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User: Idou

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  1. Re:Well done, for gamma. How about alpha and beta? on How Japanese Scientists Are Monitoring Fukushima Babies For Radiation Exposure · · Score: 2

    I see, thank you. So I guess Cesium 137 represents one of those "certain circumstances" that beta emitters can be measured. I assume the "degraded sensitivity" model would include some kind of 1/0.05 factor for the portion of gamma energy (i.e. oversimplified, maybe the process is 1/20th as sensitive to Cs 137 compared to a 100% gamma emitter).

    Strontium 90, on the other hand, appears to be 100% beta decay (please correct me if I am wrong). Accordingly, I assume that whole-body counting process is not capable of detecting it (have to wait for baby teeth for that?). The question, I suppose, would be whether Cesium 137 could be a proxy for Strontium 90 detection. Both appear to be water soluble (Strontium 90, itself, is insoluble, but it can chemically react to create a soluble molecular form).

    However, if we are talking about exposure through food, then the problem becomes much more complicated because of all the potential differences in biological interaction Cesium and Strontium may have (how much of this has been mapped out so far?). Is this understanding correct? Can anyone here add to this?

  2. Well done, for gamma. How about alpha and beta? on How Japanese Scientists Are Monitoring Fukushima Babies For Radiation Exposure · · Score: 1

    . . .whole-body counting refers to the measurement of radioactivity within the human body. The technique is primarily applicable to radioactive material that emits gamma rays. Alpha particle decays can also be detected indirectly by their coincident gamma radiation. In certain circumstances, beta emitters can be measured, but with degraded sensitivity.

    When it comes to internal exposure, I thought alpha and beta radiation were the more dangerous forms. Can anyone here confirm the "sensitivity" of quantifying alpha contamination through indirect detection, and how to assess beta emitter risk (any other methods that can detect it)? Any new technology companies addressing these on the horizon (that I can invest in)?

  3. Re:You grow your own food? on Whole Foods: America's Temple of Pseudoscience · · Score: 1

    Obviously you are just too brainwashed to notice "the birth of Christ" when it happens . . . (and the topic was "selling" not "pushing" products, whatever that means . . .).

  4. You grow your own food? on Whole Foods: America's Temple of Pseudoscience · · Score: 1

    Because every grocery store I have ever gone to has also sold similar lies, like religion and diet themed products.

    Hate for your hate of homeopathy to make you blind to other forms of lies. . .

  5. Awesome on Portal 2 Beta Released For Linux · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have spent more money on games since Steam was released on Linux than I have my entire life.

    It is like having and eating my cake, too (but, this time, the cake is not a lie).

  6. How Egg-citing! on Asia's Richest Man Is Betting Big On Silicon Valley's Fake Eggs · · Score: 1

    Sorry, there has to be a thread devoted to this . . .

    -What kind of egg-head does it to take to create fake eggs, anyway?
    -If this does not succeed, it will be fake egg on his face . . .
    -Whenever I crack an egg, I will imagine I am hearing the sound "Li Ka-shing" for the rest of my life . . .
    -He has got some huge juevos (but I bet they are fake. . .).
    -The 3rd picture in the article looks like an eggman is eating another egg (a form of egg cannablism)

    Add your own below!

  7. Re:Would be more useful . . . on New Encryption Scheme Could Protect Your Genome · · Score: 1

    Right, but why go through the trouble and risk of hacking someone else's database when it will soon be cheap enough to sequence directly yourself?

    Obtain a used air filter of a building, and you may have the DNA of anyone who has been in that building for the last couple of days . . . legally.

  8. Would be more useful . . . on New Encryption Scheme Could Protect Your Genome · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If I were not constantly releasing millions of copies of my DNA in the form of dead skin cells everywhere I go. Either my cells need to also adopt this encryption standard, or I need a lifestyle where I am completely self sufficient (including my waste disposal), never having to leave my home.

    Even then, a gust of wind while I am in the backyard might be all that is required one day for someone's reader to catch my DNA and run a simulation to match with facial recognition.

  9. Re:Also a pizza place on What Are the Weirdest Places You've Spotted Linux? · · Score: 1

    You've got a picture of a photobooth? Do you have a picture collection of photographers, as well? Perhaps it sits on your coffee table, next to a camera catalog.

