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User: cobrausn

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Comments · 314

  1. Re:Microwave Power on NASA To Demonstrate Largest-Ever Solar Sail in Space · · Score: 1

    Ah. Maybe I should RTFA first next time. :-(

  2. Re:Correction on Science Manual For US Judges · · Score: 1

    Honest question - why?

    As someone who has both worked on a nuclear reactor and gotten a degree in computer science, I obviously have no problem learnin' me some science. But most people don't actually need to. People in general tend to learn what they need to to survive and live prosperously with their natural interests and capabilities, and I just don't see advanced science concepts as something the average person actually needs to understand unless they have an interest.

  3. Microwave Power on NASA To Demonstrate Largest-Ever Solar Sail in Space · · Score: 2

    If Sim City is to be believed, I expect this to go into production as a viable energy source around 2020. As long as they don't cut funding. They would regret that.

  4. Re:Overly dramatic headline on Social Media Bubble Pops Before It Fully Inflates · · Score: 2

    Doesn't really matter what he thinks - it matters what people are willing to pay for it.

  5. Re:Policy City-State on Conflict Between Occupy Wall Street Protestors and NYPD Escalating · · Score: 2, Insightful

    From what I've been able to figure out about Paul and the Gold Standard, it seems he just wants to see multiple forms of currency being accepted, such as standard dollars, gold dollars, silver dollars, etc... supposedly the idea is that it's harder to mess with a market via currency manipulations if you don't own all the currency, and somehow this will open up world trade in such a way that it becomes harder for a government to 'wage war' via currency manipulations.

    Basically he likes peace and free trade between nations, and thinks as long as we have one form of currency that can be easily manipulated, there is a greater chance of international (and internal) conflict.

    Not sure if he's right (or even if my interpretation is right), but it's interesting. I always like listening to Paul because he doesn't discuss the same five talking points every other party-affiliated drone does, though I don't agree with all his policies.

  6. Re:The future is here at last on AIDS Vaccine Breakthrough · · Score: 1

    Fun fact: that was largely because at first it spread amongst gay men quicker then heterosexuals, and the prevailing attitude was "great, this will finally get rid of the gays!"

    If you're going to put the word 'fact' in that, then [Citation Needed].

  7. Re:It's about the goal, not about a face on Julian Assange's Unauthorized Autobiography · · Score: 1

    To you, maybe. He thinks a bit higher of himself. After all, he thinks his (paid) memoirs should be "one of the unifying documents of our generation."

  8. Re:No censorship on youtube on Yahoo Blocked Emails About Wall Street Protests · · Score: 3, Informative

    No, he also uses "you're completely pathetic", "you're an ignorant hypocrite", and "slashdot = stagnated".

    It's somewhat funny, actually.

  9. Re:Premise of Ready: Player One on Neal Stephenson Says Video Games Are the Metaverse · · Score: 1

    I see you also spent a bit of time with UO. If I hadn't joined the Navy I probably would have never escaped.

  10. Re:When on your deathbed... on Neal Stephenson Says Video Games Are the Metaverse · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Uh, looks like you forgot to sign in as Dr. Bob there, grub. Secret's out.

  11. Re:Health industry of health system ? on Wealthy Americans Turning To Europe For Medical Treatment · · Score: 1

    You mention food being more important than healthcare but then try to tell me the reason Europeans live longer has to be because of a healthcare system. Have you seen what we eat over here? And don't tell me about correlation and causality...

  12. Let's hope... on Wild Parrots Learning To Talk From Escaped Pet Birds · · Score: 1

    None of these parrots escape from homes that frequently watch Jersey Shore. Future generations will despise us.

  13. Re:Korea? Wich Korea? on YouTube Disables Comments and User Uploads For Korean Users · · Score: 1

    http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/defensemap2.html"/a>

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_GDP

    If you look at this number and compare it to other states, it appears defense spending is fairly proportional to state GDP (notice California). So, in other words, no, the Texas economy is not being propped up via defense spending... Virginia gets much more defense money (33% more), but has a GDP 1/5th of Texas. Alabama also seems to get a lot.

  14. Re:and the saddest thing on Marking 10 Years Since 9/11/2001 · · Score: 1

    Wait, you are now using the postings of a few religious crazies on a web forum as indication of the larger thought process of the religious right? Even if there were 100,000 people that showed up to say 'Yay!' every time something blew up, that would still only be 0.03% of the total US population who was 'waiting to watch it burn'. That's not enough people to drive the 'religious right'.

