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User: Lazarian

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Comments · 142

  1. Re:Not the worst keyboard on Nostalgic For the ZX Spectrum? Soon You Can Play With a New One · · Score: 1

    I remember back in the day that at least a couple electronics hobby magazines had articles showing how to upgrade the ZX81 keyboard using surplus keyboards meant for a failed computer from Texas Instruments called the TI99-2. They were pretty decent, well made units that were easy to rewire and sold for ten bucks. I don't think I got around to hooking it up though. Memories...

  2. Northern Gateway on Environmental Report Raises Pressure On Obama To Approve Keystone Pipeline · · Score: 2

    "Note that if Canada really wanted to export their oil overseas, they would have just built a pipeline to one of the Canadian ports." The Northern Gateway pipeline would enable us to do that, but it is under immense opposition as well by native and environmental groups as well. It would take oil from Alberta to the port terminal in Kitimat, BC. Funny thing is that oil is already being shipped overseas from Kitimat from oil being supplied by rail or other pipelines. These groups only pay lip service to environmental concerns: it's all about money. They could care less if another Lac Megantic disaster happens (unless it happened on a native reserve), they will have us ship oil by rail and oppose any pipeline until they get paid off in perpetuity. These groups are literally trying to keep Alberta's oil industry hostage. The Keystone XL crosses into the states, hence you guys tend to hear more about it in the news.

  3. Re:just a thousand exit nodes on Scientists Detect Two Dozen Computers Trying To Sabotage Tor Privacy Network · · Score: 1

    Sorry, botched the link... http://arstechnica.com/tech-po...

  4. Re:just a thousand exit nodes on Scientists Detect Two Dozen Computers Trying To Sabotage Tor Privacy Network · · Score: 1

    There seems to be less incentive to run an exit node when shit like thiscan happen to you...

  5. CFL Recycling? on US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month · · Score: 1

    One of the biggest problems regarding CFLs is their mercury content (Actually almost all fluorescent lights use mercury, not just CFLs). Seeing how most of all these fluorescent bulbs end up in landfills, I would have thought there would be more initiatives for people to recycle these bulbs. Maybe something like a refundable recycling fee, similar to beverage containers. That and making outlets selling them have a drop-off for dead ones where the mercury is recovered.

    Many times I've seen building renovations where some idiot fires the old tubes into a dumpster to hear them go pop. Maybe if there was a dollar a piece recycling fee, it would reduce how much of that stuff ends up in my tuna sandwiches.

  6. Re:Siberia on The Quietest Place On Earth Will Cause You To Hallucinate In 45 Minutes · · Score: 1

    I remember reading something about a phenomenon referred to as the Ganzfeld effect, which may be what you might have experienced. I think it referred to a group of people who were travelling in winter through a featureless snowscape, and in some way because they had a limited visual input, they described having some sort of heightened state of awareness, even going so far as suggesting a sort of empathic connection with their fellow travellers. It was a fascinating read if I could find it again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganzfeld_effect

  7. Re:Evidently not that vulnerable on Fukushima Nuclear Worker Accidentally Toggles Off Cooling Pumps · · Score: 1

    What is Bill Murray doing in that control room?

  8. Re:Still not at self sustaining, but getting there on Fusion Reactor Breaks Even · · Score: 1

    Oh yes he does. All those Mountain Dews and Hot Pockets end up somewheres.

  9. Re:"Domestic"? on Ask Slashdot: Time To Regulate Domestic Drones? · · Score: 2

    By labelling a remote control airplane a "drone", you can scare the public into thinking that there's roving bands of high school kids dropping Preadator UAVs on top of their babies playing in the backyard. In reality they can justify banning the decades old hobby of flying RC aircraft, and companies like pork processing plants won't have to worry about being caught dumping pig blood into public waterways via some guy with an RC plane with a camera.

  10. Re:Pathetic on Homeless, Unemployed, and Surviving On Bitcoins · · Score: 1

    I don't think peanut butter would be a complete protein source, but it does keep well. There's also canned fish for high quality protein, but I've heard that eating a lot of it would end up giving a person trouble with mercury. Better than starving, though...

  11. Re:My eyes must be going on Sci-Fi Author Timothy Zahn Is Creating a Video Game · · Score: 1

    Jesus, i guess it really does make you go blind...

  12. Easier route to escalation on India To Develop Military Robots For Warfare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've always thought that a lot of people don't realize that having lives in harms way on -either- side of a is a deterrent in itself to using weapons that would be horribly beyond all conscience (that in itself, well, depends on who's pushing the buttons). India and Pakistan say, have nuclear weapons. If Pakistan had a few infantry and tank divisions, along with a couple border villages wiped out by robotic troops, I'd think that the bar would be lowered as to them responding with a tactical nuclear strike to eliminate the robot threat. Then things would snowball from there. The situation wouldn't go from escalating from conventional to chemical in between at all. War is about killing people. When one side has troops that are machines, the other side does not have to restrain themselves to the moral restraints that have kept whatever tenuous leash on us throughout our history. Just a thought.

  13. Re:i could save many more lives on In UK, Search Engines Urged To Block More Online Porn Sites · · Score: 1

    "by putting speed limiters in cars, and banning what are effectivly 'race' cars/bikes from the road. there is no legitimate reason to have a vehical that will do 0-60 in under 12 seconds. you want to piss about in a one 1.5 death machine? take it to a track. over 2000 people a year die on the roads here in the uk." Absolute, utter nonsense. I drove a lot for a living, and I couldn't begin to count how many times that having decent acceleration has been able to keep me and my co-workers alive. What hurts and kills people on the road are simply bad, unskilled drivers. Period. If you've ever looked in your rear view mirror and seen a speeding fifth-wheel flying up your ass, you're going to wish that you had some power under the hood.

