DCowern - Slashdot User

Submission + - History of Photoshop: The Mac's First Killer App

Submitted by Gammu on Saturday June 09, 2007 @09:58AM

Gammu writes: For the past fifteen plus years, Photoshop has turned into the killer app for graphics designers on the Mac. It was originally written as a support app for a grad student's thesis and struggled to find wide commercial release. Eventually, Adobe licensed the app and has sold millions of copies. Read about its early history at SiliconUser.

Submission + - Busting the MythBusters' Yawn Experiment

Submitted by

markmcb

on Sunday April 22, 2007 @09:16PM

markmcb writes: "Most everyone knows and loves the MythBusters, two guys who attempt to set the story straight on so many things people just take for granted. Well, everyone except Brandon Hansen, who has offered them a taste of their own medicine as he busts the MythBusters' improper use of statistics in their experiment to show yawning is contagious. While the article maintains it is still possible yawns are contagious, the author makes it clear that he's not giving the MythBusters any credit for proving such a claim, 'not with a correlation coefficient of .045835.'"

Submission + - The Best and Worst Intenet Laws

Submitted by

Anonymous Coward

on Sunday April 22, 2007 @06:32PM

Anonymous Coward writes: "When a U.S. legislator describes the Internet as a "series of tubes" you just know that you're going to end up with some wacky laws on the books. Law professor Eric Goldman takes a look at the best and worst Internet laws in the U.S. Eric offers an analysis of the biggies such as the DMCA, but also shines a light on lesser known laws like the Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002."

Submission + - Robust Surface Navigation could replace GPS

Submitted by

GadgetMike

on Saturday April 21, 2007 @11:55AM

GadgetMike writes: "The Global Positioning System is the only navigation system operational at the time speaking and the world depends on it. The event of something happening to the system could really cause chaos. That's why the United States are trying to develop some alternative technologies which should be unable to fulfill the GPS's tasks in case the last one is unusable. One of them is called the RSN (Robust Surface Navigation) project, developed by the joint forces of some major companies under the lead of the giant Boeing. Link: http://www.gadgetroad.com/design/robust-surface-na vigation-could-be-an-alternative-to-gps/2007/04/20 /"

Feed High school students laser-enable the disabled (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed on Saturday April 21, 2007 @11:52AM

Filed under: Wearables

The students on the Palo Alto High School InvenTeam arrived at the Stanford Cool Products Expo this year with a new system designed to allow quadriplegics to operate all kinds of gadgets and appliances. The user shakes his head to activate a glasses-mounted laser, which he can then point at sensors embedded in an array of custom triggers placed around the home. So far the team's nailed the basic on/off circuit needed for lights, fans, and a pet food dispenser (which is currently shelling out M&M's to Expo attendees), but the real noise is their plan to extend the system by building a small robot that will perform various tasks. According to the school, team captain Guy Davidson was only kidding a little when he said the team hoped "to have [the user] vacuuming in a few weeks." While this isn't the first time we've seen lasers used to assist the disabled, you gotta wonder what's going to happen to their altruisitic spirit when these kids realize they can also just headmount one of those crazy high-powered laser pointers.

Read - CNET Cool Products Expo video (second item)
Read - Palo Alto High School press release (6MB PDF)

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