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Comment No longer matters (Score 1) 279

The naming was to make people think it was like the old Republic serials and nobody younger than Lucas is really going to get the reference any more. While I've been told this I don't really "get it" since I didn't grow up seeing those things in smoky cinemas and waiting for the "next exciting episode" to come out.

Comment Re: Hope she's learned something (Score 1) 170

This is the first model and if there is enough interest this will spurn research into how to get around these limitations.

There has been interest in improving peltiers for many decades, and this flashlight will make no difference.

And for thermal power in general, you can't exceed the Carnot limit, so a flashlight or other body-temperature powered device will never be practical.

there are bound to be other scenarios where waste energy is still hotter than the ambient air. Think of a furnace for example.

And to replace your furnace, they sell products such as high efficiency condensing furnaces, which are up to 98% efficient. So much so, that there isn't even enough waste heat left-over to get the exhaust to climb though a 10ft chimney out your roof, and instead needs to be exhausted almost sideways.

Part of the challenge of innovating is doing stuff despite being told it shouldn't work and finding a suitable application when it finally does work.

That's fine, until you run up against well-tested theoretical limits, making your product impractical or impossible. All those zero-point energy freaks don't win science fairs...

Comment Re:Whole Trial is bullshit (Score 1) 325

How does his being armed as he walked back to his truck have any bearing on the fact that Martin

Why did he get out of his truck in the first place? To follow Martin.

How does his being armed as he walked back to his truck have any bearing on the fact that Martin - who had already made it to his destination - doubled back, and ran up behind Zimmerman to sucker punch him and begin the physical assault from which Zimmerman had to defend himself?

Yeah, that's one version of the story.

So your saying Zimmerman's been following this guy who he views as a dangerous threat, then he even testifies the guy notices he's being followed, and then a few minutes later he's walking along with his guard down and gets jumped from behind?

Carrying a pistol doesn't magically control people who are sneaking up behind you to attack you.

He wouldn't be doubling back and sneaking up behind you if you weren't sneaking around following him around in the first place.

Does following someone around somehow justify being attacked? Of course not, but it robs you of credibility when you say "I was just minding my own business, walking back to my truck, when he jumped me." I have a reasonable doubt about the truth of that claim. Maybe its true. Maybe its not.

We need a trial to sort it out. I'm not saying Zimmerman is guilty and I'll assume the jury makes the right decision based on the evidence presented at trial, regardless of whether they acquit or convict.

Comment Re:A Cautionary Yay (Score 1) 120

You will never be able to get 1Gbps over a 100m long CAT5 cable

Yes you will. The 1000BASE-T (802.3ab) specifications specifically say 100m on CAT-5 cable, and plenty of people have done so, successfully.

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1205868

You might have range issues if an idiot patched your CAT-5 cables and did too much untwisting, or made similar mistakes. But if a professional installed it, they were tested and certified (by a certifier that cost several thousand dollars) to fully meet CAT-5 specifications, before anyone signed-off and paid for the installation.

Now, what you MIGHT have been thinking of is 10GBASE-T, which can only do 55m over CAT-6, an needs CAT-6a for 100m, but that's an order of magnitude difference, there.

Comment Re:Evidently... (Score 1) 330

You might want to be careful about that. If you cut off the US military-industrial complex, they might find another way to secure their funding, like start another needless war. They're already salivating with what's going on in Egypt right now.

Let's give it a shot and see what happens. I think starving the beast will be more effective than that.

Comment Re:Whole Trial is bullshit (Score 1) 325

So they "seem" implausible, but you don't have any actual evidence for your assertion.

Look up "King hit" and you can see how easy it is to kill or severely damage someone with one blow.

Look up "multiple stab wounds" and you'll see how hard it can be to kill someone via multiple stab wounds.

Sure, one blow expertly placed might have disabled or killed Zimmerman, but where's the evidence that Martin has any knowledge of dealing such "king hits"?

Further, why isn't shooting Martin a justified response to how Martin was beating up Zimmerman? Even if he didn't have intent to kill, I see a reasonable expectation of grievous bodily harm, which probably meets the criteria for self-defense.

Comment Re:Make lots of them. (Score 1) 277

Brass corrodes, ceramic abrades. They could last centuries - but they won't last millenia under 'buried in the dirt' conditions.

Sure they will. There's almost no abrasion in "buried in dirt". And under low moisture conditions, brass lasts a long time - it is very resistant to air corrosion.

For every ancient clay tablet we have today, thousands were lost - and most of what we have now are heavily damaged and barely readable.

Conversely, we have shown here that tablets made just out of fragile clay can last thousands of years. A ceramic that is actually near immune to water damage will easily last where these failed.

Comment Re:"behind the curve" (Score 1) 120

Bacteria can be easily transferred from animals to humans.

Can be, yes, but NOT easily, and I've seen NO evidence thus far that the antibiotic resistant strains that are plaguing hospitals have been linked to animals.

So far, all I've seen is assumptions and dogma, and you've provided

It is possible. Which means it will probably happen, given enough occurrences.

It's possible, but is it 1 in 10 or 1 in 10billion? It completely changes the risk/reward calculation.

What's the advantage of using antibiotics for no reason, other than somehow making animals grow faster?

Keeping animals healthy and disease free is a big benefit. Livestock plagues would be a very bad thing for humans. And it's not just profit margins, you're also talking about less resource usage, and lower food prices for the poor. These are all good things,

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