Comment Re:When you were little (Score 1) 208
Christmas pie, not curds-n-whey. You're thinking of Li'l Miss Muffet.
(Reply w/ tasteless joke combining "Horner", "curds-n-whey", and Miss Muffet in 3... 2...)
Comment Re:Jammin (Score 1) 315
Funny stuff.
It's coincidences like this that make we want to anthropomorphise Irony.
NASA Plans To "Lasso" Asteroid and Turn It Into Space Station 200
A reader writes "NASA scientists are planning to capture a 500 ton asteroid, relocate it and turn it into a space station for astronauts to refuel on their way to Mars. From the article: 'The 1.6bn-pound plan will be considered by the White House's Office of Science and technology in the coming weeks, as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade, the Daily Mail reported. According to a report prepared by NASA and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists, an, 'asteroid capture capsule' would be attached to an old Atlas V rocket and directed towards the asteroid between the earth and the moon. Once close, the asteroid capsule would release a 50ft diameter bag that would wrap around the spinning rock using drawstrings. The craft would then turn on its thrusters, using an estimated 300kg of propellant, to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitationally neutral spot. From here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space. Though NASA declined to comment on the project, it is believed that technology would make it possible within 10-12 years. The technology would also open up the possibility of mining other asteroids for their metals and minerals. Some are full of iron which could be used in the making of new space stations, others are made up of water which could be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to make fuel. It is hoped that the project will increase our understanding of asteroids, and even shed new light on the origin of life on Earth.'"
Comment Re:Congrats (Score 1) 259
Same here.
ElcomSoft Tool Cracks BitLocker, PGP, TrueCrypt In Real-Time 268
An anonymous reader writes "Russian firm ElcomSoft on Thursday announced the release of Elcomsoft Forensic Disk Decryptor (EFDD), a new forensic tool that can reportedly access information stored in disks and volumes encrypted with desktop and portable versions of BitLocker, PGP, and TrueCrypt. EFDD runs on all 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, as well as Windows 2003 and Windows Server 2008." All that for $300.
Comment Re:MOD PARENT UP!!! (Score 1) 943
This shifts wealth to those people who hold cash, a non-productive asset.
This increase real interest rates, deterring investments in productive assets.
I followed your line of reasoning until that last line. If you assume this cash is held in a bank, then these dollars are still lendable (even multiple times over, if you assume we haven't also done away with fractional reserve, along with this presumed return to a gold standard.) Or, are you assuming that these wealthy people are squirreling all their gold-backed currency away under their mattresses?
Comment Re:Pitfalls of a libertarian paradise (Score 1) 353
C) Freedoms always come with responsibilities.
In fact, that really should be A)...
And, there is certainly room for regulation in a libertarian mindset, because you will always have to deal with the asshats who forget that freedoms always come with responsibilities.
In fact, that really should be A)...
And, there is certainly room for regulation in a libertarian mindset, because you will always have to deal with the asshats who forget that freedoms always come with responsibilities.
Comment Re:2560x1600 should be good for anyone! (Score 2, Insightful) 661
Or, you could stop limiting yourself to 80 columns for your code...
Comment Re:I'm surprised no lawyers (Score 1) 115
I don't see the intent do defraud, here.
Comment Re:What a bunch of douche bags (Score 1) 273
I think you've just discovered for yourself the reason why it makes better sense to do the "capitalistic thing", and let the prices rise until demand matches supply. But, you seem to have a mental block that keeps you from reaching that conclusion.
Comment Re:Adventure? (Score 1) 181
You are correct, I didn't know that name in the context of text adventure games. I thought the GP was having a brain-fart, mentally conflating the name Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) with Douglas Adams (who had at least 2 adventure games in the 80's that I can recall, namely: Bureaucracy, and HHGttG)
In my defense, I didn't play many games. My parents bought me me a TRS-80 Color Computer, but weren't inclined to spend any money on games for it. My exposure to the Douglas Adams games was from a friend who had a Commodore 64.
Comment Re:Adventure? (Score 1) 181
Or even Douglas Adams, for that matter...
Comment What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (Score 1) 267
This might be a good way to terraform... might this create a volcanic island?
$1 Billion Mission To Reach the Earth's Mantle 267
black6host writes "Humans have reached the moon and are planning to return samples from Mars, but when it comes to exploring the land deep beneath our feet, we have only scratched the surface of our planet. This may be about to change with a $1 billion mission to drill 6 km (3.7 miles) beneath the seafloor to reach the Earth's mantle — a 3000 km-thick layer of slowly deforming rock between the crust and the core which makes up the majority of our planet — and bring back the first ever fresh samples."
NASA Mulling Earth-Moon L2 Point for Mars Staging Station 186
jamstar7 writes "From the article: 'NASA is reportedly mulling the construction of a floating Moon base that would serve as a launching site for manned missions to Mars and other destinations more distant than any humans have traveled to so far. The Orlando Sentinel reported over the weekend that the proposed outpost, called a "gateway spacecraft," would support "a small astronaut crew and function as a staging area for future missions to the moon and Mars."' This is actually a good idea, using the Moon as a staging base for exploring the cosmos. Once we build manufacturing capability there, why not build spacecraft there? We can build bigger, more spacious craft so as to not lock up future astronauts in a closet for months or years at a time."
Moon base isn't quite accurate: it would be a space station at the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point about 60000 km from the surface of the dark side of the moon.
