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User: ConanG

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Comments · 178

  1. Re:Well, there goes my plan on Google Earth To Show Ocean Floor · · Score: 2, Informative

    You make a good point. However, Google Earth now has an option to regress the date of the imagery along a timeline. You click the timeline button, and you can slide it back and forth and see older satellite images along with the date of the photo. My area, although fairly rural, has imagery back to '95 and as recent as '07.

  2. Re:Zero G? Did this today on NASA Offering Free Zero Gravity Flights · · Score: 1

    I think you might want to get him liquored up after the flight.

  3. Montserrat on Alaskans Prepare For Volcanic Eruption · · Score: 1

    I was sailing near Montserrat during the June '97 eruption. I didn't hear it, but I could definitely smell the sulfur. The skies gradually turned dark over the course of days and remained that way for quite a while. I remember thinking it was pretty cool until I found out how devastating it was to the people living there. 19 lost their lives.

    I've also seen Etna (at NAS Sigonella from 15 miles), St. Helens (recent minor eruptions), and Kilauea (March '08 explosions). I've seen magma from Etna and Kiluea.

    Kilauea is the most spectacular, in my opinion. Especially watching the magma enter the ocean. There was a massive amount of Vog in March and April all around the Big Island. I was able to clearly see the observatories atop Mauna Kea from Hilo before the explosions, but not after (I left in early May).

  4. Re:versus USB on Stanford's Quantum Hologram Sets Storage Record · · Score: 2, Informative

    Or the 16 GB microSDHC cards. The 32GB ones are just around the corner.

  5. Re:Umm... on Fallout 3 DLC and Games For Windows Live Woes · · Score: 1

    What I don't understand about all the end-game whining is that the first 2 Fallout games had an ending, too. It should come as no surprise this one ends. Although, I don't agree with you that's it's a well composed ending.

  6. Re:Do it. on Umbilical Cord Blood Banking? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Even if he never has to find out whether or not it would work, it's paid off in peace of mind.

  7. Re:Still the same story, mostly. on Windows 7 Gaming Performance Tested · · Score: 1

    If you aren't a complete tool, you won't get overpriced OCZ modules when building a low/medium end system. The memory speed gains of OCZ over generic modules on such a system isn't a going to make much of a difference... for a much greater cost.

    I don't think the GP meant high-end modules are always a ripoff. I think he meant it in the context of this system build. Those modules have their place, but a sub-$400 system is not it.

  8. Re:Isn't that what patents are meant for on Apple Awarded Patent For iPhone Interface · · Score: 1

    If this patent stands, it pretty much guarantees that touchscreen technology will stagnate and die.

    No, it means Apple gets to use their patented ideas exclusively for the next 18 years. If they keep using it, it's not dead. If they keep improving it, it's not stagnant.
    It'll only stagnate and die if Apple lets it.

  9. Re:Prior art. ??? on Apple Awarded Patent For iPhone Interface · · Score: 1

    Multitouch gestures?

    I'm not saying there isn't prior art for what Apple has patented, but PenPoint doesn't seem to be it.

  10. Low margins on Circuit City Closes Its Doors For Good · · Score: 1

    That's what's responsible for these bad boys. Well... low margins AND human stupidity.

  11. Privoxy and Chrome on Google Releases Chrome 2.0 Pre-Beta · · Score: 1

    It's not quite as nice as AdBlock, but Privoxy is doing a swell job of blocking ads in Chrome. The biggest problem with Privoxy is that it's all or nothing. Otherwise it's about 95%(*) as effective as AdBlock at stripping out ads.

    * - 67% of all statistics are made up.

  12. xkcd saves the day! on The Technology Behind the Magic Yellow Line · · Score: 3, Funny

    And really, if you've lived with non-metric units all your life, it is easy. I have no problem knowing what size and 8 oz tenderloin or 16oz strip steak is or how big it is. I'd be completely lost trying to, off the top of my head...buy or cook with metric units. When I college in a lab, sure, no problem in doing chemistry experiments in metric, but, that isn't real every day life stuff.

    I know how to dress when it is 72F outside. I'd have no clue what to dress for at something like 32C (random temp)...

