Slashdot Mirror


Introducing Slashdot's New Build Section

Along with the rest of the mix that makes this site work, Slashdot has nearly two decades now of spotting and showing off interesting projects, inventions, technologies, and hobbies. Some of them are strictly personal, some are frankly commercial, and some are the fruits of ambitious organizations (or tiny teams) motivated by curiosity and passion (or even politics, or just plain fun). As outlined earlier, we've been gathering a lot of these into our new Build section; read on to learn a bit more about what that includes. (And watch out later today for the first part of our conversation with technology-inspiring Rennaisance Man Tim O'Reilly, and later in the week for answers to the questions you asked Bunnie Huang.) The Build section puts under one big virtual roof makerspace visits, interviews with technologists and innovators, and hands-on projects and inventions. Not everything you'll find in the Build section can be built with a soldering iron and some duct tape (worthy projects can come from a large company, a university or a DARPA competition just as well as from a personal workshop, and different resources mean different constraints and possibilities), but all of it should be inspirational: it's a big umbrella, and it can include projects that incorporate biotech, new materials, creative use of sensors, 3-D printing, hardware built to be hackable, cooking, robots, and re-purposing equipment that without a dose of practical creativity might be consigned to a junk-heap, but don't have to be.

Just like the rest of Slashdot, the Build section combines reader-suggested, editor-curated stories with original content, like video visits to the hackerspaces and makerspaces where some of these projects and technologies emerge, and interviews with some of the people behind the (happily booming) culture of invention. Most of the stories that appear in the Build section will also appear on the main section of the site, but reading the Build section itself means getting a concentrated dose of cool endeavors, as well as some section-exclusive posts. Expect the occasional small give-away, and most importantly send along your tips and suggestions for projects you'd like to see explored here.

What inspires you, inspires Slashdot.

34 comments

  1. "new" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even Slashdots own internal news is late. It has been up for ages!

    1. Re:"new" by timothy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Well ... only about 1 percent of the site's lifespan so far, by back-of-envelope figures ;)

      But you're right -- we've been playing with it a while. Nifty new graphic (if you see the beta version of it), too. More changes and section-specific stuff eventually, too, but it's much readier to explore, now that we've added in a lot of the older stories that make sense in this section.

      --
      jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
    2. Re:"new" by geek · · Score: 0, Troll

      God you're an idiot Timothy. I've watched your fucking drivel for years and you're by far the worst "editor" Slashdot has ever had.

    3. Re:"new" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      God you're an idiot Timothy. I've watched your fucking drivel for years and you're by far the worst "editor" Slashdot has ever had.

      So, how do you really feel?

      I love how people rant about the mindless, idiotic comments on sites like YouTube, but then it's totally ok to attach someone personally here on Slashdot, because We're Tech Geeks. We're Better Than Everyone Else©®

    4. Re:"new" by just_another_sean · · Score: 3

      Thanks for the clarification Timothy. I appreciate your work at /. - warts and all!

      --
      Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
  2. Hackadayslashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And thus Hackaday: Slashdot was born.

  3. A great filter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Does this mean we can finally stop flooding the front page with 3D printing, new uses for the Raspberry Pi, and Bitcoin?

  4. Great! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Now someone could build a usable beta page and we can finally get rid of the turd!

    C'mon, /., even MS eventually got the hint about Metro...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Great! by Anrego · · Score: 1

      What happened with Metro? Last I heard/saw it was still kicking (legit question, I don't really follow what's going on in Windows anymore).

    2. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Windowed metro apps are coming, this is widely regarded as MS admitting that no one wants to use full screen metro apps when they can use a traditional desktop gui.

    3. Re:Great! by Anrego · · Score: 1

      Ah, awesome.

  5. We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions in by raymorris · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It occurs to me that we on Slashdot are a knowledgeable crowd. I was thinking about how many person-hours we've spent on saying "fuck beta". In a small fraction of that time, maybe five minutes each, we could suggest some CSS tweaks that would freshen the look (what Dice marketing department wants) without getting in the way of functionality (what we oldtimers want).

  6. Weird by Cognizant · · Score: 1

    The first nifty post looks more troll-like than the second to me but i guess perspectives are like assholes, we all have one.

  7. Re:Do not want by geekoid · · Score: 0

    Why the fuck do you think if you don't want it, nobody wants it? Who voted you king of /. posters?

    Dick.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  8. Re:We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions by Dracos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Obviously Dice Marketing doesn't understand the /. market. We old timers are not impressed by spacious, trendy design, we are impressed by concise content.

    Or maybe they're trying to run the old timers off so they can full tilt ruin /. and the remaining n00bs will think it's awesome.

  9. Re:We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions by Reason58 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They asked for suggestions. Suggestions were given. They were ignored.

  10. Re:We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

    Front post on Slashdot right now about how Fark is doing the same thing.

  11. Personal CSS files can be the answer by houghi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If the majority of your marketshare says NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and you still go ahead, I doubt that they are interested in your silly CSS sugestions.

    If they REALLY were interested in customer input, they would make it possible to upload your own CSS file and use that. That way people would not need to use Stylish and then either make something yourself or use comunity made looks for slashdot.

    If it looks ugly, it is YOUR problem.

    It should not be too hard to load your personal /. css file when you are logged in. In the end it is just another field in the database, just like your name. As long as it isn't an extra feature for paying customers, because that would mean they will make it ugly on purpose.

