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Comment Re:In defense of the BATF? (Score 2, Informative) 546

How hard would it be to synthesize ammonium perchlorate from APCP?

Makes about as much sense as buying 4 cases of soda because you need 2 cups of sugar for a recipe.

All kinds of chemicals you can make explosives out of are mostly unregulated, why goof around trying separate AP out of commercial rocket propellent.

Comment Re:Congrats! (Score 1) 546

The ATF were given a chance to argue the science, their answer went something like "we're right and you're wrong, so there" - the judge didn't go for it.

The task set for them was very simple, establish standard burn rates for materials that a) just burn b) deflagrate c) explode and compare APCP to those rates. When their own tests determined that APCP burned slower than paper they decided just declare that paper wasn't an explosive and APCP was. They also exaggerated the burn rate of APCP massively by using obviously incorrect measurements.

Experts for the hobbyists produced a wealth of data that contradicted ATF's claims and ATF just basically said that it didn't matter because they were right.

I don't see them issuing new regulations as the science is against them.

Cellphones

Citrix To Bring Millions of Windows Apps To iPhone 172

Anonymous writes "Citrix is putting out word that it's developing an iPhone receiver that could make 'millions' of Windows applications work on Apple's handset. (Something Citrix is calling 'Project Braeburn.') Aside from Flash and a few other apps, is anyone pining for Windows-based apps on the iPhone? (Exchange on the iPhone seems to be successful, but so does Apple's App store, which has done pretty well without Windows.)"

Comment Re:Spreadsheet (Score 1) 437

Pixar ... formerly steve job's other company don't run macs ? You might want to check that again.

I've seen movie companies use clusters of Linux boxes to handle rendering, because there's no per computer license hassles presumably, but Mac's are used a lot where actual hands-on design work is being done.

Security

Lenovo Service Disables Laptops With a Text Message 257

narramissic writes "Lenovo plans to announce on Tuesday a service that allows users to remotely disable a PC by sending a text message. A user can send the command from a specified cell phone number — each ThinkPad can be paired with up to 10 cell phones — to kill a PC. The software will be available free from Lenovo's Web site. It will also be available on certain ThinkPad notebooks equipped with mobile broadband starting in the first half of 2009. 'You steal my PC and ... if I can deliver a signal to that PC that turns it off, hey, I'm good now,' said Stacy Cannady, product manager of security at Lenovo. 'The limitation here is that you have to have a WAN card in the PC and you must be paying a data plan for it,' Cannady added."
The Courts

$125 Million Settlement In Authors Guild v. Google 238

James Gleick writes "Authors, publishers, and Google are announcing a huge settlement deal today in their lawsuits over the scanning of millions of copyrighted books in library collections. Google has agreed to a huge payout for books that were scanned without permission, but now they'll be allowed to scan the books legitimately. Most important, they'll be able to put millions of books online, including those still in copyright — not just for searching and not just in snippets. There is a groundbreaking new licensing system meant to make the books as widely available as possible while protecting the authors' copyrights and enabling them to share in the revenue. Some will differ, but personally I think this is a wonderful outcome, for readers and for authors alike."
Space

Plasma Rocket Successful Full Power Test 169

Matt_dk writes "VASIMR is a new high-power plasma-based space propulsion technology, initially studied by NASA and now being developed privately by Ad Astra. A VASIMR engine could maneuver payloads in space far more efficiently and with much less propellant than today's chemical rockets. Ultimately, VASIMR engines could also greatly shorten robotic and human transit times for missions to Mars and beyond."

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