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NASA Pondering Two Public Contests To Build Small Space Exploration Satellites

Posted by samzenpus on from the build-it-for-us dept.

coondoggie writes "NASA today said it was looking into developing two new Centennial Challenge competitions that would let the public design, build and deliver small satellites known as Cubesats capable of operations and experiments near the moon and beyond. The first challenge will focus on finding innovative ways to allow deep space communications with small spacecraft, while the second focuses on primary propulsion for small spacecraft."

127 comments

  1. NO! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you move me to the beta slashdot abortion i'll add this place to the block list and never visit again.

    Too many other news sites regurgitate the exact same storys i see here. And all of them don't look as shitty as the beta slashdot.

    Stop being stupid

    1. Re:NO! by Koen+Lefever · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't come here for the stories, I come here for the comments. Whatever trolling is going on, there always was somebody with relevant knowledge around.

      I have been reading /. since 1998 almost every day (changed userID when I changed e-mail address), loading everything in full at level 0 and summaries at level -1 (not because I love trolls, but because some really interesting AC comments never get modded up.) In the Beta, it just doesn't work like that anymore - that is a big difference with all previous /. restylings.

      Filled in the survey, like many others did, it seems we are being ignored. I would rather go back to a monochrome 40 character width screen than to the /. beta.

      --
      /. refugees on Usenet: news:comp.misc
    2. Re:NO! by Adult+film+producer · · Score: 1

      Anybody have a greasemonkey script that will fix the beta site? I've tried to use it but just don't like it.

    3. Re: NO! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if they put a reverse filter in the beta so you could ONLY view at 0 or -1, it would be a lot better.
      i might use the beta then.
      but probably not.

    4. Re:NO! by Kell+Bengal · · Score: 2

      That's just a band aid, not a solution to the problem. The rot goes inward.

      --
      Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
      altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
  2. Beta by RyanFenton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'll join the crowd and help post in every thread that pops up, and upvote all the other comments I can find doing the same.

    Slashdot Beta is not fixable - it is trash code that should be abandoned as a "lessons learned" exercise. It's not even a close decision - it's pretty much unanimous amongst the users - the ones that provide 90+% of any meaningful content on this particular site in particular.

    If this advice that everyone is giving isn't honored by the local 'beta' admins, I believe it's time to start communicating with the people in charge, and pulling the levers of power a bit - and hopefully get these folks a stern talking to about what they were throwing away.

    Shorter version: THE BETA SUCKS. LOSE IT.

    Ryan Fenton

    1. Re:Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you for your comment.

      For me it's that Slashdot has more or less not changed in design since the beginning. Once you change the design so drastically (and so poorly) it's just not Slashdot anymore. It's just another site looking generic and soulless doing the same thing tons of other sites on the internet try to do.

      Not to mention the new design just displays the same data more spaced out. Beta is just a waste of white space and soulless looking. Once Slashdot is changed so drastically, it's not improved, it's just gone to me. I think the only reason I still visit this site daily is that it has stayed mostly the same since I started 10+ years ago.

    2. Re:Beta by Bob9113 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I *LOVE* Slashdot. That's why I have spent so much time creating comments that I hope add value to the discourse, and put so much effort into my otherwise tenuous self-restraint regarding flaming. I come here to read comments, and to add value to the comment trees. I am happy for Dice to make a profit selling ads on the content our community creates by playing host.

      That is a really good trade for all of us, Dice. Don't screw it up.

      As for my personal #1 gripe: Don't require Javascript to read comments. OpenStreetMaps is content that begs to be browsed dynamically. Reading a comment tree is an almost entirely static endeavor. Keeping Javascript disabled on most sites is something I'm guessing a large portion of the audience here does. And remember: The audience creates the content. Lose one, you lose the other.

      The Spirit of Mohdri Dragon Lives!

      --
      Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
    3. Re:Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I too like Slashdot Beta, and I'm a person who's hard to please. For example -- I don't like the smells of roses, or wooden floors, or even gasoline -- but I love the smell of my shorts when they have that smell of yeasty nuts and testosterone accumulated through days of chronic masturbation. And that's what Beta means to me, the hard work of multiple days of hard work stroking and stroking and stroking and getting absolutely nowhere except for making a big mess all over myself. Sure, that might turn some people off, but being productive and cognizant are both overrated.

      But seriously, McGrew, fuck you for saying that I would be one of the few left after Beta takes hold -- that's like saying I'm willing to wipe my ass with the San Diego Union-Tribune -- I wouldn't dare disrespect my proud asshole by wiping it with such a piece of trash. It's a shame really, because I'm a troll and you are not, but I always liked you because I shared a mutual respect for not only the community, but the foundation on which it stood. And now that foundation is the UI equivalent of semen stains all over the place with little-else to show for it.

      This makes me so sick I'm going to masturbate.

      -- Ethanol-fueled

    4. Re:Beta by mrsam · · Score: 1

      Agreed that beta blows chunks. It's nothing more than change for the sake of change. It doesn't add any more features, it nothing but eye candy. Well, it's intended to be eye candy, but the problem is that eye candy is in the eye of the beholder. I challenge anyone to find any actual change in beta that's not eye candy.

      Having said that, I'm going to demand my money back. Oh wait...

      Thinking about this situation, a bit: as much as it sucks, I see no reason to really get excited about it. It's not like I'm paying for this shit. I looked at that eyesore briefly. and I figure this: if, and when, its the only way to waste time, around here, if I find that I can live with it, I'll live. If not, I'll find some other place to waste some time on. I've got plenty of stuff bookmarked. Dropping one entry won't make much of a difference, in the grand scheme of things.

    5. Re:Beta by SenorPez · · Score: 1

      I, for many, do not welcome our vile beta overlords.

