Comment Re:Great, let me submit my movie... (Score 1) 68
Wait... there's already been a Star Wars prequel? Since when?
Comment Re:You gotta compete on the global marketplace! (Score 1) 797
I think you're confusing 'forcing' with 'enforcing'; as in, enforcing the law.
What's wrong with government telling us how to 'better manage' our energy resources? When government passes into law bills that essentially force one of this country's major employers to shut down some of their sizable manufacturing operations here in the U.S. and open new factories in China, thus robbing American citizens of jobs in the process, then I'd say the government screwed up; wouldn't you? That's not to mention that environmental standards for industry in China are severely lacking compared to the U.S. meaning that little to no environmental benefit has been attained. But oh... that's right... our government did it all with our 'best interests' in mind which makes it OK.
What's wrong with government telling us how to 'better manage' our energy resources? When government passes into law bills that essentially force one of this country's major employers to shut down some of their sizable manufacturing operations here in the U.S. and open new factories in China, thus robbing American citizens of jobs in the process, then I'd say the government screwed up; wouldn't you? That's not to mention that environmental standards for industry in China are severely lacking compared to the U.S. meaning that little to no environmental benefit has been attained. But oh... that's right... our government did it all with our 'best interests' in mind which makes it OK.
Comment Old News (Score 3, Informative) 574
Didn't this same Firstenberg guy ALREADY DO THIS to another neighbor back in January?
Why is anyone even paying attention to him and his absurd claims?
Why is anyone even paying attention to him and his absurd claims?
Comment Risk Shmisk (Score 1) 177
Because humankind should never embark on a long journey when the threat of sickness (or hunger, or environmental dangers, or giant monsters) looms. Come on. If, as a species, we didn't take risks we'd either still be stuck in caves or dead.
NASA needs to get their heads out of their rear ends and stop dinking around with robots and probes and experiments that might possibly be useful sometime in the future when there's a plan. They need to set big, definitive goals to get mankind back on the moon and out to Mars and work towards those ends. Otherwise they might as well rename themselves the NAA and stop squandering taxpayer dollars on space all together.
NASA needs to get their heads out of their rear ends and stop dinking around with robots and probes and experiments that might possibly be useful sometime in the future when there's a plan. They need to set big, definitive goals to get mankind back on the moon and out to Mars and work towards those ends. Otherwise they might as well rename themselves the NAA and stop squandering taxpayer dollars on space all together.
Comment Re:Obligatory Futurama Reference (Score 1) 97
I had a feeling someone would beat me to this. Though the quote is, "Come on, man! Don't hold out on me like this!" And I'm not sure it's $1000 because in a later episode when everyone gets their $200 tax refunds the same guy says "No cheap crack houses for me no more!" and walks up to a crack mansion.
Me? A Futurama geek? Noooo...
Me? A Futurama geek? Noooo...
Comment Re:Let's be honest... (Score 2, Funny) 187
If the first things you think of when you think of a "fun game" are murdering family members, bestiality and genocide you may have other issues to work out before you can understand why The Sims is fun for a lot of people.
Comment Re:Violent Games vs. Marketing... (Score 1) 315
Putting aside your obviously strong beliefs against any kind of violence for a moment...
Actually it looks like geekmux held up games like Full Spectrum Warrior as examples of games that portray combat in a semi-realistic manner as well as demonstrate situations of justifiable violence. He also pointed to the American Revolution as a war instrumental in creating the most successful and prosperous nation in history and World War II as a war that was necessary to bring about an end to the barbarism of Hitler and concentration camps such as those at Auschwitz.
It seems to me that geekmux was effectively utilizing the subtle art of sarcasm to illustrate his points that many games are respectful of violent conflicts, the reasons behind them, and that sometimes wartime violence is an unfortunate, yet necessary path to travel to put an end to things like tyranny, torture and mass murder.
Believing In Medical Treatments That Don't Work 467
Hugh Pickens writes "David H. Newman, M.D. has an interesting article in the NY Times where he discusses common medical treatments that aren't supported by the best available evidence. For example, doctors have administered 'beta-blockers' for decades to heart attack victims, although studies show that the early administration of beta-blockers does not save lives; patients with ear infections are more likely to be harmed by antibiotics than helped — the infections typically recede within days regardless of treatment and the same is true for bronchitis, sinusitis, and sore throats; no cough remedies have ever been proven better than a placebo. Back surgeries to relieve pain are, in the majority of cases, no better than nonsurgical treatment, and knee surgery is no better than sham knee surgery where surgeons 'pretend' to do surgery while the patient is under light anesthesia. Newman says that treatment based on ideology is alluring, 'but the uncomfortable truth is that many expensive, invasive interventions are of little or no benefit and cause potentially uncomfortable, costly, and dangerous side effects and complications.' The Obama administration's plan for reform includes identifying health care measures that work and those that don't, and there are signs of hope for evidence-based medicine: earlier this year hospital administrators were informed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that beta-blocker treatment will be retired as a government indicator of quality care, beginning April 1, 2009. 'After years of advocacy that cemented immediate beta-blockers in the treatment protocols of virtually every hospital in the country,' writes Newman, 'the agency has demonstrated that minds can be changed.'"
