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Comment Re:And in other news... (Score 1) 79

Indeed. Programming is one of those exercises, like cryptic crosswords or playing chess, which simply gets you to think logically, with a little creativity thrown in. Doesn't matter what you do, keeping your brain active with logical problems is known to boost your ability in multiple different fields.

Comment Re:That's not a drone (Score 1) 339

Your average RC pilot is no longer all that aware of the CAA/FAA etc regs, when the toys are just a few hundred dollars it no longer takes a prolonged period of building up your experience and saving up for the next toy, you can just buy and fly. We're seeing the same problem in kitesurfing at the moment, people who buy the kit (usually unsuitable for a newbie) from eBay and just decide they're going to be a kitesurfer - no training, no experience, no hanging around with people and learning the basics. They can't keep themselves safe while launching the kite, let alone have an awareness of the basics of flight regulations and flying kites near airports.

Comment Re:I'm not even a fan, but (Score 1) 1174

This is especially common, and especially important with, SF. Look at all the classic SF authors:

Heinlein: right wing bordering on Fascism. Stephen Baxter very cleverly follows the ideology in the Destiny's Child series, and paints a biologically successful H. Superior, but isn't shy about the downside. While I doubt Baxter share's Heinlein's political philosophy, they both ask the question "are there elements of aggressive, expansionist policies which by definition must be adapted for the long term (post-Sun) survival of our species?"

SF has a long tradition of exploring human themes, however good or bad they may seem now. Personally I have no problem with homosexuality, I see it as a completely normal sub-group of humanity (meaning a minority rather than "worse" in any way), but if an established SF writer who's books I previously enjoyed writes something then I'm going to judge them on their writing, not their personal views.

If he oversteps the mark with his arguments against homosexuality then I'll get involved and argue back directly against him. But it's a different matter to SF.

Comment Re:Lots of cheap publicity (Score 5, Insightful) 385

Nope, it was one of a long series of programmes that get made because of the licence fee. Some don't make a profit and get canned, some don't make a profit and stick around because the BBC are legally obliged to broadcast them (educational, religious, political and news programming for example), and some are syndicated around the world, or sold for remake under licence (Doctor Who, Top Gear, Red Dwarf's original series etc). The latter subsidises the former - remember, we're only paying about US$150 per household per year, and there is pretty much zero advertising to fund it or get in the way of us actually enjoying a whole episode of something. Pretty good deal really. I'm with Mitch Benn on this.

Comment Re:Cars produce more (Score 1) 976

As lots of people have pointed out, the body produced CO2 which is what triggers the breathing reflex, I was working on the OP's basis that we've "erradicated all CO2", including the stuff produced by the body. Astronauts haven't used pure oxygen in a long time, it was initially used because it allowed lower pressure, meaning space suits were easier to move around in, but the fire risk turned out to be way too high, so these days it's simply normal air.

Comment Re:Ahhhhhhh.... (Score 2) 309

Precisely. If it was about belief and freedom of information then Torvalds, Doctorow and many like them would be the subject of persecution and legal threats in exactly the same way. The pirate bay breaks the law in many countries, and they are prosecuted as such. It's like whining about freedom of speech when you're committing a clear libel.

Comment Re:Sorry, Prenda (Score 1) 219

Inconvenience? I'm pretty sure that defending myself in court is easier than my current job, and in the UK at least I can claim loss of earnings from the litigant when I win the case. I could make quite a nice living from just sitting in court and winning cases which are meant to be inconveniencing me, and you can blog away while you're at it as long as you stay within the law.

Comment Re:Cars produce more (Score 1) 976

I was assuming we're getting rid of all CO2 as OP suggested, including the stuff generated in the lungs as TFA refers to. Yes, you do make your own which is why we tend to see Cheyne Stokes rather than people just dying - at altitude the mechanism is due to reduced partial pressure of atmospheric CO2, so scrubbing all CO2 from the atmosphere could still cause problems in people who are already in O2 debt for whatever reason.

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