amazon.com · Domains · Slashdot Mirror

Re:Honestly by EETech1 · 2019-01-16 14:35 · Score: 1 · on The Motorola Razr Could Return as a $1,500 Foldable Smartphone (techcrunch.com)

They used to make one!
Back in 2004
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000...

Re:AGW by Thelasko · 2019-01-16 05:37 · Score: 1 · on Insect Collapse: 'We Are Destroying Our Life Support Systems' (theguardian.com)

Your conclusions sound straight out of Hans Rosling's book. Although chapter 9 suggests we shouldn't blame Exxon-Mobil. We're all to blame.

Re:NO! by TWX · 2019-01-16 05:21 · Score: 1 · on The Motorola Razr Could Return as a $1,500 Foldable Smartphone (techcrunch.com)

Apple keyboard is far too large.

This was the last one I tried:

iclever

It fit in my pocket, but the way the backside covers over the hinging areas were designed they just broke off after being dropped, with the plastic snapping.

Re:Screw Disney by bobstreo · 2019-01-14 11:32 · Score: 1 · on Streaming TV May Never Again Be as Simple, or as Affordable, as It is Now (sfgate.com)

Sorry, I was wrong. Amazon has it on sale for $27.99 today:

https://www.amazon.com/Mediaso...

Re:To be fair... by grep+-v+'.*'+* · 2019-01-13 02:58 · Score: 1 · on How Etsy Sellers and Big Business Make Money on Public Domain Art (vice.com)

Frog on crutches from 1977. BUY IT! Or, "Streaming Included with Prime."

Well, it's a wagon, but what's a minor difference between friends? Think of it as crutches on wheels.

Re:This administration is retarded. by zidium · 2019-01-12 20:21 · Score: 1 · on Should America Build a Virtual Border Wall? Or Just Crowdfund It... (chicagotribune.com)

https://www.amazon.com/How-Win...

There's an alternative that's still in production. by b0s0z0ku · 2019-01-11 12:30 · Score: 2 · on Google Discontinues Chromecast Audio (techcrunch.com)

https://www.amazon.com/YunList...

YunListen adapter with a 3.5mm jack -- supports DLNA as well as direct music streaming from a NAS.

Re:It's Pelosi, not Trump by swillden · 2019-01-11 04:27 · Score: 1 · on Government Shutdown: TLS Certificates Not Renewed, Many Websites Are Down (zdnet.com)

No, it's her desire to see him not get a key campaign promise through

Okay. I can see why Nancy Pelosi would want to deny him that; you have to expect the opposition to oppose. My question is: Why did Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell want to prevent him from getting that key campaign promise through? This "blame the Democrats" mantra rings pretty hollow given that the Republican congress refused for two years to give Trump his wall.

The answer, of course, is that Trump's campaign promise was dumb, a waste of money. He knew that at the time he was encouraging people to chant "Build the wall!", which is why he kept having to claim that he'd find some way to make Mexico pay for it. Even his supporters would have balked at footing the bill themselves. His other option was to offer to pay for it himself, but he certainly didn't want to risk having to follow through on that promise. Especially since he might have to admit that he doesn't have that kind of money.

Basically no one other than Trump really wants to pay for a wall. I'm not sure even Trump wants it as much as he wants to keep Mueller off the front page. The shutdown is doing that. And the court battles that will arise from his emergency declaration and attempt to divert FEMA funding will do a fair job of it as well, for a while. I wonder what crisis he'll create next?

The fact is that if Trump wanted $10B to bomb a randomly named country

Yep, I'm sure you're right. That's the next crisis. And I suspect you're also right that the Dems will fall in line, given an even semi-coherent justification. Any guess as to what country it will be? Back into Syria, claiming that the withdrawal was just a ruse, to cover for his plans to jump in with both feet? I don't think so, because Russia wants Syria, and Trump does what Putin wants. Big expansion in Iraq/Afghanistan? Dunno. It would have to be something that doesn't step on the toes of his autocratic buddies in China, Russia and Turkey. Bomb Palestine? Turning the shacks of poverty-stricken and basically unarmed people into rubble would be beyond the pale for most, but Trump is capable of it, and sufficiently insensitive to public reactions to do it. Netanyahu would love it. Still, probably not Palestine. I don't see any good candidates, frankly, but I'm sure one of his remaining aides can find one.

