Sting operations are a slippery slope. It should be just a method to get good evidence against a dodgy suspect, not push him over the edge. Would he ever commit the crime if not for the sting? Certainly not

How many gullible/desperate/morally dubious people have been unjustly tempted by such schemes?

I don't have much simpathy for the morally dubious, but it is still a low, merciless blow.

For monotonous work I like to hear music without vocals (or at least gutural vocals). It helps me to keep focused and to be done with it quickly.

If I want to solve a single, big and complex problem, nothing is better than a walk around nature. It allows me to see the problem from every possible angle.

For everything in between, coffee and ocasionally cigaretes work better for me.

Imo, beer is for playing Worms. It's the only game I know that is still fun when you fuck up.

If you assume the system isn't reliable, well, then any measure is useless.

After the order is given, no one can remove it. Shuffle the stack.

No one needs liquidity better than one second for real business.

Because if the video is released after the trial, the cops statement can't be changed.

Releasing after the trial may be worse for the victim, but it's better for society. The choice is yours.

Ah yes, from 0 to 4C. Iron does it too.

But is it enough to ignite nuclear reaction? I don't think so.

"The key to the system developed by inventor Charles Stevens, CEO and chairman of Connecticut-based Laser Power Systems, is that when silvery metal thorium is heated by an external source, it becomes so dense its molecules give off considerable heat."

Density increasing with heat?

This article is a scam.

That "full responsibility" approach led the american health system to its present state.

Sometimes you just have to learn to live with the risk, and try to manage it instead of eliminating it.

Someone correct me if this analogy on patent trolls is wrong...

1-The troll buys the street in front of his house from the government. I don't know how, the government just thought it was a good idea.

2-The troll then sits in front of his house with a shotgun, and shoots anyone that walks down the street for trespassing. He empties their pockets and then calls the police, which dutifully takes away the bodies.

3-If anyone asks why he doesn't build a wall or a locked gate, the troll answers that his land is clearly marked in the city hall map and people should check it before daring to walk around.

It is insanity.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-missing-billions-20110613,0,4414060.story

6.6 billions. It looks like they trusted the soldiers in the field too much and just let them handle the cash the way they saw fit.

A paragraph of the article that got my attention:

"The White House decided to use the money in the so-called Development Fund for Iraq, which was created by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to hold money amassed during the years when Hussein's regime was under crippling economic and trade sanctions."

Why would the WH create that Fund unless they had imediate plans to invade Iraq?

If Bill has any tip of where the body was dropped, this mission is certainly doable. All he needs is some sailor that got the GPS coordinates of the drop point and is willing to take a share of the reward (of course USA won't pay him, but Iran or some sheik could certainly pay so that they can prove that Osama was executed).
The GPS coordinates of the path of the ship might be enough too, if the reward is big enough to pay for months of search.

If all info he has is that he was dropped in the Arabian Sea, this will be a shot in the dark.

A biased opinion is just a more convincing way of lying, because the liar actually believes he is right. In that context, lying has a evolutionary advantage because it allows one to siphon resources from others to benefit the spreading of one's own genes.
Sound Reason still is an evolutionary advantage, because stuff actually work when you use it, and I prefer to see that faulty reasoning as closer to lying than a "evolutionally useful reasoning".

I would tie it to the hull, with some big tires in between to absorb shock. A crane big enough to lift a container out of the water wouldn't be cheap nor would it fit in small boats.
You could carry a nice number of containers with a system like that, maybe using a tandem scheme. This would be dangerous in a storm, but you can always cut loose and hunt down those containers again after the storm.

"while very effective ways of getting information and cooperation have been perfected for decades..."

Do you mind clarifying? With examples, please.

In some fields, it's not so easy for specialized workers to find another job. It may even require the worker to move to another country.

How many companies hire aerospace engineers, for example? Or wheat geneticists?

But in this case, yeah, the guy shouldn't have trouble finding another job if he is minimally competent.