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Comment: Re:I'd rather have a 10x faster connection. (Score 1) 185

by smooth wombat (#43792749) Attached to: Google Chrome 27 Is Out: 5% Faster Page Loads

Is that like "Clinton Derangement Syndrome" because I know and have read of many people who still rant about how horrible that guy was despite having a growing economy, almost bringing some modicum of peace to the Palestinian/Israeli issue, being able form and enunciate coherent sentences and aside from getting a blowjob by a near heifer, didn't invade other countries just for the lulz.

Comment: Re:Thoughts on Vampire rules? (Score 1) 99

The original vampires in Anne Rice's books, the ones who created all other vampires, had alabaster skin but were more like marble statues. They were a king and queen who were possessed by a demon. Akasha later killed her husband and got the full power.

When Lestat found her and drank her blood, he gained some of the power. That is why when he tried to kill himself by lying naked in the Gobi Desert, waiting for the sun to rise, he didn't die. All he got was a tan.

Yeah, I read the books back in the day. Despite her flip-flopping back and forth on the religion bandwagon, her portrayal of vampires and how they came to be was/is interesting.

Comment: Not just in the U.S. (Score 2) 272

by smooth wombat (#43774041) Attached to: Uptick In Whooping Cough Linked To Subpar Vaccines
This article talks about how in England there has been a huge increase in the number of measles cases since Wakefield published his claptrap about vaccines causing autism and other nonsense.

For those not bothering to read the article, this is part which you need to know:

This year, the U.K. has had more than 1,200 cases of measles, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases last year. The country once recorded only several dozen cases every year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania.

Comment: Re:Yeah... (Score 3, Interesting) 1077

it would be foolish to say that human activity has no consequence, though what matters is how much.

That has always been my opinion as well. We know the destructive capabilities we have on the environment (Love Canal, Bhopal, Agent Orange) as well as the general effects we have (heat islands around cities, depletion of water aquifers, increased desertification due to forest removal, etc), the question is, how much of what we do is causing the effects we see now? Is everything our fault, is this part of a natural cycle, or some combination thereof?

What's funny is we routinely see news articles where farmers are talked to and almost without exception they all say climate change is real and if you don't believe it, ask a farmer. Considering the conservative nature of most farmers, one would highly doubt they would be saying such things if they didn't believe it.

Comment: Re:Well, he's not afraid his company might fire hi (Score 0, Troll) 485

by smooth wombat (#43751099) Attached to: Larry Page: You Worry Too Much About Medical Privacy
So do the decent thing America and get a socialized healthcare system

Fuck that. I shouldn't have to pay the medical expenses for smokers, alcoholics or drug users.

You want to ruin your body, do it on your own dime. I shouldn't be penalized for your actions.

Comment: Re:so much for... (Score 2) 76

by smooth wombat (#43740079) Attached to: Equipment Failure May Cut Kepler Mission Short
When America can afford to look to the stars, they should. Until then, they are wasting their time (and precious taxpayer money).

If that isn't the finest example of short-sighted thinking, I don't know what is. What you're suggesting is we wait until the last possible second to explore what might be out there just because NASA's budget represents a fraction of a percent of the overall national budget.

If you're that concerned about Federal spending, we can cut the military by 50%, stop all subsidies to business (sugar productoin, ethanol production, farm subsidies in general, scientific advances, production incentives, etc), not to mention all the entitlements people complain someone else is receiving but not the ones they're receiving.

If you want to go that way, I'll back you, but you can't then complain when things fall apart because the private sector has come to rely on government largess.

Comment: Re:GM tried that (Score 1) 555

Saturn failed for many reasons, but having a single price wasn't one of them. The brand became so successful that it was taking customers away from Pontiac and Chevrolet which, similar to this article, griped dealers trying to sell those cars.

Then there was the fact that they lost money on every car sold and when they ran ads during the Super Bowl, didn't have cars available for people to look at after they saw the ad.

Here are three articles which give a bit more depth to what I just said:

Businessweek

Christian Science Monitor

autoblog

Comment: Minor observations (Score 5, Insightful) 180

by smooth wombat (#43718921) Attached to: World Press Photo Winner Accused of Photoshopping

I am not agreeing with or denying what Hacker Factor is saying, but I would like to point out some minor issues with the analysis.

First, as to the lighting of the faces being brighter than in other pictures taken during the same procession, it is entirely possible there was a reflective surface to the crowd's right (picture left) which is making the faces appear brighter than one would think they should be in the alley way. Think of the reflective nature of the moon's surface which conspiracy theorists always ignore when talking about how bright things are in shadows. While the Photoshop effect could be the issue, note the wall to their right (picture left) which does have a reflective surface.

Note also the man on the far left, next to the wall. Note how there is sun shining on the white cloth directly below his face. As everyone knows, a white surface reflects large portions of light falling on it which would also produce the lighting effect seen on the man's face.

Second, as to the dirt on the girls face appearing differently in the photos, note the different angles of her head. In the winning photo the forehead is almost at a right angle to the picture taker whereas in the second photo it is pointing almost directly at the camera. The lighting in the second photo is much more diffuse than the first which could explain the difference.

Also note that in the winning photo, the crowd is in a part of the alley which has exposure to much more sunlight than in the second photo.

Again, I'm not saying the person didn't do what has been accused, I'm only pointing out possibilities to explain what is being shown.

Mother is the invention of necessity.

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