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User: Derling+Whirvish

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Comments · 472

  1. Re:The sky is falling on Unexplained Leap In CO2 Levels · · Score: 2, Insightful

    That's a very interesting chart. It clearly shows each rise in global temperature levels *precedes* the rise in CO2 levels. It also shows wild swings in CO2 and temperature levels over the eons -- clearly not human-related -- prior to the latest levels. It also shows all human progess in civilization occurred during the latest very high temperature levels.

  2. Re:a real application for internet2 on Proposal: Put Library of Congress' Contents Online · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Right now, Internet2 can download the entire Library of Congress in about 20 seconds.

    Internet2? So how many of those Internets are there?

    I guess Bush is smarter than his critics.

  3. SETI@home Security Vulnerability on Worker Fired For Running SETI On State-Owned PCs · · Score: 3, Informative

    Please read this.

  4. Only those manufactured by "Delta" in Thailand on Dell Recalls Millions of AC Adaptors · · Score: 5, Informative
    Not all AC adapters with those part numbers are affected. It involves only those manufactured by Delta Electronics in Thailand. I have a 09364U but it is manufactured by Astec in China and is not recalled.

    Go to this page and see if yours are the ones actually recalled.

  5. Re:No you can't just chuck the junk into space. on Space Station Turning Into a Trash Heap · · Score: 2, Interesting
    This is why you can't just 'toss trash out the airlock' while in orbit.

    The Russians did it all the time while Mir was up. Read this:

    MCDOWELL: Well, there's all kinds of trash. And, indeed, on the Mir space station, every few weeks we would see five or six new space debris objects be catalogued, and we eventually discovered that they were putting their trash in plastic bags and shoving them out the airlock. And so, that's happened all through the space program. On the Shuttle to the present day, they don't throw trash overboard, but they do jettison water. But in general, all of that stuff is in low orbit. It doesn't stay up very long, and so it's not a huge problem compared to the exploding rocket stages higher up.
  6. Re:Slashdot provides a discussion forum for a reas on White House Lied About Iraq Nuclear Programs · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I don't know about liberal eyes, (or even what a liberal is exactly), and I don't know about aluminum tubes either. But I do know that anybody who claims that the Bush government doesn't lie and manipulate on a regular basis is not in the business of viewing the world at all.

    You could make the same claim against the NYTimes couldn't you? That:

    ... anybody who claims that the NY Times doesn't lie and manipulate on a regular basis is not in the business of viewing the world at all.
    You will find that the real truth actually lies somewhere in between thinking that the Bush administration lies on a regular basis and the NYTimes always tells the truth and thinking that the Bush administration always tells the truth and the NYTimes lies on a regular basis. Both are extremist views.
  7. Re:Well, there's the problem, you see. on Digital Cameras Change War Photo-Journalism · · Score: 1

    This is a common misperception. The Geneva Conventions do not place journalists in a protected category like medics or priests. According to Article 79 journalists are to be treated exactly the same as any other civilian except when captured, then they are to be treated as POWs only if they have authorization papers from the opposing side.

  8. Re:Sure fixed windows 98 - Windows is now DEAD on Unofficial Windows98SE Patch · · Score: 2, Informative

    I have Win98 *SE* and after I ran the patch I have the exact same problem of being stuck in an endless loop of reg fix - reboot.

  9. Should really be "L' inspire" on Lindows Changes Name to 'Linspire' · · Score: 1

    The apostrophe is important.

  10. Long Overdue! on Congress to Test Air Screening Program · · Score: 2, Insightful
    This is exactly what airline passengers have been hoping for. We want the airlines and TSA to stop looking for weapons (and in the process confiscating fingernail clippers, combs, medals of honor, earrings, etc) and start looking for, and trying to keep off airplanes, terrorists! If this means a few innocents will be subject to extra scrutiny, then so be it. The alternative is for everyone to be treated like a criminal status quo.

    The Israelis have been phenominally successful in keeping terrorists off of El Al. They do it by profiling the passengers. They ask a few direct questions and noting the patterns of responses. For a few it means additional scrutiny or denial of access, but for the majority, the system works -- and they don't confiscate your fingernail clippers. There have been no successful attacks on El Al airlines.

  11. Re:Sure... support Viacom on Echostar/Dish Network Pulls Viacom Channels · · Score: 1
    And I can't imagine what Survivor fans are going to do...

    That's what alt.binaries.multimedia is for. It'll be posted there within a few minutes of it ending.

    You do use Usenet right? You lose major geek points if you don't.

  12. Many more pictures here.... on Chernobyl...18 Years Later · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here is a site with many more pictures of the military vehicle graveyard there.

  13. Tamper-proof tape? on Evoting in India, Maryland · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh riiighht. All you have to do to prevent tampering with an on-line computer is to "wrap it in tamper-proof tape." Sure. Uh huh.

