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In the posting, it mentions "How long will $25 million VC funding last at this rate?".

Now, I was about to call the PR/Media Rep for Cuil to provide some answers. But after digging around on their website http://www.cuil.com/search?q=how+long+will+%2425+million+VC+funding+last+at+this+rate they really aren't providing any answers. Really. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

When I went on Google, http://www.google.ca/search?q=how+long+will+%2425+million+VC+funding+last+at+this+rate&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
they weren't able to provide me with an answer about Cuil. But they provided me with 96,000 possible answers.

Strange. Cuil really needs to provide substantive answers about their own company before I use them. Whatever they are feeding their employees its really not the right stuff.

Sure. But deserts also have weather. It may not be moisture, but sand in a sand storm is just as (or more) likely to disperse or attenuate light as moisture is. So while sandstorms are more common in Iraq, they are not unknown in Israel either. So if you timed your attack in the season where sandstorms are common, you would negate a lot of the advantage of these weapons.

I searched for "problems with linq to sql" on google and only got 21 to 23 hits depending on which google site). e.g.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22problems+with+linq+to+sql%22&safe=off
http://www.google.com.sg/search?hl=en&q=%22problems+with+linq+to+sql%22&safe=off
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22problems+with+linq+to+sql%22&btnG=Search

On search.yahoo.com I got 135 hits ( http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22problems+with+linq+to+sql%22&fr=sfp&ei=UTF-8 )

Microsoft's search: http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=%22problems+with+linq+to+sql%22&go=&form=QBLH

I think cuil has a very long way to go.

Do you expect a "10 PRINT HELLO WORLD" like thing in age of 2008?

800 pages of tiny font would be more information than 800 pages of a normal sized font. The GP is implying that they have likely not released enough documentation.

Get a brain! Moran.

The following link is an interesitng lecture about quantum computing. http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=2566652364341637170&q=quantum+computing&ei=kLKMSKDhHIqS-gGVgrm7Aw&hl=en

At a first glance, isn't dumping huge quantities of lime (fertiliser) into the sea causing the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone? AFAIK it is only killing marine life in an area the size of New Jersey - not solving global warming...

I'm late to the discussion, but you could be interested in this info.

If you want to know hot to make a thermally efficient house, just ask the people in the coldest climates. The province of Quebec in Canada has a nice program that explains how an efficient house can be build or retrofitted; Novoclimat - google translation

I looked at the wikipedia article, and one major thing is missing from the design. R60 on the roof is OK, but you should have a dead space in there to make the insulation more effective. Take the diagram in the article and cut the pointy part of the house from the rest (imagine a floor where it starts). leave that space empty and insulate the floor of that part. You get space to pack on 2 ft(or more!) of cheap cellulose insulation PLUS the remaining air that serves as more insulation. That's how houses have been traditionally made in Quebec: the insulation has been successively straw, grain, etc. The dead space is super-hot in the summer (hotter than outside because of the radiant heat of the roof tiles) and somewhat cold in the winter (halfway between inside and outside) Just don't forget to put vents in there to keep moisture out!

Depending upon how the GPS is implemented it could be pretty misleading about the velocity. Heck, if it averages a sample every minute, you could easily scream above the speed limit, then slow down or sit at a stop light for a moment, and the average between the two sample points would still look "below the speed limit". Radar is practically instantaneous by comparison. It isn't perfect either, but I don't get the expert's comments from the article: "Dr. Heppe also pointed out that the GPS device released instantaneous data, and not data averaged over a distance.""

Are these military grade GPS units or something? Every GPS unit I've ever used samples at a relatively coarse time sampling, and the "instantaneous" velocity is all over the place as you slow down and/or change directions. The software attempts to interpolate something reasonable, but it sometimes isn't. Sample spacing is usually user-configurable with a tradeoff between the number of points stored and the limited memory storage of the unit. Regardless, the information *has* to be averaged over a significant distance or it isn't very accurate given the limited spatial resolution of a few metres.

