I was about to build a (fully functional) anti-gravity drive the other day, but I was reminded by someone like you that it does nothing for the hungry in the world. So I abandoned my project and deleted all files.

I forgot to add that if they manage to have the potential to get a nuclear war head to the US (territory) it does not freaking matter if they use a ballista, a rocket or beam it across space. Same outcome. I've no idea what all this "analysis" telling us how bad and backwards everything North Korean is (which I don't doubt at all) is supposed to tell the (western) public? It sounds sooooo stupid.

"These findings confirm that the stage is still Scud-level technology."

Says who, a so-called "scientist" from the nation that just put the space shuttle into the scrapyard (where it belongs) - and has NOTHING to even do the same job as that old piece of junk?

As compared to what, the anti-gravity drive used by the latest US spaceships? Last time I checked EVERYONE still uses good old rockets. Oh sure - they now (occasionally) have a camera looking backwards for nice launch videos. And possibly they use fuel Y instead of fuel X - excuse me guys, you celebrate marginal, tiny advances as being far ahead of the stone-age North Koreans?

As far as getting into space, we ALL are at "stone-age" (1960s) level (i.e. rockets, huge flames, HUGE noise, lots of explosives). But today, progress is measured in micrometers, not in miles, so sure, let's celebrate how much more advanced we (the West) is compared to the most backward nation on earth.

It is an extremely good way of measuring certain *types* of problems only. The world, however, is larger than that. People who measure tend only to see what they can measure, though. It's like the economists being convinced the world is a fine place overall.

Anyone who's had a Psion 5 and stared on in disbelieve when the rest of the world went crazy over the (in comparison) absolutely useless Palm organizer had incontrovertible proof literally in their hands that a touch screen on a keyboard device is GREAT. Those who think that's different from a laptop - it is not, you used the Psion 5 just like a tiny laptop, only that instead of a mouse you touched the screen - with a pen, but that was okay. Working with this setup (back in 1997!!!), directly touching what you wanted to on the screen, felt MUCH MUCH MUCH more natural than the mouse-keyboard combo. So at least to ME this article is no news at all.

Psion 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Series_5
Palm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_(PDA)

Intercepting the V2 rocket was impossible - waaayyyy too fast, but there weren't nearly as many V2s as there were V1s.

Intercepting a V1 wasn't as hard, that thing flew like an airplane, basically. It could be intercepted by using height - dive down using altitude to make the intercepting airplane faster, because otherwise it would have had problems catching the pretty fast V1.

V1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_flying_bomb
V2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2

I'm interested, why did you choose to ignore my "CORRECTION: WHY MODDED INSIGHTFUL???" post? Because you like a controversy?

My... rage? (all caps) was because the one sentence of the post was NOT "insightful". I don't mind moderators voting it up if they like it - but please stick to correct labeling!

As for what I wrote, after re-reading the story and sleeping over it, I now think it's questionable. On the one hand it may indeed be a gross overreaction, on the other hand it very much looks like the guy may have done this deliberately as a publicity stunt for himself, knowing that in the end they would have to set him free after grabbing national headlines. I hate that too, so my FEELINGS tell me "jail him", the reasoning part of the brain has a different opinion.

Moderators should be REQUIRED to read up on the article. Having read several articles about the circumstances of this case I can only conclude that THIS TIME they where most definitely justified to take in that guy. Yes, even if it turns out he was innocent. READ ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR CASE before posting, please. My first knee-jerk reaction to the headline, when I first saw it (somewhere else), was the same as here, but the full facts changed MY mind.

...when their child commits murder? There are plenty of cases in the US and the UK available to research. Unless you hand your kid the gun, or don't leave YOUR gun lying around (applies to the US mostly), only the child ends up in (a special, depending on age) court. Then of course, in the US there are plenty examples where a 12 year old is tried as an adult, but that still leaves out the parents.

As for your second question, of course! If they are directly responsible. You cannot send your child to commit a crime thinking YOU won't be punished.

Your 3rd question, you DO know that even in the US civil and criminal law are two very different things?

So, to sum it up, are you just trolling because you immediately dislike something you hear, and are too lazy to invoke some more modern parts of your brain instead of just the knee-jerk reaction part?

Is it troll-time? I'm sorry, but how else should I react to this question, which does not take anyone more than a second to reply to:

- How long do trash collectors train for their job? And...

- ...how much do trash collectors pay for their training?

- If a trash collector forgets a trash can, how many people die? In the case of the pilot a lot of people are gone *immediately*, ye know, with just a single mishap.

Etc., I stop here, this isn't worth it.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/airline-and-commercial-pilots.htm#tab-5

Just to bring some numbers into the discussion.

Personally, I'm a private pilot, I would NEVER make this my profession - so much more money to make in IT, and working hours as a pilot are pretty bad mostly.
Don't forget that entry level pay is much less than those stats show - that's the MEDIAN (not even average).

"The median annual wage of commercial pilots was $67,500 in May 2010. Among commercial pilots, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $34,860 and the top 10 percent earned more than $119,650."

For such an important job this pay is RIDICULOUSLY LOW.

In that case I still keep my "Nuts!" comment, but no longer point it at your comment, but at the patent law. And you have my sympathies - I think I like MY job even more now...

I don't believe in that patent stuff at all anyway - I'm German, after all, and the way we got to where we are was through COPYING (British machines). I would be a hypocrite to defend patents now, just because now WE have the machines and somebody else copies them. The whole world is nuts.

You are not saying much. If a file a patent, do *I* have to file proof, or does *THE PTO* have to prove me wrong, and if they can't/don't they have to award the patent?

THAT is what you said - it is not quite clear, since it is a reply to a reply - so I would just like you to confirm.

PS: Is slashdot so d$%&n slow for others too? Not just today, even loading the homepage takes 5-10 seconds, each time.

You lack something called "insight" and "empathy", OR you are the only person who does not know that for MANY Americans joining the military is their ONLY chance to get a good education and a chance to a reasonable life. Sure, it's THEIR fault that they joined, they could have done what I did and get a great university education (free in my case, Germany - I did live in the US for more than 7 yrs too) to earn lots of money (IT, programming). If they did not do that, it MUST be THEIR FAULT. Yeah, right.