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That's the beauty of open source. Gotta problem? Don't have to wait for someone else - you can fix it yourself.

Is that why it took QUARTER OF A CENTURY to finally fix a Unix bug ?

Not exactly what you were looking for, but at least on the macbook air the SSD doesnt seem to improve performance, but there are other reasons to get SSDs besides peformance. For starters, you can create a laptop with almost no moving parts, which can be very nice for certain environments. Plus, the SSD is less likely to have a catastrophic crash than traditional hds(provided you aren't doing an inordinate amount of writes, all the more reason to have as much ram as possible!)

Plus it beats their boot time ("7 seconds from bootup to internet"), according to their site. Gizmodo had a real copy in hand, or at least a real copy of the case. And Gizmodo listed the prices at:

$269 1GB memory + 80GB HDD Linux edition
$299 1GB memory + 80GB HDD XP edition
$299 2GB memory + 160GB HDD Linux edition

Price of XP = price to double memory + HDD with Linux ... amusing

Sure, an SSH client from the App store would be convenient. And what do you mean you can't jailbreak iPhone 3G -- that's what came out yesterday!

http://gizmodo.com/5025415/iphone-3g-jailbroken

Unless you're the Cylons

And Cuban policy- Gizmodo.com> and cnet.com

http://gizmodo.com/5025583/how-the-wii-motionplus-makes-the-wiimote-more-accurate

Check out these napkins.

Dean Kamen's converting sewage (or absolutely *any* contaminated water) into pure clean water at fraction of the cost has the potential to change the world on a huge scale. Especially Africa.

He has has spoken at TED before. He is a pure legend.

http://gizmodo.com/370698/colbert-first-vid-of-dean-kamens-miracle-water-distiller

OK he invented it a few years ago, but hopefully its ready for rollout.

What about using the sun to cook it? Something like that large mirror-magnifier-assembly-thing from the movie Sahara ( apparently a similar structure was built in Spain to generate 11 Megawatts of electricity )

http://gizmodo.com/393426/cylons-baseships-run-windows-xp

How are these going to be damaged by a flatbed scanner?!? Most game magazines have only been around for ~20 years, max. And I don't see how the heat would be an issue...

To lay them flat, you pretty much have to break the spine.
I don't lend my dad books anymore because the first thing he does is break the spine.

If the submitter is really attached to his dead trees, he might consider buying one of these:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/copyright+violating-scanner-is-designed-for-books-235382.php

You want a tech scam? Have it: Just type Car runs on water in Google; Sit back and enjoy! http://www.runningcaronwater.com/?gclid=COnhtJPKqZQCFRZZiAod_mOtzw http://www.runcarbywater.com/ http://www.youralternativefuelsite.com/?gclid=CLyItLbKqZQCFQwxiQodyUlR0A http://www.runcaronwaterkit.com/?kk=142 http://hybridfuelreview.info/?id=B227023 http://savemorefuel.info/?t202id=9163299&t202kw=car%20runs%20on%20water http://www.waterfuelx.com/?hop=tracassoc&gclid=CJne49_KqZQCFQL8iAodz2TG0Q http://www.trustmymechanic.com/run-your-car-on-water.html?gclid=CNjKkujKqZQCFSBciAodV1U90A http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/354/C8115/ http://www.squidoo.com/carrunsonwater http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5EMoLMzB-Y http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/car-runs-on-water-inventor-to-be-kidnapped-by-exxon-177716.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water-fuelled_car http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=84561 http://www.easywatercar.com/2books.htm

In 2006, this vehicle got 3,145 miles per gallon, and some high-school students last year won a mileage contest by creating a similar vehicle that got mileage in the 1000-mpg range.

If VW want to impress, they will have to do a hell of a lot better than that.

The problem with your post is that all of those kids are probably mysteriously dead.

In 2006, this vehicle got 3,145 miles per gallon, and some high-school students last year won a mileage contest by creating a similar vehicle that got mileage in the 1000-mpg range.

