I remember those Radium dial watches. My brother had one, and I used to enjoy looking at the dial under a magnifier. It was great to see the little, random sparkles as the decay particles impacted the luminous paint.

Or as a slight step up....there is NO chance that America could build a Saturn V rocket these days. It was a great workhorse, but so complicated that the loss of a few percent of the drawings, and the number of engineers that worked on it that have retired or died means that reproducing it is impossible now.
          In any case, as for the loss of data...that IS a problem. Back in the Olden Days, before someone decided that the computer, with its amazingly fluid and ever-changing methods of storage were the answer to saving data, much of it was printed on paper and tucked away in libraries. Is that still a workable solution? I do not know, but, I do know that when one is trying to store information for a long time, it HAS to be in the simplest and most durable medium and format available.

Greetings and Salutations;;;
          Some years ago, I was diagnosed with Hep C. My G.I. Dr. put me on a fairly minimal number of medications, but, specifically included a daily multivitamin tablet in the list. Since I have always tried to eat as healthily as I could, I suspected then, and, still think, that PART of the reason for this was to make me feel that he was really doing ALL he could to mitigate the effects of the disease. By adding a multivitamin to the mix, it was one more pill, that did not cost much of anything at all (A bottle of 450 tablets at Sam's Club is less than $25), would not do any harm, and, might help ensure that the necessary vitamin levels were maintained even if I was lying to him about my diet. So...a win/win for everyone.
          I am sure that we both knew that if the tablets were pumping too much of a given vitamin into my system, that the excess would likely get excreted fairly rapidly.
        Pleasant Dreams
        Bee Man Dave.

Yea...that was my immediate reaction too.

It might end up being slightly psychotic, but, I do not think that it is going to lead to a positive place.

pleasant dream

This is a good point. Also, to say it was "hurried" is an understatement. This is definitive proof that one cannot take a project that usually would take a couple of years to create and test, and crank it out in eight months, then, expect it to work. As far as I can tell, the front page is the only thing that works reliably in the entire site. That will get fixed, but, it will take more than a couple of months. I expect it will not stabilize for a couple of years - and that assumes that Congress does not start stirring things up and requiring changes.
          pleasant dreams
          dave

I believe this post IS "ethanol fueled", as it is certainly not the work of a sober person. There is at most, ONE correct statement in it. For example - The ACA limits the amount that insurance companies can crank up rates, and so will likely cut the huge profits they have been collecting. It also makes it impossible for the insurance companies to "cherry-pick" customers, and, only provide policies for the healthy folks who do not need them and will not put in a claim. It also stops the insurance companies from dumping sick folks that are going to require payouts.
          It is true that as a part of it, the act provides for subsidies to make an insurance policy that actually is helpful be affordable to the poverty-stricken. However, your somewhat racist remark about the trips to the emergency room are not relevant. First...a huge percentage of the people being helped by this are the working poor - like the "sales associates" at Walmart, who make so little they qualify for food stamps. These subsidies will make it possible for good, hardworking Americans to get adequate health care and NOT end up bankrupt in the process. Now, about Jamal.. Apparently you do not realize that (assuming you have insurance) you are already subsidizing the trips to the ER by gang-bangers. Hospitals in America are required, by law, to treat everyone that shows up at the ER, regardless of their ability to pay. So..the hospital simply cranks up the cost for the folks that DO pay to cover these folks. With the ACA, there is a much better chance that everyone that shows up will have insurance, and be able to cover some or all of the cost of their treatment.
          Your comment about the rich is probably the only accurate and correct statement in this post. Your comment about the government being exempt is far from true. As a matter of fact, they are REQUIRED to go into the exchanges to get insurance, unlike the rest of us that have a choice. Here is a decent analysis of the whole situation: http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/fixgov/posts/2013/10/04-aca-vitter-amendment-federal-workforce-hudak
          Finally, the government has NO control over the insurance companies canceling policies. The fact is that the policies that are getting dumped are the junk policies that cover nothing, and are nothing but profit centers for the insurance company. The ACA's requirements for amounts to be spent and such make these unprofitable, so, the insurance companies are dropping them. However this has little or nothing to do with the ACA. The companies were doing this on a yearly basis for decades, in an attempt to force customers into higher profit policies. So...do not blame the greed of the insurance companies on the Government. Also, your opinion about premium amounts is meaningless, since these folks are likely to qualify for subsidies. So far, the reports that have come in that have been verified as true show that the monthly cost of insurance has either stayed the same (but, with much better coverage), or dropped quite a bit.
            Just because you do not like Barak (the CORRECT spelling of his name), for whatever reason, is no call to lie and spread mis-information.
          pleasant dreams
          dave

Ah yes! Palace....that was a great chat environment. It was quick, and, offered the opportunity for some really creative constructs for chat Palaces. It was a shame that it actually required people to interact, as that is a real weakness with most of the geeks that hung out in it. Get away from the one or two, tech-related things they were happy with, and, there was just nothing to say. In any case, The last time I checked, there were still a few Palace servers still online, although, I hung there for quite a while with NO other folks showing up.