As an aside, I'd love to see the House pass a government funding bill with $5.7B earmarked for a wall... but only as matching funding, to be disbursed as a dollar-for-dollar match for funds contributed voluntarily by Mexico, or by Trump voters (since there's no way to check who someone voted for, it's fine to accept contributions from any American -- they've got $20M so far). Yes, it would be pure legislative snark. And funny as hell. And probably beneath the dignity of the House of Representatives (as low as that bar is). So probably not, more's the pity.

Amazon already has Amazon AppStream and PCoIP tech by kriston · 2019-01-10 10:56 · Score: 1 · on Amazon is Working on Game Streaming Service, Report Says (geekwire.com)

Amazon already offers Amazon AppStream so this is a natural development. It uses NICE DVE protocol.

They also have had a similar service for displaying Adobe Flash content on Fire tablets which looks and feels remarkably like AppStream.

Similar technology is used in the Amazon WorkSpaces virtual desktop service but that one uses the Teradici PCoIP protocol. I've used to display both Adobe Flash and YouTube content with virtually no latency.

The GPU-equipped instances render graphics on the server and send the framebuffer directly to your device. It's surprisingly good.

Re:Way to gloss over many of my points ... but ok by jeff4747 · 2019-01-10 10:08 · Score: 1 · on Cancer in America Is Way Down, For the Wealthy Anyway (bloomberg.com)

How many times does the patient die right after a hospital procedure

Every single patient who dies in a hospital. It's not like people go to the ER for entertainment.

I'm certain there are MANY situations where a surgery is botched, and the patient complains to a "brick wall", because the hospital and doctors are conditioned to never admit mistakes, and to prepare to defend themselves in litigation.

You are certain of many things that are wrong. This is one of them.

Malpractice costs are an extremely small percentage of medical costs. It is utterly dwarfed by everything else. You are attacking a single ant when there are several dozen anthills.

But it is the issue that would make those other profiteers more money, so they've spent a lot of time trying to convince you that they should get things like a free do-over for amputating the wrong leg.

The better and cheaper solution is to offer to make it right.

This is not actually possible to do in any surgery. The second surgery is always riskier, always causes longer recovery, and the vast majority of the time damage can not be fully repaired.

Again, I go blind if that ophthalmologist screws up. An error rebuilding a broken shoulder would cause permanent loss of motion or loss of feeling, depending on how they screwed up. Leaving around part of a diseased appendix kills the patient. Cutting the wrong "tube" during a vasectomy has irreversible consequences. Putting a stent in the wrong artery damages that artery forever. And so on.

How can this NOT be a good policy to improve healthcare?

Because it's about as possible as healing people with a Himalayan Salt Lamp. Much cheaper, but doesn't work terribly well.

Addressing your general life expectancy comparisons? That's an overly simplistic way to pretend to gauge "quality of healthcare".

So....the point of quality healthcare is to not make people live longer?

If a nation is full of people with a healthier lifestyle (less air pollution, better eating habits, less tendency to smoke, more inclined to get regular exercise, etc.) - they're going to have a better life expectancy, even if healthcare is relatively poor

Hmmmm....wonder if there's a reason I picked Canada for a comparison......almost like it's pretty similar to the US on those factors.....

The field of medicine still has a pretty terrible track record of actually curing illnesses, vs. treating symptoms.

This is only slightly more uninformed than your belief that surgery lets you have "do-overs".

With advancements like prevalent Internet access, people can research their own health matters and discover such things as drug side effects and dangerous interactions with other drugs on their own

How does your ability to google a test tell you the value of the test? It could save you a million dollars in expensive treatment, lost wages and suffering. Or not.

The only way to evaluate that test is to know all the details about your exact medical conditions, and how your personal history and other test results play into whatever that new test is looking for. And you can not find that kind of personalized information on WebMD. That will say "the test doesn't help 75% of the time" but you will not be able to evaluate if you are in that 25% where the test is critical. Because it's not possible to understand that without many years of intensive medical training. Heck, that's why specialists exist - even doctors can't properly evaluate every medical condition.