    Sorry, I must get more sleep tonight . . .

  10. Of course on Should Everybody Learn To Code? · · Score: 1

    I am a financial analyst. Knowing how to program allows me to automate boring things and generate analysis that would otherwise be impossible. It also means I am constantly creating tools that threaten the employment of coworkers who do not know how to program.

    When you know programming, you spend most of your time improving the 1st and even 2nd derivative of the productivity function of a given task. When enough people like that are available for a given field, why would employers bother with people who are not capable of that level of productivity?

  11. A position as director of compliance at the NSA on Ask Slashdot: What Does Edward Snowden Deserve? · · Score: 1

    . . . and a motherf---ing medal of honor.

    To be honest, I would not be surprised if he were actually sent by some other part of the federal government to sabotage a rogue NSA. However, you will never see anyone officially admit it until the NSA is neutered. To do so would be political suicide (or more . . .).

  12. Re:Energy density. on Will Electric Cars and Solar Power Make Gasoline and Utilities Obsolete? · · Score: 1

    energy per unit weight/volume
    Sure, but you are stuck at 30% efficiency tops extracting that energy with an ICE. Don't forget that you cannot "create gasoline" when braking or scale down fuel usage to the same degree when idle in traffic, so there is even a greater offset to the raw energy density advantage. Plus, if energy density was EVERYTHING, we'd go nuclear. Clearly there is a "sweet spot" range (probably dependent on each usage case) that, once met, additional range is negligible to the user's purchase decision, compared to things like cost.

    cycle life
    Does this comparison even make sense? Gasoline has a single life cycle, so batteries win there. Do you mean ICE vs. electric motors? Still afraid EVs win there. Alright, maybe you mean ICE vs batteries. Well, yes, ICEs still beat battery cycle life, but I would argue that is not important. The important question is does a battery replacement 8 years from now (standard Nissan Leaf warranty) cost less than all the repairs and gasoline premiums (over electricity) for an ICE system, over the same period. For my routine use, clearly the EV wins hands down.

    and charge speed.
    Charge speed can be mitigated by charge flexibility. I do not care about charge speed because my car charges at night in my garage. In fact, I am liberated to never have to "refuel" during my routine schedule. I can also charge while shopping (or sit in the car with the AC on full blast while my wife shops) or even at work, when my employer eventually installs chargers (not required for my use, but a "nice to have"). Long term trips will require new technology, but this, for most people, is an almost negligible use case (most people would just rent for long trips than wait for the technology to reach that point before purchasing an EV).

    As with everything, cost will be the main driver. Battery technology is improving faster than ICE technology, so I see EVs winning out long term. For me, I already calculated a better return on a Nissan Leaf, so I got one (JFYI, I also still have an ICE, though). However, these calculations require some financial knowledge, so adoption could be slower than one would expect, like LEDs (How many times have a heard, "I refuse to pay $10 for a light bulb!" . . . but you will break even in 6 months based on your usage . . . oh, well . . .).

  13. Re:News for everyone, stuff that may or may ! matt on CmdrTaco Launches Trove, a Curated News Startup · · Score: 1

    "a thousand foo-obsessed types"

    Sounds like a place for you, foobar bazbot . . .

  14. Re:tl;dr no change except more outsourcing on Obama Announces Surveillance Reforms · · Score: 2

    tin_foil_hat_mod=1

    Maybe Obama does care, but cannot show it because the NSA would destroy his future by revealing some secret information they have found on him or his family. Accordingly, perhaps Snowden was actually a plant by some government official/agency outside of the NSA, trying to expose the monster the agency has become. However, until the NSA powers are reduced enough, everyone in the know also has to pretend Snowden is a fugitive.

    .... who wants to buy movie rights?

  15. Oh, the irony . . . on Google Announces Smart Contact Lens Project For Diabetics · · Score: 4, Funny

    The contact lens requires tears. The most effective generator of tears? Pinpricks . . . .

  16. Capsi . . . what? on Google Ports Capsicum To Linux, and Other End-of-Year Capsicum News · · Score: 2

    Looks like it is the name of a type of flowering plant and appears to be the name of a capabilities-based security framework.

