tshoulihane - Slashdot User

Comment Re:Fairly small resistors (Score 1) 224

by tshoulihane on Monday April 27, 2009 @08:24AM (#27728475) Attached to: What We Can Do About Massive Solar Flares

Recent activity is charted here http://www.solen.info/solar/ Cycle 24 has started, but it is taking it's time in getting going. Usually there is more overlap between the tail end of an old cycle, and the start of the new one. There doesn't seem to be a good model for when the new cycle will start, but it seems that the slower the ramp-up, the lower the peak of the cycle. Some predictions from 2-3 years ago were for a very active peak for cycle 24, that is seeming less likely now. Once the cycle starts to ramp up (maybe just noticable now, give it another 6 months to be sure) it ought to be easier to predict the time and amplitude of the maximum since the shape seems quite predictable.

Arctic Ice Extent Understated Because of "Sensor Drift" 823

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday February 19, 2009 @08:57AM from the give-it-a-few-taps dept.

dtjohnson writes "The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has been at the forefront of predicting doom in the arctic as ice melts due to global warming. In May, 2008 they went so far as to predict that the North Pole would be ice-free during the 2008 'melt season,' leading to a lively Slashdot discussion. Today, however, they say that they have been the victims of 'sensor drift' that led to an underestimation of Arctic ice extent by as much as 500,000 square kilometers. The problem was discovered after they received emails from puzzled readers, asking why obviously sea-ice-covered regions were showing up as ice-free, open ocean. It turns out that the NSIDC relies on an older, less-reliable method of tracking sea ice extent called SSM/I that does not agree with a newer method called AMSR-E. So why doesn't NSIDC use the newer AMSR-E data? 'We do not use AMSR-E data in our analysis because it is not consistent with our historical data.' Turns out that the AMSR-E data only goes back to 2002, which is probably not long enough for the NSIDC to make sweeping conclusions about melting. The AMSR-E data is updated daily and is available to the public. Thus far, sea ice extent in 2009 is tracking ahead of 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, so the predictions of an ice-free north pole might be premature."

Shifting Apps To ARM Chips Could Save Laptop Batteries 326

Posted by timothy on Tuesday February 10, 2009 @10:43AM from the but-does-it-run-windows dept.

An anonymous reader writes "When is an Intel PC not an Intel PC? When it moves applications such as Internet browsing and email on to an ARM processor because it can get longer battery life. And according to a story at EE Times, this hybrid Intel-ARM processor approach is being taken by PC makers as prominent as Dell. The problem for Intel: Why would you switch out of 'all-day' mode and use the Intel processor? The problem for ARM: lacking support from Microsoft for Windows; the applications it runs for the PC have to do so under Linux."

Facebook Nudity Policy Draws Nursing Moms' Ire 904

Posted by timothy on Thursday January 01, 2009 @05:16PM from the isn't-breastfeeding-for-the-children-too? dept.

HSRD writes "Web-savvy moms who breast-feed are irate that social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace restrict photos of nursing babies. The disputes reveal how the sites' community policing techniques sometimes struggle to keep up with the booming number and diversity of their members."

Comment Re:This is a LOW point? (Score 1) 227

by tshoulihane on Tuesday October 14, 2008 @11:58AM (#25370061) Attached to: The Quietest Sun

cosmic rays are inversely proportional to solar magnetic activity. Solar storms cause problems too (mainly for satellites which don't have the protection of the atmosphere)

EFF To Appeal Court Order Vs. Subway Hack Demo 189

Posted by kdawson on Monday August 11, 2008 @06:09PM from the tell-no-one dept.

snydeq sends along InfoWorld coverage of the EFF's plans to appeal a US District Court order that kept three MIT students from presenting detailed flaws in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority e-ticketing system at Defcon. And an anonymous reader points out that the MBTA, in addition to triggering the Streisand Effect, released in open court more information on vulnerabilities (PDF) than the students had any intention of presenting. See Exhibit 1 to this court filing.

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