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"We like our own nonsense and our friends' nonsense more than external nonsense."

Who would have thought?

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/10-obvious-research-discoveries.htm
   

Car: 2000kg, four tyres, contact patch 86,000mm^2, 2000kg*g/86,000mm^2 ~= 250kPa.

Racing bike with rider: 100kg, two wheels, contact patch 500mm^2, 100kg*g/1000mm^2 ~= 1000kPa.

Woman in high heels: ~2000 to >10,000kPa!

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question506.htm
http://flocycling.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/flo-cyling-contact-patch-why-wider-is.html
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/JackGreen.shtml

EK: No, no and no. We don't develop malware and we don't publish exploits. Both happen to be illegal — and amoral. I don't recommend you doing either too.

Firemen don't start fires ...

Actually, yeah they do, it's called "live fire training." And since they do it in a controlled area like a shipping container or abandoned house marked for demolition worth nothing with nobody at risk, I would think that you too would do that sort of work considering you can set up a VM and have no risk and try to get ahead of the virus authors. That's exactly what the author had me do when I read and reviewed the Metasploit guide.

Do you have a link to the law that says writing viruses is illegal? You're saying that if I set up a network of computers in my house disconnected from the internet and infect them to study how a botnet mutates, that would be illegal? How do you actively combat mutating malware without studying it and growing it internally?

Doctors might not infect people but they certainly grow cultures of bad bacteria and study viruses that they keep in a lab. Honestly I was quite shocked by this knee jerk response.

No, not really. Considering that somewhere around half of the population pays no taxes at all.

The above statement is simply false. The article that you quote says as much, pointing out that not paying income tax is not the same as not paying any taxes. People with low income pay SS and Medicare taxes, state and local taxes, personal property tax, and sales tax. The total tax burden on low income people is substantial.

The reason that low income people do not pay federal income tax is that they are making so little money, and when you add in exemptions, credits, deductions, etc, they are not supposed to pay anything. Retired people, veterans, handicapped people with MS, students, unemployed people don't make enough to justify any taxes as they are written. We can argue about whether those exemptions, deductions, and credits are justifiable. A better idea would be to make sure that they make enough that taxes are justified.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. Since the funding came from federal tax revenue, I meant that half does not pay federal taxes. I haven't done my own taxes for many years, so I don't know how deductions at the state and local levels are these days. But I thought the deductions you filed on your federal taxes also lowered your state taxes. In my state they also passed a law that retirees and wounded veterans do not pay property taxes.

You also forgot to mention that many of these people are able to collect food stamps, WIC checks, have fixed utility bills, and many other assistance programs. There are also five states with no sales tax. When I lived in Pennsylvania there was not sales tax on necessities either (clothing, soap, etc.)

I couldn't agree more with your last sentence. Why we have a system set up to make people dependent on it is truly baffling. Wouldn't it make more sense to make these programs short term and use more money to get people educated or trained in a vocation?

My father used to work for a program that helped "trouble" kids. He also donated a lot of his time and personal money to helping their families. Many were on programs that gave them fixed payments for electricity, water and other utilities. They would only have to pay $25/ month for unlimited electricity. So they'd run the heat with the windows open all winter long. Any time he would help these kids get jobs, the parent(s) would force them to quite as it would affect their income. I think he really lived for the 1 out of 20 that would actually pull themselves out of the system.

No, not really. Considering that somewhere around half of the population pays no taxes at all.

The above statement is simply false. The article that you quote says as much, pointing out that not paying income tax is not the same as not paying any taxes. People with low income pay SS and Medicare taxes, state and local taxes, personal property tax, and sales tax. The total tax burden on low income people is substantial.

The reason that low income people do not pay federal income tax is that they are making so little money, and when you add in exemptions, credits, deductions, etc, they are not supposed to pay anything. Retired people, veterans, handicapped people with MS, students, unemployed people don't make enough to justify any taxes as they are written. We can argue about whether those exemptions, deductions, and credits are justifiable. A better idea would be to make sure that they make enough that taxes are justified.

