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  Ask Slashdot: HTML Tags For Academic Printing? on Thursday July 02, @10:39PM

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 02, @10:39PM
from the gedankenexperiment-draws-cries-of-use-ps-or-pdf dept.
education
meketrefi writes "It's been quite a while since I got interested in the idea of using html (instead of .doc. or .odf) as a standard for saving documents — including the more official ones like academic papers. The problem is using HTML to create pages with a stable size that would deal with bibliographical references, page breaks, different printers, etc. Does anyone think it is possible to develop a decent tag like 'div,' but called 'page,' specially for this? Something that would make no use of CSS? Maybe something with attributes as follows: {page size="A4" borders="2.5cm,2.5cm,2cm,2cm" page_numbering="bottomleft,startfrom0"} — You get the idea... { /page} I guess you would not be able to tell when the page would be full, so the browser would have to be in charge of breaking the content into multiple pages when needed. Bibliographical references would probably need a special tag as well, positioned inside the tag ..." Is this such a crazy idea? What would you advise?
Read More... 44 comments
internet media education latex css askslashdot education story
Comments: 44
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  Games: What Are the Best First Steps For Becoming a Game Designer? on Thursday July 02, @12:30PM

Posted by Soulskill on Thursday July 02, @12:30PM
from the find-door-insert-foot dept.
programming
todd10k writes "I've recently decided to go back to college. I have a lot of experience with games, having played them for most of my adult life, and have always toyed with the idea of making them one day. I've finally decided to give it my best. What I'd like to know is: what are the best languages to study? What are the minimum diploma or degree requirements that most games companies will accept? Finally, is C++ the way to go? ASP? LUA?"
Read More... 265 comments
games programming networking askslashdot !asp games programming story
Comments: 265
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  Ask Slashdot: Staying In Shape vs. a Busy IT Job Schedule? on Wednesday July 01, @03:22PM

Posted by timothy on Wednesday July 01, @03:22PM
from the no-not-the-regular-hacker's-diet dept.
medicine
tnok85 writes "I started a new job ~7 months ago at a very large company working a 12-hour night shift (7PM-7AM) in a fairly high volume NOC. Our responsibilities extend during the night to basically cover everything but the most complex situations regarding UNIX/Windows/Linux/App administration, at which point we'll reach out to the on-calls. I live 1.5 hours away as well, so it turns into 4-5 15 hour days a week of sitting still — throw in almost an hour to get ready to leave, and a bit of time after I get home to unwind and I'm out of time to work out. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure I have a very slow metabolism, ever since I was a pre-teen I would gain weight fairly quickly if I didn't actively work out, regardless of how much or what I eat. (Barring starving myself, I suppose...) So, how does somebody who works a minimum of 60 hours over 4 days, often adding another 12 another day, and sometimes working 7-10 days straight like this, stay in shape? I can't hold a workout schedule, (which every person I've talked to in my history says is necessary to stay in shape) and I can't 'wake up early' or 'work out before bed' because I need sleep. Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions?"
Read More... 826 comments
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Comments: 826
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  Ask Slashdot: Guaranteed Transmission Protocols For Windows? on Tuesday June 30, @12:30PM

Posted by timothy on Tuesday June 30, @12:30PM
from the no-charge-for-autocompression dept.
networking
Michael writes "Part of our business at my work involves transferring mission critical files across a 2 mbit microwave connection, into a government-run telecommunications center with a very dodgy internal network and then finally to our own server inside the center. The computers at both ends run Windows. What sort of protocols or tools are available to me that will guarantee to get the data transferred across better than a straight Windows file system copy? Since before I started working here, they've been using FTP to upload the files, but many times the copied files are a few kilobytes smaller than the originals."
Read More... 529 comments
software windows networking bittorrent rsync askslashdot networking story
Comments: 529
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  Ask Slashdot: Hackable In-Car GPS Unit? on Saturday June 27, @06:46PM

Posted by timothy on Saturday June 27, @06:46PM
from the what-I-want-is-an-r2-unit dept.
hardhack
gigne writes "I'm in the market for a new, in-car GPS/sat nav. I am preferably looking for one that has live, up-to-date traffic information and route planning that doesn't make you want to cry. I'm not quite dumb enough to drive off a cliff, but something that doesn't even try and lead me to watery doom is preferable. The only thing I absolutely must have is the ability to hack it. It would be preferable if it ran GNU/Linux, but given a convincing argument, I would be swayed to another OS. Without wanting the Moon on a stick, what is the best device that would offer a decent modding community and a good feature set?"
Read More... 205 comments
hardhack transportation tomtom android atmos askslashdot hardhack story
Comments: 205
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  Ask Slashdot: Emigrating To a Freer Country? on Saturday June 27, @12:09AM

