In the ebike world, there are two paths. The first is a homemade kit bike with motors and controllers from China. The second is a prebuilt bike from a manufacturer like Giant, with motors and controllers from China, which will be half as fast and cost three times as much. The choice is obvious, and…

America’s Justice Department “has filed a brief in support of Oracle in its Supreme Court battle against Google over whether Java should have copyright protection,” reports ZDNet: The Justice Department filed its amicus brief to the Supreme Court this week, joining a mighty list of briefs from major tech companies and industry luminaries — including…

I’ve had a breakthrough on the real-world purpose of Samsung’s 108-megapixel camera and 100x zoom. But my day with the superfast screen left me wanting more. …read more Source:: CNet

schwit1 quotes Syfy Wire: There is, admittedly, some ambiguity about precisely how Trek’s transporters work. The events of some episodes subtly contradict events in others. The closest thing to an official word we have is the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, which states that when a person enters a transporter, they are scanned…

Portlandia popularized “put a bird on it,” but you can put a label on it and save 60% in the process. …read more Source:: CNet

An employee in the division that’s in charge of smartphone production tested positive for the pneumonia-like illness, Sammobile reports. …read more Source:: CNet

“Safari will, later this year, no longer accept new HTTPS certificates that expire more than 13 months from their creation date…” writes the Register. Long-time Slashdot reader nimbius shares their report: The policy was unveiled by the iGiant at a Certification Authority Browser Forum (CA/Browser) meeting on Wednesday. Specifically, according to those present at the…

In the new Transformers animated series on Netflix, there’s more than meets the eye. …read more Source:: CNet

Mobile phones are the photography tool for most of us, but they are a blunt tool. If you love astrophotography, you buy a DSLR and a lens adapter. Infrared photography needs camera surgery or a special unit. If you want to look closer to home, you may have a microscope with a CCD. Your pocket…

“He was working on a TV show, Homemade Astronauts, when his craft crashed in the California desert,” reports NBC. Four different Slashdot readers shared the news. NBC News reports: Daredevil “Mad” Mike Hughes died Saturday when a homemade rocket he was attached to launched but quickly dove to earth in the California desert. The stunt…