If VW want to impress, they will have to do a hell of a lot better than that.

Welcome to the future.

You mean like the Optimus?

I might be less critical of them if they actually spent some of their abusively high rates on upgrading said failing infrastructure instead of god knows what.

Frank Herbert's Harkonnen's installed "Heart Plugs" into their citizens and prisoners, etc... as a form of 'kill switch'...
If that is not the latter part of the "Kill Switch" 'Slippery Slope', I suppose making it remote-controlled might be...

Not the specific example I was looking for, but you get the idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3K-jRXij-w
The 'heart plug' concept, however, has now been successfully applied for other purposes: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/anti+theft-coffee-cup-stops-that-klepto-cube+mate-244147.php

Here's a great new gadget for this!

... is a 3D map of the Microsoft Campus.
Anyone knows what other presents are coming up?

You can reuse this joke under the terms and conditions of the GFDL.

that a decent-spec'd, moderately priced yet still well-designed computer

Prices of regular PCs have gone down, while Macs stayed at the same price. My widescreen HP laptop which has a slower processor (only downside), 512MB dedicated graphic card RAM, Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5450 @ 1.66GHz, nVidia Corporation GeForce 8400M GS (rev a1) (with HDMI, VGA outputs) , sdcard reader/writer, wireless, lan nic, modem cost me the same price as the cheapest Mac Mini £399.

Sorry, I don't think that Macs are "moderately priced" and considering how the graphics on the Mac Mini, macbook, imac etc. don't have real dedicated RAM (they use shared memory - Mac Pro and Macbookpro don't)... I don't agree with the "well-designed" comment either.

Maybe then Bill can realize that sometimes less is more and that a long laundry list of half-assed features is no good compared to a shorter list of features that work well.

I don't think you know Bill that well.

Is at Gizmodo

The kid is also facing burglary charges because he stole a key to the school and used it to break in several times. The first thing to remember in this case is that it's not just a simple computer crime case, and that 12 other students also had their grades changed.

Further, of course the kid faces 38 years; every one of the small crimes he committed carry a maximum penalty. If you add them all up, you get 38 years. Obviously that doesn't mean that the kid is going to serve anywhere near that amount.

Now, I'm not sitting here saying that this kid should get 38 years. Far from it. But I do think that some jail time is called for. In addition to the burglary charge and the financial hit to fix the problems he caused, he hurt a lot of students. Consider this: For every one of the 13 kids who moved into the top 10% ranking, someone who had earned their spot had to leave. That student may not have been able to get into the college of his or her choice, and - far more importantly - may have missed out on substantial scholarship money. This kid wasn't just harming his high school through the added expense to audit records and security policies, he was hurting totally innocent fellow students.

And your name?

"Batman?"

"Are you trying to be funny? What is your surname"

"Suparman."

"Guard! Arrest this man..."

I read that pretty much the above was what transpired until they checked his passport. Why the hell didn't the customs guy simply as for his passport FIRST, and THEN quiz him while pulling up the records for the p/p number/issuance/etc.?

http://gizmodo.com/tag/batman-bin-suparman/

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2008/04/03/singapore-superhero-batman-bin-suparmen/

People have been writing webcam tracking software for ages, some is actually open source and there's even phonecam tracking software but this the first hopeful sign I've seen for something more fun than some stupid logitech wobbly eyebrowes and a moustache!

--
Free Playstation 3, XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii

People have been writing webcam tracking software for ages, some is actually open source and there's even phonecam tracking software but this the first hopeful sign I've seen for something more fun than some stupid logitech wobbly eyebrowes and a moustache!

--
Free Playstation 3, XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii

How much money do you have, and how spoiled are your kids? From the first link I saw, the MSI Wind is supposed to be priced between $458 to $1072 depending on options. Even at $458, that's quite an expensive device. Not expensive for a portable computer, but expensive none the less. If my kid lost or broke a $500 thing, I would be quite annoyed, and I would not be playing to replace it. Especially considering that a portable computer is nowhere near necessary for kids to have.