    Apparently, it has nothing to do with the issue some geeks have with their caps lock key after surfing the web one handed . . .

  17. Re:Just in time for my Crowdsourcing Currency! on How To Create Your Own Cryptocurrency · · Score: 1

    Yes, I understand that. However, certainly there are more possible functions that meet this verifiability requirement than just meaningless hashing algorithms and Cunningham chain searching algorithms.

    Crypto-currency is a technology that taps into the limitless supply of human greed. Surely there is no more noble geek cause than hacking the most destructive force of man to do good.

  18. Just in time for my Crowdsourcing Currency! on How To Create Your Own Cryptocurrency · · Score: 1

    Instead of hashcash, it would use proof-of-work like "cat"aloging lolcat pics. The masses of homeless people would "mine" lolcat pics all day instead of panhandling ("I canz has a coin,man?").

    Seriously, though, hashcash needs to be replaced with something more useful. Prime coin seems to be on the right path, but I am sure this area is still way under tapped.

  19. Environment vs Genetics on Why a Cure For Cancer Is So Elusive · · Score: 1

    Some are caused by carcinogens but most are random misprints.

    It seems there is some research pointing to the contrary.

    The /. summary also mentions that cancer is about to overtake heart disease as the number 1 cause of death. Accordingly, can we deduce that increase of lifespan is increasing relatively faster than the increase of environmental causes of cancer? I would sincerely like to believe that, but the ./ summary is not enough for me to adopt such an optimistic view.

    Can anyone here please provide some sources supporting the view that the current cancer epidemic is being driven by increased longevity and not environmental causes?

  20. Re:The problem isn't GMO on Cheerios To Go GMO-Free · · Score: 1

    >Why aren't these foods band?

    Never did I mention banding GMOs. I only argued for rigorous disclosure of ALL foods so that individuals could be empowered to make informed decisions for themselves.

  21. Re:The problem isn't GMO on Cheerios To Go GMO-Free · · Score: 1

    >There's nothing inherently harmful about GMOs, and I can guarantee you that.
    Great! Let's just see your numbers and . . .

    > I don't need numbers.
    Oh, I must be new here . . .

  22. Re:The problem isn't GMO on Cheerios To Go GMO-Free · · Score: -1, Troll

    >There is no health issues.

    Interesting, have you researched this exhaustively or am I to expect the usual /. rigorous standard was used before you posted that? You do realize that people are so frail that they sometimes die from a peanut, right?

    Really, the obvious solution to GMO is full disclosure. In fact, I would like full disclosure of all the foods I eat, including their full genome sequence. Once things are disclosed, then it becomes my responsibility to avoid things that may cause me harm (we can call it OSF or "Open Source Food").

    Patents are also an issue, but just saying there are no potential health issues without having any clue what has been altered or who is eating it displays total ignorance to history and a poor understanding of risk management. Unless, of course, you are taking full liability for any harm that may result at some point in time. In which case, god bless you and please provide additional information about your identity so that a compensation fund can be established (or not . . . time will tell, but thanks for assuming the risk!).

  23. Re:How many don't use the chrome part? on Chromebooks Have a Lucrative Year; Should WinTel Be Worried? · · Score: 1

    I use both, thanks to crouton.

    It is the best of both worlds. Chrome OS works great with netflix and google web apps. I can use crouton for everything else. I have a dedicated Ubuntu server, so ssh -x is really my only client side requirement.

  24. Perhaps your infrastructure is overburdened . . . on 60% of Americans Unaware of Looming Incandescent Bulb Phase Out · · Score: 1

    and when all your like thinking neighbors are forced to finally switch, your power delivery problem will be resolved. . .

  25. LEDs are ready on US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month · · Score: 3, Informative

    On outside lights that I run 12 hours a day (er, "night"), LEDs had a very short payback on electricity savings. Six months, I believe. In fact, I later bought an EV and a large portion of my commuting electricity was covered by electricity savings from that very small investment. I am now converting over the rest of the house as bulbs die, prioritizing usage level and difficult to change light bulbs.

    LEDs are already here for those who like to make investments instead of "consume" things.