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User: Rising+Ape

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  1. Re:No Moore's Law on Intel Finds Moore's Law's Next Step At 10 Nanometers (ieee.org) · · Score: 1

    The original post was "there's no law, there's never been one. There was a mere observation".

    Ohm's law was also a mere observation at the time it was made. There was no theoretical understanding behind it. That didn't stop it being called a "law".

  2. Re:No Moore's Law on Intel Finds Moore's Law's Next Step At 10 Nanometers (ieee.org) · · Score: 1

    You could say the same about Ohm's law - it was just the empirical observation that current through something was directly proportional to the voltage across it. And that's not always true, but it's true widely enough for it to be a useful law.

  3. Re:Huh who knew? on UK's Brexit Cannot Pass Without Parliament Approval (aljazeera.com) · · Score: 1

    Realistically there can't be much of a border between England and Scotland, same as there can't be between Ireland and Northern Ireland. It's just impractical to put to a wall, border check points and the like.

    It'd certainly be awkward but there may not be an option if the EU insist on it - as they might do, to avoid people dodging the EU tariffs by using the UK & Scotland or Ireland as a back door. Avoiding one certainly wouldn't be automatic.

    In any case, some would argue that tariffs with the UK are worth it to stay in the EU.

    That would be an odd view, given the relative importance to the Scottish economy of UK vs EU trade, and given that far more Scots live in England than in rest of the EU. But as we've seen with Brexit, politics can trump economics and practicalities, who who knows?

  4. Re:Huh who knew? on UK's Brexit Cannot Pass Without Parliament Approval (aljazeera.com) · · Score: 1

    Surely this makes Scottish independence harder, not easier. If the UK does a hard Brexit, there'll be a customs border between it and the EU - so if Scotland wanted independence in order to rejoin the EU, there'd need to be such a border between England and Scotland. That would be a big problem considering Scotland does about 4 times as much trade with the rest of the UK as with the rest of the EU.

  5. Re:Two thirds majority in 1975 on UK's Brexit Cannot Pass Without Parliament Approval (aljazeera.com) · · Score: 1

    True, but why would they be? Treaties usually aren't put to referendum. There was no referendum about joining NATO, for example.

  6. Re:Nope, no wealth inequality here on Bill Gates's Net Worth Hits $90 Billion (bloomberg.com) · · Score: 1

    wealth equality? doesn't that mean taking my money and giving to some dumb lazy bum? I'll take wealth inequality thanks very much

    If you start with a couple of million, you get easily invest it to get greater than the average person's income from a full time job, except without having to lift a finger.

    How's that for being a "dumb lazy bum"?

  7. Re:IPv6 is a failed technology on DistroWatch Finally Adds Support For IPv6 (distrowatch.com) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    BT and Sky are in the process of introducing IPv6. Google are now showing over 11% UK connections via IPv6, compared to something like 2% at the start of the year.

  8. Re: Subversion of the West on A Majority Of Millennials Now Reject Capitalism, Poll Shows (washingtonpost.com) · · Score: 2

    All of which make extensive use of publicly developed science and technology too (e.g. ARPA for the internet) so what's your point?

    Even if they didn't, it's a bit like saying if you send something through the post you must support socialism because you're using a government service. Or that someone in the former Soviet Union would be hypocritical to be against socialism because they used such institutions every day.

  9. Re:America Favors People Who Don't Work on After 150 Years, the American Productivity Miracle Is 'Over' (qz.com) · · Score: 1

    Earned income has the highest tax rates. Most people who are familiar with the tax laws try to derive most of their income from portfolio (investments) and passive (real estate) income.

    Which I think was his point. Contrary to what would seem morally reasonable, wealth tends to automatically go to those who already have it, not those who contribute most or have the greatest need.

    Of course, the original statement should really be changed from "America Favors People Who Don't Work" to "Capitalism Favors People Who Don't Work (and have money already)". The clue's in the name, after all - it's not called Labourism.

    They're the ones who are cleaning your toilets, harvesting your food and doing the jobs you don't want to do.

    I don't think he was referring to them.

  10. Re:A famous book of literary criticism once said.. on Peter Jackson and JJ Abrams 'Back' Sean Parker's Screening Room (variety.com) · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Your point? Watching a movie in the cinema is not the same as watching a movie at home, even though in both places you get a "movie".

    No, it's worse. Not starting at the scheduled time so they can show you adverts, noisy people, no pausing to go to the toilet, expensive (and non-alcoholic) drinks.. I really don't see the point in the cinema any more - is there anything *so* good you can't wait six months?

  11. What were we talking about again? Ohh yeah. I don't know anyone who doesn't leave their computer on 24/7, even my mom. Computers are appliances and need to be ready at a moment's notice.

    Standby mode achieves that, you don't need to actually leave the thing on burning tens of watts. With an SSD you don't even need to wait for the drive to spin up.

