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User: NeilTheStupidHead

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Comments · 309

  1. Re:Call a tow truck on Spirit Stuck In Soft Soil On Mars · · Score: 1

    No, the glass is simply twice of large as it needs to be.

  2. Re:One Resource on Classic Books of Science? · · Score: 1

    The "slight bulges" (your #4) fails for a similar reason - ships have to climb UP a bulge, which takes energy, so either they're going from higher to lower when they start (so no need for wind or rowers) or they're going from lower to higher (so the return doesn't need wind or rowers), so it fails based on simple obsedrvation - you aren't going "downhill" in either direction.

    Actually the ocean does 'bulge' in certain places. From what I recall from oceanography, differences in the height of the ocean (WRT some fixed, imaginary reference) were once among the plausible theories of what drove the ocean currents. Measurements indicated that the difference across the Atlantic ocean was only about three meters, which was proven to be insufficient over such a distance to drive the currents.

  3. Re:Expected on Woman Claims Ubuntu Kept Her From Online Classes · · Score: 3, Informative

    At the tech school I recently graduated from, a course on writing reports had a graded "Microsoft Office requirements" component on every piece of written work, and required electronic submission so the instructor could verify that the desired formatting was being done properly instead of just being fudged.

    I did every report and presentation in OpenOffice and saved MS Word and Power Point compatible versions of my files when it came time to submit my work. The instructors never knew the difference and I got the highest mark in the class.

    Personally, I've been trying out various Linux distros for the past 10 years. I never really found any to be a suitable replacement for Windows on any of my computers until I got my hands on Hardy. My first Hardy install onto a Windows pre-loaded Dell laptop went as smoothly and as quickly as I've ever had an OS install (excepting maybe MSDOS but that hardly counts). The only hardware that didn't work immediately after the install was the wireless card, but ndiswrapper and Wifi-radar quickly solved that.

  4. Re:Expected on Woman Claims Ubuntu Kept Her From Online Classes · · Score: 1

    she sees it as this obtuse, obnoxious affront to the status quo

    So how did Apple increase its market share so much?

  5. Re:Really, timothy? on New Google Favicon Deja Vu All Over Again? · · Score: 1

    Actually, my two middle names are Obsessive Compulsive.

  6. The MS Office Habit on Companies Using MS Word "Out of Habit," Says Forrester · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think that if anything will break users from their MS Office habits, the ribbon UI will. I found it very non-intuitive for a long time (10+ years) Office user. Frustrated with trying to get a hnadle on the UI, I finally switched over to OpenOffice and while it's *not quite* as feature rich as my old pre-ribbon MS Office, it's got a sufficiently similar UI that adapting took virtually no time at all.

  7. Re:so what? on Storm Worm Botnet "Cracked Wide Open" · · Score: 1

    However it seems in practice the elimination process would fall foul of the law.

    1. Open source the solution, claim 'for academic purposes only'.
    2. Let someone else solve the problem for you.
    3. ????
    4. No profit, but you made the world a better place.

  8. Re:SUVs on Can the Auto Industry Retool Itself To Build Rails? · · Score: 2, Informative

    Further some of us simply can't fit into the common compact car, that is certainly poor engineering because I'm only a hair over 6' tall, but highlights that one size doesn't fit all.

    There are many compacts that aren't built for tall people, but I'm 6'5" and comfortably drive a Chevy Aveo. There are affordable, fuel-effecient vehicles out there for uncommonly large people.

  9. It was about a month ago... on Windows Drops Below 90% Market Share · · Score: 1

    that I made a permanent switch from XP to Linux. You're welcome. :P

  10. Re:As they say... on PETA Using Games To Spread Its Message · · Score: 1

    meat has the word eat built right in

    It also has the word "m" as in "Mmmmm, eat."

    it is a slippery slope for the PETA and their Protista friends but it will soon after be demanded to extend to all life and finally minerals. I for one welcome our pure energy consuming overlords.

    Entropy is just another way to say "I eat energy, nom nom nom."

  11. Re:Should I be bothered? on PETA Using Games To Spread Its Message · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A burger made from a mix of kobe beef and veal, topped with foie gras... ooh, and a side of seal flipper pie. MMMM If you've never eaten properly prepared seal flipper, it's the most tender, flavourful meat I've ever eaten; poorly prepared, it's one of the worst.

  12. Re:Baby Blues. on History of the LED — the Movie · · Score: 1

    Blue LEDs have been around since the 70s but not common until the 90s. A couple Japanese researchers in the 80s developed a new method for growing GaN crystals which made blue LEDs brighter and less expensive.

  13. Re:I was just wondering on Astronaut Loses Tools While Performing an EVA · · Score: 1

    Good point, and given the large difference in mass, even a small delta v could create a large enough difference in period. Still, if you were *really* determined to get your bag back...

  14. Re:I was just wondering on Astronaut Loses Tools While Performing an EVA · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Unless the astronaut imparted enough force into the object to either give it escape velocity or cause it to reenter the atmosphere, shouldn't she (in theory) just be able to wait the 90 or so minutes till the next orbit and grab it when the two orbits intersect?

