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User: nanamin

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  1. Re:Not safe on California To License Self-Driving Cars · · Score: 1

    That depends. In Nevada a driver is required to be behind the wheel at all times. The same is expected in California. While it would be nice if self-driving cars allowed disabled people (such as myself) to drive, it seems more likely that--at least for a long time--a licensed and non-disabled driver will be required just in case an override is needed.

  2. Re:Is ignorance bliss? on Beware the Nocebo Effect · · Score: 1

    You're correct--they have to report any side effect patients experience, even if the effect isn't truly a side effect. For instance, if someone happens to develop schizophrenia and experiences a first psychotic episode while testing a new allergy pill, hallucinations/paranoia have to be reported, even if those effects are unrelated to the drug. I hear that the guideline in the medical community is to compare the % of side effects with the active pill to the % of side effects reported with the placebo. If a side effect occurs twice as often with the active pill vs the placebo, then it is statistically significant. That said, statistics are very easy to misunderstand and misinterpret. Even if a pill can cause some nasty side effect like diabetes when taken over the course of, say, 20 years... if it only happens to one out of every 10,000 patients and you're being treated for psychosis or unprovoked tonic-clonic seizures, it's probably worth the (almost non-existent) risk.

    You also have to understand the severity and what a report actually means. For example, migraine and seizure sufferers sometimes experience an "aura" before a migraine or seizure. This can include "hallucinations," such as the taste of metal or alcohol in your mouth. The word "hallucinations" sounds like a terrifying side effect to have, but most likely it's not like you're going on a full on vision trip and interacting with dead family members--it might just mean you smell rose petals or chocolate for an hour after the pill kicks in.

  3. here's what I find even more interesting. on Beware the Nocebo Effect · · Score: 2

    Even more interesting (to me) is the fact that placebos tend to work even if the patient is aware that they have ingested a placebo. The placebo effect and activities of mirror neurons are still very poorly understood. I think a lot of the comments here suggesting that "the increasing effectiveness of placebo suggests that our culture is becoming more gullible/suggestible" are premature and show the bias of the people making those comments. Whether or not their conclusions are accurate, correlation does not equal causation and it could simply be that humans are developing more mirror neurons (or whatever else), giving us more--and not less--control over the power our minds have over our lives.

  4. Re:Problem here is "racism" on Journalist Arrested By Interpol For Tweet · · Score: 1

    I'd be shocked, huh? Let's look at what some Muslims are saying on Twitter. Ones from the Middle East, even: fifarahman from Bandar Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur "So sad that #Malaysia has deported #HamzaKashgari.I cant imagine standing there sending some1 away to sure death. It's against human nature." Hala_Aldosari This is a sad world, we haven't moved far from the Middle ages #HamzaKashgari asteris Asteris Masouras What'd it take for your people to call for your murder & your country to order your arrest for tweeting? For #HamzaKashgari, 3 poetic tweets Hmm, so it looks like plenty of Muslims *over there* don't even support this. My best friend and also a coworker of mine, both Muslims, are also completely opposed to this. Religion isn't some inherently evil thing. You need to look at which parts are cultural and separate those out.

  5. Re:Ugh on Rackspace: SOPA "Is a Deeply Flawed Piece of Legislation" · · Score: 1

    I'd mod you up if I had mod points right now. I'm a Thelemite, which is a religion that doesn't require belief in a god or the supernatural, and many of us are atheists. As it stands, I can't go anywhere without some Dawkins or Hitchens type atheist telling me that I'm "delusional" for being religious. Every time a news article mentions religion, a bunch of atheists have to chime in about how destructive "religion" is. At this point, at least where I'm standing, it's worse than Christians who try to force their views on people. Honestly, if it weren't for religion, any philosophy or political ideology (even democracy, capitalism, etc) would be used to justify the same fucked up things that a tiny minority of people use religion to justify.

  6. Re:so uh why they'd support it? on Go Daddy Loses Over 21,000 Domains In One Day · · Score: 1

    There's a reason Upton Sinclair wrote "The Jungle" and a reason we have regulation in the first place. Unregulated business turns into corporate tyranny. Competition would disappear overnight through monopolistic hoarding of resources, price fixing, and other forms of collusion and founding a company to compete and change the industry would go right out the window with it.

  7. Re:don't get confused on Theater Professor's Firefly Poster Declared Threatening · · Score: 1

    It's not legal, actually. It's illegal under the name "parading without a permit."

