Goddard was the father of modern rocketry (perhaps 5000 years of Chinese fireworks aside ;-), so really any fundamentally new technology is at it's "Goddard level". But it is amazing to think about what Robert Goddard was doing compared to a truly modern launch system, and apply that to what researchers are doing with quantum computing. Where will that be in 80 years? I wish I could be alive to see it.

No, those will be Tyrell Corporation Nexus 6 series basic pleasure models. Ask for Pris.

You have to wonder if we live in a time where any opposing viewpoint merits a "teach the controversy" approach. Can I claim anything, convince hoards of mouth-breathers desperate for something to cling to, and have it taught at a university, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary?

I'd also like to take a moment to quote Tim Minchin's awesome beat poem rant "Storm" which seems relevant:

"By definition", I begin
"Alternative Medicine", I continue
"Has either not been proved to work,
Or been proved not to work.
You know what they call "alternative medicine"
That's been proved to work?
Medicine."

If you haven't seen or heard it, I highly recommend it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

"salvaging mercury switches, which can be used to detonate explosives"

Was the abandoned building an old bomb factory? No? Well, guess what? Mercury switches have other uses too! Do we raid the houses of everyone who steals hammers or screwdrivers? Why not? Both of those can be used to kill people. The reason is science! Chemistry and electronics are fields most people don't understand, and it's (regrettably) human nature is to fear what is not understood. Everyone understands a hammer, so no panic is induced.

This also gives the bomb squad some legitimacy on paper. They can show at the end of the year that the squad was sent out on 47 runs. Clearly they are needed and need further funding by the tax payers. The fact that not one of those 47 runs involved an actual bomb is not evaluated.

Agreed. The question the article poses presupposes that nuclear devices CAN protect against NEOs. Most research in the field answers the question with a resounding "no". The best use of a nuclear weapon against a NEO would be to detonate several, in succession, to slightly alter the course of the NEO or to change its velocity. But as maroberts intimated, this would have to be done at a significant distance from Earth...probably near or past Jupiter's orbit at a minimum.

The did Zuck before Woz? Are you f-ing kidding me?

According to this poll http://www.harrisinteractive.c..., about 57% of frequent flyers believe the current TSA procedures are making it safer to fly. The other 43% recognize them for the theatrics that they are.

Sure, they find their fair share of fake novelty hand grenades and medieval weaponry in checked baggage. They even once saved a plane from the pudding cup my daughter left in her backpack (which naturally earned her a pat-down). But what the TSA was really doing was keeping a major mode of transportation operational for a brief time of uncertainty. As with all things government, the project's scope began to creep and pockets got lined while we stood in a line to have our pockets felt by a creep.

57% think the TSA is money well spent. That is the metric by which the TSA measures itself.

It looks amateurish because it was made by amateurs. It's a fan-made trailer. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt40...

You almost have to stand in awe and wonder at the level of stupidity exhibited by a car company (the brand once synonymous with safety) creating a vehicle that operates with any level of autonomy without basic collision avoidance. Whether human, fire hydrant, light pole, vehicle, or wall; an autonomous vehicle should not be able to proceed should an obstacle be in its way.

Humans are capable of saying and doing all manner of ill-conceived things. It's part of our nature, and we all do something dumb from time to time. But this is an entirely different level. It's a decision so divorced from reality that it's difficult to find a comparison.

It's like an elevator that will move up or down with the doors still open and people half-way through, unless you buy a separate software package to check for that.

Creating a business is all about mergers and acquisitions. You build a customer base and become attractive enough to one of the larger players to be gobbled up. The C-level execs all get golden parachutes, the mid-management get completely axed, and the peons see a reduction of 60% and a pay cut; which pays for the parachutes.

In the end, the consumer gets necessarily screwed as there is either a reduction in competition, or a preclusion of competition; unless you own stock in the company being purchased.

This has been the predominate business methodology in the U.S. since the mid-80's (admittedly, conjecture on my part), and requires a major shift in thinking to stop this nonsense. But truly, mergers and acquisitions should be the exception not the rule, if fair-market competition is to be nurtured.

Having a plan to deal with an asteroid/comet strike is more like having an emergency parachute. It's FAR better to have one and not need it, than need one and not have it.

My guess is this isn't a case of cherry-picking, it's just that it took them 2-3 years to complete and publish the research. I wouldn't think it takes that long to acquire and study 21 phones, but looking at some of the dates in their paper, maybe it took *them* that long.

I don't think of this as ground-breaking research, it's more like archaeology. Better editorial surrounding the research could have been done in a "See how far we've come since 2013" type of way.

Average miles driven per year in the US is about 13,500. It varies by gender, age and state (about 11k in Oregon according to carinsurance.com), but there's a strong common-good argument to be made. So at the current rate, that's roughly $200 per driver per year. Just charge that at license plate renewal. Done. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. There's no tracking, no technology, it's cheap to implement and enforce, it doesn't require outside vendors, etc.

This whole thing smacks of big brother, cronyism, pork-barrel spending, and government stupidity. The problem with legislators is that anyone actually smart enough to do the job effectively is working in the private sector. What's that saying? Those who can, do; those who cannot, legislate. It's something like that ;-)

Not seawater, but Lake Meade isn't exactly a swimming pool either. It's a vast biological marine ecosystem; full of life. The life in question, is Quagga Mussels. They're an invasive mussel species that, left unattended, would clog the cooling pipes.

I wish I had mod points. IRC, Hoover Dam would continue to make power for 50 years after we're gone. The only reason it will stop, is the water intake valves will get too clogged with marine detritus without divers to periodically clean them.