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User: RetroGeek

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  1. Re:Missed the Issue on Bastardi's Wager · · Score: 1

    So are you doubting the physics of greenhouse gasses, or doubting whether we are dumping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere?

    whether we are dumping greenhouse gasses in sufficient quantities into the atmosphere

    And water vapour has a much greater effect on the greenhouse issue. But of course you can't tax water vapour...

    So neither and both. I don't think there is enough actual science one way or another. Maybe in another thousand or so years of measurements, and proof that computer models actually can predict the real world.

  2. Re:Missed the Issue on Bastardi's Wager · · Score: 2

    We know how much carbon man has put into the atmosphere, and we know the physics of how that leads to global warming. The measured increases in global temperature are corroboration that the physics is right.

    There is no proof that we are actually having an impact. Yes we dump large amounts of pollutants, and it certainly looks bad when you stand next to a smoke stack, but studies have shown that CO2 rises AFTER the temperature rises, not the other way around. Also, water vapour has a much greater greenhouse effect than CO2.

    The real problem is that we have no way to actually test any of this. If would be nice to have a planet that ages at a 100 fold rate so that we can perform experiments. But we only have this one planet to try to form a theory. Try to use the same methodology in ANY other discipline and you would be laughed at.

    The measured increases in global temperature are corroboration that the physics is right.

    What about the warm period in the middle ages? When it was hotter than now, and Greenland was actually green? Then it got cooler and the Vikings had to leave or starve. Now its getting warmer again.

    Yes, yes, the curve is said to be steeper than normal, but what is normal? Historical data is much to vague to nail that down.

    BTW, the rhetoric is so prevalent that intelligent discussion is almost impossible. One side calls the other either deniers or alarmists whenever either side tries to question anything.

  3. Missed the Issue on Bastardi's Wager · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The Earth gets hotter, the Earth gets cooler.

    But do WE have an impact on this variation. That is the question.

  4. Re:I did my part on RIAA, MPAA Recruit MasterCard As Internet Police · · Score: 1

    That seems like an odd reaction - it's the TV network that sold those ads

    I think the network bowed to pressure from some marketing group. And behind them is the company trying to get more exposure.

  5. Re:I did my part on RIAA, MPAA Recruit MasterCard As Internet Police · · Score: 1

    I dumped everything to do with Mastercard when they started advertising over top of TV programs. Cut up credit cards, moved bank accounts, and so on.

    NOTHING more annoying than to be watching a show and some stupid graphic shows up at the bottom of the screen.

    And while I am at it, how lame does a show need to be to be continuously advertised at the bottom of the screen. I never watch those either.

  6. Re:Video evidence? on Erasing Objects From Video In Real Time · · Score: 1

    This is still just 2D.

    When 3D becomes common, the s/w will be able to "peek" behind the object, then extrapolate the background.

  7. Re:Exoplanets vs. inter-stellar travel on Kepler Spacecraft Finds System With Multiple Planets Transiting the Star · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hmmm, I am not sure if you are only dangling a hook to see if anyone bites. However...

    Nothing wrong with the earth. However it is the only place where humanity exists. If we get hit by an extinction level event (ELE), be it an asteroid, super volcano, or whatever, then that is that. We need to have a plan B. And forget about the moon or Mars. We do not have the know-how to create a self-sufficient environment there or anywhere else. We need a nice friendly planet in the Goldilocks zone.

    And destruction is inevitable. An ELE WILL happen. It is just a matter of time. The earth has had a lot of near misses lately, one of which was only discovered after it had passed us. So forget about mounting some faint hope expedition. If you can't see it coming...

  8. First Actions on Who Installs the Most Crapware? · · Score: 1

    First I format the drive.

    Then I install an OS copy that I got from Microsoft

    Then I install the drivers I d/l from the machine site.

    And I make an image (in case the app install fails badly).

    I install the basic applications I use.

    I make the recovery image.

    Once in a while I format the drive and re-image using the recovery image.

  9. Re:four in a million? on NASA Downgrades Asteroid-Earth Collision Risk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well yes, but "million" sounds more impressive.

  10. Mandatory Installation on Google SideWiki Brings Comments To Everyone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you own a Web site, then you are forced to install this.

    Otherwise how could you know what insightful comments have been posted against your web pages.

    And then, of course, you will be tempted to comment on other pages.

    Exponential growth!

  11. Re:Let's see on Why Anonymized Data Isn't · · Score: 1

    Unless someone (including Ohm) pipes up with a plausible means for identifying the original subjects, I call BS on Ohm's "law."

    Is EVERYTHING anonymized? Did you leave in real eye colour, hair colour, height, sex and so on? Did you anonymize city names? States?

