"FREE 2D/3D CAD on Windows and Linux: MEDUSA4 Personal Latest Release in Time for the Holidays

MEDUSA4 Personal 3.1: Now with the MEDUSA4 Smart Drafting Tool - The New Way to Create Geometry"

http://www.cad-schroer.com/index2.php?&land=com&ziel=Start&thema=mask1.php&id=959%20&scr=1.3

"MEDUSA4 Personal is expressly restricted to non-commercial use. Small technical differences from the commercial version include a different sheet format, watermarked print output, and the ability to import from, but not export to, DXF/DWG format. The commercial version is highly customisable, while MEDUSA4 Personal is not."

Also, each download is tied to a physical address:

"Example: 00-01-02-FB-60-18 or 000102FB6018

Windows: use a dos-box and run ipconfig /all
Linux: use a terminal window and run ifconfig -a

You must provide a valid physical address in order for the software to install and run on your machine.
We use this address to issue a software license file (keyfile), which allows the downloaded software to work and is locked to your specific machine.

By registering you will also automatically receive any MEDUSA4 Personal updates issued."

Make sure that when using Opera (possibly with Firefox this may be a problem, too) CLOSE your facebook or other logged-in personal sites. For some reason, saving the

medusa4 personal CAD Schroer Online - Support

palette as a pdf caused it to use my facebook profile URL... strange...

"Fry's exec accused of $65 million fraud to pay off gambling debts"

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11290227?source=most_viewed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry's_Electronics

"Fry's executives didn't know about the illegal kickbacks, the federal complaint states. After 20 years with the company, Siddiqui was fired Monday.

Siddiqui was known around the office for driving fast cars, carrying wads of $100 bills in his pocket and boisterously rooting during sports events he watched on the four TV screens in his office. He spent $162 million in three years at the MGM Grand Casino and Las Vegas Sands Casino, according to his bank statements detailed in the complaint written by IRS Agent Andres Gonzalez.

The suspected scheme occurred from 2005 until mid-October when a high-level Fry's employee walked into Siddiqui's office at 600 E. Brokaw Road and saw confidential spreadsheets, letters and extraordinarily high commission amounts on Siddiqui's desk."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4598983.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Throat_(Watergate)

"For decades, the informant was known only as Deep Throat. He was the shadowy, chain-smoking character played by Hal Holbrook in the hit movie All the President's Men, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.

Conflict

Mr Felt, who was responsible for investigating the burglary, had figured prominently in the 30-year guessing game about Deep Throat's identity."

Apparently, Greece is issuing an RFG, as in Request for Gas, as in TEAR GAS. They've fired over 4,500 cannisters/capsules, and now they need more, in the after math of the police shooting/killing of a 15-year-old last Saturday. I don't know how this scales or compares to protests-related dispersions in other countries, but on an averaging basis, that is about 642 cannisters per day, or 26 per hour, or one every .44 minute. Sounds like some of the mortar fire rates of WW II...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3725047/Greece-runs-out-of-tear-gas-during-violent-protests.html

http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200812055

A queen ant lives some 20 years and lays some 250 MILLION eggs...

You know it because your "Score 1, Funny" comments get knocked back to unmarked, and 1, or 0. Like, my Vinculum/Jobs/windows comment. It was 1, Funny, but minutes later i noticed it was no longer funny. Prior to 1, Funny, it was "0, off-topic". So, i feel someone has flagged me as their foe, and is neurotically dicking with my posting scores. Just today, being fed up, i must have triggered the Karma system. At least since last Wednesday, if not today, I was at Excellent Karma.

For slashdot to have a meaningful system of moderation and fun-sharing, the system should log player-heates by any technical means available. Then, it should deprive them from lowering a positive/funny rating. Funny need not be factual, so down-rating an initially funny comment to zero should come with a justification. If some fucktard wants to ruin the day of a harmless jokester, then Slash would make such a fucktard fill out in triplicate WHY they are down-modding someone that others or another person received humor from.

