Posted by
Nexus – 31/05/2010
[via consumerist.com]
What’s your children’s privacy worth? Should they be subjected to fingerprinting just to take out a library book? That’s the question parents at a school in the UK are grappling with.
From the Telegraph:
Under the scheme, pupils swipe a bar code inside the book they want borrow then press their thumb on to a scanner to authorise the loan. Books are returned in the same way.The scheme is being trialled on junior classes at Higher Lane Primary in Whitefield, Bury, Greater Manchester.
Posted by
Nexus – 02/05/2010
In just a few days, Britain could elect an unprecedented coalition with a mandate for urgently-needed reform and the support of most voters – it’s democracy in action!
But a few partisan hacks want to hang onto politics as usual — and some of them own powerful tabloids. Hacks like billionaire Rupert Murdoch, whose Sun is pushing nasty hysteria about coalition government threatening Biblical disasters — working to ensure that Murdoch, not we voters, is the “kingmaker” in our country.
Posted by
Nexus – 11/03/2010
[via consumerist.com]
A class action has been filed against AT&T DSL for being too slow. Specifically, the suit alleges that AT&T set the maximum rate customers could get at a level that was lower than the advertised rate. The company denies these claims but has opted to settle instead of going to court. You’re eligible to join if…
…you got AT&T DSL after March 31st 1994, and are either a current or former member. You have until July 1st to get on board.
To join and get more info, check out dslspeedsettlement.com.
Posted by
Nexus – 11/03/2010
[arstechnica.com]
A rather surprising article hit the front page of the BBC on Tuesday: the next generation of hard disks could cause slowdowns for XP users. Not normally the kind of thing you’d expect to be placed so prominently, but the warning it gives is a worthy one, if timed a bit oddly. The world of hard disks is set to change, and the impact could be severe. In the remarkably conservative world of PC hardware, it’s not often that a 30-year-old convention gets discarded. Even this change has been almost a decade in the making.
Posted by
Nexus – 10/03/2010
[via wsj.com]
Customs and Border Protection agent Jesus Gomez checks a passport at the vehicle crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in California.
Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.
Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.
Posted by
Nexus – 01/03/2010
[via onlinecolleges.net]
With classes, homework, and projects–not to mention your social life–time is truly at a premium for you, so why not latch onto the wide world that Google has to offer? From super-effective search tricks to Google hacks specifically for education to tricks and tips for using Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, these tricks will surely save you some precious time.
Search Tricks
These search tricks can save you time when researching online for your next project or just to find out what time it is across the world, so start using these right away.
Posted by
Nexus – 28/02/2010
[via makeuseof.com]
Bored with your music and want to discover some new bands or singers? There are two main ways you can do that online. You can use services which create music maps, allowing you to explore artists similar in genre to the artists you already listen to. Or you can use music blogs and websites that showcase independent or up-and-coming artists, whether the music is being reviewed, or posted by the musicians themselves.
Some of these websites have a community built around them, which gives fans the opportunity to interact directly with these new talents.
Posted by
Nexus – 27/02/2010
[via openforum.com]
Twitter is a perfect democratic forum: If people don’t like what you have to say, they can vote with their fingers. With a quick click, choosing the unfollow or block features, your feed is forever removed from their life.
However, for businesses small and large, the goal of Twitter and other social media tools is to build relationships, not tear them down. To master the fine art of friending followers, here are five ways to not be annoying.
Posted by
Nexus – 26/02/2010
[via bit-tech.net]
While our investigation into energy efficient hardware might have confirmed that choosing lower-power hardware can make a difference to your running costs if you’re willing to sacrifice performance – or buy Intel processors – it seems that the public isn’t yet switched on to the benefits of ‘green’ technology.
In a report released this week by consumer electronics site Retrevo – via CNet – a full 42 percent of those queried about their buying habits stated that they were unconcerned if “a gadget I buy is not green.”
Posted by
Nexus – 23/02/2010
[via consumerist.com]
Sarah had an unpleasant experience at her local movie theater, and sent a complaint e-mail to the company that runs it. We don’t know what response she expected, but it probably wasn’t a letter from a company vice president that began, “Drive to [a competing theater] and also go f*** yourself. If you don’t have money for entertainment, get a better job, and don’t pay for everything on your credit or check card.”