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User: LowlyWorm

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  1. Re:Great Service on Interview With Jeremy Howard of FastMail.fm · · Score: 1

    Their staff also seem to care about customers. A few years ago, I had a temporary problem logging into FM. It only lasted 24 hours or so but because I noticed, FM gave an extra month free. Their costs have also come down.

  2. They may be on to something on Mafia Sinks Ships Containing Toxic Waste · · Score: 1

    a subduction zone might be a good place for nuclear waste.

  3. Re:Is it just me or..... on Database Records and "In Plain Sight" Searches · · Score: 1

    I am not so sure that the application of this law is an advancement of civil liberties though. If there is evidence that would tend to exonerate one would wonder why a subpoena would be so limited. It would seem the law may let the government pick and choose on a fishing expedition. Lets just search your database for these words and these words and these words --instant probable cause striped of its context.

  4. What is overweight? on Being Slightly Overweight May Lead To Longer Life · · Score: 1

    What do we mean by overweight or underweight if what we mean is not the optimum weight for the greatest longevity? I have long suspected that what modern society regards as a the optimum weight is not. This has changed throughout history. Look at the concept of beauty in ancient Rome or early Europe -- fat chicks. Looked at in another way, the question also plays into evolutionary biology. As hunter-gathers we would fatten in summer months in preparation for the Winter. Now that (for most /. readers and most of the world of which we are aware) food is available at all times of year so there is far more obesity. But I donâ(TM)t think anorexic models are the standard to which we should strive.

  5. The CIA World Factbook -- A Good Start on Emigrating To a Freer Country? · · Score: 1

    The CIA World Factbook would be a good start. Lots of demographic information such as language, economy, geography, etc. are available. A lot can be determined from the information available there.

  6. Re:Drilling doesn't CAUSE quakes! on Google Funding the Next Big One? · · Score: 1

    Drilling may not cause quakes but is it wise to drill in an area prone to quakes? My point is this: How sustainable would the hole be? Google has a lot of brain power working for it but it seems to me if one wants a sustainable geothermal source of energy drilling in an earthquake prone area is not the way to go. Shifting tectonic plates may mean it would all have to be done again at a much greater expense when earthquakes do occur.

  7. Re:City jobs are a bad thing? on Montana City Requires Workers' Internet Accounts · · Score: 1

    You may feel you have nothing to hide. Is there any level at which the US government actually applies the Fourth Ammendment you can identify? I think there is -- but national security trends (i.e. Homeland Security) have been moving away from the direction originally envisioned and it is often not applied to existing technologies. Sure, Government can do things. Was that ever an issue?

  8. Re:So much more to offer on Hawking Expecting To Make Full Recovery · · Score: 1

    I sometimes worry about his quality of life. I have read several of his books. According to the latest one I read, given his longevity, he is not sure he has Lou Gehrig's disease or if it is a similar but not as quickly fatal disorder. He reports he has now lost the ability to judge distances. Hopefully, the disorder will not affect his higher faculties.

  9. Re:They finally checked on him on Hawking Expecting To Make Full Recovery · · Score: 1

    They must have put him in a coffin. Thankfully, when they opened it he was alive.

  10. Re:Do you shop online? on Spam Replacing Postal Junk Mail? · · Score: 2, Informative

    Javascript can indeed "poke around" for email addresses or any other information you provide while on a given site as well as non-personally identifiable information such as connection speed, browser, etc. The main thing to understand is javascript can only access that which you provide. It cannot (at least not alone in a client-side environment) actively coerce such information. It can actively record just about anything you do on a page but state information (information between sessions on a site) is very limited to the size of a cookie file. Javascript can be linked with other scripting environments that could though.

  11. Re:Because it worked so well last time on Verizon Promises 4G Wireless For Rural America · · Score: 1

    I understand broadband radio frequencies are relatively high (700 MHZ +) and are highly directional. Where there are lots of buildings they can bounce off and increase the range. In rural areas they tend to be absorbed by trees or get dissipated to the point they cannot be used.

