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  1. Threw my HP OfficeJet in the garbage last week ... on EFF Calls On HP To Disable Printer Ink Self-Destruct Sequence (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 5, Informative

    I got fed up with HP's crappy business practices, an bought a new Epson Ecotank 2550 printer instead. No more cartridges to buy, just ink bottles ... and those last forever, it seems. The printer was more expensive yes, but now the family is back to printing without worrying about the cost of ink. Ah, and also, no more "dried up ink cartridges because it's been a while we printed" problem.

  2. Yeah, I live in Quebec, and we do have corruption here. The difference is that here, it is still illegal, and we fight it. Since Citizens United, what we call corruption in Quebec is business as usual in the US ...

  3. Re:No trust whatsoever on French Conservatives Push Law To Ban Strong Encryption (dailydot.com) · · Score: 1

    Meaning?

    Possibilities:

    1- Jean, tu es un terroriste : John, you are a terrorist
    2- Jean, tu hais les terroristes : John, you hate terrorists

    French is a very precise language. Screw up too many things, and you run the risk of saying the exact opposite of what you meant.

    So, which is it?

  4. No trust whatsoever on French Conservatives Push Law To Ban Strong Encryption (dailydot.com) · · Score: 1

    This is the same state that sunk the Rainbow Warrior in the port of Auckland in 1985 because they didn't like Greenpeace opposing their nuclear tests. And they want a backdoor on all devices for strong encryption? Lemme think ... no, I'll pass, merci.

  5. This will work in the long run, methinks. on $70k Salaries Didn't 'Backfire'; Gravity Payments' Profits Have Doubled (inc.com) · · Score: 2

    While it is undeniable that the current boost in business is coming from the PR, I think it will work long time. Most CEOs completely underestimate the value of workers that cumulate a deep knowledge as they cumulate years in the business. This is particularly true of programmers. I can't count the number of "genius" managers who tried to make sure everyone in the team can be replaced at will so they can fire whenever they wanted and keep wages as low as possible. In the end it hurts the company, but said managers hide this fact as much as they can because they are responsible for it. Then the company starts going down slowly because the good elements eventually leave with their knowledge. When the wages are generous, people in general tend to make sure they stay by working harder. I know I do. Turnaround kills knowledge-based companies more than anything else, I think.

  6. Re:Thanks for the Diabetes. on Study: Cutting Sugar From Diet Shows Immediate Health Benefits (wiley.com) · · Score: 1

    Statistics are interesting, but they don't tell the whole story. Long life expectancy is nice, but we need data on the quality of life in the later years. Some interesting data about this can be found in The Blue Zones book, about the special areas where people live the longest, and healthiest. For me, the second thing to look for in a diet after health is sustainability. The Danes or the New Zealanders' diet might work now, but will be unsustainable for a planet with 11 billion humans on it. The oceans are getting empty fast, we are currently running out of land to feed all the animals we eat, the climate situation is dire and raising animals accounts for 17% to 50% of all greenhouse gas emissions, depending on who you listen to. The movie Cowspiracy is an interesting point of view on the subject ...

  7. Had to be said ... on How Putin Tried To Control the Internet (vice.com) · · Score: 2

    In Soviet Russia, the internet is searching you!

  8. Metoos ... on Porsche Unveils Its First Electric Car · · Score: 1

    Now that the real innovator has paved the way, the metoos will be coming out of the woodwork. I'll give my money to Elon, thank you ... And I do hope he gets his volcano lair too.

  9. First, listen to every talk by Sugata Mitra ... on Ask Slashdot: How Would You Introduce Kids In Rural India To Computers? · · Score: 3, Informative

    This guy has a few clues on what can help, and he has done what your friend wants to do: http://www.ted.com/talks/sugat.... He might already have some project going on in India on which you can latch on to avoid re-inventing the wheel ...

  10. Re:No surprise... on US-Appointed Egg Lobby Paid Food Blogs and Targeted Chef To Crush Vegan Startup · · Score: 2

    I am not sure where you get your information and I would be interested to find out. After carefully reviewing my diet following the death of a few family members from cancer, I have found the only source of information I could trust on nutrition, the only ones that are completely science based, are all recommending the same thing: a whole food, mostly plant based diet. Some of the following doctors actually cure "chronic" diseases with this type of diet. They get results. Some of them get clinical results than can be replicated over and over again. All of them are science based and despite having worked decades the field, fighting multi million dollar lobbies, have never be discredited scientifically. Look it up, it's well worth it:

    Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
    Dr. Neil Barnard
    T. Colin Campbell
    Dr. John A. McDougall
    Dr. Michael Greger


    Oh, I am sure you will find a few idiots that tried to discredit them, but as soon as you dig, you find the critics to benefit monetarily from the critic, and generally backed by poor science. Some of them (ex. Dr. Michael Greger) clearly have a vegan agenda, but they get the science right, which is more than I can say about the meat/milk/egg lobbies. Who would you rather trust with your health? A health system financed by drug companies that gets a bonus in keeping everyone sick, a bunch of lobbies dedicated to put profits above everything else, including you health, or a bunch of doctors who get results with some of them caring about animal welfare and the state of the planet? I am not a doctor, and I have no knowledge about your health issue, but I can attest that after switching to a mostly whole food plant based diet a year ago, my family and I are feeling much better. I now find that idea that you can only get satiated by meat is bogus, as the real feeling of fullness is directly proportional to the quantity of fibre I ingest.

    It is interesting that you mention the morning bacon in your post, as that idea was sold to the US in the 20s by Mr. Edward Bernays, which was at the time a lobbyist for a packing company. I am sure you can trust this guy with your health, his only credential being in public relations and psychology. He managed to get some doctors of his times to say that a heavy breakfast was better that a light breakfast, an then used that to promote bacon in the morning ...

  11. In other news ... on Robot Submarine Poisons Sea Stars To Save Coral Reefs · · Score: 1

    Production of the M.A.R.K. 13 has resumed after The Company has fixed the waterproofing process. 800 new jobs will be created as The Company enters full mass production of the unit ...

  12. Revolution? on An Idea For Software's Industrial Revolution · · Score: 1

    Just watched Mr. Robot season finale. Revolution looked fun when they were planning it, but then everyone's 401k disappeared with the debts ... just sayin' ...

  13. Re:Now we need... on 60,000 Antelope Died In 4 Days, and No One Knows Why · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Don't worry, we are doing everything possible to cultivate a bug like this. My money is on a modified version of the bird flu, as easy to catch as a cold, but with the lethality of H5N1 (59%). It's brother H1N1 was the cause of the 1918 pandemic, which only killed between 3 to 5% of it's victims. We are currently creating the ideal environment for this bug to emerge in the chicken CAFOs. I'd bet on China for the point of origin. A million chickens in a big barn, bathing in their own feces, away from the lethal (for the bug) sun rays. Now THAT is bioengineering at its best ...

  14. Weird, Microsoft is involved. on Google Facing Fine of Up To $1.4 Billion In India Over Rigged Search Results · · Score: 3, Informative

    FTA: "Microsoft has made an extensive submission on Google's alleged abuse of power, according to the report, seen by ET". Surprise, surprise ... I don't trust big companies in general, but I trust Microsoft + any country's justice system and even less than I trust Google ...

  15. Re:Again, false solutions ... on Group Seeks Test For Geoengineering Tool To Fight Climate Change · · Score: 1

    Where does the "far lefter" label come from ??? I am as capitalist as they get, and I am a fiscal conservative with a social conscience (Canadian, eh!). Ad hominem, anyone? I am actually sorry I only mentioned America specifically, I should have said most developed countries. Ironically enough, a lot of the awareness on this subject actually comes from America. And I do know developing countries is the next big problem coming. If you just read my comments, I identify the issue very clearly. The link between America and the developing countries is the soft-power that America is exerting.You are in such a rush to put me in a tight little box that you miss all the major points of my posts. That's fine, I already gave up on convincing people that are unreceptive. I am just concentrating on educating my children right, challenging lobbies, questioning dogmas about nutrition and the environment, listening to science, wherever it leads. The fun part is that they get it completely. So the message is spreading that way, I just hope it will be fast enough.

  16. Re:Again, false solutions ... on Group Seeks Test For Geoengineering Tool To Fight Climate Change · · Score: 1

    Agreed. It does require work to find out what they base their figures on, exactly. Then trying to cross-reference with the citation you pointed to, in order to really compare apples to apples. I'll dig more when I have time ...

