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User: mrwiggly

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  1. What, this is nonsense on NASA Pitches Heavy Lift Vehicle To Congress · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, first off all the problem with discoveries tank is due to a manufacturing problem with the stringers, not a design flaw.

    Second of all, why use SSME's? They are designed for re-use, and have restart capability that will not be needed. A better choice would be the rocketdyn's RS-68, single use, cheap as fuck, provides more lifting power.

  2. Earth was temporarily hot due to a giant impact on Life's Building Blocks Found On Asteroid 24 Themis · · Score: 2, Informative

    The theory goes that a mars sized planetoid, named Theia, had formed at earths L4 or L5 Lagrangian points. As it's mass grew due to impacts, it was no longer stable at that point, and slammed into earth. The resulting debris cloud came together to form the moon.

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_impact_hypothesis

  3. In New York state on How Much is Your Right to Vote Worth? · · Score: 1

    I take a cup of coffee. It's probably not worth it.
    Face facts, in New York, your vote doesn't count. All electors are going to vote for the Democrat candidate.

  4. This is a great idea, I'm sure it'll work on F-Secure Calls for '.safe' TLD · · Score: 3, Insightful
  5. Obligitory: on Vista's Graphics To Be Moved Out of the Kernel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Those who fail to understand UNIX are doomed to reimplement it. Poorly

  6. Obligitory on Microsoft to Ship New Malware Protection Utility · · Score: 1
    The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he who, by peddling second-rate technology, led them into it in the first place.

    Douglas Adams
  7. Re:This will be interesting on Authors Guild Sues Google Over Print Program · · Score: 1

    the fact is that Google itself is copying and making use of the whole work.

    I fail to see the problem here. Copyright doesn't prevent you from copying, it prevents you from copying and re-distributing.

  8. Re:SSME complications on NASA's New Shuttle · · Score: 1
    I don't think they will. The J-2 hasn't been built in years and while the J-2S (the more modern version) could have production restarted Thiokol believes it would take more than 4 years to restart production.

    I Couldn't agree more. However, we shouldn't be limiting ourselves to SSME's. They are designed to be reusable. The vehicles NASA is proposing are EELVs (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles).

    They would be better served by a RS-68 it produces more thrust, is a much simpler design, a whole lot cheaper, and it's expendable!

  9. Whitehat Extremists on The Next 50 Years of Computer Security · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A group of whitehat extremists may become tired of lusers that don't patch their systems, and decide that they don't deserve to use the internet.

    They then launch their virus and destroy on all non-patching infidels.

    What, it could happen.

  10. Cue Cat anyone? on Amazon's Patent-Pending Price Checks · · Score: 2, Funny

    Weren't there some stupid dots in the name of this thing?

    C:ue: C:a:t

    Or something???

  11. Consider the source on GPL to be Modified to Penalize Patents and DRM · · Score: 1

    Honestly, this is speculation and FUD.

    Nothing to see here, move on.

  12. Why is it that doctors aren't trusted? on Meet Web Hypochondriacs · · Score: 1

    Is it because they don't know your name without first looking on your chart?

    Am I supposed to be impressed when they spend less than 30 seconds on a diagnosis, and then run off to see their next patient? I suppose this allows them to see some HMO dictated requisite number of patients in a given day.

    The problem with the doctors of today is the same as the problem with programmers in the mid 90's, the field is loaded with hacks looking for money. When you find someone who's in it for the love of it, you've hit the jackpot.

  13. BSA on piracy on Software Piracy Will Get Worse · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wow, as a sofware producer, I'm real scared. I'd better give lotsa cash to BSA so they can protect me.

    Seriously though, this is not news, this is a marketing campaign. The BSA speculating that piracy will decrease, now that would be news.

  14. Obligatory Lucasism... on White House: No Kerry Supporters at IATC Meeting · · Score: 1

    The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

  15. AT&T Press Release on Torvalds Unveils New Linux Control System · · Score: 4, Funny


    "Torvalds could have done something constructive: he could have written the best damn OS [Operating System] on the planet, and believed that open source generates better things, and competed against AT&T that way," says a Bell Labs Spokespers in the posting.

  16. Just proves the old addage on Longhorn to use UNIX-like User Permissions · · Score: 3, Funny

    Those who don't understand UNIX are doomed to reimplement it. Poorly.

  17. Re:It's Easy on CherryOS Goes Open Source · · Score: 2, Informative
    And if you use source code from another project (PearPC), then you have to acknowledge it.

    Actually, this is not a requirement. Remember that a similar attribution clause (the so-called "advertisement clause") in the BSD license made it incompatible with the GPL.

  18. Re:Not that easy on GPL 3 Forking Risks Discussed · · Score: 2, Interesting
    If GPL3 mentions anything that is not in GPL2 (ie it places restrictions relating to patent litigation etc) then it cannot be compatible with GPL2.

    And who says that v3 has to be backward compatible?

    Backward compatibility is very useful for API's, but not desireable for a FOSS license that has a loophole that needs to be closed (ie: the application server loophole)

  19. Spitzer's an Enigma alright on Spitzer Takes On Record Industry Payola · · Score: 1, Funny

    He investigates and levies charges against 401k companies.

    He charges recording industry with collusion and payola.

    He's the first to sign on to the microsoft settlement of 2001.

    I'm confused. Somebody, quick, help me form an opinion.

  20. Re:Two Points for Debate on Solaris vs Linux Continues · · Score: 1
    I rang them up and told tem that they were going to replace the relevant bits, because it was clearly a HW issue, and no, we weren't about to install some workaround thank you. The main problem was working out whether we wanted the engineer overnight or next morning.


    Hmmm... Here's how I remember it.

    Sun: There is no flaw.
    US: Yes there is
    Sun: No there isn't
    US: YES THERE IS!!!!
    Sun: Uhmm, well yeah, We'll provide a sofware workaround that'll prevent half your crashes if you sign an affidavid that says "Sun has no problem here"
    US: Okay, we'll sign because we're desperate. when are we getting the hardware fixed you blackmailing assholes.
    Sun: Uhmm, well, as soon as our engineers fix it and we can fab the chips, figure 8/9 months.

  21. I had no problems on DoubleClick Hit by DDoS Attack · · Score: 1

    scrub:/# host www.doubleclick.net
    www.doubleclick.net A 192.168.1.1
    scrub:/#

    Of course having this in my named.conf helps...
    zone "doubleclick.net" {
    type master;
    file "/etc/bind/db.vermin";
    };

  22. You can't be serious on Motorola Field Tests Wireless Broadband At 300Mbps · · Score: 1
    This is only a test, but it is an order of magnitude faster than the fiber to the premises that Verizon is now starting to offer.

    Are you seriously comparing lab's theoretical numbers to something being delivered to end users?

    Do you doubt that FTTP can scale higher? What speeds are they pushing over fiber in the lab? No my friend, wireless will always lag behind.

  23. Re:Of course on Identifying Compromised Websites · · Score: 2, Insightful
    If you're walking down the street, and someone beats you up and steals your money, does that mean that it's your fault for not taking karate?

    No, that's a bad analogy. A better one is if your car has a recall on its brakes, you don't get it fixed, and then get in an accident, Who is at fault?

  24. Peer Review Should be required on The Good Old Patent Law - Revisited · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When someone files for a patent, they are attempting to lock down a "non-obvious" solution to a problem.

    What if patent examiners posed that problem to other experts in the field. If they come up with a similar solution, patent denied.

  25. Re:clarification please... on UML, PostgreSQL Get Corporate Support · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sheesh, click on the link! It's user mode linux.