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Unmanned Aerial Telecom Relays

Brussel writes "SkyTower in collaboration with the Japan Ministry of Telecommunications (CRL/TAO) and NASA has successfully completed a series of commercial telecommunications tests -- the world's first from more than 60,000 feet in the stratosphere. The tests, which began three weeks ago, were conducted from Pathfinder-Plus, an unmanned solar-electric aircraft developed by AeroVironment." There's another press release here.

79 comments

  1. fr1st ps0t by insomniac · · Score: -1

    too early

    --
    -- insomniac --
  2. the next crash of telecom... by lfourrier · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...will involve planes falling from the sky

  3. Surprise! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great, we can swap them out with modified Predator drones when nobodys looking.

  4. a little frightening? by tps12 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Is it just me, or is the idea of unmanned machines communicating miles above the Earth kind of scary? With advances in AI and orbital weapons systems (thanks, Dubya), we could soon be living in a world monitored and "protected" by a group superintelligent, armed robots that orbit the Earth. Not a happy thought.

    Anyone else feel like maybe we should hold off on these kinds of experiments?

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
    1. Re:a little frightening? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, but I do feel like maybe you should off on spreading your me-too sheepthink philosophy until you graduate from high school.

  5. Thats disgusting!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Anal relays should not be the subject matter of a formerly respectable weblog.

  6. This Won't fly by Budgreen · · Score: 1

    for any major projects like this..

    granted it's cheap but if it crashed and burned it would affect service quite harshly and i'm no sure many coustomers will want to 'wait for the next flight' to get their buisness done

    --
    The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
    1. Re:This Won't fly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
      ATTN PLZ!

      u r VARY gehy plz fix k thnx bye

    2. Re:This Won't fly by bmongar · · Score: 2

      i'm no sure many coustomers will want to 'wait for the next flight' to get their buisness done
      I think that would be quicker than waiting for a repair crew when a car hits one of the landline boxes the towers are hooked up to.

      --
      As x approaches total apathy I couldn't care less.
    3. Re:This Won't fly by flatrock · · Score: 2

      They can overlap coverage from multiple planes to provide redundancy. They can even move planes remotely to fill gaps in coverage.

    4. Re:This Won't fly by elrond1999 · · Score: 1

      If you read the SkyTower website you will see that the prefered configuration is two planes doing tight circles in a fixed point in the sky. These planes can share the same frequency and provide redundancy. So if one plane fails, you will at most loose half the bandwith.

      But if the planes crash into eachother...

      Check out this Real animation on their site:
      http://www.skytowerglobal.com/anim/sktanim.rm

    5. Re:This Won't fly by garver · · Score: 2

      Kind of like a fibre run getting hacked by a back hoe? Only, that happens frequently and is out of the telecom company's control. This critter would be 60,000 feet in the air and out of reach. The only thing that could bring it down would be the operator's incompetence. That's a darn sight better than today's situation with fibre where anyone's incompetence could make for a bad day.

      Besides, what could bring it down? Its 60,000 feet in the air! Above damned near everything in the sky except maybe an SR-71 and the ISS. It would have to be a mechanical malfunction, or oops we forgot to fill the tank.

      As for affecting the customers, I don't know of any backbone, which this would be essentially, that isn't fault tolerant. I suspect they will fly redundant drones or have overlapping service areas.

    6. Re:This Won't fly by roybadami · · Score: 1

      granted it's cheap but if it crashed and burned it would affect service quite harshly and i'm no sure many coustomers will want to 'wait for the next flight' to get their buisness done


      This crazy idea of using geostationary satellites for critical services will never catch on. If it crashed and burned it would affect service quite harshly, and I'm not sure many customers will want to 'wait for the next launch' to get their business done.

      Let's stick to transatlantic cables. Oh, wait, these are thousants of feet under the sea, in the middle of nowhere. If they break, you going to have to get a ship out there, and even then they'll be difficult to repair. Never catch on...

    7. Re:This Won't fly by AmericanInKiev · · Score: 1

      Not so quickly there. They are operating under geostationary rules which means home customers may have directed antennaes. Can't really move these things around. Its also difficult to have redundancy unless you've got a second "waiting in the wings". Not sure why the back-up couldn't be a pretty ordinary airplane, If the first comes down - just bolt the transponder to the CEO's jet and take off.

      AIK

  7. Open Source Development HOW-TO by poopbot by Alice+Eliza · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Happy Troll Tuesday!

    Credits: onby

    1. Introduction

    As everyone knows, Open Source software is the wave of the future. With the market share of GNU/Linux and *BSD increasing every day, interest in Open Source Software is at an all time high.

    Developing software within the Open Source model benefits everyone. People can take your code, improve it and then release it back to the community. This cycle continues and leads to the creation of far more stable software than the 'Closed Source' shops can ever hope to create.

    So you're itching to create that Doom 3 killer but don't know where to start? Read on!

    2. First Steps
    The most important thing that any Open Source project needs is a Sourceforge page. There are tens of thousands of successful Open Source projects on Sourceforge; the support you receive here will be invaluable.

    OK, so you've registered your Sourceforge project and set the status to '0: Pre-Thinking About It', what's next?

    3. Don't Waste Time!

    Now you need to set up your SourceForge homepage. Keep it plain and simple - don't use too many HTML tags, just knock something up in VI. Website editors like FrontPage and DreamWeaver just create bloated eye-candy - you need to get your message to the masses!

    4. Ask For Help

    Since you probably can't program at all you'll need to try and find some people who think they can. If your project is a game you'll probably need an artist too. Ask for help on your new Sourceforge pages. Here is an example to get you started:

    "Hi there! Welcom to my SorceForge page! I am planing to create a Fisrt Person Shooter game for Linux that is going to kick Doom 3's ass! I have loads of awesome ideas, like giant robotic spiders! I need some help thouh as I cant program or draw. If you can program or draw the tekstures please get in touch! K thx bye!"

    Thousands of talented programmers and artists hang out at Sourceforge ready to devote their time to projects so you should get a team together in no time!

    5. The A-Team

    So now you have your team together you are ready to change your projects status to '1: Pre-Bickering'. You will need to discuss your ideas with your team mates and see what value they can add to the project. You could use an Instant Messaging program like MSN for this, but since you run Linux you'll have to stick to e-mail.

    Don't forget that YOU are in charge! If your team doesn't like the idea of giant robotic spiders just delete them from the project and move on. Someone else can fill their place and this is the beauty of Open Source development. The code might end up a bit messy and the graphics inconsistant - but it's still 'Free as in Speech'!

    6. Getting Down To It

    Now that you've found a team of right thinking people you're ready to start development. Be prepared for some delays though. Programming is a craft and can take years to learn. Your programmer may be a bit rusty but will probably be writing "hello world" programs after school in no time.

    Closed Source games like Doom 3 use the graphics card to do all the hard stuff anyhow, so your programmer will just have to get the NVidia 'API' and it will be plain sailing! Giant robot spiders, here we come!

    7. The Outcome

    So it's been a few years, you still have no files released or in CVS. Your programmer can't get enough time on the PC because his mother won't let him use it after 8pm. Your artist has run off with a Thai She-Male. Your project is still at '1: Pre-Bickering'...

    Congratulations! You now have a successful Open Source project on Sourceforge! Pat yourself on the back, think up another idea and do it all again! See how simple it is?

    - posted by poopbot: for the crapflooder in all of us

    X6KNUur4zt Post #465

    1. Re:Open Source Development HOW-TO by poopbot by Queuetue · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Could you guys please stop this? Thanks.

  8. my wang by neal+n+bob · · Score: -1

    suck it you slashfags - I enjoy long walks, pirating software, and getting everyone on my cable network's subnet banned by the slash-gestapo!

