Space_Nerd - Slashdot User

PhD Candidate Talks About the Physics of Space Battles 361

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday December 17, 2009 @03:18PM from the load-photon-torpedoes dept.

darthvader100 writes "Gizmodo has run an article with some predictions on what future space battles will be like. The author brings up several theories on propulsion (and orbits), weapons (explosives, kinetic and laser), and design. Sounds like the ideal shape for spaceships will be spherical, like the one in the Hitchhiker's Guide movie."

Comment nanosecond buyout (Score 1) 624

by Space_Nerd on Friday July 24, 2009 @12:11PM (#28808277) Attached to: Stock Market Manipulation By Millisecond Trading

For the shadowrun fans out there:

The Nanosecond Buyout was a legendary computerized exchange of stock in 2033 that propelled Damien Knight to the head of Ares Macrotechnology. In the span of 63 seconds using a set of mainframes in Stockholm, Sweden, Knight executed a series of transactions that caused the dissolution of three corporations, two multi-millionaires to lose their fortunes, three other people to become multi-millionaires, and Knight to gain the ownership of 22 percent of Ares. Since then, computerized controls are in place to prevent such blindingly fast stock transactions, preventing an individual from performing the same trick twice.

Lucien Cross gained much from the Nanosecond Buyout, and probably helped orchestrate it (facilitating the server time from Stockholm). It is rumored that Damien Knight had the aid of Dunkelzahn, due to an unusual bequest in Dunkelzahn's Will:

"To Damien Knight, I leave my antique chess set, except for the black king piece. I hope you find another worthy opponent. It was only 60 seconds, old friend, but what a ride!"

Thieves Take the Cake 91

Posted by samzenpus on Monday December 22, 2008 @06:39PM from the just-eat-it dept.

Two very hungry German couriers ate a fruit cake destined for a German newspaper and in its place mailed a box of credit card data. The data including names, addresses and card transactions ended up at the Frankfurter Rundschau daily. The mix-up triggered an alarm, and police advised credit card customers with Landesbank Berlin to check their accounts for inconsistencies. Fruitcake must be different in Germany for people to want to use it as something other than a paperweight.

Prescription Handguns For the Elderly and Disabled 1093

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday December 04, 2008 @03:12AM from the take-two-bullets-and-call-me-in-the-morning dept.

Repton writes "Thanks to the Second Amendment, even the elderly have the right to keep and bear arms. The problem is that many of the guns out there are a bit unwieldy for an older person to handle. However, the inventors of the Palm Pistol are planning to change all that with a weapon that is ideal for both the elderly and the physically disabled. In a statement submitted to Medgadget, the manufacturer, Constitution Arms, has revealed the following: 'We thought you might be interested to learn that the FDA has completed its "Device/Not a Device" determination and concluded the handgun will be listed as a Class I Medical Device.' Physicians will be able to prescribe the Palm Pistol for qualified patients who may seek reimbursement through Medicare or private health insurance companies."

Editor, DLC Coming To Fallout 3 98

Posted by Soulskill on Thursday November 27, 2008 @05:37AM from the that-was-quick dept.

Bethesda has announced that an editor for the Windows version of Fallout 3 will be coming in December. They also said the first additional downloadable content for the Windows and XBox 360 versions will follow in January. MTV's Multiplayer blog got a few more details from Bethesda's Pete Hines, who said additions to Fallout 3 will resemble the Oblivion expansion pack Knights of the Nine in size and scope. MTV then brought up the question of how early publishers should provide DLC, pointing to Fallout 3 and Fable II as examples of games for which the expansions were planned to go live only a few months after launch.

Submission + - Samba Success in the Enterprise?

Submitted by

gunnk

on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @10:11AM

gunnk writes: "We've deployed a Samba server here to replace some aging Novell Netware boxes. It works great: fast, secure, stable. However, we have one VIP that feels that Samba is "amateur" software and that we should be buying Windows servers. I've been searching with little success for large Samba deployments in enterprise environments. Anyone out there care to share stories of places that are happily running large Samba installations for their file servers? Or not so happy, for that matter — better to be informed!"

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