SomeFYI: NFM (NoFyckingMagic)

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/wild-charge-hands+on-really-does-charge-wirelessly-227215.php
http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/07/08/wildcharger-charges-wirelessly/
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/university-of-florida/3792-wireless-charging-station-video.htm

All electronic products I know of use DC operationally, AC is just for power distribution over distances and throughout the house/biz.

So, yes, presently all electronics (radio/tv ... phone/ipod) or their chargers have transformers and/or rectifiers the adjust AC-voltage levels and/or convert AC to DC electricity.

Anyway, home/biz with WCS could buy products in the future that weigh less, are smaller, cheaper, and use have far less wires/plugs in a mess.

This is highly on topic:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/golf-ball-finder-goes-hitech-169088.php

Now instead imagine the golf ball finder for socks.
Hell, you could even convert a smart phone into that.

Use that Roadrunner as sock finding server.

Thats not a chair, This is a chair. Well sorta, but thats what you need if you're a real hardcore programmer.

Like this: http://gizmodo.com/5015730/emperor-workstation-belongs-in-the-death-star-my-office ?

He'll like this one. Not only can he code and browse the internet, but he can destroy entire planets. http://gizmodo.com/5015730/emperor-workstation-belongs-in-the-death-star-my-office

http://gizmodo.com/5014817/world-gets-iphone-and-multiple-carriers-per-country-canada-stops-whining

Italy, for one, will have two carriers. http://gizmodo.com/387978/italys-iphone-to-have-two-carriers-the-end-of-exclusivity

Thanks for that piece of information. Some more pieces from gizmodo:

* 3DConverter - Create 3D images and videos from 2D image sequences - computer generated or camera images.

This software reads your image sequences, camera setup, and the geometry specification of the HoloVizio device to be used, and outputs an AVI file that can be played on the HoloVizio in real-time using HoloPlayer. To use this method, you need an image / video sequence that shows your object from at least 60 different directions (more views result in better 3D quality).

* HoloVizio OpenGL Wrapper - Use your existing OpenGL-based applications on the HoloVizio without modification.

The HoloVizio OpenGL Wrapper creates a layer between your OpenGL-based application and the original OpenGL library. It seamlessly intercepts OpenGL calls made by the application, and (depending on the HoloVizio system used) renders and sends images to the display, or sends the OpenGL stream to the rendering cluster.

New Activation Process and BRE: The iPhone 3G will be activated at point of sale when the device is purchased, in store. The BRE period will change from 14 days to 30 days and will require the device to be returned to place of purchase before service is cancelled.

http://gizmodo.com/5014909/att-memo-to-retail-managers-shows-iphone-3g-policy

Sounds to me like if you "can't find" your phone, they'll just keep billing you for the service.

http://gizmodo.com/5014879/hp-dreamcolor-lp2480zx-shows-off-its-one--billion-colors

If you think that's bad, a local radio station just reported on the announcement of these new iPhones.

With everything they could be reporting on you'd think there would be something more newsworthy. People come to sites like Slashdot to read about this sort of thing, but to have a news service report on a product release is a bit ridiculous.

I'm sure Apple's marketing department is ecstatic over all this free advertising. I can only imagine how daunting it must be for potential competitors of all sizes. The bigger companies have to spend a fortune to get even a fraction of the attention Apple gets. And for the small guys it's hopeless.

There are a lot of great phones out there that aren't getting the attention they deserve, although the great ones are available predominantly overseas. I'm not discounting the iPhone, it's very good, but I do think it's overrated. In the very least undeserving of all the attention its getting. You can't read a review anymore that doesn't try to compare a phone, especially smart phones, against the iPhone.

The best part is when Apple trumpets a standard feature as something new and revolutionary.

Obviously it has gotten to a point where it is becomes almost as bad as the oil companies. Just raking in profits and not using it for anything.

