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User: turp182

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  1. Re:The WHO on Bioethicist At National Institutes of Health: "Why I Hope To Die At 75" · · Score: 2

    You are absolutely correct about life expectancy. At birth, per the Social Security Administration's actuarial tables, men have a life expectancy of 76.1 and women 80.94.

    From there it never appears to go down (it is flat a couple of times, age 9-10 for both genders; add actual age and expectancy then diff over time). At no point is your full life expectancy, per standardized tables, at or below 75. At 75 the men and women life expectancy's are 85.89 and 87.77 respectively. Women are expected to live longer until age 116, at which point men and women have an equal life expectancy...

    Here's the table: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/...

    I haven't used an actuarial life table in a couple of decades, fun stuff.

    And to be clear, the expectancy is from that age, so adding them is correct. Here's the full note:
    Note: The period life expectancy at a given age for 2010 represents the average number of years of life remaining if a group of persons at that age were to experience the mortality rates for 2010 over the course of their remaining life.

  2. Re:it's means it is on 3D-Printed Car Takes Its First Test Drive · · Score: 1

    My dashcam can be triggered on motion. I don't use this feature, I just let it record all of my driving.

    That should dramatically cut the power used by the camera when it isn't recording.

    I'm about to get a 2nd one that will be rear facing (and then maybe left/right facing, I need to find a model that doesn't come with a screen, so it would be smaller).

    I've already used the threat of the dash cam to get some guy and a cop off my ass (he said I hit his car with my door, but I hadn't even been on the parking level where it happened, I told the cop I would gladly pull up my dashcam videos if the guy would like, the cop came back a couple of minutes later and said that wouldn't be necessary...).

  3. Re:Oh, but it does. You can't make a backup on iPhone 6 Sales Crush Means Late-Night Waits For Some Early Adopters · · Score: 1

    A couple of years ago a friend of mine plugged into my laptop to charge her iPhone, she clicked something with regards to the iTunes prompt (I had an iPhone so it was installed), and next thing we know 800 photos on her phone had been deleted but not backed up to my computer. I never figured out what she did, and she wouldn't connect to any computer but hers after that (she didn't synch/backup to iTunes on her computer, the phone was stand alone).

    I really enjoyed the iPhone experience (through iPhone 4). But I like to develop for Android, so that's where I'm at now. Nexus 5 owner. Battery life isn't that good, but I have wireless chargers at work, in my living room, my bedroom, and my kitchen. I just put it down wherever I'm at and it stays charged. There's are two more in my travel bag, ready to go (one for the hotel, one for the office).

  4. Re:I just want the new Nexus. on iPhone 6 Sales Crush Means Late-Night Waits For Some Early Adopters · · Score: 1

    Nexus 5 is the boss. Cheap comparatively. My wife left iPhone's behind because she wanted my phone. Needs a case for sure, but I wouldn't carry a phone without a case.

  5. Re:Anthropometrics on 3 Recent Flights Make Unscheduled Landings, After Disputes Over Knee Room · · Score: 1

    This has been the most well thought-out and reasoned rape and murder discussion I have ever been a witness to.

    Well done everyone.

  6. Re:+ operator for string concat? on Ask Slashdot: What Are the Strangest Features of Various Programming Languages? · · Score: 1

    Holy shit, you are correct. In fact there's more to it than what you described.

    Here's some C# code, the last examples (z, z2) really bother me (in those cases the string was cast to a number):

                            int i = 1;
                            string j = "1";
                            double k = 1.15;

                            var x = "1" + 1; // string "11"
                            var y = i + j; // string "11"
                            var x2 = j + i; // string "11"
                            var z = k + i; // double 2.15
                            var z2 = i + k; // double 2.15

  7. Re:The idea of variant (var) on Ask Slashdot: What Are the Strangest Features of Various Programming Languages? · · Score: 1

    Regarding "var": Our C# standard (which is part of a couple of actual standards, iDesign's is one off the top of my head) is as follows:

    Var is only used if it is explicitly clear what the data type is when the variable is defined.

    So these are fine:
    var aString = String.Empty;
    var someVariable = new TypeOfSomeSort();

    The variable should be explicitly declared otherwise:
    string aString = SomeMethodThatReturnsAString();

    Of course I ignore the standard and just explicitly state the type, it's how I've always done it...

    var is handy for non-fetched Linq queries as well. Do a ToString() on it (if it is for a database operation) and you get the SQL that will execute.

  8. Re:Straight to the pointless debate on Out of the Warehouse: Climate Researchers Rescue Long-Lost Satellite Images · · Score: 1

    Why would one correct for the heat island effect? It is in fact the truth; the climate in cities can be quite different from the suburban areas (same with weather, if the heat island is dry it ends up diminishing or even killing off a lot of rainfall, or it can feed a system if the ground is saturated and it's hot, adding a lot of additional humidity in a localized area).

    The heat island is a true localized climate (sometimes temps are over 10F lower only 10 miles from the city of St. Louis), like some desert/tropical forest areas in the Galapagos Islands where the environment transforms after a couple of minutes of elevation change when driving (on the main island, the name escapes me).

