skydude_20 - Slashdot User

Comment problems with complexity (Score 4, Interesting) 1146

by skydude_20 on Wednesday November 04, 2009 @12:45AM (#29973576) Attached to: Toyotas Suddenly Accelerate; Owners Up In Arms

F-22 raptor - 1.7 million lines of code
F-35 joint strike fighter - 5.7 million
Boeing 787 - 6.5 million
Premium class automobile - ~ 100 million

IEEE Spectrum: "How hard should it be to stop a runaway luxury car?" http://spectrum.ieee.org/blog/computing/it/riskfactor/how-hard-should-it-be-to-stop-a-runaway-car

IEEE Spectrum: "This car runs on code" http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/advanced-cars/this-car-runs-on-code

Neanderthals "Had Sex" With Modern Man 536

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday October 27, 2009 @07:44PM from the strange-bedfellows dept.

According to Professor Svante Paabo, director of genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Neanderthals and modern humans had sex across the species barrier. The professor has been using DNA retrieved from fossils to piece together the entire Neanderthal genome, and plans on publishing his findings soon. He recently told a conference that he was sure the two species had had sex, but still had questions as to how "productive" the relations had been. "What I'm really interested in is, did we have children back then and did those children contribute to our variation today?" he said. "I'm sure that they had sex, but did it give offspring that contributed to us? We will be able to answer quite rigorously with the new [Neanderthal genome] sequence." What remains a mystery is what Paleolithic brewery provided the catalyst for these stone age hook-ups.

Internet Probably Couldn't Handle a Flu Pandemic 341

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday October 27, 2009 @04:22PM from the opposing-fingers-pointing dept.

Several readers including mikael and gclef noted a report from the General Accountability Office suggesting that it should be Homeland Security's job to make sure the nation's business can flow during a pandemic. In particular, if H1N1 sends workers and schoolchildren home in large numbers, GAO thinks it might be a good idea for ISPs to prioritize traffic (favoring commerce over games, say), to reduce network speeds, and possibly to shut down high-traffic Web sites. DHS retorts that not only isn't it their job to control the Internet in this way, but the GAO is naive to believe it's even possible: "An expectation of unlimited Internet access during a pandemic is not realistic." "[DHS] does not even have a plan to start work on the issue, the General Accountability Office said. But the Homeland Security Department accused the GAO of having unrealistic expectations of how the Internet could be managed if millions began to telework from home at the same time as bored or sick schoolchildren were playing online, sucking up valuable bandwidth. Experts have for years pointed to the potential problem of Internet access during a severe pandemic, which would be a unique kind of emergency. It would be global, affecting many areas at once, and would last for weeks or months... Many companies and government offices hope to keep operations going as much as possible with teleworking using the Internet. Among the many problems posed by this idea, however, is the issue of bandwidth..."

Comment all the change... (Score 1) 791

by skydude_20 on Tuesday July 28, 2009 @12:03AM (#28847501) Attached to: Formerly Classified Global Warming Spy Photos Released

... that is politically convenient...

Comment Re:Why do we have corporate-controlled wires anywa (Score 0, Troll) 381

by skydude_20 on Tuesday May 19, 2009 @06:40PM (#28018943) Attached to: Cory Doctorow Draws the Line On Net Neutrality

because we would still be using telegraph if we had to rely on the government to improve communications infrastructure

Comment thanks for letting everyone know (Score 4, Funny) 464

by skydude_20 on Thursday April 02, 2009 @11:13AM (#27430667) Attached to: Wolverine Film Leaked a Month Before Release

my torrent download is screaming fast now

Comment 4PCB - highly recommended! (and American) (Score 1) 262

by skydude_20 on Friday March 27, 2009 @10:51AM (#27357317) Attached to: Circuit Board Design For a Small Startup?

http://4pcb.com/ great manufacturer located in Denver. They have great deals, willing to work with you at all levels of production (prototypes vs. actual production releases). If you are new to design they are very helpful and willing to test your designs before printing, to warn of any mistakes you may have.

Comment who do you think you voted fore? (Score 1) 873

by skydude_20 on Wednesday February 11, 2009 @12:31PM (#26814047) Attached to: Senator Diane Feinstein Trying to Kill Net Neutrality

some savior third party? hah.. come on people, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Comment snipe hunting (Score 4, Funny) 233

by skydude_20 on Friday January 09, 2009 @01:53PM (#26389063) Attached to: Rare Venomous Mammal Filmed

i told you it was real

Comment you babies (Score 1) 114

by skydude_20 on Monday October 20, 2008 @12:16AM (#25437335) Attached to: F-Secure Calls For "Internetpol" To Fight Crimeware

really.. come on.. "the/a government is here to help" b.s. the Internet is as frewheeling as it is for the rest of us, as organizations that cause havoc are formed, equally as well those that can spread advocacy and security will/should just as well rise up. trust me, a bureaucrat will never save you.

Submission + - Scientists Threatened For "Climate Denial"

Submitted by Forrest Kyle on Monday March 12, 2007 @02:20AM

Forrest Kyle writes: A former professor of climatology at the University of Winnipeg has recieved multiple death threats for questioning the extent to which human activities are driving global warming. From the article, "'Western governments have pumped billions of dollars into careers and institutes and they feel threatened,' said the professor. 'I can tolerate being called a sceptic because all scientists should be sceptics, but then they started calling us deniers, with all the connotations of the Holocaust. That is an obscenity. It has got really nasty and personal.' Richard Lindzen, the professor of Atmospheric Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology...recently claimed: 'Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves labelled as industry stooges. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science.'"

Journal Journal: My Anti-Tiger Rock Works!

Journal by skydude_20 on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:03PM

notice there aren't any tigers around here? no troubles with tiger attacks around here? you want to know why? it's simple actually, it's because of this rock! yes this anti-tiger rock of mine! want me to prove it works? thats easy, just remember, no tigers around here, right? havn't been any tiger attacks around here, right? so it must work! there's all the proof you ever need! and if you think to want to ever question me about my rock, well then, what is wrong with you? do you like tigers or

Journal Journal: First journal

Journal by skydude_20 on Monday December 09, 2002 @12:27AM

Look Ma! Ain't ya proud? My First journal entry! Just imagine my luck someday I grow up to be famous for writting and have this posted everywhere as a "look into what he was like in his beginning years." Woohoo... Well here's knews in my life, yes all you prepare to gasp and ready your fooder. Can you believe it? I read slashdot religously, and I have a girlfriend! Blamo! Awesome! Well, hmm, she is truly an awesome person beyond all belief, enough so that I feel I need to let the world know.

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