http://slashdot.org/News for nerds, stuff that mattersen-usCopyright 1997-2008, SourceForge, Inc. All Rights Reserved.2008-11-21T11:30:18+00:00SourceForge, Inc.help@slashdot.orgTechnologyhourly11970-01-01T00:00+00:0096http://s.fsdn.com/sd/topics/topicslashdot.gifhttp://slashdot.org/http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/qtsuNIcsfcQ/article.plangrymilkman writes "Here are two interesting new approaches where researchers modified the popular Guitar Hero game so it can be played by gamers with disabilities. Air Guitar Hero modifies the Guitar Hero controller so someone without limbs can play it by using electrodes attached to the user's residual arm. Blind Hero is a mod for Frets on Fire that uses a haptic glove that can turn visual feedback into haptic feedback, allowing blind gamers to play Guitar Hero songs." There have been a variety of Guitar Hero hacks in the past, including a custom drum pad for playing the guitar part, using the plastic guitar as a real instrument, and rocking out with your bike, but it's nice to see some more serious modifications showing up.<p><a href="http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0514228&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/21/0514228"></a></p><p><a href="http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0514228&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/AujeiB3TdaPSYl2gV8phav8eNl0/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/AujeiB3TdaPSYl2gV8phav8eNl0/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/qtsuNIcsfcQ" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55747556 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>Soulskill2008-11-21T09:01:00+00:00hardhackgetting-out-of-handgames0,0,0,0,0,0,0http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0514228&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/3ai48z0e-sY/article.pltracheopterix writes "Oblong Industries, a startup based in LA has unveiled g-speak, an operational version of the notable interface from Minority Report. One of Oblong's founders served as science and technology adviser for the film; the interface was an extension of his doctoral work at the MIT Media Lab. Oblong calls g-speak a 'spatial operating environment' and adds that 'the SOE's combination of gestural i/o, recombinant networking, and real-world pixels brings the first major step in computer interface since 1984.'" The video shown on Oblong's front page is an impressive demo.<p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0215233&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/21/0215233"></a></p><p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0215233&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/vRZ_dYQia5yhGGRFfd0ktozHR8E/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/vRZ_dYQia5yhGGRFfd0ktozHR8E/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/3ai48z0e-sY" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55739697 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-21T05:50:00+00:00guistaged-mock-up-or-real-time-control?tech22,2,0,0,0,0,0http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0215233&from=rsshttp://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/click.aspx?a=19253543Buy Dual-Action CleanseŽ to Stay Healthy. Get Free Shipping Always.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/h3dOWVRHEsc/article.plKozar_The_Malignant writes "Scientific American is reporting that 'data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter point to vast glaciers buried beneath thin layers of crustal debris.' Data from the surface-penetrating radar on MRO revealed that two well-known mid-latitude features are composed of solid water ice. One is about three times the size of the City of Los Angeles. This certainly makes the idea of establishing a station on Mars far more plausible."<p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0021229&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/21/0021229"></a></p><p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0021229&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/e0pYUj64fUHeiF3yO7ARUcxjKZw/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/e0pYUj64fUHeiF3yO7ARUcxjKZw/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/h3dOWVRHEsc" height="1" width="1"/><p><a href=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/click.aspx?n=55734971><img src="http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/ads.aspx?n=55734971&f=96" border=0></a><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55734971 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-21T02:56:00+00:00spacecould-be-a-trickscience0,0,0,0,0,0,0http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/21/0021229&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/u56ecsTNiFk/article.pln01 writes "The last few months of my spare time I've been implementing an abstract strategy board game (that I invented) along with a decent AI. The game resembles TwixT in that it is also a connection game, and could be played without the need for a cellphone or computer. The implementation on the Java 2 Mobile Edition platform will soon be finished, with only some minor usability and sound issues to fix. While I enjoyed working on the game (actually more than on my day job as a programmer) I would still like to earn some money from selling the game, so I can work more on such projects in the future. What experiences have Slashdot readers made with selling their applications/games for mobile phones? With which publisher will I have the broadest audience and achieve the highest earnings? Would you try to publish the game both as a mobile game and a traditional board game?