  14. Re:Snow on Extinction Of Human Languages Affects Programming? · · Score: 2, Insightful
    How many words does English have for "road"? A lot more than the Eskimoes have for either "snow" or "road" I'll bet. Does that make us better than them because we can express the concept of a road "to new dimensions beyond that of some other languages"?
    alley, artery, asphalt, avenue, backstreet, beltline, beltway, blacktop, boulevard, byway, circle, cobblestone, course, court, crossroad, drag, drive, driveway, expressway, interstate, highway, lane, line, loop, main drag, mainline, parkway, passage, pathway, pavement, pike, promenade, road, roadway, route, street, subway, tarmac, terrace, thoroughfare, throughway, thruway, track, trail, turnpike, viaduct, way.
    Does any other language have a dictionary like the Oxford English Dictionary? The only one that comes close is the Russian Academy of Sciences 17-volume Russian dictionary. Most languages have far less words in total than English because English adds foreign words all the time. You can express subtleties in English that are impossible in other languages.
  15. Re:What about stereo LPs? on Record Labels May Have to Pay Double Royalties · · Score: 1

    What's the difference between the same song in two different digital formats and two different versions of the same song in analog format (the stereo channels, left and right)? Legally it's the same difference, right? The point being that this CD argument is not a new situation. The person who is "fucked up" is the lawyer currently making the CD argument. The fact that you find this "fucked up" actually vindicates my argument.

  16. What about stereo LPs? on Record Labels May Have to Pay Double Royalties · · Score: 1

    Ever since stereo began in vinyl records there has been two versions of every song ever issued. In the mono records the groove carried only one song. But in stereo records one side of the groove carried a slightly different version of the song from the other side of the groove and those became the left and right stereo sides. On some cases such as early Beatles records, the left side carried the vocals and the right side the instrumentals -- clearly two different versions of the songs. So for this argument to apply now to CDs it would also have to apply to stereo LPs as well for there were two versions of the songs then. Are they going to pay back royalties going all the way back to the mid-50s?

  17. Re:Not a Segway on Clear Speakers, Segway Clone Top CES Coverage · · Score: 1

    You never heard of "rocks" or any other debris likely to be littering the pathway? If the wheels hit something even at a paltry 10 mph and your nose will impact the sidewalk.

  18. Tried and True on Comfortable Stealth Headphones? · · Score: 1
    Sometime's the oldest is the best. This one works really good.

    And it has almost 22nd Century technology in it.

  19. I want some GlowKids! on Glowing Fish are First Genetically Engineered Pets · · Score: 1

    Can I get my children genetically modified to glow as well? It would make keeping up with them at night at Disney World so much easier.

  20. Ruling only applies to Washington State on Ruling on GPS Tracking Devices · · Score: 2, Informative

    This ruling was by the Washington State Supreme Court and only applies to warrants issued in the State of Washington. "There is no controlling legal authority" (as Gore once said) in the other 49 states -- so be aware (that is if you are doing anything that might cause the police to want to track you).

  21. Re:What? on The Innovators' Ball · · Score: 3, Informative

    Did you know Clippy has a voice? Do you think it is a pleasant voice or an annoying stupid celebraty grate-in-the ears voice?

    Go here to find out.

    Really, did you think it would be anybody else?

  22. Re:Hrmmm on Hardware Manufacturers Gouging Customers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What if I created a special one-time corporate entity -- a subdivision of my company, whose sole asset is this piece of computer equipment -- for the sake of this scenario let's call it "Corporate Purchase 0308909". The corporate entity is the one who purchases the product and the software is then licensed to it -- not to the main company. When I sell the equipment I don't actually sell the equipment, I transfer the private owned stock of Corporate Purchase 030809 (CP030809) to the new purchaser and owner of CP030809. CP030809 and its assets (one piece of computer hardware and software) is then owned by someone else. The software is still licensed to CP030809 even though the owners have changed. It's as if AOL bought Time-Warner. Did Cisco make AOL repurchase and relicense Time-Warner's software? No. When I buy stock in Akamai they don't have to renogiate their software licenses even though I am a new partial owner of some of their assets. Bottom line -- create a paper entity. Purchase the hardware in the name of this entity. License the software to the entity. Transfer ownership of the entity and the assets it holds when you no longer need the service the entity is providing much as you would shed an unproductive division of your company. Though in this case the unproductive division consists of a Cisco router for instance. All the licenses and perhaps even the maintenance contracts will transfer.

  23. Re:Too bad ... on World's Most Advanced Portable TV · · Score: 1

    The UK police don't want you to listen to them? The last time I was there (in 1986) I rented a car and found it curious that the police radio frequencies were right smack-dab in the center of the FM radio band. You could tune them on your car radio as you drove around. If it wasn't for that annoying beep they sent every few seconds it would have made fascinating listening. I assume they have moved these transmissions to a better location now?

  24. Re:You know... on High Speed Travelator · · Score: 2, Funny
    When it gets up to a certain speed, the wind resistance against your body will be greater than the friction of the belt against your feet, and you will cease to move forward...


    You can test your theory by standing up in the back of a pickup truck at various speeds. Since the friction of the belt would be identical to the friction of the bed of the pickup truck it's a good analogy. Anyone have a pickup truck, some open road and a couple of nutty friends to perform the experiment?

  25. Re:Is there any point to this? on (Short-, Medium-, Long)wave Radio Meets Digital Stereo · · Score: 1

    Notice that the digital signals are broadcast the same day at the same time on the same frequency as the analog AM signals. You will have a choice of using your older radio or using a newer digital-capable radio.