    6. Re:Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anonymous Coward here. Slashdot is trying to become http://www.nbcnews.com/

      All hope is lost.

    7. Re:Beta by Teancum · · Score: 1

      I gave my formal feedback on Beta and flat out pointed it was just awful all around in my replies. I don't mind promoting off-topic threads on the issue too as clearly the folks running Slashdot don't have a clue as to what it is that the site has been or what they can do to maintain the community.

      If the beta becomes the standard interface, they will lose most of the traditional audience. I'm sure some folks will continue to stick around, but it won't be the same place. It sure is a hell of a gamble and it looks more like "not invented here" as a new generation takes over the site. It really is change simply for the sake of change and no other reason.

      Hell, I don't even like the cute photos on the beta site either.

    8. Re:Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a web developer I understand exactly where they are coming from but the problem with their "highly marketable" design is that it has too much white and the font size is made for the blind. The design is "trendy" but it's not meant for this audience. This audience doesn't require anything fancy, things just need to work. Most of us are in I.T. somewhere and that's all we really care about, things working. We've all used something like lotus 1.2.3 where it's just a command prompt and as frustrating as those things were to use at times, they got the job done and did it fast enough to not feel annoyed. The non-beta version of the site worked fine, but it probably didn't generate enough revenue for DICE so they wanted to change the design around that could appeal better to advertisers. But face it, slashdot is a blog/news agrigator and there are millions of them around, thousands of which are likely better than /. ever could be but we stick around probably because most of us have been here for over 10 years. The news here is delivered late almost all the time sometimes a few weeks to a few years (not kidding). By pushing this new slashdot I think they are expecting to rebrand the site so that the "oldfags" will go away, stop complaining and appeal to a new generation, particularly those that have never been here or are still in late highschool / early college. I've seen companies do this over and over again, and rebranding is a big middle finger to those that have stook around for years even more than a decade like I have. So yeah, you can brush us aside but the moment that the beta is forced on us, I will be permanently leaving just as I have with Wired and Engadget. I appreciate websites that care about its consumers and when they do I disable ABP and do donate to those sites when they have a donation option available.

      So Slashdice, it's up to you, but a website like slashdot isn't meant for high revenue, I know this because I converted a few of my personal websites from for-profit to "not for profit" since ads aren't that great anymore for certain demographics, and I did so because I cared about the people, not because I wanted to gain more profits from them. Go for it, I dare you. But no matter what you do, slashdot in the end is not a profitable business like you guys think it is.

      And fix the "resource is no longer valid" BS. Every time I want to reply it does that so I have to refresh the page, find the thread I want to reply to and paste what I have.

    9. Re:Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think most of this audience disables javascript, in fact it's foolish to disable javascript in this day in age. If you don't like being tracked there are various tools you can use against this but completely disabling javascript basically breaks the whole internet. There's just about no websites that exist today that doesn't use javascript so I don't understand why you people always insist on disabling it. It's not a security risk unless you want to start browsing scandalous websites, in which case I would highly suggest using incognito mode or something. Javascript is relatively safe and it's under the most extremely rare circumstances that it can pose any threats. Just keep your browsers updated and you will be fine. Stop being paranoid and get out from underneath that rock.

    10. Re:Beta by SGT+CAPSLOCK · · Score: 1

      srsly the beta sux

      ^ This comment looks ugly when viewed from the beta.

      I assure you that it's BEAUTIFUL when viewed from the classic version though!

    11. Re:Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, fuckhead, sure. Or you're just stupid.

      -- Ethanol-fueled

    12. Re:Beta by Princeofcups · · Score: 1

      It's not even a close decision - it's pretty much unanimous amongst the users - the ones that provide 90+% of any meaningful content on this particular site in particular.

      Maybe we are not the customers any more. This is happening on cheezburger too. Every month they get rid of more sites with intelligent posting and replace it with something with fart jokes.

      --
      The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
    13. Re:Beta by Thanosius · · Score: 1

      Having said that, I'm going to demand my money back. Oh wait...

      Interestingly enough, Linux fanboys use the same argument when complaints about the state of various problems in Linux distros are raised... and then they wonder why not enough people use Linux.

      Just because you're not paying for something doesn't mean it's beyond criticism and reproach. Not only that, but Slashdot's probably one of the longest-service sites that a lot of people here would have gone to over the years. A lot are concerned that this is finally the tipping point where Slashdot will never recover. You of all people with an ID that small should be at least understanding of that, if not necessarily in agreement.

      --
      Account abandoned. I can't fucking spell for shit and Slashdot doesn't even allow time-limited edits of posts. Plus you'
    14. Re:Beta by TheNastyInThePasty · · Score: 1

      The beta doesn't add any useful new features. All it doors is remove them and severely fucks up the best part of this site: the commenting and moderation system. If the commenting system goes out the window, why would I come here? The stories are always several days or a week old, the editors are terrible at their job, and all of the actual articles are on other sites I could browse instead.

      What the hell, Dice?

      --
      The best thing about UDP jokes is I don't care if you get them or not
    15. Re:Beta by glavenoid · · Score: 1

      It's eye candy as much as Spring Surprise is a nice bit of chockie.

      --
      I, for one, am looking forward to the inevitable /. beta rollout fallout.
    16. Re:Beta by arth1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not to mention the new design just displays the same data more spaced out.

      No, it doesn't. It hides much of the data, making it difficult to get to, and impossible to get to without losing the context.

      It seems deliberately discussion-unfrendly, and like many others, I come here for the discussions.

      I left when the last beta was forced on us a couple of years ago, and it took a while before I came back - and that was only because someone posted how to trick the settings into displaying the working format.

      But the new beta is ten times worse - completely unusable, and in a format only an MBA and his designer girlfriend could love. It's not for nerds who like to discuss, and post more than 160 characters.

