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User: RichMan

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  1. Re:In other words... on Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans As Antarctic Ice Melts · · Score: 4, Informative

    Thats 10ft due to the west antarctic ice sheet. There is a lot more ice out there.
    10m =~ 30ft
    ----
    The last time the planet was steadily 2 degrees C warmer than pre-industrial times, some 120,000 years ago, sea levels were 5 to 10 meters higher than today. It’s likely we’ll hit 2 degrees C of warming by 2100, unless we take extreme measures to mitigate emissions.
    ----
    And there are factors other than ice melt.
    ---
    In China, the Yellow River delta is currently sinking so fast that local sea levels are rising by up to 25 centimeters per year, nearly 100 times the global average. Places that were once covered by kilometers of ice, like northern Canada, are now rebounding upwards — which means local sea levels are actually falling in some parts of Alaska. But that upward-moving land is hinging nearby areas, like the U.S. East Coast, downward by millimeters per year — adding millimeters per year to the local sea level rise there. The U.S. East Coast has another problem too: Climate change is weakening the Gulf Stream current, and that is allowing water to slop back towards shore. Overall, the U.S. East Coast is seeing rates of sea level rise that are 3 to 4 times the global average. The tropics, meanwhile, are seeing extra sea level rise thanks to a strange gravitational effect. As high-latitude ice melts, there is less mass at the poles to pull ocean water towards them; instead, the water slopes more towards the equator.

  2. Re:In other words... on Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans As Antarctic Ice Melts · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nobody should build anything along the coast. At least any coast that is not at least 100m above sea level.

    Push the button for the interactive map -
    http://ngm.nationalgeographic....

  3. Re:Coder Boycott on Court: Oracle Entitled To Copyright Protection Over Some Parts of Java · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The ruling means that any library in any language can be shut down. It means that public interface declarations can be copyright. It means it could be impossible for anyone to reproduce a public interface.

    AkA it makes all public interfaces private. It is not just a Java specific ruling, it has implications across all coding environments.

  4. Coder Boycott on Court: Oracle Entitled To Copyright Protection Over Some Parts of Java · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ok this ruling would seem to invalidate any ability to reproduce any interface.

    This needs a coder boycott of anything Oracle until Oracle stands up and pubclically disavows this ruling and claims the court was wrong.

  5. Energy in Train load: 11 Tanker Cars = 1 nucBomb on Feds Issue Emergency Order On Crude Oil Trains · · Score: 2

    So how much energy is there in a train load of Cude Oil?

    Energy denisty of crude oil ~46MJ/Kg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density)
    DOT-111 tanker car of Lac Magantic fire is 131,000 L (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT-111_tank_car)
    Assuming 1L/1Kg - some of these oils float some of the really thick stuff sinks.

    Per Tanker car 6.026x10^12 J/ Tank Car.
    Little Boy explosion was equivalent to 16,000 tons of TNT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy)
    16000 tons of TNT is 66944000 MJ of energy (http://www.kylesconverter.com/energy,-work,-and-heat/megajoules-to-tons-of-tnt).
    Or 1 Litte Boy = 66.944x10^12 J
    or 1 Little Boy = 11.11 Tanker Cars of Crude Oil

  6. internal detection on Astrophysicists Build Realistic Virtual Universe · · Score: 4, Funny

    the big question is are entities in the simulation able to detect it is a simulation.

  7. Information on Open Source Program To Give Voters More Active Role In Government · · Score: 1

    The first requirement for a better democracy is
    not more votes on issues
    not more debates
    it is more infomation.

    What is needed is puiblic access to all the background information -

    Who initiated the bill?
    What is the problem it addresses?
    How does it address the problem?
    What are the side affects/other problems that get created or are not covered?
    What are the costs?
    Who bears the costs?
    How will the costs be paid?
    Who benefits?
    Who loses?
    What other problems are there in the area?
    Does this impact any other laws or rights?

    All that should be presented as full background information on every line item in all bills.
    Without that information the representatives should say "not enough information to vote".
    So we as people should demand all that information be made public on every line item.

  8. Put up a Deposit on Skepticism Grows Over Claims That MH370 Lies In the Bay of Bengal · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If the company is so sure they can put up a refundable deposit on the cost of exploring their location. If they are right then they get the deposit back. If they are not right no deposit refund.

    The deposit should cover the cost of putting one unmanned vehicle down on that location.

    Would any of the governments be willing to back that compromise?

  9. Rule #1 Lawyers Win on How 'Fast Lanes' Will Change the Internet · · Score: 2

    Whatever happens it will be constructed so that lawyers get their danegeld. And a non-trivial amount.

    Every carriage agreement will require verifiable traffic levels and performance all of this will have to have minutly agreed upon measurement processes.

    The whole notion is very B-Ark worthy. And will result in a lot of work for the providers.

  10. Re:There goes my subscription on Netflix Pondering Peer-to-Peer Technology For Streaming Video · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is why the stupid caps are stupid. Peering like this would actually offload the data throttling points and be very good at helping your supplier balanace the load. But because of the billing strategy the supplier is actually discouraging things that help them.
    *sigh*

  11. Re:sync data between data centers? on Netflix Pondering Peer-to-Peer Technology For Streaming Video · · Score: 1

    Now that netflix has exclusive shows that release an episode a week (and the whole seasona t once) there is going to be burst traffic on specific shows. It is going to really help top level bandwidth if they can offload the most popular content.

    Having low level peering on popular content is good for the network as whole.

  12. HBO GO needs this for GoT on Netflix Pondering Peer-to-Peer Technology For Streaming Video · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At least on new GoT nights this would really help.

