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User: Mr_Perl

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Comments · 145

  1. Re:Simple rewriting on A Digital Direct Democracy For the Modern Age · · Score: 1

    The quote is mis-attributed, and probably invented by a newspaper columnist. It is similar to the spirit of some things Tytler would say though. A quick google will get you the facts.

  2. Re:Summary is incorrect on Columbus Blamed For Mini Ice Age · · Score: 1

    As long as none of them are allowed to decompose or burn, yes. =)

  3. Re:Amazon.com on Ask Slashdot: Best Open Product Review Website? · · Score: 1

    I used to believe too, but lately I've discovered that their review process is highly biased in favor of the product manufacturer. For example if you sell a product that is fraudulent, and have your company's employees all buy one and leave a glowing review, you'll have a solid five stars. Should anyone post a review that contains an unusual abundance of critical wording (they seem to have an algorithm for this) you will find that it's automatically rejected.

    For a current example of this, have a good look at the reviews (note that most positive reviewers also reviewed with five stars all the manufacturer's other products too) for a product called neumactil, which claims to be as effecitve as an asthma inhaler. It's actually a cream with inert ingredients, propped up by a "research paper" that is essentially unscientific gibberish. Hopefully nobody will actually believe it, but since so many trust Amazon's review system implicitly, some will be bound to suffer.

    Should you agree that it's not a legit product, go ahead and try to leave a critical review. Odds are good that it will be auto-rejected until you load it up with positive hyperbole.

  4. Re:Very Old News on EPA Bans CFC-Based Asthma Inhalers · · Score: 1

    Agreed that it's old news. I checked a few online retailers, like amazon, after reading this and primatene is selling out. Good marketing ploy at least by some clever person.

    I buy non-cfc albuterol, and it's not 3x as expensive as the OTC stuff these guys are hawking. It's actually a little cheaper.

  5. Re:How can it possibly perform well? on Antenna-Clothing Outperforms Regular Antennas · · Score: 1

    Actually salt water can provide a far better return path for rf energy than air, so depending on the frequency (I'm assuming super high) of the signal, it could be pretty good.

    Not sure how I'd feel about my ugly bag of mostly water being a return path for high frequency radio though.

  6. Thanks Taco on Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda Resigns From Slashdot · · Score: 1

    Not much more to be said that hasn't already been said, so thanks, and hope you find a new and satisfying path.

  7. Re:Factory farming should stop, really on FDA Sued To Stop Antibiotic Abuse On Factory Farms · · Score: 1

    You'd think people ate nothing but chicken, or possibly meat, by your argument.

    I'll give you a utilitarian argument that does make sense, however:

    It's a well accepted fact that you can feed far more people on grain than meat. Meat is a very wasteful way to get nutrition because of all the grain that it requires, which could be used as nutrition for many more people.

    Assuming the price of chicken (one of the least inefficient meats) were to go up, demand will decline, and as a consequence of simple economics, since the price increase is caused by a situation not advantageous to the producer, production of chicken would decline. Obviously at that point the supply of grain available for human consumption would increase, with lowering in price being a primary consequence of that.

    So the net effect would be the complete opposite: an increase in affordable alternative nutrition for the population. And incidentally, a decrease in the costs of treating diseases introduced into the food supply may also provide a utilitarian benefit.

  8. Re:Behind the Red Door... on Google Accuses China of Interfering With Gmail · · Score: 2

    The fallacy in the former past is that he is equating all capitalism (economic concept) with freedom (humanist concept).

    Apples / Oranges.

  9. Re:Nothing like kicking a man when he's down! on Netgear CEO Says Jobs's Ego Will Bite Apple · · Score: 1

    It's a well established characteristic of egomaniacs to appoint incompetents to follow them in order to further "magnify" their greatness by comparison.

    That's what has me selling shares.

  10. Re:Credit where credit is due on Crack the Code In US Cyber Command's Logo · · Score: 1

    Sorta, but really, if the cyber command is using an algorithm with plenty of issues like MD5, should not worry a little?

  11. The WHAT Party?!?! on Australia Air Travelers' Laptops To Be Searched For Porn · · Score: 1

    I just want to know where I can sign up for that Australian Sex Party mentioned in TFA...

    I don't even live in Australia, but I'm going if the party is still on.

  12. Re:Missing the Point on State Senator Caught Looking At Porn On Senate Floor · · Score: 1

    I think the fact that it was "pornographic" is missing the point. This guy is not paying attention, yet will be voting on bills that will affect our entire country.

    State Senator. Unless you're one of the tea party secessionists you'd probably not call a state your entire country.

  13. Re:Why the black ops stuff? on Magicjack Loses Legal Attack Against Boing Boing · · Score: 1

    I wasted three days trying to get one working after reading a multitude of either

    a) paid astroturf
    b) rabid fans who overlook its faults

    that led me to think it would work. Particularly the first result that comes up in Google claiming someone got their credit card terminal to work through it. Ha, hilarious. This service is so oversold.