      Sorry, DICE, but Slashdot's user base is what makes it attractive. Alienate the user base, and you end up with nothing. Then the advertisers won't like you either.

      And no, you won't attract fresh blood. Fresh blood doesn't come to sites that don't provide anything special. What was special here was the userbase, and that userbase [b]will[/b] be gone, unless you fire the incompetent nincompoop who decided on deliberately alienating the one asset the site has.

    17. Re:Beta by couchslug · · Score: 1

      The redesign was ordered by a human.

      Who is he?

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    18. Re:Beta by arth1 · · Score: 2

      The redesign was ordered by a human.

      Let's not jump to conclusions here.

      Who is he?

      Nor that conclusion.

    19. Re:Beta by Kell+Bengal · · Score: 1

      I am viewing from classic, and I assure you your comment has all the beauty of a cup of coffee in the morning, lit by a soothing green glow.

      That's how I will always remember Slashdot when this place is gone. It will be just a memory, but such memories they will be: people like OG and Taco and Ethanol and the GNAA, copypasta tolling about Obama and Al Gore, hot grits and the slashdot effect.

      Good memories.

      --
      Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
      altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
    20. Re:Beta by Common+Joe · · Score: 1

      I have seen more 3, 4, and 5 digit user IDs in the past 24 hours lambasting the beta. It's amazing. I even saw a 2 digit user ID throwing in his two cents. (I should have marked the spot but can't find it now.)

      -- Common Joe

      Slashdot Valentines Day Massacre: Boycott Slashdot because "Fuck Beta!": February 10 - 17

      And Support Okian Warrior's Alternate Slashdot Idea!

  3. Fuck Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Beta != Slashdot

    Once there's only beta, slashdot will cease to be slashdot. FUCK SOULLESS BETA

  4. Buck Feta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    Feta cheese was on sale today for only a dollar a pound.

    That's a dollar and a pound of cheese more than the Slashdot beta is worth.

    1. Re:Buck Feta by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Roses are red,
      Violets are blue,
      Slashdot Beta deals,
      Like fetid monkey poo.

      Tulips are pink,
      Bumstains are brown,
      Bury Slashdot Beta,
      Deep underground.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:Buck Feta by TheloniousToady · · Score: 1

      Glad to finally see someone finding a creative way to express the prevailing sediment. Though others may strive to be beta masters, you truly are the Master Beta.

  5. Beta... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Geez, when are they going to shit can this beta web site. It is total garbage.......

    1. Re:Beta... by sconeu · · Score: 1

      They're gonna shitcan the beta by making it production. It won't be the beta.

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  6. Make Beta go away please by nixon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've been a Slashdot quite a while, been so long I can't remember. This new beta site needs to go. The current layout works just fine. The new one looks like one of those SEO spam sites used to get clicks. Please make it go away.

    1. Re:Make Beta go away please by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      This new beta site needs to go. The current layout works just fine. The new one looks like one of those SEO spam sites used to get clicks.

      I thought it was an SEO spam site the first time I saw it. I checked my browser address bar while muttering, "Shiiiit, hijacked," under my breath. I assumed those giant columns of white space on either side were jammed full of advertising banners that AdBlock had gleefully expurgated for me. In fact, I still think that.

      Come to find out it was real. I actually spent half an hour trying to use it. Found it not just stupidly ugly (if you're using fixed width on the web, you're DOING IT WRONG, ASSHOLES!), but also nonfunctional. So I found the "make this shit go away" button and never went back.

      Now they think they're going to force it on me? Ha. No more clicks for you, Dice.

    2. Re:Make Beta go away please by dmomo · · Score: 1

      OK. I've been on here forever... but looking at your id.. damn. Forever and a few years. I really hope beta bites it. Send all the people who like it over to http://slashdot.org/topic/bi/

      And it would be nice if they didn't try to force me to use it on my ipad. I stay away from this site on mobile devices.

  7. Romney Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The Beta is not appealing to your base. Don't make your base stay home like Romney did. They'll go to Reddit or something other good site and stay there forever.

    DON'T ROMNEY SLASHDOT

    There are only 47% of us left as it is.

  8. amusing trend in stories suddenly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is it just me, or has there been an amusing trend in the stories posted recently?

    Eg, there seems to be a correlation between the number of actual science and technology/engineering submissions getting through the editors, and the recent deluge of "fuck beta!" Posts...

    Maybe all we need to do to stop getting bitcoin and iDildo "advertimonial" submissions is to complain about slashdot's new layout engine and completely ignore the story subject matter entirely?

    Clearly, some testing is in order.

    1. Re:amusing trend in stories suddenly by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 2

      Yes, the trend is quite clear. Let's stay on it and see where it takes us. Who knows, by this time tomorrow, the editors might have explained the nature of dark matter, invented a better electric car battery, and brought back "Farscape". Either that, or their heads will have exploded. I see it as a win-win situation.

  9. Beta. Suicide. Difference? by stastuffis · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've been coming to this place for a while, mostly for the discussion.

    I don't post much at all, but without an effective and easy way to consume/produce comments, this place is fucking worthless.

    DOWN WITH BETA.

  10. Boycott by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    On February 5, 2014, Slashdot announced through a javascript popup that they are starting to "move in to" the new Slashdot Beta design.

    Slashdot Beta is a trend-following attempt to give Slashdot a fresh look, an approach that has led to less space for text and an abandonment of the traditional Slashdot look. Much worse than that, Slashdot Beta fundamentally breaks the classic Slashdot discussion and moderation system.

    If you haven't seen Slashdot Beta already, open this in a new tab. After seeing that, click here to return to classic Slashdot.

    We should boycott stories and only discuss the abomination that is Slashdot Beta until Dice abandons the project.