    A handy guide to converting to metric.

  13. Re:Get big ones on How Do You Manage Your SD Card Library? · · Score: 1

    Seems like a more expensive and less capable version of the N96.

    + 8 mp camera (which I don't care about anyway)
    - fm transmitter (as much of a requirement as 16gb internal storage)
    - dvb reciever (nice to have when in EU)
    - N-Gage support.

    Thanks, but no thanks. I've got an s60v3.2 phone already. This wouldn't be much of a step up, besides the camera and internal storage. N97 on the other hand...

  14. Re:Get big ones on How Do You Manage Your SD Card Library? · · Score: 1

    I use my phone as an mp3 player with it's integrated fm transmitter to listen to my music in my car. With a 16gb microsd card, it's got a decent amount of storage for that. I also have maps for a large part of the world (several gb of data) on there. I do a lot of world travel and I'm not sure where I might end up. Can't always rely on google maps.

    I'm up in the air at the moment over whether or not to get an N96 now, or wait for the N97 later this year. The big deal for me is the 16gb of internal storage in addition to a 16gb card. With that, I'll finally have a phone with the storage I want. Right now, I feel like I'm a little squeezed in.

  15. Re:Assassin's Creed anyone? on Avoiding Wasted Time With Prince of Persia · · Score: 1

    The mechanism is the same, the eye candy is different. In Assassin's Creed, you see your avatar "die", then you wake up for a couple of seconds, then reload at the point just before you screwed up. It's effectively the same thing.

  16. Assassin's Creed anyone? on Avoiding Wasted Time With Prince of Persia · · Score: 1

    Prince of Persia uses basically the same retry mechanism as Assassin's Creed. Actually, I think Prince of Persia uses a LOT of the same stuff as Assassin's Creed. It's the same game engine isn't it?

    Yeah, real revolutionary.

  17. Re:Piracy is the result of human nature on An In-Depth Look At Game Piracy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sky pirates sound cool, but it might not turn out the way you imagine.

  18. HardOCP on Video Game Trends In 2008 · · Score: 1

    HardOCP has recommended DX10 on Vista over DX9 on Vista or XP for only one game - FarCry 2. And that was on December 8, 2008.

    I think his point stands.

  19. Re:Eh on Video Game Trends In 2008 · · Score: 1

    Not everyone goes to college right after high school. My sister just finished her BS with the highest GPA in her graduating class at the age of 40.

  20. Re:So, if I understand the article... on Convergent Evolution Upends Honeyeaters' Taxonomy · · Score: 1

    Pirates and Ninjas will never "converge". They are completely separate on the Periodic Table of Awsomeness. It doesn't look like it would be easy to get them to chemically react either, given their placement on the table.

  21. Re:Why still depend on observation? on Convergent Evolution Upends Honeyeaters' Taxonomy · · Score: 1

    I agree that convergent evolution could sound confusing to lay people. Independent evolution doesn't sound much better, though. It's not quite descriptive enough. I mean, most things evolve independently, don't they?

    How about analogous evolution? It's quite descriptive, and many lay people wouldn't confuse it with anything.

  22. Re:FUCK TEJANO MUSIC!!! on Adventure Game Interfaces and Puzzle Theory · · Score: 1

    Like all instruments, the accordian must be properly used. See Atomik Harmonic: Turbo Polka and Turbo Angels: Gmajna

  23. Re:If only most MUDs had the puzzle solving aspect on Adventure Game Interfaces and Puzzle Theory · · Score: 1

    The subscription aspect of the game means it does attract a better clientele as a whole, which obviously doesn't say much for MMO players. What do you mean by better? The clientele are better how and better than who? Do you think the game's population would be 'worse' somehow if there were no subscription?

  24. Re:Make up your minds on Survival-Horror Genre Going Extinct? · · Score: 4, Informative

    Don't forget World of Goo! That's a pretty original game.

  25. Re:It's Evolving on Survival-Horror Genre Going Extinct? · · Score: 1

    I'm not saying it's not got its problems. I was just responding to the poster who is waiting for a halfway decent RPG on PS3. I don't think it's anywhere close to the best RPG ever, but I do think it's at least decent.