I would say that china has many good research engineers to get new technology - but from my time working there I would say that industrial espionage and reverse engineering are perfectly acceptable methods to get new technology over there. I have seen new chips turn up that once decapped and FIB'd were seen to be *exact* copies of designs from the firm I worked for, complete with the same faults - but that's what you get for using a Chinese fab.

As always I am interested in this from a general viewpoint - I mean how many hours R&D is worth the hassle of paying for? obviously if something has been developed for many years and represents significant innovation it would be worthwhile, but they seem to be after anything.

It reminds me of the Tupelov 144 and Bakinor shuttle - both of which were uncannily close to planes developed elsewhere...

bbc reported the same thing...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7734251.stm

I like their quote "The cost of the work will fall within the Cern's existing budget" though it does make me idly speculate on the size of their budget and how large a secret fortress I could build with it....

I've wondered before, what would happen if you dropped one?

Remember the rash of pulp stories in the earlier years of tethered micro black holes that were accidentally released and orbited around the inside of a planet whilst slowly gaining mass and eating more and more.

Would a lightsaber power itself from the mass it removes/cuts - would the "battery" die out. Unlike a micro blackhole it would not generate a gravitational field.

Really, its a slow day at work - I cannot even believe I am thinking about this...

Did anybody ever think of practical jokes you could play with a theoretical light saber...?

And why is it lightsaber not lightsabre...?

my highlights:

akira, runaways, whiteout, witchblade, gamekeeper

though akira is an epic and the old film was very much shortened. the effects in both akira and witchblade had better be up to it - especially akira in a few spots, but these days they can CGI "film" anything.

of course, is it too late to ask them to file "They Boys" or "Fables", or even something like "Losers"?

still, nice to know that my hard earned taxes are paying you to browse /.

but then, I guess I cannot throw the first stone! :-)

surely IE6 is a dumb move in any case as it does not have the security enhancements of later versions? I mean it would be sensible on a secured intranet, but you can see /.

FTFA

..at least they are honest about it. and none of this "offering a better, competative.." rubbish. its plain old "get them when they are young" philosophy....

whoa, I predict the mother of all flame fests over this one.

In general the press print stories that they think will sell, perhaps Obama was more interesting? - there was lots of back stories to print on.

In the UK the press have a lot to answer for - for example, they talked Northern Rock up into a fiasco by warning people what would happen to their funds and hence everybody tried to withdraw their money at once. I have always thought news papers should be more responsible and not just profit orientated.

yes, yes, yes, I'm sure you uncovered a conspiracy of epic proportions behind the dating sites, but this is /. and only one thing matters....


did you get a date?


why yes, I am new round here.. how did you know?

Sad (but predictable on /.) to see a lot of jokes already, so I'll be first to say commiserations to the family and RIP a pioneer.

He died doing what he loved and always challenged his boundaries, I can admire that.

At least the mystery is finally cleared up, the crash investigation can begin.