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User: punterjoe

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  1. This fills me with confidence... on Another WW-I Chemical Site In Washington, DC · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...that the nuclear waste dumps we're planning will remain secure - not just for a few generations but for the millenia promised. What could ever happen in the future that we can't anticipate today?

  2. Didn't we already see this in Star Trek V? on Skydiver To Break Sound Barrier During Free-Fall · · Score: 1

    OK, it was a deleted scene. And I think it involved actual orbital reentry in just a jumpsuit. Still, I suspect that if this guy survives, he will eventually end up attempting something like that. Does Virgin Galactic sell one-way tickets?

  3. Re:Nothing new on AOL Shuts Down CompuServe · · Score: 1

    I must admit, hearing of the demise of CompuServe is like hearing an obit of a celebrity you didn't know was still alive. I haven't thought of CIS in years, though - along with the Source, it was my "gateway drug" from BBS to commercial services. It's too bad AOL can't donate all the CIS IP to someplace like the Internet Archive, to preserve it - sort of like an online Colonial Williamsburg (grin). CompuServe, now that I'm reminded of you, I miss you. Time to break out the old Dead Kennedy's & Sex Pistols LPs & wax nostalgic for"morning in America"

  4. Looks good on paper on Obama Proposes High-Speed Rail System For the US · · Score: 1

    Then again so did Acela. The reality underwhelms. The only thing Acela had in common with REAL high speed rail was the completion time & final pricetag. I don't doubt that such a project is doable, however I'd be stunned if the political (porkbarrel) process allows it to be done right. It doesn't mean we shouldn't try, but we must keep a close eye on it to prevent it from becoming another "Big Dig"

  5. Re:That's not the real issue on Why Fear the End of the R-Rated Superhero Movie? · · Score: 1

    They're just going for the lowest common denominator. I don't mourn the death of the R rated superhero movie so much as I mourn the loss of complicated stories intricately told - ie movies for adult minds. Why drift slowly toward the bottom? Why not just embrace the impact zone & simply release Telletubbies The Motion Picture?

  6. Is this ALL adult Americans or just congress? on US Adults Fail Basic Science Literacy · · Score: 1

    ...and maybe schoolboards.... Of course these people probably suck at math too, so those stats give them no idea how deep in the guano we are. :/

  7. Re:Snarky article on 100 Years Ago, No Free Broadband Pneumatic Tubes · · Score: 1

    If the Interstate Pneumatics V6 standard had been widely adopted, compatibility would not have been an issue, and we'd be living in a very different world today. I'm imagining something like Terry Gilliam's Brazil.

  8. I'm just impatiently waiting for WiMax on Broadband Access Without the Pork? · · Score: 1

    ...and hoping against hope that another competitor in the market helps bring down these draconian "incidental" charges. Then again, looking at the companies behind the WiMax rollout, I'm not optimistic.

  9. I appreciate sat radio's niche on iPhones, FStream and the Death of Satellite Radio · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is there any service that doesn't trump sat radio in a single aspect? Probably not. But I'm with the others here who see value to the service. The footprint of sat radio is in a league of it's own, and while it has it's own reception issues - especially in the hilly northeast US - it's not as if there aren't signal issues with any other wireless service. Satellite radio as we know it may be doomed. Sirius/XM has a business model that defies explanation, and WorldSpace has it's own troubles. That doesn't mean that a digital broadcast service with a continental footprint doesn't have a place in our modern media mix, just that the Sirius/XM radio model probably isn't it. fwiw, I've been an XM subscriber since around 2000 & I have no immediate plans to cancel... even though I probably spend more time listening online when I have access to a broadband connection. I'm hopeful that whatever private equity group picks up Sirius/XM (& maybe worldspace) assets & infrastructure at the inevitable bankruptcy firesale can come up with a practical business model and a way to woo back the installed hardware base - much of which is probably idle & unsubscribed.

  10. Virtual grandparents on Grandma's On the Computer Screen This Thanksgiving · · Score: 1

    I see lots of pro and cons with this. Children who grow up with virtual grandparents will have a barebones facsimile of the real deal - at least until someone comes up with the "pull my finger" USB attachment. It probably won't be too long until tele-grandma can be replaced by a smart avatar, giving mom & dad a pass on having "the talk" with toddlers. The only question will be who gets to program the personality of "gramps-headroom"? AARP may end up being the Association of Artificially Rendered Predecessors.