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2352220&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/2352220"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2352220&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/ytxKSTQq3nqFJ6fKSNlFjnXt3dc/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/ytxKSTQq3nqFJ6fKSNlFjnXt3dc/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/u56ecsTNiFk" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55729975 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-21T00:45:00+00:00cellphonestake-me-away-from-all-thisaskslashdot0,0,0,0,0,0,0http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2352220&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/1qRALf_dqZ0/article.pldestinyland writes "For decades, people have been asking this brain teaser: 'What's the longest word you can type with only the left-hand letters on a keyboard?' The answer is supposed to be 'stewardesses,' but grepping the standard dictionary that ships with Unix reveals a much better answer. There's nearly 2,000 shorter words that can typed with only the left hand &mdash; including one word that's even longer. (The article also quotes a failed novel attempt using nothing but words typed on the keyboard's left side.)"<p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2238254&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/2238254"></a></p><p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2238254&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/i6iLqzpIeSKAPgr6Yd_2cE-6otk/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/i6iLqzpIeSKAPgr6Yd_2cE-6otk/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/1qRALf_dqZ0" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55729974 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T22:40:00+00:00unixmysteries-of-the-agestech154154,154,121,86,24,10,6http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2238254&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Gixr7v3xy7g/article.plsomanyrobots writes with an interesting followup in the New York Times to the earlier-reported substantial reconstruction of the woolly mammoth genome: "Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of science fiction is a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million. The same technology could be applied to any other extinct species from which one can obtain hair, horn, hooves, fur or feathers, and which went extinct within the last 60,000 years, the effective age limit for DNA." (The Washington Post article linked from the earlier post was much more skeptical, calling such an attempt "still firmly the domain of science fiction." The New York Times article, while describing the process in similar terms, also calls attention to recent advances in sequencing DNA, as well as recoding DNA for cloning.)<p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2257231&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/2257231"></a></p><p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2257231&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/1lxUTTbGPVMSwf67nNMYZc_0cx4/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/1lxUTTbGPVMSwf67nNMYZc_0cx4/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/Gixr7v3xy7g" height="1" width="1"/><p><a href=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/click.aspx?n=55727936><img src="http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/ads.aspx?n=55727936&f=96" border=0></a><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55727936 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T23:34:00+00:00biotechwhen-faster-and-cheaper-are-synonymousscience2323,23,15,11,1,1,0http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2257231&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/1qRALf_dqZ0/article.pldestinyland writes "For decades, people have been asking this brain teaser: 'What's the longest word you can type with only the left-hand letters on a keyboard?' The answer is supposed to be 'stewardesses,' but grepping the standard dictionary that ships with Unix reveals a much better answer. There's nearly 2,000 shorter words that can typed with only the left hand &mdash; including one word that's even longer. (The article also quotes a failed novel attempt using nothing but words typed on the keyboard's left side.)"<p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2238254&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/2238254"></a></p><p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2238254&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/9wsiHvEB8qx95OdcEW-H4f1I5WE/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/9wsiHvEB8qx95OdcEW-H4f1I5WE/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/1qRALf_dqZ0" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55726583 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T22:40:00+00:00unixmysteries-of-the-agestech7373,73,59,45,10,7,3http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2238254&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/M9hTjV7ziuw/article.plnetbuzz writes "Meeting in Minneapolis this week, the Internet engineering community is debating whether to aggressively fashion and apply fixes for the so-called Kaminsky bug in the DNS discovered this summer, or to simply let its threat stand as motivation for all to move with greater speed toward DNSSEC, which is considered the best long-term security solution. Problem with the latter approach is that DNSSEC has been in the works for a decade already, no one is confident it will be universally embraced, and the Kaminsky flaw is causing real problems today.