    Moderators - only spend mod points on comments that discuss Beta
    Commentors - only discuss Beta
    http://slashdot.org/recent - Vote up the Fuck Beta stories

    Keep this up for a few days and we may finally get the PHBs attention.

    Captcha: fuckbeta

    http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4757125&cid=46169357
    http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4757125&cid=46169451
    http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4757045&cid=46168351
    http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4756947&cid=46167453

    1. Re: Boycott by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      holy fuck. you just blinded me. i clicked on that link i thought my computer broke. but it like holy crap you should have warned me. f'n beta sucks bad.

  11. Save Slashdot Classic! by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Informative

    I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:Save Slashdot Classic! by geraldthewes · · Score: 1

      Yes, save the classic version. The beta has nothing going for it.

    2. Re:Save Slashdot Classic! by PixetaledPikachu · · Score: 1

      I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

      I would love to support your cause, but I need to ask you a question. What is the linux equivalent of this "go to your windows" step?

    3. Re:Save Slashdot Classic! by adolf · · Score: 1

      I would love to support your cause, but I need to ask you a question. What is the linux equivalent of this "go to your windows" step?

      fvwm95

      (To remain on topic: fvwm95 is about as about as ugly and uninspiring as /. beta. NASA itself hates fvwm95 almost as much as it hates /. beta.)

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
    4. Re:Save Slashdot Classic! by PingXao · · Score: 1

      "What is the linux equivalent of this "go to your windows" step?"

      The linux equivalent is, "... get out your shinebox, open it and stick your head in and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!'"

      Yes, the linux equivalent of "window" is now "shinebox".

  12. Hard to believe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Someone told me that slashdot beta was developed by al-qaeda operatives. I don't want to support terrorists.
    Can anyone confirm this?

  13. In other news... NASA says FUCK BETA! by denzacar · · Score: 5, Funny

    "NASA today said it was looking into fucking beta that would let the public fuck, bugger and dickplow beta known as "fucking beta" capable of sucking and being fucked near the moon and beyond. The first challenge will focus on finding innovative ways to allow deep fucking beta with small spacecraft, while the second focuses on fucking beta for small spacecraft."

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  14. Logged In for Beta by haster · · Score: 2

    Look I visit this site nearly every day and more than once a lot of days and have for nearly 10 years. I rarely log in, a few times in past couple of years. I also admit that I use adblockers so it is unlikely you have or will ever make any money off of me. BUT THE BETA SUCKS. You will lose my eyeballs if you implement it. It just has too much white spaces and is not information dense enough for me.

    1. Re:Logged In for Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It just has too much white spaces and is not information dense enough for me.

      This is exactly the reason it bothers me. And what's with all the pictures?

  15. Beta Haiku by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 2

    Slashdot fartbiter
    The Beta makes my clown weep
    Oh God, more whiskey

    1. Re:Beta Haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Beta faggot dawns,
      Business intelligence reigns,
      The end of Slashdot.

    2. Re:Beta Haiku by Kell+Bengal · · Score: 2

      The poem troll is right

      This is the end of slashdot

      Haiku makes me sad

      Burma shave

      --
      Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
      altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
  16. When did slashdot hire vic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Beta fucking sucks.

  17. Re: Just testing what unicode looks like on Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Indeed!

    It looks like more than 90% of those escape sequences have been incorrectly parsed!

    (Of course, this is being viewed on that *OTHER* abomination from the slashdot UI team, Slashdot Mobile)

    If more than just a small handfull of those sequences actually render properly in beta, but not in mobile, then slashdot still fails it by having an inconsistent user experience between their mutually forced on the user UIs.

  18. Time for a slashdotting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is Dice's "Contact Us" page. Everybody be sure to call them tomorrow using whatever numbers from that page you can get to ring. Tell every darn receptionist in every darn one of Dice's holdings, along with anyone you can get them to connect you to, that the Slashdot beta is terrible and you won't shut up until it goes away. Fax them a well-illustrated complaint or two or three. Send them a choice letter via snail mail, along with whatever memorabilia you wish.

    They keep soliciting our feedback, they can get our feedback, right where it counts.

    Spread the word by mentioning this in every article's comments.

    The most obvious contact points are:

    Dice Holdings Inc.
    1040 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Floor
    New York, NY 10018
    T: 212-725-6550
    F: 212-725-6559

    Slashdot
    594 Howard St Suite 300
    San Francisco, CA 94105
    Tel: +1-877-433-5638
    www.slashdot.com

    1. Re:Time for a slashdotting. by Princeofcups · · Score: 1

      Slashdot
      594 Howard St Suite 300
      San Francisco, CA 94105

      So they are no longer in Michigan? Is that just an empty office/mailing address? That is right by the BART Montgomery station. I think I will stop by tomorrow and see if any actual people are there.

      --
      The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
  19. Re: Just testing what unicode looks like on Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, it did that itself. I put Genesis 1:1-17 through a markov chain, then Google translate to chinese and posted it. The mutilation is on Slashdot's part, and differs from the old way where it just removed the unicode entirely. Maybe they have some half-finished unicode support going on in that mess of Perl and CSS overkill?

  20. Beta blows by sharky611aol.com · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So I guess I still haven't been forced over to the dark side yet, but I went to try it out again to just see if it still sucks as bad as last time. And yup, it does. Completely unreadable, absurd amount of scrolling, ridiculous forced spacing, asinine column widths. Seriously, what's it going to take to make this die?

  21. Buying Slashdot by Gregory+Arenius · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What do you guys think a fair price for slashdot would be? I'm curious because I'm thinking about starting a kickstarter or something to buy slashdot and turn it into a community run forum.

