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User: Intrepid+imaginaut

Intrepid+imaginaut's activity in the archive.

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Comments · 2,790

  1. Re:Pathetic. on Elon Musk Lays Out His Evidence That NYT Tesla Test Drive Was Staged · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I never said anything about big oil. But now that you mention it, yes businesses do try to stifle new technology they feel threatened by. Take for example the antics of the RIAA.

  2. Re:I'm a skeptic. on Elon Musk Lays Out His Evidence That NYT Tesla Test Drive Was Staged · · Score: 1

    Mod parent up, another spanner in the FUD machine's works.

  3. Re:Pathetic. on Elon Musk Lays Out His Evidence That NYT Tesla Test Drive Was Staged · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, there's a loud and large lobby of anti wind, anti solar and anti electric car types out there furiously churning up as much FUD-mud as possible, hurling around accusations and insinuations as quickly as they can wheel them out. Lies and misdirection. The only question is whether it's a real grassroots effort from the genuinely misinformed or a directed public opinion massaging effort. My guess is a healthy combination of the two, particularly because these types will never ever admit they were wrong and will never ever stop arguing.

  4. Re:A Serious Fan Could Apologize This All Away on The Battle of Hoth: Vader the Invader · · Score: 1

    Doesn't work. Relativistic death bombs run into one small problem - atoms. If it was moving at a more than 10% fraction of the speed of light it would be vapourised long before it hit the rebel base. And that's assuming the Imperials had the ability to accelerate that quickly, one of the bonuses of a "warp" drive is that you can just use that to cross long distances and stick to sub-5000km/h speeds otherwise, also an excellent reason for the dogfights.

  5. Interesting on Computers Shown To Be Better Than Docs At Diagnosing, Prescribing Treatment · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I find this interesting, I was wondering when we'd reach the point where the accumulation of knowledge available in any given field exceeded the ability of the human mind to completely grasp in a useful manner. It's going to reach a situation where multiple experts on a given subject with a fair idea about related subjects are going to be the only unit capable of actually doing anything sooner rather than later - apparently in medicine at least computers have come to the rescue.

    I suppose with the many specialisations in every area we're already there, the question is can we repeat the improved returns in areas like physics and chemistry.

  6. Re:Welp on NASA: Huge Freshwater Loss In the Middle East · · Score: 1

    Or they could just form an economic coalition with friendly neighbours like the EU, where lots of countries aren't food-independent. The UK for example would be incapable of supporting its population using the existing territory. Of course that requires you play nice with everyone around you and act like a mature modern nation, so maybe more of a problem for the Saudis.

  7. Re:At the rate that we're drinking water... on NASA: Huge Freshwater Loss In the Middle East · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a desert/hot dry country problem. Meanwhile in other parts of the world, flooding is becoming more regular and dangerous.

  8. Eh on Twitter, American Express Letting People Purchase Goods Via Hashtag · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm not sure I understand. How does one browse products via twitter, or if one isn't in twitter, why would one use it rather than the purchase channel of the site they are on?

  9. Re:I can think of one guy who deserves it more on Judge Hints At Jail Time For Porn Copyright Troll Prenda Law · · Score: 1

    John Steele. He's pretty much the mastermind

    Taha! With a mastermind like John Steele behind this caper, we'd better fire up the bat signal. With a name like that he should be to Bruce Wayne what Lex Luthor is to Superman. I was getting tired of everyone running around wearing Joker makeup anyway.

  10. Re:Kinda scary... on North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test · · Score: 1

    The DPRK aren't "communist" in any ideological sense of the word. They are a totalitarian autocracy keeping the citizens in a state of primitive servitude. Which funnily enough is exactly where communism tends to lead in the real world. I mean think about it - step 1) give us all your stuff, step 2) we'll redistribute it. Is anyone even slightly surprised that it never gets past step 1.

  11. Re:A thing of the past on Pepsi To Release New Breakfast Mountain Dew · · Score: 1

    It's probably fair to say a lot of younger people wouldn't be interested in this either. The times they are a'changing...

  12. Re:More like... on Ask Slashdot: Best Alternative To the Canonical Computer Science Degree? · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think web development has a bit of a bad rap these days in terms of complexity. Things have moved on a lot from the 90s when anyone could hack together a bit of HTML and your biggest worry was making it work in internet exploder.

    Nowadays a web dev needs a firm grasp on SQL databases and what you can and can't do on them, ever more complex stylesheets, a scripting language like PHP, Javascript plus interpretations like JQuery or AJAX, HTML, XML, the graphics packages used to produce the look of the websites, plus a whole host of subsidiary technologies including networks and Linux if you want to set up your own server as well as email, flash development and actionscripting, and on and on. And things are only going to get more involved now that we're getting into decentralised networks via WebRTC and mobile integration. And you do need artistic chops.