  8. Re:Good on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 2

    The place my neurologist sent me for testing only tested with fluorescents, but it did show up on the EEG. Psychogenic seizures don't show up. Also, I've had seizures when friends accidentally forgot to screw in incandescent lights instead of their normal CFLs when I came to visit. I didn't have any prior knowledge that they were using CFLs and we only discovered it *after* I reacted to them. It's hard enough to get an appointment for testing (let alone getting to the appointment; my girlfriend is the only way I can get there since I can't drive and need to best escorted in with a blindfold), let alone asking them to set up something specific with multiple lamps, different types of lights, lampshades, etc, which may not be all that accurate anyway because the people slamming me on /. would just claim it wasn't truly blind because maybe I could distinguish between the bulbs based on the colour of the light. I don't get why people are attacking me on here. I have a serious health problem and I'm not asking for a ban on CFLs or a change in anyone's lifestyle... I do however want people to be aware of what I'm going through.

    As far as the people who say everyone would know about this if I truly had this problem, it's simply not true. The media had no interest in picking this up, I wrote to all of the politicians in my state (California) and only got generic template responses, I tell everyone I meet, but the information just doesn't spread. I'm not looking for handouts, to push some agenda, or anything. I just want to be able to see in my house after dark.

  9. Re:Good on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 1

    Mine is one of the many that uses LED backlights. CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent) is on the way out.

  10. Re:Good on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 1

    I can't enter buildings. I work from home and have to go blindfolded when I see a doctor or dentist. My girlfriend has to lead me into buildings and people constantly stare and ask rude questions. My LCD monitor with a DC-powered LED backlight is just fine.

  11. Re:Good on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 1

    I never said anything about banning CFLs, I said I should be able to use incandescent lights. The kind of seizure you describe is called a grand mal seizure. There are other kinds of seizures that are also pretty horrible. I do in fact lose consciousness and fall to the ground under these lights. Don't think I've bitten my tongue, but I've hit my head pretty hard. I think my neurologist knows a lot more about this than you do.

  12. Re:crazy on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 1

    You are just about the rudest person I've ever met. Guess what? I can't drive a car, go into office buildings, etc. I wear a blindfold to the dentist and can't go bowling or to the movies with my friends. I can't look at old "box" style TVs either. It's pretty awful and people like you don't help. Computers are fine because my LED-lit flatscreen monitor runs on DC power and doesn't flicker.

  13. Re:Where are these bulbs? on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 1

    Mod this guy up. That's exactly it. Stating that they are "technically" not banned doesn't change the reality of the situation. Also, whoever modded me as a troll, I'm not trolling. I have serious adverse health effects from CFLs.

  14. Re:Good on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 0

    Modern LED "replacement bulbs" are directional and too dim. They still have a long way to go. Also, if hooked up to alternating current or put on a dimmer, they most certainly do strobe. As for CFLs not strobing... everyone says that they flicker at 22 kHz or something ridiculous, but they give me instant seizures anyway, so I'm not quite convinced. I'm sorry, but it's not the government's business to be telling people what kind of lighting they can use in their own homes, *especially* before there is a *real* alternative. Even if they made an exception for people with health problems, it'll still be next to impossible for me to get these lights as there won't be much financial motivation for companies to continue producing them.

  15. Good on Power Demand From US Homes Expected To Fall For a Decade · · Score: 0

    Now maybe they can reverse that ridiculous incandescent light ban. CFL bulbs give me seizures and I have no viable alternative to incandescents. I'd rather not live in the dark.

  16. Re:uh on Bitcoin Price Crashes · · Score: 1

    This is a different situation. Trades involving moving Bitcoins from one person's wallet file to another's can not be reversed. That's what happened in the case of the dude who lost the 500,000 BTC. In this case, Mt. Gox stores all of the Bitcoins in their wallet file. Bitcoins can be bought and sold on the Mt. Gox exchange, but they aren't actually moved anywhere until a user requests a withdrawal to his or her wallet. The rollback proposed by Mt. Gox would just revert ownership of dollars and Bitcoins to their original accounts just prior to the hack. Any coins withdrawn from Mt. Gox to users' private wallets can't be rolled back, however. In this case, Mt. Gox will have to eat those costs.

  17. Re:Aspirations on Ask Amir Taaki About Bitcoin · · Score: 1

    A lot of people seem to hope for it to become a PayPal replacement, at least for now.

  18. Re:Terminology on Ask Amir Taaki About Bitcoin · · Score: 1

    Same thing we do when data measured in bytes gets very large (kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, etc), but the other way: uBTC (microbitoin), pico bitcoin, or whatever else.

  19. This could literally save my life on Activists Seek Repeal of Ban On Incandescent Bulbs · · Score: 1

    This is the most exciting news story I've read in a long time. Why?

