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User: MadFarmAnimalz

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  1. If you're wondering if and when you can see it on This Week's Total Lunar Eclipse Is the Longest of the Century (washingtonpost.com) · · Score: 4, Informative
  2. Re:"Fix security at any cost." on Trouble For Microsoft Developers With the Windows Store · · Score: 0

    Most computer users don't want a Wild West computer experience. They want a safe, functional one where the computer interface is as inobtrusive as possible. They want as little burden on their consciousness as possible, so they can focus on what they want to use the computer to do in the first place.

    This must be why Debian Stable is the world's most popular desktop oerating system.

  3. Re:Oblig XKCD on Ask Slashdot: What Can You Do About SOPA and PIPA? · · Score: 1

    if you produce something you should be paid for your efforts

    Then housewives should be getting salaries. Humanity and society is much too complex for your simplistic notion to be true, that monetary compensation inevitably follows work.

    if someone steals that work and is caught doing it

    Careful now. The choice of words does matter a lot. No one can steal a song.No one can steal an e-book. These things may be copied without the necessary authorisation for example, but information is never stolen.

    I don't think you should be charged hundreds of thousands of dollars over a $2 piece of music

    I personally agree, but that is highly subjective and therefore adds nothing to the discussion. Rockefeller might have thought Beethoven's fifth was worth at least a thousand dollars, easily. I might pay 2 dollars for a song I think is OK (maybe 10 for one I really like a lot).

  4. Re:Security on Sorry, IT: These 5 Technologies Belong To Users · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ok...I didn't read the article. But

    Around here, that's good for +5 insightful. Modded accordingly.

  5. Re:11% ? on Microsoft Killed the Start Menu Because No One Uses It · · Score: 1

    What is a blackberry?

  6. What's the story here? on The Death of Booting Up · · Score: 1

    Macbook Air? Chome OS?

    So what is the story here? That computers that no one has are quick to boot?

  7. Re:Experimental "Smart Town" to be built... on Experimental "Smart Town" To Be Built In Japan · · Score: 1

    It's a young field and one consequence is it's still lacking clear direction and an established body of knowledge. using the term "smart" does of course smell a bit, but there's a reason for it.

    The main impetus behind being "green" at this level isn't so much save the planet as it is "we're heading for a time where energy and its distribution genuinely becomes a problem". So, the objective is energy efficiency for the sake of stability of supply.

    One point most people agree on at this point is that a key is going to be employment of technology to reduce our exposure to energy supply fluctuation. In many cases, this is information technology (e.g. smarter algorithms for HVAC) and in other cases it's going to be changing the technology in the field (smarter energy meters in homes, that can report back and come with a web UI so the homeowner can assume greater responsibility for how they are using energy) and in some cases, it is fundamental rethinks of how energy is distributed (e.g. more decentralised energy grids, harmonisation of energy transfer protocols and technology across national buondaries, and accounting for the emerging option of individual contribution of surplus energy back into the grid).

    So there's a lot of Lego blocks most of which are quite sensible and no one's quite sure how they all fit together just yet. So when we're talking about how all of that works together, we tend to use the term "smart city" to denote an overarching context. This context is necessary because it helps keep the big picture in mind. A practical example is, the energy meter manufacturers' association as they standardise what protocols a smart energy meter employs, they need to include the people working on smarter intelligent HVAC. The public transit people might be working on concepts for unattended light rail systems which the traffic planners need to be aware of.

    I'm not saying that the expression "smart city" is not unnecessarily vague, but it's useful to the people working on reducing vulnerability to energy crises because it helps them remember that it's a larger complex canvas than the little square inches they're individually working on.

  8. editor wars on SlashTweaks Let YOU Micro-Edit Slashdot · · Score: 1

    If we get microediting for the comment section, it would make those threads where people argue over the relative demerits of (vim)|(emacs) delightfully confusing. Which is well, because we wouldn't want the (vim)|(emacs) morons to know how crappy their editor is.

  9. Re:Name on Developers Fork Mandriva Linux, Creating Mageia · · Score: 1
    Listen to the pronounciation. ma... GAY... ah

    That to me sounds like they are intent on competing head on with Ubuntu.

  10. Re:Religion on Pope Urges Priests To Go Forth and Blog · · Score: 1
    by the way, who do we put in charge of forcing all this to happen

    Al Gore?

  11. is this what it's come to? on Microsoft Promises Not To Sue Moonlight 2.0 Users · · Score: 1

    "You can use this software and not worry about us suing you."

    You just can't look at that sentence and not think the whole industry needs to be torn down and rebuilt on new principles. Whether it's the fact that Microsoft and Novell are glad to make such a proclamation, or the fact that someone can be sued for using software to begin with, or the fact that I can get sued by company Y for using company X's product or even if that isn't possible the fact that anyone might think it might be possible.