I did some searching and based on the name of the GPS unit illustrated in the article I found another more detailed article cited on the vendor's page. On that page you'll see a proud stepdad showing the map with GPS data apparently used in court (click on the image -- it gets bigger). The points illustrated on that map are city blocks apart.

The map is detailed enough to figure out exactly where it is if you poke around in Google Maps near the places mentioned such as the Lakeville Highway. Apparently the traffic incident occurred along Lakeville Highway (116), on the southeast side of Petaluma, California. With that comparison it's possible to figure out the scale, and determine that there's 500-600m or more between the sample points close to the one that's circled in red (presumably the key one, and the street names match).

Half a kilometre sampling is more accurate than radar??? And the article mentions 30-second time sampling. Give me a break! It's relevant, but I don't see why the GPS results would be automatically more reliable.

Finally, if you look carefully at the map in Google Earth and the one in the article, you'll discover that Lakeville Highway significantly curves immediately before the point circled in red ... whereas the line drawn between the red one and the immediately preceding sample point is a straight line. This could be significant if the software calculating the speed from the GPS coordinates was assuming a straight-line path between the points, whereas, in reality, the path taken was curved and therefore longer in the same amount of time. The speed will be underestimated.

Most likely the court simply rolled over the moment the ticket was contested with any type of evidence to the contrary.

I whole heartedly disagree. Anyone should run screaming from anything Griffiths'. Not only is his QM book not mathematically rigorous, it's exceedingly light on theory as well. All it really does is skim the surface of something that you really need to go pretty in depth from the start. Not to mention the price. Two good options are:

Quantum Mechanics: A Modern Development
Leslie E Ballentine
Google Book link

Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction
Greiner

E&M doesn't really have many good books. Or really any if one considers pedagogy. It's just from a different time that doesn't really agree with modern minds. I could ask my wife which are good books, but who really cares? Just get an elementary intro from the relevant sections of Serway, Physics for Scientists and Engineers and be done with it. Pick up the rest as things progress or as directed by ones supervisor.

Classical Mechanics does have good books though. One of them being Goldstein's, Classical Mechanics. Also, to say it doesn't really matter just shows you how much you experimentalists haven't a clue. You need to know Classical Mechanics to a GREAT degree to really understand the higher stuff like Quantum Mechanics. But, then again, you guys don't get that far. Continue pushing your buttons and leave the theory to those that understand it.

For mathematical methods there's Boas', Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences. A good table of integrals is also a necessity for any Physicist. I'd recommend "the big Russian book." I've actually called it that for so long I can't remember the real name of it and don't have immediate access to it. Ask around and someone will tell you or hand it to you. It should be in any decent library.

Right here. http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=%22Brooke+Greenberg%22&btnG=Search&meta=

...in a typical medium format transparency (6x7cm) shot with a good lens (e.g. Mamiya Sekor). That's a careful assessment made by inspecting top quality drum scans. Yes, those lenses are expensive; up to $3K-4K new, but that's not just the optics - the lens integrates the leaf shutter (not focal plane, typical of consumer cameras).

For comparison, a 35mm film frame (24x36mm, iirc) carries about 15 Megapixels (there is wide consensus on this).

More here, here...

What do they call it when someone limits the choices in order to prove a point?

Perhaps you're thinkg of a false dichotomy?

Here

They're both pretty well equally excitable, at least...

If you had asked this question back in 1883 I would've said see this 1882 report from the Michigan department of health, when they believed freezing could purify water, since naturally occurring ice water is so delicious and hardly retains arsenic at all.

But we now know that we're soon to be exposed to ancient germs when all the icebergs melt.

So even though the Macbook is rated to a storage temperature of -24 degrees C, you might do better bringing it with you to the tanning salon. Also people will think that you go outside on occasion, win/win.

You'll have to pardon me because I don't know anyone who has a "summer home" or what have you.

I guess it's a cultural thing then, because most everyone I know has a cottage somewhere in the family. It's a necessary ritual to "go to the lake" here.

