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User: Colin+Smith

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  1. The cost of an installation hasn't dropped much on Innovative Use of Plastics Could Cheaply Double Solar Cell Output · · Score: 1

    Perhaps people are trying to reduce the price of the wrong thing.
     

  2. pointy sticks on The Future of Battle Tech · · Score: 3, Funny

    Going to be very big in future wars.
     

  3. Iran has been On The Verge Of The Bomb since 1979 on US Sentinel Drone Fooled Into Landing With GPS Spoofing · · Score: 1

    i.e. since they removed their puppet leader. Before that the US was helping with the program.

    http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Imminent-Iran-nuclear-threat-A-timeline-of-warnings-since-1979/Earliest-warnings-1979-84

    Though I'll point out that the US only taxes for about 60% of it's spending, the rest is borrowed, so the taxpayer isn't paying yet. The bill hasn't yet come due.

  4. Aircraft carriers vs exocets on Satellite Spots China's First Aircraft Carrier · · Score: 1

    Nah. The aircraft carriers are the castles of the middle ages. Someone will come up with a tin opener which will allow a small boat or aircraft to take out a carrier almost single handed. It's only a matter of time. That may even be the research the Chinese want to run against their carrier.

  5. Look up the Hanvon color eink reader on The Kindle Skews Amazon's 2011 Best-Seller List · · Score: 1

    Works fine. Most of the existing readers are using the old generation of display.

  6. Re:why no self-destruct? on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 0

    Except it made it to the ground largely physically safe and sound.
     

  7. Re:Iran? Nope, China and Russia... on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 1

    And you know the specs of the Saeqeh how? You're not going to know till the shooting starts.
     

  8. The constitution has been suspended for 10 years on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 1

    Why are you talking about the constitution like it matters?
     

  9. America is still under a National Emergency on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 1
  10. Re:Iran? Nope, China and Russia... on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 1, Funny

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Iranian_Oil_Refining_and_Distribution_Company

    Yeah. They all live in tents and ride camels. You're an American, right?

  11. They could always open source it on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 1

    Selling it to the Russians or Chinese would be the obvious thing, the US government will have now resigned themselves to that one I think... But one step further would cause significantly more consternation, embarrassment and wasted money.

    Reverse engineer it, put some plans together and publish them with a bill of materials and a build schedule, like any RC kit software too if they can lever it out.

    Then we can all have one.

  12. Re:Now these guys have some balls on Iran Wants To Clone Downed US Drone · · Score: 3, Interesting

    didn't look very crashed to me.

  13. Nice rant. You have to catch the wave. on Facebook Could Spawn Thousands of Milionaires · · Score: 2

    Sure there are good fund managers. The question is how does one find them among the dross? Some are lucky, some are lucky for a decade only to be completely blindsided when the environment changes.

    We're at a turning point just now. The next big investment vehicle is not going to be the same as the last couple of decades but a lot of fund managers will just run on with inertia, over the cliff.

  14. Money appears out of nothing. on Facebook Could Spawn Thousands of Milionaires · · Score: 1

    Wall Street investors don't make money, they take it. You think those dollars are just appearing out of nowhere?

    Well yes. That is exactly what happens.

  15. Re:A month? on Facebook Could Spawn Thousands of Milionaires · · Score: 1

    That way lies margin calls and short squeezes with potential for huge losses but don't let me stand in the way of anyone else.

  16. A month? on Facebook Could Spawn Thousands of Milionaires · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Really ? I think you have maybe a couple of hours.

    Note, there will almost certainly be a hold clause on the stock for normal employees. The ordinary employees will have to hold the shares for a specfic minimum period. This allows the management to dump their shares at the peak price, before the bulk of the supply of shares kicks in.

    Groupon dropped from 26 to 16 inside a week. They're still making a loss but there's some muppet out there buying them.

  17. Actually it will on Facebook Could Spawn Thousands of Milionaires · · Score: 1

    Most stocks are bought on credit.
    Credit is borrowed into existence and then spent into the economy.

    => More money(and debt) will be around after the IPO.

    Having said that.

    The FED has pumped 2+ trillion in and the Treasury was borrowing into existence 50 billion a week during the QEs and effectively giving it to stock and bond traders (did you get your free money?), so 50 or 100 billion really isn't what it used to be. I wouldn't get very excited about it.

  18. No bubble here. on Facebook Could Spawn Thousands of Milionaires · · Score: 5, Informative

    Noo. Up up and away. Yes the company is worth 100 billion, more. Just step right up and get your share certificates, hot from the press.

    Nooo bubbles here. Social 1.0 isn't a fad or a bubble at all. Bet your grandchildren on it.

    P. T. Barnum would be proud.

    Note: Facebook is valued at a P/E of ~125. 12 is about average.

  19. Propaganda... Go watch "Dancing With The Stars". on Was Russia Behind Stuxnet? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ahmadinejad doesn't just not get along with Israel, but calls out for the destruction of Israel pretty much any time there's an open microphone nearby

    You're aware this was a (I assume deliberate) mistranslation of what was actually said? Google "Iranian mistranslation". It is however convenient for those who want war to repeat the propaganda.

    He does so even though Israel has never done anything bad to Iran

    You have evidence there have been no covert attacks? Your sources are clearly better than most. There are strange explosions happening in Iran at strategic sites. You think they are accidents? Who is the most likely culprit? Who is the most likely culprit for stuxnet?

    You also forget that Iran spends millions of oil dollars every year funding terrorist organizations whose sole purpose is to harm and kill American and Israeli civilians.

    Perhaps they see themselves as freedom fighters.

    You are looking for simple black and white, good and evil; like the movies, and the people who's agenda that serves will be more than happy to serve it up to you on a platter. You should just go back to staring slack jawed at the TV and let your superiors get on with whatever it is they want to do. The very last thing you should ever do is question what you are told.

  20. You don't memorize them on The Condescending UI · · Score: 1

    They become part of you.

  21. Iran's oil supply is declining on Was Russia Behind Stuxnet? · · Score: 3, Interesting

    http://crudeoilpeak.info/iran-crude-oil-decline-to-2016

    They'll be able to continue exporting for a few years, 5-10. Then their internal consumption hits production and starts declining. This is when the shtf and people start dying.

    So... What choices do they have? Given the history of the external manipulation of their country they appear quite rational.

  22. Re:There are a couple of relational languagues on Why We Need More Programming Languages · · Score: 1

    SQL is still here because it's domain specific and since the domain is still here (relational DB) the language is still here.

    You haven't explained why it hasn`t yet been replaced by a superior relational language the way other languages have been replaced.

  23. apple is evil on Apple Transfers Patents Through Shell Company To Sue All Phone Makers · · Score: 1, Troll
  24. Have you ever watched a Mass? on Malaysia Mulls Compulsory Registration of Tech Workers · · Score: 1

    It's brainwashing.

    The purpose is control. Think of religion as psyops.
     

  25. Wages will rocket on Malaysia Mulls Compulsory Registration of Tech Workers · · Score: 1

    For the licensed.

    They will enter the same sphere as lawyers, doctors, accountants who have to be similarly licensed.

    It is fortunate that IT is too new a field to have yet become infused with these sorts of restraints.

    That rather depends if you are a buyer or seller.