  13. Liability, Funding, Responsibilities on Skilled Manual Labor Critical To US STEM Dominance · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Until the dangers of sitting at a desk get raised up a few more levels the spectre of injuries in shop class has pretty much banished the once wonderful hands on practical skills from the ciriculum.

    The lessons of the table saw and possibility of losing fingers or getting a 2x4 in the gut were taught to me in grade 8. I can't imagine the number of permission slips needed to allow such adventures in our modern school system. Also given the lack of funding currently in our systems the need for shop equipment, supplies, trained teachers and insurance is a financial burden I can't see the system taking on.

    Certainly there are pockets were it could but done but but it would take several revolutions in funding, responsibilty and trust before it could be implemented on a wide scale.

  14. Re:But is it a class M planet? on Kepler-186f: Most 'Earth-Like' Alien World Discovered · · Score: 2

    No report of a Macdonalds franchise yet.

  15. Script Kiddy on RCMP Arrest Canadian Teen For Heartbleed Exploit · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ah the brilliance of youth -
    "I have a script for an exploit"
    "I can try it against the tax man"
    "I won't get caught"
    "I'm not going to use the results so no-bad"

    "Hey what's with the cuffs!"

  16. Honest? on Canada Halts Online Tax Returns In Wake of Heartbleed · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is this the most honest response? The Canadian banks as a group say "our procedures mean we were never at risk".
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
    Who do you trust more to be truthfull?

    Is there any incentive for the banks to be honest about this?

  17. bin trades and add randomness on Australia May 'Pause' Trades To Tackle High-Frequency Trading · · Score: 1

    a) resolution in 5 second trade blocks
                - don't resolve trades with bid/ask when they arrive. Accumulate 5 seconds of incoming bid/ask then resolve. Pass the remaining unresolved to the next interval.
    b) Arrival time +10 to 20 seconds random interval -> fuzzy bin boundaries and fixed "lag". Not guaranteed to get simultaneous orders into the same trade bin. Keeps trading honest and less able to be gamed.
    c) fixed lag and binning means no insta-cancelling orders.
    d) no cancelling once posted into the (b) queue. Yes you trade in the lag. So does everyone else. The traders can factor that into their margins and strategies.

  18. Inter generational transfer on How Many People Does It Take To Colonize Another Star System? · · Score: 1

    What about intergenerational genetic transfers? No persons genetic info should ever be lost in such a scenario.
    Even now we can freeze sperm and ovum.

    Also we would not need to send 40,000 people. Just that many genetic samples.

  19. Another Cloud Dispersal on Canonical Shutting Down Ubuntu One File Services · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The non-permanence of cloud services like storage and sharing is going to be hard to solve. Sure some will last. But some will not. How do you choose the ones the will?

    How will the industry handle the increasing number of people that have suffered "cloud failure". These people are going to be reluctant to use future services.

  20. mass in motion on Prototype Volvo Flywheel Tech Uses Car's Wasted Brake Energy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The big factor is mass. To store energy you need to spin up and down the mass. However to drive in general you want to carry less mass on the vehicle.

    Factor #1: A more massive flywheel can store more energy at slower spin rates.
    Factor #2: A more massive flywheel is going to be more of a load in general driving.

    The optimium point of flywheel mass is going to depend on driving conditions. Really you should have at least 2 interchangeable fly wheels that you physically replace in the vehicle. One flywheel for city driving one for highway driving.

    Factor #3: A spinning flywheel is one hell of an energy store. Having a stopped vehichle with a fully spun up flywheel hit could release the spinning flywheel to the detriment of pedestrians in the neighborhood.
    Factor #4: Starting from a stop and attempting to corner, left or right, having a spinning flywheel is going to do gyroscopic things to the vehicle.

    There are all sorts of tradeoffs and safety considerations here.

  21. Tap Water on Homeopathic Remedies Recalled For Containing Real Medicine · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I believe "contains actual medicine" could be said of tap water.

    http://www.rsc.org/chemistrywo...

  22. Re:History Lesson:German occupation of Czechoslova on Russians Take Ukraine's Last Land Base In Crimea · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Unfortunately we are in the very dangerous point of really needing lots of people to die to stop Putin. I am sure he knows this and knows that until he encounters a country
    a) willing to commit to the loss of lives
    and
    b) expecting to be able to "win" should a) occur
    Putin is going to be able to do whatever he wants.

    After the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistian it is clear that the west is highly resistant to (a) and is uncertain if (b) is even possible. With those massive levels of innertia Putin is going to be able to march all over the Ukraine and likely several other "Soviet" regions as well.

  23. History Lesson:German occupation of Czechoslovakia on Russians Take Ukraine's Last Land Base In Crimea · · Score: 5, Insightful

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G...
    At the time Germay was "reoccupying land dominated by Germans". The League of Nations stood by and actually there were negotiated terms, the Munich Accord which spelled out what would happen.

    However, Germany was emboldened by the success of expansion. And the occupation was far from the end of the aggression.

  24. Uhhmm,, replace the case. Destroy bad cases. on $30K Worth of Multimeters Must Be Destroyed Because They're Yellow · · Score: 1

    Why not create 2,000 new blue and green cases? Ship those cases in and then simply replace the cases on all the units rather than destroying them.

  25. even angrier on New Facial Recognition Software May Detect Looming Road Rage · · Score: 2

    So someone gets cut off. They get mad. Then the system auto-controlls or shuts the car down.
    Then the person gets even madder.
    And as they cannot even chase the original cause will then just open up on the traffic flow in general.

    I don't see this fixing anything unless it autoinjects some nice drugs.