    This site is valuable because of the community it has. I don't come here for the articles, I come here for the discussions. I know that the majority of the people who come here do so for the same reasons. DICE doesn't get that, and once they kill the community there won't be any real way to rebuild it. I think that would be a shame since I love this place. For all its flaws I think the community here is awesome.

    So, what do you guys think? Is it at all within the realm of reason to buy slashdot and make it ours?

    --Cheers,
    Greg

    1. Re:Buying Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I say wait until a few months after the Beta goes live. By then 75% of their regular readers will have fled and you will be able to purchase it at rock bottom prices.

    2. Re:Buying Slashdot by drussell · · Score: 1

      What do you guys think a fair price for slashdot would be? I'm curious because I'm thinking about starting a kickstarter or something to buy slashdot and turn it into a community run forum.

      This site is valuable because of the community it has. I don't come here for the articles, I come here for the discussions. I know that the majority of the people who come here do so for the same reasons.

      Couldn't agree more... Except they'd never let us buy it... We apparently need to create a NewDot....

      DICE doesn't get that, and once they kill the community there won't be any real way to rebuild it. I think that would be a shame since I love this place. For all its flaws I think the community here is awesome.

      Amen, Brother....

      So, what do you guys think? Is it at all within the realm of reason to buy slashdot and make it ours?

      Highly unlikely.... Unfortunately.... Soon there will be nothing left here to be worthy of even an occasional visit and I find that very sad. :(

    3. Re:Buying Slashdot by Thanosius · · Score: 1

      It's too late by then. When Digg changed their site they destroyed most of the appeal of people going there and lost most of their audience. Soon enough a site called reddit was born which had the same level of simplicity and community interactive as the old Digg had and it took off like wildfire. Eventually Digg reverted some of their changes and morphed into a semi-decent return to its own styling, but by then the damage had been done, reddit had made its mark and the rest, as they say, is history.

      Slashdot will never come back from this.

      --
      Account abandoned. I can't fucking spell for shit and Slashdot doesn't even allow time-limited edits of posts. Plus you'
    4. Re:Buying Slashdot by T.Hobbes · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's a discussion about a fork over here.

      somenickname (1270442) has registered some domain names that could be used (http://bangslashdot.org|.com|.net) (eg !/.)

    5. Re:Buying Slashdot by couchslug · · Score: 1

      Damn fine idea. Dice bought it to fuck it up and doesn't have a mission, so they should be willing to sell it.

      We could return it to its former glory.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    6. Re:Buying Slashdot by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      We apparently need to create a NewDot

      Unfortunately slashnot.org is already registered. Maybe Matthew Strebe would switch it over from being a satire site (that he hasn't updated since 2006) to being a place for refugees.

    7. Re:Buying Slashdot by AbRASiON · · Score: 1

      I'll wager 400 quatloos on the newcomer.

  22. destroy beta. by CaptainStumpy · · Score: 1

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki...

    --
    It will be better to purchase from an owner who is a good farmer and a good builder.
    1. Re:destroy beta. by c0lo · · Score: 1

      Way to go, capt'n.
      Everybody complains about how beta has lots of empty spaces and you send a link for a page on mobile wikipedia with... you guessed right, lotsa empty spaces when opened on non-mobile computer.

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    2. Re:destroy beta. by CaptainStumpy · · Score: 1

      Way to go, capt'n. Everybody complains about how beta has lots of empty spaces and you send a link for a page on mobile wikipedia with... you guessed right, lotsa empty spaces when opened on non-mobile computer.

      similia similibus curantur

      --
      It will be better to purchase from an owner who is a good farmer and a good builder.
    3. Re:destroy beta. by c0lo · · Score: 1

      ...sed in errare perseverare diabolicum.
      Bis idem error numquam

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  23. Time for a slashdotting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here is Dice's "Contact Us" page. Everybody be sure to call them tomorrow using whatever numbers from that page you can get to ring. Tell every darn receptionist in every darn one of Dice's holdings, along with anyone you can get them to connect you to, that the Slashdot beta is terrible and you won't shut up until it goes away. Fax them a well-illustrated complaint or two or three. Send them a choice letter via snail mail, along with whatever memorabilia you wish.

    They keep soliciting our feedback, they can get our feedback, right where it counts.

    Spread the word by mentioning this in every article's comments.

    The most obvious contact points are:

    Dice Holdings Inc.
    1040 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Floor
    New York, NY 10018
    T: 212-725-6550
    F: 212-725-6559

    Slashdot
    594 Howard St Suite 300
    San Francisco, CA 94105
    Tel: +1-877-433-5638
    www.slashdot.com

  24. Beta Sucks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bring back CmdrTaco. Yeah, he never learned how to use a spell checker, but at least he would know better than to foist this beta abortion on us.

    1. Re:Beta Sucks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's the one that sold out. I miss the pre-sale days and the gnaa and bsd is dying. If only there was aws for him back then, he wouldn't have needed to sell to do deal with scaling. If i'm wrong, please correct me. Thanks.

  25. Option to turn off advertising by elloGov · · Score: 1

    Where has the option to disable advertising gone?
    Here's the funny thing. Out of appreciation of being given a choice, I chose to not disable. However, now that it's gone, I feel as if it's forced down my throat.
    I haven't tried Beta, but I'm gonna go ahead and join the revolt simply because "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I'm satisfied with Slashdot Classic.

    1. Re:Option to turn off advertising by Chewbacon · · Score: 1

      I'm still seeing it at the top of classic slashdot.

      --
      Chewbacon
      The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
  26. Beta is terrible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    beta is terrible. when i view /. I want to have as many entries visible as possible. Beta reduces entries visible immensely. Again, terrible.

  27. Get rid of BETA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Beta does not make it easier or better for me to consume information.

    I prefer the current layout on a cell phone because it presents me with information, not graphics.

    it doesn't hide information.