    Yes the depth mightn't be as focused as C or whatever, but the breadth is impressive and growing more so. If a C++ dev was sat down and told to make a fully dynamic website from scratch, aestheticalIy pleasing and with all the bells and whistles, they might be surprised at how much is happening behind the scenes. I agree with the subby that traditional schools aren't going to cut it anymore, you do not need high end maths for web development, maybe something vocational to get a good grounding and understanding of the concepts before just doing it yourself.

  13. Re:Stealth became a necessary tactic on No Transmitting Aliens Detected In Kepler SETI Search · · Score: 1

    Wonder if anyone has written some sci-fi where humanity makes contact with the lowest, poorest, stupidest, backwards redneck the aliens have to offer.

    I have met the enemy, and he is me. :p

  14. Re:Stealth became a necessary tactic on No Transmitting Aliens Detected In Kepler SETI Search · · Score: 2

    Yes, I'm of the opinion that science, technology and engineering will continue to advance long after I'm gone, probably to heights I would struggle to comprehend just as a visitor from the 18th century would struggle to understand what we've achieved, and as such feel comfortable indulging in speculation. It's deriding such speculation that is indicative of an unscientific mind.

    Who knows, maybe they will send carrier pigeons down wormholes.

  15. Re:Stealth became a necessary tactic on No Transmitting Aliens Detected In Kepler SETI Search · · Score: 1

    More likely they've figured out either a more advanced communications technology than radio, or have gone to tightbeaming for long distances. Or they, like us, aren't putting out any signals that get beyond a couple of light years.

  16. Re:14 LY from earth? on Kepler: Many Red Dwarfs Have Earth-SIzed Planets Too · · Score: 1

    I think they tested it for the GPS satellites, but the effect was micro micro scale. There are some good calculators out there like this one: http://www.convertalot.com/relativistic_star_ship_calculator.html

  17. Re:Quick, someone trademark the term "Time Machine on Games Workshop Bullies Author Over Use of the Words 'Space Marine' · · Score: 1

    Oh yeah the Black Library, good fun indeed if you got the right novellist. Some of them didn't work at all but some of the stuff by Gordon Rennie and Anthony Reynolds was amazing.

  18. Re:Quick, someone trademark the term "Time Machine on Games Workshop Bullies Author Over Use of the Words 'Space Marine' · · Score: 2

    It's even more ironic since GW ripped almost all of their material off from Aliens, D&D, Michael Moorcock, and of course daddy Tolkien. The only thing that makes them different from other clone stamps is the quality of their art, which is great stuff

  19. Re:Fair Use on Copyright Claim Thwarts North Korean Propaganda · · Score: 1

    Profit? These guys are old-line Commies, so profit is probably the least of their motives

    Oh come off it, the whole commie thing is just an excuse for the fat cats at the top to live it up with hookers and blow while the rest of the population languishes in a human hell.

  20. Re:14 LY from earth? on Kepler: Many Red Dwarfs Have Earth-SIzed Planets Too · · Score: 2

    Unless I'm mistaken the math is straightforward; at C the trip would seem instantaneous to the traveler, so half C a 50 light year trip would seem like 25.

    No, there aren't really noticeable relativistic effects until you get into the .8C region or thereabouts, and the effects don't become significant until you go much faster.

  21. Re:I have a better idea... on Richard Stallman's Solution To 'Too Big To Fail' · · Score: 1

    FDIC already insures bank accounts up to $250k

    That would be the bailout part of the picture. Interesting post though, I will ruminate upon these ideas.

  22. Re:I have a better idea... on Richard Stallman's Solution To 'Too Big To Fail' · · Score: 1

    bank deposits are guaranteed by the government.

    ...hence the bailouts. What did you think happens when a bank collapses and the government needs to step in, taxpayer money feeds the beast.

  23. Re:I have a better idea... on Richard Stallman's Solution To 'Too Big To Fail' · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Except in the case of banks, they have all your money, so if they fail, all your money is gone. Reserves are meant to ensure that a reasonable ratio of funds are kept in case of emergencies, but due to the removal of regulations those dwindled to very little, among other things. Personally I'd target the banks and never mind the rest of the corporations, everything else descends from them. Split up their responsibilities so one single entity isn't shuffling funds from pensions to derivatives, make various kinds of banks rather than just one "bank".

    Yes it will reduce the bulk of funds available for any one activity (like mortgages), but that's the price you pay for security; also it might inspire growth due entirely to creative activity rather than hype. There are a lot of other options for growth as well, but if you want to ensure this never happens again, return Glass-Steagall. Simple as that.

    Stallman's idea is pretty good but it has a lot of gotchas as he mentions himself, not least of which is finding a definition of 'size' that quicksilver accountancy and shell company structures won't slide around immediately.

  24. Science! on Researchers Mine Old News To Predict Future Events · · Score: 2

    Discovers experience.

  25. Re:Sounds like a movie plot on How the Super Bowl Will Reach US Submarines · · Score: 1

    Yeah, also how are they broadcasting through water, or are all the subs going to surface simultaneously? I mean I know the cold war is over but...