'Ah, because the metric for "spherieness" isn't at all subjective.'

That's true. It's not really subjective. Here's a neat little illustration/calculator to help you with the concept.

http://www.mathopenref.com/ell...

"...affects your biological health and circadian rhythm"

True, but in a 13 or 17 year cycle who is going to notice an hour?

"the fact that some transmission was not by rats does NOT imply
that no transmission was done by rats."

What it DOES imply is that no matter who does the research or what the conclusion there is going to be disagreement from armchair scientists and contrarians on Slashdot.

"Don't quit your day job..."

You might want to re-read the summary. His day job is quitting him.

And to the original question asker I'd say go with development because you'll never be good at something you don't like.

Also, when you've landed that good job, reward your girlfriend amply for helping make it all possible. :-)

Yeah, but this is more what came to mind for me:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EAf7...

Yes, if we continue to waste helium like idiots. However, one design for modern airships involves re-compressing the helium to control buoyancy rather than bleeding it off.

The future of airship transport looks pretty interesting to me:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/...

"The point being that ditching gender stereotypes in mass media can have a very big financial payoff."

It's just too bad if that's what it takes to change attitudes. No one should have to give a "logical" reason to show people that they shouldn't behave like jackasses. It's about being a decent human being.

And where does this misogyny come from anyway? The fathers being bad roles models? Mainstream media perpetuating it? Do misogynists put their mothers and sisters in the same category when they're talking about women and girls in a negative way?

Ooops. I'm going to have to get a smaller hat.

"Natural is not a synonym for healthy."

Unless, of course, you are the tiger.

"He puts an entire nation in jeopardy."

Actually, he put an entire nation on the alert to very real abuses by our government.

I've heard the NSA complain that a journalist is not qualified to determine what is and what is not too sensitive for publication. However, I would like to submit that the NSA and like institutions are not qualified to determine what is in the best interests of a democracy.

OK, then, how about Fermi? Emigrated in 1938 to escape fascism and helped the U.S. (the "enemy") develop the atomic bomb.

"All this crying about it being a slippery slope isn't making us any safer."

I don't know anything about slippery slopes, but I do seem to recall a famous quote about something to do with eternal vigilance and freedom.

"People who get regular sex are happier and more productive."

You misspelled reproductive.

I realize it probably sounds like a good idea, but screening and training volunteers is likely to be even more expensive than keeping the minimal crew they have operating the rover now.

Ditto on the API and "simple prototyping program," although I'm not even sure what that second thing even it supposed to be. Just writing the software would be expensive, not to mention you now have to have NASA people reviewing what comes in.

Driving rovers probably sounds a lot easier than it is. Commands are strung together in sequences. Sequences have to be checked to make sure they don't have conflicting commands. Instruments have to be taken into account; it's not just driving around that is being done.

And then there is the intense analysis and investigation that has to be done if something goes wrong. Reports have to be written explaining everything down to the bit level.

On top of that there is planning to be done to even decide where to drive, which involves a whole lot of people.

There is not only no money to be saved by handing operations over to "the community," there is also the probability that if you did the rover would be ruined within a few days.

Well, you got the wrong president's name, but you do have a point.