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User: Spinalcold

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Comments · 155

  1. Re:A simple solution on Discovery Increases Odds of Life On Europa · · Score: 2

    that or Spock and Kirk will come back in time to save them.

  2. So many problems for so many people. on Has 3D Film-Making Had Its Day? · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I know they target the normal vision for these movies, but the fact is that a huge amount of people don't have normal vision and can't watch these 3d movies well. I have astigmatism, and most others I have talked to with a string astigmatism have a hard time with these movies. Personally, my eyes can't focus well, but I know others that get dizzy or headaches. It isn't main steam because they ignored a huge population base!

  3. Re:Interesting on Mini-Tornadoes For Generating Electricity · · Score: 1

    This proposal utilizes entropy, like any energy source, not heat. Sure, if it provides a clean energy source, that will help global warming. I listened to an interview on the radio and what they want to do is use the waste heat from fossil fuel plants to produce these high entropy states, and thus tornadoes. It's a great idea, but in the larger context will it increase our reliance on fossil fuels? Or it can be used on nuclear plants to increase their efficiency. I don't know which way it could go.

  4. Re:Wait until you read on Boring Conference Still Vows: We Will Not Rock You · · Score: 1

    Or you can read Leviticus

  5. Bill Nye said on Climate Contrarians Seek Leadership of House Science Committee · · Score: 2

    "The science of age of the Earth is the basis of nuclear medicine & power. Should our leaders understand it?" Maybe not understand it mathematically, but I think everyone should understand what 'radiation' and 'nuclear' are. There are so many misconceptions that some people fear everything other don't fear anything. People don't understand just how many discoveries and applications nuclear physics and nuclear medicine has brought. Bill Nye is being polite, since I'm online, I won't. If he wants to deny the age of the earth, then deny him X-ray's, most cancer treatment, MRI's and so many other or our medical treatments. (I'm exaggerating of course, I'm from Saskatchewan where the first medical treatment of cancer using radioactive material was invented and performed, and as a physicist in training, I'm damn proud of that.)

  6. Complete hogwash (pun intended) on Global Bacon Shortage 'Unavoidable' · · Score: 1

    Right now hog farmers are filing for bankruptcy by the droves. Pork prices are extremely low and the high feed prices mean that farmers are losing money on every pig they raise. The worst that will happen is that bacon becomes more expensive.

  7. Re:It's a scam on Art School's Expensive Art History Textbook Contains No Actual Art · · Score: 1

    which is why I'm starting to love my university (university of Saskatchewan, top end physics and comp sci), my computer science department spent a couple years investigating the most successful teaching programs in the field. They wrote their own textbook but just did it in pdfs for us to either print or download or just read online. They told us to return our textbooks (required on the main website to put a textbook). Also my linear algebra prof said any textbook will do, she hates the one the department uses anyway. Tons of books in the library so I just use that. Last, my classics prof said we can use open domain translations as long as we cite the material.

    I saved a ton on textbooks this year, only needed one physics book.

  8. Re:physics question on Has a Biochem Undergrad Solved a Cosmic Radiation Mystery? · · Score: 1

    Cosmic Rays are high energy particles (mostly protons) that hit our atmosphere. They hit with so much kinetic energy that about 1 MILLION neutrons are created by each particle. Since our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen you get the reaction of neutron + Nitrogen 14 = Carbon 14 + proton. This then forms CO2 that is absorbed by plants (and up the food chain). I'm taking this straight out of one my physics textbooks, I found it pretty fascinating so knew exactly where to find it :-)

  9. TED talk, How Algorithms Shape our World. on High-Frequency Traders Are the Ultimate Hackers, Says Mark Cuban · · Score: 1

    I recommend everyone watch this TED talk about how the current stock market works. People don't even know what's going on in the market anymore, it's a completely uncontrolled environment.

  10. Re:Flying Spaghetti Monster? on Fundamentalist Schools Using "Nessie" To Disprove Evolution · · Score: 1

    "That's impossible, trolls aren't real."

    "Then how do you explain all the dead unicorns." Metalocalypse referance.

  11. Re:impossible idea. on Researcher: Interdependencies Could Lead To Cloud 'Meltdowns' · · Score: 1

    But that's the point, it's layers of redundancy. You'd have to have failures across not just one center but ALL centers simultaneously. The chance you get of that is the chance of each one going down multiplied together (.1*.1*.1*n).

  12. Re:impossible idea. on Researcher: Interdependencies Could Lead To Cloud 'Meltdowns' · · Score: 1

    ok, I agree, it can happen, but the chance is on a logarithmic scale. So, a huge failure is unlikely but it would be...well huge. Data loss is inevitable, why not put things in many area's at once? The 'earthquakes' are easier to deal with for the 'country' but for the individual, they should invest in long term 'earthquake control'. That's probably a HORRIBLE analogy, but it's all I could come up with.

  13. impossible idea. on Researcher: Interdependencies Could Lead To Cloud 'Meltdowns' · · Score: 2

    we live in an age where information is distributed, even if statistical. (hell I made a fake Facebook account and somehow they found my mom, and she is no where close to me) a meltdown of information can't happen unless there is a world wide melt down of power. we have backups, but also ways of statistically restoring those backups.

