Comment Re:Fear mongering? (Score 1) 384
likely.
Comment Re:Fear mongering? (Score 1) 384
The destruction would have been far less than that of Nagasaki or Hiroshima, since it would have detonated on the ground, instead of high in the air over the cities in Japan.
Comment My child almost shot himself (Score 1, Insightful) 384
The only reason he didn't die is that there weren't any bullets around.
Comment Re:No, not Really? (Score 1) 152
Equivocate much?
Comment This could be marginally useful (Score 3, Interesting) 242
But what would be really useful is a snooze button for emails that would archive them for a few days (or whatever time you specify for that email) and then have it pop up in your inbox as if new after that.
Comment Re:The oil pressure's not that immense. (Score 1) 327
Why does it need to be this cloth? How about dumping 500 tons of cement on top of it?
Comment Re:Great for filtering, but - (Score 2, Interesting) 327
Mammals and birds have a better chance, and it seems like a skimmer like this gets them into the boat and gives rescuers a chance to wash them. They're probably better off in the boat than out of it.
I'm not entirely sure - for two reasons:
1) Nets are huge. If you get dragged into one, even one that floats on top, and more and more oil is dumped onto you, I think you're going to die unless you're the last thing to get dragged in
2) I'm rather curious about the survival rate of birds, mammals, turtles etc., after they have been cleaned. It might look really nice, that you start with an oil covered pelican and end up with a shiny white and clean pelican, but if it dies a week after you set it free, because it's swallowed too much oil, infections or whatever, that doesn't bode well for the creature. Might be more humane to kill it instead of cleaning it off.
Yeah, once the oil is on the birds, they'll likely die.
Comment Re:Sensitivity is not Resolution (Score 1) 192
Of course, if money is no object, more of everything will certainly improve things.
Nope. Increasing resolution without first increasing light gathering ability will make the image worse. In fact, most digital cameras would produce better pictures if they decreased the resolution. Manufacturers put a higher pixel density than is useful because megapixels sell: the salesman and your mom, and even you see two cameras, one with 6mp, and one with 12mp, and you assume the 12mp camera is better. If they're similar in other respects, the one with a smaller pixel density (the 6mp one) is guaranteed to be better.
California Legislature Declares "Cuss-Free" Week
262
shewfig writes "The California legislature, which previously tried to ban incandescent light bulbs, just added to the list of banned things ... swear words! Fortunately, the measure only applies for the first week of March, and compliance is voluntary — although, apparently, there will be a 'swear jar' in the Assembly and the Governor's mansion. No word yet on whether the Governator intends to comply."
Comment Re:Why redirect them? (Score 5, Insightful) 512
Agreed. This is why browser sniffing is bad. Just design it to be standards compliant, and let the browsers that can't follow the standards fail, hopefully gracefully. Blocking IE6 users completely is just pointless.
Comment Re:WooHoo! I'm safe! (Score 5, Insightful) 474
He was doubting that a hardcore Slashdot reader has any female acquaintances, not that the AC was you.
CES, Reporter Breaks "Unbreakable" Mobile Phone
316
ChiefMonkeyGrinder writes "Reporter Dan Simmons from the BBC's technology show Click managed to break a mobile phone marketed as 'unbreakable' (video), during a demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas." The phone can survive a 10 story fall, being submerged 20 feet for 30 mins, and you can use it to hammer a nail; but it's no match for a British journalist.
Comment Funny, about 8% of Windows is virus, too! (Score 1) 478
...on a fresh install, anyway. The percentage increases the older your computer gets!
Comment Re:If it's not broken, why are you fixing it? (Score 1) 305
And if in 2035 we redo the calculations and find it has no chance of impacting the earth, maybe we can keep the thing around and ready to stop other asteroids with some modification. Seems like a handy thing to have lying around.
Calling B.S. On Amazon's Taxation Arguments 762
theodp writes "Over at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Michael Mazerov carefully picks apart Amazon's arguments against collecting sales taxes, arguing that they simply do not withstand scrutiny. While Amazon officials say collecting sales tax in every state would be excessively burdensome, Mazerov notes the e-tailer already collects sales tax in virtually every state for numerous other companies that sell on its website. Mazerov also finds it disingenuous for Amazon to argue that it should not have to help support public services in states in which it has no physical presence when the company fails to support public services in most of the states in which it does have a physical presence. Finally, Mazerov isn't buying Amazon's argument that its opposition to collecting sales tax is not driven by a desire to gain a price advantage over competitors, which he finds at odds with the company's own actions and SEC filings. By claiming sales-tax immunity, says Mazerov, Amazon has enjoyed an unfair 5%-10% price advantage over local retailers, while also depriving states and localities of hundreds of millions of dollars of legally due revenue each year."
