Slashdot Mirror


User: madhatter256

madhatter256's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
287
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 287

  1. Re:Hyundai on EU Car Makers Manipulating Fuel Efficiency Figures · · Score: 1

    As well as the Santa Fe and Elantra. Actually, it was Elantra's and Santa Fe's advertised 40mpg sticker that really got Hyundai in trouble. Those were heavy cars and very little of them got close to the advertised MPG.

    Accents on the other hand, are not that far off. While officially they do get 37mpg (I drive one that gets this), there are a lot of Accents (more than Elantras) that do get the stated 40mpg.

    There are rumors that Hyundai wants to stop the "lifetime" debit card and instead give out a one-time cash payout to each original owner that still owns the car.

    I drive a lot and a single pay-out is not worth it and even though I like my car, if Hyundai does stop the debit card program, I might consider trading my car in for another one because I, as well as many others, bought these cars for their MPGs.

  2. I remember having Science textbooks.... on NASA's Space Colony Designs From the '70s · · Score: 2

    ...with these images for their cover when I was in middle school.

    I went to middle school in the late 90s, the textbooks were circa 1980s. Goes to show how outdated Florida textbooks were at that time and probably still are somewhat outdated.

    I loved glazing over the cover as it made my imagination wonder how they would go about building those mega colonies.

  3. Re:Signalling on For Businesses, the College Degree Is the New High School Diploma · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It also signals you are likely loaded with student loan debt and are desperately in need of a job. This will gives you a disadvantage as the company will you see a hard-working, low payable employee. In other words, your ass will get ridden by management and subliminally reminded that they can easily let you go, which will effectively limit your career growth.

    I see this in all types of careers.

    Another source for the devaluation of the 4-year college degree are these Baccalaureate degrees from these for-profit universities.

    Having a masters degree, even more debt, helps you grow in your career and in a few years from now, a masters will be considered a "diploma" in the math/science industry. These for-profit schools are beginning to push these degrees to unsuspecting victims.

  4. What would you do before you died on Mars? on Over 1000 Volunteers For 'Suicide' Mission To Mars · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you're in Mars doing a one-way mission with no hopes of returning. What would you do before you died?

    I'd make an effort to fuck with people's minds in the future.

    I would make an elaborate treasure map of ancient alien civilizations in areas that are suitable for future human settlements. That way when people find my map and realize a government building is built on a location that apparently has ancient alien bones, treasure, etc., they think it was a government conspiracy or cover up and madness will ensue (but I'll be laughing from the heavans).

    I would look for a cave and set up fake cave paintings like Prometheus pointing towards the Sun. That way they may send some poor sap to go explore the sun for possible clues (and possibly make great discoveries along the way) but in the end a lot of people will die because the Sun is really dangerous.

    And the day I will fall to near death I will walk as far as I can, fall flat on my face, break my protective suit and have my right arm point in some arbitrary direction, so when rigormortous kicks in, my arm stays in that position. That way people will wonder what the hell I was pointing at.

    I guess I want to be an asshole astronaut lol.

  5. He will still be villified on Bradley Manning (WikiLeaks Source) Given Hearing After 2 Years In Jail · · Score: 1

    Regardless of Mr. Mannings outcome, the "average american" would still view him as a spy/traitor/terrorist sympathizer.

    This trial will end in two ways... either he is found not guilty of all charges and he let go; or he is found guilty of the minor charges, while the major charges are dropped and the judge finds his pre-trial confinement as punishment enough for the guilty charges and lets him go.

    Manning is small fries. This trial is also taking the spotlight away from General Penetration (I mean Petraeus) mistress who had tons of secret documents, etc. on her personal laptop.

  6. Not enough to get me to use Windows 8 on Media Center Key Accidentally Gives Pirates Free Windows 8 Pro License · · Score: 0

    The relative ease of pirating Windows 8 by what the article describes is still not enough to persuade me into using Windows 8...

    Sorry, Microsoft.

  7. No, they just had good memory.. on Study Claims Human Intelligence Peaked Two To Six Millennia Ago · · Score: 1

    Back then, the common folk couldn't read, couldn't write - they talked and remembered. They learned by trial and error and memorized the procedures that lead to the results they desire. THis is how they built monuments, pyramids, etc. The pyramids of giza are technically third-generation pyramids.. the generations previous to them were inferior because they learned how to build them via trial and error, to put it so simply.

    Back then, people could recite Homer's illiad in verbatim (or very close) because stories, news, and information was passed around by word-of-mouth, not by paper, or books. The gospels were remembered and only written well after jesus died and well after many of the disciples died.

    Some would say that the advancement of technology can help us use our mental capacity to retain more advance information by taking the burden of "rudementary" knowledge.