" people who are right wing _and_ suffering from cognitive deficits"

That seems redundant to me.
beemandave

Our tax dollars are going to these projects because private enterprise is unwilling to take up projects that will produce a guaranteed return for their investors. It is notably unwilling to take on risky projects, or, projects that do not have that clear return. Only an organization that has no profit motive (I.E. The federal government) is willing to invest the large sums in a project that might blow up during the boost phase of a launch. The fact is that the space program is quite profitable - The early years returned upwards of $14 for every $1 invested...yet, in spite of that, SpaceX is the ONLY private company that is interested in taking up the task. Even they are focusing on being truckers - providing transportation for other things into space..they have no interest in putting an exploration robot onto another planet, or sending a probe out into deep space to see what we can see.
          As for the current debt...this article does a good analysis of it: http://useconomy.about.com/od/monetarypolicy/f/Who-Owns-US-National-Debt.htm and, it shows that in terms of the overall debt, China holds about 10% of the total. less than half the debt is held by foreign countries and investors. Not that it means it is good that the country owes that much cash, by any means...but, it is not like China could come in and put a lien on the country....

A good point. The fact of the matter is that school shootings only SEEM to be happening all the time because of the attention that the news media turns on them. If the news were to focus that much attention on traffic accidents, and the injuries and fatalities that come from them, I suspect we would have people calling for a minimum age of 30 for getting a license, and, some really draconian sentences for those caught driving without a license. Also, there would be a huge, ongoing debate about bringing back driver's Ed in schools.
            Pleasant Dreams
            dave

Greetings and Salutations;
          Hum...."he's got to learn that you can't say stuff like that and not have any consequences".
Well, that is a point. However, I would argue that this is an infringement of our first amendment rights of free speech simply because it occurred in a forum where there was a certain expectation of privacy. Now, do not jump all over me about FB...I know how it works. However, it is far different than walking into a movie theatre and yelling "FIRE". That has already been ruled by the SCOTUS as non-protected speech. Totally different case, though.
          No, in my opinion, this was a massive over-reaction by the authorities, and, unless there is more data about the young man, or the situation that adds to the picture, I am going to stick with that opinion. I want to remind you that this is America, where, at one time, a Citizen's Freedom was considered one of the most important rights he or she had. To have it casually taken away because of a thoughtless and meaningless remark craps on the efforts of our Founding Fathers, and, all the brave citizens who have laid down there lives to save this right. The fact of the matter is that it IS punishment for a crime that did not happen. I am not comfortable with the whole kneejerk creation of laws about "terroristic Threats". IN general, it seems as if too many of them are so broadly written that they are little more than excuses for locking up people who express unpopular opinions, or, speak foolishly in the heat of the moment. This kid appears to have spouted off in the heat of the moment, after playing a hack and slash game. According to an interview with his father, he also pays little or no attention to the news, and really does not have the maturity level to understand the impact of his remarks.
          He has been incarcerated for several months now, and, if the judge decides he wants to "make an example" of someone, he could end up in prison for eight years! Eight years in a society rift with felons, being exposed to a lawless but barely controlled environment, where one cannot trust anyone, and, there are many opportunities to learn job skills that do nothing but ensure he will be successful as a parasite on society. Is that what we really want to do? Turn out another predator who, if he was joking about killing kids when he was tossed into prison, will likely NOT be doing so when he gets out? I, personally would rather find another option. For example, I would call for a series of therapy sessions, and, community service, to help build empathy for others.
          YOu may think that his current incarceration is the proper way to handle him. Just remember that the sort of erosion of rights that has happened in the past decade has a tendency to continue and grow. Today it is Justin. Next month it could be you, or one of your family who is caught up in the net.
          Pleasant dreams.
          dave mundt

Hey...you do not know that...it is quite possible that those wild and crazy Canadians had open air breweries.
        pleasant dreams
        dave mundt

Greetings and Salutations;
          I feel as if I am feeding the trolls here, although this is such a fantasy trip that it almost is insulting to trolls to compare it to them. Your re-writing of history is neither accurate nor anywhere near the facts. The fact of the matter is that the previous administration (a REPUBLICAN one) truly scared the world because it was so random and irrational. After all, Dubya, in response to a terrorist attack used bad data to justify an 11 year war on a country that did not have a bloody thing to do with 9/11. However, there was one telling conference where he spoke the truth about his motivations for going into Iraq. In the conference, when pressed on why Iraq and Saddam were a target he said "...he tried to kill my daddy...".
          America's image in the world has taken many hits in the past few decades, thanks to the two-faced dealings we have had with many countries, and, the brutal dictatorships we have supported. When Pres. Obama was elected, there was dancing in the streets in other countries because they thought, finally, a very intelligent, rational person was at the controls, and, the actions that caused America to lose face would change. They, did not realize that America is a huge ship, and, it takes a lot of time an ocean to turn it around. They also did not realize how much the Republicans hated Pres. Obama, and, how they would do anything they could to force him to fail. These, and other factors, have caused his presidency to be far less effective than it could have been.
          So...do not fool yourself. America has not been the "most loved" country in the world for a long time. We might still have a chance to get there, but, it will take time, and a change in attitudes of the representatives in the Federal government away from competition and towards actually doing things that are good for the country as a whole.

Greetings and Salutations;
          Big thumbs up to this! WHile scale explosions CAN provide useful data, I am not sure that (other than the coolness factor) there is any reason for this to show up on Slashdot.
            Pleasant dreams
            Dave Mundt

Greetings and Salutations;
          Well, if this fellow is going to register a printer, perhaps he should also insist that lathes, drill presses, files, and other hand tools be registered too. He apparently does not realize that I could go into the shop, and in fairly short order turn out weapons that would be far more accurate than the plastic ones from the printers, and, will last for thousands of rounds.
        Beyond that, it is also not that hard to make ceramic weapons that are equally hard to find and have the same abilities.
        I would suggest that the better course of action would be to work on making America a place where people do not think of guns as the first course of action to resolve a situation.