  11. Just in time for Michael Crichton? on Frozen Mice Cloned · · Score: 1

    ...just askin'

  12. Re:Not enough gain? on Best Terrestrial/OTA HDTV Setup For an Apartment? · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'll second that. A 5th gen ATSC chipset is much better than earlier models, but from my experience it really comes down to gain. I live in an RF hell-hole: near the bottom of the tallest hill in town, across the street from a huge 19th century cathedral (with cellphone nodes in the steeple btw) in a groudfloor apt almost 50 miles from the Boston area antenna farms. That I can get ANY ATSC reception is pretty amazing. I do it all with lots (>60db) of RF amplification. BTW - this makes NTSC unwatchable since it ups the noise & multipath, but it seems to get over the "cliff" for my ATSC tuner, and I get hardly any blockiness or bluescreens (muting). My advice, from what worked for me would be get the biggest antenna (best gain) you can tolerate & amp it up. Since all your stations are in the same direction, at least you can skip a low-gain omni. fwiw - I briefly considered placing a huge outdoor antenna above my dropped ceiling, but managed to avoid that extreme method. :)

  13. Re:pff on Password Resets Worse Than Reusing Old password · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm with you. As far as these security bots are concerned, my mother's maiden name was sodoff. I imagine people just think she was Russian & not that I'm cursing at the stupid question. :D

  14. By 2010 maybe we can hitch a ride with China on Russian Invasion of Georgia Might Jeopardize Space Station · · Score: 1

    ...or one of the other nations developing a space program while we in the US devolve ours. ;)

  15. Just in time - ready the ark on Astronomers Claim Discovery of Earth-like Planet · · Score: 1

    We'll work out the details en-route. :)

  16. Re:And finally... on Global Warming Stopped By Adding Lime To Sea · · Score: 1

    Of course it will work - "It's got electrolytes"!

  17. Re:At least you can get FiOS... on Verizon, Fiber Or Die? · · Score: 1

    Burbs maybe. Boondocks? Not so much.
    I live in the Merrimack valley, and all the surrounding communities seem to have FIOS. FIOS billboards beckon me from the commuter rail stations on my way to work. Verizon has even taunted me from the air with a plane towing a FIOS banner - obviously aimed at my neighbors in the next town.
    I guess I should be happy to have DSL so that I at least don't have to deal with (shudder) Comcast.

  18. A whole new market for E-Vest folks? on Hacking a Pacemaker · · Score: 1

    The Faraday vest - what a concept! EMI shielding is the new kevlar.

  19. I am Spartacus on Cisco Lawyer Outs Self As "Patent Troll Tracker" · · Score: 1

    Now if only a few hundred more people would "confess" to being the Tracker, we could be back where we started. :)

  20. So I can convert to HD-VMD too? on How to Convert Your HD-DVD Discs to Blu-Ray · · Score: 1

    Let's not forget the little format that could...
    This could be a handy way to convert HD & BR to the REAL future of HiDef. ;)

  21. Is that fear - or just teen spirit? on Pentagon Working on "Human Fear" Weapons · · Score: 1

    Oh great. Now we'll be able to detain everyone who has anxiety about flying. That should cure overbooked flights.
    I'm just glad our tax dollars are being spent so prudently.

  22. The must-have cellphone accessory on "Cone of Silence" Possible Say Scientists · · Score: 1

    This needs to be rushed-to-market and mandated for all mobile phone users. ...At least in restaurants, theaters, funerals and other public spaces! Maybe they could rename it the "courtesy cone" ;)

  23. Re:Finally! on Official DTV Converter Box Coupons for Americans · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah, it's going almost as fast as free cheese :)
    I'm glad that some steps are being taken - however bureaucratic & ineffective it may turn out to be, to address the turmoil that will be caused by the shutdown of analog broadcasting in 13 months.
    My big concern is that the people this program is designed for are the ones least likely to know about it. Maybe the FCC should require public svc announcements on analog TV stations pushing the toll free number instead of the website. Actually, I hope the phone application doesn't require touchtones, since I suspect that even that low bar may exclude the ones who will be most affected by the analog shutdown.

  24. OPEC 2.0? on Robots To Control Oil Drilling Platforms · · Score: 1

    Uh oh. Here come the Offshore Petroleum Extracting Cyborgs.
    Once they have the oil, what further use will they have for us? :o

  25. Re:Probably would have been better... on Iran Builds Supercomputer From Banned AMD Parts · · Score: 1

    I'm sure Sony could use the business :) Plus, all those Blue Lasers could be "weaponized" (I hope the folks @ NSA know I'm being facetious) - what's the emoticon for 'nervous smile'?