Efficient markets require that the purchasers have about the same information as the sellers. That's why insider trading is illegal. And that similarity of knowledge

Re:So how much? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-10 06:20 · Score: 0 · on Taking the Smarts Out of Smart TVs Would Make Them More Expensive (theverge.com)

An Anonymous Coward reminisced:

When I got my CPAP machine ...

FTFY.

I have a ResMed CPAP that also "phones home" with data on my usage (and, presumably, also data on how many OSA incidents I experience while using it).

The thing is, my doctor doesn't have access to those stats - so only the manufacturer gets to see them. I have to bring the SD card with me to appointments for my sleep specialist to be able to download and analyze that same data.

To quote the King of Siam, "It's a puzzlement ..."

(Posting as AC only so as not to undo prior upmods in this thread.)

--

Check out my novel ...

Re:Not cheese, but by ShanghaiBill · 2019-01-09 13:56 · Score: 1 · on American Cheese Surplus Reaches Record High

I'd buy yogurt daily

Get a yogurt maker, such as this one (which also makes great soup). Then you can make your own yogurt for the price of whole milk, and eat it fresh.

Re:They're trying to figure out how by Luckyo · 2019-01-08 20:12 · Score: 1 · on NVIDIA Launches $349 GeForce RTX 2060, Will Support Other Adaptive Sync Monitors (hothardware.com)

Only some of them that just aren't selling and they have warehouses full of, like 1060s, and even then, many of them are still above MSRP at release. The cards they made for crypto miners basically.

1070s for example are still overwhelmingly far above MSRP, though well down from crypto boom pricing which added far more premium than is currently asked: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=n...

Roger C. Schank Did This Already! by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-08 15:07 · Score: 1 · on DARPA Wants To Build an AI To Find the Patterns Hidden in Global Chaos (techcrunch.com)

Roger C. Schank, Robert P. Abelson et al did this decades ago. What DARPA calls a "schema" was called a "script' by Schank. His most-referenced book was "Scripts, Plans, Goals, and Understanding: An Inquiry Into Human Knowledge Structures "

I am quite astonished to find the DARPA reference b/c I know that there are literally hundreds of DOD-related systems that use ideas from Schank and others to gather and correlate intelligence and make suggestions for action. These are not new systems, most have been in the field for at least a decade. So it's as if DARPA has been hiding use of AI for decades and is now beginning to release it for commercial use.

This should be all they need by trevc · 2019-01-08 02:21 · Score: 1 · on Ask Slashdot: Which Laptop Should I Buy For My First Employee?

https://www.amazon.com/VTech-T...

Re:Why? by mmascari · 2019-01-07 10:00 · Score: 1 · on Amazon Will Soon Offer To Deliver Packages To Your Garage So They Don't Get Stolen (cnbc.com)

A driver could lock a box. But, I want to keep it simple enough that a driver will actually use it.

I've seen boxes with digital codes (what if you get more than one package delivered), with directions to put the code in the TO address. Then, lots of stories about about drivers not using them. Even adding an open pad lock to attach is a big step.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079...

Offer it in 2 or 3 colors, slap an Amazon swoosh on each side and the top that's less than an eighth of the area, and drop the price to $25 if you have Amazon Prime. Maybe a little smaller than that example, 50 gallon instead of 70.

The goal is to is to flood the market with them. This way there is a critical mass and delivery drivers might actually use them. Along with making it simple, "lift the lid drop the package in". It's still more than "drop it on the landing from the bottom step". That's what we're trying to overcome. If the trip is to far, it's not going to get used.

The added friction to the delivery driver needs to be as close none as possible. The added friction to the thief just needs to be enough to slow them down making it a pain. It doesn't need to defeat the guy following the delivery tuck and carrying a crow bar.

Re: Circular problem ... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-05 01:05 · Score: 0 · on Album Sales Are Dying as Fast as Streaming Services Are Rising (rollingstone.com)

I have, and 3+ months after its supposed release, I am still waiting to be able to purchase this album and not just stream it.

I couldn't resist checking that out on YouTube. I find it a bit intriguing, so I'm not being insulting when I say it reminds me of Alvin and the Chipmunks...

Speaking of YouTube, the whole album you want is there for the taking, just a youtube-dl command away...