You of course already know how a monopoly is broken because it happens so frequently. Y'know, cuz like... it's always in the news that our government breaks monothic companies like Microsoft or Halliburton into pieces to foster competition, create free markets, and promote options for the consumer.

Regardless, here is a handy chart to illustrate how Ma Bell was broken up in '84 and what has happened since. Stephen Colbert broke it down nicely here, although that link has been removed do to copyright claims by Viacom, one of our six global media conglomerates.

Thank goodness you can still watch it in Canada.

Of all the AT&T derivatives... we know Qwest didn't spy on us. So that's one.

W

I highly doubt anyone in the history of the universe has ever said that "Java is the best thing ever,"

By definition, I'm too lazy to suck your cock so instead I will direct you here. Also: I'm not american. I suppose I should be asking you to suck my cock since you're so eager to put forth effort.

It is quite easy to find examples of people attacked by bears. While I don't personally know anybody who was attacked by a bear, I can find many examples of people who were attacked. At this point in time, it's not worth your time to do DNS cache poisoning, or trying to subvert the security of verisign (no matter how easy it may be), because it's all too easy to send out a million emails pretending to be a bank, and getting people to just give up their login and password, into a completely fake site.

Oops try that again... http://books.google.ca/books?id=0qmO19BnQk8C&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=dilbert+project+management+zombie&source=web&ots=xdbnRLJusA&sig=kZuXH1Iq6zqTRyNHzF4w0vkniqs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1

You are so deluded with this belief that it's a behavioral issue.

I think there's a bunch of Libyan kids who'd like to crack you across the head with a crowbar.

I cannot comment about other models, but the Motorola W370 (http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=motorola+w370&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f) charged via a standard USB cable on my laptop running Ubuntu 08.04 without any problem. Maybe they changed their strategy?

view either as a pdf or html from google

Well:

From this graph, the price of corn in 2004 peaked at approximately $3.35/bushel. The latest price of corn on there was approximately $4.30/bushel.

From this site, the approximate weight of one bushel of corn is 56 lbs. According to Google that's 25'401 grams.

If you cut all of the kernels off of the cob, boil them, and eat them without salt or any other seasonings, according to this chart, it will contain 66 calories per 82 grams.

This means one bushel contains approximately 20'445 calories.

According to this list, a 190 lb person running at 10mph (6 minute mile) will burn 1380 calories.

So, you'll get 14.8 miles worth of calories out of one bushel of corn.

So, in 2004 you'd be paying $0.226 per mile. Today you'd be paying $0.291 per mile. That's an increase of about 22.3%.

An increase from $75 (GURPS 4e, 2004) to $105 (D&D 4e, 2008) is 28.6%.

So given the questionable sources, estimations, etc I've used, I'd say that those numbers are close enough to conclude that the cost of the books has approximately followed the market.

ND

Umm, gravitational force is proportional to 1/r^2, not 1/r. So while your original point about acceleration being independent of the mass of the object being accelerated, your formula is wrong. Compare this vs this. Even if you change the units of the gravitational constant, the earth would be a much different place.

Umm, gravitational force is proportional to 1/r^2, not 1/r. So while your original point about acceleration being independent of the mass of the object being accelerated, your formula is wrong. Compare this vs this. Even if you change the units of the gravitational constant, the earth would be a much different place.

Is the infamous airport disconnection issue finally been fixed?

actually it does.

I think Scientific Modeling in a compute cloud is more sexy, since it is way cheaper than 42 millions of processor hours and allows spikes. If one doesn't see differences between lab grid and cloud, go read wikipedia or http://groups.google.ca/group/cloud-computing/browse_thread/thread/73e1030b18df3730?hl=en

"I mean the kind of tiresome American who thinks that the two solutions to the current bad president are revolution or magical panacea of the democratic party."

How do you bring to power, in the United States, a third political party? A country that has been dominated by two political parties for a century. The best part about the so-called democracy of America is that when a new political movement emerges, the existing parties criminalize them. Red scares, green scares, etc etc

The solutions really seem to be revolution or the magical panacea.

