ago. They traced the origins of the chart to a 1998 study, whose data can be found at Table 7.23 of the DOE's Transportation Energy Data Book (large pdf warning).

At the time, I found a 2006 short note on greencarcongress , about a comparison published by Auto Bild, a German weekly magazine. Their data support the notion of a steady increase in fuel consumption with increased speed, even with modern, high speed autos.

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