  9. Slashdot: gayer than gay can be! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    And twice as likely to eat dirty asshole!

    -- The_Messenger

  10. Just don't by af_robot · · Score: 4, Funny

    call it Skynet :)
    We know what then may happens...

  11. 2 and last post of the day by neal+n+bob · · Score: -1

    Now off to post at AC, where mods will waste points modding me down. You stupid ass eaters are so busy giving each other rimjobs there at slashbot hq that you don't realize you are killing your own site with gestapo tactics. I guess the headline I read yesterday is true - slashdot is dying!

  12. This is what then may happens! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    8======D

  13. Looks fragile by prof187 · · Score: 1

    It seems to me that the airplane they are showing there could be weak. If you look at the second picture you can see it bowing in the middle. Looking on the page with the othe aircraft, I do really like the idea of the solar powered airplanes, bout time.

    --

    My other sig is an import.
    1. Re:Looks fragile by Budgreen · · Score: 1

      It is..

      If you have seen the video of it flying (not sure of a link maybe someone can post it? it does kinda flop around in the air currents. Supposedly it helps to keep it stable/use less power. I would imagine it would not take much to bring one down tho.

      --
      The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
    2. Re:Looks fragile by zebs · · Score: 1

      Yep.

      Maybe if one crashed someone could reverse engineer it... figure out how you can remote control them, and then do a fancy bit of re-programming?

  14. Curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will these things emit microwaves? Our planet is really becoming polluted by these things

  15. Bad Weather by zebs · · Score: 1

    I wonder what the effect of a bad storm would have on the usability of something like this... wouldn't there be too much interference?

    1. Re:Bad Weather by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhhh, yeah. A bad storm at 60,000 feet. *smack*

    2. Re:Bad Weather by zebs · · Score: 1

      Um yeah....

      You're underneath the storm though... so the storm is between you and the 'SkyTower'. You saying thats not going to cause interference?

    3. Re:Bad Weather by jmichaelg · · Score: 2
      They're going to have to demonstrate that long-term weather at 60,000 feet is docile enough to enable these planes to stay up. Some U2 images were taken above a cloud that got up to 18 km. That doesn't leave an awful lot of clearance between the plane and the clouds from this particular storm. Conceivably, there are higher clouds associated with bigger storms. Even if you're above the cloud turbulence, you still have to cope with:
      At 22:14 CST on July 6, 1989 they recorded a twin flash originating in a storm top cloud and discharging into the stratosphere.
      Lightning not a problem? How about Sprites?. Then of course, there's the issue of clear air turbulence.

      Don't get me wrong, it'll be wonderful if the company can pull this off. It just looks like there are an awful lot of unanswered questions as to what it'll be like up at that elevation for extended periods. If I were starting up an isp based on the technology, I'd make it clear to my customers that there may be black out periods when I bring the planes down to avoid losing them to a major storm. The tradeoff is when the planes are up, they'll get terrific throughput. 98% uptime may be good enough for most people. For the 99.999 crowd, they could use the service to supplement whatever they're doing and fall back to slower circuits during a storm.

  16. Its already happening!!! by ph4tcharlie · · Score: 1
    Is it just me, or is the idea of unmanned machines communicating miles above the Earth kind of scary? With advances in AI and orbital weapons systems (thanks, Dubya), we could soon be living in a world monitored and "protected" by a group superintelligent, armed robots that orbit the Earth. Not a happy thought.
    Wow... unmanned machines communicating miles above the Earth??? Kinda like satellites! In all actuality, the premise of unmanned suborbital communications planes is a great idea... allows for a more localized signal... that way I can check /. anywhere in town with my laptop! "This should be adequate sustenance for the Dr. Who marathon"
    1. Re:Its already happening!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
      Important Stuff:

      Try to reply to other people comments instead of starting new threads.

    2. Re:Its already happening!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you know if you actualy took time to read the article you might notice that this plane has twice the bandwidth of a satelite, and better coverage.

  17. Airships by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wouldn't airships be so much better?

    1. Re:Airships by mikerich · · Score: 5, Informative
      Wouldn't airships be so much better?

      Yes they would; lower fuel consumption, much greater endurance, less risk of a catastrophic failure - and lots of area for solar cells that can help power the relay.

      You have to design a special ship, normal airships fly relatively low and their useful load drops off quite rapidly with altitude. You have to think about building BIG for quite a small payload. Then consider things like reliability, redundancy and UV light eating away at the envelope. But it should be doable.

      A British company, the Advanced Technology Group is prototyping just such a relay. It's called StratSat and the prototype could fly in the next year or two.

      Best wishes,
      Mike.

    2. Re:Airships by Myco · · Score: 1

      Good call, let's get Cid right on this. ;)

  18. 24 Hour Service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The real challenge will be to get this thing to work on batteries or a fuel cell all night.
    This story doesn't sound like a giant leap, in that they already got these things to fly during the day.

  19. A typical slashdot day by poopbot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Happy Troll Tuesday!

    Credits: anonymous

    "Mmmm... this feels good..." I sighed.
    "Shhh!" hissed Hemos. "We don't want Mark to come in here!"

    True. Having Hemos's 16 year-old brother walk in on us at that moment would not be good. I didn't think he'd be too cool with finding his 12 year-old brother lying naked with me, holding my 11 year-old dick in his hands. But, in all fairness, my hands were eagerly playing with Hemos's dick and balls at that moment, too.

    Hemos's mom and dad had gone to the drive-in, leaving his big brother in charge. In our favor, leaving Mark in charge pretty much guaranteed that we weren't to bother him, and in turn, he'd leave us alone unless we were making too much noise or breaking something. Well, we were being careful to keep quiet because we very much wanted to be left alone.

    We were in Hemos's twin bed, snuggled under the covers with our underwear pushed down to the foot of the bed. The only illumination in the room came from the faint sliver of light that crept in under his bedroom door. Even in the shadows I could make out the shape of my friend; about my height, but heavier. (Hell, I was such a skinny runt that everyone was heavier than me.) Hemos had a crew-cut of white-blonde hair, and was only starting to sprout some pubic hair. But, you had to feel for it because what little pubic hair he possessed was as blonde as the short hair on his hea and could not yet be seen by even a minimal distance.

    And, I was happily feeling for it, running my hands all over Hemos's slightly larger erection and fondling his larger testicles while he courteously stroked my dick. I could tell that he didn't possess the same enthusiasm for cockplay as I did, unless you count his appreciation for the attention devoted to his member. And I knew that my willingness to satisfy his sexual urges was one of the few reasons he even had me sleep over at his place. But, I didn't let that stop me from finding pleasure in the handling of his meat.

    I'd recently had an "introduction", of sorts, to seeing what someone could do with a man's dick with their mouth. While spending the night with my Uncle Jerry a couple weeks before, while I watched in secret, I was treated to a visual display of the intensity and unabashed pleasure that my uncle had obviously enjoyed having another man suck on his cock. From that moment on, I had a yearning that I needed to satisfy. With who was my only question.

    I guess it was time to find out.

    "I... heard that sucking on it feels even better than playing with it." I ventured.

    In the darkness, I could feel a slight jerk of revulsion in Hemos's body.

    "Put a dick in your mouth?" he croaked.

    "Well, " I countered, my heart pounding with anxiety, "I think adults do it all the time."

    "Well, I'm not gonna do it!" Hemos hissed. "That's homo stuff!"

    "Yeah." I sighed disappointedly, while still playing with Hemos's dick. "I guess it is."