  14. The Quantum Diaries on How the Moon Affects LHC Operations · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Quantum Diaries is one of my favorite blogs, it's updated by particle, nuclear and plasma scientists all over the world. They have a great range of topics too, not just about the data coming out of the LHC and the range of theories, but also the life of a scientists, how papers are published, covering conferences, heck even on the day in the life of cleaning a detector. It's a field I'm working to get into, so it's especially of interest to me but I recommend it to anyone interested in the world of high energy physics.

    On a side note, there's a write up of what was talked about the the Neutrino Conference that happened last week. Even aside from faster than light travel, they are finding some very weird things

  15. Oversexed industry on A Day In the Life of a "Booth Babe" · · Score: 2

    The whole gaming market has this all over it. Not just booth babes but in the games (comic book industry is worse). It's not just the women that are oversexed but them men too, look at all the shirtless brawny action hero's in games. Just wanting to point out booth babes aren't the only sexualized content of the gaming industry.

  16. Re:Chaos Theory on World's Subways Share Common Mathematical Structure · · Score: 1

    Intent is the important aspect here. If the person had no intent to plan by a set of rules is he part of the system, if he was using a set of rules to make the plans then he is a control mechanism.

  17. Chaos Theory on World's Subways Share Common Mathematical Structure · · Score: 1

    Self organization of complex systems is one of the major idea's of Chaos Theory. Nothing really new here except they're showing that yet one more system displays this tendency. So "dominant, universal mechanisms'" is just the author trying FAR to hard to avoid using the term Chaos Theory and make Jeff Goldbloom suddenly appear in everyone's head saying "Life uh, uh, uh finds a way."

  18. Re:just another reason to hate jesus freaks on Archaeologists Find Oldest Known Mayan Calendar · · Score: 1

    Thanks for the wiki, I never heard about that. Most history ignores India and North China but I find it fascinating. However my point is that not all the cultures were extremists, in fact, most were not, at a time. Hell, look at the different Christianity times and factions, a wide range of social norms have existed. So when I say Muslims weren't all extremists, I mean that, not ALL extremists. So that extreme view can infect a population that is downtrodden on, right? Whatever you're arguments are, you can't disregard the fact that Muslims preserved most of the greek and roman texts that we have available today, they held on to knowledge when Europe destroyed itself.

  19. Re:just another reason to hate jesus freaks on Archaeologists Find Oldest Known Mayan Calendar · · Score: 1

    ok, maybe I phrased my point wrong. But the christians also did that same thing not that long ago, just by justifying the women as witches. What is wrong with me is that I'm taking other prespetives, maybe not all are applicable but they are VALID in consideration.

  20. Re:just another reason to hate jesus freaks on Archaeologists Find Oldest Known Mayan Calendar · · Score: 2

    We owe a large percentage of our current knowledge to the muslims. Back in the medival period they were the only ones in europe who cared about knowledge and math. Spain and Timbuktu where centers of knowledge. Muslims weren't always extremists, that happened after Brittian, France and US decided to chop up the Ottoman empire "so it didn't pose a threat". That backfired didn't it?

  21. Re:Reality versus Obeservation on Quantum Experiment Shows Effect Before Cause · · Score: 1

    Anton Zeilinger is probably the worlds most foremost expert on Quantum Entanglement and he says in many of his books and interviews that he doesn't understand what's happening. The thing is, it happens and it follows very specific math that came from Einstein's attempt to proof Quantum Mechanics incomplete. Sure maybe a little misleading in the write up and I'd love to hear it straight from his mouth, but I'm sure he understand what's going on a lot better than anyone on Slashdot. He's is very careful with his results, repeating each experiment countless times, so when he's willing to make a claim, don't discount it.

  22. Re:A bad idea that "sounds good". on Billionaires and Polymaths Expected To Unveil a Plan To Mine Asteroids · · Score: 1

    There is a huge difference between an astroid hitting earth with a high velocity as it orbits the sun and one that would be orbiting earth. a small mass astroid orbiting earth would do a lot less damage. also, the ability to predict trajectorys is amazing in space, I'm sure it would he trivial to put something into a stable orbit. attach a couple small rockets and you have complete control.

  23. Re:No MOND ? on Survey Finds No Hint of Dark Matter Near Solar System · · Score: 1

    both those theories still need to be consistent with the bullet cluster

  24. Opinion Question on Engines on Voyager and the Coming Great Hiatus In Deep Space · · Score: 1

    Most people here want a follow up probe, but this took 40 years to reach there. The initial goal was the outer planets, this was an afterthought. We need to reach the heliosphere earlier. What engine do you think would be the best? Personally the VASMIR engine seems best to me but there are many other options.

  25. Flight of Dragons quote on Magical Thinking Is Good For You · · Score: 1

    if man is to surmount the insurmountable, there must always be magic to inspire him the world needs magic, magic cannot die. in another point the same wizard says "Imagination is the most potent of all magics." My favorite movie.