theraz0r - Slashdot User

New Batfish Species Found Under Gulf Oil Spill 226

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 08, 2010 @04:41PM from the had-to-flush-'em-out-somehow dept.

eDarwin writes "Researchers have discovered two previously unknown species of bottom-dwelling fish in the Gulf of Mexico, living right in the area affected by the BP oil spill. Researchers identified new species of pancake batfishes, a flat fish rarely seen because of the dark depths they favor. They are named for the clumsy way they 'walk' along the sea bottom, like a bat crawling."

Prince Says Internet Is Over 450

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @10:18AM from the it-was-fun-while-it-lasted dept.

the_arrow writes "According to the artist currently known as Prince, 'The internet's completely over.' At least that what he says in an interview with the British newspaper Mirror. Quoting Prince: 'The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you.'"

Comment Re:T-Mobile UMA (Score 1) 289

by theraz0r on Monday June 28, 2010 @03:36PM (#32721050) Attached to: Best Phone For a Wi-Fi-Only Location?

The TMO UMA calling is great. I've stuck with Blackberries for this feature as the service is reliable, you get unlimited calling on wifi and it's free international calls. The newer blackberries allow you to log in to pay wifi spots as well as free and I've used it all over the world in some interesting places. You just need to make sure if you are traveling international to shut the GSM phone off otherwise you may switch to GSM and rack up a nice phone bill if you wander out of wifi range. Another thing to keep in mind is that the latency on the internet connection needs to be low otherwise it will not work even if connected to wifi. This means satellite uplinks generally don't work. (I've been in some remote areas using it.)

Happy Towel Day 122

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @11:42AM from the wringing-out-the-wit dept.

An anonymous reader writes "While Douglas Adams continues his attempt to set a new record for the longest extended lunch break, geeks all over the universe pay tribute to the beloved author by celebrating the tenth edition of Towel Day. Towel Day is more alive than ever. This year Richard Dawkins, one of Adams' best friends, has tweeted a Towel Day reminder to his numerous followers. The CERN Bulletin has published an article on Towel Day. There has been TV coverage and there will be a radio interview. The Military Republic of the Deltan Imperium, a newly formed micronation, has recognized Towel Day as an official holiday. In Hungary several hundreds of hitchhiker fans want to have a picnic together in a park. And there's a concert, a free downloadable nerdrap album, a free game being released, the list goes on and on."

Cheap Cancer Drug Finally Tested In Humans 363

Posted by timothy on Thursday May 13, 2010 @05:16PM from the good-enough-for-the-likes-of-you dept.

John Bayko writes "Mentioned on Slashdot a couple of years ago, the drug dichloroacetate (DCA) has finally finished its first clinical trial against brain tumors in humans. Drug companies weren't willing to test a drug they could not patent, so money was raised in the community through donations, auctions, and finally government support, but the study was still limited to five patients. It showed extremely positive results in four of them. This episode raises the question of what happens to all the money donated to Canadian and other cancer societies, and especially the billions spent buying merchandise with little pink ribbons on it, if not to actual cancer research like this."

3rd-Grader Busted For Jolly Rancher Possession 804

Posted by samzenpus on Monday May 10, 2010 @11:10AM from the step-away-from-the-candy dept.

theodp writes "A third-grader in a small Texas school district received a week's detention for merely possessing a Jolly Rancher. Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice. But school officials are defending the sentence, saying the school was abiding by a state guideline that banned 'minimal nutrition' foods. 'Whether or not I agree with the guidelines, we have to follow the rules,' said school superintendent Jack Ellis."

An Animal That Lives Without Oxygen 166

Posted by timothy on Wednesday April 07, 2010 @03:25PM from the besides-me dept.

Julie188 writes "Scientists have found the first multicellular animals that apparently live entirely without oxygen. The creatures reside deep in one of the harshest environments on earth: the Mediterranean Ocean's L'Atalante basin, which contains salt brine so dense that it doesn't mix with the oxygen-containing waters above."

Son Sues Mother Over Facebook Posts 428

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday April 07, 2010 @02:58PM from the check-your-family-status dept.

Most kids hate having their parents join in on a discussion on Facebook, but one 16-year-old in Arkansas hates it so much he has filed suit against his mother, charging her with harassment. From the article: "An Arkadelphia mother is charged with harassment for making entries on her son's Facebook page. Denise New's 16-year-old son filed charges against her last month and requested a no-contact order after he claims she posted slanderous entries about him on the social networking site. New says she was just trying to monitor what he was posting." Seems like he could just unfriend her.

Man Sues Neighbor Claiming Wi-Fi Made Him Sick 574

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @10:14AM from the bad-waves dept.

