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Comment Re:This is actually the state of most modern games (Score 1) 462

Oh, I don't know. The reboot of the Fallout series (I'm only speaking to Fallout 3, here) is rife with side quests, and is very much an 'explore only as you like' sort of environment; not roller coaster at all. I spent many days (cumulatively) exploring possibilities in this game. Not that I'm saying there aren't plenty of examples of what you're describing, but there are *some* good new ones out there.

Comment Re:Only buy PDF, ePUB or another open standard (Score 1) 259

Just confirming the parent post above that the Sony Reader does do ePub format. It does PDF as well, although that can be more frustrating than not; on a device with a smaller screen like the new Reader touch, enlarging the font does not reflow the page with PDFs. You end up being stuck with single pages with a sentence or two on them (at the size I read), unless your eyes are exceptional.

Unfortunately, the local library has far more PDF offerings than ePub, and far more DRM'ed Windows Media content than anything else.

Comment iPad firmware? (Score 2) 165

So, I'm a little unclear on this. The last I heard, the latest jailbreak code relied on using some iPad firmware that was a much higher version number than current built iterations of the iPhone codebase. The downsides of installing this, as spelled on on the dev team blog, revolved around revealing to Apple unequivocally that your phone was jailbroken (and violating TOS for warranty), as well as being unable to come back down from this jailbroken state due to newer version numbers still being lower than this iPad version. Is this no longer the case with the Greenpois0n update?
Books

Submission + - Google eBookstore launched (nytimes.com)

angrytuna writes: The New York Times is featuring an article this morning about the launch of the Google ebook store. Independent bookstores such as Powell's based in Portland, OR have partnered with them in this, selling the format directly in addition to their other ebook offerings. The ebooks appear to rely on Adobe Digital Editions for DRM control; instructions are provideded to transfer from the 'cloud' to a handheld device. Smartphones like the iPhone and Android have a dedicated app for accessing the store, and will download for offline immediately; other clients like the Nook and Sony eReader seem to be relying on the ADE platform to manage the transfer for offline reading.

Comment Re:Still alive (Score 4, Informative) 763

I've heard the grandparent's quote from other sources as well (Alton Brown?) that all searing does is create flavor (via the Maillard reaction as I heard it, although Wikipedia's article on that says that it's not that either because lean meat does not contain reducing sugars, and it's more likely a breakdown of the tetrapyrrole rings in myoglobin).

Anyways, upshot was it was entirely for browning flavor and not for juice that the process was done. I'm willing to put my pseudonym on the line for this factoid.

Comment Re:The break. That's what got my dad (Score 1) 561

The Air Force was the same way, unfortunately. I don't know if this is still true, but I used to work on the flight line, and it didn't matter if your jet was flying or not; there was always something to do, and if you didn't smoke, you had to go out of your way to hide for a 15 minute break. The higher ups that worked indoors would task you if they caught you sitting around and bs-ing, but they could see you outside smoking and bs-ing and could care less. I know many folks who learned that lesson early on. Hopefully it's on the way out. I know it seemed far less prevalent during the latter portion of my career. Of course, I had changed job fields at that point, so that may have affected it as well.
Technology

Submission + - Using EMP to punch holes in Steel (economist.com)

angrytuna writes: The Economist is running a story about group of researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz, Germany, who've found a way to use an EMP device to shape and punch holes through steel. The process enjoys advantage over both lasers, which take more time to bore the hole (.2 vs 1.4 seconds), and by metal press, which can leave burrs which must be removed by hand.

Comment Arterial contraction (Score 2, Insightful) 465

Wouldn't this cause problems with perfusion? As I understand it, the arteries absorb some of the force of the heart's contraction due to their elasticity, and reuse it when they contract in turn to send the blood to more distal points in the body. It's been suggested that increased arterial stiffness is associated with the development of cardiovascular disease, and it seems like this might cause a similar effect over time. If you're getting an artificial heart, perhaps this point is moot, and from the story, it sounds like she doesn't have a choice, but I wonder if it would be an issue.

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