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User: peter303

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  1. French started in 1881, US finished 1914 on With Chinese Investment, Nicaraguan Passage Could Dwarf Panama Canal · · Score: 1

    problems dragged it out

  2. Panama Canal took 33 years, 4 countries on With Chinese Investment, Nicaraguan Passage Could Dwarf Panama Canal · · Score: 2

    France, US, Columbia, and Panama. Jungle diseases of workers was a huge problem at beginning.

  3. popular topic at SIGGRAPH for last decade on 2D To 3D Object Manipulation Software Lends Depth to Photographs · · Score: 1

    The algorithms and software get better and better.
    SIGGRAPH next week in Vancouver.

  4. MIT introductory CS course uses LISP on MIT Considers Whether Courses Are Outdated · · Score: 1

    From 1970 to 2010, required for all CS degrees, and after 1980 all EE degrees. The explanation was to teach algorithms, not latest fad-itern language. Nearly all the powerful faculty pushing LISP have retired. The new introductory language is a variant of Python.

    Nearly all the languages used in my MIT courses decades ago are pretty much gone, save LISP. These include APL, PL/I, AS-360. You learn how to learn instead.

  5. hasnt chanced too much since my 70s years on MIT Considers Whether Courses Are Outdated · · Score: 1

    The core courses- math, physics, and chemistry- cover prettymuch the same material as the 1970s. The style of teaching has changed. Firs they tried "activity-based" teaching like labs or clickers. Now courses are "flipped" watching the lecture videos at home and doing homework problems in class.

  6. humans have muscle gowth suppressor on Ancient Skulls Show Civilization Rose As Testosterone Fell · · Score: 3, Informative

    Myostation, whihc makes them a fifth as strong as other apes the weight. It is thought this diverted metabolic resources to the brain and running. Undergorund chemists are seeking to neutralize of this statin to improve athletes. Medical scientists hopign to stop muscle wasting in dystropy and old people.

  7. MIT professor on Student Uses Oculus Rift and Kinect To Create Body Swap Illusion · · Score: 1

    I was suprised to find out Joe is a professor of writing at MIT. But he wrote manyof novels before joining MIT.

  8. telepresence delusion known for decades on Student Uses Oculus Rift and Kinect To Create Body Swap Illusion · · Score: 1

    By operators of factory/medical robots and drones. You start to feel you are actually there. It will get so much better with the new Oculus

  9. three years late with commerical launch on SpaceShipTwo Flies Again · · Score: 1

    I was expecting public subortial launches in 2011. Almost as slow as NASA which is likely to slip seven years behind in a shuttle replacement.

  10. generational thing on Vint Cerf on Why Programmers Don't Join the ACM · · Score: 1

    I notice people under 35 dont join much of anything whether its hiking groups, sports teams or professional societies. That generation isnt into groups.
    The majority of programmers are under 35.

  11. I dont know a single one! on 35% of American Adults Have Debt 'In Collections' · · Score: 0

    Not something relatives or acquaintances brag about I suppose.

    What are the odds of this happening if I know 400 people and zero out of 35%? Must be at least 6-sigma!

  12. low end Android tablets now $59 on Ask Slashdot: Preparing an Android Tablet For Resale? · · Score: 2

    I was perusing the back-to-school sales in the Sunday papers and saw some new Android tablets listed for $59. I think they were the early 7" models 8GB and Android 4.2. I see such models even cheaper online.

  13. 53rd battery breakthrough of the year! on Stanford Team Creates Stable Lithium Anode Using Honeycomb Film · · Score: 1

    I wonder if any are commercially viable.

  14. banksters not techies on Suddenly Visible: Illicit Drugs As Part of Silicon Valley Culture · · Score: 0

    The investors who gamble huge sums on huge risks are ones thrilled by drugs. They are attracted to SVs risk culture.

  15. Obamas insurance against impeachment :-) on VP Biden Briefs US Governors On H-1B Visas, IT, and Coding · · Score: 1

    A few radical republicans fantasize about impeachment. But when they realize who'd replace Barak, they'll come to their senses.

