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User: Zalbik

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  1. Re:If they *do* find it... on Last Month's "Planet X" Announcement Was Probably Wrong · · Score: 2

    Seriously? It's 8 names in order....just memorize them.

    Look, I'm all for mnemonics (although there are better methods) when needing to memorize multiple-dozens of pieces of information, but for a list of 8, I can't believe people use a mnemonic.

    Do you also use a mnemonic to remember the days of the week in order? Months of the year?

  2. Re:Wierd headline on Apple, Google, and Amazon's Quest For One Remote Control Is Futile · · Score: 1

    They need to decide if they're going to be ad-supported or subscription, because you can't be both

    Isn't standard cable and/or satellite both subscription and ad supported?

    I'm fairly certain magazines and newspapers are both subscription and ad supported as well. And movies. And some streaming / satellite radio services.

    And there's this whole "world wide web" thing that I've heard of. I hear it is also supported by both a monthly subscription cost, plus advertising.

  3. Re:The Re-Hate Campaign on Mozilla CEO Firestorm Likely Violated California Law · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why is it OK to have a hate campaign against Eich and what he believed in?

    For the same reason it is OK for Eich to speak about what he believes in.

    As much as the interwebs are desperately trying to make someone the villain here, I don't have a problem with either side.

    1) Eich contributed to a political cause he believed in - fine
    2) A segment of the public was in opposition to his cause, and spoke out opposing his viewpoint - fine
    3) A website stopped allowing Mozilla on their site due to being in opposition of his viewpoint - fine
    4) Mozillia & Eich realized that the situation was fubar, and Eich decided to resign - fine

    A few commentators have had serious issues with (3), claiming that this could lead to any corporation with enough cash forcing certain opinions out of favor. To this I answer:

    a) This already happens
    b) This can typically only happen when there is significant public support for a particular position.

    Sure, it's not ideal for corporate entities to be the "stick" via which social change can come about, but given that the opponents to certain changes tend to be very wealthy and powerful individuals, some sort of stick is often needed.

  4. Re:My new book on A Bid To Take 3D Printing Mainstream · · Score: 1

    Damnit, now I have to wipe coffee off my screen!

    Where are my damn mod points when I want them?

    +1 Funny

  5. Re:This is how they develop CPR training on Judge (Tech) Advice By Results · · Score: 1

    you could have explained this to a mildly intelligent person in about 1/4 of the words.

    This

    I find it ironic that a post describing the benefits of "whole-audience based results" so completely and utterly fails its own success criteria....

  6. Re:The best the SCOTUS could do is wipe software p on Supreme Court Skeptical of Computer-Based Patents · · Score: 1

    I'm guessing if you lost your job because someone stole your ideas/methods and ran you out of business, you'd look more favorably at patents.

    Or maybe you're just stupid.

    No, if my source of income was based on an idea that was easily copied and I ran my business so poorly that I couldn't handle the inevitable competition, THEN I'd be stupid.

    BTW, you can't "steal" ideas, only copy them.

  7. Re:Autism is too broad and other problems on Continued Rise In Autism Diagnoses Puzzles Researchers, Galvanizes Advocates · · Score: 1

    Please, stop with the hyperbole. It doesn't help the case for autism at all.

    If one in 68 children were missing limbs at birth, there would be an international outcry

    Autism is a spectrum disorder...ranging from barely noticeable to completely life-dominating.

    The equivalent would be 1 in 68 children ranging from missing their left arm to having a slightly shorter fingernail on their pinky.

    Why aren't we investigating more? Why?!

    12% of people (1 in 8!!!!) DIE from cancer.

    Why aren't we investigating more? Why?!

    Funding rates for autism are similar to funding rates for epilepsy, which has a similar incidence rate. Lot's of investigation is being done, but unfortunately it is very difficult to research.

    It's inaccurate to simply put it all under that one umbrella and treat things under a "common core" and ultimately unhealthy to do so.

    Cancer also ranges from a mild irritation (skin cancer) to a life-altering extremely serious issue. Guess what? The cures for each are pretty much the same. Just because the intensity of the effects vary, this does not mean that it is inaccurate to treat them similarly.

    but we do have some basic facts we can at least point to:
    1. The rate is high and climbing still.
    2. The problem isn't being studied properly.

