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Comment An unschooled perspective (Score 1) 470

Approaching this empirically, with a couple of 50-year intervals:
1912-1962 general relativity, discovery of DNA, yada yada
1963-2013 quantum chromodynamics, I grant you that... and supersymmetry or some such shit, various biotech engineering feats working out the details

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_scientific_discoveries#20th_century
There does seem to be a trend towards application of established theories (essentially an engineering exercise) as opposed to new fundamental discoveries.

Comment SAP policy of age discrimination? (Score 2) 441

Though SAP is German, and this brilliant fellow is based in India, they should be careful. These kinds of statements suggest a more widespread policy of overt age discrimination at SAP, which is illegal in the US, among other countries. SAP should release a statement disowning this rant. Imagine: 'My experience is that race X is generally not as productive as race Y, so I prefer not to hire anyone of race X'. Also, gender F tends to go on maternity leave and not come back, so I prefer to hire gender M. Unacceptable.

Comment Re:Try Forty Instead of Four (Score 1) 524

1972 - parents working as teacher and nurse, moved into their first house with a modest mortgage (in Canada, I should mention). Lots of free time, not tons of money, but enough, and already had a cottage/camp, which boggles the mind
2008 - grim... looked like my employer (small startup) was about to fold, was picked up for a dime by a billion-dollar company
2012 - fixing up my first house (bought last year at age 40 cash-only). Still w/ the same company that acquired the startup. Daughter and wife are healthy and happy.

Subjectively...
1972 -> 2008 worse
2008 -> 2012 better
1972 -> 2012 about the same

Submission + - Cold fusion: It's Real. What are the ramifications? (ni.com)

ztexas writes: Interesting points from last page of the slides:
Anomalous Heat Evolution Effect is repeatable by the nano-metal-D(H)-gas loading method
  High energy density (>800eV/Ni-atom) power lasting several weeks or more, with negligible radiations (to be confirmed by scale-up exp.)

There have been many unverified/unrepeatable claims, but this seems very credible. What are the ramifications of eventual commercialization of energy production from Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR)?

Comment Re:Flamebait Headline (Score 1) 1010

Nicely said, from another math/cs/physics/engineering type. Wish I had mod points for you. My wife is terrible at maths... fine with arithmetic and the most basic algebra, but I fail to see how making her struggle with factoring quadratic equations helped her (or society) in any way. One of the most brilliant programmers I've ever met is a terrible speller. Perhaps he should have been denied his high school diploma?

Comment Re:Don't worry they have already copied it (Score 2) 547

Wow, only took a few minutes for judgmental dude to jump in, and get modded up +5 insightful. That's what I love about Slashdot. Many employers (especially small companies) allow for personal use within certain restrictions. Many personal details can be left behind from work-related tasks such as registrations on intraweb sites, HR forms, and travel sites (including personal credit card to charge business trips later refunded). It's a valid question. But I feel your need to judge. In fact, I am doing it right now. Maybe you are at work right now. Are you stealing the company's electricity to charge your phone?

Comment Re:F*ck (Score 1) 148

Time to call it a week. My wistful expression of preference has been met with a bias alert by a dad in Portland. Internet, why do I bother with you. Yet I've learned something. Apparently there are some good TV programs. Who knew. Eat shit, snark sig troll.

Comment F*ck (Score 1) 148

I hate it when good radio programs go away. Dr Dean Edell, now this. I don't know what it is, but I've always felt a stronger connection to radio than TV. I guess it's that I'm an old fart. But radio is so much more personal with less glitz, extraneous distraction. At least I still have As It Happens.

Comment Cognitive dissonance (Score 1) 556

He's a fraudster. Name one other case where an invention or useful implement has preceded the theoretical framework to explain it. Oh wait...
I don't know whether Rossi has found something novel and commercialized it. Neither do you. Time will tell. AFAIK he hasn't been taking prepayment for delivery of the devices, even though it would be rather trivial to setup the infrastructure to accept $100 payments to be "first in line" for later delivery of home units. If/when he does this, I will be first to suspect fraud.

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