    As I stroked his shaft in a steadier, milking rhythm, I could sense Hemos's breaths getting quicker. His manipulations of my dick began to falter as I could feel his body tense beside me. His hips rocked slightly in time with my pumping of his cock, and I cradled his balls tenderly in my other hand. When any attentions to my own dick has completely ebbed, I knew what was about to happen, so I picked up the pace just a bit more while lending a touch more pressure in my grip. Finally, Hemos's breath caught in his throat, and he turned his face fully into his pillow to stifle the moans that broke free as his cock pulsed and throbbed in a dry orgasm within my hands. I continued to massage him and didn't release him from my grasp until his member had gone fully soft.

    "Man," sighed Hemos dreamily after finally catching his breath. "You are so good at that, CmdrTaco."

    At least I had something to be proud of, I guess, as my friend gently withdrew himself from me and rolled onto his back.

    Even though I was only eleven, the irony of Hemos's words and actions were not lost on me. My sucking on him would have been a "homo" thing, but beating him off was okay. Go figure. Within the few moments I had spent mulling over the irony of the thoughts, Hemos had drifted off to sleep. I slipped out from under the covers and down to the cool floor so I could masturbate without shaking the bed. As I toyed with my own dick, I imagined Hemos's cock in my mouth, wondering if the chance would ever really come. Finally, my own climax washed over me, and I got back into the bed.

    I don't sleep real well to begin with, and even worse when I'm not in my own bed. And now, with the thoughts of a dick so close to me, as well as the vivid memories of secretly seeing man-to-man cocksucking pleasure floating through my prepubescent, sex-filled brain, I was not about to fall asleep anytime soon. Lying awake until around 11:30, I finally decided that I needed to do something to satisfy my hungers, or I'd never be able to let it rest. The trick was in finding the guts to follow through.

    I knew that whenever Hemos fell asleep, he pretty much stayed asleep. So, since he was sleeping soundly, lying on his back, I took a deep breath and gingerly ducked my head under the covers and scooted down as much as I could to the foot of the bed. That put my head right at Hemos's hip level. I raised my head and upper body to help create a tent over his crotch. Sniffing around, I found the faint scent of young penis flesh. I inhaled deeply, both in the love of the scent, and in an attempt to slow my pounding heart. I opened my mouth wide over the area where I sensed Hemos's dick to be, and lowered my mouth squarely over his soft cock and balls until I could feel his sparse pubic hairs tickling my cheek. I finally had a dick in my mouth! I just wasn't sure what I'd do if Hemos woke to find his "homo" friend in this situation.

    I remained like that for a long moment, partially in fear of trying anything more, and partly to savor the moment. I carefully let my tongue start to explore his tender penile flesh, enjoying the texture. Then came the excitement that welled within me as his cock began to respond to my attentions and harden in my warm and wet mouth! Butterflies seemed to explode in my stomach and drown out my heartbeat as I felt his dick get to its full size in my mouth. Concentrating in that dark environment, I found myself beginning to identify the shape of his member by taste. The shaft actually seemed to taste different than the head, and the thin skin of his scrotum seemed to harbor another distinct flavor.

    I started to softly suck on Hemos's dick, becoming fascinated at how it just seemed to, well, 'fit' in my mouth... how the head lent itself to the back of my tongue, and how the shaft rested between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. My excitement was so great that my own recently satisfied dick was responding again, inviting me to play. I was sucking a cock, and I was in heaven!

    However, within seconds, Hemos seemed to get restless. In fear, I quickly pulled my mouth away from Hemos's candy stick and held still. The covers rustled, and pulled back.

    "Whatcha doin'?" mumbled Hemos.

    "I... uh... was trying to find my shorts down here," I lied, starting to fumble near our feet. Well, partial lie, because it was a good idea to do so, anyway, and now was as good a time as any.

    "Oh, yeah," said Hemos. "Get mine, too, willya?"

    "S-sure" I stammered, relieved.

    I located the two items of clothing and scooted back up towards the head of the bed. Thankfully, our underwear were pretty easy to distinguish since Hemos wore boxers, and I wore briefs. We both fumbled to put them on in the dark, and then settled back into the bed. I lay stiffly on my back, still harboring some fear that my friend discovered more than he let on, but Hemos simply rolled onto his side, facing away from me, and promptly went back to sleep.

    And, here I was again, so close to my fantasies, yet still so far.

    And very much awake.

    After hearing the clock in the hallway chime midnight, I finally got up to go to the bathroom. Figuring it was late enough not to be an issue, and since even if Hemos's parents were home that they would be in their own bedroom downstairs, I didn't bother to slip on my pants for the short trip down the hall. I walked softly to the bedroom door, and then stepped out into the hallway, illuminated dimly by a bare-bulb night light. I walked past big brother Mark's door to the bathroom at the end of the hall and turned on the light as I shut the door.

    Peeing into the toilet, I looked up at my reflection in the large mirror and smiled slyly to myself. I actually sucked on a dick, even if for only a moment! At that moment I was Rob Maldo, secret agent double-O-seven, who could sneak in and suck a dick, and sneak away without being caught!

    I flushed the toilet and switched out the light as I headed back down the hall. Slipping past Mark's door once again, the door flew open, and a hand covered my mouth while a muscular arm snapped around my waist and drew me into the room. Squirming in the arms of Hemos's athletic older brother was a waste of effort, and he only squeezed harder until I settled down.

    "You'll keep quiet if you know what's good for you,' growled Mark into my ear. "You gonna be quiet?"

    I nodded. Mark let go of my mouth and reached over to close his bedroom door, the other hand and arm still holding me firmly with my feet off the ground. I heard something click, and recalled, and not without a certain amount of childish fear, that Mark had a lock on his door.

    The room had a yellowish glow from the large lava lamp next to Mark's bed. He took me over to the bed and tossed me face down onto it, kneeling next to me. I thought briefly about trying to get up and run, but to where?

    When I felt Mark's hands on me again, I was determined to fight him off, but I was no match for him as he flipped me onto my back and straddled me, sitting squarely on my upper chest, his knees pinning my shoulders and my arms locked between his legs. I gazed up at his lean, muscled torso, his stern blue eyes under a tussled mane of reddish-blonde hair. I could feel the soft fabric of his boxers against my chin.

    "Can't get up, can ya?" he said, grinning down at me, all snide and victorious.

    I struggled a bit, more out of obligation, but knew it was no use. Mark was just too big for me.

    "Whatsamatter?" huffed Mark. "You too weak to fight? Or, maybe you just like laying there, sniffing dicks?"

    I started squirming a bit harder, but Mark's legs only clamped tighter. At least he had scooted down a bit, and was no longer suffocating me with his weight on my chest.

    "Yeah! Maybe you're a homo-boy who just likes sniffing dicks. Maybe you wanna sniff my big dick?"

    I didn't care for where this was going, and I wasn't too comfortable with the tone of Mark's voice. But, I was also not being given much of a choice in the matter. Especially when Mark reached into the fly of his boxers and pulled out his cock.

    "Here you are, homo-boy... a nice, fresh big-man dick!" grinned Mark fiendishly. "Ain't it a beaut?"

    He held it out for me, then leaned forward and started to rub his cock on my face, tracing my cheeks and nose with the bulbous head. His testicles soon followed his dick through the opening, until they were dangling on my chin, the coarse pubes tickling my lips. Their faint musky scent began to fill my nostrils.

    "CmdrTaco's just a little dick-faced homo-boy, ain't he?" sneered Mark, sliding his cock across my face. "I saw you in there, your head under the covers. What were you doing? Giving my little brother a blow job?"

    I didn't answer. I was at once shocked at the thought of having been discovered, and confused by Mark's remark. I then guessed that he meant sucking a dick was called a 'blow job'. But... you're not blowing, you're sucking, and-

    "You were, weren't you, you little homo!"

    It was obvious what had happened; that Mark had looked in on us to find my head under the blankets. I thought I had sensed a miniscule change in the light, but assumed that to be part of my excitement. That must have been what woke Hemos up so suddenly.