    They could even load three css files.
    1) The standard
    2) The (optional) users css file
    3) The ads css

    That way the ads will still be visible for those who have no right to turn them off. (Yes, I know that that won't be 100% proof and people will still be able to turn them off if they realy want.)

    You will be able to just increase the font or only change the background, turn everything in OMGPonies or do a complete re-layout of almost everything.

    For a site like /. I think that would be a solution to a lot of moaning. Finaly a good technical solution to a mainly social problem.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    1. Re:Personal CSS files can be the answer by cat_jesus · · Score: 1

      I wish I had mod points.

      This is a fantastic idea.

  12. A bunch of whiners by werepants · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I, for one, welcome our new Making overlords. Or at least, I think this is a useful addition, so that those of us who are interested in 3D printers and Arduino and Raspberry Pi can find the articles that interest us, and those of you who aren't interested can more easily avoid them. I swear I've never heard of a group of more change-averse readers.

  13. Re:Do not want by king_of_posters · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who voted you king of /. posters?

    SILENCE! I have spoken!

  14. That would be interesting. I'd include APK remover by raymorris · · Score: 2

    User-uploaded CSS would be interesting. I bet I could figure out a way to do the following in pure CSS. Right now it's a user.js file.
    It sets display: none on any posts by APK so I don't have to scroll past his spam on my phone. // ==UserScript== // @name NoAPK // @namespace http://yoursite.com/ // @include * // @version 1 // ==/UserScript==

    if(window.location.hostname.indexOf("slashdot.org") > -1)
    {
            var xpath = '//li[contains(concat(" ", normalize-space(@class), " "), " comment ") and contains(., "hosts file") and contains(., "apk") and string-length(.) > 10000]';
            apkposts = document.evaluate(xpath, document, null, XPathResult.UNORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE, null);
            for ( var i=0 ; i apkposts.snapshotLength; i++ )
            {
                    apkposts.snapshotItem(i).style.display = 'none';
            }
    }

  15. Re:We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A couple of days ago Soylent News implemented Unicode support. Considering the far greater resources that Dice have and how few Soylent needed to get it done, you would think real features like that would be coming thick and fast. Instead they wasted all the effort on a cosmetic make-over that most people seem to hate and which isn't even functionally as good as the classic site.

    Unfortunately I think Slashdot's problems go far deeper than can be fixed with a bit of CSS.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  16. Re:We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's gotten a lot better... all in all, it is just a blockier version of what we've got now, which I like.

    It is still missing a couple of killer features in the comments area, the big one being the one-line display of comments that are above 0 but not above 2. This little thing is really essential to follow the conversation while only reading the good stuff. As soon as beta has it, I'll move; as long as they don't, I won't.

  17. Re:We commenters could freshen CSS, keep functions by Khyber · · Score: 1

    "A couple of days ago Soylent News implemented Unicode support."

    Have they implemented thicker skin, yet?

    Also, Unicode was slated for release like end of month one. It took them this long to implement?

    Looks like shit simply can't get done in a timely fashion, on either side.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  18. also a place for software hacks/projects? by dr_blurb · · Score: 1

    I did the "ask slashdot" thing about this a few weeks ago:

    a Slashdot/Hackaday type site for programming nuggets?

    (that didn't get to the front page though)

    Will this section only be for hardware hacks or are hobby software projects covered too?

  19. ray just because apk got the better of you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Which you brought on yourself only proves you're projecting my subject' fact http://it.slashdot.org/comment... by such a childish reaction on your part now: You never answered apk's question either. Do you work for or do work for Clickbank (an advertiser redirector)? If so, no small wonder you hate hosts files. You can't stop them and the fact they add better security, speed, reliability, and more of good benefit for end users who pay for their online speed and bandwidth which adbanners rob and have also been shown infecting users dozens of times over the past few years now also. That's all proven with documented fact from reputable sources in that link above where apk shot you down completely.

  20. Must be one of your posts I can't see by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Whatever you're talking about must be one of your posts removed by my filter.
    I'm adding a few words from this post to my filter, so I won't be able to see any replies you might make.
    Have a great day, spamming piece of shit.

  21. B.S. raymorris (apk showed you know squat) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's an "apk" in my last post. You saw it. Your code's in error and You're a technically weak b.s.'er http://it.slashdot.org/comment... which apk proved there in that link too, slamming your blatant lie and error into the ground and you with it (lmao).

  22. Every advertiser's a spammer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nobody likes ads on TV (hence HBO's success for decades) or the web. They slow you down, interrupt you, get in your face (unwantedly), infect you with malicious script, and consume memory, cpu, and other forms of I/O as well. Websites, in particular, would survive just fine minus ads. They did and have before for the sites serious and passionate about what it is they do and are about, so no amount of crap about "ads support websites" works as a counter-argument. They support those profiting off of ripping off the speed and bandwidth you paid for out of pocket to be online, and psychologically attack you to take your money that way too trying to sell you crap you do NOT really need (ala "if you drink this beer, you will have this car, these women, and these clothes and tons of 'friends'" when the truth is, that lifestyle will take all of that from you). Why do you think marketing budgets are larger than R&D ones in corporations? This form of psychological attack, works. Imo, it is outright stupid to give more monies to advertisers than R&D departments actually working to create better physical (key) products, not intangle b.s. in ads! Are you an advertiser or rather do you work for OR have you done work for advertisers, raymorris?