    What would you suggest? - oh wise British /.er, who's country has ridings that openly support and elect fascists?
Surely you can think of a method to defeat the Republicans in power that does not involve the Democrats, mass organized protest or violence.

Found some of my old notes from when I was obsessing on this a few months back. Another way to search for information on this topic is to use the following Google search

"solar power"+"grid interface"

Apart from dozens of patent applications that are very helpful in getting an idea of how these things are built, that search pulls up all sorts of other info and one of them includes a book that is available in preview mode through Google books that goes into the topic in a general way. On page twelve he starts talking about distributed systems in the 1KW range rather than multi-megawatt systems.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=X8OXLvUSaW0C&pg=PT34&lpg=PT34&dq=%22solar+power%22+%2B%22grid+interface%22&source=web&ots=r56LpiTfmw&sig=jXJeZVV5NvkyleAbRZznUZqRWcA&hl=en#PPT7,M1

Let me ask you something - if everyone is guilty of something, how do government officials stay in the office? Either they can be found just as guilty of something, and then everyone's on the same footing - and Ayn Rand falls flat on her face. Or they are exempt from laws that affect the regular plebeians
...

(Article here, many others).

Yeah, because eeeeeverybody here agrees to cop killings over some dispute about copyright violations.

Don't believe me? Something very similar just occured in Australia: hundreds of police officers in South Australia were caught with pirated movies on their computers, but they will not be prosecuted because "the ability to effectively police the state will be severely diminished".

(Article here, many others).

Tell me about it.

I bet one or two photos would update the whole town, too.

Wow. It looks like you're right!

I apologize in advance for any typos or poor grammar. While I'm never perfect with it anyway, I usually pay much closer attention to it. So, real quick, because I don't have much time:

In your first post, you state that sending rockets to the moon or cultivating food is unnatural. In your reply, you state that exploring our world and planting food is eminently natural. Don't contradict yourself. which is it?

I agree that saying it is ok to eat meat because jackals do is pathetic. However, no one is saying that. We are saying that we evolved in the same way they did. We are saying that we do it, just like jackals do, not because they do.

Based on the small selection of people you know, you're going to typify all meatpackers as ghouls. Hmmm, I suppose, since you love stereotyping so much, that all black people love fried chicken and watermelon, huh? Thanks, but I'll stick with my original evaluation - that you're attempting to offend with childish name calling.

You say you've addressed the plant vs. animal things in another thread. Well I checked. I haven't seen any proof that plants don't feel pain. So in my eyes, you're just as ruthless with your murder as I am with mine.

Non meat-eaters can have any opinion they want. Just don't try to shove it down my throat. And I'm certainly not afraid of you challenging me, because you can't. If you would step back, open your mind and think philosophically about it, you don't have a fucking argument.

People like immitated food because it's in a convenient form factor? Again WTF is that supposed to mean. I happen to love tofu with sesame oil and soy sauce. How does forming it into a hot-dog shape, putting it on baked dead plant matter, adding chopped/diced dead plant matter, with dead-plant matter sauce make it convenient? I guess what I'm saying is: what is the inconvenient form of a tofu hot-dog? I certainly could cube a block of tofu and pour sesame oil and soy sauce over it, quicker than you could cook up a few glue-dogs. You know why I call them that? - Because I've tasted them. It still sounds to me like you're doing it because you're craving meat. And why would it make me more comfortable to see you eat it? I'm supposed to know, by looking at it, that it's geniune-immitation meat? They look pretty convincing; they taste like shit.

Geez, a Google search does not, an argument, make. Shit, if that's all it's takes, then I hereby debunk your argument with mine.

Yes, there are different scales to live by. Live and let live, I always say. But then again, I don't have to tell you that, because You don't see me trying to push you back into an omnivorous diet, do you? So you know what? - Don't resort to childish name calling by telling me I'm simple, pathetic or ghoulish because I eat meat, you just might get a defensive meat-eaters reaction to it.