    Enough correlation and you can start matching to real people. I did some similar work, including free form entry fields. For a name of "Prince" which was anonymized to, say, "NAME001" and "Albert" to NAME002", the city name "Prince Albert" became "NAME001 NAME002". A little reading around the free form text and you could equate NAME001 to Prince, then go back through the name column and make the changes. I had to put in an exception list for common phrases (slow as hell).

    Any sort of real analysis of information must include real world information. You cannot hide everything. And once you have real information you can start correlation. Do this across enough data and you can find real people and suddenly you know that Joe Blow has cancer and you can reject him for health insurance.

    This is not new.

  12. Re:Microserfs on Coders At Work · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The look of disappointment on the faces of the major news anchors was priceless and underscored their severe lack of understanding of technology.

    It was if someone had said that a bridge needs repairs (the experts can see the rot), the billions were spent fixing the bridge and when the first person crossed the bridge it did not collapse. Then they whine that there is no sensational story, that the bridge would not have fallen anyway and why was the money spent, what a waste?

    I hate news people. I find them shallow, news bite hunting morons.

  13. Re:Chicks Twitter on IBM Patents Tweeting Remote Control · · Score: 1

    I believe your headline should have been "Chicks Tweet".

    So in Britain they would be known as "Tweety Birds"?

  14. Re:The end of private aviation on Can Unmanned Aircraft Mix With Commercial Planes? · · Score: 1

    2009.08.12 16:32

  15. Re:The end of private aviation on Can Unmanned Aircraft Mix With Commercial Planes? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For the first generation or so.

    Then it will be put on a single chip and mass produced. Look at cell phones. The first ones used discrete circuits and were big and heavy.

  16. Re:Revolution on Sensor To Monitor TV Watchers Demoed At Cable Labs · · Score: 1

    Just need some moral outrage from some news (um entertainment) channel, some mother wailing about "child privacy", and a politician needing exposure.

    Rinse, lather, repeat...

  17. Re:duct tape on Sensor To Monitor TV Watchers Demoed At Cable Labs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And then the box detects its 'blind' and refuses to run your movie

    At which point I return the box/tv set, yell at the salesperson, and behave badly.

    This is like the Panasonic patent which blocks channel changing during commercials. Some *AA exec is wetting his pants, but the public WILL NOT put up with this.

    This kind of intrusion is a revolution just waiting to happen, sheeple or not.

  18. Re:Proof of Infection? Clean Reinstall on How Can I Tell If My Computer Is Part of a Botnet? · · Score: 5, Informative

    Then I patch it as far as I can over their 56k modem.

    Get Autopatcher and update it from a CD BEFORE you connect it to anything.

  19. Re:Well the only fool proof way... on How Can I Tell If My Computer Is Part of a Botnet? · · Score: 1

    You can always use a splitter. It has one male and two female ends.

    Can't find one? Then splice some Cat wire together

  20. Re:Fark on The State of Iran's Ongoing Netwar · · Score: 5, Informative

    Offtopic?

    Threads on Fark have reached over 20K posts. People are setting up proxy servers to allow outgoing Twitter messages (bypassing Iranian firewall filters), with several people giving out do-it-yourself proxy kits. There is an active Go Green campaign and protests planned in many cities. Posting of relevant Twitter messages to keep everyone informed.

    Somewhat on the forefront of the Netwar I would think.

  21. Fark on The State of Iran's Ongoing Netwar · · Score: 4, Informative

    Hardly any time to post. Spending most of my time on Fark

  22. Re:Yeah Canada on Senator Applauds Pirate Bay Trial, Chides Canada · · Score: 1

    What freedom?

    We pay a surtax on every CD sold here. That surtax goes directly to our version of the RIAA. They in turn are supposed to distribute that to the artists etc.

    Which is why our Supreme Court decided that music downloads are not prosecutable.

  23. Re:"one step closer to a more democratic Web" on Mozilla Jetpack and the Battle For the Web · · Score: 1

    I am not responsible for adhering to someone else's idea of a business model.

    IOW, just because someone has an idea of a layout/content they want to flog on the Internet, it does not follow that I agree with that idea. If they were to provide layout/content with which I agree, then I would not want to modify it.

  24. Re:my laundry list on Where Are the High-Res Head-Mounted Displays? · · Score: 1

    Is that so much to ask?

    I hope not, 'cause I want this too.

  25. Re:VR was more hype than reality on Where Are the High-Res Head-Mounted Displays? · · Score: 1

    I read a book where the computer/brain interface was done by injected nano-machines. So no external gadgetry needed. And practical telepathy.