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User: Scottingham

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  1. Re:they will defeat themselves on ISIS Bans Math and Social Studies For Children · · Score: 4, Insightful

    For every one you kill two will take their place. Your philosophy breeds terrorism instead of extinguishing it.

    How has that approach been working out for Israel? Thought so.

  2. Re:Fukushima too on If Tesla Can Run Its Gigafactory On 100% Renewables, Why Can't Others? · · Score: 1

    Compare computers in 1979 to now. You don't think that safety mechanisms *might* have improved just a bit in that timespan?

  3. Re:Freeman Dyson on The Grassroots Future of Biohacking · · Score: 2

    Yes yes, but what about our bacteriome? Surely that is waay easier to genetically modify and have those modifications spread quickly throughout your body...

    And if anything goes wrong, some antibiotics should help to clear up your mistake...hopefully.

  4. Re:Maybe on Using Wearable Tech To Track Gun Use · · Score: 1

    You typically don't swing a gun right up to the moment of firing. Guns would be: Swing, Steady (aim), FIRE. Hammers would be: Swing, FIRE.

  5. Re:By Country on China's Island Factory · · Score: 2

    Mod anon up!

    Also don't forget the fact that these floating cities are *nuclear*. They only need to be refueled once every 20 years. Running full speed ahead for weeks on end does not shorten this span. Its speed is limited by the other diesel ships in the carrier group though.

    There have been some recent advances in catalytic fuels research that can take sea water and create jet fuel. With the nuke onboard all spare energy that would normally be unused could go towards creating fuel. Nothing is close to 'prime time' yet, at least not publicly.

  6. Re:No deaths? on Denver Latest City Hit By Viral Respiratory Infection That Targets Kids · · Score: 1

    I'm with you on everything up until " I'm pointing back to first principles of SMALLER government and PERSONAL responsibility. "

    That's all well and good, and should definitely be a goal for all. However...what do you think we should do with those who will fail the 'personal responsibility test'? This is where conservatives start mumbling. Most seem to be of the opinion 'Fuck off and die'.

    That's where I differ. I'm all for personal liberty and all that, but I also realize that there will be people who will fail that test and end up destitute, homeless, a danger to themselves and others. Instead of letting stay homeless I think we should have a decent social safety net including housing, rehab centers, etc. I'm even for the creation of boarding schools for kids who live in horrible situations where it's clear the 'parent' is their largest impediment to a successful life.

    Where would we get the money for this? How about the plutocracy (the .01%)?

  7. Maaybe on Willow Garage Founder Scott Hassan Aims To Build a Startup Village · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't mind access to a small room if I stayed really late one night or wanted to bang something out over a weekend or few days.

    But live there full time? I don't think so. Seems like it would be the LAN party that never ended.

  8. Re:What's next after the smart watch? on Moto 360 Reviews Arrive · · Score: 0

    I hope so!

    An authenticator NFC ring would totally rule if it could work reliably. Bonus points for looking badass.

  9. Re:By far not the only design that does this. on Hitachi Developing Reactor That Burns Nuclear Waste · · Score: 2

    Another huge problem is that they have no idea what to actually use to contain the coolant loop.

    Lead and Lead/Bismuth coolants are VERY corrosive and require active purification in order to keep oxygen levels down to incredibly low levels. Otherwise it'll corrode steel in a matter of weeks.

    There are several proposed alloys or coatings but as far as I can tell none of them have made it past initial research phases and all have their own downsides. Like, one may have good thermal characteristics but has a large neutron cross-section or another may have a small neutron cross-section but get very brittle with temperature differentials.

    Couple this with the fact that the accelerator is pounding protons (H+) into a spallation source (lead typically) and you have a whole other host of problems. Hydrogenation of the metals can lead to really bad effects with some alloys.

    As far as I can tell this is the primary thing that is holding back the Lead/Lead Bismuth fast reactors. Sodium cooled reactors have more research behind them but also contain their own host of problems (like exploding when in contact with air/water, nbd).

  10. Re:central storage or n^x security guard costs / s on New NRC Rule Supports Indefinite Storage of Nuclear Waste · · Score: 1

    Un-mined Uranium ore is still pretty toxic...but it's underground...This Uranium (not to mention all the other nasty shiz in coal ash) is put into the air and water table. I would consider that nuclear waste, yes. Considering the insane levels of regulation for even the tiniest levels of radiation surrounding nuclear plants, the fact that coal-ash gets a free pass to just store whatever in unlined pools next to lakes and rivers is pretty ludicrous.

