Why not?! The fact that it fits on a diskette means that a lot of bloat must have been cut out, leaving functionality. This means faster (and potentially better) software that uses the system's resources more efficiently.

Reminds of this, of course: http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1605#comic

I'd mod you up if I had points, so instead I'll just say that I think there is truth to what you have said. Researchers, professors in particular, are very busy people and can only spend so much time on a thorough review of a submitted article. Finding some way to help automate this would be a great research project and a great help to the whole process.

Pedal powered generators have been used to power remote communications for a long time: http://www.antiqueradio.com/traeger_pedal_07-99.html That's possibly better than wasting your camp fuel to achieve a charge. Maybe the trick is not to charge the phone, but to run the generator when you need the phone, as these pedal powered radios were operated.

So I should be able to use my HAM radio on board!

While I'm sure they have their good reasons for this exercise, I don't think this is the sort of military behavior a "free" society should ever have to experience. Why can't they do it in simulation or in the middle of the desert? Why like this now? I can only imagine being in traffic when this happens...

Isn't all of this useless without a good energy source? Rockets and mining operations don't run on wishful thinking.

Interesting. I didn't realize stucco required metal. I thought it was only cement and ceramic.

Respect people. Having or not having lots of specific knowledge (read: being a nerd) is not a sufficient condition for respect. Try to see where others are coming from. Maybe they've never been put in the situation you are in, such that nerdiness is so important. You will find that other people who are worth being around will respect you. Your problems with arrogance will be no more. Maybe some of your arrogant friends will act this way too. At least you care already.


P.S. Your post has a high level of vocabulary. That could be off-putting to a lot of people. Your first goal in speaking should be to communicate. That doesn't always mean using the most specific words. Good luck!

I need a tinfoil house!

One really great advantage to this is the energy density of gasoline. Though the process for producing is inefficient, gasoline and other hydrocarbons are still really good at being stable and energy dense. That is one reason why we've been driving hydrocarbon fueled vehicles instead of battery powered vehicles for so long. Gasoline is fairly stable for a long time and quite energy dense. A gallon in an efficient vehicle can go many miles, using relatively simple technology.

Only recently has battery technology become competitive in this regard. Of course, this doesn't solve the atmospheric CO2 level problem. Or the problem of obtaining energy in the first place. This (if it works at all) could be another tool in making renewable energy more viable.

It would fly as well as a suggestion by someone who didn't bother to RTFA. ;-)

You also need the right materials. Not just anything can be a gun barrel. I'm not a fan of bans, but perhaps the best compromise in this situation is to ban the 3D printable materials that could be formed into guns, not the printers, plans, and other 3D printable materials.

The campfire percolator is my favorite method as well. Nothing like waking up from cold night camping to that.

You teach, to a small extent, teach about the process of determining new facts. I don't think it should be a large part of a given course, and in fact it may be better for faculty to point students to the seminar series in the department of their choice.