    I would seem to me that you shouldn't adjust any individual values, and that the average for a larger region should be the basis for science.

    I would agree that adjustments would be needed if you know that the data is inaccurate to begin with. Determining why the data isn't accurate and how to adjust is the devil in the details. And great fodder for deniers.

    For the record I believe in man-caused climate change on a global scale. We're dumping considerable amounts of CO2 stored for millions of years back into the environment (which can and is leading to larger methane releases that only exacerbate the problem). Coral is dying, we are destroying ocean ecosystems via over fishing; but at least we realize and recognize these things now. The 1960s/70s were bonanzas of "because we can" with little or no consideration of systemic effects (especially with regards to food, "let's put these chemicals in the food, it will be better"). We're better on that front, except for India and China (and Africa), or half the population of the Earth.

  9. Re:In other news.... on First US Appeals Court Hears Arguments To Shut Down NSA Database · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You appear to be correct, there was likely a draft and it was on the books about 6 weeks after 9/11.

    9/11/2001 was the hijackings. The USA PATRIOT Act was introduced on October 23rd, 2001, passed the House on the 24th, passed the Senate on the 25th, and was signed by George W. Bush on the 26th. So about 6 weeks from the event.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...

    The bill was 131 pages, creating or amending some 100 laws/sections.

    Text (and original bill PDF): https://www.govtrack.us/congre...

    Someone had to have a draft prepared ahead of 9/11. I would bet it was probably drawn up from the neo-con PNAC report "Rebuilding America's Defenses", which was released in September 2000. The document even referred to "a new Pearl Harbor": Section V of Rebuilding America's Defenses, entitled "Creating Tomorrow's Dominant Force", includes the sentence: "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––like a new Pearl Harbor". PNAC was a pretty scary and very powerful group (Bush appointed about 20 people from the group to positions in his administration).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...

  10. Re:Why? Nobody uses NFC payments on Apple Said To Team With Visa, MasterCard On iPhone Wallet · · Score: 1

    With KitKat (Android 4.4 on a Nexus 5), you press the button to wake the phone, tap on the payment thing (starts Google Wallet, no interaction other than the tap), then enter a PIN number for Google Wallet (the user interaction/verification). There's another tap to verify the total and you are done. There is no scenario that doesn't require the PIN.

    I wish my local grocery stores supported it.

  11. Re:Loose Lips Sinik Ships on US Government Fights To Not Explain No-Fly List Selection Process · · Score: 1

    Sort of sarcasm, but maybe the government should double down on the no-fly list to attempt to obtain evidence that it is effective.

    First, they need to report the number of people denied the ability to travel due to the no-fly list.

    Then, they need to start detaining and comprehensively searching anyone denied the ability to fly due to the no-fly list. This allows for the collection of ACTUAL evidence that the list is effective at stopping potential criminal activity on a flight. Anyone found with weapons or explosives should obviously be arrested, and that is the evidence.

    Thus we would have statistics, how many people have been detained and how many have been arrested for weapons or explosives when trying to fly.

    Of course it's all security theater, designed to both install fear in us and at the same time assuage that fear because the government is doing something about it.

    For the record, my bag gets hand searched every time I fly. Having a container of baby powder will result in this every time - takes about 10 minutes to search my bag and then drug test my butt powder. And I always ask for a pat down rather than going through a machine. I've been temped to strip down to my underwear before (almost pulled the trigger on that idea when they were yelling at people to take their shoes and jackets off a few years ago). I hate flying these days (it was awesome fun in the late 1990s though).

  12. Re:Executive Orders Need to Expire, and Quickly on The Executive Order That Led To Mass Spying, As Told By NSA Alumni · · Score: 1

    Per your sig, which I love more than any other song to play on guitar (excepting Follow You Into the Dark, which my 4 year old daughter requests at bedtime, my son requests Jack and Diane...), we are all in a cage if there is an emperor. I thought, via Civics in high school, that we didn't have an emperor.

    Apparently, I have been wrong in my assumptions.

  13. Re:Executive Orders Need to Expire, and Quickly on The Executive Order That Led To Mass Spying, As Told By NSA Alumni · · Score: 2

    So be it. I would take nothing over the Executive Orders. Congress passed the Patriot Act (terrible, terrible legislation), they would support some things.

    No action is better than enforced action "requested" by a very small group (or a single person). Regardless of the implications (freedom an liberty before "risk" type stuff).

    Checks and balances appear to be nothing more than bank notes and the ability to stand upright.

  14. Executive Orders Need to Expire, and Quickly on The Executive Order That Led To Mass Spying, As Told By NSA Alumni · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is crazy. It seems Executive Orders are non-legislation afforded the impact of law.

    Executive Orders should expire after a couple of years, or when a Presidential inauguration occurs, whichever comes first. Continuation should require Congress to pass it as ACTUAL law. And changes outside of that period MUST be ACTUAL LAW!!!!!

    WTF!?!?!?!?

    Sorry for the caps, I RTFA and it pissed me off.

    I would suggest Executive Orders be done away with completely, they are an "I am the King" method of ruling. Not leading, ruling, controlling.