  11. Re:Send in the drones! on Russian Military Forces Have Now Invaded Ukraine · · Score: 2

    We shouldn't...just our drones :-p

  12. Send in the drones! on Russian Military Forces Have Now Invaded Ukraine · · Score: 4, Insightful

    With hastily spray-painted Ukrainian flags!

  13. Re:central storage or n^x security guard costs / s on New NRC Rule Supports Indefinite Storage of Nuclear Waste · · Score: 1
  14. For Classrooms Too on U.S. Senator: All Cops Should Wear Cameras · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'd like to see a camera in every public school classroom as well.

    It would end the 'he said/she said' arguments when a kid is being disruptive and the parent refuses to believe their snowflake is anything other than perfect.

    It could also allow for a better means of evaluating a teacher's performance. Currently it is done with in person audits by an administrator...teachers behave quite differently under that situation.

  15. That's why I say we need to work as hard as we can to get all humans out of governmental functions as soon as possible!

    Algorithmic government! Open source....GIT repo ;-P

  16. Re:Of course on California DMV Told Google Cars Still Need Steering Wheels · · Score: 1

    I thought of that scene too. I like out the wheel popped out from the dash. If it was unobtrusive for most of the time, I think it'd work out.

  17. Re:Not surprising on California DMV Told Google Cars Still Need Steering Wheels · · Score: 1

    f that noise. My self-driving car should treat me or whoever else inside as the 100% top safety priority. Sux for those kids, but maybe their bus driver shouldn't have fallen asleep at the wheel!

  18. Re:So what they need, then... on New Research Suggests Cancer May Be an Intrinsic Property of Cells · · Score: 1

    Looks similar, but definitely no sensory isolation. The richest interconnects possible should be achieved. Our brains kinda go nuts without sensory input.

  19. Re:So what they need, then... on New Research Suggests Cancer May Be an Intrinsic Property of Cells · · Score: 1

    Exactly. I was just talking about this scenario the other day. While portable brain cases may be a bit far fetched and hard to imagine, I don't see immobile support systems for brains totally unfeasible. Of course waaay more science is needed, but we do seem to be advancing at an exponential rate.

    Once it does become possible there are a bunch of strange milestones. Like, who were the first sucessful clinical trials? Would they become 'the elders' eventually? What about when there are more brains in buildings than people alive? Can brains own property? Would they have human agents in the 'real world' to do their bidding? What would it mean for prison sentences? How good would they be at first person shooters? ;-)

  20. Re:best and worst for wildlife are on Solar Plant Sets Birds On Fire As They Fly Overhead · · Score: 1

    :-O

    Yep..my bad...hard to tell from the trolls sometimes here.

  21. Re:best and worst for wildlife are on Solar Plant Sets Birds On Fire As They Fly Overhead · · Score: 1

    Psh, the radiation levels coming out of a nuke plant are 1/1000th of that coming from even coal ash ponds. Don't forget how freakin' easy it is to detect radiation.

    This should be obvious if you don't use The Simpsons as a source.

  22. Re:Let us redefine "progress" on World's First 3D Printed Estate Coming To New York · · Score: 1

    Um...you can ride a horse drunk?

  23. Re:Huge bird and fish kills on Solar Plant Sets Birds On Fire As They Fly Overhead · · Score: 1

    Not quite. Equating an accident zone to the entire technology, hundreds of cores worldwide, is specious. Also, that link to the 'fish kills' is also not specific to nuclear power, nor actually describing a fish kill. A few fish getting caught in an intake is not a fish kill. For that you need them all to die at once.

    Also, the warm water from the outlets could easily be argued to be a boon to fish and aquatic life. No winter!

    But I do not have any illusions in trying to sway your disproportional fear of fission.

  24. Re:best and worst for wildlife are on Solar Plant Sets Birds On Fire As They Fly Overhead · · Score: 1

    I dunno, some of the best fishing in the state of NC is by the nuke plant down at the southern end of Lake Norman right by the nuke plant. The warm water discharge creates a permanent summer so the fish grow huge!

  25. Re:Cheap grid storage on Is Storage Necessary For Renewable Energy? · · Score: 1

    You had me until 'space catapult'. If anything it'd be a space gun. Good luck trying to get that to work. People have tried, look into what happened to them.