    "So, maybe you aren't just dick-faced, " he said, rubbing his cock on my face again. "Maybe you're a dick sucker!" He leaned forward, mashing his hairy ball sack into my nose, then pulling back to trace my features again with his member. But, even as Mark taunted me, treating his cock as a threatening weapon, there was something else happening.

    He was getting a boner.

    And as I closed my eyes, I could feel his cock thickening against my face. I could sense the heat of his hardening dick directly on my flesh. And, I found I was enjoying the sensations of this older cock against my face. There would soon be no way of hiding the fact that I was getting excited, too.

    "So, dick-sucker-CmdrTaco... you're gonna suck my dick, now."

    My eyes sprung open to see Mark's fully erect cock pointing at my face. While it wasn't huge (I had already seen 'huge' with my Uncle Jerry), it was still big enough to scare me.

    And excite me to no end.

    "Open wide, homo-boy."

    Without another moment of hesitation, or taking my eyes off of Mark's sleek tool, I opened my mouth as wide as I could and watched as he leaned down and slid that beautiful cock into my waiting mouth. I then settled my tongue against the bottom half of his shaft while I could feel the upper half press against the roof of my mouth. Its texture was soft, yet hard; smooth, yet distinct.

    "There," he sighed. "Now, you have a real dick to suck on. Now, get started, suck-boy!"

    It was so much bigger than Hemos's young dick, I wasn't sure if I could get enough suction worked up to suck on it. It was then that I found out what sucking a cock is really all about: friction.

    Mark held the base of his dick to guide himself and started to pump into my mouth, sliding his dick in and out of my salivating lips. He would slip in precariously between my teeth until he was near to choke me, then pull back out until the base of the bulbous head was just close to popping free from my lips, held in place by the suction of my mouth. Then he... we... would do it all over again... over and over... and gloriously over again.

    "Oh, you are good, CmdrTaco," he moaned softly. "You suck cock real good."

    I don't know about that; it seemed he was doing all the real work. But, I wanted it to be good. I wanted to have this dick in my mouth. And I wanted it again and again. I was definitely enjoying the oral sensations as his near-adult dick worked back and forth in my hungry mouth, and I wanted so much to please him so he would want my mouth again.

    Mark placed his other hand on the top of my head to steady me as his thrusts became a little more erratic. His breath quickened, and I could sense that he was trying hard not to ram himself all the way down my throat and choke me. He was making little grunts with each thrust, and I could feel his dick turn to stone in my mouth when, in a mix of fear and excitement, I suddenly recalled what would happen next.

    "Oh, baby... oh, fuck..."

    Mark's movements got all quick and jerky. I was almost afraid to breathe.

    "OHHHH!!!" he moaned, pulling out of my mouth and letting loose with a burst of white goo that seemed to splatter all over as he pumped his dick with his fist. My head still held firmly in his other hand, the warm liquid flew partly into my still open mouth, and all over my nose and eyebrows. I swallowed briefly, not sure whether to gag or hope for more, tasting fully the salty and musky liquid, then opened my mouth once more as Mark stuck his creaming cock back in and worked the thick fluid throughout my young mouth.

    I sucked until Mark went soft and withdrew his spent dick. He smiled down at me, obviously proud of what he had done. He finally got off of me (good thing since I thought my arms were going to fall off) and stood there for a moment, an interesting picture with his hands on his hips, and his drained cock and balls hanging out of the fly of his plaid boxers. I just lay there with his juices clinging to my skin, wanting to do it all over again.

    Mark bent down and picked up a t-shirt, and proceeded to wipe the remainder of his goo off my face. Finished with that, he tossed the shirt into a hamper and walked over to his bedroom door to unlock it as he tucked his manhood back into his underwear.

    "You better get back into Hemos's bed before mom and dad find you here," he said softly.

    I reluctantly got off Mark's bed and walked to the door. As I was about to exit, he reached out to stop me briefly.

    "You liked that, didn't you, homo-boy?"

    I nodded, not sure where he was going with this inquiry.

    "Your first taste of cum?"

    I shrugged, then nodded again.

    "If you're good, maybe I'll let you suck my dick again some time, CmdrTaco. Now, get your ass out of here before I kick it."

    I stepped out of the room and felt the door close harshly behind me. I could still taste traces of Mark's cum in my mouth, could still sense the friction of his cock on my tongue. I smiled in remembrance.

    I was hooked.

    - posted by poopbot: information likes to be narrow

    dZkb9akQGA Post #469

  20. Reverse engineered by Budgreen · · Score: 1

    I think that would be a really fun project :)

    that or using it to power my house!

    --
    The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
  21. Slashdot has confirmed:PWP is dying by poopbot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Happy Troll Tuesday!

    Yet another crippling bombshell hit the beleaguered trolling community when recently Slashdot confirmed that, after several changes were made to production Slashcode, wide posts account for less than a fraction of 1 percent of all Slashdot posts. Coming on the heels of the latest verions of IE which make page-widening more difficult, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. the wide posts that we love are collapsing into the narrow posts that we are used to, as further exemplified by the lack of Slashbots complaining about difficulty reading Slashdot's articles.

    You don't need to be a Klerck to predict PWP's future. The hand writing is on the wall: PWP faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for PWP because PWP is dying. Things are looking very bad for PWP. As many of us are already aware, PWP continues to be defeated by users with thresholds of 1 or higher. Mod points flow like a river of blood. Klerck's PWP-bot posts are the most endangered of them all, having been filtered early on because of their uniformity.

    Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.

    PWP leader Klerck states that there are 7 wide posts in the average Slashdot article. How many non-wide crapflood posts are there? Let's see. The number of crapflood versus wide posts on Slahdot is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7*5 = 35 non-wide crapflood posts in every Slashdot article. Tacosnotting posts on Slashdot are about half of the volume of crapflood posts. Therefore there are about 17 tacosnotting posts per article. A recent article put Goatse.cx trolls at about 80 percent of total troll posts. Therefore there are a hell of a lot of homosexual trolls. This is consistent with the number of Goatse.cx Slashdot posts.

    But Slashdot is only part of the picture. Due to the troubles at Slashdot, negative revenue and so on, the site will soon go out of business and many users will flock to alternative weblogs, where PWP is almost completely unknown. Trollaxor.com, the popular troll hangout, is also dying, its corpse sodomized in yet another Greek bath house.

    All major surveys show that PWP has steadily declined in the scope of all troll posts. PWP is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If PWP is to survive at all it will be among Blog faggot using outdated versions of Slashcode. PWP continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, PWP is dead.

    - posted by poopbot: who doesn't like scat?

    90AVN26g7y Post #470

  22. Cheers! by poopbot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Happy Troll Tuesday!

    Credits: on by

    Trolling your way on the web today
    Takes everything you've got;
    Having a Bot to post your comments
    Sure would help a lot.
    Wouldn't you like to join the frey?

    Sometimes you want to go
    And get a First Post in your name,
    So much goatse that you came;
    We know it's hard to get Eff Pee,
    Our troubles are all the same;
    Get that FP and everyone'll know your name.

    - posted by poopbot: who doesn't like scat?

    Aq4IPrf4VH Post #471

  23. Weather effects by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Since these are supposed to be up there 24/7, it does look like they'd churn the atmosphere a bit. What these don't do in magnitude they make up for in duration. What kind of effect would this have on weather, especially at that altitude?

    Could these platforms be mounted with catalysts to remove chemical pollutants?

    --
    Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
    1. Re:Weather effects by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      That's like saying all the boats we have in the ocean are going to change ocean current patterns. Do you have any idea how big the "sky" is?

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    2. Re:Weather effects by Myco · · Score: 2
      Way to criticize without thinking, pal. I think it was a couple of months ago we saw an article here on slashdot about how airline jets are probably having a significant effect on weather patterns.

