simm1701 - Slashdot User

Comment It really is a daft question (Score 1) 554

by simm1701 on Thursday July 19, 2007 @05:30AM (#19911961) Attached to: Too Many Linux Distros Make For Open Source Mess

Most of the smaller distros aim at a specific niche, very technical users, those that want to tweak the system, novice users, embedded systems, wireless hacking the list goes on.

It doesn't change the fact that choice is good, each distro puts improvements it makes back into the whole.

I can't imagine any other case where people would say more choice is bad

Do more LCD TVs on the market make it more likely people will buy a plasma instead?

Do more car models available mean people will look at a motorbike instead?

Choice is a good thing

Submission + - Scientists create 'plastic' blood

Submitted by simm1701 on Friday May 11, 2007 @07:41AM

simm1701 writes: This aricle on the BBC Writes about a new form of artifical blood.

From the article:
Scientists have developed an artificial plastic blood which could act as a substitute in emergencies.

Researchers at Sheffield University said their creation could be a huge advantage in war zones. They say that the artificial blood is light to carry, does not need to be kept cool and can be kept for longer. The new blood is made up of plastic molecules that have an iron atom at their core, like haemoglobin, that can carry oxygen through the body. The scientists said the artificial blood could be cheap to produce and they were looking for extra funding to develop a final prototype that would be suitable for biological testing.

Dr Lance Twyman, of the university's Department of Chemistry, said: "We are very excited about the potential for this product and about the fact that this could save lives. "Many people die from superficial wounds when they are trapped in an accident or are injured on the battlefield and can't get blood before they get to hospital. "This product can be stored a lot more easily than blood, meaning large quantities could be carried easily by ambulances and the armed forces."

A sample of the artificial blood prototype will be on display at the Science Museum in London from 22 May as part of an exhibition about the history of plastics.

Submission + - Jobs to Labels: Lose the DRM & We'll Talk Pric

Submitted by

eldavojohn

on Monday May 07, 2007 @08:06AM

eldavojohn writes: "Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been talking smack about DRM and has recently issued a verbal offer to major music lables stating that if they are willing to loose the DRM, he'd be willing to raise his 99 cent price for those iTunes songs. These tracks (such as the recent EMI deal) would also have better sound quality & cost about 30 cents more."

Submission + - "Social" Computing: Badger's Paws Anyone?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 07, 2007 @07:28AM

An anonymous reader writes: When Yahoo!'s Jeremy Zawodny recently asked What the heck is Web 2.0 anyway? he received a set of responses reminiscent of those garnered by The Reg back in 2005, which famously concluded, based on its readers' responses, that Web 2.0 was made up of 12% badger's paws, 6% JavaScript worms, and 26% nothing. Nonetheless, as Social Computing (SoC) widens and deepens its footprint, another Jeremy — Jeremy Geelan — has asked if we are witnessing the death of "Personal" Computing. SoC, Geelan notes, has already become an academic field of study. But isn't Social Computing too maybe just badger's paws?

Journal Journal: Slashdot cookbook: tofu

Journal by eglamkowski on Wednesday March 14, 2007 @08:00AM

Another tofu soup - Beancurd in Consomme
And despite being a sichuan recipe, it's not spicy and doesn't even use peppers.

1 pound soft tofu
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon softened lard
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with a little bit of cold water
7 cups clear chicken or vegetable stock
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
1 pound napa (or other leafy green like bok choy or spinach)

Journal Journal: MADD backs police in DUI non-arrest of Atkins 5

Journal by Le Marteau on Thursday January 18, 2007 @02:29AM

So here is a case of a state legislator, who blew a .14, flashed his ID, and was thus not arrested for DUI. The Mothers Against Drunk Drivers think that's just fine, and in fact publicly support letting a .14 blower off with no consequences whatsoever.

MADD backs police in DUI non-arrest of Atkins

Journal Journal: Anti-Missle Defenses for Commercial Jets 594

Journal by Omeger on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @10:51PM

The AP reports that http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/16/airline.anti.missile.ap/index.htmlcommercial jets with anti-missle defense systems. Sen. Barbara Baxter (D-California) is one of the supporters of the system. She, and other members of Congress are hoping to equip all US commercial passenger liners with this system in 20 years, which will cost billions of dollars. Is this good common sense or the costly futur

Feed The Brute in All of Us (wired.com)

From feed by wiredfeed on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @12:12PM

Back in 1971, a psychology professor created a miniature Abu Ghraib by assigning college students to roles in a mock prison. Now you can watch a chilling documentary about the experiment on YouTube. In Bodyhack.

Submission + - Building Chips Like Lego

Submitted by

MattSparkes

on Monday January 15, 2007 @07:00AM

MattSparkes writes: "It seems that 3D silicon chips, allowing designers to fit more components into a smaller space, could soon be made far easier to create with a little inspiration from a classic children's toy. "Silicon wafers covered with matching patterns of Lego-like teeth and holes could aid the development of 3D electronics, say UK researchers." Crucially, this technique can make use of existing machinery."

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