Did Tech Pubs Exploit Boston Bombings?; Windows Coming to Dead End, Says ZDNet

Don't miss a single issue of Slashback. Add slashdot@newsletters.slashdot.org to your address book. Did Tech Pubs Exploit Boston Bombings? Windows Coming to Dead End, Says ZDNet Bitcoin Mining Wreaks Real-World Environmental Havoc? Windows 8.1 May Restore Boot-to-Desktop, Start Button Memory Effect Discovered In Lithium-Ion Batteries Hot Comment: "You can have my Buckyballs when you pry them from..." From the Vault: Cars that Can't Crash? Watch It: Ultimate Frisbee Meets Battle Bots?  Poll Booth: Who should have the most input into software redesigns? Did Tech Pubs Exploit Boston Bombings? In the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, online pundits lashed out against several tech-focused publications that had posted live updates, accusing them of stepping outside their usual coverage areas to exploit the tragedy in the name of pageviews and revenue. Sound Off>> Windows Coming to Dead End, Says ZDNet In reference to a recent debate over whether Windows 8 could be saved, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols cites the end of the debate came the day this headline appeared: "IDC: Global PC shipments plunge in worst drop in a generation." Sound Off>> Bitcoin Mining Wreaks Real-World Environmental Havoc? Mark Gimein points out that Bitcoin mining uses a lot of power--about 982 megawatt hours a day. That's enough to power roughly 31,000 U.S. homes, or about half a Large Hadron Collider. But not everyone is convinced that virtual mining is as bad for the environment as the real thing. Sound Off>> Windows 8.1 May Restore Boot-to-Desktop, Start Button According to media reports about leaked Windows 8.1 code, the next incarnation of Microsoft's flagship OS will have an option to boot directly to the desktop. There is also speculation that Microsoft will be re-implementing the Start button. But will any of this stop the current Windows exodus? Sound Off>> Memory Effect Discovered In Lithium-Ion Batteries Lithium-ion batteries have long been thought to be free of the memory effects of other rechargeable batteries. However, scientists have now discovered that this appears to be not the case. Sound Off>> Over my dead body "You can have my Buckyballs when you pry them from my cold dead fingers!" --by TheReaperD Read More>>   Cars that Can't Crash? Eight years ago, Microsoft and Ford joined forces to create cars that fix themselves and avoid accidents. Bill Gates said his vision for the future of cars will involve high-definition screens, speech recognition technology, cameras, digital calendars and navigation equipment with directions and road conditions. Read More>> Ultimate Frisbee Meets Battle Bots? SlashTV: Brain child of Dean Kamen, the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition marked its 22nd season and Slashdot was there to catch the action. Robert Rozeboom (samzenpus) brought back some great shots of robots firing off volleys of Frisbee-like discs, running into each other, and climbing metal pyramids, either independently or under the control of their human masters. Watch the Video>> Who should have the most input into software redesigns? The users using it The engineers building it The UI/UX folks designing it The managers organizing it The marketers selling it The people who whine on the internet about it Leave my software alone! Cast Your Vote>>   Follow Slashdot on Twitter and Facebook. To unsubscribe, click here or send an email to: unsubscribe-213087@elabs10.com To ensure delivery of this newsletter to your inbox and to enable images, please add slashdot@newsletters.slashdot.org to your e-mail address book or safe senders list. Slashdot | 594 Howard Street, Suite 300 | San Francisco, CA 94105 To view our Privacy Policy click here.