Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Re:No kidding (Score 1) 215

If you look at their actual web page and not the article it does say they paid $20 for the balloon (300g latex weather balloon) and around $30 for the helium. So yeah it looks like it is within the reach of mortals now :) Probably to late in the year to do it now, but I'm definitely going to do this next spring/summer.

Comment Cost of Balloon? (Score 1) 215

I love articles like this, and I've dreamed of doing a similiar project. While the costs of the equipment is doable and with a little know how you can get a rig together for less than $200 it's the flight that cost so much. Does the $150 cover the weather balloon and the tank(s) of helium it took to get the payload there? If so I'd love to know where they bought it. Last time I priced a modest balloon it was in the $500-$1k US range (just for the balloon).

Comment More info please (Score 1) 45

Perhaps I'm the only one who doesnt understand what this is, can someone else elaborate? From my understanding of the page these are programs if given a dataset or description of a dataset can tell you how that data was derived. I can see this being useful in AI. If you have significant dataset of possibilities and trying to yield the best algorithm you could spawn a million children processes with their own genetic algorithm to come up with variations. Perhaps I'm way off. Would like some clarification or pointers to more info.

Comment Malware Survey - similiar topic (Score 1) 132

http://bt.ins.com/ just released a survey about how companies view and respond to the malware threat

WARNING PDF go http://bt.ins.com/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2665 to view

I also did an interview @ DarkReading.com http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=151382&WT.svl=news1_1 about the survey.

DISCLAIMER: I work for BT, but the survey is pretty unbiased IMHO.

Networking

IPv4 Address Crunch In 2 Years, IPv6 Not Ready 539

An anonymous reader writes "We've known for ages that IPv4 was going to run out of addresses — now, it's happening. IPv6 was going to save us — it isn't. The upcoming crisis will hit, perhaps as soon as 2010, but nobody can agree on what to do. The three options are all pretty scary. This article covers the background, and links to a presentation by Randy Bush (PDF) that shows the reality of the problem in stark detail."

Feed Engadget: Gecube's Dual GPU Gemini 3, featuring four DVI ports (engadget.com)

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Gecube's Gemini 3 is the only solution on the market right now if you need a crossfire ATI card setup, but your motherboard only has one 16x PCI-e slot. The Gemini 3 is two Radeon HD 2600 XT GPUs on one card, featuring four DVI ports -- yes, you can hook up four monitors to a single card. The performance isn't exactly highest end, but the card certainly held its own in the testing that the Tweaktown guys put it through. It also happens to draw a relatively small amount of power, and keeps cool thanks to its massive dual slot heatsink and fan. Unfortunately, we've got no idea when or for how much you can get your hands on this little powerhouse.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!


Displays

Submission + - New failsafe graphics mode for Ubuntu (arstechnica.com)

ianare writes: Ubuntu Xorg maintainer Bryce Harrington recently demonstrated the BulletProof-X feature that is planned for inclusion in Ubuntu 7.10. It provides a failsafe mode which will ensure that users never have to manually configure their graphics hardware settings from the command line. If Xorg fails to start, the failsafe mode will initiate with minimalistic settings, low resolution, and a limited number of colors. The failsafe mode also automatically runs Ubuntu's new GTK-based display configuration utility so that users can easily test various display settings and choose a configuration that will work properly with their hardware. Features like BulletProof-X deliver tangible usability improvements that contribute to a more positive user experience.
Music

Submission + - Doom and Gloom for web radio (dailytech.com)

An anonymous reader writes: DailyTech posted interviews with the founder of Pandora and management from Proton Radio (and Proton Music) asking them what SoundExchange's latest rulings mean to them. A lot of net radio stations are dreading the upcoming changes in royalty rates, which are said to be around 400%... a number that would bankrupt most of the industry. An interesting read for anyone who uses online radio...

Feed Techdirt: YouTube Says It's Sorry, Promises Thailand It Won't Do It Again, Gets Unblocked (techdirt.com)

Back in April, the Thai government gained itself some publicity by blocking YouTube, after it discovered a video on the site making fun of the country's king. Google apparently decided that censoring videos deemed offensive by the Thais was acceptable on its sliding scale of evil, and now that the "program" to block the videos is apparently complete, Thais can once again access YouTube. No word, though, on whether the Thai government still plans to sue YouTube for running the video. Perhaps since the YouTube blocking technology works to the government's satisfaction, Google would be willing to cooperate with the Thais to help them with their other attempts to censor the internet. After all, if blocking some YouTube videos at the government's request doesn't trip the evil scale, it's hard to see why any other type of censorship would.

Feed Science Daily: Looking For Life In And Under Antarctic Ice (sciencedaily.com)

Antarctica is home to the largest body of ice on Earth. Prior to approximately 10 years ago, no one thought that life could exist beneath the Antarctic ice sheets, which can be more than two miles thick in places, because conditions were believed to be too extreme. Now there is hope. If confirmed, "immortal cells" could prove potential for life on Mars and Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.

Feed Science Daily: 'Take The Stairs' Signs Work (sciencedaily.com)

What would it take to get you to use the stairs instead of the escalator at your local mall? A team of researchers has found that healthy messages printed on stair risers attract climbers and might even encourage them to descend the stairs later. The riser messages "Take the Stairs" and "7 Minutes of Stair Climbing Daily Protects Your Heart" increased climbing on the staircase by 190 percent and boosted climbing on a nearby staircase with no messages by 52 percent, according to researchers.

Feed Science Daily: Beer's On Tap For Binge Drinkers (sciencedaily.com)

Beer is the beverage of choice for most adult binge drinkers, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The beverage preferences of excessive drinkers are important to public health because binge drinking is a common problem in the United States and because binge drinkers -- and those around them -- are especially vulnerable to alcohol-related problems, said one of the researchers.

Slashdot Top Deals

OS/2 must die!

Working...