But, obviously, there needs to be a back up. Hopefully assholes and fucktards don't travel in herds or packs (wishful thinking?), and that means Slash could assign a threshold of how many fucktards could collectively gang up to downstroke someone who is not liked, but when 5,000 subscribers are present, and it only takes ONE mothafokka to frag someone, and the remaining 4,999 are not invited to cluster moderate/re-moderate an adversely-impacted comment, then something is wrong.

If 25 people favorably support the initial comment (by actively voting), then the would-be fucktard/s will be countermanded, unless they figure out how to hack Slash or blackmail the NEW and IMPROVED On-Duty Moderators.

And, Slash could offer fields into which pro/con URLs could be inserted to prevent fucktards from overwhelming the system.

Finally, when a fucktard abuser is repeatedly detected, Slashdot should aggressively identify and locate said person in other forums and act as a ban-suggestion mechanism to keep such tards from ruining other forums.

Disclosure: Slash is pretty much the only forum in which i really come down hard on the structure/system, because it passively allows dick-head bullies to thrive here unfettered if they don't cross an arbitrary or hard limit. In the mean time, they can with impunity keep coming in here, knocking down my scores.

In the mean time, i will continue demolishing my Karma via speaking out. Static Karma is pointless. It should be on-the-move, whatever the direction.

Excellent.

About time. I was really doubting the slash system always saying I was in Excellent karma when i felt it was not true.

is the problem, says Sherry, a guest.

In the space of 10 MONTHS engineers at Mini brought to market a new battery/power system.

http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200811211

http://www.pluginamerica.org/

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/index.html

Japan has already standardized on a power grid. The US SAE is still wrangling over things. Japan is READY to deliver newer electric by 2009/2010; they just are waiting for the US to say WHAT the US needs.

Charging cycles are coming down to minutes rather than hours, and off-peak charging (for now) can cost 1/5 the cost of charging during peak hours of electrical consumption.

A 3D map to search out the human brain is in the making, but for now, listen to/read the report about research going into studying the brain of rats.

"All Things Considered, November 20, 2008 A new digital guide to the rat brain could help researchers solve a problem that slows down many experiments -- where in the brain am I?

When scientists send a probe into the brain, or cut a slice of brain tissue to study on the microscope, sometimes it's really tough to figure out exactly what part of the brain they are looking at.

The new virtual road map of the rat brain allows scientists to navigate through the brain on their computer. Unlike the old brain atlases, this program lets scientists explore the brain as it is: in 3D."

More at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97274006

Is Tesla on the way back? Thanks to the massive stock market losses, and the urgency to retool how we transport ourselves, use energy, and make income, Congress is under a LOT of pressure these days to provide money. After Detroit was BRAZEN enough to show up in Washington in executive jets, found out by Washington attorneys, the pleading and begging began. But, Washington is telling Detroit, basically, 'nice try, come back again..." And, rightfully so. Many are questioning why Detroit should get money (tax money or bonds, whatever way you want to see it) to continue business as usual. But enough of my editorializing. Here is audio from All Things Considered, from National Public Radio (followed by commentary by Romanian-American, funny poet Andrei Codrescu

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97279938):

"Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc. in San Carlos, Calif., hopes startups like his will get "just a tiny sliver of that. We'd put it to extremely good use," he says. "I think Tesla's going to frankly put it to better use than the Big Three."

Auto industry analysts like Neil say that, at the very least, the U.S. government should not give new loans to Detroit so that it can simply continue the internal-combustion engine technology now burning down the town.

"I think there's a rich opportunity for the Obama administration to seize the moment and say, 'Yes, we will bail you out -- but you have to provide the transformational transportation of the future, and we are not going to give you all this money just so you can make mid-size and full-size Buicks," Neil says.

What about those Silicon Valley startups that have reignited interest in the electric car?

Yes, Neil agrees, "Maybe Tesla needs a little federal help to get on the road. I honestly think that these companies will not make it out of the wilderness without some federal help.""

