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User: smooth+wombat

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  1. Re:Let me be the first to say... on Hospital Resorts To Cameras To Ensure Employees Wash Hands · · Score: 1

    Your story is exactly why I tell people the reason I never get sick is because I pick my nose BEFORE I shake someone's hand.

  2. Re:Why Do People Still Take Nude Photos on Phones? on Canadian Man Pleads Guilty In Celebrity Hacking and Harrassment Case · · Score: 2

    Or maybe people could show a bit of class and not have nude pictures lying around where anyone could find them.

    If the only way for you to make a name for yourself is to show your nude body, you might want to reconsider your employment choices.*

    * Some Playboy and Penthouse folks have degrees and use them. They're not being nude just to make money.

  3. Their country, their rules on First Video Broadcast From Mt. Everest Peak Outrages Tourist Ministry of Nepal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While it might seem odd that one can't use their phone to hold a press conference from the top of the world, Nepal is the country which sets the rules.

    Don't like the rules, don't go to the country.

    It's like in Singapore where if you spit on the sidewalk, you will most likely get a ticket. You can't complain that you do it in your country so why can't you do it there.

    Their country, their rules.

  4. Re:Maybe it was too annoying for LEO? on Possible Collision Between Cube-satellite and Old Space Junk · · Score: 1

    Think of it like Sputnik. It beams the anthem over and over to anyone who knows what frequency to listen on.

  5. Re:That's fine on Cockroaches Evolving To Avoid Roach Motels · · Score: 1

    I saw that movie when I was a kid as well. My dad took me (obviously) and I always remember those roaches. I wasn't scared of them, I thought they were cool.

    Now of course I know they were Madagascar Hissing cockroaches.

  6. Re:That's fine on Cockroaches Evolving To Avoid Roach Motels · · Score: 2

    you better have a shoe ready and be putting some arm behind your swing, TOUGH bastards.

    So like the ones in Damnation Alley

  7. Satellite must not have been working for some time on Main US Weather Satellite Fails As Hurricane Season Looms · · Score: 2

    Based on how poor the weather reports along the East Coast have been for the last few months, the satellite must have gone down much earlier.

    Case in point, the weather for New York on 5/20, after looking at several different sources the day before, all said the same thing: low 70s with partly cloudy skies. The result: cloud blocked skies and light rain.

    If you can't get the report right 12 hours before something happens, why should we listen to you for something a few days down the road?

  8. Re:It's about time! on Tesla Motors Repays $465M Government Loan 9 Years Early · · Score: 2

    I don't want the U.S. to invest in loan guarantees for fly by night operations that have absolutely no chance of success.

    So like Goldman Sachs, AIG, Wells Fargo, Bank of America et al?

  9. Might be a good thing on German IT Firm Seeks Autistic Workers · · Score: 1

    I have been saying for a long time if these are our "best and brightest" can we give our worst and dullest a chance to see if things get any better?

    Considering how poor SAP software is, this might produce a better product in the long run.

  10. Re:Cross country? on Transporting a 15-Meter-Wide, 600-Ton Magnet Cross Country · · Score: 1

    Are you stupid? The person gave a perfectly reasonable explanation to why they are doing this by barge than by land.

    You just have to realize the person answering is an engineer.

  11. Re:I'd rather have a 10x faster connection. on Google Chrome 27 Is Out: 5% Faster Page Loads · · Score: 1

    Is that like "Clinton Derangement Syndrome" because I know and have read of many people who still rant about how horrible that guy was despite having a growing economy, almost bringing some modicum of peace to the Palestinian/Israeli issue, being able form and enunciate coherent sentences and aside from getting a blowjob by a near heifer, didn't invade other countries just for the lulz.

  12. Re:Thoughts on Vampire rules? on Ask Neil Gaiman and Amber Benson About Their Kickstarter Vampire Movie · · Score: 1

    The original vampires in Anne Rice's books, the ones who created all other vampires, had alabaster skin but were more like marble statues. They were a king and queen who were possessed by a demon. Akasha later killed her husband and got the full power.

    When Lestat found her and drank her blood, he gained some of the power. That is why when he tried to kill himself by lying naked in the Gobi Desert, waiting for the sun to rise, he didn't die. All he got was a tan.

    Yeah, I read the books back in the day. Despite her flip-flopping back and forth on the religion bandwagon, her portrayal of vampires and how they came to be was/is interesting.

  13. Not just in the U.S. on Uptick In Whooping Cough Linked To Subpar Vaccines · · Score: 2

    This article talks about how in England there has been a huge increase in the number of measles cases since Wakefield published his claptrap about vaccines causing autism and other nonsense.

    For those not bothering to read the article, this is part which you need to know:

    This year, the U.K. has had more than 1,200 cases of measles, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases last year. The country once recorded only several dozen cases every year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania.

  14. Re:Yeah... on 97% of Climate Science Papers Agree Global Warming Is Man-made · · Score: 4, Interesting

    it would be foolish to say that human activity has no consequence, though what matters is how much.

    That has always been my opinion as well. We know the destructive capabilities we have on the environment (Love Canal, Bhopal, Agent Orange) as well as the general effects we have (heat islands around cities, depletion of water aquifers, increased desertification due to forest removal, etc), the question is, how much of what we do is causing the effects we see now? Is everything our fault, is this part of a natural cycle, or some combination thereof?

    What's funny is we routinely see news articles where farmers are talked to and almost without exception they all say climate change is real and if you don't believe it, ask a farmer. Considering the conservative nature of most farmers, one would highly doubt they would be saying such things if they didn't believe it.