  17. Re:Again, false solutions ... on Group Seeks Test For Geoengineering Tool To Fight Climate Change · · Score: 1

    I like this. "The climate change folks". Like we are not all on the same planet. Like I am in a club. In my book, there is no "climate change folks". There are just people who read the science, learn and are honest enough to say: this does not work, we need to do something. For me, there is no "almost-dictatorial" decrees. I take great care not telling people what to do. I just give my opinion (yes, with a bit of attitude, but hey, this is /.), try to supply the evidence that convinced me and state what the science say will happen if the status quo prevails. But, you are right. In fact, this was my very last post on this subject as it is really, really useless. The effect I have on my kids, the effect I have by being fit and healthy and by demonstrating that this way of life really does work are much more positive than anything I write here. I just hope I can avoid the air-born new version of H5N1 currently being cooked up in dark barn somewhere (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G20cooZOiYE). Last time I checked, the death ration on that one was 59% ... That will certainly solve a lot of issues if it happens, but not in the best way for us.

  18. Again, false solutions ... on Group Seeks Test For Geoengineering Tool To Fight Climate Change · · Score: 2

    Again, we see false solutions emerging to solve this problem. The single most important contributing factor to global warming through greenhouse gas emission is animal agriculture, at 18% (vs. the entire transportation sector at 13%).The United Nations knows this (http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.htm) since 2006. If you add the loss of rain forest due to yet again animal agriculture, it gets even worst. Some estimates are putting the contribution to global warming by the animal agriculture sector between 31 and 50% (http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294). Yet, we North Americans keep avoiding to talk about changing the food choices being made in the developed world because, God forbid, we should have to change something as "personal" as our diet to save the planet. Newsflash: without this change, the planet is already doomed. Some projections estimate that by year 2050, we will see an increase of the ocean's water level of 18 feet. That means we have to relocate 600 million humans. That'll be fun. Imagine now 3 billion extra mouths to feed. Animal agriculture is already occupying 45% of Earth's total land (https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/10601/IssueBrief3.pdf), and we can barely manage to feed the 7 billions we have. Do the math, it is already unsustainable. And it will get worst as the developing countries want to eat "just like Americans". I get depressed when I think about this stuff. Since we all have personal diet "freedom" until the fit hits the shan, I guess the only thing I can do is apply the change myself (which I did a year ago), transmit these values to my kids and hope for the best while I wish them luck for the next 25 years ...

  19. I knew it. on Underground Piracy Sites Want To Block Windows 10 Users · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When Microsoft offered Windows 10, I first thought it was an interesting move. Then I remembered who we are talking about here. Of course they will have back-door deals with the media industry. And of course once everyone who had a pirated version of the OS upgrades to the legit free version, they'll slowly move to a subscription model. The future of every business venture nowadays is recurring revenues. Water is wet, rocks are hard and Microsoft is Microsoft. The universe balances. And I'm staying with Xubuntu and VMWare ...

  20. Re:I volunteer as tribute. on MIT Researchers Discover "Metabolic Master Switch" To Control Obesity · · Score: 1

    Hey, me again. I hadn't seen this post from you. You may want to look into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?.... It might not be for you, but then again, it might. The program seems great ... Dunno about the cost, but what is the real value of health, really? In my book, everything I own. I hope this comment goes unnoticed though. I usually hate people who preach ...

  21. Re:I volunteer as tribute. on MIT Researchers Discover "Metabolic Master Switch" To Control Obesity · · Score: 1

    Thanks! Interesting. Chris Kresser has a vested interest in pushing the paleo diet. Nonetheless, I'll take a look at his ideas and data. The paleo diet seem to have been long debunked by people who study what cavemen actually ate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?.... But some aspects of his version of it are interesting ...

  22. Re:I volunteer as tribute. on MIT Researchers Discover "Metabolic Master Switch" To Control Obesity · · Score: 1

    ...

    This, by the way, is exactly why the FDA held the nonsensical position that eating dietary cholesterol causes your blood cholesterol to go up, so they did silly things like telling people to eat less eggs and more cereal grains in order to lower their cholesterol (in reality, following that recommendation raises cholesterol rather than lowers it.)

    Where does you data come from for this? I'm curious to read it ...

  23. This is pointless ... on Bill Gates Investing $2 Billion In Renewables · · Score: 1

    Any attempt at stopping climate changes without reducing or even better, stopping animal consumption is pointless. Please look-up the Cowspiracy movie and " Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won't Work" from Richard Oppenlander. I made the move to a plant based diet for my family's health and mine, but for the planet, I don't care any more really, I know it's already too late. It's like Abba Eban said: "... men and nations do behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives ...". Except this time, there will not be a second chance.

  24. Re:Don't worry, they'll try again on After Uproar, Disney Cancels Tech Worker Layoffs · · Score: 2
  25. Slashdotted much? on Bethesda Unveils New Doom Game, Announces Dishonored 2 · · Score: 1

    Slashdotted much? Or just me being throttled by my ISP?