    What kind of industry is this? I think I just grew a gland that secretes RMS ideology in my brain just from digesting that headline.

  12. Re:That was pretty fast... on DARPA Network Challenge Lasts All of 9 Hours · · Score: 5, Funny
    What's DARPA?

    Right. Get off slashdot. Now. Thank you.

  13. Re:Is it really that necessary? on US Air Force Confirms New Stealth Aircraft · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, especially considering how much cold hard cash the Taliban are throwing at advanced weapons research.

  14. Re:The NYT reporter misses the forest for the tree on Bing Censoring All Simplified Chinese Language Queries · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I see your point. But think about this: if Google or Bing were filtering English language results at the request of the American government, would you be happy to swap over to Mandarin?

  15. Re:Does that mean... on New Improvements On the Attacks On WPA/TKIP · · Score: 1
    Example: The Lord of the Rings is the Greatest Series Ever Written TLotRitGSER This is actually a decent-security password, you've got decent length, 11 characters, and some upper/lower goodness. Now add the concepts that it was originally actually one book, (&1b), and not about the 7 dwarves (!7d) to the end. TLotRitGSER&1b!7d Seriously secure password

    Except you actually got it wrong.

    and you're going to remember the hell out of it.

    Sure doesn't look like it. :)

  16. Re:Search on your route is a great feature on Android 2.0 SDK Released, Google Maps Navigation Announced · · Score: 1
    I'm not trolling. If my opinion strikes you as outrageously wrong, please educate me instead of modding me.

    +1 Informative.

  17. Re:Slow news day? on Canonical Halts Ubuntu CD Free-for-all · · Score: 1
    This, however: "Company X makes minor overhead adjustment." Yawn.

    *whoosh*

  18. Re:marketshare on Now Linux Can Get Viruses, Via Wine · · Score: 3, Funny
    Haven't it always been pretty clear that Wine could run Microsoft Office, as long as they don't use some weird low-level tricks (which admittedly it does)?

    But for that matter, Linux doesn't have MS Office only because it's desktop share is next to nothing (not the same amount atleast, there are Linux office suites out too). Mac OSX has been getting more and more office suites lately as it's marketshare has been growing. So would Linux aswell if it ever gained more users.

    As long as the OS isn't completely locked down from the user, there will be office suites. Windows, Mac, or Linux cant defend you from that. But none of us really want a locked down OS. And as long as the users are stupid their computers will get infected.

    It's just about the marketshare.

    FTFY

  19. Re:Two way street on Nokia Sues Apple For Patent Infringement In iPhone · · Score: 1

    Well, we already have FSO. I'm no subject matter expert, but a lot of the arguments for why Ofono and not FSO is NIH.

  20. Re:That's Odd... on From Turbines and Straw, Danish Self-Sufficiency · · Score: 2, Funny

    That comment looks like it's the slashdot equivalent of a skeleton key. It commits itself to so little that it can probably earn you puzzled but appreciative moderation on any story.

  21. Samso? on From Turbines and Straw, Danish Self-Sufficiency · · Score: 5, Informative
    This being one of the few enclaves of the Internet where flagrant nitpickery is acceptable, let me say that it's "Samsø" and not "Samso".

    Samsø is in fact carbon negative. The island produces more renewable energy than it consumes. That's a good way of summing it up and I'm surprised neither the slashdot summary not the NYT article point this out. It's easily more interesting than them burning straw.

    But what I really came here to say is, they produce fantastic potatoes on Samsø. As far as I'm concerned, they could power their Hummers with liquified kittens if it keeps the (Samsø potato) spice flowing.

  22. Isn't it obvious? on What Belongs In a High School Sci-Fi/Fantasy Lit Class? · · Score: 1
    What belongs in a High School Sci-Fi/Fantasy Lit Class?

    Virgins.

  23. Re:Getting in on Steve Ballmer Directing "House Party 7" · · Score: 1

    Yes, but the toe cheese is free.

  24. Re:Tabs on top, do it NOW! on Firefox 4.0 Goes Chrome, New UI In Q4 2010 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can see how diagonal tabs might seem sensible, but have we become so mired in the UI design rut that we're unable to take the concept of tabs to its logical conclusion?

    What is needed is for the tabs to be split out of the application and handled by a hardware peripheral. Something with tactile feedback when you activate tabs. Mozilla International have conducted research (I lost the link but you can Bing it) that shows that people with alternating yellow and black tabs are paid 12.5% more on average.

    So, yellow and black, and hardware. Caterpillar, fill this market need!

  25. Beowulf cluster... on Robotic Mold · · Score: 2, Funny

    or moldy loaf of sliced bread? You decide!