Comment Re:Where will all the helium come from? (Score 1) 296
So we use hydrogen instead. It's a more buoyant gas anyway.
Google Solves Sharing Bug In Google Docs 69
RichardDeVries writes "Three weeks ago, I contacted Google about a bug in Google Docs that shared documents without permission. The issue has been resolved and affected documents have had their collaborators removed. The documents' owners have been notified: 'To help remedy this issue, we have used an automated process to remove collaborators and viewers from the documents that we identified as being affected. Since the impacted documents are now accessible only to you, you will need to re-share the documents manually.' See my journal entry for details on my contact with Google. Although I think Google handled the issue admirably, this raises questions (again) about cloud computing, as well as Google's eternal beta-status for a lot of their services."
Comment Re:Pretty amazing forensics (Score 2, Insightful) 223
I think it's interesting to contrast the investigations of engineering and aerospace failures with financial failures. Will the ultimate causes of the GFC (global financial crisis) be nearly as well investigated as this accident that claimed 7 lives and a few billion in vehicle? Seriously, 7 suicides are all that are required to make the current situation a far far greater crisis (it already obviously is in dollar terms).
Comment Re:Australia Is Stupid (Score 1) 612
I think you'll find that most Australians are actually against the net filtering and probably against stupid rulings like this. We've had two governments now who seem to think they can act without a mandate on issues they believe are "right". Are we stupid for not standing up to them and telling them to piss off? You bet. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like it's a problem we can simply vote away, there isn't a party here that isn't braindead on these issues.
Dead Parrot Sketch Is 1,600 Years Old
276
laejoh writes "Monty Python's 'Dead Parrot sketch' — which featured John Cleese — is some 1,600 years old.
A classic scholar has proved the point, by unearthing a Greek version of the world-famous piece.
A comedy duo called Hierocles and Philagrius told the original version, only rather than a parrot they used a slave.
It concerns a man who complains to his friend that he was sold a slave who dies in his service.
His companion replies: 'When he was with me, he never did any such thing!'
The joke was discovered in a collection of 265 jokes called Philogelos: The Laugh Addict, which dates from the fourth century AD.
Hierocles had gone to meet his maker, and Philagrius had certainly ceased to be, long before John Cleese and Michael Palin reinvented the yarn in 1969."
Comment Re:Economy (Score 1) 1486
As opposed to the brilliant job all the real economists have done?
Comment Re:Two words (Score 1) 3709
Not sure i agree. Pax americana has hardly been peaceful. Frankly i don't think the chinese are all that interested in world domination by military force, they're accomplishing much the same goal economically anyway. And the russians... they're like the middle east, get the world off oil and they're impotent.
I certainly don't think america should just disappear off the face of the earth, and it's a bit of a strawman argument. I think the backlash is more directed at the american trend to constantly pat yourselves on the back and proclaim yourselves the greatest country on earth. Whatever happened to speaking softly and carrying a big stick?
Great countries don't have to constantly remind everyone how great they are. In fact, that's a strong sign of an empire in decline.
Comment Re:The big red button labelled "SELL" (Score 1) 3709
Default or hyperinflate, which amounts to the same thing, yep. That only helps if you think america's underlying economy is sound and without the debt servicing burden, you'd be fine. I'd argue without the spending that results from cheap credit, you'd be in for one heck of a painful correction. IMHO, the sudden inability to borrow money will hurt much more than you'll be helped by not needing to service the debt.
Comment Re:Two words (Score 1) 3709
Well, i made it pretty obvious i was an australian, so i don't get why you're bringing the EU up (unless you think australia is part of the EU? lol). And I never said you should ask for our permission, in fact i clearly said your politics are your own business. I'll judge america on its actions not on its internal decision making.
I do think it's a bit funny you think economics is an area where america excels. Sorry, the illusion of your prosperity has been largely created by cheap credit, which was the point of my second paragraph. America's prosperity will end when people think you're no longer good for the money. Sadly, my country isn't in much better a situation.
Finally, why do we need a world leader? I'm sorry, but i have no interest in an unelected world leader claiming to represent the interests of the free world but allowing the world no say in its actions. Did it occur to you we're fine without a beacon on the hill top?
Comment Re:Two words (Score 4, Insightful) 3709
LOL, you sound like yet another arrogant american to me. You want to repair America's reputation overseas and you rely on military threat as an argument? How very internationalist of you. Besides, with 2 failed wars and your supposed allies in eastern europe crushed by the Russians, who are you trying to kid? Do you honestly believe many countries are militarily afraid of the US at this point?
Here's a little hint for you, what do you think would happen to the US if the chinese flooded the market with all the US IOUs they've been stashing away? ICBMs and aircraft carriers are so 20th century. The real big red button these days is in Beijing and is labelled SELL (err... in chinese).
Having said that, i agree with you that you, as americans, elected an american president and you are justified in being offended by people in other countries not so subtly suggesting who you should vote for. I know i'd be angry if americans tried to interfere in Australian domestic politics like that.
Obama is the president elect of the United States, not the leader of the free world. America lost that title some time ago.
Procedural Programming- The Secret Behind Spore 277
imashoe writes "Ever wonder how Spore works under the hood? The game seems to be insanely huge and how is it that there can be an infinite amount of different creates created in the game? The answer is Procedural Programming."
Hilf Claims Free Software Movement Dead 395
moe1975 writes to mention that Bill Hilf has taken a rather aggressive stance with regard to the status of the Free Software movement. With claims like; "The Free Software movement is dead. Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even Linus has got a job today" it would certainly seem that the next offensive is going to be sponsored by denial. "For the desktop, Hilf sees a new frontier in terms of rich client programming. With more and more services by Amazon, Google, Yahoo and, of course, Microsoft being run as services rather than as software installed locally, it will be up to the desktop to provide richer functionality."
First Flying Dinosaurs Had Biplane Structure 144
unchiujar writes to mention a BBC article about the design of the first flying dinosaurs. These possible early ancestors of avians apparently resembled biplanes in many ways, with legs hanging down in a fashion similar to WWI fighters. The researchers who made this discovery use this to argue the 'trees down' model of flight evolution, but the article points out this design may possibly be a failed evolutionary experiment. From the article: "Dr Chatterjee, from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, US, explained that two lines of evidence had led the team to this conclusion. Firstly, the researchers argue, dinosaurs and birds move their legs in a vertical plane, not sideways as the tandem flight pattern requires. Secondly, the feathers on Microraptor's hind legs are asymmetrical; one of the two vanes that extend either side of the shaft is narrower than the other. Aerodynamically, the narrow leading edge of these feathers should face forward in flight, against the direction of airflow. This would have given the flying reptiles lift. "
Submission + - 16-year-old girl convicted for child porn
Skiing writes: "From Internet Cases: A state appellate court in Florida has affirmed the decision of a trial court that adjudicated a 16-year-old girl a delinquent based on her violation of the state's anti-child pornography statute. The case complicates the analysis as to what kind of privacy rights minors have, and it also raises a fundamental question as to how laws should be enforced to effectuate their purposes. If anti-child pornography statutes are intended to protect minors from exploitation, doesn't it seem at least a bit anomalous to prosecute the very persons who are being exploited?"
The Financial Future of Space Travel 414
gurps_npc writes " This CNNMoney story discusses the financial future of space travel. In particular it gives some nice names and numbers, such as Bezos, Musk and 3554 Amun. 3554 Amun is an small metalic asteroid that crosses Earth's pass (not on collission course) and contains over 20 trillion US dollars worth of precious metal. It is a great fact to know when trying to explain to flat-earth types that don't understand why we waste money on space travel."
