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User: Bigby

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  1. Re:Total Win on Curiosity Rewarded: Florida Teen Heading to Space Camp, Not Jail · · Score: 2

    I would go as far to say, if she accidentally hurt someone, she still shouldn't have been kicked out of school. Intent is a major factor there. If a football player accidentally injures another player, should he get kicked off the team? Kicked out of school?

  2. Re:Missing info from the articles on Newegg Defeats Alcatel-Lucent in Third Patent Win This Year · · Score: 1

    So no patent was invalidated. It is just that there was no infringement...

  3. Re:Wind on A Computer-based Smart Rifle With Incredible Accuracy, Now On Sale · · Score: 1

    Wind is far more significant than 1 MOA. However, If they can detect wind with the lidar stuff you are talking about, then it would pretty much nail down all the significant variables. That would be incredible.

  4. How does it detect the wind at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards? How does it detect the change in wind speed over that full distance? It is impossible. In fact, the best way to calibrate is to actually fire a bullet. But even then, you can't be assured that the wind didn't change for the next shot. I guess if you fire and adjust in rapid succession, you could hit a needle after multiple shots.

  5. Re:Open set it is! on Major Advance Towards a Proof of the Twin Prime Conjecture · · Score: 1

    If there is a 70m gap between prime pairs, then there is a 70m gap between primes. Prime pairs are made up of primes. So it effectively proves that every series of 70m numbers has at least 2 primes and 1 prime pair. Is there a proof that narrows basic primes to a smaller maximum?

  6. Re:Risk vs. Reward? on Drones: Coming Soon To the New Jersey Turnpike? · · Score: 1

    OH and i80 in PA can easily support that and maybe 100mph. But many stretches of i70/i76 in PA cannot take 55mph. NJ highways are awful (not design, but road quality). If you can't trust that there isn't a massive pothole, it isn't good to be driving really fast.

    When on the Autobahn, I noticed a lot of preventative maintenance during the day. Guys going around picking up debris. The roads were clean and no structural issues. Most roads are lined with trees or 30 ft walls. This makes crosswinds less of a factor...because they are VERY noticeable when going 100mph+.

    There are a lot of improvements needed in the US to support such high speeds. And not just one time improvements...but constant monitoring. You can't have a shredded tire in a lane and expect someone to see it and react appropriately at really high speeds.

  7. Re:Risk vs. Reward? on Drones: Coming Soon To the New Jersey Turnpike? · · Score: 1

    Generally speaking, I go 9-10 over the speed limit. But this is a chicken-egg scenario. Am I going 9-10 over the speed limit because they set the speed limit 10 mph too low on purpose? Or do I go 9-10 over what they post? It is a combination of both.

  8. Re:3DS and Wii U on Microsoft Patents "Cartoon Face Generation" · · Score: 1

    Back in the, you could patent a door once. But today, you can patent the door thousands of times, as long as you change the way it is constructed.

  9. Re:Destroying priceless sites for petty reasons on Mayan Pyramid In Belize Leveled By Construction Crew · · Score: 0

    Look at the positives. The destruction of this temple has made all the other historic sites more valuable.

  10. Re:Icahn is bluffing on Rival Dell Buyout Plans Duke It Out · · Score: 2

    The total equity for the company is $10.7B. It has grown steadily $1.2-2.2B per year. Both debt and assets are increasing at a steady pace, but assets are outpacing debt.

    $10.7B/1.75B shares ~ $6/share. How is it worth $20/share? On top of that, their assets are as valuable for someone else as they are for them, AT BEST.

    Also, the 1.75B probably doesn't include all shares...

  11. Re:Coming soon! on Bill Gates Opens Up About Steve Jobs · · Score: 2

    Apple iBoat (because Yacht is too specific)

  12. Re:Moronic on Ad Exec: Learn To Code Or You're Dead To Me · · Score: 1

    What you meant to say:

    I don't need to know how to cook, but I need to know where I can buy food and that food is processed into calories which give me energy every day. I need to know that I can't drink bleach and that pizza every day all day is not that good for me. I need to know that stoves are hot and refrigerators keep things cool/cold.

    Likewise, most people should know something basic about computing. They already know things are fragile: You can't throw your phone into a pool or spike it into concrete like a football. But they should probably know more. But coding? No.

