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  1. Re:it made it home on SpaceX Rocket Launch Succeeds, But Landing Test Doesn't · · Score: 1

    What is special about landing in the dark... hmmm.
    a) Depth perception in darkness changes (given they could use some sort of sonar type bounce to get a distance reading)
    b) Blindness of the camera's when the thrusters are activated.
    c) Landing on the water, barges move up and down, that's really impressive, it's only so stable. This is nothing like a carrier landing in any way.

    Well anyway, I am amazed and cheering for them!!!

  2. it made it home on SpaceX Rocket Launch Succeeds, But Landing Test Doesn't · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, I think it's a milestone. Just getting it to land on the platform, in the dark, without any human help. That speaks a lot of the hard work that people invested. So it gets some damage, big deal.
    I am glad that it was not a total success, otherwise people might get into lazy thinking and not look for bugs. I believe (not sure, cannot cite sources on this), but some airplane was not tested enough because everything happened perfect on testing, it was placed into production (1950's). Over the course of a year or 2, the planes were having issues and a few crashed. And they had to stop production. Some sort of fault in the structure.

    So, in summary, He's done it!!! now to get all the bugs worked out.

  3. Re:Odd choices of Heinlein stories to make into mo on Heinlein's 'All You Zombies' Now a Sci-Fi Movie Head Trip · · Score: 1

    Stranger in a Strange land as a movie... I would see it, and I think it could fit into a 90's time idea or maybe push it to 2025ish as the starting point.

  4. Re:Predestination is an incredibly unsatisfying mo on Heinlein's 'All You Zombies' Now a Sci-Fi Movie Head Trip · · Score: 1

    Saw the movie also, left unsatisfied at the end too.
    But I will say this, you need to be intelligent for this movie. The movie is like a very good bottle of wine, it weaves something and you can almost grab it.
    The people I was with, well they were rating it about 65 out of 100, I was near 85 out of 100. It's a thinking persons movie.

    I would also advise seeing the movie "the drop" again a thinking persons movie. Very nicely crafted.

  5. Re:Conform or be expelled on HOA Orders TARDIS Removed From In Front of Parrish Home · · Score: 1

    A townhouse is usually 2 floors, shared side wall
    A Villia is usually 1 floor, shared side wall
    A Condo is usually 1 floor, multiple shared walls, and ownership is your box in the air and your percentage of common area's
    a Co-op is usually 1 floor, multiple shared walls and ownership in a corporation where you are buying airspace and land as a stock ( think of a box in the air that is numbered to a specific share )

    Townhouses and Villias can be owned as Freehold ( that means shared wall liability and roof, dirt under is yours, nothing else ) so paint it green for all you care
    Or as homeowner association or as a condo association. These are the basic way's

  6. Re:Conform or be expelled ( no fined ) on HOA Orders TARDIS Removed From In Front of Parrish Home · · Score: 2

    Disclosure: I am a realtor, mostly on the sell side 96% of the time, not representing the buyer. 4% representing the buyer. So I will speak from the selling side. And a big Doctor Who fan from the 80's
    HOA's, condo's, and Co-op's are a form of corporations (non-profit) that run the land you are on and issue a set of rules you need to abide by.

    When you buy into any of the above, you are required to abide by those rules. When I do a transaction I am required to present to you the rules of the association, sometimes in excess of 200 pages. And you have 3 days to execute a confirmation that you read these rules, otherwise I will put it back on the market. It's a take or leave situation, I think most people don't read the rules.

    Most of the rules are common sense, for example, allocation of parking, pet policy's, exterior paint colors, lawn height (which in a condo is the association responsibility not the condo owner usually), cannot hang wet towels on the balcony rail to dry and a ton more. Some of the more interesting rules are
    A) How bad of criminal are you... ( Violent crime of murder not permitted, but a Bernie Maddof welcome)
    B) You cannot buy the property on credit, must be a cash transaction close
    C) Limit on how many occupants in the unit

    A common rule I tell people when they are presented with my property is, you are buying conformity, a lifestyle and sometimes peace of mind.

    One of the huge problems in HOA's is the Flagpole issue, ex-military wants one on the front lawn of their house, most, if not all HOA's did not permit this, but every year we see it as a lawsuit http://blog.chron.com/advocate... ( that's a Texas one)
    It got so carried away here in Florida that the state had to chime in http://www.hoaleader.com/publi... ( summary is, you can within reason)

    When the 9 /11 happened, people hung American flags on the railing, well after 3 months some condo association and HOA's were tired of this, asked the residences to remove them, Boy did that start a huge problem, it's considered un-American, while the truth is, following rules is a rather American thing, otherwise why would we need so many lawyers to interpret these rules.

