Too bad. We actually make an on-topic reference to one of the most overused memes on Slashdot, and not a single point of moderation love is thrown our way. Kids these days just don't know their history. :)

They're trying to figure out if ants can be trained to sort tiny screws in space.

What does that does that have to do with it? It was civilians who launched it and ran it as well.

First off, there never was a scientific consensus that there was going to be global cooling. There was a Newsweek article on it in 1975, but you'd have to really stretch to claim that a scientific consensus was warning of global cooling. At the time the two major competing mechanisms going on was cooling due to atmospheric aerosols, and warming due to greenhouse gases. You also have to keep in mind that in the 1970s the aerosol issue was dramatically addressed by banning CFC aerosols, which dramatically reduced the aerosols in the atmosphere (and thus, dramatically reducing their cooling potential), so we're left with greenhouse gases dominating. It isn't "they keep changing their story," it is that one of the issues was successfully addressed. Now, it would be nice if the other issue could be addressed.

You can see what the guy who wrote that Newsweek article has to say about it in retrospect.

No, unless they just changed them, the instructions were to do a fresh install. They say if you want to try a upgrade in place, then they give you some steps (like changing to the proper apt repositories) to do, but they also let you know that YMMV and you're on your own if you hose it up.

You still see this behavior on Windows (7, at least, I haven't been on 8). No, I don't want Windows to search the Internet for the solutions (because it always comes back empty), no I don't want a crash report sent to Microsoft, and no, I don't want you to start the "Troubleshooter" because that is the least useful thing of all.

What is his track record? Whether one chooses to write him off depends upon how often he has cried wolf before, and the details of his mistakes (were they due to fundamental lack of understanding of a technical topic, or something more benign?). It has been many, many years since I've gone to his web site, and I do not doubt that he cares about computer security in general, but (back then, at least) I recall his site being very self-promotional in the sense that he'd warn you of the security issues you (may) have, and sell you a solution. That might be what the parent comment was referring to.

I bet you didn't know Jim Morrison was a fan as well.

That's funny because in my experience, the hardware guys usually blame it on the software and the software guys blame it on the hardware.

I'm not sure whether most states are allowed to sit on money to be used at some unknown point in the future (a "rainy day fund").

What? Government inefficiency and incompetence quotes go back thousands of years.

Samsung just released a 4k monitor for $700. A guy at work just got one. That's still too much than I'd pay for a monitor for the home (considering the options now available), but it is much less than all the other 4k monitors I've seen.

You don't get money, you get Skype money. That's as good as Itchy and Scratchy Money if you don't use Skype.

This sounded so familiar to me, but I can't believe it has been over eight years ago. I must be remembering a similar story posted much more recently.

I don't ever recall environmentalists advocating single-use plastic bags over paper.