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Comment Re:Doublespeak (Score 1) 400

MKV files don't work on bloody anything reliably except VLC, even though they're theoretically an h264 variant

Setting aside the fact that MKV is a container, not a codec, try using SMPlayer. It seems to handle MKVs better, and it's also cross platform and (IIRC) FOSS.

Comment Re:news flash (Score 1) 450

I would instead say "unintentional megacorp hindered by purpose-sprawl more than code-stink or feature-creep". Some large organizations inspire creativity. Granted not many.

Can you name one - just one - top-down organization which inspires creativity and innovation? I'd even give you points for naming one which does not stifle said characteristics.

Comment Re:Does your tax money go where you want? (Score 1) 295

I think that's inaccurate (especially the claim that the DoD and its expert propagandists somehow milked the creation of the internet for military gain). But it's worth noting that something like the internet would have evolved anyway. It's a natural progression in networking, bordering on the obvious. I think that's a more solid argument.

Comment Re:Consistent Histories? (Score 1) 365

In this case, you have to "measure" the particle in a particular way to retrieve the energy, and that way depends on what happened to the particle on the other side while the energy is being "pumped in" (so you cannot know in advance).

So you take a trillions and trillions and trillions of particles, and start measuring them randomly at once... Eventually you get lucky, and one of them gives you a return on energy. Poof, instant information transfer, but without having the data that you "needed" to do it. No waiting in line!

Comment Re:"No flight ceiling" (Score 3, Informative) 276

At those altitudes, wouldn't the fact that the air be EXTREMELY cold? (I think -52c or so at 30k feet?)

The problem is that air is far less dense at those altitudes. There's roughly a third the air at sea level. For example, suppose you're trying to keep the engine below 80C. An air flow at sea level and 20C that barely does it, would be equivalent to a third the airflow at -100C.

Comment Re:Battery powered aircraft:Completely unrealistic (Score 1) 276

The efficiency of an Lycoming IO-540K1A5 peaks at 32%, and the Thielert Centurion diesel peaks at 40%. An electric motor peaks at around 80%, but controller etc has an efficinecy of at most 95%, and batteries can not be drained more than 74%, so the total is 64% usable energy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density#Energy_density_in_energy_storage_and_in_fuel/ lists Li-Ion with 0.5MJ/kg, and Gasoline at 46.4MJ/kg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density#Energy_density_in_energy_storage_and_in_fuel
That is pretty accurately 1%, and you are somewhat right in that when adjusted for system efficiency, the ratio is 2.1%

Still order of magnitude away for useful.

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