Comment Re:Well then (Score 1) 392
Larry, is that you ?
Comment OJ Toyota (Score 1) 437
If a cosmic ray will fit, you must acquit !!!
Comment panopticon (Score 1) 171
For a while the question from my perspective has been how long until we live in a panopticon not what can I do to keep privacy on the web ? The results in the article are pretty obvious, the only way to keep information secret about yourself seems to become a hermit and use technologies from two centuries ago.
Submission + - 600 million metric tons of water ice on the Moon (nasa.gov)
unchiujar writes: Nasa radar aboard the India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has detected deposits of water ice on the moon. The spacecraft has found 40 craters ranging from 2 to 15 kilometers that could hold an estimated 600 million metric tons of water ice.
Comment Teach yourself anything (well) in 10 years (Score 1) 107
Whenever I see titles like these ( Teach yourself X in ZY [days|hours|minutes|seconds] ) I always think of this article http://www.norvig.com/21-days.html
Comment Re:UK citizen? (Score 1) 571
To add to the examples, it seems the US only wants people extradited when it's convenient.
A US soldier kills somebody in a car accident, he is removed to the US and acquited: http://thewaterglass.net/?p=1636
Submission + - Linux installfests maturing? (blogspot.com)
christian.einfeldt writes: "Linux installfests apparently are expanding from an emphasis on serving individual users to mass network installs serving non-profits and schools. In the past, installfests have often been held as part of Linux User Group meetings, and involved individual new computer users bringing their computers to a small meeting to have Linux installed on their machines. But now there is an apparent trend visible in Linux installfests toward mass network installs supported by greater corporate or municipal involvement in Linux installfests. In many cases, the newly-installed Linux computers are being given to end user institutions such as schools. For example, a recent installfest in Austin, Texas, was put on by two non-profits and was supported by the personal participation of upper management at AMD and nFusion. The majority of the eighty-three machines were PXE-booted and mass-installed at that event over an ad hoc network. Likewise, at last year's LinuxWorld expo in San Francisco, 350 Linux computers were mass-installed over a similar PXE network in a mass installfest put on in a partnership between the non-profit Alameda County Computer Resource Center and the for-profit Untangle and IDG firms. The machines were donated to San Francisco Bay Area schools. Similar installfests have been held in Chile and India, to name just a few."
Comment Plastic vs. paper packaging (Score 1) 325
How would changing packaging to paper help with the dumping plastic issues ? Recently I heard about managed forests and on the surface it sounds good since the forest stays in place and it's cut down to make paper products and also replenished at the same time. I cringe every time I have to throw a plastic/glass container in the trash (and no, there's no recycling program where I live).
Comment Re:Sesame Street & the Importance of Bilingual (Score 1) 1077
I learned English from TV (the TV where I lived was subtitled not overdubbed), games, and reading books. I also I have a better than average understanding of Italian from (I assume) watching Italian TV without subtitles as a kid. I can understand most Italian (90%) but cannot string together a single phrase. My native language is Romanian and as such is 70% percent similar to Italian. However, I know a lot of people who do not understand Italian even though they speak Romanian as a native language. In English I am very fluent - better than the average native speaker from test scores and interaction with native speakers.
So I think TV, books, games, etc do help even in the absence of native speakers.
Comment Re:Question about atmospheric friction (Score 2, Informative) 87
Actually an object will heat up less on reentry if it is blunt because there will be a bigger cushion of air between the aircraft and the shock front.. Early ballistic missiles had a round (blunt) tip made of plywood which chars slowly in order to prevent the destruction of the payload on reentry.
Reposting this (posted as AC) because I can't stand someone being wrong on the internet. :)
Reposting this (posted as AC) because I can't stand someone being wrong on the internet.
