yfarjoun - Slashdot User

Comment Alternative systems (Score 1) 863

by yfarjoun on Sunday August 23, 2009 @09:56PM (#29168301) Attached to: "Smart" Parking Meters Considered Dumb

In Israel (at least in Jerusalem) they used to have a really neat system (I haven't been there for a while now). You had two ways to pay:

1. Previously buy parking tickets with scratch-able time and date fields. Scratch off the date and time from a previously bought ticket. Put ticket in window. Each ticket is good for 1/2 an hour, so if you need more time, simply use more tickets.

2. Previously acquire and "charge" an electronic card/display gizmo. After parking press a button on it, this starts "eating up" time and showing that it is doing this on a the display. Place device in window.
When you get back to the car, stop timer.

I guess the device could be hacked, but it's just like any subway card with a big fat display and it knows how to eat up credit at a particular rate.

The main down-side is that there has to be a single price of parking in the municipal area. The other downside is that you have to buy these things in advance. But the ease of use are quite amazing, and with the electronic device, you do not have to guess the amount of time you need, you pay what you use.

Comment Compare them with a test (Score 2, Interesting) 385

by yfarjoun on Thursday January 22, 2009 @12:09PM (#26560673) Attached to: Britannica Goes After Wikipedia and Google

I propose a test between encyclopedias:

Take a bunch of people and have them learn a new topic. Have half the people denied access to wikipedia (but full access to britannica.com) and vice versa with the other half. Give them 1 hour to learn about the topic

Then test them on the topic and see who is better "educated".

Possibly do it double blind so that the people who grade them are denied access to both britannica.com and wikipedia, and do not know what source of knowledge the person had.

Comment PDF Available (Score 1) 125

by yfarjoun on Sunday September 14, 2008 @03:31PM (#25000345) Attached to: Tying Knots With Light

http://pdfmenot.com/view/http://pdfmenot.com/store_local/996c794f28d65c93d38d6cb60ff50d2f.pdf

Dell Ships Ubuntu 7.04 PCs Today 422

Posted by kdawson on Thursday May 24, 2007 @08:33AM from the wait-is-over dept.

javipas writes "Today by 4:00 PM CST Dell will start selling three machines with Ubuntu 7.04 pre-installed. The two desktops (XPS 410n, $899 and Dimension E520n, $599) and the notebook (Inspiron E1505n, $599) will be the first three machines with the popular Linux distribution installed by default. There is little or no price differential between the Linux and Windows models; in fact, the entry level E520 Windows desktop is cheaper. Dell has announced that they will provide hardware support, and they've created a new site devoted to giving further Linux support and updates. At the moment the offer is only available in the US."

Dell To Offer Win XP On Consumer PCs Again 447

Posted by Zonk on Thursday April 19, 2007 @04:21PM from the that's-a-ringing-endorsement-right-there dept.

phalse phace writes "With so many consumers still asking for Windows XP to be loaded on Dell's consumer level PCs, the PC maker has finally decided to offer that as an option. 'Like most computer makers, Dell switched nearly entirely to Vista-based systems following Microsoft's mainstream launch of the operating system in January. However, the company said its customers have been asking for XP as part of its IdeaStorm project, which asks customers to help the company come up with product ideas. Starting immediately, Dell said, it is adding XP Home and Professional as options on four Inspiron laptop models and two Dimension desktops.' The Dell models with the Windows XP option are: Dell Inspiron 1405, 1705, 1505, and 1501; and Dell Dimension E520 and E521."

Bill Would Require Labels on Cloned Food 251

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday April 18, 2007 @08:20PM from the it-tastes-exactly-the-same dept.

ComeBack writes "Steaks, pork chops, milk and other products from cloned livestock would have to be clearly labeled on grocers' shelves under a bill pending in the California Legislature. If passed, the requirement could be more stringent than federal rules. The Food and Drug Administration is poised to give final approval to meat and milk from cloned animals without any special labeling, though a bill introduced in Congress would require it."

Only 244 Genuine Windows Vista's Sold in China 457

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 18, 2007 @11:21AM from the not-good-odds dept.

morpheus83 writes "Whilst Microsoft was bragging about the sales number of their latest OS Windows Vista, few would actually know that they have only managed to sell 244 copies in the whole of China in the first 2 weeks. You heard that right, and that's the number quoted from the headquarters of the Windows Vista chief (90% national volume) distributor in Beijing."

Chimps Evolved More Than Humans 541

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday April 17, 2007 @05:44PM from the our-chimp-overlords dept.

jas_public writes "Since the human and chimp families split about 6 million years ago, chimpanzee genes seem to have evolved more than human genes. The results, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, go against the conventional wisdom that humans are the result of a high degree of genetic selection, evidenced by our relatively large brains, cognitive abilities, and bipedalism. The researchers found that 'substantially more genes in chimps evolved in ways that were beneficial than was the case with human genes.'"

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