Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

News: Your Computer As Your Singing Coach

Posted by timothy on Sunday July 06, @12:26AM
from the but-my-computer-already-is-my-singing-coach dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Israeli researchers have developed an electronic ear to coach vibrato technique. Until now, the quality of a vibrato — the pulsating change of pitch in a singer's voice — could only be judged by voice experts. Now, a Tel Aviv University research team 'has successfully managed to train a computer to rate vibrato quality, and has created an application based on biofeedback to help singers improve their technique.' Interestingly, this research could be used for other applications, such as improving automated help centers, where computers could be trained 'to recognize a range of different emotions, such as anger and nervousness.'"

[+] education, music, technology (tagging beta)

Science: New Pictures of White Knight Two and SpaceshipTwo

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @09:58PM
from the what-they-look-like dept.

soldeed writes "Over at the Virgin Galactic press site, there are new pictures of both White Knight Two and SpaceShip 2 during construction for media use. After seeing them, I can't help but wonder; Gee, what's in the box?"

[+] space, technology, transportation (tagging beta)

Technology: KDE 4.1 Beta 2 – Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @08:23PM
from the everyone's-a-critic dept.

jammag writes "Linux pundit Bruce Byfield takes a look at the latest KDE beta and finds it wanting: 'Very likely, KDE users will have to wait for another release or two beyond 4.1 before the new version of KDE matches the features of earlier ones, especially in customization.' He notes that the second beta is still prone to unexplained crashes, and goes so far as to say that "Everyone agrees now that KDE 4.0 was a mistake." I'm not too sure about that — really, 'everyone'?"

[+] gui, kde (tagging beta)

Ask Slashdot: Digitizing Old Magazines?

Journal written by kesuki (321456) and posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @07:00PM
from the back-issues-with-back-issues dept.

"I have a lot of old video game magazines, they're nice for playing 'classic games' because a lot of classics are impossible without the manual, and hard without a magazine (the magazine obviously negates the need for a manual usually). But they'd get damaged with a flatbed scanner, and digital cameras are hard to set up right for capturing old magazines. I know that old documents are digitally archived with very high-res cameras..." So, the question is, what is the best way to capture all the information in old magazines in digital format? Does anyone have a home-built rig taking after the angled-pair-of-scanners setup that Project Gutenburg uses?

[+] inputdev, journal, media, storage (tagging beta)

Your Rights Online: Finding Fault With Google's Privacy Policy

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @05:50PM
from the wonder-what-bill-joy-thinks-of-it dept.

orenh writes "Viacom has recently obtained a court order that requires Google to hand over a complete list of every video watched by YouTube users. These logs will include the login names and IP addresses of the users. Google are now asking Viacom if they can anonymize the logs before turning them over; Viacom hasn't responded yet. But this privacy nightmare could have been greatly reduced if Google had anonymized the data in advance. Google's privacy policy states that they keep personally identifiable information for 18 months. There is no real reason to do so; Google can achieve everything they need even if they anonymize their search logs after just one month, and it's time users told them to do so."

[+] google, privacy, storage (tagging beta)

Technology: In Japan, a 900 Gigabyte Upload Cap, Downloads Uncapped

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @04:45PM
from the no-such-luck-in-tennessee dept.

Raindeer writes "While the Broadband Bandits of the US are contemplating bandwidth caps between 5 gigabyte and 40 gigabyte per month, the largest telco in Japan has gone ahead and laid down some heavy caps for Japan's broadband addicts. From now on, if you upload more than 30 gigabyte per day, your network connection may be disconnected. Just think of it ... if you're in Japan and want to upload the HD movie you shot of yesterday's wedding, you soon might hit the limit. The downloaders do not face similar problems."

[+] internet, japan (tagging beta)

Developers: Quake Editor Tread 3.0 Alpha Released 8 of 18 comments

News: There's a Sucker Converted Every Minute

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @03:38PM
from the and-probably-more-than-that dept.

Ponca City, We love you writes "Once the US converts from analog to digital broadcasting next February, those who receive their signals over the air will need a converter box for older, non-digital models. Government-approved converter boxes sell for $60 or less and a government-issued $40 rebate coupon is available for the asking but that hasn't stopped companies like the Ohio-based Universal TechTronics from offering supposedly free converter boxes. The gimmick: the box is free, as long as you pay $88 for a five-year warranty, plus $9.30 shipping. Universal TechTronics seems to specialize in 'high-tech' products of questionable value, marketing the Cool Surge portable air cooler, 'a work of engineering genius from the China coast so advanced that no windows, vents, or freon are needed' that uses the same energy as a 60-watt light bulb. It works by blowing a stream of air over two ice packs that you have previously frozen in your freezer. What's the best tech scam you've heard of lately?"

