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Submission + - A new 'dirty snowball' found: VP113 (slate.com)

Submitted by Kittenman
Kittenman writes: Phil Plaitt in Slate is covering discovery of a new solar system object, known as VP113 (for now). The object is in a highly-elliptical orbit, currently at about 80 AU ... and that's its nearest point to the sun (perihelion). The furthest point is some 6 times that — putting it well into the Oort cloud.

Comment Re:tldr (Score 0) 490

by Kittenman (#46588225) Attached to: Are DVDs Inconvenient On Purpose?

Not only that, but there are only seven paragraphs which don't repeat things -- The last two and the first five.

This post is itself a repetition of an earlier post,from GuitarNeophyte. Very 'meta'.

Comment Times change ... (Score 2) 285

by Kittenman (#46577875) Attached to: I prefer my peppers ...
Interesting how you have to go in training ... as a young man I used to enjoy a curry in North London. Worked my way through the vindaloo, through the tindaloo and onto the meat phal (not on the menu). All good for my digestion.

Then I emigrated from London, went to a country where indian food wasn't as widespread. My palate changed, and now, some twenty years later I can't handle much more than a butter chicken.

Regrets? I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention...

Comment Re:The cause of the crash remains a mystery? (Score 1) 491

by Kittenman (#46570939) Attached to: How Satellite Company Inmarsat Tracked Down MH370
There was a 'Air Crash Investigation' show about a crash on a Greek plane (Helios?) where the whole plane wasn't getting oxygen, as someone hadn't flipped the correct switch last maintenance slot. Everyone passed out, last man alive was someone who had some experience of low-pressure work (a diver).

Be interesting to know when the plane was last maintained, what for, what was done, etc.

And my heart goes out to the families, of course. To us, this is academic. To them, it is very real.

Comment Re:Yeah, No (Score 1) 54

by Kittenman (#46539725) Attached to: CEO Says One Laptop Per Child Project Has Achieved Its Goals
Ah, Sinclair Basic. A friend had a box of his. I remember having to press three buttons to get the word "Let" or whatever the BASIC command was. You couldn't just type in the word LET using the Alpha keyboard. And this was the 'Spectrum', speaking from memory. Someone likened pressing the keys on that thing to touching dead flesh. I had to take his word for it.

Submission + - NSA Spies in World of Warcraft (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Kittenman
Kittenman writes: The BBC is reporting that the US and UK spy agencies 'patrol' online games (such as 'World of Warcraft' and 'Second Life') to keep an eye on terrorist communications. The NSA "allegedly warned that such online games could allow intelligence targets to hide in plain sight". The same group have extracted WoW account data, attempting to link it to Islamic extremism.

Certainly a potential for data mining here — but keep an eye on that next elf you meet... it could really be a spook.

Comment Re: Employers want day 1 results (Score 1) 465

by Kittenman (#45551869) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Why Are Tech Job Requirements So Specific?

Hey,

I'm an Australian Citizen and work as a Senior Systems Admin at a telecommunications company. I'm looking for a job in the US on a visa (E-3 which is easier to get than H1B for Australians).

What do you think would be my chances? I guess you'd need a copy of my CV, but just wondering if real employers who are struggling to find the right candidate would bother with the trouble of getting an E-3 visa for an Aussie? (FYI the E-3 is a lot less work than getting a H1B but because its not well known known nobody seems to really want to bother with it).

I also visit the US yearly and could interview in person and have a US ph number (voip) employers can call me on too.

I can't work out if you're serious... but I'm in NZ, and have applied for a couple of US positions from here. I'm in a specialized area (Unisys & ALGOL, if you must know) so there's not many of us about. Got as far as people in the US emailing back, but as soon as they found out I didn't have right of abode, I got dropped.

Fine, no problems, I reply. Good luck with the search.

Comment Re:Whine under engine braking (Score 1) 443

by Kittenman (#45183111) Attached to: I wish my car could...
I had a car once that went through a half-litre of engine oil every time I filled the petrol tank (so about every 500 km). Failing to do this caused the warning light to come on, so I wasn't making it up.

I took it into the garage that sold it to me - well, sold it to the company (company cars... the best sort) and they said yes, that's quite normal. Nothing wrong with that. Have a nice day.

A documented defect is a 'quirk'.

Submission + - Man stays legally dead, despite pulse (nationalpost.com)

Submitted by Kittenman
Kittenman writes: Donald Miller Jr of Ohio was declared legally dead in 1994, eight years after disappearing. He resurfaced in 2005, needing to regain his Social security number. His wife battled the case to declare him alive, as she was unable to repay the social security benefits she had received. The judge declared the man still dead, as there is only a three-year period to reverse the original ruling.

“I don’t know where that leaves you, but you’re still deceased as far as the law is concerned,” the judge said.

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