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Not a religion, but more like a soccer team. No, I'm not trying to be funny. Passions run high, after all.

However, there is such a thing as inappropriate advertisement. Consider, for example, Johnnie Walker -- an upstanding liquor brand. No one would have any problems with them advertising on Linux Today or Slashdot, even if the geek crowd isn't quite on top of the whiskey drinking statistics.

However, what if they decided to advertise on the Discovery Kids homepage, targeted at children 3-7 years old and their supervising parents. It'd be an outrage, wouldn't it? Maybe it is an extreme example, but the point is that some discretion has to be exercised when assigning ads in mass media, and that means in the Internet as well.

My favorite picture of stallman was in that cheesy Hackers Hall of Fame article slashdot had a while ago that mixed hackers and crackers.

The man

C'mon, people... This horse died a lonnnnnnng time ago. It has been:

--Beat to death on 'Mythbusters...'

--Debunked on Snopes...

--Generally derided as an urban legend, with good reason.

I have absolutely no issue using my cellphone while fueling, because I know, as a tech, that there's no way the thing could generate even half the energy required to trigger a spark hot enough to ignite anything.

HOWEVER -- The one thing I absolutely do NOT do is get back into my car, slide across the seat while getting out again, and then touch the pump nozzle. That's a sure way to generate a dangerous spark.

Translation: RF energy is not the issue here. Static electricity is. If RF were an issue, we'd have police, fire, and other public-safety people causing explosions every time they had to use their mobile or portable radios while fueling up (and I can tell you from direct experience that said radios generate a heck of a lot more power -- anywhere from 3-5 watts for a portable to over 100 watts for a mobile) than any wireless phone handset (outputs of less than 100 milliwatts, typically).

Can we please bury this long-deceased equine? The smell is really getting nasty...

They reran it at 7PM last night, and will be playing it again tonight at 2AM, set your Tivo!

MythBusters Show Schedule

Here in the U.S. there is a show on The Discovery Channel that is called Myth Busters. A pretty cool show too. In any evemt, they did a show on just this topic - Check Episode 2. They proved it to be a Myth

Here in the U.S. there is a show on The Discovery Channel that is called Myth Busters. A pretty cool show too. In any evemt, they did a show on just this topic - Check Episode 2. They proved it to be a Myth

Here in the U.S. there is a show on The Discovery Channel that is called Myth Busters. A pretty cool show too. In any evemt, they did a show on just this topic - Check Episode 2. They proved it to be a Myth

This question was also asked by the Myth Busters on the Discovery channel, in episode 2 And their discoveries came to the same conclusions as the PEI, that cell phones do not causes explosions, but that static electricity, especially that built up by entering and exiting the vehical while pumping up, was the cause of many gas station fires.

This question was also asked by the Myth Busters on the Discovery channel, in episode 2 And their discoveries came to the same conclusions as the PEI, that cell phones do not causes explosions, but that static electricity, especially that built up by entering and exiting the vehical while pumping up, was the cause of many gas station fires.

Did anyone see the episode of MythBusters where they DISPELLED this urban legend??? They filled a 10x10 or so chamber with gas fumes and called a cell phone repeatedly- no fire....

Mythbusters did a fun episode on this very subject. They, at least, came to the conclusion after quite a bit of testing and consultation with persons (vague, huh? I just don't remember who specifically the people were, other than a university professor) that there was no way that a cell phone would ignite the gas. In most cases it ended up being static generated when people went into and out of the car while pumping gas.

Mythbusters did a fun episode on this very subject. They, at least, came to the conclusion after quite a bit of testing and consultation with persons (vague, huh? I just don't remember who specifically the people were, other than a university professor) that there was no way that a cell phone would ignite the gas. In most cases it ended up being static generated when people went into and out of the car while pumping gas.

The conclusion was that a static spark from your coat on a dry day is FAR more dangerous than anything a cell phone can spit out.

And remember... it's lawyers who have those signs put up. Not scientists. They're just protecting the company's butt even if there's absolutely no scientific proof that cell phones could cause an explosion.

-S

On the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters they tackled this problem in Episode 2 ( Episode Guide). They did numerous tests and concluded it wasn't possible to start a fire at the pump with a cell phone.

The stats also show that women are "the cause" of more fires at the gas pump. Hey, don't blame me... it's just the stats, ma'am!

The Mythbusters took care of this MYTH in episode #2:

Episode 2: Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Breasts, CD-ROM Shattering
In this episode, Jamie and Adam test several explosive theories. Can chatting on a cell phone while pumping gas cause the pump to blow up? Our mythbusters put themselves at risk so you don't have to. They also put silicone breast implants to the test at high altitude. Will they burst under pressure? Finally, we'll learn once and for all if high-speed CD-ROM players can really shatter a compact disc.

What makes this patent different from all the other false patents? Oh yeah, right, there was one-click ordering before Amazon.com first came online, etc. Apparently liars can file a patent before the originatior of the idea does and then sue them for it.