[+] hardware, humor, money, tv, usa (tagging beta)

Your Rights Online: In Iran, Blogging May Be Punishable By Death

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @02:26PM
from the get-yourself-a-good-sharia-lawyer dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In Iran, crimes such as apostasy (leaving a religion, in this case Islam) and armed robbery are already punishable by death, but a new bill in Iran aims to add to the list 'establishing weblogs and sites promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy,' effectively giving the government a free hand in silencing bloggers. The internet is widely used in Iran, despite its previous attempts at censorship. Will this change as the censorship grows more rampant?"

[+] censorship, government, internet, islam, iran (tagging beta)

Mobile: Google Creates Tour De France Video Maps

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 05, @01:32PM
from the now-now-let's-not-gush-too-much dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In honor of the Tour de France's start today, Google has used its awesome Street View technology to compile amazing Tour de France route views. A great description of the technology that went into creating this can be found in this LinuxDevices article. At least, I'm assuming these are the cameras — Google acknowledged using Elphel cameras for book scanning and 'capturing street imagery in Google Maps.' And from the article, the cameras have come along way from the days when crazy cat ladies and other privacy freaks scuppered Street View in San Francisco a couple of years back."

[+] google, transportation (tagging beta)

Science: Arecibo Observatory Facing Massive Budget Cuts

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday July 05, @12:28PM
from the keeping-the-lights-lit dept.

SirLurksAlot writes "Many supporters of the SETI@home project have recently received a message informing them of impending budget cuts for the Arecibo Observatory and asks them to show their support for the project by writing to Congress. The letter also informs supporters that there are currently two bills (Senate bill 2862 sponsored by Senator Hillary Clinton, and a similar House bill, H.R. 3737), which are intended to secure funding for the project. According to The Planetary Society, the current plan for the Arecibo Observatory involves cutting funding by more than 60% from $10.4 million to just $4 million by 2011."

[+] government, money, space, usa (tagging beta)

Technology: VW Concept Microcar Gets 235 MPG

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday July 05, @11:22AM
from the expensive-ways-to-save-at-the-pump dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Volkswagen is bringing new meaning to the term 'fuel efficiency' with a bullet-shaped microcar that gets 235 mpg. Called the One-Liter, because that's how much fuel it needs to go 100 kilometers, the body's made of carbon fiber to minimize weight and the One-Liter makes extensive use of magnesium, titanium and aluminum so the entire vehicle weighs in at 660 pounds. Aerodynamics plays a big role in its fuel economy, so the car is long and low, coming in at 11.4 feet long, 4.1 feet wide and 3.3 feet tall with a coefficient of drag of 0.16, a little more than half that of an average car. The One-Liter could have a sticker price of anywhere from $31,750 to $47,622, and VW plans to build a limited number in 2010."

[+] transportation, money, mpg (tagging beta)

Mobile: AT&T To Offer No-Contract iPhone

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday July 05, @10:18AM
from the pay-even-more-as-you-go dept.

rfc1394 writes "While the regular price of an iPhone is $199 if you take a 2-year contract with AT&T, if you're willing to pay a lot more you can get one without a contract. An article in InfoWorld mentions that 'Freedom will come with a price — $599 for an 8GB device and $699 for a 16GB — but this will mark the first time consumers in the United States are able to buy an iPhone without being tied down to a two-year contract. The phone probably would still be locked for use only on AT&T's network, said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg. But buyers could choose a pay-as-you-go plan for voice service.' The question still remains, does it make any sense to pay that much for a phone that is still locked to AT&T's network even if you aren't bound to a contract?" Update: 07/05 18:21 GMT by T : An anonymous reader suggests that there is a convoluted but possibly cheaper route to an new, unlocked iPhone.

[+] apple, cellphones, money, iphone (tagging beta)

News: Stallman Attacks Gates, Microsoft, & Charity Foundation

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday July 05, @09:11AM
from the business-as-usual dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, has an article in the BBC in which he maintains that Gates' departure from Microsoft doesn't mean the end of proprietary software and that the free software community needs to stand strong to undo the damages Bill Gates, Microsoft, and other proprietary software vendors (explicitly naming Apple & Adobe amongst them) have done. And he slips in a claim that the Bill and Melinda Gates charity foundation doesn't really help the poor; it just pretends to while actually subjecting them to greater harm."