Is it simplistic to say that peanuts cause cancer? Or are you just saying that because I shot down your argument with such ease? How is that a strawman? Do you know what a strawman is? For a homework assignment, I'd like you to:

1) Explain which is worse, heart disease, or cancer,
2) Define the term strawman.
3) Explain why you think my peanut argument is a strawman.

Because from my point of view, eating a food that can cause heart disease is pretty similar to eating a food that can cause cancer. I happen to love them both though, so I won't be giving either one up. I guess I'll just have to limit the amount I eat. You know, for health reasons.

I'm not the person you are pointing this question to, but, yes, they sound pretty natural to me. Arguments can be made that there are moral or ethical issues involved, but they seem like a completely natural part of a developing society.

Yes, they are potential behaviours.

So, lemme get this straight - our brains evolved to the point that we can explore our world and plant food, but to you, that is not natural?

It is eminently natural behaviour.

Ummm . . . what?? Should we be basing our actions on the moneys in the zoo, you know, in an environment completely controlled by humans? So, you're saying that putting them in the zoo is a good thing then, right? Or, should we be basing our actions on monkeys in the wild? [youtube.com] Wait, don't we already do that? I'm lost. What the fuck are you even trying to say??

I am saying that what someone watches on a nature program is a potential behaviour, and saying it's ok to eat meat 'cause jackals do is a bit pathetic. ;)

Calling them ghouls is merely resorting to childish name calling. So if you want to head in that direction then, listen here, you plant murdering fuckface, we don't only eat dead animals, we eat dead plants, too, We just prefer to call it salad. I don't know, I guess it just sounds a little less murderous that way. G'ahead, prove to me that plants don't feel pain.

I'd say "ghouls" is a way of typifying them, but you don't know the people I do. I already addressed the plants vs animal things in another thread.

You remind me of all those former smokers getting all preachy about how you shouldn't smoke. It was ok for them to do at the time, but as soon as they stop, you never hear the end of it. Hold on a minute . . . you stopped eating meat because you got bored of it, not because you had some sort of ethical epiphany. Then get off your fucking high horse, because I'm not bored of it. So don't mind me, I'm still exploring the world of meat. I'll let you know when I'm done.

Sorry, I'm not getting preachy, or on a high hourse. I'm talking shit. But you sound like one of those defensive meat eaters who can't stand to let a non meat eater state their opinions on a relevant thread, because it might challenge you.

Oh, and if you're so bored with the taste of meat, then why do all you motherfuckers have to try to immitate it? I can't tell you how many recipies I've seen for veggie burgers, vegetarian chili or vegetarian meatloaf. Hmmm, sounds like you're craving something. Meat, perhaps?

I have no idea who you are talking to, but I have no desire to "immitate" it. As I mentioned, I discovered there is a lot of other food than meat, though I admit I occasionally have tofu hot dogs because with mustard and onions it is a sublime combination (I have no idea if I'd still enjoy the flavour of a meat based hot dog at this point).

People like imitated foods such as tofu hot dogs, etc because they are in a convenient form factor, or because they have inherent associations, or because it makes meat eaters more comfortable hah hah.

Care to list any environmental reasons? I've seen plenty of arguments that can debunk anything I'm betting you would list. So list some. I dare you.

Here you are. http://www.google.ca/search?q=environmental+meat - here's one at random, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080122.wcomment0123/BNStory/International/home

I am not going to represent each of the 823,000 odd other results, some of which are no doubt made by frooty loonies (to counterbalance the other opposite point of view), but there are a certain number of well

Having a good bit of experience with both, I'd say that the documentation and overall support structure for PG is about the same as MySQL these days.

The only caveat that typically hangs up new users (especially ones coming from a MySQL background) and is not particularly clearly documented is the default authentication mechanism.

