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How to Fix the Sony MDR-W08L Headphones

I love the Sony MDR-W08L headphones, because they are featherlight and the only ones that don't fall from my ears when I run. Sadly, there's no effective strain relief at the point where the cable leaves their body. As a result the cable can become internally severed, and the sound becomes intermittent. Here's how to fix this problem.

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Software Tools Research: SPLASH Panel Discussion

Written by Dennis Mancl and Steven Fraser

At the recent SPLASH (Systems, Programming, Languages and Applications: Software for Humanity) conference, one of us (Steven Fraser) organized an international group of experts to discuss challenges in software tools research.¹ The panelists included Kendra Cooper (University of Texas, Dallas), Jim “Cope” Coplien (Gertrud & Cope), Junilu Lacar (Cisco Systems), Ruth Lennon (Letterkenny Institute of Technology), Diomidis Spinellis (Athens University of Economics and Business), and Giancarlo Succi (Free University of Bolzano-Bozen).

The discussion interwove three threads—tool use, development, and education—and the panelists took a critical look at how well tools serve the needs of software professionals, managers, and academics. Their passion for the topic was reflected through some heated exchanges, even during the opening statements.

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