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User: Bananatree3

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  1. Rugged Android smartphones on New Android App Encourages Users To Throw Device As High As Possible · · Score: 1

    Casio Commando owners finally have a way to measure their machoness.

  2. that works usually to get stuff out of effect

  3. Perfect? on Ask Slashdot: Video Streaming For the Elderly? · · Score: 1

    No more fighting over the remote, no complex wiring. No remote at all even - they can just touch the movies they want and it plays.

    That is, if they don't mind holding their screen. If they really really want to use their large-screen TV an iPad may not be the best option, or maybe there's some iPad + Apple TV setup for Netflix?

  4. Re:But why? on NSA WhistleBlower Outs Himself · · Score: 1

    He's in the public eye now. If he suddenly disappears, it just makes his case that much more credible. He's just made himself martyr material. If he dies, it makes his cause that much more valid.

  5. Re:Hello and goodbye on NSA WhistleBlower Outs Himself · · Score: 1

    The end of the article mentions he wants to seek asylum in Iceland. Why he didn't go there first makes no sense. Hong Kong isn't exactly next door.

  6. Pulling an Assange? on NSA WhistleBlower Outs Himself · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sooner or later, the NSA would have found this guy. I wonder if outing himself first gives him "media immunity." It's harder to take someone out quietly, if they're in the limelight.

  7. The machine exists on Dissecting RSA's 'Watering Hole' Traffic Snippet · · Score: 2

    I posit that the machine exists. Beat that!

  8. NOT NEW - NWA: Fuck Da Police on "Terrorist" Lyrics Land High Schooler In Jail · · Score: 2

    NWA sang about actively murdering police, and it's legit. This is NOT new, it's not even newsworthy... until this stupid shit becomes fodder for arrests. It's stupid shit, yes but is it really worth arresting on "communicating terrorist threats"? Hell no - that's one damn slippery slope.

  9. "Communicating Terrorist Threats" on "Terrorist" Lyrics Land High Schooler In Jail · · Score: 1
  10. HIPAA? on Obama Administration Threatens CISPA Veto, EFF Urges Action · · Score: 1

    This is a serious question, I don't know the answer. Does HIPAA protect pharmaceutical purchases? If you buy Viagra from (insert international online pharmacy here), that might be a little different. But for a legit online/in-person pharmacy this seems protected info, and there's enough old ladies/gents out there who'd go apeshit on their legislators if their pill-buying habits were being bought/sold like Facebook likes...

  11. "so this may very well rear its head again" on Obama Administration Threatens CISPA Veto, EFF Urges Action · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can count on this issue never going away. For all the corporately-fueled K St. lobbiests lurking in Congress, private citizens have *VERY* few friends. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is one of them, the American Civil Liberties Union is another. Donations to these two organizations, and others like them are the only way to ensure these watchdog organizations stick around. Without watchdog organizations pouring over every amendment and potential bill we are FUBAR'd. Who else will be watching the watchers?

  12. Moore's Law? on Is Bitcoin Mining a Real-World Environmental Problem? · · Score: 2

    Digital mining has one massive advantage over real-world mining - Moore's Law. In 5 years when FPGAs and GPUs are churning out 2-3x the current bitcoin rate at far less power requirements per bitcoin less power will be required to do the same work.

  13. TWEENS!! on New Facebook-Branded Android Coming? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seriously though, any young teen who's already Facebook obsessed probably wouldn't think twice....not like some graybeard's privacy concerns matter (until they're that age, sigh..)

  14. Give'm Hell!! on Copyright Trolls Order Wordpress To Disclose Critics' IP Addresses · · Score: 4, Informative

    Enjoy some afternoon reading, and piss in Prenda's sought-after goods:

    FightCopyrightTrolls.com

    Dietrolldie.com

  15. uncheck some boxes on PunkSPIDER Project Puts Vulnerabilities On (Searchable) Display · · Score: 1

    try "The" or "and" or other basic title searches - and also uncheck some of the vulnerability boxes, and you'll see examples.

  16. MOD PARENT UP on White House Tells Agencies To Increase Access to Fed-Funded Research · · Score: 1

    National Security =/ Paywall. More dumb loopholes.

  17. Re:Kill Corn Subsidies! on Corn Shortage Hampers US Ethanol Production · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Corn subsidies don't promote really food security, they prop up a food additive industry, fuel industry and the ranching industry. If subsidies were targeted at *only* corn that was meant for direct human consumption (not animal feed, HFCS, etc)....then maybe it might be possible to label it as a "food security" program. But when the majority of corn acreage is dedicated for animal feed or HFCS, or ethanol production, its much more than just a simple "food security" program...

