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User: pixelpusher220

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  1. Re:There's no financial incentive to play fair on Mozilla Offers FCC a Net Neutrality Plan With a Twist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    there are lots of streaming services who compete with pay TV

    This is exactly the problem. When the ISP, i.e. Comcast/Verizon, has it's own streaming services, it's a conflict of interest for them to be 'competing' with Netflix. They can, and have, used their monopoly position as the ISP to prevent quality access to Netflix by the ISP customers.

    You think that Netflix is getting 'free' internet access? They are simply responding to MY request to stream the content to me. Netflix pays they're ISP to get on the internet to provide content just as I pay my ISP to get on the internet to consume that content. Comcast/Verizon sold me a service at a certain speed/bandwidth and if they can't provide those speeds, it is their problem when people try to start using those advertized and sold speed/bandwidth.

  2. Re:There's no financial incentive to play fair on Mozilla Offers FCC a Net Neutrality Plan With a Twist · · Score: 2

    So you point out how the conglomerates successfully bullied the most popular streaming service into paying them a bribe for good speeds...and don't see how that's going to play out with services that don't yet have Netflix's market share?

  3. Swing...and a miss on Mozilla Offers FCC a Net Neutrality Plan With a Twist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    since the FCC wouldn't have to undo several decade-old orders that classified broadband as an "information" service rather than telecommunications

    But that's the problem. They are telecommunications services and not fixing that bad decision is just lipstick on a pig.

  4. Re:They didn't pay the rent? on Star Cluster Ejected From Galaxy At 2,000,000 MPH · · Score: 1

    They make their own ghettos...just sayin ;-)

  5. Re:First.... on Decommissioning Nuclear Plants Costing Far More Than Expected · · Score: 1

    the longer they run the bigger that decommissioning fund grows.

    Sort of the same way pensions work right? Unless you're company decides to raid the pension for short term financial issues and goes bankrupt...

    Claiming that the original estimates didn't include inflation is a a minimum disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst. Do you have any evidence to support that claim?

    Did new developments change the costs? I have no doubt they did, but it's better to learn from history than to repeat it...

  6. Re:want to figure it out BEFORE most customers pay on Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power · · Score: 1

    Lets see them budget the cost of not having to build peaking plants and extra full power plants as renewables slow the need for growth.

    Accounting works both ways :)

  7. Re:Peak During the Day? on Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power · · Score: 1

    I'd guess most people run the AC all day no? I'm in DC and not running it during the day would suuuuuuuck coming home in the summer. Granted, programmable thermostats are making headway but I wouldn't think they'd even have 25% market yet. Even then, it's only a reduced usage, not off. Also related to computers firing up, TVs, ovens etc. We use LOTS more electricity than we used to :)

  8. Re:Peak During the Day? on Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power · · Score: 2

    Solar is most efficient when the grid needs the electricity 'the least'? So when it's night time?

    Solar may peak at the top of the Sun's path, but it still provides plenty of juice for hours afterwards...when the grid is specifically taxed quite hard.

    Go outside at 2-3pm on a hot sunny day...it's still pretty damned strong.

  9. Re:Peak During the Day? on Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power · · Score: 1

    'selling it back to the grid' isn't the point. Lets say I'm using 2KW (don't nit pick my numbers I'm not an electrician :) ) and I have a 1 KW array on my roof. Even if I'm only getting 50-70% of that 1KW due to being in the afternoon, I'm still drawing that much less from the grid and thus the grid is less taxed because of my solar array.

  10. Re:Peak During the Day? on Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power · · Score: 1

    With Daylight Savings Time, much of that 'afternoon' is still plenty well lit.

  11. Re:Neat on Reinventing the Axe · · Score: 1

    The PopMech link describes exactly what you're saying. The experienced swing has a wrist twist to finish the split. This 'axe' does it for the beginner.

    Still think this is a solution in search of a problem. And that it costs 2-3 times as much? ouch.

  12. Re:Neat on Reinventing the Axe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Popular Mechanics agrees. It isn't good for splitting wood that has any tension to stay together.

  13. Re:I am all for this research on 3 Former Astronauts: Earth-Asteroid Collisions Are a Real But Preventable Danger · · Score: 2

    As another responder said, this concept is known as a gravity tractor.

