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User: superbondbond

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Comments · 27

  1. Re:Innovation! on The Last GM Big-Block V-8 Rolls Off the Line · · Score: 1

    I think what they were saying is that pistons in a V configuration (e.g. V6, V8, V12 etc) are not in a line, hence they are not inline engines. An engine can either be a V or an inline, not both, much like a line can't be straight and curved at the same time.

    The VR engines developed by Volkswagen are a hybrid of those two configurations. The pistons are staggered at a narrow angle, which makes for a more compact design, a single head, and a shared valve train.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR6

  2. Re:Intelligence of cows on Virtual Fence Could Modernize the Old West · · Score: 5, Informative
    I'm not so sure wild bison were any smarter. Read about the historic buffalo jumps that the native Americans used in hunting...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_jump

  3. Re:hmm on Nokia Developing Diamond-Like Gadget Casing · · Score: 1
    Isn't strong and biodegradable mutually exclusive?
    Try oak wood.

    ...or steel

  4. Re:30% is still a fair amount for nonenvironmental on A Concrete Solution To Pollution · · Score: 1
    Builders of big objects are big companies, and they don't care, they don't have to

    This is where Architects and Specifiers come into play. If you consider a large (public or private) project that will be put out to bid, the Architect can specify this as a required system, or as required level of performance.

    Add to that the increasing demand for LEED certification in buildings.

    Builders may not care, but there are certainly many other people who do care.

  5. Re:obligatory business model on The Business Model of Ubuntu · · Score: 1
    Or how about GNU/Ubunutu.

    Say that three times quickly.

  6. Re:Whats the problem? on ABC Wants DVR Fast Forwarding Disabled · · Score: 1
    I dont enjoy watching crap commercials for tampons etc., its not as if I use them! However good beer commericals on the other hand...

    I totally agree with you. And what's interesting to me about that fact is that I have found myself change my watching habits based on the commercials that are run during the show.

    Think about it. Commericals are (to some extent) geared toward a certain demographic that is expected to be watching a particular show.

    But I was watching something (don't remember what specifically) and started to notice that there were a lot of commercials for products that I either had no use for, or was completely uninterested in. I thought to myself, "I'm obviously not the target demographic for this show. I wonder what else is on?"

    I wonder how much the ratings of certain shows is (or could be) driven by the quality of the commercials? (think SuperBowl). In an ideal world, Hollywood and the advertising firms would make more of an effort to pair the really +5 funny commercials with the +5 funny shows

    I guess that leaves the -1 overrated commercials for the -1 overrated shows (which is the vast majority).

  7. Re:roast paradox on Caffeine 'Dipstick' Test for Coffee · · Score: 2, Interesting
    As a roaster (hobbyist) I find the best of both worlds can be achieved by working with a "Black and Tan" roast of sorts.

    Caffeine aside, you'll find that the lighter roasts have all kinds of flavor profiles (floral, citrus) that combine very well with those of a darker roast (chocolate, nutty*, "earthy").

    I've always enjoyed coffee, but a whole world was revealed when I started raosting it myself. It makes the best coffeehouse brew taste like sludge.

    * please, no Austin Powers jokes.

  8. Re:What I'd like from Dell on Dell Opens Up About Desktop Linux · · Score: 2, Informative
    I haven't really been following things, but I hear that some people get machines with ghost backups of windows instead of a real install CD

    Even worse than that, I have a friend who bought a machine from Gateway (actually built by E-machines, I think) that didn't even include a backup image on disc. They gave him 5 CD-Rs, and a utility app installed on the system that allowed him to make his own backup images. Talk about cheap.

    Almost more shocking to me, IIRC it took 4 of the 5 discs to make the full backup. I knew these boxes came with a lot of preinstalled bloatware, but sheesh!

  9. Re:Uses up the wind on Vertical Axis Wind Turbine With Push and Pull · · Score: 3, Funny
    Sometimes I wish that were true.

    As I live in Wyoming, we have plenty of wind to spare.

    Please take some.

  10. Re:I applaud Vodafone. on Just a Phone? · · Score: 1
    8. Conservative, modern styling

    Amen to that.

    It's pretty hard to look professional when my phone starts playing Yankee Doodle Dandy and a dozen obnoxious LEDs flash in time with the music.

  11. another point of view on Origins Mini-Series Airs Tonight · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    For those interested in another point of view, This book has some fascinating information.

