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User: Skater

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Comments · 1,695

  1. Re:CFLs still suck on US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month · · Score: 1

    In any case, I just typed the keywords into Google shopping for both of these, if this is something you are actually interested in doing, you can shop around and get considerably better prices than that for panels. It's up to you :).

    I did look at those bulbs, but it's a hack...I'd rather have a fixture that replaces it. Well, I'll just keep waiting for now. Thanks for the info.

  2. Re:Wonder why NSA didn't go to Fox network first ? on CBS 60 Minutes: NSA Speaks Out On Snowden, Spying · · Score: 1

    I don't have inside information into 60 Minutes programming, but my guess is that 60 Minutes' primary audience these days is older people. I don't know the politics, if they even have a bent one way or the other. I doubt many people under 40 watch it. It used to be one of the better investigative journalism shows - I remember a tagline that said something like, "You know it's going to be a bad day when... there's a 60 Minutes news crew outside your office." I have no idea what they've been doing more recently; I haven't watched an episode in years. It's supposed to be in depth news, rather like reading an article out of a weekly news magazine, where you get in-depth analysis, history, etc., instead of a shorter, simpler summary of events like you'd get out of the daily newspaper.

  3. Re:CFLs still suck on US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month · · Score: 1

    Also, if you look closely at your first link, those are replacement bulbs, rather than fixtures designed to use LEDs.

  4. Re:CFLs still suck on US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month · · Score: 1

    Thanks, but at $150/each, I'm not. I have four two-bulb 4' florescent fixtures; assuming I'd still need four, that's $600 for the LEDs. That was part of the point I was trying to make - the few options available are far too expensive yet.

  5. Re:CFLs still suck on US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I bought an LED bulb the other day (we had a coupon). We love it - instant on, and the light looks exactly like the classic incandescent. I'm sold; once they get a bit less expensive (or we find more coupons), we're buying more. I'm hoping we've bought our last CFL - they always felt like an interim solution until LEDs improved.

    Now, can we get some lighting fixtures that use LEDs that are actually designed for LEDs? For example, I'd like to put in some LED downlights in the living room, but everything I can find is just an LED replacement bulb for a classic fixture, rather than a fixture designed for an LED. I'd also like to replace the 40 watt florescent tube fixtures in our garage with LEDs, but so far I can't find much that would work. I was thinking strips of LEDs, one color, but it was looking like several hundred dollars for several strips of the length I'd need.

  6. Re:police arive within 'minutes' on How the Lessons of Columbine Saved Lives At Arapahoe High School · · Score: 2, Informative

    The fact is that US school shootings prior to the last couple of decades were... unheard of. It's a very recent phenomena.

    Actually that's not really true - the earliest listed on Wikipedia was in 1764. It is, unfortunately, not a new problem, although I'm certain it has received much more sensational news coverage in recent decades.

  7. Re:What's more dangerous? on Is the Porsche Carrera GT Too Dangerous? · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't be surprised to find that most people killed in auto accidents are in cars with less than 200 hp. It doesn't take much HP to be an idiot. Those accidents don't make national news for several days straight, though, most of the time.

  8. Re:Cost-benefit analysis on NY Police Get Tall SUVs To Combat Texting While Driving · · Score: 5, Insightful

    People who text and drive are dangerous (doubly so if you're naive enough to think you're capable of doing it safely, Dunning-Kruger in effect) and not just to themselves but to others. Repeated tests have shown that texting whilst driving has a very negative affect of driving abilities. Unfortunately sometimes the only way to get though to people is to take their phones and cars away, so unless suspensions are issued, people will keep writing this off under the old revenue conspiracy theory and as you pointed out, refuse to change habits.

    It's not even the texting that makes them dangerous. What makes them dangerous is that they think it's okay to have their attention focused elsewhere while they continue maneuvering several thousand pounds of machinery. The text messaging is just the latest example, but there have always been examples of people reading, putting on makeup, eating, playing with the radio, talking on the phone, etc. People just don't understand, or care, that driving IS the activity you're doing. In a logical world, these people would be the biggest supporters of public transportation, so they can do those things without risk.

  9. Re:Don't really see the market on Not All USB Power Is Created Equal · · Score: 1

    I had something similar happen with my Samsung S3. It turned out the cable I was using (an Amazon Basics 6' cable) is bad - if you page through the reviews for it, you'll find a few reviews mentioning the same issue. The charger was delivering a full 1 amp or whatever, but the cable had too much resistance. If I was in an area with a weak cell signal and no wifi, my phone would take practically all night to charge, even with Wifi and Bluetooth turned off. Sometimes I'd even wake up in the morning and find it was only charged to 85%. Similarly, when using my phone as a GPS in my car, the charge on my phone would decrease even while plugged in with one of those cables. Unfortunately, I'd bought about 5 of those cables before I discovered the problem. I've replaced the three cables that were causing me the most headache. I replaced the one that was the biggest problem with an official Samsung cable just to be sure.

  10. Re:I want the secrets on Smithsonian Releases 3D Models of Artifacts · · Score: 1

    How many American Indian artifacts are collecting dust? And those don't require any conspiracy theories to determine that they have a stash.

