Sweeneybird - Slashdot User

Teenager Invents Cheap Solar Panel From Human Hair 366

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday September 09, 2009 @11:59AM from the 50-watt-shampoo dept.

Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a village in rural Nepal, believes he has found the solution to the developing world's energy needs. A solar panel made from human hair. The hair replaces silicon, a pricey component typically used in solar panels, and means the panels can be produced at a low cost for those with no access to power. The solar panel, which produces 9 volts (18 watts) of energy, costs around $38 US (£23) to make from raw materials. Gentlemen, start your beards. The future of hair farming is here!

Disney Strikes Against Net Neutrality 442

Posted by Soulskill on Friday June 12, 2009 @02:29PM from the show-of-hands,-who-is-surprised dept.

1 a bee writes "Ars Technica is running a story by Matthew Lasar about how Disney's ESPN360.com is charging ISPs for 'bulk' access to their content. According to the article, if you visit ESPN using a 'non-subscribing' ISP, you're greeted with a message explaining why access is restricted for you. This raises a number of issues: '... it's one thing to charge users an access fee, another to charge the ISP, potentially passing the cost on to all the ISPs subscribers whether they're interested in the content or not.' Ironically, the issue came to the fore in a complaint from the American Cable Association (ACA) to the FCC. A quoted ACA press release warns, 'Media giants are in the early stages of becoming Internet gatekeepers by requiring broadband providers to pay for their Web-based content and services and include them as part of basic Internet access for all subscribers. These content providers are also preventing subscribers who are interested in the content from independently accessing it on broadband networks of providers that have refused to pay.' So, is this a real threat to net neutrality (and the end-to-end principle) or just another bad business model that doesn't stand a chance?"

Comment While I don't like the Olympics... (Score 1) 722

by Sweeneybird on Wednesday August 06, 2008 @06:53PM (#24504671) Attached to: New Olympics Scoring: No More Perfect 10.0

...even less do I like your tacit assumption that only men or lesbians read Slashdot. "Now I'm sure that no Slashdot reader will intentionally watch any "sport" that has judges determine the winner, but their wives/girlfriends might seize control of the remote because they want to know who is the best at that ribbon-twirling thing." As a straight woman who works in technology, I get increasingly tired of being invisible. You were trying to be funny, I get that, but I have read things that were funny, and this was not funny.

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