    1. High compared to what?
    2. You have provided absolutely no evidence that the problem isn't being studied properly.

    This problem definitely fits the definition of "epidemic" and yet somehow it doesn't warrant investigation and study? Is it because important business models will be threatened? I believe that will be of high likelihood.

    If you are serious about this, you may want to consider seeking professional help. The level of paranoia required to believe it is "highly likely" that big business or the government is inducing autism in the population for their own nefarious reasons is quite disturbing.

  8. Re:really? really. on Continued Rise In Autism Diagnoses Puzzles Researchers, Galvanizes Advocates · · Score: 1

    Insightful! Strange they didn't mention that idea in the article...or even in the summary...

    Oh wait, they did...in both:
    "whether the startling increase is due to skyrocketing rates of the disorder or more sensitive screening,"

  9. Re:Bullshit Made Up Language on Why Darmok Is a Good Star Trek: TNG Episode · · Score: 1

    This is how all languages work.

    Joey and the turkey.

    Oh wait, that's not at all how languages work.....

  10. Re:real answer on Did Facebook Buy Oculus To Counter Google Glass? · · Score: 1

    Yes, but I think the GP's point was that FB doesn't make enough revenue to be buying multi-billion dollar speculative investments as rapidly as they are.

    It certainly appears as though FB is just casting about randomly, hoping to latch on to the "next big thing". Whatsapp was a particularly strange investment as their income entirely depends on the business model of telecom companies. The minute telecoms wise up and just package SMS in with data, Whatsapp's revenue stream dries up.

    It's as though Zuckerberg wants to be as cool as Jobs (in the prior to being dead way)....but has no idea how to do it.

  11. Re:PoE $0 D3 $60 + $40 on Diablo 3 Expansion Reaper of Souls Launches · · Score: 1

    Yeah...played Exile up to the point where I realized I'd screwed up my talent tree. Then realized it would be prohibitively expensive for me to fix it. Moved on.

    Yes, Diablo 3 is more casual. I like that. Strangely, I want games to be fun, not work. The minute I need to spend offline time researching how to best min/max my video game character is the minute I stop playing. Some people enjoy doing that...but I'm just not one of them.

  12. Re:Nope. on Diablo 3 Expansion Reaper of Souls Launches · · Score: 1

    Interesting, as almost all of your complaints were actually fixed by Loot 2.0 / RoS.

    I originally found D3 to be an above-average, but not amazing game.

    After 2.0...items that were fixed:
    grind-fest - power-levelling is completely viable now. Grab a couple of level 60 friends and you can level to 60 in a few hours
    random maps - added in RoS
    Loot / Botched AH - AH gone. Loot 2.0 fixes most loot issues
    Different Game - D3 "feels" a lot more like a Diablo game than it did previously. If anything, it is an improvement on D2.

  13. Re:From someone who gave up on the game... on Diablo 3 Expansion Reaper of Souls Launches · · Score: 1

    I've played 40+ hours since the launch of the Loot 2.0 system and have yet to see a legendary or epic drop.

    That seems very strange. I get at least one legendary almost anytime I play (around 2-3 hour play sessions).

    From what I understand, there is actually a legendary "timer" that increases the chance of finding a legendary as you play. Based on this, it should be nearly impossible to play 10+ hours without finding a legendary.

    Diablo guarantees you a legendary the first time you kill him (after loot 2.0)....you've gone 40+ hours and haven't reached Diablo yet?

  14. Re:Smelling more fishy every day. on MtGox Finds 200,000 Bitcoins In Old Wallet · · Score: 1

    In that same spirit, here's the g you missed out of 'gnashing' ;)

    And the ' the GP missed out of here's

    (I totally get it though. It drives me nuts when people don't close their parentheses

  15. Re:Next up: a direct detection on Big Bang's Smoking Gun Found · · Score: 4, Funny

    metric giga-fuckton of energy as gravity waves

    For our metric-impaired American friends, the conversion rate is 4.739 giga-fucktons to a mega-shitload.

  16. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? on Russian State TV Anchor: Russia Could Turn US To "Radioactive Ash" · · Score: 1

    Cue the low UID battle!

    Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

  17. Re:Imagine one of these running Android! on Physicist Proposes a New Type of Computing · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ok, so it won't be a portable device...

    No, but imagine a beowulf cluster of....

    nevermind...

  18. Re:New Type of "Computing" on Physicist Proposes a New Type of Computing · · Score: 1

    This may be something neat, but unless it offers something more than a new way to represent bits, it won't mean that we can solve new sets of problems.

    Exactly. The problem of a "new type of computing" is a math problem, not an engineering one.

    If we ever see a new kind of computing, it will be due to theoretical computer science / mathematics, not physics/engineering.

  19. Re:New Type of "Computing" on Physicist Proposes a New Type of Computing · · Score: 1

    Actually, it could prove to be radically different than current computers/computing

    Yes, but not in the way the GP was hoping (barring a major breakthrough in mathematics/theoretical computer science)

    All computers (even quantum computers) are basically the same. They are all Turing Machines. Some are just much faster than others. This machine won't be radically different, regardless of what the hardware is.

    Car analogy:
    If existing PC's are gasoline-driven cars, the GP was hoping for an airplane. What they are proposing is an electric car.

  20. Re:Remember Legal also != IMMORAL on How Ireland Got Apple's $9 Billion Australian Profit · · Score: 1

    what Apple is doing is sound AND ethical .

    Only if you have a pretty odd ethical code, IMHO.

    Some of us believe that corporations (like citizens) should have an ethical obligation to pay tax to the country they use the infrastructure of.

    Apple gets the advantages of Australia's infrastructure, but does not pay for it.

    IMHO, this is as unethical as using the WIFI connection of your 80-year old neighbor cause she didn't know how to set up the security correctly. Just because a loophole exists, doesn't mean it's ethical to use it.

  21. Re:Why? on Apple Refuses To Unlock Bequeathed iPad · · Score: 1

    Apple is right, your mother gave you the iPad, not the data on it.

    Bullshit. If his mother had left him her journal, which had a lock on it, would you consider it reasonable that a locksmith refuse to open the journal based on the same argument?

    This idea that the "data" is somehow magically separate and distinct from the device is as ridiculous as Descartes idea of mind-body dualism.

    Or to put it another way: If they found a piece of paper with her password on it, unlocked the device and sold all the pictures on it, would this be illegal? According to your theory yes, as they don't "own" that data.

    They own the physical device, including the configuration of electrons contained within that device. Apple not allowing them access to that configuration is a convenient fashion is just a jerk move by Apple. Luckily now that this is getting some press, the will likely back down. It's unfortunate that this is what it takes for people to do the right thing nowadays though....

  22. Re:The US is broke for these kinds of projects on NASA Wants To Go To Europa · · Score: 1

    It's also a terrible analogy as it suggests the idea that if we just tried a little harder, we'd make it to Disneyland (after all, the big ball of twine isn't that far from Disneyland.

    Going to Europa is like Columbus going to America rather than the moon. Sometimes you gotta take what you can get.

  23. Re:The US is broke for these kinds of projects on NASA Wants To Go To Europa · · Score: 2

    Yes! If we got rid of NASA altogether, think of all the infrastructure we could build....

    Why, the annual savings would be enough for most of one tunnel!

    The cost is enormous

    Wrong....just plain wrong. Why is innumeracy so prevalent now? Are numbers really that hard? The $17 billion Nasa will get in 2014 is peanuts compared the rest of the federal budget.

  24. Re:This could be a big problem for Republicans on NASA Wants To Go To Europa · · Score: 1

    I hate to say it, but the internet hasn't helped either. In many places, it's become a huge echo chamber where people can just hear their own preconceptions parroted back at them, reinforcing their belief that their position must be right.

    Why, I've even heard of a tech site where regardless of what a certain OS company does, it is immediately trashed as a terrible, evil idea. Good thing Slashdot is nothing like that.

  25. Re:An exacerbated physicist on The Rise and Fall of Supersymmetry · · Score: 1

    The real question is: "Does SUSY make useful predictions for detecting physics beyond the Standard Model?" The answer to that seems to be tending very strongly toward "No."

    Of course SUSY makes useful predictions. SUSY makes predictions about super-particles.

    The problem is, it's starting to look like those super-particles do not exist.