Re:This is the well to do telling us not to worry by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-04 07:56 · Score: 0 · on Robots Are Taking Some Jobs, But Not All: World Bank (mercurynews.com)

Well, if someone wants to mow my lawn for the next ten years for a one time payment of $600, they are certainly more than welcome to.
https://www.amazon.com/Robomow-RX12-Robotic-Lawn-Mower/dp/B07CZJD3YB/

Similarly if someone wants to vacuum my house for the next ten years for a one time payment of $300, they are welcome to that too.
https://www.amazon.com/iRobot-Roomba-Vacuum-Connectivity-Carpets/dp/B06XRT2B3P/

For the former there always used to be kids around willing to mow lawns in the summer or shovel snow in the winter, and I was always more than happy to pay for that.
Nowadays there are zero kids out looking to do that. It's not even a price thing, there are just NO kids out to do so (It's probably the fault of xbox :P )

My main point is, *some* jobs not only should be automated but would be stupid expensive not to automate.
For example most lawn care businesses around here start at $600 per year and only includes one visit per month just to mow (to compare to the above automation and kids examples)

I don't even know of any services to professionally shovel snow.
If I'm lucky the dude down the street with the truck attachment will take $20 to remove the two foot hill of snow in front of my driveway that he created in the first place.

I'm getting far too old to even be capable of doing much of that myself and the alternative sounds like moving away from the problem itself, moving significantly down in lifestyle and security as a home owner.

Re:This is the well to do telling us not to worry by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-04 07:56 · Score: 0 · on Robots Are Taking Some Jobs, But Not All: World Bank (mercurynews.com)

Well, if someone wants to mow my lawn for the next ten years for a one time payment of $600, they are certainly more than welcome to.
https://www.amazon.com/Robomow-RX12-Robotic-Lawn-Mower/dp/B07CZJD3YB/

Similarly if someone wants to vacuum my house for the next ten years for a one time payment of $300, they are welcome to that too.
https://www.amazon.com/iRobot-Roomba-Vacuum-Connectivity-Carpets/dp/B06XRT2B3P/

For the former there always used to be kids around willing to mow lawns in the summer or shovel snow in the winter, and I was always more than happy to pay for that.
Nowadays there are zero kids out looking to do that. It's not even a price thing, there are just NO kids out to do so (It's probably the fault of xbox :P )

My main point is, *some* jobs not only should be automated but would be stupid expensive not to automate.
For example most lawn care businesses around here start at $600 per year and only includes one visit per month just to mow (to compare to the above automation and kids examples)

I don't even know of any services to professionally shovel snow.
If I'm lucky the dude down the street with the truck attachment will take $20 to remove the two foot hill of snow in front of my driveway that he created in the first place.

I'm getting far too old to even be capable of doing much of that myself and the alternative sounds like moving away from the problem itself, moving significantly down in lifestyle and security as a home owner.

Re: Circular problem ... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-04 02:43 · Score: 0 · on Album Sales Are Dying as Fast as Streaming Services Are Rising (rollingstone.com)

I have, and 3+ months after its supposed release, I am still waiting to be able to purchase this album and not just stream it.

Re:This is all Apple was waiting for... by Anubis+IV · 2019-01-03 09:12 · Score: 1 · on USB Type-C Authentication Program Launched (newatlas.com)

They had to have a way to maintain their revenue from selling $20 cables, and licensing the ability to sell authorized cables. I don't know how many lightning cables I've thrown away because they worked for three months, then Apple updated IOS and blocked them.

I'm going to disagree with you before agreeing with you.

For my part, I've been buying extra Lightning cables for years—not a single one of which was from Apple—and have never run into anything like what you're describing. I purchased extras from AmazonBasics (in 2013), Fordigi (2014), iXCC (2014), Kinps (2015), and Anker (2018), as well at least one other brand whose name I can't even remember in 2018, and I've never had a single one fail to work with a new device/accessory, with other people's devices/accessories, after a software update, etc..

