Comment Five Sigma or Bust (Score 2) 182
Five sigma is the standard of proof in Physics. The probability of a background fluctuation is a p-value of something like 0.0000006.
Comment Old News With Smaller Error Bars (Score 1) 44
The really silly thing about the dust-up with AMS is that the PAMELA experiment (later confirmed by Fermi) made the exact same measurement and is credited with the discovery. AMS just re-did it with smaller error bars.
Here's the original PAMELA paper from 2009: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7238/full/nature07942.html (preprint here: http://arxiv.org/abs/0810.4995 )
The dark matter interpretation isn't even new. All AMS has brought is smaller error bars.
Comment CO2 Emissions (Score 1) 562
It takes in hydrocarbons and oxygen and puts out energy? Am I a skeptic for thinking that this thing must be releasing lots of CO2? I cannot find any description of how it works. I have no doubt that it produces energy, but if it is producing gaseous CO2, it won't really help with the fundamental problem.
Comment Re:Seems reasonable (Score 1) 505
In the case of publicly-funded research, I'd first like to compel scientists to publish their work in a free-to-read format. Many journals do not make the articles available to the public. It seems a little wrong that public money goes to pay for research and then the results of the research -- the journal articles -- aren't available to the public.
Windows 7 Starter Edition — 3 Apps Only 695
CrustyFace writes "Cybernit reports that the Starter Edition version of Windows 7 will only allow the user to run 3 applications at once. Targeted at notebooks, this doesn't seem like such a bad limitation, however it is a bold move from Microsoft, and it will be interesting to see how the operating system sells."
LIGO Fails To Detect Gravity Waves 357
planckscale writes "Last weekend, LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) did not detect gravitational radiation in association with a gamma ray burst (GRB). The non-detection was actually a valuable contribution, as it helped to distinguish between competing models for what powers GRBs. The detector is due to be upgraded this year for even more accurate measurements. The interferometer is constructed in such a way that it can detect a change in the lengths of the two arms relative to each other of less than a thousandth the diameter of an atomic nucleus."
Google Unveils Flash Ads 225
Gailin writes "Google has announced and given some examples of their new Flash based ads. They seem to vary from average size to full screen-width Flash advertisements, with some interactive abilities. 'Gadget ads can incorporate real-time data feeds, images, video and much more in a single creative unit and can be developed using Flash, HTML or a combination of both. Designed to act more like content than a typical ad, they run on the Google(TM) content network, competing alongside text, image and video ads for placement. They support both cost-per-click and cost-per-impression pricing models, and offer a variety of contextual, site, geographic and demographic targeting options to ensure the ads reach relevant users with precision and scale.'"
Submission + - Final Draft of GPLv3 Allows Novell-Microsoft Deal (zdnet.co.uk)
famicommie writes: All of Novell's fingernail biting has been for naught. In a stunning display of forgiveness and bridge building on behalf of the FSF, zdnet reports that the final draft of the GPLv3 will close the infamous MS-Novell loophole while allowing deals made prior to continue. From the article:
'The final, "last-call" GPLv3 draft bans only future deals for what it described as "tactical" reasons in a 32-page explanation of changes. That means Novell doesn't have to worry about distributing software in SLES that's governed by the GPLv3.'
'The final, "last-call" GPLv3 draft bans only future deals for what it described as "tactical" reasons in a 32-page explanation of changes. That means Novell doesn't have to worry about distributing software in SLES that's governed by the GPLv3.'
Wiretap Ruling Threatens Telecoms 501
ches_grin writes "Yesterday's ruling on the NSA warrantless wiretapping program could mean that businesses that assisted in the program are in for some serious legal problems. The judge's decision clearly dismissed out of hand the arguments of the telecoms, saying that the protections due journalists and lawyers was a clear matter of the public's best interests." From the article: "Businesses accused of aiding the Bush administration in wiretapping could also be in for a legal bruising, say civil liberties groups that have sued telecom providers AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth for allegedly helping the NSA. The ruling could set a precedent other courts can't ignore. 'Every phone company that is assisting the government in its illegal surveillance would want to think long and hard before it continues that agreement,' says Ann Beeson, the ACLU's lead attorney in the case. 'There are already lawsuits claiming that their cooperation for the past several years is illegal and now that the judge has declared it is illegal, their liability increases. The risk is much greater from a business perspective.'"
OpenOffice.org Newspaper Ad Mockup Released 413
Benjamin Horst writes "The volunteer effort raising $10,000 to place at least two backpage ads in New York City's free daily paper Metro is now entering its second full week. We've collected over 10% of our goal already and continue to find new pledge donors at a healthy pace. Our project's purpose is to help 'cross the chasm' and bring awareness of OpenOffice.org 2.0 to the large number of computer users who stand to benefit from its broad feature set and range of useful capabilities. This is not the first time an open source project has sought a high-profile newspaper ad buy. In fact, our effort was directly inspired by the Firefox New York Times ad. Firefox's famous effort announcing its arrival on the world stage helped push it from about 10 million downloads to its current tally of over 185 million!"
The Continuing American Decline in CS 727
abb_road writes "America's recent dismal showing in the ACM Programming finals may be more than just a bad year; a BusinessWeek article suggests that the loss is indicative of the US's continuing decline in producing computer scientists. Despite the Labor Dept's forecast of a 40% increase in 'computer/math scientist' jobs, planned CS enrollments have plummeted from 3.7% in 2000 to just 1.1% last year. Other countries, particularly China, India and Eastern Europe, are working hard to pick up the slack, with potentially serious long-term effects for the US economy. From the article: 'If our talent base weakens, our lead in technology, business, and economics will fade faster than any of us can imagine.'"
FORGET DRAGONS! TIME FOR PONIES!!!1! 87
.yosh, who's totally cool I know him textd me to say that Wizards of the Coast is totally making a My Little Pony Roleplaying Game!! OMG! Now I don't have to play with that stupid dungeons and dragons book with all the impossibly clothed women characters. Ponies 4EVA! From the site: "If it's on Butterfly Island, it's in the My Little Pony RPG core rulebook, and we expect the book to be an invaluable tool for RPG fans and game developers alike,' said Jonathan Tweet, senior game designer with Wizards of the Coast. 'Not only will this RPG appeal to current fans of My Little Pony, but it will also help core roleplayers come to appreciate the depth and possibilities in this unique fantasy world. I know I did.'"
OMG GOOGLE ROMANCE <3 <3 <3!!! 165
Chapium writes "Google Romance (Beta) is a place where you can post all types of romantic information and, using our Soulmate Search(TM), get back search results that could, in theory, include the love of your life. Then we'll send you both on a Contextual DateTM, which we'll pay for while delivering to you relevant ads that we and our advertising partners think will help produce the dating results you're looking for.
With this addtion has Google gone too far with its data collection?"
Comment Re:huh? (Score 1) 569
When doing some physics (like quantum field theory) it is useful to adopt unit conventions where c=1. Using this convention, space and time would have same dimension. How long a time is 12 parsecs? It's the amount of time it takes light to travel 12 parsecs.
In this unit system, speeds are dimensionless which might explain: "She'll make .5 past light speed."