  18. Re:Kill Corn Subsidies! on Corn Shortage Hampers US Ethanol Production · · Score: 5, Insightful

    reduced to using real sugar

    My point exactly. Make the industry stand on its own two legs goddammit. The US Government has enough money leaks already. Sure HFCS prices will rise without subsidies, but that's capitalism for you. Once industries are faced with the *real* price of corn, sugar and ethanol alternatives will be sought out and maximized. A cheap or cheaper alternative will be found, that's innovation.

    Corn subsidies breed stagnation, not innovation.

  19. Kill Corn Subsidies! on Corn Shortage Hampers US Ethanol Production · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Kill the corn subsidies, period. They prop up the house of cards that hold the corth ethanol and HFCS industries that would otherwise not exist because they can't survive in a real capital market.

    The sooner these tax-payer-subsidized industries get the rug pulled from under them, the sooner things like cellulosic ethanol and other *real* technological innovations can come to fruition.

  20. Re:Placebo Effect-iveness of faith healing on Interviews: Ask James Randi About Investigating the Truth · · Score: 1

    Having fleeting dreams of real, future events or being able to partially read people's minds could be evidence of insight. This seems the most probable explanation. I've personally experienced fleeting dreams of detailed future events that turned out to be true, but at the time I just brushed off the dreams as just dreams. Some mixture of intuition, imagination and chance played into these dreams being true - for all the ones that *did* come true, there were countless many others that didn't materialize. Add up enough failed ones and you will eventually find one that does come true.

  21. Typos on Interviews: Ask James Randi About Investigating the Truth · · Score: 1

    yeah, it's riddled with 'em, sorry. No coffee means one=on, placebo=Placebo and so forth.

  22. Re:Placebo Effect-iveness of faith healing on Interviews: Ask James Randi About Investigating the Truth · · Score: 1
    Thanks for the clarification, I meant "a" Placebo effect. There are different kinds of effects that come from placebos, depending on a person's response. To quote your third link:

    " people believe these phenomena are real but they are only fooling themselves. The placebo effect is not an effect, but only a change in perception."

    I politely disagree. That change in perception *is* an effect, even though it is highly subjective. An awesome song can affect someone who likes it, and produce a good feeling "effect". Same thing goes one here.

    The change in perception is the key here. Placebos are absolutely ineffective medically - I could snack on Placebo pills all day and not have much effect, if I didn't believe in their "power". Scam artists capitalize on this perception-changing affect unfortunately, but there is still a benefit to this perception changing if used to help the patient and the patient isn't being charged for it.

  23. Re:Placebo Effect-iveness of faith healing on Interviews: Ask James Randi About Investigating the Truth · · Score: 1

    You're absolutely correct. The National Institute of Health has studies that show the Placebo effect can actually be effective treatment for certain diseases in certain cases, such as certain forms of mild depression (in the head). There's a real fine line between what the brain can control and real, physical or biological issues that can't be controlled by the brain. Placebos are quite cheap compared to actual medicine,depending on what one considers a valid Placebo.

    The laying of a Priest's hands is financially cheap, and might be just enough to help someone if they believe enough in the action to activate the Placebo Effect.

  24. Placebo Effect-iveness of faith healing on Interviews: Ask James Randi About Investigating the Truth · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Through your years of research on faith healing, homeopathy and other "magical" cures...have you found some of them more "effective" than others due to the Placebo Effect? Many people have superstitions, charms and other things they personally believe bring them good luck...and I wonder how much of this magical healing and luck bringing is real due to the Placebo Effect. Of course it is not "magic", but the power of a Placebo is still statistically valid in certain cases it seems.

  25. Can society handle them? (html enabled) on Scientist Seeks 'Adventurous Human Woman' For Neanderthal Baby · · Score: 1

    > But a neanderthal is not a human (not as we know it). Most consider it to be a different species.

    Could any (non-human) primate today fit in with our society as a citizen? Not likely. Neanderthals on the other hand were *culturally similar* to humans. They had musical instruments and had similar cultural habits. If one were born today, giving them full citizen rights would seem to be the most logical thing to do. They could probably learn basic human language at *least*, and probably lead a somewhat normal life in a human world.

    My question is are *we* culturally mature enough to handle them. It was just 40 years ago African American humans in America had to reassert their rights.... and even having a black president stirs some folks' pots. Can we handle Neanderthals with respect, or would we treat them like Bigfoot?