    So I don't understand what the big fuss is all about, the guy has a big blue box ( which I would love to own), it's rather different than what is normally seen, people complained, put it in the yard, end of problem. Or if the guy was smart, he should have asked his association about how to hold a wedding at his home, and they would have let him slide properly with all the form executed to do it. ( You need parking permits for gated communities when you hold huge parties, advise the association and they will set up a little shuttle cart for the bride and groom if needed, provide parking assistance ( by sending a note to the neighbors, see whom wants to offer up some driveway space, provides the cleaning service for all the exterior the next morning... )

  7. Re:I'm for planting trees on Trees vs. Atmospheric Carbon: A Fight That Makes Sense? · · Score: 1

    yes that's a constraint, but all you need to do is look for a suitable plant for that environment

  8. Re:That's revolutionary on Trees vs. Atmospheric Carbon: A Fight That Makes Sense? · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You make a valid point. A large percentage of the carbon absorbed is placed back into the air (I would venture a guess of 80% since about 80% of the tree is above the ground). But this solution is a stop gap until other means of carbon reduction can be implemented. Also, if tree farming is used for crop's IE: wood products with a life span of 30 years, then we have locked in carbon for; growth time + usable life span of products.

    I, myself, have planted trees all my life, and my dream retirement goal is to create a forest somewhere near the Mississippi River. Lots of trees, all different breeds, providing a rich environment for wildlife. Nothing fancy, lot's of southern pine ( that can be used for telephone poles, or sunk in the mud to support buildings in Louisiana ). Some hardwoods, and if possible, some trees that grow very fast for natural wind breaks.

    With over 1 million users on Slashdot, I would venture that if we all planted 1 tree in our life time, the net effect would be in excess of 20 million tons of CO2 removed in our lifetime. While that is just a drop in the bucket, it's a start. I recently read that your basic tree removes in the range of 30 to 40 tons of co2 over 30 years. So I ask you all to plant a tree, think before traveling to find the most effective fuel route, recycle both sides of your paper if possible (I save 20 reams of paper every year that way) and use your bikes if you can.

    Thanks for your comment.

  9. Re:Oh yeah, he was a orthodontist on Dr. Dobb's 38-Year Run Comes To an End · · Score: 1

    Thanks for the memory...LOL
    but I have to ask,
    Why not a Gosub, I recall, I did everything with gosub's so I could keep the most used code near the top and the few used routines on the bottom?

  10. Re:Move to a gated community on Waze Causing Anger Among LA Residents · · Score: 1

    No, it's crappy, like riding the subway back in 1978 in NYC, but not as smelly.
    But what people have learned is that you can operate on a schedule and have relaxful time for yourself.
    Trust me, driving in southern Florida is a horrible thing, best way to describe it, You will get hit if you don't pay attention ALL the time, in California you only get hit when you do something dumb. It's a stressful drive here. I would rather be stuck on the 405 doing 20, or on the LIE doing 15, then doing 30 to 95.

  11. Re:It is an end of a era... on Dr. Dobb's 38-Year Run Comes To an End · · Score: 1

    See and that is what is happening in the world, Dr Dobb's was a general knowledge publication, where you learned and gained insight from your peers. Now everyone is focused on a solution. Where just 20 years ago, 20 different solution would happen for a problem, now we just see 2 or 3, lack of creativity.

    So as I will advise you all, read, and read a lot, and about stuff you never tried. You would be surprised at the solution you will create.

  12. Re:Oh yeah, he was a orthodontist on Dr. Dobb's 38-Year Run Comes To an End · · Score: 1

    I knew, before even looking at your link, it was a Commodore platform. V-20, I had the C-64, and yes, knowing how to use the least amount of memory was just the start. Sprites and all the fun, tape drive, saving, until I bought the disk drive. (It was 8,1 to save right)? I think it was the most amazing platform ever, and it was the best investment of $ 896.00 ( on sale that September or October 1981 or 82 ) from my newspaper route.

  13. Re:Move to a gated community on Waze Causing Anger Among LA Residents · · Score: 2

    the real simple solution is a simple increase in the gas tax by a thumping amount, hurts like heck, but it will reduce the load, make it so that more efficient forms of transport work.
    In Miami, when gas broke to 4.00 per gallon, I would notice that the trains were fuller, then when it got to 4.25 it started to get packed. It peaked and now people have come to like the trains. We are now just full. It's nice to know that every day, maybe 500 to 1000 cars are not on the road.

  14. Re:Move to a gated community on Waze Causing Anger Among LA Residents · · Score: 1

    Yes, you do, that's 100% correct.
    As a home owner, you sometimes choose a street where there is minimal traffic to enjoy that, the lack of traffic.

    The recent solution I've seen effective is speed bumps, and they were tall one's. Keeps traffic at bay on one street.
    Another is, speed limits that are enforced, sometimes severely (IE: out of the car, roadside safety check... )

    I've seen 1 street block entirely reduced to 10MPH due to a family of deaf children, I bike past it every weekend, I don't think that anyone drives on that block.
     

  15. Re:Actions have consequences. on Spanish Media Group Wants Gov't Help To Keep Google News In Spain · · Score: 1

    While I don't know where you are located, the word "right's" in a business sense, might not be qualified to use in the EU. They have different rules that they play by. Googles stance, of "it's my ball and I'm leaving the game" might be a legit Right in the USA, but in the EU it might not be.