      And why did you feel a need for quotes around "sky." Are you trying to be sarcastic or something? It didn't work.

    3. Re:Weather effects by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 1
      Yes, that is like saying the boats in the ocean are messing with the ocean. So your point about boats is spot on. Just ask any one in the fishing industry what boat wakes do to spawning areas. The effects of engine noise on sea mammals is still being studied.

      Even from a non-economic, non-biological aspect, otherwise silent submarines can be tracked by how they disturb the different layers of water. These planes will be cruising for long periods like modern subs do.

      However, back to the planes. Yes, even tiny jet contrails in the big sky change the weather as much as 3 degrees C. That can be translated directly into millions of dollars per year increased / decreased revenue from crops, if not from other industries.

      --
      Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
    4. Re:Weather effects by Jeppe+Salvesen · · Score: 2

      60000 feet is well above where the conventional weather ends. These planes are also rather slow, so I would guesstimate that the impact would be unmeasurable.

      The second part is an interesting question. The ozone layer is within reach of these crafts. Maybe we can figure out some chemical that would react with CFCs to form something solid but harmless that would fall out of the sky?

      --

      Stop the brainwash

    5. Re:Weather effects by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      Sky was in quotes, because the atmosphere has no clear boundaries, it just sort of fades away when you get our far enough. It wasn't meant to be sarcasm.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    6. Re:Weather effects by Myco · · Score: 1

      Ah, that's reasonable. Sorry, people putting things in "quotes" for no good "reason" is one of my "many" grammatical pet peeves.

    7. Re:Weather effects by PD · · Score: 1

      Way to think without criticizing, pal. It's not the motion of the airline jets through the air that's causing problems. It's the large amount of fuel that they burn and their contrails.

      Solar powered aircraft are not going to have any effect on the atmosphere. The person who made the boat/ocean analogy was correct.

    8. Re:Weather effects by gmcraff · · Score: 1

      In all likelyhood, you aren't going to see anything substantial in the way of weather modification from these. Remember that the atmosphere is BIG, and comparatively the effects of any individual or small group of things is very very small. You'd need enormous numbers of these things to even show up against the background effects of commercial aviation, and that effect is very small compared with the aggregate effects of industry smokestacks and cooling towers.

      If you're referring to "churning" as in turbulence, the effect of even enormous numbers of these things will absolutely nothing compared with the mountain wave turbulence produced by just one mountain range.

      And, yes, I am a meteorologist.

    9. Re:Weather effects by ralphbecket · · Score: 1

      That the parent comment was awarded a score of four beggars belief.

      Good grief, one doesn't even need a back of the envelope sketch to realise that none of the "points" raised merit a minute's thought.

      Truly stunning...

  24. Re:Not a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They fly above storms, but they will need to time taking one up and down.

  25. Linux Conspiracy by poopbot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    Happy Troll Tuesday!

    It has come to my attention that the entire Linux community is a hotbed of so called 'alternative sexuality,' which includes anything from hedonistic orgies to homosexuality to pedophilia.

    What better way of demonstrating this than by looking at the hidden messages contained within the names of some of Linux's most outspoken advocates:
    • Linus Torvalds is an anagram of slit anus or VD 'L,' clearly referring to himself by the first initial.
    • Richard M. Stallman, spokespervert for the Gaysex's Not Unusual 'movement' is an anagram of mans cram thrill ad.
    • Alan Cox is barely an anagram of anal cox which is just so filthy and unchristian it unnerves me.


    I'm sure that Eric S. Raymond, composer of the satanic homosexual propaganda diatribe The Cathedral and the Bizarre, is probably an anagram of something queer, but we don't need to look that far as we know he's always shoving a gun up some poor little boy's rectum. Update: Eric S. Raymond is actually an anagram for secondary rim and cord in my arse. It just goes to show you that he is indeed queer.

    Update the Second: It is also documented that Evil Sicko Gaymond is responsible for a nauseating piece of code called Fetchmail, which is obviously sinister sodomite slang for 'Felch Male' -- a disgusting practise. For those not in the know, 'felching' is the act performed by two perverts wherein one sucks their own post-coital ejaculate out of the other's rectum. In fact, it appears that the dirty Linux faggots set out to undermine the good Republican institution of e-mail, turning it into 'e-male.'

    As far as Richard 'Master' Stallman goes, that filthy fudge-packer was actually quoted on leftist commie propaganda site Salon.com as saying the following: 'I've been resistant to the pressure to conform in any circumstance,' he says. 'It's about being able to question conventional wisdom,' he asserts. 'I believe in love, but not monogamy,' he says plainly.

    And this isn't a made up troll bullshit either! He actually stated this tripe, which makes it obvious that he is trying to politely say that he's a flaming homo slut!

    Speaking about 'flaming,' who better to point out as a filthy chutney ferret than Slashdot's very own self-confessed pederast Jon Katz. Although an obvious deviant anagram cannot be found from his name, he has already confessed, nay boasted of the homosexual perversion of corrupting the innocence of young children. To quote from the article linked:

    'I've got a rare kidney disease,' I told her. 'I have to go to the bathroom a lot. You can come with me if you want, but it takes a while. Is that okay with you? Do you want a note from my doctor?'

    Is this why you were touching your penis in the cinema, Jon? And letting the other boys touch it too?

    We should also point out that Jon Katz refers to himself as 'Slashdot's resident Gasbag.' Is there any more doubt? For those fortunate few who aren't aware of the list of homosexual terminology found inside the Linux 'Sauce Code,' a 'Gasbag' is a pervert who gains sexual gratification from having a thin straw inserted into his urethra (or to use the common parlance, 'piss-pipe'), then his homosexual lover blows firmly down the straw to inflate his scrotum. This is, of course, when he's not busy violating the dignity and copyright of posters to Slashdot by gathering together their postings and publishing them en masse to further his twisted and manipulative journalistic agenda.

    Sick, disgusting antichristian perverts, the lot of them.

    In addition, many of the Linux distributions (a 'distribution' is the most common way to spread the faggots' wares) are run by faggot groups. The Slackware distro is named after the 'Slack-wear' fags wear to allow easy access to the anus for sexual purposes. Furthermore, Slackware is a close anagram of claw arse, a reference to the homosexual practise of anal fisting. The Mandrake product is run by a group of French faggot satanists, and is named after the faggot nickname for the vibrator. It was also chosen because it is an anagram for dark amen and ram naked, which is what they do.

    Another 'distro,' (abbrieviated as such because it sounds a bit like 'Disco,' which is where homosexuals preyed on young boys in the 1970s), is Debian, an anagram of in a bed, which could be considered innocent enough (after all, a bed is both where we sleep and pray), until we realise what other names Debian uses to describe their foul wares. 'Woody' is obvious enough, being a term for the erect male penis, glistening with pre-cum. But far sicker is the phrase 'Frozen Potato' that they use. This filthy term, again found in the secret homosexual 'Sauce Code,' refers to the solo homosexual practice of defecating into a clear polythene bag, shaping the turd into a crude approximation of the male phallus, then leaving it in the freezer overnight until it becomes solid. The practitioner then proceeds to push the frozen 'potato' up his own rectum, squeezing it in and out until his tight young balls erupt in a screaming orgasm.

    And Red Hat is secret homo slang for the tip of a penis that is soaked in blood from a freshly violated underage ringpiece.

    The fags have even invented special tools to aid their faggotry! For example, the 'supermount' tool was devised to allow deeper penetration, which is good for fags because it gives more pressure on the prostate gland. 'Automount' is used, on the other hand, because Linux users are all fat and gay, and need to mount each other automatically.

    The depths of their depravity can be seen in their use of 'mount points.' These are, plainly speaking, the different points of penetration. The main one is obviously /anus, but there are others. Militant fags even say 'there is no /opt mount point' because for these dirty perverts faggotry is not optional but a way of life.

