Where in the constitution of WSFS (the organization that gives the awards) is it written that Hugos must be given to works that are strictly science fiction? Indeed, the constitution states

3.2.1: Unless otherwise specified, Hugo Awards are given for work in the field of science fiction or fantasy appearing for the first time during the previous calendar year.

This specifically includes fantasy.

To the contrary, in a recent interview (maybe on the Jist or Marketplace? I can't recall exactly where I heard this...) the author mentioned that the distinction between "nigga" (a common lyric) and "ni**er" (not a common lyric) made it easier to distinguish potentially racist searches from others. On the flip side, the author ran into trouble when trying to study sexist/misogynistic searches, as many of those are people looking for porn.

It should also be noted that the punchline is not "people who search offensive phrases are racist." The punchline is that seemingly racist searches correlate (i.e. the effect is statistical, rather than individual) with other variables (such as regions where Obama underperformed when compared to other Democrat candidates and/or polling) that seem to indicate some underlying racism.

The actual book appears to be pretty nuanced. The Vox interview linked above is also appears to be relatively nuanced. The Slashdot summary and the paragraphs preceding the interview on Vox are sensationalist, click-baity claptrap.

That's not true. Some states require that, but it is not national law.

I lived in Reno for over a decade, and referred to the mountains as ``the Sierras'' for years. I am so embarrassed that no one ever corrected me. :(

To anyone who knows what they are doing, both pi and tau are simply constants. Absorb either into some constant term, or carry it around with you wherever you go---it doesn't matter. Real engineers, mathematicians, scientists, etc can handle either constant without difficulty. The real advantage that tau has over pi is pedagogical. It is much easier to communicate the relation between angle measure and arc length with tau. Since trig functions deal with lengths more readily than area, it makes sense to teach people trigonometry using a constant that is more closely related to length.

This is not the paper described in the summary, but rather an older paper with some of the same authors. The paper referenced in the summary was published online yesterday in Nature Climate Change. I'm sorry that I can't give a direct link to a .pdf (yay for paywalls keeping all of the non-ivory tower plebs out! huzzah!), but for those with access, the paper can be found at Influence of high-latitude atmospheric circulation changes on summertime Arctic sea ice. For those without access to an academic library, the first author provides an email contact. One presumes that a polite request would yield the full text of the paper.

"they couldn't secure financing for manufacturing and shipping the first batch of units"

If only we had a way to provide funding for products? We could set up websites that enabled people to post commercially unviable ideas, collect sales in advance, and then bullshit for two years about why they haven't shipped, promised features have been removed, etc.

0) iPod: No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.

We'd have problems with fires - which would get massive - before we had problems with crops dying off due to lack of CO2. Also, the ocean's pH would change and that'd be quite bad news indeed.

People, even the media, consistently refer to President Obama as just "Obama". The only time you'd use the honorific is when you're addressing him directly.

Just move on from Slashdot.

I gave up on fighting against the astroturfers here a few years back... wasn't worth the effort and stress anymore. I can still get good discussion about topics that matter to me at reddit -- just need to stay away from some of the subreddits there.

Every once in a while I come check on Slashdot, and remember anew why I left. The place went to shit once the sockpuppet accounts got critical mass on mod points.

That's not what goodwill is at all. Goodwill is an asset on your books that arises from paying more for an acquisition than the valuation of that acquisition. It has nothing to do with how the public perceives a company.

For a company like Greyhound those would be considered fixed assets and would be depreciated according to a depreciation schedule.

FYI if the assets aren't in service they wouldn't be depreciated. Only once they are put in service is depreciation started.

What is there to compromise if I don't share you veneration of dead bone?