Comment Exploratorium After Dark (Score 1) 131
The Exploratorium in San Francisco, one of the finest science museums in the world, runs adults-only programs every Thursday night, with 50% off admission too.
Comment Re:..so? (Score 1) 620
No more sneaking up on motherfuckers...
Comment Re:hard to see how this works (Score 2, Informative) 782
There's a video at the bottom of the page which contains some super-slo-mo shots of the projectiles detonating. There are quite a lot more than 20 fragments, actually, more like hundreds. And they spread over an area of slightly less than a half-sphere forward of the explosion.
Comment Re:4Chan assemble (Score 4, Insightful) 139
Unfortunately, TFA makes this guy sound like someone 4chan would worship, actually: a man who's made internet trolling into a successful business model! If anything, 4chan users are more likely to emulate than emasculate.
Comment Re:um (Score 4, Informative) 379
It's pretty fucking simple this guys... Don't mess it up.
A US court ruling has no power to get anything from the guy as long as he and all his possessions are outside of the US. Before anything happens in Canada a Canadian court needs to look at the case and see if it agrees on the ruling.
From the summary:
A ruling by by a US District Court judge in San Jose, California has now been upheld by the Quebec Superior Court
Comment Dilemma (Score 2, Funny) 264
It's the anti-Apple Slashdotters VS the anti-Patent Slashdotters! Round 1... FIGHT!
Comment Re:About time they got their hands out of my genes (Score 1) 263
Now we just have to figure a way to stop them from groping around in my jeans and taking whatever they find, and we're set.
Comment Re:In our lifetime... (Score 1) 32
With the current (as always exponential) rate of telescope development, we will get to a Google-maps-like resolution or even better.
No need to go that far - all we need is to find a planet, using a somewhat higher resolution method than that in TFA, that has an atmosphere with the right temperature and composition for life, and then see if that atmosphere contains chemicals that do not occur in nature and are the byproduct of basic industrial processes. Essentially, find a planet with air pollution, and you've probably found a planet with intelligent life.
Spectrum of Light Captured From Distant World 32
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Cosmos:
"Astronomers have made the first direct capture of a spectrum of light from a planet outside the Solar System and are deciphering its composition. The light was snared from a giant planet that orbits a bright young star called HR 8799 about 130 light-years from Earth, said the European Southern Observatory (ESO). ... The find is important, because hidden within a light spectrum are clues about the relative amounts of different elements in the planet's atmosphere. 'The features observed in the spectrum are not compatible with current theoretical models,' said co-author Wolfgang Brandner. 'We need to take into account a more detailed description of the atmospheric dust clouds, or accept that the atmosphere has a different chemical composition from that previously assumed.' The result represents a milestone in the search for life elsewhere in the universe, said the ESO. Until now, astronomers have been able to get only an indirect light sample from an exoplanet, as worlds beyond our Solar System are called. They do this by measuring the spectrum of a star twice — while an orbiting exoplanet passes near to the front of it, and again while the planet is directly behind it. The planet's spectrum is thus calculated by subtracting one light sample from another."
Comment Re:Cadmium Positives (Score 1) 454
It doesn't fade after a few months exposure to sunlight....The thing that surprised me about this story: cadmium pigment is bloody expensive compared to all the other reds. ($75/tube vs $20/tube) why the hell aren't they using one of the much cheaper, safer reds?
You've answered your own question- From the article:
Much of the increase found by the Michigan-based HealthyStuff.org came in toys with polyvinyl chloride plastic, according to Jeff Gearhart, the group's research director. Both lead and cadmium can be used to fortify PVC against the sun's rays.
Comment Good - this madman has got to be stopped (Score 1) 258
or before you know it, there'll be bestial cavemen roaming the countryside and the whole world will be covered in lava.
Maxis Launches Spore API Contest 35
Today EA Maxis announced the beginning of a development contest for their new Spore API. They're calling on players to submit useful and interesting apps and widgets, and they've provided samples to show the kinds of ideas they're looking for. The samples include an update list for creations by game buddies, a creature dueling app, a creature tournament app, and a variety of viewers.
Left 4 Dead DLC, SDK Announced 66
Today Valve announced plans for Left 4 Dead's first DLC, called The L4D Survival Pack. It will include a new game mode and two campaigns for Versus mode. The new content is coming to both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game (a PS3 port to the base game still seems unlikely). The press release goes on to say, "In addition, for PC gamers and aspiring developers, the first Left 4 Dead release for the Source Software Development Kit (Source SDK) will allow the creation of custom Left 4 Dead campaigns that will be discoverable via L4D's matchmaking system. The SDK update is also due for release this spring, and is free of charge to all owners of L4D on the PC." The Opposable Thumbs blog also reports on a way to play Left 4 Dead in 3D.
Dead Space Wants To Scare You 195
Kotaku recently ran a story questioning whether the survival-horror genre still exists, and how Dead Space may or may not fit into it. With reviews for the game starting to come in, Ars Technica reports that the game is, indeed, both scary and good. Gamespy wrote up a Dead Space survival guide, and Gamasutra has a lengthy interview with the game's senior producer. In the production of the game, the developers studied things like car wrecks and war scenes to increase the level of realism. They also want the game's sounds to terrify players, including appropriately timed silence. The launch trailer is also available, though it does contain spoilers.
