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Comment Re:USA only and no vpns allowed (Score 1) 175

Only if I want the whole movie. If I download the soundtrack only I'm perfectly OK...at least in Canada. Odd times we live in where we are allowed to "steal" music but not video. Oh well, it's the bed the music industry made, and now we get the benefit of sleeping in it.

If only someone could convince the T.V./movie industry to leave some loop holes open for us Canadians to get access to the one show we would like to watch without paying over $100 for a cable subscription we don't need or want.

OH WAIT! Maybe they could just make their shows available for a small fee on a per show basis? Oh wait, that makes too much sense.

Comment Re:Lets replace some words in the headline (Score 1) 194

by Flea of Pain (#51860757) Attached to: Spies In The Skies: FBI Planes Are Circling US Cities

Observing public spaces, even if from altitude, generally has been considered quite okay with the courts.

The problem is that 'public spaces' change based on altitude. What happens in my backyard is private...if you are on the street. My reasonable expectation of privacy extends to my backyard because I have a fence. If someone comes by and stands on a ladder to take pictures of me in my yard, they are invading my privacy. So yes, those planes are looking into many places that are not public spaces. Just ask Google, they got into a lot of trouble with their streetview cars because the cameras were mounted higher than eye level and were getting pictures into peoples yards.

Comment Re:A bad as this is... (Score 1) 596

by Flea of Pain (#51707253) Attached to: DOJ Threatens To Seize iOS Source Code

Quick question...I don't know American Politics very well, but it seems to me that a move like this could just make Apple says something along the lines of "OK, we're leaving. All you Americans with your love of iPhones now can't have one because your government screwed us over. If you want us back, you'll have to vote Trump in and reverse the decision." Would that not scare the current establishment into some kind of concessions? From what I hear most Dems and about half the Republicans are terrified of anything that makes Trump stronger.

Submission + - MIT Inches Closer to ARC Reactor Despite Losing Federal Funding (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Experimenting with a fusion device over the past 20 years has edged MIT researchers to their final goal, creating a small and relatively inexpensive ARC reactor, three of which would produce enough energy to power a city the size of Boston. The lessons already learned from MIT's even current Alcator C-Mod fusion device — with a plasma radius of just 0.68 meters — have enabled researchers to publish a paper on a prototype ARC that would be the world's smallest fusion reactor but with the greatest magnetic force and energy output for its size. The ARC would require 50MW to run while putting out about 200MW of electricity to the grid. Key to MIT's ARC reactor would be the use of a "high-temperature" rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting tape for its magnetic coils, which only need to be cooled to 100 Kelvin, which enables the use of abundant liquid nitrogen as a cooling agent. Other fusion reactors' superconducting coils must be cooled to 4 degrees Kelvin. While there remain hurdles to overcome, such as sustaining the fusion reaction long enough to achieve a net power return, building the ARC would only take 4 to 5 years and cost about $5 billion, compared to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's largest tokamak fusion reactor due to go online and begin producing energy in 2027.

Submission + - Researchers Equip Mario Characters With Social Intelligence (thestack.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Scientists have designed artificial intelligence software to apply social skills to popular video game characters such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Toad from the Super Mario Bros franchise. The researchers taught the game characters to watch and communicate with each other, as well as to learn from their surroundings. This was achieved through attaching a cognitive control loop to each agent [video], integrating insights from cognitive science, linguistics and psychology. Characters were programmed to develop a motivation system, inspired by the need for wealth, progress, and full health. These drives then triggered specific game events, for example with a stronger longing for wealth, Mario would strive to reach more coins. The gamer is able interject and influence a character's actions by giving abstract orders or motivational instructions through speech control. The characters can also ask for help or further information from the gamer to achieve their mission.

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