Comment A happy astronaut is a well feed one (Score 1) 384
I'm not doing any Mars excursion after filling up on a big bowl of silkworms. Stop cheaping out, put a freeze unit in the space ship and gimme a few cow carcasses.
Comment Re:Not "punywage" (Score 1) 809
Doing the math of dividing $30 billion by 1 million would mean an average of $30,000 per employee. However, I don't think that $30 billion would simply be going to salaries. Obviously hardware, software and services would be involved, since this is about building a new infrastructure. Finally, just because this new infrastructure is being built by stimulus money does not mean that the services it provides would be free, so the incoming revenue would go towards the salaries. So from the brief description of this stimulus I think it's impossible to tell what the wages would be.
Submission + - Distributed "Nuclear Batteries" next for p (thestar.com)
thepacketmaster writes: The Star reports about a new power generation model using smaller distributed power generators located closer to the consumer. This saves money on power generation lines and creates an infrastructure that can be more easily expanded with smaller incremental steps, compared to bigger centralized power generation projects. The generators in line for this are green sources, but Hyperion Power Generation, NuScale, Adams Atomic Engines (and some other companies) are offering small nuclear reactors to plug into this type of infrastructure. The generator from Hyperion is about the size of a garden shed, and uses older technology that is not capable of creating nuclear warheads, and supposedly self-regulating so it won't go critical. They envision burying reactors near the consumers for 5-10 years, digging them back up and recycling them. Since they are so low maintanence and self-contained, they are calling them nuclear batteries.
Submission + - First ship to sink in Antarctic
thepacketmaster writes: The Toronto Star reports that for the first time, a ship has sunk in the Antarctic. The Explorer, a ship run by G.A.P. Adventures, has crossed the waters around Antarctic for 40 years. Last night, sailing through thick ice, its hull gave and started taking on water. All 154 passengers and crew were rescued over a few hours, by nearby ships. "We knew there were ships not too far off. There was a lot of joke-telling. It's the most bizarre thing that people tell Titanic jokes."
Submission + - Bush vetoes stem cells for a second time
thepacketmaster writes: CNN is reporting that Bush has again vetoed stem cell research, stating "If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. I made it clear to Congress and to the American people that I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line." It seems to me he's ignore the argument the human embryos are already, so why not at least make something positive out of it. I doubt very much that allowing stem cell research would create a wave of mothers wanting to have abortion.
Submission + - CIBC faces overtime lawsuit
thepacketmaster writes: The Toronto Star reports that CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) is the target of two class actions regarding unpaided overtime to employees. "The lawyers claim it is the largest unpaid overtime class action ever launched in Canada, as they believe it covers thousands of current and former employees. The statement of claim alleges that class members are assigned heavier workloads than they can complete within their standard working hours and that CIBC fails to pay for overtime work.". A news conference is scheduled later today by the law firms Roy Elliott Kim O'Connor and Sack Goldblatt Mitchell.
Submission + - Taxing cellphone transmissions
thepacketmaster writes: The CBC is carrying a story about the Manitoba First Nations asking for compensation for cellphone traffic that passes over their land. They say their airspace is like land and water and they should be compensated for its use, but we're not talking about airplanes or missiles flying through, these are just radio waves. Is this justified, or just some excuse to try and grab some money?