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday June 27, @12:09AM
from the all-my-recommendations-require-time-machines dept.
privacy
puroresu writes "I currently reside in the UK. In recent years I've seen privacy, free expression and civil liberties steadily eroded, and I can't see anything changing for the better any time soon. With people being banned from the UK for expressing (admittedly reprehensible) opinions, the continuing efforts to implement mandatory ID cards and the prospect of a Conservative government in the near future, I'm seriously considering emigrating to a less restrictive country. Which countries would you recommend in terms of freedom and privacy? Distance is not an issue, though a reasonable level of stability and provision of public services would be a bonus."
Read More... 1354 comments
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Comments: 1354
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  Ask Slashdot: How To Get Out of Developer's Block? on Thursday June 25, @07:08PM

Posted by timothy on Thursday June 25, @07:08PM
from the how-do-you-feel-about-get-out-of-developer's-block dept.
programming
Midnight Thunder writes "I have spent the past six months working on a software project, and while I can come up with ideas, I just can't seem to sit down in front of the computer to code. I sit there and I just can't concentrate. I don't know whether this is akin to writer's block, but it feels like it. Have any other Slashdotters run into this and if so how did you get out of it? It is bothering me since the project has ground to a halt and I really want to get started again. I am the sole developer on the project, if that makes a difference."
Read More... 599 comments
programming software lsd pot burnout askslashdot programming story
Comments: 599
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  Hardware: How Do You Sync & Manage Your Home Directories? on Tuesday June 23, @03:19PM

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday June 23, @03:19PM
from the kitchen-sync dept.
storage
digitalderbs writes "A problem plaguing most people with multiple computers is the arduous task of synchronizing files between them: documents, pictures, code, or data. Everyone seems to have their own strategies, whether they involve USB drives, emailed attachments, rsync, or a distributed management system, all of which have varying degrees of success in implementing fast synchronization, interoperability, redundancy and versioning, and encryption. Myself, I've used unison for file synchronization and rsnapshot for backups between two Linux servers and a Mac OS X laptop. I've recently considered adding some sophistication by implementing a version control system like subversion, git, or bazaar, but have found some shortcomings in automating commits and pushing updates to all systems. What system do you use to manage your home directories, and how have they worked for you for managing small files (e.g. dot configs) and large (gigabyte binaries of data) together?"
Read More... 419 comments
storage git rsync nfs mobileme hardware storage story
Comments: 419
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  Ask Slashdot: Best eSATA JBOD? on Monday June 22, @05:44PM

Posted by timothy on Monday June 22, @05:44PM
from the throwing-it-out-there dept.
storage
redlandmover writes "I already have an HP Media Server (upgraded processor, and memory) that has already been upgraded internally to 3.5TB. I'm sure everyone already has their favorite backup solution (RAID, WHS, a billion external hard drives, etc). My question is: what is the best JBOD (Just a Bunch of Drives), eSATA-connected, external hard drive enclosure? (Preferably, at least 4 drives.)"
Read More... 209 comments
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Comments: 209
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  Technology: Where Does a Geek Find a Social Life? on Sunday June 21, @10:57PM

Posted by kdawson on Sunday June 21, @10:57PM
from the meet-space dept.
social
JustShootMe writes "I have a question for my fellow Slashdotters, and yes, I realize I am entering the lion's den covered in tasty meat-flavored sauce. I have never been a very social person, preferring to throw myself into technology; therefore, I've been spectacularly unsuccessful in developing any meaningful interpersonal relationships. Lately I have begun to feel that this situation is not tenable, and I would like to fix it. But I really don't know how and haven't the faintest idea where to start. I know that I am in the minority and that there are many different kinds of Slashdot readers, most of whom have more experience in this realm than I do. So please tell me: how, and more importantly, where do you meet fellow geeks — preferably including some of the opposite gender — in meatspace?"
Read More... 1354 comments
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Comments: 1354
 
After 14 non-maintainer releases, I'm the S-Lang non-maintainer. -- Ray Dassen