Comment Segway (Score 4, Interesting) 331
...
Comment Fuck Religion (Score 1) 1318
Why do we tolerate this bullshit? Religion is a mental illness that requires institutionalization, so the diseased don't harm others. Only when it can be shown that individuals are not a danger to the community should they be released and placed on a public list like sex offenders (obviously there is a lot of overlap between the two)
Comment Re:Ted Dziuba (Score 1) 619
Fuck you, Rhode Island.
Comment Re:Ted Dziuba (Score 1) 619
All my free time is devoted to maintaining my lovely suburban lawn. (Not really, I'm allergic to grass, I make the wife do it)
Comment Solution (Score 4, Funny) 508
Friend Everyone...
Windows 7 Touch, Dead On Arrival 352
snydeq writes "Ongoing Microsoft hype around its Surface touch technology has suggested that, with Windows 7, a touch-based UI revolution is brewing. Unfortunately, the realities of touch use in the desktop environment and the lack of worthwhile development around the technology are conspiring against the notion of touch ever finding a meaningful place on the desktop, as InfoWorld's Galen Gruman finds out reviewing Windows 7's touch capabilities. 'There's a chicken-and-egg issue to resolve,' Gruman writes. 'Few apps cry out for a touch UI, so Microsoft and Apple can continue to get away with merely dabbling with touch as an occasional mouse-based substitute. It would take one or both of these OS makers to truly touchify their platforms, using common components to pull touch into a great number of apps automatically. Without a clear demand, their incentive to do so doesn't exist.'"
Birdsong Studies Lead To a Revolution In Biology 117
Smithsonian.com covers research that began with the study of birdsong and ended by overturning the common belief that adult animals can't produce new brain cells. "Deconstructing birdsong may seem an unlikely way to shake up biology. But [Fernando] Nottebohm's research has shattered the belief that a brain gets its quota of nerve cells shortly after birth and stands by helplessly as one by one they die — a 'fact' drummed into every schoolkid's skull. [Nottebohm] demonstrated two decades ago that the brain of a male songbird grows fresh nerve cells in the fall to replace those that die off in summer. The findings were shocking, and scientists voiced skepticism that the adult human brain had the same knack for regeneration. ... Yet, inspired by Nottebohm's work, researchers went on to find that other adult animals — including human beings — are indeed capable of producing new brain cells. And in February, scientists reported for the first time that brand-new nerves in adult mouse brains appeared to conduct impulses — a finding that addressed lingering concerns that newly formed adult neurons might not function."
Steve Ballmer Directing "House Party 7" 359
theodp writes "What are you doing on Oct. 22? Microsoft is putting a Tupperware-style twist on the upcoming Windows 7 rollout, launching a new initiative to encourage thousands of employees, partners and technology enthusiasts to throw parties in their homes and communities to demonstrate and help spread the word about its new OS. People accepted as official launch party hosts will get their own copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Edition, and a chance to win a computer. Host spaces are very limited, so apply now, kids. Hey, what could possibly go wrong?"
Suitable Naming Conventions For Workstations? 688
spectre_240sx writes "We've discussed server naming a fair amount in the past, but I haven't seen much about workstations. Where I currently work, we embed a lot of information in our workstation names: site, warranty end date, machine type, etc. I'm of the opinion that this is too much information to overload in the machine name when it can more suitably be stored in the computer description. I'd love to hear how others are naming their workstations and some pros and cons for different naming schemes. Should computers be logically tied to the person that they're currently assigned to, or does that just cause unnecessary work when a machine changes hands? Do the management tools in use make a difference in how workstations are named?"
Comment issue people new SSNs every year (Score 1) 505
The IRS could send out a new number after they process your tax information. Since it's only "real" long term purpose is for social security and taxes right?
Comment Re:Uteruses and refracting light (Score 1) 656
> Uterii and because blue is a beautiful color
Fixed that for you.
There fixed that for you, monarchist. (I'll give you Uterii, )
Comment Uteruses and refracting light (Score 1) 656
Next Question!
Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over 756
xp65 writes "Scientists at this year's XXVIIth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil agree that we do not yet know how ubiquitous or how fragile life is, but that: 'The Earth's period of habitability is nearly over on a cosmological timescale. In a half to one billion years the Sun will start to be too luminous and warm for water to exist in liquid form on Earth, leading to a runaway greenhouse effect in less than 2 billion years.' Other surprising claims from this conference: that the Sun may not be the ideal kind of star to nurture life, and that the Earth may not be the ideal size."
Comment Overthrow the monarchy and get a real constitution (Score 1) 693
Join US(A).
Will there be a camera in the royal household? They seem to be pretty fucked up.
UK Plans To Monitor 20,000 Families' Homes Via CCTV 693
metrix007 points out a story in the Sunday Express with more surveillance-camera madness from the UK, where the government now wants to place 20,000 CCTV cameras to monitor families ("the worst families in England") within their own homes, to make sure that "kids go to bed on time and eat healthy meals and the like. This is going too far, and hopefully will not pass. Where will it end?"