  14. Re:More Cloud Crap on WeVideo Helps You Edit Your Videos Online (Video) · · Score: 1

    Heh, cool. Now if there was only something that would replace "cyber" with something more deserving... I propose "penis".

  15. More Cloud Crap on WeVideo Helps You Edit Your Videos Online (Video) · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Beside this being a blatant ad, this whole "cloud" thing is really getting retarded. All "cloud" is really is getting applications and your data off your own computer and on to some company's systems where you have to pay to use "premium" services. WeVideo watermarks the output of the free version of their service? Other than them having some pre-made templates, I don't see anything that this can do than the dozen other free options I can think of: OpenShot, Cinelerra, even Windows Movie Maker, and you don't get watermark bullshit.

  16. Car Parts on Of 1000 Americans Polled, Most Would Ban Home Printing of Guns · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know the gun thing is the big boogieman now in regards to 3-D printers, but I can't help but think there's more mundane things that a 3-D printer can do that the powers-that-be are afraid of. It sure would be nice to print out a new head light bezel for my truck for ten bucks instead of paying over $200 from the dealership.

  17. Re:Supply & demand on Earth-buzzing Asteroid Would Be Worth $195B If We Could Catch It · · Score: 1

    If it were looked at as "how much would it cost to launch by rocket that amount of metals and raw materials where it could be utilized in orbit?", then that statement would be put into perspective. The asteroid is about half the size of a football field. On Earth, the amount of metal ore in that wouldn't be worth a fraction as much. But taking into consideration how much energy and resources would be required to put that much material into orbit if we had to take it off the planet, it would be that expensive. I suppose the article neglects to explain that clearly.

  18. Re:Supply & demand on Earth-buzzing Asteroid Would Be Worth $195B If We Could Catch It · · Score: 1

    I think the 195 billion number is an estimate based on the value of a quantity of metal that has been launched into earth orbit. I'm not sure what the price per pound of iron is to launch it on a rocket to LEO, but up there it's worth a lot more than sitting down here.

  19. Nonsense. on Fundamentalist Schools Using "Nessie" To Disprove Evolution · · Score: 1

    These people are about as credible as a scientist trying to prove evolution by searching for the Sasquatch.

    Hey fundies, in BC there's supposed to be a sea monster in Okanagan Lake called Ogopogo. Double your chances to prove yourself right, and spend some tourism dollars. The wineries are great.

  20. Re:Copyright ends when revenue drops on Proposed Chinese Copyright Changes Would Encourage Re-Use · · Score: 2

    As I generally understand, only large media distributors are able to distribute and generate revenue in a timeframe as short as that. Small independent artists and creative groups would probably be unable to generate any meaningful return in three months. Sure, they can get exposure in three months, but by the time that happens, they already lose copyright.

    Add to that the fact the only way say, a band, could keep a copyright going is to come out with an album every three months. Impossible to make anything worthwhile, and the independent scene would drown in a glut of crap.

    A copyright law like this would only be workable to big media groups that can do a broad release and generate revenue quickly, and if you are unable to release on that scale, you'd get slaughtered. I'd be fuming if some MP tried to introduce something like this in Canada. I might be missing some points in regards to this, but it seems that copyright like this would be a death sentence to small artists.

  21. Re:BP doesn't give a crap on 'Frothy Gunk' From Deepwater Horizon Spill Harming Coral · · Score: 1

    I have a friend who used to live in Cape Breton, Newfoundland, and he told me stories of how fishing boats would rather dump their whole catch in the harbour if they weren't offered the price they wanted for their fish. It was pretty sickening to listen to, and he really didn't want to be associated with that mindset. When it wasn't fishing season, many fisherman just sat on unemployment insurance for the rest of the year. When most of the cod stocks collapsed from overfishing*, they lobbied for government subsidies since their livelihood was dwindling.

    Then there's the seal hunters that use the excuse that since seals eat lots of fish, they have to cull the seals to try and preserve the dwindling fish stocks. Another feedback loop of stupidity magnifying the other. Those guys work doing that since there's no work in the fisheries. Go figure.

    * To be fair, the collapse of the fisheries on the Atlantic coast (Grand Banks Disaster) was a result of massive exploitation from foreign fishing ships, and not just Canadian. A real shame.

  22. Re:Small Claims DDOS on YouTube Identifies Birdsong As Copyrighted Music · · Score: 2

    6. Become target of class action suit from Sparrow and Bluejay Association for unauthorised use of copyrighted birdsong.

    7. Lose Profit

  23. Re:You can't eliminate them on Obama Pushes For Cheaper Pennies · · Score: 1

    Sorry, it wasn't my intention to be snarky. Perhaps I should have worded it a little better though. All I meant was that a few pennies in the change box at the grocery line does contribute toward whatever charities that may be, and it does make a difference in the long run.

  24. Re:You can't eliminate them on Obama Pushes For Cheaper Pennies · · Score: 1

    Couldn't you be bothered to throw that offensive penny into a jar for the sake of giving it to an animal shelter or something? A handful of pennies might be totally insignificant to you, but to others it would make a significant difference.

  25. Since when does the SEC decide whether or not to relegate decisions regarding net neutrality to anyone? That should fall under the domain of the FCC, not a bunch of dipshit shareholders who's only interest is the next quarter return. Fuck them.