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User: stoofa

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Comments · 136

  1. How bittersweet it would be... on 10 Years In, Mars Rover Opportunity Suffers From Flash Memory Degradation · · Score: 1

    if the issue turned out be mould.

  2. Love the way... on New Best Way To Nuke a Short-Notice Asteroid · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...his name is the sound his plan would make.

    Bong Wie!

  3. High risk of mistakes being made on Do Nations Have the Right To Kill Enemy Hackers? · · Score: 2

    There are enough fatal errors made when soldiers and armed police kill innocent people carrying brooms, and the like, that are mistaken for firearms. With all the spoofing techniques available, how certain could they be that a strike was based on stringent enough intelligence?

  4. Re:No crime? on Mother Found Guilty After Protesting TSA Pat-down of Daughter · · Score: 1

    I don't entirely disagree with that, but it's sad to see yet another complete misinterpretation of Orwell's message. A lot of people have a notion in their head that the society in 1984 was one where the government controlled all its citizens completely.

    I can only assume that these people have either not read it properly or not read it all and just retain the supposed headline of the book in their head.

    The evil beauty of Ingsoc's regime was that they did not need to bother with 90% of the population. 'The Proles' could be left alone to do whatever they wanted, completely unmonitored. As long as they were plied with beer and porn then they might bitch about the government down the pub, but they will never do anything more about it.

    This leaves Ingsoc a far more manageable dangerous 10% of the country who are the thinkers. 1984 wasn't pure domination or pure distraction. It was a cleverly targeted mix of both. But I will agree that of the two, the distraction is the more dangerous weapon. I would argue that Orwell held that same view.

    In the book, Winston clearly says that the key to defeating Ingsoc is getting the Proles to rise up. But at the same time they are having to battle the disinformation and bar on free thinking (For them only). Fighting on two fronts under those conditions is almost impossible.

    But we can keep it simple if it's easier: We are at war with distraction. We have always been at war with distraction.

  5. Re:No crime? on Mother Found Guilty After Protesting TSA Pat-down of Daughter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever." (from Orwell's 1984)

  6. I wonder how many Republicans... on US Congress Rules Huawei a 'Security Threat' · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...will misread that as 'Hawaii' and immediately call into question all Hawaiian birth certificates?

  7. Gummi Cows? on Sweet Times For Cows As Gummy Worms Replace Corn Feed · · Score: 1

    Muddy and fresian
    they don't commit treason
    along with the secret of always saying 'moo.'
    Horned animals, bovine
    they live in the sunshine
    standing around on the grass that they chew

    Gummi Cows!
    grazing in the fields, but not the house
    greater milk production than a mouse
    they are the Gummi Cows.

  8. Re:Or what? on NASA To Future Lunar Explorers: Don't Mess With Our Moon Stuff · · Score: 1

    I completely agree. When people settled North America, Africa, or South America did they say, "oh you know what those are scared lands we will not disturb them." I say tough titty! If you want them, go get them yourselves, otherwise its fair game!

    Never has a typo been so insightful.

  9. Re:3d-Party on Microsoft Blocks 3d-Party Browsers In Windows RT, Says Mozilla Counsel · · Score: 2

    It says they're blocking 3D party browsers. So my reading of that is that as long as you actuallly join in, you can still attend 3D parties. But if you're just there to mosey round the edge and watch from the side then Microsoft won't let you in. That's only my reading of it though. This is as vague and tricky as the EU Cookie law.

  10. Re:After retrieving the Apollo 11 rocket engines.. on Jeff Bezos To Retrieve Apollo 11 Rocket Engines · · Score: 2

    Hey, I'm going to make a troll comment that mentions jocks, but how will I sneakily cover my intentions? I know... I'll call myself 'JockTroll.' Now watch me reel those suckers in... oh shit, that won't work.

  11. After retrieving the Apollo 11 rocket engines... on Jeff Bezos To Retrieve Apollo 11 Rocket Engines · · Score: 5, Funny
    Most customers:
    • Raised the Titanic
    • Discovered Atlantis
  12. Re:Where is it ? (my keys) on Findings Cast Doubt On Moon Origins · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's because you look for your keys with sight. 'Fartest' solar systems are detected with smell.

  13. Re:Non-sense! on You're Driving All Wrong, Says NHTSA · · Score: 5, Funny

    You don't believe in fingers? I guess that's what happens from watching Myth Busters with a ton of narcotics flowing through your veins. "Hey, I always knew there was no such thing as fingers," you told the giant purple amradillo while waving a blurry hand in front of your own knees.

  14. It was fake? Really? on Dutch Artist Admits Faking Viral 'Human Bird Wing' Video · · Score: 2

    A distinct lack of fertilizer, Mr. Holmes.

  15. Re:This is why on Garden Gnome Tests Earth's Gravity · · Score: 2

    Sounds fairy snuff to me.

  16. Re:This is why on Garden Gnome Tests Earth's Gravity · · Score: 3, Funny

    Maybe he has so many drugs in his system that he's developed a paranoid fear of gnomes and heard rumours they were gathering on the equator.

  17. Re:GRiDPad on Meet The Man Who Designed a Tablet Computer 15 Years Before the iPad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Etch a Sketch. 1950s. That was prior art on many levels. Not that you could write PRIOR ART on it. It would be more like RBIQB_ABT.

  18. About time too on US Military Working On 'Optionally-Manned' Bomber · · Score: 1

    It's good to see the US military finally getting over their prejudice against soldiers who are 'Optionally men.'

  19. Re:Highway lights??? on UK To Dim Highway Lights To Save Money · · Score: 1

    Having been driving on a UK motorway illuminated at night when all the lights have failed through a fault, it can be quite surprising and scary, as your eyes have grown accustomed to the brightness and so it suddenly looks very dark. Then again, on a dark isolated road where your eyes grow used to the dark, even dipped lights can seem blinding (especially halogens).

    So I think it should be a case of all or nothing. Either all lights on or all lights off (even headlights), in the latter case, everyone could just wind down their windows and play very loud music.

  20. Re:Ironic? on What If the Apollo Program Never Happened? · · Score: 5, Funny

    I see what you strawberried there. Good horse.

  21. Re:Unconscionability on The Web's Worst Privacy Policy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are you seriously telling me this wouldn't stand up in court: http://www.sleepdictionary.com/legal.html Damn. That lawyer owes me those two beers back.

  22. Re:Easy to Avoid on How To Steal ATM PINs With a Thermal Camera · · Score: 1

    Anonymous Coward? Doh! Now, if I'd given a penguin a quick hug before posting then they might have spotted that I wasn't logged in and done that penguin thing that they do, whatever it is that penguins do to remind you that you haven't logged in on /.

  23. Moral of the story... on NASA's Plan To Clean Up Space Program Launch Site Contamination · · Score: 1

    Tidy as you go.

  24. Re:Could be a problem on One Giant Cargo Ship Pollutes As Much As 50M Cars · · Score: 1

    If we build even more of these ships and tether them all together, then we could drive the containers across the ocean.

  25. Re:Yeah. on Obama Looking At Open Source? · · Score: 1

    The week after that: Obama invited to a drive around Dallas.