  12. Pretty cool if..... on Digital Music Eyewear From Oakley · · Score: 2, Funny
    you want to look like one of the Borg.

    resistance is fut.... ahh nevermind.

  13. It's the Visual part that scares me on A Visual History of Spam · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think if I were to actually see what went into Spam I'd never be able to eat it again.

  14. Re:Damn! on Hurricane Threatens Shuttle Program · · Score: 1
    Don't worry. They probably have a super secret backup launch facility hidden away in case of an event like this.

    You saw Contact right?

  15. Re:The big Question: on Sharp Mebius Subnotebook Review · · Score: 2, Informative
    With the Obligitory "Does it run Linux" question in mind, look at the Spec sheet from dynamism

    http://www.dynamism.com/cv50/specs.shtml/

    I would hope that with Sharp's past support of Linux (Zaurus), that this would be able to run Linux with little trouble.

  16. Re:The article left out... on Handtop Roundup · · Score: 4, Informative

    According to http://www.dynamism.com/, the U50/70 comes with it's own folding keyboard.

  17. Re:IPod... on Portable Storage? · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    and you can get a free one too with a little effort

    http://www.freeipods.com/default.aspx?referer=7288 803

  18. Re:To be fair to Microsoft on The Cost of Computer Naivete · · Score: 1
    My wife recently inherited a workstation from her place of work (a bank). It's a Dell Optiplex that couldn't be more than about a year old.

    I was shocked to fire it up and find Win98 running on it. I was even further shocked to find the Win98 Second edition sticker on the bottom of the case, right next to the infamous "design for Wondows XP" decal.

    I too thought Win98 wasn't sold anymore (though a year ago I'm sure it was). I guess I was just confused as hell to learn that a large corporate environment using 98 for their client workstations.

    Needless to say, before I even plugged in an ethernet line, I slapped Linux on it and now I have a screaming little machine.

  19. I'm not a great typist on Is Typing a Necessary Skill? · · Score: 1
    I never put into practice the typing I learned in school. So now I have learned to type reasonably well using fewer than all of my fingers. I'm used to it but I'm positive that my hands will fatigue so much more quickly than if I were using the proper positioning.

    I do however look great in comparison to my own boss. I laugh to myself everytime I see him "hunting and pecking" with his index fingers. I bet it takes him all day to draft a simple letter that way....

  20. Re:US Government not trustworthy on EU Pushes to Limit Internet Speech · · Score: 2, Insightful
    And hate ladies and gentlemen, breeds ignorance.

    I would argure it's the other way around.

    Ignorance breeds hate.

  21. Re:This is a usability problem... on Dealing with the Unix Copy and Paste Paradigm? · · Score: 1
    I am a big fan of the hi-light/middle click method. Though I daily face the dilemna when on my laptop which has only the two buttons. It's clumsy to try to simultaneously click them, so I find myself falling back on the ctrl+c/ctrl+v for that.

    I can't be alone on this one.......

  22. Re:Makes you wonder on Canon Digital Rebel Hacked Into A Pseudo-10D · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have one of those Motorola digital cable boxes. One afternoon my one-year-old nephew was crawling around and put his hand down on the remote. He apparently pushed just the right combination of buttons to access some sort of set-up menu. There was all sorts of settings that were obviously above my head, thus I was too chicken to make any changes for fear of really screwing up something, or worse. So I cancelled out of it and have yet to find out how to access it again. Makes me wonder what sort of stuff I could have tapped into had I known more about what I was doing.

  23. Re:CDN$1.19? on Napster Canada Launched · · Score: 0, Troll

    Wow! doesn't that to equate to about 20 USD? [/sarcasm]

  24. Re:I knew it! on Newsflash: Gourmet Coffees Have Lots Of Caffeine · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Starbucks and friends use coffee that is derived from espresso. Espresso tends to have more caffeine in it.
    The coffee used for espresso is not necessarily different from the stuff used to make regular coffee. There is nothing different in the bean itself, or even how it's ground. Espresso by definition is what is specifically produced by a specific method.

    The "gourmet" coffee places tend to use what I would consider closer to the proper ratio of 2T of ground coffee for each 6 oz. of water. Hence more caffeine.

  25. I for one... on Microsoft's Janus DRM Software Officially Unveiled · · Score: 1

    ...am completely happy with all of my anolog content. thank you.