Comment Now if they can only get rid of chain postings (Score 2) 61
And every annoying "Name a word without the letter F. Bet you can't" post.
Comment Will the last person to leave California... (Score 1) 216
Please turn out the lights. Oh, wait...
Numerous Methane Leaks Found On Atlantic Sea Floor 273
sciencehabit writes Researchers have discovered 570 plumes of methane percolating up from the sea floor off the eastern coast of the United States, a surprisingly high number of seeps in a relatively quiescent part of the ocean. The seeps suggest that methane's contribution to climate change has been underestimated in some models. And because most of the seeps lie at depths where small changes in temperature could be releasing the methane, it is possible that climate change itself could be playing a role in turning some of them on.
Comment Somebody 'esplain this to me (Score 2, Insightful) 132
Pretty much every comment on this story is troll-worthy flamebait. Shouldn't the story itself be modded down accordingly?
Oregon Sues Oracle For "Abysmal" Healthcare Website 212
SpzToid (869795) writes The state of Oregon sued Oracle America Inc. and six of its top executives Friday, accusing the software giant of fraud for failing to deliver a working website for the Affordable Care Act program. The 126-page lawsuit claims Oracle has committed fraud, lies, and "a pattern of activity that has cost the State and Cover Oregon hundreds of millions of dollars". "Not only were Oracle's claims lies, Oracle's work was abysmal", the lawsuit said. Oregon paid Oracle about $240.3 million for a system that never worked, the suit said. "Today's lawsuit clearly explains how egregiously Oracle has disserved Oregonians and our state agencies", said Oregon Atty. Gen. Ellen Rosenblum in a written statement. "Over the course of our investigation, it became abundantly clear that Oracle repeatedly lied and defrauded the state. Through this legal action, we intend to make our state whole and make sure taxpayers aren't left holding the bag."
Oregon's suit alleges that Oracle, the largest tech contractor working on the website, falsely convinced officials to buy "hundreds of millions of dollars of Oracle products and services that failed to perform as promised." It is seeking $200 million in damages. Oracle issued a statement saying the suit "is a desperate attempt to deflect blame from Cover Oregon and the governor for their failures to manage a complex IT project. The complaint is a fictional account of the Oregon Healthcare Project."
Oregon's suit alleges that Oracle, the largest tech contractor working on the website, falsely convinced officials to buy "hundreds of millions of dollars of Oracle products and services that failed to perform as promised." It is seeking $200 million in damages. Oracle issued a statement saying the suit "is a desperate attempt to deflect blame from Cover Oregon and the governor for their failures to manage a complex IT project. The complaint is a fictional account of the Oregon Healthcare Project."
Comment Silly engineering question (Score 1) 303
Why don't we capture this supposed ozone-depleting chemical and spray it all over urban centers that are now showing rising levels of ozone?
Comment TB or not TB (Score 1) 74
Consumption be done about it? Of cough, of cough.
It's not the cough that carries you off. It's the coffin they carry you off in.
Thank you. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.
Comment And once again the NYT is late to the party (Score 2) 457
This has been going on for 20 years. Perhaps more if you include Usenet news groups.
About Half of Kids' Learning Ability Is In Their DNA 227
Taco Cowboy writes with this story about new research that finds a strong genetic component to a child's ability in math and reading. "You may think you're better at reading than you are at math (or vice versa), but new research suggests you're probably equally good (or bad) at both. The reason: The genes that determine a person's ability to tackle one subject influence their aptitude at the other, accounting for about half of a person's overall ability. The study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, used nearly 1,500 pairs of 12-year-old twins to tease apart the effects of genetic inheritance and environmental variables on math and reading ability. The researchers administered a set of math and verbal tests to the children and then compared the performance of different sets of twins. They found that the twins' scores — no matter if they were high or low — were twice as similar among pairs of identical twins as among pairs of fraternal twins. The results indicated that approximately half of the children's math and reading ability stemmed from their genetic makeup.
A complementary analysis of unrelated kids corroborated this conclusion — strangers with equivalent academic abilities shared genetic similarities. What's more, the genes responsible for math and reading ability appear to be numerous and interconnected, not specifically targeted toward one set of skills. These so-called 'generalist genes' act in concert to determine a child's aptitude across multiple disciplines. The finding that one's propensities for math and reading go hand in hand may come as a surprise to many, but it shouldn't. People often feel that they possess skills in only one area simply because they perform slightly worse in the other."
A complementary analysis of unrelated kids corroborated this conclusion — strangers with equivalent academic abilities shared genetic similarities. What's more, the genes responsible for math and reading ability appear to be numerous and interconnected, not specifically targeted toward one set of skills. These so-called 'generalist genes' act in concert to determine a child's aptitude across multiple disciplines. The finding that one's propensities for math and reading go hand in hand may come as a surprise to many, but it shouldn't. People often feel that they possess skills in only one area simply because they perform slightly worse in the other."
Comment Who gets the money? (Score 1) 268
The lawyers are going to make a yacht-load of money off of this. Will the actual plaintiffs get anything or will they get coupons for discounts on cellphone cases?
Comment Say 'hello' to yet another fee on your bill (Score 1) 80
Yes, there are places in the country where a text message can get through but a phone call can't so for search & rescue, this makes sense. All benefit aside though, you can bet that you will see yet another fee on your cellphone bill.
Comment Re:I object. (Score 1) 66
Taste's like chicken, obviously.
Comment Has Verizon gotten wise to MyWi? (Score 1) 136
Anyone notice that MyWi data rates are practically unusable now while Apple's regular mail and Safari apps have no trouble at all? Is it possible that Verizon can tell when you're trying to use your data plan through MyWi?
Comment Re:*Yawn* (Score 1) 119
Perhaps not but all other factors far outweigh a supposedly green alternative. By being able to drive the entire day without recharging, you make up for the fact that it may take the entire night to recharge it. A 700 mile range would be better.
Comment Re:*Yawn* (Score 1) 119
Well, yeah. With all the limitations of electric vehicles, you're going to have to make them insanely great to get people to buy them over traditional ones. Today's offerings are a joke.
