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User: Billy+the+Mountain

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  1. I see what you did there... on Scientists Are Using Gene Editing To Create the Perfect Tomato For Your Salad (qz.com) · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perfect, CRISPR for the crisper!

  2. I've observed this satellite, OTV4, in orbit several times over the last couple years; it being large and reflective enough to be easily seen by the unaided eye. I figured the day would come when it would be brought in but since it was a secret project the landing date was anyone's guess. Glad it was a happy landing.

  3. Fund my Kickstarter for a new type of keyboard! on Discovery May Help Decipher Ancient Inca String Code (nationalgeographic.com) · · Score: 2

    It uses different colored strings that you pretend to tie into knots. (Note, I have abandoned my previous Dial Keyboard idea)

  4. Re:I have a dream on 95% Engineers in India Unfit For Software Development Jobs: Report (gadgetsnow.com) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Irony: Like Goldy or Silvery but made of iron.

  5. *Yawn* Wake me up when the mississippi empties out more than 1000 miles from where it used to.

  6. Re:It's not just a good idea... on New Solar-Powered Device Can Pull Water Straight From the Desert Air (sciencemag.org) · · Score: 1

    So to determine if this is a scam or not, you turn it on and let it run all night. By morning the 1 kg unit should weigh at least 4kg because in order to generate 3 liters (3 kg) of water, you will have needed to absorb that much into the desiccant.

  7. Re:Earthquakes on Hyperloop Firm Eyes Indonesia For Ultra-Fast Transport System (cnbc.com) · · Score: 1

    If you are riding on hyperloop during an earthquake it will feel just like an earthquake. If you are traveling towards the epicenter, the earthquake will feel stronger and will be shorter. If you are traveling away from the epicenter, the earthquake will feel milder but will last longer.

  8. Re: $2000 rebate on a $40000 electric vehicle on New York State To Launch Electric Vehicle Rebate (foxnews.com) · · Score: 1

    I've chosen to buy renewable electricity for nearly 20 years and I live in Texas.

  9. The Island on Skin deep? Robots To Wear Real Human Tissue (thememo.com) · · Score: 1

    Yeah, perfect. It will be just like the move The Island.

  10. Mmmm! meat pudding! on Scientists Use Stem Cells To Grow Animal-Free Pork In a Lab (digitaltrends.com) · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The trouble is meat is more than just cells, it's also non-cellular proteins. If all you can produce are lot's of animal cells then I think you've just invented meat pudding.

  11. Interesting idea but ultimately harmful on Ransomware Insurance Is Coming (onthewire.io) · · Score: 1

    The problem with this is, while it may help out a clueless company in the short term, the incentive for the insurance company is to pay the ransom, because it rewards the evil-doers, which, in turn creates more need for the insurance.

  12. You're probably NOT owed $10 on If You Owned a PC With a DVD Drive You Might Be Able To Claim $10 (theverge.com) · · Score: 5, Informative

    Residency requirement. FTFA: Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin.

  13. Good design on Airbus Is About To Build A Self-Flying Electric Robo-Taxi (fastcompany.com) · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I'm not an aviation professional but I think about designs for these all the time. I'd be proud of this design:
    • Simple, inexpensive propellers rather than one or two massive, complex rotor(s)
    • Wings so when traveling place to place you don't have to expend extra energy to stay aloft
    • Electric. You'll need a fantastic battery, but if that's not quite available you can use a gas turbine powering a generator for hybrid operation

    My only quibble is the design relies on differential torque of the propellers for pivot rotation. I think it would be better to arrange for thrust vectoring for this. Also thrust vectoring would allow you to run identical propellers because the thrust vectoring can eliminate the torque.

  14. Re:Oracle worked very hard at making a closed ecos on Oracle Effectively Doubles Licence Fees To Run Its Stuff in AWS (theregister.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Said no one who actually uses all the performance and scalabilty of an Oracle DB - EVER.

    Said the person who's using MySQL on Slashdot - This very INSTANT

  15. This would be a bad thing because this sets the precedent of the Feds dictating what rights states have to make their own laws. What next? Would Trump then start revoking all the recent laws laws governing recreational and medical marijuana?

  16. This probably won't end well on India Just Flew Past Us In the Race To E-Cash (backchannel.com) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Because computer security and how it seems to universally suck.

  17. You gotta start somewhere on Google Says It Is About To Reach 100 Percent Renewable Energy (blog.google) · · Score: 2

    1. It's a good start for what could be considered to be a chicken-and-egg problem.
    2. It tells any local would-be renewable energy company that chooses to step in that there is local demand for your product.

  18. Real electricity from diamonds! on Scientists Turn Nuclear Waste Into Diamond Batteries (newatlas.com) · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes it is electricity BUT it's measured in picoamps.

  19. Re:Cost? on Tesla Runs an Entire Island on Solar Power (engadget.com) · · Score: 1

    For LiIon storage, Tesla is getting close to $200 per kW hour (uninstalled) http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/1...

  20. Hackaday's take on this: Thinkpad on Slashdot Asks: Which Windows Laptop Could Replace a MacBook Pro? · · Score: 2

    This question was discussed on Hackaday about a month ago. The criteria for the solution being high-end laptop with Linux capabilty. The conclusion was Lenovo Thinkpad models X, T and P. Here's the link: http://hackaday.com/?s=thinkpa...

  21. Re:Title is misleading... on Renewables Overtake Coal As World's Largest Source of Power Capacity (ft.com) · · Score: 1

    Yeah, you wouldn't need to change much environmentally if you had a rapid rise in elevation and used a piped pelton wheel. You could also use a simple archimedes screw to raise the water because it doesn't rely on suction so it can rise the water to any elevation. Also when you are done 'charging' you just lock it and when you want to charge again you just pick up where you left off.

  22. Re:honorary slashdot second story posting... on Inventor of C Dennis Ritchie Honored With Second Death (cnet.com) · · Score: 1

    There was a lot of confusion around this. This time Slashdot nailed it and got it right!

  23. Re:piracy? on China Launches Second Space Lab (space.com) · · Score: 2

    I want to see this in a move.

  24. Let's say I am an ISP and I have a data stream coming through my system. How do I know if the data is encrypted or not? Data is data. Neither IP nor UDP packets have an 'encrypted data' indicator. How would we differentiate between an encrypted data stream and a video stream in a new movie format? What's the difference between decrypting vs displaying a movie? Both processes are a conversion operation being performed on a data stream.

  25. Just make all the characters gay on George Takei Opposes Gay Sulu In 'Star Trek Beyond' (hollywoodreporter.com) · · Score: 1

    ...Ohhh, didn't anyone tell you? If you use the transporter more than three times you become gay.