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User: Fruan

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Comments · 97

  1. Re:Uhm.. on Blazing Speed: The Fastest Stuff In The Universe · · Score: 1

    Agreed on all counts.

    I was presuming a chunk of matter of noticable proportions; otherwise being hit by it at near-lumial speeds would feel like being hit by it at normal speeds; nothing at all.

  2. Re:Uhm.. on Blazing Speed: The Fastest Stuff In The Universe · · Score: 1

    What would probably happen is nuclear fusion.

    Presuming for a moment that the matter slamming into you at .999 c was composed of atoms, they would have enough kinetic energy to overcome the electromangnetic force that would normally keep atomic nuclui apart. This would result in the liberation of nuclear binding energy, quite probably in the form of an earth shattering kaboom. Or, at least, a body shattering kaboom.

  3. Re:There's more than one out there on Wikipedia Reaches 200,000 Articles · · Score: 1

    A fair comment, and one starkly indicitive of the differing philosophies of E2 and Wikipedia.

    Wikipedia strives to be an accurate and complete source of knowledge, and as such the GNU free documentation licence is an powerful and elegant way to ensure that its articles remain, as you say, freely available and modifiable forever.

    E2, on the other hand, is very much a a collection of artists, poets, random drunk people off the street, and lower simians. As such it is important to allow the authour to retain copyright in case of future publishing deals, etc.

    The two sites serve very different purposes, and I'm glad the internet has room for the both of them.

  4. Reading Comprehension on Maya now Free for Personal Use · · Score: 1

    That is his point - He is saying that in the past, had he wanted to dabble with Maya it would have required paying a rather large sum of money, and thus was not something a sane person would do.

    Now, on the other hand, it is merely a matter of a 500 meg download. ("merely", that is, for those of us on a dialup. Oh well.)

  5. Re:Dont download it, dont go and see it on Return Of The King Footage From E3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    One of the more important rules for storytelling in a visual medium such as film is that it is (almost) always better and more effective to show than it is to tell.

    As LotR has quite a fair bit of characters sitting around telling each other things, this is a bit of a problem.

    So, lets examine possible reasons for having the ring be taken part way to Gondor in the film, shall we?

    One of the most important plot points in RotK, if not the most important, is Aragorn's leading what remains of the hosts of Gondor against the black gate, in an attempt to fool Sauron into thinking he is in possession of the ring, thus taking his attention away from the ring's real possition. There is all sorts of supporting evidence for Sauron to leap to this conclusion, but its a pretty complex and subtle point to get across. In a movie even more so.

    By having the ring seen by an agent of Sauron, escorted by the troops of Gondor, selling to the audience that Sauron is convinced beyond all doubt that Aragorn has the ring is going to be far easier - One shortish speach from Gandalf about how He could never concieve of anyone willingly giving up the power of the ring, and Bam. Instant set up.

    Compared to the (admitably more subtle and interesting) evidence presented in the book - Pippin and Aragorn's palantir experience, the film's evidence is far more easily grasped.

    The films aren't messing with the mythology in any dire mannor - quite the opposite. They have gone to the trouble of setting up major plot elements, in the nature demanded of the different medium, well in advance, when they were needed.

  6. Re:nice of them to make a movie my kids can't watc on Matrix Reloaded Trailer Released · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Did you completely miss the scene in 'The Matrix' set in the BDSM bar?

    Trinity and Neo's first meeting. In the back ground, fully visible, is the creme de la creme of the Sydney BDSM community, in full, uh, regalia. Latex. Leather. Restraints, Gags, Whips, the whole kinky deal.

    Thematically, of course, it is a perfect fit (For the metaphor impared, Neo is still in the bondage of the matrix at this point in the story).

  7. Re:religion on Jedi == Religion In NZ · · Score: 1

    > do all Christians have to be able to do the 5 loaves and 2 fishes trick? :-)

    Only if they indend to put "Christ" instead of "Christian" on the census :o)

    There is a difference between believing in the Force and being a Jedi - Jedi can kick ass 8 ways from sunday, using nothing but their Jedi Powers.

  8. Re:religion on Jedi == Religion In NZ · · Score: 1

    Not at all:

    All they need to do is ask for proof:
    Unless you can levitate rocks with your mind, while doing a one-handed handstand, with a muppet balanced on your foot, then claiming "Jedi" as a religon is false infomation, regardless of its validity otherwise.

    Personally, I have always listed my religion as "Discordian", and plan to do so again tomorrow.
    I have the documentation to back it up, too. (A copy of the Principa, as printed by SG games.)

    Really, "Discordian" is a much better option than "Jedi", and I am disapointed that "Jedi" is the one that got all the press.
    Ah well. There is always the 2006 Census...

  9. Re:Is this armor effective? on Make Your Own Vacuum-Formed Storm Trooper Armor · · Score: 2

    The armour may not have been to good against hi-tech weapons like blasters, but managed to protect the wearer from impact weapons like rocks and sticks...

    Wait, no it didn't...

  10. Re:Let's just think of everything on One Click Patent News · · Score: 1
    I'm sorry, but prior art for everything exists, as a BSI project no less.

    Everything2.com

  11. Re:Bah! on It's Official: Deckard Was A Replicant · · Score: 1
    Ah. Thankyou kindly. I guess I *will* read it again :o)



    Well, right after I get sick of Diablo 2...

  12. Re:Read the book on It's Official: Deckard Was A Replicant · · Score: 1

    But in the book it is also said that the test used is flawed, and will give a false negitive with the newer, more advanced, replicants.

