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User: LifesABeach

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  1. Re:South central actually... on A Telescope In a Cubic Kilometer of Ice · · Score: 1

    What happens if the event that the telescope can observe is coming from the relative northern direction? Maybe we should build one in the Arctic?

  2. Re:I LOVE YOU! on Musicians Protest Use Of Songs By US Jailers · · Score: 1

    I read the partial list of songs, my first reaction was, "what? these are some good tunes, kind of old, but good"; maybe someone like Sony BMG will cut a CD of the songs for the rest of us? But my concern is that the Constitution says no Cruel, or Unusual Punishments. I also think that Bush may have to come up with some coin for the Musicians because how the music was used was via Broadcasting, and if a Bar did this they'd have a great business, but they'd would have to pay some fines. And I didn't read anywhere that GITMO legal staff had this covered...

  3. What Have We Learned From This? on USPS Server Meltdown · · Score: 1

    The call from the User to the parent poster m2pc could not have been a fun one. But some interesting Ah-Ha's can be gleaned from this event. "Try-Catch-Finish" can be a troubling paradigm, but when your user employs the administrative technique of MBH, ( Management By Hysteria ), having your program tell you what its inputs were, and what the response was from the "other guy's" server in a nice log file can be; satisfying. This problem could have been reduced further by having the program email any nonstandard messages from the offending server to the maintainer of the software. These two little tricks have made me more Pro-Active, than Re-Active when it comes to spending time on problems, and it keeps customers longer.

  4. Re:Summary is wrong on World's Oldest Marijuana Stash Found · · Score: 1

    In the immortal words of Chech, and Chong, "Far Out Man."

  5. Almost Within Reach on How to Deal With an Aging Brain? · · Score: 1

    Remembering is about 2 Pita Bytes of storage for the older humans. Until we can access our personal history, that's a lot of facts to wade through by ourselves. It will be a boon to me when those scientist folks get that "Brain Backup" device thingy working right. But with respect to our Brain, I'm betting on the cure will be some kind of DNA/RNA Therapy, cellular degeneration is curable, not today, but soon. It will be nice when this therapy can be extended to mend the cells to what they were when we were 23 years old; we were invincible then. What a hell of a combination it would be to be 23 years old with the memories that we have now, and the ability to make more memories.

  6. Re:Don't Let This Die on Microsoft Moves To Quash Case, End E-mail Revelations · · Score: 1

    As an Idiot Corp, they've done pretty well. There was a time when I recommended M$. But the more trouble they got in, the more uncomfortable I became in my support. I think the day that M$ Management ignored their Humility was the day I switched to Linux. When Mr. Torvalds submitted his personal curiosity, I saw in Linux what M$ was once. I don't think M$ can go back, they have to much to lose. Success does that to people. In the long run, I don't think M$ can really do this, I believe that they are the Defendants, and the amount of evidence is so overwhelming that its existence cannot be denied; with a straight face.

  7. Step One Completed on E=mc^2 Verified In Quantum Chromodynamic Calculation · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Now for step 2? Resolving FTL Travel, Anti Gravity; and my personal favorite, Access to better Servers when I play WOW?

  8. Applied Common Sense on Obama's Mobile Phone Records Compromised, Shared · · Score: 1

    First, I believe that this whole situation, on multiple levels, is pretty messed up. I think when the Outrage, and Smirking, dies down, that the facts will most likely show that this was the act of a handful of people acting coy. And, for a short while, Obama's phone was our phone. But ignoring this article's implications, I think the tagging for this article should have been, "Warrentless, Wiretap, Felony, Stupid".

  9. Re:I'm confused on Zapping Contrails With Microwave Emitters · · Score: 1

    Ya, I'm still working on how warming the exhaust of a jet is going to "Help" global warming.?

  10. Re:What 20+ Years Have Taught Me on Interviewing Experienced IT People? · · Score: 1

    The Order of the Arrow is a note worthy award. But no son, Failure is NOT watching disappointed parents at a picnic. Failure is, "Being the last Zebra running away from a pride of hungry Lionesses." The Lionesses truly understand Failure; and so does the Zebra. Mention "Failure" around older adults; you know the type, they have a spouse, children, house payments, and low paying job. You'll notice they get quiet, and they don't stop looking at you for a while, and anything else is more important. These people know Failure, personally. But seeing how we're all laughing, would you have suicided if you didn't recieve the OOTA? Cheers mate.

  11. Re:Why are we still propping up NASA? on NASA Exploring 8 New Space Expeditions · · Score: 1

    Ya know, that may not be such a bad idea. Basically, NASA could be the grounds keeper at the Cape, and Private Businesses could "Rent" Pad Time. Lets face it, if NASA had been in charge of the expansion of humanity, we would be still on the Serengeti.

  12. What 20+ Years Have Taught Me on Interviewing Experienced IT People? · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My next applicant after you is 23 years old. What do you know that he doesn't?
     
      I know what "Failure" means. Another thing I know that the 23 year old has no concept of is, "What takes to have a medium to complex project completed."

  13. Re:Industrial espionage on Physicist Admits Sending Space-Related Military Secrets To China · · Score: 1

    OK, "Kwai Chang" was con'ed into selling the secret that a container can hold gas, "Bad Boy!"; got it. (As a side note, if some Chinese factory offered to sell the same container to the U.S., at a lower cost than could be done in the U.S. one would have to love the irony.) I just have one question, "Where the hell does this guy work, and WHAT does he do there that HE can bribe 'Chinese officials to the tune of some 189,300 dollars'? That's the job for me!

    P.S.

    I think that the Chinese can figure out how to put gas in a container without having to steal the infromation from someone else, they just have to "nut it up" a little bit.