    This action might be a painful lesson for both the EU and Google. Google's Spanish subsidiary might be forced into action that is unwelcome ( I believe it happened in google china ), the EU might have to intervene and say a business has the permission to go out of business or you will have to offer it a subsidy, and I don't think google would want a subsidy since that would disclose traffic information.

  16. Re:Things happen outside US!!! on Google News To Shut Down In Spain On December 16th · · Score: 1

    Well, this rule seems smart "It is illegal to rent out DVDs/BRs not specially licensed to that purpose"
    Makes perfect business sense that I own a dvd store, I rent that copy out 100 time, why not pay the artist 100 time ( like a movie theater )
    It's leveraging the investment. Sound solid, and I happen not to like that idea, but again, it makes perfect business sense.

  17. Re:Fear the Asian carp on How One Man Changed the Ecology of the Great Lakes With Salmon · · Score: 1

    You could be right, but the problem is ... How do you legally sell them the fish.
    that's the big problem, how to sell it, document it, and track it.

    In NJ and FL (those are the 2 that I know the laws in), you cannot sell your catch.
    you can bring your catch and trade for smoked fish in NJ (well that was up to 2002 when I left)
    Drop off 10lbs of fish, take 3lbs. Home.
    In FL. You can bring the fish to a restaurant to be cooked for you.

    Tracking the fish for non-human consumption might lead to better management of the carp, and lead to other discoveries.

  18. Re:Fear the Asian carp on How One Man Changed the Ecology of the Great Lakes With Salmon · · Score: 1

    See, a person that is making an effort, While I know it's not a lot, it's a trickle.
    Back when I fished freshwater, I would sponsor a fishing trip to the local lake for the boy club of America and my friends tackle store.
    cost almost nothing, and introduced fishing to a group of about 15 kids.

    if you don't mind sharing your spot, you should post it around,
    less of these fish the better we all might be.

    note: even if they are an invasive species, permits might be required to sell them to a processor.
    here in florida I can not fish for drum without one, and that's off the surf.

  19. Re:Fear the Asian carp on How One Man Changed the Ecology of the Great Lakes With Salmon · · Score: 2

    While I know the above is all for a good laugh, but there is a small solution to the carp problem that could stem the flow. Figure out if the fish is any good for pet food. Then, if it's viable, legalize the sale of it to processors for non-commercial fisherman. Once a fisherman knows he can legally sell his catch, he's going to think, fuel is paid from the processor and I've got myself a vacation.
    While not the greatest solution, it's a simple and fun way to slow the fish down from crossing over into the lakes. Seems like a low risk solution.
    Also, while not a common food here in the USA, I ate carp a while back. It tasted fine, no bones to complain about, maybe it could turn into a retail fish for consumers.

  20. think of all the new math we will learn on Comet Probe Philae Unanchored But Stable — And Sending Back Images · · Score: 1

    While it's not Math, we will add more knowledge to the simulations, we will learn a lot of the bounces, which should teach something about gravity bouncing on asteroids. We just might discover that the "dust" was really frozen solid, we might learn how to glide better.
    They did something that was very improbable (speed matching at amazing speeds) which now makes it possible. I can not wait for the future

  21. Re:The Philae mission is a partial success on Comet Probe Philae Unanchored But Stable — And Sending Back Images · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem is: we are talking about a design area of 1995 to 2002, with flight in 2004.
    So, what we can do now, is all based on what we have learned.
    All your ideas are valid and we will be better at it in the future.

  22. Re:I call bullshit on Washington Dancers Sue To Prevent Identity Disclosure · · Score: 1

    While I don't like what he is doing, I find that his request just might be legal. I really don't know ( IANAL ) and I dislike the idea of what he is doing. But then again, here is a case of nobody guessing that this would happen.
    He will most likely go about publicly shaming them. That's what I'm guessing. And reaching real far, he might have sinister plans.

  23. I find it funny on Washington Dancers Sue To Prevent Identity Disclosure · · Score: 1

    While this is the funniest thing I've seen posted in a long time, I also think it's wrong.
    But this is the great thing about the constitution and the bodies of laws we create.
    Where does that line start or end.

    I wonder what will become of this.

  24. Re:Jeep. on A Library For Survival Knowledge · · Score: 1

    Funny, but I went immediately to the ink section (I like fountain pens, and sometimes you are required to use special inks) in Henleys, and they were all interesting (page 399 and 400). I have to guess some of these inks are amazing.

    But more to the point, Why not print a book like this or buy a book like this and just keep in case of that frightful day. I think its 800+ pages are well worth the shelf space.

  25. Re:Infomercial for a code coverage tool? on Tetris Is Hard To Test · · Score: 1

    You know, I like what you wrote since it brought up a safety issue once I read about. It was about a plane making a crash landing, and the pilots heard a "GONG" sound, they were never trained for that sound, but they were able to find it in the manual. It seemed that that gong sound was the sound of everything is failing including redundancy. Now that gong sound is in all the simulations.

    So I look at it as a tool, a tool to test all the code and see if it works in general for most situations, then test again to see if it works correctly with other applications by trial and error.