OrangeMonkey11 writes "A Santa Fe man who claims to suffer from 'electromagnetic sensitivities' has sued his neighbor after she refused to stop using wireless devices. 59-year-old Arthur Firstenberg claims his sensitivity can be set off by cellphones, routers and other electronic devices. From the article: 'Firstenberg, 59, wanted Raphaela Monribot to limit her use of the devices. "I asked her to work with me," he said. "Basically, she refused." So he sued Monribot in state district court, seeking $530,000 in damages and an injunction to force her to turn off the electronics. "Being the target of this lawsuit has affected me very adversely," Monribot said Friday in response to e-mailed questions. "I feel as if my life and liberty are under attack for no valid reason, and it has forced me to have to defend my very basic human rights."'"

Funeral Being Held Today For IE6 194

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 04, 2010 @12:44PM from the good-riddance dept.

An anonymous reader writes "More than 100 people, many of them dressed in black, are expected to gather around a coffin Thursday to say goodbye to an old friend. The deceased? Internet Explorer 6. The aging Web browser, survived by its descendants Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8, is being eulogized at a tongue-in-cheek 'funeral' hosted by Aten Design Group, a design firm in Denver, Colorado."

Why the First Cowboy To Draw Always Gets Shot 398

Posted by timothy on Thursday February 04, 2010 @04:00PM from the more-guns-less-crime dept.

cremeglace writes "Have you ever noticed that the first cowboy to draw his gun in a Hollywood Western is invariably the one to get shot? Nobel-winning physicist Niels Bohr did, once arranging mock duels to test the validity of this cinematic curiosity. Researchers have now confirmed that people indeed move faster if they are reacting, rather than acting first."

Aussie Scientists Find Coconut-Carrying Octopus 205

Posted by timothy on Tuesday December 15, 2009 @02:40PM from the concealed-carry-in-australian-waters dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from an AP report: "Australian scientists have discovered an octopus in Indonesia that collects coconut shells for shelter — unusually sophisticated behavior that the researchers believe is the first evidence of tool use in an invertebrate animal. The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (20 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot. ... 'I was gobsmacked,' said Finn, a research biologist at the museum who specializes in cephalopods. 'I mean, I've seen a lot of octopuses hiding in shells, but I've never seen one that grabs it up and jogs across the sea floor. I was trying hard not to laugh.'"

Zombie Pigs First, Hibernating Soldiers Next 193

Posted by samzenpus on Monday December 07, 2009 @07:06PM from the fattening-up-on-brains dept.

ColdWetDog writes "Wired is running a story on DARPA's effort to stave off battlefield casualties by turning injured soldiers into zombies by injecting them with a cocktail of one chemical or another (details to be announced). From the article, 'Dr. Fossum predicts that each soldier will carry a syringe into combat zones or remote areas, and medic teams will be equipped with several. A single injection will minimize metabolic needs, de-animating injured troops by shutting down brain and heart function. Once treatment can be carried out, they'll be "re-animated" and — hopefully — as good as new.' If it doesn't pan out we can at least get zombie bacon and spam."

Comment Re:BooHoo (Score 1) 789

by theraz0r on Tuesday June 09, 2009 @01:50PM (#28268621) Attached to: iPhone Users Angry Over AT&T Upgrade Policy

Wow, how far off base are you? Actually after the subsidization of most handsets, carriers aren't profitable on an average customer until the 10th month. That was why originally most carriers had 1 year contracts. With the customer churn and the costs associated with new customer acquisition it was very hard for carriers to grow financially. The problem in the US is that the mobile phone industry started offering free or subsidized handsets with service and people became accustomed to it and have a sense of entitlement. What other industry does this? Do you expect a free or subsidized TV from Comcast when you sign up for service? Seriously, people need to get off the entitlement trip and stop the whining. Pay one way or another, either up front for the full cost of the phone or monthly by being bound to a contract.

Comment No Swipe (Score 1) 313

by theraz0r on Wednesday November 22, 2006 @02:20PM (#16954090) Attached to: Drivers License Swipes Raise Privacy Concerns

I recently was at a Houston's restaurant in Atlanta and I ordered a glass of wine with my steak. I'm young, I look young and I always have my ID ready when ordering a drink. They asked for it, I obliged, they started to walk away with it. I got up and grabbed the waiter asking where he was going with my ID. He stated he needed to swipe my ID to verify my age. I told him he could verify my age by reading the birthdate on the license. If he really wanted to verify my age, I presented my passport. He said it was Georgia law that they needed to swipe it (I know this is BS, I spend a couple months out of the year working in Atlanta.) He said they didn't use or store any of the data but really, am I supposed to trust someone who already just lied to me? Do they present a privacy policy for your data? I took my license back, left the uneaten food and proceeded to leave the restaurant. Their manager then proceeded to tell me I wouldn't have the problem if I wasn't trying to use a fake ID.

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