Alexander Gram Bell invented the telephone, right? Wrong! There was one invented before Bell did and another one. Many people still credit Bell for the invention of the telephone. IP Theives apparently can cash in on patents if they can file them quick enough.

No I can't speak for everyone, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most of us saw what you're refering to on Myth Busters. And though it was cool...no one ended up 80 feet high on the side of a Mesa. And on top of that it was a JATO, which probably produces a lot more thrust than the home brew garage jet.

And yes, I knew you were joking, I just wanted to get my shot in!

Exploding disk was demonstrated on Myth Busters Episode 2. I watched this episode and they ran the cds around 60k rpms; it was quite hard to get the cds to fragment. They finally got them by compressing the center to a hub which i suspect caused undue stress to fracture the cds but they did fragment and they had a dummy which showed sever laceration from the flying debris

Episode 2: Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Breasts, CD-ROM Shattering
In this episode, Jamie and Adam test several explosive theories. Can chatting on a cell phone while pumping gas cause the pump to blow up? Our mythbusters put themselves at risk so you don't have to. They also put silicone breast implants to the test at high altitude. Will they burst under pressure? Finally, we'll learn once and for all if high-speed CD-ROM players can really shatter a compact disc.

So what is the big deal?

Oooh, Mozilla released another minor revision to Thuderbird. Big deal. No new features, just improovements on the same theme.

I'm sorry, but items like Vermont Yankee's missing fuel rodes or NASA using Hollywood stuntmen to catch falling space probes or even news about the world's earliest known BBQ seem a lot more like 'news for nerds' than a minor revision to an already well-known (in the OSS community) application.

Not a new show. Just a new show to your side of the pond. =P

Monster Garage has been on the Discovery Channel for a few years here in the States.

And I have no idea who this "Cookie" guy is, but he's no Jesse James.

And if you think Monster Garage is amusing... Monster House is ... disturbing. =P

Not a new show. Just a new show to your side of the pond. =P

Monster Garage has been on the Discovery Channel for a few years here in the States.

And I have no idea who this "Cookie" guy is, but he's no Jesse James.

And if you think Monster Garage is amusing... Monster House is ... disturbing. =P

LOTS of things are still made in America! Check out the Travel Channel series "Made in America" for some great examples!

The aging hippy boys at Mythbusters (Discovery Channel) did some experiment involving running through rain. They film out of San Francisco, so of course they had to suit up in skin tight black latex. One of the hosts is a typical out of shape geek, but the other guy is pretty (I'm so pretty, oh so pretty...) buff , so the contrast was interesting. You also could refer back to that guy who built the Tron suit. That may be what you are visualizing...

• 1976 movie In Search of Noah's Ark
• Discovery Channel with satellite photo
• WorldNetDaily with better satellite photo
• insightmag.com cover story -- CIA coverup, etc.
• Lots more from insightmag.com

There was a much better documentary on The Discovery Channel. Also a bit of information on the likelyhood that the flood may have occurred during a torrent of the Euphrates river. The BBC recently broadcast a documentary on this one, probably the same one as the discovery channel.

I think that's part of the plot. Gene Roddenberry's corpse is spinning so fast in his grave that it's causing frame dragging. The distortions in space-time open up a wormhole to the future. The Enterprise crew goes to investigate this effect and hilarity ensues.

Mythbusters did an experiment about this recently. The end result was that no matter where you put the toothbrush (even in a closed container in another room), you still run the risk of fecal coliform bacteria contamination.

That's why I don't brush.

The device wasn't made by Tesla.
It is thought to have been in use in early Egypt B.C. There are many descriptions of the device. From the descriptions it is obvious what the device was. It was a capacitor, that charged itself by sitting in one spot.
Thats right the earths magnetic field charged it. I have also read articles on the subject and some speculated that the Ark of the Covenant was such a device. Given drawings and also descriptions of the Ark it could be possible.
TLC story on it.
Another site on it, though I don't know how reliable.
Though neither of these two sites are relating to the object I have described, surely you'll have to agree that this device was made well before Tesla.

So, anyway... I was watching American Chopper a while back, and I got to thinking:

• "I wonder what would happen if I went to OCC with one of the turboshaft engines that MTT uses for their bike, a copy of Akira, and asked Paul Jr. to replicate the Kaneda bike..."

But I'd sure love to watch them build one!

(Too bad I can't afford it... anybody else want to join in and start a pool? We could have the 'Slashdot Bike' built! (Anyone remember the 'Slashdot PT Cruiser'?) Too bad the .com boom is well and truly dead, or we'd be looking at a fleet of the things!)

The version in the article... it looks a bit fat and heavy. I don't know how much fun it'll be to ride. As much as I like the appearance, it's just pointless if all it does it look pretty.

The picture on the Discovery Channel coverage is not the asteroid in question. I know this means I need to get out more, but I instantly recognized that picture as 243 Ida and its tiny satellite Dactyl.

Here's a link to Discovery Channel's coverage without the need for registration.

