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User: danhaas

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  1. Re:More Trouble Than They Are Worth on White House Wants 1M Electric Cars By 2015 · · Score: 1
    You can tax any other thing that wears with use for road repair. Batteries themselves, for example.

    But the government might help pay this deficit because of the advantages eletric cars have: more efficient use of natural resources (burning coal or crude in a powerplant is more efficient than in your little car engine), and a lower dependence from oil, since you can use any other source of energy.

    If there is one asset that is certain to increase in value over time is oil. During the next decades, its price WILL go up until it matches the price of alternative energy sources. The real questions are which price that will be and when it will happen, not whether it will happen.

  2. Re:Sad... on Spam Text Prematurely Blows Up Suicide Bomber · · Score: 1
    According to the TFA:

    "The dead woman has not been identified, but her husband is apparently serving time in jail for being a member of a radical Islamist terror group."

    It seems she had some real motivation to do it, not only coercion. Even money may be involved, since islamic women rarely can handle being single moms. They may have used a remote detonation device because they feared she might give up.

    Why are terrorists targeting Russia? A: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechen_War

    It's a very sad situation for the woman, chechens overall and the terrorists throwing out their honor for a "Holy" War.

  3. Virtual Reality on How Gaming Can Save the World · · Score: 1
  4. This is not meant for civilian use. on Underwater Nuclear Power Plant Proposed In France · · Score: 1
    They are adapting mature nuclear submarine technology to power coastal lines temporarily, with a fast deployment and reliable operation, though likely at a price much higher than building it onshore.

    Cost is everything for power generation for civilian use, so this will be used only by the military or for catastrophe assesment (hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, etc, impact coastal areas more heavily).

  5. Mechanical engineers on Stuxnet Authors Made Key Errors · · Score: 1

    The last part of the development of Stuxnet was the live test on the centrifuge, probably coordinated by a mechanical engineer. And we, mechanical engineers, usually don't know jack about programming.

  6. Re:Remember Aerogel? on DoE Develops Flexible Glass Stronger Than Steel · · Score: 4, Informative
    I work in the oil industry, and I'm currently working with steam at that pressure level; miles of tubing and a dozen flow control bases. You gotta be very careful with anything that might leak, like valves and connections, don't try to mess with anything while it's pressured, etc

    Nothing has happened here yet, but from accident reports with that pressure level, I can say it is enough to bend steel tubes like a fireman's hose bends when no one is holding it (of course the tubes rip open more easily, but the mechanics is the same). And when the big pressure vessels explode, the radius of the debris is in the order of kilometers (think ballistic style) and the sound radius is in the order of dozens of kilometers.

  7. Re:they suck and you will get burned out on Are 10-11 Hour Programming Days Feasible? · · Score: 1
    It seems your boss is trying to fix a marketing problem by turning his employees into slaves.

    If your colleagues are competent, your boss should improve his market strategy or run more ads.

  8. Cruel but innefective on New Laser Makes Pirates Wish They Wore Eye-Patches · · Score: 1
    That weapon will be very likely "accidentally" disadjusted so it blind their targets. So we have a overly cruel weapon.

    As it was hastily noticed, protective glasses will soon be used. Just take some soldering glasses and shoot/navigate towards the reminiscent light.

    So this whole thing seems like a bad idea to me, either it is cruel or innefective. The microwave bean is a much better idea.

  9. Added value on Retailers Dread Phone-Wielding Shoppers · · Score: 1
    If the retailer isn't adding any benefit to the purchase, such as on site information, delivery time, ease of return, product adjustment for you needs, or just a cozy ambient, then he shouldn't get his cut. If the retailer is asking too high a price to add those benefits, then he will have to adjust.

    You can buy coffee through the internet, or in major supermarkets, much cheaper than in a coffee shop. But coffee shops will still be around because they provide a service and they add value to the product.

  10. Re:Make it static. on WikiLeaks Starts Mass Mirroring Effort · · Score: 1

    Erasing informants' names and other (truely) dangerous informations seems like a bit of work, and I doubt they have a large staff. Could anyone confirm if they are near their processing limit, thus releasing it piece meal?

  11. Re:Yay. Let's all bash America. on Graduate Students Being Warned Away From Leaked Cables · · Score: 1
    That is not dead which can eternal lie.

    And with strange aeons even death may die.

  12. Re:We have had... on US Army Unveils 'Revolutionary' $35,000 Rifle · · Score: 1

    If the Third Reich had developed nuclear weapons in 1943 or earlier, WWII would be completely different. Japan didn't have to be invaded because the US scared them shitless with Nagasaki and Hiroshima. And the Cold War would get much hotter if both nations didn't have nukes to obliterate each other. Just because nukes aren't used in every battle it doesn't mean they aren't miracle weapons that completely changed the face of warfare.

  13. Pressure, not force. on Skin-Tight Bodysuits Could Protect Astronauts From Bone Loss · · Score: 1

    If the force on their feet is greater than on their shoulders, the astronauts would accelerate "up". That's what happens on Earth, the ground is constantly accelerating us up because the space itself is being distorted by mass. But that's not the case with this suit. The author probably means that the pressure on their feet is higher than on their shoulders, ie., the "downward" force is applied over a bigger area.

  14. Not a problem on Obama Wants Allies To Go After WikiLeaks · · Score: 1

    Come to Brazil!

  15. Why go up... on Abandon Earth Or Die, Warns Hawking · · Score: 1

    ... when we can go down? Colonizing the deep ocean or digging tunnels seems easier than Mars, and would protect our species almost as well. But of course we need to figure out cold fusion before we consider leaving our cozy planetary surface. Or maybe instead of going anywhere, mankind may create virtual worlds so marvelous we won't bother much with everything else.

  16. Re:Tech is still Tech, yucko! on The 'Net Generation' Isn't · · Score: 1

    I didn't have to do type any command line to install Starcraft 2, but I did have to do a lot of fiddling for the torrent based patch system to work.

  17. New ways of bullying on Blizzard Backs Down On Real Names For Forums · · Score: 1

    Giving out the real name of players would open the door for more serious bullying. For a start, imagine some douche names his character BlackKiller and starts ganking in game only people who are black IRL.

  18. Re:price not efficiency on Quantum Dots Could Double Solar Energy Efficiency · · Score: 1

    One cool characteristic of eletric power is that you can send it through dozens of miles with a reasonable efficiency. So it's possible to generate power in rural areas and consume it in urban areas, *pretty much like we do with food*. That's where the name solar farm comes from. While a home grown garden is awesome, the bulk of the food you consume is generated or collected in extensive, mass-producing, corporate farms.

  19. Sorry on Toyota Robot Violinist Wows At Shanghai Expo · · Score: 1

    I'm just sorry for the guy inside that strange suit.

  20. Another 4d game on Gaming in the 4th Dimension · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you want to try another 4d game while Miegakure doesn't release, check http://harmen.vanderwal.eu/hypercube/ The objective of the game is to push the big ball towards the blue cross, then move the cursor to the square. You will then be outside the box and have to reach the green square again, while you avoid the small ball. Try it in 2d and 3d before going to 4d.

  21. Re:You likely don't want to move to Brasil on Lessig on the World Social Forum · · Score: 1

    we do gain over 13 times less money, but u have to consider that many things here are cheaper. Indeed electronics are more expensive, but food, land and employees (a maiden, working 40 hours a week, costs about 140 dollars/month, just as an example) are much cheaper. I would say we gain about 6 times less, if u consider the goods u're buying, not the money itself. That could be a lot more if we didnt pay so much taxes to sustain a corrupt and inefficient government