Earth Under Threat From Dark Comets 149
An anonymous reader writes "Comets could be the most significant impact hazard to Earth, with sky surveys underestimating the number that are potentially devastating by a factor of between 10 and 100, UK astrophysicists say."
LED Lighting As Cheap As CFLs Invented 553
mcgrew writes "New Scientist reports that a British team has overcome the obstacles to cheap LED lighting, and that LED lamps as cheap as CFLs will be on the market in five years. Quoting: 'Gallium nitride cannot be grown on silicon like other solid-state electronic components because it shrinks at twice the rate of silicon as it cools. Crystals of GaN must be grown at 1000C, so by the time a new LED made on silicon has cooled, it has already cracked, rendering the devices unusable. One solution is to grow the LEDs on sapphire, which shrinks and cools at much the same rate as GaN. But the expense is too great to be commercially competitive. Now Colin Humphreys's team at the University of Cambridge has discovered a simple solution to the shrinkage problem. They included layers of aluminium gallium nitride in their LED design... These LEDs can be grown on silicon as so many other electronics components are. ... A 15-centimetre silicon wafer costs just $15 and can accommodate 150,000 LEDs making the cost per unit tiny.'"
Comment Absurd and Outrageous (Score 1) 931
Absolutely absurd. I would've ripped my bag out of her hands and walked out of the class before I let her take anything of mine. If your instructor did in fact take and keep your binder - your propery - I would contact the department head (in a level-headed and calm manner), describe the situation and (if necessary) threaten to get the police involved. If that fails... go over the department head's... head... and get the police involved.
No instructor has the right to take and destroy any materials they didn't provide you with in the first place. You did the work, you wrote down the notes. Anything and everything that you created to assist your learning is your property.
Attempting to control the flow of information coming from that course in such a totalitarian manner is a fallacy anyway. Any instructor operating under the delusion that she can prevent her students from passing on information learned in her class lacks a grasp on reality.
No instructor has the right to take and destroy any materials they didn't provide you with in the first place. You did the work, you wrote down the notes. Anything and everything that you created to assist your learning is your property.
Attempting to control the flow of information coming from that course in such a totalitarian manner is a fallacy anyway. Any instructor operating under the delusion that she can prevent her students from passing on information learned in her class lacks a grasp on reality.
Dead Space Highlights Disparity Between Plot and Gameplay 87
Gamasutra is running an opinion piece praising recent horror-action game Dead Space for its pacing and gameplay while simultaneously criticizing the plot and the attempts to scare the player. Quoting:
"What Dead Space is, is carefully and stylishly unoriginal. You'll love playing it, but when you aren't playing it, it's hard to say what's so great about it. It has some really great set pieces, some sweet effects, solid gameplay, an amazing interface and that's all. Anything and everything having to do with dialogue and story comes off as rote. ... You get the feeling the developer are trying very hard, though. When I see a dark shape in the distance, which turns and disappears, I don't get scared. I know he'll pop out of a vent later! Likewise, when I find a scientist who promptly slits her throat because of the horror, I just check for an item drop. None of the survivors ever surprise you and go hostile (which I think would have been a brilliant scare), so you never have to worry."
Machine Condenses Drinking Water Out of Thin Air 438
longacre writes "A new $1,200 machine that uses the same amount of power as three light bulbs promises to condense drinkable water out of the air. On display at Wired Magazine's annual tech showcase, the WaterMill 'looks like a giant golf ball that has been chopped in half: it is about 3ft in diameter, made of white plastic, and is attached to the wall. It works by drawing air through filters to remove dust and particles, then cooling it to just below the temperature at which dew forms. The condensed water is passed through a self-sterilising chamber that uses microbe-busting UV light to eradicate any possibility of Legionnaires' disease or other infections. Finally, it is filtered and passed through a pipe to the owner's fridge or kitchen tap.'"
Most of Woolly Mammoth Genome Reconstructed 245
geekmansworld writes "From the Washington Post, 'An international team of scientists has reconstructed more than three-quarters of the genome of the woolly mammoth using DNA extracted from balls of hair, the first time this has been accomplished for an extinct species.' Who wants a pet mammoth?"
The Smell of Space
70
According to NASA scientists, space smells a lot like my uncle's workshop. One can detect hints of fried steak, hot metal, and the welding of a motorbike. They have hired Steven Pearce, a chemist and managing director of fragrance manufacturing company Omega Ingredients, to recreate the smell in a laboratory. NASA will use his research to help train potential astronauts. Steven said, "I did some work for an art exhibition in July, which was based entirely on smell, and one of the things I created was the smell of the inside of the Mir space station. NASA heard about it and contacted me to see if I could help them recreate the smell of space to help their astronauts."