Mike

Yeah, sheesh. Discovery Channel maintains breathless "news" pages about critters like the freakin Goat Sucker ! Gee, that's a clear sign of serious science journalism. They're a bit more accurate than Weekly World News, but not by much.

NASA Finds Hidden Shuttle Danger Same story, different article, in case the posted one gets /.'ed.

Disney (Who also owns ESPN) has a stranglehold on all cable networks

Really, when you think of your computer area, you don't think of bacteria as you would when you think about a bathroom, so you're less inclined to clean it to the extent you would a bathroom. But either way, pretty much everything else is as equally as bacteria ridden. It's like the test they did on Myth Busters where they tested to see if a tooth brush left by the toilet would really pick up fecal matter, and they found out that tooth brushes all over the building had the same amount of fecal matter on them after a month of use.

A troll, perhaps, but you area misguided twit.

While you masturbate to some porno your mom did in the 70s, I'm watching Times Discovery.

I don't believe you. Could you run that MythBusters?

They did think about it. But it wouldn't be practical, or worth it.

It's actually a FAQ.

I suggest you read
This
and this

Holy Crap! Disney owns Discovery?

I don't think so. Here's a list of what Disney owns. Discover magazine is on there (scroll up to magazine titles), but it has no connection to Discovery Communications that I can find (scroll down to cable TV).

As my EM prof put it - putting tin-foil into your microwave turns it into a spark plug, and god help you if the sparks strike any explosive elements.

Thank goodness you posted that. I've been storing gasoline in my microwave for years thinking it was safe.

F.Y.I. The worst you could do to a microwave by putting metal inside is break the magnatron, and when it breaks, it will just die, not explode or any cool shit like that. This urban legend was debunked like last season. I can't even find the listing for it anymore.

www.dimplex.com

They claim to have a patent on the holographic fireplace. I don't see why something like this couldn't be made.

I also though of the recent "geek retro future" version of monster house where they made a a giant fireplace with stainless stell remote controlled opening doors and mounted a Plasma screen above it. Tres cool.

One of the Fifteen Greatest Hackers having a hard time getting CUPS working. I LOVE IT.

"It's truly amazing what solutions there are in nature. It's a shame that we can't live less destructive and more ecologically balanced societies."

On the bright side, when things get perilous, we (as a species) step up to the challenge. The fact that people dedicate their lives to undoing that damage means that something went right somewhere.

Wnat to help fix it? Encourage people you know to watch Discovery Channel. It's a lot easier to think about the enviorment when you respect the creatures that inhabit the sensitive areas of the planet. Need help getting them to watch it? Tell them to watch Myth Busters. It's an addictive show if you like watching stuff get built and then explode. (Bonus points if you frequent snopes.com too.)

So what are the Teutuls going to do with that bike now?
For those with no idea of what I'm talking about see here and scroll about halfway down the page for one of the sweetest theme based motorcycles ever.

I can already see the fun this will be for the towing industry already.

For Example. My mother owns a cadillac with one of those antitheft passkey systems in it. One night, I decided to go to Sheetz to get something to eat. The car drove fine to the Gas station, but once I got my food, the car wouldn't start saying that the Theft system is activated and the car needed to wait three minutes to start.

Waited three minutes, tried again, car didn't start. well you get the Idea. After all the towing, the new igintion Lock for the car, as well as new keys it ended up costing us $300 Dollars.

Now, I see the same thing happening to anyone equipped with one of these stupid things in them. If it failes in any way, Your Screwed and you better start walking. Which sounds great in New Mexico, which is mostly desert.

And this is not counting False Positives. I remember watching Mythbusters where they tried to fool a breathalyzer. In one of their tests, they used mouthwash and it spiked the meter to over twice the legal limit. What Happens If I'm late for work and I just brushed my teeth and try to start my car now? I bet it would be great telling your boss your car wont start cause the breathalyzer wont let you.

Simply put. This is unneccessary for anyone that has never had a DUI Charge. You want to make life a living hell, make it for the convicted DUI Offenders and force them to have it and not the general public.

A recent (?) episode of Myth Busters proved that brushing one's teeth (or, in New Mexico, tooth) and using mouthwash does not affect the validity of a breath test.

Thanks to all those who provided updates since I posted this, when the news broke. I thought I'd add a few more: The news from Hubblesite, The Discovery Channel, Yahoo News, and from Innovations Report

Although there are quite a few comments about how poorly the terminoligy is used, they do have a page on "lingo" as the link says. To my (more than likely) limited knowledge, these definitions are correct, however poorly used in the bios' section.
http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/hackers/gloss ary/glossary.html
A rather well done page, but a poorly designed website I think...

If anyone should be bumped off the list for JC I reckon it should be this guy, 'Julf'.
I thought esr wrote some mail program or something? ;o)

who study data recovery end up going into computer forensics (that's a huge part of the field).

If you watch enough episodes of The New Detectives, you'll see them figure out how to rescue data off of badly beaten and formatted floppies.