The below is an excerpt from:

Electric Car Carries Clean-Energy Investors' Hopes
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97272628

Electric Car Manufacturer Hopes To Generate Sales
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97213232

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,455067,00.html

"Rosemary Alvarez started experiencing numbness in her arm and blurred vision. She went to the emergency room twice and had a cat scan, but everything came up clear, MyFOXPhoenix.com reported.

Once we saw the MRI we realized this is something not good," neurosurgeon, Dr. Peter Nakaji told the news station. "It's something down in her brain stem which is as deep in the brain as you can be."

I won't post some frackin' sensationalist header like:

"HITLER HAD ONLY ONE TESTICLE", causing readers to wonder if the rumours of it being chopped off in his childhood to come to mind. So, instead:

"Hitler's lost testical due to combat injury"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,454744,00.html

""They called him the 'Screamer.' He was very noisy. Hitler was screaming 'help, help.'"

Apparently he suffered a gunshot wound and was saved by a field medic who later/retrospectively regretted having saved Hitler's life.

Last night, while walking instead of taking the bus, i happened to hear a compelling health story on my MP3 player equipped with FM radio.

"If you've been waiting for one more reason to finally get rid of that excess belly fat, take note. Researchers in Germany have found that fat accumulated in the abdomen can be far more dangerous to your health than fat on other parts of the body."

"In particular, deep abdominal fat is by far the most dangerous fat in terms of risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke," Manson says. "Most of the research studies suggest that this abdominal fat at least triples the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and abnormal cholesterol levels."

"The location of this fat is part of what makes it so problematic. The hormones and chemicals produced by abdominal fat can affect nearby organs, particularly the liver.

"This fat drains directly to the liver, and it's associated with increased fat within the liver, which is also a risk factor for insulin resistance," she says. This sets the stage for Type 2 diabetes. "

From another article:

"Our study shows that accumulating excess fat around your middle can put your health at risk even if your weight is normal," he says. "There aren't many simple individual characteristics that can increase a person's risk of premature death to this extent, independent of smoking and drinking."
Belly Fat Research

It has long been recognized that people who carry their excess weight around their middles -- those who are apple-shaped instead of pear-shaped -- have a higher risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Recent research also suggests a link between belly fat and a range of other diseases, including diabetes, some cancers, and even age-related dementias."

Want more info? See:

"Belly Fat Doubles Death Risk
Increase in Death Risk Not Limited to Overweight, Obese"

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20081112/belly-fat-doubles-death-risk?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Lately, over the past few months, I've been tiring of the constant buzz-saw/RC-plane-like drone running aerially from about 11 PM to past 2AM. I used to think it was out-of-permit work after hours. But, last night, having had enough, I spied the skies.

I watched commercial and maybe private aircraft fly over the Glen Park BART station. I let my ears guide my eyes. I noticed a craft hovering pretty much stationary over highway 280 near the BART station. That annoying fucking buzz sound may not be disturbing the residents near the freeway, but up the slope of the hill that buzzing-droning is goddamn annoying. I have to sleep with earplugs or don headphone with music cranked up.

I can even hear it change altitude, indicated by spikes and drops in decibels of sound, dips and rises probably instigated by thermal currents.

Why is this drone there? I suspect it is not an acoustics drone, but one relaying police the signals or thermals of gang activity or suspicious activity that triggers telemetry gear, such as gunshot locators mounted atop telephone or power or lighting poles, or in dead-drop observation vehicles parked around the Mission District area.

I WISH they'd replace that noisy predator or whatever it is with something quieter!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7649876.stm

"A seven-year-old boy has been filmed going on the rampage at a popular zoo in Australia, killing rare reptiles and feeding live ones to a crocodile.

Footage from the security cameras at Alice Springs Reptile Centre caught the child smiling as he killed a total of 13 animals.

During his 30-minute spree, he was seen hurling the animals over the security fence into the crocodile enclosure."