squideatingdough - Slashdot User

Submission + - Bill Gates Patents Detecting, Responding to "Glassholes" 1

Submitted by theodp on Tuesday April 15, 2014 @10:14PM

theodp writes: As Google Glass goes on sale to the general public, GeekWire reports that Bill Gates has already snagged one patent for 'detecting and responding to an intruding camera' and has another in the works. The invention proposes to equip computer and device displays with technology for detecting and responding to any cameras in the vicinity by editing or blurring the content on the screen, or alerting the user to the presence of the camera. Gates and Nathan Myhrvold are among the 16 co-inventors of the so-called Unauthorized Viewer Detection System and Method, which the patent application notes is useful "while a user is taking public transportation, where intruding cameras are likely to be present." So, is Bill's patent muse none other than NYC subway rider Sergey Brin?

Submission + - Bullied Student Records Bullies, Gets Hit With Felony Charges For Violation (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 15, 2014 @08:12PM

An anonymous reader writes: Here comes another story highlighting the danger of schools "outsourcing" their disciplinary problems to law enforcement. As we've stated before, this does nothing more than turn routine misconduct into criminal behavior, which is a great way to derail a student's future.

A Pennsylvania teen, who claimed to have been bullied constantly (and ignored by school administration), made an audio recording of his tormentors using a school-supplied iPad. He brought this to the school's attention, which duly responded by calling the cops to have him arrested for violating Pennsylvania's wiretapping law. (h/t to Techdirt reader btr1701)

Maybe the future holds better outcomes, but for right now, everyone involved had a chance to stop this from reaching this illogical conclusion, but no one — from the administrators to their legal team to local law enforcement to the presiding judge — was interested in reining this in. In the end, it looks as though an innate desire to punish someone was satisfied every step of the way.

Comment Re:Groaning all the way (Score 1) 386

by squideatingdough on Tuesday April 15, 2014 @01:15PM (#46758523) Attached to: Slashdot Asks: How Do You Pay Your Taxes?

I did my own taxes for MANY years until I got laid off. The lay-off pay was not lump sum, so when I landed a new job (pretty quickly) I was pulling in two salaries. I decided to use an accountant (via personal referral--not a "chain-store" firm). And I was very happy with the results. I'm not sure I would have noticed that both companies were taking out for Social Security--and that meant I hit the max cap very quickly. And she noticed some other things I could do that helped minimize my taxes. For only $140/year, it was worth the peace of mind.

Comment Donate! (Score 1) 171

by squideatingdough on Sunday February 09, 2014 @08:59PM (#46206649) Attached to: Old cellphones, in my household ...

Verizon and other carriers have bins where cellphones can be repurposed by women's shelters and other worthy organizations. That's where all of my old cell phones go--even for a cheapskate like me, who only replaces a phone when it dies.

Submission + - Astronomers get picture of nearby exoplanet

Submitted by

The Bad Astronomer

on Monday November 19, 2012 @12:11PM

The Bad Astronomer writes: "While nearly a thousand planets are known to orbit other stars, getting direct pictures of them is extremely difficult due to the glare from their host stars. Fewer than a dozen images of exoplanets exist. However, we can now add one more to the list: Kappa Andromedae b, or Kap And b for short. It's about 170 light years away, and orbits Kappa And, a massive star bright enough to see with the naked eye. One hitch: its mass puts it right at the upper limit for a planet, and it may edge into brown dwarf territory. Further observations are needed to pin its mass down."

Comment Georgia Tech Historical Note (Score 1) 126

by squideatingdough on Thursday June 14, 2012 @02:15PM (#40325795) Attached to: The History of the CompSci Degree

As an undergrad at Ga. Tech back in 1969-1973, they had a GRADUATE program in C.S., but no undergrad program. I had a roomate who was working on his masters in C.S., but I could not major in that. Also at that time, there was no minor program available (for anything--not just C.S.). So I majored in physics and took a lot of computer courses when I could. Good old Basic, ALGOL, and Fortran for the most part. I even recall an assembly-level simulation language called "Dummiestron" (or Dummystron?).

Submission + - Bloggers Not Journalists, Federal Judge Rules (infoworld.com)

Submitted by squideatingdough on Wednesday December 07, 2011 @08:30PM

squideatingdough writes: On InfoWorld, Robert X. Cringely covers a recent case of a blogger accused of libel and defamation. The federal judge ruled that journalists warrant more protection from libel suits than bloggers, but it is obvious from the article that bloggers' rights can vary by state, depending on the "shield laws" in force.

Submission + - Warning: 3D Hazardous to Your Health (audioholics.com)

Submitted by SchlimpyChicken on Friday June 25, 2010 @03:13PM

SchlimpyChicken writes: Turns out 3D television can be inherently dangerous to your developing children — and adults as well. There's a malaise in children that can prevent full stereopsis (depth perception) from developing, called strabismus, or lazy-eye. It is an abnormal alignment of the eyes in which the eyes do not focus on the same object — kind of like when you watch a 3D movie. As a result, depth perception is compromised. Acting on a hunch, the guys over at Audioholics contacted Mark Pesce, who worked with Sega on its VR Headset over 15 years ago — you know, the headset that never made it to market. As it turns out, back then Sega uncovered serious health risks involved with children consuming 3D and quickly buried the reports — and the project. Unfortunately, the exact same dangers exist in today's 3D, and the electronics, movie and gaming industries seem to be ignoring this and pushing ahead with a technology. If fully realized, 3D just might affect the vision of millions of children and, according to the latest research, many adults, across the country.

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