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User: mike449

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  1. Gartner prediction is not a fact on Apple Devices To Outsell Windows For First Time Ever In 2013 · · Score: 3, Informative

    I tried to find data on historical accuracy of predictions by Gartner, but surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be any.
    Here is one example (which is actually not that bad): http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/013108-gartner-it-predictions.html?page=1

  2. Re:They get it on T-Mobile Ends Contracts and Subsidies · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The price is still fairly steep. $50/month for unlimited talk + 500MB of data.
    Data only is $20 for 500MB, $30 for 2GB, and it quickly goes up.
    The fact that these plans are reasonable and attractive tells a lot about the "competition" landscape in the US.

  3. RPi has a sizeable niche on Ask Slashdot: Why Buy a Raspberry Pi When I Have a Perfectly Good Cellphone? · · Score: 1

    It makes sense to use RPi when you need ALL of these:
    1. Linux toolchain and lots of available packages (open source)
    2. Develop on the device itself
    3. Once the application is ready, disconnect screen/keyboard and use remote SSH if necessary
    4. Low cost

    The cost of an USB IO expansion board is typically higher than RPi.

  4. Re:Google Voice call screening on FTC Gets 744 New Ideas On How To Hang Up On Robocallers · · Score: 1

    Ask to be transferred to their legal department. That will put you on their REAL Do Not Call list.

  5. Re:Technology Misuse on 3D Printable Ammo Clip Skirts New Proposed Gun Laws · · Score: 2

    You were modded funny, but I bet this is what is going to actually happen. Modern day tyrants are afraid of the First Amendment way more than they are afraid of the Second.

  6. Great news for indie music! on Radio Royalty Legislation Described As 'RIAA Bailout' · · Score: 3, Insightful

    When RIAA music becomes prohibitively expensive for radio stations, non-RIAA music will get more airplay and exposure.

  7. Re:Bruce underestimates the value of theater on Phony Laser Security System Proves Perception Is Reality · · Score: 1

    I have a counter-anecdote to tell. I had an LED blinker in my car, attached with a piece of velcro. The car was stolen and then recovered within a week. The only damage was the ignition lock, and the only item stolen from the car was the LED blinker.

  8. What I like about Phoenix on Is Phoenix the Next Silicon Valley? · · Score: 1

    I work here since 2009. I was basically forced to move here when my previous employer closed shop and this was the best job I was able to find back then.
    Yes, it is hot in summer. And I hate scorpions that crawl inside the house.
    But there are some good things about this place, too:
      - I can afford a nice house with a pool in a good neighborhood 2 miles from the office. Nowhere else I would be able to live in such luxury. Maybe in Austin. In California, I would be living in a tiny townhouse that would cost me more (in percents of my salary), and commuting on a congested highway an hour one way.
      - I bike to work every working day of every month, even in 115 degree heat. It is not bad at all because of the short distance and dry air. Also, the morning and the evening temperature is significantly lower than the max.
      - Quite a few outdoor attractions are within driving distance: Sedona, Grand Canyon, Mogollon Rim, etc.
      - Winter is nice. I like snow, so we drive to Flagstaff every now and then for some fun

  9. Re:When they say they're only going to tax the ric on Facebook Co-Founder Saverin Gives Up U.S. Citizenship Before IPO · · Score: 1

    This sounds exactly like the Soviet Union used to say (and do). Jews leaving the country had to pay about 5-10 average yearly salary "to compensate for the higher education received". US applied a lot of pressure to have that practice repealed.

  10. Re:Nice, but... on Town Turns Off the Lights To See the Stars · · Score: 2

    In Flagstaff, Arizona, you can see Milky Way from the downtown. I didn't research how bad is crime there, but when I was there I had a feeling of a safe place.

    http://www.flagstaffdarkskies.org/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Dark-Sky_Association

  11. Re:The Cold War mentality again on Russian Official Implies Foul Play In Mars Probe Failure · · Score: 2

    Regrettably, the russians have gone back to that silly Cold War mentality. Their own propaganda tells them constantly that they are unique, superior to the others, and surrounded by vile enemies that miss no chance to do harm to russia.

    Don't speak for all russians. Hysterical propaganda is usually the sign that the population becomes difficult to control and has opinions that the propaganda is desperately trying to change.

  12. Positive moments on Publicly Available Russian Election Results Hint At Fraud · · Score: 2

    1. Very detailed (down to individual voting stations) voting results were made available, although they were used to do similar analysis after the past elections.
    2. United Russia was barely able to get the majority in Duma, even with all the "irregularities"
    3. Internet was used to organize a mass rally (30-50k people in Moscow, thousands in other places). This one is a first. And these were not radicals that are happy to rally for whatever cause, but middle class - people that didn't go to the streets since 1991.