    There's always the chance the object will interact with another NEO and not come back, but if no other force acts on it, it should just intersect orbits on the next revolution since it seems like very little force was imparted to the object to change it's trajectory. At least, that's my admittedly limited understanding of orbital mechanics: if two objects in basically identical orbits exchange momentum, then their new orbits will intersect at the same place the original exchange took place.

  15. Re:Cappings effect on net neutrality... on AT&T Begins a Trial To Cap, Meter Internet Usage · · Score: 1

    I concur, I'd happily pay $1 per GB on a flat 'per usage' plan, with maybe, a $5 or $10 minimum charge. While there are some months when I do some heavy downloading, most months, I'm lucky to use 2-3 GB just doing my normal surfing and gaming. The last big download I grabbed was ~50 GB and included over 75 hours of episodic television. Similarly, the mobile phone plan I'm on is entirely metered, with a small connection and maintenance surcharge. When I make very few calls in a month, I pay almost nothing, when I use my phone heavily, I pay accordingly.

    The issue I think most people have is the poorly worded or misleading ads or ToS that many service providers use (and perhaps, unreasonable prices). My current provider's contract was very clearly written, and the sales lady that I dealt with very explicitly and clearly stated what the caps were and the surcharges for exceeding them. While I'd prefer not to be capped, both providers in my area have metered service, so I went with the service that had the fairer (IMO) contract.

  16. Re:Rubbing Alchohol on Recovering Moldy Electronics? · · Score: 1

    No, under full load, my laptop's CPU temperature sensor reports about 90C, just 10 degrees short of boiling water. At idle, it runs at about 45-50C. Yes, the high temperature almost certainly has a deleterious effect on the lifespan of the device, but few laptops are designed to last for a long time, especially cheap ones. I have an old CF-25 Toughbook around somewhere that's still working (except the battery), but I doubt my current cheapo laptop will still be kicking in 10 years.

    My desktop is another story: it idles at about 35C and at full load is only about 45C. Few if any manufacturers still market their portable computers as 'laptops' anymore because they generally produce too much heat to safely sit on your lap.

  17. Re:Maybe a dorm room... on The Walking House · · Score: 1

    They should build floating houses

    If by 'they', you mean the Dutch, then they already have.

    Perhaps my favourite bit is that they're floating on concrete, which is an often overlooked/unappreciated building material.

  18. Re:Rubbing Alchohol on Recovering Moldy Electronics? · · Score: 1

    Some transistors may fail at around 100 degrees, but most modern gear will withstand it easily enough. My laptop runs at about 90 degrees under full-load and the processor is rated to withstand 120. And if the oven door is open, the oven shouldn't get nearly that hot, all the warm air will vent out, which is exactly what you want to happen, warm, moist air will rise out of the oven and cool, dry air will rush in from the bottom.

    My biggest worry would be some of the softer plastics that may be less heat resistant, and might deform under extended exposure. I would make sure any PCBs were well supported, and not just by an oven rack, but by a scrap of plywood or pressboard.

  19. Re:Big long SCSI bus on Build a Cheap Media-Reading PC? · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fair enough. I work in a very large organization where the majority of people have no idea what happens when they push a button on a keyboard. I had an office manager once that had index cards with stepwise instructions of everything she had to do with her computer. EVERYTHING. She had to write out a new index card every week when her password expired and she had to change it... but first she had to consult the index card that told her how to change her password. They replaced our old CRT displays with LCDs and she freaked out. The worst is that she actively refuses any attempt to explain even simple things to her, like what a right click is. It's infuriating some days.

  20. Re:Big long SCSI bus on Build a Cheap Media-Reading PC? · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's something about having half-wit control freaks in positions of authority that disturbs me.

    So... you don't normally deal with middle management?

  21. Re:Evolution of Blizzard on Blizzcon 2008 Wrap-Up · · Score: 1

    seems like 10 years ago they only had enough people (or chose to have enough) to work on one big game at a time.

    It probably doesn't hurt that, thanks to WoW, they have more money than Jesus. (That includes my $15 a month.)

  22. Re:Exccept.... on National Debt Clock Overflowed, Extended By a Digit · · Score: 1

    a rouge government

    So the commies are planning a come-back tour?

  23. Re:Cheap!? on 3D Printing On Demand · · Score: 1

    While it is expensive, it's not your normal-sized chess piece. It's at least three or four times larger than the queens on my chess board.

  24. Re:An MSI problem, rather than a Linux one. on Netbook Return Rates Much Higher For Linux Than Windows · · Score: 3, Informative

    I find the same thing. Several of my friends recently acquired eeePCs through a promotion offered by Royal Bank. One or two of them were interested in learning how to use the built-in OS and the others came to me to 'just put XP on there so MSN will work'; a slight challenge on the 2G models the bank was giving away. To be fair, XP does perform pretty snappily for the hardware but still not quite as snappy as even the default Xandros, which I cart around for presentations instead of lugging my 'full-sized' notebook which is 2-3 times the weight and half the battery life.

  25. Re:An Apple on Designing The Ultimate Netbook · · Score: 1

    My eee fits in my pocket, maybe you need new pants or a new jacket.