Because I didn't give it away. Some group of assholes did. Most of whom I did not vote for.

If it's any consolation, more than half of your fellow countrymen (based on voter participation) are OK with that "group of assholes".

If you look around and everyone else is an asshole, what does that suggest......

No, not really. Considering that somewhere around half of the population pays no taxes at all. I'm pretty much in the middle of middle class and do pay taxes. My wife has MS and cannot work, but I make enough that we don't feel it's right for her to apply for disability, even though she qualifies. If I look around and everyone else is looking for a handout and I'm not, does this make me an asshole? And no, I don't feel any animosity toward those that do either. However I do direct my ire toward the politicians that have been spending MY money (for the past 12 years especially). They are the true assholes IMO.

Can't track me if I don't accept your cookies.

Do you load images? (tracking pixels)

Do you use flash? ('super' cookies)

etc.

After $7,500 tax credit, assuming purchaser is paying $7,500 a year in taxes, and it's been widely reported that half of America doesn't earn enough to pay federal taxes. You can't get back $7,500 if you didn't pay it to begin with.

Yep, sure enough: http://science.howstuffworks.com/x-ray2.htm

ok.

1. Inverse square law: the flux density (signal strength) is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. (Sir Isaac Newton)

2. Commercial broadcast satellite receivers rely on omnidirectional antennas with directive gain for a typical consumer type 60 cm satellite dish at 11.75 GHz of 37.50dB. These devices can detect signals above the noise floor with a sensitivity measuring in the picowatts. That's all that's needed, even though the satellites only transmit relatively little power (Astra 1KR outputs a total of 140W) themselves through a narrow cone, and the receivers employ noise filters up the wazoo. This is why a broadcast satellite signal from say, Astra Sky, can be received in Edinburgh or London but not in Santander even though the satellite is almost overhead. (source). For comparison, consider the amount of energy that the Voyager probes transmitted back to Earth as they encountered Jupiter: between them, the total power incident at Jodrell Bank wouldn't have powered a digital watch.

3. Broadcast satellite dishes also rely on line-of-sight to the satellites. If there's a wall in the way, you ain't getting a signal. Windows can be a problem unless you have an extremely high gain antenna (Sky offer apartment packages where it's not possible for whatever reason to install a communal dish; this involves a small dish that sits on the window sash). Personal mobile radios operating in civilian bands do not rely on line-of-sight, though this obviously helps a lot with the range they operate at a low enough frequency that they are functional through most walls.

For Americans:
French Fries are long, thin, and mostly rectangular. Like these: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/what-are-french-fries.htm
Crinkle cut french fries are like normal french fries with a zigzag edge. Like these: http://laughingsquid.com/crinkle-cut-french-fry-shaped-cakes-with-raspberry-ketchup/
Potato Wedges are shorter, fatter, and wedge shaped. Like these: http://americanfood.about.com/od/potatosidedishrecipes/r/Potato_Wedges_Recipe.htm
Potato Chips are fried completely throughout, flat and wide, more like fried potato shavings. Like these:http://www.kettlebrand.com/our_products/#/our_products/?pid=3

Hope that helps

That's $9000 in 2015 dollars.

The VW Beetle came to the US, if memory serves, at $1666 in 1960s dollars.

The 1960 Beetle sedan cost $1,565, the convertible started at $2,055.

$1565 in 1960 is worth around $12,400 today.

Short answer: Because phones already behave off of a DNS-like system

Looking a little deeper at DNS, with www.google.com

1. First ".com" and corresponding server
2. Second "google" with corresponding server(s)
3. Lastly, which google server serves up "www", as opposed to "mail" or "gmail" or "googleplus"

4. Now lets look at phone numbers, using a Target in San Diego as an example (619) 223-2491:

   1. First, the switchboard looks for where "619" points
   2. Second, where "223" points
   3. Last, which phone is at the number "2491"

   So how exactly is that not like DNS? Would we all rather have some sort of "firstname.lastname.state" phone number? How many people out there would be lucky if even family could spell their last name?