  28. There will be no more real discussion here until.. by drussell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This Beta garbage dies in a burning ball of galactic-temperature-infused inferno...

    I should have seen this coming for months and set up a slashdot clone we could all move to... Hmm, shortsighted!

    Shut it off... Turn it off NOW! Bad, BAD experiment!

  29. Beta is to Slashdot as Windows 8 is to MS by Chewbacon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nuff said. You're just pouring gas on a fire with your base. Slashdotters are apparently happy with the site as is and appreciate its familiar usefulness. Beta fucks it up. FUCK BETA.

    --
    Chewbacon
    The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
  30. Slashdot Beta is an MBA Nightmare by Kotoku · · Score: 4, Informative

    Slashdot Beta is the worst thing I have encountered in years. It's like someone took the metrics for time on page, click through rate, and advertising sales stats for pages viewed and total hits to create this abomination which is in no way useful to the users. I can get the content of Slashdot on Reddit/TechCrunch/AndroidCentral and more. I come here for the comments and the discussion. If you insist on killing the community I will throw in the towel on this site myself. Even "Slashdot Classic" used to be better before it was rolled out. Stop making things worse! It's like common sense doesn't work on you people.

    --
    AnimePapers.org: Anime Wallpapers Handled With Care
  31. Beta by Jadeus · · Score: 1

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque a rhoncus dui. Quisque aliquam lorem commodo tincidunt dignissim. Morbi nunc est, dignissim quis ullamcorper eu, varius sed mi. Vivamus tempor vehicula feugiat. Fusce dictum est faucibus mauris adipiscing ullamcorper. Phasellus id erat pellentesque dui ultrices dapibus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam nibh ante, malesuada eget lacinia ut, commodo nec diam. Proin fringilla metus nibh, ac sollicitudin lorem congue ut. Nunc quis metus auctor, luctus turpis vitae, varius purus. Sed non augue est. Sed consectetur feugiat nunc vel sodales. Etiam semper arcu quis lorem scelerisque, eget aliquam tellus blandit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Etiam et odio ut eros semper ultricies quis nec nunc. Maecenas enim quam, semper ac elementum et, euismod ut diam.

    We'll prolly just end up with disabled accounts, but at this point that's not much of a loss. ;-(

    --
    --- Bigger bits, softer blocks, tighter ASCII.
  32. Use NoScript to block Beta by ub3r+n3u7r4l1st · · Score: 1

    Try it.

    --
    New Economic Perspectives
    1. Re:Use NoScript to block Beta by faedle · · Score: 1

      The argument can (and should) be made that I shouldn't have to use browser tools like NoScript to make a site "readable." And few people will:

      This "new look" for Slashdot pretty much guarantees Slashdot continues down the path of irrelevancy, as another wave of people decide the downsides of (say) Reddit now aren't nearly as bad as the Microsoft Windows 8-inspired Slashdot.

    2. Re:Use NoScript to block Beta by c0lo · · Score: 1

      as another wave of people decide the downsides of (say) Reddit

      At this point, https://news.ycombinator.com/ starts to look appealing to me.

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  33. NASA's goal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NASA's ultimate goal, of course, is to try to locate that one life form in the Solar System that actually likes Slashdot Beta....

    And then nuke it from orbit.

  34. How long before we can no longer avoid the beta? by 2phar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I guess Ars is the place to go, even though the comments system is nearly as bad as the Slashdot Beta, at least the stories are fresher. The beginning of the end was when they launched SlashBI and we all thought it was an April Fools gag.

  35. Where are the comments? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This was posted over three hours ago. The site traffic has really dropped to nothing.

    Proud AC since Oct '98

    1. Re:Where are the comments? by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      The people that wanted to post comments had 5 hours of nausea generated by beta. They'll be back, and with lots of complaints.

      --
      Learn to love Alaska
    2. Re:Where are the comments? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      That is if they didn't die of a cerebral hemorrhage after actually trying to read Stinkdot Beta.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  36. Disable advertising by maliqua · · Score: 1

    I generally left the advertisements enabled because i wanted to support slashdot, heck some were even interesting occasionally. but until they shove beta up their ass i will keep ads disabled and definitely wont give them a click

  37. slashdot beta is about advert views, not community by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    DICE wants to make slashdot work like those bullshit news pages that give you 2 or 3 paragraphs of story, and 500 bazillion advert bars, with a "next page" button at the bottom, so that all those page loads to read a single article amounts to 500 bazillion adverts * #Pages.

    Slashdot users want highly dense, and highly customizable data presentation that is effcient for consumption.

    This is clearly the big divide. Dice wants money, slashdot wants content.

    in the end, dice owns the servers, but the community creates the real content.

    slashdot will stop being a place to see interesting commentary from industry experts, insiders, and hobbyists, and will instead just become another also-ran news aggregator.

    Dice probably wont care, as long as total advert revinue increases; the very manifestation of short-term profits over long term losses that is destroying everything of value today.

    unless Dice decides to stop being like very other bullshit company on the planet today, the slashdot community will have uproot, and make a new home for itself.

    maybe we could try a reverse ask slashdot, where slashdot asks Dice hard questions about Beta, and other profit driven UI changes of that nature?

  38. Drop the beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The beta version of Slashdot is awful. Why force people to use something which is awful? Write-off the losses and get on with it. Slashdot is destroyed already. Just look at the comments now.

  39. NO BETA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This looks like a poor imitation of every other tech site. Yes, the old site needed a clean up. But just a new coat of paint. This is a disaster.

    Guys, don't pull a digg. Listen to your audience.

    -- regular slashdot reader since 2002

    1. Re:NO BETA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It needed nothing no coat of paint, in fact I'd welcome back the old icons and lack of gradients. Beta is basically taking slashdot's seo value and whoring it out for revenue. Any person with more IQ than a dog (no offense to dogs they're very smart it's just a phrase) knows /. readers don't want beta.

      fuck you beta. fuck you dice holdings.

