Comment Re:Very well then (Score 2, Funny) 151
no mroe brian traning;;l its back to klling it qiuckyl wirth irish car bmbs fr me
New Speed Cameras Catch You From Space 351
A new kind of speed camera that uses satellites to measure average speed over long distances is being tested in Britain. The "Speedspike" system combines plate reading technology with a global positioning satellite receiver to calculate average speed between any two points in the area being monitored. From the article: "Details of the trials are contained in a House of Commons report. The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled 'number plate capture in all weather conditions, 24 hours a day.' It also referred to the system's 'low cost' and ease of installation." I can't wait to see the episode of MythBusters where they try to avoid getting a speeding ticket from a satellite.
Comment Re:Meat cows? (Score 1) 640
One cow can produce about two kilowatts of electricity, enough energy to power four milking machines.
The real question is: Does it make the Milk tough?
No, the real question is... how does 2kw of electricity compare in units of bio-electricity? Say, to a 120 volt battery that is capable of producing 25,000 BTUs of thermal energy?
And if it compares favorably, what would be the costs of constructing a virtual reality universe to occupy the cattle's minds - a universe modelled after the late 20th century, arguably known to be the peak of cattle civilization?
Professor Says UFO Studies Should Be Taught At Universities 311
New York anthropology professor Philip Haseley wants young people to get the best education possible, and part of that education, he says, should be about UFOs. Haseley thinks universities should offer classes on UFOs and other unexplained phenomena from space. "[A sighting] happens to millions of people [around the world]. It's about time we looked into this as a worthy area of study. It's important that the whole subject be brought out in the open and investigated," he said. I want to believe the truth is out there in 500 words or less.
Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 123
'"We will tell you that in the world of the exciter, the holy grail is to get a universal design that can generate all the waveforms that you could possibly imagine," says Falco.'
Its pretty clear what they mainly want: Inject any analog waveform in any band to confuse radar with arbitrary objects. If the enemy radar gets a software upgrade which detects you last attempt, you just change your software.
Sweet. Sounds like we're only one step away from: "remodulate the waveform of the main deflector dish! Off phase of the Romulan..err, Russian signal by 29.5 degrees to create a simulated beta-tachyon pulse!"
Comment Re:Still consuming (Score 1) 496
Same can be observed in Korean. Sal = uncooked rice. Bap = cooked rice. Bap = also generic word for a meal.
LRO Photographs Soviet Lunar Landers From the '70s 24
braindrainbahrain writes "Photographs of the Sea of Crises on the Moon taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show the Soviet lunar landers Luna 20, Luna 23 and Luna 24, which landed on the Moon in the 1970s. In addition to the landers, it is possible to see the tracks made by the Lunokhod lunar rover! The Soviet Lunokhod lunar rover predates the first successful Mars Rover by some 30 years. (Note: Very cool old-style artists' drawings of the Soviet craft at the Wikipedia links above.)"
Cooling the Planet With a Bubble Bath 219
cremeglace writes "A Harvard University physicist has come up with a new way to cool parts of the planet: pump vast swarms of tiny bubbles into the sea to increase its reflectivity and lower water temperatures. 'Since water covers most of the earth, don't dim the sun,' says the scientist, Russell Seitz, speaking from an international meeting on geoengineering research. 'Brighten the water.' From ScienceNOW: 'Computer simulations show that tiny bubbles could have a profound cooling effect. Using a model that simulates how light, water, and air interact, Seitz found that microbubbles could double the reflectivity of water at a concentration of only one part per million by volume. When Seitz plugged that data into a climate model, he found that the microbubble strategy could cool the planet by up to 3C. He has submitted a paper on the concept he calls “Bright Water" to the journal Climatic Change.'"
Comment Re:email? (Score 2, Insightful) 306
Those same five paragraphs in Century Gothic 12-pt take up 12.75" vertically. That 15% increase in space could easily lead to savings in ink being offset by additional paper waste.
Ok, sure, we can save the trees, but then we're back to the first problem of using too much ink. Ink doesn't grow on trees you know. Won't somebody think of the squids? ANYBODY?
Comment Use semicolons instead of colons (Score 2, Funny) 306
That's a good idea, but I think there's more money to be saved where people are using entire colons when semi-colons would suffice.
http://www.dilbert.com/strips/?F=1&CharIDs=&ViewType=Full&NoDateRange=1&SingleDate=08%2F20%2F1996&Order=s.DateStrip&PerPage=5&After=04%2F16%2F1989&Before=03%2F26%2F2010&CharFilter=Any
http://www.dilbert.com/strips/?F=1&CharIDs=&ViewType=Full&NoDateRange=1&SingleDate=08%2F20%2F1996&Order=s.DateStrip&PerPage=5&After=04%2F16%2F1989&Before=03%2F26%2F2010&CharFilter=Any
Comment Re:Not to sounds like a video snob ... (Score 2, Funny) 171
I hear that square-wave signals look WAY better when they travel through way-overpriced copper rather than inexpensive copper. You can totally tell the difference!
Why stop there? I only use copper mined from a small mine in the amazon that has been blessed by a local shaman. You think your picture looks better on expensive copper? Mine comes from the freaking amazon. Like acai berries. Ever heard of them? Yeah.
My TV signal is freaking sweet.
Comment Re:Dark stuff? (Score 2, Funny) 279
I have a similar problem.. but it only applies to dark socks. No matter how frequently I buy new black socks and how INfrequently I buy new white socks, I always end up with "not enough dark socks."
For example, right now I am down to exactly 4 pairs of black socks and about 15-20 pairs of white socks - right after I do my laundry. And I don't even remember the last time I bought white socks.
Maybe black socks mature into white socks? (and XKCD suggested that socks may be the larval stage of wire coat hangers...)
For example, right now I am down to exactly 4 pairs of black socks and about 15-20 pairs of white socks - right after I do my laundry. And I don't even remember the last time I bought white socks.
Maybe black socks mature into white socks? (and XKCD suggested that socks may be the larval stage of wire coat hangers...)
Iron Alloy Could Create Earthquake-Proof Buildings 107
separsons writes "Researchers at Japan's Tohoku University designed a new shape memory metal alloy. The super elastic iron alloy can endure serious stretching and still return to its original shape. The scientists say that once optimized, the material could be used in everything from braces to medical stents to earthquake-proof buildings!"
Comment Re:Article is wrong. (Score 1) 153
That's a pretty intriguing idea too, but also in theory it is impossible to get energy out of that because the ratchet will actually slip due to its own thermal energy an average things out.. assuming a long period of time and all parts of ratchet being at thermal equilibrium. If the ratchet is at a lower thermal state then you really just have a miniature heat engine that extracts energy from the thermal difference, which becomes equalized. Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownian_ratchet?wasRedirected=true .. my apologies for the rambly runon post.. typing from my phone
Comment Re:Article is wrong. (Score 4, Informative) 153
Yes, I was really intrigued and confused, after reading the line:
"The new process causes the polymer to conduct heat very efficiently in just one direction,"
I was thinking, wow, is this even possible? If this is true, I think they've just created a material that could behave like a passive air-conditioner, heater, refridgerator, etc., while using NO power, ever. That alone must be breaking some serious laws of thermodynamics..
"One dimension" or "one axis," would have been more appropriate than "one direction."