Moreover, you're making it sound like customers have no choice: get gouged by Apple's brand-name markup or get gouged by Apple's licensing fee markup. In truth, that's a false dichotomy that couldn't be further from reality. Those AmazonBasics cables I mentioned earlier? They were a 3-pack of 6' cables for $16, fully licensed under Apple's MFi program. And that was back in 2013. These days, you can pick up a fancy, nylon-braided, MFi-certified 5-pack of varying lengths for only $13. Hell, just look at the list I provided in the last paragraph and it should be obvious I'm price conscious since I'm hardly sticking to brand names, yet every single one of them was licensed under Apple's MFi program, which means I've had none of the problems you're describing.

All of which is to say, it sounds like you've been going out of your way to purchase the cheapest Lightning cables you can find from companies of no repute. It's been my experience that when you work that hard to scrape the bottom of the barrel, you tend to get what you paid for.

Now I'll have to buy Apple USB-C cable, and HP USB-C cables, and Lenovo USB-C cables, and Nikon USB cables, and Microsoft USB cables. And, with OEMs promiscuously relabeling each others products, I'll never know which cable to use with which devices.

That said, just because I think that things are rosier in Lightning-land than you're making them out to be does NOT mean that I disagree with anything you've said about USB-C. Quite the contrary, I share your concerns about USB-C going this route.

Lightning certification works fine because there's only one fiefdom to which everyone using Lightning belongs. You're either in, or you're out. If the cable is certified, it will work. Simple. USB-C, however, is an interoperable standard with many players in the game. Enabling them to lock each other out means taking a "universal" connection and splitting it into a multitude of incompatible connections. As you said, it's just a matter of time before we see "certified" USB-C cables that don't working with USB-C ports because they weren't certified for that port. That's a world I do not want to see.

(Aside: It's also worth pointing out that Apple hasn't been waiting on this to transition from Lightning to USB-C. The 2018 iPad Pro already had a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, and the MacBook lines began switching to USB-C charging years ago. As such, any Apple fans thinking they're shielded from these issues are living in a bubble that's about to pop. Likewise, any Apple fans who think that Lightning works fine so USB-C will too need to realize that the two are very different.)

Low talkers by nospam007 · 2019-01-03 04:55 · Score: 1 · on Ask Slashdot: An Android or iOS App For Boosting the Volume of Speech-Impaired Person?

I guess you tried these at the receiving end for low talkers?

https://www.amazon.com/Serene-...

I found this for the starting end.

https://store.rjcooper.com/pro...

PS. Beware the puffy shirts.

Re:Such bullshit. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-01-02 11:41 · Score: 0 · on 'Star Control: Origins' Pulled From Steam And GOG Following DMCA Claim (polygon.com)

Gravis Zero pointed out:

It was announced, as of January 3, 2014, that Stardock has started a Star Control reboot, but has no estimation of a release date.[13] The Star Control website and forums have also been relaunched.[14]

It seems to me that if there is a public announcement that you are developing a game that specifically mentions your "IP" and you fail to raise any objections for 4 years then you have failed to enforce your copyright. Only raising objections three months after release is such bullshit.

I don't care if the owners are technically entitled under the law, this is still bullshit.

Trademarks must be actively defended by their holders to remain in force. Copyrights are another matter altogether.

Announcing that you're working on a sequel(ish) to a franchise - with no projected release date or detailed description of its actual contents, mind you - is not an infringement on the original games' copyright in any way, because copyright is all about specific content. Nor is saying it's going to be called "<trademarked name>: <somethingorother>" a copyright infringement, if you own that trademark.

By contrast, actually publishing such a game (i.e. - one which incorporates copyright-protected content that belongs to someone else) is, beyond question, an infringement on that copyright. Legally speaking, the owners of the stolen material have to wait until the infringing game is available to the public before they can sue over it. That's because (and this is key), until it's available for sale, the owners of the material in question will have sustained no actual injury, and therefore will have had no basis for a suit.

Copyright infringement is a tort, not a criminal offense. As such, in the absence of any demonstrable injury, filing for damages is simply a waste of time, money, and the court's patience - and judges tend to punish, rather than to reward, such behavior.

So, the fact that the original authors specifically declined Stardock's overtures to acquire the rights to their material for its "new" Star Control game notwithstanding, you're absolutely wrong about their actions in filing suit only after the infringing game was released being "bullshit," or being in any way underhanded, unethical, or sleazy. In fact, had they attempted to sue before then, their suit would have been summarily dismissed - and very possibly dismissed "with prejudice," which would have meant they'd be barred from re-filing it once Stardock's game actually was published ...