    I did say obvious technical details were still needed. You can't just park something small close to a big object; as you say the small object will be affected much more an simply be pulled in. However, since the gravitational attraction is fairly small, as you note, even a small ion engine can push enough to counter it. Since IOM engines can run for decades on a few pounds of fuel, you aim them at 45 degree angles (so as not to push the asteroid) and poof, the asteroid is pulled towards the space craft - slowly and over a long time, but it is pulled and a little is all you need.

    It's not something you can do if you discover an asteroid that will impact in less than a year, this requires time as the effect isn't huge. However, a small effect over 3, 5 or 10 years is plenty to slow down or speed up the asteroid such that it will miss us. You only have to make it get to the time and place of intersection with earth a day or even a few hours later or earlier and the problem is solved.

    If we discover an asteroid coming in 6 months, we're basically screwed. There is no Armageddon Movie answer that fixes it.

  14. Re:Tom Jones says on 3 Former Astronauts: Earth-Asteroid Collisions Are a Real But Preventable Danger · · Score: 1

    more like "Major Tom to Ground Contro?" (which just got wiped out by an asteroid!)

  15. Re:I am all for this research on 3 Former Astronauts: Earth-Asteroid Collisions Are a Real But Preventable Danger · · Score: 1

    the tech required is nothing more than gravity. Park a multi-ton spacecraft just behind (or in front) of the asteroid and it will take care of the problem. (obvious technical details left to the reader)

  16. Re:Good luck with that on California Utility May Replace IT Workers with H-1B Workers · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Worked well enough for my Dad at Xerox. Granted he got laid off for a couple years but got rehired when it went to shit and got quite the hefty raise and extra retirement out of the deal :)

    Not a plan I'd recommend obviously, but hey :)

  17. Re:Not H1-Bs, offshore workers. on California Utility May Replace IT Workers with H-1B Workers · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As an interesting aside, should 'utilities' providing critical infrastructure be subject to more stringent hiring requirements?

    Similar to how national security jobs require a gov't clearance, should workers on critical infrastructure require similar concept of vetting?

  18. Re:Step 2. on MIT Designs Tsunami Proof Floating Nuclear Reactor · · Score: 1

    Step 3. Containment anyone? If something does go wrong, it's going to do wonders for local marine life...

    I can make a computer hack proof. It has to be feasible and usable too. Besides, it's not like oil rigs sink or anything...

  19. Re:Militia, then vs now on Retired SCOTUS Justice Wants To 'Fix' the Second Amendment · · Score: 1

    the point of the constitution is to address issues in fairness. Doesn't deal with everything, but it's the core basic point of the document.

  20. Re:Why is this crap on the internet on Lack of US Cybersecurity Across the Electric Grid · · Score: 1

    To paraphrase a bit:

    Those who give up some security for some efficiency deserve neither.

    Seriously, you don't engineer CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE to be insecure simply because you don't want to run 2 sets of wires. It's simply a cost of doing the job correctly - which we haven't yet.

  21. Re:Why is this crap on the internet on Lack of US Cybersecurity Across the Electric Grid · · Score: 1

    Presto nuttin. Disabled USB ports don't give you much

  22. Re:Why is this crap on the internet on Lack of US Cybersecurity Across the Electric Grid · · Score: 1

    Attaching it to the PUBLIC INTERNET is bad. Said 'laborer' can still happily sit in his office making a change to an air-gapped system that IS connected directly to the substation.

    There's simply no point in having the same system that runs critical stuff also be able to browse Facebook.

  23. Re:What's been the hold up???? on NASA Laying Foundation For Jupiter Moon Space Mission · · Score: 1

    Context matters. I never said he didn't do anything for space exploration. In response to a statement saying NASA only wants 'manned' missions, I showed an example where even a small unmanned program was heavily defended by NASA.

  24. Re:What's been the hold up???? on NASA Laying Foundation For Jupiter Moon Space Mission · · Score: 2

    Nope, it was a cost cutting measure pure and simple. There's plenty the voyager's can still do that absolutely nothing else can or will be able to do for the next 40 years - measure the heliopause.

    They haven't reached the end...hence why NASA stood in pretty heavy lockstep to protect them.

  25. Re:clunky software? on A Bid To Take 3D Printing Mainstream · · Score: 1

    When they find it takes a hour to print? not so much.

    5-10 minutes tops before people are going to accept it. And that's if you can completely remove any user interaction with the technical side.

    It's a 'printer' and they will expect it to work (and likewise the user not work) like one from 2010, not 1980.