    I wasn't able to get even one decent call on a 15Mb/s connection that got top scores on VoIP test.

    In the end I switched to the more expensive, but standalone Ooma, which is pretty cool. Story here if you're interested:

    http://matts.org/voip_with_credit_card_terminal_magic_jack_vs_ooma

  14. Re:What about Yucca Mountain? on US To Build Nuclear Power Plants · · Score: 1

    Yucca Mountain is in Harry Reid's home state. Guess we now know why that was scrapped. Hopefully when he's kicked out of office shortly they'll go back to it.

  15. Re:Jesse Ventura on The FBI Wants To Know About Your IT Skills · · Score: 1

    I've made both of those mistakes (taking a leatherman, and a full bottle) and was allowed to drop the leatherman off with the airline (and re-queue for another 20 minute wait) and just got the bottle taken away in the other case.

    Of course, I have white skin and North European features, so that tends to see a different reaction than others might get.

  16. Re:Wait... on Passengers Cheat Flu Scan With Fever Reducers · · Score: 1

    The risk of illness of course, is a fact of life, but carelessness in spreading infections needs not be as acceptable as it is now. Taking reasonable efforts to prevent illness shouldn't be legislated, rather it should be taught through social stigma. The tendency of sick people in Asia to wear masks for example is a courtesy that we could all benefit from here, but it's more likely that you'll be stigmatized for wearing one than not in the USA. Social change can fix some of these dangerous and inconsiderate behaviors, and it starts with visible change by well-seen individuals.

  17. We're not HAMs on Cornell Grad Students Go Ballooning (Again) · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's not HAM, it's ham. It's not an acronym.

    73,
    ai1p

  18. Re:Bandwidth usage on Use apt-p2p To Improve Ubuntu 9.04 Upgrade · · Score: 3, Informative

    Can't help you with the paying for extra bandwidth, but the wondershaper has helped my limited speed home network remain responsive during downloads.

  19. Re:Calibrate Per Use? on Voting Machines and 'Calibration Drift' · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Unfortunately you'll get the same screen alignment problems with the cash machine approach. I've seen many cash machines where the screen text was not aligned with the buttons, creating an ambiguity about which one you touch. You can count from the bottom most of the time to figure it out, but some voters will inevitably miss that logical step.

    Paper is still the best choice.

  20. Great timing on Sunspot Activity Continues To Drop · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I picked a good year to get licensed for ham radio. I sure get sick of hearing about how you can work Australia on a wet noodle during high Sunspot years. At least the low bands are reliable, but then again those bands require ginormous antennas. So as a consequence my house looks like some sort of martian communications test zone. I think my neighbors fear me enough not to seriously ask what's going on.

  21. Civilization Sabotage! on NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory Mission Fails · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dear Lincoln,

    Ha ha old man, I had to spend much in sabotaging your CO2 monitoring satellite. But now all your base are belong to us.

    Signed,
    Chairman Mao
    Chinese Empire

  22. Re:United States of Google on Obama Staffers Followed Palin's Email Lead On Inauguration Day · · Score: 1

    I think that my original statement is pretty on-topic and relevant though the Google Fanboys Klub has modded it otherwise.

    Obviously few people on this thread understand how email works or what the consequences of it may be.

    The fact is that Google will be the recipient of emails going to the highest levels in the Government. They will be able to scan them, read them, etc. I don't care whether they're forwarding or storing, they still are the first point of routing and thus have full control over what happens to them. This is not appropriate any more than having RIM as an intermediary to the President's priviledged Blackberry communications.

    But by all means, go back to droning "but they do no evil" if it makes you feel better.

  23. United States of Google on Obama Staffers Followed Palin's Email Lead On Inauguration Day · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I support Obama, even canvassed for him, but I smell poo. This is actually worth considering because...

    1) Google was Obama's #1 campaign contributor and has already received a number of "special considerations" that embed them into the Obama administration.

    2) Once you start using an email address it is with you forever unless you're willing to dump all of your contacts. Not to mention force of habit.

    3) Lame other reason here cause we must speak in threes to sound convincing.

    Hate to be the paranoid guy when I'm usually working the opposite angle, but I don't like where this is going.

  24. Bollocks on Obama Edicts Boost FOIA and .gov Websites · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Eisenhower had it right when after liberating a concentration camp he told the troops to pick up every scrap of film, every picture because someday some idiots would claim that it never happened.

    People should have their noses rubbed in it. Faces can be obscured to protect the participants but the American public needs to know what these people it elected did.

  25. Re:News because on Steve Jobs Issues Update On His Health · · Score: 4, Funny

    Remember John Sculley?

    People usually pick inferior successors, egomaniacs even moreso. Makes their own "term in office" look better. It was Jobs who set up that failure and Jobs who profited from it on his return.