Short answer: Because phones already behave off of a DNS-like system

Looking a little deeper at DNS, with www.google.com

1. First ".com" and corresponding server
2. Second "google" with corresponding server(s)
3. Lastly, which google server serves up "www", as opposed to "mail" or "gmail" or "googleplus"

4. Now lets look at phone numbers, using a Target in San Diego as an example (619) 223-2491:

   1. First, the switchboard looks for where "619" points
   2. Second, where "223" points
   3. Last, which phone is at the number "2491"

   So how exactly is that not like DNS? Would we all rather have some sort of "firstname.lastname.state" phone number? How many people out there would be lucky if even family could spell their last name?

It's also worth noting that diesel requires less refining, and can be made from things other than petroleum.

Well you know what they say about slippery slop arguments

It's not invalid because it's a "slippery slope". Don't be stupid.

Fun fact, we've already slid down that slope! Both peanuts and perfume have been the subject of bans and, in the case of perfume, petitions and vocal protests -- complete with signs, chants, and picketers in gas masks. There's a whole anti-perfume movement!

Peanut examples:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26124593/ns/today-back_to_school/t/schools-peanut-bans-spark-backlash/
http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/health-wellness/schools-banning-peanuts.html

Perfume examples:
http://shine.yahoo.com/beauty/perfume-ban-hampshire-state-explains-why-193100759.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-07-02/fragance-ban-allergies/55988704/1

Peanuts do not jump right off your clothes and affect those around you,

In a way they can. Imagine peanut oil from some greasy fingers finding it's way around the office -- that can actually kill someone.

Contrast the smell of tobacco smoke on clothes -- that won't harm anyone beyond a mild annoyance. Perfume comes off in higher concentrations and, yes, does cause harm.

So according to your logic getting drunk during lunch should be allowed on the job?

No. Where did you get that?
I'm starting to think that you're just an anti-smoking zealot, and not someone interested in a legitimate discussion. I have no time for zealots.

I was under the impression that the manufacturing processes to make the power plant / batteries for *POPULAR BRAND OF HYBRID VEHICLE* released the equivalent quantity of CO2 into the atmosphere as would be saved by the reduced CO2 released by the hybrid drive over it's serviceable life.

That's neo-con disinformation, operating at several levels, that is being distributed by marketing organizations like CNW. Not only is it factually incorrect, it also implies CO2 is the most significant car exhaust pollution issue, which it certainly isn't, and ignores the fact that auto batteries are recycled (in the USA) at a rate exceeding 95%.

There's also the issue of "service life". We all heard the stories of how buying a new Prius battery would cost more than the car, and we'd have to do it every three years - yet I have 130,000+ miles on my ten year old battery pack and it has had zero maintenance and zero problems. Other people have gone 300,000 miles with no issues. Good quality electric motors, such as the traction motors in Japanese hybrids, have a 40 year service life before rebuilding - and if the bearings are replaced at the first sign of heat or noise brushless motors can last over a hundred years. I have an 80 year old electric fan in my house (it has hand-wound coils and hand-cut steel gears in the oscillating mechanism) and it works better than modern plastic chinese-made fans - pushes more air and uses less energy, because it's extremely well made. Service life estimates based on worst-case fantasies of hybrid haters are clearly not realistic.

The net being a loss to society, as the process for making the batteries released toxic elements not used in making regular combustion engine cars.

Again, this is factually incorrect. Even if you accept the ridiculous definitions of pollution and service life, it's still just plain not true, and has been repeatedly debunked in peer-reviewed literature and in journals. Of course the Wall Street Journal and Fox News will keep repeating absurd anti-environment propaganda forever, but those are not reality-based news sources.