<p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2130236&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/2130236"></a></p><p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2130236&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/fhxFFyVmItbgjK7-kA-emFsFpvE/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/fhxFFyVmItbgjK7-kA-emFsFpvE/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/M9hTjV7ziuw" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55724454 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T21:46:00+00:00securitydoing-stuff-is-overratedtech55,4,3,2,1,0,0http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2130236&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/kvQo20297y4/article.plduh P3rf3ss3r writes "The Associated Press reports that, after 200 years of speculation and investigation, the tomb of Nicolaus Copernicus has been found. Although the heliocentric concept had been suggested earlier, Copernicus is widely thought of as the father of the scientific theory of the heliocentric solar system. The positive identification was made by comparing the DNA from a skeleton's teeth with that from hairs in a book known to have belonged to Copernicus. A computer-generated facial reconstruction is said to also bear a resemblance to contemporary portraits of the scientist."<p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2029218&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/2029218"></a></p><p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2029218&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/jwgHhWYd06Ui6WDlHpd7FdxDv68/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/jwgHhWYd06Ui6WDlHpd7FdxDv68/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/kvQo20297y4" height="1" width="1"/><p><a href=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/click.aspx?n=55721033><img src="http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/ads.aspx?n=55721033&f=96" border=0></a><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55721033 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T21:00:00+00:00earthalways-the-last-place-you-lookscience0,0,0,0,0,0,0http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/2029218&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/puogsP2aPA4/article.plTRS-80 writes "Apple has sent a DMCA takedown notice to the IpodHash project, claiming it circumvents their FairPlay DRM scheme. Some background: Apple first added a hash to the iTunesDB file in 6th-gen iPods, but it was quickly reverse-engineered. They changed it with the release of iPhone 2.0 and a project was started to reverse the new hash, but weren't successful yet. My guess is Apple used the same algorithm as FairPlay for the new hash, so Apple could use the DMCA to prevent competing apps like Songbird and Banshee from talking to iPods/iPhones. BTW, don't tell Apple, but the project uses a wiki, so the old page versions from before the takedown are still there." Link To Original Source<p><a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/201246&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/201246"></a></p><p><a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/201246&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/FKHHxDwCFXH0jJpiY9xIzFOJOqA/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/FKHHxDwCFXH0jJpiY9xIzFOJOqA/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/puogsP2aPA4" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55719259 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T20:18:00+00:00mediaif-google-is-a-verbyro0,0,0,0,0,0,0http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/201246&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/yhsiDqaFE-4/article.plboyko.at.netqos writes "Timothy B. Lee (no relation to Tim Berners-Lee), a frequent contributor to Ars Technica and Techdirt, has recently written 'The Durable Internet,' a paper published by the libertarian-leaning CATO institute. In it, Lee argues that because a neutral network works better than a non-neutral one, the Internet's open-ended architecture is not likely to vanish, despite the fears of net neutrality proponents, (and despite the wishes of net neutrality opponents.) For that reason, perhaps network neutrality legislation isn't necessary &mdash; or even desirable &mdash; from an open-networks perspective. In addition to the paper, Network Performance Daily has an interview and podcast with Tim Lee, and Lee addresses counter-arguments with a blog posting for Technology Liberation Front."<p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1921223&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/1921223"></a></p><p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1921223&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/G5KECJQIVla-GSSWGVCQNV8GeA4/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/G5KECJQIVla-GSSWGVCQNV8GeA4/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/yhsiDqaFE-4" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55717580 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T19:32:00+00:00internetbut-that's-unpossibletech22,2,0,0,0,0,0http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1921223&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/oAOHqFg9s-M/article.plNewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The RIAA's case in Boston against a 24-year-old grad student, SONY BMG Music v. Tenenbaum, in which Prof. Charles Nesson of Harvard Law School, along with members of his CyberLaw class, are representing the defendant, may shape up as a showdown between the Electronic Frontier and Big Music. The defendant's witness list includes names such as those of Prof. Lawrence Lessig (Author of 'Free Culture'), John Perry Barlow (former songwriter of The Grateful Dead and cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation), Prof. Johan Pouwelse (Scientific Director of P2P-Next), Prof. Jonathan Zittrain (Author of 'The Future of the Internet &mdash; And How to Stop It'), Professors Wendy Seltzer, Terry Fisher, and John Palfrey, and others. The RIAA requested, and was granted, an adjournment of the trial, from its previously scheduled December 1st date, to March 30, 2009. (The RIAA lawyers have been asking for adjournments a lot lately, asking for an adjournment in UMG v. Lindor the other day because they were so busy preparing for the Tenenbaum December 1st trial ... I guess when you're running on hot air, you sometimes run out of steam)."