    More evidence is in the fact that Linux users say how much they love `man`, even going so far as to say that all new Linux users (who are in fact just innocent heterosexuals indoctrinated by the gay propaganda) should try out `man`. In no other system do users boast of their frequent recourse to a man.

    Other areas of the system also show Linux's inherit gayness. For example, people are often told of the 'FAQ,' but how many innocent heterosexual Windows users know what this actually means. The answer is shocking: Faggot Anal Quest: the voyage of discovery for newly converted fags!

    Even the title 'Slashdot' originally referred to a homosexual practice. Slashdot of course refers to the popular gay practice of blood-letting. The Slashbots, of course are those super-zealous homosexuals who take this perversion to its extreme by ripping open their anuses, as seen on the site most popular with Slashdot users, the depraved work of Satan, http://www.eff.org/.

    The editors of Slashdot also have homosexual names: 'Hemos' is obvious in itself, being one vowel away from 'Homos.' But even more sickening is 'Commander Taco' which sounds a bit like 'Commode in Taco,' filthy gay slang for a pair of spreadeagled buttocks that are caked with excrement. (The best form of lubrication, they insist.) Sometimes, these 'Taco Commodes' have special 'Salsa Sauce' (blood from a ruptured rectum) and 'Cheese' (rancid flakes of penis discharge) toppings. And to make it even worse, Slashdot runs on Apache!

    The Apache server, whose use among fags is as prevalent as AIDS, is named after homosexual activity -- as everyone knows, popular faggot band, the Village People, featured an Apache Indian, and it is for him that this gay program is named.

    And that's not forgetting the use of patches in the Linux fag world -- patches are used to make the anus accessible for repeated anal sex even after its rupture by a session of fisting.

    To summarise: Linux is gay. 'Slash -- Dot' is the graphical description of the space between a young boy's scrotum and anus. And BeOS is for hermaphrodites and disabled 'stumpers.'

    FEEDBACK
    What worries me is how much you know about what gay people do. I'm scared I actually read this whole thing. I think this post is a good example of the negative effects of Internet usage on people. This person obviously has no social life anymore and had to result to writing something as stupid as this. And actually take the time to do it too. Although... I think it was satire.. blah.. it's early. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Well, the only reason I know all about this is because I had the misfortune to read the Linux 'Sauce code' once. Although publicised as the computer code needed to get Linux up and running on a computer (and haven't you always been worried about the phrase 'Monolithic Kernel'?), this foul document is actually a detailed and graphic description of every conceivable degrading perversion known to the human race, as well as a few of the major animal species. It has shocked and disturbed me, to the point of needing to shock and disturb the common man to warn them of the impending homo-calypse which threatens to engulf our planet.
    You must work for the government. Trying to post the most obscene stuff in hopes that slashdot won't be able to continue or something, due to legal woes. If i ever see your ugly face, i'm going to stick my fireplace poker up your ass, after it's nice and hot, to weld shut that nasty gaping hole of yours. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Doesn't it give you a hard-on to imagine your thick strong poker ramming it's way up my most sacred of sphincters? You're beyond help, my friend, as the only thing you can imagine is the foul penetrative violation of another man. Are you sure you're not Eric Raymond? The government, being populated by limp-wristed liberals, could never stem the sickening tide of homosexual child molesting Linux advocacy. Hell, they've given NAMBLA free reign for years!
    you really should post this logged in. i wish i could remember jebus's password, cuz i'd give it to you. -- mighty jebus, Slashdot


    Thank you for your kind words of support. However, this document shall only ever be posted anonymously. This is because the 'Open Sauce' movement is a sham, proposing homoerotic cults of hero worshipping in the name of freedom. I speak for the common man. For any man who prefers the warm, enveloping velvet folds of a woman's vagina to the tight puckered ringpiece of a child. These men, being common, decent folk, don't have a say in the political hypocrisy that is Slashdot culture. I am the unknown liberator.
    ROLF LAMO i hate linux FAGGOTS -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    We shouldn't hate them, we should pity them for the misguided fools they are... Fanatical Linux zeal-outs need to be herded into camps for re-education and subsequent rehabilitation into normal heterosexual society. This re-education shall be achieved by forcing them to watch repeats of Baywatch until the very mention of Pamela Anderson causes them to fill their pants with healthy heterosexual jism.
    Actually, that's not at all how scrotal inflation works. I understand it involves injecting sterile saline solution into the scrotum. I've never tried this, but you can read how to do it safely in case you're interested. (Before you moderate this down, ask yourself honestly -- who are the real crazies -- people who do scrotal inflation, or people who pay $1000+ for a game console?) -- double_h, Slashdot


    Well, it just goes to show that even the holy Linux 'sauce code' is riddled with bugs that need fixing. (The irony of Jon Katz not even being able to inflate his scrotum correctly has not been lost on me.) The Linux pervert elite already acknowledge this, with their queer slogan: 'Given enough arms, all rectums are shallow.' And anyway, the PS2 sucks major cock and isn't worth the money. Intellivision forever!
    dude did u used to post on msnbc's nt bulletin board now that u are doing anti-gay posts u also need to start in with anti-black stuff too c u in church -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    For one thing, whilst Linux is a cavalcade of queer propaganda masquerading as the future of computing, NT is used by people who think nothing better of encasing their genitals in quick setting plaster then going to see a really dirty porno film, enjoying the restriction enforced onto them. Remember, a wasted arousal is a sin in the eyes of the Catholic church. Clearly, the only god-fearing Christian operating system in existence is CP/M -- The Christian Program Monitor. All computer users should immediately ask their local pastor to install this fine OS onto their systems. It is the only route to salvation.

    Secondly, this message is for every man. Computers know no colour. Not only that, but one of the finest websites in the world is maintained by a Black Man . Now fuck off you racist donkey felcher.
    And don't forget that slashdot was written in Perl, which is just too close to 'Pearl Necklace' for comfort.... oh wait; that's something all you heterosexuals do.... I can't help but wonder how much faster the trolls could do First-Posts on this site if it were redone in PHP... I could hand-type dynamic HTML pages faster than Perl can do them. -- phee, Slashdot


    Although there is nothing unholy about the fine heterosexual act of ejaculating between a woman's breasts, squirting one's load up towards her neck and chin area, it should be noted that Perl (standing for Pansies Entering Rectums Locally) is also close to 'Pearl Monocle,' 'Pearl Nosering,' and the ubiquitous 'Pearl Enema.'

    One scary thing about Perl is that it contains hidden homosexual messages. Take the following code: LWP::Simple -- It looks innocuous enough, doesn't it? But look at the line closely: There are two colons next to each other! As Larry 'Balls to the' Wall would openly admit in the Perl Documentation, Perl was designed from the ground up to indoctrinate it's programmers into performing unnatural sexual acts -- having two colons so closely together is clearly a reference to the perverse sickening act of 'colon kissing,' whereby two homosexual queers spread their buttocks wide, pressing their filthy torn sphincters together. They then share small round objects like marbles or golfballs by passing them from one rectum to another using muscle contraction alone. This is also referred to in programming 'circles' as 'Parameter Passing.'

    And PHP stands for Perverted Homosexual Penetration. Didn't you know?
    Thank you for your valuable input on this. I am sure you will be never forgotten. BTW: Did I mention that this could be useful in terraforming Mars? Mars rulaa. -- Eimernase, Slashdot


    Well, I don't know about terraforming Mars, but I do know that homosexual Linux Advocates have been probing Uranus for years.
    That's inspiring. Keep up the good work, AC. May God in his wisdom grant you the strength to bring the plain honest truth to this community, and make it pure again. Yours, Cerberus. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    *sniff* That brings a tear to my eye. Thank you once more for your kind support. I have taken faith in the knowledge that I am doing the Good Lord's work, but it is encouraging to know that I am helping out the common man here.