Mining the nickel for the batteries used in hybrids like the Prius can negatively affect the environment. Fortunately, newer electric cars are using lithium-ion instead of nickel: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/are-electric-cars-built-in-a-green-way.htm

Has anyone tried to recover DNA from the preserved brain tissue? According to this article it was preserved in celloidin.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/gas-price1.htm

Right... Because the government isn't taking half the "profits" of a gallon of gas. They already are taking about ~13% of the cost of gas according to this article from How Stuff Works.

I thought most big rigs were already running a central tire inflation system; wouldn't a self-inflating tire be redundant for your fleet?

"Hell its Coke VS Pepsi!"

This is so wrong it's offensive. You need to get your facts in order before you say such absurd things.

The manufacturers of Coke and Pepsi are in competition.

We're never goig to get anywhere with them through voting. I think we should apply anti-trust legislation to them. Did you know that they own the debates? Together (yes, they work together on it) they manage and own the "presidential debates" we see on TV. It used to be run by the league of women voters, but the two parties, who share power and whose only real enemy is a third party, leveraged it away from them. You cannot have another voice in the discussion. Hell, you cannot even have a discussion.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/debate3.htm

The reason you're wrong is this isn't Coke vs. Pepsi at all. It's Coke vs. Coke in a collectable can.

1)They do kill birds, but... does anyone know the number of birds killed by oil polution?
2)It's true. I wouldn't want one in my backyard, but... I can live with one at 300 meters away.
3)If only we had some sort of grid.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/freeze-drying2.htm

Best I could find that wasn't a freeze dried food sales site (and so suspect).

It says freeze dried food is good for "years and years".

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/zipper.htm

Et voila

" juror room with your existing body of knowledge"
since most people 'body of knowledge' is wrong, that's pretty scary.

AS an examples let takes, oh say you:

"if you know that guns can't be fired underwater"
They can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvgu3VaO8sE
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2010/01/26/will-a-gun-fire-underwater/

So a guilty person would be let free because of your 'body of knowledge'. Well done.

Silencers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uwYqUbMQU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrYj7wQsPs8&feature=related

I couldn't find a video of a smaller caliber weapon using oil.

Automatic transmissions also tend to add about $1000 to the price of a mid-range car, are more likely to have problems and are considerably more expensive to fix when things do go wrong. They also tend to be in the wrong gear when you need them (CVTs may reduce that issue somewhat. I don't know.).

We've got a Prius with a CVT (continuously variable transmission), and another car with a regular automatic transmission. I've been driving both this week. The CVT doesn't have gears, really, so there simply is no wrong gear to be in. CVTs also have smoother acceleration curves, as there is no shifting between gears, so no sudden drop in acceleration as the transmission up-shifts.

There's also the coolness factor -- the first CVT was sketched out by Da Vinci way back in 1490. :)

Newsflash, the Dyson Air Multiplier has blades.... they're hidden in the base.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/home/dyson-bladeless-fan1.htm

'Inventing new toilets is one of the most important things we can do to reduce child deaths and disease and improve people's lives,

No, providing clean water will do more to reduce anyone's death or disease. I don't see how having advanced toilets is going to keep children in third world countries from not drinking dirty water. Most third world countries lack plumbing to connect a toilet to, nevermind a water treatment facility. I'm sick of politicians (foundations are all politically motivated) using the 'think of the children' cry when everyone has the same basic needs.

Screw the Bill and Melinda Gates' Foundation... They (among many other 'humanitarian' foundations) told Dean Kaman to take a hike when he brought forward his amazing invention, the Slingshot. That foundation doesn't give a rat's ass about the welfare of the Third World... they only care to use their 'foundation' status as a massive tax shelter.

I seriously doubt you could have bought a luxury car for $4500 back then.