By default (at least on many distributions), Postgres uses "ident" authentication, which means no password is required for database logins on a local socket. What *is* required, on the other hand, is that you must be logged in/running as the UNIX user of same name. Obviously this poses problems for webapps that want their own database user and is generally just very confusing for users who are used to the database having its own independent set of usernames and passwords (which Postgres still does, for remote connections... causing further confusion)

Of course, like any good database Postgres will be more than happy to handle its own user authentication entirely natively, you simply have to use md5 instead of ident in pg_hba.conf

Isn't this the natural result of the socio-econic situation of said racial group in the US, the high cost of college in the US, and the fact that most employers in said industry want a college degree?

Nonsense. I'm in Canada and the High School I went to was full of lower class people living in bad apartments and rooming houses. The people who moved on and did something with their lives were the ones who showed motivation and determination; nothing to do with skin colour.

Man do I ever get tired of hearing these stories about how the poor blacks can't afford college because society is holding them down. I went to school with Blacks (African and West Indies alike), Whites, Asians, Indians (both from India and the Native Canadian variety), Sri Lankens, Pakistanis, Europeans and a whole host of every other "ini" and "ean" you can imagine. Some had their parents paying their way but most were there through part time work, savings, grants, scholarships, loans and student lines of credit. I don't care where you're from or what your background - if you want something you work for it. If you don't, sit around and complain about how unfair life is.

But hey, let's make sure to placate "visible minorities" by giving them specialized scholarships! Or, if you're not dark enough but you have the right set of genitalia you could always apply for a scholarship for women! When did scholarship money become about what a person looks like rather than their drive, ambition and abilities anyways??!

Isn't this the natural result of the socio-econic situation of said racial group in the US, the high cost of college in the US, and the fact that most employers in said industry want a college degree?

Nonsense. I'm in Canada and the High School I went to was full of lower class people living in bad apartments and rooming houses. The people who moved on and did something with their lives were the ones who showed motivation and determination; nothing to do with skin colour.

Man do I ever get tired of hearing these stories about how the poor blacks can't afford college because society is holding them down. I went to school with Blacks (African and West Indies alike), Whites, Asians, Indians (both from India and the Native Canadian variety), Sri Lankens, Pakistanis, Europeans and a whole host of every other "ini" and "ean" you can imagine. Some had their parents paying their way but most were there through part time work, savings, grants, scholarships, loans and student lines of credit. I don't care where you're from or what your background - if you want something you work for it. If you don't, sit around and complain about how unfair life is.

But hey, let's make sure to placate "visible minorities" by giving them specialized scholarships! Or, if you're not dark enough but you have the right set of genitalia you could always apply for a scholarship for women! When did scholarship money become about what a person looks like rather than their drive, ambition and abilities anyways??!

Actually programs can use 4d raytracing. It means program can scatter samples in time dimension, which gives blurring. It's only one of techniques for blurring in raytracing.

That idea has been around for quite a while with the goal of efficiently generating multiple ray-traced frames by a single calculation of the intersection of a ray, with a moving object, over a period of several frames, thus simultaneously generating the solution for several frames. See, for example,

Spatio-Temporal Coherence in Ray Tracing", Chapman, J. et. al., Graphics Interface 91 http://books.google.ca/books?id=hbJ20d4NgiUC&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=%22spatio-temporal%22+coherence&source=web&ots=jpQARDC-US&sig=mEJNEIgfR9YvaUXNTXvO1PsYcPE&hl=en

http://www.google.ca/search?q=200+kelvin+in+celsius
200 kelvin = -73.15 degrees Celsius

You mean, like this?

It was working perfectly fine until a few weeks ago when Bell started fucking around with 3rd party traffic. It's been working well since the beginning. You just have to force the companies to not be assholes like Bell is right now.

That government is walking a very tight line right now, and the only thing keeping them alive is not their dynamism, but the utter lameness of the opposition leader.

You would not want windows in the way when you inject your cyclotron.

I wonder if anyone has actually tried making such a fingerprint copy, and then using it on a fingerprint reader like the ones on laptops etc.

Do you really get a good enough copy?

How hard is it?

Linacs?

Clearly they do, and clearly they don't (look closely). A shame, and for me more worrisome than theoretical black hole doom...