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User: RAMGarden

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Comments · 36

  1. Hawaii homes are dripping with solar panels on Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power · · Score: 1

    While driving around Honolulu back in February I couldn't help but notice something crazy like 1 out of every 6 homes had solar panels and/or solar hot water panels on their roof. I was in shock at the sheer number of solar panels strewn about on every single size and type of house I saw. I don't know what the power company there does but they seem to have it figured out since they seem to still be in business and everyone has power. I don't think the distribution lines are in any sort of disrepair as I didn't go through inspecting all the lines but it looked to all be in order. What do you think Hawaii has figured out that Oklahoma doesn't?

  2. Re:No. on Electric Vehicles Might Not Benefit the Environment After All · · Score: 1

    Don't forget that the basic idea is that you take the same electricity that was going to the oil well to pump up the oil, the refinery to refine the oil, and the gas stations to pump the gas up into every car's tank and just put that directly into the battery of an EV. Take out the super dirty, needless extra steps of getting from oil to your car's gas tank. Not to mention all the diesel that the tanker trucks and giant supertanker ships burn up to carry the oil and refined gasoline around.

    Also don't forget about the vehicle to grid storage technology the power utilities get access to with very little upfront costs to them. They install a special meter in your garage and while you are asleep they can take a little power from the car and put it on the grid where it's needed then put it back later. Then you get a credit on your power bill - all while you were asleep. This is already been in use in Japan for a while now.

    It's definitely best to go ahead and start building alternative energy cars now while oil is cheap instead of waiting until the last minute after oil is scarce and expensive. It's time to turn away from any fuel that you have to set on fire and transform into toxic chemicals that give humans lung problems or death. We need to put in our R&D into making every step clean and renewable.

  3. Depends on the job on Ask Slashdot: How Important Is Advanced Math In a CS Degree? · · Score: 1

    In my case I customize ESRI's ArcGIS software. The most math I've had to use so far are things like algebra and a little trig. Mostly dealing with X, Y coordinates on a map to find distances using the distance formula and direction using the slope formula. But in every case I just googled up the formulas then wrote the code that would do them. So it helped to understand the formula in order to program it into the syntax of the language we were using at the time. The companies I've worked for started with VB6 but now use mostly VB.net and C# with a hint of Python and a dash of C++. In fact I actually took the branch of the CS degree at my college that had the LEAST math classes! It was called concentration in Information Systems and the highest math was Business Calculus which is basically "Advanced Math for Suckers". (Sorry if I offended anyone that loves or uses Business Calculus daily.)

  4. My mom uses iPad as sole computer on Ask Slashdot: Using a Tablet As a Sole Computing Device? · · Score: 1

    I tried showing my mom how to use a PC a long time ago but she tried to pick the mouse up off the table to make the cursor move up the screen.
    She would complain there were too many things to remember and too many steps and clicks and double clicks.
    So I got her the 1st gen iPad back when it first came out and she has been loving it ever since. She figured most of it out on her own without any instruction.
    I synced it to my iTunes on my PC with my iTunes account. This way I can control what goes on there and she doesn't have to keep up with anything at all. Also she doesn't have a credit card. I just update all the apps every time I visit every month or two and update the iOS every so often when I think to bring my laptop with me.
    There are times when I wish I could see her screen when she has a question about a web page not showing correctly or acting right.
    All in all she loves it and says it's the gift that keeps on giving!

  5. Headed toward idiocracy on Sputnik Moment Or No, Science Fairs Are Lagging · · Score: 1

    This article, along with something I heard someone say while playing CoD:Black Ops on Xbox Live leads me to believe we are well on our way to having the predicted future depicted in the movie "Idiocracy" come to fruition. A future where everyone is dumb, lazy, and over occupied with entertainment to care that they are too dumb and lazy to notice the world falling apart around them. I'm not sure what or when it started but it seems that kids today are FERVENTLY against being smart. This has got to be one of the major problems behind the lack of enthusiasm and grades, etc. we are seeing in math and science. The thing the kid (I'm assuming high school age from his deeper range of voice tones compared to the higher pitched tones from obviously younger kids) said over the voice com on Xbox was, "I'm glad he quit that faggy science sh**." They apparently have a kinect which picks up ENTIRE CONVERSATIONS your opponents have going on in the room. They were discussing another one of their peers in choosing classes for something (maybe college in the fall?). This made me immediately think to myself, "when did kids start thinking this way and how can we change it?" Does anyone have any ideas because this needs to change soon if we don't want to become a nation of mindless, adult aged kids going to China, India, and Japan for all of our technology and innovation in the not too distant future.

  6. Just use Java on Why Microsoft Will Never Make .NET Truly Portable · · Score: 0

    I think Java has the market cornered in cross-platform programming. I could be wrong though - but probably not.

  7. Bring the Price Down on Ask Sony's Phil Harrison About PS3 and Games · · Score: 0

    How soon can you guys get the price down to near what the Nintendo Wii is selling for?

  8. Re:ja d00dz! on What Should One Know to be Truly Computer Literate? · · Score: 1

    Don't forget "it's" and "its" as well as when to use "a" and "an"!
    In case you don't know, "it's" = "it is" and "its" means it belongs to it.
    Use "a" when the next word begins with a consonant SOUND like "a cat", "a user" (yoo - zer, y is a consonant sound in this case) or "a NASA employee". Note that when using acronyms such as NASA the pronunciation sound changes if you say the acronym as if it were a word (na - suh) or if you spell out the letters (en - A - es - A). Use "an" when the next word starts with a vowel sound like "an elephant" or "an N.A.S.A employee".