[+] rms, gnu, fsf, uk, microsoft (tagging beta)

News: RIAA Wants To Throw In the Towel On 3-Year-Old Case

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 05, @08:02AM
from the stick-it-to-'em dept.

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "After three years of pursuing a home health aide in Brooklyn who has never even used a computer, the RIAA has announced it's ready to throw in the towel. Only thing; it wants the dismissal to be 'without prejudice' so it won't be liable for attorney's fees. The courts have been saying that where a copyright plaintiff gives up, the defendant is presumptively entitled to an attorney's fee award. So, Ms. Lindor says 'no way.' She wants the dismissal to be 'with prejudice,' and she wants her attorney's fees." We've been discussing this case and Ms. Lindor's fight against the RIAA for quite some time.

[+] court, riaa, mafiaa (tagging beta)

Technology: ICANN Loses Control of Its Own Domain Names

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 05, @04:59AM
from the heal-thyself dept.

NotNormallyNormal writes "CBC picked up an AP story about ICANN recently losing control over two of their domain names on Thursday, June 26. A domain registrar run by the group transferred the domains to someone else. ICANN's press release had this to say: 'As has been widely reported, a number of domain names, including icann.com and iana.com were recently redirected to different DNS servers, allowing a group to provide visitors to those domains with their own website. It would appear the attack was sophisticated, combining both social and technological techniques, but was also limited and focused.' Comcast has had similar troubles lately as well."

[+] oops, internet, networking, icannot, haha (tagging beta)

Technology: Mozilla Launches Security Metrics Project 12 of 16 comments

Linux: Installing Ubuntu On an OLPC XO

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 05, @01:55AM
from the call-me-when-it-runs-quake dept.

Matt Lincoln Russell writes "Installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix on the OLPC XO is not for the faint of heart, but Drew Beckett has got the process down. This setup is pretty slow on the XO, but the good news is that Netbook Remix is a work in progress, and can be expected to get better."

[+] linux, olpc, portables, ubuntu (tagging beta)

Science: Cassini's Primary Mission Ends, Two-Year Extension Begins

Posted by Soulskill on Friday July 04, @11:49PM
from the nice-work-folks dept.

wooferhound points out recent news that the Cassini probe has completed its original four-year mission and is beginning a two-year extended mission, which was authorized earlier this year. Cassini's first mission brought us a treasure trove of information about Saturn and its various moons. The new mission will target two of those moons in particular for further study: Titan and Enceladus. Quoting: "The spacecraft is extremely healthy and carries 12 instruments powered by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Data from Cassini's nominal and extended missions could lay the groundwork for possible future missions to Saturn, Titan or Enceladus. [The two moons] are primary targets in the two-year extended mission, dubbed the Cassini Equinox Mission. This time period also will allow for monitoring seasonal effects on Titan and Saturn, exploring new places within Saturn's magnetosphere, and observing the unique ring geometry of the Saturn equinox in August of 2009 when sunlight will pass directly through the plane of the rings."

[+] cassini, nasa, science, space (tagging beta)

News: Working Towards an Eco-Friendly Fireworks Display

Posted by Soulskill on Friday July 04, @09:45PM
from the patriotism-through-making-things-explode dept.

phobos13013 writes "Here's an article just in time for 4th of July fireworks shows! The ACS's Chemical and Engineering News provides a fairly technical discussion about the hazardous chemicals in modern fireworks displays. Perchlorate is currently the oxidizer of choice in fireworks, but it is also known to be a thyroid blocker. Since perchlorates are water-soluble anions, they dissolve into groundwater quickly. A study performed last summer over a lake in Ada, Oklahoma showed that less than a day after a fireworks display, the lake's chlorate levels jumped by a factor of 1,000. It took weeks for the levels to drop back down to their baseline. On the other hand, heavy metals are used to produce the pretty colors typically associated with the best fireworks. The trend is to start using nitrogen-based oxidizing fireworks; they produce less smoke, which means a smaller amount of colorizing agents can be used in displays."

[+] science, earth, fireworks (tagging beta)

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News: Your Computer As Your Singing Coach

Science: New Pictures of White Knight Two and SpaceshipTwo