Slashdot Mirror


User: pryoplasm

pryoplasm's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
102
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 102

  1. Re:Stealth on Japan Plans To Build Unmanned Fighter Jets (reuters.com) · · Score: 1

    You mean like the QF-16? Or the QF-4?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    fighters have been converted to drones in the past, and continue to be good for targets/testing.

    use in combat might be different.

  2. New and interesting technology on Mobile Sharing: "Bezos Beep" Vs. Smartphone Bump · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doesn't sound like a software based dialup modem at all...

  3. Re:B-2 Spirit unit price - $3b? Said who? on Sixty Years On, B-52s Are Still Going Strong · · Score: 1

    There was also the B-2 that crashed in Guam. That resplit the R&D costs from a little over $2B to the nearly $3B we know of now.

  4. Re:But... its fiber?!? on Google Fiber Work Hung Up In Kansas City · · Score: 4, Informative

    Somtimes fiber optic cables have a metallic sheath around them, not so much for protection but more to make it easier to detect. If you are doing a site survey, your conductive cables will come up, and you can mark them accordingly. If you have a fiber cable without that jacket, then you run the risk of not knowing where it goes, then snapping through the fiber, and spending some fun time either in a hole or a tent with a fusion splicer.

    Accidentally digging up fiber isn't fun...

  5. Interference is probable, but on purpose? on Russian Official Implies Foul Play In Mars Probe Failure · · Score: 1

    Interference among the RF spectrum occurs all the time. I don't doubt that something some country or another has done could interfere with it. Now whether it was the US, China, or some other organization, it still might be accidental.

  6. Complicated Subject on Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Way To Deal With Roving TSA Teams? · · Score: 1

    The simple response is two questions.

    Am I being detained?

    Am I free to go?

    A more correct response will require some study case law, current events and the laws that are recently passed. Be respectful without being walked all over.

  7. Justifying a need or a want? on Justifications For Creating an IT Department? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If it seems like the engineers of the station can handle it, what exactly are you looking to get out of a standalone IT department? They can be useful if the engineers are overworked, but really you should not try to shoehorn an IT department if it isn't needed.

    Do you use Avid or another computer based editor there? Perhaps what the engineers are doing for their role along with IT isn't too much of a burden, or might be a way to clear their mind and work on something simpler.

    My first reccomendation would be to check in with the engineers you want to "help". Second would be to check with whoever does budgets or accounting to see if there is any room for it...

  8. Re:next we'll hear that Dell is in trouble... on Dell Ditches Netbooks · · Score: 2

    There is already a market that does exactly that, and it is called a cell phone....

  9. Shelterbox is a decent one... on Ask Slashdot: Most Efficient, Worthwhile Charity? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    http://www.shelterboxusa.org/

    Basically, after any kind of disaster, natural or otherwise, they deploy a team out with plastic tubs filled with just about anything a family would need to start getting back on their feet like a tent, some basic food and water purification type things, along with some tools to improve what they have available. They are also constantly tweaking the box as better items become available, or in some instances they tailor the contents to where the boxes are being sent.

    Decent charity that I found out from a friend. I've started to donate to them yearly now, along with some other charities for more personal reasons.

  10. Re:As I said before... on San Francisco Team Wins DARPA's De-Shredding Contest · · Score: 1

    It seems to me that a large amount of people commenting in this have not tried to burn a large amount of paper, something easily 20-30 reams worth of documents worth....

    From personal experience, burning is an option, but as my oh so wise leadership mentioned during the burning " It would burn quicker if you shredded it first...."

  11. Frequency Hopping on FCC OKs On-Body Medical Networks · · Score: 1

    But for the medical devices, could a circuit with fast enough frequency hopping be resistant to being jammed by your repeater.

    So they might accept interference for some fraction of a second then hop onto the next frequency on the table. If a patient is having issues with interference from devices, they should be able change the table of frequencies it gets chosen from.

    Wiki link for those interested in more about frequency hopping http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency-hopping_spread_spectrum

  12. Cool, but effective? on UK University Creates First Inkjet-Printed Graphene Circuit · · Score: 2

    I like the idea of a transparent circuit, however when it comes to troubleshooting it or trying to find a break in it, transparent might not be the best thing...

    still, interesting. I am wondering if they can add something to the graphene to make it more visible without taking away some of graphenes properties...