  14. Re:Don't buy it on Jaguar, World's Most Powerful Supercomputer · · Score: 1

    So, I'm standing in front of my new Jag, with my WOW CD in my trembling hands. Where do I plug in my Game Keyboard, and Mouse? There's nothing in the owners manual about where the plug is to connect to my Cable Box!? How much was this thing again?

    And another thing, where is the Cup Holder?

  15. Re:All I Have to Say Is on The World's Heaviest Robot · · Score: 1

    If the Robot is carrying a Teamsters Union Card, that would be "constructively" profound.

  16. Emergency Parachutes, Good Idea on ESA Unveils Re-Entry Module · · Score: 1

    I think the idea of being able to exit an aircraft before it incinerates, or craters, is a good idea. But I think that the Engineers have missed a major flaw in Land-To-Space design. Burt Rutan's solution allows for a more simple, graceful recovery of malfunctioning LTS Assemblies. Half the cost of an LTS project is the cost of Insurance for a second chance. By lifting parts of the project, and applying Final, and Trim Assembly in a stable earth orbit, one can reduce the overall project cost, and handle the issue of Module Replacement at lower cost levels. I know ISS was not designed for this type of mission. But an Space Assembly Yard in a parallel flight path of the ISS would give the Project Assembly Cost a smaller foot print.

  17. Re:Anyone else see the cover and think... on Programming .NET 3.5 · · Score: 1

    I can't help but think that if O'Reilly had titled the book to, "Mono 3.5" that the "gate" of the duck would not have been so "noticeable?"

  18. Re:One of the better ideas to fix health care... on Discuss the US Presidential Election & Health Care · · Score: 1

    With respect to the purchasing of medicines, it is a statement when I can go to a different country and buy the same med's, and it is cheaper to fly there, buy pills, and fly back; then it is to buy it here in the U.S.. FYI, the pills seem to work just as good as the pills here at home.

    Another statement is that the Insurance company's can discriminate who they can do business with. Any other business would be staring up at an angry judge if they practiced what the Insurance company's get away with.

    Also, I remember a time when Doctors made house calls. Back then, you went to the Hospital because you were dieing.

    I guess I haven't wrapped my mind around the part where Insurance company's can make more money from dead people than from live people?! To my way of thinking, when a person dies, they stop paying into the system. The goal shouldn't be to cut off the client when they get sick, but to find ways to keep the client paying into the system; and without any payment gaps.

  19. Re:They won't care either on Researcher Warns of "Digital Dark Age" · · Score: 1

    I know it sounds goofy; but maybe we should consider the purchasing of 1K exabyte storage devices?

  20. Considering Paradise? on Packs of Robots Will Hunt Down Uncooperative Humans · · Score: 1

    Scenario: An Automated Reconnaissance and Recovery Weapons Team, (ARRW Team) out of Fort Brag is compromised by hostile forces. Within 2 years, a their secret project "Iron Jehod" finishes. A robot strapped with explosives detonates in a market place. The project leader of Iron Jehod smiles to the cleric,(who should have switched to Decaf years ago), and says, "Ala Akba".

    My personal experience in warfare leads me to think that what ever the enemy does to us to make us uncomfortable, we will to do the same to them. And then they can enjoy benefits of living the same way they have caused upon us. Personally, I would prefer to read this in a Tom Clancy novel, not see it on CNN.

  21. Re:Linda never said that... on Handling Caller ID Spoofing? · · Score: 1

    Linda's work is a classic, but I am referring to the FBI Deputy Director, the one that caused "Tricky Dick", a.k.a. President Nixon to resign. After more research on Linda, try "All The Presidents Men". It's good also.

  22. Re:same here on Handling Caller ID Spoofing? · · Score: 1

    In the immortal words of Deep Throat, "Follow the Money." Insurance company's have names; which companies are benefiting by this? These companies are profiting by indirect use of her property, (her phone number). Unless she has authorized the use of her phone number, the Insurance companies have basically profited by the actions of Agents working for them. Also, if she is not a licensed Insurance Agent, she is partly responsible for the actions of the Agents of the Insurance companies that are profiting from this stunt. Any Lawyer that has about 3 to 5 years experience can have a "field day" with this problem. Of course, the person damaged by this can always make Chocolate Chip Cookies from Elax and give them to the show-offs that are bothering her.

  23. An Idea for Mars Lab on Simulation of the Mars Science Laboratory Sky Crane · · Score: 1

    Given the nature of our curiosity, the availability of Blender3D, and Mars based physics principles. Has anyone considered combining the two? Then anyone could have a Mars Simulator, and imagine or experiment with possible designs. That balloon idea was cool. But how about the mechanics of a Space Elevator? That would be cool to simulate. Simulation of Auto-Assembly Space Platforms could be more easily demonstrated. Given the statistics of ISS, one could infer logistics of actual engineering requirements.

  24. Re:damn it on Now Even Photo CAPTCHAs Have Been Cracked · · Score: 1

    Just a thought, but there are projects in the wild that are scanning in written text and converting it to digital. I was wondering if this technology could be applied here?

  25. Re:Herring was arrested... on Gov't Database Errors Leading To Unconstitutional Searches? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I RTFA. Given that this violation is at the constitutional level. The evidence obtained illegally will be thrown out; it may have to go a higher level to do it. In Alabama, guns in cars is "normal", along with fishing rods. As for the "Evidence" found in his car, I'm amazed that law enforcement found so little; for the amount of time, money, and resources spent. To all intents, and purposes, now would be a good time for those involved to say, "I'm sorry", and maybe go find someone like Bin Laden; a real bad guy's bad guy.

    "Dead or Alive, You're Coming With Me" - Robo Cop