    They apparently have many in the facility in Suitland, MD, which occasionally does do tours, usually in conjunction with "____ history month" - for example they just did one for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

  11. Re:Bad Answer to the Problem on Wikipedia's Participation Problem · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've noticed many articles have paragraphs written as though it was someone who hasn't quite mastered the concept of a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Ever see the Simpsons where Bart gives a speech about Libya? "The exports of Libya are numerous in amount. One thing they export is corn, or as the Indians call it, 'maize'. Another famous Indian was 'Crazy Horse'. In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrast. Thank you." That's how some paragraphs in Wikipedia read. I want to fix them, but I don't have a lot of extra time to work on it; these are not fixed with a few seconds of editing like a typo (which I sometimes will correct if I have a moment); they require time and effort to correct. But I'd really hate to spend my time fixing the problem, only to have it reverted.

  12. Re:As Henry Ford said... on How BlackBerry Blew It · · Score: 0

    I feel exactly opposite. I can't wait until my Blackberry is replaced by an iPhone (or even better, an app I can use on my personal phone). At least I'll be able to charge it with any charger instead of solely the BB one. Even my retired 3GS is a better device than the (newer) BB, and of course my S3 is light years ahead of the BB. And I'm no slower with the virtual keyboard.

  13. Re:Google maps error too on Apple Maps Flaw Sends Drivers Across Airport Runway · · Score: 1

    Or you could explain what you meant by your gibberish above. Instead you did exactly what I expect out of Slashdot. I know, I'm being trolled.

  14. Re:Google maps error too on Apple Maps Flaw Sends Drivers Across Airport Runway · · Score: 1

    Might as well; there's little intelligent discussion here, as your post demonstrates with a rather unnecessary attack.

  15. Re:Google maps error too on Apple Maps Flaw Sends Drivers Across Airport Runway · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That's a much safer error than the one in the article, though. But I've found errors in standalone GPS devices, too; our first one had our house - built in the 60s and never moved or renumbered - on the wrong side of the street. The only story here is that people blindly follow their GPS navigation and turn off their brain, which isn't exactly new either. In fact, people turning off their brain when they drive is a pretty old story, too. So, yeah, now I'm wondering why I clicked on this story.

  16. Re:"miniscule" on Team Oracle Penalized For America's Cup Rules Violations · · Score: 1

    ...while you post on Slashdot? Shouldn't you be out doing something too, then?

  17. Re:"miniscule" on Team Oracle Penalized For America's Cup Rules Violations · · Score: 2

    Ellison and his friends sure do have a fucked up sense of priorities racing their damned yachts in the midst of an international crisis. A pox on all their houses I say.

    I'm curious to hear what you think Ellison should do about the Syria situation. Convince them to install Oracle and hope the fees bring them to their knees?

  18. Re:so... on Un-Un-Pentium On Your Periodic Table of the Elements? · · Score: 1

    ...which would revolutionize landfills, since they would have fewer contributions. Sheesh, do I have to explain everything here?

  19. Re:so... on Un-Un-Pentium On Your Periodic Table of the Elements? · · Score: 1

    And landfills. Double edged sword and all that.

  20. Re:worst idea since flying cars on Dispatch From the Future: Uber To Purchase 2,500 Driverless Cars From Google · · Score: 1

    FYI: A drone crashed into a crowd, causing several injuries, at an event near DC over the weekend. No whip up so far.

  21. Re:Don't wanna be first... on Dispatch From the Future: Uber To Purchase 2,500 Driverless Cars From Google · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Given my experience with the idiot drivers on the roads, I'm going to say, "Not much that hasn't already."

  22. Re:heh on Single Developer Responsible For Over 47k Apps In BlackBerry World · · Score: 1

    The difference is in how your phones are set up, not because the BB is inherently better. If your employer supported the iPhone instead of the BB, your experience would be exactly opposite. It's not the iPhone's fault your employer makes it jump through hoops to log in.

  23. Re:Let me help you understand those figures on Open Source Mapping Software Shows Every Traffic Death On Earth · · Score: 1

    According to the website, you're statistically safer on the bike than you are walking, if that makes you feel any better.

  24. Re:heh on Single Developer Responsible For Over 47k Apps In BlackBerry World · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have one, albeit not my own - it's my employer's. (It's a "Curve" - not the current BB 10 OS.)

    I really don't like it. We're apparently getting iPhones soon to replace them, and I'm ready. I have an S3 now, my previous phone was an iPhone 3GS (which I still use for one app that doesn't have an Android version), so I've used all three OSes, and honestly, BB's is annoying to use. Other than checking my work email, I rarely use the phone. I thought the physical keyboard would be a plus, but it turns out I can type as well on my 3GS or my S3 as I can with the BB, and when I'm not typing on the iOS/Android, I get a bigger useful screen.

    One other annoying quirk that ensures I'll never be tempted to buy a BB: It only charges off its own included charger, and my Samsung S3's charger. No other charger works. We probably have 25 or 30 USB chargers around the house, in the cars, etc., for a bunch of devices - we have several iPods around, an iPad, iPhones, my Samsung phone, my Asus tablet, plus a bunch more chargers of various brands. I tried every last charger; the phone simply refuses to charge from all but the BB and Samsung ones. So, when I need the BB most, when I'm traveling, I have to remember to grab one of those two chargers (one of which I keep at work). (Note, my Asus tablet is the same way - it only works with its own charger - but at least it doesn't have a standard USB port interface, either. And that USB charger WILL charge my Samsung phone, so except for the BB I would only need to carry that charger.) At least with the iPhone 5 I'd only need the Lightning cable, any USB charger will work with it.

  25. Re:"IT'S A COOKBOOK! A COOKBOOK!" on What's Causing the Rise In Obesity? Everything. · · Score: 1

    I like the "Lilo & Stitch" theory: Earth was designed as a breeding ground for an endangered species - the mosquito.