  8. STEM degrees help poor people have a better life on Tuition Should Be Lower For Science Majors, Says Florida Task Force · · Score: 1

    STEM degrees, as well as law and medical doctorals help people from low-income backgrounds and families have rich and successful lives.

    I've seen and worked with many people who came from humble beginnings growing up and putting themselves through college for that engineering degree or medical degree has surely helped them have the rich life they now have.

    By rich I don't mean just money, but stability, low stress, etc. - it sure makes life easier.

    I'm also one of them. Partially put my self through school with the help of student loans and small pell grants while I worked part-time. My parents didn't make enough to pay for school. Now I'm in a secure job, going back to school to get my masters (paid by employer), live in a decent neighborhood, drive a new car and overall am happy with my accomplishments.

    But that's just my 2 cents.

    Giving more kids the chance to make it out in the real world by getting a skill-degree is worth trying.

    Historically, people pursuing art degrees, obscure sociology degrees and the like usually were from affluent families and were likely to inherent a bustling company left by their parents.

  9. Tilapias are natural crap eaters... on Seafood Raised on Animal Feces Approved for Consumers · · Score: 4, Informative

    I remember a Dirty Jobs episode where Mike Rowe was at a fish farm that recycled their water.

    They used tilapia/carp to eat the poop.

    Here's a clip of the show on youtube.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGoR4dbE1os

    Regardless, stay away from fish harvested by Chinese. They are either grown in poorly maintained farms, or fished from endangered parts of the ocean where fisheries are nearly depleted.

  10. Re:As the saying goes... on Jeff Bates On Niche Communities and Why Partisan News Is Normal · · Score: 1

    Well yeah, I know i can't have my cake and eat it, too, unless I was Romney.

    The evolution of society is a rollercoaster ride. It has its ups and its downs.

  11. As the saying goes... on Jeff Bates On Niche Communities and Why Partisan News Is Normal · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Internet makes you stupid.

    I used to visit Somethingawful a lot and one of the features they had was they would reveal such weird subgroups, such as forums and websites and report them in an amusing manner. Some great examples are the flat-earth society forums and furry forums. Of course, Somethingawful is also known for uncovering child-predator sites and gather as many IPs, etc. to report to police officials. Each of these articles revealed just how dedicated these members are into believing that what they believe is perfectly normal and that everyone else that doesn't believe is wrong.

    What I've learned, and SA has pointed this out numerous times in those articles was that the Internet makes you stupid. The Internet has become a place where people with different beliefs, weird fetishes, etc. can find others with similar beliefs.

    This is good and bad. What is good is that I can read about sexual fanfiction stories for the show Castle and its cast, which I thoroughly enjoy. The bad thing about this is now you have these groups that are big enough to permeate into mainstream society and garner enough political power to contribute to government policy (i.e. Scientology, Tea Partiers, Creationists, etc.) and de-evolve society into their way of thinking.

  12. Re:This, my friends, on BrewPi: Raspberry Pi and Arduino Powered Fermentation Chamber · · Score: 2

    I just don't like the term "BrewPi".

    Most beer drinkers will read it as "BrewPee"

    No thanks.

  13. Phil Ken Sebben said, on Sexism In Science · · Score: 1

    "It's important to encourage girls to take up a professional career. So that in the future we have a strong motivated work force that costs only 60% of what it costs to pay a man."

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jEmwtA_Ys4

  14. The importan question is not being asked.... on Rapid Arctic Melt Called 'Planetary Emergency' · · Score: 1, Informative

    Is this man made or part of a natural cycle?

    Is 30 years enough to make a conclusion? Or should we wait another 50 to 100 years to see if humankind has contributed to this?

    Also, what about Russia's thousands of leaky natural gas pipelines (and possibly more that have been undocumented) that reportedly dump 8 times more natural gas into the atmosphere per year than the amount of oil Deep water horizon' well had dumped in 2010???

    Last I checked methane is more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 (which we humans do put out more) and don't forget the numerous natural emissions of CH4 into the atmosphere.

    We as humans know way too little. It's not one thing thats causing this, which is what is being fed to us by the Media. It is many other things. From a mathematical perspective... we only have one equation, but too many variables.

  15. Steve Jobs is happy... on iPhone 5 Scorns Standards Promise To European Commission · · Score: 0

    that his products still "sticks it to the man". I can picture him flipping the bird to EC...

  16. Re:FS on Anonymous Leaks 1M Apple Device UDIDs · · Score: 2

    It is the execution of the list that would result in bad things. Fortunately, the government doesn't have the gusto to use a list in the ways you describe...

    Except for republican and democratic campaign coordinators... that's real fucking scary...