<p><a href="http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1830237&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/1830237"></a></p><p><a href="http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1830237&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/-QAkinJlyNthxiDhEG9bOixu1qA/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/-QAkinJlyNthxiDhEG9bOixu1qA/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/oAOHqFg9s-M" height="1" width="1"/><p><a href=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/click.aspx?n=55717579><img src="http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/ads.aspx?n=55717579&f=96" border=0></a><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55717579 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>timothy2008-11-20T18:47:00+00:00courtensemble-castnews5757,54,46,39,14,5,4http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1830237&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/VWNTA0S9dR4/article.plBlue's News pointed out a report about a study sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation which found that online gaming and social networking are beneficial to children, teaching them basic technical skills and how to communicate in the Information Age. The study was conducted over a period of three years, with researchers interviewing hundreds of children and monitoring thousands of hours of online time. The full white paper (PDF) is also available. "For a minority of children, the casual use of social media served as a springboard to them gaining technological expertise &mdash; labeled in the study as 'geeking out,' the researchers said. By asking friends or getting help from people met through online groups, some children learned to adjust the software code underpinning some of the video games they played, edit videos and fix computer hardware. Given that the use of social media serves as inspiration to learning, schools should abandon their hostility and support children when they want to learn some skills more sophisticated than simply designing their Facebook page, the study said."<p><a href="http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1755213&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/1755213"></a></p><p><a href="http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1755213&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/lwR1m91ae1ikXuG-R2qoicn52-c/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/lwR1m91ae1ikXuG-R2qoicn52-c/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/VWNTA0S9dR4" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55713910 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>Soulskill2008-11-20T18:02:00+00:00socialseeing-the-writing-on-the-wallgames0,0,0,0,0,0,0http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1755213&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/-B7CyE6VEwY/article.plpparsons writes "Bell Canada Inc. will not have to suspend its practice of "shaping" traffic on the Internet after a group of companies that resell access to Bell's network complained their customers were also being negatively affected. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission today released a decision that denied the Canadian Association of Internet Providers' request that Bell be ordered to cease its application of the practice to its wholesale customers."<p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1633231&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/1633231"></a></p><p><a href="http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1633231&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/mB3akSX0jAbQctCgFk-eEWOO_7M/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/mB3akSX0jAbQctCgFk-eEWOO_7M/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/-B7CyE6VEwY" height="1" width="1"/><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55712170 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>samzenpus2008-11-20T17:21:00+00:00internetthrottle-awaytech22,2,1,0,0,0,0http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1633231&from=rsshttp://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/9je43OYP_q0/article.plIddo Genuth writes "Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics recently won a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to design quieter, more energy efficient, and more environmentally friendly commercial airplanes. The two million dollar contract from NASA is just an initial step in bringing green technologies to the sky."<p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1625232&amp;from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&amp;op=image&amp;style=h0&amp;sid=08/11/20/1625232"></a></p><p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1625232&amp;from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/VnMcWOKV2KGLbqAlER1W-2PoLLo/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/VnMcWOKV2KGLbqAlER1W-2PoLLo/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/9je43OYP_q0" height="1" width="1"/><p><a href=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/click.aspx?n=55710538><img src="http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Advertise/ads.aspx?n=55710538&f=96" border=0></a><p><div style="font-size: 8pt;"><img align=left src=http://www.rsscache.com/Section/Stats/logo.aspx?n=55710538 border=0> Bandwidth saved by <a href=http://www.rsscache.com>RSScache.com</a></div>samzenpus2008-11-20T16:42:00+00:00transportationFly-the-silent-skiesscience88,6,6,3,0,0,0http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/20/1625232&from=rssSearch Slashdot storiesqueryhttp://slashdot.org/search.pl