Submission + - Change of rules for lithium batteries on planes (cryptome.org)
unchiujar writes: It seems the Department of Transportation has amended the rules on carrying lithium batteries on planes further
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to tighten the safety standards for transportation of lithium batteries, including both primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries. Specifically, we are adopting with minor changes the amendments to the HMR published in an interim final rule on December 15, 2004, imposing a limited prohibition on the transportation of primary lithium batteries and cells as cargo aboard passenger-carrying aircraft. In addition, we are adopting many of the proposed changes to the HMR published under the April 2, 2002 NPRM; (1) Eliminating a hazard communication and packaging exception for medium-size lithium cells and batteries of all types transported by aircraft or vessel; (2) revising an exception for small lithium batteries and cells of all types to require testing in accordance with the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria; and (3) revising an exception for consumer electronic devices and spare lithium batteries of all types carried by airline passengers and crew. These amendments will enhance transportation safety by reducing fire hazards associated with lithium batteries and harmonizing U.S. and international standards. DATES: Effective Date: The effective date of these amendments is January 1, 2008. Voluntary Compliance: Voluntary compliance with all of these amendments, including those with a delayed mandatory compliance date, is authorized as of October 1, 2007.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to tighten the safety standards for transportation of lithium batteries, including both primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries. Specifically, we are adopting with minor changes the amendments to the HMR published in an interim final rule on December 15, 2004, imposing a limited prohibition on the transportation of primary lithium batteries and cells as cargo aboard passenger-carrying aircraft. In addition, we are adopting many of the proposed changes to the HMR published under the April 2, 2002 NPRM; (1) Eliminating a hazard communication and packaging exception for medium-size lithium cells and batteries of all types transported by aircraft or vessel; (2) revising an exception for small lithium batteries and cells of all types to require testing in accordance with the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria; and (3) revising an exception for consumer electronic devices and spare lithium batteries of all types carried by airline passengers and crew. These amendments will enhance transportation safety by reducing fire hazards associated with lithium batteries and harmonizing U.S. and international standards. DATES: Effective Date: The effective date of these amendments is January 1, 2008. Voluntary Compliance: Voluntary compliance with all of these amendments, including those with a delayed mandatory compliance date, is authorized as of October 1, 2007.
Submission + - Record Industry Woes Aggravated by Years of Bad PR
An anonymous reader writes: Richard Menta makes a strong case on MP3 Newswire that bad public relations stirred by the open conflict between the record industry and the consumer is a heavy contributor to the crumbling fortunes of the major labels. In his analysis he contrasts how the NFL and Major League baseball tread gingerly with the Michael Vick and steroids scandals respectively to avoid further raising the ire of sports fans, while the major labels and the RIAA openly antagonize music fans who dare embrace new technologies they don't have full control of. From the article" Today the major record labels don't have a positive brand image and the very public actions they have taken to control the rise of digital media and the Internet over the last several years is at the very heart of their fall from grace. To some the big labels are an anachronism. To others they are anti-consumer. The erosion of their image is dramatic..." Menta then lays out 17 public events that have chipped away at the image of the recording industry including those that show them as bullies (RIAA sues little girls), as incompetent (RIAA sues the dead), as oppressors of the artist (Courtney Love, Janis Ian, and Grey Tuesday), as greedy (that's what Steve Jobs called them), and as practitioners of unauthorized access (Sony rootkit scandal). Consumer perception can be a bitch and the end result here is that many consumers probably don't feel as good about buying a CD anymore.
Submission + - White House Says Hill Can't Pursue Contempt Cases (washingtonpost.com)
rook2pawn writes: Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.
The Moderate Voice asks "what is Congress remedy? Increasingly, Bush administration actions appear to be actually provocative aimed at throwing the matter into court. Could it be because George Bush now has more friends on the Supreme Court who believe in a stronger executive and will back him in the end? If they back him, the United States traditional definition of checks and balances may have to be heavily revised."
Submission + - University of Kansas strict copyright infringement 1
NewmanKU writes: "Eric Bangeman at Ars Technica writes that the University of Kansas has adopted a new strict copyright infringement policy for the students on the residential network that are sharing copyrighted files. The university's ResNet website states that, "Violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is against the law. If you are caught downloading copyrighted material, you will lose your ResNet privileges forever. No second notices, no excuses, no refunds. One violation and your ResNet internet access is gone for as long as you reside on campus." According to a KU spokesperson, KU has recieved 345 notices in the past year from organizations and businesses regarding complaints about copyrighted material downloading."
Submission + - 12 IT skills that employers can't say no to
StonyandCher writes: Have you spoken with a high-tech recruiter or professor of computer science lately? According to observers across the country, the technology skills shortage that pundits were talking about a year ago is real.
The market for IT talent is hot, but only if you have the right skills. If you want to be part of the wave, take a look at what eight experts — including recruiters, curriculum developers, computer science professors and other industry observers — say are the hottest skills of the near future.
The market for IT talent is hot, but only if you have the right skills. If you want to be part of the wave, take a look at what eight experts — including recruiters, curriculum developers, computer science professors and other industry observers — say are the hottest skills of the near future.