  9. Cloaking Device on Apple's All-Seeing Screen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You could use the same screen they are putting on jackets and shirts and stuff to make a bendable cloak, suit, or vehicle cover. Then simply have the pixels on the one side display the images seen from the other side. The only problem then would be computing the different viewable angles and deciding what to display where, but it would still be better than standard camouflage.

  10. Re:well, I was looking forward to e-ink... on eBooks - What's Holding You Back? · · Score: 1

    I agree with the price point issue. I paid $9.99 for "Snow Crash" for my Treo 650's eReader because the number of pages seemed like a lot of work. I figured it was worth $10 for his time. I try to put myself in the authors' shoes and estimate how much money I would make after paying any fees paid to the online stores like ereader.com. I think the cost for an e-book should be proportional to the effort put into the work. Almost like a cost-per-page kinda deal but not really.

  11. PHP and Javascript on How Do You Store Your Previously-Written Code? · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I keep all my PHP functions in a single file called functions.php that I include in all my PHP pages that need something from it. I keep all my PHP classes in a file called classes.php that I can include in pages that need those. I _could_ create a single Utility class that would hold all the functions to keep all the stuff I need in the one classes.php file, but I am lazy.

    I keep all my Javascript functions in a file called functions.js that I on all the pages that need those.

  12. The button won't work. on SiteKey to Prevent Phishing · · Score: 1

    All a scammer has to do is put an iFrame or otherwise inline where the button would appear on the real site that is exactly the same dimensions as the button, then use DHTML to "scroll" the button into view. So what you have is the scammer's site with a floating layer that only shows the real button on the real site. People will click it and it will say "this is the real thing" and they will fill out all the secret questions and everything. Wow. I hope they thought of this already.

  13. Re:Implants or regeneration on Ophthalmologists, Physicists Design Bionic Eye · · Score: 1

    I, for one, would love to have enhanced vision. "Predator vision" comes to mind...

  14. Don't mess this up. on 'Transformers' Live Action Movie from DreamWorks? · · Score: 1

    I'm sure most of us 80's kids watched the Transformers series, Transformers the Movie, and had a few (if not all) the toys. So I would like to ask as a fan of the Transformers, please oh please don't mess this up by moving away from the original story or trying to put people in costumes like they are some kind of Power Ranger robot thing.

  15. Better Idea on Passport Chip Could Attract High-Tech Muggers · · Score: 1

    Instead of having a radio-wave emitting chip for the data, use one of those 2D bar codes like you see on UPS packages and NASA shuttle parts. It would still allow the quick scanning of the information into a computer, and offer _better_ (not perfect) security. In this way, your passport has to be stolen or lost in order for a thief to get the info, instead of simply standing next to you with his black box passport RFID scanner he picked up on ebay in his pocket.

  16. Sad but true on Best Wireless SSIDs You Have Seen? · · Score: 1

    I found one in my neighborhood called "ShutUpImLazy".

  17. Re:How to acheive WARP 1 and beyond. on NASA to Attempt Mach 10 Flight Next Week · · Score: 1

    Don't forget about Star Wars either.

    They already have Ion Engines on a few probes.
    We could have a TIE fighter tomorrow!

  18. Re:Microcontrollers on Modding Laser Tag Gear? · · Score: 1

    Holy crap that is awesome. If you build this I would buy it. I could write all kinds of neat software for it. What about wearable computers and heads-up displays? This would make it easy to see your health, ammo, and arrows to show which side you were hit on (by signals from the IR receivers) just like any FPS game. It sounds like the augmented reality versions of Doom and the like that's out there.

  19. Aerospace Themes Seem to Work on Making Science and Math Kid Friendly? · · Score: 1

    Try aerospace themes.
    www.aata.net is a great place to start.

  20. Re:Can't view it in Firebird, so they don't get mi on Recycle some of your 100 million Pepsi Songs · · Score: 1

    Becuase they use frontpage, dreamweaver, or are just plain lazy. Or they just don't know that some browsers exist.

  21. Three Words on A Look Inside Virginia Tech's New Super Computer · · Score: 1

    SETI AT HOME.

  22. Re:Do I Need Any Of Them On? on Apple Responds to Exploit · · Score: 2, Informative

    If that's the only computer on your network, turn it all off. Rendezvous is for other apples and SMB is for looking at windows file shares.

  23. Re:About the ending--**SPOILER** on 'Matrix Revolutions' Opens Today · · Score: 1

    Tron fan???

  24. Re:Any audio that can be listened to can be copied on Newest Audio CD DRM Proves Ineffective · · Score: 1

    Thanks to TotalRecorder, there is no possible way in the world to stop someone from copying a CD. The only way to ever stop people from getting their music for free (at least en masse) is to lower prices on CDs. When Circuit City has their "almost every CD is $9.99" sale, you can literally watch the CDs fly off the shelf.
    (I worked for Circuit City from 1998 to 2003)

  25. As stoopid as disposable DVDs on New Anti-Swap CDs Hit Shelves · · Score: 1

    When will the RIAA and MPAA learn there is no way to stop copying and duplication of movies and music and just lower their prices. If they'd lower their prices, people wouldn't look for alternative means of aquiring these things.