    This is the first time in a while I have some hope for the future of Russia.

  13. It is more affordable than ever on Ham Radio Licenses Top 700,000, An All-Time High · · Score: 1

    This may be one of the reasons of the ham radio popularity.
    A decent HF radio cost was in the $500-1000 range for decades, which means it is many times cheaper today than back in the 60's.

  14. Doesn't sound good in Russian on Toyota To Let People Ride In Self-Driving Prius · · Score: 1

    Avos' in Russian means "blind trust in sheer luck; counting on a miracle".

  15. Wikimapia knows a lot on China Building Gigantic Structures In the Desert · · Score: 5, Interesting
  16. Lack of copyright enforcement on What's Keeping You On Windows? · · Score: 1

    I will switch on the day the first individual who copied Windows without authorization has a lawsuit filed against him. I believe millions of others will switch the same day.

  17. Bunch of crackpots on US Scientists Invited To Russian Yeti Hunt · · Score: 1

    I did a quick search on this "conference" and I can tell right away this is a typical pseudoscience gathering.
    The organizer, Igor Burtsev, holds a degree in a different area (history) and everything he published about yeti so far was sensationalist drivel, not scientific research.
    Oh, it is on Fox News website? Must be fair and balanced then. Sorry.

  18. Re:"Twice the hieght of the Empire State" on Massive Solar Tower Planned For Arizona · · Score: 1

    Compensating for something there, Arizona?
    Only for the largest hole in the ground, duh.

  19. Arizona - not that much better on The Dangers Of Amateur Astronomy In Afghanistan · · Score: 1

    In Arizona, I can not just go out to the middle of nowhere and set up my scope. There are land owners with shotguns. I have to arrange with them where I can set up. Otherwise they shoot first and ask questions later.
    And then there are scorpions and snakes. Granted, they are not as bad as landmines, but they are somewhat of a deterrent.

  20. Re:Wrong decision...and fuck the app store anyway on Apple Removes Gay Cure App From App Store · · Score: 1

    As long as there are other "unapproved" devices out there, there is nothing illegal in restricting iOS functionality. If you are unhappy with this, just don't buy the iDevice.
    However, when everything out there is locked and open devices are unavailable, consumers will need some kind of legal protection.

  21. Re:Also they were using imagine intensifiers on BBC Astronomer Misses Meteor During Live Show · · Score: 1

    It was brighter than any stars in the camera field of view, which were not visible at all. Either the camera wasn't that sensitive, or the cloud cover was too thick.
    In either case, this meteor had to be very bright.

  22. Re:Pro big donor on Republicans Create Rider To Stop Net Neutrality · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Republicans want absolutely no regulation of anything. Net neutrality is regulation.
    While they are at it, they should un-regulate the right of Cox to dig my property (private and public). If they want free market, let me name the conditions on which they can lay their cables.
    So they actually want regulation, but only when it suits corporate interests and not public interests? This exposes them as shills and hypocrites.

  23. Re:Not pro-corporate on Republicans Create Rider To Stop Net Neutrality · · Score: 1

    In this particular case, interests of some corporations coincide with interests of the public, and the parent is trying to muddy the waters using this fact.
    I don't actually care if Republicans are acting on behalf of Comcast. All I care is that they are acting against public interests.

    At least they selflessly protect the right of Americans to organize into a well-regulated militia bearing arms. That will take care of everything, right? RIGHT?!!!

  24. 1982 explosion did not happen on When Computers Go Wrong · · Score: 5, Informative

    Te Soviet pipeline explosion seems to be an urban legend, traced to a single source: At the Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War, by Thomas C. Reed.
    There is no mention of this explosion anywhere else, either in Russian or Western sources. If you can read Russian, some debunking is here:

    link
    One of the facts mentioned there is that there was no SCADA on Soviet pipelines until late 80-s. All control was still pneumatic in 1982, with no software involved.

  25. Regenerative braking is a killer app on Electric Car Goes 375 Miles On One 6-Minute Charge · · Score: 1

    I don't even care about the range. I would really like a gas hybrid car with a much smaller battery of this type as long as it can absorb the energy released during braking. This gives an instant 20-40% fuel efficiency boost for city driving, at a modest cost increase. Ultracapacitors can be used for this, but they are expensive and have lower energy density.