Article archive - page 8
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Why can't I have $100 laptop
The OLPC project finally delivered the $100 laptop, but availability is frustratingly limited. It should be sold more widely and embraced by schools, not confined to North America.
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Bye bye OpenMoko
Google's new mobile OS feels like a missed opportunity to support existing open-source platforms such as OpenMoko. It adds more fragmentation to an already messy mobile ecosystem.
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CSS Structure - what a mess
CSS files are flat and verbose, forcing ever-longer selectors just to get specificity. A more structured, nested syntax (and variables) would make stylesheets that are easier to author and maintain.
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FAH goes number 1 but we could do better
Folding@home hitting a petaflop shows the power of distributed computing, especially with consoles in the mix. What if we had an open framework that lets any project tap spare processing capacity?
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Let the new gaming witch hunt begin
Another moral panic around games misses the real issue of parenting and supervision. Blaming the industry ignores how adults choose, buy and monitor the content their kids consume.
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JQuery Slideshow
A client request for a simple, maintainable slideshow led to a jQuery-based fade sequence instead of Flash. This walkthrough explains the setup and why jQuery's animation API makes the solution quick and reusable.
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JQuery saves the day?
jQuery's selector engine brings CSS-like power to JavaScript and solves real-world layout problems without littering HTML with extra classes. Used sparingly, it enhances interfaces while keeping pages accessible.
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Is £180 good value for Wii Sports?
Buying a Wii for Wii Sports felt odd, but the shared play time quickly justified the cost. Even without many must-have games, the console proves its value through simple, social play.
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DRMed for Life
The DRM arms race punishes legitimate buyers who just want to use media across their devices. Studios should drop restrictive locks, focus on better content and policing, and stop treating customers as pirates.
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Super computer required to simulate half a mouse brain
Blue Gene L can barely simulate half a mouse brain, a reminder of how far we are from human-scale neural models. Small, specialized neural networks are likely more practical than brute-force brain simulations.