It is is good to see this kind of basic research is still being done. Even as Hewlett Packard has gutted its research capabilities and looks set to suit to its corporate grave, blue-chip IBM shows that it still understands the need for discovery. Though it is perhaps indicative that this team is decidedly not American...

Just stay away from open flame and you should be all right.

:-P

Maybe not interesting, but it *does* make them patentable!

"Quick, running-mate Robin, to the Patent Office!"

Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh, naaaaahh!

We could just as well say that " any organization made up of people has demonstrated at some time that, given the chance to acquire and abuse power, they will."

Some people are well-adjusted and will not willingly harm others of their own volition. Other people are sociopathic maladjusted dangers to others, who strive only for their own personal gain.

Many of us exhibit both sets of behaviors, among others, depending on the circumstances and overall context.

That said, when choosing whether to grant power over me to a government that is, at least ostensibly, representative, or to a company that is, at least ostensibly, interested primarily in making a profit while minimizing (and often externalizing) costs, I'll choose the government. At least I have some way of influencing governmental decision-making, even if I'm not a shareholder.

If you've found a way to *drive* across the ocean, well, my hat is off to you, sir!

:-P

It depends on where you insert the joke. It also depends on how forcefully you do so. Using certain values for these variables will increase the likelihood of you being a terrorist.

:-P

When I heard news on the radio about the Egyptian elections, I was utterly baffled why they had elected Morrissey as their new President; I thought they must have taken a turn from oppression to depression.

Then I saw the headlines -- "Oh, Morsi , not Morrissey. Muslim Brotherhood, not Emo. That makes more sense."

:-P

And the sign on the door says, "Beware of Leopard".

:-P

Ballmer, Vogon High Commander in exile? Quick, someone get him to recite poetry!

Yes, the transmission is more complicated than a basic CVT in that the gasoline engine and the electric motors do both provide power. I'm not up on the details of how that works out; it's probably something like locomotives, where the internal combustion engine part is solely to generate electricity, and it's only electricity that is used to power the drivetrain. That would simplify things compared to trying to have the gas engine coupled to the drivetrain directly, and working out how to share the power load with the electrics. I also note that, when coasting, the engine can shut off completely and be completely disengaged from the wheels, while you can also manually force the car to use the engine to help brake (by shifting into "B"), such as when going downhill.

The mod system isn't perfect, but give it time -- the scores on posts tend to move around quite a bit on controversial threads, especially when they're still pretty fresh.

Cheers,

Praise Bob, I certainly hope so. Scientists question science. That's how science works.

The problem is when people just flat-out reject science, without questioning whether the science is sound or not.

Cheers,

HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, has been traced back to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which has been traced back to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which has been traced back to bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). Some web hits.

If I understand things correctly, retroviruses tend, over time, to evolve to be less than fatal to the host. That's just basic selection pressure -- if a virus kills its host, it's lost its home; meanwhile, the selection pressure on host is to not be killed by the infection. At the extreme, quickly lethal diseases tend to burn themselves out, thereby self-limiting, much as seen with the Ebola virus, for which breakouts flare up, then ebb again as infected people die too quickly for the disease to spread. FIV tends not to be fatal to large cats, much as BIV tends not to be fatal to cows, water buffalo, and their ilk. I think SIV has similarly evolved to a more stable and less fatal plateau. There are already reported cases of people who test positive for HIV infection but who remain asymptomatic, even individuals without access to the broad array of medical treatments that Magic Johnson can avail himself of. At least one genetic mechanism has been identified that confers a resistance to certain types of HIV infection; it's possible that Magic Johnson has this particular mutation, or perhaps some other genetic quirk that helps his body keep HIV from running rampant.

Cheers,

Gah, where are my mod points...

:-P

I don't think tbannist was actually saying what you appear to be replying to. My reading of the GP here hinges on the bolded part. I interpreted their post as not being a statement of "anyone who disagrees with me, is bad", which seems to be your interpretation of tbannist's post, but instead as a statement of "anyone who is willfully ignorant in order to avoid learning anything inconvenient, causes problems when participating in a democracy".

The former is a childish sentiment, and I agree with your concerns. However, the latter has generally proven true over the course of history: democracy works best when the electorate is as informed as possible, and ignorance, especially willful ignorance, causes democracy to work not so well, resulting in the interests of the elected leaders being less well aligned with the interests of the electorate.

(Note that I am in no way stating any opinion about the hacking incident in the OP -- I'm simply commenting on tbannist's post and bws111's reply.)

Cheers,

Wow, so Mitt's mom was also his grandma? Man, that's some messed-up family dynamics right there. But cool on them for living by "what's good for the goose is good for the gander", and practicing polyandry (multiple husbands for one wife) as well as polygamy (multiple wives for one husband).

:-P