  16. not new on New Map Fingers Future Hot Spots For U.S. Earthquakes · · Score: 1

    1) Very similar to previous USGS hazard maps.
    2) Nearly every high risk zone has an associated large historic earthquake and continuing microseismicity. Seattle's 1700 M9 is just outside of historic memory. Eastern Tennesse has not had a quake.

    3) Few seismic building laws in Eastern US, despite sizeable risk.

  17. eastern Tennessee a mystery on New Map Fingers Future Hot Spots For U.S. Earthquakes · · Score: 1

    No historic large quake there, but lots of microseismicity.
    Western Tennesee is in the New Madrid tectonic zone with a large 1811 quake. But that is a dfferent tectonic zone.

  18. NE is high seismic risk on New Map Fingers Future Hot Spots For U.S. Earthquakes · · Score: 1

    M7 off Cape Ann in 1755 caused damage to young Boston.
    Several alrge faults in NYC area.
    The Saint Lawrence Seaway is a large fault and has quakes periodically.

  19. new Colorado quakes due to injection on New Map Fingers Future Hot Spots For U.S. Earthquakes · · Score: 1

    1) near Rifle due to injecting irrigation waste water (too salty for river)
    2) near Trinadad, mine waters
    3) near Greeley, oil drilling waste.

  20. "double the mission" on With New Horizons Spacecraft a Year Away, What We Know About Pluto · · Score: 1

    Right now they are frantically searching for a second Kuiper Belt target within the range of the nuclear generator lifetime (+5 years?). But they have not found one yet. They would hope to set the course shortly after leaving Pluto.

  21. Brian Green;'s multiverse book on How Deep Does the Multiverse Go? · · Score: 2

    Some of the the mind blowing chapters consider an infinite universe in space and time. Our local area could exactly repeat on the average of 10^150 light years, Brian calculates. And there could many more variants than exact repeats.

    Imagine an infinite number of exct copies of yourself, each sparated by immense distances. Image even more variants of yourslef, living slightly to greatly different lives.

  22. Iron Dome answers half-full half-empty debate? on A Skeptical View of Israel's Iron Dome Rocket Defense System · · Score: 1

    I remmeber US Star Wars detractors said the system would be considered a failure if it allowed a single nuclear missile to strike the US. On the other hand supporters said it would be a success if it created uncertainty in the attacker and was partially succesful. Well, seeing Iron Dome in action after a couple couple battles now, it seems to be pyschologically beneficial to the Israeli population. This is whether you belive it has been 25% or 90% successful in knocking out rockets. Then I would say the "hal-full" side has won the debate.

  23. deconstruct Postols motives on A Skeptical View of Israel's Iron Dome Rocket Defense System · · Score: 1

    As a long term opponent of US Star Wars expensive & mediocre results, Postol may fear the succes of Iron Dome could revitalize US efforts. Star Wars is still a multi-billion dollar annual project a quarter century after its inception. I do have to compliment Postol for poking holes in the over optimistic propaganda of both systems, even if I think he is too skeptical.

  24. Mositure and temprature variations causes bending of GPS wavepaths and small delays. Geophysicists ave been studying the "noise" in large scale GPS data to measure atmospheric conditions. Right now this mostly from dedicated high frequency tectonics GPS stations like Earthscope. There could be a way to "crowdsource" smartphone users for more data.

  25. I attened Samsung Watch developers seminar Wed, on Slashdot Asks: Do You Want a Smart Watch? · · Score: 1

    Its interesting how much technology they pack into a small device - 1 GHz CPU and 4GB flash, camera, gyro. The screen is 320 x 320 or about 6x20 characters. Google glass is same height, but twice the width. mini-Linux, Android and Java.

    Overall I see good potential as a basic messaging receiving device. I am dubious about the camera, because it is hard to aim unlike a smartphone or glass.

    The basic user interface follows smartphone conventions- touch activated and scrolling cardlets. The positive is that you can write a similar applet for both a phone and watch. I personally dont think the long term future of a smart watch is as a small smartphone. Other user interfaces such as voice and wrist guestures will be more efficient.

    The first two generations tether with smartphone for internet access. Ditto google glass. Battery life is about 3 days if you dont use the camera or video.

    Samsumgs million dollar smart watch app contest (top prize 100K) ends this week.