  13. Re:Bah! on It's Official: Deckard Was A Replicant · · Score: 1

    Well, I don't remember 'Do Androids..." very well, because I read it all in one sitting at about 2 am (Hey, its a really short book, ok?), But I'm fairly certain that Philip K. Dick only just stops short of actually *saying* that Deckard is a replicant.

    I could read it again (Hey, its sitting not a metre away) but I'm far too busy wasting time. Anyway, if I'm wrong I'm sure that some other slashdotter will tell me so.

  14. Bah! on It's Official: Deckard Was A Replicant · · Score: 2
    God damn it! I didn't want to *know* that. The beauty of Blade Runner was not knowing.



    I was always of the opinion that he was a replicant, because 'Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep' makes it much clearer, But I never wanted to *know*

  15. Looking to the future on IPv6 Ready For A Spin · · Score: 1
    Is it just me, or is a finite (fscking huge, but still finite) address space a little short sighted?

    Wouldn't it make more sence to implement an infinitly extencible protocol to avoid having IPv9705 ?
    Of course, the actual format of said protocol would take quite a lot of clever forethought in and of itself, and I'd be the ninth to point out that that task is far beyond my megre talent.

    Oh well. Maybe someone will suggest this for IPv8. You know there will be a version 8, don't you?

  16. Re:Clearly The Way Things Are Going on A For-Profit Trip To The Moon · · Score: 1
    Yes we damn well are! We, as a species cannot possibly expect to survive if we restrain our selves to the bottom of this one gravity well.
    By spreading out we can create greater biodiversity while at the same time preventing us from keeping all our eggs in one basket. (C'mon, you know about those two 'killer asteriod' movies. Well leaving aside the stupid hollywood bravado, that sort of this is something we need to plan for.)

    For the sake of all humanity we need to colonize space yesterday

  17. Re:Napster is next on MP3.com Loses In Court · · Score: 1
    Hmm. Perhaps I should draw contrast between this, and the bannage of photocopiers in communist russia?



    When will people learn that a restriction on the free flow of infomation will always lead to a totalaterian state, and the only way to have "Life, liberty, and the persuit of happyness" is to allow (*not* mandate) the free flow of infomation.

  18. Re:Fusion fuel on It Came From Beyond ... In Buckyballs! · · Score: 1

    Damn. I really *did* need more sleep :o)

  19. Re:Fusion fuel on It Came From Beyond ... In Buckyballs! · · Score: 1

    "Duterium and Tritium both have a *very* low binding energy per nucleon"

    Gah! I need more sleep. I mean very high.

    Sorry.

  20. Re:Fusion fuel on It Came From Beyond ... In Buckyballs! · · Score: 1

    Well, in theory, you can fuse any two nuclei that are smaller than Fe, and still make an energy profit. However, the greater the binding energy per nucleon change, the greater the energy output.

    Now, Duterium and Tritium both have a *very* low binding energy per nucleon, and so the energy output when you fuse these two into helium 4 (Which has a higher binding energy per nucleon) is rather large. Large enough to (hopefully) be larger than the energy needed to preform the fusion in the first place. However, it turns out that the fusion involving He-3 and some thing else to form yet something *else* (I don't rightly remember, but He3 +He3 => some sort of Be isotope would be a good guess) yeilds an even greater energy output.

  21. Helium 3? on It Came From Beyond ... In Buckyballs! · · Score: 2

    I'm fairly certain that there is only *one* type of Helium 3 :o)

    And while it may not occur on earth in any amount worth thinking about, it *does* occur with in our solar system. It is believed that many asteriods contain it, and that one of the most profitable space bussinesses would be mining it, and bringing it back to earth.

    Now correct me if I'm wrong, but Helium 3 makes a better fusion fuel that the classic Hydrogen 2 & 3 mix, and his fact combined with its complete scarcity make it currently the most valuable substance known to mankind.

    Man would I love to have a tank of Helium 3.

  22. Re:From the website on Answers from Loki President Scott Draeker · · Score: 1

    >Well... not quite... but I wouldn't want to be the person answering my call... :-)

    But only because of the temporal explosion this would cause :o)

  23. Re:Interesting look in to a future economy on Bruce Sterling's Letter from 2035 · · Score: 1

    A Globo could work with out a global govenment, and I have always held that the introduction on a global currency would be the first major step on the path to a global govt.

    The idea would be to have the UN run the currency show: print, mantain etc. And when a counterfieter is found, the UN would call for aid from member countrys*. As you said, a large counterfieting scheme would be awful. I'm rather certain that the good ol' US of A would lend a hand in bringing any wrong doers to justice.

    Of course, this only works if you trust the UN. And while I do, I get the feeling that many USAers do not. Am I right in saying this?

    -
    * Ok, so not every country is a member of the UN, so it wouldn't actually be a globo. However the benifits gained through being a member would most likely bring all those other countrys running. In fact, it could provide quite good leverage in getting countrys to stop human rights abuses.

  24. Re:Human Rights in the US ... NOT! on FTC Rules in Favor of Privacy · · Score: 1

    That would be the plan... but what do you do if all the other candidates are bigger dipshits?

    Democracy these days seems to be less about the election of the best candidate, but of the least bad.

    My advice? Abstain :o)

  25. Re:Gives me the heebie-jeebies... on UC Berkeley Announces First "Bionic Chip" · · Score: 1

    >>In the mean time, sign me up for Wired Reflexes (L2), Datajack and Skillwires (L1)...

    Jeeze! that is going to *screw* your essence!

    I would much rather be able to play with the fabric of space/time with my mind than have bits of metal stuck in me :o)