<DISCLAIMER: IANAL. If you're in the market for legal advice, I strongly suggest you pay someone who has passed the bar exam for it.>

(Posting as AC only so as not to undo prior upmods in this thread.)

--

Check out my novel ...

Re:Why the cable? by LynnwoodRooster · 2019-01-02 11:24 · Score: 1 · on USB Type-C Authentication Program Launched (newatlas.com)

Fray that cable, and the current capacity just dropped. But it was safe - because I plugged it in and it said "safe"! Use 24 AWG, and you're good for about 4A of current... How much more do you need than that?

For my charging purposes, I use my laptop (Lenovo P71) that has a USB 3.0 port that are always "live" - regardless of the laptop being plugged in or turned on. I carry a three-adapter cable in my backpack to keep not just my Note 8 and Bluetooth devices charged (USB C and micro B USB), but have bailed out friends as well (Lightning). One cable and I'm good to go at any time...

Re:USB Power Delivery by DarkRookie2 · 2019-01-02 10:14 · Score: 0 · on USB Type-C Authentication Program Launched (newatlas.com)

Calling something like:
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B07...
a charger.
Its a adapter. Rectifier technically.

Because Gates has been such a visionary (not) by cjonslashdot · 2018-12-30 10:08 · Score: 1 · on As China Option Fades, Bill Gates Urges US To Take the Lead in Nuclear Power, For the Good of the Planet (geekwire.com)

Let's see, when he published his book The Road Ahead in 1994, he barely mentioned the Internet.

And pretty much every "innovation" from Microsoft under his leadership was stolen or purchased from someone else.

Not to mention the great technologies that they crushed out of existence (e.g., the Go corporation's PenPoint OS.

Re:Half-Life is now Real-Life by DontBeAMoran · 2018-12-30 08:15 · Score: 1 · on NYPD Deploying Drone for First Time To Secure New Year's Party (bloomberg.com)

You don't need Freeman. You only need this.

Re:limit more Chernobyl's and Fukushima's by sfcat · 2018-12-30 07:55 · Score: 1 · on As China Option Fades, Bill Gates Urges US To Take the Lead in Nuclear Power, For the Good of the Planet (geekwire.com)

Regulations exist for a reason.

Endless lawsuits are the biggest impediment in the US.

Gross corporatist propaganda to limit liability for negligence, incompetence and criminal actions.

Yea, but which greedy corporatists are you discussing, the engineers and scientists which are pushing for nuclear, or the folks pushing for natural gas? You might think we should do 100% solar and wind. In California (where I live) and Germany who have both pushed hard for solar and wind have caused two trends: 1) CO2 emissions are increasing, 2) prices are going up. This is because we can't store the energy generated intermittently and a huge innovation in battery tech would be needed. Its unlikely that this will happen which means when you deploy wind and solar you also deploy natural gas. Natural gas that probably leaks quite a bit and is mostly made of methane that's a 33x more potent GHG than CO2. Pumped hydro and chemical storage technologies have very poor efficiencies, often less than 20% (meaning you lose 4x the energy you discharge back).

We know how to do nuclear safely if governments would just let us. But groups who are largely ignorant (in the best case) about science and engineering have blocked all efforts at advancement, often at the expense of public health. Quite a few of the former leaders at the Sierra Club, who spoke about the evils of nuclear power for years have had major reversals for example Gwyneth Cravens. She and those like her were of course excommunicated and the obstructionism continues. Hell, they even oppose responsible treatment of nuclear waste both through fuel reprocessing and long term storage (see Yucca Mt). So get down off your high horse and make sure you know who you are backing. Because right now, you are backing global warming and fossil fuels; you just don't know it yet.

The Flickering Mind by Anonymous Coward · 2018-12-27 16:28 · Score: 0 · on 'Beware Silicon Valley's Gifts To Our Schools' (nationalreview.com)

Didn't I read the book about how computers and the internet weren't really doing anything to improve education back in 2003? Oh right I did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TclggSNlu2M

Re:Alternatives? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-12-27 10:31 · Score: 0 · on Plastic Water Bottles, Which Enabled a Drinks Boom, Now Threaten a Crisis (wsj.com)

Yes, it is very easy, I use one of these.