  12. Re: What's the loophole? on Government To Bring Forward Law To Close BBC 'iPlayer Loophole' (theguardian.com) · · Score: 1

    I'd hate for the only information source to be commercial TV, or, god forbid, our execrable wastes of plant matter calling themselves "newspapers". But what fraction of the licence fee goes to that, rather than say Eastenders or The Voice?

  13. Re:What's the loophole? on Government To Bring Forward Law To Close BBC 'iPlayer Loophole' (theguardian.com) · · Score: 2

    But what does "installation" mean? Simply plugging a TV into the mains without connecting an aerial or tuning it in would presumably not count as installation of a television receiver, as in that state it wouldn't *be* a television receiver.

  14. Re:Will a Litre be Redefined? on Big Test Coming Up For Kilogram Redefinition (ieee.org) · · Score: 1

    Not in the UK, where a pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter.

  15. Every software developer? Really? I'm fairly sure my development of finite difference modelling software won't be improved by knowledge of Unicode (I *have* encountered EBCDIC though, briefly, which is the one thing he claims would never happen).

    Not meant as a comment about you, but the author of the piece, who seems to have a rather limited view of the range of software that's actually developed.

  16. Re:I have tons of questions on this... on Nanostructured Glass Could Provide Highly Durable, Deeply Dense Data Storage (phys.org) · · Score: 2

    I will never understand the fascination with tech web sites always reporting on fringe research that probably won't eventuate to anything.

    New concepts and technologies are more interesting than products.

    Or at least you'd hope so on a technology oriented site - there are plenty of other media options if you just want to know about the latest iShiny.

  17. Re:No global deletion on Google Expands 'Right To Be Forgotten' To All Global Search Results (thestack.com) · · Score: 1

    Free speech should be about the expression of ideas and opinions. Even the US doesn't have absolute free speech - you can't falsely claim that person X is a child molester and claim "free speech!" when they sue you for libel, for example. If I were to somehow get hold of your medical records, would you be happy for me to publish them?

  18. Re:The basic question is answered...but still... on Australia Cuts 110 Climate Scientist Jobs: "The Science is Settled." · · Score: 1

    Incidentally, moving from academia to industry is exactly what I did (not in climate science though). It's easier and better paid, though less interesting.

    I now work in the oil industry, so have more reason than most to want to argue against climate science. But there's such a thing as intellectual honesty.

  19. Re:The basic question is answered...but still... on Australia Cuts 110 Climate Scientist Jobs: "The Science is Settled." · · Score: 1

    No, I think that a worldwide conspiracy to fraudently conduct an entire scientific field just to keep modestly paid academic jobs is one of the less believable conspiracy theories I've seen, and that's up against some stiff competition. Do all that rather than just go into private industry for more pay and better security?

  20. Re:The basic question is answered...but still... on Australia Cuts 110 Climate Scientist Jobs: "The Science is Settled." · · Score: 1

    Yep, that's why those climate scientists are all driving their Ferraris around Monaco before relaxing on their private yachts.

  21. Re:Original power supply on Ask Slashdot: Surge Protection For International Travel? · · Score: 1

    Not sure about you, but I'm not entirely comfortable plugging something that cost $1 into the mains.

  22. Re:What year is this? on Grandma's Phone, DSL, and the Copper They Share (hackaday.com) · · Score: 1

    The article mentions 6mbps, that isn't fast enough to support many modern and common household internet usages

    Like what? It's enough for TV-quality streaming video, web browsing, VoIP, email and all the usual stuff I can think of.

  23. Re:What year is this? on Grandma's Phone, DSL, and the Copper They Share (hackaday.com) · · Score: 1

    It is. Plenty of things don't need more than the 5-10 Mbps you can typically get with ADSL, and if that's not enough there's VDSL2 which gets you tens of MBps.

    Besides, cable and especially FTTH are much less widely available.

  24. Re:And yet all 5 are almost irrelevant on Tech's Big 5 -- Here to Stay? (nytimes.com) · · Score: 1

    You can't really ignore MS's dominance in the business world. MS's disappearance would certainly be felt there.

    Facebook do what they do pretty well, and the network effect is huge. Look at Google's miserable failure in trying to compete in their space.

    Apple though? Is there any area in which they don't have strong competitors, or even any area they're dominant in? If Apple disappeared, people could switch to alternatives easily.

  25. Re:Volvo have screwed themselves on Opel Dealers Accused of Modyfing the Software of Polluting Cars (deredactie.be) · · Score: 1

    Those small turbo engines are a bit weird if you're used to standard petrol ones. I had a car with a Fiat 1.4 engine as a courtesy car and it was ridiculously stall-happy. It conked out if you tried to pull away from idle rpm in 2nd - something even my old ultra-weedy 1.3 Toyota could manage. It did go well once the turbo spun up though, and was quite economical for a silly crossover thing.