  12. Re:Because it worked so well last time on Verizon Promises 4G Wireless For Rural America · · Score: 1

    I live in a very rural area with two traffic lights. Level 3 dug up the whole town a few years ago. Broadband is just now available in some areas. I live about 1 mile from downtown. Not yet.

  13. It could kill a mouse on Is Alcohol Killing Our Planet? · · Score: 1

    I am in the process of making about 3 gallons of homemade strawberry wine. It has only been fermenting for about a week and a half. I am sure the mash could kill small animals. That poor little mouse must have been kicking around in there for days:). The way it bubbles and moves I am wondering if it is sentient and I keep getting this strange feeling I am being watched...

  14. Re:Flash Memory Software Requirements on A Look at Excessive Portable Storage · · Score: 1

    I already subscribe to the Portable Freeware Collection newsletter. Another good resource is Portable Apps. They offer lots of open source programs via SourecForge. The Foxmarks plug-in for FF is good for updating bookmarks too.

  15. Re:Flash Memory Software Requirements on A Look at Excessive Portable Storage · · Score: 1

    Older computers like mine will not boot from flash drives. One way around this is flipping the removable bit. This bit tells the OS that the drive is removable. Once the bit is flipped the OS treats the drive as non-removable so it can boot from it at start up. This can be done via software.

  16. Re:Flash Memory Software Requirements on A Look at Excessive Portable Storage · · Score: 1

    I would but I read somewhere that flipping the removable bit on San Disk flash drives is unpredictable (it could ruin them).

  17. Flash Memory Software Requirements on A Look at Excessive Portable Storage · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't think software requirements are keeping up with the newer hardware. True, I am writing this from FireFox installed on my flash drive but there is often very little consideration by many software developers for the needs of the portable software market. So much of it expects data on c: or writes to the registry. Since flash memory quality benchmarks are based on number of read/writes before failure it will be interesting to see how the newer USB hardware will stand up particularly with applications such as browsers and email that do extensive read/write operations.

  18. Weird Named Teacher on Marijuana Pepsi Jackson · · Score: 1

    In high school I had a teacher named General Jackson Wheeler. He said his name was the source of some confusion as he served in the military as a Private.

  19. It will blow over on Repairing / Establishing Online Reputation? · · Score: 1

    That kind of thing will blow over. My first and middle names are Richard Allen. As in Richard Allen Davis.(He was that clown drawing mass murderer guy). I don't think I raise eyebrows anymore. Heh heh heh heh.

  20. Toll Roads Are The Blackheads Of the Belt Line on Automation May Make Toll Roads More Common · · Score: 1

    I just wanted to say that.

  21. The Moore's Law Olympics: on New State of Matter Could Extend Moore's Law · · Score: 1

    Faster-Higher-Stronger.

  22. Re:Not how trademarks work on Feds Target "Mongols" Biker Club's Intellectual Property · · Score: 1

    True, but RICO would likely not apply to the examples you gave.

  23. Teaching Programing Concepts on How Should I Teach a Basic Programming Course? · · Score: 1

    If you intend to teach basic programming concepts remember that technology is always changing. I would stick to well established functions true over many languages i.e. for..next, if..then, do...loop and maybe some concepts regarding scope of variables. Also, it is important to realize some people will just have a natural inclination to understand programming. Some won't and never will so I would not weight the course too heavily in programing.

  24. Re:If you're that worried... on Tips For Taking Your Laptop Into and Out of the US? · · Score: 1

    I would not be that worried. Even so, if you are, do not turn on your computer near an airport. You may even want to leave the batteries out. I am not sure why but there are enough rumors around that there is likely something to it. Not at an airport.

  25. Re:Forget the Eye Surgery tests.. on Lord British To Conduct Experiments On ISS · · Score: 1

    ...And the second moon should also be of interest to NASA.