    I have a medical condition where I have seizures under fluorescent lights, including CFLs. I also live in the state of California. With the laws banning certain wattages of incandescent lights here (eventually leading to their ban), that's very bad news for me. I've written to just about every politician, called, emailed... nobody cares! The seizures I have under CFLs are so bad that I can't work, do my own shopping, etc. No, dark sun glasses do NOT help (everyone suggests it). Sometimes I can't even go outside because a lot of outdoor lights are now fluorescent and people leave them on during the day!

    A ban on incandescent bulbs would prevent me from living in my own home since they're the only lights I can use. LEDs are directional and not bright enough, halogens can also cause the kind of flicker that disables me, etc.

    Nor am I the only person with this health problem. After talking to hundreds of Democrats, the general argument I've been hearing is "Your health problem only affects about 1% of the population. The ban is good for 99% of us, so you have to understand." No, I do not have to understand. This ban effectively constitutes tyranny of the majority. There are other ways to cut back on energy consumption. The lights in your house make up a relatively small percentage of usage. Worst case, why not impose a tax on energy usage if a certain level is exceeded? People could stay below the level by switching to CFLs if they choose. As for myself, I don't use air conditioning or televisions, so I should be able to keep my incandescents.

  20. he'll only become a martyr on Wikileaks Founder Arrested In London · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Fortunately, this will only lend more power to Assange's cause. Polls show that 70% of Americans approve of the leaks, and he is very widely considered to be a hero by many people. Imagine what would happen if that insurance file of his happens to be huge news, like evidence of 9/11 being an inside job or something. Just sayin'.

  21. seems to be getting more common on Man Served Restraining Order Via Facebook · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I was arrested 3 years ago because my roommate had drugs in the dorm room. Three years after being found not guilty, the police contacted me via Facebook to inform me that they wanted to return the evidence they seized from me, including nearly $500 in cash. After calling the officer who contacted me, I was mailed a check for the amount. Pretty interesting stuff, although if someone had made a fake Facebook profile under my name, they might be the one with the money...

  22. Re:flicker-free? on Electrowetting Promises Power-Sipping, Daylight Readable Color Displays · · Score: 1

    It is rather frustrating. I can't be under any sort of fluorecent lighting either, even the compact fluorescent bulbs which supposedly flicker too fast to cause any problems. This basically keeps me from going out most places.

    Neurologist is unsure at the moment, but his initial guesses, based on symptoms, are photosensitive temporal lobe epilepsy or basilar type migraine. MRI and EEG both showed nothing, but that's true for a relatively large percentage of people who have problems. Neurology has come a long way, but still has a long way to go.

  23. flicker-free? on Electrowetting Promises Power-Sipping, Daylight Readable Color Displays · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Would this be flicker-free? The article talks about refresh rates, but I'm not quite sure what this means in this context.

    I have neurological problems and will lose consciousness if I look at any sort of flickering display, including CRTs. For some reason, plasma screen TVs also affect me (despite not "flickering" per se), and currently the only type of display I seem to be able to safely look at are regular LCD TVs/flatscreen monitors, with LED-lit screens giving me the least amount of trouble.

    Even for people without serious, disabling problems like mine, displays that have (even imperceptible amounts of) flickering can cause various headaches, eyestrain, etc during prolong use.

    My job involves web development and I'm a bit worried that some day the only display technologies available will be ones I can't safely look at.

  24. fad on Android 2.0 — Competition Against the iPhone and the Rest · · Score: 1

    > But what will it really take to beat or match the iPhone

    An apple logo. seriously, that's it.

    Being an iPhone owner myself, I must admit -- it's a pretty great device. . .if you jailbreak it. Unfortunately, however, most people who own the iPhone don't really use it as much more than a status symbol. Sure they'll put a few apps on there, but they're not using it for much beyond what most of the other smartphones could do.

    As soon as I gained employment at my current job (which is a design job), I fit right in instantly because I had an iPhone and so did everyone else at work. Things went amiss quickly however, as the new Macbook Pro came out and everyone that had an iPhone got one of those. . .except for me. I chose a Lenovo Thinkpad because personally I'm not a huge fan of Apple Inc. and the Thinkpad I customized was more powerful for a better price. Soon people at work began to snicker, and I was in the out group again.

    Yes, the iPhone is nice, but even if something nicer comes out. . .there's a very large number of people who won't buy it because it's not made by Apple. Possibly enough to prevent anything from "killing" the iPhone.

  25. Re:Ummm... on Virginia Health Database Held For Ransom · · Score: 1

    1) Drive down to house with unsecured wifi, somewhere away from where you live
    2) Spoof mac address
    3) Use tor
    4) DBAN hard drives
    And see my previous comment for how identity thieves online can and do transfer that amount of money around. A quick google search will pull up all kinds of information on this kind of activity. If there were no way for it to securely be done, it wouldn't be happening every day.