  15. People use the Beta interface for Slashdot? on State of the GitHub: Chris Kelly Does the Numbers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Really? What are the stats on Classic vs. Beta pageview counts?

  16. Re:straight from the OMFG NO dept on "MythBusters" Drops Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, Tory Belleci · · Score: 2

    Has to be budget. Seeing as most comments here said the earlier seasons were better (I haven't watched in a couple of years as well), ratings are probably dropping. And with that comes reductions in ad revenue. And with that comes cost reduction.

    In fact, IMDB ratings of the show, have fallen from 7.5 to 6.5 over the course of the show (turn on the Series Trendline):
    http://graphtv.kevinformatics....

    Why all three? Who knows? But they each have a kick ass resume, that's for sure.

  17. Get one that Amazon Sells, not Fulfills on Ask Slashdot: Where Can I Find Good Replacement Batteries? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Amazon offers 30 day returns. If it fails fast they will take it back. Be wary of items they just fulfill, return policies vary (and Amazon has great service). Compare the manufacturers warranties, ask a question on the Amazon item pages.

    Read the most recent reviews. I've seen several "different item/different serial #" issues with Dell batteries. Items presented can change over time, they are mutable.

    Don't rush. You've been putting up with the performance you are seeing, you can take it another week or two.

    Anyway, that's how I buy batteries...

  18. Re:Ten frickin' dollars per month fo music? on YouTube Music Subscription Details Leak · · Score: 1

    The library is probably substantial, and that involves a lot of licensing expenses. Netflix is probably paying less for licensing, and offering a much more narrow selection.

  19. True douchebaggery doesn't start until the Audi A5 in my opinion. One should also consider BMW 5 or higher and anything Mercedes in the 500/600 classes.

  20. Re:You'll be impressed on Software Combines Thousands of Online Images Into One That Represents Them All · · Score: 1

    I was also going to point that out. Any graphics program can blur and image with very similar results.

    I could see a benefit to this for pattern recognition, such as determining people's ancestral makeup or what breeds a particular dog is composed of.

    The key would be well defined inputs. A large sample of each possible output value would be needed, along with details about a particular value. This would be the training (200 Labradors, 200 Beagles, etc.).

    But the next step, testing/usage, requires different software (as far as I know), but their algorithms could probably be re-purposed for it. It would take the new input and compare it against a library of averaged specific samples, somehow determining a % match for each. Then it could provide an estimate of a multi-source makeup (mixed dogs, mixed humans, etc.).

    Something of this nature, might be able to identify mixed genetics visually, or to help identify minute genetic differences in a given population (without a ton of tedious study/measurements). I'm thinking of the finches in the Galapagos Islands, that sort of thing. The "purity" of the inputs would be critical. Multiple angles would probably be necessary for animals.

    Easy to see negative eugenics type uses (and I think useful applications would be of limited value, maybe).

  21. Re:Reasons not to switch? One word: on Switching Game Engines Halfway Through Development · · Score: 1

    Not applicable, Duke Nuken Forever is what happens if you swap out the game engine half a dozen times during development.

  22. Re:regulations! on Groundwork Laid For Superfast Broadband Over Copper · · Score: 1

    Verizon has a straight path to less regulation. Of course they are going to take it. Less regulation = less overhead, lower legal costs, lower operating costs, etc.

    The solution, in this case, appears to be additional regulation, regardless of how the service is provided. Require them to provide a minimum of 14 days guaranteed service during a power outage, if the wire is intact, regardless of how service is provided (this would of course include VOIP modems in homes, a reasonably sized battery could handle up time, and the regulation should only be for "available" not covering excessive use). If the wire is cut then the wire is cut, no service.

    Alarm companies have been providing better power outage time service via in-home batteries for years.

  23. Re:Permissions on Apple's App Store Needs a Radical Revamp; How Would You Go About It? · · Score: 2

    It would be nice to filter searches by permissions. I'm not sure if that is possible with Apple. Or Android.

  24. Re:suitable for home use? on Hemp Fibers Make Better Supercapacitors Than Graphene · · Score: 1

    Are the gel-cells you refer to also called "sealed lead acid" batteries? If so, then you are correct, they are maintenance free (and good for about 5 years if kept up properly and not overly discharged often).

  25. Gamification, and SECOND POST!!! on Soccer Talent Scouting Application Teams Up With Video Game Publisher · · Score: 1

    Want to gamify your job?

    Shoot for performance gains and collect statistics. Maximize performance.

    I’m on a small team, the Architect and Developer, that’s me (I can’t get a business card with a title of “Hand of the Architect”, damn it). We can only do small, specific projects.

    Our most successful project involved moving Excel data to an AS400 and running programs to process it.

    The Architect wanted stats. So I broke the process down into measurable steps (7 or 8) and logged everything in the application (Stopwatch is a favorite .Net class). I also timed users performing the terrible manual process (it was as if they were robots, performing rote action, over and over again).

    80%+ improvement in process speed (being able to show this was awesome). Batch functionality freed up tons of time.

    Collect stats when reworking processes. Prove it.

    Same goes for football/soccer apparently