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Submission + - Facebook unveils Superpack (fb.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Facebook unveiled a new compression technique they call "Superpack compression." In a blog post written by software engineer Sapan Bhatia, they claim that their compression improves Android app size by 20% over the default Zip compression used by Android. The post gives an overview of the compression ideas. The basis of these ideas is called out to be a key insight in Kolmogorov Complexity, that any data can be represented in the form of programs that generate that data. Facebook's tool, Superpack, mines out such small programs and optimizes them using compiler techniques.

Comment Competition? (Score 2) 321

Why should Apple and Google be able to use their duopoly in smartphone platforms to prevent third parties from bringing up their own app stores? The reason they can charge a hefty 30% is because they have no competition. It's a good thing for other app stores to come up and compete with these guys.

Submission + - What Smartwatch apps do you see yourselves using? 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: It's official. The Smartphone wars have begun, with Apple's announcement of the Apple Watch adding a contender to the race that has the likes of the Pebble watch and Moto 360. My doubts about wanting one were put to rest when I learned of the health-related features. Smartwatches will be able to track your movements and pulse rate, calculate how many calories you burn, coach you continuously to improve your fitness.

If you do get one, though, then what other apps or functions do you imagine yourself benefiting from? Assuming that Slashdot is well-read by the app developer community, your wish might come true.

Comment Bootstrapping problem (Score 1) 618

by sb98052 (#35176598) Attached to: Why Dumbphones Still Dominate, For Now
Dumbphones are great, till you've actually used a smartphone. It's hard to convey the smartphone experience to dumbphone users - it's more than just email, web and apps - it's a paradigm change that speeds up your access to information from 10s of seconds to seconds. With this dramatic change, you start going about your business and life differently.

Comment Fascinating scientific debate (Score 1) 478

by sb98052 (#35093348) Attached to: Bombay High Court Rules Astrology To Be a Science
A very respected psychology researcher recently published a paper producing purported statistical evidence for "psi", i.e. phenomena that cannot be explained by known science. The author carried out a long and detailed study on his students: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/06esp.html and concluded that the effect of 'psi' was 'statistically significant'. The evidence was severely criticized by his peers - in particular is a dismissive rebuttal to the work cited in the same article. Links to the papers lie therein as well. The outlook I have had, reinforced by these studies is that it doesn't hurt to dab a toe on the other side (i.e., in favor of pseudo sciences) every now and then. It helps you think out of the box of known science and understanding. It's like exploring a landscape by following the stars rather than your GPS and compass. You may venture into uncharted territory more easily with the former.

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One can search the brain with a microscope and not find the mind, and can search the stars with a telescope and not find God. -- J. Gustav White

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