    However, I should be cautious about revealing your name 'Cerberus' on such a filthy den of depravity as Slashdot. It is a well known fact that the 'Kerberos' documentation from Microsoft is a detailed manual describing, in intimate, exacting detail, how to sexually penetrate a variety of unwilling canine animals; be they domesticated, wild, or mythical. Slashdot posters have taken great pleasure in illegally spreading this documentation far and wide, treating it as an 'extension' to the Linux 'Sauce Code,' for the sake of 'interoperability.' (The slang term they use for nonconsensual intercourse -- their favourite kind.)

    In fact, sick twisted Linux deviants are known to have LAN parties, (Love of Anal Naughtiness, needless to say.), wherein they entice a stray dog, known as the 'Samba Mount,' into their homes. Up to four of these filth-sodden blasphemers against nature take turns to plunge their erect, throbbing, uncircumcised members, conkers-deep, into the rectum, mouth, and other fleshy orifices of the poor animal. Eventually, the 'Samba Mount' collapses due to 'overload,' and needs to be 'rebooted.' (i.e., kicked out into the street, and left to fend for itself.) Many Linux users boast about their 'uptime' in such situations.
    Inspiring stuff! If only all trolls were this quality! -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    If only indeed. You can help our brave cause by moderating this message up as often as possible. I recommend '+1, Underrated,' as that will protect your precious Karma in Metamoderation. Only then can we break through the glass ceiling of Homosexual Slashdot Culture. Is it any wonder that the new version of Slashcode has been christened 'Bender'???

    If we can get just one of these postings up to at least '+1,' then it will be archived forever! Others will learn of our struggle, and join with us in our battle for freedom!
    It's pathetic you've spent so much time writing this. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    I am compelled to document the foulness and carnal depravity that is Linux, in order that we may prepare ourselves for the great holy war that is to follow. It is my solemn duty to peel back the foreskin of ignorance and apply the wire brush of enlightenment.
    As with any great open-source project, you need someone asking this question, so I'll do it. When the hell is version 2.0 going to be ready?!?! -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    I could make an arrogant, childish comment along the lines of 'Every time someone asks for 2.0, I won't release it for another 24 hours,' but the truth of the matter is that I'm quite nervous of releasing a 'number two,' as I can guarantee some filthy shit-slurping Linux pervert would want to suck it straight out of my anus before I've even had chance to wipe.
    I desperately want to suck your monolithic kernel, you sexy hunk, you. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    I sincerely hope you're Natalie Portman.
    Dude, nothing on slashdot larger than 3 paragraphs is worth reading. Try to distill the message, whatever it was, and maybe I'll read it. As it is, I have to much open source software to write to waste even 10 seconds of precious time. 10 seconds is all its gonna take M$ to whoop Linux's ass. Vigilence is the price of Free (as in libre -- from the fine, frou frou French language) Software. Hack on fellow geeks, and remember: Friday is Bouillabaisse day except for heathens who do not believe that Jesus died for their sins. Those godless, oil drench, bearded sexist clowns can pull grits from their pantaloons (another fine, fine French word) and eat that. Anyway, try to keep your message focused and concise. For concision is the soul of derision. Way. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    What the fuck?
    I've read your gay conspiracy post version 1.3.0 and I must say I'm impressed. In particular, I appreciate how you have managed to squeeze in a healthy dose of the latent homosexuality you gay-bashing homos tend to be full of. Thank you again. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Well bugger me!
    ooooh honey. how insecure are you!!! wann a little massage from deare bruci. love you -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Fuck right off!

    IMPORTANT: This message needs to be heard (Not HURD, which is an acronym for 'Huge Unclean Rectal Dilator') across the whole community, so it has been released into the Public Domain. You know, that licence that we all had before those homoerotic crypto-fascists came out with the GPL (Gay Penetration License) that is no more than an excuse to see who's got the biggest feces-encrusted cock. I would have put this up on Freshmeat, but that name is known to be a euphemism for the tight rump of a young boy.

    Come to think of it, the whole concept of 'Source Control' unnerves me, because it sounds a bit like 'Sauce Control,' which is a description of the homosexual practice of holding the base of the cock shaft tightly upon the point of ejaculation, thus causing a build up of semenal fluid that is only released upon entry into an incision made into the base of the receiver's scrotum. And 'Open Sauce' is the act of ejaculating into another mans face or perhaps a biscuit to be shared later. Obviously, 'Closed Sauce' is the only Christian thing to do, as evidenced by the fact that it is what Cathedrals are all about.

    Contributors: (although not to the eternal game of 'soggy biscuit' that open 'sauce' development has become) Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, phee, Anonymous Coward, mighty jebus, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, double_h, Anonymous Coward, Eimernase, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward. Further contributions are welcome.

    Current changes: This version sent to FreeWIPO by 'Bring BackATV' as plain text. Reformatted everything, added all links back in (that we could match from the previous version), many new ones (Slashbot bait links). Even more spelling fixed. Who wrote this thing, CmdrTaco himself?

    Previous changes: Yet more changes added. Spelling fixed. Feedback added. Explanation of 'distro' system. 'Mount Point' syntax described. More filth regarding `man` and Slashdot. Yet more fucking spelling fixed. 'Fetchmail' uncovered further. More Slashbot baiting. Apache exposed. Distribution licence at foot of document.

    - posted by poopbot: for all your crapflooding needs

    LQKSO8Qysx Post #472
  26. Typical NASA, doing thngs the hard way. by Moderation+abuser · · Score: 2

    Not enough lateral thinking.

    http://www.airship.com/prod/stratsat_sub_frames. ht m

    --
    Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
    1. Re:Typical NASA, doing thngs the hard way. by Shade1001 · · Score: 1

      Just like the difference between "focus on problem" and "focus on solution"...?

      When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity. In order to solve this problem, they hired Andersen Consulting (Accenture today). It took them one decade and 12 million dollars. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, under water, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature ranging from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

      The Russians used a pencil.

  27. Re:the next *nix airborne crash ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... will send that snooty , non-flying, stiff-beaked, penguin-suited quasi-bird into the Beverly Hilton awning. And that ain't no buffet overflow.

  28. HEY TACO! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    Taco, way back in the late seventies, i fucked your mom. The thing is, though, it wasn't an ordinary fucking. Mrs. Malda was a fecalphiliac.

    I shat in your mother's vagina. Nine months later, the turd came back out she named it Rob.

  29. Where have all the crackpots gone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Before the epidemic of crack or the plague of crackheads there were crackpots. Great men like Charles Forte and Erik Von Daniken walked among us spreading the truth. What happened? Was it a crackpot crackdown? Did the crackpots crackup?
    Of course I speak of the crack moderators smoke and not the crack that the site janitors crave and lick. This lack of modern crackpots must be stop. Crackpots of the world unite!!!

  30. Strength in flexibility by IncohereD · · Score: 1

    It seems to me that the airplane they are showing there could be weak. If you look at the second picture you can see it bowing in the middle.

    Ever notice how trees bend without breaking? Or how buildings gently sway in the wind? The easiest way to ensure something will break is to make it stiff and brittle. Structures with a bit of leeway are more resilient in the end.

    The much vaunted titanium is actually quite bendable, which is one of the reasons its so strong.

  31. Prior Art by Brew+Bird · · Score: 1

    read about this back in the 1983... in a sci-fi book called 'Single Combat' by Dean Ing...