  40. Leave the Betas in the aquarium. by rugfrog · · Score: 1

    If I wanted tons of wasted white space and larger fonts, I'd run windows 8 on a 50" TV. But I don't do that. Because I don't want that. Just like I DONT WANT THE BETA. Kill it, please.

  41. Jon Katz by Any+Web+Loco · · Score: 1

    Come back Jon Katz! All is forgiven! Screw Beta!

  42. CubeSat proposal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Send Slashdot Beta to the moon.

    I just double checked Beta's appearance. Does it offer anything over the current design? No. It doesn't. Whether or not Beta gets killed, I can't wait to see a post blaming the "backwards users" for not accepting the changes.

  43. Agreed by Anubis350 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I feel like the beta is being pushed simply because it's new, and they're ignoring that it's not *better*. I've seen this before: after enough money's been invested in something a company will move forward with it whether it is actually good or not simply to avoid admitting they were wrong and the New Thing needs work.

    I hope Dice doesn't keep pushing this without substantial changes. Outside of outraging their user base it will cost them in destroying /.'s brand and following - what they definitely paid more for than whatever they've thrown at the beta dev.

    --
    "goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
    1. Re:Agreed by LordFlower · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I just spent a little time with Beta again to see if I'd acclimate.

      Well, if it were some other site I'd shrug my shoulders, but I like being able to see more information on a single view as is possible on Classic.

      It feel claustrophobic. I'm out when Beta is in.

    2. Re:Agreed by nateman1352 · · Score: 1

      Speaking as someone who has been visiting this site daily for over 10 years, honestly I don't know what the hell they are thinking. If they want different fonts than make the make the article title sans serif and the article body serif like the really old slashdot from the 90s, not this bullshit of two slightly different sans serif fonts that clash with each other.

      Oh I almost forgot: They even got the wrong fucking green color!

    3. Re:Agreed by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 1

      Outside of outraging their user base it will cost them in destroying /.'s brand and following - what they definitely paid more for than whatever they've thrown at the beta dev.

      It's possible that the Dice has some ingenious plan to chase away all the old-guard Slashdot users, allowing them to claim the name and refashion it as a kind of "tech-cred" brand to sell products to Hipsters, Brogramers, and PHBs using the old Slashdot's reputation.

      Though it's more likely that no-one at Dice knows or cares about what they are doing.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    4. Re:Agreed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's almost like they've taken notes straight from the Gnome-Shell developers.

  44. Name the person who ordered the redesign! by couchslug · · Score: 1

    Seek out the guilty!

    Who is he?

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  45. Beta - Following in Digg's foot prints by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://nocachyblog.wordpress.c...

    "You may have heard recently that news sharing/ranking website Digg had to lay off a third of its staff after a relaunch of its site flopped."

  46. WHOA! We don't need to go that far! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Just because the Slashdot Beta site is remarkably shitty it does not mean we need to resort to something that drastic. Jesus Christ, son, be careful what you wish for!

  47. In other news... by vomitology · · Score: 1

    hashtag buckfeta yes.

    --
    ~Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
  48. FuCK ALL yOu bETA WHINERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously, fuck you all.

    On a more relevant note, iMO NASA should look at something like JAXA's Hayabusa mission. Freaking awesome and i bet nASA could do it 100x better.

  49. SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Honestly you'd think that some crappy internet website committing internet seppuku is the end of the world.

    Did all you basement dwellers whine when geocities went down? or altavista? fucking jesus christ sucking cocks in hell, you'd think /. imploding upon its owners own cretinous stupidity was the end of the fucking world. Even if you're not a basement dweller (i am not), your spirit of whiny bitchiness makes you one in spirit. honestly fuck you lame ass weak bitch faggots who care about this shit.

    Over the last week the only thing worse than the beta layout is all the fucktards who insist on highjacking the comments of every article with their limp dick no balls complaints. Fuck you all. Honestly fuck you, you people and your ilk are doing more to destroy this site than any amount of beta changes could ever accomplish.

    I agree /. was a pretty good news agg site, but it won't be for much longer SO FUCKING DEAL WITH IT!

    Nothing lasts forever, even internet news sites. i suggest all you whiners grow a pair and deal with it, like you have to do when your parents/pets/relatives die.

    There's nothing more certain than change and whining about it is what teenagers and the mentally immature do.

    1. Re:SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so you're a hater's hater. MOD THIS FAGGOT DOWN

  50. Nobody wants to talk about tiny spacecraft. :( by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

    Fucking SlashBeta. Nobody wants to talk about tiny spacecraft. :(

    Where will I go to talk about tiny spacecraft where I can read just the gems, without having to wade through all the dross in some bullshit forum format? For that matter, where can I go to read about tiny spacecraft where the people posting actually know anything? So much of WannabeSpace is jammed full of know-nothings who wouldn't recognize the rocket equation if it bit them on the ass. Sure, even on Slashdot, I'd only expect 100 or so posts, from the still credible mob of users (hundreds of thousands?), and a bunch of those would be bad jokes, but at least there'd be something.

    Fucking beta...

  51. Thank you AC! (oh, and FUCK THE BETA) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey AC, that was an awesome rant. Can I have your permission to tattoo that on my bum cheek? Thanks!

    So, cool words, bro. Something to live by.

    And FUCK THE BETA, because like you know, it SUCKS.

  52. BETA Discussion by mugnyte · · Score: 1

    http://beta.slashdot.org/submi...