  15. Re:Well, he's not afraid his company might fire hi on Larry Page: You Worry Too Much About Medical Privacy · · Score: 0, Troll

    So do the decent thing America and get a socialized healthcare system

    Fuck that. I shouldn't have to pay the medical expenses for smokers, alcoholics or drug users.

    You want to ruin your body, do it on your own dime. I shouldn't be penalized for your actions.

  16. Re:so much for... on Equipment Failure May Cut Kepler Mission Short · · Score: 2

    When America can afford to look to the stars, they should. Until then, they are wasting their time (and precious taxpayer money).

    If that isn't the finest example of short-sighted thinking, I don't know what is. What you're suggesting is we wait until the last possible second to explore what might be out there just because NASA's budget represents a fraction of a percent of the overall national budget.

    If you're that concerned about Federal spending, we can cut the military by 50%, stop all subsidies to business (sugar productoin, ethanol production, farm subsidies in general, scientific advances, production incentives, etc), not to mention all the entitlements people complain someone else is receiving but not the ones they're receiving.

    If you want to go that way, I'll back you, but you can't then complain when things fall apart because the private sector has come to rely on government largess.

  17. Re:No. .Just No. on Firefox 21 Arrives · · Score: 2

    Why should one have to disable these things? Why are they not turned off by default? Isn't that the mantra of the FOSS community, "Let me decide!"?

    Or are we giving the Mozilla group a pass despite their continuing plunge into bloat and unnecessary cruft because they're Mozilla?

  18. Re:GM tried that on N. Carolina May Ban Tesla Sales To Prevent "Unfair Competition" · · Score: 1

    Saturn failed for many reasons, but having a single price wasn't one of them. The brand became so successful that it was taking customers away from Pontiac and Chevrolet which, similar to this article, griped dealers trying to sell those cars.

    Then there was the fact that they lost money on every car sold and when they ran ads during the Super Bowl, didn't have cars available for people to look at after they saw the ad.

    Here are three articles which give a bit more depth to what I just said:

    Businessweek

    Christian Science Monitor

    autoblog

  19. Minor observations on World Press Photo Winner Accused of Photoshopping · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am not agreeing with or denying what Hacker Factor is saying, but I would like to point out some minor issues with the analysis.

    First, as to the lighting of the faces being brighter than in other pictures taken during the same procession, it is entirely possible there was a reflective surface to the crowd's right (picture left) which is making the faces appear brighter than one would think they should be in the alley way. Think of the reflective nature of the moon's surface which conspiracy theorists always ignore when talking about how bright things are in shadows. While the Photoshop effect could be the issue, note the wall to their right (picture left) which does have a reflective surface.

    Note also the man on the far left, next to the wall. Note how there is sun shining on the white cloth directly below his face. As everyone knows, a white surface reflects large portions of light falling on it which would also produce the lighting effect seen on the man's face.

    Second, as to the dirt on the girls face appearing differently in the photos, note the different angles of her head. In the winning photo the forehead is almost at a right angle to the picture taker whereas in the second photo it is pointing almost directly at the camera. The lighting in the second photo is much more diffuse than the first which could explain the difference.

    Also note that in the winning photo, the crowd is in a part of the alley which has exposure to much more sunlight than in the second photo.

    Again, I'm not saying the person didn't do what has been accused, I'm only pointing out possibilities to explain what is being shown.

  20. Re:so... on Biometric Database Plans Hidden In Immigration Bill · · Score: 1

    I guess my sarcasm was too subtle for the brilliant minds on here.

  21. Re:so... on Biometric Database Plans Hidden In Immigration Bill · · Score: 2, Informative

    You have to register before you can vote but since each state has their voting registration laws, it varies. In some states you can register and vote on the same day, others you have to register a month or two in advance.

    As to the photo ID issue, the claim that one needs to show ID to vote comes from the vast amount of voter fraud that occurs in this country. For example, in my state of PA, we had four cases over the last decade of voter fraud. Granted, none of these cases involved anyone actually voting for someone else, but the rampant amount of voter fraud has caused the Republican party, the party of smaller government, to force everyone to prove who they are before they can vote. If you don't have an ID, and there are many who don't for various reasons, the taxpayers get to foot the bill to get you one.

  22. Re:Who wants a driverless tesla roadster? on Tesla's Elon Musk Talks With Google About Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 1

    I drive to and from work every day. While not the most exciting, having to dodge the large amount of idiots on the road keeps the ride from being boring.

    Then there are the weekends and the few (remaining) curvy roads I can have some fun on while going to where I want.

    So yes, I have to drive and for the most part, I do enjoy it. Now if everyone else would stop driving, it would be even more fun.

  23. Re:Who wants a driverless tesla roadster? on Tesla's Elon Musk Talks With Google About Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 1

    Spoken like a true programmer. Why make something elegant and fun when it can just work?

    Driving is supposed to be fun. The sound of the engine, the shifting of gears, the lateral forces as you take a curve, all make driving enjoyable.

    If you consider driving boring and tedious, I'm presuming you're one of those who thinks eating is equally boring and tedious and looks forward to the day when we can just inject nutrient rich sludge directly into our stomachs.

  24. Re:Easy to dodge? on US Senate Passes Internet Tax Bill 69 To 27 · · Score: 1

    How hard would be for those large companies to just offshore the sales to avoid paying this tax?

    This is not about a company paying a tax, this is about companies collecting the taxes for the states, just as a brick and mortar store does now.

  25. Re:My Product on Oculus Rift Guillotine Simulation · · Score: 1

    So what you're thinking of is a Suicide Booth ala Futurama?