  17. Re:So which field of engineering on Bill "The Science Guy" Nye Says Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Also, Structural engineering has evolved over time (underwent evolution)... it's not like the international build codes magically came to be a superior ultimate being.

    Human residences evolved from sticks and feces-laden mud all the way to hi-grade structural steel, carbon fiber reinforced concrete, carbon fiber beams, etc. to construct buildings as tall as the imagination can take us.

    Creationism's whole basis is that a supreme being (GOD) simply put things where they are now. It reinforces the notion that people are incapable of coming up with brilliant scientific discoveries and achieve scientific enlightment because things came to be from a supreme being, not from your brain.

  18. Re:as a precaution ... on Cats Not Linked To Brain Cancer After All · · Score: 1

    I can haz brain cancer now?

  19. Re:Firing squad on Cables Show US Seeks Assange · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because releasing information regarding unethical practices (to say the least) conducted by the US and other corporate entities is bad. Cue comparison photo:

    http://m5.paperblog.com/i/8/82628/hero-comparison-wikileaks-vs-facebook-assange-L-NiA62d.jpeg

  20. Infrastructure needs restructuring... on Half of India Without Electricity As Power Grid Crisis Deepens · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It goes to show how "developed" India is, when it actually has a sewage crisis, water crisis and now this.

    Kolkata's sewage system is literally collapsing in on itself.

    The modern India we see on TV is held up by the rickety old infrastructure dating back to colonial times.

    India needs to stop funneling their money from into their pockets and back into the streets.

    They can be light years ahead of neighboring countries if they concentrate their efforts into massive public works projects.

  21. Akira reboot? on What's Next For Superhero Movies? · · Score: 2

    Wasn't Leonardo Dicaprio spear heading production of a live action Akira?

    That would be so cool if it was made the right way.

  22. I'm glad I switch carriers on AT&T Introducing Verizon-Style Shared Data Plans · · Score: 5, Informative

    For individual users this "bucket" plan is similar to the old plan. But seriously, this stuff is getting expensive with the big carriers. I switched from ATT to verizon years ago because I hated getting dropped calls. Never happened again in Verizon. Then I got their unlimited data and a smart phone. It was awesome and fast. Then they started capping their data and I upgraded the phone which did not grandfather me into their unlimited data plan. That's when things started to down hill... very fast.

    That's when I realized I was paying way too much. I was paying $80/month for 2gig data, 350minutes and 500 txt message limit. I could pay over $100 for unlimited texting alone but everything else the same.

    It was getting ridiculous and 3G was just getting slower for me because verizon would cap your speed if you went over 200mb!!! They said it was to help with people from going over the 2gig limit and to get the full speed again you have to go through a month where your data usage was less than 200mb... which basically meant you had to not use your phone at all for a month and still pay for it...

    So, I switched to Virgin Mobile.

    Yes, I paid $300 for my HTC Evo V 4g 3D phone, but the fact that it comes with no contract and a minimum $35/month bill for 350 minutes and unlimited texting and data* *they cap the speed if you go over 2.5gigs but once you pay that $35 phone card the limit is reseted. If you plan on having the phone for 2 years, that totals to $12.5 a month for paying the phone, which makes $35 + $12.5 = $47.5, which is still far cheaper than any plan out there from ATT, Sprint or Verizon (and TMobile). Plus you can buy the prepaid cards and not pay tax on them, so that's a true, flat $35/month payment.

  23. A MBP that cannot be repaired by the user?!?!? on Analyzing the New MacBook Pro · · Score: -1, Troll

    This is madness!!!

    THIS is APPLE!!!!!!

  24. Professors do not choose the text book on Patent Granted on Mandatory Digital Keys to Prevent Textbook Piracy · · Score: 1

    Many professors in universities, especially major research universities, do not necessarily have a say in what textbook they can get. In fact, there are very little choices as there are only three major publishers out there that provide senior-level text books. The decision on which textbook to use is made by the college board members as well as the professor.

    The textbook industry is very lucrative. It's like pharmaceutical companies, they have sellers going around pushing the text book, etc.

    I've taken sophomore level courses whose textbook required online activation to have access to the questions (online) that the professor assigns homework from. It was messed up, because there was an online version of the textbook and physical copy. The online copy was $250 and it came with the activation code. Whereas, the physical copy, if bought from the college bookstore, was also $250, but you had to pay $60 for the activation code as the copies sold to the school from the publisher did not have them - and they wouldn't get the newer versions of the book until next semester... It pissed a lot of students off as it was a 100 student Physics II course.

  25. Snooze fest on Stroke Risk Spikes In Healthy Adults Who Don't Get Enough Sleep · · Score: 1

    The SLEEP 2012 was a total snooze fest.