yknsksbrt - Slashdot User

Submission + - Foreign data unsafe from US Patriot Act (smh.com.au)

Submitted by

natecochrane

on Wednesday January 25, 2012 @11:47PM

natecochrane writes: "The world's No.2 law firm warns non-US businesses their data is unsafe from costly and invasive raids by American law enforcement even if they host their data in their own countries. The wide interpretation of the USA Patriot Act ensures US cops can legally demand data from almost anyone, anywhere for any reason and countries and their citizens are largely powerless to resist. The advice has resonance with the arrest this week of Kim "Dotcom" on alleged copyright violations in the US."

Submission + - Wireless Proximity Detection 1

Submitted by Cinnamon Whirl on Wednesday January 25, 2012 @03:39PM

Cinnamon Whirl writes: As a chemist, I work in a both lab and office enviroments, and need access to data in both, without causing undue clutter in either. My company has recently purchased two Win7 tablets for trial usage with electronic lab notebooks, propietry software, SAP, email etc. These are also useful for sharing in meetings, etc.

As part of this project, I have been wondering whether we can use these tablets to detect other devices by proximity. Examples could include finding the nearest printer or monitor or, perhaps trickier, could two roaming devices find each other? Although lab technology is rarely cutting edge, I can see a day when all our sensors and probes will broadcast data (wireless thermocouples are already available), and positioning information will become much more important.

What technologies exist to do this? How accurate can the detection be?

Submission + - Google Fiber work hung up in Kansas City (kansascity.com)

Submitted by alphadogg on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @01:51PM

alphadogg writes: When Google announced last spring that Kansas City, Kan., had landed the tech company’s much-pursued super-speed Internet project, the company gushed about the local utility poles. Now it turns out that differences over where and how to hang wires on those poles, and what fees or installation costs may be required, have created a troublesome bump in plans to launch the project.

Submission + - TSA Interested In Purchasing Dosimeters (gsnmagazine.com) 1

Submitted by OverTheGeicoE on Friday January 06, 2012 @05:34PM

OverTheGeicoE writes: TSA recently announced that it is looking for vendors of 'radiation measurement devices'. According to the agency's Request for Information, these devices 'will assist the TSA in determining if the Transportation Security Officers (TSO) at selected federalized airports are exposed to ionizing radiation above minimum detectable levels, and whether any measured radiation doses approach or exceed the threshold where personnel dosimetry monitoring is required by DHS/TSA policy.' A TSA spokeman claims that their RFI 'did not reflect any heightened concern by the agency about radiation levels that might be excessive or pose a risk to either TSA screeners or members of the traveling public.' Concern outside the agency, however, has always been high. TSA has long been criticized for its apparent lack of understanding of radiological safety, even for its own employees. There has been speculation of a cancer cluster, possibly caused by poor safety practices in baggage screening.

Comment Re:It's funny how stupid they are (Score 1) 561

by yknsksbrt on Tuesday December 06, 2011 @05:35AM (#38277648) Attached to: Greenpeace Breaks Into French Nuclear Plant

Also a nuke reactor kicks out ZERO in the terms of green house gasses.

A nuclear plant does emit greenhouse gasses. The backup diesel generators (essentially locomotive engines) have tanks that hold 7 days worth of fuel, assuming that both generators are running continuously. As diesel does not keep particularly well for long periods of time, this fuel is used to heat the reactor building during the winter. This fuel is also used whenever offsite power is lost and the generators are required to be run. Other items, mainly security patrols and compensatory measures, require vehicles to be kept running for significant lengths of time, sometimes up to 24 hours or longer.

A different side to the issue, one that I have never seen analyzed, is the contribution from employee commutes. Nuclear plants are out in the middle of nowhere (with a few exceptions), which means that any employees who want to live anywhere near an urban center have a significant commute. Coal plants are much more likely to be in a city or near the edge.

Slashdot Top Deals