    1. Re:BETA Discussion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go fuck yourself

  53. Re:Nobody wants to talk about tiny spacecraft. :( by demosthenes · · Score: 1

    Beta is the current Charlie-Foxtrot the Slashdot community is dealing with, and we're nothing if not navel-gazing when it comes to change. Though usually that change isn't quite as damaging as Beta is in the current form. However, for /. to continue to be a useful source of information, the commentators should prove the necessity they are to the success of the site by actually posting useful content, along with the quite justified complaints about the new system being forced on the users.

    That having been said, this is a very interesting change in direction for the microsat community. Most microsats live for a few months (at best) in Low Earth orbit. The current NASA contests are for what are essentially the first deep-space microsats, which can potentially (with the right design) perform useful science for decades or more, far away from Earth. Just how much useful propulsion can you cram into a satellite that weighs 3 pounds? With cheap, consumer-level sensors and a few government waivers, I would think quite a lot. The potential of a swarm of mini-RTG-powered microsats zooming around the Solar System towards or around various planets could yield quite a lot of useful science. Not to mention that this could be a useful demonstration for future Von-Newmann probes, simple machines created from raw materials, in an asteroid or planetary moon and spread throughout the Solar System (and beyond?), exploring, replicating, and continuing to send valuable data to Earth to inform future exploration or colonization..

  54. Beta? by adolf · · Score: 1

    Every attempt to improve Slashdot's display -except- for the Threaded view introduced by Taco well over a decade ago has been a dismal and utter failure that nobody actually likes.

    Even those that thought they liked the previous round of UI "improvements" because they had never seen Slashdot in its glory breath a sigh of relief when shown how to enable "Classic" with the old D1 discussion system.

    Seriously, Dice: We're all leaving once "beta" becomes the only reality. We'll build something else. And we'll slashdot every article with comments telling folks about the new place, and moderate all such comments as "Informative" while moderating any topicful commentary as "Offtopic."

    Once we find a new place to hang out (and we will -- many hands make light work), we'll all be doing our best to destroy whatever value the ghost of Slashdot might have once had.

    Do you know how I know that this will happen? Because this is the first time that the folks on Slashdot have actually agreed on anything, ever, in the history of these pages. It is an unprecedented and historic event. And any time you get this number of disagreeable people disagreeing in unison, change is inevitable.

    Fuck your beta.

    --
    Kid-proof tablet..
    1. Re:Beta? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MOD UP

  55. build a new one from scratch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why spend money to buy an old code base? Build a new one from scratch. I would prefer a web site similar to a unix console. One could visit the web site via ssh. Visiting the web site via web browser, will happen via a terminal emulator. I think it should use colored text.

    I think it should choose a Unix shell, or programming language as the architectural philosophy. Maybe, it could be kshell, zshell, or perl 5. I prefer perl 5. The top maintainer of the shell/language will be the benevolent dictator, if indecision occurs. Larry Wall if perl 5 is chosen?

  56. [Fuck Beta] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hate the fucking beta.

    [Fuck Beta]

  57. [FUCK BETA] Re:Beta is to Slashdot as Windows 8 i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Intelligent people like content and good comments. Minimalist interface? Even better.

    The problem with stupid people is that they don't read too much or too well. They just need some catchy titles with AMAZING PICTURES and BIG AND EASY LETTERS before going back to Youtube and laugh their ass of a monkey fitting a banana inside it's glory hole.

    Also, they do that from a sort of computer with no keyboard. Who needs to type? Why waste your time? There's already a lot of FOOLS writing out there!! FOR YOU!! FOR FREE!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

    F U C K B E T A

    [FUCK BETA]

  58. Re:Nobody wants to talk about tiny spacecraft. :( by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So much of this.
    I really hope Dice fixes this shit soon. I want to go back to reading interesting and funny discussions of various interesting topics.

  59. If you think this is bad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    go look at the new "NBC News" website.

  60. Can someone please explain me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...what's the use of the photo of a night sky that illustrates this article?!

    Also, "Shazbot! We ran into some trouble getting the comments. Try again... na-nu, na-nu!" is continuously showing up when I try to read the comments.

  61. IT'S A TRAP by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 1

    http://slashdot.org/submission/3320177/slashdot-beta-discussion To avoid having clicking on the beta-infested link.

    Mugnyte (and others), clean your links. Most are going to be beta-ised now.

    --
    Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
    1. Re:IT'S A TRAP by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 1

      having clicking

      I'd fix that if there was a way to edit comments after submission. But that would mean creating a change users have asked for.

      --
      Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
  62. Re:Nobody wants to talk about tiny spacecraft. :( by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

    Just how much useful propulsion can you cram into a satellite that weighs 3 pounds? With cheap, consumer-level sensors and a few government waivers, I would think quite a lot. The potential of a swarm of mini-RTG-powered microsats zooming around the Solar System towards or around various planets could yield quite a lot of useful science.

    I wonder just how well a cubesat can survive out beyond Earth's Van Allen belts. And transiting them, for that matter. Especially given such choices as consumer-grade sensors and other electronics. Such chips really don't like hard radiation, and that form factor makes it rather difficult to wedge in any sort of effective radiation shielding, or sufficient redundancy to maintain sanity when you take a particle to the knee.

    And I suspect there's a minimum functional size for an RTG that is larger than a CubeSat. One would think covering 3 adjacent faces of the cube with 44% efficient solar cells would do the job. It's not like there's even room for a lot of electronics to use that power.

    It's a fascinating topic that still has a lot of room for development. Historically, satellite designers have thought in terms of tons and hundreds of millions of dollars. Thinking in terms of grams and individual dollars is alien to the endeavor. This year will see only the third CubeSat conference. There are a piddling 15 papers listed on cubesat.org, only 14 of which have links. That's a pretty miserable showing for 15 years of development.

    Here's hoping SpaceX continues to accommodate CubeSat secondary payloads.