  13. Re:Security? on Inside Newegg's East Coast Distribution Center · · Score: 1

    Thats a horrible sterotype, and one that can cause you to overlook things. Smart people can steal things as well, it takes all walks of life. And by thinking someone is too smart to steal, you automatically rule them out when they might be the one behind it in the first place.

    This isn't Scooby Doo, the creepy old guy trying to make a land grab or shut down a factory isn't always the criminal you are looking for....

  14. Accident waiting to happen... on Scientists Develop Super-Slippery Material · · Score: 1

    "It also repels ice and so is not prone to icing up, which would be ideal on aircraft wings..."

    Seems like a bad idea if anyone has to walk on the wings for maintenance.

  15. Re:How about for paramedics? on Device Detects Drug Use Via Fingerprints · · Score: 2

    Why go to jail when you can get your newborn baby taken away? for the same bagel....

    http://www.wkbn.com/mostpopular/story/Baby-Taken-After-Mom-Eats-Bagel/OhvLyWdMv0ytIACx7vGE1w.cspx

  16. Re:And yet.... on Bell Labs Builds Cheap Telepresence 'Robots' · · Score: 1

    obligitory xkcd strip

    http://xkcd.com/927/

  17. Re:What the hell is wrong with this country? on Weaponizable Police UAV Now Operational In Texas · · Score: 1

    The grenade launcher can be used for nonlethal grenades as well, such as smoke, tear gas, or what not.

    40mm is a standard military grenade size, and civillians (with many restrictions depending on where you are) can use 37mm "flare guns" that are damned close to a 40mm grenade launcher.....

    Personally, I'm a little concened of invasion of privacy, unlawful search and seisure myself....

    IANAL, but I do wonder if owning property entitles me to a certain limit of airspace over my land....just thinking

  18. Re:Profit on Ask Slashdot: Trustworthy Proxy Services? · · Score: 1

    there is an inverter in the circuit that isn't on the diagram...

  19. Re:I would be very concerned on Electronics In Flight — Danger Or Distraction? · · Score: 1

    Maybe one or two wouldn't pose such a problem, but with say a hundred trying to connect to a single channel on a cell towr, harmonics might come into play and do something.

    I still think it's BS, but just saying...

  20. Re:no computers under the desk then? on Using LED Ceiling Lights For Digital Communication · · Score: 1

    You are also susceptible to what I would like to call "flashlight in the middle"

    any chance of someone being able to purposely disrupt it?

  21. Re:Does it Jam in Hot Dusty Conditions? on US Army Unveils 'Revolutionary' $35,000 Rifle · · Score: 1

    Between the upper and lower reciever wouldn't be a bad idea. As far as the charging handle and the dust cover, RTV over it would be impractical. Both are used for clearing a weapon(safety, magazine, chamber, safety) which is supposed to be done before loading and unloading, as well as entering some buildings such as the command post. Also, on the M16/M4 whenever you fire a round and the weapon cycles, the dust cover is opened up, which is where the round is ejected from.

    Now perhaps something to make the dust cover better might be an idea worth looking into, RTV might not be the right fix for everything here. You also have to be concerned with how much dirt might make its way up through the magazine holder. Weapons are usually not stored with magazines, and they get banged around/dirty at the best of times. Thats a much bigger gap than the charging handle or dust cover.

  22. Calibration? on Viacom To Sell Rock Band Creator Harmonix · · Score: 2, Informative

    Did the parent try calibrating the system? There is a known problem of lag varying from setup to setup, as all tv's, sound systems, and cables are not the same....

    It helps a lot, really

  23. Re:Nuclear Power! on US Military Orders Less Dependence On Fossil Fuel · · Score: 1

    And you do know that with small villages, even something the size of a small FOB, the locals are going to know you are there, if they didn't know you were on your way already....

  24. Re:Crazy idea.. nuclear? on US Military Orders Less Dependence On Fossil Fuel · · Score: 1

    Just thinking, but a microwave grid might be bad for storage of munitions, or possibly setting off unexploded ordinance from attacks. Think of a mortar that hits the base and ends up luckily enough being a dud, being set off by the power grid without the nice whistling warning...

    Also, part of the cost of the fuel is just getting it there, some of these options for biofuels and whatnot might be more expensive/hazardous/harder to ship down range.

  25. Re:The iPad is not that bad on iPad Owners Are 'Selfish Elites' · · Score: 1

    There are also many safety things required in vehicles in the US that Europe does not. Retrofitting cars that are euro spec'd to work legally over in the US is usally prohibitively high, running $2000-$4000 depending on model and what it needs done...