Both my 4 and 7 year olds love Monster Physics. And by the same author, Stack the States and Stack the Countries are excellent for geography.

Not all gear shifts are alike. Have you ever seen a Nissan Leaf gear shift?

We are evolved to think religiously, because it makes it easier for us to accept authority and live in a society. We are also evolved to see narratives and overarching patterns in unreleated events and coincidences. The universe is a scary place, and we are infinitesimally small. Religion provides comfort and a framework we can understand to cope with chaos.

There is an amazing amount of comfort in believing we will be reunited with our loved ones when we die. For those that have suffered loosing a close loved one, it must almost be irresistible.

So yes, trying to talk people out of religion is very difficult.

Hybrids use a much, much smaller battery, so the impact is much smaller.

Check out OpenScad. I found it pretty nice, at least for a programmer. There are thread models and other libraries available here.

Yes, Steve Jobs popularized floppies with the Apple II, but he wasn't always so lucky. At the time the NeXT Computer came out, the lack of a floppy drive was a serious problem. Sneakernet was alive and well in those days, and uploading files via the network required bizarre things like Kermit and ZModem. And the NeXT magneto optical drive was horrendous. NeXT did eventually introduce a floppy in 1991, pretty late in the game. Of course, NeXT was way ahead of its time, the computer that the world wide web was invented on. and a precursor to OS X and iOS.

A summary of this article is:

I want CC No Commercial (NC) and CC No Derivatives (ND) clauses removed because they don't really support free. Works don't enrich the commons unless you can do whatever you want with them. Also, the NC clause should be eliminated because it is really hard to define commercial. Does commercial mean you can't share a file on a website that has ads?

My opinion is that a little free is better than not free. I should be able to donate my work to the commons without expecting to see it on a billboard. Which has actually happened. In terms of the commercial example, I think we can all judge when things move over the line from donation based to blatantly commercial. The good news is that it is up to me as a rights holder to enforce the license. I can allow uses of my file in ad supported web sites, but object to my song being used in a local TV ad. Yes, there are ambiguities in everything. That's life.

If you object to these licenses, don't use 'em. Or anything with them.

Disclaimer: I've licensed songs I've written as CC NC.

This drunken pirate says otherwise. Anything you post may be used against you, given the right circumstances.

There is a lesson in all this. Don't use social media. Anything you say there will last forever, and will be used against you.

And the flip side is that social media doesn't produce anything worth reading anyway. It is generally poorly written junk. If you want to contribute in a meaningful way, work on Wikipedia or write for Examiner.com. Look at me post junk on slashdot...ugh.

This is the only Khan I like on YouTube...

Khaaaaan!!!!

You clearly aren't a parent. Try convincing the kids they don't want McDonalds, especially if they are in a foreign country and miss home. Hell, many years ago I ate in a McDonalds in Hungary (back when it was behind the iron curtain) because I was homesick.

I have no idea why he chose McD's in France, but I do have kids, so this is remotely understandable.

And it would be cool to have gold fall from the sky. But that doesn't make the current machines useless. Remember, we are at the very start of this revolution.

As for printing a candy bar...huh? Why do that? Traditional manufacturing still has a role, at least for the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, I was playing with a RepRap printed herringbone gear yesterday. I thought it was pretty cool. They are very difficult to manufacture with traditional machinery, but not a problem with a 3D printer.

I think that's the plan. Google Maps now has a new mode called MapsGL which uses hardware accelerated 3d. Why add 3d to the browser if you didn't plan to use it.

I just discovered the joys of podcasting their shows, which is a great way to consume non-news radio. This is terrible news.

I'll really miss Tom and Ray. I even thought they were great in their Nova special on the car of the future