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Microsoft

Submission + - How to get a Windows tax refund

Submitted by
lisah
lisah writes: "Serge Wroclawski recently contacted Dell to request a refund on his unused (and unwanted) copy of Windows XP that came pre-installed on his computer and, surprisingly, Dell complied. Wroclawski admits that the $52.50 refund was more of a victory in principal and less an economic windfall but it was a success nonetheless. Using his tips and techniques, readers can try their hand at getting a refund of their own but Wroclawski says be prepared, the process could take hours."
Biotech

Submission + - Parasite makes us dumber or sexier

Submitted by odie_q
odie_q writes: It has long been known that the Toxoplasma gondii parasite alters its host's behaviour, but now it seems the way it alters it depends on the sex of the host. From the article, "A common parasite can increase a women's attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says.", and further, "Infected men have lower IQs, achieve a lower level of education and have shorter attention spans. They are also more likely to break rules and take risks, be more independent, more anti-social, suspicious, jealous and morose, and are deemed less attractive to women. On the other hand, infected women tend to be more outgoing, friendly, more promiscuous, and are considered more attractive to men compared with non-infected controls."

So, next time you want to score with a chick, slip some... eh.. cat feces in her drink.
Slashdot.org

Slashdot's Games of the Year 364

Posted by Zonk from the what-we-played dept.
Not everyone who works on Slashdot plays games. Enough of us do, though, that I thought it would be interesting to tap my co-workers to see what folks would call their 'game of the year'. Below are comments on the best gaming of 2006 from Chris Nandor, CmdrTaco, Chris Brown, Scuttlemonkey, and myself. Then, once you've read that, we need your help in the comments. What was the game you couldn't put down? Perhaps it was over quickly, but you know you'll be thinking about it in the future? Was it a next-gen title, or something for the good old PlayStation 2? In your opinion, what was the best game of the year?
Graphics

Submission + - What's hidden under Greenland ice?

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "Ice has covered Greenland for millions of years. So what's hidden under this ice cap? Mountains and valleys? Rivers and lakes? Of course, we might know it sooner than we would have liked if the ice covering Greenland continues to melt. But researchers from Ohio State University have decided that they wanted to know it next year and have developed a radar to reveal views of land beneath polar ice. Their first tests of this new radar, which helps them to catch 3-D images of the ground under the ice, took place in May 2006. The next images will be shot in April 2007. Here are some images of the new GISMO device and what it can do."
Biotech

Super-Vaccine For Flu In Development 165

Posted by Zonk from the just-what-i-wanted-for-christmas dept.
Adam9 tipped us to a DailyMail article about the possibility of a revolutionary flu vaccine that could work against all strains of the Influenza A disease. This 'holy grail' of vaccines would work on everything from the annual 'winter flu' to the 'bird flu'. The best part is that just a few vaccinations may provide complete immunity, unlike the annual boosters are current defenses require. From the article: "The new jabs would be grown in huge vats of bacterial 'soup', with just two pints of liquid providing 10,000 doses of vaccine. Current flu vaccines focus on two proteins on the surface of the virus. However, these constantly mutate in a bid to fool the immune system, making it impossible for vaccine manufacturers to keep up with the creation of each new strain. The universal vaccines focus on a different protein called M2, which has barely changed during the last 100 years."
Biotech

Submission + - China heralds Year of the Fluorescent Green Pig

Submitted by Apocalypse111
Apocalypse111 writes: Chinese scientists have successfully bred partially green fluorescent pigs which they hope will boost stem cell research. A research team at the Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin managed to breed three transgenic pigs by injecting fluorescent green protein into embryonic pigs, Xinhua quoted Professor Liu Zhonghua as saying. "The mouth, trotters and tongue of the pigs are green under ultraviolet light," said Liu.

Finally, one step closer to realizing my dream of green eggs and ham!
Software

Lost Gmail Emails and the Future of Web Apps 273

Posted by Zonk from the i-like-keeping-my-stuff-thanks dept.
brajesh writes "Recently some people lost all their Gmail emails and contacts. The problem seems to be contained and fixed, but this incident shows how far are we in terms of moving all communication online on services like Gmail for your domain(beta). Will it ever be possible to do away with desktop solutions like Outlook and Thunderbird? Given the nature of the internet, will it ever be possible to truly move to an 'online desktop'?"
Media (Apple)

Submission + - NYT Reports Apple's Exoneration

Submitted by
heyitsgogi
heyitsgogi writes: "The New York Times is reporting that Apple has cleared Steve Jobs of any wrongdoing. From the article:
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said that while its investigation revealed that the company's stock option procedures "did not include sufficient safeguards to prevent manipulation," Mr. Jobs did not benefit financially from any questionable stock awards. As a result of the internal investigation, Apple said it would record $84 million in expenses related to the options awards.
"

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