1981 Chrysler Imperial for $18688:
http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2008/07/01/hmn_feature22.html

1980 Ford Pinto for around $4500:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1971-1980-ford-pinto14.htm

You'd have to go back to the 60's to get a luxury car in the $5000 range:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/collectible_classic/0812_1960_cadillac_series_62_convertible/viewall.html

I'll watch it at TwiT.tv -> http://twit.tv/2012/07/30/mars-landing-special-aug-5th-10pm-pdt

The presenters/guests to this event will be:

Jonathan Strickland (How Stuff Works) -> http://www.howstuffworks.com/jonathan-strickland-author1.htm
Dr Kiki (Dr Kiki Science Hour) -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Sanford
Phil Plait (Bad Astronomer) -> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/07/20/mars-attacks-of-the-show/
Steve Sell (JPL, Sky Crane) -> http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/30jul_skycrane/

Hope they do a good job!

Peace!

I think the French made a compressed air engine, and put one in a small suv/mini van. Compressed air at most gas stations is 50cents. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/air-car1.htm

So let's see, there are a few holes in your argument. I don't think your environmentalist point of view is necessarily wrong, but some of the evidence you provide is flawed.

It's important you realize that the majority of photosynthesis doesn't include trees, see for example algaes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_sink
Additionally, our cars are not even a blip on the global scale for carbon output: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1229857/How-16-ships-create-pollution-cars-world.html
Furthermore, while it isn't on a global scale, we've basically stopped having a negative impact on forest sizes here in the US for a while: http://www.wendmag.com/greenery/2011/02/the-u-s-has-more-trees-now-than-100-years-ago/
Next, many of the sources of greenhouse gases are unrelated to burning things, and just normal biological processes which are involved in food PRODUCTION: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/mammals/methane-cow.htm

Food for thought (pun intended), but I'm not challenging your goals, just want you to be more informed in your arguments or you make yourself and any others that hold your views look bad.

The QWERTY layout was chosen because typists could type so fast with the standard ABCD layout that typewriters would jam, hence QWERTY was introduced to slow them down. What these guys have done is taken the old layout and re-introduced it. Top google link:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question458.htm

I think you're right, except for the spin. The idea of throwing warm bodies at repairing high power lines is not a good one. The reason the liability would be high is because it would be carnage. The job is already dangerous - it's the 8th most dangerous job in the US. Work that is a safe distance from power lines won't be done by the specialized workers you're talking about anyways. As for those greedy unions, right now they're working 16 hour days in 100+ degree heat. I think they deserve every penny. Electricity is cheap.

If programming languages were like tools... then this is what I'd prefer over this when I want to build myself a cabin.

Yes, quotes can be made to say just about anything by someone that want's a quote to be interpreted a certain way. However, i'm not entirely alone in the basic sentiment of my post: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/occams-razor.htm

I would also suggest that our planet accreating matter wouldn't really fit into the meaning of "human problem" in Mr Mencken's quote, who wrote about the affairs of actual living humans, not the falling of meteorites from the sky.

I hope that binder doesn't have metal rings:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question698.htm

This made me curious, so I did a bit of digging (a few minutes on Google) and turned up this article about the keyhole satellites, which supposedly (no citations given) have a resolution of 5-6 inches from a 200 mile orbit. Assuming they could be brought down to 80 miles and everything scales (which is a crazy assumption, but this is all speculation and guesswork, anyway), that would be a resolution of 2-2.5 inches.

Enough to identify the writing on a cigarette? No. But one could probably rule out certain brands based on color, size, shape, etc., at that point. Without better data (which, I'm guessing, we're unlikely to come by for obvious reasons), I'd call this plausible.

Since some *asshole* decided to -1 me on that, I decided to look it up:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/gun-on-plane.htm

In brief:

1) Hole in aluminum shell, likely no big deal.
2) Window will blow out, maybe sucking a person with it. Etc. Since air is limited in the backup system (1-2 minutes), it's a major emergency with a lot of risk.
3) You hit crucial cables or conduits, such as hydraulic controls. Minor to "bye, bye, birdie."
4) You ignite the fuel, either in the tank or the line. I hope you (and the idiot who dinged me a point) can figure out what happens in the next few seconds after that.

