Comment Re:Bill Joy still relevent...--"relevant" (Score 1) 80
it's relevant...
Comment Bill Joy still relevent... (Score 1) 80
Comment Externalities, Monsanto, Michael Crighton (Score 4, Interesting) 435
Generally, we just don't understand all the externalities involved.
Hopefully, they don't lead to catastrophic circumstances.
Amateurs Are Trying Genetic Engineering At Home 245
the_kanzure points out this AP story on amateur genetic engineering, excerpting: "The Apple computer was invented in a garage. Same with the Google search engine. Now, tinkerers are working at home with the basic building blocks of life itself. Using homemade lab equipment and the wealth of scientific knowledge available online, these hobbyists are trying to create new life forms through genetic engineering a field long dominated by Ph.D.s toiling in university and corporate laboratories." Reader resistant has a few ideas about how to use this sort of lab: "Personally, I'd like to whip up a reasonably long-lasting and durable paint made with dye based on squid genes that glows brightly enough to allow 'guide lines' to be daubed along hallway baseboards, powered by a very low trickle of electricity. Plus, a harmless glowing yogurt would make for a cool prank."
Computer For a Child? 556
jameswing writes "I am thinking of buying a UMPC, such as an Eee PC or a Wind for my son, and wanted to get input from Slashdot. He is almost 2 and really curious about our computers, and anything electronic. I want to foster this in him, without having him on my desktop or laptop. I also don't really like the idea of getting one of those cheap 'Learning Laptops' that have a tiny screen and are really limited.
Does anybody have one that they use with their children? How sturdy is it? Will it stand up to a 2-year-old? If not, what are good alternatives?
What are your thoughts? Suggestions?"
Comment Next step to manna (Score 1) 68
The first thing about these articles is to realize that business and government are big proponents. That's why one article about balancing convenience vs. privacy is important. RMS knows this.
That's why a recent NYTimes article about the quants' influence on the financial meltdown quoted Ted Kazcinsky sp? and why an article a few years ago called Why the Future Doesn't Need Us did too.
The second thing to realize is so are consumers of Google and the iPhone.
So all of the kvetching about the use of the term "cloud" really (REALLY) misses the point. Get over it to what it means.
Centralized network terminal computing on central servers is coming and it's going to hit a tipping point that will or may already be affecting your life, depending on your type of business ERP or your own consumer habits.
You might want to look up the short story Manna at MarshallBrain for a dystopian perspective.
You may want to think.
Submission + - Cellphone Banking Pulling Indians Out of Poverty 1
An anonymous reader writes: Technology Review is running a in-depth article about the way cellphone banking is transforming the lives of many poor people in India. By enabling them to manage a legitimate bank account and finance micro-loans, cellphones are a major force of social and economic change. It's perhaps not surprising given that, despite widespread poverty, India has the world's fastest-growing cellphone market and the second largest number of cellphone users (after China). The article mentions one Indian start-up — mChek that is thriving as a result. There's also an excellent video report.
Submission + - The Economist chimes in about cloud computing
g8orade writes: The Economist is running some interesting articles about the rise of cloud computing.
"Information technology is turning into a global "cloud" accessible from anywhere, says Ludwig Siegele. What does that mean for the way people conduct business?"
and one more to Richard Stallman's recent points about the risks to freedom:
Computing is about to face a trade-off between sovereignty and efficiency
Submission + - Brains work best at age of 39 (newslite.tv)
Ostracus writes: Our brains work best when we are 39-years-old, say scientists ... after that it is all downhill.
Boffins have found that from the age of 40 onwards signals in the brain begin to slow down.
Boffins have found that from the age of 40 onwards signals in the brain begin to slow down.
Submission + - Math prof uncovers secret chord (dalnews.dal.ca) 1
chebucto writes: The opening chord to A Hard Day's Night is famous because for 40 years, no one quite knew exactly what chord Harrison was playing. Musicians, scholars and amateur guitar players alike had all come up with their own theories, but it took a Dalhousie mathematician to figure out the exact formula. Dr. Brown used Fourier transforms to find the notes in the chord, and deduced that another George — George Martin, the Beatles producer — also played on the chord, adding a piano chord that included an F note impossible to play with the other notes on the guitar.
Feed Engadget: Researchers get nanotube chips running at commercial speeds (engadget.com)
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Carbon nanotubes have a ton of promise, and we've seen a lot of prospective applications for the tech, but researchers at Stanford, working with Toshiba, have managed to demonstrate the first use of nanotubes in chips that run at commercially-viable speeds. The chip features 256 ring oscillators and packs over 11,000 transistors in just one hundredth of a square inch. When wired with the nanotubes and powered up, the chip ran at speeds between 800MHz and 1.06GHz -- not desktop speeds, to be sure, but still promising. The team says that while the experiment bodes well for the future, we shouldn't expect any direct applications yet -- but you know we're dreaming of tiny implantable supercomputers anyway.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Bookmark Metal Roofing Materials (squidoo.com)
Journal Journal: Anti-Scientology Hackers Harass, Threaten Random Bystanders 2
The collection of script kiddies who "declared war" on the Church of Scientology last week instead harassed and threatened a California couple they mistook for one of their adversaries. An "Anonymous" spokesh4x0r apologized, setting off a lively debate between
Submission + - Hardware vendors will follow money to open source
Stony Stevenson writes: Dirk Hohndel, Intel's chief technologist for open source believes the install base of Linux-based desktops could potentially double this year, based just on Eee PC sales. Speaking at open source conference Linux.conf.au in Melbourne yesterday, Hohndel said commercial pressure will be the incentive for traditionally Windows-centric hardware vendors to begin offering open source drivers and Linux-based systems to their customers. And the success of consumer IT products like the ASUS Eee PC will help provide the leverage needed to get hardware vendors on board with open source.
Submission + - Carbon nanotubes can treat cancer, are safe to eat (stanford.edu)
iandoh writes: A team of scientists at Stanford University has tracked the movement of carbon nanotubes through the digestive system of mice. They've determined that the nanotubes are expelled and do not exhibit any toxicity in the mice. As a result, the study paves the way toward future applications of nanotubes in the treatment of cancer and tumor. Previous research by the same team demonstrated that nanotubes can be used in cancer treatments. Nanotubes can be used to destroy cancer cells in two ways. One method involves shining light on the nanotubes, which activates the nanotubes and generates heat to destroy cancer cells. Another method involves attaching medicine to the nanotubes, which are able to accurately "find" cancerous cells without impacting healthy cells.
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