    The man even included a basic sketch outline of a plan... called it a 'boucher relay'

  32. Spin off technology by jmichaelg · · Score: 2

    Not only are they working on building a large, long-endurance airplane, they're also working on a small, short-endurance spy plane. The basic idea is you take a briefcase to where you're interested in looking at something, open the case, set up a small antennae and launch a little hand-held plane to go snoop around. There's a paper on how they built the plane near the bottom of this page.

  33. Excellent news! by Jeppe+Salvesen · · Score: 2

    These machines are environmentally friendly, inexpensive and makes the telecommunications infrastructure more resilient.

    The plane doesn't even use stored power - it uses solar power to fly and power the telecom equipment. I am amazed, but also slightly skeptical that there will be enough power available to both fly for 6 months and power the payload, and store the surplus energy overnight. That especially applies to the extreme north and south where daylight is scarce and at an extremely low angle during the winter.

    If this turns out to work, it's a major breakthrough. It will provide both urban areas with scalable telecom soluitions, and provide the less densely populated areas with modern telecom facilities. This applies especially to the developing parts of the world where the current infrastructure is abysmal.

    All I worry about is if someone sees this as a threat, and manages to shut down the project in some ingenious way.

    --

    Stop the brainwash

  34. Why was it unmanned? by IXI · · Score: 1

    Is it to be sent to a harem?

    --
    He saw some dirty arabs and fired. Too bad it was just some friendly kurds, BBC reporters and his fellow cowboys.
  35. Want to communicate through satellites? by Katz_is_a_moron · · Score: 2, Informative

    There are a series of amateur radio satellites in orbit sponsored by members of The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation and other organizations worldwide. They are free to use worldwide by anyone holding an amateur radio license. Most of these satellites are in low earth orbit, which means that they may make several passes a day. It does not take much to get started. You can communicate with other radio amateurs through these satellites with nothing more than a handheld antenna pointed at the sky and a handheld radio clipped to your belt. I use this antenna.

    Yes, I know that I can whip out my cellphone and talk to anyone with much less effort. But I am a geek and this is much cooler (and fun!)

    If you are in the U.S. check out the American Radio Relay League's web site for more information on getting licensed. If you are outside the U.S., check the above web site for information on getting licensed in your country. It's easy!

    1. Re:Want to communicate through satellites? by Snover · · Score: 1

      Does that mean that I can hack these satellites and get lesbian porn from Japan? Sweet. I'm there.

      (Sorry, SORRY! Bad taste, I know!)

      --

      [insert witty comment here]
  36. This sucks... by zulux · · Score: 2

    .... some idiot is going to combine this with an advertising banner. The skys, thirty years from now, will be filled with advertsising. Even at 30,000 - it would be economical to tow a *huge* fabric banner thats visible from the ground....

    ugh.

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  37. Resilience by xant · · Score: 2

    These machines are environmentally friendly, inexpensive and makes the telecommunications infrastructure more resilient.

    Something that's desperately needed right now. The whole US internet infrastructure is only running now by the blessing of the court system, a court system whose wisdom is hit-or-miss at best. Not that I'm hoping WorldCom survives, I just want it to survive long enough for a bunch of smaller competitors to buy up the pieces at bargain bin rates.

    Any technology that provides alternatives for getting on or running the internet gets a big cheer from me.

    --
    It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
  38. previous slashdot stories on Helios by jlv · · Score: 2
  39. Troll Tuesday is Dying!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'nuff said.

  40. I troll therefore I am... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure one of you eggheads out there can translate that into latin for me. Please for the love of God just don't spell it wrong.

    And don't use Mozlla, no matter what the version number. It leads to users losing the ability to spell

  41. Troll Tuesday is working ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't know if the moderators can't keep up, but most trolls are not getting smacked to -1. I don't know if they are saving their points or just curled up in a ball crying, but I won't stop until they pronounce me ( -1, Troll ).

  42. Go Helios! by citizenP · · Score: 2, Informative

    A while back I was able to go to Dryden Flight Research Center and see the Helios and talk to one of the head engineers about the project. The plane itself has a huge wingspan, larger than that of a 747. I don't recall the exact figure, but I'm sure you can find it on NASA's website. As several people have commented, it is better structurally for the wing to be very flexible. This allows the plane to absorb shock encountered in flight, with an instantaneous shock resistance of > 30g's. At that time, the idea was to operate the plane at an altitude of 120,000 feet, which would put it above most weather. There is some risk involved with takeoff and landing, but this is true for any aircraft. Besides, a Helios flight may last up to 60 days, which gives leeway to plan takeoffs and landings around weather conditions. The real advantage of the Helios over a satellite is maintenance. If the electronics in a satellite fail, there are few options for fixing or recovering the satellite. At a cost of over $80 million a pop, that's an expensive risk. With a Helios, which may cost around $3 million, servicing the payload is much easier. The plane itself has such a low glide ratio that in the original tests, they shut off the engines at night and let the plane glide. It only lost about 15,000 feet over an 8 hour period. In the morning the engines would come back on and the plane would regain altitude in a couple of hours. I am not sure if they still do that, but it's a great way to conserve electricity for use with a payload. Anyway, should the engines fail there is plenty of time to land the aircraft. I'm excited to see these successful test flights, as there are many benifits the plane could provide. The obvious application is cellular phone coverage, but at a much lower cost. This means extending cellular coverage to areas of the world that are underserviced by current telecommunications satellites (i.e., a large portion of the African continent). It is also possible to transmit power via a microwave radio signal, thus these could also be used to provide electrical power to very remote areas. The Helios won't, and shouldn't, replace current infrastructure but it may be a great tool for meeting the challenges of technological development in underdeveloped parts of the world.

    1. Re:Go Helios! by AmericanInKiev · · Score: 1

      Since they advertise geostationarity - I think they must maintain altitude all night. In fact - the cycle life of the battery system is likely to be the functional limit on time aloft.

  43. it gets worse by lingqi · · Score: 1

    as our need of bandwidth grow -- more and more of these will circulate the sky. not only will you be bombarded by the rediculous amount of ads -- something that has always been taken for granted: sunshine -- will now be a luxury.

    --

    My life in the land of the rising sun.

  44. Gyromil + Attenna = Power and Bandwidth by F34nor · · Score: 1

    Have you read about gyromils?
    www.bbc.co.uk/science/tw/items/010328_w indmillsint hesky.shtml

    Team up the two. We can subsidize it as "homeland security." We put a ring of these around major metro areas, the steel cables should give the civies a flase sense of secuity while pumping out power and bandwidth.

  45. Altitude Record by bleyddyn · · Score: 1
    On one of the pages linked to by the linked to article, I found this:

    On August 13, 2001 on its second high altitude flight, Helios flew to 96,863 feet, shattering the world altitude record for both propeller and jet-powered aircraft (the SR-71 spy plane was the previous record holder, having flown to 85,068 feet in July 1976).
    I had no idea the SR-71 had been (publicly) dethroned! And by a propeller driven plane, at that.
  46. give me a break by mlibby · · Score: 1

    i hope you're joking... do you know how absolutely huge a banner would have to be to be visible (much less legible) from 30,000 feet (5+ miles)?

    remember, this is a very low-power aircraft, too. this design is basically the aeronautical equivalent of a solar-powered bicycle. long endurance w/ no frills, & that includes any sort of excess power.

  47. Un'man'ned? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So they decide to send only women to do fly the plane? Hey, that's SEXIST!!!

  48. Re:Troll Tuesday is Dying!!! Where is the mod??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I AM TROLL, HEAR ME TROLL.

  49. plus for hardware upgrade - or to resell it for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    another purpose...

    satellite just suck for that.
    Like how do you prepare for another higher speed standard? You don't!
    It's like throwing your pc every time a faster processor comes out.. okay bad example. :)
    also you need special expensive shielded electronic, stuff that handle extreme temperatures, and you pay the extremely developped tech of rockets, in a low competition market..
    Nicolas.