There is a huge variety of countertop water distillers available, with a wide price range and feature set.

And, since you specifically asked for details.....

The device boils the water, thus producing steam. The steam is harvested by a pipe coil at the top, cooled by a fan, which then allows the condensate to drip into the one-gallon glass pitcher.

Optionally, you can put a packet of activated charcoal into a special chamber of the spout. You only need this if your tap water contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are harmless, but their boiling point is the same as that of water, so they travel out with the steam, and you can taste them in the distilled water. The activated charcoal packet pulls them out like a magnet, and makes the distilled water have a bit more of that familiar tapwater taste. The packets are cheap to replace.

Alternatively, you can boil the water in a pot for a minute before dumping it into the distiller. That lets most of the VOCs escape into the air first. The manual recommends boiling the water first just because it means the distiller doesn't have to spend a lot of time raising the water temperature to a boil.

Lastly, the distillers have an auto shut-off. But, if your tap water is particularly nasty, you will discover an icky sludge left inside your distiller if you let it run to that point. You can clean that out using food-grade citric acid (provided, available for cheap on amazon), or you can just set a timer so it stops while there is still some water in the unit. Some models have a timer like that. The one I linked doesn't, so you have to pull the plug when your own timer starts beeping (which is kind of annoying).

Oh and if you buy one, when it is new, clean the pitcher out first. Fill it with water and some baking soda and let that sit overnight. Otherwise your first batch of distilled water will have that special fresh-from-the-factory taste, with a hint of packing material.

Look! Someone dropped a billion dollars! by thesjaakspoiler · 2018-12-26 16:17 · Score: 1 · on A Man Spent $5,000 of His Own Money To Put Zimbabwe on Street View (cnet.com)

Just 999 more billion dollar notes to actually buy an apple. https://www.amazon.com/Zimbabw...

tiny bluetooth keyboard? by bobby · 2018-12-26 10:44 · Score: 1 · on 'Two Years Later, I Still Miss the Headphone Port' (techcrunch.com)

https://www.amazon.com/iPazzPort-Wireless-Handheld-Raspberry-KP-810-19S/dp/B01CE70TZC/ref=pd_sbs_147_6/142-7673154-9324127

Re:don't forget the counterfeits by bongey · 2018-12-25 11:18 · Score: 1 · on 'Amazon Prime is Getting Worse' (fastcompany.com)

Amazon isn't doing crap about counterfeits. I contacted them two times and talked to at least 6-8 reps about fake footmaster leveling casters.These are fake and they are still there https://www.amazon.com/Happybu... .

Think "Patterns" by meburke · 2018-12-24 04:37 · Score: 2 · on 'The Five-Paragraph Essay Must Die' (psmag.com)

The problem for writing English is the same as for programming; It is based on the assumption that you can "manufacture" people with proper skills. The 5-paragraph essay and other "rules" included in English writing instruction are mostly conventions so that the "quality control" people (read, "teachers") can spot deficiencies without stressing themselves.

C. K. Ogden, co-author of, "The Meaning of Meaning," constructed a form of "Basic English" on the proposition that a person could communicate anything using his 850 words. If I was teaching writing, especially non-fiction, for the first two months I would limit my students to using only Ogden's vocabulary. Then for the next month I would allow them to increase their vocabulary as long as they only used E-Prime. Only then would I allow them to explore the possibility of writing like John McPhee, Charles Petzold, Robert Hutchins, or other exceptional non-fiction writers.

BTW, after learning to communicate precisely, the Random House "Word Menu" is a great tool for creating more interesting writing. https://www.amazon.com/Random-...

Unf*ck Yourself by Anonymous Coward · 2018-12-24 03:03 · Score: 1 · on Slashdot Asks: What Are Some Good Books You Read This Year?

Unf*ck Yourself is a really eye opening book to help you see better ways to think and run your life. I really enjoyed it and it's given me a lot to think about.

Re:Epic Fantasies by unity · 2018-12-23 14:53 · Score: 1 · on Slashdot Asks: What Are Some Good Books You Read This Year?

Thanks, added some of those to my queue.

From the sounds of some of those, you might like the Legend of Zero series. I did, but read them last year so I didn't mention them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...