Mr D from 63 - Slashdot User

Comment In Reverse (Score 1, Insightful) 75

by Mr D from 63 on Saturday November 22, 2014 @12:59PM (#48440299) Attached to: Extreme Shrimp May Hold Clues To Alien Life On Europa

I find it much more probable that life begins in milder, friendlier conditions and then adapts over time to harsher environments. Of course, everything is relative.

Comment Re:No hot air (Score 1) 116

by Mr D from 63 on Saturday November 22, 2014 @09:59AM (#48439869) Attached to: Google's Project Loon Can Now Launch Up To 20 Balloons Per Day, Fly 10x Longer

This text does not tell what the balloon is inflated with

Maybe hype?

Comment Re:What's the deal with the message notifications? (Score 1) 116

by Mr D from 63 on Saturday November 22, 2014 @09:57AM (#48439865) Attached to: Google's Project Loon Can Now Launch Up To 20 Balloons Per Day, Fly 10x Longer

Yes, I noticed no response alerts as well.

Comment Re:No hot air (Score 1) 116

by Mr D from 63 on Saturday November 22, 2014 @09:44AM (#48439831) Attached to: Google's Project Loon Can Now Launch Up To 20 Balloons Per Day, Fly 10x Longer

Try some critical thinking on the hot air idea. Look at the pictures as well, they clearly are filling the balloons from a compressed gas source.

Comment Re:Helium shortage (Score 1) 116

by Mr D from 63 on Saturday November 22, 2014 @08:42AM (#48439701) Attached to: Google's Project Loon Can Now Launch Up To 20 Balloons Per Day, Fly 10x Longer

I think the engineering problem with filling it is more akin to cutting the feed at the right point more than anything to not rupture the vessel that is being filled.

Not really a problem. They likely just release a set volume of gas at a given temperature.

Comment Re:No hot air (Score 1) 116

by Mr D from 63 on Saturday November 22, 2014 @08:36AM (#48439687) Attached to: Google's Project Loon Can Now Launch Up To 20 Balloons Per Day, Fly 10x Longer

Just think how much energy it would take to maintain the hot air. Its simply not practical.

Comment Re:This is a good reminder for all technocrats (Score 1) 222

by Mr D from 63 on Thursday November 20, 2014 @02:38PM (#48427915) Attached to: Lessons Learned From Google's Green Energy Bust

^quite correct. I'll add that the availability of abundant, low cost energy is a great contributor.

Comment Re:This is a good reminder for all technocrats (Score 1) 222

by Mr D from 63 on Thursday November 20, 2014 @02:35PM (#48427869) Attached to: Lessons Learned From Google's Green Energy Bust

But everything is justifiable by blaming all our problems on libertarians & conservatives. So, please, play along. Don't make us consider reality, that just complicates the matter.

Comment Re:Bullshit Stats. (Score 1) 496

by Mr D from 63 on Thursday November 20, 2014 @02:06PM (#48427575) Attached to: As Amazon Grows In Seattle, Pay Equity For Women Declines

Pay comparisons should be broken down by experience & job level, and possibly age, otherwise they are skewed.

Comment Re:Underwhelming picture (Score 1) 81

by Mr D from 63 on Thursday November 20, 2014 @08:09AM (#48424937) Attached to: Millions of Spiders Seen In Mass Dispersal Event In Nova Scotia

Searched "the web"?

Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 110

by Mr D from 63 on Wednesday November 19, 2014 @07:58PM (#48422235) Attached to: The Software Big Oil's PR Firm Uses To "Convert Average Citizens"

Exactly, its not like the renewables lobby doesn't use similar PR tactics, or any other lobby for that matter.

Submission + - If Philae were nuclear powered, it'd still be alive today

Submitted by StartsWithABang on Wednesday November 19, 2014 @02:58PM

StartsWithABang writes: After successfully landing on a comet with all 10 instruments intact, but failing to deploy its thrusters and harpoons to anchor onto the surface, Philae bounced, coming to rest in an area with woefully insufficient sunlight to keep it alive. After exhausting its primary battery, it went into hibernation, most likely never to wake again. We’ll always be left to wonder what might have been if it had functioned optimally, and given us years of data rather than just 60 hours worth. The thing is, it wouldn’t have needed to function optimally to give us years of data, if only it were better designed in one particular aspect: powered by Plutonium-238 instead of by solar panels.

Comment Re:Was impressed until.. (Score 1) 144

by Mr D from 63 on Monday November 17, 2014 @11:35PM (#48408183) Attached to: What the US Can Learn From Canada's Internet Policy

Still, it won't do squat to encourage competition.

Comment Re:Was impressed until.. (Score 1) 144

by Mr D from 63 on Monday November 17, 2014 @08:02PM (#48407073) Attached to: What the US Can Learn From Canada's Internet Policy

That approach makes more sense than some that think simply declaring US ISPs as utilities will be a step forward.

Comment Re:Was impressed until.. (Score 1) 144

by Mr D from 63 on Monday November 17, 2014 @07:15PM (#48406697) Attached to: What the US Can Learn From Canada's Internet Policy

And what regulation, exactly, enabled that competition? Simply declaring ISPs as utilities will certainly not encourage that type of competition.

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