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Comment Re:Impact probability (Score 1) 83

I believe the current consensus is that Jupiter and Saturn (and I'm not sure about the other Gas Giants) has a compressed "liquid metal Hydrogen" core, (where Hydrogen at sufficient pressure acts as a metal): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallic_hydrogen#Astrophysics. IANA Physicist, so take that wiki article at face value. I'm still with you on not knowing what would happen, but I suspect that pressures significant to turn Hydrogen into a metal, I'd lean towards something akin to your diamond explanation, depending on the composition of the impacting body.

Comment Re:Java too complex (Score 1) 558

As much as it troubles me, I must agree. I loved learning Java, and I still love writing and using it, but it hasn't had the force behind it that it once did. Initially, it had a similar dictatorship running the show (albeit not a single person, but Sun wouldn't let anyone else influence its path), until the JCP came around. Since then, I haven't seen many improvements. I so desperately want Java to succeed, so much of it just makes sense to me. When used correctly, it can be a beautiful language.

Comment Re:Makes you wonder...not so much (Score 1) 388

I read an article a while back on Pebble Bed reactors (though, for the life of me I can't remember where, so I'll link the wiki article instead). They seem to be a lot more stable and less prone to the dangers cited by the anti-nuclear crowd (like meltdowns, etc), and the fuel is not as concentrated. I'm not a nuclear physicist, so I can't speak to their efficiency, but IMHO would be a viable avenue to pursue as well.

Comment Re:Dumping Firefox for Chrome Felt Like Dumping IE (Score 1) 326

You're the guy that rides a motorcycle because it it's "an even better feeling" and "utterly annihilates in realworld performance". You don't mind the lack of windshield and protection from weather, heater, cooler, safety, ability to hit a pothole without dying.

Yep, I'm that guy. A bike does have an even better feeling. And, yes, utterly annihilates in real world performance. Insensitive clod. But because I love a bike doesn't mean I don't have use for a car. Most of your arguments against a bike are bad. Try cargo space (strapping 2x4s to my back doesn't work real well), passenger space, and long road trip comfort.

As for windshields? Put a helmet on. Weather? Put on a set of leathers. Heater? I have heated hand grips. Cooler? Ride faster :P Potholes? Just maneuver around them (and I have hit some pretty big ones, it's jarring, but I'm not dead). Sheesh.

Idle

Submission + - DIY Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster Design (myelectricengine.com) 1

Ana10g writes: Are you looking for a thruster for that spacecraft you've been building on the side? Matthew Krolak's How-To Article details how to build a Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster may have the answer. It actually seems to be fairly straightforward, and the parts are readily available.
Media

Submission + - Profits stronger motive than Security

Ana10g writes: A DRM arms race has been undertaken between makers of DRM related technologies, and the public at large (more specifically, the hacker public at large). To be fair, the producers of DRM have decided to incorporate the technology into their business, and defending it is in their best interests. Defending your profits is, well, good business. The producer of this technology is Microsoft, which, in attempting to defend its DRM, is also attempting to preserve a relationship with major record labels.

Now, this isn't a "vulnerability" in the normal sense of the word: digital rights management is not a feature that users want. Being able to remove copy protection is a good thing for some users, and completely irrelevant for everyone else. No user is ever going to say: "Oh no. I can now play the music I bought for my PC on my Mac. I must install a patch so I can't do that anymore."

The article details how, once the DRM strategy had been cracked, it took the vendor less than three days to issue a patch fixing the problem. Ironically, the an exploit for the patch was released very quickly.

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