  13. Re:Blackout rule on John McCain Working On Legislation For 'a La Carte' TV Channel Packages · · Score: 1

    I don't understand at all how "a la carte" fixes anything with blackout rules.

    Why can't the sports venue, typically a privately run venue, have a contract with the channels recording the event to not broadcast in that area? If their feed leads to broadcasting in that area when the event isn't sold out, they could cut the feed for them in all areas. The recorder would be in breach of contract, the venue would still get the payment from the recorder, and the recorder would lose all the advertising revenue. "A la carte" does nothing here.

  14. Re:Wait a minute on Tool Reveals iPad and iPhone User Locations · · Score: 2

    So it is like SimCity, but it works

  15. Re:Email and chats are like Post Cards on US DOJ Say They Don't Need Warrants For E-Mail, Chats · · Score: 1

    I think this is correct, but they are likely searching email without warrant after it reached its destination. That is where it is wrong, unless the owner (like Google for Gmail email) gives permission. You do not own your email on Gmail. Google does.

  16. Re:Second Amendment on US DOJ Say They Don't Need Warrants For E-Mail, Chats · · Score: 1

    Although some were coerced, others weren't.

    But back to the subject: the US government should not need a warrant to view your mail on Google if Google lets them look at it. If Google doesn't, the government can get around the 4th amendment by legally writing a law to levy a 95% tax on Google's income unless Google lets the FBI monitor all email. There's always a loophole...

  17. Re:Value on Armstrong EKG Readings During Moon Landing Up For Auction · · Score: 1

    I did pull it out of my ass. Demand has certainly went up since Neil is now dead and NASA is now not even doing manned space flight. Also, buyers will forcast the increase in demand when 2019 (50th year) rolls around.

    The production of authentic NASA memorabilia has fallen sharply so the supply of alternatives has flat lined too. However, I mostly base the number on what I would pay if I had unlimited money.

  18. Re:Bye, bye BMC on BMC Going Private In $6.9 Billion Deal · · Score: 1

    And that is less efficient? Apparently, in that case, the IP was the only thing of value. Keeping a failing company open only delays the inevitable. Destroying it quickly allows for reallocation to happen more quickly.

  19. Re:a bit too blatant on Using YouTube For File Storage · · Score: 1

    All you need is a way to determine a key that could be used given the source and encrypted target. This would be a little different than cracking an encrypted document, because the source is known.

    That way you can turn anything into "Risk Astley - Never Going To Give You Up". There would just be a generated key that can be used to decrypt it to your original source.

  20. Re:Looks like a bomb... on Box With Hidden Camera Travels Through the Mail · · Score: 1

    They could always classify it as a "bomb" so they can remove the camera and prosecute the sender as a terrorists. After all, they don't want cameras going through their workplace.

  21. Re:Definitely better than HR on Are Contests the Best Way To Find Programmers? · · Score: 1

    I find "do you have 10+ years of experience in HTML5?" to be the most useful.

  22. Re:The best way to find programmers on Are Contests the Best Way To Find Programmers? · · Score: 1

    Always ask candidates something like "Explain the advantages and disadvantages of an ORM database model vs the traditional JDBC SQL route; when would you use each and why". And then just listen for 5+ minutes. I want the candidate to do most of the talking.

  23. Re:Some things can't be measured objectively on 450 Million Lines of Code Can't Be Wrong: How Open Source Stacks Up · · Score: 1

    I could be. But it is a bad assumption to think it is. It will lead to a false sense of quality.

  24. Re:and all the children are above average on 450 Million Lines of Code Can't Be Wrong: How Open Source Stacks Up · · Score: 1

    Correct. I would hope the industry average for heart surgery is above the industry standard. Likewise, the industry standard for politicians is far higher than what you get with the average.

  25. Re:it contradicts the definition on 450 Million Lines of Code Can't Be Wrong: How Open Source Stacks Up · · Score: 1

    I want to know how a tool can automatically detect defects. Sure, it can get syntax and a few semantic stuff. But most defects are not syntax errors. How does coverity catch when a required field isn't required for some reason? How does it catch UI glitches? How does it test performance? Memory loads?