So no, I don't entirely agree with you :P

Bose has more problems than just inaccurate sound...

This guy writes a fun rant :-)

http://philintheblank.com/philled/Bose.html

No Highs, No Lows, Must be BOSE!

Love it! (aside from the bizarre and unncessary political cracks about President Clinton and President Kennedy). I've seen the commercials... I think... I can barely remember, don't remember Herbie Hancock in them, and I don't see a problem with someone lying to promote some product (anymore... I am used to it, this is America ffs)... and I think I have seen someone that had 901's, but I never heard them nor was aware that there was an entire theory behind them, had no idea they were anything more than regular speakers of Bose's design. I have never actually purchased speakers for myself! But I when I do, I'll definately take a listen to his suggestion as par for the course, the Cambridge SoundWorks Model Twelve, if I can find them, but I think I can do better than a Panasonic SLSX469V that he recommends. If someone so passionate about fidelity sound is recommending a $500 system, I just can't ignore it. There's nothing wrong with purchasing used speaker systems, IMO, the more they are used (but not abused) the better they sound.

I believe you would lose your penny. link one, link two

Can we return to environmentalism devoid of the stupid scare tactics?

Sadly, no we can't. Because the press won't hesitate to turn the blandest scientific pronouncement into a looming disaster in order to sell a few extra papers - and ironically enough cause the destruction of even more trees by warning us about the danger of deforestation.
Also, humans aren't geared to responding to calm, rational arguments, by choosing the more difficult option. Without a feeling of fear or panic, humans tend to ignore future problems and go instead to the choice that causes less difficulty.

Do you have any idea how much has been mined already and that production has pretty much peaked?

Probably not nearly as much as you think.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/question213.htm

Figuring out the total amount of gold that has been produced by man is a little harder. To get at some kind of estimate, let's figure that the world has been producing gold at 50 million ounces a year for 200 years. That number is probably a little high, but when you figure that the Aztecs and the Egyptians produced a fair amount of gold for a long time, it's probably not too far off. Fifty million ounces * 200 years = 10 billion ounces. Ten billion ounces of gold would fit into a cube roughly 25 meters (about 82 feet) on a side. Consider that the Washington Monument measures 55 feet by 55 feet at its base and is 555 feet tall (17 x 17 x 170 m). That means that if you could somehow gather every scrap of gold that man has ever mined into one place, you could only build about one-third of the Washington Monument.

That scheme is problematic. Such nets would capture just the coarsest particle as well as a large quantity of marine life, while the scale of the waste is truly epic - both in terms of area and of depth.

See for example the points from
1. NOAA Marine Debris FAQ
2. A good popular article

As this article illustrates, the root of kleptomania is a desire for revenge upon a world that the person feels has treated them unfairly.

The article you linked to says absolutely nothing of the sort. In fact, citing the DSM, it says the following about diagnosing kleptomania: "The theft is not due to anger, revenge, delusions, hallucinations or impaired judgment (dementia, mental retardation, alcohol intoxication, drug intoxication)."

So I'm not sure what you were reading.

Many people steal, but kleptomaniacs have a compulsion to steal independent of need. As this article illustrates, the root of kleptomania is a desire for revenge upon a world that the person feels has treated them unfairly.

...and, mark my words, being a VP at SAP is truly the most unfair treatment except Inquisition.

Many people steal, but kleptomaniacs have a compulsion to steal independent of need. As this article illustrates, the root of kleptomania is a desire for revenge upon a world that the person feels has treated them unfairly. This includes emotional mistreatment, which is independent of a high salary or success in life.

For Example

Unfortunately the BBB in the US is a complete crock. When I see a BBB placard on a business' front door, it's usually a sign of poor service and corruption. Before NewEgg, every mom & pop PC parts dealer I dealt with that sold used merchandise, remarked CPUs, and factory seconds had one. See here, http://money.howstuffworks.com/better-business-bureau5.htm

Some of the suggestions to call the PUC & FCC aren't too bad though.