Comment Newcastle (Score 1) 410
What, no cracks about conducting research whilst drinking a certain brown ale?
Comment Re:This ain't a patent troll (Score 1) 171
What about any other companies/institutions who have been working on something similar also for several years? It looks like Venter's patent application is so broad that it would effectively shut down these other players who have been doing separate work in parallel. The patent system should not be a race. Sure, some guys did something special and they should be rewarded for it, the next guy also does something special but takes a little bit longer and is all of the sudden infringing upon the first guy. They both did hard work, they should both be rewarded.
Comment Re:Maybe I'm missing something (Score 1) 663
Comment Re:Technically... (Score 1) 123
Was anyone else reminded of this quote?
"If, he thought to himself, such amachine is a virtual impossibility, then it must logically be a finite improbability. So all I have to do in order to make one, is to work out exactly how improbable it is, feed that figure into the finite improbability generator, give it a fresh cup of really hot tea ... and turn it on!"
Comment PvP (Score 1) 311
I wonder what the PvP system would be like...
Comment Re:the sky is falling! (Score 2, Informative) 314
I recall a study done several years ago by MIT students regarding tin foil hats. Apparently certain folds will actually amplify certain frequencies!
http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/
http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/
Comment Kayaking? (Score 1) 278
Why actually go outside and get wet and risk drowning when I can use Google Maps to take a virtual tour of the river from the comfort of my own home! I can even read reviews from actual kayakers on that river and decide for myself if I liked the experience or not.
Comment Re:hmmmm (Score 1) 397
I had a Braun electrical toothbrush 10 years ago that used induction to recharge its battery =)
Comment Java Media Framework (Score 1) 215
Take a look at the Java Media Framework.
http://java.sun.com/javase/technologies/desktop/media/jmf/
IRS Freely Gives Out Employee User Name/Password Info 146
An anonymous reader writes "The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reports that its inspectors were able to get IRS employees to improperly disclose their user names and passwords over 61% of the time. 60,000 of the IRS's 100,000 employees and contractors thus are susceptible to computer hackers, putting personal taxpayer information at risk for unauthorized disclosure, theft and fraud. 'Only eight of the 102 employees contacted either the inspector general's office or IRS security offices to validate the legitimacy of the caller ... The IRS agreed with recommendations from the inspector general that it should take steps to make employees more aware of hacker tactics such as posing as an internal employee and to remind people to report such incidents to security officials.'"
