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User: MichaelSmith

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Comments · 11,670

  1. Re:It's pretty amazing on New Ancient Human Identified · · Score: 3, Interesting

    While 115173 is a Pak like the rest of us I doubt he is a Protector because we lack the nutrients. But back to the topic at hand.

    Even today Africa has most of the diversity in the human species. I wonder what would happen today if a group of african people became isolated from the rest of us. Diverse genes can lead to powerful selection pressure. I expect that this would have to happen off earth now.

    Also I also wonder what would happen to humans generally if we lost the genetic diversity currently banked in Africa. Nothing good I suspect.

  2. Sleeper on New Ancient Human Identified · · Score: 1

    If only they had this persons nose. They could recreate the whole person then. Not much you can do with half a finger.

    (and if he had eaten organic rice he would still be alive now).

  3. Re:Targetting on First Anti-Cancer Nanoparticle Trial On Humans a Success · · Score: 1

    That sounds great but I wonder about these software virus detectors which see signatures in legitimate files. It depends on the number of permutations you are dealing with I suppose.

  4. Re:Targetting on First Anti-Cancer Nanoparticle Trial On Humans a Success · · Score: 1

    So does radiotherapy. The problem being that fast growing tissues are the ones you absolutely need from day to day. Bone marrow and digestive system tissue are other examples.

  5. Re:Targetting on First Anti-Cancer Nanoparticle Trial On Humans a Success · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Incorrect. There are significant physiological and genetic differences between cancerous cells and normal cells. It would be entirely possible to target the RNA sequence to only bind to malignant cells and ignore normal ones.

    Yeah but chemotherapy and radiotherapy work the same way. The problem is that the characteristic of cancerous cells they bind to is the fact that they grow fast. The problem is that these treatments also damage normally fast growing tissues. My father in law lost all his bone marrow that way.

    I hope that these nanoparticles don't bind to any other crucial tissues.

  6. Re:Finally.. on First Anti-Cancer Nanoparticle Trial On Humans a Success · · Score: 1

    Well I can finally go to California, everything is known to cause cancer in California, .

    Yeah just like working for the ABC in Australia.

  7. Re:"Minor" correction on Child Receives Trachea Grown From Own Stem Cells · · Score: 1

    The headline would be correct if we can synthesize the collagen molding and do away with the need for donor organ.

    I suppose so but the donor organ in this case would seem to be something in plentiful supply, Its not like a heart which you have to keep alive between the donor and recipient.

  8. Re:Not the Next Hottest on Indian Military Hopes to Weaponize the Searing "Ghost Pepper" · · Score: 1

    The hottest food my wife makes is when the chilli soaks into vegetables. On its own it just washed away but in conjunction with other food it literally sticks around and does its job.

    Also I am puzzled about this assertion:

    bhut jolokia chilies can be used as a food additive for troops operating in cold conditions

    In my experience chili makes you feel colder because it induces perspiration, even if there might be a misleading feeling of inner warmth.

  9. Re:Military Application on Indian Military Hopes to Weaponize the Searing "Ghost Pepper" · · Score: 1

    If you want good food go to Malaysia.

  10. Re:Tastes great on Indian Military Hopes to Weaponize the Searing "Ghost Pepper" · · Score: 1

    I reckon it wouldn't work as well on somebody accustomed to hot food. My brother in law, who is Malaysian, remarked favorably on the "pepper spray" coming off his neighbors barbecue, while I coughed my lungs out.

  11. Re:Using it since Alpha 1 on Ubuntu's "Lucid Lynx" Enters Beta · · Score: 1

    Yeah this is the task bar. Sometimes when I want to selected a window I click the task bar item for it and the window minimizes. This particularly happens with non gnome applications like nedit.

  12. Re:Using it since Alpha 1 on Ubuntu's "Lucid Lynx" Enters Beta · · Score: 1

    I would be happy if I could configure the gnome window list to never minimize.

  13. Re:Using it since Alpha 1 on Ubuntu's "Lucid Lynx" Enters Beta · · Score: 1

    I have everything maximized all the time anyway

    Why? What's the point of having more than one window open if everything's always maximized? I've seen it many times, but I've never understood it.

    It makes sense for me on my eeepc 701. The screen is small and I don't want to waste space. I need different windows open for different purposes. For example a shell window and an editor.

  14. Re:virtual hosts on How To Evade URL Filters With (Not-So) Fancy Math · · Score: 1

    I suspect following those links would get me sacked.

  15. Re:virtual hosts on How To Evade URL Filters With (Not-So) Fancy Math · · Score: 1

    Great for proxies (etc) though.

    How about (ab)using a service for testing your web site on different browsers? It sends back a picture of the specified page.

  16. Re:And what's the problem here? on US Lawmakers Eyeing National ID Card · · Score: 2, Funny

    It depends on what they mean. If you need ID to open a bank account then fair enough. If you need ID to walk down the street or breathe the air then no thanks.

  17. Re:Space with no space on First Flight For SpaceShipTwo · · Score: 1

    We just need to chuck a few trillion people out of space ships...

  18. Re:Space with no space on First Flight For SpaceShipTwo · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I wasn't referring to Virgin Galactic when mentioning the space suites.

    A space suite would be very nice, while a space suit would be bordering on cosy, or possibly claustrophobic.

  19. Re:Space with no space on First Flight For SpaceShipTwo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder what the probability is that a passing spacecraft would rescue you after 30 seconds exposed to vacuum?

  20. Re:I teach survey design... This is terrible. on A Broadband Survey That Asks the Right Questions · · Score: 1

    But where I work we get this survey which has hundreds of questions, asking variations of the same question over and over again. They are clearly aiming at some kind of psychological test. Is there a name for that approach in your field? Do you know what they are driving at? The general thrust is on what we think of our workplace, but their questions could be asked on one page. Instead they use 10 pages.

  21. Re:Smalltalk and LISP for the History Major on Metaprogramming Ruby · · Score: 1

    then you can pass parameters like so:

    object.message(key1:value, key2:value)

    This exists already - it is called Python.

    And Ada.

  22. Re:A Question Is Answered on Food Activist's Life Becomes The Life of Brian · · Score: 1

    "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." -- Thomas Jefferson

    Mr Jefferson was an optimist.

  23. Re:A Question Is Answered on Food Activist's Life Becomes The Life of Brian · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And yet most US politicians seem to need to at least pretend to believe in god to be elected.

  24. Re:Here come the quotes... on Food Activist's Life Becomes The Life of Brian · · Score: 1

    Problem is that there is a US base at 90S and they would be obliged to help. Better send them to 85S (or to the Russians).

  25. Re:Where does he work on Auto-Scanning the Names People Choose For Their Wireless APs · · Score: 1

    A count of two for an SSID means that two mac addresses have the same SSID.