  15. Re:Korea? Wich Korea? on YouTube Disables Comments and User Uploads For Korean Users · · Score: 1

    A political leader with integrity and cojones. The three sets have a very small overlap.

    Also, there is no way in hell I'd support secession with someone like Perry in charge. I think he would use it as an excuse to set up some kind of theocratic-leaning state. Even worse, he might support an interventionist foreign policy. I'd be worried what the 'new' constitution would look like under this kind of leadership. We're better off as part of the US for now. This also has the nice side effect of propping up the GDP of the US by about 8%, but the drawback of having our state education board influence national schools. Win some, lose some I suppose.

  16. Re:Human Machine on How Killing the Internet Helped Revolutionaries · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My bet is it would predict a revolution in the US every couple of years... probably every 2 years... right around election time...

  17. Re:Oh, great .... now, instead of on New Legislation Would Punish Mishandling of Private Data · · Score: 1

    Libertarians are usually nice people. They just assume everyone else is equally nice, and this enables sociopaths to be sociopaths.

    Most libertarians aren't for 'no regulation', they just tend to prefer local regulation over state over federal. At least, the sane ones anyway. But the sane ones usually aren't the ones who troll forums arguing about building codes.

    I tend to like a bit of liberarianism because it makes sense to have as little government as is necessary and as much freedom as is possible... an admirable goal, but one that needs to avoid being taken to extremes to avoid... well, stupidity.

  18. Re:Federal Government on Study Suggests Magnets Can Force You to Tell the Truth · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Funny story.

    Friend of mine was driving back home from grad school for a short vacation. Got pulled over by some state troopers on the way home. Apparently he was driving a road that is frequented by drug runners from mexico and his little compact car was stuffed to the point of overflowing with random possessions. Trooper asks to search his car. He says no.

    Trooper then calls in a K-9 unit after mumbling something to himself, which walks around the car for many minutes without once alarming (barking). Obviously annoyed at this damned citizen who won't let him do what he wants, the trooper then moves my friend behind his police car and goes back to the car with the K-9 trooper. My friend sees them kick the car to get the dog to bark, and the troopers come over and inform him that the dog barking gives them right to search the car. They then spend the next half hour throwing his possessions all over the side of the highway. They found nothing and went on their way.

    Moral of the story is - it doesn't matter. The more authority we surrender, the more our 'rights' become meaningless in the face of an overwhelming corporate/government bureaucracy that protects its own rights over yours.

  19. Re:more software engineers on Mr. President, There Is No (US) Engineer Shortage · · Score: 1

    He tunes cars in his spare time, so, there's that. Just because you specialize for work doesn't mean you become an automaton in your spare time.

  20. Re:more software engineers on Mr. President, There Is No (US) Engineer Shortage · · Score: 1

    I work with one of these Romanian programmers (emigrated to US) - he went to a high school tailored for Computer Science back in Romania, one he had to pass a test to get into. He's quite sharp.

  21. Re:The cops who wrote those emails should be fired on Anonymous Retaliates, Leaks Texas Police Emails · · Score: 2

    You've got it all wrong. You would be better off already owning said gun. Call the friend for backup.

  22. Re:The cops who wrote those emails should be fired on Anonymous Retaliates, Leaks Texas Police Emails · · Score: 1

    As someone who has to put up with Texas cops on an occasional basis, I have to agree. There is a long history of Texas cops being particularly... 'tough'... shall we say (putting it nicely... there are other words). It was absolutely necessary at one point, all things considered (and near the border it may still be). But the time has come to give these good 'ol boys the same shakedown they have been giving us citizens for a while now, and see if we can't get some fresh blood in the (hopefully soon vacant) positions.

  23. Re:Its a... on Ask Slashdot: Can You Identify This UAV? · · Score: 3, Informative

    To the guy/gal that modded this Troll, it's a quote from True Lies. Cut TWX a break.

  24. Re:Wrong idea on Will Climate Engineering Ever Go Prime Time? · · Score: 2

    Colonizing other planets is *WAY* more difficult than geoengineering Earth where our entire industrial base is. The atmosphere is a super-thin skin over all of us.

    Yeah, but if we fuck it up on this planet, we risk destroying the entire species. If we try it out on another planet, well, there's always more of those.

    "I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space," he said. "It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next 100 years, let alone next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load." --Stephen Hawking

  25. Re:So what if on DHS Tries To Hide Mobile Scanner Details · · Score: 1

    It's hard to tell the difference most of the time (to most people).