You call this modest allocation of hard earned profits nothing?!!? :)

You mean like this?

http://gizmodo.com/391736/steve-ballmer-egged-in-hungary

That snippet really sums up the quality of the linked article.
In both the linked pages from the Wired article, it is explained in the first paragraph that, yes, this is inspired by Luke's prosthetic hand. All Things Digital article, Gizmodo article.

http://gizmodo.com/393815/exclusive-dell-mini-inspiron-their-first-mini-laptop link to actual photos

The article appears to describe two different products, a "light tube" similar to a Solatube and also a prism-glass window. I believe it's the prism window pictured.

It's a good idea, and a pity that it's so expensive. Hopefully the cost will come down again in time.

I'd like to point out that DirectX 10 is arbitrarily tied to Vista explicitly for backwards incompatibility & to force upgrades. , but so far the difference is nearly indistinguishable and not a uniform "win" for DX10. Not only that, but because DX10 only runs on Vista, it tends to render slower than DX9. As of yet I haven't seen a single DX10 feature worth upgrading for, nor have I seen a DX10-only game yet. Killer feature indeed.

Sources: http://webpages.charter.net/bliss/ http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/directx-9-vs-directx-10-worth-upgrading-to-vista-for-243099.php http://www.gamespot.com/features/6171326/index.html

Many particle accelerators are doughnut shaped; indeed, it is speculated that God used a particle accelerator to create the universe.

While scientists disagree over exactly what the universe's origins are, religion has provided a consistent answer since the Earth's beginnings, over 6,000 years ago.

Also naturally doughnut shaped:

Anii
Cheerios
Red blood cells
This.
This too.
Can't forget this.
There is also an argument to be made that earthworms are doughnut-shaped when viewed end-on, and further that most life forms incorporate the same underlying architecture.

...It'll come in windows and linux flavours, but the linux one will have half the ram and hdd capacity as the windows version and cost a twice as much due to 'lesser availability'.

Actually MSI is making the linux version of its 'Wind' notebook with 50% less RAM, 50% less battery and taking away bluetooth!

Needless to say, many are miffed that they would have an unwanted software charge attached just to get the more capable hardware!

You cretin. It's people like you that the term 'loony left' were invented for (and I say that as a proud reader of the Guardian). You are giving the left a bad name by taking political correctness too far.

Look, the humour is like this scene from Shaun of the Dead. It's the situation and Ed's delivery that make it funny, and has bugger all to do with making fun of black people. In fact, the aim is to make fun of white people trying to emulate 'black culture.'

Stallman saying 'HURD up to ma Niggaz' is funny on three levels:

1. 
      
2. because of who is saying it (a fat white bloke);
3. 
      
4. the reference to the attempts by Microsoft to come up with 'hip' raps and be 'down with the kids' and the idea that Stallman might try to emulate that;
5. 
      
6. it's a shit pun, that purposefully sounds like something a marketing deparment would come up with;

Wow, some of you Americans just don't get subtle humour. Kudos to those who do however. ;)

/me prepares to be modded off-topic (I never understood that one).

You cretin. It's people like you that the term 'loony left' were invented for (and I say that as a proud reader of the Guardian). You are giving the left a bad name by taking political correctness too far.

Look, the humour is like this scene from Shaun of the Dead. It's the situation and Ed's delivery that make it funny, and has bugger all to do with making fun of black people. In fact, the aim is to make fun of white people trying to emulate 'black culture.'

Stallman saying 'HURD up to ma Niggaz' is funny on three levels:

1. because of who is saying it (a fat white bloke);
2. the reference to the attempts by Microsoft to come up with 'hip' raps and be 'down with the kids' and the idea that Stallman might try to emulate that;
3. it's a shit pun, that purposefully sounds like something a marketing deparment would come up with;

Wow, some of you Americans just don't get subtle humour. Kudos to those who do however. ;)

/me prepares to be modded off-topic (I never understood that one).